GUNS: The bias against guns

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/01/09/bias-against-guns-what-media-isnt-telling/?intcmp=ob_homepage_opinion&intcmp=obnetwork

SECOND AMENDMENT
The bias against guns: What the media isn’t telling you
By Dr. John R. Lott Jr.Published January 09, 2015FoxNews.com

*** begin quote ***

Weren’t these stories equally newsworthy? To save a stranger, a permit holder stood up to four attackers. Without the pastor’s concealed handgun permit, there could have been a mass shooting in a crowded church. That would surely have gotten massive national news coverage, but the pastor stopping the attack wasn’t considered a story.

The lopsided coverage gives Americans a skewed view of guns.

*** and ***

I can’t find another similar case of a child accidentally firing a permit holder’s concealed handgun. For decades, there have been millions of permit holders. Today, there are 12 million. It will probably be a very long time before there’s another case like this.

*** and ***

Unfortunately, despite the family’s claim to the contrary, the extremely rare tragedy with Veronica Rutledge likely arose because she stored her gun improperly.  If she had a semi-automatic pistol, as some reports indicate, it would have been impossible for a two-year-old to have the strength to pull the slide back on the gun to chamber the first round. If she had a revolver or most pistols, it seems exceedingly unlikely that child would have switched off the safety.  Thus, she had either already chambered the first round in the gun herself and/or switched off the safety,  thus negating the gun’s safety features.

*** end quote ***

Argh!

When I read the report, I knew that it would “lead the bleed”.

And, equally as well, I KNEW it was a “User error”.

Guns just don’t “go off”!

Argh!

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GOVEROTRAGEOUS: Photography is Not a Crime PINAC hotline 305-900-3069

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

http://photographyisnotacrime.com/2015/01/nj-man-arrested-refusing-hand-camera-evidence-cop-veers-off-road/

NJ Man Arrested for Refusing to Hand Over Camera as “Evidence” After Cop Veers Off Road
Posted by: Carlos Miller in January 10, 2015

*** begin quote ***

A New Jersey man was arrested Thursday after refusing to hand over his video camera to a cop, who insisted he needed it as “evidence,” even though case law makes it very clear that citizens do not have to give up their footage unless their camera was used in the commission of a crime.

You would think a detective from the prosecutor’s office would know better.

But then again, cops make up their own laws when trying to protect their own.

After all, the so-called evidence demanded by detective Dave Margentino from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office involved a fellow cop who had veered off the road in a single-car accident, needing to be airlifted to the hospital.

Andrew Flinchbaugh, 23, was video recording the aftermath of the accident, standing well out the way of police and rescue officials, recording the victim being loaded onto the copter as well as the copter taking off.

*** end quote ***

No wonder inmates in the Pepuls Republik of Nu Jerzee are fleeing the state at the first chance they get.

 Call the Photography is Not a Crime PINAC hotline 305-900-3069 from your phone.

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NJ Man Arrested for Refusing to Hand Over Camera as “Evidence” After Cop Veers Off Road

Posted by: Carlos Millerin 1st Amendment, 4th Amendment, Bad Cop, No Donut, Cell Phone Cam, City Attorney, Know Your Rights!, PINAC News, PINAC News Top 3, Police Abuse, Prosecutor, Recording the Police, The Blue Line, Transparency, Viral VideosJanuary 10, 2015 21 Comments 1,873 Views

 

A New Jersey man was arrested Thursday after refusing to hand over his video camera to a cop, who insisted he needed it as “evidence,” even though case law makes it very clear that citizens do not have to give up their footage unless their camera was used in the commission of a crime.

You would think a detective from the prosecutor’s office would know better.

But then again, cops make up their own laws when trying to protect their own.

After all, the so-called evidence demanded by detective Dave Margentino from the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office involved a fellow cop who had veered off the road in a single-car accident, needing to be airlifted to the hospital.

Andrew Flinchbaugh, 23, was video recording the aftermath of the accident, standing well out the way of police and rescue officials, recording the victim being loaded onto the copter as well as the copter taking off.

