There is already an Exit Fee for Ex-patriots. The mechanism is in place to charge exit fees for companies leaving the USA after being recovered by taxpayer dollars.

August 28, 2014

...After Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin (click here) departed for Singapore, Senators Chuck Schumer and Bob Casey introduced a bill to double the exit tax to 30% for anyone leaving the U.S. for tax reasons. That hasn’t happened, but taxes are still a big issue for many....

This is the official website for the EXIM bank. It paints an interesting rosey picture.

Our office supports and keeps (click here) elected officials and their staff informed on how we support American jobs by financing U.S. exports. We also respond to Congressional concerns, and help elected officials educate their constituents on EXIM financing tools through hosting local events....

Shown Here:
Introduced in Senate (03/19/2015) (click here)

Export-Import Bank Reform and Reauthorization Act of 2015

This bill amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to reduce, for each of FY2015-FY2019, the authorized aggregate amount of loans, guarantees, and insurance the Export-Import Bank may have outstanding at any time.

The Bank shall build to and hold in reserve, to protect against future losses, at least 5% of its aggregate amount of disbursed and outstanding loans, guarantees, and insurance.

The Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Act of 2012 (EIBRA) is amended to require the Government Accountability Office's quadrennial review of the adequacy of the design and effectiveness of the Bank's fraud controls to include review of the Bank's compliance with these controls.

An Office of Ethics is established within the Bank to recommend administrative actions to establish or enforce standards of official conduct.

A Chief Risk Officer of the Bank is established to oversee all issues relating to risk within the Bank....

Sponsor is Mark Kirk a Republican from Illinois.

Co-sponsors

Sen. Heitkamp, Heidi [D-ND]*	03/19/2015
Sen. Graham, Lindsey [R-SC]*	03/19/2015
Sen. Manchin, Joe, III [D-WV]*	03/19/2015
Sen. Blunt, Roy [R-MO]*	03/19/2015
Sen. Donnelly, Joe [D-IN]*	03/19/2015
Sen. Ayotte, Kelly [R-NH]*	03/19/2015
Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA]*	03/19/2015

The free trade agreements are a problem, too.

December 11, 2008
By Bob Kinzel
Vermont's two U.S. Senators, (click here) Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders, say they're reluctantly supporting a $15 billion rescue package for the nation's auto industry.
Both senators say that allowing Ford, General Motors or Chrylser to fall into bankruptcy could affect a lot of auto related jobs in Vermont.
VPRs Bob Kinzel reports:
(Kinzel) Vermont isn't home to any production facilities for the nation's largest auto makers but the NSK Steering Company in Bennington serves as a good example of the potential rippling effect that the bankruptcy of the big car companies could have across the country....

From the 2012 Presidential Race:

...Prevailing Wages For Average American Workers (click here)

Half the entire U.S. workforce now earns less than $12.67 a hour. The federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour is about 1/3 of a middle-class wage of $21.63 an hour. Last year the average CEO earned $10.8 million and paid a lower tax rate (15%) than those middle-class steelworkers, firefighters and teachers (25%). (See tax brackets and rates here)

As of the last quarter of 2011, the total median household income was $52,378 a year (that's just $26,188 per person in a two income household.)

Last year 50% of all U.S. workers earned less than $26,364 a year (that's $12.67 an hour) when the poverty level for a family household of four is considered to be $22,314 a year (which is a very low government assessment). $22,314 year is about what Ann Romney spends every year just to feed and care for her favorite horse.

By contrast, for those out of work, the average American collected only $295 in weekly unemployment benefits($15,340 a year) which only replaced about a third of the average worker's previous salary.

If one were working a full-time 40-hour per week job (providing they could find one) and earned the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, they would only be earning $290 a week, or $1,257 a month, or $15,080 a year.

As for retired workers, their average monthly Social Security benefit was about $1,230 a month at the beginning of 2012 ($14,760 a year)....

When is the Flint River water going to stop and the Detroit water returned?

