IT'S UGLY, WHAT JOE BIDEN HAS DONE TO AMERICA AND HE ISN'T FINISHED!
Ted Cruz: Everything the Biden administration has touched has gone to garbage
Trillions at Risk, Including Your Life Savings as Congress Sets Sights on 401(k)s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxECQyrWoSQ
The Democrats Wrecked My Retirement
If you're fortunate enough to lead a reasonably normal American life, things go something like this: you go through school and graduate from either high school or college, somewhere in the middle of the class. You get a job, move out on your own, and meet your eventual spouse. You marry, have a family, and work at a series of jobs to support yourself and others. With any luck, you like (or at least tolerate) your chosen profession and derive a reasonable degree of satisfaction from having done pretty well. Then, at some point in your 60s, you retire, with the expectation that your so-called golden years will be a 15- or 20-year span characterized by decent health; minimal financial pressures and obligations; and a general enjoyment of a more relaxed, leisurely pace. Maybe there will be a few long-delayed material indulgences thrown in. What the heck — you've earned those, right? This is all the retirement that any of us really wants.
This describes me fairly well. After having spent my working career in the consumer electronics and musical instrument industries in marketing, product development, and engineering management, I retired two years ago. (By the way — if you need someone to design some killer new speakers for your stereo rig or play smokin' jazz drums at your daughter's wedding, I'm your guy.) I was really looking forward to relaxing and enjoying my retirement, but the Democrats have ruined those plans. I only get one retirement — just this one — and the Democrats have wrecked it.
Since I retired in 2020, this is what has happened, all courtesy of the Democrats:
COVID
Whether it was a legitimate mistake from sloppy lab practices in Wuhan or a deliberate plot by Communist China to upset the Western world or something else altogether, it descended upon the world like a ton of bricks dropped from the back of a huge construction dump truck. Worldwide panic ensued. The Democrats, utterly horrified that everything — everything — was going so well under President Trump that he'd easily win re-election that year, took advantage of the COVID scare to rewrite the presidential election voting procedures and execute their elaborately designed fraud plans. Drop boxes, mail-in/absentee ballots that weren't cross-checked for proper signature ID, Democrat state legislatures illegally changing the voting deadlines to make post-election vote manipulation that much easier, etc. — all manner of voting fraud was committed under the guise of "COVID" and "public safety." That ruse, the most blatant, damaging election gambit in American history, gave us this blitheringly incompetent, ideologically driven Biden administration.
Inflation
Biden printed billions of dollars to spread around and bribe voters, calling it "COVID relief," and paid people to stay home and not work. Now, under Biden, we have 8–9% inflation and a labor participation rate that is the lowest it's been since the 1970s. Prices are out of sight. The supply chain has collapsed, and shortages of household staples have become so commonplace that it's just an accepted way of life in 2022. The administration puts forth an abomination deceitfully labeled the "Inflation Reduction Act," knowing there is not one single thing in that bill that is intended to reduce inflation. Now the Fed is raising interest rates to try to calm inflation. In order for that to work, it has to crush consumer demand so suppliers will reduce their pricing in order to entice a weak and shrinking pool of customers to buy something. Nice going, Joe. My favorite salad dressing is hardly available these days because of supply shortages, and when I can find it, it's nearly double in price.
Shut Down Oil/Gas Industry
On Day One, Biden cut the legs out from under American energy independence. Oil, gasoline, and natural gas prices skyrocketed. Why did the administration do this? Because they think it's cool and woke to be Green. The Squad likes Green, and the administration wants to be "in" with that ilk and with the extreme voters who support that. Green energy and renewables can't come close to supporting our energy needs and won't for the foreseeable future. Remember, Biden, Pelosi, Kerry, Obama, Gore, etc., etc. — none of them lives by Green rules. But they expect you to. All I know is, now that I'm a retiree, gasoline has gone from $2.11/gallon to $3.76/gallon. And it'll be back over $4.00/gallon shortly, as soon as Biden's game-playing with the Strategic Petroleum Reserve runs out of tricks. And we just got a letter from our electric company — in November, the rate per/kWh will double. Double, just like that, for no reason. Bad enough as a retiree. Good thing I don't own a small business operating on a tight margin, like a restaurant or bakery or hair salon.
Unstable Foreign Policy
Biden is a weak, befuddled old man, clearly not in any semblance of control of his rapidly diminishing faculties. You can practically hear our overseas adversaries licking their chops as they run roughshod over the remaining elements of proper international behavior and decorum, totally confident that the frighteningly senile Biden will not do anything to oppose them. Would Putin have invaded Ukraine and be threatening the world with nuclear war were President Trump still in office? Would Communist China be saber-rattling over Taiwan? Would North Korea have resumed test-firing ballistic missiles? Would Iran be shamelessly flaunting its nuclear progress? Of course not.
All of the above has so rattled the investment markets (the Democrats can't fool the markets with their bogus smoke and mirrors) that the major indices have lost trillions (with a "T") of dollars in value. Retirement accounts are in a shambles. Two short years ago, things looked great. Now there's a financial/investment canyon that will likely take ten years to recover from. People in their mid- to late 50s will have to work much longer than they planned. New retirees feel as if the rug has been pulled out from beneath them.
I'm just like millions of other Americans: I played by the rules, I worked hard for forty-plus years, I did right by my family, and I was a solid member of my community. All I wanted was the modest retirement I had planned for. But the Democrats wrecked it. On purpose, and I'm mad as can be.
Image via Max Pixel.
Running the World into the Ground
The actions of the people who are in charge of governments are supposed to benefit the countries they serve -- in theory, at least. In practice, the opposite is true. In the West, our leaders are destroying everything they can get their hands on.
This is certainly an apt description of the Biden/Harris administration. They inherited a healthy country from President Trump. The economy was taking off, inflation was practically nonexistent, the U.S. was energy independent for the first time in decades, and the border was closed. So what did Biden do? He immediately set out to reverse everything Trump achieved.
Who can claim to be better off under Biden? The economy has tanked, inflation is at a 40-year high, people can’t afford to heat their homes or fill up their cars with gas, crime statistics are off the charts, and confidence in America is at an all-time low. Biden’s open-border policy, which is opposed by a majority of American citizens, is leading to social unrest and economic chaos. A country without a functioning border is not a country, yet that is where Biden has taken us.
America is marching toward totalitarianism as Biden empowers the DoJ and FBI to go after his political opponents, i.e., at least half of the population. His worst offense, however, is following the climate dictates of the World Economic Forum. Biden is torpedoing the robust U.S. economy in service of a totally false assumption -- that human beings are able to change the planet’s climate. He is raising taxes so that billions of your dollars can be wasted on ridiculous anti-fossil fuel projects.
Biden has declared war on the energy industry in the name of global warming. He wants us to believe that oil, gas, and coal are killing the planet. What is the result of his climate policy so far? “Harvesting of fuel was cut back drastically,” explained Bill O’Reilly, “and that caused the price of oil worldwide to rise, and that caused the price of gas at the pump to rise, and that lit inflation, as all other goods went up in price as well because they are trucked in to the stores and businesses. That is all on President Biden.”