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Posted by reinkefj

HARDWARE: LIVESCRIBE still not recommended

Monday, January 12, 2015

http://www.livescribe.com/en-us/

I’ve been using it primarily for work to move meeting notes from paper to email.

  • the capacitive top’s rubber falls off; sometimes the whole top is lost
  • the quality of the writing that comes from the pen is poor at best
  • the recognition of handwriting to text has never materialized
  • the integration with EVERNOTE is worse with the new pens versus the old versions
  • the opening of a new volume is cumbersome at best
  • the iPhone client is annoyingly slow
  • iPhone client forwards the notes as a jpg 

As soon as I can cost effectively move to either the Samsung Note or the iPhone6+ with the handwriting recognition, I will.

This then goes in the technology dust bin of mistakes.

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Posted by reinkefj

FACEBOOK: I like Varney & Co but … …

Sunday, January 11, 2015

BUT, (and there is always a BIG butt)

https://www.facebook.com/varneyco

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I MADE THREE SUGGESTIONS:

(1) I miss the Varney “rant” that used to occur at the end of the program.

(2) How about a inet version that cuts out all the market checks and “filler”? Just the guests and opinions. I work for a living and can mostly only watch at night. I’d even watch ONE of each commercial. When I watch live, I really hate the same commercial played several times during the show.

(3) Don’t take so much time off. When I was off, so were you. Schedule you vacation better. (Laugh!)

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Posted by reinkefj

HARDWARE: Used the “lost phone” mode on Apple with iCloud — flawlessly

Saturday, January 10, 2015

RE: Lost Mode enabled on 571-xxx-xxxx

locked-nolocation_iphone__2x.png

Lost Mode enabled on 571-xxx-xxxx.

This device was put into Lost Mode at 5:14 PM on January 5, 2015.

 

Use Find My iPhone on an iOS device or visit icloud.com/find on a Mac or PC to take additional action.

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571-xxx-xxxx was found near 3124 Route #27 Kendall Park, NJ 08824 at 5:14 PM.
Your iPhone’s last reported location will be available for 24 hours.

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GOVEROTRAGEOUS: “Connecticut” molests a young woman

Friday, January 9, 2015

http://connecticut.cbslocal.com/2015/01/05/state-forces-connecticut-teen-with-cancer-to-receive-chemotherapy/

State Forces Connecticut Teen With Cancer To Undergo Chemotherapy
January 5, 2015 8:54 AM

*** begin quote ***

Hartford, Conn. (CBS CONNECTICUT) – A 17-year-old girl with cancer is in an unprecedented legal battle with the state of Connecticut as the Department of Children and Families removed her from her home and forced the teen to receive chemotherapy.The girl being identified as “Cassandra C.” in court papers was diagnosed with cancer in September, with doctors recommending she receive chemotherapy for the rare condition of Hodgkins Lymphoma. However, the teen refused treatment and her mother supported her daughter’s decision, causing Connecticut’s Department of Children and Families to step in and force the teen to receive treatment, WTIC-TV reports.

*** end quote ***

Where does the ego of the Gooferment end?

Are we “free”?

Not by this example!

“We, The Sheeple” are “OWNED” by the various Gooferments.

Argh!

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Posted by reinkefj

POLITICAL: Gulf of Tonkin was entirely fabricated

Thursday, January 8, 2015

http://www.thedailysheeple.com/2015-reminder-government-word-is-worthless_012015

2015 Reminder: Government Word is Worthless
Robert Barsocchini
Washington’s Blog
January 3rd, 2015

*** begin quote ***

1. Pentagon historians write (ch. 18) that in June, 1964, a top US official relayed a secret message to the military commander of the brutal and hated US puppet-dictatorship in South Vietnam that “…the United States Government would in the immediate future be preparing U.S. public opinion for actions against North Vietnam.”

Within two months, on August 2, 1964, the United States Government carried out its planned, coordinated Gulf of Tonkin disinformation campaign.  US officials coordinated with each other and fabricated an entire event, then announced the fake event to the US public via various media outlets, to justify a massive escalation of the USA’s ongoing genocide against the people of Vietnam and Indochina generally.

