"It's official: not only has bitcoin officially made its way to Wall Street, but confirming rumors that emerged over the weekend, 'hedge' funds - starved of volatility in virtually all other asset classes - are now not only actively trading the volatile digital currency, but as clients of the vampire squid, have petitioned Goldman's chief technician, Sheba Jafari to start covering it." Continue reading →
"If we’re not going to war, we’re doing a really good imitation." Continue reading →
"Ideally, America would stop giving out all foreign aid, but a good place to start would be nixing aid to countries with horrible human rights records." Continue reading →
AUGUSTA, Maine (June 12, 2017) – On Friday, the Maine House gave final approval to a bill prohibiting any type of state firearms registry. The law will not only protect the privacy of Maine gun owners, it will also hinder the federal government’s ability to develop a firearms database and create a climate less favorable…
DENVER Colo. (June 12, 2017) – Last week, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signed a bill into law that will take a big step toward closing a federal asset forfeiture loophole. A bipartisan coalition of two representatives and two senators introduced House Bill 1313 (HB1313) on April 3. The legislation primarily creates an extensive reporting system…
BOSTON, Mass. (June 12, 2017) – Last week, an important Massachusetts joint committee held a hearing on three bills that would reform the state’s asset forfeiture laws to prohibit the state from taking property without a criminal conviction in most cases.The legislation also takes on federal forfeiture programs by banning prosecutors from circumventing state laws by…
RALEIGH, N.C. (June 12, 2017) – Last week, the North Carolina House passed a “Constitutional Carry” bill that would make it legal for most North Carolinians to carry a firearm without a license, and foster an environment hostile to federal gun control. A coalition of four Republican representatives introduced House Bill 746 (H746) in April.…
DENVER, Colo. (June 12, 2017) – Late last month, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper signed a bill into law affirming hemp farmers have a right to use their water rights for hemp cultivation, even if the water is held in federal reservoirs. Sen. Don Coram (R-Montrose) introduced Senate Bill 117 (SB117) in February. The legislation confirms…
"Federal law enforcement officers are raking in hundreds of millions of dollars a year with little oversight or constitutional protections for property owners. Most of these types of seizures are never challenged. The I.G. found petitions were filed in only 20 percent of the DEA cash seizures it reviewed. Of those that were challenged, though, 40 percent saw money fully or partially returned to the owner, indicating that there may be a significant number of unfounded seizures going unchallenged." Continue reading →
"The study, which was first outlined by the Washington Post, helped stir up the debate over how a legitimate cannabis market might be able to reduce the national opioid problem. That’s because the University of Georgia data shows when medical marijuana is available, pain patients are increasingly choosing pot over powerful — and potentially deadly — prescription narcotics. Specifically, the researchers found that — in the 17 states with a medical-marijuana law in place by 2013 — prescriptions for painkillers and other classes of drugs fell sharply, compared with states that did not have a medical-marijuana law." Continue reading →