Change your thoughts,
and you change your world.
Norman Vincent Peale
Say NO to the Internet Sales Tax Cartel
One investment newsletter publisher estimates the cost of software of complying with various state and local sales taxes as roughly $400K. The Internet sales tax, as I have argued in past commentaries, is protectionism and anti-competitive at its core; the Constitution prohibits states from enacting tariffs on goods and services from other states, a de facto free market. I suggested as a potential compromise a low flat national sales tax where the federal government shares revenues with states/municipalities. I see another compromise I could support: have the vendor charge the customer its own local sales taxes. This would at least be fairer to vendors in no-sales-tax states like Montana, Alaska, Delaware, Oregon and New Hampshire. If I visit my folks in Texas, and say, I buy a book there, I may have to pay up to 8.25% vs. Maryland's 6%. I don't get a tax rebate for the difference because I'm out of state.
The Internet vendor local tax alternative would not only be simpler and fairer but would force states and/or local to be more competitive to attract/retain Internet vendors. Dan Mitchell makes a similar point: "State and local governments should compete with each by offering the best fiscal climate. Sadly, just as high-tax nations such as France and Germany are trying to hinder global tax competition, high-tax state governments are seeking to undermine fiscal rivalry inside the United States. More specifically, they want to create a state sales tax cartel that would allow governments to force out-of-state businesses serve as deputy tax collectors."
Orphan Diseases, Not-Invented-Here Syndrome, and FDA Inertia
Isn't it time we put consumers, people, above the god of bureaucracy? People with rare diseases don't have politically powerful special-interest groups behind them; but each day where drugs that can address their diseases or symptoms are delayed, their quality of life is deferred.
Paul Simon On the Afterlife
Paul, if you have to fill out a form first and get into line, are you sure you're in the right place?
Maduro Calls Obama Names
Speaking of the afterlife, upset Obama won't recognize his recent close election "victory" (when I see pictures of ballots being burned, making a recount impossible, it's a red flag), Venezuelan President-in-name-only Maduro had this to say about POTUS:
We are here defending our institutions, peace, democracy, the people of Venezuela... and we can sit down with anyone, even the grand chief of devils: Obama.Is that the best you've got, you little tin-pot dictator? He's heard worse...
Speaking of the afterlife and devils, I ran across this Van Halen classic, which title reminds me of the prior Chavez-Maduro election:
Obama Hasn't Hit His Diversity Quotas
To the Satisfaction of Multiculturist Elitists
They still can't get over the fact that Obama chose Kerry, a former chair of the US Committee on Foreign Relations Committee and Presidential nominee, to succeed Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. Let's remind people of the last 4 Secretaries of State, 3 were women and two were black.
Isn't it time we stop this elitist nonsense, political correctness run amok? Reality check here: Obama's first term, with reputedly one of the "most diverse" Cabinets in history, never mind the first President of color, was far from a critical success; he also named two women to SCOTUS, one of them Latina; he barely won a majority of states and won millions fewer votes in reelection. A lot of that had to do with the slowest economic recovery since World War II, massive, ineffectual spending, and the first credit downgrade in American history. Most importantly, he had arguably the most anti-business administration in history. It's time that we stop looking at people for characteristics beyond their control, like gender, race or ethnicity, and focus more on merit, competence, and accomplishments.
For those still furious Susan Rice was not chosen to succeed Clinton, I still want her terminated over Benghazi:
Gregory Hicks, who was second in command at the Benghazi mission, will testify along with Mark Thompson, acting deputy assistant secretary for counterterrorism, and Eric Nordstrom, diplomatic security officer and former regional security officer in Libya.
"I thought is was a terrorist attack from the get-go," Hicks was quoted as telling investigators. "I think everybody in the mission thought it was a terrorist attack from the beginning."
But U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice appeared on five Sunday morning news shows five days later blaming the attack on a spontaneous protest that erupted after a similar protest in Egypt. The Egyptian protest was blamed on an anti-Muslim video made in the United States.
