Category Archives: Taxes

Don’t Be Roast ‘Pigeon’ for a Crime Gang!

Written and published on 28 September 2020, by Alice B. Clagett

Image: “The Conjurer,” by Workshop of Hieronymus Bosch, between 1496 and 1520, in Wikimedia Commons … https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hieronymus_Bosch_051.jpg … public domain

Image: “The Conjurer,” by Workshop of Hieronymus Bosch, between 1496 and 1520, in Wikimedia Commons … https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hieronymus_Bosch_051.jpg … public domain

Dear Ones,

Here is a law enforcement ‘what if’ for grassroots neighborhood watch nationwide, and also for law enforcement in our towns and cities …

Let’s say a crime gang … such as one of the United States ‘mobs’ or mafias, or a street gang, or an outlaw gang, or a flimflam group of confidence men … were to be in the habit of cultivating patsies (fat ‘pigeons’ they could pluck).

You may have heard of ‘keeping double books’? This next move is a little like that, but instead they might keep ‘double organizations’.

Here would be the move: They might put up a socially suave ‘yuppie’ front, named ‘such-and-such’. This would be a respect-worthy non-profit organization, a 501(c), and lure the mark into the front organization.

At the same time they might put up a ‘back’ corporation by the same name. The advantage of the ‘back’ corporation might be that it would be harder to track who has the money. For instance, the members of the ‘back’ organization, might be corporate entities rather than people, and so the ‘back’ corporation might represent a tax ‘maze’ for the IRS. Thus it might be a money laundering vehicle, I feel. The idea might be to grab some of the mark’s money as a ‘donation’ to a nonprofit, then launder it through the ‘shell’ corporations which operate a little like the famous flimflam ‘shell games’. That way they might avoid taxation by the IRS.

Then the crime gang spends time gaining the confidence of their ‘pigeon’.

Let’s say the gang has a favored ‘take-down’, that has been working like clockwork for years. For instance, they might have on tap …

  • a consigliere (a mob lawyer),
  • a medical doctor, a medical therapist ‘angel of death’, a psychiatrist and a psychologist,
  • and a law enforcement officer,
  • all working under a mob boss posing as or having ‘under his finger’ a financial advisor.

The MO (modus operandi) might be to first to capture the pigeon’s finances through the financial adviser, then misdiagnose the pigeon with a terminal physical illness or a mental illness, then when the pigeon is in a health care facility, to send in the medical therapist ‘angel of death’ for the kill.

Put yourself in the shoes of the ‘pigeon’: A take-down has just been attempted. By God’s grace (and His alone) you have escaped unscathed. The mob has your number, and they know you know their game.

What will they do, you wonder? They will pursue you and kill you, so as to prevent knowledge of their crime gang and their MO (modus operandi) from leaking out to law enforcement and the AARP Bulletin’s crime prevention column. They will do what it takes to silence you for good.

Recognizing the deck is stacked and the odds are not in your favor, you the ‘pigeon’ make a run for it back to your home town.

But they know where you live! Through their carefully picked false authorities, and through weight of numbers and collusionary agreement amongst themselves, they present a fraudulent report to your local law enforcement agency to the effect that you have committed the very crimes that are the bread-and-butter of their own crime gang.

An example might be like this: The mob consigliere or his local law enforcement ‘bird in the hand’ tips your local law enforcement precinct that you are a drug trafficker with a drug habit and a street walker.

So your local law enforcement, at considerable expense, stakes out your home to discern your activities. Weeks go by. Your own precinct figures it must have gotten a false lead, and puts a mental question mark by the name of the consigliere or sheriff who provided the false lead.

But they still have a question mark by your own name. So when you go down to your precinct to explain about the crime gang, and offer what you can in the way of names and photos, they decline to accept what you have to offer.

Let’s say your precinct suggests you the ‘pigeon’ go to the FBI. That would make sense for a multi-state crime gang. Our local law enforcement agencies, I feel, are set up to preserve law and order in our local communities, not fight crime nationwide.

I note that the FBI has an online form to report crime tips. Let’s say you go online and make a lengthy report about the crime family … names and addresses, photos, whatever you may have.

Weeks go by. You begin to wonder … Maybe the FBI is swamped with crime reports. Maybe they are understaffed, and can only work on the most ‘in your face’ instances of crime nationwide. Or maybe they just do not believe you. Let’s say … whatever the cause … you the ‘pigeon on the run’ do not hear back from the FBI. And you notice there is no way to contact them personally about it, what with COVID and all.

