Lorraine Evanoff's Blog, page 12
November 14, 2021
This is turning into the Wild Wild West
This is my third Palmer Report piece about gun reform, or lack thereof, in America. I wrote about Biden’s gun safety agenda, and about how Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) could be a model for passing common-sense gun legislation. I have discussed the courageous activism by victims of U.S. domestic terrorism who are trying to reform the gun industry. Fred Guttenberg, father of 14-year-old Jaime killed in the horrific Parkland shooting, is working with Democrats to re-introduce the Ammunition Background Check Act of 2021 known as Jaime’s Law. Other teen victims fighting for change established March for Our Lives.
And yet, since the 1994 Federal Weapons Ban lapsed in 2004 under George W. Bush, not only have U.S. annual gun related deaths remained about the same, 10 per 100,000 people, the Kyle Rittenhouse case in Kenosha, Wisconsin could set a precedent further normalizing vigilante justice, hurling America further back to the lawlessness of our settlers in the Wild, Wild West.
Judge Schroeder overseeing the Rittenhouse trial is making a mockery of the case. He refused to allow the victims to be called victims. He called crucial line of questioning by the prosecution improper, possibly resulting in the defense successfully provoking a mistrial “with prejudice,” in which case Rittenhouse cannot be retried in the shootings. There were reports of Judge Schroeder holding his hand up in the white supremist symbol and forgetting to silence his phone so that the song used at Trump rallies played on his ring tone during the trial.
When it comes to gun reform, we are a nation of cowards. One can point to another country, also founded by lawless expatriates of the British monarchy, Australia. The very conservative Australian government matching our GOP’s failure to act on climate change or protect endangered species notwithstanding, when faced with just one horrific mass shooting, they immediately acted on gun reform. Their legislators showed immense courage knowing they would be voted out of office as a result. But they got bi-partisan gun safety laws passed and have had no mass shootings since. The GOP and their Rittenhouses, McMichaels, and Zimmermans are not heroes, they are cowards and terrorists.
November 9, 2021
Here’s the thing about Democratic Party “messaging”
Everyone is talking about Democratic Party messaging. Here’s a message, Democrats are the party of fiscal responsibility for all. Our forefathers left the British monarchy to establish a more equitable nation for the people. But 245 years later, we have come full circle to a wealthy elitist ruling class, largely due to the GOP policies.
Due to his amped-up versions of GOP policies such as market deregulation, repealing labor regulations, and tax cuts in favor of the wealthiest, under Trump, income inequality grew at a faster rate than any of the last five administrations, and that was before COVID. But after just 10 months under Biden, unemployment is down to 4.6%, with more jobs created than any other president, and wages are up 11.2% for leisure and hospitality workers.
And yet, Mainstream Media (MSM) continues to propogate GOP dog-whistle words communism and socialism. Democrats aren’t asking for the redistribution of wealth. We just want to have the wealthiest and Big Business pay their fair share.
The average American pays a 13.3%, while the wealthiest pay an average of 8.2%. That doesn’t even take into consideration regressive taxes, such as sales tax, gas tax, at the same rate for everyone, and therefore disproportionally higher as a percentage of income for lower income classes. Meanwhile corporations pay next to nothing in taxes while wearing down the infrastructure, and skirting costs for their damage done pillaging our resources.
Biden’s newly passed infrastructure plan invests $550 billion over five years and will pay for itself without increasing taxes. This is simple math that every American should understand. Still some Republicans take issue with the bill, citing no legitimate reason, all but 13 voted against it. Back in August zero Senate Republicans voted for the bill, while all 50 Democrats voted for it, including Senator Joe Manchin.
This week, Manchin was swarmed by climate activists driving his Maserati from his garage to his yacht. Manchin is the father of big pharma CEO whose company donates to Republican super-PACs, raised the price of EpiPens by 600%, and moved the company overseas to avoid US taxes just voted for it.
Fiscal conservatives insist on a simplified tax code to lower corporate tax to a more competitive rate. All the more reason President Biden is working on an agreement for a 15% global minimum tax rate on corporations. Like I said, the message should be Democrats are the party of fiscal responsibility for all.