US officials said, straight to the faces of the US public, that Vietnam attacked a civilian US ship in international waters.  In reality, it was a US military ship illegally invading Vietnamese territorial waters, and it was never attacked.  The US followed this up by entirely fabricating yet another such story.

Having thus “prepared” US public opinion through mass, coordinated, brazen lying, the US proceeded to kill millions more people in Indochina and send tens of thousands more young US men (many under forced death-labor, or “draft”, “laws”, which US officials also made up) to their violent deaths.  At the same time, the US was persecuting and brutally repressing people at home for peacefully speaking out against the war, jailing them as well as firing live rounds into crowds, killing or crippling several young people.

*** end quote ***

I disagree with the author about “worthless”. It’s less than “worthless”. It’s a NEGATIVE!

“We, The Sheeple” can’t trust ANYTHING from the Gooferment, or it’s lapdog propaganda arm laugably called the Media.

Just look at anything the Gooferment, its politicians, and its bureaucrats say.

It’s spun, parse, tweaked, and usually not true.

Sorry, but secession is the only option.

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POLITICAL: Top 10 Nanny State Fails of 2014

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lenore-skenazy/top-10-nanny-state-fails-of-2014_b_6367910.html

Lenore Skenazy
Founder of Free-Range Kids

Top 10 Nanny State Fails of 2014
Posted: 12/29/2014 1:16 pm EST Updated: 12/29/2014 1:59 pm EST

*** begin quote ***

2. Government bulldozes beloved special needs playground. A Seattle playground designed for kids with special needs was destroyed because it presented “extreme dangers”… even though over the course of its 10 year history, no child was seriously injured on it.

*** end quote ***

Argh!

Another example of the Gooferment being immoral, ineffective, and inefficient!

Some of the others are seriously worse. I thought this one was funny.

If we get people laughing at “them” and their stupidity, then they will lose their “gravitas”.

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RANT: Blood Center of New Jersey shuts down

Monday, January 5, 2015

December 15, 2014

Dear Valued Donor:

I am writing to let you know about important news affecting the Blood Center of New Jersey (BCNJ). As you may know, the blood center has experienced significant financial difficulties over the past several years. To better serve the community, the Board of Trustees has taken steps to transition our operations to Community Blood Services (CBS), one of the oldest and largest New Jersey-based blood centers.

There are some legal processes to complete before the transition is completed, but BCNJ and CBS are working together to ensure that the transfer of operations occurs with minimal inconvenience to our donors and customers. We expect to know more in the next several weeks but until then, our blood centers are open and we and CBS are conducting blood drives throughout the area.

I urge you to continue to donate blood and to encourage friends and family to join you to assure a strong blood supply for the holidays. We will keep you posted on our news and hope to see you on a drive soon.

Sincerely,

BLOOD CENTER OF NEW JERSEY

Thomas R. Koester
Chief Financial Officer

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Argh! No wonder my platelet donations have been screwed up. 

I’ve rescheduled with ARC.

Argh!

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Posted by reinkefj

LIBERTY: Jury Nullification is alive and well in Kansas

Monday, January 5, 2015

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/12/30/if-you-do-not-have-a-reasonable-doubt-then-you-will-enter-a-verdict-of-guilty/

The Volokh Conspiracy
‘If you do not have a reasonable doubt … then you will enter a verdict of guilty’
By Eugene Volokh December 30, 2014
From the Kansas Supreme Court’s decision in State v. Smith-Parker (Kan. Dec. 24, 2014):

*** begin quote ***

The [jury] instruction read: “If you do not have a reasonable doubt from all the evidence that the State has proven murder in the first degree on either or both theories, then you will enter a verdict of guilty.” (Emphasis added.) According to Smith-Parker, the instruction should have been identical to the general reasonable doubt instruction that was also given. That instruction said: “If you have no reasonable doubt as to the truth of each of the claims required to be proved by the State, you should find the defendant guilty.” (Emphasis added.) …

*** end quote ***

Note the nuance that the Big Gooferment uses to keep “We, The Sheeple” ignorant of their right to judge the law.

