The Final Countdown – 3/11/24 – When It Rains, It Pours: Legal Probe Hits Boeing

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss top news from around the globe, including the DOJ investigating Boeing. 
Steve Gill – Attorney  
Dan Kovalik – Human Rights Lawyer 
Mark Sleboda – International Relations and Security Analyst 
 
The first hour begins with Steve Gill who shares his perspective on numerous topics, including Biden’s MSNBC interview, the situation at the Southern Border, Trump’s opposition to banning TikTok, and the DOJ’s investigation into Boeing. 
 
The second hour starts with Dan Kovalik, a human rights lawyer, talking about the unfolding situation in Haiti, including Americans fleeing the country. 
 
In the final segment, The Final Countdown spoke to Mark Sleboda about the recent claim from CNN and The New York Times about the accusation that Russia was on the verge of using nuclear weapons in 2022. 
 
 

The Final Countdown – 3/8/24 – Biden’s State of the Union Address Turns into Reelection Speech

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss current events from around the world, including Biden’s State of the Union speech. 
Steve Gill – Attorney  
Scott Stantis – Cartoonist for The Chicago Tribune 
Jamie Finch – Former NTSB Director 
Professor Francis Boyle – Human Rights Lawyer & Professor 
 
The first hour begins with Steve Gill and Scott Stantis, joining a panel to break down Biden’s State of the Union speech. 
 
The second hour starts with Former NTSB Director Jamie Finch weighing in on the latest Boeing blunders amid nationwide safety issues. 
 
The show closes with Prof. Francis Boyle who shares his expertise on the latest out of Gaza, including the U.S. announcement of a port plan. 
 
 

The Final Countdown – 2/27/24 – Michigan Primary: Unveiling Biden’s Unpopularity?

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss current events worldwide, including the Michigan primary. 
Ajay Pallegar – Criminal and Civil Attorney and Political Analyst 
Aquiles Larrea – CEO of Larrea Wealth Management 
Mark Sleboda – International Relations and Security Analyst 
Jamie Finch – Former Director at the National Transportation Safety Board 
 
The first hour begins with attorney Ajay Pallegar sharing his analysis on the upcoming Michigan primary amid pro-ceasefire protests against Biden. 
 
Then, finance expert Aquiles Larrea weighs in on the Congressional budget debacle. 
 
The second hour starts with international relations and security analyst Mark Sleboda talking about the possibility of a ‘peace’ summit between Ukraine and Russia.
 
The show wraps up with former National Transportation Safety Board director Jamie Finch weighing in on the newly released Federal Aviation Administration report on Boeing. 
 
 
 

The Final Countdown – 2/22/24 – Former Informant Accused of Lying Suddenly Deemed Credible on Russia

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss current events worldwide, including a long-time FBI informant being charged with lying. 
Ajay Pallegar – Criminal and Civil Attorney and Political Analyst 
Tyler Nixon – Political Commentator
Jamie Finch – Former Director at the National Transportation Safety Board 
Armen Kurdian – Retired Navy Captain 
 
The first hour begins with criminal and civil attorney Ajay Pallegar about the ongoing legal drama surrounding the Biden family. 
 
Following that conversation, political commentator Tyler Nixon joined to discuss the case regarding the former FBI informant charged with lying about the Biden family’s business dealings. 
 
The second hour begins with Former Director at the National Transportation Safety Board, Jamie Finch, who breaks down the latest Boeing blunder, including the head of the 737 Max program stepping down. 
 
The show wraps up with Armen Kurdian, who shares his perspective about Biden’s crackdowns on migration at the Southern border.  
 
 

The Final Countdown – 1/30/24 – United Airlines Navigates Boeing Woes: Explores Possible Airbus Deal

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss current events worldwide, including United Airlines and its Boeing woes. 

Jamie Finch –  Former Director, National Transportation Safety Board 
Tyler Nixon – Counselor-at-law 
Dr. George Szamuely – Senior Research Fellow, Global Policy Institute
Dan Kovalik – Human Rights Lawyer 
 
The show kicks off with Jamie Finch, the former director of the National Transportation Safety Board, who discusses United Airlines potentially entering a deal with Airbus following Boeing’s Max 9 blunders. 
 
Later, Tyler Nixon, counselor-at-law, weighs in on the IRS contractor getting sentenced to five years in prison following his leak of Trump’s tax documents. 
 
The second hour begins with the hosts talking to Dr. George Szamuely about Hungary accusing the EU of blackmail.  
 
The show closes with human rights lawyer Dan Kovalik, who shares his perspective on the strikes near the Jordanian border and the pressure on Biden to plan a military response. 
 
