Fear and Loathing of Terrorists in France

Since the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack in 2015 that killed 130, France has been in a declared state of emergency.  In December, the French parliament extended it until after the national elections.  Now, with the most recent terrorist attack on the Champs Elysees, just before the election, the Parliament is sure to extend or renew the state of emergency again.

France offers a perfect example of the fact that more Muslims in the country doesn't make life better.  With up to 7 %, they have the largest Muslim population of any country in Western Europe.  Hate crimes against Muslims have soared.  According to Fox News Research, a poll of adults in March of this year said that 71% believe terrorism overshadows all other problems in France.  59% feel they are not safe anywhere in the country. French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has called for the expulsion of anyone who is suspected of terrorism.  I suppose, even if that person is a French citizen?

If this doesn't sound like Donald Trump's take on Muslim refugees and immigration, I don't know what does.  France is in a proverbial pickle when it comes to Muslims.  Even if they still represent a small percentage of the population, the higher the percentage, the greater the chance for attack.  I think that France will ultimately block the entrance of any further Muslim immigrants.  And, I think, other European countries are sure to follow their lead.  We'll see.

References:

French parliament votes to extend state of emergency until after 2017 elections: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/dec/14/french-parliament-votes-to-extend-state-of-emergency-until-after-2017-elections

Paris shooting: Marine Le Pen calls for all French terror suspects to be expelled after Champs Elysees attack: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/20/paris-police-close-part-city-centre-amid-reports-officers-shot/

March 10-14, 2017 poll of French adults: https://twitter.com/FoxNewsResearch/status/855443024649871360

Hate crimes against Muslims and Jews soar in France: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/12075018/Hate-crimes-against-Muslims-and-Jews-soar-in-France.html

Islam in France: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_France

Hillary's False Implication That the Rich Don't Pay Their Fair Share

Time and time, again, Hillary Clinton keeps repeating her Bernie Sanders-lite comment that she would pay for all her spending plans by taxing the rich, because they should pay their fair share.  But really, what is the definition of "fair share"?  To Bernie Sanders, it was 90%.  Hillary believes that there should be another 4% added on to the current top tax rate 39.6%, plus a 3.8% surcharge that was introduced for ObamaCare. In addition, they pay hefty real estate taxes on all their properties and large amounts of monies in state income taxes. But, Hillary says that's not enough.  In fact, if she does become president, she will ask the rich to pay even more so she will be able to buy even more votes with some new social program that conjures up.

It was no surprise that she brought up Trump's wealth during the debate and reiterated the "fair share" pitch. But, here's the reality, the top 1% of tax payers pay more in taxes than the bottom 90% of tax payers.  At the same time, 45% of American's pay no taxes.  Well, is that fair?

Personally, I would prefer a person like Trump to keep more of his money because I know he will use it to build more properties, and in the process: Create Jobs.  Highly paid jobs to construct the buildings and good paying jobs to staff them. That is something the federal government doesn't do with the money it is given.  Trillions in tax dollars has been paid, and still we have a large number of people living in poverty, without jobs.  The worst place for money to go is the federal government, where abuse and fraud are rampant.

Lastly, increasing taxes on the rich will only give them a reason to take their money and leave the country.  France found that out when it raised taxes on the wealthy.  After all, the rich are highly mobile and aren't necessarily tied to a specific job.  Of course, if we start losing our rich, who will pay for all the benefits that those 45% who don't pay taxes are enjoying?

References:

To Ensure Tax Fairness, Clinton Unveils New 'Fair Share Surcharge: https://www.hillaryclinton.com/briefing/factsheets/2016/01/11/to-ensure-tax-fairness-clinton-unveils-new-fair-share-surcharge-on-multi-millionaires/

The Top 1 Percent Pays More in Taxes than the Bottom 90 Percent: http://taxfoundation.org/blog/top-1-percent-pays-more-taxes-bottom-90-percent

45% of Americans pay no federal income tax: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/45-of-americans-pay-no-federal-income-tax-2016-02-24

New figures published this week suggest that an increasing number of France’s top earners are leaving the country, with some observers blaming high taxes for the rising “wealth drain”: http://www.france24.com/en/20150808-france-wealthy-flee-high-taxes-les-echos-figures

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Why Sarkozy Will Return as France's Next President

This week, Nicolas Sarkozy announced that next year he will be running as a conservative contender for the presidency of France.   A job he held before being ousted by the current socialist President Francois Hollande in 2012.  But, Sarkozy sees his return as a near shoe-in because of this one chart:

In essence, 88% of France disapproves of Hollande.  With such a high disapproval, even a dog catcher would have a decent chance of winning against him.

