Land Of The Flea

Federal appeals court overturns Texas ordinance blocking undocumented tenants from renting

"The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled that an ordinance adopted in Farmers Branch in 2008 requiring renters to show legal residence in the country before becoming tenants conflicted with federal immigration law. The Dallas Morning News reported that Farmers Branch officials are unsure whether to continue their fight to uphold the measure. The Dallas County suburb has spent $6 million over the past seven years on legal fees connected to the ordinance." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFederal appeals court overturns Texas ordinance blocking undocumented tenants from renting

Federal report: E-Verify errors could wrongly exclude Americans from jobs

"Reports published by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reveal that the so-called E-Verify programme, which allows employers to check whether new workers are properly documented, is so inaccurate that if replicated across the country it could wrongfully exclude more than 200,000 people from the workforce. With more than one in 10 employers using E-Verify to weed out applicants before making a job offer, the potential for abuse is greatly increased. It is possible for applicants to be turned away from a post without ever finding out that they have been wrongly flagged as unauthorised on the database." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFederal report: E-Verify errors could wrongly exclude Americans from jobs

Cop Fired for Speaking Out Against Ticket and Arrest Quotas

"Hanners blew the whistle on the department's tactics and was eventually fired for refusing to comply and keep quiet. He says that each officer was required to make 100 contacts each month, which included tickets, arrests, field interviews, and warnings. This equates to 72,000 contacts a year in a 50,000 person town. His claims are backed up by audio recordings of his superiors he made. The Auburn police department declined requests to be interviewed for this story. The police chief singled out by Hanners retired this July, citing medical reasons." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCop Fired for Speaking Out Against Ticket and Arrest Quotas

“Why did you call the police? They don’t help you.”

"In May of last year, Los Angeles resident Veronica Cornejo called 911 to report that her mentally disturbed brother was agitated. Three Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched and, as is always the case when police intervene, things became immediately and immeasurably worse. The invaders barged into the home without invitation, dragged all five family members from the house, and threw them to the ground. Veronica — who suffers from a heart condition — tried to explain that she was the one who had called for help. Her father, Jorge, told the deputies that they should expect a lawsuit. That prompted one of them to punch the 53-year-old man repeatedly." Continue reading →

Continue Reading“Why did you call the police? They don’t help you.”

Jeffrey Tucker: The Joys of Living

"How can we really know what we want if we’ve never had it before? The less free we are, the less we know what freedom feels like and how it shapes who we are. The more dependent on government we become, the less we crave independence. This is why it is important to find literature that takes us out of our present moment and introduces us to different ways of thinking. We have to imagine a different ideal. This is why I’m nuts for a book that came out right at the end of the Gilded Age, and just before we got the permanent income tax and the Fed, as well as World War I. It is the last look at the mindset of what I could call the real 'greatest generation.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJeffrey Tucker: The Joys of Living

10 Things that Cause Tax Audits of US Expatriates

"1. Not Reporting All Of Your Taxable Income. 2. Filling Out Forms 2555 Incorrectly. 3. Form 1116 (foreign tax credit) not done correctly. 4. Taking Higher Than The Average Deductions. 5. IRS Finders Fee Program. 6. Business Meals, Travel And Entertainment. 7. Claiming 100% Use Of Your Car For Business. 8. Large Cash Transactions. 9. Math Errors. 10. Failure to Properly Abandon your State Tax Domicile." Continue reading →

Continue Reading10 Things that Cause Tax Audits of US Expatriates

What the Passport Pitchmen Don’t Tell You…

"A few years ago, my father had heart problems. I’m his only child, his only living relative, and his sole heir. So I thought that if I could come back to the United States, we could spend time together while we still had the chance and I could be close to my future inheritance. We put in all the paperwork required by U.S. Immigration, paid all the fees, etc. You would think that 'immediate family' members of U.S. citizens would get a residency permit easily right? NOT!!! Long story short, two years later the paperwork was STILL in process. Then, in April this year, I got that call that all of us dread, announcing the death of my father." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhat the Passport Pitchmen Don’t Tell You…

Pennsylvania police chief: ‘F*ck all you libtards out there, you take it in the a**’

"The mayor of Gilberton, Pennsylvania is standing by her city’s police chief despite a series of profanity-laced and threatening videos. In a video that has received wide attention, police chief Mark Kessler repeatedly tells those upset by his use of profanity to 'go f*ck yourself' as he fires various automatic weapons. Mayor Mary Lou Hannon told The Morning Call that Kessler had the right to express himself. The city would 'not take action to quash free speech, whether or not each member of council or any member of council agrees with it.' In one video, Kessler berates 'libtards' and warns of an armed rebellion against the government." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPennsylvania police chief: ‘F*ck all you libtards out there, you take it in the a**’

US tech firms say they are losing business over NSA surveillance

"Revelations about the US government’s vast data collection programs have already started hurting American technology firms, according to an industry survey released this week. The Cloud Security Alliance said 10 percent of its non-US members have cancelled a contract with a US-based cloud provider, and 56 percent said they were less likely to use an American company. In the survey, 36 percent of US firms polled said the revelations would make it more difficult for their company to do business outside the United States, while 64 percent said it would not." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS tech firms say they are losing business over NSA surveillance