That’s why I never get on a jury.

Remember: No victim; no crime. 

Vice, drugs, etc. etc. — if they can’t show blood or treasure lost, then not guilty.

Argh!

Sheeple!

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Posted by reinkefj

INTERESTING: Cartoonist in Jail

Sunday, January 4, 2015

http://www.laweekly.com/publicspectacle/2014/12/31/when-a-cartoonist-landed-in-la-county-jail-she-drew-what-she-saw-using-only-a-golf-pencil

First Person
When a Cartoonist Landed in L.A. County Jail, She Drew What She Saw, Using Only a Golf Pencil
By Elana Pritchard
Wed, Dec 31, 2014 at 4:00 AM

*** begin quote ***

In June 2014, I was arrested for violating a court order. I bailed out on July 3. But because I had no money and an overworked public defender, I knew I’d have to serve time for my violation. That’s when my mentor, animator-director Ralph Bakshi, advised me to “document my exploits.” Jailed in the women’s division of the Los Angeles County jail system for two months, I was sent first to Century Regional Detention Facility (CRDF) in Lynwood and then to Twin Towers Correctional Facility in downtown Los Angeles for my final three weeks. Armed with nothing more than a golf pencil and whatever paper I could get my hands on, I drew the strange world into which I’d been dropped. 

*** end quote ***

I read some of this and I was actually sickened.

And, this is supposedly a free society?

Disgraceful.

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POLITICAL: “Public” pensions need to be converted to defined contribution plans

Saturday, January 3, 2015

http://www.therightcurmudgeon.com/2014/12/the-public-employee-pension-scam/

The Public Employee Pension Scam
Commentary
Dec 30, 2014

*** begin quote ***

Every public pension fund plays this game.  CalPERS, the California State Pension system, is reporting a shortfall of $260 billion.  The problem with that number is that they are assuming a return on investment of 7.5% in order to get to the $260B number.  In and of itself, $260B isn’t pocket change, but the reality is much, much worse.

In fact, using public sector accounting rules, CalPERS shortfall is more like $986 billion.  Because the shortfall is projected over the life of the fund, when it hits it’s going to be way too late to actually do anything about it.

*** end quote ***

What the private sector is doing? Converting.

In actuality, “We, The Sheeple” should be worried.

All “pensions” should be converted to defined contribution plans!

TANSTAAFL (“There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch” From Robert Heinlein’s classic) 

Argh!

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Posted by reinkefj

POLITICAL: Big Insurance is a Crony Capitalist in MA

Friday, January 2, 2015

http://dailycaller.com/2014/12/26/report-massachusetts-auto-insurers-subsidized-and-calling-the-shots/

Report: Massachusetts Auto Insurers Subsidized And Calling The Shots
5:23 PM 12/26/2014
PETER FRICKE
Contributor

*** begin quote ***

A recent investigation has found that Massachusetts not only spends millions to subsidize private auto insurers, but also suspends drivers’ licenses at their request.

According to WHAV News, employees of the taxpayer-funded Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) “process paperwork and otherwise subsidize private insurance companies in the administration of ‘Driver Retraining Programs’ even when there is no state interest—criminal or civil—at stake.”

*** end quote ***

I am shocked … “I’m shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!” Captain Renault in Casablanca … that the State Gooferment and Big Insurance are in cahoots.

Imagine how much cheaper “insurance” would be if it was not “regulated”.

Just as “life insurance” is cheap and easy to get and keep.

The greater the Gooferment involvement, the more expensive and “crony” it is!

Argh!

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INTERESTING: Why can’t we all use GMT as our time?

Thursday, January 1, 2015

2015-Jan-01

2015 Jan 01 NYE

I was thinking that if “we” all used GMT+0 (Zulu?) that we could all celebrate at the same time?

And, end a lot of confusion of time zones. That’s what computers do! And the US military.

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Posted by reinkefj

SOFTWARE: Easy installs are not always secure

Thursday, January 1, 2015

I have been playing with wikis.

I use two Website Service Providers.