References:

Sarkozy announces bid for 2017 presidential race: https://www.yahoo.com/news/frances-sarkozy-run-2017-presidential-election-142713975--business.html

Graph Source: Nearly 90 percent of the French now disapprove of their president: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/07/05/nearly-90-percent-of-the-french-now-disapprove-of-their-president/

First France Then Belgium. Is Germany Next?

All together, there are 14 million Muslims in Europe.

However, in France, Germany, and Belgium, three countries in close proximity to one another, there are 10.2 million or 73% of all the Muslims in Europe.  There have been 2 significant terror attacks, one in France and one in Belgium, in just a span of months.  But, be aware that it is Germany that has the highest Muslim population of all three, at 4.8 million or 38% of all Muslims in Europe.  That is significantly higher than the U.S. whose Muslim population of 3.3 million is in a country with a population 4 times greater than Germany's.

What we know is that radicals within Islam are somewhat proportional to the size of the Muslim population and not necessarily size dependent on the social environment they live in.  One study believes, that modestly, 1% of Muslims in Europe are radicalized. Therefore, in Germany, there could be as many as 53,000 radicals who would be either willing to die for their cause or carry out some type of terrorist attack.

So, this begs the question.  Is Germany the next to be significantly hit in Europe?

References:

5 facts about the Muslim population in Europe: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/11/17/5-facts-about-the-muslim-population-in-europe/

How many Muslim extremists are there? Just the facts, please: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Security-Watch/terrorism-security/2015/0113/How-many-Muslim-extremists-are-there-Just-the-facts-please

German airports on high alert after Brussels explosions: http://www.thelocal.de/20160322/germany-tightens-airport-controls-after-brussels-explosions

Terrorism in Germany: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism_in_Germany 

Why Radical Islam Exists and May Never Be Defeated

This is the seed of radical Islam:



Thousands of Madrassas (schools) like this exist around the world; starting in the 1970's.  In them, children are generally taught to take the Qur'an literally in a brand of austere Islam called Wahhabism.  For all too many, this is the only education they will ever receive.

While there are numerous verses in the Qur'an that teach peace and tranquility, there are many that don't.  Those that don't are based on the belief that there can only be one god in the world and his name is Allah; and that there can only be one religion in the world and that is Islam.

So, these children are taught that "unbelievers" (infidels) -- which, by the way, include modern day secularized Islamics -- must either be converted to fundamental Islam or be killed or enslaved.  Thus, they are taken back to the earliest days of Islam under the Prophet Muhammad.  A time when the Prophet, himself, spent the last 10 years of his life as a military commander in his effort to spread Islam through wars against Christians, Jews, and Pagans.

What should concern us all is the depth to which these Madrassas have radicalized Islam. In France, for example -- there are "No Go Zones" where the French government does not intervene and where Muslims are left to govern and educate themselves, and where support for ISIS is the highest of all other European countries.  27% of 18 to 24 year-olds, and 22% of the 25 to 34 age group support ISIS.

Simply, it is impossible to stop the radicalization unless the Madrassas are shutdown. 


References:

Wahhabism: A Saudi Time Bomb: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saudi/analyses/wahhabism.html

The Quran's Verses of Violence: http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/quran/023-violence.htm

KORAN commands to kill infidels: http://www.wvinter.net/~haught/Koran.html

Military career of Muhammad:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_career_of_Muhammad

Muslim conquests: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muslim_conquests

What ISIS Really Wants - The Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2015/02/what-isis-really-wants/384980/

snopes.com: Sharia Law Muslim 'No-Go' Zones in France: http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/nogozones.asp

27% of Young French Muslims (1.62 million) back the Islamic State, poll finds: https://muslimstatistics.wordpress.com/2014/11/01/27-of-young-french-muslims-1-62-million-back-the-islamic-state-poll-finds/

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French Toast: Hollande's Piketty-Like Tax-The-Rich-Scheme Fails Miserably.

