Connecticut lifts some Covid restrictions

Connecticut dramatically rolls back COVID restrictions, allowing full indoor dining, increased entertainment and sports capacity; travel ban lifted | Hartford Courant - Emily Brindley, Eliza Fawcett, and Alex Putterman: 

March 4. 2021 - "Gov. Ned Lamont on Thursday announced that he will roll back COVID-related restrictions in Connecticut starting March 19, including allowing restaurants to operate at full capacity, loosening rules on sports and entertainment venues and lifting the state’s travel ban. The state will maintain some key measures, including a mask mandate, social distancing rules, a curfew for restaurants and the closure of all bars. 

"Restaurants, retail stores, houses of worship and other businesses will be allowed to reopen at full capacity, within the confines of the remaining rules. Sports will be allowed to resume fully, with outdoor venues permitted up to 50% capacity, capped at 10,000 visitors, and indoor venues permitted up to 10% capacity. Travelers will still be recommended to quarantine after arriving in Connecticut, but they will not be required to do so....

"Lamont emphasized that Connecticut had not gone as far as Mississippi and Texas, states which drew sharp criticism from President Joe Biden after revoking their mask mandates.... Still, Connecticut’s new plan defies guidance from Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who recommended earlier this week that states move slowly in reopening.... Lamont said that he looked at other states’ reopening approaches. Massachusetts, for instance, recently announced a similar reopening plan, including lifting capacity caps at restaurants.....

• "Beginning on March 19, Connecticut restaurants will be permitted to move from 50% capacity to 100% capacity, with social distancing and mask requirements still in place.... Restaurants will also have an 11 p.m. curfew for on-site dining, and tables will be limited to a maximum of eight patrons. Bars that only serve beverages will still not be permitted to open at all.... 
• Retail stories, offices, houses of worship, gyms, libraries, person services such as nail and hair salons will all be allowed to reopen at full capacity on March 19. Masks and social distancing will be required....
• Lamont’s reopening plan also significantly opens up the playing field for sports teams. According to Lamont’s plan, all sports teams will be allowed to fully practice and compete — including in tournaments — beginning on March 19.... As of April 2, indoor sports venues will be allowed to open at 10% capacity and outdoor event venues will be able to increase to 50% capacity, capped at 10,000 people.

"Lamont’s emergency powers are set to expire April 20, but the governor said Thursday some of his executive orders — such as masking — will likely need to be continued beyond April 20. The governor implied that he does not plan to extend his emergency powers but that he will work with the legislature on those issues."

Read more: https://www.courant.com/coronavirus/hc-news-coronavirus-daily-updates-0304-20210304-56d7cbx6k5da7auqqroznhhdfa-story.html

Calgary AB youth arrested for playing hockey

Unsettling video shows cops assaulting, pulling taser on young man for playing ice hockey outside | The Blaze - Paul Sacca: 

December 19, 2020 - "Disturbing video is coming out of Canada showing police officers assaulting and aiming a taser at a young man for playing ice hockey at an outside rink in Alberta. A viral video shows Calgary police shutting down a pickup ice hockey game at an outside rink. The cops claim that the game was violating public health orders. There were reports of 40 people at the Southwood community rink and skatepark. According to the Alberta government website: 'Outdoor team sports must also be limited to 10 people or fewer and 2 metre distancing must be maintained at all times.'

"Two female officers attempt to apprehend the man, who refuses to abide by the cops' orders to get on the ground. One officer is caught on video kneeing the hockey player, but he continues to stand on the ice. During the tussle, one of the police officers falls to the ground. 

"When someone asks why the officer has their hand on a gun, the cop replies, 'It's not a gun, it's a taser, and he's under arrest, and I have the authority to use force to effect an arrest.' While pointing her taser squarely aimed at the man, the cop screams, "Get on the ground! Get on the f***ing ground! Get on the ground before I f***ing taser you!'

"Onlookers urge the man to come off the ice and surrender to the police. One female officer appears to try to put a chokehold on the man, but fails. The police officers attempt to bring the man to the ground, but he continues to stand in one place and asks, 'Why do I have to go to the ground?' One of the officers kicks the man several times in the groin area.

"The officers finally have the man's hands behind his back, and he says, 'I just asked you what you were doing to that little kid.' The 'little kid' could be in reference to ... 12-year-old Rayan Sanoubar, who was instructed by police to stop skateboarding at the same park. 'A peace officer came sat in this car and got out and… told skateboarders we have to go and [were] not allowed to be there and we all refused and he called for backup for other police to come,' Sanoubar told the Global News.

"'They had him on the ground for six minutes, just frozen, cutting his skates off with a knife,' Sanoubar said. 'They arrested him and threatened us saying: "We are going to give you tickets if you don't walk away."'

