"There is nothing hateful about telling the truth. It is often the most loving thing you can do!"

What is the job of the news media in a free society? They are misinforming us, twisting stories to the Left.

People are being kicked off Twitter for saying men are men and women are women!

A man named Jesse Kelly who is a Marine vet and conservative radio personality got kicked off Twitter but given no explanation for why he was being kicked off. He criticizes Twitter, which supposedly is a platform. "It is a blank piece of paper and they suddenly woke up one day and decided that they were the artist, in control of what could be put on that piece of paper." He says, "If they continue this way, all they will have left is two feminists screaming at each other because one of them accidentally found a boyfriend!"

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey lied to Congress, saying "we don't censor people." A congressional committee with oversight of social media platforms announced that they are investigating Dorsey's lie, and suddenly Kelly's account was allowed back on Twitter!

Andrew points out that Twitter is demanding that their users conform to their version of reality. "There is nothing hateful about telling the truth. It is often the most loving thing you can do!"

Grover Norquist, founder of Americans for Tax Reform, is Andrew's guest. Prior to the Trump tax cuts, we had the highest corporate taxes in the world, causing companies to leave the United States. We went from 35% to 21, enabling the strong growth in the economy. Big companies, small companies, individuals all got their taxes cut!

Norquist explains earmarks. I had never seen him interviewed before this one. He has a dry sense of humor.

Trump's tax reform helps McDonalds invest more in employee's educational opportunities

Jessica Haynes reports at mlive.com,

McDonald's Corp. is earmarking $150 million for college-tuition assistance for its employees, the fast food giant announced Thursday, March 29.

The money will fund its Archways to Opportunity education program, which assists employees with college tuition assistance at community colleges, universities or trade schools and connect them with English language courses and education advising services.

McDonald's said the funding was available through changes in the U.S. tax law implemented by the Trump administration, which lowered the corporate income tax rate.

Eligible crew members can get up to $2,500 and managers up to $3,000 a year in college tuition assistance, starting May 1 and retroactive to Jan. 1 of this year.

Read more here.

"Trump Bonuses"

Paul Bedard reports in the Washington Examiner,

The number of companies offering employee bonuses, pay hikes, and increases in benefits in reaction to President Trump’s December tax reform victory is now over 100, with thousands of workers impacted and charities too.

Less than a day after Americans for Tax Reform put out an initial list of 40, it jumped to 52 as more company plans poured in.

And by the end of today, ATR’s John Kartch told Secrets that the list will hit over 100. "Small businesses from across the country are sending me news of their tax-cut bonuses, wage hikes, and charitable donations. Many of these were only announced internally. There is a broad and deep tsunami building," added Kartch, ATR's vice president of communications.

Go here to read what each company is doing. Interestingly, it seems that most are banks or financial service companies.

What if I told you this was the Republicans' tax plan?

Favoring Main Street over Wall Street

The Associated Press reports that

Goldman Sachs expects to take a $5 billion hit to profits for the fourth quarter and year because of the tax overhaul signed into law last week.

The New York bank on Friday became one of the first to release details on how changes in the tax code will affect how money parked overseas is handled.

Read more about how Trump's team favors Main Street over Wall Street here.

Here's your chance to pay higher taxes!

David Frum writes in the Atlantic that the way to fix the "regional unfairness" of the Republican tax plan is to tax carbon! Ace of Spades replies,

Hang on, buddy. Those states impose those taxes themselves, and citizens of those states routinely elect politicians who say we should tax people at higher rates.

Why shouldn't they actually have to live by their own decisions, instead of being subsidized by the rest of the country (by allowing them to deduct their high state taxes from their federal tax payments), and thus held harmless from their own political prescriptions?

Read more here.

Oh my gosh, now we have to figure out how to compete with America!

Tom Maguire writes at Just One Minute,

As further evidence that they have fully lost the plot, NY Times reporters make a clear case that Trump has no shot at being the next President of the European Union:

U.S. Tax Bill May Inspire Cuts Globally, While Fueling Trade Tensions

To President Trump and congressional Republicans, the overhaul of the tax code that became law on Friday will make the United States a better place to do business. To the rest of the world, it has the potential to challenge the global economic order, creating an uneven playing field and setting off a race among countries to cut corporate taxes.

The overhaul is already threatening economic relations, adding to concerns that Mr. Trump is advancing a nationalistic agenda at the expense of other countries.

Weird. On a normal day we are told the tax bill is a giveaway to the rich that will do nothing for the working class. But today we learn that world leaders are concerned it will lead to investments and business activity in the United States that would otherwise occur elsewhere and Trump is to blame. That's a heckuva message: Europe and China wouldn't have to worry about US competition if Hillary were in charge!