The crime gang is still hot on the tail of you, their mark who escaped the take-down. You have exhausted the usual crime prevention resources. What to do?

To preserve one’s own life is, I feel, a noteworthy accomplishment when the odds are this stacked. Here is my suggestion: Why not ‘Yelp’ what you have? Put it online, send copies to family, friends, and your Neighborhood Watch, and to any interested lawyers, free of charge. Make sure the crime family knows you have broadcast this information.

The more people who know what you know, the less important it will be to the crime family to end your life.

It seems to me possible that the low-down on crime gangs nationwide is at hand, and just under our noses. We the people of the United States can help mitigate the damage done by crime gangs in America.

Even if our local law enforcement’s hands are tied, even if the FBI does not respond to our plea, we can act on our own behalf, and for the sake of crime prevention in our local communities.

The means at hand, I feel, is grassroots communication. After all, knowledge is power. The pen is mightier than the sword. Let us take up our handhelds and provide that knowledge of the nefarious endeavors of crime mobs to everyone with an ear to hear it.

God bless each of you with courage to soldier on in these stressful times. May we stand together, in communities large and small, against crime and for peaceful, prosperous endeavor.

In love, light and joy,
I Am of the Stars

See also my blog categories: Confidence games  …  Crime families – cults that kill – outlaw gangs – street gangs  …  False authority  …  Murder  …  Secret service  …  Take-down …  and …  Taxes

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law enforcement, crime, crime prevention, confidence games, patsy, taxes, take-down, courage, law, secret service, false authority, crime families, outlaw gangs, street gangs, drug war, prostitution, sex workers, drug trafficking, government, common good, freedom of speech, freedom of the press,

Pragmatic Prophecy: Western States Pact and Possible Decentralization of the United States . by Alice B. Clagett

  • FORMATION OF THE WESTERN STATES PACT
  • POSSIBLE DECENTRALIZATION OF THE UNITED STATES INTO LOOSELY FEDERALLY RULED ECONOMIC REGIONS IN YEARS TO COME
    • Decentralization Stressors
      • COVID-19, AIDS, and Less Federal Revenues
      • The Price of Water and the Potential Need to Grow Crops
  • COVID-19 LOCKDOWNS VERSUS THE COMMON GOOD

Dear Ones,

FORMATION OF THE WESTERN STATES PACT

As you may know, a Western States Pact has been formed in response to the COVID-19 issue. To date, the states involved are Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, and Nevada …

Link: “Colorado & Nevada Join California, Oregon & Washington in Western States Pact,” 27 April 2020 … https://www.gov.ca.gov/2020/04/27/colorado-nevada-join-california-oregon-washington-in-western-states-pact/ ..

This is a power block or united front asking for financial help from the federal government in response to the impact of COVID-19 on their states’ economies.

POSSIBLE DECENTRALIZATION OF THE UNITED STATES INTO LOOSELY FEDERALLY RULED ECONOMIC REGIONS IN YEARS TO COME

While this power block has a focused purpose, it does present a small step towards consolidating a Western economic region, in a way that is reminiscent of this possible timeline for relative decentralization of the United States into economic regions, with less control by a federal government as a possibility in years to come …

Link: “What If: Will the United States Become Less Centralized?” by Alice B. Clagett, written and published on 6 December 2019 … https://wp.me/p2Rkym-fnm ..

Decentralization Stressors

COVID-19, AIDS, and Less Federal Revenues. Among the stressors, in the current scenario, would be COVID-19 affecting the current economy of the large United States cities; AIDS (which prevents having viable offspring) affecting the Eastern Seaboard economic region (which is hard hit by AIDS) first, and other regions later; and in the short term, inability of the federal government to provide financial aid because of decreased tax payments next year because of unemployment caused by lockdowns this year.

The Price of Water and the Potential Need to Grow Crops. In addition, here in Los Angeles the price of water has made it untenable to raise crops; water prices may rise elsewhere in the United States as well. For those in the cities, I suggest a power block lobbying for reasonably priced water. For those who can move away from the cities, I suggest moving to regions of plentiful rainfall, so that a sustainable or survival-oriented lifestyle can be maintained if necessary.

COVID-19 LOCKDOWNS VERSUS THE COMMON GOOD

My feeling is that riots and curfews are happening in New York, Los Angeles and elsewhere because people who have no savings have been prevented from making a living by lockdowns in the urban areas of the United States. My hope is that our mayors and governors will see the wisdom of balancing relatively few lives lost through COVID-19 against social unrest caused by inability to get work.

