KY has a "sore loser law" that prevents Massie from running in the general as an Independent. But 1 thing he could do is run as an official write-in candidate. Lisa Murkowski successfully did it in Alaska. And Massie is a whole lot easier to spell than Murkowski. Just a thought.
Democratic Party of Wisconsin chairman Devin Remiker told @reidepstein he believes Dems could make a 6-2 Dem congressional map ahead of 2028 if Dems take control of state government. https://t.co/PRfK4WkHtk
I waited to tell you what was going on with municipal judge Tim Kay until I got records through an open records request. We even got audio that documents Kay’s alleged umbrage over accused speeder Matt Kolb’s one-star Google review.
Basically, the records say Kay hauled Kolb back into court over the Kay & Kay law firm Google review, vacated an amendment, doubled his fine, held him in contempt, and threatened to jail and have him arrested.
Stick with Wisconsin Right Now for old-fashioned reporting. We bring the receipts.
AUDIO:
Some guy turned down a $10,000 raise because it would push him from the 12% bracket to the 22% bracket.
Twitter laughed at him.
"That's not how marginal rates work!"
They're right. He's wrong. What an idiot, right?
But a client called me two weeks ago freaking out.
She was about to lose $12,400 because she's projecting $5,000 too much income.
Here's what happened:
She's 58. Husband is 56. They run a consulting business together.
They buy health insurance on the ACA marketplace.
Last year they made ~$85,000. Paid $9,100 for coverage.
This year they're projecting $90,000+.
She got her 2026 premium quote.
$21,500.
That extra $5,000 in projected income was going to cost her $12,400.
That's a 248% marginal tax rate.
The ACA subsidy cliff came back.
Enhanced subsidies expired December 31, 2025 and Congress didn't extend them.
If your household income exceeds 400% of the Federal Poverty Level, you lose ALL premium tax credits.
For a couple, that cliff is $84,600.
She was about to blow right past it.
We ran the numbers.
A $10,000 retirement contribution drops her projected income to $80,000.
Well under the cliff.
She keeps her subsidies. Saves $12,400 in premiums. Saves another $2,400 in federal tax.
$14,800 in total savings on a $10,000 contribution.
That's a 148% return before her money even grows.
Problem solved.
We had until December to sort this out, but a ton of people will fall off this cliff and never know.
This is one cliff. There are more.
QBI Deduction
Accountants. Lawyers. Consultants. Doctors.
You get a 20% deduction on qualified business income.
$400K profit? That's $80K off your taxable income.
Worth $30K in tax savings.
Phase-out starts at $201,775 single / $403,500 married.
Every dollar above that threshold eats into your deduction until it's gone.
Net Investment Income Tax
3.8% surtax on investment income.
Kicks in at $200K single / $250K married.
These thresholds haven't moved since 2013.
One dollar over and every dollar of dividends, interest, and capital gains gets hit.
Capital Gains and Dividends
0% tax on qualified dividends and long-term capital gains up to $94,050 married / $47,025 single.
One dollar over? 15%.
This isn't a phase-out. It's a cliff.
Social Security Taxation
Combined income over $25K single / $32K married?
50% of your Social Security becomes taxable.
Over $34K / $44K? 85% taxable.
These phase outs haven't changed since 1993.
A Roth conversion can flip a switch and make your entire Social Security check taxable.
SALT Deduction
The cap went up to $40,400 in 2026. Good news.
Bad news? It phases out above $505,000.
High earners in New York, California, New Jersey?
You might be back to the old $10,000 cap.
Senior Deduction
New for 2026. Extra $6,000 if you're 65+.
Phases out at $75,000 single / $150,000 married.
That threshold is LOW.
A lot of retirees will lose part or all of it.
Here's the point.
Your AGI says you're in the 24% bracket.
But your REAL marginal rate might be 50%. 100%. Sometimes 248%.
How much more tax will that incremental dollars of income cost you?
Most people don't find out until it's too late.
Here's what to do.
Know your cliffs.
Model your numbers BEFORE year end.
Build in a margin of safety.
You don't want a surprise 1099 in January to blow you off a cliff you thought you cleared.
Sometimes a retirement contribution pulls you back under.
That's exactly what we did for my client.
Sometimes you defer income to next year.
Sometimes you just pay it.
But don't stumble over a cliff because someone told you "marginal rates don't matter."
They don't. Until they do.
Run your numbers. Or call someone who will.
H/T to @money_cruncher for the inspiration. Definitely give him a follow.
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump just signed an executive order declaring Christmas EVE and Dec. 26 federal holidays, an early present for federal workers
They now get both days OFF of work.
