Showing posts with label tax evasion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tax evasion. Show all posts

Friday, December 29, 2017

GOP spending our children's future income

GOP spending our children’s future income
In exchange for our $60 to $400 tax cut for just 7 years, we and our kids will be working off the extra $1.5 Trillion of principal and interest on the national debt forever. Right now your share of the debt is about $60,000 so our kids will be paying interest every year of about the same as they would be for a small house. Unfortunately, the principal of the loan is going up; not down. Our extra $60 for 7 years is nothing compared to the average millionaire’s $30 million tax bonanza FOREVER. The GOP has made our cuts END and theirs last with the repeal of the Alternative Minimum Tax. They don’t pay the 37% tax rate. Most of their income is capital gains and they pay 17% or less. Since there will be less revenue in the future and GOP never stops buying military stuff, there is only one way for GOP—cut programs for those without power—cut Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, children’s health, ObamaCare, arts, environment, regulation of air, water, consumer finance and others. GOP said it will have to cut ‘entitlements’ even though we paid for them. We paid for them—Social Security and Medicare are not revocable benefits.
GOP: the party of spending for the rich and the hell with the young, old, poor and sick.

This is what American Socialism looks like now
Our so-called ‘representatives’ got a $1.5 Trillion loan from China and will pay it to the wealthy to forward to their offshore tax shelters. 323 million working Americans will have to pay back the loan: From 323 million to the 400 oligarchs. (Socialism: from the many to the few). The GOP killed the ObamaCare mandate, so the healthy will stop paying premiums and those left in the coverage pool will need to pay more—almost like another tax. Premiums will go up 10% or more so our temporary (ends 2025) ‘tax cut’ of $60-$400 will not be spent on more goods to fuel the economy as promised. No corp CEO has passed out ‘permanent’ wage increases: a 1 year bonus doesn’t count. GOP will cut our social benefits starting 2018 to pay loan interest to China. Tax the middle-class.

“What should I do with my 401k now that I am retiring Dec 31?”
I was asked recently about this situation. You may work after retirement too. IMPORTANT: DO NOT LET HR CUT YOU A CHECK: you lose 20% to taxes.
Call Vanguard or your current IRA Trustee and have THEM move your 401k or 403b from your employer’s trustee to theirs as a tax-FREE ‘trustee to trustee transfer’ IF IF IF you don't want to contribute or are no longer allowed to contribute to the old 401k. 
First, determine if you want to contribute. 2-3 days of work may not pay enough to make contributions. Your taxes should be lower now and you don't need to defer paying tax on the money now. You can contribute to a Roth IRA now and even after age 70.5. The only rule is you must have income! Part time or self employment work is great.
IRS rules: traditional IRAs require you to stop contributing by age 70½. But a Roth IRA has no age limit on contributions and has no mandatory distribution. The Roth IRA is perfect for an estate plan. You can keep contributing to the 401(k) until you retire if they allow it. You gain 8% a year if you wait and you lose 25% of your benefits by starting Social Security at 62. However, you will have to pay tax later and the distributions might require more tax on your Social Security benefit. Best: Roth IRA for your estate plan as long as you work/self-employed. A small business may boost your tax-FREE estate.

What American corporations do with new tax cuts
Since many corporations pay NOTHING and very few paid the 35% rate, cutting their tax to 21% may not have much impact on jobs or wages. Most businesses have enjoyed high earnings in this growth economy. They hide their money overseas to avoid $ billions in taxes. Host countries have already lowered their rates under 21%. Apple hides its money on the island of Jersey. There are scores of countries where corps can hide money. No CEO has announced a large expansion plan here—most of the tax cuts and subsidies will go overseas to hire more cheap labor. IBM needs 1600 people in Bangalore and Shanghai. There are temporary jobs in Houston, Key West and Puerto Rico but they were not created by the anticipated tax ‘reform.’ The tax reform actually benefits real estate developers like Trump the most. James Repetti, Boston College Law School, said: “This is a windfall for real estate developers like Trump.” Trump had already learned how to avoid corporate taxes by manipulating special provisions of the tax code. Golf courses are a big tax right-off. His businesses are set up as ‘pass-throughs’ already so he benefits from his special new rate of 25%. Follow the money for peace and quiet.