March 6, 2016
By Monica Davey

...Last Sunday, (click here) the Oscars went on in Hollywood, the filmmakers Ryan Coogler and Ava DuVernay, and musicians like Janelle Monáe and Stevie Wonder, held a #JusticeForFlint benefit on a local stage, raising more than $156,000. Cher, Eminem, Big Sean, Mark Wahlberg and other celebrities have offered their support, as have faraway grade-school classes, labor unions, police groups, rotary clubs and corporations.

But five months after state authorities announced that it was unsafe to drink unfiltered water because of high lead levels caused by government errors over the past two years, federal officials said here last week that the water still was not safe, and, as testing goes on, offered no promise for when it would be....

The water bills in Flint are crazy. They are threatening home ownership. What are banks doing to bring pressure to the government in Michigan that would be looking at foreclosure if the water rates continue to be ridiculously high?

The unemployment rate in Flint, Michigan,(click here) is 13.90%, with job growth of 0.69%. Future job growth over the next ten years is predicted to be 27.50%. Flint, Michigan Taxes Flint, Michigan,sales tax rate is 6.00%. Income tax is 5.25%. Flint, Michigan Income and Salaries The income per capita is $14,606, which includes all adults and children. The median household income is $26,339. One third of the people in Flint, Michigan have an annual income of less than $15,000 while the USA the same income is seen in 12.61 percent.

North Korea needs to stop aggression and join the international community in trade for better quality of life of the North Korean people.

March 5, 2016
By Andreo Calonzo

Manila — The Philippines (click here) is holding a North Korean-controlled cargo vessel for inspection days after the U.N. Security Council passed a new round of sanctions to punish the government in Pyongyang for a fourth nuclear test and a rocket launch.

The decision to stop the Jin Teng from leaving the Subic port, north of Manila, will be reported to the UN, which may send a team to inspect the 6,830-ton ship, Communications Undersecretary Manolo Quezon said Saturday. Quezon said the crew will be deported in accordance with the new security council resolution, which requires inspection of all cargo entering or leaving North Korea.

“As a member of the UN, we have an obligation to implement the sanctions,” Quezon said. Under the UN resolution, North Korean assets are subject to a freeze by UN member states and this means that authorities must impound the ship, Quezon said. The Philippine coast guard had inspected the ship on Friday and said it tested negative for weapons of mass destruction.

The Philippines’ action marks the first case of UN sanctions being enforced against North Korean ships since the security council unanimously passed the resolution on Wednesday, which lists 31 vessels as “economic resources controlled or operated” by a North Korean firm....

The dates of this particular warning is irrelevant. This is the chaos and real danger people and commerce are exposed to by the rocket tests alone. 

The Philippines (click here) is announcing precautions for airlines and ships to avoid falling debris from North Korea's expected rocket launch, due in the next few days. North Korean officials say the first stage will fall into the sea about 160 kilometers from the Philippines, but past North Korean launches have been notoriously inaccurate.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines is rerouting some flights in anticipation of the launch that North Korea says will put a weather satellite in orbit.

Defense leaders from several governments estimate that debris from the three-stage launch could fall to earth along the rocket's southern trajectory.

Aviation Authority Spokeswoman Joy Songsong says planes will not be allowed to pass through three lanes in the skies northeast of the country from 5:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. from April 12 - 16.

"Part of the approximately 20 flights that will be affected daily would be international flights using the Philippine airways to get to their destinations," Songsong said....

Aborigianal children in Australia are 53 times more likely to be in jail than others.

March 5, 2016
by A. Odysseus Patrick

SYDNEY — An 11-year-old boy (click here) charged with murder has come to epitomize Australia’s great shame: the plight of its Aboriginal citizens.

The boy is one of the youngest people to be charged with murder in Australia. He was part of a gang of seven or eight boys, teenagers and young men who roamed the remote city of Perth late into the night on Australia’s national day, Jan. 26.

Equivalent to the United States’ Independence Day, Australia Day has been dubbed “Invasion Day” by some Aborigines who resent the colonization of their lands by the English starting in 1788.

Around 3 a.m., the boy’s gang got into a fist fight with another group in the city’s downtown. But some of the gang members were armed with wooden stakes, screwdrivers, glass bottles and metal fence pickets, and they chased 26-year-old Patrick Slater into an alcove of a tram stop. Slater, also an Aboriginal, was left bleeding from fatal wounds to his head, chest and leg.

