Biden To Trot Out “Billionaires” Tax Or Something

Democrats trotted this idiocy out last September, and it went nowhere, and a big part of this is un-Constitutional. Also, it’s not just on billionaires

From the link

President Biden will propose a new 20 percent minimum tax on America’s wealthiest households as part of his fiscal 2023 budget, according to a White House fact sheet released on Saturday.

The White House said that the “billionaire minimum income tax” Biden will propose would apply to the top 0.01 percent of American households, or those worth more than $100 million. More than half of the revenue raised by the proposed minimum tax would come from households worth more than $1 billion, according to the fact sheet.

President Biden is a capitalist and believes that anyone should be able to become a millionaire or a billionaire,” reads the fact sheet describing the tax proposal. “He also believes that it is wrong for America to have a tax code that results in America’s wealthiest households paying a lower tax rate than working families.”

Did you notice that this billionaires tax starts at $100 million?

The new proposal would require wealthy households to pay 20 percent in taxes on their “full income,” including standard taxable income as well as unrealized income like gains from stocks.

It will be interesting to see the way this works. It would, first, have to essentially disallow deductions in the tax code that bring the taxable income level to below 20% of what they made that year, as well as increasing the capital gains tax. The big part is the quiet part, though: unrealized income. Do Bill Gates and Elon Musk have access to their billion plus? No. Quite a bit of that is on paper. Until they “cash out”, if you will, it’s unrealized. If your house is work $200K, it is an unrealized asset. Would you like to be taxed on it? You aren’t until you sell it.

And the last time they brought this up, it was pointed out it was un-Consitutional, and there have been court rulings on this. Even the Washington Post noted back then the problems

To start, not all assets are as easy to value as publicly traded stocks. Privately held companies, such as Charles Koch’s Koch Industries, are notoriously difficult to value. Rare but valuable items are even more difficult to fix an annual price. Someone who owns a Leonardo da Vinci or Picasso artwork likely paid more than $100 million for it at auction, but it’s almost impossible to assess what a unique work of art would sell for at the end of each tax year. Billionaires are precisely the people with the motive and the means to hire the best tax lawyers to fight the Internal Revenue Service at every step of the way, surely subjecting each tax return to excruciatingly long and expensive audits.

And to sue over this law. Not that it will pass. It’s questionable if the Democrats will even try in the House, where they can pass it easily. Getting it through the Senate is iffy. Especially since politicians, including Democrats, are beholden to uber-rich folks. Lets say that it manages to be deemed Constitutional: where does all that unrealized income go? How quick do this rich folks move their assets out of the U.S. and stop investing in the U.S.? Why build a resort here in the U.S., for instance? On paper, it might be worth $50 million, but, only generates $1 million of realized income yearly. Who wants to pay on that property as unrealized, when they could build in another country? How many businesses do not get built? How many small businesses would no longer get seed money?

If Congress does have that power, however, it will only be a matter of time before lawmakers apply the tax to ordinary Americans. Anyone who owns a house or has a retirement account has unrealized capital gains. Billionaires get all the attention, but the real money is in the hands of the broader public, as the collective value of real estate and mutual funds dwarfs what the nation’s uber-wealthy hold. The government would love to get 25 percent of your 401(k)’s annual rise, and our nation’s massive annual deficits and cumulative debt means it will need that money sooner rather than later.

That’s what they really want, and Democrats have talked about going after 401(k)s before. Most likely, Brandon is just trying to whip up his unhinged base, because Dems have been taught that the Rich are evil and should have their earned money taken and given to the base.

Read: Biden To Trot Out “Billionaires” Tax Or Something »

If All You See…

…is horrible heat snow because Other People keep having children, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is Irons In The Fire, with a post on having a hard time generating sympathy.

It’s clearing out the folder week.

Read: If All You See… »

Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

Patriotic Pinup George Petty

Happy Sunday! Another fantastic day in the Once and Future Nation of America. The Sun is shining, the squirrels are barking at the birds, and Biden keeps pushing the U.S. into WWIII…oh, wait, that’s not good. This pinup is by George Petty, with a wee bit of help.

