State. Sanctioned. Theft.
Hidden in plain sight.
Hey fam, here’s your random story of the day: A recent report from the UK claims that if cats were people, they’d probably be psychopaths. Who knew? Let’s get started.
State. Sanctioned. Theft.
A woman who was waiting to board a flight in Dallas Love Field Airport had her bag detained when a cash-sniffing K-9 alerted police to the bag. Authorities found $106,829 in her bag. The cash was seized and she was charged with… nothing. She still has not been charged with a crime. Police just took the money.
This is from WFAA:
The owner of the suitcase, a 25-year-old woman from Chicago, was not arrested. WFAA asked Dallas police for more details, but they did not elaborate further on the case because it is still under investigation.
This story is eerily similar to the one I covered last week regarding a marine combat veteran’s life savings being confiscated. The culprit in both of these cases is something called civil asset forfeiture. Stories like these are the definition of government abuse and need to be addressed.
Biden Making Housing Unaffordable?
If you’re like the majority of Americans, you’ve seen the value of your property soar over the past 12 months. While home values appreciate on average about 3% every year, we’ve experienced a 13.2% jump over the last year. That’s the definition of a BOOM.
All of this is great news if you’re a homeowner but not so great if you’re renting and looking to buy. Biden allegedly tried to fix this but made things so much worse.
This is from NPR:
The White House has declared that "President Biden is committed to using every tool available in government to produce more affordable housing supply as quickly as possible." Yet on Nov. 24, Biden's Commerce Department announced it was doubling duties on softwood lumber imported from Canada, from an average of 8.99% to 17.9%. Softwood lumber is a crucial material needed to build houses, and levying a large tax on imports only hurts the cause of expanding housing supply.
The NAHB — which represents homebuilders, which, naturally, have an interest in low lumber prices — is unhappy with Biden's policy. "With the nation in the midst of a housing affordability crisis, the Biden administration has moved to slap a huge, unwanted tax hike on American home buyers and renters," said NAHB Chairman Chuck Fowke in a statement. "This is the worst time to add needless housing costs onto the backs of hardworking American families."
The sad part of this story is American families who have dreamed of owning a home are the ones who will be paying for this.
Biden’s Radical Pick
President Biden picked Saule Omarova as his nominee to oversee large national banks. This selection worried many on both sides of the isle due to some of Omarosa’s more radical beliefs. Omarova once said she hoped the coal, oil, and gas industries went bankrupt so we could tackle climate change. Government overreach, much?
Take a listen:
This is from the Wall Street Journal:
Ms. Omarova’s earlier calls for shrinking big banks and creating a much bigger role for the Federal Reserve in consumer banking has drawn opposition from industry advocates and Republicans. They have said she envisions an overly large role for the government that they say would crimp business, even at community lenders, a powerful constituency that lobbied against her nomination.
A group of moderate Democrats privately voiced their opposition to Ms. Omarova in the days after a contentious nomination hearing in November, according to people familiar with the deliberations. Their opposition alone likely scuttled her chances of confirmation through the evenly divided Senate.
Thankfully, she withdrew her name from consideration after bipartisan outrage.
Federal Judge Halts Biden’s Vaccine Mandate
A federal judge in Georgia ruled late yesterday that Biden exceeded his authority by requiring federal contractors to be vaccinated. This comes after a judge in Kentucky ruled against the order last week. Ouch.
This is from Fox News:
"The Court acknowledges the tragic toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has wrought throughout the nation and the globe," Baker, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump, wrote in his ruling. "However, even in times of crisis this Court must preserve the rule of law and ensure that all branches of government act within the bounds of their constitutionally granted authorities."
Happy hump day. See you guys in the morning.