Free Republic

Federal officials gave more than $23 billion COVID-19 aid to the nation’s top 20 nonprofit hospitals even as a 62 percent increase in their collective net assets led parallel surges in the institutions’ total profits and revenues during the 2018-2021 time period spanning the Coronavirus pandemic, according to a new report. Only two of the 20 institutions have repaid the government for the COVID-19 aid they received. “The 20 largest nonprofit hospitals in the country continued making massive profits while their cumulative net assets soared to $324.3 billion in 2021, up from $200.6 billion in 2018. The year 2021 is...

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) has introduced a bill that would make tax-free Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) available to all Americans.Currently, most Americans cannot use HSAs due to the stringent rules that govern their use: only those who pay an abnormally high insurance deductible can take advantage of the pre-tax program. In practice, this means that 90 percent of Americans are not eligible for HSAs.Roy’s bill, dubbed the Healthcare Freedom Act, would change the rules to make all Americans eligible for HSA accounts.To do this, the bill would de-link eligibility for an HSA, renamed a “Health Freedom Account” by the legislation,...

Foreign-born workers are sending some $150 billion a year home in remittances to friends, family members and associates outside the United States, says a new study published by the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a nonpartisan public interest group. Such remittances are generally not subjected to international money transfer taxes, or sales and excise taxes. “Illegal aliens alone remit more than $28 billion annually. This $150 billion represents a direct loss to our economy, siphoning off valuable capital and reducing government revenues,” the nonprofit said in their study, which is based on an analysis of current U.S. Census and World...

The State of Texas will hold an Emergency Preparation Supplies Sales Tax Holiday this weekend, giving Texans the chance to stock up on essentials. "I know the weather's good and people aren't thinking about bad weather, but as you know, a couple of weeks ago, the Cap10K was rained out for the first time in its history, a lot of people are still getting out over Hurricane Harvey," Kevin Lyons, a spokesperson for the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, said. "We know this is the time of year where there's potential for severe weather." Since 2016, the first year when...

Manuel Henriquez, who was also the top executive investment giant PIMCO until 2016, will be replaced as CEO and chairman of Hercules Capital in Palo Alto. Henriquez was arrested in New York City and released on $500,000 bail after a brief appearance in Manhattan federal court Tuesday. According to court documents obtained by KPIX 5, Henriquez and his wife, Elizabeth, paid a $25,000 bribe to get a [legal proctor] cooperating witness to sit “side-by-side with [their] daughter [Isabelle "Izzy" Henriquez] during the exam and provided her with answers to the exam questions, and after the exam, he “gloated”…about the fact...

Rep. Dan Crenshaw questioned Monday whether the trip to Puerto Rico by congressional Democrats was a good decision amid the deadlock on border security. About 30 lawmakers traveled to Puerto Rico -- with their families and lobbyists -- for a winter retreat over the weekend despite the partial government shutdown. "It sounds like they had a lot of fun. They've also been talking a lot about the plight that federal workers see themselves in," Crenshaw said on The Story. "They're not wrong about that, but if we're gonna talk about that then I don't know if these excursions to Puerto...

“I’d rather see the Democrats come back from their vacation and act,” Trump told Fox News host Judge Jeanine Pirro. “They’re not acting, and they’re the ones that are holding it up. It would take me 15 minutes to get a deal done, and everybody could go back to work...But I’d like to see them act responsibly, and they’re not acting responsibly, and that’s it. We could be — I’m in the White House, and most of them are in different locations. They’re watching a certain musical in a very nice location and frankly, it’s ridiculous. The whole thing is...

In the coming weeks, as Houston turns its attention to rebuilding areas devastated by Tropical Storm Harvey, people like Jay De Leon are likely to play an outsized role – if they stay around. De Leon, 47, owns a small construction business in Houston, and he and his 10 employees do exactly the kind of demolition and refurbishing the city will need. But like a large number of construction workers in Texas, De Leon and most of his workers live in the United States illegally, and that could make things complicated. However, undocumented immigrants are growing increasingly nervous in Texas...

It's the Magnolia State's fourth Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday. It's the busiest weekend for businesses like Philadelphia Gun and Pawn. "It has been [in past years] so busy that we feel like we lost sales because we couldn't wait on everybody," says manager Richard Ray. In addition to items being tax-free, specials are being run to help buyers save even more. "If you spend a $1,000 you're already going to save $70. And everybody gets a chance to get a break on the taxes, which everybody needs to save money, and I can understand why," says Ray. Philadelphia Gun...

