Thursday, November 10, 2016

A media member who gets it

It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that, with a few exceptions, we were all tacitly or explicitly #WithHer, which has led to a certain anguish in the face of Donald Trump’s victory. More than that and more importantly, we also missed the story, after having spent months mocking the people who had a better sense of what was going on. 
This is all symptomatic of modern journalism’s great moral and intellectual failing: its unbearable smugness. Had Hillary Clinton won, there’s be a winking “we did it” feeling in the press, a sense that we were brave and called Trump a liar and saved the republic.
So much for that. The audience for our glib analysis and contempt for much of the electorate, it turned out, was rather limited. This was particularly true when it came to voters, the ones who turned out by the millions to deliver not only a rebuke to the political system but also the people who cover it. Trump knew what he was doingwhen he invited his crowds to jeer and hiss the reporters covering him. They hate us, and have for some time.
And can you blame them? Journalists love mocking Trump supporters. We insult their appearances. We dismiss them as racists and sexists. We emote on Twitter about how this or that comment or policy makes us feel one way or the other, and yet we reject their feelings as invalid.

More....... 

Sunday, October 02, 2016

Trustworthy?

One of the "deplorables"

Why Trump needs to be president

Yesterday, the NY Times released some details of Donald Trump's 1995 state income tax return showing a loss of $916 million.

As a CPA, this is what upsets me about this whole story.

First, the Times totally mischaracterizes what the tax loss means when it suggests "that could have allowed him to legally avoid paying federal income taxes for up to 18 years."

That's akin to saying that you avoided taxes by claiming a charitable donation on your tax return.

See, this is the law as it pertains to losses. The tax law allows you to deduct past losses against the previous two years of income or the next 18 years. That's the law it it makes sense. Why? Imagine that you had a business that made $0.00 for the years 2014 and 2015. You would pay exactly $0.00 in income tax because you earned no income. Now assume, I lost $100,000 in my 2014 but made $100,000 the following year.

In each case, over that two year span our net incomes amount to zero. Why would one person  pay taxes for the same economic outcome simply because the timing is different? The is the purpose of the net operating loss laws.

Second, It is clear that if you don't hold the politically correct vision of the world, the government will use each and every one of their resources to take you out.

Releasing tax returns, no problem. Using the Dept of Labor to target political adversaries, sweet.. Using the Justice department to seize assets of a guitar manufacturers for the sin of being owned by conservatives, lovin' it.

If that's the kind of country you want to be a part of.....congratulations....... you've got it and a vote for The Billary means more of the same.

But remember that when your neighbor finds your medical records and spreads the shit around the neighborhood or maybe calls the police for a "swatting" prank or the government seizes the cash you took out of the bank for a motorcycle you saw on Craigslist and decided it was drug money they get to keep.

That's a society where the people are subjects of the government.

Remember this. Nothing changes if nothing changes.

 


Friday, September 23, 2016

Friday, September 16, 2016

From the party of the poor



Hillary Clinton’s campaign is stealing from her poorest supporters by purposefully and repeatedly overcharging them after they make what’s supposed to be a one-time small donation through her official campaign website, multiple sources tell the Observer.
The overcharges are occurring so often that the fraud department at one of the nation’s biggest banks receives up to 100 phone calls a day from Clinton’s small donors asking for refunds for unauthorized charges to their bankcards made by Clinton’s campaign. One elderly Clinton donor, who has been a victim of this fraud scheme, has filed a complaint with her state’s attorney general and a representative from the office told her that they had forwarded her case to the Federal Election Commission.
“We get up to a hundred calls a day from Hillary’s low-income supporters complaining about multiple unauthorized charges,” a source, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of job security, from the Wells Fargo fraud department told the Observer. The source claims that the Clinton campaign has been pulling this stunt since Spring of this year. The Hillary for America campaign will overcharge small donors by repeatedly charging small amounts such as $20 to the bankcards of donors who made a one-time donation. However, the Clinton campaign strategically doesn’t overcharge these donors $100 or more because the bank would then be obligated to investigate the fraud.


Friday, September 09, 2016

Are men being profiled?

