'Biden has been very soft'

'It was about one government act‚ and there’s no indication that the rioters had any plan'

'Trump has gotten what he has wanted'

'...Vaccinated children were at least twice as likely to be diagnosed with developmental delays, ear infections and gastrointestinal disorders,' explained Dr. Brian Hooker at hearing.

My income tax is due in a few weeks! I hate it. I’m pretty good at math‚ but I no longer prepare my own taxes. The form alone scares me. I feel I have to hire an accountant because Congress‚ endlessly sucking up to various interest groups‚ keeps adding to a tax code. Now even accountants and tax nerds barely understand it. I can get a deduction for feeding feral cats but not for having a watchdog. I can deduct clarinet lessons if I get an orthodontist to say it’ll cure my overbite‚ but not piano lessons if a psychotherapist prescribes them for relaxation. Exotic dancers can depreciate breast implants. Even though whaling is mostly banned‚ owning a whaling boat can get you $10‚000 in deductions. And so on. Stop! I have a life! I don’t want to spend my time learning about such things. No wonder most Americans pay for some form of assistance. We pay big—about $104 billion a year. We waste 2 billion hours filling out stupid forms. That may not even be the worst part of the tax code. We adjust our lives to satisfy the whims of politicians. They manipulate us with tax rules. Million-dollar mortgage deductions invite us to buy bigger homes. Solar tax credits got me to put panels on my roof. “These incentives are a good thing‚” say politicians. “Even high taxes alone encourage gifts to charity. But “Americans don’t need to be bribed to give‚” says Steve Forbes in one of my videos. “In the 1980s‚ when the top rate got cut from 70% down to 28% … charitable giving went up. When people have more‚ they give more.” Right. When government lets us live our own lives‚ good things happen. But politicians want more control. American colonists started a revolution partly over taxes. They raided British ships and dumped their tea into the Boston Harbor to protest a tax of “3 pennies per pound.” But once those “don’t tax me!” colonists became politicians‚ they‚ too‚ raised taxes. First‚ they taxed things they deemed bad‚ like snuff and whiskey. Alexander Hamilton’s whiskey tax led to violent protests.  Now Americans meekly (mostly) accept new and much higher taxes. All of us suffer because politicians have turned income tax into a manipulative maze. We waste money and time and do things we wouldn’t normally do. Since I criticize government‚ I assume some IRS agent would like to come after me. So‚ cowering in fear‚ I hire an accountant and tell her‚ “Megan‚ don’t be aggressive. Just skip any challengeable deduction‚ even if it means I pay more.” I like having an accountant‚ but I don’t like having to have one. I resent having to pay Megan. I once calculated what I could buy with the money I pay her. I could get a brand-new motorcycle. I could take a cruise ship to Italy and back every year.  Better still‚ I could give my money to charity and maybe do some good in the world. For the same amount I spend on Megan‚ I could pay four kids’ tuition at a private school funded by SSPNYC.org. Or I could invest. I might help grow a company that creates a fun product‚ cures cancer‚ or creates wealth in a hundred ways. But I can’t. I need to pay Megan. What a waste. COPYRIGHT 2024 BY JFS PRODUCTIONS INC. The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Taxation Without Reason appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Police investigated over 400 cases related to human trafficking during Super Bowl week in Las Vegas‚ authorities said.   Cases involved pandering‚ adult and minor sex trafficking‚ and solicitation attempts (known also as “John” arrests)‚ Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said Tuesday during a town hall.   Las Vegas logged 12 confirmed arrests for human trafficking and 26 so-called bot cases online around the time of Super Bowl LVII‚ McMahill said.   In a bot (or robot) case‚ a detective uses the internet to covertly converse with individuals who say they desire to “pick up a kid and do sex trafficking with them” the sheriff said.   Without providing details‚ McMahill also listed 303 arrests or citations for solicitation‚ loitering‚ and trespassing; 21 “John” arrests or citations; and 49 other transgressions related to human trafficking.  In total‚ the Police Department reported 411 violations of law connected with trafficking.   From 2013 to 2016‚ Nevada logged only 356 cases of human trafficking. In 2021‚ the state recorded 201 cases.   Cases may include multiple victims‚ but represent individual instances of trafficking‚ police say.  As The Daily Signal previously reported‚ Las Vegas police worked with a local nonprofit‚ Signs of Hope‚ to counter an expected increase in human trafficking cases surrounding the NFL’s Super Bowl.  Kimberly Small‚ CEO of Signs of Hope‚ which fights sexual violence and exploitation‚ talked about the issue in an interview with the Las Vegas Sun before the Feb. 11 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.  “We do focus a lot of our resources around these larger events because we know that there’s going to be an uptick in numbers‚” Small said.  A direct connection exists between child trafficking and the crisis of illegal immigration at the southern border‚ according to a 2023 report from Emma Waters‚ a research associate in The Heritage Foundation’s Devos Center for Life‚ Religion‚ and Family. (The Daily Signal is Heritage’s news outlet.)  About 60% of children who cross into the U.S. unlawfully will end up in “prostitution‚ forced labor‚ and child pornography‚” Waters’ report says.  The Biden administration reported releasing over 400 children last year to “nonrelated” adults in the U.S. Most had other children already in their care‚ officials said.  A whistleblower told Congress last April that the U.S. government is the “middleman” in the multibillion-dollar industry of human trafficking of minors across the southern border.  Half of the most wanted child traffickers sought by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are from Mexico‚ according to Waters’ report.  “The link between human trafficking and the porous southern border highlights the need for strong border security‚” Waters told The Daily Signal in an earlier interview. “The Biden administration’s negligent enforcement at the southern border directly corresponds with the increase in human trafficking into the United States‚ especially during major national events such as the Super Bowl.”  Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Las Vegas Police Log Over 400 Human Trafficking Cases in Super Bowl Week  appeared first on The Daily Signal.

