We pretty much all agree that the government needs some funding to operate essential functions. We have agreed on fees for services, property taxes and income taxes. We may not agree on the amount of tax, but we generally accept that taxes can be levied. That does not seem good enough for those interested in an ever-expanding government. Thus, they are searching for new means and they are looking to the final frontier – tax the assets people have accumulated over their lifetime – a wealth tax. As we all know, the federal expenditures have expanded astronomically in recent years. In 2010 the expenditures were $3.55 trillion. President Biden’s proposed budget beginning October 2023 is $6.9 trillion. Here are some fun facts at the state level. In 2023, California is spending twice as much per resident (in today’s dollars) as the government did in 2010. Florida and New York currently have very similar population levels, yet New York state spends twice as much as the Florida state government. The issue recently erupted as eight states joined in a pact to establish a wealth tax. The eight states – New York, California, Washington,… Read More

By now I am confident that you have read about or seen the recent and infamous episode at Stanford Law School. I refer to Judge Kyle Duncan, of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, being verbally attacked by student protesters during a presentation and then dressed down by an assistant dean of DEI. The worst parts of this matter have not even been addressed and some cultural crimes were committed. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) ran a column by the judge explaining his position on what occurred. Being a real newspaper, the WSJ also ran an op-ed piece by the assistant dean, Tirien Steinbach. The copy is here https://www.wsj.com/articles/diversity-and-free-speech-can-coexist-at-stanford-steinbach-duncan-law-school-protest-dei-27103829. Ms. Steinbach (if I may call her “Ms.”) shows her bias quite clearly early in the piece. She states, “student groups that vehemently opposed Judge Duncan showed up to protest.” That is not what they showed up to do. They showed up to disrupt the Judge’s presentation, thus… Read More

You may remember that this past summer the Los Angeles City Council accepted an ordinance regarding the operation and development of hotels in the city of Los Angeles. For the time being, it has been put aside as the vote will not be until March 2024. This ordinance could not be more destructive to the hotel business in Los Angeles than if you simply blew up the buildings. First, I must comment on the press coverage of this. It is abysmal. It is clear no reporter who wrote about this issue read the ordinance. They barely touched on the issues that are going to be voted on by residents who will never understand what is being voted on. The press in Los Angeles and Sacramento are so dismal it is no wonder this state functions as it does. For some reason unknown to me a union, Unite Here Local 11, went out and collected the signatures to get this on the ballot. Yes, the City Council held a vote, but it was just perfunctory as they really had no say on this issue – it had to go on the ballot. In discussion with one member of the Council I suggested they could have abstained to show disdain for the policies in the ordinance, but only a couple might have… Read More

This topic somehow has become one of the most important subjects in America. It is characterized by some as “the civil rights fight of our time.” A recent column by one of the “sterling” columnists at the New York Times finally made me address this issue. Jamelle Bouie belongs to the chorus of writers at the New York Times and Washington Post who advocate jumping on the bandwagon of any current trend. While Mr. Bouie’s opinions on this matter might very well be heartfelt, one might also think at least one of these agenda items to radically change our lives would face some resistance. Bouie’s column is entitled, “There is No Dignity in This Kind of America.” It reveals where he is heading from the start. One must wonder where Mr. Bouie was on this issue before June 26, 2015, when Gays were granted the right to marry by the U.S. Supreme Court. The transgender issue was nowhere on the agenda and since then has become transcendental. Someone involved in the Gay community informed me that every relevant organization turned immediately to… Read More

The title is a “turn of phrase” from when the Greeks provided the Trojans with the gift of a giant wooden horse. Similarly, whenever a government — in this case Biden’s government – appears to give private industry money for a directed purpose, there are a laundry list of caveats. In this case we are referring to the $280 billion Chips Act. The Act was passed with bipartisan support and much fanfare. The idea behind the Act is to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to this country’s mainland. Semiconductors are essential to our lives as they are used in a multitude of devices. They are also essential to our defense industry. It was deemed high time that we took control of this essential product even though 90 percent of our chips come from Taiwan, a very friendly country. American companies design many of these chips so why should we not manufacture them? In theory, we just need to supply the capital to companies to build the chips in America. Right? Reality set in once the bill was passed. Six months after signing the legislation, the Biden Administration rolled out a litany of requirements for any company receiving the funding from $50… Read More

Holocaust deniers, anti-Semites and other crackpots have received endorsements from the state GOP because of a flaw in party rules which awarded the party’s backing without a vote.

California Republicans gathering this weekend will elect the party’s leadership for the 2023 – 2024 election cycle. With skyrocketing crime, homelessness and open air drug markets destroying Californians’ quality of life, the next election presents Republicans with great opportunities.

To offer voters a clear and better alternative to California’s Ruling Class, we must clearly define what our party does – and does not – represent.

In recent years our party has stepped on its own message repeatedly as a result of a serious flaw in party rules which has produced automatic state GOP endorsements for anti-Semites and other deeply problematic individuals who have chosen to use the party to draw attention for their ideas by running as Republican candidates in unwinnable districts.

This is not a small problem.

In 2018,… Read More

Our leaders have failed at a national balanced budget. They do not even begin to address whether we are anywhere near the possibility of a balanced budget. Charges are flying back and forth about whether anyone wants to cut Social Security and/or Medicare as some demagogue the issue. It is time to take a simple “helicopter” view at what is actually happening. In 2022, our federal government spent $6.48 trillion. The breakdown: 1. Social Security — $1.22 trillion, comprised of three parts: Payments to seniors $1.03 trillion, $144.7 billion for disability; $48.4 billion – other. 2. Defense – $1.03 trillion, composed of $759.8 billion for defense and $271 billion for veterans. 3. Medicare $756.1 billion. 4. Transfers to states – $1.21 trillion. 5. Transfers payments – $619.3 billion. Only $36.3 billion of that is paid for by the recipients as those are payments related to unemployment insurance. 6. Interest payments – $483.5 billion. The government received $5.03 trillion in revenue: 1. Payroll Taxes – $1.50 trillion comprised principally of $1.09 trillion Social Security and $344 billion for… Read More

The poor and low-income folks of America receive many government subsidies. But here’s one subsidy that few people are aware of.

Social Security retirement checks are HEAVILY subsidized for low earners. Moreover, for those whose earned income (adjusted for inflation) averages above about $126,000 (called “AIME”), they get ZERO money back on their 6.2% SS payments (12.4% for the self-employed) on that “excess” income confiscation.

Essentially, those annually earning more than $126,000 up to $160,200 in 2023 will find that 100% of their SS payments (6.2% each, paid by both employer and employee) above $126,000 are to help subsidize the low wage earners who pay VERY little for their benefits. The high-income payers will get not one dime extra for these higher payments. This 2:40 minute videois a good summary of the SS program, though the numbers are not up to date. There are three tiers of payouts, based on one’s annual earnings (though the specific figures in the video are… Read More