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HOST:
Welcome to AMERICAN MOSAIC — VOA’s radio magazine in SpecialEnglish.
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This is Doug Johnson. On our program today,
We answer a listener’s question about American taxes …
Play music in memory of singer and pianist Nina Simone …
And report about the retirement of a world famous Americanathlete.
Michael Jordan Retires Again
HOST:
Ten years ago, Michael Jordan retired from the Chicago Bulls. Atthe time, he said he might consider returning to basketball one day.Michael Jordan did return to the game — not once, but twice. Lastmonth, he retired for the third time. Shep O-Neal reports.
ANNCR:
Michael Jordan is widelyconsidered basketball’s best player ever. He became known as AirJordan. He seemed to fly through the air with the ball. He alsogained wide notice by helping to sell products. Businesses paid himtens of millions of dollars.
Michael Jordan attended the University of North Carolina. Hejoined the Chicago Bulls in nineteen-eighty-four. He led the Bullsto six world championships during his thirteen years with the team.
Michael Jordan first retired from the Bulls innineteen-ninety-three. He played baseball for a short time, butreturned to the team in nineteen-ninety-four. He retired again fiveyears later. He said it was time to do something else. But he couldnot end his relationship with basketball.
Michael Jordan became president of operations for the WashingtonWizards, the team in the nation’s capital. But the Wizards were nota very good team. So Michael Jordan decided to help by playingagain.
His involvement as a player brought more people to watch thegames. But the Wizards did not reach the playoffs in the two yearsthat Michael Jordan played with them.
He plans to continue as president of basketball operations forthe Wizards. He says his experience playing with the team will helphim in that job. For example, he is in a better position to decidewho should play on the team in the future.
Michael Jordan is forty years old now. He says it was fun to bearound the young players. He says playing again helped himunderstand how the game has changed.
Taxation in the United States
HOST:
Our VOA listener question this week comes from China. Mike Liasks about taxes paid by Americans and by those who are notcitizens.
People who live in the United States but are not citizens paytaxes only on the money they earn in this country. How much they paydepends on how they earn that money. It also depends on any taxtreaty between the United States and the person’s home country.
Non-citizens also have to pay sales tax on goods they purchase,just like most Americans do.
American citizens pay other kinds of taxes, too, such as thosetaken by the state where they live. At the city and county level,they usually pay tax on property they own. The federal governmentalso taxes some property and money left when someone dies. And ittaxes earnings on the sale of a house and other investments.
Americans pay a social security tax that is used to pay retiredworkers. They also must pay federal income tax on the money theyearn.
Americans usually have to report their income and pay their taxby April fifteenth. The federal tax agency is known as the I-R-S –the Internal Revenue Service.
But most American workers do not wait until April fifteenth topay all their taxes. This is because part of the tax is taken outfor the I-R-S each time a worker is paid. If more is withheld than aperson owes come April fifteenth, then the government gives theextra money back.
The federal income tax rate is not the same for everyone. Peoplewho earn a lot of money pay taxes at a higher rate than those whoearn little. Those who earn very little do not pay any tax.
But even people who earn the same amount of money do not alwayspay the same tax. This is because of the many different tax laws.The government uses these laws for economic and social purposes. Forexample, people who borrow money to buy a house often pay less taxthan people who rent a home. Homeowners subtract the interest theypay on their loan from their taxable income.
Yet critics say America’s tax laws are much too complex. Also,many Americans agree with President Bush who says taxes are toohigh. Others, however, argue that tax cuts are not a good idea at atime of a weak economy and the war in Iraq to pay for.
Nina Simone
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HOST:
Singer and pianist Nina Simone combined spiritual, jazz andprotest songs. She died last week at her home in France at the ageof seventy. Steve Ember tells us about her.
ANNCR:
Nina Simone was born EuniceWaymon, one of eight children of an African American family in NorthCarolina. She began to play piano at three years old. Her parentswere poor. So a white woman her mother worked for paid for her earlymusic lessons.
In the early nineteen-fifties, she studied classical piano at theJuilliard School in New York. Later she found work at drinkingplaces. One bar owner told her he wanted a singer, not a pianist. Soshe began singing while she played. She changed her name to NinaSimone to hide what she was doing from her parents. One of the songsshe often played was “Love Me Or Leave Me.”
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Her first big success came in nineteen-fifty nine, when sherecorded, “I Loves You, Porgy,” from George Gershwin’s musical,”Porgy and Bess.”
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In the nineteen-sixties, she began to write protest songs duringthe rise of the civil rights movement. Later, she recorded songs injust about every style and performed with symphony orchestras.
Nina Simone left the United States in nineteen-seventy-three. Shesaid she was angry about the treatment of blacks in America. And shesaid Europeans gave her more respect. She lived in the Caribbean andAfrica before settling in Europe.
In recent years, her songs have become popular again. One of hermost remembered hits is “My Baby Just Cares for Me.”
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HOST:
This is Doug Johnson. I hope you enjoyed our program today.
Our program was written by Nancy Steinbach and Cynthia Kirk. Ourstudio engineer was Rick Barnes. And our producer was Paul Thompson.
Join us again next week for AMERICAN MOSAIC — VOA’s radiomagazine in Special English.