Americans Find That Their Taxes have Tripled, No More Refunds In the Mail

In late 2017, about a year before they were summarily booted out of office, the Republican majority in the House of Representatives passed something they called the“Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.”

At that time Republicans not only made up a majority in the House, but in the United States Senate as well. They also had the amazing fortune of having a president eager and willing to sign whatever they chose to put in front of him. So they had an unprecedented, really tremendous amount of power, just then.

They could have used that power to fundamentally improve the lives of ordinary Americans. They could have passed all kinds of incentives to keep corporations from “outsourcing” jobs and hiding and parking their profits overseas. They could have routed vast sums of money to rebuild deteriorating highways and bridges that Americans rely on every day. They could have bolstered up Medicare and Social Security, ensuring that millions of citizens enjoyed a dignified and prosperous retirement. They could have helped families pay for their kids’ college educations. They could have funded all kinds of services that would improve the quality of Americans’ lives.

Instead, they chose to do the exact opposite. They chose to reward the corporate conglomerates who had bankrolled their political campaigns with millions of dollars in campaign ads and ghost-written voter suppression laws. They completely turned their backs on the ordinary people who had voted them into office. And they did this knowing full well that their big, ballyhooed tax “cut” was really nothing more than a huge tax giveaway to the nation’s wealthiest, that would not do a single thing to help the people who had voted for them. They knew that as long as they kept repeating the time-tested mantras of “abortion” and “undeserving” and “illegals,” that their gullible voting base would swallow whatever snake oil they could cook up. That’s why they never even bothered to mention their “tax cut” in their re-election campaigns last November. They knew it was all an embarrassing scam.

They were all in on it. Every single one of them. And now, safe in their cushy corporate sinecures they had all pre-arranged before the voters wised up and kicked them out of office, they’re having a good laugh at everyone else’s expense. Yes, the Republicans fucked Americans over good, and they’re not looking back.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/2/9/1833591/-Americans-are-finally-finding-out-they-got-royally-screwed-by-the-Republican-tax-scam?utm_campaign=trending

IFS News Writers Headlines by Digg Editions

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ALL ABOUT IMAGE NATIONALIZE OCTAN Lego's Big Fictional Brand Is An Oil Company. Why? digg.com There's always gotta be a brand. 'TRICKLE-DOWN FEMINISM' 101 A Peek Inside Miki Agrawal's Feminist Void broadly.vice.com Self-styled "She-E-O" Miki Agrawal left the underwear startup Thinx in 2017 amid sexual harassment allegations. Now she's back with "Disrupt-Her," a new book that encourages women to embrace a contentless version of feminism that's been diluted by brands. THAT SPECIAL FEELING IS GONE The Simple Psychology Behind Apple's Fall medium.com Customers are willing to pay upwards of $1,000 for a phone — but only if they're rewarded with just as much status. PUTS THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE Here's A Stunning New Photo Of China's Far Side Of The Moon Lander digg.com But you're going to have to zoom in a bit to actually see the lunar lander. CBD WE DIGG | SPONSORED Try The Highest Grade CBD Oil On The Market nuleafnaturals.com NuLeaf Naturals premium CBD oil is 100% organic and contains a full spectrum of cannabinoids and terpenes. Use coupon code DIGG for 25% off. LET IT LINGER WHAT WE LEARNED THIS WEEK Zyrtec Might Be Addictive, And Other Facts digg.com Welcome to What We Learned This Week, a digest of the most curiously important facts from the past few days. This week: Humanity is maybe dying at an alarming rate, employers find new way to squeeze millennial workers and Zyrtec addiction is a real thing. 'I THINK SHE'S AT PEACE' The Making Of The Cranberries' Haunted Farewell rollingstone.com Dolores O'Riordan's band and family talk about her troubled last days, the songs she left behind and the creation of the band's final album, "In the End." 'THEY DIDN'T SERVE HIM WELL' The Parking Lot Suicides washingtonpost.com Veterans are taking their own lives on VA hospital campuses, a desperate form of protest against a system that they feel hasn’t helped them. VIDEO OF THE DAY HE SEES TOTALED CARS Driver Senses The Future, Backs His Car Out Of The Way Seconds Before A Crash digg.com There's no particular reason this guy needed to back up — he wasn't stopped in the crosswalk or anything — but he's sure lucky he did. DIGG PICKS The SwitchPod Is The Ultimate Vlogger Accessory kickstarter.com SwitchPod works with any camera, from a phone to a DSLR, and simplifies video making. If you’re a vlogger, you’re going to love it. IN THE NEWS Jeff Bezos Alleges The National Enquirer Extorted Him Roberts Joins Liberals As Supreme Court Blocks Louisiana Abortion Restrictions What To Read About The Green New Deal Proposal Woody Allen Sues Amazon For $68 Million For Refusing To Release His Films This Man Is Suing His Parents For Giving Birth To Him DIGG GIVEAWAYS Win A Smart Camera Doorbell And $1,000 Cash, No Strings Attached dojomojo.ninja We're giving away a smart camera doorbell (with an HD camera and nightlight) and $1,000 cash to spend on whatever you want to protect with your slick new doorbell. So, what are the odds the National Enquirer still exists come Monday?