How is it that over 90 percent of the US prison population is male when they constitute less than 50% of the population?

Several Democratic members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) agreed Thursday that racism is behind African Americans serving prison sentences at a disproportionate rate, but none of them thought systemic sexism was a factor in men being over 90 percent of federal prisoners.
The disparity between men and women is much larger then the one between whites and blacks when it comes to criminal justice. In 2011, black people in America were 2.5 times more likely to be stopped on the street by the police than white folk. That same year, men were 8.3 times to face a street stop then women.

Life in "Progress" City - Chicago edition

Friday, August 19, 2016

A precedent for the Trumpster

For those conservatives in the #NeverTrump camp, who are worried about that Trump lacks the leadership and/or rhetorical skills and dislike his lack of experience let me offer some level of precedent for a candidate like Trump.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jesse Ventura were both political neophytes who also carried reputations for "girlie man" type of rhetorical skills. Both were considered renegades, one worked in professional wrastlin' for crying out loud.

But both ended up being somewhat milquetoast governors.

The point being that Trump isn't going to be asking for the nuclear football when Angel Merkel insults him and will find himself being "presidential" whether he wants to be or not.

Keep it in mind.





Do the rich pay enough?

As a tax professional, I’m often asked by clients whether or not I believe the rich pay enough in taxes.

My response is to consider this…… Consider that the rich have never paid any taxes…. Never have, never will.

The only people who pay taxes on this globe are the people who have no one to pass the cost on to.

When the price of my tax software goes up I have three choices, make less money, cut other expenses to make up the difference or raise my prices. Now I’m damn sure not going to take lower pay for the same work. You can only cut other expenses so far. That leaves increasing my fees for service.

When I increase my fees, my clients have the same dilemma. More often than not they will increase their prices.

That process continues until the last guy on the food chain tries to pass the hot potato to the next guy and guess what? There is no one else. They get to eat it.

Increases in taxes on the rich are no different than increases in utility costs, rent, widgets, etc.

Last year, I did tax returns for four clients who had W-2 wages in excess of one million dollars. In two of those cases, the CEO’s and CFO’s had their compensation adjusted by their corporate boards so that recent tax increases wouldn’t dent their take home pay.

You know who loses? The American worker who’s wages are now squeezed or jobs shipped overseas to afford the increases to those in management.

And if you think there is policy or another way to stop that, you are desperately naive to the point that you probably think there's a cure for gravity.

Consider that.

Who will he vote for?

Meet Michael Henson.



Why is Mike in the news...............
A Dayton, Ohio, man was arrested Tuesday after he tried to have sex with a parked van, police said.
Michael Henson, 35, faces public indecency charges. Police said they believe he was under the influence of narcotics when he was arrested.
According to a Dayton police report, the incident happened around 8 p.m. Tuesday in the 700 block of St. Nicholas Street.
Witnesses told police that Henson, who was only wearing shorts and socks, pulled down his pants and began having sex with the front grill of a vehicle parked on the street.
One witness told police that the act went on for a short time, then Henson passed out in the yard, the police report states.

Now in November do you think Mike here is going to vote for the Trunpster or The Billary? Why?


Sunday, July 31, 2016

Nancy Pelosi: Hillary Clinton Struggles With White Men Because Of "Guns,...

Think about what she is saying here. Give up your God, Give up your guns and accept Gays into your life then we'll provide you with economic security.

Friday, July 29, 2016

Is the US #1. I'm not so sure

It's funny how Obama once proclaimed that people who believed that the US is the greatest country in the world were somehow Jingoistic. Seven years after he "fundamentally transformed" the country into something better............more people are leaving.

I was talking to my sister one time and she used the term "the scale don't lie" when I asked her if I looked as heavy as the scale reported.

Well, using that same euphemism, here's one scale that says maybe The US ain't what is used to be........


A total of 508 Americans renounced their citizenship in the second quarter of the year, according to information published by the Internal Revenue Service, putting the country on track to lose at least the second highest number of citizens on record. 
That brings the total number of expatriates for the year to 1,666, according to data published on Friday, just below the 1,795 who renounced during the same period in 2015. Yet because the number of expatriates tends to increase toward the end of the year, 2016 could still set another record for the number of Americans it sends packing. A total of 4,279 left over the duration of 2016, a new annual record.

