hypocrisy

Politicians, Staff Threaten To Quit Over Obamacare Exchange Mandate

"I had some fun back in April when I noted that politicians and staff on Capitol Hill were getting very agitated about having to be part of Obamacare. Well, it seems that the way the law applies to them is so costly that many of them are thinking about calling it quits. Here are some of the heartbreaking details. Because of sloppy legislative language in Obamacare, it appears that the politicians and Hill staffers will have to pay for health insurance with after-tax dollars out of their own pockets. If things get too hard for those blokes and gals, maybe the powers that be on the Hill can re-hire the grief counselors who were put on the payroll after the 2010 elections." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPoliticians, Staff Threaten To Quit Over Obamacare Exchange Mandate

Moral of the Story: Tax Havens Are Okay if You’re a Politically Connected Leftist

"You probably won’t be surprised to learn that Secretary Lew wasn’t the first Democrat to utilize tax havens. Lawmakers such as John Kerry, Bill Clinton, John Edwards, and others on the left also have utilized tax havens to boost their own personal finances. And it appears that Mr. Lew won’t be the last Democrat to be caught with his hands in the cookie jar. Here’s some of what’s being reported by the New York Times with regards to the President’s nominee to be U.S. Trade Representative, Michael Froman." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMoral of the Story: Tax Havens Are Okay if You’re a Politically Connected Leftist

Mayor of Chicago Reports Investment Income Far From Chicago (Cayman Islands)

"Rahm Emanuel, who released his tax returns for the first time as mayor Tuesday, reported earning more than $409,000 in 2012 from his city salary and income from investments. Emanuel reported his $204,726 salary as mayor and another $158,823 in dividend income from investments with JPMorgan Chase Bank and Golub Capital Partners VII LP, as well as $9,519 from his partnership in the Golub investment fund. The mayor reported paying $77,740 in federal taxes, or a rate of about 21 percent, on adjusted gross income of $373,478.[...]Some of Emanuel's investment income came from Golub entities with addresses in the Cayman Islands." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMayor of Chicago Reports Investment Income Far From Chicago (Cayman Islands)

Obama: No warrantless wiretaps if you elect me [2008]

"For one thing, under an Obama presidency, Americans will be able to leave behind the era of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and 'wiretaps without warrants,' he said. (He was referring to the lingering legal fallout over reports that the National Security Agency scooped up Americans' phone and Internet activities without court orders, ostensibly to monitor terrorist plots, in the years after the September 11 attacks.) In our own Technology Voters' Guide, when asked whether he supports shielding telecommunications and Internet companies from lawsuits accusing them of illegal spying, Obama gave us a one-word response: 'No.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama: No warrantless wiretaps if you elect me [2008]

Las Vegas Sands’ Sheldon Adelson ‘Morally Opposed’ to Online Betting

"Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sheldon Adelson is 'morally opposed' to online gambling, calling it a 'toxin' that will rob the young and poor. Adelson, who controls the world’s biggest casino company by market value, also outlined his objections to online gambling in an opinion piece in Forbes yesterday. The Internet betting option is gaining momentum as U.S. states seek to tax a business forecast to generate billions of dollars. In February,New Jersey became the most-populous U.S. state to legalize online gambling, following Nevada and Delaware." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLas Vegas Sands’ Sheldon Adelson ‘Morally Opposed’ to Online Betting

Paul Craig Roberts: Lawlessness Is The New Normal

"Europe headlines are that 'NSA surveillance threatens the EU free trade deal' and 'Merkel demands explanations.' The protests are the necessary public posturing of puppets and will be regarded as such by Washington. The French government says the trade talks should be temporarily suspended 'for a couple of weeks to avoid any controversy.' However, the German government says, 'We want this free trade agreement and we want to start the talks now.' In other words, what Merkel describes as 'unacceptable Cold War-style behavior' is acceptable as long as Germany gets the free trade agreement." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPaul Craig Roberts: Lawlessness Is The New Normal

Russia chides France, Spain and Portugal over Morales aircraft incident

"Russia has blasted the European countries which barred the Bolivian presidential aircraft from entering their airspace as unfriendly action, adding that such moves could compromise passengers’ safety. Russian diplomats added that they will continue to press for unconditional observation of international rules that guarantee the personal immunity of heads of state that prevent any attempts on their life, freedom and dignity. The Bolivian presidential aircraft had to land in Vienna, Austria, and remain grounded for 12 hours as France, Spain and Portugal closed their airspace for transit over a suspicion it could have been carrying NSA leaker Edward Snowden." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRussia chides France, Spain and Portugal over Morales aircraft incident

Can You Pass The Terrorism Quiz? (Updated June 2013)

"It should be banal to read in the mainstream media that the US not only engages in terrorism but often aggravates it; that if the current crop of terrorists in, say, the Middle East were killed, new terrorists would simply arise if the underlying political and economic conditions remained unchanged; and, that if a particular country is perceived as actively supporting dysfunctional political and economic conditions in a part of the world, it will become the target of anger and, possibly, violence. Yet, instead of such obvious conclusions about terrorism, we are daily exposed to much bias and distortion. To counter such inadequate journalism, I have prepared the following quiz." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCan You Pass The Terrorism Quiz? (Updated June 2013)

Israeli security strip searches Arab journalist at U.S. July Fourth party

"Security guards for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strip searched an Arab journalist working for the U.S.-funded Alhurra network at the the U.S. ambassador’s Fourth of July celebration in Tel Aviv, the network said on Thursday. The AP report said that Jallad was forced to remove his shoes and sit in the sun for half an hour. He was then taken to a room and ordered to remove his pants and submit to a body inspection. After 90 minutes, he was allowed to enter the event. The network said that Jallad had previously covered Netanyahu on many occasions and had a government-issued press card." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIsraeli security strip searches Arab journalist at U.S. July Fourth party