Do Californians Realize How Badly They’re
Getting Ripped Off?
Posted By: RockyTCB, 10/28/2025 7:00:56 PM
Let’s say you paid top dollar to go to a fancy, five-star restaurant, and the waiter served you warmed-over McDonald’s. Would you ever go back? Maybe, if you didn’t know any better. I started thinking about that after I recently changed my residency from Virginia to California (for reasons I won’t go into) and noticed that my state income taxes had gone up by more than 33%. Over the course of the year, I will pay California $2,115 more than I’d been paying in Virginia, which is hardly a low-tax state (Virginia has the 14th highest income tax burden in
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Let’s say you paid top dollar to go to a fancy, five-star restaurant, and the waiter served you warmed-over McDonald’s. Would you ever go back?
Maybe, if you didn’t know any better.
I started thinking about that after I recently changed my residency from Virginia to California (for reasons I won’t go into) and noticed that my state income taxes had gone up by more than 33%.
Over the course of the year, I will pay California $2,115 more than I’d been paying in Virginia, which is hardly a low-tax state (Virginia has the 14th highest income tax burden in
Voters Split On Trump Gov’t Job Cuts,
As Slim Majority Fear ‘Worse’ Services:
I&I/TIPP Poll 12 replies
As Slim Majority Fear ‘Worse’ Services:
I&I/TIPP Poll 12 replies
There’s been a lot of talk in recent weeks about shrinking the federal government workforce. Is this something Americans want? Not necessarily. The latest I&I/TIPP Poll shows that most Americans think the federal workforce should either be larger or the same size.
This month’s national online I&I/TIPP Poll, taken from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, asked 1,459 participants: “Overall, do you think the federal workforce today is: 1) too large and should be reduced; 2) too small and should be expanded; 3) about the right size; and 4) Not sure.”
The responses were nearly evenly split
When socialist Zohran Mamdani won the New York City mayoral primary, we said that the concern expressed by some Democrats was phony, because they didn’t want to admit just how far left their party had drifted.
Now, they’ve given up that pretense entirely.
On Friday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries endorsed socialist Mamdani, saying the 33-year-old trust fund baby “has relentlessly focused on addressing the affordability crisis and explicitly committed to being a mayor for all New Yorkers.”
He’s the most senior-ranking Democrat to do so, but he joins a list that already includes
Dems’ Hysterical Fits Over Trump’s
White House Ballroom Remodel Shows There’s
No Bottom To TDS 15 replies
White House Ballroom Remodel Shows There’s
No Bottom To TDS 15 replies
Of all the things that Democrats have tried to tar President Donald Trump with, none is as petty, stupid and inconsequential as the current flap over remodeling the East Wing of the White House. But since Dems shut down the government, they have nothing else to do these days – apart from inciting their far-left followers to commit violence.
These are dangerous times in the world, both abroad and here in the U.S.
And yet, here’s California’s too-slick Gov. Gavin Newsom’s comment: “He’s literally destroying the White House.“
No, he’s “literally” not “destroying” the White House. He’s remodeling it.
The Longer The Shutdown Lasts, The Better
13 replies
We have no idea how the government shutdown, now in its fourth week and the second longest in history, will end, or how. But what is increasingly clear is how badly Democrats miscalculated on this one.
Consider three bits of news from this week:
First, the shutdown isn’t hurting Republicans.
In fact, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that President Donald Trump’s approval rating has ticked up by two points to 42% since the shutdown started. Other polls find it unchanged. The Real Clear Politics average shows Trump’s disapproval at 52%, which is down a point from the day before the shutdown started.
Why We Don’t Like The Democratic Party
18 replies
In response to last week’s editorial “None Dare Call It A Republic,” one reader said I&I prefers “the term republic over democracy because” we “like the Republican Party” and “don’t like the Democratic Party.” Therefore we refuse to use the word “Democratic” because it “sounds just like the word ‘democratic.’” We can’t say we like the Republican Party, but we can say we despise the Democratic Party. Read on and we’ll tell you why.
First, though, take a look at the reader’s full comment, found here. He calls us ignorant, which is fine – he’s entitled to his opinion. But his
Political violence has waxed and waned throughout U.S. history. Today, there’s a very clear upswing. But is it widely accepted? No. In fact, Americans overwhelmingly oppose using violence to achieve political goals, and mostly blame major political parties as equal threats to use violent tactics for the sake of political power, the latest I&I/TIPP Poll shows.