First, human beings are incapable of controlling the climate, which operates in cycles and always has since the planet was created. Second, our economy is dependent on fossil fuels, and -- contrary to the lies fed by the administration -- fossil fuel alternatives do not exist, and will not exist in the foreseeable future.
Climate Change Business Journal quantified the cost to the U.S. of the green agenda at a whopping $1.5 trillion per year. That is the equivalent of economic suicide. And what do we get for this waste of time, money, and effort? Danish environmentalist Bjorn Lomborg calculates that even if every nation in the world adheres to its climate change commitments -- which they won’t, by the end of the century it will reduce the world’s temperatures by a mere 1/20th of a degree. In other words, the quality of our lives is going to plummet based on a monumental hoax.
If Biden gets away with his green policy, it will play right into Obama’s socialist dream of fundamentally transforming America. Under the guise of responding to climate change, the Left wants to take what we have and redistribute it to the Third World even if it means crippling the U.S. economy. Rampant crime, insane immigration policy, assault on individual rights, suicidal climate dictates -- Americans are being sold out by the politicians in charge, who happen to be members of the Democratic Party.
Now let’s talk about our friends in Europe. The criminal politicians who are in charge on the other side of the Atlantic are no better than their American counterparts. Europe’s social fabric was destroyed when Angela Merkel decided to open Germany’s borders to an onslaught of immigrants from the Middle East and Africa, most of whom are either unwilling or unable to assimilate into European culture. Other countries followed Merkel’s deranged example. The appalling result is that France, the U.K., Holland, Belgium, Denmark, and Sweden are on the verge of civil war as they struggle to deal with hostile Muslim newcomers.
The takeover of Europe by Islam was predicted by Mark Steyn in his 2008 book, America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It. “What happens,” Steyn asked, “when a Western world so in thrall to platitudes about boundless ‘tolerance’ allows the forces of intolerance to carve it out from the inside? Much of the Western world is engaged in an act of auto-genocide, and Islam will be the immediate beneficiary.” European politicians have opened the doors to people who are opposed to the Western way of life and whose mission is to stamp it out.
On the economic front, European leaders have, like Biden in the U.S., succumbed to the delusional World Economic Forum. In a mad rush to eliminate reliance on fossil fuels, European economies are going into the winter without adequate energy supplies. The poor citizens of the continent are being told to anticipate blackouts and food shortages. They are about to discover that without fossil fuels, their way of life is going to hell.
What recourse do we voters have against the irresponsibility of political leaders who are obsessed with the lure of power? Is it too late to stop them? In the U.S., we have the possibility of Republican resurgence in the 2022 and 2024 elections. We need Donald Trump or someone like him to execute a return to sane policymaking. I’m counting on it. The alternative is just too bloody awful.
Ed Brodow is a conservative political commentator and author of nine books including his new #1 Amazon besttseller, America on its Knees: The Cost of Replacing Trump with Biden. His website is www.edbrodowpolitics.com.
WALK THE STREETS OF YOUR HOME TOWN OF SAN FRANCISCO AND COUNT THE DRUG ADDICTS, YOU FUKING INSIDE TRADER!!!
Pelosi: Congress ‘Must’ Enact Law That ‘Empowers All to Participate in the Rapidly Growing Cannabis Industry’
(CNSNews.com) - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) put out a statement on Thursday in which she praised President Joe Biden for pardoning people who had been federally convicted for possessing marijuana and called for a federal law to legalize the drug, which she said would empower “all to participate in the rapidly growing cannabis industry.”
“Today is a day of hope and healing, as President Biden takes historic steps to reform America’s approach to marijuana,” said Pelosi.
“These transformative actions are the latest manifestation of Democrats’ unyielding commitment to justice, especially for those unfairly harmed by cannabis criminalization,” she said.
“House Democrats applaud these bold actions by President Biden, which build on the important progress we forged in passing our Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act,” said Pelosi.
“This legislation, which decriminalizes marijuana at the federal level and empowers all to participate in the rapidly growing cannabis industry, must become law,” she said. “Our proud Democratic Majority will never relent in fighting for these reforms, and more, as we work to advance justice for all.”
Here is the full text of Pelosi’s statement:
“Today is a day of hope and healing, as President Biden takes historic steps to reform America’s approach to marijuana. These transformative actions are the latest manifestation of Democrats’ unyielding commitment to justice, especially for those unfairly harmed by cannabis criminalization.
“For far too long, failed federal drug policies — which have specifically targeted communities of color — have torn apart too many families. By pardoning those arrested for simple marijuana possession, and encouraging governors to follow suit, President Biden is advancing racial and economic justice: empowering more Americans to return to their loved ones, find a good-paying job and contribute to our communities. At the same time, exploring the reclassification of marijuana is a necessary step to ensure that we do not repeat the grave mistake of mass incarceration.
“House Democrats applaud these bold actions by President Biden, which build on the important progress we forged in passing our Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act. This legislation, which decriminalizes marijuana at the federal level and empowers all to participate in the rapidly growing cannabis industry, must become law. Our proud Democratic Majority will never relent in fighting for these reforms, and more, as we work to advance justice for all.”
TRAITOR! THE BIDEN - CHINESE CONSPIRACY
Jesse Watters: This is about to get ugly
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFZGCCratXk
CALIFORNIA CONGRESSWOMAN MAXINE 'BIG MOUTH' WATERS HAS SIPHONE OFF MORE THAN A MILLIOND DOLLAR IN BRIBES TO HER DAUGHTER. BIDEN SAYS SHE SHOULD RUN FOR THE SENATE!!!
Watters: The Five (CRIME) Families of the Democrat Party
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBpvvHethg0
The Stock Market Made Nancy Pelosi Rich. Now, She Wants To Ban Her Colleagues From Trading.
House speaker's fortune has grown $140 million since 2008, thanks in part to her husband's trades
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) has seen her net worth increase by $140 million since the 2008 financial crisis thanks in no small part to her husband’s fortuitous trades in companies she has worked to subsidize. Now, she's trying to pull up the ladder behind her: In what may be her final months as a member of Congress, she’s backing a proposal that would prohibit her colleagues from buying or selling individual stocks.
Pelosi scoffed at the idea of banning lawmakers from trading individual stocks as recently as December, saying that she and her colleagues should be able to fully participate in the free market economy. After rejecting similar proposals, Pelosi is throwing her weight behind legislation that would ban stock trading among members of Congress and other senior government officials. House Democratic leaders introduced the Combating Financial Conflicts of Interest in Government Act last Tuesday but failed to bring the measure to a vote before adjourning for the midterm elections.
