a common sense approach to a liberal world
This post is the result of requests I’ve received from readers to compile articles by category along with a description of each article.
This should prove helpful to those wanting to look into the unfolding FBI/DOJ/Obama Administration scandal surrounding illegal surveillance and collusion.Continue Reading
Back in March, I wrote about the Department of Justice’s Slush Fund.
The Working Group was created within the Justice Department by Eric Holder in 2012 as a means of prosecution and punishment for those perceived to be responsible for the financial crisis of 2008.
At its formation Mr. Holder made the following statement:
Over the past three years, we have been aggressively investigating the causes of the financial crisis. And we have learned that much of the conduct that led to the crisis was unethical, and, in many instances, extremely reckless. We also have learned that behavior that is unethical or reckless may not necessarily be criminal. When we find evidence of criminal wrongdoing, we bring criminal prosecutions. When we don’t, we endeavor to use other tools available to us.Continue Reading
A new study was published in the journal Nature Geoscience. It has been causing a bit of a stir – along with some real consternation – amongst the Climate Change crowd.
All the more so since the study was done by a group of well-known scientists who are not Global Warming Skeptics. Indeed, they have all been firmly entrenched within the Anthropogenic (man-made) Global Warming camp.
These are the actual scientists who have been responsible for determining and producing the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s Carbon Budget.
And they are finally admitting they were wrong…Continue Reading
On Sunday, President Trump sent a letter to Congress detailing his Immigration Principles and Policies.
For any who were concerned that President Trump might have aligned himself with Schumer, Pelosi and the Democrats on Immigration, that fear should be completely removed.
I had earlier said as much in DACA Hysteria & Trump’s Negotiating Leverage.
Now you no longer need to believe me. You can see for yourself.
The Principles are quite detailed and should satisfy most Immigration Hawks.Continue Reading
The United States’ 39% marginal corporate tax rate (35% federal and 4% average state and local) is the third highest in the world. It is the highest of the 34 industrialized nation members of the OECD – and it compares poorly with Europe’s average tax rate of 24%.
Because of loopholes, deductions, loss carry-forwards, etc., few, if any, companies pay the full 39% rate. Nevertheless, our statutory rate is higher than almost anywhere in the world.
President Trump has proposed lowering the Corporate Tax Rate from 35% to 20%. That’s a good idea – but it doesn’t go far enough. The Corporate Tax Rate should really be lowered to zero.
If this sounds a bit off, stay with me – I promise it will make more sense.Continue Reading
Dr. Sebastian Gorka recently referred to the U.S. as a Hyperpower. He is correct.
But power is not purely military. Power is also economic might and influence.
The two are inexorably linked to the other.
President Trump campaigned on energy independence for the United States. He immediately followed through on those promises by signing the Energy Independence Policy Executive Order, which unleashed a wave of U.S. energy production.Continue Reading
Devin Nunes, Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has sent a letter to Daniel Coates, the Director of National Intelligence regarding the issue of unmasking and intelligence leaking.
We have found evidence that current and former government officials had easy access to U.S. person information and that it is possible that they used this information to achieve partisan political purposes, including the selective, anonymous leaking of such information.
The committee has learned that one official, whose position had no apparent intelligence related function, made hundreds of unmasking requests during the final year of the Obama administration. Of those requests, only one offered a justification that was not boilerplate and articulated why that specific official required the U.S. person information for the performance of his or her official duties.
That unnamed individual is almost certainly former UN Ambassador Samantha Power.Continue Reading
Attorney General Jeff Sessions released policy directive 17-1 yesterday in which he announced a new Civil Asset Forfeiture program. What Sessions really did was reinstate the old Asset Forfeiture program that had been in place under AG Eric Holder. Allow me to explain.
Civil asset forfeiture – or civil seizure – occurs when law enforcement agencies seize property they suspect has been used in – or originates from – criminal activity. The item being seized is itself suspected of having been involved in a crime. It is literally a civil action against the property. Criminal charges against the owner of the property are not required – nor is an actual conviction.
In order to get the property back, the property owner must initiate a lawsuit, providing proof that the property was not used in – or acquired by – illegal means. Unlike a criminal trial, where “beyond a reasonable doubt” is the legal threshold – in a civil case, the “preponderance of evidence” standard applies. All the government need do is present enough evidence that makes the claim of illegality more likely than not.Continue Reading
In 2014, the City of Seattle passed a three-step minimum wage increase – from $9.32 to $15 per hour. You can find the exact details here. The $15 minimum wage began in 2017 for larger employers who do not provide healthcare benefits – $13.50 for those larger employers who do provide healthcare benefits. Adoption of the $15 rate by small businesses is set for 2021 – with inflation adjustments. Two wage increases have already been fully implemented. The first, from $9.32 to $11, occurred in 2015. A second increase – to $13 – took place in 2016.
And then a funny thing happened. The city, led by Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, decided to commission a study on the wage hikes – fully expecting the results would provide support for their position.Continue Reading
The Supreme Court granted President Trump what amounts to a crucial, although partial, stay of lesser court rulings on the Administration’s Travel Ban. The ruling was unanimous at 9-0. I have previously written on the Travel Ban, and, like many, am unsurprised at the ruling. The court will take up the case in October when it reconvenes – maybe.
You can find the full ruling by the Supreme Court here.
But first, it’s worth recalling exactly what the Travel Ban was attempting to accomplish. The second Executive Order’s Travel Ban contains four significant pronouncements: