Jul 14

U.S. Taxpayers are forced to subsidize Amazon.com deliveries

The Wall Street Journal is out with a fascinating article about a-mostly-unknown agreement between the U.S. Postal Service and Amazon.com.

The U.S. Postal Service has failed to innovate as the world has gone increasingly digital.

But in order to stay “competitive” with FedEx and UPS, the Service subsidizes box delivery. Letters pay for the subsidy. (Of course, the USPS has lost $50 billion over the past decade).

According to the WSJ analysis, every box delivered by the USPS for Amazon (which owns the pro-government extremist paper The Washington Post), comes with a $1.46 subsidy from U.S. taxpayers!

Jul 13

Turkish government arrests film maker for making documentary about Turkish government

The world’s safest profession: being a pro-government news reporter or observer.

The world’s most dangerous profession: being an anti-government news reporter or observer.

In recent years the Turkish government has arrested hundreds of critics–including comedians, reporters and actors–for such crimes as terrorism and sedition.

Now there is a report that movie director Ali Avci has been arrested for producing a film about last year’s unsuccessful attempt to topple Turkish President Erdogan.

Erdogan claimed last year that rebels led, paid or inspired by US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen attempted to assassinate Erdogan and take over the country.

(Gulen denies the claims.)

Jul 09

IRS accused Texas bridal shop of “structuring” deposits under $10,000. When the owners resisted, the IRS shuttered the store, seized all inventory and “auctioned” it off for pennies on the dollar

Astounding story of a small bridal shop in a suburb of Dallas. See here.

It seems that the IRS accused the shop’s owners– Tony Thangsongcharoen, 68, and his wife, Somnuek Thangsongcharoen, 72–of “structuring”: making bank deposits just under $10,000 to avoid federal “reporting requirements.”

The IRS shut down the small business and quickly held an “auction” inside the store–“auctioning” off the entire inventory of wedding and bridesmaid dresses, valued at $615,000, for about $17,000 — not enough to cover the roughly $31,400 in tax debt the IRS claims the store owed.

Even worse, it seems that government officials may have purchased items. Designer dresses went for about 4 bucks apiece.

According to the Dallas News:

[T]he government said in legal filings that the IRS used a special law that allows for a streamlined procedure if the agency determines the goods seized could “perish or waste” or become greatly reduced in value.
As a result, the IRS didn’t have to post advance public notice of the Mii’s sale or wait at least 10 days before selling the goods, as is normally required.

Jul 07

British “health” officials knowingly poisoned thousands with HIV-tainted blood

The British government imposes “single payer” slave-plantation “health care” (as many Americans claim to want).

Brits are not allowed to purchase health care supplies on the open market.

For years, British “health” officials knowingly supplied HIV-tainted blood products to victims . . .er, “patients,” of the National Health Service. See here.

New documents revealed officials used tainted blood for at least five years after they were aware of the contamination.

Thousands died.

Jul 06

“Global warming” star professor Michael Mann fails to obey Canadian Court order that he produce his data

Foremost among the “stars” of the government’s manmade-global-warming movement is Michael Mann, a professor at Penn State.

Mann and his research agenda have received millions of dollars in federal government research grant money.

Mann’s (always secret from the public) global-warming data and calculations have provided the backbone for the UN’s claims that increasing CO2 levels are causing catastrophic global warming.

But although Mann’s “data” is generated by massive U.S. government funding, Mann has never been forced to disclose the data to the public.

A U.S. court took Mann’s word for it that his data is his own private property.

But a court in Canada ordered Mann to produce his data and formulas in February.

And now Mann is refusing to produce the secret formula. According to this report, Mann is now in serious risk of being found in contempt of court and having his defamation lawsuit against Professor Tim Ball thrown out.

Mann has been suing Professor Ball because Ball once said that Mann belongs “in the State Pen rather than Penn State.”

Jul 05

Seattle’s experiment with the $15 minimum wage results in greater poverty, unemployment

Three years ago, the city of Seattle voted to raise its minimum wage to $15 per hour.

As usual, government-trusters promised that the minimum-wage increase would lift the poor out of poverty.

But a new study by the University of Washington’s School of Public Policy and Governance finds the opposite.

