Showing posts with label tax returns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tax returns. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 08, 2020

Trump’s Boneheaded Moves?


A DEN comment on a previous blog post (Why?) outlined what is alleged to be President Trump’s boneheaded moves (surprisingly, DEN didn’t call him a RACIST!)  I reproduce them below with my rebuttals in bold type. Doing this under the comments section would have been impractical.

STAND UP FOR AMERICA!


-Unilaterally abandoned a treaty with Iran that they were complying with.
Again it is NOT a treaty and, even in 2017, Iran was NOT complying ... see:  Center for Security Policy and, more recently, Iran is 3.5 months from A-bomb

-Started a trade war with China and others which has cost jobs, ruined farms and raised prices for Americans.
In February, a year after tariffs were installed and before Covid, unemployment rate was 3.5%, the lowest in history, see: CNBC Report ... and inflation is still a tiny 1% compared to the Fed’s target of 2%  ... see: Inflation Rate Calculator.

- destroyed our prestige and trust with other nations that were allies, made a laughing stock out of America, but mainly himself. No one except Putin wants to deal with him.
Panhandlers (like much of the EU) always love a sucker  ... and they don’t like to be called freeloaders ... but the head of NATO praises Trump ... see: USA Today article ... and he is a hero in much of the Middle East, Japan, the Ukraine, South America, the U.K. and now, Serbia and Kosovo. The only reason Putin sucks up to Trump, despite all the sanctions that have been imposed on Russia, is because he is rightfully scared of China. Trump is putting a stop to our being the world’s police force. Is this not a good thing?

- Gave a phony tax cut that mainly benefited large corps and rich people. 
First, they were real, not phony ... and, specifically, the corporate cuts did boost the economy. If they benefitted the wealthy it was only away from high-tax states like California, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, etc, ... see: Washington Times article. Why are so many plutocrats moving out of these states? (Even after Gov. Cuomo offers to cook them dinner?)

- Has fired anyone who disagrees with him, gutting the competence of government leaders.
Trump has lived through a lot of Deep State leaks and subterfuge. He obviously tolerated a lot of disagreement but when subordinates actively worked against his policies (and they were rife) then they are shown the door. If anything, he has been too slow in this housecleaning.

- Put up a phony wall that can be breached with a power saw.
Sour grapes. Cutting through the wall with a saw takes a lot more time than stepping over a line. And there are sensors in the wall that alert authorities to any breach so that they can counterdict. There have now been build 216 miles of real (not phony) wall ... see: FoxNews Story ... with 700 more to go.

- Failed to take the pandemic seriously, proffered snake oil solutions. Never assumed responsibility for anything.
 Were you watching any of the Covid press conferences? It WAS the Trump administration, namely Fauci et al, who screwed the pooch by being on both sides of every issue. Trump is a natural optimist ... not a scientist and he made the mistake of putting too much faith in these incompetent bureaucrats ... and often had to cover for them. The CDC and NIH performed badly before and during this pandemic ... but Trump marshaled private industry and the drug companies only like a real businessman could. If you believe Biden could have done any better, you are a DNC ventriloquist’s dummy.

- Pulled troops out of Syria and betrayed Kurdish allies.
Did pulling out 50 US military advisors in northern Syria allow Turkey to destroy the Kurds there? Absolutely not! Biden is not raising this issue because it doesn’t exist. You need to read and study more. See: NY Post article.

- ignored Putin's bounty on US servicemen.
More silly fake news like The Atlantic canard ... designed to peel away military votes. Why on earth would he do this? Because Russia loaned his company money back in 1992? 

- encouraged supporters to vote twice, hired a guy with no experience to reduce USPS capabilities.
Not true. He said if North Carolina voters voted well in advance by mail, they should check to see if the their votes had been tallied. He didn’t single out Republicans. And the new head of the USPS is a logistics expert (see: Wikipedia Entry) ... and the post office is primarily a logistics business ... which badly needs to innovate.

- Solicited foreign influence. Bribed the Ukranian leader to dig dirt on Biden (this was proven but would not vote to impeach) Has undermined confidence in elections.
If anyone bribed the Ukrainian leadership, it was Biden. The Democrat impeachment case against Trump didn’t even charge that he had colluded ... don’t you remember? If Trump was charged with colluding and proven guilty, would any discussions between foreign leaders ever be possible in the future?

