Monarchy best form of government

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The U.S. government is back into cryptocurrency trading. According to a memo filed Friday in the Southern District of New York, on March 14th the U.S. sold 9,861.1707894 of the 50,000 of bitcoin bitcoin it seized in the case of a hack of the Silk Road marketplace. The government raked in $215.5 million after transaction fees. The per-coin sale price of about $21,877 was $2,000 less than the going rate on that particular day. The sale didn’t appear to impact bitcoin’s price, which gained 2.43% the day of the transaction. Bitcoin’s value currently sits at around $28,000, so maybe the government could have timed the market a little better. Twitter had a bit of fun at the government’s paying $215,000 in transaction fees — about 0.1% of the total amount sold. It seems traders for the U.S. could learn a thing or two from the crypto community about minimizing costs. For example, Gemini, the crypto exchange run by the … [Read more...] about U.S. Government Sells Bitcoin Seized From Silk Road Case, Netting Over $215 Million

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin By Laurence J. Kotlikoff, Next Avenue Social Security's Earnings Test tops my list for our government's most senseless and personally financially destructive policy. The Earnings Test is a massive tax that isn't. It's a tax that's levied and then secretly returned making no money on balance for the government (as measured on an actuarial present value basis). Its sole purpose is to con Social Security beneficiaries below age 67 into thinking that earning money beyond a di minimis amount will come at a huge loss in current net income as well as lifetime benefits. Here's how Social Security describes the Earnings Test. This text appeared in a letter I received in December, 2022. The letter, which announced the system's 2023 COLA (Cost-of-Living Adjustment) was, I presume, sent to each of Social Security's 70 million beneficiaries: Working and Getting Social Security at the Same Time You can work and … [Read more...] about The Social Security Earnings Test Should Be Eliminated

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Montage Palmetto Bluff, the premier luxury resort in America’s southeast, is located in Bluffton, South Carolina. The property is situated on 20,000 acres of pristine Lowcountry land, making it one of the largest resort developments on the East Coast. Montage Palmetto Bluff is renowned for its natural beauty, rich history, and world-class amenities, and most recently, wellness and lifestyle programming that celebrates local artisans, chefs, and tastemakers. Montage Palmetto Bluff was originally the site of a wealthy rice plantation in the early 1800s. The property was later acquired by Union Camp Corporation in the mid-20th century, and it was used as a hunting and fishing retreat for the company's executives. In the early 2000s, the property was purchased by Crescent Communities, who developed it into a luxury resort. Montage Palmetto Bluff features 200 guest rooms and suites, each designed to reflect the natural … [Read more...] about Montage Palmetto Bluff Celebrates Local Talent With New Wellness And Lifestyle Programs

Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit is letting go of almost its entire work force with the satellite launch company finding it difficult to secure funding three months after a failed mission. The company, headquartered in Long Beach, California, will cut 675 jobs, about 85% of its workforce, according to a Friday filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Earlier this month Virgin Orbit said that it was pausing all operations amid reports of possible job cuts. At the time the company confirmed that it was putting all work on hold, but didn’t say for how long. In January, a mission by Virgin Orbit to launch the first satellites into orbit from Europe failed after a rocket’s upper stage prematurely shut down. It was a setback in the United Kingdom which had hoped that the launch from Cornwall in southwest England would mark the beginning of more commercial opportunities for the U.K. space industry. The company said in February that an investigation … [Read more...] about Virgin Orbit collapse: Mass layoffs at Richard Branson’s satellite launch company after failed mission

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom launched Campaign for Democracy, a political action committee focused on challenging state-level Republicans, Thursday afternoon. The PAC’s website says it will fight against “authoritarianism” and “extremist Republicans,” and it features photographs of former President Donald Trump, Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Newsom suggests these and other GOP leaders are a threat to freedom. NEW: I’m launching a new organization, Campaign for Democracy. America is in an existential struggle for democracy. Extremist Republicans are systematically attacking the very foundations of our free society — denying women equality, attacking https://t.co/dhkSqoB0db … pic.twitter.com/cvdJu9mNro — Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) March 30, 2023 “Authoritarian leaders are so hell-bent on gaining power and keeping it that they’re directly attacking our freedoms in state after … [Read more...] about Gavin Newsom Unveils National PAC Targeting Republican-Led States