A representative sample of Americans were asked: “Do you believe that using violence to achieve political goals is ever justified?”
Respondents made clear they didn’t like violence by either party. Overall, only 9% of those taking the poll said violence for political goals was “always justified,”
The “moral equivalent of war” is often used to elevate an otherwise non-threatening event into an existential threat. But today, the U.S. and indeed, all of Western civilization, faces a very real existential threat, one equal to war: the global collapse of fertility and families.
In country after country, the stark, awful news emerges on a nearly daily basis: birth rates are plunging as women disengage from traditional marriage and family life, and young men do the same.
The U.S. is no exception.
Last year, the U.S. fertility rate plunged to an all-time low of 1.6 children per woman, a rate roughly 24% below the 2.1 children required j
Those who follow the news might have noticed something different about the current government shutdown, which is now entering its third week.
Namely, the lack of horror stories that usually accompany shutdowns. Anyone want to guess why that is?
Consider what the news media were reporting when the government shut down for more than a month starting in late 2018 – the result of a fight over funding for the border wall.
Then, the public was treated to headlines such as:
“The Government Shutdown Is ‘Life And Death’
President Trump’s ongoing efforts to bring peace between Israel and the terrorist Hamas group in Gaza appeared to bear fruit last week with a deal to cease hostilities and to release remaining hostages and prisoners. But will American voters back Trump’s bold plan? The answer is a resounding yes, the latest I&I/TIPP Poll shows.
After months of talks and arm-twisting, Trump was able to broker a tenuous deal that might serve as a pattern for future peace deals in the region.
Knowing the outline of the deal as first presented, I&I/TIPP asked voters: “Do you support or oppose the Trump peace plan for Gaza,
Yesterday, we came across a Wall Street Journal article titled: “Tariffs Are Way Up. Interest on Debt Tops $1 Trillion. And DOGE Didn’t Do Much.”
The Journal based its report on a Congressional Budget Office report released earlier in the week.
But I&I readers knew all this months ago.
Because while Democrats and the mainstream press were freaking out about how the Department of Government Efficiency was slashing government, we were reporting the facts.
Back in February, we debunked the claim that Elon Musk was taking a chainsaw to the federal government
October is a month for political surprises, it’s been said. But one turn of events this month was not the least bit shocking. We’ve been following the flameout of the electric vehicle for years. It was quite predictable.
Up until Oct. 1, Americans could reel in generous federal subsidies in exchange for buying an electric vehicle. A new EV or plug-in hybrid pulled down a $7,500 tax credit. A used EV or plug-in got $4,000. Now those subsidies are gone, thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill signed by President Donald Trump on July 4, and EV sales are expected
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Joe Biden emerged from hiding on Sunday night to deliver a Trump-bashing speech that once again illustrates just how tone-deaf he and his handlers are with reality.
As ABC News reported, 82-year-old Biden was speaking publicly for the first time since completing a round of radiation therapy for an aggressive form of prostate cancer.
The former White House occupier was present to receive a lifetime achievement award for inspired leadership from the Edward M. Kennedy Institute in Boston.
Biden soon turned his speech into a Trump-bashing session, implying the president was a dictator.
“Since its founding, America served as a beacon
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates now says climate change “will not lead to humanity’s demise,” despite having spent years fearmongering over rising global temperatures.
Gates authored a surprising blog post on Monday advocating for climate activists to move away from the “doomsday outlook” they have spent years peddling.
“Although climate change will have serious consequences — particularly for people in the poorest countries — it will not lead to humanity’s demise,” wrote Gates, who has spent billions of dollars on climate-related initiatives. “People will be able to live and thrive in most places on Earth for the foreseeable future.”
Springsteen’ Movie Bombs All over the World
21 replies
Here in America, the Springsteen biopic opened to a truly dreadful $9.1 million. With billions more customers available overseas and Springsteen’s status as a global superstar, you’d think that’s where the money is.Nope.
The movie only scooped up another $7 million internationally, which means that its overall global take was a measly $16 million.
How bad is that?Well, box office analysts believed the worst it would do just here in America was $15 million, and it ended up only barely topping the domestic worst-case scenario all over the world.
