Author: Thomas L. Knapp

Source: Niskanen Center
by Jeremy L Neufeld

“The legal immigration provisions in the House version of reconciliation help families and a diverse population of immigrant applicants. As the Senate debates whether to include provisions addressing the immigrant backlog in the Build Back Better Act, some lawmakers have raised concerns that they are too narrow to be worth considering on their own (that is, if not included in a larger package addressing undocumented immigrants). This comes from a perception that they would primarily be a handout to businesses — or, to the extent they would help immigrants, only a narrow group (predominantly Indians). But in truth, the House provisions would represent much-needed relief to a diverse group of immigrants and their families.” (10/25/21)

https://www.niskanencenter.org/two-myths-about-the-green-card-recapture-and-advanced-adjustment-of-status/

Source: Commentary
by Noah Rothman

“In their ongoing struggle to write a reconciliation bill jam-packed with social reforms (which Democrats hope to send to the president’s desk in less than a week), the party is now toying with the idea of a tax on the ‘unrealized gains’ enjoyed by wealthy investors. That is to say, money that exists only on paper. The plan — to the extent that there is a plan — is to tax the liquid assets of people with more than $1 billion in assets based on the capital gains they would have paid if they had cashed out on their investments, including stocks and even real estate. … Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen insists that this is not a ‘wealth tax,’ per se, but merely a tax on the speculative investments of the very wealthy. The rhetorical brilliance is already blinding.” (10/25/21)

https://www.commentary.org/noah-rothman/the-next-democratic-crusade-taxing-hypothetical-income/

Source: Reason
by Brian Doherty

“It’s been nearly a decade since Reason informed you that ‘Your Cellphone is Spying on You.’ A 2019 document from the FBI’s ‘Cellular Analysis Survey Team’ (CAST) project, newly uncovered by the transparency group Property of the People, reminds us of some of the hows and whys. … We live in an age of concern over ‘domestic terrorism’ — and if there’s one thing the years since 9/11 have taught us, it’s that terror investigations often entail the harrassment and surveillance of Americans who have not actually committed a crime but are being probed for the company they keep. At such a time, it’s good to keep in mind what a squealer that little device in your pocket can be.” (10/25/21)

https://reason.com/2021/10/25/your-cell-phone-is-spying-on-you/

Source: Common Sense
by Paul Jacob

“Remember the blow-up last summer between Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Dr. Anthony Fauci over gain-of-function research? Paul charged that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) had supported such research in China. ‘Senator Paul,’ Fauci fired back, ‘you don’t know what you are talking about, quite frankly.’ … Last week, the NIH sent a letter to Congress admitting that its grant to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, laundered through the infamous EcoHealth Alliance, resulted in research that even the NIH acknowledges was gain-of-function. Sen. Paul knew what he was talking about; Dr. Fauci did not.” (10/25/21)

https://thisiscommonsense.org/2021/10/25/gain-of-function-admitted/