TRUMP LOVES CHRISTMAS!🎄🇺🇸
Finland ended homelessness with a housing first strategy that gave people apartments before they secured employment
Now they’re proposing a 4 day work week and 6 hour work days
True work life balance
Meanwhile in the US, people work two jobs and can’t afford food or healthcare
We need a 4-day, 32-hour work week with livable wages.
There is no reason that people need to be working this much.
People need time off to rest and spend with family and friends.
🚨 THE SNEAKER MARKET JUST COLLAPSED - AND NOBODY KNOWS WHY
A sneaker shop owner says the entire market “died overnight.” And the numbers are insane:
• Shoes that were $500–$600 now won’t move at $300
• Jordan 1s sitting for $90
• Dunks and GRs gathering dust
• Even HEAT priced under retail isn’t selling
• Yeezys - once the safest resale shoe on earth - are tanking everywhere
He straight-up asks:
“Does anyone wanna explain why shoes are literally just dying right now?”
And the weirdest part?
Nobody’s selling OR buying - the whole ecosystem is frozen.
Something broke but nobody can agree on what.
What REALLY killed the sneaker market - the economy, the hype dying… or is the whole resale game finally collapsing?
🚨 AMERICANS ARE JUST NOW REALIZING THEIR “ICE CREAM” ISN’T EVEN LEGALLY ICE CREAM ANYMORE
"Does anybody know what's happened to Breyers ice cream...that it's no longer ice cream?"
A couple posted a viral video after buying a tub of what they thought was normal ice cream only to discover the packaging never uses the words ice cream anywhere.
Instead, the label says “Frozen Dairy Dessert.”
Why?
Because years ago, companies quietly changed their recipes:
• Less cream
• More air
• More gums & stabilizers
• Cheaper fillers
• Ingredients that no longer meet FDA standards to legally call it ice cream
The wife says she bought this thinking she was being “moderately healthy,” until she noticed something insane:
“NOWHERE on here does it say ice cream.”
“It literally says frozen dairy dessert."
“This was the ice cream of my childhood…now it tastes TERRIBLE."
She opens the container and immediately freaks out:
“First of all… what is this texture?”
“It tastes metallic.”
“It’s forming a FILM inside my mouth."
“This is NOT ice cream.”
Her husband jumps in:
“This used to be the PREMIUM ice cream of the bourgeoisie.”
She stops him, but keeps inspecting the tub:
“They made it LOOK like ice cream… the fancy label, the ‘Rainforest Alliance’ leaf… the Grade A milk logo… but WHAT am I actually eating here?”
“Because it’s definitely not ice cream.”
People across the internet are now checking their own tubs and realizing the same thing - half the brands in their freezer aren’t even allowed to be called real ice cream.
Did you know companies legally reclassified this stuff… or have you been eating ‘frozen dairy dessert’ without realizing it?
A 29-year-old Florida woman managed to impersonate a registered nurse for months, slipping into a hospital job using someone else’s license number. During that time, she treated more than 4,000 patients—taking vitals, administering medications, and performing procedures she had no training for. Staff only uncovered the truth when she was offered a promotion and her credentials didn’t add up. Investigators later learned she’d been working on the floor for far longer than anyone realized, blending in so well that no one questioned her until she tried to move up. She now faces multiple felony charges—while thousands of patients are being notified that the person who cared for them wasn’t a nurse at all.
MSNBC panel just torched Chuck Schumer:
“This is the end of Chuck Schumer as we go forward.”
They’re right, how do you lose a fight to protect the ACA when 80% of Americans agree with you, and you just won an election?
The economics of health care are very simple. There are 3 questions:
1. What is the Price
2. Who Pays for It
3. Who Takes the Financial Risk When the Patient Can’t Pay
We know that insurance companies don’t want to insure. That the real risk takers are the Re-Insurance Carriers.
We know that we don’t know prices and Vertically Integrated companies game the economics where they can.
Until we know real costs , all this chatter is a waste of time. You can’t know what the risk is if you don’t know what the cost is.
And you can’t come up with a plan to deal with costs, payments and risk , whether it’s universal care or something better until we do.
My solution, and it’s not perfect, is:
Rather than the government/taxpayers taking on the obligation of payment for almost all medical care as M4A proposes, we take on the risk of non-payment at Medicare or Medicare Reference Pricing, for the same care, by guaranteeing all patient debt and seeking means tested repayment plans.
No HC insurance beyond supplemental plans. The taxpayer acts as the insurance company. Rather than premiums, taxpayers pay for what they use, based on what they can afford.