Friday, April 17, 2015

How much are you subsidizing Exxon?

How much of your taxes go to the oil and gas industry profits?
America’s oil/gas industry is now #1 producer of gas and #2 producer of oil in the world yet your taxes continue to prop up this “struggling” industry. Over the past century, we have pumped more than $470 billion into the oil and gas industry as tax breaks. Once intended to jump-start struggling domestic drillers, these incentives have become a tidy bonus for the world's most profitable companies. ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, BP, and ConocoPhillips take about $3.34 on every barrel of crude. We pay the taxes they DON’T pay.

Track your refund
Now you can find out where your refund is at http://www.irs.gov/Refunds

Will our so-called “representatives” in Washington stop corporations from evading taxes?
Do you think that Congress will pass the Stop Tax Haven Abuse Act (S. 174, H.R. 297) or will the lobbyists who pay for their elections and perks (trips, staff, decorating, parties, fund-raisers, planes, etc, etc) keep the laws that allow 19,000 businesss to use an offshore PO Box to put their $ billion tax burden back on us? 47 corps moved in the last 10 years. Burger King “merged” in Canada to avoid paying tax. Who is next?


The income gap between workers and the boss is worse—3% vs 13% raise
Corporate lobbyists have so far kept the regulators from doing what Congress decided in 2010: List the CEO ratio. Research shows that the worker-to-boss gulf has been widening. According to a 2014 study, top management pay as a multiple of the typical worker’s pay rocketed from an average of 20 times in 1965 to 295.9 in 2013. Another study said that the boss takes a median package of $14.3 million. Workers earn $7.25 since 2007 and were stuck at $5.15 per hour for ten years.
 Walt Disney, whose chief executive, Robert Iger, received $43.7 million last year. Disney’s median worker received $19,530 last year. Who really earned Disney’s profits—Iger or the staff? “There is no basis for believing that if companies don’t pay $ millions they won’t attract top talent.”
CEO’s name their own directors who approve their own pay contracts.

The largest five banks control HALF of American banking
The largest banks maintain 45 percent of the industry's total assets. Too big to fail has come true—banks grew by 30% since the failure in 2008. We saved their A** then but Obama and Congress have given up trying to regulate their bad habits. GOP promise to shrink gov does NOT include a limit on bailouts. It will happen again.


GOP voters say more tax breaks for rich is NOT the answer—“trickle down” is dead!
YouGov poll earlier this year found that only 29 percent of Americans agree with the idea that "lower taxes on the wealthy stimulates the economy, with the end result of greater wealth for everyone." A recent Pew survey found that just 27 percent of American adults say the amount they pay in taxes "bothers them a lot." More than 60 percent say they are bugged by their perception that rich people and corporations don't pay enough. Kansas tried the “trickle down” and it didn’t work.

Will regulators force your broker/advisor to be honest in giving advice?
If the proposed regulations are issued by Obama, the fiduciary “do what is right for client” standard would replace the suitability standard that brokerage firms have used for decades. Brokerage firms would need to disclose compensation and conflicts of interest. The industry needs a new business model—help client—NOT sell the firm’s most expensive products. Examples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y6buvXsyto

Retirees beware state taxes
Some states make it hard for retirees to stay. Property tax and rents are chief among the drawbacks to living on the coasts.

Survey says young Americans don’t need the advisor industry
Americans between 18 and 34 are a mix of pragmatism and optimism, according to a survey of about 5,500 American adults done by Harris Poll for Northwestern Mutual. While younger workers figure they’ll lack the corporate pensions and social safety nets their parents may have, the survey shows they’re confident in their ability to improve their financial future. More than 70 percent feel secure or very secure that they'll meet their financial goals. Financial information is readily available on the Internet. Free money management tools and accounts make it possible to do everything yourself:


Owe the IRS or have problem you can’t fix?
The Taxpayer Advocate Service is the IRS’s storefront. They explain your rights as a taxpayer. They offer free help for problems that are causing financial difficulties for you. Each state has at least one Local Taxpayer Advocate who is independent of the local IRS office and reports directly to the National Taxpayer Advocate. Call 1-877-777-4778.


DEM & GOP crazies
Has our Congress re-created the government we overthrew?
Remember why we fought the British government in 1776.
Today our so-called ‘representatives’ are millionaires and don’t know how we live. They are bought by lobbyists and the wealthy. Elections are decided by money so now we have “taxation without representation". Our “reps” have reversed the American progressive tax system so that working people pay 32% and the wealthy pay 14% or less. Our “reps” passed the repeal of the estate tax so the wealthy can create family dynasties. They cut the services we need to pay for the military-industrial complex. They let 2/3rds of corporations pay NO tax. We are paying for 1,208,083[1] armed personnel in the United States and 164,253 armed personnel guarding corporations in 150 countries around the world. Those corporations avoid taxes by keeping profits in foreign countries.  
Isn’t this the situation we faced in 1776 except now Washington acts like Britain?


GOP crazies
GOP candidate Rand Paul wants to cut taxes for the rich and workers pay more
His FLAT tax of 17% and 0% on investments is at the heart of this misguided plan. Most working people don’t pay 17% income tax. Wealthy would pay nothing since they live on investments (See Romney’s return) and nothing when they die with estate tax repeal. Dynasties will rule elections (CitizenUnited). Corporations like Apple pay 9% now and will keep their earnings overseas. Since he wants no IRS, corporate/wealthy could evade ALL taxes without penalty. If there is no FICA or Medicare tax then seniors will have NO Social Security and NO Medicare.
Back to the Middle Ages—serfs starved and dynasties ruled!