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is airing TV ads around the country that offer tax-free status for 10 years to new business start-ups entering his state. The ads' claims are deceptive because they come with a lot of government strings attached. You only get a tax cut if you put your business where the state tells you to put it, plus meet other state requirements. Critics say Cuomo's sweeping claims are not what they're cracked up to be. Once again, not unlike President Obama's tax credit proposals, the Democrats think they can dictate the rules that produce successful businesses and...

As the Super Bowl approaches New York much like a blizzard, here are some things to think about: in 2012, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was paid $29.5 million to run the organization. And that's n... Article Link: NFL Commish Makes $29.5 Mil a Year– 15 Times More Than Tax Free Org Gives to Charity, More than CEOs of Ford, Heinz, FedEx | Showbiz411 (http://www.showbiz411.com/2014/01/21/nfl-commish-makes-29-5-mil-a-year-15-times-more-than-tax-free-org-gives-to-charity-more-than-ceos-of-ford-heinz-fedex)

Be one of the first to broadcast a never before told story on why millions of Americans can lose 40% or more of their retirement nest egg once they retire With 25 years as a nationally known radio talk show host, Jim Jorgensen can light up your phone lines and scare your listeners with how much money they can lose in their IRAs, 401(k)s or pensions once they retire. Jim’s not talking about the future – the future is here as millions of retirees already pay more for Medicare premiums and receive less in their Social Security retirement check. Suggested...

"See what has the IRS stopped in its tracks" was the headline article by Bob Unruh in the September 23 issue of World Net Daily that tells of over one hundred pastors who plan to defy the so-called "Johnson Law" this year. They have designated Sunday, September 26, as "Pulpit Freedom" Sunday and plan to reach "political sermons" and mail the CDs, DVDs, or transcripts of those sermons to the non-profit division of the Internal Revenue Service in Washington, D.C., in order to bait them into a lawsuit to challenge the present law that forbids pastors from participating in partisan...

Annual Second Amendment Tax Free Holiday Posted: Sep 3, 2009 06:44 PM Updated: Sep 3, 2009 06:47 PM Second Amendment Tax Holiday A state senator is trying to boost the Louisiana economy by giving hunting and outdoor enthusiasts, a tax break. Louisiana state senator Robert Marinneaux is calling it the "Second Amendment Weekend Holiday," it's a tax break the senator created to allow families to save money, boost retailers sales, and help the economy of this sportsman's paradise. Sasha Lambert is no stranger to firearms. "My dad and I come every time I'm in town to practice for personal protection...

If a little-known but influential alliance of state politicians, large retailers, and tax collectors have their way, the days of tax-free Internet shopping may be nearly over. A bill expected to be introduced in the U.S. Congress as early as Monday would rewrite the ground rules for mail order and Internet sales by eliminating what its supporters view as a "loophole" that, in many cases, allows Americans to shop over the Internet without paying sales taxes. Currently, Americans who shop over the Internet from out-of-state vendors aren't always required to pay sales taxes at the time of purchase. Californians buying...

If a little-known but influential alliance of state politicians, large retailers, and tax collectors have their way, the days of tax-free Internet shopping may be nearly over. A bill expected to be introduced in the U.S. Congress as early as Monday would rewrite the ground rules for mail order and Internet sales by eliminating what its supporters view as a "loophole" that, in many cases, allows Americans to shop over the Internet without paying sales taxes. Currently, Americans who shop over the Internet from out-of-state vendors aren't always required to pay sales taxes at the time of purchase. Californians buying...

A jury sentenced a Lakeview man to 10 years in prison for growing nearly 7,500 marijuana plants. Andrew Stever, 40, was sentenced on Monday after a three-day trial in the Federal District Court in Medford.Ten years is the mandatory minimum sentence for anyone convicted of growing 1,000 or more pot plants. In July 2007, officers from several local, state and federal agencies found 7,459 plants growing on Stever's Lakeview property, which bordered Forest Service land. Two men fled the scene, leaving behind personal property and three firearms, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Portland. Physical evidence and testimony linked...

Just Breaking

Battling to hold on to his job, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz said misleading information has been circulating over his involvement in a huge pay increase awarded to a close female friend. “I feel, however, that this has left a vacuum, which has largely been filled by misleading information” and conceded the 109 pages of documents about the controversy released by the board are “a lot to wade through for significant facts so I would like to call your attention to a number of them." Wolfowitz included a link to the package of documents, as did a posting on the...

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