- refuses to show his taxes which would reveal chummy relations with Russians
You are guessing again. If there is anything illegal in Trump’s tax returns, it is for the tax courts and maybe the NY DA and grand jury to decide ... not the corrupt American media.

- could not find a replacement for ACA but would have dumped millions of people off health care just to spite Obama.
So far Trump has only eliminated the unfair individual mandate and penalty in Obamacare ... a very popular move. His other reforms were scuttled by a spiteful John McCain. Can you honestly say that your health care has gotten better or cheaper after ACA was passed? I certainly can’t.

Sunday, July 12, 2020

Headlines


Poll shows Trump’s coronavirus approval at all-time low

Wearing masks is now the most important thing for the economy, Fed’s Kaplan says

New Christopher Steele evidence strengthens Durham prosecution

25,000 academics say U.S. citizenship is an ‘artificial distinction’

California investigating Google for possible antitrust violations

Already in economic meltdown, Lebanon endures blackouts 20 hours a day

Poll: Overwhelming majority want to keep police funding at current levels or increase it

Supreme Court, 7-2: House cannot force Trump to provide tax returns

Hannity gives Trump another chance to lay out his second-term agenda

Coronavirus live updates: Italy to extend state of emergency, Nevada rolls back reopen for bars

Report: U.S. Attorney Durham under  pressure to conclude investigation by end of summer

Ethiopia’s week of unrest shows 239 dead, 3,500 arrested

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Headlines


Trump deems farmworkers ‘essential’ but doesn’t make safety rules mandatory

Coronavirus live updates: Hotspots flare up in South East, grocery costs jump the most in 46 years

Virtual Dr. Fauci warns nation slow down or die ...No school in fall ...

Romney trashes USA on testing

Pelosi unveils $3 trillion coronavirus relief plan

Dr. Anthony Fauci warns Congress re-opening risks more outbreaks and backfiring on local communities

COVID-19 expert: ‘It won’t slow down until it hits 60-70% ...

No vaccine guaranteed — ever!

Testing czar predicts U.S. can conduct up to 50M coronavirus tests per month by fall

Supreme Court justices appear divided in arguments over Trump tax records

NIH chief sees likely need for multiple vaccines ...

U.N. Officials: Lockdowns could trigger global famine

Saturday, March 07, 2020

Headlines


Elizabeth Warren drops out

10-year treasury yield hits all-time low below 0.9% as virus fears  fuel demand for US debt

Saudi empties Muslim’s holiest site ...

Spike Lee casts Trump supporters as house slaves

Romney could derail Republican subpoena targeting Biden

Coronavirus live updates: Congress passes emergency funding as San Francisco confirms new cases

Mortgage rates all-time low ...

Mitch McConnell: Schumer threat to justices was ‘unhinged,’ ‘shameful’

Judge agrees to give House Democrats more time in Trump tax-returns case

A Princess Cruise ship is — again — the source of a potential coronavirus outbreak

Biden can finish off Bernie in Michigan ...

Chief Justice John Roberts condemns Schumer’s ‘dangerous’ threat

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Today’s Poser


When will our national media (and some readers here) start clamoring for Bloomberg’s tax returns ... and maybe for Bernie’s medical records?

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Headlines


Bloomberg makes ‘massive’ ad buy

US consumer sentiment comes in higher than expected in November

Warren left shaken after dozens of protesters storm rally ...

William Barr: Epstein’s death was a ‘perfect storm of screwups’

FCC votes to exclude Huawei, ZTE out of U.S. networks

Goldman sees a ‘baby bear’ bond market I 2020 in a year of risks

Trump: I want a [Senate] trial ...

Lindsey Graham launches Senate probe into Bidens’ Burisma actions

Buttigieg staffers join union

California court tosses law to require Trump to release tax returns to get on primary ballot

Obama to Dems: Chill out ...