A few reasons to be grateful this holiday season: America is GREAT already!
See specific numbers for your own age at Your Life in Numbers.
  • In 1966, average life expectancy was only 56 years. Today it’s 72. That’s an increase of 29 percent.
  • Out of every 1,000 infants born, 113 died before their first birthday. Today, only 32 die. That’s a reduction of 72 percent.
  • Median income per person rose from around $6,000 to around $16,000, or by 167 percent – and that’s adjusted for inflation and purchasing power.
  • The food supply rose from about 2,300 calories per person per day to over 2,800 calories, an increase of 22 percent, thus reducing hunger.
  • The length of schooling that a person could typically expect to receive was 3.9 years. Today, it’s 8.4 years – a 115 percent increase.
§        The world has become less authoritarian, with the level of democracy rising from -0.97 to 4.23 on a scale from -10 to 10. That’s an improvement of 5.2 points. 
Happy Holiday      Happy Holiday            Happy Holiday

Is your advisor a sales person first and foremost?
Your ‘advisor’ is a salesperson first and foremost. They would not have a job otherwise. Contrary to the Wall Street hype, your ‘advisor’ has no special information. They are not a therapist/doctor curing your financial problem or sickness. Few sales people use the products they sell because of costs. The most successful Wall Street executives are NOT traders. They do NOT try to time the market. They have learned the lessons of the financial legends: “The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient,” Warren Buffett said.    
In fact, the average managed-account equity investor earned just 3.79% a year over 30 years! A simple index fund earned 11%. Buffett, perhaps the greatest investor of all time, with 60 years experience, boils down the stock market to patience.   Mr Buffett's strategy of patience is the most successful. He earns about 20% a year compounded over time. He does NOT buy and sell stocks frequently. In other words, he does the opposite of what Wall Street 'advises' us to do. Wall Street is a sales industry not an advice industry. Do we ask a barber if we need a haircut?

Trump and his tax-credit class take at least $30 million EACH from working Americans
New tax cut does not reform the code. It repeals the personal AMT and some personal deductions and exemptions and expands the benefits of businesses. The AMT was one of the only ways the wealthy had to pay taxes. It added back all their deductions and special situations. Thus wealthy business people who were ‘self-employed’ and deducted all their expenses from their profits had to pay something. EG: Trump paid $36.5 million instead of $5.3 million due to the AMT. We have his leaked tax return from 2005. With the AMT gone, he will avoid at least $30 million in taxes. He will probably start using overseas tax shelters like his fellow tax credit class:

Aren’t you glad you did not fall for the Bitcoin scam
It went from $19,000 to $10,000 in one week. ‘Pump and Dump’ has been a favorite Wall Street scam for a long time. Watch The Wolf of Wall Street before you ever invest in anything. There are many participants who drive up the price by using social media and stories and then their computer sells before you have a chance to cash in. Bitcoin and other VIRTUAL currencies don’t actually have any physical value—there is no bullion or government like a normal currency. It’s pretend and the scammers owned it when it cost nothing. In five days in 2010, the price grew 1000%, rising from $0.008 to $0.08-8 cents. Your advisor/broker has sales stories to enhance their offerings of real company stocks or bonds too. Puerto Rico bonds fit that measure. Many investors are holding worthless paper now even though they paid a pretty penny for them plus commission. Your advisor may tell you that this or that opportunity is ripe but remember, your money can be wiped out in an hour and advisors don’t give refunds for bad advice. Reconsider what your advisor costs you—maybe now is the time to switch to a low-cost balanced fund so your stock market exposure is less and earn 9% over time too: https://www.amazon.com/Best-Robo-Advisor-Ultimate-Automatic-Management/dp/1537111957


“We think, as a result of lowering business taxes, wages will go up,”
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on CNN but he is not counting on wages going up. He is set just like his cabinet mates under The Don. He has his money safe in a Cayman tax shelter and other undisclosed hideouts. None of Trump’s tax-credit class works for wages so they never pay the new 37% rate. Their interest and capital gains go up at tax-advantaged rate. They pay 17% or less like Mr Buffett. Trump’s aim, ‘make America great again’ for the rich works. Wages for most workers have not risen and we actually subsidize job-moving expenses to any country. Under Trump’s education plan, taxpayers are paying for the kids of the wealthy to attend private schools, not to make our public schools great. Instead making America’s schools great again, he is putting the voucher plan in place. After 5 year test in Pence’s IN, half the non-public school kids on vouchers are actually from wealthy families. “Taxpayers are now covering private and religious school tuition for children whose parents had previously footed that bill.” 

Homeowners may pre-pay 2018 property tax in 2017 for deduction
Homeowners in high property tax states like NY, NJ, CT, CA, etc may pay property tax early so they do not lose the deductions above the $10,000 limit set for 2018. Each jurisdiction has their own rules on pre-pay tax, so this may not be for everyone. You may also consider charity (buy land to keep from development) and sales tax on a new car since these are restricted in 2018. Many deductions are restricted in 2018 but can reduce tax on a biz. Consult your tax preparer.

What can you do if you expect your taxes to go up in 2018?
Many in the blue states need to plan for their GOP increase in federal taxes due to the repeal of or limit on their deductions and exemptions. If you used to deduct over $10,000 in property and state income taxes, you may find you will owe more tax in 2018. There is a penalty for underpaying your taxes so you might want to increase your withholding by DECREASING your allowances on a W-4 at work and/or having Social Security withhold 7, 10, 15, or 25% from your benefits each month on W-4V. Sign the form and return it to your local Social Security office by mail or in person. If you find you have no deductions to offset your increased tax liability in 2018, you can send the IRS estimated tax payments using form 1040 ES:  https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040es.pdf.

Is your college saving plan the best?
The rating firm, Morningstar, places three 529 college savings plans at the top of state plans: UT, VA and NV. Most of these plans are open to any state resident. However, some state plans also provide residents with a state tax deduction which may reduce the cost. All plans allow tax deferred income to be saved and used for education with tax on the growth. Let’s say you start your college savings plan at age 5. With low fee stock funds, you egg may grow to $100,000 with $250 a month. That is tax-FREE money and you have no student loan obligations.
            If you now must pay the loans off, you may have options that help you cope. Federal borrowers can apply for income-based repayment plans like Pay As You Earn (PAYE) or Income-Based Repayment (IBR). Private borrowers often have fewer options than federal borrowers and the options available can vary significantly from lender to lender. You will have to contact your lending institution to learn whether you can adjust the terms of your loan.
Consider setting up auto pay, consolidating loans and paying down your most expensive debt first (to the extent your budget allows). For example, setting up auto pay can reduce your interest rate by 0.25 percent for some federal loans. It saves you a lot of money over time.


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TrumpWorld

Mandate: ‘I was elected President’ like Washington, Obama and Hitler
Except Bannon and I wish to “destroy the state”–our government.
Trump cancels housing for homeless veterans after taking credit—‘new low’

Trump is still just a mafia contractor from Queens—Dad taught him to be The Don.

Smoking gun: “Our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it,” Sater wrote in an email to lawyer Cohen. “I will get all of Putins team to buy in on this.” Manafort tells Russian mob he will keep them informed about “our boy.”

Putin sent 60 money wires to US marked “to finance election campaign of 2016.”
Russia manipulated our votes: Pizzagate: from Ms Campbell to Mr Welch’s AR-15.


LOCK ‘EM UP--Mueller draining the swamp!—Everyone gets pardon!
Papadopoulos rolls: Trump-Putin liaison pleads guilty.
Manafort rolls: Trump’s money launderer manager indicted: conspiracy against US.
Flynn rolls: Trump’s national security advisor and foreign agent pleads guilty to lying. “my actions were wrong” "if I did a tenth of what she [Clinton] did, I'd be in jail today.” I am not a traitor. Right, but he also said he never talked to Russia and had no connection to Russia and said was not paid by Turkey to change policy.
McFarland (“If there is a tit-for-tat escalation, Trump will have difficulty improving relations with Russia which has just thrown U.S.A. election to him.”)


Regulation is necessary: We need protection. Saves $12 billion of our money!
            (No one person can afford to sue a bank: class actions banned by GOP now.)

Robert Shapiro, Woodbridge, Boca caught stealing $1.2 Billion in Ponzi with 275 LLCs.
Fiat recalls 1.8 million RAM trucks that can ram you in back—Drives itself when parked.
Aston Martin recalls 5,500 models that roll by self and battery cables make fire 
John Rogicki, Train Babcock Advisors, stole from foundation of elderly widow 


Another special person dead—“guns don’t kill people” for fun. Is your wife next?


‘Ministry of Truth’ 1984 novel: Government propaganda is ‘truth’ when they say it!

  
My Theory on Trump/Putin ‘love’:
Trump got Russian help/funding for business from business/mob ties to Putin. US banks not interested in more bankruptcies. No one expected him to win so no harm getting Putin help. Don owes Vlad’s mob money so they sent mob gofer Manafort to run the campaign. ‘Colluding’ Putin style. Trump always has a fall guy to blame when caught in lie. Sessions claims campaign execs all too inept and overwhelmed to collude on purpose.
Putin gives The Don a big kiss—first name basis—Don made markets hum

TrumpWorld – using presidency to make money the old fashioned way: theft

President’s coin lost the 13 original states and motto, “E pluribus unum”: name 3 times.



McMaster, National security adviser: Trump has intelligence of a “kindergartner”


Dictator talk time:
“When the president does it, that means it is not illegal,” Richard Nixon

Trump” not ready ‘YET’ to give Flynn his pardon for conspiracy against US 

Banned words -- Burning books next?
Trump’s Disease Control has banned words he does not like as if disease disappears

So Trump like Putin is a dictator. Trump is no longer claiming Russia just fake news—collusion/conspiracy real—but he can do it cause he is prez, they say.

Trump storm troops arrest people who look like immigrants.

Trump considers secret mercenaries he will direct to undermine CIA, NSA: like Hitler’s SA?

Make American ‘Conservative-White’ Again
Trump packing in young Scalia-type judges to kill abortion, liberal rights across US.

Obama: we must protect democracy from Nazi-style dictatorship—vigilance and press

            I can never be wrong: “The reason I originally endorsed Luther Strange (and his numbers went up mightily), is that I said Roy Moore will not be able to win the General Election. I was right! Roy worked hard but the deck was stacked against him!”



“The president can’t have a conflict of interest.” The Don is above the law?
Fires FBI head because he was investigating The Don’s Russia mob ties then blames FBI.
  
Fear is a ruler’s weapon: “Media is America’s enemy” but 1st amendment still US law.


Ideology can justify any policy: At RedState, there has always been one hard and fast rule: Oppose abortion at all costs. Christian Right is not Christianity but ideology.
Today child molester; tomorrow rapists? How GOP religionists justify crimes of the Fuehrer and followers. He can pardon every crime.


1998 the House of Representatives approves two articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton, charging him with lying under oath to a federal grand jury and obstructing justice.

2017 Nov. House of Representatives introduced articles of impeachment against President Don Trump, charging him with firing FBI Comey, violations of the Emoluments Clause, actions "undermining" the judiciary and freedom of the press.

2018 the House of Representatives approves two articles of impeachment against President Don Trump, charging him with lying under oath and obstructing justice. Trump was told that Flynn lied to FBI so he commanded Comey to drop it. Lied on TV about why he fired Flynn. Fired Comey to end inquiry on Trump’s conspiracy with foreign power to destroy lawful election admitted on TV. Fired NY AG who was investigating his laundering Putin money via real estate.

TX Rep Al Green’s Articles of Impeachment failed Dec2017. WWIII next?



Quid pro quo: "something for something."


We have given The Don time to act like president: Time to Impeach for obstructing FBI



How Govt wastes our money:
Corporate subsidies AFTER ‘tax overhaul’: $6 billion for sugar processors, $1 billion for dairy, $800 million for marketing to foreigners, $370 million for peanut corps, $650 million for manufacturer’s consultants, $2.5 billion for F-35 problem fixes, $1.2 billion to subsidize southern power, $1 billion for TVA parks etc, and thousands more. 

SCAMS:

Jobs:

Who owns your account now?
Cape Cod chips to Campbell’s, 21 CenturyFox to Disney, Regal Theaters to Cineworld, Au bon Pain to Panera, TaskRabbit to Ikea, Uber to Softbank
2.8% best 5-year CD even if you must pay penalty to withdrawal

Miracle:
Sheriff saves 8 year old from frozen pond after 30 minutes breaking ice with hands.

IAN
41 Watchung Plaza, B242
Montclair, NJ 07042
973.746.2014
Alert

Friday, May 12, 2017

How do the rich keep getting richer?

How do the rich keep getting richer?
Are they really that much smarter than us or pick the right ‘next big thing.’ Think of Don Trump. His father loaned him money and he received an inheritance some say was over $200 million. If he had just left that sum in a stock index account, it would be worth $6.5 Billion today. The Miracle of Compounding is the secret, not great deals. Remember, Don went bankrupt 4 times and avoided income and business taxes along the way. Compounding can work for you too. You can make a sound financial plan on $3.50 a day over time. Investing $100 a month in a stock index fund for 40 years can provide $700,000. Most of us don’t learn Compounding in school and so don’t know how it works. Most rich people learn about Compounding when they are teens and start receiving their trust fund “allowance” to buy a Porsche. What can you buy for $3.50?

Don Trump could be a great president
Trump could create a huge legacy in American history by ending tax shelters for corporations and their overseas subsidiaries—Apple, Google, Amazon pay less tax than you and I because a “trick” of accounting. Congress had a hearing on Apple avoidance. Buffett suggested every firm pay 30%. All The Don has to do is end all the tax loopholes and subsidies to business. Almost every type of business has special deals that make it more profitable. It is how capitalism becomes socialism for the rich. Consider the Apple deal: It pays 0.005% to Ireland, Bloomberg says. Its effective tax rate is 26%. Double Irish and Dutch Sandwich is the name of this tax avoidance. Instead of helping us, our reps keep giving subsidies to big agriculture for ethanol, subsidies to big oil for drilling, subsidies to aerospace for planes, even subsidies to Congress people who claim to be ‘farmers’. We give even more $ billions to businesses in the form of “income tax expense” – that’s B.S. for tax credits for losing money. Our government has no accountability in our cost overrun spending for projects like building a hospital or a bunch of F35 fighter planes that don’t work. ‘Smoking crack’ was given as an excuse for the poor planning and authorization by officials. Meanwhile the average taxpayer is hit with 97 taxes that take an average of 33% of income. Rich people like Warren Buffett, Mitt Romney and John Kerry pay 17% or less. Most foreign firms avoid taxes too. This is Socialism for the Rich pure and simple.

Is an annuity right for you?
Before you talk to your advisor, you need to understand the market price of what you are really buying. Annuity buying is like car buying. Before you even step in the door of a car dealer, you better understand what you are looking for or you may NOT get what you need. Our financial planner is on salary so there is no reason to tilt the presentation to one product. Consider if you could benefit from a better deal before you enter into the non-cancelable annuity contract. For instance, you can generate a $1,100 a month from a $200,000 nest egg and ADD eggs at the same time. An annuity of the same deposit provides $1,100 only for your life but NO more eggs. If you die, you lose your deposit.

Details of TrumpCare: actually cuts taxes for the wealthy and businesses
The 12 things you should know about TrumpCare: the AHCA includes state waivers, elimination of standard benefits of health insurance plans, Medicaid expansion phase out and block grants, subsidies for risk pools for Pre-Existing Conditions, elimination of $1 Trillion tax and ability of insurers to charge 5 times the premium for sick people. Buffett alone will get $680,000 tax break. AHCA pushes health savings accounts for rich people. For larger employers, the AHCA allows them to pick a plan that offers a significantly lower level of benefits to employees. Employers can put annual and lifetime limits on its essential health benefits. In fact, they could pick a plan with no EHBs. Employees could in effect be on their own since there is no mandate and no penalty for employers to provide no assistance. As in the past, employers are under no obligation to offer real health benefits beyond that needed to retain workers. Congress members will NOT lose their ObamaCare guarantees in this version. GOP made the bill acceptable to many by NOT defining what is specifically covered and ultimately leaving the benefits to the states and insurers. For instance, the bill does not specify what a Pre-Existing Condition is, nor does it allow insurers to deny coverage outright, although potentially they could set premiums we can’t afford. Trump claims PEC is covered but at what cost? “PEC in bill.” We have failing health care,” Single-payor system of Australia better than our system, Trump admits.
FoxNews agrees, US headed to “a single-payer health care system.” 24 million uninsured

Buffett reveals his secret to shareholders and everyone
His investing secret is simple and he told us about it in his annual report: he earned 20.8% a year for his shareholders over time from compound interest. He has told us in many of his reports how he lost money and made bad decisions. However, he has returned DOUBLE the stock market rate by using his secret: Compound Interest. Since most of us don’t use a brokerage account, how can we follow his advice? Well, he put it in very easy formula. We can buy a low-cost stock market index fund. He advises us to put our money and faith in the American economy.



GOP votes to end our financial protection from financial predators
GOP presented Financial CHOICE Act 2.0 today, signaling the first move to roll back consumer protections. You will no longer be able to see complaints about other financial firms overcharging, abusing and defrauding us. All fines and shut down actions will have to be approved by the whole Congress. Cancels requirement for banks to undergo stress tests every other year. Cancels protection against banks tricking us into opening accounts not in our best interest. Cancels oversight of payday lending industry. Banks and lenders can go back to the good old days when regulators ignored what happened to Wells Fargo customers: Customers charged extra fees on bogus accounts.

Is a "SAFE" deal right for you?
You may have heard about a new product known as SAFE or "simple agreement for future equity" instrument. The SEC regulator is warning us to make sure we understand the risks involved. You don’t get dividends or interest while you wait. You can purchase the opportunity to become a future equity holder in a company, if certain events are triggered such as the company goes public or raises a substantial amount of funds. Sound good for risk takers? SAFEs are being sold to investors through crowdfunding which help small companies raise up to $1 million from average investors. Disclosures don’t cover all the possible negative outcomes so whatever you invest must be considered money you can afford to lose. Nothing is every ‘safe’ or ‘simple’ in investing.



Trump’s bank, Deutsche Bank, gets pass for mortgage disaster
The Securities and Exchange Commission has decided not to punish Deutsche Bank for its part in the mortgage disaster of 2008. The decision was made inside an agency that has been facing possible budget cuts under President Donald Trump. The SEC has eliminated dozens of contractors who were hired to help root out Wall Street fraud. It also now has a new chairman, Jay Clayton, a former lawyer for Sullivan & Cromwell which represents Deutsche Bank. Deutsche Bank was bailed out by US tax payers for its losses from its failed mortgage hedging strategy. Deutsche Bank is Trump’s major lender and in dispute with him over his payments. But because it’s his bank, it is probably safe for your cash. Deutsche Bank is probably the first to get bailed out in the next financial disaster.

Has America become a “banana” republic?
A “banana” republic: A country where the large corporations and the wealthy receive all the income and pay an ever smaller part of the tax bill. Since 1980, 99% of all American income has gone to the top 10% of families. A country where the people’s representatives are millionaires but must beg for campaign contributions 70% of their time. And the decisions by these representatives as a group help the wealthy and their companies remain in the bonus column.
How could our House Reps condemn 24 million people to no insurance again?
Reps ask for proof of citizenship for Town Hall entry yet donors are from out of state. Iowa’s Blum receives money form North Carolina, DC lobbyists and Koch Bros, Kansas.
 Thousands of subsidies and tax loopholes are created by those already doing well so that the rules keep getting bent in their favor. Our taxes continue to subsidize companies already doing well. Even those institutions set up to fight inequality and unfairness—the justice apparatus and Supreme court—are swayed by the prejudiced, the rich and the powerful. Justice Department head meets with Dem presidential candidate’s team weeks before elections. FBI director announces just before election one candidate is under investigation without mentioning the other one is too. Intelligence agencies determine that a foreign power is pushing the GOP candidate. USSR planting fake news.
Supreme Court nominee is refused a hearing and vote by GOP contrary to our tradition. Justices are routinely given free vacations and trips by companies with cases to be decided by those justices. Institutions set up to keep our air and water clean are biased by those representing special interests. A country that gives the already wealthy, tax breaks in the name of jobs. As average family income has remained the same for 50 years as adjusted for inflation. All the increases in work productivity have been translated into a big raise for the wealthy few.
A country where the leader is elected after calling women vile names, groping them and admitting sexual assault. And his cabinet are all billionaires—mostly old men. And the leader fired the national organization charged with determining if the leader influenced by a foreign power to get elected and then meets with that foreign power in secret. Is the leader subject to any law? Dictator?
Is America becoming a banana republic?
Typically, the banana republic has a society of stratified social classes, usually a great and poor working class and a ruling-class plutocracy, composed of the business, political, and military elites of that society.[1] Such a ruling-class oligarchy control the primary sectors of the economy by way of the exploitation of workers; thus, the term banana republic is a pejorative descriptor for a servile dictatorship that abets and supports, for kickbacks, the exploitation of large-scale commerce especially global financial products. Corporate losses become public debt and only the little people pay taxes.

We could use some integrity in government—Sally Yates for president?
Bernie Sanders for Vice?