What is happening in Ye Olde Blogosphere? The Fine 15

  1. Jihad Watch discusses the reality of the attempt to blow up a mosque in Chicago
  2. Legal Insurrection covers what happened to Coke’s racial quota for outside law firms
  3. Moonbattery shows what to expect on buses when they’re free
  4. Pacific Pundit covers the news on defining what is a woman
  5. The American Conservative discusses the danger of Oikophobia
  6. The First Street Journal covers the Philly Inquirer trying to garner sympathy for a murderous drunk driver
  7. The Last Refuge shows which countries support sanctions on Russia
  8. The Right Scoop covers Trump suing Hillary
  9. Weasel Zippers discusses Russian troops shooting at a nuclear reactor
  10. Real Climate Science says climate history began in 2014
  11. No Tricks Zone features an eco group opposing a wind farm in Germany
  12. Blazing Cat Fur covers the rise of the heterosexual queer
  13. Chicks On The Right discusses the lowered physical training standards for women in the Army
  14. Climate Depot notes Pelosi’s husband buying $2 million in Tesla stock
  15. And last, but, not least, Dissecting Leftism covers even more experts saying COVID lockdowns were a big mistake

As always, the full set of pinups can be seen in the Patriotic Pinup category, or over at my Gallery page (nope, that’s gone, the newest Apache killed access, and the program hasn’t been upgraded since 2014). While we are on pinups, since it is that time of year, have you gotten your Pinups for Vets calendar yet? And don’t forget to check out what I declare to be our War on Women Rule 5 and linky luv posts and things that interest me. I’ve also mostly alphabetized them, makes it easier scrolling the feedreader

Don’t forget to check out all the other great material all the linked blogs have!

Anyone else have a link or hotty-fest going on? Let me know so I can add you to the list. And do you have a favorite blog you can recommend be added to the feedreader?

Two great sites for getting news links are Liberty Daily and Whatafinger.

Read: Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup »

Biden “Misspeaks” On Calling For Regime Change In Russia

Yet another case of the Joe Biden, elected to essentially the most powerful position on earth, saying something which needed to be cleaned up by his staff, and virtually no one in the media questioning why Biden said it

Biden Says Russian President Vladimir Putin ‘Cannot Remain in Power’

President Biden appeared to call for Vladimir Putin’s ouster in a speech Saturday, saying the Russian president’s invasion of Ukraine had ignited a “new battle for freedom” between democracies and autocracies.

“For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,” Mr. Biden said at the Royal Castle before nearly a thousand attendees, including Polish President Andrzej Duda and members of the parliament. Hundreds of Poles also gathered nearby to watch a live stream of the speech.

A White House official later walked back Mr. Biden’s comment. “The president’s point was that Putin cannot be allowed to exercise power over his neighbors or the region,” the official said. “He was not discussing Putin’s power in Russia, or regime change.”

For a guy who constantly says “Let me be clear”, his staff sure has to clean up a lot of his messes, eh? It would be great if Putin was gone, but, being Russia, could someone worse take over?

Some say this was written into the speech, others say it was ad-libbed.

Now, just imagine that it was Trump trying to gaffe the world into WWIII. How would the media play that? Right now, most are providing cover.

Read: Biden “Misspeaks” On Calling For Regime Change In Russia »

Young Climate Cultists Leave Class To Protest Or Something

I don’t know what happened during your school days, but, if we tried to bolt school we’d be stopped and our parents called, no matter how many were involved. Why can’t these snowflakes protest after school, or on the weekends?

Students leave class to raise awareness about climate change

Across the globe, thousands of youth skipped class Friday as a way to call action to the world’s climate crisis.

It’s called, “Climate Strike” and is part of Fridays for Future. The movement was started by environmental activist Greta Thunberg in 2018.

“The response on a governmental level does not match what we see happening,” Chloe Johnson said.

Johnson is a junior at Central High School. She said Omaha needs to do more when it comes to the environment.

“We do have a goal of clean energy by 2050 but that doesn’t really get us prepared for the effects that are already happening and going to happen,” Johnson said.

Jobman wants everyone to push for change through their lawmakers.

“Call you representatives. Call your senators. Call the mayor,” Jobman said. “We need to change something now and if we don’t we’re all going to pay in the future.”

The cultists want everyone to call their representatives to force their beliefs on everyone, failing to understand the limits it would place on their own lives, how much it will cost them, and how much freedom they’ll lose. In a  sane world they’d be taught a lesson by their parents and schools, removing all the things the youths are whining about. It’s be hilarious if a Skeptic in the Utah legislature pushed a bill that would require schools to turn the thermostat way down on cold days and way up on hot ones. Stop running school buses. No class trips. No meat allowed in schools. And more.

