Is Elon After Granny's Social Security Check?

For John, BLUF:  Cynicism about Democratic Party cynical efforts to fight President Trump.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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The Babylon Bee on Elon Musk

From The Babylon Bee, by The Bee, 10 Februry 2025, 2:22 PM.

Here is the post:

Democrats Uncover Devious Billionaire Plot To Spend Billions Buying Social Media Company To Get President Trump Elected In Order To Access The Treasury Database And Steal Grandma's $695 Social Security Check

It is The Bee.

I think the concerns of Democrats about Mr Elon Musk using his position to steal from taxpayers is a little over the top.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

NPR and Truth

For John, BLUF:  NPR is scamming the average taxpayer.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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NPR’s queen of the Karens

From The Washington Examiner, by Reporter Conn Carroll, 16 April 2024 10:50 am.

Here is the lede plus four:

Sometimes, a person enters the public spotlight and is such an embodiment of an established stereotype that it seems impossible for him or her to be a real person. If Tom Wolfe wanted to capture the essence of arrogant, alienated progressivism, he would reject NPR’s new CEO, Katherine Maher, as too unbelievably on point.

The daughter of wealthy parents whose wedding was announced in the New York Times, Maher grew up in a wealthy white suburb of New York City before studying at the American University in Cairo, the Institut français du Proche-Orient in Syria, and finally New York University.

She then got internships with the Council on Foreign Relations and Eurasia Group in London and Germany before landing a job in New York City at UNICEF. She had stops with the National Democratic Institute and the World Bank, among other global nonprofit groups, before rising to become the CEO of Wikimedia in 2019.

It would be impossible to create a resume of a person more disconnected from Americans and more intertwined with the wealthy, urban, globalist elite who run the largest banks, media companies, and nonprofit groups in the United States. In other words, Maher has the perfect resume to run NPR.

And her tweets prove she is the perfect person for the job.

My favorite comment, via "X", of new NPR CEO, Katherine Maher, is (via InstsPundit):

Our reverence for the truth might be a distraction that’s getting in the way of finding common ground and getting things done.

It appears Ms Maher did not get enouogh Superman when she was young.  The concept of "Truth, Justice and the American Way".

Without truth there can be no justice.  Without truth we are all just lying to ourselves and each other.  Ms Maher's line makes me think of another historic character, Pontius Pilate, who asks, "What is truth"?.♠

Mr Tom Knigjhton, at Tilting at windmills, wrote:

The problem is that, among other things, NPR is expected to be an unbiased news source. Most mainstream media outlets pretend to be, but NPR gets taxpayer money, which means it’s paid by all of us, be we liberal, conservative, libertarian, or some other flavor of ideology.

But as we now know, not only is their reporting not unbiased but there’s absolutely no interest in ideological diversity.

And there is the rub.  Neither CEO Maher, nor the News Room are interested in the truth or in the nuances that make news interesting.  So, they are scamming us.

Is this all Mr Trump's fault?  Would things have been different if, in 2016, the Republican Convdention had nominated Senator Cruz or Senator Rubio?  How about if they had given us Governor Sarah Palin?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff
♠  Found in John's Gospel.

Taxing Out-of-Staters Working From Home

For John, BLUF:  The COVID-19 Pandemic has opened a whole pandora's chest of issues, including tax issues.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Tax lawsuit against state strengthens

Here is the sub-headline:

14 states side with N.H.

From The [Lowell] Sun, by Reporter Sean Philip Cotter, 26 December 2020, although the link goes to the original of the story, in The Boston Herald.

Here is the lede plus three:

States are lining up against Massachusetts and siding with New Hampshire in the lawsuit over the the Bay State’s policy taxing the income of out-of-state residents telecommuting for Bay State companies amid the pandemic.

The Granite State had sued Massachusetts in October in the ongoing income- tax border battle over a temporary rule that imposes the state’s 5% income tax on employees of Massachusetts companies living and working remotely in other states.  New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and his state sued, asking the U. S. Supreme Court to take up the case after Gov. Charlie Baker extended the pandemicera rule.

New Hampshire continues to petition the Supreme Court to weigh in.

“Massachusetts has radically redefined what constitutes Massachusetts- sourced income in order to tax earnings for work performed entirely outside its borders,” New Hampshire Attorney General Gordon Macdonald fumed earlier this week in the state’s latest submission to the Supreme Court.  “This does not maintain the status quo. It upends it,” Macdonald said.

