Tag: taxes

SAY WHAT? Los Angeles Proposes New TAX to Pay to Fix Street Lights Broken by Copper Wire Thieves

The city of Los Angeles has a major street light problem. Thousands of the lights are out because thieves strip them of copper wire which they then turn around and sell for cash.

To deal with this problem and fix the lights, the city government is proposing a new TAX on the law abiding citizens who did not steal the copper wire. Can you even believe this?

The city wants to punish the people who didn’t ruin the street lights and make them pay to fix it. Unreal.

FOX 11 in Los Angeles reports:

Los Angeles voters to weigh fee increase for streetlight repairs amid copper theft concerns

A citywide plan to replace thousands of broken streetlights across Los Angeles could come with a cost increase for property owners under a proposed Proposition 218 assessment.

Mayor Karen Bass is urging voters to approve the measure, which would raise property-owner fees by an estimated 120% to help fund a $125 million program aimed at replacing more than 200,000 streetlights citywide. City officials say the current system generates roughly $45 million and has not been significantly updated since the 1990s, when Proposition 218 was adopted by California voters to require property-owner approval for new or increased local assessments.

Under the law, the city cannot raise streetlighting fees without a majority vote from affected property owners, a process that has kept much of the funding system largely unchanged for decades.

Ballots are expected to be mailed this week.

Across Los Angeles, officials say copper theft continues to worsen infrastructure problems, with thieves stripping wire from underground fiber lines and disabling streetlights in neighborhoods across the city. More than 32,000 streetlight repair requests remain pending.

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ICE Is on a $45 Billion Building Spree. Can Small Towns Support These New Migrant Warehouses?

In his second inaugural address, President Donald Trump pledged to crack down on illegal immigration: “All illegal entry will immediately be halted, and we will begin the process of returning millions and millions of criminal aliens back to the places from which they came.” The administration set a minimum goal of 3,000 deportations per day.

There was a problem. At the time, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operated or contracted with more than 200 disparate facilities across the country, from federal detention centers to county jails, and it had the resources to detain only about 41,000 people at a time. To reach its daily deportation goal, the government would have to scale up its capacity. So this year the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has gone on a real estate shopping spree, spending hundreds of millions of dollars on warehouses across the country. The plan: to transform them into detention centers for undocumented migrants.

It is inhumane to store human beings—people who in many cases have not been convicted or even accused of anything more serious than civil immigration violations—in warehouses like so much freight. It is also far too costly, both in tax dollars spent and in harms imposed on the communities where these holding centers are being built.

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MoD splashes millions of your cash on luxuries – insulting taxpayer and failing on defence

Britain’s defence is becoming more exposed by the day. Global threats are rising, alliances are under strain, and the nature of warfare is evolving faster than ever. Yet instead of urgency, discipline and focus, but what we see from defence secretary and within the Ministry of Defence is complacency – and worse, a culture of indulgence. In recent days it was revealed that Ministry of Defence staff racked up £16.3 million on taxpayer-funded procurement cards in a single month.

These cards are meant for “low risk, low complexity” purchases – capped at £12,000. Yet dozens of transactions blew straight past that limit. One payment hit nearly £50,000. Another hotel bill came in at over £37,000. This is not an administrative oversight. It is a systemic failure and an insult to every taxpayer.

The details are staggering. Over £133,000 spent on restaurants and bars. Fourteen separate transactions at pubs and nightclubs. One evening alone costing nearly £4,000. Thousands more spent at a snooker hall, a cosmetics shop, even a florist.

And then there are the hotels. £1.4 million in a single month, spread across more than 700 transactions. The Ritz-Carlton. The Four Seasons. Hyatt. Hilton. Five-star luxury, all funded by the British taxpayer.

All of this within the month of March…

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‘How do you put a hospice in a burrito stand?’ Watch Congress get stunned by new revelations about astronomical California fraud

The U.S. Congress is being stunned by unnerving revelations about the extent of hospice fraud in California, with alarming testimony indicating phony hospice centers purportedly located in a burrito stand as well as a tire shop.

Sheila Clark, president and CEO of the California Hospice and Palliative Care Association, told lawmakers Tuesday: “How do you put a hospice in a burrito stand in California? How do you put a hospice in a tire store in California? That all had to be vetted through licensure and certification and accreditation.”

“You’d be amazed at how many hospices – the door you can walk up to in California and there is nobody there. There is five months worth of mail that you can see stacked up from CMS and nobody’s there. And that passed a survey. How did that happen?”