For the umpty-bumpth time I am reminded I will never have sufficient intellectual agility to be a progressive.

Five key facts about the Republican tax reform package

At PJ Media Tyler O'Neil takes the time to explain five key facts about the Republican tax reform package. Read it here.

Dancing on George Washington's grave

The satirical Babylon Bee informs us,

U.S.—The nation was in an absolute uproar as the GOP tax bill passed Congress Wednesday and made its way to President Trump’s desk, with millions of irate citizens expressing their total fury over the fact that the federal government will now be taking less of their money week in and week out.

Hordes of protesters gathered in the nation’s capital to decry the decrease of government taxation of their incomes, sources confirmed.

“America is dead,” one weeping woman said as she found out she would be giving the government $2,000 less under the new tax plan. “If ever there were a time for Americans to rise up and revolt against government oppression, this is it.”

“George Washington died for our right to give large portions of our paychecks to the federal government, and today Republicans are dancing on his grave,” she added before screaming wildly at the sky in hysterics.

At publishing time, relieved citizens discovered that the new tax rates are merely minimums, and they are free to pay as high a rate as they wish.

"You're one heck of a leader!"

Senator Hatch to Donald Trump:

"Suck it up, buttercups!"

From J.J. Sefton's Morning Rant at Ace of Spades, written before today's passage of tax reform in Congress.

Good morning kids. Well, midweek and the Tax Bill has passed in the Senate with a revote set for later today after yesterday's procedural hiccup in the House. The vote was strictly along party lines, minus McCain and Cochran who are out ill. This is a huge deal both from a political standpoint for the President but honestly for the American people and the American economy. Is it ideal? Is it perfect? Of course not; with deficits of over $22 trillion and unfunded liabilities at a society-killing $200+ trillion, the radical (pardon the pun) solution is some sort of flat/fair tax and the shrinking of the Federal government back down to its original size as mandated by the framers of the Constitution.

But that aside, the quality of the legislation is in direct proportion to the volume and insanity of the rhetoric against it. Bravo, Mr. President. You are closing out a wildly successful first year in office with the most significant tax legislation in over 30 years. And to the dozen GOP House miscreants who voted against this, I understand that you come from blue-state tyrannies but instead of attacking the President and hardworking Americans because of the (heh) "disparate impact" the bill has on your states, why not shut your worthless cake-holes and actually do something politically to lower the taxes where you live? It's beyond galling that for so long, 42 states have had to work harder for the honor of being essentially forced to pay for the profligacy and social engineering disasters of the other 8. Suck it up, buttercups.

Outraged!

The satirical blog The Babylon Bee reports,

PALO ALTO, CA—Local millennial and part-time retail clerk Cady Benson expressed her outrage Tuesday over the new Republican tax plan, which will force her to continue to pay exactly zero dollars of federal income tax in coming years, sources confirmed.

Benson, whose personal tax burden for the past five years adds up to a grand total of zero, ripped the new GOP plan on social media. “Republicans sure know how to take care of their fat cat donor friends!” said a tweet from the 25-year-old, who has never had to pay any taxes on the money she earns working part-time at Patagonia while pursuing her degree in liberal arts. “This new plan is not OK!”

“And what about my student loans? The greedy establishment types in Congress are stealing my student loan deduction, just to line the pockets of their billionaire buddies?” tweeted the woman who has never had to claim a deduction on any tax form because her income bracket has never required her to pay anything to federal or state revenue departments.

“They’re just soaking the poor to feed the rich!” tweeted Benson, who, along with millions of other working Americans, will continue to pay zero taxes under the new GOP plan.

The Senate passed tax reform last night.

Associated Press writers Andrew Taylor and Richard Lardner in Washington and Scott Bauer Milwaukee reported (mostly negative slants),

Trump on Saturday tweeted his thanks to Senate and House Republicans as they now begin trying to reconcile differences in legislation passed by both chambers, a behind-closed-doors process that is expected to move swiftly. Trump is aiming to sign the tax package into law before Christmas.

Read more here.

The Standard Deduction has been doubled!

McCain and Murkowski say that they will support the tax reform bill

Read more here.

Getting back to groping as usual

Kurt Schlichter predicts tax reform will die in the Senate.

There’s no way the McCain-Collins-Corker-Flake Axis of Obnoxious is going to allow Trump his long-sought victory. These bitter losers will let it get right up to the edge of passage, and then run to find a microphone and shovel up a load of horse hockey about why, as True Conservatives™, they can’t possibly support this conservative reform. They are petty, selfish, and obnoxious, which is why they are the media’s go-to Republicans and Chuck Schumer’s not-so-secret weapon. If you don’t think they would eagerly shaft millions and millions of Americans just to try and mess with Trump, I would sell you a bridge, except no bridge is going to get built because they will block the infrastructure bill too.

