CONCORD, N.H. (Dec. 12, 2017) – A bill prefiled in the New Hampshire House would restrict the warrantless and weaponized use of drones by law enforcement. The legislation would not only establish important privacy protections at the state level, it would also help thwart the federal surveillance state. Rep. Neil Kurk prefiled House Bill 1759 (HB1759)…
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (Dec. 12, 2017) – A Missouri bill pre-filed for introduction in the 2018 legislative session would legalize marijuana for recreational use. Passage would take a big step toward nullifying federal cannabis prohibition in practice in the Show Me State. Rep. Karla May (D-St. Louis) pre-filed House Bill 1448 (HB1448) on Dec. 4.…
HONOLULU, Hawaii, (Dec. 11, 2017) – During the 2018 legislative session, the Hawaii House will consider a bill that would legalize raw milk sales in the state, taking an important step toward nullifying a federal prohibition scheme in effect. A bipartisan coalition of 13 representatives introduced House Bill 257 (HB257) last January. The legislation would legalize…
"Not so long ago, an eagle-eyed buyer purchased it at auction for a mere £45. How did we get from there to here? We’ve compiled a handy timeline of the painting’s history below. You really can’t make this stuff up."
"Marvin Goodfriend thinks there should be a robust negative interest rate placed on cash. For example, if there was a -10% interest rate on cash, your $10 bill would actually be worth only $9. It is basically a penalty for using cash. The excuse is that this will stabilize the economy by keeping more capital in the banks. It means banks, and by extension, the Federal Reserve, have more control over your money. The gold standard, Goodfriend argues, was also an encumbrance on monetary policy, 'destabilizing' prices."
"A crackdown on organized crime by Bulgarian law enforcement in May resulted in the seizure of more than 200,000 bitcoins – an amount worth more than $3 billion at today's prices. Twenty-three Bulgarian nationals were arrested during the operation, and officials said at the time that the arrests and subsequent asset seizures followed an investigation into an alleged customs fraud scam. In all, the alleged perpetrators avoided paying some 10 million leva (Bulgaria's national currency), worth roughly $6 million."
"As recently as late October, Mugabe said black owners who invited whites back to rent and work seized fields would lose their farms. But the Zimbabwe Independent reports that the former first family was doing exactly that: leasing out part of Mazowe Citrus Estate to a company in which some of the main shareholders were white."
"The defect that causes the neurodegenerative disease Huntington's has been corrected in patients for the first time, the BBC has learned. An experimental drug, injected into spinal fluid, safely lowered levels of toxic proteins in the brain. The research team, at University College London, say there is now hope the deadly disease can be stopped. Experts say it could be the biggest breakthrough in neurodegenerative diseases for 50 years."
Big Brother is definitely watching you in the state of Texas, where the state National Guard last year installed stingray devices on two surveillance aircraft, The Observer reports: Dirt boxes mimic cellphone towers by tricking every smartphone within a geographic area of up to one-third of a mile to connect with the technology, usually without…
"The possible marginal tax rate of more than 100% results from the combination of tax policies designed to provide benefits to businesses and families but then deny them to the richest people. As income climbs and those breaks phase out, each dollar of income faces regular tax rates and a hidden marginal rate on top of that, in the form of vanishing tax breaks. That structure, if maintained in a final law, would create some of the disincentives to working and to earning business profit."