for life and liberty

Tax Collectors Grow More Aggressive; Payers Caught in the Middle

"Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs doesn't have enough power, or so the British Parliament is told. HMRC wants to be both judge and jury when it comes to recalcitrant taxpayers. It wants to the ability to 'raid bank accounts' and to do so without a court warrant. What comes across clearly in both the IRS stance and in the requests by the HRMC is a certain level of arrogance that is magnified by modern communication facilities. The pushback against intrusive tax collection is growing, even as agency demands for more power and revenue are expanding as well." Continue reading →

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Arizona Citizens Will Vote to Nullify FDA Restrictions on the Very Sick

The FDA has become infamous for its corporate protectionism and interference with allowing new treatments in the marketplace, but an Arizona ballot proposition could spell the beginning of the end for the dominating bureaucracy. The Tenth Amendment Center urges Arizona residents vote YES on Prop. 303 and nullify FDA control over treatment of terminally ill…

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Missouri Ballot Initiative Will Add Electronic Data Protections to State Constitution

In August, Missouri voters will have an opportunity to reject significant parts of mass surveillance programs by both the state and federal governments. Introduced by Sen. Rob Schaaf, Senate Joint Resolution 27 (SJR27) passed the legislature last month with just a handful of dissenting votes. Because it is a proposal for a state constitutional amendment,…

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Can the House Sue the President (More Seriously this Time)?

I can accept, as an original matter, the general proposition that the "Case or Controversy" language means at minimum that everyone can't sue everyone for everything. How modern standing law derives its particular intricacies from this basic proposition is a mystery to me. But that doesn't matter in this case, which seems fundamentally about an abstract injury common to everyone.

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Local Spying is Part of the National Surveillance Web

The OffNow campaign primarily focuses on action against federal surveillance programs. But with the line between federal, state and local law enforcement becoming increasingly blurred, Americans also need to pay attention to local actions to see and understand the big picture. Take for example a new program law enforcement agencies in Grand Rapids, Mich. recently…

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More Jawboning from Australia’s Central Bank

"RBA Governor Glenn Stevens proceeded from characterizing the level of the exchange rate as 'uncomfortably high' to noting 'that foreign-exchange intervention can, judiciously used in the right circumstances, be effective and useful.' That latter observation was particularly noteworthy because, according to The Wall Street Journal, a currency intervention has essentially been verboten in the decades since Australia shifted to a floating exchange rate in 1983. He closed his remarks on this particular topic with an even more overt statement: 'Nonetheless, we think that investors are under-estimating the likelihood of a significant fall in the Australian dollar at some point.'" Continue reading →

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Finance Goes From Foe to Friend in Hollande Government

"During his election campaign in 2011, President Francois Hollande famously called finance his 'greatest adversary.' In a speech today, French Finance Minister Michel Sapin called finance 'a friend,” quickly specifying that he was talking about 'good finance.' The new stance comes as the president’s popularity is at a record low and his economic policies have drawn the ire of members of his own Socialist Party and of allied groups. Recovery remains anemic and joblessness is at a record high. Global finance, however, has stuck with Hollande. Investors have piled into French bonds, giving Hollande’s government borrowing costs that are close to the lowest on record." Continue reading →

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How Did We Get Here?

How did we get here? How did we end up with a government that spies on us, gives money and guns to our enemies and kills with impunity? The current manifestation of despotic government on display by the Obama administration has rekindled the debate between federal power and state sovereignty. Who is truly the final…

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New Jersey vs DC on Sports Betting

In predictable fashion, the black robed oligarchs known as the United States Supreme Court will not hear New Jersey’s appeal of the federal ban on sports betting.  The decision by the Supreme Court last month not to hear the case essentially lets past appeals court decisions stand.  The state legislature has already taken actions to bypass the…

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