Italy, for instance, was very hard hit by the epidemic, yet their people are going back to work and reopening churches. In addition, Dallas, Texas is doing so. From available news, the resurgence of COVID-19 in Wuhan, which reopened for business a while ago, has been far less in numbers than the good caused by the ability of the people to feed and clothe themselves.

In other words, I feel that, in terms of lockdown or return to normalcy, we must weigh the common good against our fears regarding possible, but as yet unproven, negative outcomes. For all we know, the worst is over, and better days lie just beyond the horizon, nearly within our ken.

In love, light and joy,
Alice B. Clagett
I Am of the Stars

Written and published on 2 June 2020; revised on 13 May 2023

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government, economics, social unrest, United States, California, Wild West, COVID-19, health, community health, politics, taxes, common good, economy, Cities of Earth, countries of Earth, Los Angeles, New York, fear, Italy, emotions, lockdown, Texas, employment, water, agriculture, Pragmatic Prophecy, lock down,

Call to Action Regarding the Entertainment Industry . by Alice B. Clagett

Filmed on 18 September 2018; published on 30 September 2018

  • VIDEO BY ALICE
  • SUMMARY OF THE VIDEO

Dear Ones,

This video offers a Call to Action regarding the entertainment industry, in both the international and the local arena. There is a Summary after the video.

VIDEO BY ALICE

SUMMARY OF THE VIDEO

Hello, Dear Ones, It’s Alice. I Am of the Stars.

This is a Call to Action regarding the entertainment industry. As I understand it, international relations suffer because of the violent, overtly sexual, and recreational drug content of the movies that are exported from the United States. I speak specifically of the Islamic countries and of China, which have different ethics … more strict ethics … than the ethics exhibited by the movies that are exported.

I would like to ask for sanctions on exportation of those sorts of films to foreign countries, in the interests of international diplomatic relations with the world.

In addition, because the young people of the United States are being influenced by the entertainment industry towards these dark actions of violence, crime, promiscuity, and overuse of recreational drugs, I would like to request that United States localities … cities, counties, and state governments … consider taxation of films with this type of content, with the intention of earmarking the sums received for maintaining additional law enforcement personnel to take care of the violence that ensues, and for healthcare facilities to help people through rehabilitation after they become addicted to drugs.

So those two things I ask for …

  1. In the international arena, politics, governance in the United States, I am asking this of Washington DC itself: That sanctions be placed on exportation of films that may adversely influence our image as a country abroad.
  2. And the other, on the local level: A tax to deal with the increased cost incurred by our communities because of the nature of the films and movies put out by the entertainment industry.

In love, light and joy,
I Am of the Stars
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movies, movie industry, entertainment industry, government, diplomacy, State Department, Washington DC, local government, California government, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, sin tax, taxation, drug addiction, drug rehabilitation, healthcare, crime prevention, law enforcement, mass media, calls to action, health, community health, United States image, countries of Earth, United States,

Christian Science Practitioner Medical Tax Write-Off as a Model for Alternative Medicine? . by Alice B. Clagett

Written and published on 5 July 2018

Dear Ones,

I note that alternative healing techniques such as yoga, aromatherapy, herbal healing, and the languages of Light and sound are termed ancilliary or possibly palliative health modalities. That is to say, they are not a replacement for traditional Western medical care. The thought is that they may help the patient, but that a patient should, first and foremost, seek traditional Western medical advice.

I myself have more of a Christian Science point of view. I feel that a person knows, in their very heart, what will help them heal and what will not. That they have at hand, through God’s grace, all that they need to be in perfect health.

Along these lines, last week I noticed with pleasant surprise that the IRS allows write-offs for the expense of Christian Science practitioners, on Schedule A of Form 1040 (the annual United States federal income tax form).

Link: “Can You Deduct Alternative Medicines on Your Taxes?” by Susannah Snider, 4 April 2017, in “U.S. News” … https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/taxes/articles/2017-04-04/can-you-deduct-alternative-medicines-on-your-taxes ..

I wonder if alternate medical techniques might, by extension, fall under this umbrella?