This whole thing is elitist

Read: Young Climate Cultists Leave Class To Protest Or Something »

If All You See…

…is a flooded world requiring everyone to live on boats, you might just be a Warmist

The blog of the day is IOTW Report, with a post on Manny Machado doing an interview in a Let’s Go Brandon shirt.

Read: If All You See… »

In Poland, Biden Calls Putin A War Criminal, Tells Troops They’ll See Ukraine Firsthand

For a change, Biden’s not spending the weekend at home in Delaware or Camp David (though, will he immediately head to one of those when he gets back from Poland?) He did manage to say some very interesting things

Biden calls Putin a ‘war criminal’ after meeting with troops in Poland

Biden Brain SuckerPresident Joe Biden touched down Friday in Poland, what’s become the epicenter for millions fleeing their home country, to meet with U.S. service members and refugees as his presence in Europe sends a powerful message that NATO is united against Russia’s violent invasion.

At a briefing in Rzeszów on the humanitarian response to the ongoing crisis, Biden, again, called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “war criminal,” after the State Department announced this week its formal assessment that Russian forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine.

“The single most important thing that we can do from the outset is to keep the democracies united in our opposition and our effort to curtail the devastation that is occurring at the hands of a man who I quite frankly think is a war criminal,” Biden said, flanked by Poland’s President Andrzej Duda and USAID Administrator Samantha Powers. “I think it will meet the legal definition of that as well.”

By international standards, yeah, I think most will agree.

Earlier, Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin greeted members of the 82nd Airborne division in Rzeszów to thank them for their service — and ended up staying for a slice of pizza.

“Thank you very, very much for all you do. And it’s not hyperbole to suggest you’re the finest fighting force, not in the world — in the world. That’s not hyperbole,” Biden told the room.

Huh? Not in the world, in the world? Gaffe-master. The next one is the goody

But the president also raised eyebrows when he appeared to tell the group that American troops will be going into Ukraine, though he has repeatedly said that he will not send troops there.

“You know, with the Ukrainian people, Ukrainian people have a lot of backbone, they have a lot of guts and I’m sure you’re observing it,” Biden said. “And you’re gonna see when you’re there, and some of you have been there. You’re gonna see, you’re gonna see women, young people standing, standing in the middle, in front of a damn tank, just saying I’m not leaving. I’m holding my ground. They’re incredible. But they take a lot of inspiration from us.”

I’m sure there were a lot of “WTF!” looks and thoughts from the members of the 82nd Airborne, wondering what Dementia Joe was talking about. Hopefully, this was just a case of Joe being Joe, and not there being plans to actually go into Ukraine. What did Putin, who is either getting very unstable or 100% in control, think of that comment? Might it embolden him to do something crazy?

Asked to clarify Biden’s comment, a White spokesperson told ABC News, “the President has been clear we are not sending U.S. troops to Ukraine and there is no change in that position.”

Um

For the amount of time Brandon says “let me be clear”, his staff sure needs to clean a lot of his comments up.

Read: In Poland, Biden Calls Putin A War Criminal, Tells Troops They’ll See Ukraine Firsthand »

Your Fault: Birds In Chicago Are Laying Eggs Earlier

If only you’d just surrender, give up your fossil fueled vehicle and buy and EV. Or take a bus. Or bike. Or walk

Birds in Chicago laying eggs earlier due to climate change, research suggests

New research released Friday shows Chicago area birds are changing their nesting habits, and it’s connected to the climate crisis.

Inside the Field Museum, John Bates uses the old egg collection to tackle new problems, like this.

“A lot of people think of museums as old places with old dusty data. And that’s not really true. We’re always looking for modern uses of things,” said John Bates, curator of birds at the Field Museum and the study’s lead author

He turned to eggs preserved in the Field Museum more than a hundred years ago. There are 40 to 50,000 eggs in a cramped room, including some that date back to the 1870’s.

Bates and a team of researchers compared the old data to that of eggs collected recently.

They discovered about a third of Chicago area birds lay eggs on average 25 days earlier than they did a century ago.

