Shelby Steele, who is a a senior fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution and the author of the book White Guilt has an excellent and fascinating article on The Wall Street Journal’s website regarding the death of Trayhvon Martin.
Tax Dodges For The Rich And Famous
April 15 is but 10 days away so let us link to this FrugalDad.Com article which claims that the U.S. government loses $100 billion annually to legal offshore tax havens used by corporations and the filthy rich.
The article notes that between 2008 and 2010, 29 of our largest corporation including General Electric, Wells Fargo and Verizon paid nothing in corporate taxes.
It unveiled a scheme used by Google — those caring “don’t be evil” Obama-supporting liberals — called the Double Irish and The Dutch Sandwich in which Google credits its non-U.S. profits to its Irish office then funnels it through a shell company in the Netherlands to tax-free Bermuda.
And it points out that Mitt Romney, who if he should win the GOP nomination and general election would be our richest president since George Washington — yes, GW was rich, has millions stashed in investment funds in the Cayman Islands. It notes that he paid just $3 million in federal taxes in 2011 on investment income of $21 million.
That’s a 14 percent tax rate. If everybody had a 14 percent tax rate cutting taxes wouldn’t be an issue. I wonder if Mitt realizes that not everybody has a 14 percent tax rate.
Come this Pennsylvania Primary Day on April 24 I’m hitting the button for Santorum or Gingrich or maybe even Paul if despair drives me to get really drunk.
But if Romney is the nominee, I’ll crawl over broken glass and through poison ivy to vote for him. Better a competent pawn of Goldman Sachs than the incompetent one we got now who is more of a parody of a sit-com character than a president.
Hey, Mr. President would it be “unprecedented” for the Supreme Court to overturn a law passed by Congress?
James Bond Three Stooges Connection
The Three Stooges movie opens April 13. It’s set in contemporaneous times with impersonators for Larry, Moe and Curly.
“Skyfall” — the next Bond film — is scheduled to open in October.
Is there a connection between the silly Stooges and the suave British super spy? Why, yes, of course.
The Stooges creator and original manager was Ted Healy who was beaten to death by three men outside a Los Angeles night club in 1937. The assailants were reputedly the actor Wallace Beery, Albert “Cubby” Broccoli and Broccoli’s cousin Pat DiCicco.
Broccoli would go on to produce the first 16 Bond films and consult on GoldenEye before his death in 1996. His daughter Barbara has been producer of the Bond films starting with GoldenEye.
There is a Philadelphia connection as well. Stooge Larry Fine was a Philadelphian as was, well, James Bond.
At least the ornithologist whose name Ian Fleming used for his fictional character.
James Bond Three Stooges Connection
Sam Rohrer To Make Pre-Primary Stop In Delco
Sam Rohrer, who is among those seeking the Republican nomination to take on incumbent Democrat Bob Casey Jr. — or maybe Joe Vodvarka — in this fall’s U.S. Senate race will have a Delaware County Town Hall, 7 p.m., April 11 at the Saint James Alumni Association, 1499 E. 9th St., Eddystone, Pa. 19022.
For some background on Sam visit here.
To see what his principles are visit here.
The primary election is April 24.
The State GOP has endorsed Steve Welch — a former Barack Obama and Joe Sestak supporter — for the primary race so if you are a Republican who likes Barack Obama and Joe Sestak, Welch is clearly your man.
Me, I’m going to vote for Rohrer.
Remember Me
Cathy Craddock has submitted a link to the very touching Remember Me by 15-year-old Lizzie Palmer. Bet you’ll get misty-eyed.
Thank you, Cathy.
End Of The Inquirer
The Philadelphia Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News purchased for $562 million in 2006 was announced sold yesterday, April 2, to the Democrat boss of New Jersey for $55 million.
So, in another six years will the sale price be $5.3 million?
Frankly, one doubts it. One expects it to be killed shortly after Nov. 6 as the only the rationale for that outlay of money is as a sneaky campaign contribution to Barack Obama and the local Democrat parties.
