Having survived covid shutdown, business now hobbled by lack of workers.

STIMULUS, EXTENDED UNEMPLOYMENT, RENT MORATORIUM MAKES WORKING UNNECESSARY

IT WILL ALL RESULT IN MORE HOMELESS AND JOBLESS

The CDC has now extended the eviction moratorium until June 30. Since when does a government agency have the authority to postpone rent for 10 million people? The stimulus package has extended supplemental unemployment until September. Some family's have received thousand's in stimulus payments. The result has been a shortage of workers to the point that some business's who struggled through lock-downs and reduced business are now reducing hours and even closing due to insufficient staff.

Just when things were on the road to recovery, business is now struggling just to keep open, remaining staff are sometimes working 60 to 80 hours to fill in for the call-offs, leaves of abscess and no shows.

Is this going to result in more calls for extending unemployment and the rent moratorium? 

Are these policies just stupid or is this just another vote buying scheme?

While renters cannot be evicted for non-payment of rent, the rent is supposedly accumulating until this moratorium is over. Does anyone believe that many of these short-sighted renters will ever be able to pay the accumulated rent? There is going to be a very high price to pay for everyone involved in this scheme. Why didn't the government just provide temporary rent assistance, rather than create this disaster? Or is disaster and chaos a way of eventually gaining more political power?

Is the plan really to create a whole new crop of dependents. Dependent on government.

It is possible that there will be more business closings and downsizing than what occured in the last year. 

It is reported that in Philadelphia 30% of renters are behind in their rent.  This also means that many land-lords are behind in their mortgage payments. The accumulated rent deficit is now estimated at as high as $70  billion dollars. Many land-lords now refuse to place vacant apartment for rent for the fear they will become part of the moratorium. Would you want to rent to someone who was evicted because they accumulated a year of rent to their former landlord?

We can expect the remedy will be massive public housing expansion to create more dependents on the government. I believe that is part of the infrastructure bill.  

It is clear that all policies are to punish small business, and create more dependency on the government. Maybe everyone should just give up, stay home and sign up for a government program..

Police reform or citizen reform

POLICE  REFORM  OR  CITIZEN  REFORM

The news the last few days has been obsessed with police reform, calling for more training, higher education standards, more tasers, less guns. All the focus is how the police must better interact with the community. I did not hear anyone discuss how the community needs to better interact with the police.

When I was growing up I never heard my parents ever disparage the police. It was accepted that they had a job to do and that as citizens it was our duty to cooperate with the police.

Do you believe those values are taught to the children in Chicago or other major cities? The adversarial relationship between police and minority communities has only worsened during the Obama administration.  I don't remember Obama, his Attorney General, or any minority leaders ever encouraging respect for police, don't run when confronted by police, don't resist arrest, don't assault a police officer, don't attempt to humiliate and embarrass police, keep a civil and respectful attitude to the police and it most likely will be returned in kind.

I understand that respect for the police has been hampered by state and local politicians who have used petty laws to increase revenue for their area. This is a situation that should be addressed, as it undermines the citizen's view of the police and fosters an adversarial relationship. This is not the fault of the police, but the fault of their political bosses who require quotas or other incentives to increase revenue. 

This is a problem in some areas of the local community. Anyone who drives down Route 100 in the Fogelsville area knows what I am talking about...or rolling stops at Buckeye Rd and Route 100, this has been going on for years. I must say the Penna. State Police have been pretty good in this respect and they have focused on real problems on the highways.

I understand that in some cities in America millions are collected in petty fines, often on the poorest members of the community. This should not be a difficult problem to correct, I suspect the police would be happy not to be revenue enhancers.

