statism

The IRS War on Medical Marijuana Providers

"The IRS employs Section 280E, a 1982 addition to the tax code that was a response to a drug dealer's successful effort to claim his yacht, weapons purchases, and even illicit bribes as business expenses. Under 280E, individuals involved in the illicit sale of controlled substances -- including marijuana, even medical marijuana in states where it is legal -- cannot claim standard business expenses on their federal taxes. Oakland's Harborside Health Center was hit with a $2 million IRS assessment in 2011 after the tax agency employed Section 280E against it. Similarly, when the feds raided Oaksterdam University, it wasn't just DEA, but also IRS agents." Continue reading →

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New Zealand Supreme Court to hear Kim Dotcom extradition appeal

"The Court of Appeal in March had overturned a decision ordering US prosecutors to hand over the evidence to Dotcom’s legal team as they seek to extradite him to face online piracy charges. The appeal court ruled that a summary of the case would suffice. Dotcom’s lawyers have sought to reinstate the original decision, arguing they could not effectively fight the extradition battle without full disclosure of the evidence against their client. The US Justice Department and FBI want Dotcom to face charges of racketeering, fraud, money-laundering and copyright theft in a US court, which could see him jailed for up to 20 years if convicted." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNew Zealand Supreme Court to hear Kim Dotcom extradition appeal

Florida deputy rehired, awarded back pay, despite checkered police past

"Sanchez was fired in July 2008 following accusations by a 21-year-old woman booked on drug charges that he tried to look down her shirt, asked for her phone number and asked her out on a date upon her release. He had received three written reprimands for propositioning a defendant’s pregnant girlfriend; allowing jury deliberations to be overheard in a courtroom, nearly causing a mistrial; and he received a two-day suspension without pay for allegedly using his status to intimidate a woman during a 'traffic incident.' Sanchez was also forced to resign in 1989 following allegations from four prostitutes that he would have sex with them while on duty." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFlorida deputy rehired, awarded back pay, despite checkered police past

TSA issued $1.8 million in airport firearms fines last year

"There were 1,549 firearms discovered at TSA checkpoints nationwide in 2012. TSA has found 10 guns at Memphis International Airport this year and six at McGhee Tyson. Weapons — included guns — are not permitted in carry-on baggage. Passengers are responsible for the contents of bags they bring to the security checkpoint. Passengers who bring firearms to a checkpoint face a civil penalty from TSA, which last year assessed more than $1.8 million in civil penalties for firearms discovered in passenger carry-on bags." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTSA issued $1.8 million in airport firearms fines last year

More On Silva Murder By Police

"Mr. Silva’s murderers are back from the vacation to which we treated them and once again swaggering the streets of Kern County, hunting their next victim. Residents may want to 'shelter' indoors for protection from these sadists. Many have sent me articles on the ghastly crimes against serfs at least two of Mr. Silva’s assailants have previously committed. And you can see why they continue to exterminate us: 'The deputies did not face criminal charges in the death of [Jose Lucero]' -- though his family received $4.5 million in a civil suit. This was a particularly heartrending butchery as his parents watched uniformed killers beat and Taser their boy to death." Continue reading →

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IRS exec got $42k in bonuses in addition to $700k in salary from 2009-2012

"Lois Lerner, the senior executive in charge of the IRS tax exemption department and the federal employee at the center of the exploding scandal over the IRS targeting of conservative, evangelical and pro-Israel non-profits, was given $42,531 in bonuses between 2009 and 2011. That figure was included in data provided by the IRS in response to a Freedom of Information Act request by The Washington Examiner. Lerner is director of the IRS exempt organizations division, which processes and approves or denies applications from groups seeking tax-exempt status. With the bonuses, Lerner was paid a total of $740,931 for the four-year period." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIRS exec got $42k in bonuses in addition to $700k in salary from 2009-2012

How Mapping Student Debt Changes the Debate

"While soaring college tuition and low barriers to borrowing have been widely blamed, the New York Fed's maps indicate that the worst employment environment in a generation has had a powerful effect. In fact, those states with high delinquency rates on student loans are having trouble with all kinds of debt. The regions on the map with the most red ink—the Deep South and Southeast—also have the highest consumer bankruptcy rates, according to the American Bankruptcy Institute. The Fed's report further connects the dots between the student debt crisis and the nation's overall financial health. It also gives policymakers contemplating a bailout something to think about." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow Mapping Student Debt Changes the Debate

U.S. Officials Deal Blow to Bitcoin

"The scrutiny comes after the Treasury Department ruled in March that firms issuing or exchanging online cash, including currencies not backed by a central bank, would be subject to the same money-laundering rules as traditional providers like Western Union Co. A number of firms have registered as money-transmission businesses since the agency issued the guidance, but Mt. Gox hasn't done so, according to a FinCen list. The agency doesn't have authority to take on Mt. Gox directly because it is based in Tokyo, but has fired a shot across the exchange's bow by going after its U.S. subsidiary." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. Officials Deal Blow to Bitcoin

Power to Tax = Power to Destroy

"Think, for a moment, about the implications of the IRS’s actions. If you dare to advocate a political position that it dislikes, will your taxes be audited? How much will it cost you to defend yourself? This is not small-time Chicago ward heeler politics. This is serious, criminal official misconduct on a massive scale. High IRS officials knew about and concealed their anti-conservative policy for two years, since at least June 29, 2011. Equally shocking, one of my least favorite bureaucrats, IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman, for a year falsely denied that the IRS had done the very thing they just finally admitted doing." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPower to Tax = Power to Destroy

Earlier This Week, UK Government Agents Held a Conference on Bitcoins

"About 50 civil servants from HM Revenue & Customs, the Serious Organised Crime Agency, Home Office and GCHQ – the intelligence listening service – held a one-day conference which examined how Bitcoin works and how criminals might seek to exploit the electronic cash system, which is currently unregulated by any financial authority. The Future of Money conference, which included presentations on how the cryptocurrency works, was organised by the government’s Foresight Horizon Scanning Centre, an arm of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills which develops 'innovative, long-term policy.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEarlier This Week, UK Government Agents Held a Conference on Bitcoins