More..........

Hillary Clinton: A Career Criminal

Friday, July 22, 2016

Trump was the candidate all along

In all honesty, I was never a Trump guy. As I've said a hundred times if you would have asked me a year ago to rank the order of candidates of bother parties in the order I would prefer them as president; that was pretty much the order they went out of the race.

Hell Scott Walker, my guy didn't even make it to labor day.

Which leaves me to Trump.

He was the next to last person I would have like to see as president; in front of only the Billary.

Like others, I really thought that Trump's novelty would ultimately wear down and when things got tough, he would start to fade.

In the past month, I have asked others who follow politics that if Trump had never entered that race, who would have been. (please feel free to comment as to who you think it would have been).

The conventional wisdom is that it would have been Cruz with his second place finish. But that assumes the dynamics would have been the same without Trump. They would not have been.

When I think back on the field, it is clear to me that every republican outside of maybe Christie or Cruz was just another variety of Mitt Romney or John McCain; nice guys and losers.

After watching Trump last night, it was clear that he may have been the only shot republicans had at putting a stake through the heart of the Billary, the vampires of American politics. Can you imagine any of the other candidates giving us a William Wallace like pep talk like Trump did?

I actually believe that Trump is going to win and it won't be close. The thing most media members won't say about the Billary is that the public opinion of her goes up when she disappears. When it's omnipresent, the public opinion of the Billary drops like a millstone.

There. I'm on the record without Greta Van Susteren.








Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Why I am a conservative - The Public School edition

Years ago, I was dating a fabulously liberal woman seriously enough that people were asking us about kids and such.

Since we both lived inside the city of Cincinnati, I just assumed we would continue to live there and send our kids to private schools instead of Cincinnati Public Schools.

But when posed with the question, Ms. "Progressive" said "I'm still a champion of public schools".

Then I asked her. "So you would be willing to send your kids to CPS schools?"

"Well no, I would probably want to move out to the suburbs"

I responded "isn't that so nice and white and liberal of you"

Needless to say, it didn't work out for us. But the point is as a conservative it's in my best interest to make sure that city schools stay shitty. Why add any competition to the work force? My family is going to see to it that their kids get a quality education regardless of whether that means public or private schooling.

It puts all of my nieces and nephews at a competitive advantage.

So why are so many of my conservative brethren for school choice? Because we have empathy for people who don't have the ability to move out to West Chester (OH) to allow for their kids to get a quality education.

With competition, we would also see public schools working to make sure their kids could read before assigning them to their respective bathrooms and could do a multiplication table before understanding diversity quotas.

So say what you'd like about conservatives being all for stuff that enriches them. Ask a liberal what's in it to protect our status quo.





Friday, June 17, 2016

Milo again..............


America Has a Muslim problem 
America has a Muslim problem. Notice my wording carefully here. It isn’t a radical Muslim problem. It isn’t an ISIS problem, an Al Qaeda problem, a Taliban problem, or any of the Muslim terror groups that have sprung up in 2016. The terror attack on Saturday is an expression of mainstream Muslim values. 
Barack Obama,The “leader of the free world” is too scared to say this.In fact I have already referenced Islam both mainstream and radical in reference to this terror attack more often than Obama, who didn’t mention it at all. 
I like to imagine President Obama on “Wheel of Fortune” sweating bullets over “Radical Islam” with only a letter or two missing. I think he’d say “I’d like to buy a vowel” or if his teleprompter is broken, just “I uh uh uh uh uh.”
Following Obama’s lead, Hillary Clinton has put out the exact statement we’d expect.  Islam is not our enemy, it is a religion of peace, blah blah blah. Forgive me if I think her speechwriters are imams from Saudi Arabia. 
The Left won’t blame Islam 
Alarmingly, prominent liberals and homosexuals have fallen right in line.  They are blaming rifles, the NRA, masculinity, video games — anything but Islam. 
Dan Savage blames toxic homophobia and toxic gun culture. Well Dan, I have news for you: toxic homophobia has a name, and the name is Islam. 
Many will say that what I just said is an Islamophobic statement. Islamophobia, the irrational fear of muslims, is a nonsense term. 
Fear of Islam is entirely rational. I can tell you specifically that for gay people, “Allahu Ackbar” is the scariest words we could ever hear. 

