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Elon Musk - The PT Barnum of our time

PT Barnum
© Eric Peters Autos
Elon Musk may be the ultimate crony capitalist - the PT Barnum of our time.

But to give PT his due, he was an honest con man.

He never used the government to make his marks hand over their money. People stepped right up without a bayonet in their backs.

Elon, on the other hand, depends entirely on the coercive power of government to line his pockets. Take that away and Musk goes away.

Unfortunately, he's not going away. He's going deeper.

Automotive News reports that Musk is not only fleecing taxpayers via multi-tiered subsidies for his electric turduckens.

That's old news. Here's the latest news:
The Michigan Department of Treasury has bought (with funds fleeced from taxpayers) 339,623 shares of Tesla stock - the proceeds of this "investment" (if there ever are any) to be used to fund the pensions of retired state workers.
Priceless. The small termites helping feed the queen - so to speak.

The stock buy amounts to another $72 million in wealth transfer from the taxpayers to Tesla. That's how one becomes a billionaire in crony capitalist America. But the small termites - the retired government workers - might not like the return on this particular "investment."

Tesla takes in lots of money, but doesn't make very much of it. The operation depends entirely on the IV drip of wealth transfer via multi-level mulcting of the American taxpayer.

Tesla doesn't sell cars, for instance. It gives those away.

It sells primarily carbon credits- a little-known scam the media rarely (if ever) mentions during Fan Boy coverage of Musk and his economically preposterous, functionally ridiculous but very politically correct electric cars.

Dollar Gold

U.S. Olympians have to pay tax on the value of medals

US Olympians
© Fernando Frazao/Agencia Brasil via Flickr
Olympic athletes from the U.S. not only have to pay tax on the prize money they receive for winning, but also on the value of their medals.

For a gold medal, an Olympian receives an award of $25,000 from the U.S. Olympic Committee, CNN Money notes. A silver medal has an award of $15,000 and $10,000 is received for a bronze.

An Olympian is required to pay state and federal taxes on the total prize money they collect, including the worth of their medals.

A gold medal is actually made mostly of silver and has a value of about $564. A silver medal is worth about $305, and a bronze, which is mostly made of copper, has a negligible value and is not taxed.

Considering how the U.S. is one of the only countries that does not provide government funding to its Olympians, the added tax burden placed upon them increases the difficult position many are already in financially.

If an athlete is lucky, they will be offered a lucrative endorsement deal. The remainder of Olympians must rely on the small stipend they receive from the USOC, support from local businesses or work a day job to supplement their income.

An Olympians' stipend may be as little as $400 a month, according to Wired.

The average cost an Olympian spends per year on expenses is as low as $18,000 for a gymnast, and between $150,000 to $500,000 per year for a tennis player, research by Wired shows.

Fire

Corsica: Violent brawl injures 4, cars aflame, clashes between locals and N. Africans

Car aflame
© Marc Susini/YouTube
At least four people, including a pregnant woman, were injured in a violent brawl between locals and "foreigners," presumably from North Africa, on the island of Corsica, French media reports. Some 100 police officers had to be deployed to calm the situation. The brawl broke out in the Sisco commune of France's Haute-Corse department on Saturday evening, France 3 Corsica reported.

overturned car Corsica
© twitter
France 3 Corsica cited local witnesses who claimed that a spat began when some tourists took a picture of a group of ten North Africans, including a pregnant woman and children, who were sitting on a beach. The North Africans made it clear that they didn't want to be photographed, but then a group of Corsicans arrived and also started a discussion that escalated into a confrontation. The paper reported that three vehicles belonging to young people of North African origin had been burned in the encounter.

Some 40 Corsicans attacked the members of two Moroccan families that were living on the island, according to BFMTV. Stones and bottles were reportedly thrown at the Moroccans and three of their vehicles were burned, the channel said. The cause of the brawl has yet to be determined, French media said.

Comment: There seem to be a trend of small provocations exploding into civil disruption and violence. The article didn't state that the N. Africans were, in particular, refugees, but the rapid rise of foreign influx into stable localities has assuredly taken its toll on resources, emotions and good will. Fear factors and anger feed spontaneous reactions. Another sign of the times.


Attention

Huge fire engulfs living containers at German refugee center injuring 19

blaze kassel germany refugee center
A huge fire has erupted at a refugee center in central Germany, leaving at least 19 people injured, local media report. Twenty living containers are said to be engulfed in flames.

A huge pillar of smoke can be seen billowing into the sky from the refugee shelter's yard in a video posted on YouTube.The center is located in the German state of Hessen on the territory of a small international airport in the city of Kassel.

Some 120 of the 800 asylum seekers accommodated at the center live in buildings affected by the fire, regional radio Funk fuer Hessen (FFH) reports, citing police.

Most of those injured are suffering from smoke poisoning, Bild reports, citing police sources.

Police have ruled out arson as a possible cause of the blaze, saying that the fire started inside the center, as reported by FFH.

