cHow Divine is all about simple, healthy, tasty recipes, with a Korean flair. We use fresh, seasonal ingredients that taste great and are easy to prepare. 
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Pine Nuts
My husband and I had a tiff the other night because of Mitt Romney’s tax return. Wha??!! Yes. Mitt Romney tax return. Why do I give a damn? Because he’s running for president; and his views on policy matters – including taxes – may have direct implications for me as a citizen.
According to the returns, he only paid about 13.9% of of his $20+ million/year income in taxes. When asked about his low tax rate during a debate, Romney answered that it was “fair” and legal. I don’t fault him for the low rate. It’s legal. And face it; no one will go out of their way to structure their assets so that they could pay more in taxes. But it disturbs me that he believes this is FAIR.
Romney received a good chunk of income from his partnership interest in Bain, a private equity firm. His tenure at Bain ended in 1999; yet, he still derives millions of dollars in income as “carried interest.” This income is treated as capital gains for tax purposes and the tax rate is capped at 15% even though the tax rate at his income bracket for earned income is around 35%. This tax treatment is very specifically targeted and is not available for most people. In fact, for the most part, it’s only available to private equity millionaire/billionaires. Needless to say, this tax treatment is innately unfair and unequal. People who earn significantly less, pay taxes at a significantly higher rate. In fact, according to Warren Buffet, his secretary pays at least 25% in taxes – about twice Romney’s tax rate. And, as with most tax shelters for the ultra-wealthy, it is complicated and difficult to explain in a commonsensical manner.
My husband didn’t really see a problem with this. Hey life isn’t fair, right? Yeah, life isn’t fair. Some people are better off than others; it’s capitalism at work. But I would prefer that the unfairness didn’t come from government-instituted policies.
When my husband realized I was getting worked up a bit, he called a truce by paying me compliments on my food. So the tiff ended amicably with “hey, these brussels sprouts are amaaaaaazing – the best I’ve had, EVER!” And you know what? They really were delicious.
I don’t have much time or energy to cook an elaborate dinner every night. Sometimes my dinner consists of many side dishes that can easily be prepared. It was one of those nights. Lucky for me, most hearty vegetables taste great simply by roasting them with some olive oil and salt.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Optional Balsamic-Honey Drizzle Recipe
Ingredients
1 lb Brussels Sprouts
1 small red onion
3 garlic cloves
1/4 – 1/3 cup pine nuts
salt & pepper
2 TB olive oil
drizzle of balsamic vinegar and honey (2:1 ratio): optional (for tangy/sweetness)
- Toast the pine nuts for about 3-5 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Clean and trim brussels sprouts. Cut them in half length-wise. Peel and cut red onion into wedges. Peel and smoosh the garlic cloves by wacking it with flat part of the knife. Combine brussel sprouts, red onions, garlic, olive oil, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 1/2 tsp of pepper in a large bowl. Mix well.
- Spread the contents onto a roasting pan in a single layer. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the brussels sprouts are nicely browned. Shake or toss the brussel sprouts midway to achieve even browning.
- Remove from oven and add in the toasted pine nuts from step one. Add more salt to taste. If you choose, drizzle with honey/balsamic vinegar (1:2 ratio). Toss well. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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These sprouts look absolutely delicious…thank you.
On the political note, however I need point out a simple detail…
The income that Romney paid the low tax rate on was, in fact, Capital Gains…not legal INCOME. The income that a person makes is taxable at a normal rate which is as much as 38%. Romney would have paid the higher rate on actual income. The amount that comes from Capital Gains, is over and above an income tax. Romney did have an amount that come from income, such as speaking gigs and some other minor things. You can contrast this scenario with that of Warren Buffet, which claims ..as I am sure you know from Obama parading her around the country…that his secretary pays a higher tax rate that he does. Well, this is true. Her rate is higher, however her income is just that…INCOME. You can check the IRS.gov website for the tax table and you will notice that in order for her to have a 30-something percent tax rate, she would make between $299K & $500K…hardly someone I would feel sorry for paying taxes. The big hypocrisy here is that Warren Buffet is influencing the president and law makers in obscene ways. He’s pushing for higher taxes and says he thinks he should pay more…Well, on the IRS.gov website, there is a link to “Send The IRS a Gift” and you can send them any amount your heart desires, so you can pay “Your Fair Share”. The joke is MR. BUFFET’S COMPANY OWES OUR GOVERNMENT $1 BILLION IN BACK TAXES…he knows this, the president knows this and yet He STILL HAS THE PRESIDENT’S EAR. — HYPOCRITES , LIARS, AND EVIL-DOERS, that’s what you should be worried about. Not whether Romney paid enough taxes…he paid plenty. Not to mention the massive amounts of charitable contributions.
I am not a Romney girl, however I do think that just about anyone running at the moment would be a vast improvement to what we have force-fed for the last 3 years. We need to be more worried about the getting government out of our lives and moved to the back burner. Government is taking over, Obama is doing everything he can to wreck our Constitution and rip the moral fabric of our country even further to shreds.
I did not intend to get on a soapbox here. I hope my words may encourage someone to dig a little deeper and not listen to the news, but read for yourself what’s going on in Washington DC..it’s free for the taking on the government websites, they aren’t even trying to hide it.
God Bless America
& I can’t wait to make these sprouts.
Hi Jean, I’m so glad you think the sprouts look yummy!
I’m also glad you actually read my post. I assumed most people would find it too dry and boring of a subject.
I have no problems with capital gains tax rate. Many people, wealthy and not so wealthy, hold stocks/investments and benefit from this. I was just pointing out that “carried interest” that is treated as capital gains for tax purposes is actually more akin to compensation for services; and this is available only, for the most part, to private equity firm partners/managers. Others who receive deferred compensation at a later date would have to pay the earned income rate which is from labor. And since, this “carried interest” is received as compensation – and NOT as return on investment – it should be treated as such, regardless of how the firm earned it. I know of some money experts who have a hard time explaining this in a commonsensical manner!
Look, I don’t like paying taxes as much as the next person. But I certainly wouldn’t want someone in my tax bracket or a higher bracket to have a lower tax rate just because of his occupation. It’s the unfairness of it that irks me, not the actual tax rate. Believe me; I would be in heaven if I could pay 13.9% in taxes!
This post was in no way a partisan post. And I do understand your frustration that some just read the headlines of the news, instead of digging dipper. It was exactly the reason why I got into the boring subject in more detail than I should.
Oh, and don’t get me started on money and the political process. That would be a dissertation.
I’m glad we live in a country where we can have this conversation freely. I’m doubly glad that we can have differing views (even within one household!) and can engage in a healthy discourse.
Thanks for reading this post Jean! Hope you like the sprouts!
Funny the GOP keeps going on with this anti-government rhetoric when they are the ones who, historically, and currently attempt to take away our civil liberties…
I loved these and I think you are dead right to be offended about the 13% taxes paid by Romney. What’s infinitely worse is that he views people who don’t pay taxes(veterens, seniors, the unemployed and people so low income that taking tax money from them is counter productive) with so much contempt. About the sprouts, who would have thought to put red onion in there? I was looking for a recipe(was just gonna throw em in w/ salt, pepper and oil), and I saw your Romney comments and clicked on your recipe. So glad I did!
Thank you Cameran for your support! I’m just really bothered by the fact that he thinks this is fair. There is a difference between taking advantage of a tax code – which we all would – versus thinking that the policy is fair. The tax thing, the horrible comments about 47% of the population, and some other comments he’s made in the past make it hard for me to believe that he will be a leader for all people.
Thank you for clicking on the recipe. And I hope you like the dish!