Tag Archives: Hunt for Taxes

Nov 9 2017

Hillary What Happened – She Rigged the Democratic Party


Armstrong Economics Blog/Politics

Re-Posted Nov 7, 2017 by Martin Armstrong


Donna Brazile’s new memoir, Hacks, has exposed Hillary Clinton for what she really is – a corrupt manipulative politician. Brazile is the former Democratic party leader.  Behind the curtain, she is known as a foul-mouth boldface liar.  Now Brazile’s book,  reveals that Clinton took control of the party long before deciding who would be the Democrat final candidate. This is what the Clinton’s have been known for – behind-the-scenes manipulation.

Clinton knew that the Democratic party was heavily in debt.  Brazile describes Hillary’s acquisition of the party as an extortion. The Party left behind by Barack Obama inherited $24 million debt of which $15 million was bank debt, and $8 million was owed by the party to suppliers who had not been paid. In real terms, the Democratic Party was bankrupt confirming what our models had been forecasting about the decline in that party.

It was rescued by the Clintons, who had collected massive campaign contributions through their own promises and the use of the State Department. The Clintons steered the party to ensure the nomination would be Hillary’s alone. Clinton secretly took control of the strategy, finances, and staffing of the Democratic Party. That claim has been supported by the publication of fundraising agreements in question. Clinton ensured that Bernie would lose. That is why he went to the White House and met with Obama. Only after that meeting did Bernie appear to support Hillary.

Brazile has revealed that the Democrats suffer from “internal corruption”. The Clinton campaign was keeping the bankrupt Democratic Party alive with their monthly grants. Hillary did not campaign against Trump in many areas because she knew the fix was in. At the same time, the campaign had used the party to circumvent the statutory limits on a number of campaign donations. These limits are much higher for donations to party organizations than for presidential candidates. That, of course, was criminal.

Senator Elizabeth Warren has openly admitted with Brazil’s statement that Clinton’s rigging of the Democratic Party had hurt her. The primaries were “manipulated,” Warren said on demand on CNN. Warren said that the party must immediately move to a fair deal with all candidates so as not to become marginalized.

Hillary is running around the world blaming everyone but herself when she manipulated everything to get the nomination and the blame reflects the fact that she had it all rigged so in her mind she was entitled to win.

Hillary is in London even blaming Nigel Farage and BREXIT. It certainly appears she is either on this vast ego trip, or she is so deranged, she actually believes that she can run again.

Nov 9 2017

Policeman Jeff Payne Arrests Nurse for Refusing to Take Blood from Unconscious patient


Armstrong Economics Blog/Gov’t Incompetence

Re-Posted Nov 6, 2017 by Martin Armstrong

Salt Lake City and the university that runs the hospital have settled paying a Utah nurse Alex Wubbels $500,000 for an illegal and abusive arrest by a policeman Detective Jeff Payne who was demanding she take blood from an unconscious patient in violation of his rights. She refused to take his blood without a warrant. The video of her arrest had sparked public outrage at the abuse of the police. Because courts defend the police and they are rarely ever prosecuted, these policies encourage some to be just abusive knowing they can do whatever they want.

Those police officers who are respectful have got to realize that all police officers like this are ruining their own image of those who do respect the public.

Nov 9 2017

Alimony Deduction May Vanish


Armstrong Economics Blog/The Hunt for Taxes

Re-Posted Nov 6, 2017 by Martin Armstrong

The Trump Tax Reform is in part inspired by the Flat Tax idea of lowering the rate and eliminating deductions. Alimony, or spousal support, is often part of divorce agreements when there’s a big discrepancy in earnings between the two parties and the marriage has endured for more than just a few years. The idea of some “gold-digger” marrying a rich guy and then walking off with 50% of his wealth is really the stuff of fictional legend. Things acquired before a marriage are not suddenly 50% of the potential “gold-digger’s” new found wealth.