Gun Panic 
Liberals always wait to determine the race and sex of a shooter before deciding how they will attack gun rights.  
Let me give you a clue,  liberals — Muslims don’t just use rifles, they use bombs, airplanes and knives, they like did in Paris Monday night. They will use anything to kill the hated “infidels.”  
Fewer than 300 people were murdered in 2013 with rifles. Nearly 1500 were murdered with knives to put that in perspective.  In fact more than double that number were murdered by hand and fist. 
I don’t think you’d ever get gays to line up behind a ban on fisting!



More.............

It's an Islam problem

Milo Yiannopoulos on the Islam problem in Europe and US...................

“My message to gays it that the left does not have your back. They’re not interested really in protecting minorities. You may have many listeners who are Christians that may not totally be down with the gay thing, I understand that, I’m a gay Catholic I wrestled with these things myself but ultimately these people are Americans” 
“There’s a hate mosque in the north of Orlando where this guy was hosted three weeks ago that said the compassionate thing to do for America was to kill all gays, this is the type of stuff that’s being preached in America every day. It gives rise to the horrible atrocities we’ve seen in Orlando and the left doesn’t really care about this we’ve seen them make excuses for Islam in the days that have past, we’ve seen them criticise people that dare to make the connection between Islam and what happened.” 
“Muslims don’t like Jews very much and it seems the only people that are surprised by this are our esteemed media but I think it’s clear now that all the hand wringing from Democrat politicians and all the pearl clutching, even in some cases from Republicans, is not going to help save lives.” 
“What needs to happen now is a real reckoning in america, an understanding that this isn’t an Islamic terror problem, this is an Islam problem. 100 million people live in a country where the penalty for homosexuality is death, a 1001 out of 1001 british muslims, 100% believe that homosexuality is an unacceptable lifestyle choice. And every once in a while that attitude spills over into things like this and I think the gay community is tired of hearing politicians make excuses for islam, is tired of hearing journalists lie and skirt around the problem. Is looking for people to be honest about how that community can protect itself and in my view that is making full use of the first and second amendments” 
“The best thing gay people can do now is educate themselves properly on the threats that they face, be prepared and go out wearing a gun if they can because this is a serious problem and American problems have shown no willingness whatsoever to adequately or honestly educate women or homosexuals living in these communities were these hate preachers are winding up troubled young men and sending them off to commit horrible acts”

More............ 

Howard Stern on Orlando 06/15/16

Friday, June 03, 2016

Who would have thunk it?

I'm old enough to remember when an attendant would come out to you car, pump your gas, check your oil and wash your windshield all for the price of the gasoline.

Did you ever wonder what ever happened to those workers when you get a nice back splash of gasoline you're pumping yourself in 8 degree weather.

You'd think that for all this talk about raising the minimum wage, some people might throw those memories out.

And yet people are going to be shocked, shocked when increased wages for fast food workers increases the demand for self serve kiosks.............


 Wendy’s is currently taking flak for testing automated kiosks. They plan to make 6,000 automated kiosks available to their franchise stores by the end of the year. This isn’t a new thing. McDonald’s has been testing this for years in Romeoville, Illinois, and all over Europe, including Berlin of course. As big corporations are wont to do, they cite the prospect of declining profits due to wage increases (which is impossible in Germany with their justly strict worker’s rights). This is about maximizing profits and increasing safety, full stop. 30% of a restaurant’s costs come from staff. Maintaining iPads and burger flipping robots will cost much, much less. That’s just reality at this point. Also, you don’t have to worry about a robot rubbing your food on its genitals. So there’s that. 
There’s been a considerable backlash against McDonald’s and now Wendy’s for this. Curious given that when 100% automated and robotic Eatsa opened in San Francisco it was met with white-privilege glee. Then again, they’re selling quinoa bowls. But, it’s the same thing. They’ve chosen not to hire as many — or any — staff as a regular fast food restaurant to maximize profits for themselves.  
Let’s not kid ourselves.
It makes sense for McDonald’s in Berlin to become automatized. There is universal health care, education and retirement. If you lose your job at Micky-D’s, you can go back to school for free and learn something new while the state pays your rent, childcare, and health insurance. But that simply is nowhere near reality anywhere in the United States. Unfortunately technology is by-passing basic human rights in the USA. There are going to be a lot of people left behind with no real recourse for forming a new life and career without major sacrifices. That’s just wrong. US policy on basic human rights for its citizens needs to catch up with its advancing technology, fast. It’s sad we’re still arguing in the US about a fair wage for workers the world doesn’t even need anymore.