ZOMG, 25 days earlier! It’s doom! I’m shocked that things change. That never happened before, right? Now, can they compare this time frame with previous Holocene warm periods, several of which were warmer? But, the media received their talking points

Surrender, skeptic, surrender.

Read: Your Fault: Birds In Chicago Are Laying Eggs Earlier »

Poll: Around 70% Say Biden’s Economy Is In Bad Shape

Out of the Democrats, Independents, and TDS infused Republicans who voted #LetsGoBrandon, how many utterly regret their votes? I hope none of them are complaining, because they got what they voted for

Poll: About 7 in 10 Americans Say Biden Economy Is Terrible

About seven in ten Americans say President Joe Biden’s economy “is in bad shape,” a Friday Associated Press-NORC poll revealed.

The poll also revealed nearly two-thirds of Americans disapprove of how he is handling the economy. Moreover, a majority of Americans say Biden’s own policies have hurt the economy instead of helped it.

Overall, 65 percent of Americans disapprove of Biden’s management of the economy, which includes 36 percent of Democrats and 96 percent of Republicans. The disapproval of Biden’s management of the economy has grown throughout his first year in office. In December, 57 percent disapproved of Biden’s economy, up to ten percentage points (47 percent) since July, a full 19 point swing in seven months.

Underpinning Biden’s terrible numbers are worries about rising gas and grocery prices. A whopping 68 percent of Americans say they are worried about gas prices. Fifty-nine percent said they fear rising grocery prices.

Democrats and their media sycophants can gaslight about how great things are all they want from their divorced reality towers, but, the People can see the problems, and you do have to wonder how many regret voting against Mr. Mean Tweets who actually accomplished things for the regular citizens, who wasn’t utterly beholden to hardcore interest groups after decades in Congress.

Read: Poll: Around 70% Say Biden’s Economy Is In Bad Shape »

Sheldon Whitehouse Is Upset That Democrats Have Never Taken ‘Climate Change’ As Serious As They Should

I wonder how many fossil fueled flights Sheldon has taken between Rhode Island and D.C.? He could take the train. And all those flights elsewhere, including climate conferences overseas? Has he replaced his fossil fueled vehicles with EVs? Downsized his house? Keep the lights of in his office?

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse: ‘Democrats have never taken climate change as seriously as they should’

For nine years, US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat representing Rhode Island since 2007, made weekly speeches called “Time To Wake Up” urging the Senate to take action on the climate emergency.

Whitehouse spoke about the devastating effects of global heating on different parts of the US as well as the world’s oceans. He also warned about the influence of corporate “dark money” undermining American democracy, including by fossil fuel companies resisting action on the climate crisis.

In January 2021, when Joe Biden became president, Whitehouse called a halt to his weekly speech ritual by saying: “The conditions are at last in place for a real solution” with Democrats controlling not only the presidency but both houses of Congress.

In February, Whitehouse reversed himself with his 240th Senate speech on the climate crisis.

The Guardian spoke to Whitehouse in early March, starting with the senator’s decision to bring back “Time To Wake Up”.

“I revived the speech series because I lost confidence in the momentum for a climate solution. There’s a legislation route. There’s a regulation route. There’s a litigation route. At the end of a year of this administration, we’ve made no visible progress on any of those fronts. So I went back at it.”

There’s a “practice what you preach” route, which Sheldon and the rest of his Comrades fail to implement

“The Democratic party has never taken climate change as seriously as it should. It has never put the energy into it that would create a public reaction of support that would then encourage more activity.

The climate cult has spent 30+ years spreading awareness. Democrats have realized that it is popular in theory: putting it into practice is not.

More specifically, we put all of our eggs in the basket of the big reconciliation bill (Build Back Better legislation), and the belief that everything was going to be made right by that. To the extent we needed to keep the caucus together for that piece of legislation, we weren’t going to do anything serious on regulation or on litigation lest it disturb the process. That was not the best way to go. We need to reboot. We need to do what we can through legislation but we also need to really push the throttle forward on regulation and on litigation.”

Tell you what: let’s start with implementing all sorts of climate cult measures on members of Congress and their staffs, starting with disallowing any use of fossil fuels. They’re good with that, right?

Read: Sheldon Whitehouse Is Upset That Democrats Have Never Taken ‘Climate Change’ As Serious As They Should »

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