Donald Trump ordered a payroll tax holiday for all workers through the end of the year. But like all Trump directives not all is what it seems. On September 1, workers were supposed to start seeing a 7.65% bump in their paychecks. Trump had ordered that the Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%) payroll taxes… Read More Trump Payroll Tax Is Not Trickling Down To Workers
In response to the Covid-19 emergency and because Congress has been unable to pass new legislation to help the economy, Donald Trump issued several executive orders on August 8. One of them was the Payroll Tax Deferral Memorandum. The so-called payroll tax holiday reduces that taxes withheld on employee paychecks from September 1 through the… Read More Payroll Tax Holiday – What It Means To You And Your Company
Some readers may be thinking that their paychecks will be going up now that Donald Trump signed an executive order ordering a payroll tax holiday for everyone. What Trump has ordered is a 6.2% payroll bump in your paycheck starting on September 1. The order says it will last until December 31. What this means… Read More So You Think You Have A Payroll Tax Holiday Coming Up
The Coronavirus pandemic was going to “magically disappear” was what Donald Trump was hoping for. It didn’t. Instead it is re-surging and the American economy is under more pressure to reopen. As if that wasn’t enough, both Trump and the Republicans need a strong economy in November for them to succeed at the ballot boxes.… Read More Second Stimulus Package On the Way, But At What Cost?
When I first started my blog around 2000, I soon began to focus on El Paso corruption. Corruption is the underlining issue/problem on the border. This is true for both sides of the border. Most focus on the Mexican side forgetting that for corruption to be successful there must be willing participants. Without a complicit… Read More The El Paso Crisis
There are countless stories floating around social media today from individuals complaining about not having received their stimulus checks. In addition to the general confusion over who is or who is not qualified to receive the stimulus payments, there is also the question of lack of information from the IRS. Like everyone else, the IRS… Read More Technology Fiascos And Your Stimulus Check
Many readers are anticipating the stimulus checks that are expected to begin arriving in bank accounts in the next few weeks. The $1,200 for most taxpayers is welcome relief for the current financial crisis. But it is important to note that the money isn’t free. The stimulus checks are officially a credit for 2020 taxes.… Read More For Most The Stimulus Checks Are Not Free Money
There are many who argue that undocumented immigrants do not pay taxes and are a burden to American taxpayers. Many also argue that America does not need immigrant labor. But the facts betray these assertions as lies. Let’s see how the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) feels about the undocumented immigrants. In 1996, the IRA created… Read More Undocumented Immigrants Sustain The Country
Many taxpayers are excited to know that Congress is on the verge of sending each American taxpayer about $1,000. As of 5:00pm, eastern time yesterday, Congress was still arguing over some details about the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. However, it seems that the proposed $1,200 checks for individuals and $2,400 for… Read More Important Questions About The Proposed Stimulus Checks
For most El Paso readers it should come as no surprise that the city’s water utility is looking to raise water bills soon. Along with taxes, the water bills go up to shore up a bureaucracy trying to make the city successful by creating a fake utopia by imposing oppressive taxes on the city’s population.… Read More El Paso Desperate For Money
Most U.S. citizens decry the taxes they pay to the IRS to fund government operations. Most will argue that the uber rich – the 1% – get away with more tax fraud than the average U.S. worker. As perception, it seems that way. Most anyone will agree that the U.S. tax system is too complex.… Read More Why It Seems The Rich Get Away With Tax Fraud
Some may wonder why Donald Trump is so fixated on the Fed and interest rates. The simple answer is that Donald Trump needs a fake economy to win the 2020 elections. Trump’s beef with the Fed are the interest rates. The higher the interest rates the Fed sets, the worst the economy seems to Americans.… Read More Trump Needs a Fake Economy for 2020
There are some readers today believing that Donald Trump is delivering on his core promise to build a wall along the U.S.-México border. I can’t blame them because the Trump administration is keen on creating fake news. But the fact is that Donald Trump is not building his wall of hatred. But, but, I thought… Read More Still No Trump Wall