November 2, 2021
Devil’s Ledger – Goodreads eBook Giveaway!
Enter the Giveaway for a chance to win a
FREE Kindle eBook copy of Devil’s Ledger!
100 lucky winners will be chosen at random by Goodreads.
The Giveaway is open to US residents, and no purchase is necessary.
The Giveaway Runs October 30 – November 6, 2021
Louise is now an operative of the CIA, and is called upon to investigate the most unlikely of suspects, her own father, a top-level lawyer defending a Russian mafia style individual.
The thing I like most about Evanoff’s writing is that she actually knows how to use the English language properly, something sadly lacking in so much writing these days.”
~ Mike Waller, Award-WInning Author
“100% grand slam. While Lorraine takes us into another financial adventure, I note how much we can actually learn in her books. The gang is back, based in Italy mostly.
I always feel sad when I realize the end of the book is near. Looking forward to the next!”~ Goodreads Reader
October 31, 2021
Amen To This!
One thing I’ve learned in my meditation practice is that a change of atmosphere – something as small as standing up, or as big as taking a trip – can make a huge difference.
The Southern Baptist movement brought huge changes to the Republican party. From 1950 to 1980, membership increased from 7 million to 13.6 million. The American Legislative Exchange Council, (ALEC) was launched in 1973 to give the Republican minority the upper hand. It would take four decades for Democrats to launch the State Innovation Exchange in response. By 1981, the evangelical “electronic church” radio network had an audience of 40 million, compared to ABC, CBS, and NBC with 42 million.
The Republican Council of National Policy (CNP) engaged evangelical voters through the “Four Horsemen of Marketing: Position, Differentiation, Benefit and Brand. It stands to reason that poster child for branding, Trump, would glom onto this network.
This Shadow Network is chronicled by Anne Nelson in her book of the same name, detailing the history of how Southern Baptists highjacked the Republican party, their first major coup, getting Ronald Reagan elected and taking the Senate in 1980.
This movement also spawned entire generations of climate deniers. According to one of the most esteemed atmospheric scientists in the world, Katharine Hayhoe, white evangelical Protestants and white Catholics are consistently the least concerned about climate change, this despite theological leaders traditionally turning to Genesis 1:1 to conclude that “God gave humans responsibility over every living thing on Earth.”
With the media endlessly sounding the alarm about the climate, many feel reaching climate neutrality is like moving a giant boulder up a mountain. But, Hayhoe keeps the atmosphere light, focusing on the positive. She insists the boulder of carbon neutrality has been pushed far up the hill by millions of hands. Any additional effort no matter how small will help to push it over the other side.
She uses, of all places, Texas as an example. On the one hand, if Texas were a country, it would be the seventh-most prolific emitter of carbon dioxide in the world and is the number one emitter in the U.S. On the other hand, Texas leads the nation in wind energy. Texas also has the largest army base, which is 43 percent powered by clean energy. Dallas Fort Worth Airport is the first large carbon-neutral airport in North America. Houston is going to meet its Paris targets. Nationally, 90% of new energy installed last year was clean energy.
These days, religion is associated with greed, hubris, arrogance, and judgment. The Shadow Network has a lot to do with that. Hayhoe says Christians need to return to an atmosphere of love, joy, patience, and kindness. Amen.
October 27, 2021
Devil’s Ledger – Facebook Live Halloween Book Launch
Release Date: October 31, 2021
AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW!
Evil is brewing in the heart of Italy…and the Devil is in the details.
Louise is ready to shed her cover as a Burgundy lavender farmer…and return to the spy game. All roads lead to Siena on her top-secret mission: to expose the devastating corruption behind the collapse of the world’s oldest bank.
Filled with suspense and international espionage, spirited female sleuth Louise Moscow’s next adventure is where James Bond meets Temperance Brennan.
Pre-Order Now Available WIDE!Facebook Live Halloween Book Launch
Special appearance by the DEVIL himself!
Join me for a toast to LOUISE MOSCOW BOOK 3,
(the DEVIL doesn’t drink, no wonder he can’t be trusted 😈).
ASK US ANYTHING!