Wall Street brokerage changes as Vanguard eats their lunch, dinner, snack
Morgan Stanley just announced that they will change their business model in the face of Vanguard lowering the cost of making money for investors. The change was justified as “intended to "better align client costs" with brokerage services.” The largest U.S. brokerage by sales force, said on Wednesday it is dropping mutual funds from Vanguard Group, the largest U.S. mutual fund firm. Obama’s fiduciary rule, despite Trump’s delay on implementation, has had the effect of warning investors that advisors do NOT have their best interests at heart. Investors are now seeking less biased advisors and many firms have switched to continuous fees from product commissions. This may cost investors more in the long run. They see that cost is important to final returns.

Why is Jared’s family selling US citizenships to foreigners for personal profit?
Wealthy investors in China can buy American visas if they invest in one of the family’s properties — pure bribery – and not what Trump promised. Nicole Kushner Meyer at a Ritz-Carlton hotel in Beijing on Saturday pitched the deal to 100 investors: They could get green cards if they poured money into One Journal Square, a $150 million luxury Jersey City development from Jared’s family. The quid- pro-quo would come through the EB-5 program, which grants visas to foreigners who invest at least $500,000 in American development projects. Politicians on both sides of the aisle have often criticized the program as a golden road to citizenship for the wealthy. Is It legal if you have a connection to president. Is it moral to sell our US citizenship for personal profit?

Trump did NOT save Carrier jobs; government did
Carrier was paid a government subsidy by IN to stay in Indianapolis for a while. It is moving the Carrier Controls, Huntington, IN to Mexico because CEO pay is tied to profits and low wages make high profits. At a meeting with analysts to discuss the outlook for 2017, the head of the division, Robert J. McDonough, boasted that profit margins had doubled over the last five years. “Part of it has been moving factories to lower-cost locations, there is no question about that,” he said. “I think everybody knows that’s been part of the formula for us.” And even more jobs, paying more in 1 hour than Mexican workers make in a day, are marked to go south by Carrier and hundreds of other firms. Cutting costs to boost sales in competition with others is the only answer in a market economy. Government has paid for a re-training center in IN, but wages are being pushed down—not up. Education for the next generation is torpedoed by higher tuition.
Trump’s budget cuts re-training centers and his tax cuts for firms like Carrier will help build more factories in Mexico not America. His education policy hikes college costs.
Government of the people by the people for the people took a turn backward: https://www.amazon.com/Education-Funding-Save-right-plan/dp/1482549956



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TrumpWorld
We have entered the Twilight Zone:
"There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone" where “alternative facts” and illusions of conspiracies are lived out. Lies are considered true. Incompetence is praised. Truth is what the loudest voice says it is over and over.  
Rod Serling
Trump threatens FBI Comey with secret tapes Trump made of their talks. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/863007411132649473

Free American press may be locked out of WH:
Trump may end press conferences—only TASS (Russia) will cover events.

The Don blackmails Comey: “secret tapes of his conversations with Mr. Comey”
The Don asked for loyalty and Comey said honesty. FBI ideology ended with Hoover.

‘Trump’ brand is all he cares about—it is all he knows. Staff creates image not policy


Trump’s new China policy:


Trump tax cut for corporations and wealthy class adds $5.5 Trillion debt
“I’m the king of debt,” Mr. Trump said last year on CNN. “I love debt.” The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget said the plan would probably lead to a loss in government revenue by roughly $5.5 trillion over 10 years.


Little Dictator wants war: Army to go back to Afghanistan
Trump wants to “start winning” again. He delights in war show. The military’s new strategy, (old strategy) which has the backing of top Cabinet officials, would authorize the Pentagon, not the White House, to set troop numbers in Afghanistan and give the military far broader authority to use air strikes to target Taliban militants (civilian centers). It would also lift Obama-era restrictions that limited the mobility of U.S. military advisers on the battlefield. Our longest undeclared war where fighters in civilian clothes will continue to kill soldiers.
Options to put down N. Korea are considered also. Two wars?

Obama already fired him—what better warning? Even Attorney Gen Yates warned.

The Don just lawyered up—is Trump above the law? Can he govern?
Trump just hired a Washington law firm to send a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee denying that he has connections to Russia. Lindsey Graham said he planned to look into Trump and associates business connections

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More Americans say Trump doesn't keep promises: poll Apr 9  Promises broken.