Report: Hunter Biden-linked firm received $130M in [gov’t] bailout loans

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Headlines


Pompeo bends toward Israel with new U.S. Stance toward settlements

The Fed is on hold for now but it might not take much to change that

Trump discussed negative rates with unscheduled meet with Fed Chair ...

Chick-Fil-A will stop donating to Salvation Army, Christian athletes ... Cave to Alphabet people

McConnell suggests Senate impeachment trial will go into 2020

Supreme Court temporarily halts order requiring firm to turn over Trump’s tax returns to Congress

CBS: Possible pay-to-play scheme for ambassador role uncovered ...

Reuter’s poll : 36% of Independents tuning out impeachment hearings

Trump suggests that he’ll ‘strongly consider’ testifying in impeachment hearings

House Democrats are investigating whether Trump lied to special counsel Robert Mueller, reports say

Trump deportations fewer than Obama ...

Pope wants to add ‘ecological sin’ to catecism

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Headlines


Act like a stiff’: To fight impeachment, Trump tries to look presidential

States’ massive Google antitrust probe will expand into search and Android businesses

Giuliani faces U.S. probe on campaign finance, lobbying breaches ...

Democrat dud: First public impeachment hearing falls short

Amazon suing Pentagon over $10 billion cloud contract, alleging ‘bias’

Trump asks Supreme Court to let him keep his tax returns private, setting up landmark fight

Love him or hate him, voters say impeachment hearing will not change their views ...

Taylor's ‘bombshell’ repeats what was in the July 25 phone call transcript

Senate confirms controversial Trump judicial nominee

Nancy Pelosi says an USMCA trade deal breakthrough could be ‘imminent’

Turkish media paints White House visit as Erdogan triumph over Trump ...

Kamala Harris continues to flounder in the polls

Tuesday, November 05, 2019

Tax Returns


I am a little baffled about the kerfuffle over Trump’s tax returns ... both federal and New York state. It would seem to me that both the state and federal tax authorities have total access to these returns and, if there are any issues of fraud or concealment, that these issues are to be adjudicated between the experts in the relevant tax authorities and Trump’s tax experts. Since New York is clearly not friendly to Trump and the IRS under Obama displayed overt hostility toward Republicans, one would think that any possible malfeasance in these returns has been well inspected.

And, since any tax issues have been well scrutinized by the experts on both sides, what makes the spittle-flecked Democrats believe that non-tax experts in the general public will any be better equipped to deal with the nuances of such tax disputes. The only rationale for airing these very complex tax returns in public would seem to be to try to find some extra-legal info that can be used to embarrass Trump politically. And this seems to be exactly the reason why tax returns have been decreed to be kept private.

Tax law issues in Trump’s returns are best resolved between the attorneys on both sides ... or in the relevant tax courts ... not on the hostile editorial pages of the Washington Post.

Friday, October 18, 2019

Headlines


Warren’s charmed campaign has just entered a brutal new phase

GM, UAW reach tentative pact that could end monthlong strike by 48,000 workers

Debate: Biden fades into background ...  Rivals make clear who front runner is: Warren ...

Elizabeth Warren won’t deny the Medicare for All raises middle-class taxes

Prosecutors flag that DOJ is not in sync with Trump on tax returns claim

Fed’s Evans says no more rate cuts are needed through 2020

Outlook for China trade deal continues to deteriorate ...

Tulsi Gabbard: ‘I don’t see deplorables when I look at America’

Trump slams U.S.-alien Kurds as ‘not angels’

Doubts rise on Trump’s claim of China’s promise to purchase more US farm products

4th defendant in case involving Rudy’s clients arrested ...

Report: AOC, Omar and Tlaib to endorse Bernie for president

Sunday, October 06, 2019

Headlines


Romney calls Trump’s push for foreign dirt ‘wrong and appalling’

September unemployment fell to 3.5%, a 50-year low, as payrolls rise by 136,000

POLL: 45% support impeachment; 17% of Republicans ...

Schiff gets four Pinocchios for ‘flat-out false’ claim on ‘whistleblower’

New York prosecutors say DOJ trying to shield Trump in tax-returns case

Tesla under investigation on claim it throttled batteries to hide fire risk

Record 158,269,000 working ...