(One for “production” and the other for “fun”.)

So I slapped up a MEDIAWIKI on WSP#1 and in short order it was being used by Chinese hackers.

Nuked it. And still trying to get WSP#1 to unsuspend the account.

So i put up MEDIAWIKI on WSP#2 and in short order it was being used by some other hackers.

Nuked it.

So I put up TIKI WIKI which looks like it installs in more secure start up mode.

It doesn’t install correctly.

Argh!

Depending upon how I make out with WSP#1 and WSP#2, I’ll reveal the identities at later date.

YMMV

— 30 — 

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Posted by reinkefj

NEWJERSEY: Missing children

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

http://patch.com/new-jersey/southbrunswick/are-missing-md-children-new-jersey?utm_source=newsletter-daily&utm_medium=email&utm_term=police%20%26%20fire&utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_content=article-mostrecent

2014 Dec 31 child1

Are Missing Md. Children In New Jersey?

Father continues to search for two children who disappeared four months ago in mother’s care while she remains in mental hospital

By Karen Wall (Patch Staff)December 30, 2014 at 4:58pm

Troy Turner, the children’s father, has been searching on his own in the months since. On the FindSarahFindJacob Facebook page Turner posted late Sunday: “Possible sighting on NJ Turnpike North at Exit 8A-9 – Yesterday December 28th ~4 PM Eastern.”

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I assume if you see anything or know anything, call the local or NJ state police.

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SECURITY: Tricks for passwords

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

http://www.networkworld.com/article/2860418/security0/6-simple-tricks-for-protecting-your-passwords.html?nsdr=true

6 simple tricks for protecting your passwords
By Maria Korolov Follow
Network World | Dec 22, 2014 3:00 AM PT

*** begin quote ***

We all know that the current username-and-password system is broken. With Russian hackers reportedly sitting on over a billion passwords, and new breaches hitting the news on a regular basis, it’s fair to assume that if hackers don’t have your password already, they’re about to.

“Most websites and companies require passwords that are at least eight characters long, contain lower and upper case characters, a number, and one or more special characters,” says Vincent Berk, CEO of network security firm FlowTraq.

These kinds of password policies have actually reduced security overall, argues Jacob West, CTO at HP Enterprise Security Products. “We need to bring some sanity back to our password policies,” he says. “A human will never be able to meet these requirements.”

*** and ***

1. Letter substitution cipher: a=b

2. Letter substitution cipher: a=s

3. Never write down encrypted passwords; banana, not nsmsms

4. Use earworms to your advantage: Wheels on the bus go round and round

5. The mnemonic code: a=alpha

6. Add site name to end of password: banana-twitter

*** and ***

One popular alternative is to use a password management tool that keeps all your passwords in an encrypted file, usually in combination with apps on your desktop, laptop and mobile devices.

*** end quote ***

I have used all of these at one time or another.

I think LASTPASS with a complex master password written no where is “good enough” for my non-financial passwords. The few financial ones I have memorized.

AND … …

For those sites who use “security questions”, Users should treat those just like passwords. Do NOT use real answers.

Happy New Year!

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GOVEROTRAGEOUS: “Main Street” was financially “raped”

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/21/business/fresh-doubt-over-the-bailout-of-aig.html?_r=0

Fresh Doubt Over the Bailout of A.I.G.DEC. 20, 2014
By GRETCHEN MORGENSON

*** begin quote ***

Last week, Edward Kane, a finance professor at Boston College and an expert on financial regulatory failures, said, “We’ve learned so much from this case that everyone wanted to cover up.” Mr. Kane said that while he is not on Starr’s side in the litigation, the facts that it has surfaced are important for citizens to understand.

“These are the equivalent of storm troopers marching in and throwing their weight around and telling lies about it afterward,” he said. “The lawsuit is an effort to make these people accountable that has not been available through the political system.”

*** end quote ***

It’s clear to me that Goldman was pulling the strings from behind the scenes.

Bear Sterns, a Goldman competitor, was executed!

The FED and Treasury stampeded Congress into the rescue.