Pelosi has been dogged by allegations that her husband, Paul Pelosi, trades stocks on inside information gleaned from her position in Congress. In March, Paul Pelosi exercised options to buy up to $5 million worth of Tesla stock as the speaker pushed for electric vehicle subsidies, the Washington Free Beacon reported. And in June, Paul Pelosi exercised call options to buy up to $5 million in the graphics card manufacturer Nvidia just weeks before the House considered a bill to provide more than $50 billion in subsidies to domestic semiconductor manufacturers.
Pelosi said in November 2020 after being nominated for a fourth term as speaker that she would relinquish the gavel at the end of 2022. And while she announced in January that she would run for reelection in 2022, there is rampant speculation that she will depart Congress should Republicans retake the House in the upcoming midterm elections.
Even Pelosi’s late-stage about-face is not enough to pacify her progressive critics. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D., Va.) says the speaker and Democratic leadership only put the bill forward because they knew it would fail.
The bill "was written to create confusion surrounding reform efforts and complicate a straightforward reform priority," Spanberger said in a statement on Friday, "all while creating the appearance that House Leadership wanted to take action."
Pelosi’s portfolio has performed remarkably well during periods of financial turmoil, her financial disclosures show. Her estimated net worth skyrocketed at the onset of the Great Recession, going from $31.4 million in 2008 to $101.1 million in 2010, a 220 percent increase in a window where the S&P 500 decreased by 13 percent. The speaker also reaped a significant return during the COVID-19 pandemic, seeing her estimated net worth jump from $106 million in 2019 to $171.4 million in 2021, an increase of 60 percent.
Government ethics watchdogs noted glaring loopholes in the Pelosi-backed stock trading bill they say will create new avenues for lawmakers to secretly profit from their positions in Congress.
"To say the bill is weak … would be an understatement. The bill is dangerous. It would undermine what little ethics we have in our federal government," former director of the Office of Government Ethics Walter Shaub said of the measure.
Shaub noted that the bill would enable lawmakers to enter into "fake blind trusts." Typical blind trusts, in which a lawmaker’s assets are handled by an independent manager, require trustees to divest whatever officials put in the trust. But the Pelosi-backed bill would exempt trustees from the divestiture requirement, Shaub said.
"The problem with this bill is it creates a completely separate process and doesn't have any particular rules or requirements around it," Project on Government Oversight government affairs manager Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette told Insider. "You'd be able to create any kind of a trust you want to, put anything you want into it, and call it a blind trust, even though there wouldn't actually be any way to prove that it is, in fact, a blind trust."
The precise net worth of Pelosi and all other members of Congress, is unknown, as lawmakers report a range of values for all their assets rather than exact dollar amounts. Pelosi’s estimated net worth of $171.4 million in 2021 was calculated by taking into account the ranges of all the individual assets and liabilities reported in her financial disclosure statement.
Pelosi joined Congress in 1987 with a net worth of at least $2.7 million, according to her financial disclosure filed that year and obtained by Politifact. Pelosi’s net worth during her inaugural year in Congress was almost certainly higher than that figure, however, because lawmakers were not required at the time to report an upper range for their assets as they are today.
Pelosi has flatly denied allegations of insider trading. Her office did not return a request for comment.
Pelosi Saves Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars Through Another ‘Timely’ Stock Move
Some stock traders think the speaker is 'making the big bucks off of insider information,' Business Insider reported
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) and her multimillionaire husband, Paul Pelosi, saved hundreds of thousands of dollars by selling their shares in Nvidia about one month before the U.S. government placed restrictions on the tech company, causing its stock price to plummet.
In July, the Pelosis sold all 25,000 of their shares in Nvidia. On Aug. 26, the government ordered Nvidia to stop selling microchips in China and Russia without authorization, which could cost the company up to $400 million, CNBC reported on Wednesday. The day after CNBC's report, Nvidia's stock price was down nearly 12 percent, according to the Wall Street Journal.
By selling the shares before the news broke, the speaker and her husband saved around $600,000, according to multiple Twitter accounts that track the Pelosis' controversial stock trades.
Paul Pelosi has a long history of making "timely" purchases in companies that his wife has worked to subsidize, the Washington Free Beacon has reported. He purchased the Nvidia stock in June as the speaker oversaw a bill that would grant billions of dollars in subsidies that could benefit the company.
Internet stock traders often follow Nancy Pelosi's purchases and selloffs for investing tips, Business Insider reported, with some suggesting "she's making the big bucks off of insider information."
A Nancy Pelosi spokesman told Fox Business that Paul Pelosi does not speak to his wife about his stock trades until after he makes the trades.
While the speaker in February implied that she wouldn't oppose a congressional stock-trading ban, she appears "content to let" a ban "die behind the scenes," the Daily Beast reported.
"The people who control the calendar don't want to bring it to the floor," Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D., Va.) said.
Vicente Gonzalez Has Funneled Tens of Thousands of Dollars in Campaign Cash to His Own Company, Records Show
Texas Democrat has long history of ethics issues
Texas Democratic congressman Vicente Gonzalez has funneled tens of thousands of dollars in campaign cash to a company he owns and directs, a move that elicited condemnation from liberal media outlets and ethics experts when employed by former president Donald Trump.
Since 2018, Gonzalez has sent $33,000 to a mundane-sounding property management company, Tenant Services LLC, for office rent, according to federal campaign finance disclosures. As it turns out, Gonzalez owns that company, financial statements and corporate records obtained by the Washington Free Beacon show. The setup allows Gonzalez to use his job as a politician to pocket more than just his congressional salary, through which the Democrat earns $174,000 a year.
Members of Congress are allowed to pay themselves for office rent so long as the monthly amount matches a fair market rate. Still, similar arrangements have prompted criticism from ethics experts. When Trump's political entity used donor funds to rent office space at Trump Tower, for example, the Huffington Post and the Washington Post quoted watchdog groups that called the setup "sleazy," "a scam," and "a con." The University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato, meanwhile, likened Rep. Tom Suozzi to Trump after the New York Democrat used campaign funds to pay a company he owns nearly $40,000. "You shouldn't be running for office or serving in office to enrich yourself in any form," Sabato told the New York Post. "Trump was a master of this."
Gonzalez, who is embroiled in a high-profile campaign against Rep. Mayra Flores (R., Texas), has a long history of ethics issues. For at least eight years, the Democrat and his wife improperly claimed a homestead exemption on two separate properties, saving the couple thousands of dollars in taxes, the Texas Tribune reported in August. Roughly two months earlier, a Business Insider report found that Gonzalez violated a federal conflict-of-interest law by waiting nearly a year to disclose a stock trade. That law requires Gonzalez to report trades no later than 45 days after making them.
Gonzalez did not return a request for comment. The Democrat serves as Tenant Services's "owner and director," according to his latest House financial statement. Corporate records obtained by the Free Beacon also list Gonzalez as the company's sole governing agent.
Gonzalez is not the only Texas Democrat who pays himself for campaign office rent, though he has been less forthcoming about the arrangement when compared to his Lone Star State colleagues. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D., Texas) cuts himself a $750 check every month for "office rent and furnishings"—those disbursements specifically note that Cuellar "personally owns and manages" the building his campaign rents from. In Gonzalez's case, an LLC with a generic name makes the connection less apparent.
