Tag: taxes

The Department of Empire, and Its Bloated Imperial Budget

Language and repetition of the same is so important. We hear about the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Pentagon budget and we think little of it. The DoD, of course, used to be called the Department of War until 1947, a far more telling and accurate name, and there wasn’t a Pentagon until we built one during World War II. In the old days, the Army fought the Navy for which service would get more money in the War Budget, with the Navy usually winning as America sought to control the seas as a means of dominating trade and “intercourse” among nations.

Those were more honest times when retired generals like Smedley Butler wrote in the 1930s that he’d served as a “gangster” for capitalism. Butler was a Marine who was twice awarded the Medal of Honor, so it wasn’t easy for the imperialists to smear him, though they certainly tried (as they did to David M. Shoup, another Marine Corps general and Medal of Honor recipient who turned against the Vietnam War in the 1960s).

Anyhow, I just saw at Antiwar.com that President Trump is proposing a $1.01 trillion budget for the Pentagon for FY2026, a 13% increase in imperial spending. Trump, of course, is proud of reaching the Trillion Dollar threshold. Big numbers have always appealed to him.

It doesn’t seem to matter who is president, whether it’s Biden or Trump, Democrat or Republican, when it comes to the Department of Empire and its bloated imperial budget. For that is what it is, a budget that seeks to sustain and enlarge America’s imperial domain. If you add other costs related to imperial dominance, such as interest on the national debt due to war spending, VA costs, nuclear weapons, and the like, the true imperial budget soars toward $1.7 trillion yearly.

No matter. A trillion here, a trillion there, and pretty soon you’re talking real money.

The Pentagon tries to disguise the enormous waste of this imperial budget by speaking of it as an “investment,” but imagine an “investment” that you’re involved in which fails seven audits in a row. How likely would you be to see this as anything other than theft?

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DHS Announces They Will Pay for Flights of Illegals Who Want to Self-Deport and Give Them a Stipend – Here is How Much Money This New Policy Will Save Taxpayers

The Department of Homeland Security has announced a creative way to ensure illegal aliens leave the country while saving taxpayers money.

As Fox News’s Bill Melugin reported this morning, the DHS announced it would start paying for the commercial flights of illegals who self-deport America. In addition, the government will also pay these illegals $1,000 extra once they are confirmed to have left the country.

To qualify, illegal immigrants must register on the CBP border app and file their notice to leave America. Moreover, illegal migrants who self-deport will be able to come back to America in the future, provided they use the legal channels.

Bill Melugin notes that the DHS told Fox News that this would result in tremendous savings for American taxpayers. Right now, it costs over $17,000 to detain, arrest, and deport someone from America.

But if an illegal accepts the offer of self-deportation, the self-removal flights and the stipend will cost only $4,500 per illegal. This is a savings of at least $12,500 for just one invader or 70% savings for the taxpayer alone.

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No, State Media And Democracy Don’t Go “Hand In Hand.” Just The Opposite

The press watchdog Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, or FAIR.org, which I read regularly as a young reporter, weighed in on the NPR debate:

One could look at this threat as part of Trump’s general distrust of major media and desire to seek revenge against outlets he believes have been unfair to him… Going after public broadcasters is also a part of the neo-fascist playbook authoritarian leaders around the world are using to clamp down on dissent and keep the public in the dark, all in the name of protecting the people from partisan reporting. That’s largely because strong public media systems and open democracy go hand in hand.

Titled “Cuts to PBS, NPR Part of Authoritarian Playbook,” the above is either satire or written by someone consciously ignoring the history of state media. Yes, Car Talk and the MacNeil/Lehrer report were cool, but outlets like Neues Deustchland, Télé Zaïre, and Tung Padewat more often went “hand in hand” with fingernail factories or firing squads than democracy. It’s bizarre to see Americans trying to whitewash this.

The office of my first full-time reporting job with the Moscow Times was in the Pravda building. I used to spend lunch hours walking through the doors shown in the photo above, beering up in a cafeteria with writers from the sports section of Komsomolskaya Pravda, at the time the Guinness Book record-holder for world’s largest circulation. With over 21 million readers, “Komsomolka” sure as hell qualified as “strong public media,” but hardly went “hand in hand” with democracy. Like the rest of ex-Soviet media, its owed its circulation to decades of forcing insane lies on readers, like cheery dispatches about the “Doctor’s Plot” purges of 1953.

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DARPA-Funded Scientists Patent Sound-Triggered Drug Implant System

What’s New: Scientists backed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have developed—and patented—a sound-triggered drug delivery system that can be remotely activated inside the human body. While pitched as a medical breakthrough, the technology has clear weaponization potential and fits squarely into the dual-use domain of military and civilian biotech. It’s protected in over 150 countries—and explicitly tied to the U.S. military’s research arm.

