Month: August 2022

Commentary: Long-Term Study Finds That Higher Corporate and Personal Taxes Lower Real GDP

RealClearWire

by Ross Pomeroy   One of the main planks of President Biden and congressional Democrats’ agenda is making corporations and high-earning Americans “pay their fair share” through higher taxes. But a recently published analysis in the journal SAGE Open delving into sixty years of U.S. economic data from 1960 to 2020 suggests that their proposal, if implemented, could backfire. “In short, as the top corporate rate or top personal rate goes higher, real GDP per capita decreases,” the authors, Ted Peterson, an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Political Science, and Zachary Blair, a recent graduate focusing on advanced financial analysis, reported. Peterson and Blair sought to explore how the top corporate and personal tax rates correlated with real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, which shows a country’s economic output per person adjusted for inflation. Though imperfect, the measure is considered a proxy for the economic wellbeing of a country’s citizens. In the United States, the corporate tax rate currently stands at 21%, lowered from 35% in 2017 when President Trump and congressional Republicans passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. The top personal tax rate for 2022 is 37% for individual incomes over $539,900 or $647,850 for married couples filing jointly. President…

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Illegal Immigrant Faces Murder and Kidnapping Charges in Alabama

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The alleged kidnapper of a 12-year-old girl in Alabama was a previously deported illegal alien, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation Thursday.

José Paulino Pascual-Reyes, 37, who was arrested for alleged kidnapping in the first degree about 25 miles from Auburn, Alabama, was deported in 2014 and is currently in the U.S. illegally, the ICE spokesperson told the DCNF. He has since been charged with three counts of capital murder, Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett told the DCNF.

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Commentary: The Foreign-Donor Loophole

RealClearWire

With so much recent finger-pointing in Washington over foreign influence in U.S. elections, it seems as if lawmakers would be doing everything they could to try to close loopholes that allow illegal political donations from China, Russia, and other overseas interests into U.S. campaigns without detection.

A group of GOP House members introduced legislation to do just that as far back as 2015. Their bill attracted significant bipartisan support, but stalled amid partisan sniping over Democrats’ pursuit of the now-discredited Trump-Russia collusion allegations.

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Amazon Newest Acquisition Expands Its Robot Artificial Intelligence Presence in Your Home

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Amazon and iRobot signed an agreement Thursday under which Amazon will acquire iRobot, supporting the online retail giant’s ambitions to solidify its foothold on smart home technology, according to The Wall Street Journal.

iRobot makes the popular home-cleaning product Roomba, a wireless smart-vacuum that maps spaces to clean dust and messes, according to the WSJ. The Amazon-iRobot press release notes that Amazon will acquire iRobot for $61 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $1.7 billion, including iRobot’s net debt.

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LGBT Activist’s Study About Transgender ‘Social Contagion’ Falls Apart Under Scrutiny

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Transgender boy

A study purporting to debunk the theory that social contagion contributes to transgender identity has several fundamental flaws, according to experts who reviewed the study.

The study — ‘Sex Assigned at Birth Ratio Among Transgender and Gender Diverse Adolescents in the United States’ — used findings from the flawed methodology to recommend that female adolescents who identify as trans be provided “gender affirming care,” a common euphemism in the activist community to describe chemical and surgical interventions for sex changes. The lead author of the study, Dr. Jack Turban, is himself a member of the LGBT community and an outspoken advocate for such interventions.

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Congressional Hopefuls Tyler Harper and Chris West Host Agriculture Roundtable in Dawson

Addison Basurto

Republican Agricultural Commissioner Nominee Tyler Harper and GOP nominee Chris West (R-GA-02) hosted an agricultural roundtable in Dawson on Wednesday.

“Great time in Dawson today meeting with [agricultural] leaders supporting my friend Tyler Harper for Agriculture Commissioner. Southwest Georgia is ready to elect strong leaders who will fight for our state’s #1 industry!” West said on Wednesday.

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Rhodes College Alumni Petition School to Have Justice Barrett Removed from Hall of Fame

Peter D'Abrosca

A pro-abortion contingent of alumni from Rhodes College in Memphis are circulating a petition to have Supreme Justice Amy Coney Barrett removed from the school’s Hall of Fame. 

“We, together with the undersigned alumni, are writing to you today to request that you remove Justice Amy Coney Barrett from the Rhodes College Hall of Fame. Our firm belief in the Rhodes Honor Code we all signed impels us to make this request,” said a letter notifying Rhodes College of the petition. “This request is based on Justice Barrett’s public breach of the Honor Code in her testimony before the United States Senate during her October 12 -15, 2020 confirmation hearings to become an  Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States.”