Any attempt to put all the blame on the police in this difficult time will only produce poor results. These problems need to be addressed by parents, who need to instruct their children, as well as community leaders, politicians from the local level up to the president.  Only a shared respect by all members of the community will have a positive result.

originally published 12/31/2015 



Real facts on Gun deaths

 BIDEN FOLLOWS DEMOCRAT PATTERN OF OBSESSION WITH GUNS

PRESS CONFERENCE LOADED WITH LIES AND MISINFORMATION

It seems it is the right of passage for all new democrat administrations to focus on guns as one of their priorities early in their administration. I assume yesterday was Biden's checking of a box. Even he knows that his chances of passing any anti-2nd amendment legislation are remote. Non the less, he checked the box and the worst part of his orders is the appointing of an anti-gun extremist to the head of ATF. This person should never be confirmed for this job. This is a very important position and if taken by an anti-2nd amendment zealot, he will do a lot of harm to the ATF and to the country.

I personally dealt with the ATF for 35 years and the regulatory part of the ATF has always been a very professional, objective group of real people. They did their job, and had a good working relationship with all the firearms distributors and dealers. The encouraged a cooperative effort in the best interests of the country.

A zealot in charge of this agency will hinder that cooperation, take the focus off the real criminals and likely encourage harassment of the industry for political purposes.  This will not be in the best interest of anyone. The politicization of the ATF will be a disaster for ATF and for the country.

As for his stating that firearms deaths is a epidemic, that plainly is an exaggeration. The epidemic is the criminal element of the democrat ruled cities of America. Much of this is part of the drug trade. The fighting over turf and the collecting of drug debts. We see no focus on the criminal element in these cities, maybe that should be the administrations priority.  I do not recall one arrest by the FBI of any politician or law enforcement officer for taking drug money. Is drug cartel money only corrupting the politicians in other countries?

Below are murder facts from the FBI. take notice that more murders are committed with knives, blunt objects and fists than with rifles or shotguns. 

The obsession with rifles by democratic politicians, must be a fear that in future they may be used against them. The facts about firearms deaths is that the majority are suicide, not included in the above table, which are not going to be solved by firearms laws. 

As for democrat politicians fear of an armed populace, the only attacks on politicians have been by their own constituents against conservative politicians, encouraged by their stoking the hate and fear of conservatives in general.

Summary: George Floyd saga.

 VIDEOS TELL MOST OF THE STORY

SITUATION WAS CREATED BY GEORGE FLOYD

We have all seen the video with a police officer with his knee on George Floyd's neck, the trial and accompanying videos have now given us the rest of the story. There will soon be witnesses for the defense and autopsy results, but the videos from individuals and from speedway across the street all show the whole ordeal from start to finish. The videos accompanied by the transcripts of the radio transmissions give a clearer picture of this event.

It all started when George Floyd gave a counterfeit $20 bill to a clerk at a convenience store. It was quickly discovered and the manager of the store sent the clerk out to tell Floyd to come back and make good on this bill, Floyd refused.

The manager and the clerk then went out and talked to Floyd to come back in and take care of this situation, he again refused. 

Floyd was accompanied at the time by an unidentified male and an unidentified female, who Floyd's girlfriend described as Floyd's source of drugs.

The manager then called the police, all the while Floyd is sitting in his car across the street.

When the police arrive, the 2 other individuals leave the scene. Floyd refuses to get out of his car. He is clearly out of control and in a state of mental distress. Eventually the police pull him from his car and handcuff him and sit him on the sidewalk, talking to him and attempting to calm him down. Floyd could have driven away at anytime before the police arrived, but he may have been incapable of driving.

Eventually the police decide to put him in the rear of a police vehicle. The try to put him on the drivers rear side, but Floyd refuses to get in and physically they work for some time to get him in. He is crying and saying he is claustrophobic and he cant breathe. They finally get the door closed and Floyd begins to exit the passenger side. The police attempt to get him back in. By this time it seems all concerned are physically exhausted. They then get Floyd out and hold him on the ground. Telling him to stop struggling, which he does not do. 

The police then call an ambulance, with a code that indicates he is mentally distressed. In a couple more minutes they call the ambulance that there is a more serious health situation. By the time the ambulance arrives Floyd is now not responding. He is already dead or dies shortly thereafter.