Oct 31 at 1PM — Coffee, tea, and Louise Moscow! RSVP1:00 PM Los Angeles Time
3:00 PM Chicago Time
4:00 PM New York Time RSVP and Live Link What Readers Are Saying About Devil’s Ledger: “Louise Moscow, shaken but never stirred.
Louise is now an operative of the CIA, and is called upon to investigate the most unlikely of suspects, her own father, a top-level lawyer defending a Russian mafia style individual.
The thing I like most about Evanoff’s writing is that she actually knows how to use the English language properly, something sadly lacking in so much writing these days.”
~ Mike Waller, Award-WInning Author
“100% grand slam. While Lorraine takes us into another financial adventure, I note how much we can actually learn in her books. The gang is back, based in Italy mostly.
I always feel sad when I realize the end of the book is near. Looking forward to the next!”~ Goodreads Reader Louise Moscow Series Now Available WIDE!
October 26, 2021
The Drop-Dead Deadline
Accountants use a term, “Drop-Dead Deadline,” when a public company has a compliance deadline to file financial disclosures, according to SEC regulations, or for IRS tax filings. Many of us accountants have spent sleepless nights straining to meet these deadlines. That is why, afterward, you may see some of us enjoying an alcoholic libation, or three. I imagine political campaign professionals have a similar term for crucial election dates.
Democrat Terry McAuliffe’s campaign team must be feeling that “Drop Dead Deadline” pressure right now. The Virginia governor’s election is less than two weeks away and, shockingly, the candidates are currently TIED. The reason? Apathy among Democrats. We’re exhausted. We won, several times, and now we must do it all over again. But that’s why we call ourselves “The Resistance.” Even when we’re worn down, we get back up and fight.
Although McAuliffe was previously a popular governor of the now blue state (Virginia only allows one consecutive term), his Republican opponent, Trump-endorsed billionaire Glenn Youngkin, is somehow close in the polls. The reason for this is an enthusiasm gap between Republican and Democratic voters, due in part to the Virginia governor’s race being only one year after the presidential election. The GOP losers are motivated to register and vote, out of frustration, and Youngkin is taking advantage of that by all deceptive means.
Youngkin has declined to campaign with Trump, knowing he is poison. But don’t be fooled. He is just as vile. Youngkin refused to acknowledge Biden won legitimately. In a video, he admits he hides his abortion views, but if elected, he will come after abortion rights.
But his Trump endorsement is a big motivation for Democrats to get out and vote. Also, Virginia’s incredibly diverse communities have not forgotten the overt bigotry of the GOP under Trump. Winning will largely depend on the turnout of the diverse communities. Many think the Virginia governor race will be a litmus test for the 2022 midterms. It will be tough. Biden’s approval rate has fallen, largely due to false GOP talking points on Afghanistan and the supply chain, both caused by TFG. But like the California Governor Recall election, we must show our strength in numbers.
I’m doing my part. This piece is my latest call to get Democrats to the polls. I have also been contacting Virginians I know, sharing posts on social media, and donating. Next week I’ll carve out time to volunteer for phone banking. Also, I love fellow Palmer Report contributor’s creative solution. Let’s do this!
October 18, 2021
Don’t overlook this major triumph
Depending on how you look at it, life is either a series of disappointing failures or exciting triumphs. It’s hard not perceive most political news these days as disappointing. Take the elections on November 3, 2020. We should have been ecstatic. What a relief! Biden won decisively and we kept the House. Exciting! But then the abhorrent General Service Administration (GSA) Administrator Emily Murphy refused to certify the transition in a violation of historical precedent, and the GOP began the Big Lie. Disappointing.
Then, we went through the nail-biter Special Elections in Georgia on January 5, 2021. The Democrats worked hard and triumphed, winning both seats and gaining a slim majority in the Senate. Exciting! But the very next day, the January 6th insurrection happened. These GOP traitors really know how to time their evildoing and mess with our psyches. It was not only disappointing. It was infuriating.