I am sympathetic with New Hampshire, and other states.  Yes, when their residents are using Massachusetts roads to commute to work, and have access to Massachusetts Police, Fire, and Medical aid, then they should pay Mass Taxes.  However, when their benefits are limited to fire protection for a server in Boston, then their tax liability should not extend to their whole salary.  The Police, Fire and Medical aid to which they will turn is in their own state.

Regards  —  Cliff

Portland, Oregon, Government Abdication

For John, BLUF:  If Government isn't about helping Citizens, it is just a drain on the Rate Payers.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Portland mayor stands by decision to allow Antifa to block traffic, hassle motorists

From The Washington Times, by Reporter Valerie Richardson, s14 October 2018.

Here is the lede:

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler came under fire over a viral video showing Antifa protesters blocking traffic and harassing drivers, but he says he supports the decision by police to watch from a distance without getting involved.

Commuting has enough challenges without folks deliberately disrupting the flow of traffic.

On the other hand, local police and public officials showing a lack of willingness to confront and control demonstrators without the proper paperwork is just negligence and dereliction of duty.  Replacement would seem in order.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Apparently You CAN Get Fired From A Federal Job

For John, BLUF:  A sort of underground journalism, doing the jobs credentialed journalists won't.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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DSA Resistance Leader Allison Hrabar 'No Longer an Employee' at DOJ

DSA Is Democratic Socialists of America.

From PJ Media, by Ms Debra Heine, 24 September 2018.

Here is the lede plus one:

The far-left Department of Justice employee who was caught on video saying that she couldn't get fired, apparently got fired.

In an undercover Project Veritas video, resistance leader Allison Hrabar admitted that she does research on the home addresses and license plates of private individuals so she and her socialist comrades can harass the individuals at their homes.

I hate to see someone fired.  On the other hand, I dislike people taking taxpayers' money under false pretenses.  And especially annoying is having folks occupying a desk, subverting the office mission, while denying a possible serious worker a job they would be happy to do, and do well.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

State Government and the Recent Federal Tax Cut

For John, BLUF:  You change the tax structure and you change incentives.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Which State Will Be the First to Suffer Fiscal Collapse?

From the Blog of Mr Dan Mitchell, billed as International Liberty:  Restraining Government in America and Around the World, from 5 April 2018.

Partly this is about the recent Federal Tax Bill and the tendency of high earning people to move to escape state taxes, which are now not deductible.  On the other hand, many people can't move to Florida and do their work out of their Living Room.

Here is the author's informal pole on state fiscal collapse, results from just before 1300 on Thursday, EST:

Illinois — 61.56%

California — 17.58%

Connecticut — 9.59%

New Jersey — 7.06%

New York — 1.77%

Oregon — 0.67%

Alaska — 0.5%

Vermont — 0.5%

Kentucky — 0.42%

Massachusetts — 0.34%

Illinois at the top is no surprise, and I can see why folks might pick California next.  Connecticut, New Jersey and Kentucky make sense.  Our Commonwealth, Massachusetts is voted least likely, but still garners some votes.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

NFL v Taxpayers

For John, BLUF:  The NFL is big business, not really just local folks playing a pick up game.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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NFL learns there's No Free Lunch

This is from retired correspondent Don Surber, 24 November 2017.

The lede plus one:

Let us cut to the chase:  the NFL owns the players' protest because not only has the league failed to hold players accountable, its owners joined in the anti-American protest.

Well, virtue signaling has a price. Americans are about to pull tax breaks that the league enjoys.

Here is what Colin Kaepernick says it is all about:

I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color. To me, this is bigger than football and it would be selfish on my part to look the other way. There are bodies in the street and people getting paid leave and getting away with murder.

So the House (Republicans) have axed local communities issuing tax-exempt, public-purpose bonds, for sports stadiums, in their new tax bill.  I support this.  And, apparently, so did President Obama, when he was in office.

I expect that people who enjoy and follow and support sports teams also support their local police.  Besides, Mr Kaepernick either hasn't studies the data or doesn't understand it.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Never Give An Inch

For John, BLUF:  The School Committee, counting on their side winning in November, asks higher authority to stifle the City Council, which won the right to decide in court.—Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Lowell school board asks MSBA to delay LHS action until after election

From The [Lowell] Sun, by Reporter Todd Feathers, 21 October 2017.