Want to understand why nothing ever happens in Congress? Look no further than the idea that Congress can fund the wall with Chapo’s money or that student loans can magically be erased. It is not the ideas that are the problem. It is that politicos who make promises they know they can’t keep. The perfect… Read More The Stupidity of Congress
Donald Trump is at it again, lying to the American people. Trump is trying to make you believe that a tariff is a good thing because the money ends up at America’s treasury. It sounds good when you look at it that way. It sounds even better when you believe that a tariff is paid… Read More Chinese Trade War Kills America
I paid my taxes yesterday. Imagine that, a Mexican immigrant that is not an American citizen paid U.S. taxes yesterday! But as many will tell you today, I didn’t benefit from the Trump tax cuts. I paid taxes into the American system although that system is threatening immigrants, like myself. Anecdotally, as I left the… Read More I Paid My Taxes
Time seems to have compressed for me recently with too many projects going on at the same time. The politics of the nation are not standing by as national debates on Russian interference and Donald Trump obstruction continues to dominate the national debate. As if that isn’t enough, the issue of asylum seekers and immigration… Read More Quick Takes – Mueller Report, Veronica Escobar, Asylum Seekers and Border Mic Podcast
Donald Trump’s base continues to focus on the Trump’s promise to build the wall. Donald Trump is feeling a lot of pressure to convince his voting base that he will build the promised wall. The inconvenient truth is that the wall will not be built. Reluctantly, many of Trump’s voters seem to have acknowledged that… Read More Donald Trump Continues to Lie About the Wall
For many months now, long time readers have been telling me how much they miss my El Paso politics posts. I’ve posted before and told my friends that El Paso politics is just a big “yawn” for me. The truth of the matter is that nothing has changed in the 18 or so years since… Read More El Paso Politics
Today is the day of reckoning for those of us that are contractors or self-employed. We’ll be writing checks to Uncle Sam that, thankfully, is not going to The Wall. Funny thing is that as much as the hoopla over the Tax Reform package that was adopted earlier this year was, the check I write… Read More The Taxman Cometh 2018
Since Donald Trump is on a tirade about The Wall, immigration and aid to countries, like Honduras, I thought it might be good to update you on the Mérida Initiative. As you might remember, the Mérida Initiative was created by George W. Bush and Felipe Calderón in 2008 to deal with the drug cartel violence… Read More The Merida Initiative
One of the most often misused words in the United States is “Mexican.” For many it can mean someone of Mexican descent, or a Mexican-American. But what it really means and how it should be used is someone who holds Mexican citizenship. Hyphenated Americans are all American citizens regardless of their country of origin, or… Read More Stop Blaming Mexicans
A few weeks ago, I met with a potential client who was looking for my company to build him an APP. We sat down to discuss the details over lunch. The individual told me he was looking for an Uber-like APP for his transportation business. As I typically do, I asked for more details. He… Read More Uber Killed My Dream
In case you are in the market for a washing machine, get ready to pay more for it. This is because Donald Trump quietly launched the first volley in the trade war between the United States, China and México. On Monday, while everyone was distracted with the government shutdown, Trump approved imposing safeguard tariffs on… Read More Get Ready to Pay More for Washing Machines
For some time now there have been rumors of an opposition dossier compiled against Veronica Escobar that was making the rounds among certain political circles. It is not news that opposing candidates compile dossiers to use against their opponents. In El Paso, most oppos are nothing more than a few newspaper clippings and maybe a… Read More The Top 10 Reasons Veronica Escobar Should Not be Elected to Congress
Imagine that, my taxes went down on Monday as the new year rolled in. No, no, it’s not because of Donald Trump’s tax reform package. How the tax reform package affects me, and many other taxpayers, is yet to be seen. But, on January 1, my taxes went down in a tangible and demonstrable fashion.… Read More My Taxes Went Down in 2018!
