Legalectric

Don’t need more tRump inciting — look how tRump’s invasion of Portland and the TRUMP caravan through town this weekend went. More divisiveness, more incitement, more tension, more outrage? That’s the last thing Kenosha needs. Too many ugly and sometimes threatening comments on my thorough post the other day. White supremacist vigilante kills 2 in Kenosha

Ailing Kenosha on edge as Trump visit looms amid tensions – Most arrested during Kenosha protests not from city

https://www.startribune.com/police-most-arrested-during-kenosha-protests-not-from-city/572272042/

Send emails (easy-peasy cut & paste) to:

City of Kenosha Common Council and City Attorney:

webcityattorney@kenosha.org, district1@kenosha.org, district2@kenosha.org, district3@kenosha.org, district4@kenosha.org, district5@kenosha.org, district6@kenosha.org, district7@kenosha.org, district8@kenosha.org, district9@kenosha.org, district10@kenosha.org, district11@kenosha.org, district12@kenosha.org, district13@kenosha.org, district14@kenosha.org, district15@kenosha.org, district16@kenosha.org, district17@kenosha.org

Kenosha County Board of Supervisors:

William.Grady@kenoshacounty.org, Terry.Rose@kenoshacounty.org, Jeffrey.Gentz@kenoshacounty.org, Laura.Belsky@kenoshacounty.org, David.Celebre@kenoshacounty.org, Edward.Kubicki@kenoshacounty.org, daniel.gaschke@kenoshacounty.org, Zach.Rodriguez@kenoshacounty.org, john.franco@kenoshacounty.org, andy.berg@kenoshacounty.org, Ronald.Frederick@kenoshacounty.org, Gabe.Nudo@kenoshacounty.org,  John.Oday@kenoshacounty.org, Boyd.Frederick@kenoshacounty.org, amy.maurer@kenoshacounty.org, Jerry.Gulley@kenoshacounty.org, jeff.wamboldt@kenoshacounty.org, Monica.Yuhas@kenoshacounty.org, Sandra.Beth@kenoshacounty.org, Sharon.Pomaville@kenoshacounty.org, Mark.Nordigian@kenoshacounty.org, Erin.Decker@kenoshacounty.org, Lon.Wienke@kenoshacounty.org

Governor Tony Evers told tRump to STAY HOME! That’s the most sensible thing to come out of Wisconsin for weeks. And a missive of support to Gov. Tony Evers would be helpful:

Contact Gov. Tony Evers

STrib article: Trump administration allows deferral of Social Security tax

It’s real – the U.S. Department of the Treasury has issued guidance allowing employers to not withhold the 6.2% for Social Security AND employer share will not be paid in either.

Within this notice above, IN A FOOTNOTE (!), is a heads up that employers also do not have to pony up their share:

The deposit obligation for employee social security tax does not arise until the tax is withheld. Accordingly, by postponing the time for withholding the employee social security tax, the deposit obligation is delayed by operation of the regulations. Thus, this notice does not separately postpone the deposit obligation.

So not only is this not deducted from an employee’s paycheck, but the employer does not pay in either. If every employer did this, that would mean that the employer and employee funding for Social Security would drop to zero and end!

It would? Check this “analysis of the implications of hypothetical legislation that would change the tax rate paid by employers, employees, and self-employed individuals to zero percent for the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) payroll taxes and Self-Employment Contributions Act (SECA) taxes that fund Social Security’s Old Age and Survivors Insurance (OASI) Trust Fund and Disability Insurance (DI) Trust Fund.”

Where does Social Security stand, what’s the income, outgo, Trust Fund balance? From the Wiki on Social Security:

Note income and outgo are evenly tied now. There’s a lot of $$$ that the government owes the Trust Fund, and it can’t make interest on what isn’t there (not that interest rates now mean anything). What’s expected to happen? Unless something changes, it goes into the negative circa 2034:

Where does Social Security get its revenue from? According to the Social Security Administration:

In 2019, $944.5 billion (89 percent) of total Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insurance income came from payroll taxes. The remainder was provided by interest earnings $80.8 billion (7.6 percent) and revenue from taxation of OASDI benefits $36.5 billion (3.4 percent).

Removing $944.5 billion PLUS (presuming it’s ever increasing) from the Social Security income stream, EIGHTY-NINE PERCENT, would have a tremendous impact on both revenue and the interest earnings.

From Reuters:

Trump’s coronavirus payroll tax cut would punch hole in Social Security, Medicare budgets

An Obama administration 2011 payroll tax cut to counteract the Great Recession, for example, returned $109 billion to households by cutting 2 percentage points from the amount that employees pay the federal government. In that case, the Treasury put a similar amount into the Social Security fund to make up the loss.

Trump’s proposal, to eliminate both the workers’ and employers’ payments, is of a different scale. Unless it is also somehow replaced, it could exacerbate funding shortfalls that the two popular programs already face in coming years, as the U.S. population ages and demand for healthcare increases.

AND what they’re not saying in BIG BOLD FONT is that this money has to be recouped in 2021. This “tax cut” really isn’t, and employees and employers would have to take a significant hit in 2021, paying their current 6.2% plus another sum to make up for the cut. How do they propose to do that? Not said… and if tRump had his way, he’d cut the payroll tax altogether.

As one who is 65 next year, and as one who is self-employed paying in the full 12.4% share for Social Security, putting the Social Security system at risk like this is not acceptable. Just NO! I’ll keep up with my pay-ins to Social Security, no balloon payment for me, but as one who will have to keep working forever before starting to collect Social Security, I’m royally pissed at these efforts to undermine Social Security. What they should be doing is putting back the money that has been borrowed, increase the income ceiling for Social Security deductions, and eliminate Social Security payments to those who have no need of it (that’s the “entitlement” that should be cut, the 1%, the 5%, the 10%, why on earth would they need Social Security payments?)

Destabilizing Social Security? This is something you’d think working stiffs and those collecting Social Security and Social Security Disability would care about.

When I’m 65?

Lot of filings in preparation for the first hearing on Association of Freeborn County Landowners’ MERA suit against the PUC. At this time next week, it’s off to the races!

First, the Motions to Dismiss:

PUC Filings – Motion to Dismiss:

NSP and Plum Creek Wind Filings – Motion to Dismiss

Buffalo Ridge and Three Waters Wind Projects’ Filings – Motion to Dismiss

AFCL Response to Defendant and Defendant Intervenors Motions to Dismiss

Next, Motion for Temporary Injunction:

PUC Filings re: Injunction

NSP – Plum Creek Filings re: Injunction

(FYI, threats however anonymous and hidden are reported, and comments approved so the world can see what ugly jerks you are.)

Kyle Rittenhouse arrested in Illinois for fleeing, and charged with 1st degree Intentional Homicide, and more, in Wisconsin:

READ THE WISCONSIN CRIMINAL COMPLAINT HERE:

Contact the Wisconsin Attorney General and urge a full investigation of not only these murders and shootings, but the ties between Kenosha militia (and others) and Kenosha Police Dept., their coordination with militia in driving protesters towards them, and the role of militia and inciters to bring this about. Urge a U.S. Dept. of Justice investigation into Kenosha Police Department. https://www.doj.state.wi.us/ag/contact

Suspect Charged with Murder After 2 Shot Dead at Kenosha Protest

• Wisconsin DOJ 608-266-1221
• Gov. Tony Evers 414-227-4344

See him walking away? You’ll see that in the Military Vangard video below. And after that first shooting, this:

Tucker Carlson defends actions of teen charged in killings of Kenosha protesters

Contact Fox News – Tucker Carlson needs to be FIRED – link HERE

Watch this video:

TW
These are the types of people Trump has emboldened: a member of a white supremacist militia called Boogaloo boys shoots people protesting against police brutality in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

One of the core beliefs of boogaloo boys is that a new civil war is imminent in America. pic.twitter.com/3oiV7f8dYx

— Admirim (@admirim) August 26, 2020

Another video, can’t embed it (see Military Vanguard fb page):

