Get the collection here: https://www.genkicourses.com/product/robert-kyosaki-ultimate-collection-bundle/ [Get] Robert Kyosaki Ultimate Courses Collection📷 What’s Included in the collection?

• ABCs of Real estate investing
• Cashflow Quadrant
• Choose to be Rich
• ChooseRich
• Conspiracy of the Rich
• Financial Freedom Planner – Your Personal Financial Organizer
• Guide to Becoming Rich Without Cutting up Your Credit Cards
• High Performance Selling [Robert Kiyosaki, Tony Robbins, T Harv Eker,Bob Proctor]
• How to predict the future
• How To Save A Fortune In Taxes [Robert kiyosaki, Tony Robbins, T Harv Eker]
• Increase Your Financial IQ
• Michael Maloney – Guide to Investing in Gold and Silver
• Own Your Own Corporation
• Real Estate Advantages
• Rich Dad Poor Dad audio and book
• Rich Dad Poor Dad for Teens_ The Secrets About Money – Robert T. Kiyosaki & Sharon L. Lechter
• Rich Dad Secrets Of Wealth [Robert Kiyosaki, T Harv Eker, Tony Robbins, Jack Canfield]
• Rich Dad, Poor Dad
• Rich Dad’s Advisors – The ABCs of Getting Out of Debt
• Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing
• Rich Dad’s guide to Wealth
• Rich Dad’s how to Predict the Future
• Rich Dad’s Success Stories
• Rich Dad’s Who Took My Money
• Rich Dads Advisors The ABCs of Building a Business Team That Wins
• Rich Dads Before You Quit Your Job
• Rich Woman
• Richard Kiyosaki – Rich Dad, Poor Dad
• Robert Kiyosaki – 6 Steps To Becoming A Successful Real Estate Investor (AUDIO & VIDEO)
• Robert Kiyosaki – Before You Quit Your Job
• Robert Kiyosaki – Corporations
• Robert Kiyosaki – Freedom or Security
• Robert Kiyosaki – How to Find Great Investments
• Robert Kiyosaki – New Rules of Money
• Robert Kiyosaki – Real Estate Investor Business Plan
• Robert Kiyosaki – Retire Rich Retire Young (AUDIO)
• Robert Kiyosaki – Rich Dad’s Real Estate Riches
• Robert Kiyosaki – Rich Dad’s Secrets Of Wealth [T Harv Eker, Tony Robbins, Jack Canfield]
• Robert Kiyosaki – Rich Dads Guide To Investing (AUDIO)
• Robert Kiyosaki – Rich Kid Smart Kid
• Robert Kiyosaki – Sales Dogs (AUDIO)
• Robert Kiyosaki – The 8 Hidden Values of Network Marketing
• Robert Kiyosaki – The Real Book of Real Estate
• Robert Kiyosaki – Who Took My Money
• Robert Kiyosaki Cashflow 101 and 202
• Robert T. Kiyosaki – 8 Lessons in Military Leadership for Entrepreneurs
• Sales Dogs
• The ABC’s Of Building a Business Team That Wins
• The ABC’s Of Property Management
• Why -A- Students Work for -C- Students
• Kiyosaki Live NY City
• Robert Kiyosaki – 60 Minutes To Getting Rich

What Is the 25% Rule?

There are two common usages of the term "25% rule":

1. The 25% rule is the concept that a local government's long-term debt should not exceed 25% of its annual budget. Any debt beyond this threshold is considered excessive and poses a potential risk, as the municipality may have trouble servicing the debt.
2. The 25% rule also refers to a technique for determining royalties, which stipulates that a party selling a product or service based on another party's intellectual property must pay that party a royalty of 25% of the gross profitmade from the sale, before taxes. The 25% rule also commonly applies to trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other forms of intellectual property.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The 25% rule is a heuristic that can refer to either public finance or intellectual property law.
• In public finance, the 25% rule prescribes that a public entity’s total debt should not exceed one-quarter of its annual budget.
• In intellectual property, the 25% rule suggests the reasonable royalty that a license should pay an intellectual property holder on profits.

