well, I was able to claim it just fine, it is a 1600 or so deduction, and you answer yes to are you blind question? If you are married, it is lowered by 300 or so. You also lose that if you itimize your return rather than take the standard deduction.

53, A few things.
I didn't overcome my blindness. That phrase is used so much I have no idea it means anymore. Does my blindness not exist now because I get a job? I would say absolutely not. I think   battling or fighting with blindness is a more accurate term, as it is an ongoing process. I never thought that blind people collecting SSI and SSDI  are people being lazy or anything. I really think blindness is one of the top 5 most severe disabilities one can be born with or acquire, and any disability coming on top of blindness shrinks it into the top  3 easily, and I am glad the system appears to recognize that. When  faced with a choice with minimum wage rehab and benefits, I probably would take the benefits too, like you would. There is a third option, take the benefits, and move abroad where they will be worth more, and you can still get them that way.
As for the rich, I am not implying that taxing more  will magically make the situation disappear overnight or it will solve other problems. It will however, raise substantially more money for the government, allow a single payer healthcare system, a stronger social safety net, hopefully! better pandemic preparidness,  infrastructure developments and improvements etc. And they should own probably less wealth they would now if those rates were raised. This isn't about taking away peoples' wealth, it is demanding that people contribute to society the way they are most able. Moreover, I agree with the need for a better healthcare system, am mostly in favor of single payer, but this means more taxes too, even though a majority of the middle class and lower income groups will save more. So even though it wouldn't stop the rich from being rich, higher percentages and closing tax loopholes would allow  possibly better healthcare infrastructure etc. But if you see the OECD average for income tax,   you will see the US is much lower down in the scale than most of the developed countries there. Finally,  taxing noncitizens in the States, and taxing citizens outside the states  is very clearly theft. in the first instance noncitezens pay payroll taxes even though they will never be eligible for the benefits. In the second instance, you are taxing a person even though they don't reside in the country, and moreover on top of  any taxes that country might impose. This type of person pays taxes solely by virtue of being a citizen with very little to no benefit to themselves, at a significant time and monitary expense, as foreign taxes can quickly get very complex.  Moreover due to the reporting requirements for foreign banks, many in Europe are flat out refusing to do business with citizens in order to not have to deal with the IRS.

It's a misconception to say that money taken from the rich to the government takes away from donations to charities that do good. What the rich think the world needs, and what the average person thinks they need are two vastly different perceptions. However, I cannot fault anyone in that position to giving to a cause they feel needs strong support, and surely these charities appreciate the assistance. As well, non-profits who reach out to foundations for grants enjoy the support these foundations give and develop strong relationships that have done a lot of good. However, should it really be the decision of one small collective of people or board to decide what issue gets funded and how society is shaped? People complain that they're afraid of government fully taking over their lives, but freely allow the upper class to shape their existence as they please and do what they want with their existences, views and beliefs. Reach out to these rich families to throw scraps of their wealth to one's direction if it fits their views of the world, and realize how many do not. ...Awkward that I say this as I used to do grant writing for non-profit clients, but it's a perspective one develops when in the field. At the moment, we just need to navigate the current system to get projects funded until things change, and work is still done to improve things, but far slower than if the number of grants from government were greater than from foundations.

   As well, a good portion of money doesn't go to the type of charities you think. There are charities in cities that focus on arts development and community development. As well as donations to schools. The part I omitted here are that these development projects are in the same rich cities and communities these individuals live in. So an endowment of hundreds of thousands of dollars going to a prestigious university, the construction of a new museum in the elite quarter of a city, or buying a new set of laptops for an expensive high school who still has last year's models functioning. Essentially the rich giving to the rich, and wealth being retained in the limited upper brackets of society.

   but again, it's government that's the dangerous force wanting to control our lives and turn us into drones while keeping all our monies. It's not like the United States hasn't had a history of the 1% attempting to usurp the Federal government, install a puppet president and make it impossible for anyone else to reach the American dream as an autocracy is formed. And that a fatal flu of their chosen president stopped their plans and launched the largest anti-trust suit to shatter their stranglehold on various industries.., allowing for small businesses to break into these fields and help shape the country away from the singular views of a few wealthy business owners.... 

