Free Republic

Your Paycheck Could Increase Very Soon -- Here’s How Much You Can Expect New IRS federal tax-withholding guidelines should give millions of Americans higher paychecks in 2018. Matthew Frankel Jan 12, 2018 The Treasury Department recently released new withholding tables based on the recently passed tax-reform bill. These tell employers how much to withhold from their employees' paychecks, and 90% of workers should see an increase when the new guidelines are implemented. Here's what this means, when you should expect the change to affect your paycheck, and how much of an increase you should expect. New IRS federal tax-withholding guidelines...

Received a fake Treasury check in the mail today with no letter or anything to indicate as to why it was sent. Didn't put my name correctly per the government records (missed a little tidbit I won't mention here). When people cash these checks, the check is returned to whoever sent it per the routing info with your endorsement signature and your account number. Don't fall for it. Micro printing on the endorsement line, but not on the edge of Liberty's garment. Biggest warning sign of all is that I haven't filed my taxes yet and have no reason to...

Democrats in high-tax blue states are already plotting ways to avoid the new tax law, hoping to seize on gimmicks that will allow their residents to cut their federal tax burden without costing the states themselves any money. The Democrats are trying to get around a new $10,000 cap on how much of their state and local taxes residents can write off on their federal forms. High-tax states fear their residents will quickly top the $10,000 limit, leaving them grumbling over their higher tax bills. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has suggested switching some of his state’s tax collections from...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Democratic California lawmakers are exploring ways to blunt the impact of the new federal tax law on the state’s taxpayers. Federal law has long allowed people to deduct their state and local taxes from their federal tax bill, but the tax overhaul signed last month by President Donald Trump caps that deduction at $10,000.

Paying federal workforce costs taxpayers $1.1M per minute, according to a pro-transparency group, Open The Books December 27, 2017 by Mark Tapscott James P. Cochrane earns $250,335 annually as chief marketing and sales officer for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), making him the highest paid public relations employee of the federal government. The USPS lost $5.1 billion in 2016. Right behind Cochrane is Stephen Katsanos, who pulls down $229,333 as a public affairs official for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). And the third highest-paid federal public relations employee is Titus Simmons, also of the FDIC, at $215,248, according to...

A prominent U.S. appeals court judge announced his retirement Monday days after women alleged he subjected them to inappropriate sexual conduct or comments. Judge Alex Kozinski of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in a statement that a battle over the accusations would not be good for the judiciary. He said he'll step down, effective immediately. The Washington Post reported last week that at least 15 women made allegations against Kozinski that go back decades. The allegations include inappropriate touching and lewd comments. Kozinski said while speaking in a "candid way" with male and female law clerks, "I...

President Donald Trump vowed Thursday to scale back the scope of federal regulations to the level it stood in 1960, suggesting that he could get there "fairly quickly" by pushing ahead with a deregulatory effort that has wiped dozens of rules off the books since he took office. "We're here today for one single reason: to cut the red tape of regulation," Trump said of his tenure, adding that "the never-ending growth of red tape in America has come to a sudden, screeching and beautiful halt" under his administration. **SNIP** The administration eliminated 67 regulations between the time Trump took...

Oakland’s elected leaders said Tuesday the city’s police should provide no assistance to federal immigration agents - even if the agents are working on a case that centers on violent crime. They said so much as allowing officers to block off a street creates the perception that Oakland is anything but a sanctuary city. The new red line came after a controversial operation by officers with Homeland Security Investigations — the criminal division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement — at which Oakland police provided traffic enforcement.

One of the problems with the swamp in Washington D.C. is that it is nearly impossible to fire anyone. While the rest of the nation was going through layoffs, upsizes, downsizes, and all sorts of adjustments, the swamp just was digging in deeper. Heres how to do it. The only way to easily fire a federal employee is during the first one year probationary period. All those long term Obama holdover and political hacks have been inhabiting the swamp for years. They are no longer subject to the easy method of firing. Read about it here: http://dailysignal.com/2017/11/07/new-bill-make-easier-fire-federal-employees/?utm_source=TDS_Email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=MorningBell%22&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTm1FMU56TXhNelV4WWpjMSIsInQiOiJNbHNaZmVMaWw1YnVPcDVwY0xGK3BxTFROdXZBeFwvNG5oYXJvUisyR0FkdmNYUVVUbkw4V1RrZVR0TWgyb09zK1RYRlhJWnJMbGRDdTVlSkNaT1pMbWlKNGQ0aFg4cHVZOVZBTmFPQUNYaTFrSzl1ZkczRk5ldnJRRVhEUno1NUEifQ%3D%3D Well, if you...