Understanding the 25% Rule

In both uses of the term, the 25% rule is more a matter of customary practice or heuristic (i.e., a rule of thumb), rather than an absolute or optimal threshold, or a strict legal requirement.
In the public finance setting, the 25% rule is a rough guideline for fiscal planning based on the confidence of bondholders and credit rating agencies. In the intellectual property arena, the 25% rule evolved from the customary rates negotiated between intellectual property holders and licensees.

25% Rule for Municipal Debt

Local or state governments looking to fund projects through municipal bondissues have to make assumptions about the revenues they expect to bring in, often through taxation or projects like toll roads, which in turn will allow them to support bond payments. If revenue falls short of expectations, those municipalities may not be able to make bond payments, which can cause them to default on their obligations and hurt their credit rating.
Municipal bondholders want to make sure that the issuing authority has the capacity to pay, which can be jeopardized by getting too deep in debt. Bondholders are thus cautious about purchasing bonds from local or state governments that are in violation of the 25% rule.
Tax-exempt private activity bonds—bonds issued by municipalities on behalf of private or non-profit organizations—also have a 25% rule applied to the proceeds from the bonds. This rule states that no more than 25% of bond proceeds may be used for land acquisition.1

25% Rule for Intellectual Property

Patent or trademark owners use the 25% rule as a yardstick for defining a reasonable amount of royalty payments. The rule assumes that a licenseeshould retain at most 75% of the profits of a patented product given that s/he took on the bulk of the risks of developing the product and bringing the intellectual property to the market. The patent owner takes the remainder as a license royalty.
Setting the value of intellectual property is a complex matter. Although royalties are typically assessed against revenues, the 25% rule applies to profits. Furthermore, the 25% rule does not closely define what "gross profit" includes, which creates ambiguity in the valuation calculation. Because it's a simple rule, it does not take into account the costs associated with marketing the product. For example, the holder of a copyright will receive a 25% royalty, though the party doing the selling usually incurs the cost of attracting demand in the market through advertising.
In the 2011 court case of Uniloc USA, Inc. v. Microsoft Corp, the court of appealsfor the Federal Circuit ruled that the 25 percent rule may not be used as a starting point for a patent damage analysis bound for the courtroom. The appeals court concluded that the rule does not rise to an admissible level of evidence and may not be relied upon in a patent lawsuit in federal court. While the 25% rule may still be used by other parties in estimating a proposed patent royalty, it should not be considered a legal mandate.2
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Get the course here: https://www.genkicourses.com/product/tax-delinquent-blueprint-2022/
[Get] Jason Palliser – Tax Delinquent Blueprint 2022
📷
Finding and Flipping Tax Delinquent Properties the RIGHTway
The Tax Delinquent Blueprint online training program uses proven strategies for finding distressed homeowners severely behind on their property taxes. The training shows you how to uniquely beat out the competition with a Tax Assistance program.
In this online training program, there’s a step-by-step process for finding homeowners that need your Tax Assistance program performed on their property, and helps them get out from thousands of dollars in debt owed to the county. The Tax Assistance approach will always beat the “put cash in your pocket now” marketing any day of the week.

Get the collection here: https://www.genkicourses.com/product/robert-kyosaki-ultimate-collection-bundle/ [Get] Robert Kyosaki Ultimate Courses Collection📷 What’s Included in the collection?