A county in Northern Virginia has declined to hand over almost $2 million in federal COVID-19 relief to a liberal immigration activist group that calls itself a “national powerhouse.”   The Prince William Board of County Supervisors voted Feb. 20 to deny the proposed reimbursement of about $1 million in federal funds to the organization‚ called CASA‚ after a county audit discovered over $200‚000 worth of misallocated funds.  The pro-amnesty group was supposed to use the federal COVID-19 aid to build a “training lab” and cover “programming start-up costs” for a new welcome center to be built in Prince William County.   According to the audit obtained by local news site InsideNOVA‚ however‚ CASA used the funds to offset infrastructure costs at a separate location and to pay for an employee’s English language classes.  Prince William found that CASA also used “thousands of dollars” to create merchandise‚ including lip balm‚ hoodies‚ and “fidget fun blocks‚” InsideNOVA reported.  The Daily Signal sought comment from the pro-amnesty organization and will update this article if it responds. The immigration group CASA is not the same as the organization Court Appointed Special Advocates‚ also known as CASA‚ which operates on behalf of children in court systems across the nation.  CASA made waves in June 2020 when it disrupted another board of supervisors meeting in Prince William. Members of the group joined Black Lives Matter demonstrators in protesting the county’s cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement‚ the agency known as ICE‚ as well as calling on county officials to defund the police.  During that meeting‚ a CASA representative made harsh remarks about a Republican supervisor‚ Yesli Vega.   The CASA rep told Vega she “is the devil” and should “zip your mouth‚” according to several news reports.  The CASA rep apparently condemned Vega for her support of a federal program in Prince William to identify illegal aliens who had committed crimes. Vega is also the first Hispanic member of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.   CASA considers itself a “national powerhouse” that is dedicated to “building power and improving the quality of life in working-class: Black‚ Latino/a/e‚ Afro-descent‚ Indigenous‚ and Immigrant Communities‚” according to its website.   The website says the group aims “to create paths to citizenship” for illegal aliens.   In one such effort‚ CASA partnered with Baltimore’s Office of Immigrant Affairs to help over 1‚000 immigrant families “access federal‚ state‚ and local aid.”  The organization often uses the phrase “Latinx‚” a phrase for gender-nonconforming Hispanics who won’t use Latino or Latina to describe themselves.   The group focuses on what it calls “LGBTQIA+” initiatives. It participates regularly in the District of Columbia’s Pride Parade‚ chanting “Si Se Puede” (meaning “Yes‚ We Can”)‚ a common phrase for activists started by labor leader Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers of America.  CASA also recently hosted “Café Con CASA‚” a presentation dedicated to “addressing the imperialist roots of the gender binary‚ anti-LGBT legislative trends‚ and more.”  The group also touts its political initiatives to achieve “climate justice.” On its website‚ CASA says the “climate emergency humanity faces today is fueled by capitalism‚ colonialism‚ and imperialism.”  Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email?letters@DailySignal.com?and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.  The post Radical Immigrant Rights Group Denied Almost $2 Million for Misusing Federal COVID-19 Funds  appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Sad: The German Military Is a Disaster