Here is the lede plus one:

In a letter signed by Mayor Edward Kennedy and Superintendent Salah Khelfaoui, the School Committee has asked the Massachusetts School Building Authority to take no action on the Lowell High School project before the Nov. 7 city election.

The committee voted 6-1 in executive session to make the request, according to a copy of the letter.  The MSBA board of directors meets on Oct. 25, but has not yet indicated whether the Lowell project will be on the agenda or, if it is, whether it will be tabled until the next meeting in December.

The November election could shift the balance on the City Council, which voted 5-4 to relocate the high school to Cawley Stadium.  In the Sept. 26 preliminary, six candidates who favor keeping the school downtown finished in the top nine.

Well, there is the question of if making the decision to send the letter in Executive Session was a violation of the Commonwealth's Open Meeting Law.

A bigger question is what happens if the City Council goes Cawley in November?  Will the "Never Cawley" Crowd then back off?  I have my doubts, as at least one has vowed to fight on for ever.

And, if the "Downtowners" win in November, do they expect the sitting City Council to roll over and reverse themselves?  Who is their advisor?  Harvard Professor Lawrence Lessig?

If we have to wait for the new School Committee and new City Council (what if the School Committee goes Cawley?) then we will have missed both the October and December meetings of the Massachusetts School Building Authority and we will be into 2018.  Option Zero♥ is looking more and more possible.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  From the headline, a reference to the motto over the fireplace in the story Sometimes a Great Notion.  Goodnight, Irene.
♥  Option Zero is we do minimal repairs to our existing buildings.  This just puts off the day of reckoning for a few more years.

Commonwealth Budget Problems?

For John, BLUF:  Do you trust the Great and General Court to spend wisely?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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I am dubious about this headline from The New Boston Post, but it is another thing to worry about.  Mr Daniel Huizinga tells us:

Massachusetts in bottom five of nationwide financial rankings

And here is the lede plus two:

Can your state pay its bills? In coming years, a surprising number of states may be in trouble. A new report by the Mercatus Center sheds new light on the state of finances for all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Researchers Eileen Norcross and Olivia Gonzalez looked at several measures of fiscal solvency and uncovered some alarming trends.

Puerto Rico comes in dead last in the rankings for overall solvency, which is unsurprising given its recent debt crisis. But several other states are surprisingly close to Puerto Rico’s position, the study found.

A state’s budget solvency score measures whether a state is operating with consistent surpluses or deficits each year. Norcross and Gonzalez determined this value with an “operating ratio,” which indicates whether a state has enough revenue coming in (from taxes or other sources) to pay all of its expenses.

It is an indication that we have to pay attention.  Those ladies and gentleman on Beacon Hill are not to be trusted with our money.  And they are more likely to want a tax increase than to find a better way of doing business.

Regards  —  Cliff

Soda Tax Differences

For John, BLUF:  This isn't a deposit, but a tax.  If you are living on $30,000 a year this is a big deal.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From Nation of Change, a Progressive publication, and Reporter Andrew Emett, we have the story of a difference between, a fight between, the Democratic Party candidates, former Secretary of State Hillary Clintona and Senator Bernie Sanders, over a tax on soft drinks.  The headline is "Sanders and Clinton Clash Over Soda Tax"

Here is the issue in a nutshell:

Despite the fact that Clinton pledged not to impose any new taxes on households earning under $250,000 a year, she recently broke her promise by supporting Philadelphia’s proposed soda tax.

Here is the lede plus one paragraph:

In response to Hillary Clinton’s recent endorsement to tax sugary drinks, Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke out against the regressive tax on Friday, asking why low-income families should be forced to pay more while large corporations continue to hide trillions in offshore tax havens.  Although Sanders supports the mayor’s goal to pay for universal preschool in Philadelphia, he does not believe that the funds must be derived from a tax targeting impoverished people.

On Wednesday, Clinton announced that she is “very supportive” of a soda tax proposed by Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney last month.  Under the proposed tax, a 12-pack of soda would cost an additional $4.32 despite the fact that it typically costs between $3 and $6 at the grocery store.  Besides soft drinks, the tax would also include juice drinks, sports drinks, and teas.

