Josh

[Josh @JL_Kauf]

A great read on why continuing to play team sports with your politics leads to you having less and less until you own nothing

[Chris Martz @ChrisMartzWX]

Seriously, shut up.

The amount of taxes we have to pay is ridiculous. Let me lay it out for ya, son.

I work hard all week and earn a salary, which comes in a biweekly paycheck. But before I see a cent of it, the federal government takes its share. Depending on your income bracket, they take 10–37% of that right off the top. Then, it gets taxed again at 15.3% for FICA: 12.4% gets stolen for Social Security and 2.9% goes to Medicare.

Then depending on which state you live in, you might be required to pay state income tax. States like Florida and Tennessee have none, some have a flat rate (e.g., Idaho and Georgia), and others have progressive rates based on income brackets. In California, high income earners take a 13.3% hit.

Then after the federal and state governments have gotten their greedy hands on my paycheck, suppose I decide to be responsible and save a portion of what's left in a savings account and earn a little interest on it. Guess what? The IRS wants a cut of that, too. So, the money I earned that was already taxed is now subject to the same income taxes.

Let's now suppose I decide to invest some of that in the stock market. I buy shares in a company (e.g., Tesla), take on the risk of losing my investment, and hopefully make a profit. Well, if I sell those shares for a gain, Uncle Sam comes knocking on my door again. Depending on how long I held the investment and my taxable income, I may owe 0%, 15%, or 20% in federal long-term capital gains taxes, potentially another 3.8% in net investment income tax, plus applicable state taxes. And short-term gains can be taxed at the ordinary income tax rates of 10–37%.

And if I decide to spend my money? You guessed it. More taxes, baby! 45 states and many localities impose sales taxes, meaning I get taxed again when I buy groceries, clothes, household appliances, consumer electronics, and practically anything else. In some places, the combined state and local sales taxes exceed 10%. Louisiana's sales tax alone is 10.11%!

Wanna buy a house with the money you have spent years saving? Congratulations, bucko! Now you're responsible for paying property taxes, which you will be obligated to pay every single year. And if you fail to pay it for long enough, you will eventually lose the property through a tax sale or foreclosure. So much for actually owning something, right?

Wanna buy a vehicle? Depending on your state, you may owe sales tax and annual registration fees. And in some states (my home state of Virginia comes to mind), you are required to pay property taxes on that, too. Then, every time you fill up your tank at the pump, you have to pay gas taxes. The federal government collects $0.18 / gallon, and state and local governments pile their own taxes on top of that.

Now, suppose I decide not to spend or invest any of my remaining money at all. I just keep it in cash. Well, inflation gradually erodes its purchasing power away year after year. It's not an enforced tax, but a hidden one that the federal government has done nothing to stop because we're no longer on the Gold Standard and we run massive deficits each year that is financed by monetary expansion (i.e., “printing”) to pay for socialist welfare and wealth transfer programs as well as endless wars in the Middle East.

The bottom line is that I get taxed when I work hard and earn money. I get taxed again on the interest when I save that money. I get taxed a third time on the profits when I invest it. I get taxed when I spend it. I get taxed for “owning” property. And I get taxed when I drive.

And yes, I'm much aware that we need at least some taxation to pay for things like national defense, public roads, and basic services to have a functioning society. Nobody really disagrees with that. But it does not mean every tax is justified or that the government should have an unlimited claim on the fruits of our labor. And if you look at the state of our roads in many states (Pennsylvania and New York's roads suck ass, Alabama's are nice, however) and public schools, it's abundantly clear that our tax dollars aren't being used wisely.

Our founding fathers waged a revolution against Great Britain over far less atrocities than this.

[𝑱̲̅𝒖̲̅𝒔̲̅𝒕̲̅𝒊̲̅𝒏̲̅ 48 @Justin4ocho]

Who wants to fly with them Jets? #Jetup

[The Fat Electrician @Fat_Electrician]

I’ve been shitting on Social Security for years now, and every single time, I’m told ad fucking nauseam:

“It’s MY money! I paid into it!”

Really? Then why would we need to raise taxes on everyone else just to give you “your” money?

Because it’s NOT your money. Your money was spent almost as soon as it came in. Today’s workers are paying for yesterday’s retirees.

It’s a massive, government run Ponzi scheme. And now, one of the largest generations in American history is collecting benefits.

In a traditional Ponzi scheme, this is where everything implodes: when there aren’t enough new investors coming in to pay off the old ones.

But there’s one crucial difference.

This one is backed by the federal government.

And when there aren’t enough new people paying into the system, the government has something Bernie Madoff never had:

The power to force the next generation to pay more, at gunpoint.

Exactly like I’ve been saying for years.

