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I was surprised and delighted to see Carl's Corner featured on an ad that ran during Sunday's Vikings game. Carl's has been a go-to place for us for decades. The chicken there is great, but don't overlook the pizza and (my favorite) the fish.
But it was a political commercial, so that took off a bit of my enthusiasm. Still, it was nice to see Brad Finstad in a local establishment, given his scarcity in the district since the last election.
Troubling, though, was his touting his big accomplishment of "no taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security" which was the focus of the commercial. What Brad didn't point out is that tips and overtime pay continue to be taxed for Social Security and Medicare ("FICA" on the pay stub). Also, only the "and-a-half" part of time-and-a-half overtime pay is exempt from federal income tax, and only the first $6,000 of Social Security is tax-free.
What Brad also forgot to mention is that these "no tax" provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act expire in two years, at the end of 2028. Meanwhile the big money parts of the OBBBA -- 72% of the tax benefits -- will go to the top 20% of taxpayers, and those provisions have no expiration date.
Still it was good to see that life in Washington is treating Brad well. The end of the TV commercial has everyone at Carl's lifting their glasses in salute. Maybe they were as startled to see Brad as I was.
Mark Beito
Sleepy Eye