I think I am with Bernie on this one.

Regards  —  Cliff

Bernie and Health Care

For John, BLUF:  Or a future lack of it.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Here, from The New York Post, is Mr Michael Tanner's 31 January 2016 take on "Bernie and the high cost of ‘free’ health care".  The sub-headline is "Modal Trigger Bernie and the high cost of ‘free’ health care".

The lede and early part of the article:

“If you think health care is expensive today,” humorist P.J. O’Rourke once opined, “just wait until it’s free.”

History has repeatedly demonstrated the undeniable truth of O’Rourke’s dictum, but that hasn’t stopped politicians from promising that the next time really will be different.  The latest to promote this version of hope over experience is Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who is promoting his plan for “Medicare for All” as a key part of his presidential campaign.

Given that Medicare is running some $40 trillion in the red, that might not be the best model, but Bernie’s undeterred.  In fact, Sanders’ plan would actually cover more services than Medicare.

And, it would do away with all of Medicare’s modest cost-sharing components like co-payments, deductibles and premiums.  When Sanders promises free health care, he means it.

The question is, who will pay for it?  We will, with higher taxes.  While we talk about taxing corporations, we need to remember that a corporation that wants a 5% profit and faces a 5% tax increase the tax money won't come out of the profit, but will appear in terms of higher prices, which is an indirect tax on shopper (the rest of us).

There is also the idea of squeezing the pharmaceutical companies and their obscene prices and profits.  The flip side of that is the idea of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

From the article:

There’s a reason why more than half of all new drugs are patented in the United States, and why 80 percent of non-pharmaceutical medical breakthroughs, from transplants to MRIs, were introduced first in this country.

You may say it is pretty good as it is and Europeans don't seem to care.  Looking to the future it might well be a problem for our children or grandchildren, as certain medical conditions become resistant to current drugs.  The battle against disease, against germs, is never ending.

There is also the political spin out there.  That is sometimes amusing.  From the article:

But as bad as BernieCare is liable to be, it’s particularly ironic to watch supporters of Hillary Clinton and President Obama criticizing “socialized medicine.”  Where do they think we’ve been heading for the last six years?  ObamaCare may not be quite as expensive or comprehensive as BernieCare, but it still represented an enormous government takeover of the health care system.

Mr Michael Tanner is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Suppressing Free Speech, Indirectly

For John, BLUF:  Everything is politics and it never ends.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From The Daily Caller and Reporter Kathryn Watson, we have "California AG Threatens Non-Profit Donors’ First Amendment Rights".

California Attorney General Kamala Harris is being deluged with requests from non-profit officials to withdraw her “unconstitutional” demand for public disclosure of donor names because it creates a “back door” around the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United.

Harris’ critics claim her demand violates the First Amendment and privacy laws, compromises donor privacy and security, and makes it easier for government officials and agencies to pressure dissenting groups challenging particular policies and programs.

Non-profit donor disclosure discourages contributions and undermines the Citizens United ruling that upheld political contributions by corporations and unions as exercises of First Amendment speech that government agencies like the Federal Election Commission cannot limit.

This is an indirect approach to defeating the US Supreme Court Decision in Citizens United.  I applaud the California Attorney General for her ingenuity,  I am disappointed that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has sided with Ms Harris.

This Government intrusion into the lives of private citizens, this "criminalization of opinion" must be resisted.  There must be no more Lois Lerners.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

IRS Scandal Never Goes Away

For John, BLUF:  Inching up on 1000 days.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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"The IRS Scandal, Day 968".

Flat Tax, anyone?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

Which Employment Figures?

For John, BLUF:  Sometimes it is the numbers behind the numbers that count.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From The International New York Times and reporters Nelson D Schwartz and Binyamin Appelbaum we have a generally positive view of the recently released US unemployment statistics, "Jobs Report Gives Ammunition to Both Sides of Fed Rate Debate".  Yes, the question is what is the Federal Reserve going to do, based on the employment rate.

Here is the lede:

Despite disappointing job growth last month, the unemployment rate fell to its lowest level since early 2008, sharpening the debate within the Federal Reserve over whether to raise interest rates when policy makers meet in two weeks.

Friday’s report from the Labor Department — which found that employers added a weaker-than-expected 173,000 jobs in August while the official jobless rate dipped to 5.1 percent — provided fodder for both camps to make their cases.