The 11-year-old, who cannot be named under Australian law, was arrested nine days later....

The Aborigines are native to Australia. They are equivalent to the Native American in the USA. They are Australia's minority population. The Aborigines also struggle to keep their land in Australia.

February 12, 2011
By Norimitsu Onishi

Joseph Roe at James Price Point, a site that has spiritual significance for his Aboriginal people.

Broome, Australia — Australia (click here) is experiencing a natural resources boom, driven by China’s headlong modernization, that is often described as a once-in-a-century phenomenon. It has minted billionaires out of businessmen who deal in iron ore and coal, and it has enriched many Australians by increasing the value of their homes and creating well-paying jobs.

But it has conspicuously left out Aboriginal Australians, whose home ownership and education levels fall below the national averages. High unemployment and widespread alcoholism have continued to debilitate isolated Aboriginal communities here in northwestern Australia, on the other side of the continent from the major cities along the eastern coast.

As resource companies push ever deeper into Australia’s remotest areas, however, Aboriginal leaders are leveraging their rights as traditional landowners to negotiate deals with companies and governments that are seeking to develop their holdings. They say the potential windfall — hundreds of millions of dollars — will rescue their communities from their long dependence on welfare and state subsidies....

This is a rather interesting parallel with the USA. Could it be a visual difference that is insensitive to the person behind the skin color?

Reality check.

For the Democrats (click here) there are still 171 uncommitted delegates and 3182 remaining delegates in primaries and caucuses not yet held. 2382 delegates are needed for the nomination.

For Republicans all current delegates are claimed with 1699 delegates still remaining in primaries and caucuses. 1237 delegates are needed to capture the nomination.

March 4, 2016
By Michael Barbaro, Ashley Parker and Jonathan Martin

From Michigan to Louisiana to California on Friday, (click here) rank-and-file Republicans expressed mystification, dismissal and contempt over the instructions that their party’s most high-profile leaders were urgently handing down to them: Reject and defeat Donald J. Trump.

Their angry reactions, in the 24 hours since Mitt Romney and John McCain urged millions of voters to cooperate in a grand strategy to undermine Mr. Trump’s candidacy, have captured the seemingly inexorable force of a movement that still puzzles the Republican elite and now threatens to unravel the party they hold dear....

The establishment is waging a war against it's own, while having a pledge signed stating as long as the GOP was fair there would be no independent run. 

It looks like it's a race to the end. (click here)

The Republican convention may be pure chaos if anyone files a complaint challenging Cruz' citizenship. 

Testing for Cancer DNA. Where have we been?

If you're 50 or older (click here) and at average risk for colon cancer, there's now a noninvasive screening option. Cologuard is an easy-to-use stool DNA test that can be used in the privacy of your own home.

Just collect a single sample, then return the kit to our lab via prepaid UPS shipping. Your doctor will contact you with your results soon after.

How does it work? (click here)

Medicare pay for it. Private insurance, not so much. Who do you want to trust with your overall health? 

Small intestine cancer (click here) is a rare disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the small intestine.

There are five types of small intestine cancer.

Doctors can look directly at tissue in the large bowel, mouth, esophagus, stomach and the upper part of the first segment of small bowl, but, being able to diagnosis small bowl cancers is difficult.

March 6, 2016

The "Achilles' heel" of cancer (click here) has been discovered, raising hopes it could lead to treatments for hopeless cases where disease has spread throughout the body.

Researchers found that all cancer cells carry a "flag", which can be spotted by the immune system, no matter how much they mutate.

Current treatments are often unsuccessful because cancer evolves rapidly, changing its make-up so it can evade drugs.

But scientists at University College London and Cancer Research UK have found that even when it has mutated cancer still carries signature molecules which never change. Crucially, these molecules are antigens - toxins which can be spotted by the immune system.

Immune cells that battle those antigens already exist, but their numbers are too small to be effective....

Preserve evidence, conflict of interest.

Flint, Michigan is going to want to preserve those pipes for evidence. Ask the people from Virginia Tech to assess the pipes and take samples for the record. Then any lawyers involved should decide what needs to be evidence and how best to preserve it.