Gonzalez's campaign office is listed at the same address as the Democrat's law firm, V. Gonzalez and Associates. Gonzalez earned $110,000 in "attorney fees" from the firm in 2021, his financial statement shows.
Before launching his political career, Gonzalez agreed to represent a slew of controversial clients through his firm. In the late 1990s, for example, the Democrat was retained to defend an array of felony drug dealers who collectively conspired to distribute thousands of pounds of marijuana, nearly half a pound of cocaine, and eight pounds of MDMA, the Free Beacon reported in July. One of Gonzalez's clients, Richard Contreras, pleaded guilty to federal charges after he conspired to import more than 2,200 pounds of marijuana from Mexico. Another, Frank Tijerina, led a Texas street gang called the "Corrupt Criminal Mob." More than a decade later, Gonzalez often emphasizes the need to stop the flow of drugs from the southern border and maintain "law and order."
Gonzalez joined Congress in 2017, replacing longtime Democratic incumbent Rubén Hinojosa in Texas's 15th Congressional District. After Gonzalez cruised to reelection in 2018, he faced an unexpectedly tight 2020 race against Republican Monica de la Cruz, whom he defeated by only 3 points.
That result prompted Gonzalez to instead run in Texas's 34th Congressional District in 2022, as the state's redistricting process made the seat considerably more blue. But Republicans remain hopeful that Flores can beat Gonzalez come November, particularly after Flores in June became the first Mexican-born woman elected to Congress and the first Republican to represent portions of the 34th Congressional District since 1870. In that race, Flores beat her Democratic opponent, Dan Sanchez, in historically blue areas such as Cameron County, which is 90 percent Hispanic and voted for Biden by double digits in 2020. Flores has raised $1.8 million to Gonzalez's $2.3 million.
Published under: Mayra Flores, Texas, Vicente Gonzalez
Watters: The Five (CRIME) Families of the Democrat Party
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBpvvHethg0
Florida Congressional Hopeful Illegally Omitted Stock Holdings From Her Financial Disclosure, Watchdog Says
As Annette Taddeo accuses oil companies of 'price gouging,' she won't tell voters if she's still invested in Exxon
Florida Democratic congressional hopeful Annette Taddeo illegally omitted stock holdings from her candidate financial disclosure, a new complaint says. A look into her past disclosures may explain why—Taddeo in 2016 reported a sizable stake in a U.S. oil giant and now accuses oil companies of "price gouging."
In her July 6 financial disclosure, Taddeo—who is running to unseat Rep. Maria Salazar (R., Fla.)—violated federal law and House ethics rules by failing to disclose the stocks held within her investment accounts, a Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust complaint obtained exclusively by the Washington Free Beacon states. During her failed congressional run in 2016, however, Taddeo did disclose the stocks within those accounts, which included a $100,000 stake in America's largest oil company, ExxonMobil.
That holding may explain why Taddeo is hesitant to reveal her investments during her second congressional campaign. Taddeo on July 15 accused Salazar of failing to stand up to oil companies, which the Democrat accused of "price gouging at the pumps." On her campaign site, meanwhile, Taddeo pledges to "be a champion in Congress for taking on [the] corporate greed that's worsened our current economic crisis" and "push for solutions to stop big gas companies from price gouging." But Taddeo earned up to $5,500 in Exxon dividends from January 2015 to April 2016, profit that could undermine her attempts to vilify big oil companies should she still hold the stock.
Taddeo's campaign did not return a request for comment. The Democrat's criticism of Salazar on gas prices stems from Salazar's May vote against House Democrats' so-called Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act. While the bill's sponsor, Rep. Kim Schrier (D., Wash.), said the legislation would "protect families' wallets at the gas pump," other Democrats acknowledged that it would do nothing to address inflation. Jason Furman, who chaired former president Barack Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, called the bill "dangerous misguided nonsense," and Taddeo's fellow Florida Democrat, Rep. Stephanie Murphy, said it would "strangle production."
"I think vilifying one sector doesn't actually address the inflation issues that my constituents are facing," Murphy, who voted against the bill, told ABC News in May.
Taddeo has a long history of losing campaigns. Prior to her bid against Salazar, Taddeo in 2008 ran for Congress unsuccessfully in Florida's 18th Congressional District. Two years later, Taddeo ran for an open seat on Miami's county commission, which she also lost. In 2014, Taddeo served as Democratic gubernatorial nominee Charlie Crist's running mate—the pair lost to incumbent Republicans Rick Scott and Carlos López-Cantera. Not long after, in 2016, Taddeo ran for Congress in Florida's 26th Congressional District but did not advance past the primary, losing to fellow Democrat Joe Garcia.
During that 2016 race, a leaked Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee research document said Taddeo's failed runs for office could make her look "incompetent." The memo also noted Taddeo has "called herself a member of the middle class despite being worth $5.7 million and living in a 6,500-square-foot mansion," leading many to "view her as a wealthy elitist who lacks commonality with everyday middle-class families." Taddeo quickly sold the "mansion," property records show.
Following her four losing campaigns, Taddeo managed to win her 2017 campaign for a Florida state Senate seat, which she still holds. Taddeo in October 2021 launched a campaign for governor but vacated the bid in June to run against Salazar. She will face the Republican in November, having raised $681,000 to Salazar's $3.9 million as of Aug. 3.
A Commie Coalition of Racists, Butchers, Liars, and Ghouls
Kamala cackles at Korea's DMZ. Braindead Biden speaks to ghosts. Wicked Witch Hillary curses America with lies. Halloween season must be here. Except the evil that Democrats do lasts all year long. Filled with racists, butchers, killers, liars, misanthropes, thieves, and snobs, the commie coalition of leftists in America pursues nothing but harm. Feasting on children, spreading fear and hate, they are the carnival horror show no sane person would dare permit through the gates. Wherever their power grows, Dems bring darkness (thanks, Green New Deal!), scary times, and frightening monsters. (Jeffrey Epstein didn't kill himself, after all.)
It is clear that the commie coven has cast a spell upon the country, transfixing too many otherwise rational-thinking Americans into supporting wicked things. Who could be in favor of explicitly judging people by the color of their skin? Who could support secretly grooming innocent children to partake in sexual fantasies? Who could promote mutilating a child's body as if "transgenderism" were a sacred rite? Who could demand that babies be sacrificed on the altar of convenience? Who could preach that freedom is sinful and that obedience to government is divine? Who could maliciously scare billions with the unscientific doomsaying of imminent climate apocalypse? Who could steal food and fuel from the poor, while global elites choose who will be lucky enough to eat? Who could teach Westerners self-loathing on such a grand scale? Surely only very wicked people could do such things. Or people who have become lost in the delusions of malevolent magicians who seed discord, spread lies, feed on pain, despoil innocence, and thrive on hate.