Why It Matters: DARPA isn’t just funding experimental medicine. It holds rights to a globally patented implant that responds to external soundwaves. Under the Bayh-Dole Act, the government can license, use, or compel use of inventions it funds—even in commercial settings. This raises serious biosecurity questions as wireless, body-embedded systems move from lab to market.

  • The tech was described in a DARPA-funded March 2022 paper authored by researchers from Columbia University, MIT, and George Mason University.
  • Patent filings confirm Columbia submitted the invention to the U.S. patent system before publishing the study. A U.S. provisional patent was filed on September 29, 2021, followed by an international patent application (PCT/US2022/077135) on September 28, 2022.
  • The patent (WO2023/107765) is active as of March 2025.
  • Named inventors on the patent are the same as the lead authors on the paper: Samuel Sia, Rachel D. Field, and Margaret A. Jakus.
  • The patent states: “This invention was made with government support under D20AC00004 awarded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The government has certain rights in the invention.”

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Bush official claims US built secret $21T underground ‘city’ for rich and powerful to live if ‘near-extinction event’ happens

A former housing official who worked under President George H. W. Bush has made an astonishing claim that the U.S. government spent years funneling money into the creation of a secret underground “city” where the rich and powerful can shelter in the event of a “near-extinction event.”

Catherine Austin Fitts, who served as the assistant secretary of Housing and Urban Development for Housing between 1989 and 1990, made the shocking allegations during an appearance on former Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s podcast, although there is no concrete evidence to support her claims.

Fitts, 74, who is originally from Philadelphia, cited research by Michigan State University economist Mark Skidmore, who released a report in 2017 stating that he and a team of scholars had uncovered $21 trillion in “unauthorized spending in the departments of Defense and Housing and Urban Development for the years 1998-2015.”

At the time, Skidmore noted that he first began investigating the unreported spending after he heard Fitts “refer to a report which indicated the Army had $6.5 trillion in unsupported adjustments, or spending, in fiscal 2015.”

“Given the Army’s $122 billion budget, that meant unsupported adjustments were 54 times spending authorized by Congress. Typically, such adjustments in public budgets are only a small fraction of authorized spending,” the report noted.

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China Quietly Caves to Trump, Exempts Tariffs

The US and Chinese officials are currently continuing their tariff discussions, but China has already made concessions, either as a sign of good faith or as a tacit admission that the Trump administration has the communist nation in its sights.

According to the most recent sources, around one-quarter of all US imports to China have been surreptitiously spared from 125% tariffs, amounting to $40 billion in American-made items that will now reach Chinese customers without the exorbitant surtax.

The decision comes as Beijing seeks to cushion the damage to its economy from President Donald Trump’s across-the-board 145% tariff on Chinese goods.

Pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals are among the exempted products.

Trade specialists told Bloomberg that the policy shift by Chinese President Xi Jinping to match Washington’s moves was strategic rather than conciliatory; however, it is unclear if disarmament was initiated by the White House.

On Friday, Xi’s spokesperson said Chinese officials are “evaluating” the Trump administration’s latest offer, a key change in tone that might pave the way for protracted negotiations on a historic revision of the US-China trade gap.

“The U.S. has recently taken the initiative on many occasions to convey information to China through relevant parties, saying it hopes to talk with China,” Reuters reported.

However, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce warned that it would not be forced into making a bad deal, adding, “attempting to use talks as a pretext to engage in coercion and extortion would not work.”

On Thursday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo that he believes Beijing officials are ready to make a deal after weeks of punishing tariffs that may soon cost China’s economy between five and 10 million jobs.

“I am confident that the Chinese will want to reach a deal. And as I said, this is going to be a multi-step process. First, we need to de-escalate. And then over time, we will start focusing on a larger trade deal,” Bessent said.

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Social Security Launches New ID Technology to Prevent Fraud—Here’s What to Know

The Social Security Administration (SSA) has rolled out “enhanced technology” to detect suspicious activity in telephone claims or banking changes. The new technology will strengthen identification verification, preventing fraud.

The SSA had initially planned to roll out new identity proofing policies in March, but pushback from beneficiaries and advocates delayed it. The policies have gone through two changes so far. So, what are these ID proofing policy changes, and how will they affect you?

Fraudulent Phone Callers Stole Benefits

Previously, Social Security recipients could call the toll-free number to change their direct deposit bank information. But there’s a problem with using the phone. According to the SSA, approximately 40 percent of direct deposit fraud was due to someone calling the SSA to change banking information. And although SSA employees asked questions to verify identity, many thieves successfully stole people’s funds by diverting the benefits to other bank accounts or even Visa cards.

The SSA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) estimates that $33.5 million in benefits for 20,878 beneficiaries was misdirected from January 2013 to May 2018.

