QUESTION: Do you support Trump’s wall?

ANSWER: A wall will not end the crisis. You can use boats as well. What are the issues? First, the purpose of the wall is to stop the drug trade. It will put a dent into it, but it will not eradicate it. Second, is the immigration. There are many people along the border who want to stop the illegal immigration because they bring in kids who then go to school and cause taxes to rise yet these people do not pay income taxes. The solution is very simple. Eliminate income taxes and compel states to survive on consumption taxes. Then it will not matter who is here, everyone will pay their fair share.

If it is really just about illegal immigration, then you can deal with that financially. Many illegal immigrants come to the States to earn money to send home. Prevent sending money to Mexico and you will change the incentives. Any Mexican who in the USA legally, has a bank account and can send money to relatives legitimately. Illegal immigrants would not be able to send money home but then you would probably create a black market.

The Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto is refusing to meet with Trump was the worst possible decision he could have ever made. He just cut off diplomatic relations with the United States. He will now not be taken seriously and cannot in any way negotiate behind the curtain. He just killed US-Mexican relations. Refusing to even talk eliminates the possibility of resolution.

Let’s dig deeper. Many people come to the States for employment. There are many businesses who need labor willing to do hard work for Americans as a rule see that beneath them. Therefore, you have a demand for labor in the United States that goes unfulfilled and you have people willing to be hard workers in Mexico. The solution here is also simple. Introduce a market-based visa system whereby you can buy a visa for such jobs. The employers would gladly pay the fee and you would end smuggling people into the States for those jobs.

Clamping on 35% tariffs on all foreign goods introduced makes no sense. It will not change the real core problem. American unions sent their own jobs overseas because they were too abusive in their demands. Companies leave NOT merely because they can hire someone for $10 and hour less in Mexico than at home. The United States tax code is insane. It soars during Democrat control and declines during Republican control. Companies cannot construct a business plan because the tax swings are insane. Would you rent an apartment with a lease that said the landlord can raise your rent anytime he want on a whim? You cannot build a plant and then draft a business plan for 20 years when taxes can change at any time.

The ONLY way to create economic stability is to make taxation UNTOUCHABLE. We have to end this Marxist way of running our country. Until that is accomplished, we will always look for band-aids to keep the game going between elections.

Columbia University Economist Joseph Stiglitz says that the United States should phase out currency and move towards a digital economy. All of these people advocating such policies are ignorant of the real world and advocate total government control. Stiglitz told the World Economic Forum that their are “benefits that outweigh the cost.” He hailed India for eliminating 86% of all currency. This is the only way they see to force socialism down everyone’s throats. Instead of looking at why the system is failing, they want more power to create absolute control like a communist state.

While the communist model was that government owned everything, the new model allows private ownership, but they will simply seize whatever they desire. We retain title, but they retain the right to say how much can you keep.

Of course, the left is focusing on how much the “rich” pay while ignoring the entire issue of taxes. When I debated Steve Forbes and Governor James Florio at Princeton University, it was the Democrat Florio who I turned. I simply said that the tax code borrowed from the poor and middle class, handed them refund checks at the end of the year, and was borrowing from them without paying any interest. I then added that Social Security was just a tax that denied the average person the RIGHT to prepare for their future by investing that money, yet they argue that the stock market rises and ONLY the rich get richer. The left are brilliant conman because they always point at how the rich don’t pay enough, but they NEVER look closely what government does to them.

Already, all we hear is how Trump is trying to lower taxes for himself and friends. The stupidity of those who even say this is beyond belief. They are so brainwashed that you have to wonder if they are capable of independent thoughts. Trump’s tax plan involves collapsing the current seven-tier bracket system into just three brackets. The lower bracket, those who make less than $75,000, would pay only 12%. The next tier would be those who earn $75,000-$225,000, who would then pay 25%. Those in the third-tier are workers with incomes of more than $225,000 who would pay 33%. This boils down to expanding the net disposable income for taxpayers making between $48,000 and $88,000 annually, as they would save between $1,174 and $7,052, according to the Tax Foundation.