Prior to Rice’s appearance on "Face the Nation" at that time, Libya's newly elected president Mohamed Magarief had just told host Bob Schieffer that the attack was caused by terrorism.
For Rice to immediately contradict him was a "loss of face" in his own country and throughout the world, Hicks said. "The net impact of what has transpired is the spokesperson of the most powerful country in the world has basically said that the president of Libya is either a liar or doesn't know what he's talking about.
"My jaw hit the floor as I watched this," Hicks told investigators. "I've never been as embarrassed in my life, in my career, as on that day. I never reported a demonstration; I reported an attack on the consulate. Chris' last report — if you want to say his final report — is 'Greg, we are under attack.'"I don't care if she took one for Team Obama; on multiple occasions I have risked my job in saying or doing the right thing. It was obvious from the context of the ambassador's murder. As for Hillary Clinton's disgraceful part in the cover-up, blaming subordinates for filtering (in her best Sgt. Schultz: "I know NOTHING"): she has materially disqualified herself from the Presidency. Benghazi was her 3AM call, and she failed miserably: when she sophistically starts suggesting that the murder of an ambassador may have been a random act of violence, and self-righteously asks what difference does it make (as if an Administration misleading the American people is of little consequence!), she is more interested in political survival than asserting leadership and responsibility.
Rand Paul vs. the Madness of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act
Unethical progressive Democrats, like Obama, think they have a right to multiple cuts to your income wherever it is. I myself have never had a foreign account, but what I earn is my property, and what I do with it is my business; if the government wants to attract domestic investment, it needs to be more competitive, including flatter, fairer taxes and ending multiple taxation. FATCA is an obnoxious Politics of Envy law which seeks to track US citizen assets in other countries, including notoriously discreet Swiss banks
Many are upset at Sen. Paul holding up FATCA-related treaties with Hungary, Luxembourg and Switzerland, including a principled concern for data privacy, but even business groups are concerned about uncertainty given the fact of uncertainty and FATCA remains the law. I agree with Sen. Paul that FATCA is bad policy and should be repealed. But it's not likely given this Senate and President. At a certain point, you've made your point, you have to let it go and vote your conscience, and give the Democrats all the rope they need to hang themselves.
For an excellent discussion of the perverse FATCA expansion of our unsustainable tax and regulatory house of cards, see Daniel Mifchell's excellent post here.
A couple of "oldie but goodie" Mitchell/Cato Institute tax videos are embedded below:
Soccer and Sportsmanship
My middle goddaughter is/was a talented soccer player, at least in K-8; she got it from my brother-in-law whom had a leg injury while practicing or playing in an adult league. The last time I remember playing was in eighth grade gym class--good enough to kick a couple of goals in one contest but I never played in an organized league. Like many American sports viewers, I find low-scoring soccer games are about as exciting as watching paint dry; we just don't get it. I may watch if an American team advances in international play
From CNN:
Ricardo Portillo, 46, was refereeing a game in the Salt Lake City suburb of Taylorsville on April 27 when he cited a player for an infraction and issued him a "yellow card." The decision, police say, prompted the 17-year-old player to turn around and punch Portillo in the face. But after he was taken to a hospital, doctors discovered he had suffered serious internal head injuries, police said. On Saturday night, Portillo died from his injuries.Unfortunately, it's not unprecedented:
The incident brings to mind a similar attack in the Netherlands in December. In that incident, police charged two 15-year-olds and a 16-year-old who beat a 41-year-old linesman during an amateur soccer game. The linesman's son was playing in the game when the incident occurred -- and witnessed the attack. The linesman, Richard Nieuwenhuizen, fell into a coma and died the next day.Don Boudreaux recently published a post on colleague Dan Klein's (and his wife's) virtues project for their 12-year-old daughter. I am huge proponent of teaching the virtues; if I was blessed with children, I would do a similar thing for them. For a nice printable virtue list poster, see here.
Political Cartoon
No, Gary. He's crying because Junior just told him that he can't find a job with that fancy college degree and is going to have to move back home...
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| Courtesy of Gary Varvel and Townhall |
Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band, "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out"