 

The Final Countdown – 1/24/24 – Democrats Give New Hampshire Primary a Cold Shoulder: What Does It Mean?

On this episode of The Final Countdown, hosts Angie Wong and Ted Rall discuss hot topics from around the nation, including the New Hampshire primaries. 

Bruce Breton – Trump 2024 New Hampshire Co-Chair 
Tyler Nixon – Counselor-at-Law 
Jamie Finch – Former Director of the National Transportation Safety Board 
Mark Sleboda – International Relations and Security Analyst 
 
The show kicks off with Bruce Breton who breaks down the results from the New Hampshire primaries and discusses what’s next for the 2024 presidential race. 
 
Then, Tyler Nixon, counselor-at-law, joins to weigh in on the latest out of the Hunter Biden saga, including Hollywood lawyer Kevin Morris’s deposition.
 
The second hour starts with Jamie Finch, the former Director of the National Transportation Safety Board, sharing his insights on the ongoing Boeing malfunction scandal, and the latest revelations regarding the company’s role in the incident.   
 
The show closes with Mark Sleboda, International Relations and Security Analyst, who discusses the downed Russian plane in Ukraine. 
 
 

SYNDICATED COLUMN: The Phony Budget Crisis

Forget Austerity. Tax the Rich.

Everywhere you look, from the federal government to the states to your hometown, budget crises abound. Services are being slashed. Politicians and pundits from both parties tell us that the good times are over, that we’ve got to start living within our means.

It’s a lie.

Two case studies have made news lately: California, where new/old governor Jerry Brown is trying to close a $25 billion shortfall with a combination of draconian cuts in public services and a series of regressive tax increases, and Wisconsin, where right-winger Scott Walker says getting rid of unions would eliminate the state’s $137 million deficit.

Never mind the economists, most of whom say an economic death spiral is exactly the worst possible time for government to cut spending. Pro-austerity propaganda has won the day with the American public. A new Rasmussen poll funds that 58 percent of likely voters would approve of a shutdown until Democrats and Republicans can agree on what spending to cut.

The budget “crisis” is a phony construction, the result of right-wing “starve the beast” ideology. There is plenty of money out there—but the pols don’t want it.

There is no need to lay off a single teacher, close a single library for an extra hour, or raise a single fee by one red cent.

Every government can not only balance its budget, but wind up with a surplus.

The solution is simple: tax the rich.

Over the last 50 years tax rates for the bottom 80 percent of wage earners have remained almost static. Meanwhile the rich have received tax cut after tax cut after tax cut. For example, the rate paid by the top 0.01 percent—people who currently get more than $6.5 million a year—fell by half (from 70 to 35 percent).

Times are tough. Someone has to pay. Why not start with those who can most afford it?

Europe has the world’s best food, its best healthcare system and its best vacation policy. It also has one of the fairest ways to generate revenue for government: a wealth tax. In Norway, for example, you pay one percent of your net worth in addition to income tax.

What if we imposed a Norwegian-style wealth tax on the top one percent of U.S. households? We’re not talking upper middle class here: the poorest among them is worth a mere $8.3 million. This top one percent owns 35 percent of all wealth in the United States.

“Such a wealth tax…would raise $191.1 billion each year (one percent of $19.1 trillion), a significant attack on the deficit,” Leon Friedman writes in The Nation. “If we extended the tax to the top 5 percent, we could raise $338.5 billion a year (one percent of 62 percent of $54.6 trillion).”

But that’s just the beginning. Wealthy individuals are nothing next to America’s money-sucking corporations.

Business shills whine that America’s corporate tax rate—35 percent—is one of the world’s highest. But that’s pure theory. Our real corporate rate—the rate companies actually pay after taking advantages of loopholes and deductions—is among the world’s lowest. According to The New York Times, Boeing paid a total tax rate of 4.5 percent over the last five years. (This includes federal, state, local and foreign taxes.) Yahoo paid seven percent. GE paid 14.3 percent. Southwest Airlines paid 6.3 percent. “GE is so good at avoiding taxes that some people consider its tax department to be the best in the world, even better than any law firm’s,” reports the Times‘ David Leonhardt. “One common strategy is maximizing the amount of profit that is officially earned in countries with low tax rates.”

America’s low effective corporate tax rates have left big business swimming in cash while the country goes bust. As of March 2010 non-financial corporations in the U.S. had $26.2 trillion in assets. Seven percent of that was in cash.

The national debt is $14.1 trillion.

Which is a lot. And, you see, entirely by choice.

(Ted Rall is the author of “The Anti-American Manifesto.” His website is tedrall.com.)

COPYRIGHT 2011 TED RALL

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