NEWS PICKS
ELON MUSK ON NEW TWITTER POLICY TO ALLOW QUESTIONING SCIENCE
https://www.foxnews.com/media/twitter-users-applaud-fume-musk-declares-twitter-follow-science-allow-questioning
“New Twitter policy is to follow the science, which necessarily includes reasoned questioning of the science,” Musk wrote.
Why is this controversial?Twitter, Facebook and FBI – clearly not for the people.
TRUMP RESPONDS TO THE JAN 6TH COMMITTEE WITHDRAWING SUBPEONA
“Was just advised that the Unselect Committee of political Thugs has withdrawn the Subpoena of me concerning the January 6th Protest of the CROOKED 2020 Presidential Election. They probably did so because they knew I did nothing wrong, or they were about to lose in Court. Perhaps the FBI’s involvement in RIGGING the Election played into their decision. In any event, the Subpoena is DEAD!”
PROPERTY TAXES ON THEIR WAY OUT
While some taxpayers would win under the change, others would end up paying more, because the phaseout is tied to increases in real property tax revenue, said St. Charles County Assessor Scott Shipman, a Republican.
“The burden is being shifted to the real estate,” he said.
“If you had higher-valued real estate and lower-valued personal property, your real estate’s going to see an increase,” Shipman said.
Shipman said people who own a car but no house are currently “contributing to the tax burden.”
If they are no longer required to pay in, “that’s being made up on the real side,” Shipman said. Paying property taxes through one’s rent is “not direct,” he said.
Eigel said he would “disagree strongly” that his bill is “a special gift” to renters, adding he’s “never heard of” a landlord not including property taxes into rent charges.
Fort Zumwalt Superintendent Bernie DuBray said the district, serving 17,000 students, depends on budget growth. He said the district opposes Eigel’s legislation.
“It would give us no growth. … I think it would be pretty devastating,” DuBray said. “There’s constantly more expenses that school districts are getting. We’re in the same hiring crunch that everybody else is. Our teachers are needing to be paid more.”
“He’s right: this would stop the growth of revenues — overall revenues — to his district. He’s right about that, and that is my intention,” Eigel said. “It’s a bigger concern for me, the fact that we’re charging people for owning a car.”
MASKS ARE COMING BACK TO ST LOUIS ARCH GROUNDS
ST. LOUIS — Visitors will be required to wear masks in all federal buildings at the Gateway Arch National Park beginning Tuesday.
The National Park Service mask requirement is prompted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 Community Levels tracker, the park service announced Monday.
Both St. Louis city and St Louis County COVID-19 levels are listed as “high,” according to the CDC tool.
Cloth masks will no longer be allowed, the park service said in a statement.
All visitors and staff must wear a surgical mask, procedure mask or respirator. Free surgical masks will be available to visitors at the Arch information desk.
STATE INCOME TAXES GOING DOWN
JEFFERSON CITY — State government will take less out of Missourians’ paychecks beginning Jan. 1 as part of an election-year income tax cut approved by lawmakers and Gov. Mike Parson in October.
The move, which comes as robust, post-pandemic revenue levels are predicted to begin slowing, will reduce the state’s top marginal individual income tax rate to 4.95%, down from the current 5.3%.
The income tax reduction comes as record-breaking waves of tax revenue have flooded the state’s checkbook, partly fueled by inflation, rising wages and more than $11.8 billion in pandemic relief funds from the federal government.
Income (inflation adjusted) vs sales taxes (not inflation adjusted)
Rothenberg’s best and worst of 2022 – Roll Call
White supremacist of the year
The nominees
- Nick Fuentes, Holocaust denier
- Donald Trump, former president
- Ye/Kanye West, former entertainer
- Elmer Stewart Rhodes III, Oath Keepers
- Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, Proud Boys
My choice: No thank you.
Worst gubernatorial nominee of the year
The nominees
- Maryland Republican Dan Cox: This uber Trumper campaigned as if he was running in Mississippi, not Maryland. Maybe that’s why he drew less than one-third of the vote and lost by more than 32 points in the general election.
- New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul: It’s all about the results. She won, but unimpressively.
- Pennsylvania Republican Doug Mastriano: Lost badly in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia but ran OK in the part of Pennsylvania that resembles Alabama. White supremacy apparently doesn’t sell well in the upscale Philadelphia and Pittsburgh suburbs.
- Arizona Republican Kari Lake: Charismatic. Articulate. Personable (when she wanted to be). Attractive. But also a Trump acolyte who regurgitated the stolen election baloney. She couldn’t overcome her Trump connection or her claims of election fraud.
Elected official who most obviously put country over party - Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.
- Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a Republican
- Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill.
- Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah
