Category: News and Politics
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Odd NJ laws
New Jersey law N.J.A.C. 13:45A-21.7 requires a business that describes its food as “Jewish” but does not represent it as kosher to make that distinction clear to customers. Cherry Hill’s Kibitz Room argues that “Jewish” describes a culinary tradition, not compliance with religious dietary requirements. The state is seeking a $1,000 penalty for missing the…
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The Ongoing Struggle for Internet in Cumberland County
Today Salem County celebrates the groundbreaking of its high speed Internet expansion program. Meanwhile, large parts of rural Cumberland County remain without high speed Internet. Some rural neighborhoods, including mine in Downe Township, still lack reliable cell service, public water, and sewer. A national magazine article recently ranked our area unfavorably alongside parts of Appalachia…
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Modern Tax Protest and Evasion
A growing number of taxpayers are signaling that they may refuse to file or pay federal taxes as a political act. Now elected government officials are also hinting at their support of a tax protest strategy. Historically, every period of social or economic tension has generated waves of “tax protest” behavior, and courts have been…
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My NJ county, named an obstructor
This post is prompted by the U.S. Department of Justice issuance of a new announcement that our Cumberland County, New Jersey is named as an obstructor of ICE efforts. I am proud to be among the obstructors. I have been unintentionally caught in the middle of this immigration paperwork issue for more than three decades,…
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Tariffs refunds?
My firm does not handle importers or deal with tariff issues but I am curious about how recent legal news will affect small businesses and consumers.
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38 years of small business struggle
In February 1987 I left one of Wall Street’s richest and most successful firms of that era, Drexel Burnham Lambert, led by junk bond king Michael Milliken, because I saw how this was destroying middle income Americans, small businesses, and our local towns. I set up a company Freedom Benefits that eventually became an early…
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5 tax reform proposals to watch out for in 2025
All of these are aligned with expressed Presidential and Congressional goals, so I assess that there is a reasonable risk that any or all of these could become law this year.
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The golden age of tax fraud:
IRS Commissioner Werfel resigned yesterday. By almost all accounts, he was one of the better Commissioners of our era based on his work to modernize service and enforcement. His tenure is widely praised for laying a foundation for digital transformation of the agency and enhancing IRS enforcement capabilities. His proposed replacement is best known for…
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Crimes by politicians continue to go unpunished and underreported
I am concerned about the unaddressed political crime wave across America. High profile cases occasionally make headlines. But it appears that hundreds or thousands of crimes are charged, underreported, and not prosecuted. It seems like hardly a day goes by that an elected politician is not named in criminal charge somewhere and then we rarely…
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Random reflections tonight after the Super Bowl
When the members of churches who taught me my most fundamental ethical beliefs like: Iove my neighbor and foreigners alike, treat all people equally, respect the poor and disabled, give money and time freely, do not steal, do not kill, turn the other cheek – now teach the exact opposite, When the person I recognized…