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Commentary: Electric Car Drivers May Not Be Pumped over Privacy-Jolting Mileage Taxes

RealClearWire

The environmental impact of electric cars may still be unknown, but leaders are growing concerned about the threat they pose to the financing of the nation’s highway system. Because freeways and bridges are funded, in large part, through federal and state taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel, the battery-powered future will test whether roads can just be paved with good intentions.

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Ten Georgia Rural Hospitals to Receive $9M in ‘Stabilization Grants’ from State Agency

The Center Square

The Georgia Department of Community Health has awarded $9 million in Rural Hospital Stabilization Grants to 10 rural Georgia hospitals.

The hospitals will each receive $900,000 to support initiatives strengthening underserved communities’ access to care.

The Rural Hospital Stabilization Grant, established in 2014, ostensibly helps address the challenges rural hospitals across The Peach State face. DCH’s State Office of Rural Health, which facilitates the initiative, has awarded more than $39 million in grants since the program’s inception.

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County Attorney Seeks to Intervene as Minnesota AG Ellison Refuses to Appeal Abortion Ruling

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A Minnesota county attorney is stepping in following Attorney General Keith Ellison’s refusal to appeal a court ruling that dispenses with several abortion restrictions.

On Thursday, Traverse County Attorney Matthew Franzese filed an intervening motion in Ramsey County District Court, almost four weeks after Judge Thomas Gilligan tossed out numerous longstanding abortion restrictions as “unconstitutional.”

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Governor Kemp Announces Certified Nurse Program Grant as Healthcare Staffing Shortages Linger

Addison Basurto

Governor Brian Porter Kemp announced in a Monday press release that a grant that will award some $800,000 to 500 Georgian high school students through the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Pilot Program.

“Here in Georgia, we are committed to meeting the needs of our young people as they prepare to enter our world-class workforce following years of pandemic disruptions, and we are excited to see how this program will make a difference in their lives as it also helps us fulfill a critical workforce need,” the Republican governor said.

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Commentary: The Decline and Fall of Newspapers

RealClearWire

A few years ago, you would have unfolded your newspaper and read opinion and analysis like this. Those days are gone. Today, most of us get our news and commentary online, perhaps supplemented by network or cable television, although TV viewership is far smaller than in the days of  “The Big Three.” Buried alongside those iconic broadcasters is the public’s confidence in news from all sources. Only 16% of Americans say they have a “great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in newspapers, only 11% in TV news. Those numbers keep sinking. Today, if Walter Cronkite ended his broadcast, “And that’s the way it is,” most people would just smirk.

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Michigan AG Nessel Seeks Special Prosecutor in 2020 Election Probe

The Center Square

Attorney General Dana Nessel is seeking a special prosecutor to consider criminal charges against nine people who engaged in a “conspiracy” to gain access to voting machines while disputing the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

The nine people include some high-profile names, including Trump-endorsed, GOP attorney general candidate Matt DePerno, state Rep. Daire Rendon, R-Lake City, and Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf. The letter says the group convinced local clerks to give access to tabulators that the group took to rented areas in Oakland County, where they printed fake ballots and did other tests.

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Ohio Lawmakers Want to Create Tax Breaks for Energy Development

The Center Square

Saying communities in Ohio have been denied economic development and job growth opportunities because of energy issues, two Ohio lawmakers announced legislation Friday that would provide taxpayer incentives to grow energy infrastructure in the state.

Reps. Jon Cross, R-Kenton, and Jay Edwards, R-Nelsonville, called areas of the state “energy deserts,” and want House Bill 685 to promote the use of the state’s natural gas energy resource.

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Pennsylvania Governor and Business Leaders Celebrate Corporate Tax Reduction

Bradley Vasoli

Pennsylvania business advocates joined Governor Tom Wolf (D) at the York County Economic Alliance on Monday to welcome an upcoming change in tax policy championed by entrepreneurs across the commonwealth.

Via the new budget agreed to this summer by Wolf and the Republican-controlled General Assembly, Pennsylvania will begin a decade-long phased halving of its corporate net income tax (CNIT). Of the forty-four states with a business income tax, the size of the Keystone State’s current 9.99-percent rate is second only to New Jersey’s 11.5-percent tax. Besides these two states, only four others levy top business income tax rates that exceed nine percent.