Gold Coins

Unregulated campaign contributions determine US presidential elections, not voters

a photo of some stupid election campaign in the US with balloons and confetti
© AP Photo/ Matt RourkeElections in America are basically like children's birthday parties: Balloons, confetti, and a clown on center stage
Although a US presidential candidate is banned from directly receiving money from corporations, there are quite a few legal mechanisms which allow them to circumvent this safeguard, according to Gevorg Mirzayan, a senior fellow at the Institute for US and Canadian Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

An American citizen cannot be elected to Congress or the White House without carrying out a multi-million dollar campaign; to get the money, he or she has to either be very rich to begin with, or solicit funds from contributors which will yield political dividends afterwards, Gevorg Mirzayan, a senior fellow at the Moscow-based Institute for US and Canadian Studies, was quoted by RIA Novosti as saying.


Comment: In other words, corporations (which are legally mandated to return a profit on investments from shareholders) don't donate money, they invest it in candidates, with the expectation that they will get a monetary return on that investment.


Comment: The whole US election system is rigged from start to finish.


Pistol

No DNA or prints found on gun used to justify killing teen when cop's body cam "malfunctioned"

MARY HAWKES
© Unknown
Officer Jeremy Dear, who has a history of malfunctioning body cameras, shot and killed 19-year-old Mary Hawkes in the early morning hours of April 21, 2014 — an incident not captured on video thanks to another apparent equipment malfunction. Dear had repeatedly claimed Hawkes presented an imminent threat to his life when she pointed a gun at him after a pursuit for alleged car theft — but new evidence makes that claim highly suspicious.

Newly revealed documents cited by local ABC affiliate KOAT, say no DNA or fingerprints were found on the firearm Hawkes putatively pointed at Dear — but Albuquerque police have known this since the incident.

Simply put, Albuquerque police confirmed the story that Dear had been threatened by the weapon Hawkes supposedly wielded on the now-fired officer — despite the lack of physical evidence from the weapon, itself.

But according to the Albuquerque Journal, "the reports state that police believed there was sufficient evidence to link the gun to Hawkes, 19, through a series of her Facebook messages and friends. Police considered the case 'exceptionally cleared' and sent the case to the District Attorney's Office for review without recommending any charges be filed against Dear. The DA's office is still reviewing the case."

Bad Guys

Missouri cop assaults innocent pregnant woman for filming son's arrest

missouri cop assaults pregnant woman
Andrea Brookins was several months pregnant last month when her teenage son had a run-in with the Columbia Police Department. Concerned for the welfare of her son, Brookins attempted to film his arrest. For practicing her First Amendment right to film police, Brookins, pregnant and harmless, was assaulted and arrested.

Both the assault and arrest were captured on video.

As the first video starts, Columbia Police Department Sergeant Roger Schlude charges Brookins and demands she "get back!" Schlude then proceeds to physically assault the petite pregnant mother — for filming.

"They keep saying they want better for our youth and they want to fix our community," Brookins said. "It starts with our youth. You can't pull guns and belittle the kids and then wonder why they won't pull over for you guys or why they have no respect for you guys. Respect is earned."

After she was assaulted by a public servant, Brookins was then arrested for Obstructing a Government Operation and Resisting or Interfering with Arrest.

Passport

Jumping ship: Americans are still renouncing their citizenship at record rates

passport exchange
Why are so many folks saying goodbye to Uncle Sam?

Wave bye-bye to Aaron Adkins and William Acheson. Say so long to Elena Zona and Sheila Zyngier. Those names are the start and end of a long list of former Americans who turned in their passports during the second quarter of the year.

All told, those four people and 500 other Americans renounced their citizenship last quarter, compared to 461 during the same period in 2015. The increase, which comes after 1,158 Americans turned in their passports during the first quarter, means the U.S. is on track to set another record for what the U.S. Treasury Department calls "Individuals who have chosen to expatriate."

Cell Phone

App maker says data suggests Trump will win election

trump clinton
© USA TODAY
Despite a majority of opinion polls showing the 2016 presidential election going to Democrat Hillary Clinton, a smartphone app developer says his data suggests challenger Donald Trump will be the victor.

"Based on the stats we see, he looks strong," says Ric Militi, co-founder of San Diego-based Crazy Raccoons, maker of the Zip question and answer app. His app poses questions and polls responses based on an average of 100,000 daily users. "I go with Trump, based on what we see."

According to the RealClearPolitics average of opinion polls, which are performed by calling people on landlines and cell phones, and answering questions on websites, Clinton leads with 47.8%, to Trump's 41.0%.

Handcuffs

Former Deputy of the Year charged with 21 counts of sexual assault against young girls

kenneth hatch
© Two Bridges Regional JailKenneth Hatch III
A highly-decorated veteran deputy of the Lincoln county Sheriff's Office was indicted this week on 21 counts related to the alleged sexual assaults of multiple young girls throughout his career in law enforcement.

Deputy Kenneth L. Hatch III, 46, was originally arrested last June on multiple counts of sexual abuse against one girl. However, on Tuesday, as reported by Bangor Daily News, a Knox County grand jury indicted Hatch on 10 counts of sexual abuse of a minor, three counts of unlawful sexual contact and eight counts of aggravated furnishing of marijuana in connection with alleged incidents against three victims.

One of his alleged victims was a six-year-old girl whom over the years was repeatedly violated by this monster.

In 2004, according to court records, Hatch is accused of sexually assaulting the young girl. According to Assistant Attorney General John Risler, who presented the case to the grand jury, the indictments allege Hatch continued to sexually assault the same girl and provided her with marijuana into her teen years.