What is interest is the whole problem with alimony. In 2015, according to the data from the Internal Revenue Service, an estimated 598,888 taxpayers claimed the alimony deduction on their Form 1040. Those deductions came off the top of one’s income. The IRS reported that total of more than $12.3 billion was deducted in 2015 for alimony payments.

Here is where the problem comes in. The IRS tries to match the deduction for on the opposite side the spouse must declare it as income and that is subject to tax. According to a 2014 Treasury report, when they tried to match the deductions they discovered there was about 20% less being reported on the receiving end.

Under the elimination of deductions, alimony payments may disappear. That will seriously impact divorce settlements going forward and may result in others going back to court to ask for reductions. What may come to light is those spouses who have not been declaring the alimony. Could become interesting.

I had a friend who remained married and lived together he said because (1) it was too expensive to get divorced, and (2) nobody wanted custody of the children who were draining the resources in perpetual school loans.

Nov 9 2017

Ferguson Riots Have Another Face – Police Raise 23% of Revenue in Fines


Armstrong Economics Blog/Corruption

Re-Posted Nov 6, 2017 by Martin Armstrong

The town of Ferguson made headlines as riots appeared. Who will not forget the police with military gear acting like an invading army. Many supported the police and much of the Black Lives Matter movement began there. The story nobody wanted to tell was that the police of Ferguson have a real attitude problem that sparked the riot. That is because they are trained to raise money for the town. Ferguson uses police and the Courts to prey on its residents to raise money and 23% of its entire budget is based upon writing tickets and handing out the maximum fines. They then jail people who can’t pay.

Ferguson expects to raise $3.09 million of projected $13.26 in revenue from fines and fees. They use the police to raise money. For example, an unmowed lawn in Ferguson will be fined between $77 and $102, though in some other cities it’s a $5 offense. Take a 2-week vacation, and you have a ticket when you come home.

This is the entire problem. No government should be allowed to fine people PERIOD! You should be ordered to pay to a charity of your choice – but not to the government. Remove the “money” from their incentive and we will return the rule of law to what it should be – justice.

Nov 5 2017

Former Bush Presidents Pen Book Specifically To Trash President Donald Trump…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on November 5, 2017 by

Personally I hold a slow burning fuse…. As a general disposition I also find no value in cussing.  However, there are times in the course of current events when a person steps forth that is so arrogant, so condescending, and reflects behavior that is so self-serving, so genuinely and painfully a fraud of the highest order; that there’s just not enough tongue to bite.  Fuck George Bush – both of them.

The former presidents’ have penned a book waxing philosophically about their losing control of the republican party.  In the title of the book they have the audacity to call themselves “The Last Republicans”. :::gag:::

Within their high-minded views of their own importance, ie. as gatekeepers of things righteous within the body politic, they can’t even see their pontificating elitism and how that condescending arrogance destroyed a cherished part of our nation; our middle-class.  CONSIDER:

NEWSWEEK – Both former President Bushes had choice words for current President Donald Trump in a new book scheduled to be published later this month, with the elder Bush reportedly calling the billionaire commander-in-chief a “blowhard” and flatly stating he does not “like” him.

Presidents George Bush and George W. Bush, the 41st and 43rd top executives respectively, spoke to author Mark K. Updegrove for the book “The Last Republicans.” It detailed the relationship between the father-and-son presidents and how they were fretful of what Trump had done to the Republican Party.

Furthermore, both ex-presidents admitted they did not vote for Trump. The elder Bush pulled the lever for Democrat Hillary Clinton while the younger told Updegrove he voted for “none of the above.” (read more)

Damn, just think about this.

President George Bush (41) attended the Ohio 2016 GOP convention – where the people’s nominee, Donald J Trump, gave effusive praise to the former President.  Yet that man, that slimy creature of pus filled with bile and self-interest, has the audacity to pen a book telling the world that he voted for Hillary ‘effen’ Clinton.

Screw you slime-ball.