“I just killed somebody” says Kyle Rittenhouse

#Breaking #KenoshaProtests 17-year old Kyle Rittenhouse with a green shirt and assault rifle can be seen running from the scene saying: “I just killed somebody”

Posted by Military Vanguard on Wednesday, August 26, 2020

Here’s another:

And Kenosha Police Department issue this:

Looking for him? Kyle Rittenhouse, a/k/a Kyle Lewis, of Antioch, Illinois. They had him after the shooting, and they had him before, right here:

LOOK AT THIS CLIP! LOOK! THEY ARE WORKING ALONGSIDE THE POLICE pic.twitter.com/BPL5clfjrc

— A Friendly Dad (@AFriendlyDad) August 26, 2020

“We appreciate you guys, we really do!“

And some people wonder why people are out in the streets.

Here’s Kyle Rittenhouse a/k/a Kyle Lewis, of Antioch, Illinois:

Kyle Rittenhouse, charged in Kenosha protest homicides, considered himself militia

https://twitter.com/RichieMcGinniss/status/1298657958205820928

Police press conference, OMFD, complete with passive voice and claim that Rittenhouse was there “to resolve the situation,” another OMFD:

https://twitter.com/MollyJongFast/status/1298710512243322883

Here he is in 2017:

Apparently Rittenhouse’s mother drove him up to Kenosha. Is that who he was calling after he shot that first person who fell between the cars, saying “I just killed someone” and she came and picked him up (how did he get back to Illinois otherwise?). Sounds like she’s an accessory:

Kyle Rittenhouse in front row at Des Moines tRump rally

Here’s a photo from that rally:

Read the missive below, and recall the video above where the Kenosha Guard is trying to be all chummy with the police, and Paul Swick, local III%, going back and forth with Kenosha Guard. fb has taken down the Kenosha Guard and Armed Citizens… pages and posts of their “event” for last night. Scroll down for Infowars promotion!

Militia guy said cops told him, “Do you know what the cops told us today? We’re going to push them to you, because you can deal with them, then we’re going to leave.”

View this post on Instagram

“Do you know what the cops told us today? We’re going to push them to you, because you can deal with them, then we’re going to leave.” Listen to this heavily armed white supremacist saying police told him that they were going to push protestors and demonstrators toward them, the armed white supremacists, then leave. THEY SET THIS UP TOGETHER. Then murdered 2 Men.

A post shared by Shaun King (@shaunking) on Aug 26, 2020 at 9:43am PDT

White supremacist vigilante kills 2 in Kenosha

Other links for when they start taking links down:

• Shooter saying “I just killed somebody” https://twitter.com/yaboykerr/status/1298490853384753152?s=21
• Link to the shooter’s profile: https://www.facebook.com/kyle.rittenhouse.3781
• Here you can see police assisting them and saying “we appreciate you guys we really do” https://twitter.com/gus_berry/status/1298514715702771712?s=21
• Clip of militia stating that police told them “you guys can handle them” https://twitter.com/adam_khan96/status/1298503882637746177?s=21
• Full live feed from tonight: https://www.facebook.com/cjtv.io/videos/726145031563748/

Infowars promotion of the militia recruiting:

https://www.infowars.com/wisconsin-militia-recruiting-citizens-to-patrol-kenosha-after-2nd-night-of-riots/

The Kenosha Guard, a local militia, is making a call-to-arms for “any patriots willing to take up arms and defend our city tonight from evil thugs.” The groups Facebook warns of potential future destruction to the neighborhood, claiming that there is “no doubt they’re currently planning on the next part of the city tonight!” [fb or the Kenosha Guard has taken the link down]

The Facebook event scheduled for 8PM at Civic Center Park today, outlines the agenda asking for “Armed Citizens to Protect our Lives and Property.” [fb or the Kenosha Guard has taken the link down]

The meet-up outlines that, “law enforcement is outnumbered and our Mayor has failed, Take up arms and lets defend our CITY! Meet at civic center at 8PM,” This was captured by the Rundown Live as thousands of Wisconsin protesters joined the Kenosha residents and things quickly turned violent, leaving vehicles, buildings in shambles and several injured.