Floyd's girlfriend relates about both of their opiod drug use and that Floyd had OD'd a couple months earlier, had serious heart problems and barely survived.

Floyd could have ended all this by first exchanging the $20. bill. He then could have cooperated with the police and if he did not have any other counterfeit bills in his vehicle or residence, would have likely been let go. George Floyd made all the wrong decisions in this event and would be alive today if he would have made the right decisions.

The police could not control this man, they never hit him or tasered him, they had little choice, but to take him in or let him go. While everyone wants to blame his death on police action, the police can not just let people go after they are called to respond to any crime. 

The police should not be expected to wrestle with every suspect they attempt to detain, give them tools to incapacitate suspects who resist without physical contact. Once the wrestling begins, no one is making rational choices.

This is very much a similar situation as the Eric Gardner case a few years ago in New York.

Maybe it time for the police and their unions to demand from politicians clear guidelines of what to do when someone refuses to cooperate, resists arrest, and they are unable to control someone. It is always easy to say what should not have been done, but no one wants to say what should be done.

Political war escalates into economic war.

 

MAJOR CORPORATIONS TO BE BOYCOTTED BY BOTH SIDES

TELL COKE AND BASEBALL TO TAKE A HIKE

The evolution of our society into a fascist cooperation between the democrat party and big corporations has been growing since the Obama administration. It began with the politicization of football, then the social media companies and now it seems all corporations are being pressured to choose political sides.

We have seen attempts that have backfired, like the attempt by the left to destroy Chik-Fil- A for not succumbing to political pressure and their business grew dramatically. It seems now it it going to be all out economic war. 

The first targets seem to be settling in on Baseball and Coca-Cola. These boycotts will likely grow and become local as well as national. After all we have a major league affiliated team here in the lehigh Valley and a park called Coca-Cola park. 

Amazon and companies based in cities like New York, San Francisco and other radical cities products may also become companies to boycott. 

It is wonderful how we have seen the unity that Biden has made an effort to bring to the country. Just a lot of political nonsense. He is as much a political warrior as the rest of his party. Destruction in the quest of total political power is the name of the game.

Below is a list of Coca-Cola affiliated companies, I am sure there are alternatives, or if you are a leftist go get them. 

AdeS soy-based beverages

Aquarius

Ayataka green tea

Ciel water

Costa Coffee

Dasani water

Del Valle juices and nectars

Fairlife

Fanta

Fresca

Fuze Tea

Georgia Coffee

Gold Peak teas and coffees

Honest Tea

ILOHAS

Innocent smoothies and juices

Powerade

Minuter Maid

Sim;y Juices

Schweppes

Smart water

Sprite

Topo Chico

vitaminwater.

Will  we soon be labeled to our political leanings by the contents of our shopping cart? Will the new accessory for shopping be a cover to keep our purchases confidential? The division just gets worse.

Fascist corporate cooperation with Democrats esculates.

 COUNTRY FURTHER DIVIDES INTO TWO COUNTRIES

CORPORATE IMAGE DECLINES FURTHER

After racist allegations by Democrats and black leaders against changes to voting rules in Georgia,  much of the corporate world folded into denouncing the legislation. One must wonder, did any of these people actually read the legislation, or was it all just a fear of boycotts,vandalism or violence? Do they fear violence from the left more than from those wanting election integrity? If the corporate world had any sense they would have made the decision years ago, not to get involved in divisive political issues. It is a lose, lose situation for them in the long run. No matter their position, it will be alienating some segment of their customer base. I expect they also fear government action or regulation against their business if they don't cooperate in the fascist takeover of the country. 

The Georgia law, which now requires voter ID to request absentee ballots, which is supported by 70% of citizens, a limit to the number of drop boxes and an increase in security and custody rules for these boxes, which should be supported by everyone. More legislature control of the the process in all precincts, rather than having every precinct set their own rules. Extending early voting to include 2 saturdays rather than 1. Shortening the time to request absentee ballots in the hope to have the counting done in a timely matter. And limiting interaction from political activists and those waiting in line, which is the policy most anywhere. Water and food can be supplied , but not with personal interaction. None of these changes will deny anyone the right to vote. 