March 4, 2016
By the AP

Crews in Flint are starting (click here) to dig up old lead pipes connecting water mains to homes as part of efforts to allay the city's contaminated water crisis.

Mayor Karen Weaver says work starting Friday will target lead service lines at homes in neighborhoods with the highest number of children under 6 years old, senior citizens, pregnant women, people with compromised immune systems and homes where water tests indicate high levels of lead at the tap.

On Thursday, a crew dug up a service line leading to a Flint home as part of a separate effort funded by group of private, charitable, business and community groups.

Also Friday, Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee of Michigan is set to lead a delegation of 25 members of congress to hear from Flint residents.

That is no word of a lie. It will take years to litigate this and during that time there can be all sorts of things going on to change the truth. It is best to document every pipe and preserve evidence. It may not be possible to have the pipes stored for a decade, so the evaluation today is vital.

Flint, Michigan still has an emergency manager and while he doesn't care about the people he does have the power to manipulate the evidence. Having scientists evaluate the pipes and publish the results.

The emergency manager is not the mayor and council. The city counsel should take testimony from experts at their next meeting or a special meeting and then act in the best interest of the people and their children. It all has to be documented.

The emergency manager and the State of Michigan have conflict of interest. Document any attempt to undermine the judicial process.

The household pipes are not as vital. There are documented lead levels from the tap water. There is only one place it could have come from when the pipes are assessed and documented. I hesitate to have residents keep a sample of the pipes because if they are stored in the home it is a source of toxins the air and water doesn't need. Children are curious, why expose them in any way within their home environment. The pipes on the street are a different issue.

Part of the documentation is the location of where they were removed. Street name and house numbers on either side of the street. Spray paint tracking numbers #1, #2, etc. If possible record a GPS of the pipe. GPS cannot be denied and the GPS of any contaminated home can be taken later or at the time of pipe removal.

Street names can be changed. Who knows what is coming next? House numbers can be changed. Ruthless people do ruthless things.

Do something creative. Surprise yourself.

FOX theater was very nice. The set was very nice. End of discussion.

Okay, everyone. The reason Governor Chris Christie came to appear with Donald Trump is because the Republican Party has been stating Donald Trump is not a Republican. 

Chris Christie is regarded as a tough minded Governor. He is slammed everyday in New Jersey since the issue with the bridge. Considering when that all began until today, Christie has proven to be someone who can handle it while also leading the Republican Governor's Association.

Donald Trump has been a very active member of the Republican Party for a long time now. Governor Christie's willingness to stand by Donald Trump's side is an open statement to the rest of the party. I think it was very smart for both men and it was correct to do.

The aches and pains of Ukraine.

By Noah Barkin and John Irish

Berlin/Paris, March 2 

For months, as progress in implementing the Minsk peace deal (click here) for eastern Ukraine stalled, its architects, Germany and France, held out hope that with time and carefully calibrated pressure on Kiev and Moscow, the agreement could be pushed back on track.

But since a joint visit by the German and French foreign ministers to Ukraine's capital last week, a gloomier view has taken hold: that political dysfunction in Kiev has all but doomed the chances of it delivering on its own commitments under the peace agreement.

Against that backdrop and a rise in ceasefire violations in the east, where Ukrainian government forces are faced off against pro-Russian rebels, ministers from Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine meet in Paris on Thursday to discuss Minsk.

One of the meeting's main goals is to tackle what is now seen in many European capitals as the biggest hurdle to the peace deal -- Kiev's failure to push through an election law for the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine that would set the stage for a vote there by mid-year....

All parties need to honor the Minsk.

Romney stated nothing new. They are the same old indictments. Romney is more guilty of many of his statements than Trump ever could.

Republicans have people impoverished and in understanding that, there is also a Republican 47% and they are still ignored by the Republican establishment. Romney called up the dead statesmen in warnings about Democracy. Romney has absolutely no place in stating others are the bad guys when it comes to destroying democracy. Republicans equate democracy with capitalism.

