Monthly Archives: July 2014

Neofeudalism’s Tax Donkeys and the Battle for Control of Resources

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“Those with access to the low-interest unlimited credit spigot of the Federal Reserve are free to snap up tens of thousands of houses and tens of thousands of acres of productive land, along with other rentier assets such as parking lots and meters, fossil fuels in the ground, and of course the engines of credit creation, the banks.  Should a legitimate (as opposed to black market/cash business) small business manage to open its doors, it faces a blizzard of junk fees, permits and taxes that make its survival a dubious prospect. No wonder self-employment and small business are in structural decline.”

http://www.oftwominds.com/blogjuly14/tax-donkeys7-14.html

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D.C. Mayor Proposes More Speed Cameras to Balance Budget

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“More roadside speed cameras could be Washington D.C.’s future as Mayor Vincent Gray’s new budget calls for the city to collect an additional $50 million in speeding fines over the coming year. One council member called it ‘gotcha’ government.  Gray said his budget is balanced in part by that steep rise in speed camera fines from more speed cameras on different streets at different times. Motorists too often avoid permanent cameras, said the mayor’s budget director.  At-large Council member David Catania, an independent candidate for mayor, suggested the city ought to better warn motorists.  Despite that concern, city police are moving ahead, according to the mayor’s office.”

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/politics/Mayor-Vincent-Gray-Proposes-Speed-Cameras-Budget-254277121.html

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RoboPhotoCop: Coming to a Town Near You

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“The new cameras can detect both speeding and red-light running. But that’s not all. They can also detect… ‘Blocking the Box:’ If you’re past the stop line or crosswalk when the light is red: Snap!  ‘Pedestrian Right of Way:  The crosswalk units use video analytics and radar to determine if a vehicle has stopped when someone is in the crosswalk.’ DC law requires that you stop if a person has one foot in a crosswalk. ‘Oversized Vehicles.’  And they’re also equipped with infrared scanners, mostly used to analyze the heat signature of cars on HOV restricted roads, to determine if they actually have two or more occupants, and license plate readers.”

http://www.caseyresearch.com/articles/robophotocop-coming-to-a-town-near-you

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AirPooler Could Be the Uber of Flying

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“Given the state of the airline industry—the cost of flying is creeping up every year while the experience of flying gets worse—it’s no surprise that someone figured out how to take the ride-sharing business model from cars and adapt it to planes.  Prices are far from prohibitive. Right now, the service lists a round-trip flight from Palo Alto, California to Sacramento this weekend for under $180. A comparable economy ticket from United Airlines with such short notice is over $800.  Part of the reason tickets are so cheap is because the Federal Aviation Administration prohibits private pilots from accepting personal payment.”

http://reason.com/blog/2014/04/08/airpooler-could-be-the-uber-of-flying

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Airlines Change the Carry on Rules

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“What I didn’t realize, because it’s never become an issue, is that American (as well as Delta and United) have fairly new carry on bag limits, including a 14-inch maximum width, and my Rimowa is 15 inches wide, as are many carry ons. Even though it’s an inch shorter than the 22-inch length limit, and an inch shorter than the official 9-inch depth limit, back to check in I went. And the line was so long, I almost missed my flight. I was then told that this is a new ‘FAA regulation’ but I doubt that’s true, since some airlines still have more generous allowances.  And these size limits are fairly recent policies. In fact, United made the change on March 2, 2014.”

http://www.airfarewatchdog.com/blog/18811748/airlines-change-the-carry-on-rules/

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The Airlines Work for Uncle Sam

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“Bryan Riley, writing for The Daily Signal, tells us that the government’s cash register rings every time we step on a plane. According to Airlines for America, $61.49 of a $300 domestic round-trip ticket goes to federal government taxes. That’s almost as much as fuel ($63.47) and more than labor ($51.52). Other expenses total $123.11, leaving 41 cents for profits.  That’s right: Uncle Sam takes 20% off the top, while only 0.1% drops to the bottom line. And by the way, that doesn’t include taxes on payroll or jet fuel.  What’s worse than a government picking your pocket? Two governments picking your pocket, as they do for international flights.”

http://www.caseyresearch.com/articles/the-airlines-work-for-uncle-sam

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Real Estate: “Millennials” Out, Chinese Buyers In

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“‘Millennials’ born in the early 1980s are shunning the [housing] market amid concerns about future financial stability, rising expenses and excessive debts. And who is increasingly filling the housing demand hole? Foreign investors, led by cash-rich Chinese buyers!  Housing Wire notes that foreign buyers purchased just over $92 billion worth of U.S. real estate in the year ending in March, up sharply from $68 billion a year earlier. A whopping 60% of them paid all cash, compared to one-third of domestic buyers.  Chinese buyers spent $22 billion of that total, the largest percentage by dollar volume. They now account for 16 percent of all foreign purchases, triple the level of just a few years ago.”

http://www.moneyandmarkets.com/real-estate-millennials-chinese-buyers-63102

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Foreign direct investment: Ireland’s 50 year overnight success story

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“The level of investment in Ireland by US companies is phenomenal – more capital invested in Ireland since 1990 ($189bn) than Brazil, Russia, India and China combined. Approximately one-quarter of Ireland’s GDP is from US companies. There is nowhere else in the world (outside the US of course) where there are more US multinationals and emerging companies.   Tech giants Google (Google recently celebrated ten years in Dublin) and Facebook have their international headquarters in Dublin, along with LinkedIn, Twitter, PayPal, Amazon and Zynga.  So what is it about Ireland that makes it such an attractive place to invest?”

 

http://www.irishcentral.com/business/technology/FDI—Irelands-50-year-overnight-success-story.html

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Want to Be Rich? Salary Alone Won’t Get You There

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“The top 400 averaged $92.6 million in capital gains income, or 16% of the total capital gains reported by all taxpayers. If you want to get rich: Working for a salary won’t cut it; Making relatively safe ‘income’ investments won’t cut it; Investing only in stocks of large companies won’t cut it;  Owning a business or businesses, whether in part or partnership, could not only build a solid wealth foundation but could someday generate a huge financial windfall and make you rich.  Obviously becoming super rich (in financial terms) comes from investing in yourself and others, from taking risks, from doing a lot of small things well… and then doing one big thing really, really well.”

http://www.forbes.com/sites/markeghrari/2014/06/25/want-to-be-rich-your-salary-wont-get-you-there/

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Why One Walmart in North Dakota Is Paying $17.40 an Hour

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“A Walmart store in Williston, N.D., is offering to pay entry-level workers as much as $17.40 per hour—nearly 2½ times the federal minimum wage—in an effort to compete in one of America’s most dynamic labor markets.  The push for a ‘living wage’ has gained momentum in cities such as Seattle recently. But the historic oil boom in North Dakota has provided real, sustained growth in wages and lowered unemployment in North Dakota to 2.6 percent—the lowest statewide rate in the nation—and to less than 1 percent in Williston, which is near the oil fields in the western part of the state.  Median North Dakota family income surpasses the national average by more than $8,000.”

http://dailysignal.com/2014/06/10/drilling-innovation-forcing-walmart-north-dakota-pay-17-40-hour/

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