"Authorities said a 21-year-old was charged with obstructing an officer, resisting arrest, and violating the public health act.... The young man being arrested is allegedly 21-year-old Ocean Wiesblatt, according to Rebel News founder Ezra Levant. Ocean Wiesblatt plays for the Portage Terriers, a Canadian junior "A" ice hockey team. Wiesblatt comes from a family of hockey players; his three brothers, including Orca Wiesblatt, play junior hockey. Another brother, Ozzy Wiesblatt, is an NHL prospect who was drafted in the first round of the 2020 draft by the San Jose Sharks in October. The Wiesblatt brothers and their mother, who is deaf, were featured in a SportsNet video last December, where the family from Calgary talked about how hockey helped them to overcome adversity.

Read more: https://www.theblaze.com/news/hockey-player-arrested-calgary-canada

Eagles win Super Bowl, lose to taxman

The Philadelphia Eagles Won the Super Bowl, but They'll Lose on Tax Day - Hit & Run : Reason.com - Eric Boehm:

February 5, 2018 - "The Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl when they defeated the New England Patriots.... But it's the tax man who really always wins.

"Because the game was played in Minneapolis, the $112,000 bonuses paid to each player on the winning team (and the $56,000 bonuses paid to the losers), will be taxable in Minnesota, which has some of the highest personal income tax rates in the country. Each member of the Eagles will end up paying about $7,200 of their Super Bowl bonus to the state of Minnesota. That comes on top of an estimated $23,500 federal tax hit for each of the winning player's shares....

"Minnesota also imposes a so-called 'jock tax' on athletes that visit the state for practices and games. Income earned during the days leading up to Sunday's big game will be taxed at the state's top marginal rate of 9.85 percent. Only California has a higher jock tax, and even states with no personal income taxes — like Texas and Florida, both frequent Super Bowl hosts — still hit up professional athletes, coaches, and team staff with special taxes.

"Robert Raiola, chief of the sports and entertainment group at PKF O'Connor Davies, a New York–based accounting firm that specializes in working with athletes, tells Philly.com that most players on the two teams would have spent about a week in Minnesota during the lead-up to the Super Bowl. That works out to about 3 percent of their total working time for the year, and their tax bills will vary... Tom Brady, who earned about $15 million in salary this year, could end up owing Minnesota roughly $43,000.

"[T]he average NFL player makes $1.9 million — considerably less than the average in America's other major sports. Still, that works out to more than $3,300 in state taxes owed simply for spending a week in Minnesota. And of course those players still owe taxes in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, along with every other state where they played a road game during the season. Tennessee is the only state without a jock tax."

Read more: https://reason.com/blog/2018/02/05/winning-the-super-bowl-in-minnesota-mean
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U.S Olympic athletes taxed on their medals

Uncle Sam goes for gold, too: Up to $9,900 per Olympic gold medal - Athena Cao, USA Today:

August 15, 2016 - "Michael Phelps swims fast, but not fast enough to beat Uncle Sam, who awaits him at the finish line each time he wins a medal. His total income tax bill for the 2016 Games? Up to about $55,000 for his five golds and one silver.

 "Olympic athletes who bring home medals also bring home cash — $25,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and $10,000 for bronze — paid for by the United States Olympic Committee. Like any prize winner, from a jackpot hitter to a Nobel Prize recipient, the athletes are taxed because Olympic medals and cash bonuses are considered income....

"The maximum possible 'victory tax' on the bonus for each gold medal, using the top tax rate of 39.6% for the nation's highest earners, is $9,900, according to Americans for Tax Reform. For silver, it's $5,940, and for bronze it's $3,960. Athletes in lower tax brackets would owe less — and keep in mind that some or all of their massive training expenses would likely be deductible....

"The medals themselves are taxed, too, but they're not as valuable as their shiny goodness may appear. Based on the commodity prices of the metals involved, gold is worth in the neighborhood of $600, silver about $300 and bronze next to nothing. What they'd go for on the open market is much higher, easily $10,000 or more, but that's not a factor unless an athlete sells or otherwise disposes of the medal....

"Congress has tried to give Olympic athletes a tax break. In 2012, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., introduced a bill to shield medals and bonuses from Uncle Sam, but it died. 'We can all agree that these Olympians who dedicate their lives to athletic excellence should not be punished when they achieve it,' Rubio said in a statement then.

"This year, Sens. John Thune, R-S.D., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., sponsored a similar bill to eliminate taxes on Olympic and Paralympic athletes. The bill passed the Senate in July."

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2016/08/15/olympics-victory-tax-gold-medal/88587636/
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Two libertarian Olympics films

The Olympics and Liberty | Liberty Unbound - Jo Ann Skousen:

March 8, 2016 - "I’m often asked what makes a film 'libertarian.' Does it need to be set in a dystopian totalitarian future? Must the protagonist be fighting a government bureaucracy or authority? Many libertarian films do contain those features. But my favorites are those in which a protagonist achieves a goal or overcomes obstacles without turning to the government to fix things.

"Two such films are ... based on true stories about Olympic athletes who achieved their goals in spite of government interference, not because of government aid. Race tells the Jesse Owens story, and Eddie the Eagle tells the Michael Edwards story. Both are worth seeing.