As far as I am concerned the New York Times overstepped their authority to admitting to a private meeting. It raises questions about the trustworthiness of it's editorial boards. The fact of the matter is national politics is far different than party politics. That goes for both parties. The idea Donald Trump will probably alter his STATEMENTS on the national level is realistic. He has openly stated to the people at a rally, "You will always be in my heart and priorities." That statement came about money and the future campaigns. Donald Trump has a very long relationship with his constituency. This speech by Romney is water off a duck's back. I don't believe Donald Trump should give the speech validity or respect.

I should not be surprised The New York Times will violate any understanding of privacy or safety. The newspaper was more than willing to expose concerns of President Obama's Homeland Security about the London Olympics with the purpose to push voters in favor of Mitt Romney. The New York Times has no policy of safety regarding the public and doesn't mind if millions are in danger if it doesn't fit it's politics.

Ahead of the Republican debate Donald Trump releases his plan to replace the ACA.

March 3, 2016
By Debbie Lord

In Wednesday, Donald Trump, (click here) front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, released details for his plan to reform healthcare should he be elected president in November.
Trump issued a familiar Republican call to repeal the Affordable Care Act – Obamacare – and also said individuals should be allowed to deduct all of their insurance premiums from the income tax they owe.
Another part of the plan would require “price transparency” from all healthcare providers – a move that would allow individuals to shop around for competitive prices for medical treatment.
The plan also addresses prescription drug prices,  calling on Congress to give consumers access to drugs  sold in other countries....

This is a very brave move by Donald Trump. The last time he set a policy into the public's hands he was viciously attacked on its merits. It would seem today, he has decided to be viciously attacked again at the debate although the public has been requesting his plan. The Republican establishment doesn't have a plan, but, they do now and they will mimic it with different vocabulary to PRETEND it is not Donald Trump's plan.

I am quite sure Donald Trump is up to the challenge for more vicious attacks this evening. After all the only people in the audience are those that will boo him and give standing ovations to others. I wonder why? They are probably worried peace might set in and there will be no more war at the very least. Funny, I don't call peace initiatives incompetency; rather the other way around.

March 1, 2016

By the Editorial Board

In any other February, (click here) the Obamacare enrollment numbers released last month would have been big news. The Department of Health and Human Services announced that 12.7 million people had chosen health-care plans in the exchanges the law set up — far more than the 10 million HHS predicted would have exchange-based insurance in 2016. The number will likely go down, as some people fail to pay their premiums; the best case, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Larry Levitt, is that about a million more people will be covered in 2016 relative to last year....

When the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was written there was supposed to be a Public Option. The reason for that was to provide a reasonably good government plan that would be in competition with private insurers. It was not suppose to eliminate private insurers, it was suppose to push back against high prices.

Currently, the only aspect of the law that pushes back against high prices is the 15% rule. Private insurers cannot keep more than 15% profit over their operating costs. That isn't good enough. That 15% can be manipulated by providing higher payments to the medical industry. THAT is why the costs of insurance is going up. The private industry WHEN WRITING THEIR CONTRACTS are paying more for services, hence, the operating costs goes up and the 15% increases exponentially. 

When Joe Lieberman demanded the Public Option be eliminated in order to win his vote he did a great deal of damage to the American people and never reined in the skyrocketing costs of health care and their premiums.

The Public Option was suppose to be there to help set the costs within the health care industry. The American people need to see the Public Option as it was intended to be law, in that it was a method to control prices and introduce other methods of payment. It is important the Public Option be put in place as soon as posislbe and Hillary Clinton is correct in that. But, there is no need for it to be on a trial basis. The Public Option would have helped bring prescription drug costs down as well.

As to Hillary Clinton:

The guy that is getting amnesty from prosecution would not cooperate at all. He evidently was excising his 5th Amendment rights.

Earlier the former Secretary Hillary Clinton stated, "...I wish he would just talk to the FBI and clear all this stuff up...." Those may not have been her exact words. I have trouble seeing her say "stuff."

But, this is most probably the FBI cleaning up details before they finalize their report. There may be more questions after he gives his testimony, but, perhaps not. We just have to wait and see if anything develops.

It was an attempt at being scandalous back in September 2015. This is from "The Washington Times," not the Washington Post.  The Washington Times used to sell for 25 cents about ten years ago and it probably still does.

