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A mysterious metal ball reportedly fell from space , landing in a grasslands area of the African nation of Namibia. So far experts claim the object is not of alien origin. It has two bumps on each end, appears to be hollow and weights about 13 pounds. Namibia's National Forensic Science Institute Director Paul Ludik said the sphere is 3.6 feet around and is made out of a "sophisticated" alloy that is not unknown to modern science, although it has no identifying markings to link it with a country or a company. So far that's about all we're told. But...

Watching the last few GOP debates will have had one of two effects on you. Either 1) your love and admiration for Newt Gingrich has been cemented, or 2) you now despise him. I personally fall into the second category. As Peggy Noonan's article title says, "Gingrich Is Inspiring—and Disturbing." While at times his ideas seem brilliant, it's the other times that are problematic. As Noonan later said, "Ethically dubious? True. Intelligent and accomplished? True. Has he known breathtaking success and contributed to real reforms in government? Yes. Presided over disasters? Absolutely. Can he lead? Yes. Is he erratic and...

The Democrat hyperbole regarding the payroll tax debate has obscured the actual events leading to the current standoff: the GOP-led House is the only body that has passed a comprehensive tax and spending cut package that ensures American families and employers will not see a payroll tax hike for the entirety of the coming year. The President's allies in the Senate have instead offered a short-term extension of the payroll tax holiday, refusing to confront the expiring tax relief head on. Beyond the poor policymaking represented by short-term fixes, the tax relief the Senate bill ostensibly provides is undermined by...

This past weekend, two stark reminders of the nightmare that communism was, and continues to be, left the world stage. These two people couldn’t be more different in their outlook and actions. One was Václav Havel, the Czech playwright, poet and intellectual, who spent years in prison, but whose willingness to stand up and tell the truth about the lies and brutality that were the essence of the Soviet Union and his own captive nation makes him a significant figure in the pantheon of those instrumental in defeating the Soviet Union. In 1993 he became the president of the Czech...

Caveat Suffragator – Let the voter beware.- By: Larry Walker, Jr. -When measuring the top GOP contenders in terms of eligibility under the U.S. Constitution, if I had to choose between the two, I have to admit that I am more inclined towards Gingrich than Romney. Like Mitt Romney, I too was born in Detroit, Michigan, but that’s where the similarities end. My parents and grandparents were all born in the State of Georgia, while Romney’s father was born in Mexico.In contrast, Gingrich’s parents and grandparents, like himself, were all born in the State of Pennsylvania. So when it comes...

Finally, one day that December, I had to tell her. Medically, we were beaten. The decision lay with God. She took it quietly, lying there, wasting away, only 23 and the mother of a year-old child. Eleanor Munro (her name has been disguised) was a devout, courageous woman. She had red hair and had probably been rather pretty, but it was hard to tell anymore, she was so near to death from tuberculosis. She knew it now, she accepted it, and she asked for just one thing. “If I’m still alive on Christmas Eve,” she said slowly, “I would like...

This week the Department of Interior (DOI) sold its first oil lease in the Gulf of Mexico in over a year. Withholding drilling permits and cancelling leases, the Obama Administration has made what was once routine nearly impossible. Upon assuming office, President Obama cancelled 31 oil and gas lease sales, delaying thousands of jobs and billions in economic activity. Not letting any crisis go to waste, the Department of Interior imposed a six month drilling moratorium on the Gulf following the Macondo disaster. The Obama Administration’s recent offshore drilling plan codifies the White House’s anti-energy, anti-jobs position. The Obama 2012-2017...

Josh Barro has a great piece in NRO today about the President embracing private sector compensation reform rather than layoffs. Obama cites Marvin Windows and Doors, a Minnesota company that cut pay and benefits but avoided any layoffs during the economic downturn. It's worth reading in full, but here's an excerpt: But let’s take a closer look at the Marvin model that Obama is praising. The president noted that Marvin’s workers “agree[d] to give up some perks and some pay,” but there wasn’t really an agreement — the workers’ options were to take the pay cut or quit. As one...

Last week, Senators Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and DeMint (R-S.C.) offered legislation which seeks to curb some of the more costly burdens placed on companies through the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Their bill, the Startup Expansion and Investment Act, targets Section 404 of Sarbanes-Oxley—a burdensome rule which has greatly increased regulatory compliance costs for many businesses. Rep. Ben Quayle (R-Ariz.) introduced a companion bill in the House earlier this year (H.R. 2941). While implemented with the intention of securitizing and standardizing accounting measures of publicly traded companies, Section 404 has only led to increased costs for these entities, thus discouraging many small...

Ooops, sorry- that was 2008... silly me: "Beloved friend Newt Gingrich": "...made an indelible mark that literally changed the course of the United States" "...leading conservative member of the United States congress from the state of Georgia" "Founded the Conservative Opportunity Society, which I frequent every week. This is the incubator, if you will, of new great conservative ideas, and Newt kicked that off for us." "... he's going to continue to school all of us here in the morning." "...he was the architect of the revolution that wrested control of the House of Representatives from 40 years of...