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Commentary: Donald Trump’s 2015 Presidential Announcement Speech, Seven Years Later

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Immigration. Trade. War. The GOP already has the formula it needs for sweeping victory in this fall’s midterm elections. Republicans just need to follow it.

Donald Trump showed the way. His presidential announcement speech in 2015 was a masterpiece of political rhetoric. It was also a blueprint for a message that could cut through the nightmare web of corruption, decay, and incompetence that characterizes our modern political system.

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Biden and Fried Approve Tampa Christian School’s Lunch Money Application After Lawsuit

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The Biden administration and Florida Democratic Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried approved the lunch money application for Grant Park Christian Academy in Tampa just days after the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Christian school.

The school was being denied children’s lunch funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National School Lunch Program, which Fried administers. The program benefitted 56 low-income children at the Christian school by providing them with free meals.

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Border Patrol Catches Group of 51 Crossing Illegally in Arizona

Peter D'Abrosca

Over the weekend, a large group of minor illegal aliens was caught crossing the U.S. southern border with Mexico near the town of Sasabe.

“A group of 51 migrants, mostly Guatemalan citizens, were taken into custody by Tucson Station agents near Sasabe, AZ. There was only one adult in the group, and the youngest child was just 11-months-old,” said John Modlin, Chief Patrol Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector. “Several agents responded to assist with transport and processing.”

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Mom Sues School District to Open Antiracism Meetings, as Stifled Dissenters Gain Wins over Educrats

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The Rhode Island mother who got herself sued by teachers unions for trying to shine a light on public school curricula is now waging her own legal fight for public access to “secret meetings” about “equity” for students who are black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC).

Nicole Solas filed an Open Meetings Act (OMA) lawsuit Wednesday against the South Kingstown School Committee and its BIPOC Advisory Committee, which refused to let her attend its meetings where “district policies regarding curriculum, hiring, discipline, and accountability” where discussed, according to her lawyers at the Goldwater Institute.

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Arizona Republican Lawmakers React to the U.S. Senate Passing the ‘Inflation Reduction Act’

Kaitlin Housler

On Sunday, the US Senate passed the Democrat-backed $740 billion “Inflation Reduction Act” by a 51 to 50 vote, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the deciding vote. Many Arizona Republican lawmakers are among those claiming the bill will further impact inflation in a negative way while offering no real-time solution to struggling Americans.

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Mark Gonsalves Says Lucy McBath Should Return GA-06 Constituent Donations After District Switch

Addison Basurto

Republican nominee Mark Gonsalves (R-GA-07) criticized Lucy McBath (D-GA-06) for her decision to change from the 6th District to the 7th District in the middle of a congressional cycle when he spoke with The Georgia Star News on Monday.

“In essence it provides a person a credential that they do not deserve or warrant, and there a lot of people that vote and think, ‘oh, well she must have been my Congressperson.’ Well, that’s not true for 86% of constituents. So, I think it’s very deceptive. That’s how I would describe it,” Gonsalves said. 

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Axios Agrees to $525 Million Sale to Cox Enterprises

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Axios agreed to sell to Cox Enterprises for an estimated $525 million, the companies announced on Monday.

Cox Enterprises, a global media company with 50,000 employees, is Axios’ most recent lead investor.

Axios CEO and co-founder Jim VandeHei celebrated the deal.

“This is great for Axios, for our shareholders and American journalism. It allows us to think and operate generationally, with a like-minded partner — and build something great and durable that lives long after we are gone,” he said, Axios reported.

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Tennessee Supreme Court Interviews Applicants for Attorney General

Aaron Gulbransen

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The Tennessee Supreme Court held public interviews for the six applicants in the process to select the next attorney general.

“The applicants were all remarkable, experienced, and gracious in their answers during a robust interview process,” Chief Justice Roger A. Page said. “The applicant pool is outstanding. This is an extremely important decision for our state, and the Court thanks all of the applicants for fielding our questions.”

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Trump Says His Mar a Lago Compound Has Been Raided by FBI: ‘Under Siege’

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Former President Donald Trump on Monday evening issued a statement saying that FBI agents had raided his Florida estate in Mar a Lago, describing his home as being “under siege.”

“The are dark times for our Nation, as my beautiful home, Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida, is currently under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents,” Trump said in a statement. “Nothing like this has ever happened to a President of the United States before.”

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Olivia Newton-John Has Died

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Singer and actress Olivia Newton-John died on Monday at her Southern California ranch at the age of 73, her family announced.

“Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer. Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations be made in her memory to the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund,” her husband John Easterling wrote on Facebook.