Joe Biden pivots to gun control in wake of Ukraine scandal

Zuckerberg insists Facebook will be impartial toward Warren

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam invokes emergency powers, announces face masks ban amid protests

Iranian hackers said to target presidential campaign ...

Fox’s Chris Wallace: Not the presidents place to demand investigations

Tuesday, October 01, 2019

All In


Now that Nancy Pelosi has been buffaloed by Pencil Neck Schiff into opening an impeachment inquiry, the Democrats have pushed all their chips into the center of the table ... betting that they can either impeach and convict Trump ... or so damage him that he will lose in 2020. Pelosi has even indicated that it would  be worth losing the House of Representatives if this means Trump is no longer in the White House. Not a good idea ...

Now, in mathematics, there have been extensive studies on how to win such games ... centering around which strategy offers the best payoff. I won’t take you kind readers into the technical weeds here, but suffice it to say that, by far, the best decision rule is “minimax” meaning minimizing your potential maximum loss ... which is exactly the opposite of what the Dems are now doing.

Yes, it is possible that this all-in bet on the Trump impeachment might just fool the American people and Trump might be deposed. But, if this next sure-fire tactic, the Ukrainian Connection, fails like the Russian Collusion, the Stormy Daniels Payoff, the Government Shutdown, the Emoluments Violation, etc., etc., then the Democrats may well suffer what Pelosi most worries about.

If this Ukrainian balloon deflates ... as it most probably will ... then the Botox lady’s dire prediction may well be prescient ... and the Democrats will spend the next twenty years in the wilderness ... repenting their evil ways and wishing that they had some chips left.

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Headlines


Mueller scrambles hearing by choosing top deputy as counsel

DOJ says it will take a broad antitrust look at Big Tech, stocks dip

NYT: Only 35 arrested in ICE raids

Exclusive: Gulf cartel recruitment of young teens on rise near border

Crackdown on food stamps could worsen hunger, USDA acknowledges

US-China in-person trade talks expected next week, White House eyes longer-term timeline for deal

Mexico sets murder record ...

Trump sues to block Congress from obtaining [his] tax returns

NAACP  leadership unanimously votes to support impeaching Trump

New research finds differences in the brains of US Cuban embassy staff after mystery attacks

CENTCOM: [US] May have downed more Iranian drones ...

Tucker: Dems say ‘no one is above the law’ — make exception for illegals

Saturday, May 11, 2019

Headlines



Mayor Pete blindsides Harris in California

Trump’s tariff deadline looms as Wall Street hedges for all outcomes in trade showdown

Feds secretly release 168,000 [illegals] into communities

Florida Gov. signs bill allowing teachers to be armed in classrooms

Dems look to modify Dreamers bill to break internal logjam

Facebook co-founder says Zuckerberg is ‘not accountable,’ and calls for government breakup

NYT fires back: What is Trump hiding in his tax returns?

Trump administration requires big pharma to list drug prices in TV ads

N. Korea fires 2 suspected missiles in possible new warning

Senate Intelligence Committee subpoenas Donald Trump Jr. over Trump Tower Moscow testimony

17,617,000 Americans work for government!

Twitter ‘accidentally’ suspends David Horowitz again

Friday, May 10, 2019

Distractions


“Look over there.” The left has shifted into overdrive to try to distract the American public from AG Bill Barr’s  looming investigation into the [Russian-collusion] investigation. Barr should be asking:

What were the predicates for opening this probe? Who authorized it? Was Comey involved? Was Loretta Lynch involved? Was Obama involved? Were foreign intelligence agencies involved? And what was the full extent of the spying on the Trump campaign? Wire taps? Moles? Set ups? How much government funding was expended? etc.

So to keep the public from focusing on these questions and answers, the media is and will be throwing up distractions. What are these obvious diversions ... whose release timings are carefully orchestrated? How about:

Constant impeachment speculation,  release of full Mueller report and backup documents, Trump’s tax returns from 1985-1994, contempt of Congress charges against Barr, possible Mueller testifying in Congress, etc. There will be many more ... particularly around the the time when IG Horowitz’s release of his report (within the month?) concerning the FISA court approval of spying on the Trump campaign. So, dear reader, attune your antenna to detect these up-coming purposeful media distractions.

