The Die Was Cast In 1945

And, is still rolling down the line from Harry Truman to Kim Jong-un and beyond. The monster will not go back into the tube. Whom will break the arc? Paul Hunter

Evil Is Banal

That nice quiet family next door re:the Hovaters, may be, for any number of reasons, a representative of the dark side of human ideas. As much as I abhor and condemn their ideology I defend their right to have a different opinion outside of the workplace and under certain conditions. Their proselytizing actions must be away from the workplace and minor children. When Mr. Hovater allowed the Times interview he harmed his employer's right to earn a living. He did, in the end, do the right thing by requesting that his employer let him go. (Wash Post) There are no winners when we adopt the censoring methods of our enimies. Paul Hunter

Another Trump Lie As Political Strategy

From the AP. Not seen as a moral lapse by the prevaricator. Or, maybe he can't differentiate and there is no moral compass. The lie: "The consumer protection bureau has devastated the financial industry that is unable to serve the public.","it has been a total disaster". The truth: Those institutions have grown by 5% over the same quarter last year. 67% of reporting institutions had year over year growth. The bureau has saved untold numbers of potential home buyers from the sub prime loan speculators that nearly broke the country in 2007-2008. Paul Hunter

The Punishment Of Oliver North

A confessed felon walks Excerpted: http://www.nytimes.com/1989/07/09/weekinreview/the-nation-the-punishment-of-oliver-north.html The Judge who presided over the Iran-contra trial of Oliver L. North, saved a final surprise for last by punishing Mr. North for his crimes with a sentence that included a fine, community service and probation, but no prison term. Mr. North, the former Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and National Security Council aide, was convicted of destroying documents, accepting the gift of a $13,800 home security system and abetting the obstruction of Congress. Judge Gesell could have imposed a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and fines of $750,000. Instead, he imposed a $150,000 fine, two years of probation, a three-year suspended sentence and an order to perform 1,200 hours of community service. At the same time, Judge Gesell's leniency seemed to deflate a campaign by Mr. North's conservative supporters for a Presidential pardon. An appeals court later ordered Gesell to hold a special hearing to determine whether any of the witnesses at his trial had been influenced by North's congressional testimony, which he had been assured would not be used against him in court. North's congressional testimony: " Oliver L. North conceded today that he lied to Congress after his boss sent him against his will to a session where he denied providing assistance to the Contras. "Did you tell the truth at that meeting on Aug. 6, 1986?" defense lawyer Brendan Sullivan asked North during his second day of testimony at his criminal trial. "No," North said. "I went into the meeting not believing it would be illegal not to tell Congress the truth. "We do live in a democracy, don’t we?" a congressman asked the Marine. "We do. Thank god," North responded. "In which it is the people," the congressman continued, "not one Marine lieutenant colonel that get to decide the important policy decisions for the nation." "I saw that idea of using the Ayatollah Khomeini’s money to support the Nicaraguan freedom fighters as a good one," North stated. "I still do. I don’t think it was wrong. I think it was a neat idea. Posted by Paul Hunter

Corporations Add Tax Savings To Cash Pile.

The supporters of the federal tax reform and reduction bill, claim that reducing tax rates will actually increase revenue. The unproven theory posits that corporations will use the tax savings to increase investment in plant, equipment and wage increases. This hope ignores the fact that consumer demand drives corporate investment. Consumers are the ultimate job creators. If spare cash is the panacea for slow growth, a look at the spare cash on hand for the following sample businesses begs the tax reduction point. Apple-$262B Microsoft-$135B Alphabet (Google)-$95B Cisco-$68B Oracle $66B GE-$44B Amgen-$39B Qualcom-$38B Et al. http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-us-companies-with-largest-cash-reserves-2017-8
 Paul Hunter

U S Corporate Tax Rate Too High

If you pay taxes, that is. Why would the parent company of the local Alkermes facility return to its original home, Cambridge Massachusetts? The corporate tax rate in its current home, Ireland, is 12.5% which is still lower than the proposed 20% being considered by congress. For every $1 million of income a tax savings of $75,000 would be lost. Would any reasonable financial adviser recommend a move back to the U S from the Cayman Islands if: The Corporate Tax Rate in Cayman Islands stands at 0 percent thus saving $200,000 for every $1 million invested. Many large corporations don't have to move overseas because they have gamed our tax system and pay little or no taxes (o%) regardless of income. Paul Hunter

Positive (save the) Baby Steps

Will sanity finally overcome the single issue and well financed pressure politics of the NRA? The NRA spent over $2 million into November's Virginia races, including a $750,000 advertising push in the last three weeks before the election. The results: The winners were an anti NRA governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General Mark Herring. In 13 competitive races where the Democratic candidate was endorsed by a pro–gun control group and the Republican was backed by the NRA, the control groups candidate was victorious in 12. The control groups dumped $700,000 into Virginia races as election day drew near. Paul Hunter