Earlier this fall, Senator Carl Levin's (D-Mich.) Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations issued a report claiming that the 2005 low-tax repatriation year was not effective. ATR deconstructed that report at the time. Not content with his first series of logic and policy errors, Senator Levin is back for more. Today, his committee will issue a follow-up report that basically patches on another point to his first study: much of the money that could be repatriated back to America is already here. Here is the logic: The report admits that $1.4 trillion is available for a round of repatriationIt points out that...

...First Wave: Expiration of 2001 and 2003 Tax Relief In 2001 and 2003, the GOP Congress enacted several tax cuts for small business owners, families, and investors (later re-upped by President Obama and Democrat Congress in 2010). The following tax hikes will occur on January 1, 2013: Personal income tax rates will rise. The top income tax rate will rise from 35 to 39.6 percent (this is also the rate at which the majority of small business profits are taxed). The lowest rate will rise from 10 to 15 percent. All the rates in between will also rise. Itemized deductions...

Today, the House is poised to take up the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act sponsored by Rep. Geoff Davis (R-KY), a bill that looks to combat the growing regulatory regime. The bill would requires Congress to affirm and major rule implemented by aggressive agencies. A major rule constitutes a rule that could have an economic impact greater than $100 million. Though the true economic loss caused by excessive regulation goes far beyond this calculated metric, this is an important first step in ending oppressive regulation by executive fiat. Americans for Tax Reform has long supported...

According to analysis by JP Morgan, there are $1.4 trillion of earnings waiting to be returned to the United States if only US tax policy was friendlier to business activity. A 2011 study found that a one-time repatriation tax rate of 5.25% (instead of the difference between the US’ 35% rate and the foreign tax rate already paid) would increase economic growth by $360 billion and create 2.9 million jobs within two years. Industry and academic studies present a favorable view of what repatriation could do for economic growth. Shapiro and Mathur find that repatriated funds in 2004 were used...

The Collins-McCaskill jobs bill contains some good initiatives (boiler MACT delay, consolidation of federal workforce) but undermines its intended purpose by raising taxes on some of America’s largest employers—American oil and natural gas producers. Impact on Maine Maine has no natural gas or oil reserves within its borders, making Maine’s citizens completely dependent on the lower 48 for their heating and driving needs. An absence of fossil fuels is especially concerning for Mainers since 80% of the state’s households are heated with fuel oil. More Taxes, Less Jobs Oil and natural gas producers are responsible for about 9.2 million jobs...

(Business Law Currents) A legal loophole in international brokerage regulations means that few, if any, clients of MF Global are likely to get their money back. Although details of the drama are still unfolding, it appears that MF Global and some of its Wall Street counterparts have been actively and aggressively circumventing U.S. securities rules at the expense (quite literally) of their clients. MF Global's bankruptcy revelations concerning missing client money suggest that funds were not inadvertently misplaced or gobbled up in MFÂ’s dying hours, but were instead appropriated as part of a mass Wall St manipulation of brokerage rules...

Verizon’s decision last week to purchase a chunk of 4G spectrum from cable companies is a huge development for both the future of television and wireless. The move frees up spectrum desperately needed for consumers, increases competition in the wireless industry, and emphasizes just how much “anytime, anywhere” is the future of TV and content consumption. Under the deal, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks will sell $3.6 billion worth of spectrum in the 700 MHz range – ideal for mobile broadband – to Verizon. This brings a notable amount of unused spectrum onto the market, covering over...

"JustiaGate: Tim Stanley Adds Disclaimer Regarding The Accuracy Of US Supreme Court Cases Published By Justia. In a prior report, I suggested that Justia operatives were potentially facing prison sentences for multiple violations of the False Writings Statute, 18 U.S.C. 1018, since Justia’s versions of US Supreme Court cases contain a direct affirmation that one is viewing the “Full Text of Case”. Therefore, if Justia intentionally scrubbed information from these cases, the affirmation would be intentionally fraudulent. Today, I was informed by Dan Goodman that Justia recently added a disclaimer to their versions of US Supreme Court cases. For example,...

...Brown was unable to pass the largest state tax increase in U.S. history earlier this year because legislative Republicans, whose votes were needed due to California's 2/3rds vote requirement to raise taxes, kept their pledge to constituents to oppose any and all efforts to raise taxes. So Brown is now going out to collect signatures, with financial backing of government sector unions and Hollywood, to put an income and sales tax hike on the ballot. (Side note: Brown should hire ATR to consult him, because as we told him back in January, his tax hikes wouldn’t get through the legislature...

Quick note that H.R. 1834, the House bill which creates a round of repatriation this year, now has over 100 co-sponsors. ATR has urged that repatriation be part of any year-end tax deal. The U.S. is one of the only countries in the world that taxes income earned overseas by her own taxpayers. The amount that must be paid to the IRS is the difference between the U.S. corporate income tax rate of 35% (tied for highest in the developed world), and the tax already paid overseas. By temporarily reducing the tax on money brought home, this bill will bring...