Oh yes, did I not mention that these precisely-timed distractions also allow the media to ignore Trump’s booming economy?

Headlines


1 slain, 8 hurt in school shooting outside Denver

China has backtracked on nearly all aspects of the US draft trade agreement

Executive privilege? White House instructs McCahn  to not comply with congressional subpoena ...

Pelosi: ‘We cannot accept a 2nd term for Donald Trump

Dems moving forward with Barr contempt vote after DOJ talks break down

Trump tax returns from 1985-1994 reportedly show nearly $1 billion in losses

Shock poll: 57% of Dems believe Trump guilty of treason ...

Pompeo visits Iraq amid ‘very specific,’ ‘imminent’ threats to troops

Poll: Little support for Barr’s handling of Mueller report

Hackers steal nearly $40 million of bitcoin from one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges

Iran moving ballistic missiles by boat, USA says

White House drops initiative to reduce overall immigration

Thursday, May 09, 2019

Headlines


You’re not getting Trunp’s tax returns, Mnuchin tells Democrats

China confirms Liu will join trade talks as US says tariffs will rise on Friday

Biden takes 32-point lead over Bernie!

Report: Torres will topple May if she agrees  Brexit dealing with Corbyn

Harris unloads on pundits who say only a white man can beat Trump

$5 billion fine is a ‘bargin’ for Facebook, top US senators say

Gallup: Trump approval hits new high; tops Obama at same time in presidency

Pete Buttigieg: America ‘was never as great as advertised’

Tom Cotton pans Trump’s plan to allow more foreign guest workers

Brexit won’t be solved by next deadline, survey of global finance chiefs says

Are we watching John Bolton’s last stand?

UN report: Humans killing planet, globalism the fix

Sunday, April 14, 2019

Headlines


‘Liz [Warren] was a diehard conservative’

China’s March trade surplus surges past expectations, Beijing data show

Jobless claims lowest in 50 years ...

Donald Trump: William Barr’s spying claim ‘absolutely true’

To get Trump’s tax returns, Democrats must show they have a good reason

SpaceX launches Falcon Heavy and lands all three rocket boosters for the first time

White House proposed releasing immigrant detainees in sanctuary cities, targeting political foes ...

Candice Owens: ‘Democrats don’t care about black people’

Grand jury indicts former Obama White House Counsel Gregory Craig

Tesla starts offering leases for Model 3

Millions of [Chinese] youth sent to villages in ‘Cultural Revolution’ echo

James Clapper: Barr’s spying comment ‘stunning and scary’

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Headlines


‘Middle-Class Joe’ rakes in millions

Desperate to get through to execs, some cyber security vendors are resorting to lies and blackmail

Beto beatsBernie, raises $6.1 million in 24 hours ...

Beto O’Rourke: Ban AR-15 sales in America

2020 Dems warm to expanding Supreme Court

Credit Suisse raises S&P 500 forecast: see 20% gain for 2019

Prosecutors scrutinize development of Boeing 737 MAX ...

Al Gore: 99,9% of scientists agree with me on climate change

Islamophobia ‘very present on both sides of the aisle,’ Tlaib says

OPEC cancels April meeting, leaving price-boosting cuts in place through June

China says it has arrested 13,000 ‘terrorists’ ...

WA Senate passes bill keepingTrump off ballot until he releases tax returns

Monday, February 25, 2019

Headlines


Dem chairmen demand Barr release Mueller report

Elon Musk says the tech is ‘mind-boggling stupid’ but hydrogen cars may yet threaten Tesla

Poll: Bernie leads all Dems in New Hampshire ...

Donald Trump administration: Abortion is not family planning

Damaged GOP faces tough path in North Carolina election do-over

Boeing 767 cargo jet crashes near Houston with 3 people on board, the FAA says

Mueller’s 800+-page memo ...

Cowboys for Trump ride through D.C. in support of border wall

Trump administration issues rules to strip millions from Planned Parenthood

California proposes phase out of single-engine planes by 2030

Pelosi refuses to show hers [tax returns] ...

Yellow vests take to the streets 15th straight week against Macron