   ...The late 1800's and early 1900's were a blast now that I think of it. In the sense of observing how things worked and failed. And then depressing when you realize people are wanting to revert back to such a time government and regulation wise.

@40, no, sorry, but posts like 26 and 28 hit the nail on the head here. You don't play nice with people who don't understand the seriousness of the current situation. I very easily could have lost one of the most important people in my life a few weeks ago. Forgive me, and others, for feeling raw about the brutal reality of it all. I am fortunate that nothing worse happened, because, if it had, and I'd seen this topic, I'd have zero fucks to give about ripping anyone to shreds who voiced such opinions as the idiot who wrote that Facebook post. To be fair, though, had anything truly awful happened, I would have been in no condition to look at stuff like this forum anyway. I'm barely containing my rage as it is. So, I'm going to end this post here, remind myself why it was best that I take a break from this site, and try to regroup. This place, in addition to several other things in my life, are no good for my mental health at this time. That's about the only good thing that came of my current situation, besides the obvious, of course. The fact that I realized how much I was taking people for granted, and how much I was putting them through by constantly engaging in negative behavior patterns for God only knows what reason.

@40. heres the thing. @25 doesn't care about people around him. He is basically saying, "I want to go to work now. lets reopen the country! Too bad that people are dying from this unknown disease. I just want to work now!" Don't get me wrong, I want to go out and eat and hangout with my friends again. but you know why I'm not complaining? because I have empathy. I feel for those people who have suffered and has lost someone from this covid19. I feel for the health workers who are under paid and over worked and who don't even have the proper protection. What I don't have sympathy for? is your president and people who expresses no sympathy and want to just line their pockets.

I've read some of the posts in response to the one I wrote the other day, that having been post 25. All I can say is, to those of you who attacked me, how very typical and how very predictable. All I tried to do was to encourage people to not live in fear, and that was what you came back with. Well, that's your right, and I would never stop you from voicing your opinion. However, for future reference, if you're going to be that aggressive then I'd strongly suggest a bit of self-control, and perhaps something to back up your position. Someone insinuated that I didn't seem to care what happened in other countries, and that's a flat-out lie. I care very much what happens in the rest of the nations of the world, but I am American and thus put my home nation first as any patriot would. I do hope that those of you in other countries are doing well as I know this is not easy. Things are starting to open up here in the states a bit, but it will be interesting to see how long these regulations stay in place regarding social distancing. I know here in Pennsylvania, things like golf courses and camp grounds are supposed to open back up at the end of the week from what I've heard. Have any of you seen anything similar beginning to happen or heard about anything like that where ever you're from? If so, it would be great to hear something positive like that and I don't think I'm the only one who would think that. Here's to hoping things will pick up and get better soon, regardless of what country we're talking about.

@59
yes, but the thing is.  There's no alternative for those of us targeted by Trump.  Civil discussion has been tried for well over 4 years by the Democrats.  It lost them the senate, the house, a presidency, and a supreme court seat.  The only reason ground has even been held at all, the only reason things like the ACA are even still around, is that people stopped civil discussion and started protests and things like that.

If you want to understand Bernie Sanders, what you have to understand is that even the Democrats aren't representing people like me now.  The Democrat strategy is let's compromise and hold out an olive branch.  The Republican strategy is we see a way to win forever, or at least for a really long time, so let's crush our enemies.  Compromise, civil discussion, all of that really only works in a world where the strategy of both sides is compromise and solving problems.  In a world where one side has an ideology, isn't willing to look at evidence or to change their mind, and is out for blood, that won't work anymore.

I'm not surprised that Sanders lost the nomination, and I'm even kind of glad.  I think Biden has the best chance of beating Trump, because Sanders is scary to a large section of democrats and independent voters, and at this point all I care about is that Trump doesn't get a second term.  But the thing is that Sanders was the only one saying he'd actually fight for something.  Everyone else, even Warren really, would have tried to continue the current strategy, and the current platform is basically return to normalcy.  That'll get a Democrat to the presidency probably, especially with Trump seriously fucking up Covid.