The top rate proposed by the new administration (33%) is substantially lower than the maximum rate under President Obama (43.8%). Furthermore, a standard deduction of $12,000 means, on average, the middle class will get an additional $12k worth of tax-exempt income. Economic growth comes from CONSUMER spending. Increase the net disposable income and that will jump-start the economy. Of course, the Democrats will oppose this because they never saw a dollar they did not want to get their hands on. They tend to forget their history; the FIRST tax cut after World War II was implemented by John F. Kennedy.

“It is a paradoxical truth that tax rates are too high and tax revenues are too low and the soundest way to raise the revenues in the long run is to cut the rates now … Cutting taxes now is not to incur a budget deficit, but to achieve the more prosperous, expanding economy which can bring a budget surplus.”

– John F. Kennedy, Nov. 20, 1962, president’s news conference

“Lower rates of taxation will stimulate economic activity and so raise the levels of personal and corporate income as to yield within a few years an increased – not a reduced – flow of revenues to the federal government.”

– John F. Kennedy, Jan. 17, 1963, annual budget message to the Congress, fiscal year 1964

“In today’s economy, fiscal prudence and responsibility call for tax reduction even if it temporarily enlarges the federal deficit – why reducing taxes is the best way open to us to increase revenues.”

– John F. Kennedy, Jan. 21, 1963, annual message to the Congress: “The Economic Report Of The President”

For the first time, the head of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, has conceded the possibility that the EU may fall apart. Draghi came out and said that any member leaving the Eurozone would need to settle its claims or debts with the bloc’s payments system before severing ties. This statement reveals the heated discussion at Davos and the rift that is beginning to spread. This statement, released on Friday, was made in a letter to two Italian lawmakers in the European Parliament.

Sentiment in Italy is turning very anti-euro and this view is beginning to emerge in other Eurozone states. While they are blaming Britain, the real issue is the insane management of austerity and negative interest rates. This has created a massive depression in Europe and the unending Quantitative Easing has destroyed the European bond market. Whenever the ECB has to give up, interest rates will soar, for private buyers will not be willing to risk it all when the EU is clearly doomed.

Based on data to end-November, Draghi is saying that Italy would have to pay €358.6 billion euro to leave — an exit tax. What Draghi fails to comprehend is that such demands will not keep the Eurozone together, and are more likely to cause it to disintegrate and just default on the ECB. Up until now, the very threat of defaults on cross-border debts has tended to keep the Eurozone together throughout the financial crisis. But pushing this too far will lead to default.

Southern Europe, which are the weaker economies including Italy, Spain, and Greece, have accumulated huge liabilities to keep the euro afloat while Germany stands out as the biggest creditor with net claims of €754.1 billion euros. This alone may set off the massive capital flight to the dollar. We are looking at the complete collapse of the Quantitative Easing carried out by the ECB since 2008 without any success. This will cause Trump problems with trade and currency, which he is not likely to understand.

Sue Peckitt, 65, poured a cup of coffee down the street drain and then threw the cup in a public garbage can. The police then gave her a ticket for 80 pounds. She appealed to have the unbelievable fine overturned and was told to pay up. The police told the press that her act of pouring the coffee down the drain violated laws against introducing “poisonous, noxious or polluting matter” into the drainage system.

After the press got wind of this crazy fine, the city council was embarrassed and investigated the incident. After two months, they and offered Peckitt an apology and a refund. They said, “Our priority is to make sure that the borough is clean and litter free and we apologize for any inconvenience that this may have caused.”

The real question: What if this incident had not become public? Would there have been any refund or apology?

US-Mexico Border in Arizona

COMMENT: Greetings from the other side of the Wall (i.e. Mexico)

Mr Armstrong! First, I would like to thank you for what you do, as a young person committed with helping the world thrive I cannot tell you how empowering it was to discover your work and get to know your story, and how inspiring it is to see upright people like yourself and your team take on the biggest challenges we face today as a planet, being consistent with what you say and actually doing something! That been said I wanted to share something that’s happening here in Mexico City, and because it is related to one of the main topics of your blog, i.e. the hunt for taxes I thought it would be worth sharing. Right now, Mexico City is going through some administrative changes. Beginning in 2018 Mexico D.F. (D.F. stands for Federal District) will no longer be the center of the powers of the federation but the 32nd federal entity of the union. That doesn’t only mean that Mexico D.F. will officially change its name to Ciudad de Mexico (CDMX) but that by the end of this month (January, 2017) CDMX will have its own Constitution. It is here that it gets interesting. In its 21st article, the draft proposed that “the increase in the value of the land derived from the process of urbanization, will be considered part of the public wealth of the city” that effectively meant that all the capital gains of a property will be taxed!! This resulted in a strong opposition specially from groups, associations and businesses concerned with the real estate business. The mayor of the city, surprised and pressured, answered that he would veto any new tax that comes into his desk and proposed an immediate modification of this article, which makes you wonder if he read the draft of the constitution in the first place! After the announcement, the commission in charge of the ruling of that article said it would be revised and modified so that a tax of this nature would not be allowed.