Leftism really is a curse because it twists minds into believing hideous things. Saying, "All lives matter," is somehow racist. Wanting to "Make America Great" somehow spreads hate. Treating people equally regardless of skin color promotes "white supremacy." Rewarding merit and hard work does, too. The less someone thinks of race, the more that person is condemned as "racist," while the more someone obsesses over race, the more "virtuous" that person is said to be. Only "racists" today treat people of all shades the same.
What a sick world the commies have built. White adolescent males have been intentionally left behind. Their rates for academic achievement have plummeted, while their rates for alcohol and drug dependence continue to rise. They are lonely, without purpose, and suicidal as never before, yet the merciless Marxists beat them over the head with allegations of their miraculous "supremacy." There are no scholarships for "white boys." There are no clubs where they are encouraged to belong. They are not invited to succeed. Books, television shows, and movies relentlessly paint them as the villains. The federal bureaucracy treats them as potential "domestic threats." The stories of their ancestors are rewritten as shameful tales best to forget. They have become the eternal whipping post for the hideously racist political left.
Where has compassion gone? To where has the dream of a colorblind world vanished? Why must young innocents be punished for perceived "sins" committed in the distant past? Who could possibly justify looking through a person's character and seeing instead nothing but oppressive hues? Only a race-obsessed commie coalition seeking to divide. Only hateful demagogues who maintain power by teaching others to despise.
In America, former president but lifelong Marxist Barack Obama can slander proponents of secure borders as racists, and nobody bats an eye. Babbling Vice President Harris can promise to disburse federal funds for victims of Hurricane Ian based on Americans' skin color, and corporate news talking heads applaud. Nancy Pelosi can justify millions of illegal aliens as necessary for picking crops, and America's most race-obsessed pretend not to hear. White victims can be violently targeted on the street by criminal gangs, and Democrat mayors cover up their race-based crimes. Beloved statues and monuments honoring the world historical achievements of America's Founding Fathers can be defiled and toppled, and no arrests are ever made. A white male waving the American flag or singing the National Anthem too proudly, however, is condemned for not proactively apologizing for the color of his skin. Hidden "racist" intent is seen lurking in every corner of society. Americans insufficiently dedicated to racial grievance are "canceled" for imaginary sins. Those unwilling to rewrite history are punished. Those who refuse to believe in "woke" delusions are derided. That's how the left helps evil win.
It has been said often that a culture can be judged by how it treats its most vulnerable, and by any measure the West will soon be harshly judged. It was not enough to legalize abortion while promising to keep it rare. The killing of children had to be embraced, then universalized, then celebrated, and finally used as an absurd "human right" cudgel against its opponents. It was not enough to redefine the ancient institution of marriage when destroying the traditional family was the Marxists' ultimate goal. It was never about preaching "tolerance" for others when the political left steadfastly refuses to leave God-fearing Americans alone.
Young students forced to endure Marxist indoctrination may be surprised to learn that a short time ago there was no confusion over biological sex. Nowhere in the world did any culture, scientific body, or human rights group find it controversial to believe in the existence of biologically-defined women and men. Parents had no trouble distinguishing their daughters from their sons. Schools had no need to invent hundreds of "genders" to account for each human's uniqueness. Medicine had not been so politicized as to turn basic genetics upside-down. Only a few years of propaganda and brainwashing, though, were sufficient for thousands of years of human history to be tossed out. What unbelievable witchcraft it is to transform a basic fact of life into a divisive curse for argument and division. How sinister it is to teach toddlers outright lies. How barbaric it is to encourage boys and girls to take life-altering hormones and undergo irreversible surgeries before ever growing up. What ghoulish monsters the Marxists are for mangling bodies, manipulating psyches, and ruining lives.
As if teaching racism, butchering children, and killing babies were not enough, the left's horror tale is not complete without the frightful terrors of global warming. So committed they are to centralized government power and so obsessed they are with unchecked population growth that the Marxists would rather terrify the world with visions of destruction than let children grow up with hope. To tell kids that their parents are killing them with "fossil" fuels. To spread outrageous propaganda that the world does not have long to live. What sinister intent inspires such apocalyptic prevarications? What kind of evil people spread such fear and dread?
It takes a certain kind of monster to intentionally hurt and scare the weak. It takes a certain kind of villain to terrorize the poor. It takes awfully racist people to obsess over the color of children's skin. It takes misanthropic Marxists to spin lies of planetary horror. Yet the evil that men do succeeds only when good men choose to remain silent. So speak up loudly every day. Break the leftists' spells. Chase the wicked far away. And never be compliant.
Image via Max Pixel.
The case for Herschel Walker
The Senate race in Georgia between Herschel Walker and sitting Sen. Raphael Warnock is rapidly drifting away from the issues and focusing on the personal.
The Democrats have directed their media assassins to attack the GOP candidate for U.S. Senate, Walker.
Hence the Daily Beast claimed that Walker had impregnated a woman in 2009 and paid for her abortion.
In response to this report, Walker’s son Christian had a meltdown on social media as he accused his father of abandonment, violence, and lying about his past.
Just yesterday, Christian uploaded a 4-minute video on social media, further saying did not want to be involved further in his father’s campaign, and refuting allegations that he was paid by the Democrats to attack his father. He appeared unhinged.
Christian is almost like a dream come true for the Democrats.
His message was amplified on social media and the mainstream media.
Back in August 2021, Christian endorsed his father, and had even sold Herschel 2022 merchandise on his website.
Hershel Walker has rejected the claim about the abortion and has sued the Daily Beast.
Just yesterday, President Trump reiterated his support for Walker.
The Daily Beast previously claimed that Walker had fathered three children about whom he had not publicly acknowledged paternity as a candidate.
The Democrats are not only attempting to portray Walker as a hypocrite, i.e., that he is pro-life but paid for an abortion, but also the fact that he may be an absent, negligent father and abusive to his family.
Walker’s rival Rev. Raphael Warnock is senior pastor of Atlanta’s Ebenezer Baptist Church.
Do we have more about Warnock’s background?
The picture isn't exactly rosy.
Back in March 2020, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Warnock was accused by his then-wife Ouleye Ndoye of running over her foot with his car during a heated argument days before he filed paperwork to officially seek the office.
Warnock wasn’t charged with a crime by Atlanta police and since then, medical officials ‘didn’t find visible signs of injury in the foot that his wife said was struck by the vehicle.'
Warnock denied the allegation that he harmed his estranged wife, telling the AJC in an interview that “it didn’t happen.”
Tucker Carlson aired the police bodycam video on Fox News showing that police responded to a call from Warnock's now ex-wife.
In the video, Raphael claims he was there to pick up their children from school when they got into an argument. However, Ouleye accuses Raphael of running over her foot with his car as she was standing next to it.
Ouleye said she remained quiet (presumably about Raphael’s abusive behavior) for the sake of her children and his reputation, however, the car incident crossed the line.
She rejected Raphael’s claim of innocence, saying he was lying.
“….he’s a great actor. He is phenomenal at putting on a really good show.”