Much of this has to do with sending a message to other states, do not try to change rules that allow Democrats to cheat. 

The voting process has to be foolproof and very difficult to cheat.That should be the goal of everyone if we are going to be able to trust our election process. There is nothing in any of these proposals that cause black voters to be unable to vote. It is just another opportunity to cry racist, Jim Crow and any other adjective at republicans or anyone who wants election integrity.

Rather than an escalation of voter cheating, both sides could engage in this process, we need rules that insure election integrity. 

This stampede by corporate leaders to endorse and support the democratic party will not be in their long term best interest. They have now engaged in censorship of opposition speech at the bequest of the democrat party and publicly sided against  any attempt at election reform. They are guilty of racist indoctrnation of their employees by pushing critical race theory and forcing white employees to admit their white privilege or lose their job or be branded with no hope of advancement.. This is the clearest definition of a Fascist system. We have seen the words escalate in the destruction of business that has not cooperated, the forcing of people from their jobs for not cooperating. This is not the America of opportunity, but the road to totalitarian fascist government. 

How do U.S. corporate tax rates compare to other countries?

 SHOULD CORPORATE TAX RATES BE COMPETITIVE WITH THE COMPETITION?

OR IS IT ALL IRRELEVANT TO THE ECONOMIC HEALTH OF THE NATION?

We see that the Biden administration is now about to focus on taxes,  raising them. We have been hearing from the democrats that lowering the corporate tax rate form 35 % to 21 % was a giveaway to the rich. That it only benefited the rich.  If we entice corporations to locate or expand in this country, is it good for everyone or just the rich? If we increase private sector job growth will that increase tax revenues as the economy grows and produces more wealth? If corporate profits increase will the government get more tax revenues? Do profitable companies create opportunities for pension funds to grow or does that only benefit the rich? Do government financed jobs really create long term prosperity or does that approach transfer wealth and power to government from the private sector? 

So what are the corporate tax rates in 2020 compared to the rest of the developed world?

First lets look at our producer competition:

China        25%

Japan         29%

Korea        27%

Taiwan      20%

Viet Nam  20%

Mexico     30%

Canada     26%

 

Most countries only have a national corporate tax, but in the U. S state corporate taxes range form 2.5% in North Carolina to 11.5%  in New Jersey. This could in effect could be added to the federal rate to get the total corporate rate for a company in the U.S. 23.5? in N.Carolina and 32.5% in New Jersey. Pennsylvania and 5 other have state corporate rates at 9% or more. Pa. total rate 30%. Do we accept the fact that expansions and new locations for corporations take into account the tax they will be subject to? It is not the only criteria, but it is a factor. That and over regulation..

At Bidens 28%, Corporations in New Jersey would be subject to a 39.5% tax rate. Would this bode well for the economic future of New Jersey? Will a higher rate discourage international corporations from expanding in this country?

The rest of the developed world rates are as follows:

Ireland                 12.5%

United Kingdom 19%

Israel                    23%

Italy                      27%       

Denmark              22%

Finland                 20%

France                   32%

Germany               29%

Russia                   20%

Mexico                  30%

Does anyone believe that in the long haul raising tax rates will result in more revenue for the taxing authorities. It may in the short run, but you inevitably see economic activity moving to the places that are the most attractive to these companies.

If you want to create jobs, and with it a growth of wealth you want to make your location the most attractive  place to do business. Low taxes and  modest regulation all  encourage the growth of the economy and with it more tax revenue. Extracting wealth off the top is like eating the seed corn. And borrowing money to create jobs, is just a dead end policy. Why would we want to be on the higher end of the tax rate, rather than on the lower end?

numbers from the tax foundation.