In love, light and joy,
I Am of the Stars
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alternative medicine, alternative health, United States tax code, medical deductions, Christian Science, yoga, aromatherapy, herbal healing, languages of light and sound, Form 1040, Schedule A,

What Could We Expect in Federal, State and Local Revenue Increases if Recreational Drugs Were Legalized? . by Alice B. Clagett *

Written and published on 20 April 2018; updated

  • $27.8B FEDERAL DRUG CONTROL ANNUAL EXPENSE
  • $132B ESTIMATED ANNUAL INCREASE IN TAX REVENUES FROM NATIONWIDE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA
  • $708.6B ESTIMATED INCREASE IN TAX REVENUES FROM NATIONWIDE LEGALIZATION OF ALL RECREATIONAL DRUGS
  • $686.2B ESTIMATED ANNUAL NET IMPROVEMENT IN THE FEDERAL BOTTOM LINE
  • $17B ESTIMATED ANNUAL IMPROVEMENT IN THE STATE AND LOCAL BOTTOM LINE DUE TO ‘SIN TAX’ INCREASES
  • FEDERAL LEGISLATION THAT MIGHT GET AROUND THE MORAL ISSUE STATES HAVE WITH LEGALIZATION OF DRUGS
  • MORE INFORMATION

Dear Ones,

$27.8B FEDERAL DRUG CONTROL ANNUAL EXPENSE

According to Forbes, the war on drugs costs the United States over $78 billion a year

Link: “Doc Series ‘The Trade’: The War On Drugs Costs The U.S. Over $78B A Year,” by Dana Feldman, contributor, in Forbes, 9 February 2018 …  https://www.forbes.com/sites/danafeldman/2018/02/09/doc-series-the-trade-the-war-on-drugs-costs-the-u-s-over-78b-a-year/#3076314a2c1b .. 

However, this includes addiction treatment, healthcare, and lost job productivity in addition to federal drug control expense. As it is the federal drug control expense that would be curtailed by legalization, I looked that up. The federal drug control expense for 2018 is estimated to be $27.8 billion dollars … That would mean the other costs … addiction treatment, healthcare, and lost job productivity … tally about $50.2 billion dollars a year.

Link: “Total federal drug control spending in the United States from FY 2013 to FY 2020 (in million U.S. dollars),” by Matej Mikulic, 23 January 2020, in Statista: The Statistics Portal … https://www.statista.com/statistics/618857/total-federal-drug-control-spending-in-us/ ..

$132B ESTIMATED ANNUAL INCREASE IN TAX REVENUES FROM NATIONWIDE LEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA

According to the Washington Post, nationwide legalization of marijuana might result in $132 billion tax revenues annually

Link: “Post Nation: Study: Legal marijuana could generate more than $132 billion in federal tax revenue and 1 million jobs,” by Katie Zezima, 10 January 2018 …  https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2018/01/10/study-legal-marijuana-could-generate-more-than-132-billion-in-federal-tax-revenue-and-1-million-jobs/?utm_term=.dee696c70135 ..

It seems to me that generation of jobs is a moot point in the above article, since the jobs are already there, in our economy, but just not included in the job statistics. Further, income tax revenue from legalization of these jobs is included as part of the $132 billion revenue figure in the above article.

So, the important figure there is the $132 billion annual revenue for nationwide legalization of marijuana, I note this figure takes into account payroll tax deductions, a retail sales tax of 15 percent, and business tax revenues, which seems appropriate to me. I note also they are calculating federal revenue rather than state or local revenue (i.e., ‘sin taxes’).

$708.6B ESTIMATED INCREASE IN TAX REVENUES FROM NATIONWIDE LEGALIZATION OF ALL RECREATIONAL DRUGS

I was unable to find comparable estimates for generation of revenue from legalization of sales of all categories of recreational drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and other recreational drugs. However, this may be estimated as follows:

According to a 2010 Cato Institute report, the ratio of tax revenues for legalization of all drugs, to tax revenues for legalization of marijuana, was 46.7B : 8.7B. For these data, see …

Link: “Commentary: Making an Economic Case for Legalizing Drugs,” by Jeffrey Miron and Katherine Waldock. This article appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer on 3 October 2010 … https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/making-economic-case-legalizing-drugs ..

Plugging this ratio into the more recent estimate of $132B annual marijuana revenue, we get:

46.7B / 8.7B = X / 132B  … and

X = $708.6B … X being the current estimated annual revenues for legalization of all drugs nationwide.

$686.2B ESTIMATED ANNUAL NET IMPROVEMENT IN THE FEDERAL BOTTOM LINE

This estimate of $708.6B may be on the high side. However, going with this figure, and using the prior bolded figures, let’s consider what federal revenue changes might take place if all recreational drugs were legalized nationwide.

  • The current $50.2 billion dollar cost for addiction treatment, healthcare, and lost job productivity would stay roughly the same.
  • The current $27.8 billion dollar annual federal drug control expense would be greatly curtailed.
  • The current estimated annual revenues for legalization of all drugs nationwide would be $708.6B.