Some people will never learn. 

Wednesday, June 01, 2016

Bernie Sanders fails to explain socialism failures in Latin America

Why I am a conservative - Government efficiency edition

I keep hearing that "progressives" are the ones who believe in science.

Yet, if that's the case why is it that none of them are willing to recognize that the more left a society becomes the more like likely the society will collapse.

Right now you need to look no further than Venezuela to see the collapse of once was a perfectly good country now having people starving.

Seriously, you give me any three measurable quality of life statistics, quality of schools, income distribution, crime, unemployment, tax rates, etc. and you'll see that areas run by conservatives will always out perform those run by democrats.

Here's some proof.............

The ten most financially sound states in the country are all heavily Republican, while all but one of the ten worst states are heavily Democratic. That’s according to a ranking of states in a new report from the Mercatus Center at George Mason University
The report — “Ranking the States by Fiscal Condition” — used official government data to measure the states’ ability to pay short-term bills and meet longer-term obligations, such as public pensions or health care costs, using five separate measures.
Cash solvency, for example, measures a state’s ability to pay its immediate bills. Budget solvency measures whether states will end the year with a surplus or deficit. Long-run solvency looks at a state’s ability to meet long-term spending commitments. Service-level solvency measures a state’s ability to respond to a demand for increased spending. And trust fund solvency measures unfunded pension liabilities and state debt.

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Why I am a conservative - Law and Order edition

I'm starting a series on "Why I am a conservative" showcasing the various issues running through our society and to show that being a conservative is contrary to our own self interests. This week is crime and punishment...............

Lately the Obamamunists, have taken to letting out non violent drug dealers back into their communities.

Why should I care?

These people aren't coming to our neighborhoods. Our communities are tough on crime. In addition, our homes are all armed meaning that anyone breaking in my home will find themselves on the short end of a Sig Sauer.

They are going back to the neighborhoods already brutalized by crime.

So, if I were to look at the crime issue from my personal self interest, I'd say "Great, let Obama pollute these already poor communities with the "justice involved"". That means that crime gets worse, businesses vacate taking their tax base and jobs out to "Redville", poor people continue to be poor and we get richer with more opportunities.

See the Gekko's are always going to live in nice, safe communities. We have the wherewithal to do so. In fact, if our neighborhood were to degenerate into a crime ridden infestation, we're not going to complain to city hall. We're just leaving.

But see, I'm a conservative for others, not myself. I have empathy for a single mom who wants to keep her son out of a gang. I have empathy for a grandmother who fears that someone's going to steal her social security money, I have empathy for families who want their children to be able to walk to school without fear of having their gym shoes stolen.

I have empathy for those who don't have the choices my family has access to. If we want poor people to get ahead in this world, we first must create communities that are safe for residents, employees, businesses etc. That's what creates vibrant communities.

For Obama to release vermin back into those communities and to slow walk the prosecution of future criminals just exacerbates the trauma for these areas.

So if you want to keep people down, follow the liberal line on crime and you'll get it.

Friday, March 18, 2016

Note to (alleged) conservatives - Shut the hell up

Prior to the Ohio primary, The Loveland Mrs. Gekko was asking me who I was voting for.

