From The Government And Here To Help

CFTC Considering Bitcoin Regulations

"Bitcoin 'is for sure something we need to explore', Bart Chilton, one of the five commissioners at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) told the Financial Times. Said Mr Chilton: 'It’s not monopoly money we’re talking about here – real people can have real risk in these instruments, and we need to ensure that we protect markets and consumers, even in what at first blush appear to be ‘out there’ transactions.' In essence, we’re talking about a type of shadow currency, and there is more than a colourable argument to be made that derivative products relating to Bitcoin falls squarely in our jurisdiction.'" Continue reading →

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Amsterdam forced Jews to pay rent while in WWII concentration camps

"Amsterdam council has vowed to probe revelations that it forced Jews returning from World War II concentration camps to pay rent arrears, even if their homes had been destroyed or occupied by Nazis. The scandal, involving an unknown number of Jews and non-Jews living in city-owned properties, was uncovered by a young art history student in Amsterdam’s archives. Less than a quarter of Amsterdam’s Jewish population survived the war, with the Netherlands occupied by the Nazis from 1940 to 1945. The council even issued fines for late rent payments for homes that were confiscated and occupied by Nazi forces or members of the Dutch collaborationist NSB movement." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmsterdam forced Jews to pay rent while in WWII concentration camps

L.A.-area lost hikers may have to pay $160,000 for manhunt after drugs found in their car

"Orange County officials are considering requiring two hikers to pay for a portion — or even all — of a $160,000 search party after a small amount of methamphetamine was found in their car. Nicolas Cendoya, 19, and Kyndall Jack, 18, got lost while on an Easter Sunday hike in Trabuco Canyon near Los Angeles. With little water, they called authorities to report their status before losing cell phone service. Now, Cendoya is facing drug charges and officials have yet to decide for what other portion of the search he and Jack will be held accountable." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingL.A.-area lost hikers may have to pay $160,000 for manhunt after drugs found in their car

A Taxing Choice? PAC Checks May Ease the Pain

"Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) told the Times he was motivated to support the Internet sales tax in part by the owners of a local bridal shop, who complained to him that many customers browse in the store, then buy online for a better deal. Blunt didn't tell the Times that three other supporters of the Internet sales tax with much deeper pockets than the bridal shop -- PACs run by Home Depot, Walmart and Target -- each gave $5,000 to his leadership PAC, Rely On Your Beliefs, earlier this year. And Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) who told the Times about a local shop in his state that lost customers looking for better deals on rifle scopes, took $5,000 from Home Depot on March 31." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA Taxing Choice? PAC Checks May Ease the Pain

White House: Internet sales tax ‘will level the playing field’

"'We believe that the Marketplace Fairness Act will level the playing field for local small-business retailers, who are undercut every day by out-of-state online companies,' said White House spokesman Jay Carney. The Act would require Internet and remote retailers to collect state sales taxes no matter where they are located when a transaction takes place, and advocates hope it would ease budget problems in many cash-strapped states. Opponents of the Act say it would still be unfair because retailers in a state which has no sales tax would still be liable to collect tax on purchases made in distant states which do have sales taxes." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhite House: Internet sales tax ‘will level the playing field’

Jim Rogers: ‘I Suspect They’ll Take the Pension Plans Next; I’m Taking Preparations’

"I was able to reconnect for an interview with legendary Quantum Fund manager and commodities bull, Jim Rogers. This was an especially groundbreaking interview, as Jim shared thoughts on what governments around the world will be taking next, and what he’s doing right now to protect his personal bank accounts following the Cyprus collapse. With respect to which assets governments will likely be coming for next, Jim said, '401k plans, IRA’s, and pensions plans which the government knows about [may be next]…They’re rationale would be, ‘Well most people haven’t been doing well in their IRAs and pension plans for the past several years, so we’re going to help you.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJim Rogers: ‘I Suspect They’ll Take the Pension Plans Next; I’m Taking Preparations’

Government investigating whether free app games target children for commercial gains

"A watchdog has launched an investigation into whether children face 'unfair pressure' to spend money on apparently free web and app-based games, it said Friday. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is asking parents to get in touch with any examples of possible 'commercially aggressive' practices which encourage children to buy virtual currency like coins, gems or fruit, or upgraded membership. It is unlawful to make a 'direct exhortation' to children to make a purchase or persuade their parents to do so under consumer protection regulations." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGovernment investigating whether free app games target children for commercial gains

Sugar industry would wither without big government

"Without the Army Corps of Engineers' dredging and building, the cane growers wouldn't have the soil or the irrigation they need. Without Washington's decades of rigging the labor market, the companies wouldn't have had the workers they needed before mechanization. Now the industry says it deserves to be protected from foreign competition. And the growers are putting their profits behind the fight." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSugar industry would wither without big government

Government hospitals removing wrong reproductive parts becomes a trend

"An unnamed cancer patient is suing the Salisbury District Hospital in the U.K. after an operation resulted in the amputation of his healthy testicle. The 48-year-old man is taking action against the hospital and the Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust on the grounds that the medical error has left him infertile. Doctors realized their mistake about 40 minutes into the procedure. In 2007, a 47-year-old Air Force veteran sued the West Los Angeles VA hospital for removing his right testicle rather than his atrophied, possibly cancerous left one. Surgeons at the West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St. Edmunds, England made a similar mistake in 2010." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGovernment hospitals removing wrong reproductive parts becomes a trend

Most Consumer Complaints Come From Boca Raton, Upper West Side

"When U.S. officials began collecting consumer complaints about credit cards, one goal was to identify patterns that could help them write rules protecting families with low and moderate incomes. Nearly two years later, it’s the well-to-do neighborhoods of Florida and New York that are supplying the most grievances to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an analysis of agency data shows. Almost 60 percent of complaints originated in zip codes where the median household income is higher than the national median of $52,762, according to the analysis." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMost Consumer Complaints Come From Boca Raton, Upper West Side