That’s right: the Federal Reserve is now in the business of enforcing the U.S. government’s drug laws, even if that means making a mockery of both state governments’ right to set their own drug policies and the Fed’s own governing statutes.
"Vermont's first digital currency ATM has been ordered closed by state regulators who say the company operating the cash machine is violating state law. The move by the Department of Financial Regulation has disappointed the tech enthusiasts who used the new currency service. PYC CEO Emilio Pagan-Yourno admits the company doesn’t have any Vermont-specific licenses. But he says his company is licensed federally through the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). The letters from the department warn Blu-Bin and PYC that they may be in violation of the law. But they also seem to show a lack of clarity about what, exactly, the two companies are even doing." Continue reading →
"An Australian government inquiry will recommend treating digital currencies as money, simplifying tax for people who trade with them while forcing bitcoin exchanges to monitor customers for potential money laundering and terrorism financing activities. The Senate committee recommendations underscore governments' growing acceptance of the role of so-called 'cryptocurrencies' around the world. If implemented, the changes would align Australia with the United Kingdom and Spain by having people pay sales tax just once if they buy something with bitcoin, while leaving other nations like Sweden to fret over its true legal status. The changes would also match Australia with Canada and Singapore." Continue reading →
With the Supreme Court saving Obamacare’s hide yet again, what does its decision and the actions of the administration in implementing the law mean for Congress’s authority to write legislation? More fundamentally, what do they mean for the constitutional system itself. From the beginning, Obamacare has been riddled with dubious political moves by both the executive…
"You probably will be very surprised to learn who aided and abetted the drug operation: it was US banking giant Wachovia. After an investigation that took years, Wells Fargo, which now owns Wachovia, paid a $160 million fine to settle the case. You might also be surprised to hear that Wachovia’s fine wasn’t an isolated case. Citibank was caught laundering money for a Mexican drug kingpin in 2001. American Express Bank admitted to laundering $55 million in drug money in 2007. And the FBI accused Bank of America of helping a Mexican drug cartel hide money in 2012. You’ve probably never heard these stories before. The big banks pay a lot of money to keep it that way." Continue reading →
"The Federal Reserve is now in the business of enforcing the US government’s drug laws, even if that means making a mockery of both state governments’ right to set their own drug policies and the Fed’s own governing statutes. The Fed’s involvement in drug prohibition became official last month, when the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City informed Denver’s Fourth Corner Credit Union — a non-profit cooperative formed by Colorado’s state-licensed cannabis manufacturers — of its decision to deny its application for a master account. The Fourth Corner Credit Union isn’t taking this sitting down. On the contrary: it is suing the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City." Continue reading →
Oblivious to what lies ahead, we’ve been manipulated into believing that if we continue to consume, obey, and have faith, things will work out.
One of the most common complaints of constitutionalists against the conduct of our federal government is that the judiciary at all levels routinely oversteps its boundaries, intruding into those areas that are beyond its constitutional reach. Though this is largely accepted by most Americans because of its long practice, this does not mean that what…
Even though it is true that the government currently bans all kinds of things, I am asking a serious question. Let me expand and clarify it. Is the federal government authorized by the Constitution to make illegal the possession of any substance that it deems it to be harmful, hazardous, immoral, addictive, threatening, damaging, injurious,…
"J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. is loosening its underwriting criteria for big mortgages, as lenders ramp up competition to grab a bigger share of the high-end housing market. The nation’s largest bank plans to announce as soon as Tuesday that it is lowering the minimum credit score and down payment it requires for mortgages as big as $3 million. At the same time, some big banks are backing away from smaller loans where they see higher regulatory costs and litigation risks. By dollar volume, jumbo mortgages given out by lenders last year accounted for about 20% of all first-lien mortgages. That is up from 5.5% in 2009. The last time jumbo mortgages accounted for a larger share was in 2005." Continue reading →