Is this a case of “Go woke, go broke?”
Well, as I wrote on Sunday,
TOKYO — President Trump announced Toyota has promised $10 billion in investments toward new manufacturing plants in the US — urging people to “go out and buy a Toyota” in a wide-ranging speech to sailors aboard the USS George Washington Tuesday in Tokyo Bay.
Trump, who is making trade and economic deals a top goal of his three-nation regional tour, said that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told him earlier in the day that the world’s largest car company would pour funds into American manufacturing plants.
Gavin Newsom has said a lot of ridiculous things over the years, but his latest claim takes the cake; saying he was a “young street hustler” who survived on mac & cheese and Wonder Bread might be his dumbest line yet. And fear not, the internet is coming for him hard.You almost have to admire Gavin Newsom’s commitment to absolute delusion. The man’s been handed everything his entire life. Talk about coming into the world with a silver spoon in your mouth. This guy was born into San Francisco high society, connected to the Getty family, practically raised on private jets and trust funds, and now he’s trying to convince
At least nineteen people were shot, three of them fatally, over the course of the past weekend in Democrat-run Chicago.
Breitbart News reported at least 11 people were shot Friday into Saturday night alone, and one of those shooting victims succumbed to his wounds.
By Monday, CBS News noted the tally of wounded reached at least 16 and at least two additional shooting fatalities had occurred.
The first of the two additional shooting fatalities occurred “in the 4100 block of West Jackson Boulevard” at 3:10 p.m. on Saturday. A 23-year-old man was inside a vehicle when someone shot him in the chest, killing him.
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen said Tuesday that parent company Unilever prevented the ice cream maker from creating a "flavor for Palestine." Cohen and the Vermont-based ice cream maker are known for social activism, often supporting Palestinians and criticizing Israel. "Unilever / Magnum stopped Ben & Jerry’s from creating a flavor for Palestine — so I’m doing it myself," Cohen wrote on X, referring to Magnum Ice Cream, Unilever's ice cream unit. "I’ve got a watermelon, an empty pint, and I need your help: Name the flavor or suggest ingredients. Or design the pint packaging," he continued. Watermelons have become a symbol of Palestinian solidarity
Rosie O'Donnell is asking for prayers as her daughter, Chelsea, faces a "scary future."
"My child chelsea belle - before addiction took over her life - i loved her then i love her now as she faces a scary future- prayers welcomed- #addiction awareness #love #family," O'Donnell wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of Chelsea as a child.
Just days prior, on Oct. 22, Chelsea had her probation revoked and was sentenced to serve time in prison, according to court documents reviewed by Fox News Digital.
One aspect of the government shutdown that probably wasn’t anticipated by Chuck Schumer and other Democrats, is that it has revealed to the public just how many people receive food stamps. Years ago, when the program was still called ‘food stamps’ it was seen as something that struggling families might use temporarily to get through a hard time. Then it was re-branded as the ‘SNAP’ program and destigmatized. People were encouraged to enroll. Now there are many more people using the program, many who probably don’t even really need it. The longer the shutdown goes on, the more reports there are about this and it’s stunning to taxpayers
Congress is barreling toward a critical deadline for extending the enhanced ObamaCare subsidies at the heart of the government shutdown, and it may already be too late to shield the public from sticker shock with open-enrollment window shopping underway.
If somehow there is a deal done ahead of Nov.1, which looks unlikely, states and the federal government may still have time to incorporate the enhanced subsidies into their prices. But Republicans have made it clear that there will need to be changes to the tax credits before they even entertain an extension.
President Donald Trump’s firing of all members of an independent federal agency expected to review some of his construction projects, including his planned $300 million White House ballroom, has sparked an online backlash.
Trump fired six members of the Commission of Fine Arts, a group of architectural experts that advises the federal government on historic preservation and public buildings, on Tuesday. The Washington Post first reported the firings.
A White House official told the newspaper that new members who were more aligned with Trump’s "America First" policies would be named to the commission.
The House Oversight and Reform Committee has released a 100-page report [pdf HERE] highlighting how people around Joe Biden hid information about his cognitive incapacity and worked around the issue using his autopen signature to authorize presidential actions.
The House committee has released the video and transcript of all the witnesses questioned during their investigation [SEE HERE] to support their contention and referral to the Dept of Justice for a criminal investigation of the events.