"Race is the perfect title for this film that focuses on both racing and racism. Owens was one of the most famous athletes of the 20th century. Historian Richard Crepeau (who spoke at FreedomFest last year) described the 1935 college track meet at Ann Arbor in which Owens, in the space of 45 minutes, set three world records and tied a fourth as 'the most impressive athletic achievement since 1850.' Nevertheless, Owens (Stephan James) is not welcome at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Adolf Hitler (Adrian Zwicker) intends to use 'his' Olympics as a propaganda piece to highlight the physical superiority of the Aryan race, and he does not want any blacks or Jews to spoil his plan....

"The film reveals the backstage negotiations between Olympic Committee representative Avery Brundage (Jeremy Irons) and the German organizing committee at which Brundage insisted on assurances that Jews and blacks would be allowed to compete. Brundage’s insistence is somewhat hypocritical, considering the treatment Owens and other black athletes were enduring at home, but he was successful in forestalling a threatened American boycott of the Games."

"Owens faces similar pressure from the NAACP, as he is warned that he ought to boycott the Games ... but in the end he delivers the most resounding protest of all, winning four gold medals and derailing Hitler’s plan in short order. This is as it should be. What good would it have done if Owens had stayed home to protest German policy?...

"Eddie the Eagle tells the story of an Olympic hero of a different sort — one who is remembered for his tenacity rather than his innate skill. Michael Edwards ... simply dreams of being an Olympian; he doesn’t care what sport.... Ironically, Eddie is motivated by a picture of Jesse Owens in a book about the Olympics....

"Eddie settles on skiing as his sport and manages to qualify for the British Olympic team, but the Committee cuts him because he 'isn’t Olympic material'.... Undaunted, Eddie turns to ski jumping because — well, because no one else in Britain competes in ski jumping.... This is the same year that the Jamaican bobsled team slipped through the same loophole — a loophole that was quickly closed before the following season. Now athletes must compete internationally and place in the top 30% of finishers in order to qualify. But in 1988, if you could find a sport that few people in your country competed in, you could literally 'make the team'....

"It’s a great story about overcoming obstacles, sticking with a goal, and ignoring the naysayers. It demonstrates the power of a mother’s encouragement, and the possibility that even a poor, farsighted boy from a working-class neighborhood can achieve his dream — if he doesn’t kill himself practicing for it."

Read more: http://www.libertyunbound.com/node/1527
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200% tax bill on Newton's Super Bowl earnings

For Cam Newton, Adding Super Tax Insult to Super Bowl Injury | Cato @ Liberty - Daniel J. Mitchell:

February 8, 2016 - "Today, let’s focus on the importance of low tax rates and Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers is going to be our poster child....

"Writing for Forbes, a Certified Public Accountant explains why the quarterback for the Carolina Panthers lost twice at the Super Bowl.

Remember when Peyton Manning paid New Jersey nearly $47,000 in taxes two years ago on his Super Bowl earnings of $46,000? …Newton is looking at a tax bill more than twice as much, which will swallow up his entire Super Bowl paycheck, win or lose, thanks to California’s tops-in-the-nation tax rate of 13.3%.

"You may be wondering why California is pillaging Cam Newton since he plays for a team from North Carolina, but there is a legitimate 'nexus' for tax since the Super Bowl was played in California....

"More specifically, the tax-addicted California politicians impose taxes on out-of-state athletes based on how many days they spend in the Golden State.... States tax a player based on their calendar-year income. They apply a duty day calculation which takes the ratio of duty days within the state over total duty days for the year.

"Now let’s look at the tax implication for Cam Newton.

If the Panthers [won] the Super Bowl, Newton [would have earned] another $102,000 in playoff bonuses, but if they [lost] he [would] only net another $51,000. The Panthers will have about 206 total duty days during 2016, including the playoffs, preseason, regular season and organized team activities (OTAs).... Seven of those duty days will be in California for the Super Bowl.... To determine what Newton will pay California on his Super Bowl winnings alone, looking at the seven days Newton will spend in California this week for Super Bowl 50, he will pay the state $101,600 on $102,000 of income should the Panthers be victorious or $101,360 on $51,000 should they lose.

"So what was Cam’s marginal tax rate for playing yesterday?

Losing means his effective tax rate will be a whopping 198.8%. Oh yeah, he will also pay the IRS 40.5% on his earnings.

"[H]e’ll be paying about $101,000 of extra tax simply because the game took place in California. However, if the Super Bowl was in a city like Dallas and Miami, there would have been no additional tax.

"The good news, at least for football fans, is that Cam Newton has a contract that prevented him from staying home and skipping the game. So he didn’t have any ability to respond to the confiscatory tax rate.

"Many successful taxpayers, by contrast, do have flexibility and they are the job creators and investors who help decide whether states grow faster and stagnate. So while California has the ability to pillage Cam Newton, the state is basically following a suicidal fiscal policy because other people can choose to stay away."

Read more: http://www.cato.org/blog/cam-newton-adding-super-tax-insult-super-bowl-injury
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