WEEKLY REPORT 24-12   PRIOR REPORTS POSTED AT https://duitchconsulting.com/category/publications/weekly-reports/   

  • COLLABORATION IN WORKTEAMS OFTEN GETS TORPEDOED by careless comments like ‘Let’s Agree to Disagree’ or ‘We Don’t Have Time For This’ – comments which may avoid immediate friction, but leave issues unresolved and productivity impaired. Better alternatives always are calling for another dedicated meeting when more data is known, awkwardness & tempers calmed, with likelihood of best decisions. DCG courtesy Lunch & Learn programs include this type of perspective; we can help business productivity, profitability & stability.
  • LATEST ‘BORDER’ SCAM: “The country is not just being ‘invaded by land. With the help of the federal government, hundreds of thousands of individuals hoping to cross into the U.S. (with no legal right to be here) are being assisted by the Biden administration.
  •  According to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed by the Center for Immigration Studies, U.S. Customs and Border Protection approved ‘secretive flights’ for 320,000 ‘inadmissible aliens’ last year – pre-approved and flown into 43 airports though the government refuses to identify which ones, citing a general law enforcement exception about harming public safety, sensitivity of info, and ‘operational vulnerabilities’ at airports where ‘bad actors’ could undermine law enforcement efforts to secure the border, according to CIS. ‘Inadmissible’ aliens applies only to citizens of Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, and Ecuador.”   [TOWNHALL – 3/5/24]
  • R.S. COLLECTED SOME $4.9 TRILLION IN TAXES FROM AMERICANS last year and is now planning to recruit another 3,700 agents to pursue further estimated $500 billion annually, focused on delinquent taxpayers – some 1,600 targets within four groups involving the largest corporations, complex partnerships, millionaires and billionaires: (1) Individuals making over $1 million annually with over $250K in recognized tax liability (so, no panic for most of us);  (2) U.S. subsidiaries of foreign corps distributing goods in U.S.; (3) Corps with assets exceeding $24 billion on average; (4) Perhaps 100K individuals with over $400K annual income who neglected to file – some 125,000 cases since 2017; (5) Individuals using their corp-owned aircraft for personal use. Penalties for failing to file are 5% monthly up to max of 25% on the total taxes due.  [EPOCH TIMES – 3/2/24]
  •  ODDS & ENDS:

(1) With regular exercise or physical activity, the risk of cardiovascular disease is lessened – so by up to half in connection with sugar-sweetened beverages. However, just two 12-oz cans of soda per week can effectively erase that health gain according to latest study published by American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

(2) Electric cars are not ‘zero-emission’ after all, actually emitting up to 400 times more soot and particulate matter than gas-powered vehicles, a result of tire wear which degrades and releases toxic particles, according to emission-analytics published by Wall Street Journal.

(3) While voters across all demographics support Voter I.D. laws in virtually every poll by up to 80%, Attorney General Garland (still smarting from his Senate rejection to Supreme Court Justice) announced that DOJ is “fighting back” against states that now require I.D. proving eligibility to vote since such laws are ‘unnecessary and burdensome’,” accusing Courts of “issuing rulings that diminish authority of locally elected administrators and imperil voting rights.”

  • THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK:

While California state income taxes are one valid reason for high earners to justify leaving the state, for workers at $75K median income level, California has the 12th lowest taxes across the country combining Fed + State + Local taxation. https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-states-to-be-a-taxpayer/2416 

The inaptly titled Inflation Reduction Act included major tax credits to support green energy projects, and allowed those credits to be ‘transferable.’ So big proponent investors who, for whatever other reasons, don’t owe federal taxes can sell the credits, for cash, to others who do. In 2022, over $9 billion was transferred and taxes avoided – all enabled by the political party who consistently complain about wealthy companies not paying their fair share of tax and now calling for a corporate tax increase to 28%.. [WASHINGTON EXAMINER]

A wake up for woke Big Tech?  https://youtube.com/watch?v=FCka8PrR2o8&si=9cCsyoSSLEAtzzbI

If you enjoy the music of Ennio Morricone, two powerful performances: https://biggeekdad.com/2024/02/once-upon-a-time-in-the-west-benedetta-caretta-marc-andre/ ;   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0QvkOPpN_4