And as soon as the funds were voted, the “rules of engagement” were changed to benefit the Big Banks and Wall Street. AKA Goldman.

Argh!

And “We, The Sheeple” and the Taxpayers, as well as “Main Street” were financially “raped”!

And, Ms. Warren not withstanding, it continues to go on!

Argh!

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TECHNOLOGY: Equip ALL planes with a locator that can’t be turned off

Monday, December 29, 2014

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20141229/as–indonesia-plane-f312b6eda8.html

In crowded skies, lost plane’s request for new path denied
Dec 29, 10:08 AM (ET)
By TRISNADI MARJAN and MARGIE MASON (AP)

*** begin quote *** 

SURABAYA, Indonesia (AP) — The plane sought permission to climb above threatening clouds. Air traffic control couldn’t say yes immediately — there was no room. Six other commercial airliners were crowding the surrounding airspace, forcing AirAsia Flight 8501 to remain at a lower altitude.

*** end quote ***

First, how crowded are the “friendly skies”?

Second, in today’s age, one always thinks of terrorism.

Third, guess “we” still have not fitted ALL planes with a locator that can’t be turned off. 

Fourth, didn’t, after the MH370, we learn that the engines “call home”?

Argh!

Praying for these souls and their families. But it looks grim.

— 30 — 

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Posted by reinkefj

TINFOILHAT: Did dot gov pay Sony to pull the movie?

Monday, December 29, 2014

http://www.commanderzero.com/?p=2283

Just some ramblings
Posted on December 19, 2014

*** begin quote ***

Im fascinated at the notion of the North Koreans determining what movies we can and cannot watch. I have a conspiracy theory that the .gov paid Sony to pull the movie and compensate them for their loss in order to avoid the threatened ‘events’ that would take place at theaters in the US that showed the movie. But…thats all conspiracy theory. On the other hand, you can bet right now that industry underwriters are changing their policies to specifically exempt this sort of blackmail in future studio insurance policies.

*** end quote ***

Certainly makes sense.

Given how chummy BHO44 is with the Hollywood elite.

Not that “We, The Sheeple” will ever find out!

Argh!

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GOVEROTRAGEOUS: Eliminate the death tax

Sunday, December 28, 2014

http://www.economics21.org/commentary/tax-change-business-alive-after-your-death-2014-12-19

This Tax Change Could Keep Your Business Alive After Your Death
Diana Furchtgott-Roth
12/19/2014

*** begin quote ***

As 2014 draws to a close, many people are thinking of tax planning strategies. Some might donate to charity, others might choose to pay state taxes early. One novel idea that has just been proposed on Capitol Hill would allow people to decide when to pay estate taxes.

*** end quote ***

Here’s a better idea. Eliminate the death tax entirely.

Since only “poor” people pay it!

Argh!

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This Tax Change Could Keep Your Business Alive After Your Death

Diana Furchtgott-Roth | 12/19/2014 | 
Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on emailShare on printMore Sharing Services0
This Tax Change Could Keep Your Business Alive After Your Death

As 2014 draws to a close, many people are thinking of tax planning strategies. Some might donate to charity, others might choose to pay state taxes early. One novel idea that has just been proposed on Capitol Hill would allow people to decide when to pay estate taxes.

 

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Posted by reinkefj

GOVEROTRAGEOUS: Utah’s Republican Crony Capitalism

Saturday, December 27, 2014

http://www.forbes.com/sites/patrickgleason/2014/12/15/republican-crony-capitalism-run-amok-out-west/

STATE & URBAN 12/15/2014 @ 6:18AM 
Republican Crony Capitalism On Display Out West

Patrick Gleason
Contributor 

*** begin quote ***

Utah’s traditional insurance brokerage community is none too pleased about having to compete with Zenefits. On November 20, Utah Insurance Commissioner Todd Kiser sent a letter to Zenefits, informing the company that it is violating Utah inducement and rebating laws because it offers its software for free. Kiser said the company should be assessed $5,000 for each violation and twice the profit generated per violation. Because of this, Zenefits would currently be on the hook for at $97,000 penalty.