• ABCs of Real estate investing
• Cashflow Quadrant
• Choose to be Rich
• ChooseRich
• Conspiracy of the Rich
• Financial Freedom Planner – Your Personal Financial Organizer
• Guide to Becoming Rich Without Cutting up Your Credit Cards
• High Performance Selling [Robert Kiyosaki, Tony Robbins, T Harv Eker,Bob Proctor]
• How to predict the future
• How To Save A Fortune In Taxes [Robert kiyosaki, Tony Robbins, T Harv Eker]
• Increase Your Financial IQ
• Michael Maloney – Guide to Investing in Gold and Silver
• Own Your Own Corporation
• Real Estate Advantages
• Rich Dad Poor Dad audio and book
• Rich Dad Poor Dad for Teens_ The Secrets About Money – Robert T. Kiyosaki & Sharon L. Lechter
• Rich Dad Secrets Of Wealth [Robert Kiyosaki, T Harv Eker, Tony Robbins, Jack Canfield]
• Rich Dad, Poor Dad
• Rich Dad’s Advisors – The ABCs of Getting Out of Debt
• Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing
• Rich Dad’s guide to Wealth
• Rich Dad’s how to Predict the Future
• Rich Dad’s Success Stories
• Rich Dad’s Who Took My Money
• Rich Dads Advisors The ABCs of Building a Business Team That Wins
• Rich Dads Before You Quit Your Job
• Rich Woman
• Richard Kiyosaki – Rich Dad, Poor Dad
• Robert Kiyosaki – 6 Steps To Becoming A Successful Real Estate Investor (AUDIO & VIDEO)
• Robert Kiyosaki – Before You Quit Your Job
• Robert Kiyosaki – Corporations
• Robert Kiyosaki – Freedom or Security
• Robert Kiyosaki – How to Find Great Investments
• Robert Kiyosaki – New Rules of Money
• Robert Kiyosaki – Real Estate Investor Business Plan
• Robert Kiyosaki – Retire Rich Retire Young (AUDIO)
• Robert Kiyosaki – Rich Dad’s Real Estate Riches
• Robert Kiyosaki – Rich Dad’s Secrets Of Wealth [T Harv Eker, Tony Robbins, Jack Canfield]
• Robert Kiyosaki – Rich Dads Guide To Investing (AUDIO)
• Robert Kiyosaki – Rich Kid Smart Kid
• Robert Kiyosaki – Sales Dogs (AUDIO)
• Robert Kiyosaki – The 8 Hidden Values of Network Marketing
• Robert Kiyosaki – The Real Book of Real Estate
• Robert Kiyosaki – Who Took My Money
• Robert Kiyosaki Cashflow 101 and 202
• Robert T. Kiyosaki – 8 Lessons in Military Leadership for Entrepreneurs
• Sales Dogs
• The ABC’s Of Building a Business Team That Wins
• The ABC’s Of Property Management
• Why -A- Students Work for -C- Students
• Kiyosaki Live NY City
• Robert Kiyosaki – 60 Minutes To Getting Rich

Since the launch of SQE1 in November 2021, 3 rounds of exams were held. There are limited posts and sharings given the novelty of the exams so I guess that it would be helpful to share my experience with the January 2023 cohort.
Background
I am working as a full time lawyer with 8+ pqe and admitted in a non-US common law jurisdiction with a double degree in accounting and law. My first langauge is NOT English. I completed a master of law in a UK university around 10 years ago. I pass the SQE1 in the first attempt in the January 2023 diet and acheive 80%+ for both FLK1 and FLK2.
Prep School
The first common question is whether you need a prep school. The views expressed below are entirely personal opinions since each person would have their own studying methods and preferences.
In my view, prep school is essential if
(a) you have not completed your legal qualification (such as LLB/GDL/PGDL) in the UK; or
(b) you have graduated for some time and you have forgotten large chunks of laws back in your study; or
(c) you work full time (be it a lawyer or a house taker or whatever) and you do not have sufficent resources to research and locate the study material.
The second common question is which prep school you should choose. I formed a study group with a few friends. In order to maximize our resources, we have each subscribed different prep schools and compared the materials (Barbri / QLTS / OUP / UoL). DISCLAIMER: all comments are personal and each user would have different feelings on the course providers.
​

Course Provider (in alphabetical order)	Barbri	QLTS	OUP	UoL
Pros	- the textbook is very concise and is easy to read - the video lecture is comprehensive and explains the laws clearly	- the practice tests and mock exams are very comprehensive (in fact I recall that some of the questions in the real exam are very similar, if not identical to the mock)	- the course material is cheap	- it has the best textbooks out of the 4 prep schools, sufficient in content (cf Barbri) but not excessive (cf with QLTS) - the difficulty of the mock exam is similar to the real exam
Cons	- the practice question is much easier than the real exam (the real exam contains questions which are quite tricky) - a concise textbook would suggest that some of the examinable contents are missed (I would say that the book covers 85% of examinable content so you would still obtain a pass if you study the book well)	- there are 16 books and the details in the books well exceed what you need in exam - some of the content in the books and the questions are incorrect or outdated (around 5%) - the practice questions in geneal are more difficult than the real exam	- the material is not in good quality since it does not cover enough for core llb topics - the practice question is poorly designed	- very expensive, double the price of Barbri and QLTS

