Also on today’s menu:
Mother Indicted In Son’s Murder
Choosing Whom To Tax
Governor Chris Sununu is one of 18 governors asking the United States Department of Education to reconsider its proposal to impose new conditions on charter schools — the tuition-free public schools that are open to all students. The governors are asking that the department extend the “unprecedentedly short comment period to reflect the magnitude of changes proposed and solicit meaningful public comment”; that it remove all provisions that limit local control, “including the new requirement for a community impact analysis, which would mandate school districts be over-enrolled and put federal officials in the place of local parents in determining the need for high-quality choices”; and that it delay any changes until the next fiscal year.
“We oppose any attempts by the federal government to act as a national charter school board, impose a top-down and one-size-fits-all approach, and undermine the authority of parents to choose the educational option best for their child,” they wrote. “By focusing on the number of seats, rather than the number of ‘high-quality’ seats, the new standard fails to consider that a driving force in parents’ decisions is the desire for their child to attend a school that meets their child’s unique needs. … For instance, in one of our states alone, 60% of the student population at charter schools is economically disadvantaged, and more than 90% of those students belong to racial and ethnic minority groups. Across the nation, charter schools enroll more students of color and more economically disadvantaged students than their traditional public school counterparts. The requirements imposed in the proposed rule will put the Department in a position to undermine the decision made by millions of families seeking a better opportunity for their child.”
Joining Sununu in signing the letter were governors Bill Lee of Tennessee, Kay Ivey of Alabama, Mike Dunleavy of Alaska, Doug Ducey of Arizona, Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, Ron DeSantis of Florida, Brian Kemp of Georgia, Eric Holcomb of Indiana, Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Larry Hogan of Maryland, Charlie Baker of Massachusetts, Tate Reeves of Mississippi, Mike Parson of Missouri, Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, Mike DeWine of Ohio, Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, and Greg Abbott of Texas.
Mother Indicted In Son’s Murder
A Hillsborough County Superior Court Grand Jury has indicted Danielle Dauphinais, 35, of Merrimack on multiple charges in connection with the murder of her son, 5-year-old Elijah Lewis.
Dauphinais faces one count of first degree-murder, one count of second-degree murder for recklessly causing his death with extreme indifference to the value of human life; and three counts of tampering with witnesses.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt, but an independent jury’s decision, after hearing from police, that sufficient evidence exists to warrant a court trial.
Choosing Whom To Tax
In recent years, billionaires and large corporations have paid an average tax rate of 8 percent, less than what a teacher or firefighter might pay, according to President Joe Biden Jr., who contrasted his tax plan with that of congressional Republicans. Biden would impose new minimum taxes on billionaires and large corporations without raising taxes “by a penny on anyone making less than $400,000,” he said in a Tax Day address.
Under Biden’s plan, the wealthiest American households would pay a minimum of 20 percent on all of their income, including unrealized investment income that currently is untaxed. Many of the richest Americans currently pay no tax, or very little tax, on their income. The new tax would apply only to the top 0.01 percent of American households — those worth more than $100 million — with more than half of the new taxes coming from households worth more than $1 billion.
Congressional Republicans’ plan would increase middle-class families’ taxes an average of nearly $1,500 this year alone, along with eliminating Social Security and Medicare.
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