The House Ways and Means Committee was so struck by Clark’s disclosure, it shared her testimony on social media, noting: “You heard that right. In Gavin Newsom’s California, a burrito stand masquerading as a hospice care facility was getting accredited and receiving taxpayer dollars.”

While Clark did not name any specific burrito stand, Politics on X explained: “This example illustrates broader federal and state probes into California hospice fraud involving overbilling Medicare, shell companies, identity theft, and improper enrollments, with one recent scheme alone allegedly defrauding Medi-Cal of $267 million.”

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RFK Jr. Buries Raphael Warnock With a Truth Bomb When the Democrat Senator Attacks Him for Making Cuts to the ‘Rabies Office’

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared on Capitol Hill for two hearings on Wednesday and embarrassed leftist Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) when he tried to outsmart him on health matters.

As The Gateway Pundit previously reported, RFK Jr. first testified before the Senate Finance Committee on his agency’s budget and the deals that the Trump Administration struck with drug companies to lower prices.

Late in the hearing, Warnock decided to test RFK Jr.’s knowledge of rabies, one of the most deadly diseases on the planet.

Warnock started off by trying to ‘educate’ the HHS Secretary on rabies, which can be spread by numerous animals to humans, including raccoons, foxes, and skunks.

Of course, RFK Jr. already knew this information.

Then, Warnock decided to attack RFK Jr. for making budget cuts to the ‘rabies office.’ He said that only one person is handling issues concerning the disease at the CDC rabies division in Atlanta, Georgia.

But what the Georgia senator neglected to say was that rabies cases in humans are EXTREMELY rare, with only a couple of cases per year on average. Thus, this seems like a job one person can handle.

RFK Jr. left Warnock stammering when he dropped this truth bomb.

WARNOCK: You’re gutting the very offices that keep American families safe from disturbing and deadly infectious diseases.

RFK JR: Senator, there’s one to three rabies cases a year in the United States. I think one person manning that office full-time can handle that traffic.

WARNOCK: Here, uh, here, uh…

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New Report From Conservative Think Tank Claims Gavin Newsom Spent a Billion Dollars to Import 400,000 Illegal Aliens

According to a new report from the Manhattan Institute, California Governor Gavin Newsom not only allowed thousands of illegals to pour into his state, he paid a massive amount of money in order for it to happen.

This was done mainly through grants that were given to charities which then turned around and aided in all of this illegal immigration.

These were tax dollars. The people of California essentially paid for this without their consent. Taxpayers should be furious.

Breitbart News reports:

Report: Gov. Newsom Spent $1 Billion to Import 400,000 Extra Illegal Migrants

California Governor Gavin Newsom covertly spent $1 billion importing 400,000 migrants from poor countries to serve the state’s Democratic political machine and elite-dominated economy, according to data provided by the Manhattan Institute in New York.

“Since Newsom took office, California has granted massive contracts for migrant-related services: more than $250 million to Catholic Charities; $85 million to Jewish Family Services; $12 million to Centro Legal de la Raza; $23 million to the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area; and more,” according to an article by Christopher Rufe in City Journal.

The funding is in addition to California’s share of the massive federal funding directed by President Joe Biden’s pro-migration border chief, Alejandro Mayorkas.

The state’s Democratic government also steered $110 million to the major Latino political machine, the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights Los Angeles (CHIRLA):

CHIRLA can be described as a one-stop activist machine, with the ability to produce propaganda, engage in legal action, and — most importantly — get people into the streets. The group coordinates the L.A. Rapid Response Network, which tracks ICE raids and takes “direct action to shut down detention centers.” During the wave of protests in L.A., CHIRLA activists agitated on social media, led a street protest, and called for a “Summer of Resistance.”

Newsom has always thought that he is untouchable. That’s why he does things like this without a care in the world.

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USAF Explains Additional F-15EX Buys During Budget Brief

AFP attended the four hours of budget briefings at the Pentagon yesterday as part of the Pentagon Press Corp.

The Department of the Air Force’s Fiscal Year 2027 President’s Budget request marks a fundamental strategic shift. This budget departs from previous practices and makes a conscious effort to prioritize investment in modernization and readiness, recognizing both as essential and non-negotiable. With a total request of $338.8 billion, this 38% increase over the FY26 enacted position is a generational investment designed to supercharge our Defense Industrial Base, sharpen our military readiness, and secure enduring Air and Space superiority.

