Brief Random Musings on a Saturday Night

As I once again work on my taxes, I'm reminded of how desperately we need comprehensive tax reform and simplification.  I would gladly forego every deduction I claim for a simple tax code with reasonable rates.  Just calculate the effective rate paid by taxpayers in each income bracket AFTER deductions, then set the rate there and eliminate the deductions.  Regaining the lost hours of my life devoted to this wholly needless exercise would be worth more to me than all the deductions I could claim.  (And my next post will be devoted to taxes, more from an economic angle than political, so stay tuned.)

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Once again, a recalcitrant Congress has dug in its heels and refused to pass a much-needed, if imperfect, piece of legislation.  So here we are, stuck with Obamacare.  The Democrats are celebrating as though Americans having to pay twice as much for half the choice in health care is a good thing.

What bothers me the most is that the Freedom Caucus never offered alternative solutions to the pieces of the AHCA they didn't like, they just sat back and said, "I don't like this," and "I don't like that."  We finally elect a do-something President, and we remain saddled - and he remains hamstrung - with a do-nothing Congress.  Looks like we haven't gone far enough in cleaning house since 2010.  Time for us to help drain the swamp.

If I were Trump, I'd campaign in the 2018 primaries for anyone willing to oppose the incumbent members of the caucus.  Good thing there are none from my neck of the woods, because I sure know how I'd vote come 2018.

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So Chelsea Clinton is receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award at the ripe young age of 37.  (I admit I haven't even bothered to learn what for, as I don't really care.)

Critics claim she hasn't even had a lifetime yet, given her young age.  Her supporters no doubt would crow that Ms. Clinton has achieved more in her 37 years than many people do in a lifetime.

I doubt I could dispute either point.  However, regarding her achievements, I believe it noteworthy that she was born to a pair of Yalies, at a time when her dad was governor of Arkansas.  She grew up in the White House, mum and dad sent her to Stanford, and she parlayed her parents' fame and power into a lucrative career, with much of it coming as a key player in her parents' foundation.

We know all about that foundation, don't we?

If I'm going to give a Lifetime Achievement Award to a thirty-something, I'd rather give it to Chieh Huang, CEO of Boxed.  Boxed is an innovative app-based retail concept that provides the bulk-buying advantages of a Costco or Sam's (but without the membership fee) combined with home delivery for us lazy people.

Huang is the son of poor Taiwanese immigrants.  His parents struggled to find good jobs in the U.S. due to their lack of fluency in English.  His mother worked as a cashier in a Chinese restaurant, and his father, during his brief periods of employment, sold anything he could find a buyer for, from stationery to sporting goods.

As reported in Entrepreneur magazine, "when Chieh Huang was in first grade, his class went on a field trip to the aquarium.  The teacher had asked parents to give their children a few dollars for souvenirs.  Huang was the only child who brought none; his parents couldn't afford to spare any.  A trip chaperone bought him a 25-cent purple eraser.  He treasured it for years and years."

That's a bit different from Chelsea's upbringing, no?  Bill Clinton's parents weren't wealthy, but they weren't poor.  Hillary's parents, however, were well-to-do.  And Hillary never worked as a restaurant cashier, although Bill did his fair share of selling (mostly snake oil).

Boxed isn't a public company, but I'm betting that it soon will be, and when it goes public, as Jim Cramer would say, "BUYBUYBUYBUYBUY!"

But besides the success of the company, Huang hasn't forgotten what it was like to grow up poor and cherish an eraser bought on a field trip.

His company pays for its employees' children's college tuition (Huang used his own stake in the company to fund that initiative).  That includes everyone from managers to pickers in the company's fulfillment centers.

Boxed also takes care of the costs of employees' personal crises when it can, recognizing what I've always said: the customer doesn't come first, the employee does.  Put your people first, and they'll go the extra mile for the customer.

Huang is 33.  And I'd argue that, when one considers from where he started, to where he is today, his "lifetime" of achievement overwhelms Chelsea's.  It's easy to reach the top rung when you start from the one below it.  It's entirely another endeavor when you don't even get to start on the ladder.

However, I doubt Huang seeks the kinds of accolades that float Chelsea Clinton's boat.  He's not looking for feathers in his cap, but he's certainly earning jewels in his crown by making a real difference in people's lives, from his customers through his innovative ideas, to his employees and their families through his generosity.

Besides, Chelsea winning a Lifetime Achievement Award at age 37 is little different from Barack Obama winning a Nobel Peace Prize ten months after his inauguration.