Two years ago, France's socialist President Francois Hollande increased his country's Value Added Tax (VAT) on consumer purchases; upped the corporate tax rate; and, imposed a 75% income tax on euro-millionaires.  All of this was supposed to increase revenues by 30 billion euros per year.

However, the score card is in and roughly half of that 30 billion was actually achieved.

This was all too predictable and is a perfect example of why the "tax-the-rich" French economist, Thomas Piketty, is wrong.

The French consumer, faced with higher VAT taxes, simply cannot afford to buy as many new things as they otherwise would, and, as a result, business profits fell and so did tax revenues.  That's just human nature and, something that socialists (or Democrats in our country) never seem to add into the equation when planning to raise taxes. Nor do they understand that, corporations, faced with increased taxes on themselves, are more inclined to raise prices which, in turn, further lowers consumer activity and again results in lowered taxable business incomes. Lastly, that 75% tax on the rich only caused some of them to leave France; thus, again reducing tax revenues.

The simple fact is that Hollande's tax strategy is hurting France.  Unemployment recently hit a record high of 11%; although its coming down now.  We, in the U.S., didn't even see that level of unemployment when we were at the height of our Great Recession. Their economy is stagnant, with the last 2 quarters either being at barely measurable or at dead zero.  And, the rich, who pay a hefty amount in taxes, are continuing to leave along with their valuable talent and their equally valuable taxable income.

References:

Thomas Piketty: Capital in the Twenty-First Century: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_in_the_Twenty-First_Century

France in 14bn-euro tax black hole: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-27602312

French unemployment at record high: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-25922231

 France GDP Growth Rate: http://www.tradingeconomics.com/france/gdp-growth

France's Reckoning: Rich, Young Flee Welfare State: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/February/Frances-Reckoning-Rich-Young-Flee-Welfare-State/

The Follies Hollande

A few days ago, the socialists, now in control of France, announced their new plan to levy a 75% tax on those making the U.S. equivalent of  $1.29 million and 45% on those making a little more than $194,000 (U.S.) in the "belief" that these new taxes will reduce the government debt by $26 billion (U.S.) a year and bring all debt within 3% of GDP.

Of course, this all makes sense if, in fact, France's wealthy just accept their fate and do nothing about it.  But, I think that French President Hollande and the rest of his socialist cohorts are going to find themselves falling well short of their very optimistic tax collection goals and the entire country will lose in the process.

First of all, most wealthy people are mobile.  If a person is truly independently wealthy and living off investment income, that person can do that anywhere.  So, I would expect a lot of wealthy French to pack it up an go elsewhere.  This could cause French businesses to move as well.. In the process, France will become a poorer nation. Further, those that are independently wealthy, but still want to remain in France, might adjust their investment activity downwards to fall below the 75% or 45% taxing levels; meaning the country will lose more tax revenues.  Some might actually punish the socialist government, all together, by stopping all investment income activity. Other talented and highly paid workers might peddle their talents to companies and institutions in other countries; even taking pay cuts because those cuts would still leave them better off than if they had remained.  I could just see a number of French soccer stars pursuing other competing country's teams.

Lastly, I would also expect some of the highly paid workers to actually ask for pay cuts.  Think about it. If I were making $1.3 million a year and the tax level for the 75% tax is about $1.29 million, why not take my salary down to $1.28 million.  That loss of $100,000 to $200,000 would easily offset having to pay an additional $390,000 in taxes.  This would also be true for those on the cusp of having to pay the 45% tax rate.

--- Los Angeles Times: France unveils tax-heavy budget: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-france-budget-20120929,0,4668110.story

You Can Thank France and Greece For Lower Oil Prices

This morning, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil was trading at $93/barrel.  Just a few weeks ago it was trading at over $107 per barrel and gasoline prices we're clearly heading above $4/gallon; nationwide.  That's nearly a 14% drop in price. So, what happened?

Well, you can thank the economic mess in Europe for the lower oil prices.  As Europe moves into deeper recessions and as countries like France and Greece seem to be rejecting austerity to get debt under control, the value of the Euro dollar has fallen; actually causing the American dollar to rise in value on a relative basis. As a consequence, the stronger U.S. dollar has caused oil prices to fall..  It's just that simple. And, it basically proves that Obama's weak dollar policy through high spending and debt is at the core of out current high oil and gasoline prices.  All along, the falling Euro has somewhat kept oil prices in check. I guarantee you that if Europe had been in good economic health over the last 3 years, we would have easily seen gasoline prices above $5  a gallon in the last two years.

