90 Miles From Tyranny

Sunday, August 7, 2022

Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #576

Taiwan responds to China's military drills as warships circle each other in 'cat and mouse' maneuvers

China was left furious at Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan last week - Beijing recognizes the island as part of its territory and considers it part of its 'One-China' policy, and has since cut off defense talks with the US.

Taiwan has responded after China appeared to take part in military drills that simulated an attack following a major US official visiting the island.

China has now ended a number of live-fire military drills across seven zones around Taiwan in response to a visit by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the island - one that infuriated Chinese officials.

However, there was an escalation on Sunday, with Taiwanese warships retaliating to the drills, sailing in close quarters to Chinese ships in the Taiwan Strait.

Image:This map shows where Chinese military exercises took place (in the red boxes) with the north box nudging into Taiwan's territorial waters

A source told the Reuters news agency that some Chinese ships crossed the median line - an unofficial buffer which separates the two sides.

They added the Taiwanese side monitored Chinese ships as they "pressed" the line, in an effort to deny them the chance to cross.

"The two sides are showing restraint", they said, describing the maneuvers as high seas "cat and mouse".

"One side tries to cross, and the other stands in the way and forces them to a more disadvantaged position and eventually return to the other side."

In a press release, Taiwan's defence ministry said China was using ships, aircraft and drones to simulate attacks on the island, adding it had dispatched aircraft to respond "appropriately".

Taiwan added its land-based anti-ship missiles and its US-made Patriot surface-to-air-missiles were on stand-by.

On Saturday, China said the drills near the island had a focus on land and...

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The 90 Miles Mystery Box: Episode #1803

You have come across a mystery box. But what is inside?

It could be literally anything from the serene to the horrific,

from the beautiful to the repugnant,

from the mysterious to the familiar.

If you decide to open it, you could be disappointed,

you could be inspired, you could be appalled.

This is not for the faint of heart or the easily offended.

You have been warned.

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Visage à trois #392

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Quick Hits Of Wisdom, Knowledge And Snark #573

Mars Wrigley apologizes to China for Snickers ad which called Taiwan a country 😑

Better apologize.

Yes, your inner diva comes out when you're hungry, and apparently so does Xi Jinping's.

Cuz Mars Wrigley was quick to apologize for this little Snickers ad which dared to refer to Taiwan as a country:

Mars Wrigley had just launched a limited edition Snickers bar in the country and advised that the chocolate bar was only available in the countries of South Korea, Malaysia, and Taiwan, according to a Reuters report.

The statement went viral on Chinese social media platforms, including Weibo.

Mars Wrigley then published an apology and said it had revised the language in its ad, according to the report.

Chinese state media was super happy with the cowering:

Yes, for those of you living under a rock, some people on this planet claim Taiwan is a country of its own, while some, especially the Chinese Communist Party, consider it part of CHY-NA.

It seems to me the people of Taiwan consider themselves a country of their own, and that's all that really matters.

So in reality, Mars Wrigley should be apologizing to Taiwan for apologizing to China for calling Taiwan a country.

But they won't do that, because the Chinese are more powerful than ever and will soon be the world's...

Manchin-backed Inflation Reduction Act would more than double agency's size

If Democrats have their way, one of the most detested federal agencies—the Internal Revenue Service—will employ more bureaucrats than the Pentagon, State Department, FBI, and Border Patrol combined.

Under the Inflation Reduction Act negotiated by Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.), the agency would receive $80 billion in funding to hire as many as 87,000 additional employees. The increase would more than double the size of the IRS workforce, which currently has 78,661 full-time staffers, according to federal data.

The additional IRS funding is integral to the Democrats' reconciliation package. A Congressional Budget Office analysis found the hiring of new IRS agents would result in more than $200 billion in additional revenue for the federal government over the next decade. More than half of that funding is specifically earmarked for "enforcement," meaning tax audits and other responsibilities such as "digital asset monitoring."

That would make the IRS one of the largest federal agencies. The Pentagon houses roughly 27,000 employees, according to the Defense Department, while a human resources fact sheet says the State Department employs just over 77,243 staff. The FBI employs approximately 35,000 people, according to the agency's website, and Customs and Border Protection says it employs 19,536 Border Patrol agents.

The money allocated to the IRS would increase the agency's budget by more than 600 percent. In 2021, the IRS received $12.6 billion.

Although Democrats say the hiring of additional IRS agents will help root out tax cheats and other criminals, federal tax revenues have steadily risen over the past several decades. Federal tax receipts are projected to hit $5.7 trillion in 2027, up from just over $4 trillion last year without additional IRS agents.

But the roughly $450 billion in new spending proposed by Democrats requires new funding mechanisms. Some of the new spending includes $161 billion for clean electricity tax credits and $64 billion in new Affordable Care Act subsidies.

The majority of new revenue from IRS audits and scrutiny will come from those making less than $200,000 a year, according to a study from the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation. The committee found that just 4 to 9 percent of money raised will come from those making more than $500,000, contrary to Democrats' claims that new IRS agents are necessary to target millionaires and billionaires who hide income.

Senate Republicans argue that the roughly $45 billion the bill puts towards hiring IRS agents could be better spent on other priorities, such as helping students rebound from the learning loss suffered during COVID school closures. A proposal by Sen. Tim Scott (R., S.C.) would amend the spending bill to put the IRS money towards education tax credits.

"When faced with the decision to spend $45 billion on America’s largest revenue collection agency, or give it back to parents to help them get their kids the help they need, the Senate needs to choose...