These jackass former Presidents, whom many of us defended while surrounded by a 360 degree furnace of hate, specifically because we uphold honor to the office of the presidency and respect the will of the voters who put them their,… these shallow and small bitter shells of humanity, have the nerve to keep their mouths shut during the entirety of an Obama presidency that destroyed the very fabric of our constitutional values; and now step forth to say the people’s president is a “blowhard” who hurts their delicate sensibilities?

Seriously?

These Globalist idiots who intentionally constructed economic policies (think NAFTA), that sold out the interests of the U.S. to their corporate friends and foreign finance interests, have the audacity to bemoan the goals of an American President who simply wants to rebuild the values of middle-America and restore the economic sovereignty to hard-working blue collar people.

There is no value in hatred.  But if there ever was a time when the invalue of hate aligned itself with an accurate target, the Bush family -writ large- would be the visible personification.

This family began a war in Iraq based entirely on a lie.  A lie that killed 4,526 soldiers; left more than 32,000 Americans wounded and cost over three trillion dollars.

This family sold out our economy to the highest international bidder; and along with the usurping Democrats of like-minded sentiment, gave away our most important assets while indulging themselves personally within the scheme and graft.

The Bush policies were so inherently anti-American, and so devastating in consequence, that the outcome of them was to exit office having given the Democrats a filibuster proof majority in the Senate, full control of the House and control of the executive branch to a the only person possibly defined as more inept than themselves, Barack Obama.

As a direct consequence of the Bush failures we were forced to receive ObamaCare, which, ten years later, is still destroying the very fabric of the U.S. economy and collapsing the financial stability of the American worker; and during which time they sat quietly surrounded by their own indulgences and said nothing.

… And they have the audacity to pen a publication to claim themselves as the “Last Republicans”?

Then again, the Bush failures were so well understood, and so well versed and felt by the electorate, the 2016 GOP nominee won the nomination, and later the oval office, specifically by campaigning against the very principles these “Last Republicans” seek to retain.

Indeed, you can make a solid argument that without the Bush Family, which led to an Obama presidency, there would never have been a need for a Donald Trump.

So yeah, the last republicans is probably correct.

 

Nov 5 2017

President Trump Phone Call With Saudi Arabia King Salman…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on November 5, 2017 by

Against the backdrop of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, conducting a massive sweep of corrupt Saudi officials, President Trump and King Salman release a readout of their phone call:

WHITE HOUSE – President Donald J. Trump spoke yesterday with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia. King Salman expressed his condolences for the recent terrorist attack in New York City. President Trump thanked the King for his support and emphasized Americas commitment to defeating ISIS.

The leaders also discussed the continuing threat of Iranian-backed Houthi militias in Yemen and last nights intercepted missile attack on Riyadh. They emphasized the importance of countering extremist ideologies and championing moderation and tolerance.

The President commended the King on achieving the commitments he announced during the historic Riyadh Summit earlier this year, including launching the Terrorist Financing Targeting Center and the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology.

President Trump thanked the King for military purchases, including a $15 billion investment in Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and billions more in commitments and investments. The President assured the King that he would support the purchase of appropriate military equipment that would keep Saudi Arabia safe and help create American jobs.

The President asked the King to strongly consider listing Aramco on a stock exchange in the United States. Additionally, President Trump noted that the King and Crown Princes recent public statements regarding the need to build a moderate, peaceful, and tolerant region are essential to ensuring a hopeful future for the Saudi people, to curtailing terrorist funding, and to defeating radical ideology once and for all so the world can be safe from its evil.  (link)

Nov 5 2017

Rewriting History Continues


Armstrong Economics Blog/History

Re-Posted Nov 5, 2017 by Martin Armstrong

A historic Episcopal church in Alexandria, Va., has made the decision to move a pair of plaques that paid tribute to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee and President George Washington. Both were former parishioners and the plaques were displayed on either side of the altar at Christ Church in Alexandria.

General Robert E. Lee had written to the New York Times and said he would free all his slaves and that was before the war.  It just seems as if this drive to rewrite history is going too far. I had gone into East Germany through CheckPoint-Charlie before the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. To my shock, almost nothing is left. The wooden walkway I had to walk on because there were mines on either side of me is gone. Granted, it was a symbol of oppression. But destroying it means the generations that follow will never see what it was.