And one doubts that even the Philadelphia and New Jersey unions have that much dough to throw down that rat hole for much time beyond the election.
The new owners, headed by George Norcross — who has been described as the most powerful Democrat in New Jersey — are solely trying to influence the senior citizens who still get the paper to do the crossword puzzle and the sudoku.
They are not going to try to expand its readership by even pretending to be fair. Today’s web headlines, for instance, include “89,000 poor Pa. kids slashed from Medicaid” and “Secret reports on priests’ perversions”.
The only thing more blatant would be to hire the now out-of-work Keith Olbermann.
In the words of Dr. McCoy, “he’s dead, Jim.”
And Norcross is going to find that he has wasted his money even if his intent is to use the broadsheet as a suicide fire ship. Parody makes for bad propaganda.
The paper was purchased for $130 million in 2010 by a hedge fund which scavenged what it could and has now dumped the hulk.
End Of The Inquirer
Voters Guide Shows A Dem Challenger To Casey
The Pittsburgh 9.12 Project has created an excellent voters guide for this year’s U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania.
A pdf download can be found here.
The race will feature the winner of the Republican Primary against incumbent Democrat Bob Casey Jr. — assuming Casey wins his party primary as he will have a conservative, working class challenger in Joe Vodvarka.
The primaries are April 24.
The Great Walsh Park Dog Raid
A decades-long tradition for dog owners in Springfield, Pa. has been to let their pets roam free at certain times of the day in Walsh Park which takes up 19.4 acres between Brookside and Scenic roads.
The township had been well aware of this unleashed transgression of ordinance and had turned a blind eye.
The county, however, has apparently figured the situation provides a way to reap some revenue.
The site was reportedly raided by county agents a short time ago. Several were fined $100 and one outspoken protestor was nailed with a $2,000 fine as the story goes.
The dog lovers of Springfield are not happy.
Hat tip Robert.
Springfield Ministerium Seeks Funds
The Springfield Ministerium’s Community Help Fund is critically low and help is needed. The fund helps families with food needs and financial emergencies in Springfield, Pa.
Donations can be sent to Springfield Ministerium Help Fund, CC Hancock United Methodist Church, 45 Wesley Road, Springfield, Pa. 19064.
Many churches in the township also accept funds.
Why Dominic Pileggi Gets a C+
I am the owner and sole founder of The Liberty Index and solely responsible for grading the Acts of the General Assembly and the Governor. I would like to provide a context for Senator Dominic Pileggi’s C+ grade.
Because The Liberty Index is graded on a curve, Senator Pileggi’s grade shows relative standing to other legislators.
Dominic Pileggi’s grade and position on the curve mean he is not as bad as his colleagues.
Given the State Senate’s own record, the grade must be interpreted as not as bad as a bad bunch.
Looking behind the grade at the actual votes, let us compare and contrast the rhetoric and the reality of the record.
Disappointingly, the alleged fiscal conservative Sen. Pileggi, who represents the 9th District, voted “YEA” for seven of eight Ed Rendell’s Bankrupting Budgets. It’s sometimes hard to tell the Democrats from theRepublicans, especially, when Republicans are in Leadership.With his “YEA” vote for Capital Budget Act 130 of 2011,
Senator Pileggi (and every otherPennsylvania State Senator) added $1.6 billion dollars in debt to Pennsylvania’s ForgottenTaxpayer’s financial burden and, simultaneously, voted millions for billionaire corporations: Comcast, Janney, Teva Pharmaceuticals, ShopRite, Franklin Mint and $850,000 toPhiladelphia Democrat Chaka Fattah’s Philadelphia House of Imoja and $1,970,000 to Philadelphia University‐Arlen Specter Library and $10,000,000 John P. Murtha Center for Public Policy in Cambria County.
Contrary to Senator Pileggi’s rhetoric, the reality of the record is that Senator Pileggi is not The Forgotten Taxpayer’s BFF.
Mr. Guzzardi of Montgomery County runs the watchdog blog LibertyIndex.Com.