Hello out there.  This should be about people being able to get jobs so they can afford shelter and food and clothing and health insurance and so on and so forth.

From CNS we have the rest of the story—"Record 94,031,000 Americans Not in Labor Force; Participation Rate Stuck at 38-Year Low for 3rd Straight Month".  The reporter is Ms Susan Jones.

Here is the CNS Lede:

A record 94,031,000 Americans were not in the American labor force last month — 261,000 more than July — and the labor force participation rate stayed stuck at 62.6 percent, a 38-year low, for a third straight month in August, the Labor Department reported on Friday, as the nation heads into the Labor Day weekend.

The number of Americans not in the labor force has continued to rise, partly because of retiring baby-boomers and fewer workers entering the workforce.

In August, according to BLS, the nation’s civilian noninstitutional population, consisting of all people 16 or older who were not in the military or an institution, reached 251,096,000. Of those, 157,065,000 participated in the labor force by either holding a job or actively seeking one.

So, of the 261,000 folks who were not in the labor force, a bunch were new retirees. But, some were folks who just dropped out.  In some cases those folks moved back in with their parents (or had never left).  But, they are not paying income taxes.  Which means the rest of us are helping to carry their share of the burden.  They need to be working, but that means we need to be creating more new jobs.

This is an important issue for the 2016 Presidential Election.

Hat tip to Memeorandum.

Regards  —  Cliff

Departure Benefit Packages

For John, BLUF:  Does the job market really require us to give this huge contract payout packages?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From The [Lowell] Sun, via Reporter Amelia Pak-Harvey, we have "Lowell's payout to Lang: $91G in unused days".  That would be "outgoing Lowell Deputy Superintendent of Schools Jay Lang leaves the city with a $91,256 payout."  This amount comes from unused vacation and sick days.

To start off, it is Mr Lang's fair and square.  It is in his contract.

On the other hand, when I was in the Air Force I had no sick leave—although my duty location could be the hospital or "sick in quarters".  As for vacation (leave as we called it), I earned 30 day a year between June of 1964 and June of 1970, which would be 180 days.  But, you could not "carry over" more than 60 days of leave.

Frankly, after pilot training I had little time for leave—Two F-4 courses, Viet-nam and then Germany, where the squadron had 24 backseat pilots (PSOs as we were known, Pilot System Operators♠).  In addition to flying, our squadron pulled five lines of alert♥ for a month and then for the next month six lines, followed by a month with five lines of alert with half of the squadron at Gunnery Camp, in North Africa (alert every other day for two weeks, then 1,000 miles away for two weeks).♦.  Basically, you were on alert every fourth day throughout the year.

By law, at the end of the Fiscal Year, one could carry over 60 days of leave.  Needless to say, losing leave was a normal event for everyone in the squadron, but especially the backseaters.  With no compensation.  Not even a kiss on the cheek.♦  That said, when you retired, or otherwise terminated, you got to take all the accumulated leave, and you could work at your new job while on leave, much like Mr Jay Lang.

Needless to say, I don't grieve for those who don't take their leave, if they can.  In fact, knowing the value of vacation in helping people recharge their batteries, so they can do a better job going forward, and in a more healthy condition, I think taking leave is important.  There should be a punishment for not taking leave.  In fact, as I recall, taking leave was considered a military duty, even if the military might prevent you from doing it ("needs of the Service" and all that).

The thing that should give people pause is that this is a public employee and his severance pay is $91,256.

Going to the interactive map (City-Data Dot Com), we have some crude numbers.  From the bar graph, the overall City number for 2013, median household income, was $42,270.♣

Salary Dot Com has the median teacher income as $57,437 (as of August 2015).  So, Mr Lang is taking out of the system the median salary of a Lowell Teacher.

The question is, is this a wise use of our money.  Put another way, do we have to offer what looks like a Public Servant golden parachute to attract talent?★

Back to the article,

Mayor Rodney Elliott, a vocal proponent of eliminating the sick-time buyback benefit for school employees, said the payout is another example of valuable resources going out the door to "huge compensation packages."

"It's a significant financial burden, and it's past time for us to put a cap on this buyback and vacation," he said.