ID Proofing Policies Originally Delayed

On March 18, 2025, the SSA announced that beginning March 31, 2025, people would no longer be able to verify their identity over the phone. And if the beneficiary could not properly verify their identity through SSA’s “my Social Security” online service, they would need to visit a field office. According to the SSA, this new policy affected 73,229,000 people who received Social Security benefits.

Lee Dudek, acting commissioner of Social Security, said in a March 18 press release, “For far too long, the agency has used antiquated methods for proving identity. Social Security can better protect Americans while expediting service”.

But, there were complaints from recipients, congress, and advocates such as the AARP that there wasn’t an opportunity for the public to weigh in on the change.

On March 26, the SSA postponed the new ID proofing policy to April 14 to give a longer transitionary time. At that point, due to complaints, the policy was once more changed.

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New CEO of California High-Speed Rail Project Hopes it Might be Finished by… 2045

California’s high-speed rail project is a lesson in the inefficiency of big government. The project was started nearly twenty years ago and they have not even started laying down tracks.

One of the reasons it’s in the news right now is because it has gone way over budget and the people in charge are looking for alternate forms of funding.

The current CEO, who came on board last summer, is now claiming that the project might be finished in twenty years. That would be the year 2045.

The Associated Press reports:

California high-speed rail leader pushes state to support private investment

A long-delayed project promising nonstop rail service between San Francisco and Los Angeles in under three hours may be able to secure the private funding it desperately needs if California agrees to pay the investors back, its chief executive told The Associated Press.

Ian Choudri, who was appointed CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority in August, is tasked with reinvigorating the nation’s largest infrastructure project amid skyrocketing costs and new fears that the Trump administration could pull $4 billion in federal funding.

“We started this one, and we are not succeeding,” Choudri said, describing what drew him to the job after work on high-speed systems in Europe…

California’s construction is far from completion. Of the 119 miles (192 kilometers) of construction underway in the Central Valley, only a 22-mile (35-kilometer) stretch is ready for the track-laying phase, which isn’t set to start until next year.

Finishing the line in the Valley is just the first step. Next, the train has to extend north toward the San Francisco Bay Area and south toward Los Angeles. Choudri’s goal within the next 20 years is to build to Gilroy, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco.

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Boston Mayor Wu’s office trip to DC hearing cost taxpayers $10k, records show

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu dropped nearly $10,000 of taxpayer funds on travel accommodations for her March trip to Washington, D.C., where she faced down a Congressional oversight committee probing the city’s sanctuary policies.

Wu brought along 11 staff members to her high-stakes D.C. appearance, at a total cost of roughly $9,909, when factoring in hotel, flight, ride-share and other accommodations, per receipts provided to the Herald after a public records request.

The mayor flew economy both ways. She spent $348.79 on her flight and $855.48 for a two-night stay at the Hampton Inn & Suites Washington DC-Navy Yard hotel, for a total of roughly $1,204, records show.

Wu arrived at her hotel Monday, March 3 and checked out on Wednesday, March 5, the date of the sanctuary city mayors Congressional hearing.

The mayor brought along 11 high-ranking staff members and cabinet chiefs. Collectively, those staffers spent about $8,704 on travel accommodations.

The staffers who tagged along were:

  • Tiffany Chu, Wu’s chief of staff: $1,142.08
  • Ricardo Patrón, deputy chief of staff: $767.95
  • Ezra Zwaeli, director of speechwriting: $348.61
  • Mariangely Solis Cervera, chief of equity and inclusion: $943.87
  • Michael Firestone, chief of policy and strategic planning: $791.64
  • Avital Robbins, deputy chief of policy: $720.49
  • Phyllis St-Hubert, director of scheduling and advance: $1,340.53
  • Louis Mandarini, senior advisor for labor: $1,136.92
  • Jessicah Pierre: chief of communications: $174.30
  • Mohammed Missouri, director of stakeholder engagement: $773.79
  • Sam Dinning, policy and strategic initiatives counsel: $564.66

Missing from the receipts were hotel costs for Zwaeli and return flight and hotel costs for Pierre. The mayor’s office reached out to the Herald to clarify that Zwaeli and Pierre stayed with friends and Pierre’s return was not at taxpayer cost.

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Ex-State Department employee pleads guilty to embezzling $650K

A former budget analyst for the State Department has pleaded guilty to embezzling $657,347.50 during her employment.

Levita Almuete Ferrer, 64, of Maryland, admitted she used her signature authority over a checking account for the State Department between March 2022 and April 2024.

Ferrer, also known as Levita Brezovic, attempted to hide the scheme through a QuickBooks account, specifically assigning herself as the payee and printing them.

She would often then alter the payee in QuickBooks to a genuine State Department vendor, making it difficult to trace her activities.

Ferrer pleaded guilty to theft of government property and will be sentenced on Sept. 18. She faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.

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