What about the feminist gropers?

We’ll soon be seeing articles and columns in the press about how this whole sexual abuse fuss is getting out of hand. After all, it was supposed to be a tool to destroy conservatives, but then it got out of hand and people started applying those standards to liberals. Well, we did warn them about how they were going to hate the new rules.

No, this can’t go on. Soon the media mavens will start showing a renewed appreciation for due process, and a concern about what they will call the “witch hunt” nature of the sex abuse revelations. Of course, there really are witches here – liberal witches who can’t seem to keep their wands under wraps. But this whole accountability fad is starting to get painful. Watch the establishment announce it has gone too far and that we need to step back and rethink it – so they can get back to groping as usual.

Read more here.

Senator Hatch talks about "bullcrap!"

Who is writing Trump's tax reform speech?

Tonight Trump is scheduled to make a major speech in Missouri about tax reform. CNBC is worried that the speech may have been written by a "nationalist," Stephen Miller, instead of ex-Goldman Sachs executives. Heaven forbid someone who places America first would write a speech for Trump!

Tax reform, regulatory relief, and fair trade

Treasury Secretary Mnuchin answers questions from a CNBC host. There are three parts to the economic plan he is working on with President Trump: tax reform ("the most sweeping tax reform we've ever had"), regulatory relief, fair trade.

"It is not about tax avoidance. It is about creating opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses.

Why do more details? Because we want to get input from Congress and turn this into a bill.

We have not had tax reform in 30 years!

Part one of President Trump's interview with Tucker Carlson last night

"Healthcare has to come first, but I want to get to tax reform. We'll never get a Democrat to vote with us. The hatred is so bad. Obama is a smart guy; he knew 2017 would be the worst year for Obamacare, and he would be out before it implodes!

Wiretapping. Hacking of CIA during Obama administration. January 20 New York Times, Brett Baier discussed wiretapping. I think you are going to find somevery interesting things coming out about wiretapping in the next two weeks."

Some "interrogatives" to followers of Donald Trump

Steven Hayward at Powerline poses some "interrogatives" to followers of Donald Trump:

Other than Trump’s position on immigration, what other issue positions of his do you find compelling? After he finishes building the border fence, what then? Does he have a tax reform plan comparable to Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, or Ted Cruz? Having previously declared his support for entitlements like Social Security and Medicare, where would he cut the federal budget? Will he seek to repeal or amend Obamacare? If he’s changed his mind on these issues, how and why?

• Why should we have any confidence in judicial appointments from a President Trump? Does he even have a discernible judicial philosophy? Yes, yes, I know: if either President Bush appointed decent judges it was almost by random accident (Alito, for example). The incompetence of GOP Supreme Court appointments for decades is going to be part of a book I’m working on right now, so much more on this at a later time. On the other hand, have you paid attention to Chris Christie’s judicial appointments in New Jersey? Or Jeb Bush’s in Florida? Not reassuring.

• Similarly, does Trump have any discernible philosophy about our regulatory state? He’s never seemed to complain about it when he was using it to his business advantage (i.e., his love for eminent domain). Does he, for example, have a position on the REINS Act? I hope Hugh Hewitt will ask him this question in one of the debates.

• I get it that people like his outside-the-rules bluntness (especially about media darling John McCain—I have to admit that was fun to watch), and especially the challenge he represents to the Beltway establishment. But why isn’t Ted Cruz your candidate? (For that matter, a Trump-Cruz ticket would have the amazing feature of casting Cruz as the level headed moderate.)

• If you like Trump because he is a non-establishment, non-Washington candidate who flummoxes the media, why is he superior to Ben Carson or Carly Fiorina, who do the same with greater skill?

• Are you happy that Trump is essentially a stalking horse for Jeb Bush? If Trump wins some early primaries in a crowded field it will be with less than 20 percent of the vote, but it will likely cause the party establishment—such as still exists—to rally around Bush, just as Democrats rallied to Michael Dukakis in 1988 after Jesse Jackson swept a round of Super Tuesday primaries in the South and caused panic at DNC headquarters. I’m happy to declare that in a hypothetical Trump v. Hillary race, I’d vote for Trump, on the chance that if he really pledges his troth to the GOP you’d get a better administration than Hillary for sure, though I wouldn’t hold out for much in the way of results. Conversely, will you vote for Bush if he is the nominee?

Addendum: When I guest-hosted Bill Bennett’s radio show a couple weeks back, I asked pro-Trump callers who their second choice was. Most people said Cruz. I should have asked that same question here. For Trumpeters out there, if you have a second choice to Trump, I’d be curious to hear who and why.

Read more here.