Mayor Rodney Elliot is not wrong here.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  Thus the question, what is more worthless than one PSO?
♥  That is five aircraft on alert, for a 24 hours alert period, aircrews and crew chiefs eating and sleeping at the Alert Facility, seven days a week.  Gassed up and ready to go.  For a while we even had college classes in the alert dining facility.
♦  Because of our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, for Fiscal Year 2008 and up through FY 2015, Congress eased the limit to 75 days.
♣  I always wonder about the categories used.  Do the Portuguese get their own group?  I don't think so.  What about Brazilians?  Where do those who trace their parentage back to the Indian sub-continent fit it?  I assume they are Caucasian, but does some demographer in Washington, DC, think they are Asian?  Or are they part of the best off group, American Indians, at $62,549.  No, I don't think so.
★  Which is the "bottom line".

Lowell Sun on Olympic Bid

For John, BLUF:  And we still need a replacement for the Rourke Bridge, immediately.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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I believe Editor Jim Campanini, of The [Lowell] Sun captured, today, the debacle that was our Olymipic Bid for 2024:—"Little minds miss the big picture for Boston 2024".

The Editor points out that the Olympics would have been good for our region, but giving us more attention, upon which we could capitalize.  On the other hand, the Olympics would require investments of money, which would have required taxes.

I have been of two minds about the Olympics Bid.  On the one hand, it would be good for the region, in a number of ways, including infrastructure investment.  On the other hand, I feared out of control costs, reminiscent of the Big Dig.  Nothing I had heard gave me confidence that this was a program that would be under control.♠  And for those who forgot the Big Dig, here is some history:

Here is how Mr Campinini wraps it up:

While I agree that Boston 2024 was its own worst enemy, it provided a map to the future.  It identified development locations and ideas for Boston that even the best and brightest planners failed to see from their high-salaried government perches.

It proposed solutions to problems.  For example, buildings constructed for the Olympics would be designed for re-use as affordable housing units or college dormitory space.

Many of Massachusetts' infrastructure needs were addressed in the 2024 bid package, signaling a jump-start on long overdue and neglected projects.  What happens now?  Will they be kicked down the road like in the past?

The Massachusetts way is sinking in.  OK, we are a provincial lot.  We've got the best medical and educational facilities around, gorgeous beaches, wonderful neighborhoods, and don't need to take on a billion risks to prove ourselves.  One out-of-state columnist, in praising Walsh's decision to walk away from the USOC, said Massachusetts didn't want to become the "Greece of America."  It's a clever line.  Yet for some reason I believe we're more bankrupt today than anything the 2024 Summer Olympics would have brought us.

I agree, great idea, very poor execution.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  On the other hand, if someone had said Mitt Romney was going to be the trail boss, I would have had confidence.

CRS Ripoff, Due to Congress

For John, BLUF:  Why should we pay twice for Congressional Research Service reports?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Their Lordships, the Editors of The New York Times, have spoken on the fact that "Congressional Research Belongs to the Public", and they are correct.  And the Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a gem lodged in our Nation's Capitol.  From the lede:

In Washington, the reports have become commodities traded and sold by policy wonks.

Every day, the Congressional Research Service, a little-known government agency attached to the Library of Congress, churns out papers on issues as varied as the defense budget, the farm bill and nuclear weapons.  They’re not classified.  They’re nonpartisan.  And unlike many government reports, they’re fairly easy to understand.  Yet it’s hard for most people to get copies of reports produced by the Congressional Research Service, which operates as an in-house think-tank for lawmakers.  That is absurd.

As the Library of Congress, which will soon get a new leader, takes long-overdue steps to modernize digital access, lawmakers and library officials must find a way to make the service’s valuable work readily available.  These expert reports give taxpayers a richer understanding of the issues and choices their representatives deal with.

And there is more, four paragraphs more, including the fact that there is someone in suburban Maryland who makes copies and forwards for $399 a year.  That would be $399 on top of the taxes one pays to fund the CRS.

