The interesting part is how taxes cause black markets and ruin business.
And the delusional nature of politicians who think they've found a cash cow to fund all their dreams.
The ignorance of basic business forces & human nature are astounding in pols who make their living off human interaction.
In sarcasm view, "heroin is a six bazillion dollar market! If we tax heroin by 50%, that's three bazillion bucks in OUR pockets! We can spend it on free housing! The kickbacks! The relatives! Cousin moron can make $180,000 a year as a do nothing "director" of the Huge New Bureaucracy!!!!! Paradise is at hand! "
Followed shortly by "Why is crime and violence up? How come a new black market sprang up? Legal heroin was supposed to end it? Car & home break ins are up to pay for the taxes? Why is revenue so low? People are getting off heroin? We must stop that! We need a campaign to increase heroin use or we can't afford the new stadium for the rich guy's team!"
Well, well. In a moment of rare clarity & honesty, the former East German Communist Youth tells her fellow elites to ignore the people and join the Global government movement.
Or in old school terms, time for international communism to rule the world, now that they've changed the name and abandoned the ideals, and focused on just having an unelected, totalitarian dictatorship that screws the people with no controls by the population.
Paradise for self selected aristocrats. A new Royalty endorsed by the lack of God.
I really appreciate this article. It does reinforce my desire not to work for Amazon. I delivered the mail in a Union shop for 25 years, and was crippled by the labor. The pressure of Amazon de!ivery, the lack of employee protection, and the corporate culture of a hard Lefty owner ( accustomed to treating others as slaves, with contempt for his servants ) won't make up for the reduction in miles demanded on foot.
I'd rather do fast food. I'll be fixing robots soon.
Robots aren't replacing delivery humans soon, though. The best from Boston Robotics may now be able to make it to the porch, and heave the package into a mass of shattered glass screen better than Fed Ex driver, but still can't find the location in the typical insane, organically grown apartment complex.
Weird but true, in 1975, there were four buildings, numbered 1000, 2000, 3000, & 4002. 4000 was taken by the hemp clothing shop on the main street. Numbers are approved by the Post Office. Today there are thirteen buildings in the same complex. As you go down the driveway loop, the building numbers are now, 1020, 1000, 3042, 2060, 1430, etc. As each wave of construction put buildings in former green space and parking lots, New numbers were assigned in built order. There's a reason the apartment office has printed maps on hand.
Yes, someday someone will program all the chaos into the robot's memory, and the tireless 'bots will then forever deliver the sex toys to Grandma's door, ( because the program has errors ) along with the vapes and internet cannabis. ( and Grandma's Depends go to the college kids next door )
I hope I live to see the day. If I'm lucky, I'll be Grandpa.
While I have no argument against the craziness of wooing mega corps to a town, small businesses often do well with such deals on a smaller scale. I worked for such a company. We'd outgrown the old fire hall, ( they took out the pole, darn it ) and needed to expand to expand our sales. The next town down the road offered no local taxes for a decade, and speedy approval for new construction. Our then home town didn't care and wasn't inclined to allow a new building. So the business, the existing jobs, and the dozen new ones, shifted a dozen miles and did well. The town made out too.
Rochester NY, bid on the Amazon HQ2, but couldn't afford the million$ in demands to woo them. ( didn't ever really have a chance, location, location, location. )
Will NYC do well with Amazon? Maybe, maybe not. Time will tell.
When I was in High School, I developed an idea, that I still think could work if it was highly regulated.
What if the government opened their own "Wal-mart"? They could turn a profit while providing goods/services to US citizens. IE, the government could finance itself without tremendous taxes and debt, because it would be making money for itself like any responsible member of society.
I remember talking to my dad about it when I was in high-school. He said it was a terrible idea and would quickly be corrupted. And my dad was not even a political kind of guy.
I still think it could work. If it was highly regulated with full oversight and representation by the people. Take a vote, what should the profit margin be? Should we buy foreign or local? Should we unionize? Leave it all up to a vote.
I'm sure my theory sucks and that's why it's not in use in the US today. What do you think? Could the .gov turn a profit and pay for itself through business practices?
It is the ULTIMATE in government control of your life - they tell you what you can do, how much you must remit in taxes...and where you are allowed to shop.
The real answer, is what the founding fathers envisioned - SMALL government, essentials only.
We need to privatize branches and offices that don't need to be run by the State. Take all the expense OFF the government books, and let those departments (with the "shutdown" in the news, the Park Service comes to mind because that's a hot topic in the DC area what with "all the monuments being closed") run their own show like a real business. People would bitch - in the Park Service example - because they have to pay a couple bucks to see the monuments...but our taxes would also go down. ALL our taxes would go down; the admission fees would only apply to those who want to visit anyway. Supply and demand would determine how much was "too much" for patrons, and how little was "not enough" to keep the budget going. And, fat would be trimmed as needed from within the department/business, until budgetary equilibrium could be reached.
Like it's supposed to work.
If a business has to make a profit to stay afloat...it will learn efficiency.
If the government can't meet its bills...it raises taxes. You will note, there is no reference to efficiency in that statement.
Government is designed to keep us safe - safe from each other, and safe from outsiders. Through that safety, citizens have the ability to lead productive, profitable, happy lives.
Period.
We don't need MORE government...we need to lose the bloat.
Pretty terrifying story. I had to keep reminding myself that this wasn't even someone who worked in the Trump campaign. It certainly gives more understanding of how the Mueller investigation is working.
Anyone who watched Colombo ( detective tv show ) knows better than to arrogantly volunteer to assist in the investigation of a murder you commit to throw them off the scent. It was the downfall of that kind of narcissist that was the stock plot.
Martha Stewart should have taught us all not to talk to Federal Agents, at all. From investigation to the tactic of find, or create a lie to persecute was the slide from respected law enforcement to Boss Hogg corruption. The notion you could jail someone for publicly declaring their innocence, is a chilling perversion of Justice. In a just world, the Feds & lawyers deserved prison time there.
Now, when the interviewing agents report honest results, then their higher ups declare lies out of whole cloth, any semblance of fairness is buried next to decency.
The tactic of threatening the families of the persecuted to force them to confess, smells of Jack boot polish with a heady whiff of ...... Is that lamp shade parchment?
The only sane response today to the attentions of the Feds, is silence, lawyers, and redacted. It may be wise to have plans to divest yourself of all assets, to give everything away as though your Last Will & Testament is due, and walk into court, broke, wearing your only clothing, and spit in the face of injustice, proactively. "Not one penny for tribute".
Or change your name to Clinton so that you are immune to prosecution. Let me know how that works out.
The report contains dozens of recommendations. Some would require action by the governor and Legislature, such as the proposals to allow some teachers to carry guns and increase spending on school security.
“So what are we saying to people — we’re not going to allow you to defend yourself, we’re not going to allow you to defend the kids — why? Because of some ideology that we don’t like guns? Anyone who thinks they’re going to get rid of guns is crazy,” he said. “It isn’t going to happen. We’ve got to do something differently and people should be able to protect themselves.”
Exactly.
And when you allow teachers (who CHOOSE to do so) to arm themselves, it doesn't cost the state, county, district, or school one red cent.
That presentation by Mr. Root is excellent. People need to be made aware of the issue. Those prosecutors need to be in prison. And the DOJ pays NOTHING for having perpetrated such a crime upon people. So heinous.