Based on the table, one would probably agree that each prep school has its strengths and weaknesses. Further, the comments would very much depend on personal preferences. In choosing a prep school, I would recommend you trying the free session of each prep school first.
Studying for the Exam
After selecting the proper prep school, it is time for you to study. So, the third question is how much time you need to prepare for the exam.
Again, it depends a lot of the circumstances. In my view, the following two elements would be of significant weight: (a) a common law background; and (b) your practice area.
If you have a common law background, for tort, contract, criminal, trust and business law, you should already have a basic, if not sound foundation on these topics. One may just simply flip through the relevant chapters in the prep school manuals and then start doing the practice questions.
The other topics are more tricky and this is when your practice area is relevant. If you are a litigator, you may find civil procedure very easy. If you work as a criminal defender, no doubt criminal procedure (and some of the public law topics) would be at your finger tips but you probably would like to spend more time on other areas.
For people who do not complete a UK law degree: land law and property practice are big problems and they contribute around 35% of questions in FLK2. You should be prepared to spend a lot of time on these two areas since the UK land law is very different from other common law jurisdictions. I would suggest that anyone who has issues with land law to buy a copy of Concentrate Land Law from OUP. I find that if you know this book inside out, you probably will master at least half of the questions related to land law and property practice in FLK2.
Personally, I prepared the exam for 8 months. I rarely studied in weekdays due to work commitment (except for the last month before the exam) and I spent around 5 to 6 hours each day on Saturdays and Sundays. I took around 10 days off before the exam and spent around 6 hours a day to revise. Instead of reading books, I spent a lot of time doing practice questions and reviewed the explanations. I completed all the practice questions and the 30 mock exams in QLTS package. On balance, 65% of my time were on FLK2 topics while the remaining on FLK1 topics.
Speific topics: Ethics, financial services, solicitor accounts and tax
Many candidates are uncomfortable in these topics.
However, in the real exam, for ethics, the fact patterns are relatively straight forward and are covered in most prep school manuals. These are easy marks which one could get without difficulties.
The topic of financial services only appears in FLK1. It is NOT NECESSARY for you to memorize the complex rules (as found in QLTS books). In the examination, they only test you basic concepts (such as when authorizations and exemptions apply, note the special rules for insurance). The UoL books in my view better reflect what are examinable for this topic.
The topic of solicitor accounts is painful to some candidates. It is only tested in FLK2. As someone with accounting background, I only spend 30 minutes to read through the relevant rules on the SRA website and then start doing the practice questions. If you know the underlying concepts, the question is simply a formality. Again, I would recommend UoL books for those who are struggling with this topic.
Tax is a headache to most candidates. However, given the structure of the exam, one would probably safe to conclude that inheritance tax and stamp duty land tax would normally be found in FLK2 whereas income tax is usually in FLK1. In the real examination, I recall that there are only 2 or 3 questions which involve very simple calculation. So there is simply no need to worry if you are weak at maths. Further, the questions test on major topics (such as business relief exemption, captial gain exemption for own residence or small sum relief for inheritance tax). You do not need to learn very specialized rules (they are for accountants). If you do not have enough time, giving up tax topics is possible.
Passing the Examination
The exam adopts a multiple choice style and you need to choose the best answer from 5 options. You are required to answer 180 questions for each FLK.
Naturally, controversial or developing topics cannot be tested (although you will find them to be the major components in your law school exam questions), for example: whether detriment is needed for promissory estoppel to arise; whether a book debt could be the subject of a fixed charge; whether remedial constructive trust exists in law; whether you need an actual knowledge or constructive knowledge in a knowing receipt claim etc..
In my experience, out of 180 questions for each FLK,
(a) around 20% are simple factual recall or book work question in very familiar fact patterns (examples: effect of a contract under misrepresentation: a voidable contract as opposed to a void contract; transfer of equitable interest of a property: when the contract is signed);
(b) another 30% are less familar fact scenario questions which you need to apply the relevant laws;
(c) another 30% are advanced questions where the correct legal principles are stayed in 2 or 3 options but only one is applicable to the specific facts. You would need to use the method of elimination; and
(d) the remaining 20% questions test on very uncommon topics or very specialized issues (example: extended period of professional indemnity insurance if the original insurance is expired: the 30 + 60 days model). This 20% can be fairly ignored since most candidates would not be able to answer.

