7 Things: We shot down things that aren’t spy balloons, Strong says we need to put America first, and more …

7. That darn right-wing New York Times

• 200 delusional New York Times contributors have somehow convinced themselves that the publication is both anti-transgender and right-wing. These deeply-wrong people have penned a letter condemning the paper they work for. Don’t get them started on J.K. Rowling.
• The letter suggests that the New York Times is biased because they presented news articles citing sources that believe the modern transgender thought, which is clearly leading to social contagion, is less than ideal. The she/he/him/her/they’s that signed the letter believe anything that does not praise transgenderism is bias against it. In this case a small amount of differing views is akin to a hate crime. 

6. You should be able to put your retirement into crypto, but don’t

• Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) reintroduced the Financial Freedom Act which would allow Americans to invest retirement savings in any way they choose. Currently, many retirement plans are limited to a select few investment options, often chosen by the employer or plan administrator. The Department of Labor put into place limitations that would prevent Americans from investing in the asset class. 
• Tuberville says, “The federal government shouldn’t choose winners and losers in the investment game. Bureaucrats have no business telling hardworking Americans how to manage their savings accounts. My bill ensures that everyone who earns a paycheck has the financial freedom to invest in their futures however they see fit.” He says the bill has bipartisan support.

5. Hyundai and Kia suppliers under investigation for using child labor

• Following a controversy in Alabama where children as young as 12 and 13 were found working at up to 6 of their suppliers, Hyundai is asking suppliers to conduct audits to ensure that there is no child labor in their supply chain. 
• An Opelika temporary staffing agency paid a $30,076 fine to federal court and to $17,800 to the Alabama Department of Labor for referring minors to work in Hyundai and Kia auto parts suppliers. 

4. Tax relief hitting roadblocks

• State Senate Majority Leader Clay Scofield (R-Guntersville) wants to put Alabama’s $2.7B budget surplus in a trust to accrue interest until a time when there is more economic certainty.  Scofield stated that Alabama is one of the lowest taxed states in the country, but a recent analysis by the Tax Foundation shows Alabama has the 4th highest combined local and state sales tax in the country.
• State Senator Sam Givhan (R-Huntsville) has suggested that the debate over what kind of tax relief to offer is not over. Alabama is currently set to receive another $1B in COVID relief funds from the federal government and Givhan says that some of that could be used to provide that relief but the form is still up for debate.

3. Default is coming, spend more to stop it

• The Federal government could run out of funds by July… or maybe September… but soon… unless they raise the debt ceiling again, allowing them to borrow even more money. Last month, the debt ceiling exceeded the statutory limit of nearly $31.4 trillion. President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy are negotiating how to cut spending so they don’t have to raise the ceiling.
• They promise, however, not to touch Social Security or Medicare which utilize 46% of the federal budget and require mandatory rises in spending. Both are set to be insolvent by 2035, but the department has suggested raising taxes or reducing payouts to prevent an automatic widespread reduction in payments when this occurs.

2. Strong is tired of Ukraine getting a blank check

• U.S. Representative Dale Strong (R-Monrovia) wants to put American interests first and say the Southern Border and China’s spy balloons pose greater risks than a theoretical World War III. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) introduced a “Ukraine Fatigue” resolution intended to halt funding to Ukraine, which has so far exceeded $30 billion. 
• Strong stated, “My concern is being sure that the U.S. military has the weapons that they need if we have to enter into any war or conflict and right now we are using a lot of hardware in other locations. I want to get that stockpile built back up because you never know when that situation may present itself.”

1. It could be aliens

• President Joe Biden has broken his silence on Chinese spy balloons and other identified objects but he didn’t really say what they are. “We don’t yet know what these three objects were, but nothing right now suggests that they were related to China’s spy balloon program or that they are surveillance vehicles from any other country.” Biden claimed during a White House press conference that they are likely private research or commercial balloons. 
• Yet he promised to talk with President Xi to “get to the bottom of this,” and he promised to create new rules which would help them better identify threats. Biden assured Americans that he would shoot down any object that posed a safety risk to our country. Again, we can’t say what they were were but we did shoot down 3 aerial objects, they aren’t from China’s spy program, but they must have been a threat for us to spend millions in missiles.