Those same, so-called speculators that supposedly drove prices higher as a response to Middle East events are now responding to other changing world events and, as a consequence, are selling off their oil holdings; thus driving oil and gasoline prices down.  Maybe Obama should demand an investigation because oil prices are obviously being manipulated lower. .

A Socialist President? What Are The French Thinking?

Well, if you don't know by now, Nicolas Sarkozy lost the top job in French politics.  In his place will be an avowed socialist: François Hollande.  Now, if this newly minted socialist President gets his way, my guess is that it won't be long before France wishes they had Sarkozy back, because every economic plan that Hollande has for France is an economy killer.

For one, Hollande plans not to just raise the taxes on the rich, but, instead, he's clearly stated that he wants to "soak the rich".  If you make a million euros or more a year, he plans a 75% tax.  For those making 150,000 euros or more, the tax will be 45%.  Executive pay will be mandatorily limited to 20 times that of the pay of the average worker.  He will increase the Value Added Tax (VAT) on everything people buy to help pay for his new social programs.  He also plans to arbitrarily hire 60,000 additional teachers.  And, the retirement age with full pension benefits will be lowered from 62 to 60 years of age for those working at least 41 years.

Sarkozy lost because the French economy was floundering.  But, there is nothing in the Hollande plan for  that will make the French economy any better. Just more taxes and more spending.  Socialism doesn't work.  It hasn't worked in Venezuela and it won't work in France.  All that will happen is that the wealthy and some businesses will leave the country.  With earlier retirements, pension expenses will eat the country alive. With higher VAT's, consumer spending will be slowed and the economy along with it.  France is already in recession. Hollande will only exacerbate that harsh economic reality.

Obama's Fairy Tale: The United Nations

Wednesday's assemblage of many of the world's leaders at the United Nations was truly a spectacle to behold. On one stage, you had some of the biggest despots of the modern world -- like Ahamdinejad and Khadafy -- and, at the same time, many leaders of the free-world such as Barack Obama. All were competing "equally" for the ears of the General Assembly. What a display of harmony.

I was especially impressed when Obama spoke these words as part of his speech:

"No nation can or should try to dominate another nation. No world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will succeed. No balance of power among nations will hold..."

Certainly, these are noble ambitions. But, in terms of practicality, especially when it comes to the United Nations, those words are naive.

All you have to do is look at the United Nation's Security Council to know that Obama's words were flights of pure fancy and a complete fairy tale.

Among all the nations in the world, there are just a chosen few who have all the power. These are the nations who have been elevated above all others. These are the permanent members of the Security Council. And, contrary to Obama's fantasy world, these 5 countries --- Russia, China, Germany, France, United Kingdom, and United States --- hold veto power above all others.

This is why the United Nations is so benign. When push comes to shove over the need to punish a nation for being exceptionally bad, one of these permanent member countries will always play their veto card and nothing will get done. Iran is always being protected by Russia's veto power. North Korea thwarts punishment by hiding behind China and their veto. Hugo Chavez and Venezuela have Russia as their shield. And, so it goes.

If you are a bad guy in the world of nations, all you have to do is link up economically with one of the permanent members. During the run-up to the Iraq war, it was Germany, France, and Russia who threatened to veto if actions were two harsh or if war was to be contemplated against Iraq. Each had oil, arms, and other trading concerns with Iraq and it came down to protecting their self interests. That's the real reason that America had to go it alone in Iraq.

The U.N. is a hypocritical organization. The exposed fraud regarding Iraq's "Oil for Food Program" just proves how corrupt this organization is and can be. Contrary to Obama's words, at the U.N. it's all about "who you know." Like any other political organization, you have power, corruption, and greed. For Obama to say that "no one nation should dominate another" and "no world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will succeed" is a complete antithesis of what the U.N. is all about. The United Nations is literally a "world order" that places a select few countries above all others.

That is why Obama's words are so hollow and nothing more than a fairy tale. A fairy tale that only a fool or a liberal could believe in.