So, for the last few weeks, I’ve been secretly hoping that Donald Trump scored a legislative win. Yes, me, of all people, was hoping that Donald Trump signed into law the tax reform package that has made its way through Congress. It wasn’t the tax breaks for the corporations I was looking forward to. Nope,… Read More Trump Can’t Even Offer Me Relief from the Healthcare Fine
The controversy surrounding the GOP tax plan has brought up the time-honored scapegoat about how tax reducing plans benefit corporations at the expense of taxpayers. There is the general notion in the U.S. that tends to equate corporations as large gargantuan entities that can afford losses (theft) and pay taxes. A such, the GOP tax… Read More The GOP Tax Plan, Corporate Rates and Tax Shenanigans
In 1991, I published “A Hesitant Handshake Between Neighbors”. It was a writeup about NAFTA. In the essay I pointed how that the United States had been relying on import quotas for trade protection before NAFTA. It seems that Donald Trump wants to go back to protecting U.S. jobs by limiting imports. To limit imports,… Read More The Tomatoes Are Too Red For Some NAFTA Complainers
Sometimes the simplest solution is the best, except when it interferes with the intended nefarious agenda of a powerful group. If you are in El Paso, you have likely been keeping an eye on the community’s attempt to build an Hispanic or Mexican-American cultural center. You are also likely aware that there is a court… Read More The Hispanic Cultural Center Solution
Every time there is a debate about immigration reform there are numerous figures thrown out as fact. Arguments are made based on false facts and narratives to push forth the agenda that immigrants are bad, or even dangerous for the country. The debate about the Dreamer is no different. “They took jobs away from Americans”… Read More Exposing the DACA Lies
The City of El Paso, which boasts the highest property taxes in the nation, has been on a taxpayer-funded downtown redevelopment spending spree. Along the way, the city leaders are also destroying the Mexican character of the city. They are erasing Mexicans from the culture and attempting to replace it an Anglo-centric cultural identity as… Read More Dee Margo Tells You Why City Feels Empowered to Tax You
Yesterday, Judge Amy Clark Meachum of Travis County delivered a blow to the proponents of a sports arena for downtown who had intended to use the 2012 bond money for a multi-purpose performing arts center that the voters had voted on in 2012, or so some believe. The City of El Paso had sought a… Read More Court Says No to Sports Arena, But is it Dead
One of the most difficult aspects of dealing with immigration issues, especially about Mexican immigrants, is the constant misuse of the immigrant narrative by politicians. It is difficult enough having to dispel the many myths about immigrants, but it is even more difficult trying to pierce the political noise created by the politicians to be… Read More The Immorality of Veronica Escobar
The House Republicans released the Homeland Security funding bill on Tuesday. In it there are $1.6 Billion to fund the U.S.-México border wall. This is only the initial amount requested by the Trump administration. The total appropriations bill is for $44.3 billion. The wall portion accounts for less than one percent. However, the proposed amount… Read More The Trump Wall Paid for by America
As many of you know there are various ongoing controversies about the El Paso Independent School District (EPISD). The most recent corruption prosecution resulted in a mistrial. The superintendent is being criticized for his travel expenses and for his support of a presumptive candidate for office. The following are three guest editorial cartoons by Steve… Read More Steve Hern Guest Editorial Cartoons About EPISD
The United States is again debating the country’s health care system. This time it is the Senate that is looking to repeal ObamaCare through a Republican plan. There are two extremes, those that believe that healthcare is the responsibility of the individual, and those that believe that healthcare is a right that must be paid… Read More The Healthcare Debate
For some time now I have been developing my thesis that El Paso is unfriendly towards immigrants, contrary to the general notion that many believe. As a border city, El Paso is assumed to be friendly towards immigrants, especially those from México. But my personal experience exposed me to the exact opposite. El Paso is… Read More Grassroots Efforts Expose El Paso Duplicity Against Immigrants
Donald Trump launched his presidential campaign by demonizing México and Mexicans. Among the many disparaging remarks by Trump about México, was the notion that México was to blame for the loss of jobs in the country. Trump labelled NAFTA as the “worst” trade deal ever. Among Trump’s signature promises to the electorate was the promise… Read More The Carrier Job Deal
For some time now we have been discussing the lie being perpetuated by Veronica Escobar and cohorts that El Paso is an immigrant friendly city. I have been sharing with you data and other evidence demonstrating to you that not only is the notion that El Paso is immigrant friendly a lie, but that in… Read More Immigration Friendly El Paso Lie Revisited Through Jail Data