But never forget, we WON! Trump is GONE. His presence will never darken the doorstep of our hallowed White House again. That is a fact. And still, we live with an overwhelming sense of disappointment. We should be overjoyed by how well Biden has handled the horrors he inherited from the most corrupt president* in U.S. history. Biden assembled an incredible team in advance, they their homework and prepared way before the inauguration, and they hit the ground running. The Biden Administration has proven they are in control and taking care of We the People. Their accomplishments are impressive.
And yet, we are prepared for more outrage and disappointment as our new President brings the criminals to justice. In an explosive exposé, Rolling Stone reveals a 27-page letter published by two top Democrats on the House oversight committee making public the extent of Trump’s venality using his D.C. hotel as a conduit for undisclosed foreign money. Among the many shocking disclosures, the piece mentions the committee is investigating how the GSA handled the lease on that hotel. At the time, the GSA Administrator was Emily Murphy who delayed the transition for two weeks. Disappointing.
This is just one of the latest revelations of Trump’s criminality, and much more will continue to come out. The country is returning to normal, but as we have seen, it can be thrown off track easily. Make no mistake, the Biden administration and the Democratic majority are making America great again.
October 5, 2021
Follow the money: the Biden administration is on the case
As an author of international banking spy thrillers, I understand the challenges of making finance entertaining, (with varying degrees of success). Unless you’re as obsessed as I am with having things add up, the topic can be less than sexy. So, understandably, the news of the “most expansive exposé of financial secrecy yet,” that the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) just released, has many people nonplussed.
But let’s step back a moment, to get a sense of the intrigue behind international banking. In January 2011, then FBI director Robert Mueller gave a speech coining the term Iron Triangle for an international organized crime network. The three sides of the triangle are: the Mafia; Corrupt Government Officials; and Crooked Business Leaders. It comprises a network of Russian and other international oligarchs who have infiltrated every aspect of international banking. But despite that, and the latest bleak reminder of the ongoing practice by the mega-wealthy of sending their profits to the offshore “dark economy,” there is good news.
First, one could argue that the ICIJ’s last information leak, the Panama Papers, was the single most consequential document drop in the history of financial crimes. That leak changed the rules so that the anti-money laundering compliance department of every single bank in the U.S. and most western countries receives suspicious transaction/activity rules and methods to find money laundering from the intriguingly named FinCEN, which is short for the U.S. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. Because of the Panama Papers, nowadays, people are arrested for financial crimes every week, it’s so common it doesn’t make headlines. So, this latest exposé based on a leak of 11.9 million documents should be fascinating.
Second, in July, President Biden and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced that an agreement for a 15% global minimum tax rate on corporations was signed by the Group of 20 plus many other countries, for a total of 130 nations, representing over 90% of the global GDP. The agreement overseen by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is now making its way through the legislative bodies of each country. That means the multinational companies that currently avoid paying about $240 billion in taxes annually would no longer be able to pit countries against each other. So, cheer up, the Biden administration and the Fourth Branch are on the case, shining a light on the darkness.
September 29, 2021
This was a test – and Republicans have failed it
Standardized tests like the SAT, ACT and even the LSAT favor wealthy white test takers and are not a good predictor of how a student will perform. According to the National Education Association, standardized tests have racists roots going back 100 years. How students score on these tests has an impact on their future. When it comes to tests of humanity’s survival, common sense can be a great predictor. In this case, the GOP is an epic failure.
Scientists have been warning of the fall-out from climate change for decades. Many of the catastrophic weather events predicted decades ago have already begun. Pandemics such as COVID are worsened by climate change. The risk of infectious diseases increases as animals migrate to get out of the heat or away from lost habitat and increasingly come into contact with humans. Climate change has already increased the spread of infectious disease such as Lyme disease and waterborne and mosquito-borne diseases. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions helps limit the risk of infectious diseases. Less demand for animal meat and more sustainable animal husbandry would lower greenhouse gases.
And yet, the GOP has led the fight against efforts to move away from our dependence on fossil fuels and toward cleaner energy. Now they have adopted the anti-common sense, anti-vaccination movement into their platform. A new study shows that COVID has wiped out years of progress on life expectancy, with the biggest decline among males in the U.S. by 2.2 years relative to 2019 levels. If COVID was a test to see how humans would survive a catastrophic global pandemic, Republicans have failed.
