New studies: ‘Conspiracy theorists’ sane; government dupes crazy, hostile

"Perhaps because their supposedly mainstream views no longer represent the majority, the anti-conspiracy commenters often displayed anger and hostility: 'The research… showed that people who favoured the official account of 9/11 were generally more hostile when trying to persuade their rivals.' In short, the new study by Wood and Douglas suggests that the negative stereotype of the conspiracy theorist - a hostile fanatic wedded to the truth of his own fringe theory - accurately describes the people who defend the official account of 9/11, not those who dispute it." Continue reading

Continue ReadingNew studies: ‘Conspiracy theorists’ sane; government dupes crazy, hostile

FATCA, fluctuating exchange rates, and the Expatriation Game

"It’s like the old British Fox Hunt. Instead of hunting foxes, the world is now hunting U.S. persons. Your objective is to NOT be captured. The consensus is that, over the long term, the U.S. dollar will depreciate relative to other currencies. This means that it will be worth less relative to other currencies. As the U.S. dollar depreciates, fewer Canadian dollars are required to purchase (what don’t we say $2,000,000) U.S. dollars. This means that the faster the U.S. dollar depreciates, the faster U.S. citizens abroad will become 'covered expatriates'. Notice that you are NOT doing anything yourself. It’s just that the the U.S. dollar is depreciating." Continue reading

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Bill Gates Foundation is Warren Buffett’s Tax Laundromat

"Well, this helps explain Buffett's huge donations to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. According to Francine McKenna, a CPA, the Gates Foundation is Warren Buffet's personal tax laundromat. The donations for tax deductions reduce his future estate taxes. At the same time, the Foundation gets the donations on full market value basis. Thus, it can sell immediately with no tax, while Buffett gets the deductions. It should be noted that this maneuver is coming from a guy who regularly calls for 'shared sacrifice' and higher taxes on people earning more than $1 million." Continue reading

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Farm Bill: Are Republicans the “Stupid Party” or the “Big-Government Party”…or Both?

"It should go without saying that America’s agriculture policy has always been a terrible, stupid, counterproductive exercise in self-dealing cronyism. But when House Republicans severed the traditional connection, arbitrary but politically effective, between farm subsidies and food stamps, it briefly seemed like they were looking for an opportunity to put libertarian populist principle into practice, by separating both outlays in order to trim or reform both separately. But no — instead they were just making it easier for the party’s congressmen to vote for a bloated, awful big government program that benefits mostly-Republican states and interest groups." Continue reading

Continue ReadingFarm Bill: Are Republicans the “Stupid Party” or the “Big-Government Party”…or Both?

Most Expensive Colleges In America

"It's common knowledge that college costs are on the rise. But you may be surprised to know that some schools currently charge over $60,000 to educate a student for just one year. A list recently released by the Department of Education charts the highest tuition in the country. Unfortunately, the tuition numbers used in the rankings are two years old, and fail to show the contemporary college landscape." Continue reading

Continue ReadingMost Expensive Colleges In America

Most Expensive Colleges In America

"It's common knowledge that college costs are on the rise. But you may be surprised to know that some schools currently charge over $60,000 to educate a student for just one year. A list recently released by the Department of Education charts the highest tuition in the country. Unfortunately, the tuition numbers used in the rankings are two years old, and fail to show the contemporary college landscape." Continue reading

Continue ReadingMost Expensive Colleges In America

Busted California Cities: Pension Liabilities

"New accounting standards are being applied by Moody’s to cities. It turns out that the two biggest cities in California — Los Angeles and San Francisco — are way deeper in the hole than previously admitted. But wait! There’s more! San Jose will be downgraded. So will Inglewood ('The Hood'). So will Azusa. The total unfunded liabilities for the state are now over $320 billion. That’s up from $128 billion. In one shot. California is not alone." Continue reading

Continue ReadingBusted California Cities: Pension Liabilities