Day: August 1, 2015

The Latest Government Trust Fund To Go Bankrupt

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highwaySimon Black – On June 6, 1932, President Herbert Hoover imposed the first ever national gasoline tax in the United States, initially set at 1 cent per gallon.

It was a major success for the federal government; the tax on gasoline alone was responsible for over 15% of their 1933 tax revenue.

What’s curious is that the Senate Finance Committee issued a report the following year stating that the federal gasoline tax should be repealed. But that never happened.

Instead it went up.

Under President Eisenhower, the tax increased to 3 cents per gallon. Under Reagan, 9 cents.

It’s risen steadily through the years to a level of 18.4 cents for every gallon of unleaded fuel, and 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel.

All of this tax revenue is –supposed– to go to the Federal Highway Trust Fund, something established back in the 1950s to finance the care and maintenance of the nation’s highways.

And now it, too, is insolvent.

Earlier this week I told you about Social Security’s Disability Insurance Trust Fund (DI), which will become insolvent in a matter of months.

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Google’s Propaganda Search Engine Distorts Perceptions To Control People’s Thoughts

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Try Good Gopher Instead, A Propaganda-Free Search Portal

good gopherEthan A. Huff – Using Google as your primary online search engine could be subjecting you to brainwashing and propaganda, as the advertising and information giant actively filters search results to push its own agenda. A prominent psychologist has warned that Google’s “filter bubble” censors certain information from view, promoting confirmation bias and ultimately ignorance of what’s really going on in the world.

Michael Carr-Gregg says the effect of Google’s proprietary web-crawling algorithms and tailored search results narrows people’s understanding of the world, skewing public perception towards what Google thinks is important for them to know. He warns that real world events often fly under the radar in favor of junk-food news like celebrity gossip and reality television, for instance.

Australia’s News.com.au reports that Google’s filter bubble also tailors search results based on earlier search queries, preventing users from pulling up other pertinent information that might not fit into their normal routine of searching habits. Over time, such a system isolates users not only from content that deviates from what they normally encounter, but also from others who think and believe differently from themselves. Continue reading →