But all it's really worth is that now the government is representing African American suburban dad with an extra dose of political correctness, as opposed to white suburban dad who doesn't like immigrants stealing our jobs.  It won't actually get anything the Democrats like to promise: the Republicans were too unopposed for too long, and have managed to get control of a lot of things that are lifetime appointments.  Either the Republicans have to suddenly realize that playing fair actually matters, or the Democrats have to get a Trump.  Otherwise this country is going to stay on the slow train to right wing religious theocracy.  I don't believe we'll actually become one because that sort of move makes Democrat Trump more and more likely, but we are slowly moving in that direction, and it is concerning.

Sanders probably won't run again if I had to guess, but I honestly think there's going to be a Sanders equivalent in 2024 or 2028.  And I do think that by then things will be broken enough, and young people will be grown up enough, that the Sanders equivalent will win then.

But my main point is this.  Whether you like it or not, we are at a point where loud screaming is the only strategy because everything else is being a pushover to people who don't really care about anything but ideology.  Trump is very close to a cult, not in a human sacrifice way but in a social dynamics way.  You don't win against cults by arguing politely.  You win by breaking their ranks or taking down the head by any means necessary or preferably both.  All the major wins against the Republicans in the current administration have only happened because of something like that.

And to anyone else who might be reading this who's blind and supporting Trump, I'm just old enough to remember the days when my parents were afraid that they'd not be able to get us on their healthcare plan because my brother and I were both blind, and back then insurance companies were allowed to turn you away.  So though I can't stop you, or force you to see my points, do consider that in the end Trump and the GOP are trying to roll things back to the 90s when blind people had trouble getting access to doctors if the insurance companies decided not to like you.

@65
If you want to claim numbers are exaggerated, please provide evidence.  Otherwise this is baseless.  For one thing, China was going out of their way to claim totals were lower than they were.  And the U.S. doesn't even have enough tests to test everyone who's sick from it, let alone everyone who might have it.

Also learn about exponential curves, please.  We're only at a few million people but this doubles every month and that's while things are under lockdowns.

I do actually understand your frustration, but we aren't doing lockdowns because people are afraid.  We're doing lockdowns because we literally want to be able to have functional hospitals and if we don't do lockdowns then we won't have functional hospitals.  Italy has had to make tough choices in that regard, about who does and doesn't get hospital beds, and your attitude is what will cause the U.S. to have to start making those decisions as well should enough people share it.  Covid doesn't just kill/harm people with Covid, it kills/harms anyone else who might need a hospital at the same time as Covid is going on because there isn't enough hospital to go around.

And if we did reopen and everyone such as yourself lived their lives, by the time it is proven to your satisfaction that it is as bad as people claim, by the time you're going "holy shit, I guess everyone was right about those lockdowns" and you regret the live-my-life attitude, it will be too late because you can't treat it in any way and it got out of control and now millions to tens of millions are dead in just the U.S. depending on how bad it proves to be.

And that's before we even discuss that coronaviruses like to mutate and that the more people it's in the more likely that is to happen, or that we're starting to get data back on the treatment options that are currently in clinical trial and it looks like none of them do much of anything, or that we're starting to link Covid to non-Covid related death like strokes and blood clotting for reasons we don't understand.

Frankly this isn't about your fear.  We don't participate in the lockdowns for ourselves.  We participate in the lockdowns to protect those who are vulnerable, and to prevent the deaths of others.  You always have the right to take whatever risks you want, but you do not have the right to put others at risk.  Just living your life puts others at risk, for example if you bring it into your apartment building and get it on the elevator panel.

I believe the virus is as bad as people are claiming. I actually had a cousin that didn't take the initial warnings while In New York seriously. They spent a lot of their time outside and ignoring the manditory lockdown orders. They wanted to live their lives with their friends, who they were separated from and gathered in a large group.

  Now, that cousin and about 90% of his initial family have been cremated. And he was the only one to head out and got yelled at by his family for doing that. And he took out his parents, one grandparent and one of his siblings for living his life. that's not counting who else not in our family he had contact with. We also had another incident involving a wedding where a ton of people got violently ill. We lost two people from that event as well. Right now, it seems a nearby family has their second floor serving as a makeshift resting area as a bunch of people contracted kovid 19.