Fiufff!! That was close and everybody went home or headed out to the beach for some sunny winter holidays. Oh wait, except that our “public servants” being the way they are, apparently removed the provision from the draft of the constitution but still added it to the Housing Act which authorizes the administration to “implement mechanisms to capture capital gains, generated form urban development actions”. The Act was passed a nd approved the 26th of December!! The press reported this until the 28th which in Mexico is our April fool’s day, making us wish it was a terrible “December fool’s day” joke. I guess you have to have a sense of humour. I mean this guys are relentless when it comes to making a dishonest buck. I don’t know what Socrates says about Mexico but from my biased point of view it doesn’t look pretty. Higher prices, higher taxes, insecurity, a higher dollar, a debt worth almost 50% of GDP and growing, which at least I think it’s in pesos so I guess it could be worse. I was not alive then but there was a time when the peso fell greatly against the dollar maybe Mexico’s cycle is back down but I’m sure you know that. But there was also a time when the peso was close at par with the dollar, which makes me wonder when does the cycle turn up. Anyway, I guess by that time it’s either a strong peso or a worthless dollar!

Again, thank you and your team for all your work. Have a wonderful and spectacular year!

XA

REPLY: Hello from the other side of the wall. Most people do not realize that the Mexican 8 reales silver coin was commonly known as the “pillar dollar,” and cutting it up into pieces like a pie is what we hear in pirate moves — a piece of eight, meaning a piece of this coin. Here is a piece of eight stamped “St Lucia” for a Caribbean island.

These pillar dollars or Spanish dollars as they were known, were widely used by many countries as an international currency in modern times because of its uniformity. Some countries countersigned the Spanish dollar so it could be used as their local currency, as did even Britain during the shortage of currency under George III. In fact, these pillar/Spanish dollars were the coin upon which they originally constituted the United States “dollar” as they refused to adopt the British system of pounds. In fact, pillar/Spanish dollars were actually considered to be legal tender in the United States up until the Coinage Act of 1857.

Most people have no idea that the Mexican peso (8 reales ceased to be issued in 1897 after it was replaced by the peso) was on par with the dollar, and in fact, the US dollar was based upon the peso. The debasement of the 8 reales (peso) began slightly in 1729 when it was reduced to .7972 of a troy ounce down from .8102. It was debased slightly again in 1772, dropping to .7858 oz followed by another slight debasement to .7797 in 1791.

It was restored back to .7859 oz in 1811 where it remained until the 8 reales was called the peso with .786 oz. It returned to .7859 oz in 1910, which lasted only until 1917. As silver rose in value during the Panic of 1919, and European demand rose for reestablishing a monetary system, the Peso was sharply debased to .4663 oz before it dropped further two years later in 1920 to .3857 oz where it remained until the end of World War II.

In 1947, the peso was debased to .2251 oz and then the financial crisis of 1949, which saw the sharp collapse in the British pound, impacted the peso by dropping it further to .1286 oz in 1950. The crisis hit again in 1957, and the peso was debased to .0514 oz where it remained until 1967. The rising US dollar postwar was critical worldwide and Mexico was not exempt. That was the Recession of 1958, also known as the Eisenhower Recession, which began in 1957 and lasted for eight months. That led to a sharp worldwide economic downturn in 1958, aided by the Fed raising interest rates to try to fight postwar inflation. Then in 1967, silver vanished from the monetary system with the birth of the two-tier gold market in London during 1968.

The answer to the question, “When will Mexico recover from this political mismanagement?” appears to be due in 22 years — 2038. This is most likely reflecting the younger generation really taking charge.