September 9, 2015
By Victor Morton

...The lawyer for the man (click here) who set up and oversaw Hillary Rodham Clinton’s email server — and asserted his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination on the subject — says his client will not give congressional panels an advance look at what he might say if he were to testify.

Republican Sens. Charles Grassley of Iowa and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin have been negotiating a possible “proffer” — a legal term for a preliminary overview on what a potential witness might say — in order to determine whether to offer Bryan Pagliano immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony....

There is no reason for the Public Option to be an experiment. Massachusetts has had a public option for a long time. It is time to go forward with it.

March 3, 2016
By Seth Chandler

Presidential candidate (click here) Hillary Clinton has revived recently the idea of adding a “public option” to the Exchanges. Apparently, at least for now, she would permit or perhaps encourage each state to create a publicly operated insurer that would augment private insurers in selling health insurance policies to individuals. Her website suggests she would not mandate a public option at the federal level — at least for now — or somehow force the states to create one.  All of that would require her to push legislation through Congress. The “encouraged” public option, by contrast, could be implemented by cooperation between states and the federal executive without a need for any revisions to the Affordable Care Act....

The RNC has four hundred of the audience tickets at the Republican Debate tonight and only 50 tickets for the public. There are 21,000 requests by the public for tickets.

It is called corruption. Why didn't the privileged Republicans have to stand in line with everyone else?

Bankruptcy is a part of American life. Banks get bailouts, not people.

Personal bankruptcies (click here) in the United States have had a dynamic history over the past 100 years. Bankruptcy filings in the first half of the 20th century averaged 0.15 per 1,000 people and grew at an average annual rate of 2.4 percent. Bankruptcies began to increase during the 1960s and have grown dramatically since 1980. Between 1980 and 2004, bankruptcies grew at an annual average rate of 7.6 percent a year. As of 2004, the filing rate was 5.3 per 1,000 people, more than four times the 1980 rate and nearly 80 times the 1920 rate.

These statistics, however, disguise the fact that personal bankruptcy filings are not equal across the country. For example, at the state level, Tennessee had the highest rate of personal bankruptcy filings in the nation in 2004, with more than 10 filings per 1,000 people (nearly twice the U.S. rate) whereas Massachusetts ranked last with 2.8 filings per 1,000 people. States in the Eighth Federal Reserve District had an average filing rate of 7.7 per 1,000 people in 2004, which is greater than the U.S. average, but the growth in bankruptcy filings in Eighth District states between 1980 and 2004 averaged 7.2 percent a year, slightly below the U.S. average growth of 7.6 percent a year....

And then came 2008 and enormous unemployment.

The employment report out on Friday just goes to show that the American economy is still struggling to create jobs for average Americans.  In fact 85,000 more jobs were lost in December but that isn’t the biggest data point out of the report.  The civilian labor force shrunk by a stunning 661,000 and that is really the only reason the unemployment rate is still at 10 percent.  This economy that is still very much in a jobs recession has pushed more and more Americans into the ultimate economic distress equivalent of a SOS.  Bankruptcies are soaring and in 2009 1.41 million Americans filed for personal bankruptcies, a jump of 32 percent from 2008.

This must put the recent stock market rally into perspective.  The average American is still trying to negotiate the new economic landscape while the select few are able to increase their wealth at the expense of the many.

Free Trade Agreements are not okay.

March 2, 2016
By Jonathan Oosling

..The Vermont U.S. senator, (click here) who won four of 11 state primaries on Tuesday and faces increasingly long odds in his quest to win the Democratic nomination, spoke with The Detroit News ahead of his speech and said he expects to do well in Michigan on March 8.
“State after state we have closed the gap, including here in Michigan,” Sanders said in an exclusive interview. “… We think that short term and longer term, a lot of states out there are in play and we can win. ... I’m not going to tell you it’s necessarily an easy path, but it is a path.”
Sanders said he will seek to differentiate himself from Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton in Michigan by pointing out their “very different views” on trade policies often derided by unions. He noted he opposed the North American Free Trade Agreement that Clinton’s husband signed into law....

LOL.

Mr. 47 percent. Who's phony?