In Order To Ensure You Can View All The Graphics,

Click Here To View The Hotline In Your Browser

1) Another Northeastern State Goes Tax Bonkers

It's almost as though there's a tax virus that has infected nearly the entire Northeast - with the exception of New Hampshire, the Live Free or Die State. Rhode Island just became the fourth blue Ssate (after Washington, Maine, and Hawaii) this year to raise tax rates on their richest citizens. The millionaire tax raises the highest personal income tax rate in Rhode Island from 6% to 9%. The tax is phased in over three years.

All Republican lawmakers in both houses voted against the budget, blasting its unsustainable 6% growth in state spending and the controversial millionaire's tax.

Meanwhile, Rep. Teresa Tanzi, a South Kingstown Democrat, said: "I urge my colleagues to support the 80%. Not the 1%, not the millionaires."

Except those evil 1% pay a big share of the state's taxes. They may start packing up and joining the stampede out of the Northeast by heading south where income taxes are as low as zero in three states. Then who's going to fund Rhode Island's flabby government?

Notice the millionaires tax is popular only in the northeast and on the left coast.  

2) Now the UN and Leftist Intellectuals are More Radical Than Karl Marx

A new report by the United Nations and loudly promoted by Nobel-prize winner Joseph Stiglitz, famous income redistributionist Thomas Piketty and a gaggle of other “intellectuals” warns that we have to slow down growth to save the planet. They call "growth" a doomed strategy, and seek a "just transition beyond growth."

The lead paragraph of the UN report is a frighteningly idiotic ode to de-growth:

“the quest for growth at all costs can in fact exacerbate violations of rights, as governments seek to attract investment by lowering taxes on corporate profits, by weakening labour protections and by reshaping regulatory frameworks in favour of capital, thereby putting profit maximisation and investor confidence above social justice, decent work and care."

In their "just world," the goal is to make the world look like Bangladesh, not Singapore.  

Here are some of the dozens of loopy ideas the UN report endorses:

• Wealth tax

• Inheritance and gift caps

• Fair share from corporations

• Minimum corporate tax

• Excess profit tax

• Digital tax  

• Luxury carbon taxation

• Central bank mandates for social and ecological objectives

• Democratic industrial policy

• Municipal and cooperative ownership of strategic assets in the low-carbon transition

• Binding credit steering of private investment

• Nationalization of pension funds

• Universal access to health coverage

• Universal access to housing

• Universal access to clean energy

• Universal childcare benefits

• Universal basic income

• Rationing luxury commodities

• Redistribution and Equitable Governance of Land

• Debt justice

• Sovereign debt cancellation and Global South debtors' coalition

• United Nations Framework Convention on Tax Cooperation

• Reforming and decolonizing economics education

Because of space limitations, we've only listed about half of the dingbat ideas the UN report endorses.

But we appreciate the honesty. How can the leftists deliver growth and prosperity when they now admit they are not even in favor of it?

And, by the way, can someone please tell us what "decolonizing economics education" means?

3) Those Fires in the Pacific Palisades, California Were No "Act of Nature"

When the deadly fires that killed a dozen people, destroyed thousands of homes, and caused an estimated $2.5 billion of destruction in Malibu and the Pacific Palisades, the instinctive reaction of the media and the Democrats was to holler "climate change."

Now a federal trial in Los Angeles is revealing that the fires were allegedly set by a 30-year-old former Uber driver who was resentful of the rich and wanted to punish them for their sins.

Jonathan Rinderknecht was arrested 17 months ago after authorities found extensive evidence he planned the fire. He even told federal agents that any person who started the fire did so out of resentment toward the wealthy enjoying their money as others were "enslaved."

Rinderknecht's trial isn't getting much coverage - shocking! - but at least it's showcasing the way left-wing elites have an asymmetric reaction to violence by progressives when you compare it to its mirror image on the right.

4) Seattle’s Shame

We’ve been warning and reporting on the rapid decline in Seattle since 43-year old community organizer Katie Wilson (The Mamdani of the west coast) was elected mayor, ironically on the same day that Zohran took over NYC, but with even LESS experience or accomplishments. At least Mamdani had “odd jobs.” On both coasts we are getting close to idiots running the asylums.

Both were elected with just over 50% of the vote.

Seattle is now in rapid decline.

Wilson began by leading a parade of strikers in a boycott of local icon Starbucks, which has 87 stores in Seattle. She then promised to "not allow grocery chains to close stores" - even in unprofitable, crime-ridden neighborhoods. She followed that up by publicly saying "bye" to anyone in Seattle who was leaving due to new taxes.

Then there is public safety. Wilson just held a community forum in which over 200 people showed up to complain how unsafe downtown Seattle has become. Businesses are folding.  For instance, the largest bagel franchise in the city has just shut down. Others are leaving citing property crime, retail theft, and open drug use by the homeless.

5) Trump Admin Demands Hospital Price Transparency

One of our major initiatives at UP is a health care price transparency policy we call "No Price, No Payment." If a hospital or clinic, or pharmacy, or physician doesn't post prices of services or inform patients what treatments or drugs or surgeries cost, the patient doesn't have to pay. This is necessary because the health care industry has mostly ignored Trump's first term executive order of health care price transparency - a policy that was presented to Trump in the Oval Office by our co-founder Arthur Laffer and our economic policy council member Cynthia Fisher.

Now, Trump may again take a version of our policy advice because he is frustrated with the routine noncompliance with his EO. He's suggesting steep fines for failure to comply. We urge Congress also to get in the game and adopt "No Price, No Payment" legislation. We would think that Democrats who keep complaining about the high cost of health care would be all over this.

6) Present Company Excepted

FLASHBACK:

Interested in booking us for a media appearance? Send an email with the link below.

Know anyone else who would appreciate the Hotline? Please direct them to subscribe at: https://committeetounleashprosperity.com/hotline/

Have an idea for an item that should be in our newsletter? Send us any charts, statistics, heroes/villains, or humor that you’d like to see featured!