The Shining City Upon a Hill

[Phil B.]

[BillyCarpenter]

That's a damn good question.

[BillyCarpenter]

Many country has voter ID laws...all of the EU countries require an ID.

[Phil B.]

Many country has voter ID laws...all of the EU countries require an ID.

that's strange .. our elites wanna be just like EU.... why in heavens name ..oh never mind I know why. they don't want another 'Trump' fixing what they fucked up.

[Phil B.]

The 'No Vaccine Passports Act' Has Officially Been Introduced in Congress

Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona has introduced legislation that would ban the federal government from issuing so-called vaccine passports.
Vaccine passports, and similar documents with other names, have been proposed as a way to allow operators of entertainment venues, offices and airlines to screen people wishing to gain admittance. The concept is that individuals would use an app on their phone that would show they had been vaccinated against the coronavirus in order to gain entry to an event or place.
New York state is implementing what Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has dubbed the Excelsior Pass, in which venues can scan a QR code to determine an individual’s vaccination status. Cuomo said the pass is designed to allow entertainment venues to safely reopen.

A March 28 report from The Washington Post, however, implied the Biden administration favors the passport concept but is unwilling to create a system on its own.
Biggs, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, wants to stop that idea before it starts.

“I am profoundly disturbed that the Biden Administration would even consider imposing vaccine passports on the American people. My private healthcare decisions — and yours — are nobody else’s business. Vaccine passports will not help our nation recover from COVID-19; instead, they will simply impose more Big Brother surveillance on our society,” the congressman said in a Thursday news release.
“I especially applaud Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for being an early leader against vaccine passports at the state level. My No Vaccine Passports Act builds on his efforts and will further protect Americans’ privacy rights and fundamental freedoms.”

Republican Gov. DeSantis signed an executive order banning the use of vaccine passports in his state. Governors of other states, including Missouri and Kansas, have followed suit. Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has also come out against the passport concept.
Other prominent conservative figures similarly opposed the idea.




Mike Pompeo



@mikepompeo



Requiring Americans to show proof of vaccination, or a ‘vaccine passport,’ in order to engage in society is outrageous and un-American. This isn’t about containing a virus, but is just another dangerous idea from the Left in their quest for more power and control.





Kevin McCarthy




@GOPLeader



Thanks to the safe vaccines from Operation Warp Speed, we will defeat the virus. But forcing Americans to carry a "vaccine passport" to go about daily life is unacceptable in a free society. That's something you'd expect in Communist China. Not in the United States of America.

The “No Vaccine Passports Act” proposed by Biggs says it is designed to “prohibit agencies from issuing vaccine passports.”
“An agency may not issue a vaccine passport, vaccine pass, or other standardized documentation for the purpose of certifying the COVID- 19 vaccination status of a citizen of the United States to a third party, or otherwise publish or share any COVID-19 vaccination record of a citizen of the United States, or similar health information,” the legislation added.

“Proof of COVID-19 vaccination shall not be deemed a requirement for access to Federal property or Federal services, or for access to congressional grounds or services.”
Scott Kirby, the CEO of United Airlines, said Thursday that when it comes to international travel, some form of documentation — whatever anyone wants to call it — will be required to prove vaccination status.
“I am supportive of some kind of vaccine passport as a way to begin opening international borders,” Kirby said, according to The Hill.

“My guess is we’re not going to wind up doing that domestically, and hopefully we’ll get close enough to herd immunity that we’re OK,” he said. “I don’t see it happening in the U.S.”
The bill has 18 Republican cosponsors: Reps. Jeff Duncan of South Carolina, Greg Steube of Florida, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Ben Cline of Virginia, Yvette Herrell of New Mexico, Andy Harris of Maryland, Louie Gohmert of Texas, Russ Fulcher of Idaho, Chip Roy of Texas, Mary Miller of Illinois, Bill Posey of Florida, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Ted Budd of North Carolina, Randy Weber of Texas, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania and Jody Hice of Georgia.

[bsm2]