   What all of these incidents have in common? All it takes is one or two people to roam about infected to start the 1d50 rolls all around, and one's are something that can come up. And those are the lucky ones not rolling a 1d5 for critical existance failures. When you increase the number of people that can get exposed to Kovid 19, you increase the unfortunate number of people gets wiped out. And as someone mentioned, this causes problems for hospitals getting swamped, and being unable to take in other medical cases lethal to existance, illness prevention and other necessary services.

  meh, just like a good number of people in my family, people won't learn that this should be taken seriously until the virus reaches a level its indirectly affecting people who aren't sick of the virus. When hospitals get full, friends no longer being around, and funeral invites litter one's inbox. When waits to get into a hospital can extend to weeks, and when one finally gets sick and begin to worry that they could be the next add-on to the statistical data of Kovid 19 deaths. When it's far too late to do much other than damage control, then we'll take it seriously. Or not, it starting to seems just like many things in this country, epedemic preventio has became a political struggle with people doggedly taking a side to the very end.

  Also, it's possible to have viral prevention and live one's life properly. Unfortunately, we missed the mark on starting the preventative measures early enough to severely batter back the spread. Other nations who took up arms early have managed to get to a level where they can return to work and socialize.

Righto, here's my take on this.
Re: outrage and anger. I mostly agree, but we shouldn't be telling forum users to go fuck themselves. That's personal attack territory. Tear their arguments apart. Get angry doing it if you want to. But please try not to attack them.

Accman: Camlorn said it best when he said that these measures aren't in place to protect you, that you shouldn't uphold them to protect you. If it was just about me, if I knew I might get sick but knew for a fact that I couldn't hurt anyone else, I might well take more risks, and others might do the same. But I worry that I might make someone else sick, or kill them. We've got at least one user who's had family die because of this. If that doesn't make it personal, I don't know what does. Reopening things will happen, but as for when it should happen, the answer isn't "when we get tired of living in fear". That's never, ever a good enough answer. If it is for you, then you really aren't considering averything from every angle, and shouldn't falsely represent yourself as possessing a balanced perspective, because you don't.

Fun fact: I'm a Canadian, and I'd be appalled at the idea of putting my country first. We're all human beings. To imply that I care more about Canadians in a situation like this implies that on some level I view Canadians as better than people in other countries. If we're at war with another country, then yeah, okay, maybe I make choices there. But until such time that this happens, we're all human beings who are experiencing this pandemic together. Data from one country can impact the reactions of others. We aren't in our own little bubbles here, and don't have to be. Countries have been trying to help each other out where they can, sharing research and stats and goodness knows what else. In Covid-19, we're all equals.

@69
You seem to be contradicting yourself. Are the deaths supposedly lower or supposedly higher? I don't understand how a coroner would need to be explaining anything at all if the deaths were lower, since coroners don't go do autopsies on people who are alive.  And if the deaths are higher, that supports the keep things closed side, not yours.

@71
I think the plan at the moment is to just get us to a point where the hospitals aren't being overwhelmed.  I've seen a lot of people talk about i.e. cyclical lockdowns.  We don't need a vaccine as such but currently there are zero treatments, you get it and either you die or you don't.  Sure you might be on a ventilator and that helps but the best treatment does permanently bad things to your lungs and we need hundreds of times more machines for it than we have sooo...

As the lockdowns proceed people recover, and the number of people you transmit it to on average goes lower as well.  All the reputable stuff I've seen is basically that we're trying to get the testing infrastructure for contact tracing in place, then we're going to try to open up slowly and see how bad it's getting.  The heavy-handed measures are because we couldn't do targeted quarantines where if you get Covid you and all your friends go into isolation for 2 weeks instead of the whole city, but hopefully that's going to be in place soon which will also give us a lot of options.

73, no covid is not an inevitable fact of life. The only reason there are so many deaths, is that a political choice was made by  those in power  to downplay and ignore this problem and hope it went away.
You say stimulus checks and money doesn't grow on trees. Well, money may not grow on trees, but the government could've done much much bbetter, only when talk comes to giving people money  do people start talking about the cost. People got a measly 1200 dollars, but congress had no problem giving up to 5.5 trillion  in interest free lones to corperations. What people got wasn't even crumbs of that package.