Here is a sample from the Penny Hill Press web page:

• Small Business Administration Microloan Program
• Navy Ohio Replacement (SSBN[X]) Ballistic Missile Submarine Program: Background and Issues for Congress
• The Budget Reconciliation Process: Stages of Consideration
• Small Business Administration HUBZone Program
• Rules and Practices Governing Consideration of Revenue Legislation in the House and Senate
• SBA Surety Bond Guarantee Program
• Wartime Detention Provisions in Recent Defense Authorization Legislation
• Recess Appointments Made by President Barack Obama
• Conservation Compliance and U.S. Farm Policy
• The Violence Against Women Act: Overview, Legislation, and Federal Funding
• National Park Service: FY2016 Appropriations and Recent Trends
• Trade Promotion Authority (TPA): Frequently Asked Questions
• The "Islamic State" Crisis and U.S. Policy
• U.S. Grain Standards Act: Potential Reauthorization in the 114th Congress
• State Sponsors of Acts of International Terrorism-Legislative Parameters: In Brief
• Cuba Sanctions: Legislative Restrictions Limiting the Normalization of Relations
• FY2016 Agriculture and Related Agencies Appropriations: In Brief
• EPA and the Army Corps\' Proposed "Waters of the United States" Rule: Congressional Response and Options
• Sudan
• U.S. Trade with Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Partners
• Trends in the Timing and Size of DHS Appropriations: In Brief
• Comparing DHS Appropriations by Component, FY2016: Fact Sheet
• DHS Budget v. DHS Appropriations: Fact Sheet
• Department of Homeland Security Appropriations: FY2016
• Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) FY2016 Budget Request and Funding History: Fact Sheet
• An Overview of the Employment-Population Ratio
• Research Tax Credit: Current Law and Policy Issues for the 114th Congress
• LIHEAP: Program and Funding
• Iran, Gulf Security, and U.S. Policy
• Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and the Role of Congress in Trade Policy
• Former Presidents: Pensions, Office Allowances, and Other Federal Benefits
• Procurement Debarment and Suspension of Government Contractors: Legal Overview
• Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress
• The Help America Vote Act and Election Administration: Overview and Issues
• Iraq: Politics, Security, and U.S. Policy
• Foreign Holdings of Federal Debt
• Country-of-Origin Labeling for Foods and the WTO Trade Dispute on Meat Labeling

One can purchase the report on An Overview of the Employment-Population Ratio (R44055), something of interest to me (it is down from 62.9% in November 2007 and now back up to 59.3% in April of 2015).  The cost from Penny Hill Press, in PDF format, is $19.95.  A report prepared at the expense of the US Taxpayer.  For $20.00.

On the other hand, if we had to purchase it from the Government Printing Office it might cost twice as much.  In the electronic age, this is out of control.

Regards  —  Cliff

Record Numbers Leaving US

For John, BLUF:  Mostly probably penny wise and pound foolish on the part of the US Congress or the bureaucracy.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Often The Wall Street Journal has no link for the hoi polloi, without our payed subscriptions, but this is an exception.  Reporter Laura Saunders gives us "Record Number Give Up U.S. Citizenship".

A record 1,335 people were listed as renouncing their U.S. citizenship or long-term residency in the latest quarterly disclosure from the Treasury Department, released on Thursday.

The total is the highest quarterly number of expatriates since a law requiring the publication of their names was enacted in the 1990s, according to Andrew Mitchel, a lawyer in Centerbrook, Conn., who tallies the lists of names. The previous quarterly record was 1,130 for the second quarter of 2013, he says.

The new figure puts 2015 on pace to exceed the total of 3,415 renunciations in 2014, which was itself a record. That was up 14% from 2,999 individuals in 2013, the previous record.

Here is the explanation from the Department of Treasury.  On the other hand, this is what you might expect.

Experts link the growing number of renunciations by citizens and permanent residents to a tax enforcement campaign against U.S. taxpayers with undeclared offshore accounts. The campaign began after Swiss banking giant UBS UBSN.EB +2.53% admitted in 2009 that it had encouraged U.S. taxpayers to hide assets in secret Swiss accounts.

But the campaign has made the financial lives of more than seven million Americans living abroad more difficult, because the U.S. taxes nonresident citizens on income earned anywhere in the world, and U.S. tax liabilities can apply to the children born to Americans abroad. In many cases, there are only partial offsets available for double taxation.

This raises the question as to if our tax policies, probably designed to capture the high rollers, really just squeezes the middle class.  Well, and there are those who just don't like the US and wish to return to from whence they came.  I wish them the best, but believe they are misguided.

While we use the term "record numbers" we probably receive this many illegal immigrants in a day.  People just want to come here as economic migrants.  I wonder what attracts them?