Study: Tax Hikes to Cause 1 Million Job Losses by 2023

WASHINGTON—New tax increases proposed by President Joe Biden would kill one million jobs and harm the economy, a new study released by the nation’s largest manufacturing association states.
For manufacturers, the tax reform of 2017 was like “rocket fuel” and if the new administration rolls back those reforms, “manufacturing workers will lose out on jobs, growth, and raises,” according to Jay Timmons, president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).
“After decades of advocating for a tax system that provided competitive rates and modern international tax provisions, manufacturers in America kept our promises following the enactment of the 2017 tax reforms: we raised wages and benefits, we hired more American workers, and we invested in our communities,” Timmons said in a press release.
“If we undo those reforms, all of that will be put at significant risk.”
As a result of the tax cuts, U.S. manufacturers added 263,000 new jobs in 2018, according to the NAM, which was the best year for job creation in more than two decades.
The study conducted by Rice University economists John W. Diamond and George R. Zodrow for the NAM examined the short- and long-term impacts of Biden’s tax plan.
The study states that the proposed changes, including the increased corporate tax rate would cause one million job losses in the first two years. The average annual job losses would be 600,000 each year over 10 years and real wages would fall by 0.6 percent in the long run, according to the study.
The implementation of these changes would also reduce gross domestic product by $117 billion and investment in equipment and structures by $80 billion in 2023, the study says.
Diamond and Zodrow’s study analyzes the impact of undoing the tax cuts enacted in 2017 under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The changes in the analysis included increasing the corporate tax rate to 28 percent, restoring the corporate Alternative Minimum Tax, removing expensing (100 percent bonus depreciation) of most investments in depreciable assets, and repealing the 20 percent deduction for certain pass-through business income immediately.
The analysis examined also includes increasing the top individual income tax rate to 39.6 percent, and taxing capital gains and dividend income at ordinary rates for taxpayers with incomes above $1 million, and taxing unrealized capital gains at death.
“The simulation results indicate that although such tax policy changes would raise significant amounts of revenues, these revenue increases would naturally have economic costs, and these costs increase with the size of the corporate income tax rate increase,” the researchers stated in the report.
Opposition to a potential corporate tax hike is mounting, as business groups claim such a move would give other countries a clear advantage and harm blue-collar jobs.
“The U.S. Chamber agrees with the Biden administration that there is a great need to invest in American infrastructure and that ‘inaction is simply not an option.’ However, that doesn’t mean we should proceed with tax hikes that will hurt American businesses and cost American jobs,” Neil Bradley, executive vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said in a statement on April 7.
“Tax reform worked to improve a system that no one felt was working and struck a balance between the need for companies to be able to compete in the global economy while protecting the U.S. tax base,” he wrote.
Raising the federal corporate tax rate to 28 percent from 21 percent is crucial for funding Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan, called the American Jobs Plan. In addition, Biden’s plan would eliminate many special breaks, including both offshore and domestic. It also introduces a minimum tax of 15 percent on corporations’ book income.
The left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) described Biden’s tax plan as “a revolutionary change.”
“It would end the spectacle of corporations earning huge profits for years while paying effective tax rates that are in the single digits if not zero. That alone would be worth celebrating,” Steve Wamhoff, director of federal tax policy at ITEP wrote in a blog.
At least 55 of the largest U.S. corporations including Nike and FedEx avoided paying federal corporate income taxes in 2020 despite having substantial pretax profits in the United States, according to a recent study by the ITEP.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in her recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal defended a corporate tax increase and claimed that the tax cuts of 2017 “put America at a disadvantage.”
“The law creates an incentive for U.S. companies to offshore their workers and investments—and to shift their profits to tax havens,” she wrote on April 7.
One of the key architects of the 2017 tax reform Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) called Yellen’s op-ed “misguided” and “inaccurate.”
In an interview with Fox Business on April 10, Brady said the tax cuts made American businesses more competitive both in the United States and abroad and also brought manufacturing back to the country.
“In my view, their tax proposals coupled with what we’ve seen out of the Senate will trigger a second wave of U.S. companies moving their jobs and research overseas. Biden’s tax policy actually makes it better for a foreign company to operate in America, than an American company to operate here at home,” Brady said.
“This policy is very dangerous to blue-collar workers.”

Thanks for pointing that out Phil how America getting screw by not taxing.

Go get them JOE


At least 55 of the largest U.S. corporations including Nike and FedEx avoided paying federal corporate income taxes in 2020 despite having substantial pretax profits in the United States, according to a recent study by the ITEP.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in her recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal defended a corporate tax increase and claimed that the tax cuts of 2017 “put America at a disadvantage.”

[copier addict]

Thanks for pointing that out Phil how America getting screw by not taxing.

Go get them JOE


At least 55 of the largest U.S. corporations including Nike and FedEx avoided paying federal corporate income taxes in 2020 despite having substantial pretax profits in the United States, according to a recent study by the ITEP.
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in her recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal defended a corporate tax increase and claimed that the tax cuts of 2017 “put America at a disadvantage.”

You can raise taxes all you want, it doesn't prevent the use of all the loopholes corporations use to prevent paying them.
Close the loopholes first.

[Phil B.]

I guess Psaki didn't check their credentials! Psaki tooks questions from this game player for WEEKS!


White House answered fake reporter's questions for weeks before press corps exposed her to be 'Lego' video gamer

An online video game player was able to infiltrate the White House press corps by pretending to be a political reporter. The fake reporter was even able to submit questions to the Biden administration through the press corps, and White House press secretary Jen Psaki answered the imposter's questions for weeks.
An online persona posed as a reporter named "Kacey Montagu" for the Daily Mail, a British tabloid best known for celebrity gossip. There were Twitter and LinkedIn accounts dedicated to "Kacey Montagu," plus she was named as the chief political correspondent for White House News, a fictional website.
From Politico:

Montagu's play-acting as a White House reporter goes back at least to December, when he or she set up @WHschedule on Twitter. They repeatedly referenced the "schedule" account in emails as a primary duty. In March, they began sending tweets from @WHpoolreport. The accounts are rudimentary repostings of two sources of information reporters regularly consume: the president, first lady, vice president, and second gentleman's daily schedules and the so-called pool reports, which are real time dispatches from a small group of journalists tasked with following around those principals during the course of the day and reporting back to the rest of the press corps on their movements and utterances.

The accounts got attention from insiders, who quickly came to rely on their speed and efficiency. @WHSchedule had a following of more than 1,300, including several White House correspondents (some working at POLITICO). The new @WHPoolReport account amassed more than 600 in a few weeks' time, including some who work in the administration like Michael LaRosa, press secretary for Jill Biden and Symone Sanders, a senior advisor and chief spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris.

The person behind the imposter contacted the White House Correspondents Association about being becoming a pool reporter and inquired about applying for a day pass to cover the White House in person.
"Kacey Montagu" was given access to cover COVID-19 government press briefings, but was not called upon.
Montagu regularly sent in questions for the White House press corps to ask Psaki, adding that she wasn't able to be there in person "due to social distancing regulations." Montagu was able to hoodwink White House reporters, including from The Plain Dealerand CQ Roll Call, to ask Psaki numerous questions "about everything from COVID-19 travel bans, to coming ambassadorships, to Biden's reaction to Microsoft being hacked."
"In at least one instance, a White House official was connected with Montagu to circle back with more information when they had it," Politico reported.
Some White House reporters researched "Kacey Montagu," who had a deactivated LinkedIn account with a profile photo of U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson eating an ice cream cone, and they became suspicious.
During Thursday's daily White House press briefing, Washington Blade White House Reporter Chris Johnson asked Psaki the question, "How involved is former President Obama and First Lady Obama in the Biden – Harris administration? Is President Biden seeking to bring back the often bipartisan portrait unveiling events at the White House?"
The question was planted by Montagu.
Mediaite investigated Kacey Montagu, and discovered that she "appears to be a gag persona for a former Secretary of State made of Legos."
"The Montagu website's FAQ section describes her as 'An American Citizen. Former Secretary of State, Mayor, Senator, President Pro Tempore and Speaker of the House,' and her political views as 'President Trump 2024, baby! I'm a Conservative,'" the outlet wrote on Thursday.
Politico found that the person behind the "Kacey Montagu" persona was actually a Lego video gamer.
"They believe Montagu's White House moonlighting began as something to boast about in the online global gaming platform called ROBLOX, where users jokingly call themselves 'Legos,'" according to Politico. "Within that platform is a role-playing group called nUSA, where people from across the world engage in a mock U.S. government exercise. At one point, Montagu had adopted the role of Secretary of State but resigned from that job after — as they recalled — 'the [nUSA] President went to war with some U.K. and I thought it was a pretty bad idea!'"
The prankster explained her motivation for the fake White House reporter profiles, "I created them as some fun but also to ensure that people know what is going on — they should be able to know what POTUS and V.P. is doing and I think the account following shows people are interested in that."
"I love journalism, and I think the press corps is doing a pretty bad job at the moment, so I decided I would ensure some transparency and ask some questions me and some friends wanted the answer to," the hoaxer told the outlet.
The White House declined to comment on the situation.

[SalesServiceGuy]

The 'No Vaccine Passports Act' Has Officially Been Introduced in Congress


Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona has introduced legislation that would ban the federal government from issuing so-called vaccine passports.
Vaccine passports, and similar documents with other names, have been proposed as a way to allow operators of entertainment venues, offices and airlines to screen people wishing to gain admittance. The concept is that individuals would use an app on their phone that would show they had been vaccinated against the coronavirus in order to gain entry to an event or place.
New York state is implementing what Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has dubbed the Excelsior Pass, in which venues can scan a QR code to determine an individual’s vaccination status. Cuomo said the pass is designed to allow entertainment venues to safely reopen.

The Republicans do not hold the majority in Congress. This bill is "dead in the water".

Several Florida corporations are already planning to sue the State as they want to have vaccine passports.

One of Florida's largest food and hospitality fairs is planning on requiring a vaccine passport be displayed for all of those who wish to attend.

[BillyCarpenter]

The Republicans do not hold the majority in Congress. This bill is "dead in the water".

Several Florida corporations are already planning to sue the State as they want to have vaccine passports.

One of Florida's largest food and hospitality fairs is planning on requiring a vaccine passport be displayed for all of those who wish to attend.

That's gonna exclude most black folk.