Beyond the Bricks Week of 11/6

Peruvian Pageant Brings Awareness to Violence towards Women

Two dozen beauty contestants in Peru used their platform to highlight the violence that women face in their country. Camila Canicoba, one of the contestants, said into the microphone that there were over 2,000 reported cases of femicide in her country. The following contestants brought attention to similar statistics.

This stands unprecedented in Latin America, where violence against women is rampant. Peru ranks 19th in the region for femicide cases. However, the issue has become more apparent in recent years. In Argentina, multiple protests were sparked when the body of a young woman was found in a dumpster. In Peru, a popular reality show participant was killed after admitting she took money for sex.

GOP Reveals their Tax Proposal

On Nov. 9, the Republican party in the Senate revealed their long awaited tax plan. The Republicans advertised it as a major relief for the middle class, whereas Democrats were quick to denounce it as favoring the rich.

One of the major stipulations about the bill is the delay of the corporate tax rate cut, which shows a clear breakaway from Trump’s intentions. The bill would delay the tax cut until 2019. Ultimately, the goal is to add the minimal amount of debt possible to the nation. Lawmakers have currently aimed for $1.5 trillion over 10 years. The bill is currently unpassable, as congressional rules prohibit lawmakers from recommending anything that contributes to the deficit.

Additionally, both the Senate and the House have to pass similar tax plans, but they are currently very dissimilar from each other, although it is expected that they will reach a consensus soon. Some of the differences include the number of tax brackets available. The Senate bill keeps the number of tax brackets the same at seven, while the House bill slashed the number of tax brackets to four. The Senate bill also lowers the highest marginal income tax bracket from 39.6 to 38.5 percent.

The House bill also seeks to eliminate the estate tax, which places a tax burden on those who inherit abnormally large estates from their deceased relatives. The Senate bill doubles the value of exempt estates.

Part of the tax bill prohibits individuals from deducting their local and state income and property taxes from their federal tax burden. This is believed to impact individuals who live in higher tax states. This option still remains for businesses, as those taxes are technically considered expenses. This has led to some confrontation with Democrats who believe that the tax bill benefits companies more.

Sexually Abusing a Minor Lands Rochester Man in Prison for 30 years

On Wednesday, Nov. 1, a local man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor.

The defendant, Brendon Young, pleaded guilty to the charges on Jan. 2 of this year.

Even after being released, Young must register as a sex offender with 15 years of post-release supervision. He will also sign an order of protection for the child.

"Brendon Young is a horrific predator and our children are safer with him behind bars. Today's sentence is a tribute to the bravery of the young victim who went through an extremely traumatic experience," Assistant District Attorney Michael Robertson said in a release.