As part of Black History Month 2024‚ my organization‚ CURE‚ Center for Urban Renewal and Education‚ has announced the release of “The State of Black Progress‚” published by Encounter Books. This is a follow-up to “The State of Black America‚” published by CURE in 2022. The objective of these tomes is to showcase first-class scholarship to paint a comprehensive picture for thinking much differently about the reality facing Black Americans than what has been the norm for many years. By “thinking much differently‚” I mean to say that our case shows that Blacks may have some unique problems and challenges‚ but the principles for dealing with these challenges are not about race. The truths that govern human reality‚ the truths that enable human success‚ are not different between races but are the same for all. Different ethnic groups or races may have unique problems‚ just as every individual human being has his or her own unique problems. But the truths to which every human being must turn to solve their unique problems are the same for all. In this spirit‚ we were very honored to be hosted by the American Enterprise institute in Washington‚ D.C.‚ to do a joint event to publicize this tome. Three of the 12 scholars who contributed essays for the book are American Enterprise Institute scholars. AEI‚ whose stated mission is “expanding liberty‚ increasing individual opportunity‚ and strengthening free enterprise‚” is the oldest Washington policy institute promoting these values‚ with a legacy reaching back to the 1930s. Our excitement to be hosted by and work with AEI is that AEI is about the key principles that define America as a free country with a free economy. At CURE‚ we focus on race and poverty exclusively — but we share the same American values with AEI regarding the principles needed for solving our problems. Two issues that we deal with in this work are federal retirement policy — Social Security — and federal housing policy. Both these areas saw major changes through expansion of government going back to the 1930s. AEI’s roots go back to that time; the institute stepped up and opposed significant expansion of the role of government in the lives of Americans. Our work in “The State of Black Progress” covers that gamut of where government has become majorly involved in the lives of Americans‚ particularly Black Americans. Beyond Social Security and federal housing policy‚ we’re talking about education policy‚ health care‚ local community economic policies and the changing ways federal judges read and apply our constitution to justify expansion of government. Our scholars show in all these areas that government activism and expansion designed to help low-income Americans has hurt rather than helped. Sadly‚ thinking about race in America has widely meant government activism and expansion. It not only has hurt the individuals these policies were meant to help‚ but it has hurt the whole country. As our nation now is being crushed by spending and debt‚ all should consider that‚ compared to the 25% of the American economy that government now consumes‚ in the mid-1960s‚ when the Civil Rights Act passed‚ this stood at 17%. Back in the late 1930s‚ when key elements of this began‚ federal spending consumed less than 10% of the U.S. economy. AEI’s Ian Rowe shows that when the data for race is corrected for family structure‚ when we look at Black households with intact families‚ with a married husband and wife heading the household‚ Black Americans are as healthy as any healthy part of our nation. It is unfortunate that the success of the Civil Rights Movement was parlayed into a new birth of government rather than into a new birth of freedom. CURE is working to change that‚ in the interest of Black Americans and all Americans. Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education and host of the weekly television show “Cure America with Star Parker.” Her recent book‚ “What Is the CURE for America?” is available now. To find out more about Star Parker and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists‚ visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

California police say an illegal street car show turned violent after a driver in a white truck crashed into one of the stunt cars and bystanders beat and shot at the man. The bizarre attack was reported on Sunday at about 5:30 p.m. in the city of Vallejo near Springs Road and Rollingwood Drive by a 7-Eleven convenience store. Vallejo police Sgt. Rashad Hollis said that the driver of the pickup truck was blocked in by the cars spinning in circles. Video shows the truck driving into the intersection and crashing into a Ford Mustang in the intersection. The spectators began to attack the truck driver‚ who tried to escape by running into the convenience store. They chased him into the store and beat him before they looted the store and lit his truck on fire. KTVU-TV reported that they stole cigarettes‚ candy‚ lottery scratch-off tickets‚ and beer from the store. Residents told KTVU that they are upset at the lack of police response to the illegal car shows in the city. "Of course‚ we're frustrated. We're angry. You don't see the police. You never see the police. The only time you the police is 30‚ 40 minutes later‚ after‚ after whatever happens‚" said Tom Davis‚ a resident in the area. Witnesses told KGO-TV that the illegal car show had been going on for quite a while before the white truck tried to drive through. "At one point‚ we saw a white truck drive into the sideshow and all the kids from the sideshow went and grabbed him out of the truck and started destroying his vehicle‚" said a woman from the neighborhood. A man nicknamed "Big T" works at a pawn store in the intersection and defended the driver. "Yeah‚ he's just an innocent person trying to get wherever he's going and then he gets victimized and sideshows‚ all they do is just you know disrupt everybody and‚ and they're dangerous‚ and people get hurt‚" he said. Vallejo City Mayor Robert McConnell told KGO that he wants to see stiffer penalties for those who participate in the illegal car shows in order to deter the incidents. "I believe it should be much longer‚" he said. "I would like to see 90 days. They're just making a mockery of‚ of everybody else."Vallejo Police said they were investigating but had made no arrests yet. Here's a local news report about the incident: Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!