How SoundCloud Rap Took Over Everything and other news for February 2019

How SoundCloud Rap Took Over Everything

BY 

CARRIE BATTAN

1 day ago

The trendy DIY teen hip-hop genre went from a goofy punch line to the preposterously lucrative engine driving a whole new golden age in the music biz. But, wow, is it messy.

The hardest-working man in America is the DJ at a midsize Philadelphia concert venue called District N9NE. It's the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and it has been an agonizing three hours since the doors opened. This poor DJ is trying his hardest to distract hundreds of fans—none of whom appear to be over the age of 22—from the glaring absence of Juice WRLD, the year's newly minted hip-hop superstar. They've come to see their digital hero in the flesh, but excitement has curdled into restlessness, and after restlessness comes agitation. So many Juuls have died that some fans have resorted to lighting up real cigarettes inside the venue. For a moment, the DJ is able to pacify the crowd by playing “GUMMO,” the viral New York street-rap anthem from the then newly incarcerated Tekashi 6ix9ine, but the crowd's fury prevails. “Juice WRLD will be here in five minutes,” the DJ announces in a tone that's not exactly convincing. “He apologizes for the delay.” Some kids begin chucking water bottles at his booth, which puts him over the edge. He's gone from commanding hype man to irritable babysitter in moments.

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Summary

Canopy Growth expects to report FQ3 results after the market close on February 14.

The report will include the first numbers from the adult-use market in Canada that was legalized starting October 17.

Building a global operation from scratch in a short period should lead to massive operating costs.

The stock has hit resistance again around $50.

The Canadian cannabis market along with global cannabis market remains one of the most difficult markets to analyze in history. The markets are replacing illicit activities via converting the cannabis industry into legal means. Therefore, existing illegal supply is being replaced with massive legal production facilities and distribution networks while that illegal supply isn't necessarily being taken out of the market. All of the new companies have limited operating history to judge the management teams effectiveness and ability to distribute new product on a global scale while establishing strong brands for the long term.

Companies like Canopy Growth (CGC) are fighting for market share by developing new brands and acquiring cannabis assets by the dozen via issuing massive share dilution and raising billions in cash to fund growth. The stock has recently stalled as these companies need to prove themselves worthy of more investor capital via the upcoming quarterly reports. The soaring costs are likely to cause shareholder heartburn.

SiriusXM CEO: Were in the radio business, not music distribution Video at CNBC.com (Nov 14, 2018)

iHeartMedia CEO on media M&A Video at CNBC.com (Oct 2, 2018)

Media land grab will continue for next 18 months, says pro Video at CNBC.com (Sep 24, 2018)

SiriusXM future-proofed their business with Pandora acquisition, says Pandora co-founder Video at CNBC.com (Sep 24, 2018)

Satellite radio company SiriusXM to buy Pandora for $3.5 billion Video at CNBC.com (Sep 24, 2018)