Democratic Michigan Rep. Dan Kildee has been diagnosed with skin cancer, he announced Friday. “A few weeks ago, after consulting with doctors, I scheduled what I thought was a preventative scan for a swollen lymph node. The results, it turned out, were much more serious. After additional testing, I’ve been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a serious but curable form of cancer. Thankfully, I caught it very early. With early detection and great doctors, they found a very small tumor in one of my tonsils,” he said in a statement. Michigan @RepDanKildee shares he’s been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma. He says he’ll have surgery in a few weeks. Full statement: pic.twitter.com/M2UzTN8uQ5 — Mica Soellner (@MicaSoellnerDC) March 31, 2023 Kildee added that he will undergo surgery and take “a few weeks” to recover. His office will remain open to serve constituents, he said. (RELATED: Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin Reveals ‘Serious But Curable’ Cancer … [Read more...] about Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee Reveals Cancer Diagnosis

After an early morning police raid, Chinese Christian refugees in Thailand now face imminent deportation back to China and persecution, human rights advocates told the Daily Caller News Foundation. Thai police are allegedly transporting the 63 members of the Shenzhen Holy Reformed Church, also known as the Mayflower Church, to Bangkok to be repatriated to the People’s Republic of China, Deana Brown , 68, founder of Freedom Seekers International, told the DCNF while in Thai custody. Along with church members, Thai police also arrested and confiscated the passports of Brown and fellow Texan, Stacy Nichols, 51, who’d both just arrived in Patayya, Thailand, for a week-long visit with the congregation on Thursday, Brown said. In October 2019, the Mayflower Church, led by Pastor Pan Yongguang, fled religious persecution at the hands of the CCP. After a vote, the church decided to resettle in Jeju Island, South Korea, where a travel visa would not be required for Chinese citizens, … [Read more...] about Over 60 Christian Dissidents Detained In Thailand Facing Imprisonment, Torture If Deported To China

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline A federal judge in Texas struck down a provision of the Affordable Care Act that required coverage for a range of preventive services—including for cancer screenings, medications and more—ruling the task force members tasked with enforcing those preventive services were unlawfully appointed. Key Facts U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor ruled preventive care recommendations made by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force do not have to be complied with, and blocked the federal government from enforcing the task force’s recommendations. The task force issues recommendations for preventive care services that insurers are then forced to cover, as dictated by the provisions of the Affordable Care Act, meaning the ruling means insurance companies will no longer be bound to cover the preventive services affected. Among the preventive services affected by O’Connor’s order are screenings for breast … [Read more...] about Judge Strikes Down Required Coverage Of Preventive Care—Cancer Screenings, Pregnancy, Medications And More

While still CEO of now-collapsed FTX, Bankman-Fried transferred millions of dollars to his father. Some of those funds have since been used to pay for his mounting legal fees, according to two sources close to the company. By Sarah Emerson and Steven Ehrlich S am Bankman-Fried, founder of fallen cryptocurrency exchange FTX who claimed to have just $100,000 in his bank account last November, is preparing for trial in October backed by a roster of powerful attorneys. But it has remained unclear, until now, how the former billionaire would afford his pricey defense. Forbes has learned that Bankman-Fried has been paying legal fees from a multi-million dollar gift he gave his father with money borrowed from FTX’s sister company. In 2021, while CEO of FTX, Bankman-Fried made a large monetary gift to his father, Stanford Law professor Joseph Bankman, two sources with operational knowledge of both companies told Forbes . It was funded by a loan from the … [Read more...] about Sam Bankman-Fried’s Legal Defense Is Being Funded With Alameda Money He Gifted His Father

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline The Federal Reserve and Treasury Department fined Wells Fargo $97.8 million on Thursday for allowing a foreign bank to make hundreds of millions of dollars in transactions that were prohibited under U.S. sanctions laws, the latest multi-million-dollar penalty from regulators to hit Wells Fargo in recent years. Key Facts Wells Fargo is accused of allowing an unnamed foreign bank to process $532 million worth of prohibited transactions on its Eximbills financial platform from 2010 to 2015, the Federal Reserve Board said in an announcement. The bank kicked the foreign client off its platform in 2015 and reported the issue to the Fed and the Treasury, according to a filing from U.S. regulators. The Treasury says the bank—which agreed to a settlement with the federal government—violated sanctions against Iran, Syria and Sudan. The Federal Reserve fined the bank $67.8 million, and the Treasury … [Read more...] about U.S. Fines Wells Fargo Nearly $100 Million For Sanctions Violations