Rand’s Daddy, former Sen Ron Paul selling doom newsletter
“Worse than Great Depression is coming,” he says. He predicts currency collapse—complete financial meltdown. He says Social Security and 401k will be taken over by government and taxes increased. You protect yourself by buying some guy’s newsletter. SEC has fined newsletter guy for this BS before.  

GOP future President is NOT popular in own state and wants to cut Social Security?
C. Christie is visiting friends in NH since NJ would like to elect someone else. His poor showing in negotiating with EXXON has made him NOT a native son anymore. Polls say he is not liked—even among GOP—but loved by other states. To gain votes outside NJ, he promised he will means-test Social Security and raise the retirement age for SS and Medicare. How many voters will back him by cutting these programs? He also flipped back to support for vaccines after being against them last month.

GOP favorite Cruz has Wall Street money too
Bob Mercer, a reclusive hedge fund manager who made his fortune using computer trading, emerged this week as a key early bankroller of Mr. Cruz’s campaign start. He is believed to be the main donor behind a network of four “super PACs” supporting Mr. Cruz that reported raising $31 million just a few weeks into his campaign. Cruz wants to eliminate tax on hedge funds now.

GOP youngblood Rubio cuts taxes too
If you live on investments, like Mitt, your taxes from capital gains from a stock portfolio would be eliminated. Rubio also wants a big tax cut for families, by expanding the Child Tax Credit and letting parents apply it against both income and payroll taxes. No plan for making up the deficit this creates so we must wait to see how the poor will make up for the rich’s tax breaks.  

LA now allows people to discriminate for ‘religious’ reasons
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) supports the bill that explicitly allows discrimination based on an individual's religious beliefs," HRC legal director Sarah Warbelow said. "Nobody gets to go into court for a balancing test, there's no interpretation by a state judicial system. It flat-out gives individuals a right to discriminate, period."
“I will not serve you because the Bible tells me not to,” will be the norm in LA.

HEEEEES BACK
Donald has his birth cert. and he says he will surprise us in 2016. "This time, I'm very far down the line, so we'll see what happens," Trump said. "I'm going to surprise a lot of people." In fact, Trump pointed to his doubters as proof of the strength of his candidacy. "I'm going big," he said. "I get the biggest crowds. I get standing O's when I speak because people like that they know that I'm not going to let China rip us off, I'm not going to let Mexico continue to rip us off ... Japan is doing a big number and nobody knows it."  
Have you seen his TV ratings recently?

Kansas is now wilder than the old Wild West—a gun runner’s dream!
Kansas cancels gun permit and training requirement—we are not in safe Kansas anymore!
Even Wyatt’s Wild West had more gun controls than Kansas where crazies are now free to pack and don’t need gun training. KS had one of the lowest accidental shooting ratio before.

States cut basic services as GOP consolidate statehouses
States are stripping food stamp benefits from a million childless, able-bodied adults ages 18 to 49, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, focused on low-income American lifestyles. For instance, Maine has reimposed a three-month limit (out of every three-year period) on food stamps for able-bodied adults without minor dependents unless they work 20 hours per week, take state job-training courses or volunteer for about six hours per week. Usage has dropped nearly 80 percent since last year despite uneven job growth in ME.

Earn 5% on your checking?
You must use the debit card and direct deposit and other rules but 5% is 5%.

Saving for college?
Use the tax-FREE savings account with higher rates:

New hope to control Alzheimer’s
Research at Duke University showed immune cells which start attacking nutrients in the brain may be a trigger for the disease. They say their findings could open up new avenues of research for a field that has not developed a single drug to slow the progression of the disease. If you can block this local process of amino acid deprivation, then you can protect from Alzheimer's disease.


SCAMS           Why are we still paying $700 Billion a year for WWII deployments? That is 27 cents of each dollar in taxes—the largest part of our money—and we aren’t even at war. We could pay off our debts and fix our schools, roads and bridges!
We are paying for 164,253 of our active-duty armed personnel to be in 150 countries around the world. We have about 50,000 in Japan and 50,000 in Germany.
Are we preparing for WWII again? There are 1,208,083[1] armed personnel in the United States. Our taxes pay for about HALF of the WORLD’s military expenditures every year. We have wasted $398.6 billion so far on the F-35 program—they can’t fly safely.
We just can’t afford to pay for everyone else’s defenses anymore.
Japan, Germany and S. Korea can pay to defend themselves.
The War on Terror requires SEALS’ attacks on top terrorists at their homes. Iraq proved converting a nation to Western-style republic doesn’t work. The troops we trained ran away. We are wasting $4 billion a year on Afgan tribal rivalries; paying ransom to Al Qaeda; supporting corruption with our money.

NYC not guilty of negligence in death of 4-year-old girl because she did not call 911 herself while dying. Under established case law, to support a negligence claim there must be direct contact between the injured party or a family member and a city representative in order to create a “special relationship” between them.

GM not guilty of murder—corporations are people for elections but not when they kill
GM won't face lawsuits stemming from problems tied to its deadly ignition switch, a federal judge ruled. The decision upholds GM's so-called bankruptcy shield. GM acquired the shield as part of its bankruptcy when a new company was created in 2009, referred to in court as "New GM." GM knew the switch killed drivers but kept installing it after 2005. Some law enforcement officials say the information the automaker withheld might have changed their investigations. In all, G.M. now acknowledges that the defective ignition switch contributed to at least 47 accidents (a recent revision from its earlier tally of 32), including those that caused the 13 deaths. Premeditation makes it murder not negligence. Killing for profit is murder: $0.57 extra profit.

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