Friday, May 3, 2024
Tony Blair and His Associates Are Waiting in the Wings to Take Back Power in UK
Blair is closer than ever to regaining political power, albeit through a proxy Labour government led by Keir Starmer. The beauty (for Blair) is that he will be able to continue expanding his global political consulting empire at the same time.
Turkiye Suspends All Trade With Israel in Surprise New Blow; Israel Threatens Retaliation
Turkiye is kicking Israel in a weak spot: its economy. How much might this trade freeze hurt?
Taxing Income from Wealth Can Always Raise More Money Than a Wealth Tax
Why a wealth tax is not all it is cracked up to be, but a well-designed income tax can do a fine job of curtailing wealth disparity.
2:00PM Water Cooler 5/2/2024
~ Today’s Water Cooler: Politics, pandemics, Boeing deaths, Trump nostalgia, news from the encampments ~
After Much Posturing, US Imposes (So Far) Underwhelming Sanctions Against China for Russia Trade
After sending Yellen and Blinken to China to make threats, the Administration has imposed some strikingly weak sanctions
Oh Deary, Where Did My Rate Cuts Go? Fed’s Wait-and-See Now Entrenched? And Suddenly Lots of Talk About “Rate Hikes”
What Fed chair Powell said about rate hikes, no rate cuts, rate cuts, and the QT slowdown while getting rid of MBS entirely
“The True Shocking Driver of Crime in America”
A theory of crime, which while it has some explanatory power, weirdly omits white collar crime.
The Culture of the CIA, a First Look
How the CIA evolved, or depending on your point of view, devolved into what it is today.
2:00PM Water Cooler 5/1/2024
~ Today’s Water Cooler: Politics, pandemics, Trump’s plans, Biden’s polling, jobs numbers, marijuana to Schedule 3, DEA proposes ~
TaxCast #142: Blockchain Havens
How blockchain/crypto tax havens are displacing traditional tax havens.
Stasi in the West
Governments across the West are enacting more draconian measures to silence all criticism and are increasingly asking citizens to inform on one another.
AirBnB Again in Bed With Surveillance State Tactics by Asking for Biometric ID, Spurring Illinois “Mass Arbitration” Action
AirBnB seems determined to violate customer privacy by demanding government ID images, against the laws of some states. What gives?