This wasn’t the only legal domestic dispute that Raphael was involved in.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Ouleye was seeking legal action to make changes to their child custody arrangement.
The 11-page filing by Ouleye requested the court to grant her additional custody of their two young children so that she can complete a Harvard University program, citing an agreement she struck with Warnock while he was campaigning for the U.S. Senate in early 2020.
Ouleye also requested that Warnock’s child support payments be recalculated because of a “substantial” increase in income after his victory in the Senate race.
So what do we have here?
Both Senate candidates in Georgia have been accused of abusive behavior and neglecting their families. Both men have had their close family members make these accusations. Both men haven't been charged. Both men have denied these allegations.
So what is the difference?
On the personal front, Herschel Walker still emerges the winner.
He is an accomplished sportsman. He won the prestigious Heisman Trophy in 1982 and played in the National Football League for 12 seasons. He is a self-made man who has also given back to society.
Now for Warnock.
Senate records reveal that Warnock has voted with Joe Biden 96.4% of the time since getting elected to the Senate and 100% of the time in 2021.
- Warnock voted with Biden for at least a trillion in new spending.
- Warnock voted with Biden to allow abortion up until the moment of birth.
- Warnock voted with Biden against restarting the Keystone XL pipeline.
- Warnock voted with Biden to send stimulus checks to illegal immigrants and dangerous criminals such as the Boston Marathon bomber.
- Warnock voted with Biden to block funding for our southern border security.
- Warnock voted with Biden to protect China and Iran.
- Warnock voted to expand firearm regulations.
- Warnock voted for the CDC's requirement of masks on planes, trains, and buses.
- Warnock voted to form a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
- Warnock voted for the Inflation Reduction act, which is actually a disguised version of the green new deal, along with 87,000 new tax agents to audit Georgia's small businesses.
- Warnock voted to send billions of dollars, without any tracking mechanism, to Ukraine.
Like most Democrats contesting in the midterms, Warnock isn’t talking much about Biden on the campaign trail owing to Joe’s unprecedented unpopularity. But Warnock is a staunch ally of Biden or perhaps more accurately, he supports all that Biden’s handlers stand for.
The voters in Georgia must understand that this isn’t a contest about past personal behavior that hasn't been proven, it is about the future of the nation.
Warnock's voting record makes him culpable for the hardships that have occurred due to Biden's misgovernance.
It is perfectly obvious that the Democrats are focusing on the personal life of Herschel and perhaps even concocting allegations because they cannot defend their abominable record of misgovernance.
A vote for Warnock is a vote for more hardships and persecution of political opponents.
A vote for Herschel Walker is a vote against Biden’s tyranny.
The choice should be obvious!
Image: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, via Wikipedia // public domain
Democrat Lawmaker Calls for ‘New Leaders’ Within Own Party After Stock Trade Ban Vote Stalls
Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) called for new House Democratic leadership after a vote to ban congressional lawmakers from trading stocks was stalled indefinitely in the lower chamber.
On Tuesday, Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) introduced the Combatting Financial Conflicts of Interest in Government Act prohibiting senior government officials and their family members from trading stocks after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) directed her to craft the legislation in February. However, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) indicated that the bill would not be voted on before the midterms.
“Probably no vote this week,” Hoyer told CNN on Friday, as congressional members leave to focus on their campaigns ahead of the midterm elections on November 8.
“I haven’t read it, it’s a complicated issue, as you can imagine, as a new rule for members they have to follow, and their families as I understand, so I think it deserves careful study to make sure if we do something, we do it right,”
Spanberger, who introduced similar legislation in early 2021, tore into the Democrat leadership officials for waffling around on bringing the bill to a vote.
Spanberger continued:
For months, momentum grew in both the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate to finally take a step towards prohibiting Members of Congress from day trading while on the job. We saw remarkable progress towards rectifying glaring examples of conflicts of interest. And after first signaling her opposition to these reforms, the Speaker purportedly reversed her position. However, our bipartisan reform coalition was then subjected to repeated delay tactics, hand-waving gestures, and blatant instances of Lucy pulling the football.
The Virginia Democrat then called for a change of House leadership within her own party while accusing them of sabotaging the legislation so it would not pass:
This moment marks a failure of House leadership — and it’s yet another example of why I believe that the Democratic Party needs new leaders in the halls of Capitol Hill, as I have long made known. [Emphasis Added]
…
It’s apparent that House leadership does not have its heart in this effort, because the package released earlier this week was designed to fail. It was written to create confusion surrounding reform efforts and complicate a straightforward reform priority — banning Members of Congress from buying and selling individual stocks — all while creating the appearance that House Leadership wanted to take action.
The scathing criticism of Pelosi and other House Democrat leaders comes as Spanberger has made attempts within the past two years to convince voters she is a moderate politician. Nonetheless, she faces a tough reelection battle as recent polling shows Democrats at risk of losing the lower chamber to the GOP.
This is not the first time Spanberger has called out members of her own party, as she has previously expressed that her Democrat colleagues should “consider a different job” if a ban on trading stocks was a dealbreaker for them.
Pelosi shrugged off Spanberger’s criticisms at a Friday press conference, saying her ideas were already included in Lofgren’s legislation, the Hill reported.
“Her bill is in the bill, others had ideas too. And that’s what the committee put forth,” the Speaker told reporters. “But it’s good press because you asked a question.”
The Speaker also defended the House Democrat’s inability to bring the bill to the floor, saying, “We have to have the votes to bring it up.”
Pelosi, along with her husband Paul, are among the highest earners in congress from stock trading.
The couple recently came under fire after they bought 20,000 shares of semiconductor stocks worth up to $5 million before the Senate was about to vote on a computer chip subsidy bill this summer. Paul Pelosi ended up selling his shares at a loss after facing mounting public criticism.
Lawmakers are required under the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act of 2012 to submit a periodic transaction report within 30 to 45 days of stock transactions over $1,000 made on their behalf or that of their spouses.
In 2011, Breitbart News Senior Contributor and Government Accountability Institute (GAI) Peter Schweizer rocked official Washington with his investigative revelations of insider trading by members of Congress. Left-leaning Slate hailed Schweizer’s blockbuster book on the topic, Throw Them All Out, “the book that started the STOCK Act stampede.”
The bipartisan STOCK Act (Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge) banned insider trading by members of Congress and was signed into law by President Barack Obama on April 4, 2012. The legislation received overwhelming support from both parties. One of the main figures featured in Schweizer’s Throw Them All Out, then-chairman of the House Financial Services Committee Spencer Bachus (R-AL), announced he would not seek reelection after the book’s reporting.
Indeed, Bachus was the only elected official the late Andrew Breitbart ever called on to resign.
CBS’s 60 Minutes did an investigative report on Schweizer’s revelations that won them the Joan Shorenstein Barone Award for excellence in Washington-based journalism.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.
“Our job as elected officials is to serve the people — not ourselves,” the Virginia Democrat said in a statement on Friday.