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Booming Jobs Report Masks Uptick in Men Leaving the Labor Force

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Women’s employment increased markedly from June to July, but the total number of employed working-aged men actually dropped in that same time span according to a July jobs report released Friday.

There were 170,000 fewer employed men in July than June, whereas 349,000 more women were employed in July, according to Yahoo Finance. Women’s unemployment dipped to 3.1% in July from 3.3% in June while the same figure for men remained steady at 3.2% from June, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ July 2022 Employment Situation report found.

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Senators Bill Hagerty and Marsha Blackburn Lambaste Passage of ‘Inflation Reduction Act,’ Warn Higher Prices, Taxes are Coming

Kaitlin Housler

U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) criticized President Joe Biden and their Democrat colleagues on the passage of the $740 billion “Inflation Reduction Act” Sunday. As expected, no Republicans supported the measure, and so by a 51 to 50 vote, with Vice President Kamala Harris cast the deciding vote.

The Inflation Reduction Act, described by Forbes as “a slimmed-down version of the Build Back Better bill,” allows the government to control the price of prescription medications, contains funding for fighting climate change, would implement larger taxes for wealthy corporations, expand the IRS by some 87,000 agents, and more more.

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Robby Starbuck’s Write-In Campaign Finishes with Less Than 5 Percent of the TN-5 GOP Primary Vote

Aaron Gulbransen

Robby Starbuck has achieved a maximum of 2,595 write-in votes, or roughly 4 percent of the total, putting him in fifth place for the August 4 Republican primary for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District seat.

Maury County Mayor Andy Ogles handily won the primary with nearly 37 percent of the vote and 57,275 votes were cast in the primary for nine candidates who qualified for the ballot.

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U.S. Senate Passes Massive Tax and Spend Bill Targeting Carbon Emissions, Prescription Drug Costs, More

The Center Square

The U.S. Senate on Sunday passed a $740 billion new taxing and spending bill that seeks to combat climate change and allow the government to control the price of prescription medications, among other things.

No Republicans voted for the bill, named the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, in the divided 50-50 Senate, forcing Vice President Kamala Harris to break the tie. The measure must return to the House for a concurrence vote after senators passed several amendments Sunday. The House is expected to take the bill up again on Friday. If the House concurs, President Joe Biden has indicated he will sign it.

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Possible Rule Change Could Refund Airline Passengers Who Experience Flight Problems

The Center Square

The U.S. Department of Transportation proposed a new rule this week requiring airlines to offer customers refunds if their flight is canceled or significantly changed.

The change would require airlines to refund travelers if their flight’s arrival or departure time changed by three hours or more for domestic flights, or six or more hours for international flights.

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Commentary: The Evolving Style Sheets of Big Media Institutionalize Political Bias

Admin

Many publications provide their writers with “style sheets,” a list of dos and don’ts with respect to things like diction, punctuation, grammar, and linguistic etiquette. My personal list of “dos” includes the Oxford comma (apples, oranges, and pears: that last comma is requisite) and, in most cases, using the singular masculine pronoun after collective nouns like “everyone” and “someone” (e.g., “Everyone likes to have his [not ‘their’] own way”).

Style sheet prescriptions (and proscriptions) can be more elaborate, and can affect substantive as well as stylistic matters. Over the last year or so, I have noticed an innovation, at once stylistic and substantive, that has taken root throughout the regime media. It is this: whenever referring to Donald Trump and the 2020 presidential election, be sure to insert editorial comments to the effect that any concerns about the fairness of that election are “baseless” or the result of “lies.”

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Video Shows Children in Texas Taking Oath to be ‘Martyrs’ for Iran’s Supreme Leader

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Avideo of kids at an Islamic center in Houston, Texas pledging their allegiance to the supreme leader of Iran is setting off alarm bells among experts, who are warning this has all the signs of the Iranian regime’s global indoctrination efforts to spread its revolutionary ideology and recruit operatives abroad.

The viral video was initially posted to YouTube and Facebook last week by the Islamic Education Center of Houston (IEC), which organized the event calling on parents to bring children aged 4-14, according to its social media pages. The original video posts were later removed, but clips remain online.

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Georgia Officials Want Federal Help with Electric Vehicle Infrastructure

The Center Square

The Georgia Department of Transportation hopes to secure federal funding to pay for a network of electric vehicle charging stations across The Peach State.

GDOT has submitted the state’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plan required to tap into federal funding for developing the network. Georgia officials expect to secure $135 million from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program.

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