I told her I was voting for Bernie Sanders (for the record, I am a registered democrat and believe that everyone should register as a democrat for reasons noted here)

I also told her that in August of last year if you would have asked me to rank the candidates in the order of who I would like to be president that was just about the order that my candidates went out in (Scott Walker, Rick Perry, etc)

We're now down to the last five candiates and I have them ranked in this order

1) Cruz
2) Kasich
3) Sanders
4) Trump
5) The Billary

So as you can see, I'm not a Trump guy. Trump has never been about anything but self promotion. Despite his real estate development acumen, he has really never run a successful business entity (remember Trump airline, the New Jersey Generals, the casino's). He as liberal as Bernie and/or the Billary.

So, as a conservative, there's a lot to not like about Trump.

However, note to Mitt Romney, if you had ran your presidential campaign with the same passion as that freakin' speech you gave about Trump a couple of weeks ago, Trump wouldn't even be an issue. You would be the president.

People are pissed and Trump is the pissed party's candidate.

And frankly, the way you clowns are reacting to his candidacy makes it clear to me that maybe he should be the party's candidate.

Seriously? You're worried about Trump's conservative bonafides? The party who's graced us with such conservative stalwarts as Bob Dole, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, John McCain, Mitt Romney and great conservative programs such as expanded Medicare, porous borders, No Child Left Behind etc, etc.

Throughout this primary season, I've been waiting for one of these debate moderators to ask the question "what hill will you or the republican party die on?"or what issue(s) will the republican party defend or die trying?

Anyone? Anyone? Anyone?

On this blog, I've noted at least seven issues or constituencies  the democratic party will defend until their last breaths. I've named them here.

Think about it. If you want to cut one dime, and I mean literally one dime of Planned Parenthood funding, democrats will cheat, borrow, steal, maim, kill and eat the dead of anyone who will get in the way of that.

What is that issue for Republicans in office? Please tell me?

So Trump isn't conservative and won't defend the conservative cause. And that makes him different than Paul Ryan, John Boehner, Mitch McConnell how?

I'm willing to drop $100 that the senate will approve Obama's Supreme Court nomination. The party is already folding up the tents by Obama just naming the dude.

So Trump is a foul, manic narcissist.

Well, rank and file republicans have been politely sitting by for years while the party apparatchik has given us a nice helping of prison love all the while telling us that we should be enjoying it because democrats won't kiss you behind the ear when they're done.

Now, we have the converse, these same people who have been telling us for years to compromise our principles for compromised candidates are trying to sell on what a big, bad wolf Donald Trump is.

So to David Brooks, David French, Charles Cooke, Peggy Noonan, and the rest of you country club republicans let me say this in the Donald Trump vernacular..............


Fuck you.






Monday, January 18, 2016

How liberalism helps the one percenters

Most people think that government programs help the poor when, in fact, they don't do anything but line the pockets of the rich.

Let's use the Section 8 housing program as an example.

If you are ware of the program, then you know that the federal government pays a portion of the rent of a family based on their income.

Now on it's face you would probably ask how does this program line the pockets of the rich?

Here's how.

I have a client who buys foreclosed and depressed residential rental properties for the purpose of renting them to Section 8 renters.

Typically, he'll buy a house for about $20,000 and put about $20,000 of improvements into the property to make it Section 8 eligible. (By the way, he makes these very nice properties for what's being rented in the area)

In the old days, the value of a residential property used to be around 100 times the monthly rent it could gather on the open market. The converse is also true; the monthy rent should be approximately the value of the property divided by 100.

So if you take a $20,000 property make $20,000 in improvements, in a free and open market it would generate about $400 a month in rents.

Not if you run it through the Section 8 program. Instead of renting his properties for $400 a month, he's renting them anywhere from $800 to $1200 a month.

Now ask yourself the question, is the poor family better off?

The answer is probably not. If the market rents were allowed to exist in these poor areas, the family would be paying a lower rent overall. But because the government is involved, the increased rents goes into the hands of who?

It's not the poor family, It's the landlord.

The same holds true of the food stamp program. Who do you think are the largest lobbyist of that program?

It's a not a national poor person union, it's Archer Daniels Midland, Krogers, Kraft. All the rich people selling their crap to poor people.

Think about it?

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Why I'm a global warming agnostic

Because this "climatologist" was telling us about the coming Ice Age 30 years ago.