Nancy Pelosi Sits in SILENCE as Lauren Boebert UNVEIL New Facts on her in Congress
Raphael Warnock’s Muddied Past Resurfaces as Camp Child Abuse Questions Go Unanswered
Gasoline was poured on the Georgia Senate race this week as both candidates now have a series of allegations lodged against them, detailing alleged aspects of their personal lives which could seriously impact the midterm election race. But while the current focus remains on Republican candidate Herschel Walker, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) is no stranger to scandal.
The race rocketed to the national spotlight this week following anonymous allegations that the former NFL star not only encouraged a woman he was with to abort their child, but paid for it. All the while, the Republican candidate’s 23-year-old son, Christian, is lashing out on social media, accusing Walker of giving their family “the middle finger.”
Walker has denied the Daily Beast story, which appeared on Hannity on Monday night. He said he had no idea who the accuser is, adding, “It is a flat-out lie.” He also outlined his intention to sue the Daily Beast for defamation and, separately, publicly expressed love for his son, despite the young man’s bitter allegations against his father.
“You’re not a ‘family man’ when you left us to bang a bunch of women, threatened to kill us, and had us move over 6 times in 6 months running from your violence,” Christian wrote.
Facebook/Cristian Walker
While the spotlight remains on Walker as he battles these twin scandals, Warnock, a former pastor, is no stranger to being placed in the hot seat, as he has faced allegations of abuse and was famously accused of running over his then-wife’s foot with his 2014 Tesla. He and his ex-wife, Ouleye Ndoye, went through an ugly divorce, which was finalized in 2020 amid Warnock’s Senate bid runoff against former Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA).
Tucker Carlson Tonight aired body cam footage of the alleged incident, in which Ndoye tells authorities that her husband is a “great actor” and “phenomenal at putting on a really good show.”
“I’ve tried to keep the way that he acts under wraps for a long time, and today he crossed the line,” she said.
Notably, her foot did not show signs of injury as she accused Warnock of only caring about his reputation as he ran for Senate.
His then-wife said:
This man’s running for United States Senate, and all he cares about right now is his reputation.
I work at the mayor’s office, and this is a big problem. I’ve been trying to be very quiet about the way that he is for the sake of my kids and his reputation.
I’ve tried to keep the way that he acts under wraps for a long time, and today he crossed the line. So that is what is going on here, and he’s a great actor. He is phenomenal at putting on a really good show.
At the time, Warnock told police, “I barely move, and all of the sudden she’s screaming that I ran over her foot. I don’t believe it.”
He was not charged in that incident. However, his scandals do not end there, as he also faced allegations of child abuse occurring at a church camp overseen by Warnock. He was arrested in 2002 over accusations of obstructing a child abuse investigation at a church camp in Carroll County, Maryland.
As Breitbart News reported:
Warnock and Wainwright interrupted a police interview of a camp counselor in 2002. After investigators moved the interview to a picnic area, the reverends interfered against and tried to prevent one camper from directing police to other potential witnesses.
Maryland State Trooper Diane Barry of the state police Child and Sexual Assault Unit said, “I’ve never encountered resistance like that at all.”
Barry contended that the counselors consented to be interviewed after they were told they were free to go at any time and were not obligated to answer Barry’s questions. After being arrested and charged, Warnock and Wainwright were released.
The charges were dropped, and Warnock’s campaign spokesperson claimed that Warnock was simply “protecting the rights of young people to make sure they had a lawyer or a parent when being questioned.”
Washington Free Beacon spoke to an attendee of the camp who described some of the abuse:
Washington’s account is buttressed by records from the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, obtained by the Free Beacon earlier this month, which indicated that campers were routinely left unsupervised; staffers were not subject to required criminal background check; and at least five cases of child abuse or neglect were brought against the camp’s director, who was ultimately forced to resign.
…
Washington’s sister, Dominique, who also attended Camp Farthest Out the summer her brother says he was abused, corroborated the family’s involvement in the lawsuit when contacted by the Free Beacon. Another source close to the Washington family told the Free Beacon that the lawsuit was related to an incident when counselors “poured urine on [Anthony], at the camp.”
At the time, Loeffler described the report as “disgusting,” contending that it “should be disqualifying for serving in the U.S. Senate.”
Yet, perhaps stunningly, the establishment media has remained relatively uninterested in allegations of abuse at this church camp. Further, as he faced these allegations and disputes with his wife, he continued to raise money on ActBlue, “despite the company’s policy to not host candidates or causes that are linked to sexual or domestic violence allegations,” as the GOP noted at the time.
During this race in 2022, Walker has attempted to capitalize on Warnock’s muddied past, including accusations of neglecting his own children and “failing to pay court-mandated child care costs, despite being worth more than $800,000 and making $174,000 a year from taxpayers,” as the ad detailed
“When officials tried to serve him papers, Warnock ran from the process server,” it added.
Indeed, Warnock’s ex-wife took legal action over the custody of their children, citing a “substantial change of circumstances regarding the welfare of the children” after his Senate win. She ultimately accused Warnock of skipping out on child care costs.
“The fact that (Warnock) has failed to reimburse (Ndoye) has left (Ndoye) financially strapped, leaving the children in her care when she should be concentrating on work-related and school-related responsibilities,” the filing stated, alleging that Warnock’s reimbursements “often” were “accompanied with an extended questioning regarding the value of and need for the services provided.”
It remains unclear what effect the current allegations lodged against Walker will have on the highly anticipated Senate race, which could help determine the balance of the Senate. However, the establishment media’s attack does not change the fact that mounting allegations still stand against Warnock, many of which the establishment media happily swept under the rug.
Warnock Fundraises With Steyer After Voting for Legislation That Poured Billions Into Green Energy
Events come amid global surge in energy prices as Democrats vilify fossil fuels
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D., Ga.) raked in cash from wealthy green energy moguls at a series of San Francisco fundraisers last weekend, a month after voting to pass legislation that steered billions to climate initiatives and the green energy industry.
During his West Coast fundraising swing, the senator partied with billionaire investor Tom Steyer, biofuels CEO Wade Randlett, and "Defund the Police" advocate Meena Harris, the niece of Vice President Kamala Harris, according to photos. Steyer cohosted an event for Warnock in San Francisco on Saturday, along with NextGen America board member Andrea Evans, according to an invitation for the fundraiser. Randlett cohosted an event for Warnock on Friday.
The parties came weeks after Warnock voted for the Biden administration’s budget reconciliation bill—officially dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act—and highlight the cozy relationship between Democratic political leaders and the lucrative green tech industry. The legislation poured billions into green energy initiatives and is expected to benefit industries in which Steyer is an investor, according to analysts. The fundraisers also come amid a global surge in energy prices, with many Americans struggling to pay utility bills, and as Democratic lawmakers continue to vilify the fossil fuel industry.
Steyer, a Democratic donor who ran a short-lived campaign for president in 2020, launched a "climate investment fund" called Galvanize in 2021 with a goal of investing "billions" into decarbonization companies. The fund’s reported investments include Regrow Ag, a startup that "aims to help accelerate the shift to climate-friendly farming" and Arable, which seeks to "create a more sustainable food supply."