Regards  —  Cliff

Fact Checking Sen Ted Cruz

For John, BLUF:  The IRS Code is too complicated, but it does provide work for many accountants and lawyers.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Fact Checkers are all well and good, but we should not depend on them for common sense?  Here is The Washington Post Fact Checker, Ms Michelle Ye Hee Lee, on Senator "Ted Cruz’s claim that the IRS tax code has more words than the Bible".  She scores it as correct, with the King James Version♠ weighing in at just over 800,00 and the Tax code at somewhere between 2.6 and 3.7 million words, but irrelevant.

Irrelevant?  Why soever for?  It appears Ms Lee is a Coastie and clueless about the People in the Heartland of the Nation.  She writes:

We also wondered:  Why does it matter to the average taxpayer that the tax code is hard to comprehend?  Do Americans actually read the tax code, especially now that software programs make it easy to file taxes with a few mouse clicks?

Maybe the average taxpayer worries about all that is hidden in the Tax Code, as perhaps many of them were worried about what was in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.♥  And, are worried about what is hidden in the treaty the President is negotiating with Iran over nuclear weapons.  If you don't know all the ins and outs you don't know if you are filing correctly, if you are getting all the deductions you deserve.

Hat tip to the Instapundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

♠  The one Saint Paul used when he preached.
♥  George—Obamacare

NYC Ending "Workfare"?

For John, BLUF:  So, what is the solution for those out of work, a growing percent of our population?  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From Hot Air we have a post on the Mayor of New York wishing to reform welfare, or workfare as it is known.  Workfare is an approach brought in by then Mayor Rudi Gulliani. The article is headlined Bill de Blasio moves to eliminate workfare in NYC.  The Hot Air pseudonym is "Jazz Shaw"— or maybe that is his read name.

It starts out like this:

Big Apple Mayor Bill de Blasio apparently has some big plans. One of them, only now bubbling to the surface, is to revamp the city’s welfare system. It seems that the idea of asking able bodied individuals receiving taxpayer funded cash support to work as part of the deal is offensive to enlightened sensibilities.

That lede linked to a New York Times article, with this paragraph:

About 25 percent of people who are placed in jobs by the Human Resources Administration return to the welfare rolls within a year, city statistics show. About 60 percent of able-bodied welfare recipients lack a high school diploma, a significant barrier to employment.

But, back to the Hot Air article, here are the last two paragraphs:

Workfare was never designed to “shame” anyone. It was developed to assist people who had spent a long time – for some, their entire adult lives – trapped in the welfare system in transitioning to a new style of life where going out to work and earning a living every day became a normal way of life. And yes, to a certain degree at least, it was also constructed as an incentive to seek regular employment by making welfare less attractive. And it worked. It dramatically slashed the welfare roles and expanded the work force during a time when the economy was booming and jobs were plentiful for those who sought them.

You have to wonder at the timing of this, as well. It’s funny how this is cropping up right after the elections. Do you think it’s possible that the Democrats knew that such things would outrage many working class voters and remind them of what they get when they elect a lot of Democrats? Anyway, assuming that the Mayor gets this all pushed through, it will prove an interesting social experiment for the rest of the nation to observe. Sadly, when it almost surely fails, it will be the low income workers of New York City – as well as all the taxpayers – who pay the price.

Wikipedia has a short article on Workfare, where it notes that the term first appeared in 1968, introduced by Mr James Charles Evers.  Mr Evers, Brother of Medgar Evans, has run for Governor and US Senate as an Independent.

Then there is this Kindle recommendation from the InstaPundit—Punch Your Inner Hippie:  Cut Your Hair, Get a Job, and Make America Awesome Again

Yes, we need to be doing something as a nation.  There are too many without the education and the social skills to get and hold a job.  There may even be cultural differences and cultural barriers.  We need to fix that.  Then we need to provide the jobs.   My Father told me about a program that was being run at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard, in 1970, wherein Chicanos from San Pedro were hired in as trainees, taught a work skill and taught the culture of work.  Problem was, when they finished their year as a trainee, there was no work for them and they were laid off.  Eventually the shipyard was shut down and everyone was laid off.  Bad.

What we should want is to maximize the number of taxpayers in this Great Nation.

Hat tip to Maggie's Farm.

Regards  —  Cliff