Free Republic

All part of Biden's war on the little guy. Joe Biden wants to know what's in your bank account, and he'd like to keep watching. That's the alarming issue Reason magazine has explored, noting that buried deep within Biden's much-touted tax-hikes-for "infrastructure" American Families Act unveiled last April 28 is a sneaky Democrat plot called the American Families Tax Compliance Agenda. That will force the IRS to hire 87,000 new IRS agents, all of them armed with vast, new and expanded surveillance powers. Biden tax plan would cull financial data on masses of law-abiding, tax-compliant Americans. In the name of...

WHILE we are all applauding the roll-out of the various vaccines for Covid-19, it is time to take stock of well, stocks. The supply of the vaccine has been sparse - not just in Canada, but around the world. Stock prices for the few companies which have been able to rush through the emergency approvals for their respective vaccines have soared while the pandemic has killed millions, put hundreds of millions out of work, and reset all our lives. It may come to pass that in order to travel in years to come, we may need a different array of...

The NBA Commissioner is scrambling right now, trying to get rid of any and all BLM and political messaging from his league, as the entire bottom begins falling out of the National Basketball Association. So, what’s happened to the King James NBA? Well, for starters, LeBron has absolutely destroyed it, top-to-bottom and inside out. LeBron James has proudly and arrogantly led the NBA down the doomed SJW path, not giving a damn what the fans, who pay his salary, thought about it. Once again, US organizations and corporations read the room wrong and jumped into full “BLM” support after the...

Pro sports lost an incredible amount of money last year, with each league losing revenue in every area from fan support to sponsorship. According to Forbes, to date, the pro sports leagues have lost a combined $14.1 billion since the world ground to a halt just over a year ago. Not only did the leagues lose billions of dollars in revenue, but the teams themselves also lost a percentage of what they are worth, the magazine added. “Even the value of sports teams, one of the most reliable long-term investments for billionaires, began to creak from the strain. NHL franchise...

On the back of disappointing earnings from Facebook and Netflix, AAPL stock dipped into its earnings release, but as the company's stellar results just showed this may have been a bit premature, because Tim Cook's company just reported blockbuster earnings including its first ever $100BN quarter, around in its iPhone 12 release quarter.Here are the details:Q1 Rev. $111.44B, beating expectations of $103.12B, and up 21%from $91.8 billion Y/Y. This, as expected, was the company's first ever $100BN+ quarter.Q1 EPS $1.68, beating expectations of $1.42, and up 35% Y/YQ1 iPhone Revenue $65.60B, beating expectations of $60.33BQ1 Products Rev. $95.68B, beating expectations...

Proponents have called the state’s massive new toll road project a monumental opportunity and a thoughtful plan for smart growth. The 330 miles of new highways will curb interstate congestion, bolster the economy and facilitate hurricane evacuations, they say. In short, the argument goes, the roads would be a good investment. So why is it that so many of the preliminary studies are at best lukewarm on the idea? And the latest reports only add to the list of reasons to reconsider the controversial project. The tolls roads, dubbed the Multi-use Corridors of Regional Economic Significance, were largely pushed by...

Owners of electric and hybrid vehicles in Texas would face higher fees every year under a proposal that would help shore up the state’s road fund, which relies on a decreasing amount of gas taxes. Electric vehicles would be hit with an additional $200 registration and annual renewal fee, while hybrids, which use a combination of gasoline and electric power, would be taxed an additional $100 for registration and renewal, according to a proposal from state Rep. Ken King, a Panhandle Republican. King could not immediately be reached for comment. Revenue from the proposed fees would go to the state...

The NBA, however, fears that starting the season even in January could cost the league anywhere from $500 million to $1 billion in lost revenue, according to ESPN. Now, a multibillion dollar entity like the NBA might normally be able to weather losses even that substantive, if only for a year. RELATED: NBA Legend Named Special Reserve Sheriff's Deputy Things get a little hairier, however, when factoring in the great unknown of when fans will be allowed back en masse. Without that vital gate revenue, ESPN noted that projections have the NBA losing another $4 billion. That’s a potential loss...

Stephen Curry is one of many NBA players who is facing a heavy financial hit over the next few months. As a result of COVID-19 and the way contracts are structured, the 32-year-old could lose nearly $20 million in 2020-21.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot is considering a $94 million property tax increase, layoffs for more than 300 city workers and a gas tax hike as part of her plan to close a $1.2 billion budget deficit, sources told the Tribune. Lightfoot also is considering about $500 million in refinancing city debt to help close the deficit, sources said.