Both Regrow Ag and Arable were named as companies that are likely to benefit from a $20 billion earmark in the federal spending bill, according to an analysis published by the clean energy investment firm G2 Venture Partners on Aug. 17, the day after the bill was signed by President Joe Biden.
The bill "has earmarked $20B to (1) target methane and nitrous oxide emission reduction (e.g. Arable, Trace Genomics), (2) improve soil carbon and nitrogen content (e.g. Pivot Bio), and (3) avoiding / sequestering GHG emission (e.g. ProducePay, Regrow, Cloud Agronomics)," wrote G2 Venture Partners.
Steyer praised the passage of the bill as the "culmination of a decade of advocacy and persistence." Earlier this month, he attended a party at the White House celebrating the legislation.
The Friday fundraiser was cosponsored by Randlett, a biofuels mogul and CEO of the transportation fuels division at General Biofuels. The spending bill extended the biodiesel tax credit and was praised by leaders in the biofuels industry.
"This bill represents the most significant federal commitment to low-carbon biofuels since the Renewable Fuel Standard was expanded by Congress in 2007," said Renewable Fuels Association president Geoff Cooper in a statement applauding the bill.
Andrea Evans, a board member at Steyer’s nonprofit group NextGen, also cohosted the Saturday Warnock fundraising event.
The Inflation Reduction Act has faced some criticism, with Republicans arguing that it will raise taxes while steering federal funds to Democratic constituencies. Warnock praised the bill, saying it will "help lower costs for families in every corner of our state—all without raising taxes for hardworking Georgia families. That’s a win-win."
Photos from Warnock’s California fundraising trip also show him posing with his arm around Meena Harris, an Instagram lifestyle influencer and the niece of Kamala Harris. Meena Harris is a vocal advocate for the "defund the police" movement.
"Defund the police and reallocate funds to mental health and social services. This shouldn’t be controversial," wrote Harris in one Twitter post.
She later expanded on this by adding: "To everyone in my mentions policing my language, let me clarify: Defund the police. Defund the police. Defund the police. Defund the police. Defund the police. Defund the police. Defund the police. Defund the police. Defund the police. Defund the police. Defund the police."
The senator is the party’s top fundraiser for the midterm cycle, pulling in a whopping $17 million last quarter in his competitive faceoff against Republican challenger Herschel Walker.
Published under: Georgia, Raphael Warnock, Tom Steyer
How Raphael Warnock Dodges Income Taxes
Warnock doesn't pay income taxes on a $90K ‘parsonage allowance’ from Atlanta church
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D., Ga.) has an unusual financial arrangement with an outside employer that allowed him to avoid income taxes on $89,000 in outside salary last year, according to tax experts.
Warnock, who works as the senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, said the church paid him $89,000 last year as a "parsonage allowance"—as opposed to regular outside income, which is subject to strict limitations for senators under federal law. Lawmakers are not allowed to receive more than $29,895 in outside income.
The news raises questions about whether Warnock is taking a tax break that’s unavailable to the vast majority of Americans. Republicans say Warnock wants to raise taxes, pointing to his vote for a spending package in August that some analysts claim would increase taxes on low- and middle-income earners. The senator has also faced criticism for his outside financial arrangements from his opponent, Republican Herschel Walker. The Walker campaign has slammed Warnock for doubling his annual salary since taking office, raking in $120,000 from the Ebenezer Baptist Church and over $240,000 for a book deal.
Tax experts said the Internal Revenue Service created the modern "parsonage allowance" provision in the 1950s as a tax break for religious leaders, who historically lived in tax-exempt church-owned parsonages but now often rent or own their own homes. The provision allows pastors and other clergy members to deduct their estimated annual housing expenses—including mortgage payments, lawn care, furniture, and pool maintenance—from their income taxes.
Warnock’s campaign declined to comment on whether he paid income taxes on his housing allowance.
Some legal experts also questioned the Senate Ethics Committee’s decision to approve the arrangement, saying it appears to violate federal law that prohibits members of Congress from receiving more than $29,895 in outside income. Warnock’s campaign suggested that the "parsonage allowance" wasn’t subject to the same cap as regular income, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which first reported on the arrangement last month.
"Sen. Warnock's arrangement appears to be an abuse of both the parsonage allowance provisions of the tax code and Senate ethics rules," Charlie Spies, a Republican campaign finance attorney with Dickinson Wright, told the Washington Free Beacon. "The parsonage exception in Sec. 107(2) is targeted for those who are pastors, not boondoggles for politicians."
Tax experts told the Free Beacon qualified clergy members are allowed to designate up to 100 percent of their salaries as tax-free under the parsonage exemption. Although clergy members need written acknowledgment from their church to participate, religious institutions have no say over the percentage the clergy requests and don’t provide oversight into how the employee spends this money, according to experts. Instead, participating clergy members are supposed to be regulated by the IRS.
While many pastors claim less than 40 percent of their salary as a parsonage allowance, one forensic accountant said he has seen some who take upwards of 70 or 80 percent—an amount he said was "bordering on abusive."
Warnock’s parsonage allowance adds up to nearly 75 percent of his income from the Ebenezer Baptist Church, which breaks down to about $7,400-per-month in housing expenses.
The senator owns a home in Atlanta that was recently appraised at around $1 million, according to property records. In addition to mortgage payments, the parsonage allowance can be used to cover any housing-related costs, including security, landscaping, and home furnishings.
Gil Rothenberg, the former chief of the Department of Justice tax division’s appellate section, told the Free Beacon the parsonage allowance was intended to "even the scales" between wealthy churches and poorer ones, which can’t always afford to provide a well-maintained home for their ministers.
But he said there have also been past cases where religious leaders have abused the system. In 2002, Rothenberg represented the government in a legal dispute with Rick Warren, a megachurch pastor who had claimed $80,000 of his salary as a "parsonage allowance"—an amount that the IRS claimed exceeded the value of his housing. The case prompted Congress to update the law, capping the parsonage allowance at the fair rental value of the home, plus furnishings and maintenance.
"The kinds of cases that got to me when I was at DOJ were basically the really abusive ones," said Rothenberg. "I don’t know how many other ministers are basically padding their parsonage allowance. Nobody knows. You hope that the CPA, or whoever is doing their taxes, is doing it correctly."
While churches note that the provision is crucial for many clergy members, who often don’t earn large salaries, the rule has also been controversial. Critics have accused some clergy members of taking advantage of the exemption, using it to pay for lavish vacation homes and other luxuries.
Peter Reilly, a certified public accountant who has written about parsonage allowances, said Warnock’s allowance "seems like a lot, but it’s not crazy" in comparison with others he has seen.
"Some of the parsonage [allowances] can tend to be enormous," he told the Free Beacon. "Some of the televangelists, it’s millions."
Published under: Dan Kildee, House Democrats, Michigan
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