Kiser told Zenefits that it could come into compliance with state law by raising prices and ceasing to advertise. Zenefits does not charge businesses for their software, but they generate a profit from commission paid by the insurance providers with which they connect their clients. Zenefits understandably does not wish to go along with Kiser’s orders. It’s worth noting that Commissioner Kiser was an insurance broker for 25 years prior to being elected to the state legislature. Kiser’s dictate, at the expense of small businesses, will protect brick-and-mortar brokerages like the one he used to run. He even said, in his own words, “the ease of using Zenefits” is part of the reason why he went after them.

*** end quote ***

“Crony capitalism is a term describing an economy in which success in business depends on close relationships between business people and government officials. It may be exhibited by favoritism in the distribution of legal permits, government grants, special tax breaks, or other forms of state interventionism.”

Crony capitalism – Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crony_capitalism

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Anyone, who thinks that EITHER political party is not corrupt, is naïve at best.

This is an example of why the USA isn’t “land of the free”.

You can’t compete if you don’t kowtow to the politicians and bureaucrats! 

At least, the Mafia protects you for your money!

Robbery is robbery reguardless of if you use the guns of Gooferment or your own.

Argh!

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Posted by reinkefj

POLITICAL: Time to end the “(pseudo) War on (some) Drugs”!

Friday, December 26, 2014

http://patch.com/new-jersey/middletown-nj/middletown-physician-charged-five-others-running-prescription-drug-ring

New Jersey Physician Charged With Five Others For Running Prescription Drug Ring
A suspended Middletown physician was busted along with five others for selling forged Oxycodone prescriptions for $300 to $400, police say.
By Caitlin Brown (Patch Staff)
December 20, 2014 at 8:19am

*** begin quote ***

Detectives have dismantled a prescription drug ring run by a suspended physician Thursday night following a monthlong investigation, announced Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

Six people were arrested for their respective roles in a prescription drug ring, including Dr. Kenneth Lewandowski, 51, of Tatum Drive in Middletown, who is charged with six counts of third degree Conspiracy, six counts of third degree Forgery and the Unlawful Practice of Medicine – a third degree crime.

*** and ***

“Drug addiction is a menace to our society. The Middletown Police Department remains firmly committed to working closely with our law enforcement partners to apprehend and prosecute anyone involved in illegal drug sales. This case is a great example of how law enforcement is working together to address this deadly issue,” said Middletown Police Chief R. Craig Weber.

*** and ***

“We cannot fail to recognize that drug dealers don’t just hang out on street corners or in parking lots. Sometimes drug dealers wear familiar uniforms, have specialized degrees and they live and work within our communities,” Gramiccioni added. “Our preconceived stereotypes are challenged when a trained physician turns his back on his duty to save lives so he can rake in cash at the expense of others enslaved by these drugs.”

*** end quote ***

Don’t buy into the “(pseudo) War on (some) Drugs”?

All the force that the Gooferment has applied to this “problem” and the Unintended Consequences are the real problem.

With all the “laws”, diktats, and regulations haven’t budge the rate of addiction.

And the prisons are filled with “offenders”.

Time to recognize that Prohibition didn’t work for booze and it’s not working against certain drugs.

Sad that in the Gooferment Skrules it’s easier to get Marijuana than booze.

All this does is make it “cool”. 

And very dangerous.

Let’s turn from the meme of “force” and “prohibition” to the meme of it’s a “medical problem”.

In the meantime, let Walmart be our weapon against the illegal drug dealers who kill the unfortunate addicts. It’s rumored that if there was a free market in drugs, that the junk would be cheaper than aspirin. And a lot safer.

Envision that an addict could be a burger flipper and afford his addiction.

And, we could shift the budget from “enforcement” to “treatment”.

Laissez-faire is an economic system in which transactions between private parties are free from intrusive government restrictions, tariffs, and subsidies, with only enough regulations to protect property rights.

Want to kick the habit? Then there are resources available. Don’t want to? Make it cheap and safe for an addict to indulge. 

It’s immoral to coerce people to behave the way the Gooferment thinks is “good for them”.

Argh!