Pre-existing conditions are in the bill but you can’t afford that coverage
Like before ObamaCare, you can buy health insurance to cover your needs but cost is too great. The Don and GOP have tricked us by claiming to include ACCESS in their new bill. Access means your state can decide for insurers to offer cover in a pool with others and charge whatever the market will bear. They also did not mention that all the 10 guaranteed benefits are optional -- not required as in ObamaCare. The GOP wants to go back to the days when America was Great: Health Care was for the wealthy. Average person can afford only JUNK policy. The GOP bill gives the rich tax cuts that add up to $1 Trillion. The real TELL in this vote: Congress members will NOT lose their ObamaCare guarantees in this version. Trump has his WIN and we lose. 24 million people lose coverage. Even Fox News sees single payor in 7 years as a result.
Side by side comparison ObamaCare vs TrumpCare: http://www.latimes.com/projects/la-na-pol-obamacare-repeal/



Flynn as paid secret foreign agent while US official and campaign knew it--traitor
Flynn, as part of the Trump campaign and named security advisor, had access to all US secrets and was secretly in the pay of Turkey and Russian spy handlers. Flynn at Putin’s RT party. He received $530,000. Isn’t this treason? By law a US officer cannot receive money from foreign governments. Like Ben Arnold, he was official of US government while being paid by foreign powers. Flynn is not alone. Other Trump operatives are also under investigation by the FBI for potentially illegal contact with senior Russian intelligence operatives. Donald Trump also has a longtime pattern of open admiration for gangsters and organized crime. FBI is following the Steele memo on Trump activities in Russia. FBI, NSA said Russia sought to influence the election. 35% GOP say didn’t.
Did Trump do a background on his hires? Or were Flynn, Page, Manafort plants under Putin control and leveraged by the Trump scandal hidden in Putin’s video player?
Civilians conspire with a hostile power to end Presidential sanctions against that hostile power we are fighting in Syria and Ukraine. Isn’t this treason?
Flynn was warned not to take money from foreigners when he left Pentagon. Trump refused to give our committee on Russia probe any Flynn info or docs: Committee on Russian influence stunned. Yates warned Trump. Coverup? Treason?  Three key minutes of Sally Yates’ testimony before the Senate Judiciary subcommittee. 


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Regulators are the only protection against corporations since we can’t sue anymore

Water is contaminated for 77 million Americans, 80,000 violations; no money to fix it.
Fiat recalls 1 million Ram trucks for software that controls/not control airbags
We need regulation—GOP wrong—companies/cities wouldn’t fix bad products on own
GM killed 124 because ignition switch pin not replaced after knew it killed first in 2006.


Police want gun control.
When everyone has guns; your chance of being killed goes up. Police don’t know who to shoot. They assume everyone has one and shoot first. You and thief have guns. CO schools now allow teachers/administrators to carry guns in the classroom. Kid lesson! Since 2015, police have killed 86 people with realistic looking FAKE guns--suicide?

TX forces its police to become Gestapo—Trump’s national deportation Nazis
“Every major police chief in Texas, which includes some of the largest cities in the U.S., opposed the measure that allows police to inquire about the immigration status of anyone they detain, a situation that can range from arrest for a crime to being stopped for a traffic violation. It also requires police chiefs and sheriffs — under the threat of jail and removal of office — to comply with federal requests to hold criminal suspects for possible deportation. 

TX police kill teen at party
Jordan Edwards, a 15-year-old TX teen is the youngest of the 339 people shot and killed by police so far in 2017, according to a Washington Post database tracking such shootings. At least 10 people shot and killed by police this year were under 18.

SCAMS:
Poor people with no insurance die early just like GOP new plan calculates.

Ignoramus Award:
Trump’s EPA head dismissed half of the scientific advisers from analysis boards
Trump cut 95% of staff of the drug enforcement office

Why did Hillary send her emails to aide Huma Abedin who sent them to her husband, Anthony Weiner to print them? Clinton or Abedin had no printer? Too lazy? Book deal?

Trump threatens FBI Comey with secret tapes Trump made of their talks. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/863007411132649473


How our government wastes our money:
Afghanistan--$4 Trillion and 20,000 lives later—we can’t win and won’t leave.

Where have all the jobs gone?
More facts, not Don’s fake news, about NAFTA and job changes: It’s complicated, Don.

Which job board sites are best for your job search?

Cancel Robo calls with Mr NoMoRobo: https://www.nomorobo.com/ 

Miracle: 10 year old subdues 9 foot gator
"I used what they taught me at Gatorland, so I put my two fingers up its nostrils and it couldn't breath and had to breath from its mouth and then let my leg out." Who knew!

IAN
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