Free Republic

We are beginning to see a light at the end of the coronavirus tunnel. But there are hard times ahead for our nation, state and beloved New York City. The choices we make now will ­determine how quickly we ­recover. Vague and contradictory policies — the kind we’re all too accustomed to from this mayoralty — won’t help. Mayor Bill de Blasio reacted too late to the health side of the crisis, delaying lockdowns when a week or two earlier could have reduced deaths by as much as 80 percent, according to former city Health Commissioner Dr. Tom Frieden. As...

Louisiana’s tax and fee collections dropped $494 million – 42.7% – in April when compared to the same month last year. A Department of Revenue report circulated among state government leaders Wednesday night gives budget architects a first look at the actual receipts for the time that Louisiana stayed at home while businesses and institutions shut down to stem the community spread of the coronavirus. Louisiana net receipts report for April Louisiana net receipts report for April Gov. John Bel Edwards issued “stay at home” orders beginning March 16. Fiscal leaders warned that without shops open, customers hunkering down and...

Samaritan’s Purse has no expectation of receiving a single penny for the weeks of work they did in Central Park to combat the coronavirus. But now New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) is asking them to pay up. Earlier this week, the Rev. Franklin Graham, president of the nonprofit organization, told Faithwire, “They’re the ones who called us originally,” referring to officials with the Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. “We didn’t call them; they called us,” he continued. “And we agreed to go and we have not charged them one penny. All of our services have been...

RUSH: A quick question. Are you a health care worker? Are you a nurse? Are you an EMT? Are you anybody who does anything in health care? Did you volunteer, for example, to go to New York during the peak period? Did you volunteer as a health care worker to go to New York to help out? Did you do more than was asked of you? Did you go above and beyond? Did you knowingly put yourself at greater risk than any of your fellow citizens by volunteering to go to New York during the peak reporting period of COVID-19...

Democrats never miss an opportunity to stick it to the American people with taxes — no matter the situation. And that is precisely what the mayor of Nashville, Tennessee, proposed doing while many of his constituents are out of work. Mayor John Cooper pushed for a 31.7 percent property tax increase and major cuts because, he said, the city is faced with “the greatest financial challenge” it has had in a lifetime, the Tennessean reported. “This is a crisis budget,” he said as he gave a frightening outlook for the financial future of the city. And he is correct: This...

How about a quick break from The Kung Flu Virus and the Boogie Wuhan Flu? A few weeks ago in the Sunday Washington Post Adam Cohen dropped an opinion piece about the Supreme Court (SC) over the last half century. Apparently, because the SC has been making rulings based on the Constitution instead of some bizarre Marxist agenda, it's hurt average Americans. As much as I'd love to go piece by piece through every bit of the stupidity of this post, things are still busy in Bobworld and I'll keep this to the most insane assertions. First up (emphasis mine, link...

Nashville Mayor Cooper today filed the city’s recommended operating budget for fiscal year 2021 with the Metro Council. Metro Finance estimates that the city will experience a $470 million revenue decline over a 16-month time frame due to the impact of COVID-19 and the March tornado. The decline in revenue during Q4 of fiscal year 2020 required Metro to cut expenditures and spend down remaining fund balances, leaving Metro with only $12 million of fund balances at the end of FY20.

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Trump administration and the House to further brief justices on whether the case over the president's financial records can be decided by the courts. The move comes two weeks before the justices will hear oral arguments over a set of subpoenas that House Democrats have issued to President Trump's banks and accountants. The request indicates that at least some of the justices may believe that the judiciary is not fit to resolve the dispute. "The parties and the Solicitor General are directed to file supplemental letter briefs addressing whether the political question doctrine...

With so many needing help after the one-two punch of the virus and attendant economic woes, universities, which have already drained trillions without fulfilling their promises, should be at the back of the line. Even before the coronavirus crisis, universities were living large on taxpayer largesse. The entire foundation of their business model is the government-backed student loan. More than 90 percent of the dollars that trundle freshmen to their institutions each September originate with or are owned by taxpayers through the U.S. Department of Education.If, as projections suggest, enrollment takes a nosedive this fall due to changing financial situations...