Time to end the “(pseudo) War on (some) Drugs”!

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POLITICAL: “No room at the inn”

Thursday, December 25, 2014

http://techcrunch.com/2014/12/18/ending-the-invisibility-of-homelessness/

Ending The Invisibility Of Homelessness
by Kevin F. Adler

*** begin quote ***

Last night in San Francisco, 6436 of our neighbors slept on the streets or in shelters.

The lack of affordable, safe, and supportive housing is a scourge on society. It costs $90K to maintain a human being on the streets for a year, compared to $18K to provide supportive housing to a previously homeless person. Over the last 10 years, an influx of 75,000 people have moved to San Francisco, while only 17,000 new housing units have been built.

We can end chronic homelessness by 2020 by providing affordable, safe, and supportive housing options to the homeless and by electing representatives who will fight for housing as a basic human need.

But providing support means understanding that the needs of the homeless extend beyond housing.

*** end quote ***

I empathize with the plight, and I blame the Gooferment for it.

Between “rent control”, zoning, and welfare, the Gooferment has created the problem.

Add to that the deinstitutionalizing of vast numbers of the mentally ill and breaking the promise to provide “community support”, Gooferment made the problem worse.

Throw in the “(pseudo) War on (some) Drugs” and the mess is complete.

Gooferment drove out the “charity” in our hearts by taking over and providing the “safety net”, which is more like a trap.

Argh!

Separation of Charity and State is the answer. That and rolling back the diktats of the State that make house unaffordable. 

In word, the Gooferment isn’t helping.

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INSPIRATIONAL: Weihnachtsfrieden versus Trêve de Noël

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce

Christmas truce
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Christmas truce (German: Weihnachtsfrieden; French: Trêve de Noël) was a series of widespread but unofficial ceasefires along the Western Front around Christmas 1914. In the week leading up to the holiday, German and British soldiers crossed trenches to exchange seasonal greetings and talk. In areas, men from both sides ventured into no man’s land on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to mingle and exchange food and souvenirs. There were joint burial ceremonies and prisoner swaps, while several meetings ended in carol-singing. Men played games of football with one another, giving one of the most enduring images of the truce. However, the peaceful behaviour was not ubiquitous; fighting continued in some sectors, while in others the sides settled on little more than arrangements to recover bodies. The following year, a few units arranged ceasefires, but the truces were not nearly as widespread as in 1914; this was, in part, due to strongly worded orders from the high commands of both sides prohibiting fraternisation. Soldiers were no longer amenable to truce by 1916. The war had become increasingly bitter after devastating human losses suffered during the battles of the Somme and Verdun, and the incorporation of poison gas.

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Can’t have peace break out when a very profitable war was being waged.

Time to bring all our girls and boys home NOW!

It the Gooferment’s politicians and bureaucrats want to fight a war, let them lead from the front. 

Any volunteers.

Only military veterans should be able to vote!

Robert Heinlein’s idea from Starship Troopers that only those who have served have the right to vote, because only those who have served have put the greater good ahead of their own personal safety and thus only those who have served could be seen to be responsible enough to understand what voting means … …

The Vet knows what voting for a war means … grunts are going to die.

Dona Nobis Pacem

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RANT: Christmas is about life

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

http://www.wsj.com/articles/seventy-years-on-an-executed-boy-is-cleared-of-murder-charges-1418876410

Seventy Years On, an Executed Boy Is Cleared of Murder Charges
George Stinney, a Black 14-Year-Old, Was Sent to the Electric Chair for Killing Two White Girls
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBIA, South Carolina—More than 70 years after South Carolina sent a 14-year-old black boy to the electric chair in the killings of two white girls in a segregated mill town, a judge threw out the conviction, saying the state committed a great injustice.

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Once again, we have another glaring example about the death penalty.

There’s no such thing as a “reversible error”.

Humans make mistakes. Humans are corrupt. Humans are stupid.

SO why would we EVER think that our “system of injustice” would not be flawed?

Project Innocence only looks into cases where the prisoner is alive and look how many errors they find!

Argh!

Merry Christmas.

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