A local resident who asked to remain anonymous, told the Rundown Live that the community is fed up with the looting and that law enforcement is not protecting local businesses, just federal buildings.” The individual suggested there are “many locals who share his sentiment and that” and that he is ” all for peaceful protests but we are not going to stand by and watch our city burn.”

This may have been inspired by other boogaloo movements such as in Michigan, but subsequently a result of the destruction of private property. A few brave locals came out armed last night to protect their businesses in Kenosha. The armed militia attempted to stop looters and rioters.

Thanks to Ann Iijima for this great article explaining what so many are wrestling with these days with extreme changes in our daily routine, our lives, family, work, school, and travel! I do wonder if we’ll ever again have a spirited Indian dinner with friends! Live jazz indoors? Not holding my breath…

Over the years, and particularly in times of financial, environmental, societal struggles and disasters, one thing I’ve notice is that so many people cannot handle uncertainty, and a truism of my life is that “the only certainty in life is uncertainty.”

I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve worked from home forever now, but I’m thinking a lot about “regular people” and wondering how they’re getting by, my neighbor having to go to work every day around people, often unreasonable and unruly people, a friend trying to run a restaurant spending so much time on sanitizing and precautions and, again, running into those unreasonable and unruly people, and neighbors with a large family who didn’t want the offer of a handful of masks I’d made. I’m thinking of my many musician friends who suddenly have zero work, zero income, and most of whom are have been living on the edge for a lifetime.

From the article, “But I was still doing well because I thrive in high-stress emergency situations. It’s exhilarating for my ADHD brain.” Yup, I can relate! Working from home since the end of February has meant not much of a change for me, other than frustrations of not being able to attend PUC meetings to jump up and loudly, or to go meet personally with distant client groups which is important to maintain interest and support. The travel is what I miss the most, and my clients are such a joy to deal with that they keep me going!! I’ve been binging on CLEs, which has been really interesting (surprisingly), and also using the extra time (from not traveling all the time) to dedicate an hour or more every day to ACTION (it’s a lot easier to lobby and agitate online, imagine these days without the internet!). Spurred by sending out campaign postcards, I recently started sending out postcards to people I’ve not seen in way too long — I have a huge collection from my trucking daze that were getting dusty. Adventures in gardening, baking, sewing masks, and yes, a haircut! House and car paid for and no consumer debt and solid income stream so I’m pretty secure financially, with no worries about eviction or foreclosure. At this point, the STAY HOME has been great for me, well, except for cancellations of campsites when state parks were closed, and pulling out of two Camp Host gigs and withdrawing from consideration for another in Wisconsin. Overall, I’m SO fortunate that my life fits into this pretty well. I recognize every day that for most, it’s an extreme struggle, and I think about all the time looking out the windows or on those rare trips out.

And here’s the article Ann found that might be helpful:

Our Brains Struggle to Process This Much Stress

A key point:

“It’s a shitty time, it’s hard,” he says. “You have to accept that in your bones and be okay with this as a tough day, with ‘that’s the way it is,’ and accept that as a baseline.”

And:

It’s a bit of a Schrödinger’s existence, but when you can’t change the situation, “the only thing you can change is your perception of it,” she says.

Of course, that doesn’t mean denying the existence of the pandemic or the coronavirus. As Maddaus says, “You have to face reality.” But how we frame that reality mentally can help us cope with it.

Bottom line:

Begin slowly building your resilience bank account

Maddaus’ idea of a resilience bank account is gradually building into your life regular practices that promote resilience and provide a fallback when life gets tough. Though it would obviously be nice to have a fat account already, he says it’s never too late to start. The areas he specifically advocates focusing on are sleep, nutrition, exercise, meditation, self-compassion, gratitude, connection, and saying no.

“Start really small and work your way up,” he says. “If you do a little bit every day, it starts to add up and you get momentum, and even if you miss a day, then start again. We have to be gentle with ourselves and keep on, begin again.”