Our nation's leaders are demanding that American children pay for this crisis through debt-financed spending, while depriving them of the education they need to make that even remotely possible. One of the many significant but underappreciated effects of U.S. politicians’ response to coronavirus is their pre-emptive mass school shutdowns. It is likely these shutdowns will harm the next generation far beyond the trillions in government spending these children will someday be forced to pay off for previous generations.For one thing, the school shutdowns will cripple children’s economic future by depriving them of up to an entire year of learning. That’s...

Oklahoma City (KOKH) The first indications of how the Coronavirus is affecting the economy in Oklahoma are just starting to be seen and what leaders are seeing is not pretty.

The first modern income tax was levied in Britain between 1799 and 1816 to fund the Napoleonic wars, but it did not become permanent until 1874. Similarly the United States adopted a like measure during the Civil War, but it was not institutionalized until the ratification of the 16th amendment to the Constitution in 1913. Related: tax protester Sixteenth Amendment arguments. When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it. ~ Frédéric...

Local governments around the US are taking more draconian measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus by barring "essential" stores such as grocery chains or big-box retailers from selling "nonessential" items such as clothing and electronics. These stores, which have been allowed to stay open during state lockdowns because they sell groceries or offer pharmacy services, for example, are now required in some parts of the US to remove nonessential items or rope off areas of the store so customers can't access these products.

My accountant called to tell me he was not going to file our taxes in April, as was planned. He is going to wait until the July deadline. Even if you are getting a refund you may want to do the same. If you file now, the calculation for your Corona Virus money will be based on the income on your 2020 tax filing (income for 2019). If you wait, it will be based on your 2019 filing (income for 2018). If your income went up, and over a specific threshold ( I believe it to be: $75K for singles,...

This crisis is demostrating the suicidal nautre of "Just in Time" supply chains. When it is over we need to end the inventory tax in every state. It is immoral and bad policy to tax wealth that isn't moving anyway but it might just kill us in a crisis.

As the novel coronavirus spread across the globe and health officials implored the public to use more hand sanitizer to mitigate the potentially deadly pathogen, grocery stores and online retailers saw the product evaporate from their shelves. Desperate first responders and others on the frontlines of the battle against the pandemic grew alarmed, but in walked an unlikely savior: the booze industry, which shifted gears to churn out sanitizer using alcohol it had on hand and following a recipe approved by the World Health Organization. But U.S. federal regulators -- trying to balance safety concerns with a rising demand for...

Behind the scenes, congressional Democrats’ main priority is bringing back a big tax loophole for rich people in high-tax blue states: their donors. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has political priorities. During negotiations over the three Wuhan coronavirus stimulus bills, Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., tried to include loans for abortion providers, as well as a bailout of the Obamacare exchanges that would end up funding abortion.That led to some bad PR for Pelosi, but the House speaker may be a glutton for punishment. If there’s one thing Democrats are beholden to more than the abortion lobby,...

As CongressÂ’ dual chamber effort to pass an economic relief for Americans affected by COVID-19 continues, with another phase of stimulus relief in talks, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is considering lifting the State and Local Tax (SALT) cap. The limit was a key part of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, and caps the ability to deduct state and local taxes from federal taxes at $10,000. A handful of blue states with high taxes, including New York, Connecticut and New Jersey, have sued to repeal the SALT cap, as the cap affects wealthier filers the most....

The helicopters are dumping money out the door. You will pay for it down the road, one way or another. Might as well get a piece. And in fairness......some of you really do need it. This event is unprecedented, at least within living memory. We will cover: - $350 BILLION LOANS YOU DON'T HAVE PAY BACK - If You Apply for certain loans, you get $10k In 3 Days. If You Don't Get Approved That $10k Advance Gets Forgiven. - Avoid Penalties on Retirement Fund Withdraws; Can Put Money Back In - 10 BILLION OF DISASTER LOANS - Defer Your...

I am wondering whether the government which is prohibiting us from earning a living will prohibit itself from filching our pockets for money we haven’t been allowed to earn. It seems only fair. I am thinking, specifically, about the property taxes I and millions of others are forced to pay on the property we supposedly own – i.e., our homes and land... ...But how am I – how are any of us – supposed to pay when we have been ordered not to earn? I was supposed to speak about automated driving technology – taking the con side – at...