You and a Guest Are Invited to the 2018-19 Screening Series Special Presentation of: BLACKKKLANSMAN - NEW YORK SCREENING BLACKKKLANSMAN From visionary filmmaker Spike Lee comes the incredible true story of an American hero. It’s the early 1970s, and Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) is the first African-American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department. Determined to make a name for himself, Stallworth bravely sets out on a dangerous mission: infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan. The young detective soon recruits a more seasoned colleague, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), into the undercover investigation of a lifetime. Together, they team up to take down the extremist hate group as the organization aims to sanitize its violent rhetoric to appeal to the mainstream.  Produced by the team behind the Academy-Award® winning "Get Out." Q&A with Oscar nominated director Spike Lee  Date: Tuesday, February 5, 2019 Time: 7:00pm  (check-in at 6:30pm) Location: Landmark 57 West - NEW YORK 657 West 57th Street (at 12th Ave.) New York, NY 10019  RSVP: "BLACKKKLANSMAN"

Sarah Huckabee Sanders: God Wanted Donald Trump to Be President In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network on Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders indicated that she believes President Donald Trump has the approval of God, saying, “I think God calls all of us to fill different roles at different times and I think that he wanted Donald Trump to become president.”Per PRRI data from 2017, 28 percent of Americans believe that God played a major role in the election of Donald Trump, and 13 percent believe that God played a minor role. In the interview, Sanders also explains why she thinks it makes sense that white evangelical Protestants still support Trump. “There’s a reason evangelicals are sticking with the president, and that’s because he’s delivered on all the things he said he would do,” she notes. PRRI data also shows that 57 percent of white evangelical Protestants believe that God played a major role in Trump’s election, compared to nearly half (45 percent) of Republicans, 26 percent of independents, and 18 percent of Democrats. PRRI CEO and founder Robert P. Jones chimed in on Twitter: “Sanders’ claims [about] Trump and ‘people of faith’ define most religious Americans outside that category: White evangelicals are the ONLY religious group who have favorable view of Trump, and they comprise only 15 percent of the population.”

Lawmakers Create First LGBT Caucus in Texas State Legislature Seven years after she became just the second LGBT woman to serve in the Texas assembly, Texas State Rep. Mary Gonzalez will become the first chairwoman of a newly formed LGBT caucus. Gonzalez joins four other women who hope to advance bills that will impact LGBT lives. "If you would have told me that we would have five LGBTQ members in the Texas Legislature, I would have never believed you," Gonzalez explains to The Dallas Morning News. "And all women, and all in the House." One of the caucuses first actions will be to champion Gonzalez’s ‘Romeo and Romeo’ bill, which would provide more protection to LGBT rape victims. Currently, statutory rape laws only apply to offenses between opposite genders. Recent PRRI data shows that nearly six in ten (57 percent) Texans oppose allowing small business owners to refuse to provide products or services to gay and lesbian people based on their religious beliefs. Most Texas subgroups, with the exception of white evangelical Protestants and Republicans, oppose those refusals. Fifty-seven percent of white evangelical Protestants in Texas support religiously-based service refusals, compared to 35 percent of all Texans and 33 percent of Americans overall.

Trump’s Former Pastor Criticizes the President In response to Trump’s tweet advocating for the introduction of Bible literacy classes in public schools, the president’s former pastor tweeted a response, accusing Trump of never coming to church. NewsOne featured an editorial on this back-and-forth, concluding that it’s unlikely to have an impact on Trump’s base: “Sadly, Trump supporters will not care, their only agenda is ‘white Christian dominance,’ which sounds like something right out of Nazi Germany,” NewsOne staffers write. Their analysis also draws on a recent interview in The Washington Post with PRRI CEO and founder Robert P. Jones, where Jones explains, “Even if Trump loses support among other parts of his 2016 base, the data suggests white evangelicals may be the last loyalists standing by his side.” The NewsOne editorial concludes that because Trump’s election in 2016 hinged on “white dominance,” this a strategy emphasizing this theme makes sense for the 2020 election as well.

The Gap Between Black and White Christians At The Atlantic, Emma Green recently wrote a review of a new book by Jemar Tisby titled The Color of Compromise. In her article, Green explains that Tisby “challenges the notion that white supremacy is merely a legacy, and not a present reality, in the church.” While white supremacy continues to manifest in contemporary society, Tisby contends that it is taking a different shape now than it did historically. “It looks like Christians responding to black lives matter with the phrase all lives matter. It looks like Christians consistently supporting a president whose racism has been on display for decades,” he writes in the book. Green cites PRRI data reinforcing this point in her review: “According to the Public Religion Research Institute, white evangelical Protestants have consistently favored the president since he was elected, with roughly 72 percent of them expressing support in the fall of 2018.”