Category: Gummint

Unexpectedly

Gummint, Politics

Looks like the People’s Soviet of New York is running out of other people’s money:

ALBANY — Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Monday announced a dramatic drop in state income tax revenue of $2.8 billion, which he says will prompt him to revise his 2019-20 budget and reconsider spending on schools, health care and repairs to roads and bridges.
“At this point there is no doubt that the budget we put forward is not supported by the revenues,” Cuomo said at a State Capitol news conference. “It’s as serious as a heart attack.”
Cuomo said he’s not certain what areas might need to be cut, but said the biggest spending areas now are education, health care, infrastructure and another phase-in of a previously approved middle-class tax cut.

Of course, it’s not his fault or the fault of NY’s bloated social policies, benefits obligations and union payouts, oh no.  Guess whose fault it really is?

Cuomo, a Democrat, blamed the shortfall on a federal tax plan backed by Republican President Donald Trump. Cuomo said the law’s cap on deductions for state and local taxes at $10,000 was to blame and suggested it is, anecdotally, triggering high-earners to leave New York.

Any time a politician has to resort to anecdotal data, then he’s the one to blame.

Western Civilization

Africa, Culture, Ethics, Gummint, Politics

Here’s a map which ranks the various countries of the world from light to dark, from least corrupt to, well, Somalia.

Pop quiz:   Of the lighter-colored (i.e. least corrupt) countries, find the common thread.  (Hint:  it’s in the title of this post.)

For those who are surprised at the relatively-low ranking of the United States among the civilized nations, I would suggest that we would rocket upwards with the conviction of Bill and Hillary Clinton, the dissolution of the Clinton Foundation and the imprisonment of all its officers.  To reach the top of the charts, we’d have to convict all members of Congress (active and/or retired) who became millionaires whilst earning only a Congressional salary.

And by “conviction”, of course, I mean this:

Uneasy Feeling

Gummint

Well now, this little development  gives me the Warm ‘N Fuzzies:

This would allow the IRS to meaningfully link tens of millions of tax returns, billions of information returns, and trillions of bank and credit card transactions, phone records and even social media posts. For example, if a U.S. citizen moves money from a Swiss bank to some other offshore bank, then uses credit or debit cards to spend the money in the U.S., Palantir’s software can link those transactions. It could also flag a person whose tax return shows relatively low annual income but whose social-media posts indicate something entirely different.

As Gummint is so fond of saying:

Me, I feel more like this:

…preparatory to this:

And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to the range for a little AK-47 time.

Texas Hold-Outs

Gummint, Immigration

I’m not quite sure what to make of this situation:

The federal government has started surveying land along the border in Texas and announced plans to start construction next month.  Rather than surrender their land, some property owners are digging in, vowing to reject buyout offers and preparing to fight the administration in court.

Now of course this is an Associated Press report (motto:  we put the “Ass” into “Press”) so I don’t know how much credence to put into the word “some”, as written above.  How many, exactly, is “some”?  Five?  Twenty?  Five hundred?

If it’s just a few, then fuckem.  The need for a secure border is greater than their need for a couple hundred acres of (largely) semi-desert.  And if it is a small number, I’d have no problem with the wall being built right up to the property line, and have those property owners have to deal with the funneled hordes of illegals trying to gatecrash our party.  (Suggestion:  the very first time they appeal for help from, say, ICE or the Border Patrol, they get told to shut the fuck up and live with the problem they caused for themselves.)

If, however, that “some” means “lots and lots” then there’ll have to be serious negotiations.  I suspect, however, that this threat of lawsuits is simply a negotiating position (for some of them, anyway) so that Uncle Sam can pay them an inflated sum for that valuable land.

I’m often skeptical about the Gummint’s use of “eminent domain” to take private property away from the owners, but if ever there are good reasons for its use, a secure border would probably rank near the top of the list.  Lest we forget:

Building in the region is a top priority for the Department of Homeland Security because it’s the busiest area for illegal border crossings.  More than 23,000 parents and children were caught illegally crossing the border in the Rio Grande Valley in November — more than triple the number from a year earlier.

Myself, I’d hire the selfsame wall-building companies that enabled Israel to keep the hordes of Arabs from flooding their country;  that, or thousands of “smart” landmines coupled with robotic machine-gun towers.  But that’s just me.

Balls, Great Big Brass Ones

Gummint, The Gun Thing

Someone just became a criminal.

My only hope is if I’m ever faced with a situation like the one he finds himself in, that I will have the courage he does.

Quote Of The Day:

“I respect the police, greatly.  The cops I know hate the idea of enforcing this intolerance.  I ask them when they come to arrest me and confiscate my guns, they give me enough warning, so my kids aren’t around when they do it.”

And it would appear that he’s not alone.

Let’s see what the Boulder government does.  A pox on them.

Quick Question

Behind Enemy Lines, Crime, Gummint, The Gun Thing

This one’s for the BritGov.

So, about that law you have which prevents law-abiding Brits from buying or owning handguns… how’s it doing to reduce handgun ownership and usage Over There?

Not too well?  You mean, only criminals  are getting their hands on the things?  And wait… don’t tell me… they’re shooting people and committing crimes and such?

Well, paint me  pink and call me Rosie.  Who could have foreseen such a thing?