The study concludes that there are now 5,000 fewer low-wage jobs in Seattle, and that total hours of low-wage workers have been cut by around 9 percent. Thus, low-wage workers in the city are now poorer than they were before the imposition of the $15 minimum wage law.

The minimum wage ordinance lowered low-wage employees’ earnings by an average of $125 per month in 2016.

SEATTLE’S CORRUPT GOVERNMENT TRIED TO BURY THE STUDY

The Seattle Weekly’s Daniel Person reported that “The City Knew the Bad Minimum Wage Report Was Coming Out, So It Called Up Berkeley,” with quotes from Seattle Mayor Ed Murray’s spokesperson indicating that the Mayor’s office was aware that University of Washington’s report would not have favorable results for minimum wage increase advocates.

Astoundingly the mayor and City Council tried to preempt the release of the study by commissioning a “study” by more-government-friendly ‘economists’ at UC-Berkeley that showed the minimum wage increase improved the economy.

Meanwhile the NY Post reports that “The Empire State lost 1,000 restaurants last year” after New York enacted a $12 an hour minimum wage. See here.
Last year, San Diego’s recent experiment with requiring a $15 minimum wage also caused massive job losses, business failures, and increased poverty. See here.

D.C.’s recent minimum-wage hike caused an immediate loss of 3 percent of restaurant jobs. See here.

Jul 04

The arrogance of power: New Jersey Governor Christie relaxed on a “public” beach after his armed thugs threatened to arrest any commoners who approached

This is what government supremacists mean by “access to public lands.”

Pictured above: the obese governor of New Jersey enjoys a State Beach with his own family while his government thugs bar the public from the beach.

New Jersey’s high-taxing legislature has been wrestling over yet another immense State budget.

While the New Jersey legislature was at an impasse, all State “public facilities” such as beaches were closed.

Yet somehow the armored State Police were still working.

It has now been reported that 6 nearby homeowners were ordered to leave their own homes (upon threat of arrest if they stayed) while his Majesty luxuriated on the “public” beach. See here.

Jul 04

Montana’s experiment with state-run health clinics has already failed

It is the dream of every government truster: a system of government-run (“single payer”) medical providers and clinics, built on the model of an 1852 Virginia slave plantation.

In this fantasy world, loyal subjects needing health care or treatment would simply line up at the master’s porch. “Care” would be provided for “free.”

Montana’s legislature and governor launched an experiment with such “single payer” clinics (for state employees, only, of course) in 2012.

The experiment is already failing. See here. Far more expensive than advertised and with no discernible improvements in health outcomes.

Similar ideas have also failed in Vermont, Oregon and other states. See here.

Jul 02

Prison authorities admit they “unintentionally” listened in on attorney/client meetings at Guantanamo Bay

Just 20 years ago most people would have laughed if you told them that the United States would soon hold people in prison for decades without warrant, without charge, and without trial.

Now there have been “terrorist” suspects in Guantanamo Bay–with the U.S. flag flying above them–for 15 years without charge (and mostly without evidence).

Several have committed suicide.

The only reason they have been allowed to speak with lawyers at all is because of habeas corpus petitions, filed by civil liberties lawyers.

Now it is reported that the meetings between Guantanamo inmates and their lawyers have all been either recorded or monitored by prison and/or military authorities.

“Inadvertently,” of course. See here.

Jul 01

Professor Roy Spencer predicted last year that pro-government “scientists” would soon start “adjusting” satellite temp data to bring it into compliance with global warming theory. It has now happened

Professor Roy Spencer of the University of Alabama–Huntsville (UAH) is true pioneer of satellite temp data collection. He and Dr. John Christy have spent years launching and monitoring satellite temperature data (using government science grants).

The problem for government-trusting global-warming believers is that the UAH satellite data show very little global warming over the past 20 years. The satellite data correlate with weather balloon data but disagree with surface thermometer data (which are controlled by more pro-government “scientists” such as NASA’s Gavin Schmidt and are heavily “adjusted.”

Last year, Dr. Spencer predicted that “scientists” who support the government’s apocalyptic-global-warming-by-man-made-CO2 theory would start “adjusting” even the satellite data to make it comply with the global warming theory.

Sure enough, the warmist scientists have now published a “peer-reviewed” paper showing satellite data “adjusted” to make it appear that temps are warming. See here.