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Salvatore Babones

Sunday 7th of December 2025

By the numbers 46 states allow medical professionals to personally refuse to participate in an abortion 43 states allow healthcare institutions to refuse to perform abortions 42 states prohibit abortions after a certain gestational age 19 states ban the use of the dilation and extraction procedure (perjoratively labeled “partial birth” abortion), and 9 states even restrict private companies from providing abortion coverage in insurance policies (so much for free markets) Salvatore Babones, Sixteen for '16 © 2016 Kwiple.com
By the numbers The number of people whose convictions or sentences have been overturned since the end of the moratorium on executions? 3059. Since 1977, more than twice as many people on death row have been exonerated as have been executed. In fact, more than one third of all people sentenced to death by American governments since 1973 have been exonerated—so far. Salvatore Babones, Sixteen for '16 © 2016 Kwiple.com
By the numbers On any given day nearly seven million adult Americans are under supervision of the nation's criminal justice system: in prison, on probation, or on parole. Salvatore Babones, Sixteen for '16 © 2016 Kwiple.com
By the numbers Studies of voter impersonation show that this simply does not happen in the United States of America. For example, an exhaustive News21 investigation was able to identify just 10 cases of in-person voter fraud occurring voer the 11-year period 2000–10, or less than one per year. That's one case of in-person voter impersonation per year in a country of nearly 150 million registered voters. Salvatore Babones, Sixteen for '16 © 2016 Kwiple.com
By the numbers Research … shows that in the 2012 elections the residents of 75% minority zip codes waited more than twice as long to vote as the residents of 75% white zip codes. There was almost no difference in waiting time by average income level. The zip codes with the longest lines were minority zip codes, not poor zip codes. Salvatore Babones, Sixteen for '16 © 2016 Kwiple.com
Financial crises Recessions occur in the real economy. Financial crises occur among big investment banks. Countries with solid banking regulations, like Canada and Germany, have recessions just like the United States does, but they don't have financial crises. No Wall Street, no crisis. Salvatore Babones, Sixteen for '16 © 2016 Kwiple.com
Income inequality Since the 1980s the United States has embraced a pro-rich political philosophy. We do much less to reduce inequality than any other rich country. We choose to be unequal. … and we lead by example. Salvatore Babones, “America's Leading Export: Inequality” © 2016 Kwiple.com
Income inequality While wages have stagnated in the rest of the economy, the average New York banker's bonus rose to $164,530 in 2013. That's on top of an average base salary of around $200,000. Wall Street bankers now make more than five times the average New York City salary, compared with less than two times the average in 1981. Salvatore Babones, Sixteen for '16 © 2016 Kwiple.com
Taxes The ultimate goal of income taxes should be to make money as meaningful to a millionaire as it is to you and me. Salvatore Babones, Sixteen for '16 © 2016 Kwiple.com
Voting In reality, voter ID laws exist to prevent certain types of people from voting: women (whose names change regularly), the young (whose addresses change regularly), the elderly (who often don't have drivers' licenses), and the homeless (who don't have a fixed address). To be effective in swinging an election, a voter ID law … just has to reduce voting in these categories in ways that systematically affect the total vote. Salvatore Babones, Sixteen for '16 © 2016 Kwiple.com
 
Wealth inequality A family with a billion-dollar fortune that does absolutely no planning to avoid the 40% tax on large estates and no paid work whatsoever can comfortably take out $15 milliona year to live on (after taxes, adjusted for inflation) in perpetuity until the end of history — while still growing the estate. That's how mind-bogglingly large a billion-dollar fortune is. Salvatore Babones, Sixteen for '16 © 2016 Kwiple.com