The Senate confirmed two more appeals court picks Thursday, closing out a week that saw them devote all their time to filling the federal judiciary with President Trump’s nominees. Including the two latest picks, they confirmed four circuit judges and one district judge this week — overcoming Democratic filibuster attempts for each. Senators voted 56-41 to confirm Colorado Supreme Court Justice Allison Eid for a seat on the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, then voted 54-43 for Stephanos Bibas, who is nominated to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Justice Eid will fill Supreme Court Justice Neil M....

The war on drugs has been going on since 1971, and we have a winner: marijuana. Back then, possession of pot carried heavy penalties in many states -- even life imprisonment. Today, 29 states sanction medical use of cannabis, and eight allow recreational use. Legal weed has become about as controversial as Powerball. One sign of the shift came in Wednesday's debate among the Democrats running for governor of Illinois. The state didn't get its first medical marijuana dispensary until 2015, and it decriminalized possession of small amounts of pot only last year. But most of the candidates endorsed legalization...

President Trump's suggestion that NBC should potentially have its broadcast license challenged has prompted a wave of condemnation from both sides of the aisle, with many saying that such a move would violate the First Amendment. Trump lashed out at NBC News on Wednesday after the outlet reported that Trump had suggested increasing the nation's nuclear arms stockpile during a meeting with top Cabinet officials. "With all of the Fake News coming out of NBC and the Networks, at what point is it appropriate to challenge their License? Bad for country!" Trump tweeted.

Administration cuts 35 special envoy jobs to get 'better deal' for taxpayers! Getting a “better deal” for American taxpayers has been a stated goal of President Trump since he started his campaign to be the nation’s chief executive two years ago. He’s targeted some of the international trade agreements like NAFTA, he’s pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Accord, and it looks like the massive yearly U.S. contributions to the United Nations might take a hit. Just last week, WND reported how he slashed an entire federal agency, the National Council on Federal Labor-Management Relations, and its related...

Federal probe into House technology worker Imran Awan yields intrigue, no evidence of espionageImran Awan, a technology worker in Congress for 13 years, is the subject of a federal investigation that has become a lightning rod for some conservatives. (Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post)In late September 2016, leaders in the House of Representatives met behind closed doors for briefings on a closely held investigation into a group of computer technicians working on Capitol Hill. Investigators with the Inspector General’s Office had been quietly tracking the five IT workers’ digital footprints for months. They were alarmed by what they saw....

“Swiss authorities refuse to provide for the security of Swiss Jewish institutions or to carry the cost thereof. This occurs despite the fact that it is the elementary duty of the state to defend its citizens and inhabitants and to guarantee their basic safety. In Switzerland this obligation is explicitly stated in its 1848/1866 constitution which was last rewritten in April 1999. “Switzerland has also signed and ratified the Convention of the Council of Europe on the Protection of National Minorities. That means that it recognizes the Jewish community as a national minority by law. The Swiss authorities are therefore...

Jury selection is expected to begin in the Kate Steinle murder case. Jose Ines Garcia-Zarate is expected back in court later today. He's charged with shooting and killing Steinle at a San Francisco Pier. Last week, the federal agent whose stolen gun was used in the shooting testified in a pre-trial hearing. The judge decided what questions can and cannot be asked of the agent during the trial.

Text of a Letter from the President to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate Dear Mr. Speaker: (Dear Mr. President:) I am transmitting an alternative plan for pay increases for civilian Federal employees covered by the General Schedule and certain other pay systems in January 2018. Title 5, United States Code, authorizes me to implement alternative pay plans for pay increases for civilian Federal employees covered by the General Schedule and certain other pay systems if, because of "national emergency or serious economic conditions affecting the general welfare," I view the adjustments that...

A federal district judge in San Antonio blocked significant portions of Texas' sanctuary cities ban Wednesday, two days before the law was set to go into effect — a significant blow to Gov. Greg Abbott, who said the state would appeal. In a 94-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia blocked provisions in the law that required local law enforcement departments to comply with federal requests to hold unauthorized immigrants in their custody. He also blocked a part of the law that said local departments couldn't implement policies that would "materially limit" the enforcement of immigration laws.

A federal judge blocked enforcement of much of a “sanctuary cities” law in Texas on Wednesday night, just days before it was set to go into effect. U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia blocked portions of Senate Bill 4 (SB 4) requiring local law enforcement departments to comply with federal requests to hold unauthorized immigrants in custody. Also blocked: a provision that stopped local departments from implementing policies that would “materially limit” enforcement of immigration laws, the Dallas News reported.

No rules for Congressional Federal Credit Union - George Webb advisedNOTE: Listen to the audio - the visuals are not directly related. The information is presented in a sarcastic tone. If I'm not mistaken, this is the voice of Dave Acton, brother of George Webb. Here is a transcript of this three minute video/audio clip. Here's that famous Armageddon beer commercial. Oh, this is Dave, by the way. Oh, hey! Do you want to send money to a terrorist organization? How about $165,000? Wouldn't it be great if we could all get together and support terrorism? That would be...