Land Of The Flea

Obama may back FBI proposal for expansive Internet wiretapping powers

"The United States may soon require Internet companies to build in the capacity to let federal investigators wiretap their users, according to The New York Times. The Obama administration is weighing a proposal that would fine companies that do not comply with wiretap orders. An earlier proposal by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) would have required all companies to build in this capacity from the outset — a costly mandate that critics worried would stifle tech innovation and small businesses. Attorney Albert Gidari Jr., who specializes in representing technology companies, told the Times: 'We’ll look at lot more like China than America after this.'" Continue reading →

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How Congress Puts Itself Above the Law

"Some apparently have faith in the high moral character of their elected officials and argue that we shouldn't have to enact a constitutional amendment to make sure Congress follows the same laws all Americans do. Yet history shows that is definitely not the case. Over the decades, Congress has passed innumerable statutes that regulate every aspect of life in the American workplace, then quickly exempted themselves. Critics advance the rather sensible and straightforward proposition that U.S. lawmakers should live by the same laws they impose on private employers and state and local elected officials." Continue reading →

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The Obamacare Nightmare Will Officially Start October 1

"What's really going on here is a program that attempts to suck in the youth to pay for the healthcare of the elderly. It's insane. On top of that, the first year penalty for not buying insurance is small ($95), so most young will opt out, meaning the revenue to support the structure will have to come from massive premium hikes paid by those older who opt to stay in the system. There is no other way out if Obamacare goes into effect. Well, there is one way out. According to Emanuel: 'The president connects with young people, too, so he needs to use that bond and get out there to convince them to sign up for health insurance to help this central part of his legacy.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Obamacare Nightmare Will Officially Start October 1

The Internet Sales Tax: Taxation Without Representation

"Why should a taxation principle which is obviously preposterous when applied to tax jurisdictions around the world be regarded as tax fairness when applied inside the jurisdictional limits of the United States government? We are talking about invisible lines that separate tax jurisdictions. If the sales tax principle is legitimately applicable between states inside the United States, then the principle ought to be equally applicable between states inside the United States and states outside the United States. If the principle is preposterous when we cross national borders,then it should be equally preposterous when we cross state jurisdictions inside the United States." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Internet Sales Tax: Taxation Without Representation

Internet Sales Tax Passes the Senate, 69 to 27

"Republicans in the U.S. Senate caved in. They voted to force businesses located in one state to serve as unpaid tax collectors for 45 other states. (Five states have no sales tax.) The RINO Party Line is that this is not a tax increase. It is a huge tax increase. Voters will pay it. Businesses will pay it. The nightmare of complying will kill tens of thousands of online businesses. This is a subsidy to Walmart, which pays sales taxes because it is physically located in all states. Amazon has also joined in — same reason. It has delivery centers in several states, and it plans to add lots more. These companies want small businesses to pay. They do not want competition." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingInternet Sales Tax Passes the Senate, 69 to 27

America’s 14 Most Pissed-Off Comments on the TSA’s Airport Body Scanners

"TSA is getting rid of the most controversial scanners by this summer because the company that made them wasn't adequately protecting passenger privacy. The replacement scanners are supposed to offer more privacy by only showing a generic outline of passengers. Since late March, Americans have submitted over 3,000 comments to the TSA about the existing scanners and the planned change. Here are 14 of the most pissed off public comments submitted to TSA…and the one guy who loves them." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmerica’s 14 Most Pissed-Off Comments on the TSA’s Airport Body Scanners

Cop Attacks Special Needs Student For Not Having Shirt Tucked In

"A police officer slams a special needs student to the ground and puts him in a life threatening hold for not having his shirt tucked in. This is a perfect example of why we should never put police officers in our schools as suggested by the NRA." Continue reading →

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CIA requested ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ rewrites, memo reveals

"A newly declassified CIA document suggests members of the US agency did help to shape the narrative of Zero Dark Thirty, Kathryn Bigelow’s recent film about the hunt for Osama bin Laden. It has now emerged that the CIA did successfully pressure Boal to remove certain scenes from the Zero Dark Thirty script, some of which might have cast the agency in a negative light. Details emerged in a memo released under a US Freedom of Information Act request. It summarises five conference calls held in late 2011 for staff in the agency’s Office of Public Affairs 'to help promote an appropriate portrayal of the agency and the Bin Laden operation'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCIA requested ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ rewrites, memo reveals

Senator Rand Paul Introduces Bill to Repeal FATCA

"In a major game-changer, Senator Rand Paul (Republican of Kentucky) today introduced a bill to repeal mandates of the 'Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act' (FATCA) on financial institutions and individual American citizens as a 'violation of sovereign nations’ laws and privacy matters.' In a letter to his Senate colleagues, Dr. Paul pulled no punches about the destructive effects of the FATCA law and the unsupportable claims that FATCA is a legitimate tool to combat tax evasion." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSenator Rand Paul Introduces Bill to Repeal FATCA

U.S. Demands Wells Fargo Records To Identify Tax Cheats Using Caribbean Havens

"Opening yet another front in their war against offshore tax evasion, U.S. enforcers have served a 'John Doe' summons on Wells Fargo Bank requiring it to turn over records that could identify any U.S. taxpayers who held accounts from 2004 through 2012 at CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank Limited (FCIB), which operates in 18 Caribbean countries, including such notorious tax havens as the Cayman Islands. Wells Fargo provides correspondent bank services to FCIB, so Wells would have served as a conduit for transfers to and from FCIB accounts to U.S. accounts, corporations and individuals." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. Demands Wells Fargo Records To Identify Tax Cheats Using Caribbean Havens