Mayor de Blasio is set to send out layoff notices Monday, but trimming the city workforce won’t come close to addressing the ginormous fiscal and economic challenges ahead. Consider the July jobless figures out last week: 15.9 percent statewide, 20 percent (one of five workers) in the city. In The Bronx, 25 percent were jobless, a rate last seen during the Great Depression. New York’s numbers are far worse than those for the nation, which saw only 10.2 percent of employees off the job. And don’t blame it all on COVID: Last week, the state was posting the third-lowest number...

The Stars have lost customers over their support of Black Lives Matter and protests over racial inequality, president and CEO Brad Alberts said Friday afternoon. “But we/I stand by our organization’s commitment and support our players 100% to express their views,” Alberts said. When asked which customers the team has lost, Alberts said season-ticket holders, and that it was a mix of individual and company accounts. He did not disclose specific names. Alberts said no advertisers have pulled funding.

Mayor Bill de Blasio bluntly said he has “no plan” for the return of indoor dining in New York City, citing a link between eating inside and a resurgence of the coronavirus in other parts of the world. “Indoor dining, there’s not a plan right now,” de Blasio said on WNYC’s “The Brian Lehrer Show” Friday. A Manhattan caller named Sharon had asked the mayor if there was any possibility that restaurants would be fully reopened this year. Right now, they’re only allowed to have outdoor seating or takeout. “There’s not a context for indoor dining. We’re never saying it’s...

Braves owner Liberty Media disclosed the team’s second-quarter financial results Monday, revealing dramatic losses that underscore the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the sports and live-events industries. The Braves’ revenue plunged 95% in the April-through-June quarter, compared with the same period a year ago, falling from $208 million to $11 million. The team posted an operating loss before amortization and depreciation of $26 million for the quarter, compared with a profit of $62 million in the same period last year.

Why 3 weeks? That's how long it takes to reserve a one-way U-Haul outbound. a U-Haul agent told us a few weeks ago. Illinoisans Leave State in Record Numbers, and So Are We On January 2, 2020 I announced Illinoisans Leave State in Record Numbers, and So Are We I am pleased to report we loaded our U-Haul rental yesterday and I am on the road driving to our new home in Utah. Right now we are just a few hours into the trip, but we have crossed the state line and are now in Iowa. Goodbye Illinois On...

Gov. Phil Murphy and his fellow Democrats who lead the state Legislature agreed to a plan Friday that would allow New Jersey’s state government to borrow up to nearly $10 billion to help make up massive losses in tax revenue wrought by the coronavirus pandemic. Almost immediately, top Republican leaders announced they plan to file lawsuits to prevent the move, calling the plan “clearly unconstitutional.” Murphy said New Jersey is facing possibly a $20 billion hole in its state budget, and borrowing is one of a few necessary moves the state needs to take balance the budget and avoid widespread...

So, I'm headed to the office and take a detour to get my car washed and drive right in - - no line and no one in front of me. Unreal. At 9am there should be a several cars in line but, nope. It occurs to me that the little guys who use to wash my car or dry are probably out jobs for quite a while. Why? Well, with everyone being paid to work from home by their employers and other being paid to stay home by the American Taxpayer (who went to work today) It makes sense there...

The University of Notre Dame was in a strong financial position before the coronavirus pandemic. Now, it faces “significant budget challenges” and is currently projecting a $100 million loss in revenue for the upcoming fiscal year, according to a letter issued to the school community. With an operating budget at $1.7 billion, officials were already expecting a revenue loss of $44 million for the current fiscal year, which ends on June 30. Much of that has been attributed to the university returning $22 million to students in spring undergraduate room and board fees, as well as the loss of auxiliary...

Not to count our chickens before they hatch, but Seattle is poised to actually follow through on a progressive revenue option. Or three. As long as the council doesn't pull some of that 2018 head tax nonsense. There are multiple tax options that the Seattle City Council is considering: Councilmembers Kshama Sawant's and Tammy Morales' Tax Amazon package or Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda's JumpStart Seattle plan. And, it looks like Councilmember Andrew Lewis just introduced a capital gains tax proposal: Councilmember Andrew J. Lewis @CMAndrewJLewis 1/ We live in a time of enormous inequity and our regressive tax system isn't helping....

Another major crisis is arising. Cities and towns across the United States have seen a MAJOR drop in sales tax revenue. This is going to lead to extreme financial duress for these municipalities. What happens next?