California lawmakers are pushing legislation that would impose a new tax on the state's wealthiest residents — even if they've already moved to another part of the country.
Assemblyman Alex Lee, a progressive Democrat, last week introduced a bill in the California State Legislature that would impose an extra annual 1.5% tax on those with a "worldwide net worth" above $1 billion, starting as early as January 2024.
As early as 2026, the threshold for being taxed would drop: those with a worldwide net worth exceeding $50 million would be hit with a 1% annual tax on wealth, while billionaires would still be taxed 1.5%.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/california-democrats-consider-wealth-tax-people-moved-out-state
Who is in charge of your children? That has been a perennial question that has grown in importance over the last few years. When I was a child, it was understood that, with rare exceptions, parents were in charge of a child’s upbringing. This included medical, religious, and educational decisions. However, over the last few decades, the role of the parent in these decisions has been replaced by experts. What happens when the goal of the experts differs from those of the parents? Who decides the future of the rising generations? It was understood that the state acted in loco parentis, in place of the parents, only for the safety of the child. A recent case in U.S. District Court shows that be it health departments, child services, schools, or even the courts. Government not only believes they know better than the parents, they are more than willing to act in loco parentis tyrannis.
https://constitutionstudy.com/?p=8897
With the release of ChatGPT and other artificial intelligence (AI) applications, there has been a lot of speculation and downright assertions about our future. With over 30 years of experience in Information Technology (IT), not more than a passing understanding of AIs, I've come to the conclusion that much of what I've heard is more science fiction than fact. A recent court case decided in the D.C. District Court revolved around one very important question. Do AIs have rights?
In this third installment of the three-part series on the branches of government, we look at the role of the third and weakest branch. At least that is what our Founding Fathers thought of it. What is the role of the federal judiciary? What are the extent of their powers, how do they related to the other two branches of government, and why is a proper understanding of the role of the judiciary critical if the United States is to remain a constitutional republic?
https://constitutionstudy.com/?p=8575
What does it mean to be a citizen? Put another way, what value do we put on citizenship? Recently I talked with a couple who immigrated here from a communist country, and they value their U.S. citizenship very much. Being a natural born American, I doubt I’ve valued my citizenship nearly as much as I should have, seeing it didn’t cost me anything to obtain it. I’ve been watching how citizenship has been denigrated, maligned, and destroyed. I guess I’m not really surprised, seeing how society has been working so hard to devalue citizenship. However, if there’s nothing special about being a United States citizen, then why did so many work so hard to become one? - Live 4PM ET with Host Paul Engel @CyberEngel @OutLoudNews
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Is the Constitution a threat to “American Democracy”? That is the claim made by Jennifer Szalai, non-fiction book review for the New York Times, in her review of the new book “No Democracy Lasts Forever” by Berkeley Law Professor Erwin Chemerinsky, but is it true? After sifting through her diatribes, including many half-truths and outright lies about the Constitution, I have to agree, it is a threat to American Democracy. Not only is that a very good thing, but I am very happy to support its use against such evil. - Live 4PM ET with Host Paul Engel @CyberEngel @OutLoudNews
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Does life imitate art? After all, this country, and in fact the world, is looking more like the novels 1984 and Animal Farm. Then I saw an opinion piece by John and Nisha Whitehead claiming that we are effectively living in version of the Matrix. For those of you unfamiliar with the Matrix movies, the relevant premise is that almost all of humanity “lives” in an illusion, a virtual reality of independence and freedom while their bodies are enslaved to serve a master artificial intelligence. Before you sweep this idea aside as hyperbolic rhetoric, let us consider a few things first. - Live 4PM ET with Host Paul Engel @CyberEngel @OutLoudNews
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