Congress's youngest and possibly most famous new member, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has made many lofty proclamations during her time in the lime light, but perhaps the one getting the most attention is her call to raise tax rates to 70% to pay for her agenda. Rational thinkers can see the issue in taking 70% of another person's dollar for no other reason than wanting to use it for something else. For the benefit of Congresswoman Cortez and those who believe like she does, the Tax Foundation has done the math to show that even if you confiscate 70% of the income of the wealthiest Americans, … [Read more...]
Quebec’s Firearm Registration Backfire
Did Quebec really think gun owners would line up single file to have their rights taken away? Gun registration is the first step to gun confiscation, and Quebec's firearms owners understand that. The NRA magazine, America's 1st Freedom explains how Quebec's gun owners are resisting registration. They write: Either fewer Quebeckers own guns than the government thought, or more are standing by their right to keep their personal belongings under the radar. Or the idea of registering firearms may just be a failure. Regardless, Quebec’s Firearms Registration Act has resulted in an unimpressive … [Read more...]
No Stock is Worth 100% of Your Time or Money
There is simply no company out there that has a stock safe enough for you to invest in just that one and nothing else. Even tried and true utility stocks demand diversification in your portfolio. There is no better example than what is happening to PG&E right now. PG&E is the California utility being alleged to have caused some of the wildfires there. Despite being a "widows and orphans" staple, the stock has plunged and the company has announced it will file for bankruptcy. Juliet Chung and Nicole Friedman report in the Wall Street Journal: Utilities have long been considered … [Read more...]
Can Trump Stop the Endless Wars in Spite of His Advisers?
Donald Trump was elected on a platform of stopping the endless wars America is embroiled in, but surrounded himself with advisers and secretaries who want the opposite. Writing in The American Conservative, Pat Buchanan examines whether or not Trump will be able to overcome his advisers to make the decisions Americans elected him to make. He writes: In short, forces are moving in this country and in Israel to bring about a U.S. confrontation with Iran—before our troops leave Syria. But the real questions here are not about Bolton or Pompeo. They are about Trump. Was he aware of Bolton’s … [Read more...]
Democrats’ Opening Bid? 70% Tax Rates
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi hasn't even warmed up her gavel, but already the newest, and youngest member of her party's Congressional caucus, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has suggested a 70% tax rate on earnings over $10 million. That's probably not the issue Pelosi thought she would have to explain right away to voters. John Harwood reports in CNBC: The top tax rate stood above 90 percent throughout the 1950s. But through deductions and tax avoidance, “taxes on the rich were not that much higher” then, the conservative Tax Foundation noted in a 2017 article. The top rate remained 70 … [Read more...]
Fun at the Gun Show
Former Marine officer Jeff Groom takes readers on a trip through an Ohio gun show at The American Conservative. Groom explains the multi-generational appeal of gun shows, and how his grandfather introduced him to the events. He writes: After returning to Ohio after nine years away in the Marines, I found myself with a weekend of free time. So I decided to check out an event I had frequented as a young man: a gun show. Sometimes called gun and knife shows, I was introduced to them by my grandfather in the early 2000s in a small Ohio town called Circleville. It was at that show that I … [Read more...]
The Shutdown’s Real Lesson: Too much of Economy Hostage to Government
“The problem with the shutdown is not that President Trump is holding the government ‘hostage,’ as House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said, but that the government has taken hostage of too much of the U.S. economy,” writes Chris Edwards editor of www.DownsizingGovernment.org at the Cato Institute, a Washington, DC.,-based think tank focused on limited government. When security at the nation’s 450 commercial airports depends on the government—a shutdown matters explains Edwards pointing out that a spokesman for the TSA screener’s union said this Tuesday: “Some of [my members] have already quit … [Read more...]
Does Your Investment Advisor Take Legal Kickbacks behind Your Back?
When you seek investment council be sure you work with an investment boutique that’s required by law to act as your fiduciary. Ask the question: “Are you required by law to act as my fiduciary.” Do not accept any answer other than Y-E-S. Because too many professionals in this industry put themselves out there as “Investment Advisors” or “Financial Advisor” when in reality they are neither. In order to legally call yourself an investment advisor you are required to act as a fiduciary. So called “advisors” working for big Wall Street firms are not required by law to be your … [Read more...]
Ceremonial Sig Sauer M17 Pistols: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
From America1Freedom.org: Silence, Respect, Dignity and Perseverance not only represent the aspects of the Sentinel’s Creed, but the name of the four pistols being presented to the Sentinel Guard protecting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The pistols were created by SIG Sauer using the specifications of the U.S. Army’s M17 Modular Handgun System and are chambered in 9 mm. Presentation of the M17 Tomb of the Unknown Pistols will take place Oct. 11 at Arlington National Cemetery Chapel at 9 a.m. Included with the private presentation will be a Changing of the Guard right afterward, where … [Read more...]
With Governments that Won’t Protect Them, Europeans Arm Themselves
Through ineptitude or outright enabling legislation, many Western European governments have allowed terrorists, whether home grown or as part of the "refugee" wave, to proliferate within their borders. The lackluster efforts by these governments to root out terrorists and deal with them accordingly, has caused many Europeans to lose faith in the ability of their governments to protect them. Understandably, their lack of faith in their government has made many Europeans afraid, and that fear has encouraged them to take their safety into their own hands. Valentina Pop reports in the Wall … [Read more...]