On the plus side for the federal government are the last two bullets: $27.8B plus $708.6B = a total of $736.4B total ‘fattening of the federal coffers’.

This increase in the federal bottom line might resolve the issue of the first-bullet minus: A portion of the federal increase might be set aside to completely cover the $50.2 billion dollar annual cost for addiction treatment, healthcare, and lost job productivity would stay roughly the same.

This would leave a net improvement in the federal bottom line of $736.4B less $50.2B = net $686.2B. 

$17B ESTIMATED ANNUAL IMPROVEMENT IN THE STATE AND LOCAL BOTTOM LINE DUE TO ‘SIN TAX’ INCREASES

An added plus would be sin taxes on that might optionally be levied by state and local governments. In 2014, state sin taxes for were $32.5B for currently legal activities and products such as alcohol, tobacco, casino, racino, and gaming. The largest category was tobacco at $16.9B.

The retail value of 2017 annual tobacco sales in the United States was about $121B

Link: “Market value of tobacco in the United States from 2013 to 2018 (in million U.S. dollars),” in Statista: The Statistics Portal,” https://www.statista.com/statistics/491709/tobacco-united-states-market-value/ ..

From 2000 to 2010, Americans spend about $100B annually on illegal drugs, including cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and methamphetamine, according to the RAND Drug Policy Research Center for the Office of National Drug Control Policy. This is the most recent figure I have on the market value of illegal drugs in the United States, so I’ll go with this.

Link: “Americans Spent About A Trillion Dollars On Illegal Drugs In The Last Decade,” by Matt Ferner, 13 March 2014, in Huffington Post … https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/13/americans-trillion-dollars-drugs_n_4943601.html ..

Looking at these two figures: 2017 annual tobacco sales at $121B, and 2010 estimated annual illegal drug sales at $100 billion, we might consider these to be roughly equal.

Thus the sin tax on legalized recreational drugs sales might be anticipated to be about what states and local governments receive in annual sin tax for tobacco: that is, about $17B annually.

FEDERAL LEGISLATION THAT MIGHT GET AROUND THE MORAL ISSUE STATES HAVE WITH LEGALIZATION OF DRUGS

This crunching of the figures makes it clear that the most logical thing to do would be to legalize all recreational drugs, and generate federal and state revenues from their sales. However, many people in the United States have strong moral stands on recreational drugs.

In fact, the fury over legalization, or criminalization, of recreational drug use in America today is very similar to the fury over alcohol use that resulted in Prohibition … a ban on alcohol sales and use from 1920 to 1933. As I understand it, criminal activity around ‘bootlegging’ skyrocketed during those years. Then when Prohibition was repealed in 1933, the crime wave abated, and federal and local governments began to benefit from liquor revenues.

I feel we might have the same benefits with regard to recreational drugs in this way …

  • The federal government might legalize all recreational drug use and sales.
  • States might have the power to prohibit recreational drug use and sales, either altogether or in part.
  • Those states that legalize recreational drug use and sales, either altogether or in part, might get the benefit of remuneration by the federal government, based on increased federal revenues from recreational drug sales in their state.
  • Federal remuneration to states that decide to legalize recreational drugs might be earmarked for drug-use-related health care, addiction treatment, and health education for schools, and for drug users and their families.

In love, light and joy,
I Am of the Stars

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MORE INFORMATION

Tobacco tax revenues in the United States are expected to be about $14 billion dollars for the year 2018 …

Link: “Tobacco tax revenue and forecast in the United States from 2000 to 2025 (in billion U.S. dollars).” by Erin Duffin, 4 March 2020, in Statista: The Statistics Portal … https://www.statista.com/statistics/248964/revenues-from-tobacco-tax-and-forecast-in-the-us/ ..

Liquor tax revenues in the United States are expected to be about $10 billion dollars for the year 2018 …

Link: “Alcohol tax revenue in the United States from 2000 to 2025 (in billion U.S. dollars),” by Erin Duffin, 4 March 2020, in Statista: The Statistics Portal … https://www.statista.com/statistics/248952/revenues-from-alcohol-tax-and-forecast-in-the-us/ ..

By comparison, total United States government receipts for 2018 are expected to be about 3.65 trillion dollars

Link: “Total receipts of the U.S. government in fiscal years 2000 to 2025 (in trillion U.S. dollars),” by Erin Duffin, 3 March 2020, in Statista: The Statistics Portal … https://www.statista.com/statistics/200405/receipts-of-the-us-government-since-fiscal-year-2000/ ..

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