If you remove all the monuments to the American Civil War, you will also forget the history. This is also what the Taliban did in Afghanistan and what ISIS has done in Iraq. If history offends, it is not right to try to eliminate it and pretend it never happened. That is a sure-fire way to make sure history repeats if nobody remembers past mistakes.

Nov 5 2017

The Cycle Keeps Going – Everyone Gets their Spot in Fame


Armstrong Economics Blog/Understanding Cycles

Re-Posted Nov 5, 2017 by Martin Armstrong

QUESTION: Dear Mr. Armstrong, I had stopped watching TV a decade ago. Then one late night in August 2015, for no particular reason, I switch on some Swedish channel, and voila! I see The Forecaster. It shattered me… I’m your faithful follower ever since. If anyone deserves a Nobel in Economics – or Peace – it is you, Sir. I hope that day will come.

Now, I have a few questions for you. The problem of overpopulation; what is the future for struggling, abandoned Ukraine; is there an end for the Russian Empire? If you will have time and wish to comment any of these, I will greatly appreciate your thoughts. Many thanks for your shared generosity, Sir.
All the best to you and your family,
AM

ANSWER: Nature has its way of solving overpopulation. Viruses constantly mutate and antibiotics cannot fight a virus. It was the Black Death which wiped out 50% of the population of Europe on average. It has always been cyclical. Then we have war, which also thins the herd. Cycles will take care of that issue.

Ukraine will survive. Its biggest problem is corruption. You can change the head of state, but the body remains. You will see another revolution as the economy turns down and again they will overthrow the establishment.

All empires die. Both Russia and the United States will not look the same 50 years from now. The global economy is shifting toward China. They will become the financial capital of the world after 2032.

The world will survive. It will just keep on going. The politics changes and everyone gets their 15 minutes of fame. Sweden used to also be a great power against Russia

Nov 4 2017

USTR Robert Lighthizer Interviewed By Laura Ingraham…


Re-Posted from The Conservative Tree House on November 4, 2017 by

United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer was interviewed by Fox News host Laura Ingraham ahead of his important participation in the Asia trip.

Within the interview Ambassador Lighthizer shows his wolverine attitude toward the ongoing trade deals and his role within the larger geopolitical strategy of the Trump Doctrine.  There’s solid, affirming and unwavering economic insight within this interview.

Interestingly Lighthizer mentions the national security aspects inherent within the administration’s economic trade strategy. He details how his role, within the larger policy, is to focus intensely on achieving the best ‘America-First‘ trade deal possible. “Killers”.

Secretary Wilbur Ross (commerce), Secretary Steven Mnuchin (treasury), Secretary Rex Tillerson (state) and Secretary James Mattis (defense) then collate the outcome and ultimately President Trump makes the final decision.  Working in concert, together they map how to use the leverage within the Lighthizer’s deals to achieve national security objectives.

Nov 4 2017

The Butter Shortage in France – Thank You EU


Armstrong Economics Blog/Agriculture

Re-Posted Nov 4, 2017 by Martin Armstrong

 


There is a butter shortage in Europe that has seen prices soar by 300% without speculators. The problem can be traced to the end of milk-production quotas in April 2015 directed by the EU that led to a glut early last year in Europe. Centralized planning just never gets it right. Setting regulations requiring the production of butter is just something politicians are never good at. Once the quotas were eliminated, the artificial prices dropped drastically and then farmers stopped producing.

Now with the collapse in production, a shortage took place and then prices have soared. The timing was rather special because, on a global perspective, milk product exporters were curbing their own output in the United States and stopped selling abroad. The higher domestic demand was sparked by New Zealand, the world’s biggest dairy exporter, had experienced lower production due to droughts.

The French like their croissants that require butter. The French stores have refused to pay three times more for butter so even the French farmers have been selling to the rest of Europe. France has gone into a massive butter shortage by at least 30% of the demand cannot be met.