[Josh @JL_Kauf]

@imtovak @mattyryze Leave the dad humor to the professionals. You’re an embarrassment to the family and should hang your head in shame.

[Josh @JL_Kauf]

When I’m old, I hope that I did a good enough job not wasting money on frivolous shit so my kids don’t have to be robbed at gunpoint (extorted) by the government to pay for my retirement.

[Josh @JL_Kauf]

Boomers are so brain rotted that they don’t realize social security stole from them too. If they invested in the market at an average 10% return over their 44 years or however long they worked, social security wouldn’t be necessary. They are the anti socialists who love socialism

[Josh @JL_Kauf]

This study never met Maverick

[NBC News @NBCNews]

A surprising new study finds that people who sleep near their dogs don’t experience disrupted sleep. If anything, the University of Toronto researchers discovered, we humans are the ones disturbing our dogs’ sleep. https://t.co/fCVVc4vwE8

[Josh @JL_Kauf]

@jfkauf25 To a home.

[Josh @JL_Kauf]

If they want to be cared for by stolen tax payer funds, put that whole generation in a fucking state run home

[Matt Walsh @MattWalshBlog]

I understand that the social security conversation is political poison. But I’m not running for office so I don’t care about that. Taking huge chunks out of the paychecks of young working Americans in order to pay for the retirements of older Americans who have a net worth several times higher, all to prop up a system that everyone knows likely won’t be there when those younger people are retirement age themselves, is morally abhorrent and economically insane. Everyone knows it, too, but we’re held hostage by elderly politicians who refuse to surrender power, and older voters who, as a group (with exceptions, obviously), simply don’t care all that much about the financial and cultural future their grandchildren will inherit.

[Josh @JL_Kauf]

The right to bear arms shall not be infringed and every American should be allowed to own any military weapon. It was written when farmers and soldiers carried the same weapons. Then it was neutered to keep us all obedient to the tyrannical government.

[Courtyard Brewery @CourtyardBrew]

I love how Americans still believe a glock and an AR-15 are gonna protect them against a tyrannical government lol

[litquidity @litcapital]

You know what, fuck it. Let the kids benefit from a little insider trading if Congress refuses to ban themselves from doing so

[Josh @JL_Kauf]

lol

[Insider Wire @InsiderWire]

#BREAKING: Every Senate Democrat votes to block the insider trading ban.

[NYJ MIKE @NyjMike]

We are going to start a dialogue

[Josh @JL_Kauf]

@imtovak I’m happy to hear you’re going to be normal :)

[Josh @JL_Kauf]

Out of respect for the number 5, they felt it was only right to let 5 people work on him

[Mike Maher @mikeMaher]

Your young franchise QB collapses in pain on the field, and the team just walks by him? The only teammate showing any kind of concern is Marcus Mariota, the backup QB?

Offensive linemen walking around him to get off the field, some not even glancing back.

No teammates around the cart as he's being taken off the field.

What is happening here? Do they hate this guy?

[Josh @JL_Kauf]

The fact that everyone is bombing oil production should tell you what the real objective is

[The Hormuz Letter @HormuzLetter]

BREAKING: Ukrainian drones have just struck Russia's Kapotnya oil refinery in Moscow, the city's only refinery with a capacity of around 280,000 barrels per day, in a raid on the capital this morning.

This comes only six days after Trump claimed that Ukraine had agreed to stop hitting Russian energy targets, that Russia had agreed likewise, and that the world's diesel price rise "is mostly caused by the Russia/Ukraine War, not Iran."

[Josh @JL_Kauf]

She told the world she’s a foreign agent in US Congress and nothing is going to be done about this. Ilhan Omar said she represents Somalia. Ted Cruz said he’s going to the Senate to defend Israel. They’re not selling you out, you’ve already been sold.

[Claire Valdez @claireforny]

215 years ago, Mexicans fought an empire that demanded our land and our labor. And we won.

I'll carry that fight with me to Congress as New York's first Mexican American representative.

And I'm strengthened not just by Mexico's history but its present. Last month I met comrades in Morena who are standing up to the empires and corporations that have always taken from us – and building a government for the working class.

¡Viva la Independencia, Viva México!

[Josh @JL_Kauf]

Bet on my wife!! She always wins.. trust me!

[Tova @imtovak]

🚨 NEWS 🚨

I’ve joined @chainlink!

I’ll be helping tell the story of how crypto is rebuilding the global financial infrastructure, from tokenized assets and stablecoins to 24/7 markets and the technology connecting onchain finance to the world’s financial institutions.

I’m incredibly grateful to the people who have shaped my career, trusted me with big stories, challenged me, and opened doors for me along the way.

Couldn’t be more excited about what’s ahead.

The future is onchain - needless to say, I am extremely bullish .