The budget truly is procurement wish list dream for all of the services, which we will write more about later today.

Part of the procurement buy for fiscal 2027 includes 24 F-15EX aircraft, in a sustained production run to more than 260 airframes.

I question the Air Force officers delivering the briefing about concerns we have heard from retired flag officers about the vulnerability of the F-15EX in a high-threat environment as shown by 4 F-15s being shot down during Operation Epic Fury, by far the aircraft impacted by hostile and friendly fire.

The answer I received was the need primarily in the Pacific of an airframe that can load a large amount of weapons for possibly stand-off offensive fires.

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Ireland to offer cash to encourage Ukrainians to leave – migration minister

The Irish government is aiming to terminate government-provided accommodation for Ukrainian migrants within a year, and will offer payouts to encourage repatriation, Minister of State for Migration Colm Brophy has said.

Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, around 125,000 Ukrainians have received temporary protection in Ireland, according to Brophy. From July 2022 to March 2026, Dublin reportedly spent more than €438 million ($516 million) to provide half of them with housing.

Dublin has also shelled out nearly €400 million in “political, humanitarian, economic and non-lethal military aid” for Kiev, while other EU members have funneled billions of euros into the conflict. Russia has warned that the EU’s support for Ukraine has only served to prolong the hostilities.

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‘HELL NO!’ Public high-school remodel features Muslim prayer room and foot-washing station

A Minnesota school district has confirmed that part of a remodeled section of its high school will include a Muslim prayer room and foot-washing station, calling into question adherence to “separation of church and state” in the use of public funds.

According to AlphaNews reporter Liz Collin, the school district affirmed the development for Park Center Senior High in Osseo, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, saying the Muslim-centered facility was “included in updated plans after hearing from user groups on student needs.”

Collin reports a tipster told her: “This is undoubtedly for Muslim students only. I cannot understand how this can be happening in this era of no religion in schools.”

One commenter on X noted: “Ten Commandments in schools, includes command not to kill.”

Liberals: “HELL NO!! Separation of church and state!”

“The Quran that calls for jihad and killing, foot washing, no more pork at lunch, 5 calls to prayer, and prayer room with carpets!”

Liberals: “Duuuuuuh… okay?!?!?”

The perceived “need” for students relates to the surge in the number of Muslim Somali migrants settling in Minnesota in recent years, including some who have bilked taxpayers out of billions of dollars in government payments meant to support day care centers and other facilities.

Referencing the infamous “Learing Center” sign uncovered in Minnesota as part of Nick Shirley’s investigative reporting, one commenter remarked: “They should change their name to OSSEO SENIOR LEARIN CENTER HIGH SCHOOL….. at this pace we will become Somalia before 2040. The state flag is Somali already.”

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Keith Self Pushes FAITH Act to Block ‘Sharia Tax’ on Non-Muslims

Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, introduced legislation Monday that would prohibit the imposition of religiously based financial penalties, a measure he says is aimed at preventing Sharia-inspired practices such as taxing non-Muslims.

The Freedom Against Imposed Theology Harms (FAITH) Act would establish a nationwide ban on fees, fines, penalties, or other financial burdens imposed on individuals because of their religious beliefs—or their refusal to participate in another religion’s practices.

“This legislation sends an unmistakable message,” Self said in a press release. “Religious freedom means freedom from religious coercion—financial or otherwise.”

“The FAITH Act draws a firm constitutional line: No American should ever pay a de facto religious tax or face financial penalties for their beliefs,” he added. “We must make America Sharia-free and protect the First Amendment for everyone.”

The bill would classify such conduct as a predicate offense under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, expanding prosecutors’ authority to pursue organized efforts to impose religiously based financial demands.

Self said the legislation is intended to address concerns about attempts to enforce Sharia-influenced financial practices in the United States. The bill would apply to both governmental and non-governmental actors, while preserving the right of religious and educational institutions to seek voluntary contributions from their own members for internal purposes.

Self cited the Islamic concept of jizya, a historical tax imposed on non-Muslims under Sharia-based governance, as an example of a practice he views as incompatible with U.S. constitutional principles. Although jizya is not imposed under American law, supporters of the FAITH Act argue that informal financial pressures modeled on Sharia principles pose a growing concern.

“While formal jizya is not imposed by U.S. law, we are seeing growing attempts to establish Sharia-adherent enclaves, parallel financial systems, and community coercion in parts of America—including right here in Texas,” Self said.

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