Hello. I am hoping for some career advice from some fellow GIS folks in the public sector, if that is okay.
I am considering a job offer in a small(ish) county assessor’s office as a GIS Cartographer. I currently work in a smaller county as a GIS Tech in an IT Dept.
My current role is pretty much what you’d expect. I clean up feature classes, perform boundary changes, etc. I also get to do some web mapping projects, and genuinely enjoy the work. I’m given a lot of autonomy, but that is largely because I am a self starter and my manager is the former longtime Tech who was given the promotion and just has no mgmt skills. She mostly does Amazon reselling and scrolls Facebook all day to paint a picture. But the work itself is the perfect balance of short term and long term projects, creative and data entry, and it pays well.
The cartographer position is something that interests me and the pay scale is higher. I’m almost topped out in my current pay scale and this cartographer position’s step 1 is equivalent to my current salary. I’m just not familiar with the day to day. Sounds like it will be mostly deed-related data entry and creating/updating tax maps. There’s some pet projects that may develop over time like taking over parcel fabric updates.
I’m hoping there’s some public sector cartographers out there who can provide an idea of your day-to-day. Maybe some opinions from others on the career path comparison. Thank you for humoring me y’all, I appreciate your time.

Get the course here: https://www.genkicourses.com/product/tax-delinquent-blueprint-2022/
[Get] Jason Palliser – Tax Delinquent Blueprint 2022
📷
Finding and Flipping Tax Delinquent Properties the RIGHTway
The Tax Delinquent Blueprint online training program uses proven strategies for finding distressed homeowners severely behind on their property taxes. The training shows you how to uniquely beat out the competition with a Tax Assistance program.
In this online training program, there’s a step-by-step process for finding homeowners that need your Tax Assistance program performed on their property, and helps them get out from thousands of dollars in debt owed to the county. The Tax Assistance approach will always beat the “put cash in your pocket now” marketing any day of the week.

Hey all,
I'm an American citizen. My Filipina girlfriend of 6 years and I want to get married this year. We currently live in Thailand and want to know what our best options are.
We want to continue living in Thailand but we would like to visit my family in the US by the middle of 2024: My parents have invited the two of us to join them for a cruise and we would love to be able to attend.
Questions:
Should we get married now then apply for a visa? Or would we have a better chance with getting a tourist/fiancee visa? Any other considerations?
If it matters at all, she is self-employed and is able to work remotely and support herself, no matter where she is in the world. She doesn't have many ties to the Philippines: her son now lives in Australia and she's not that close with the remainder of her family. She pays PH taxes but does not own any property there.
Thanks for your help!

Get the collection here: https://www.genkicourses.com/product/robert-kyosaki-ultimate-collection-bundle/ [Get] Robert Kyosaki Ultimate Courses Collection📷 What’s Included in the collection?

• ABCs of Real estate investing
• Cashflow Quadrant
• Choose to be Rich
• ChooseRich
• Conspiracy of the Rich
• Financial Freedom Planner – Your Personal Financial Organizer
• Guide to Becoming Rich Without Cutting up Your Credit Cards
• High Performance Selling [Robert Kiyosaki, Tony Robbins, T Harv Eker,Bob Proctor]
• How to predict the future
• How To Save A Fortune In Taxes [Robert kiyosaki, Tony Robbins, T Harv Eker]
• Increase Your Financial IQ
• Michael Maloney – Guide to Investing in Gold and Silver
• Own Your Own Corporation
• Real Estate Advantages
• Rich Dad Poor Dad audio and book
• Rich Dad Poor Dad for Teens_ The Secrets About Money – Robert T. Kiyosaki & Sharon L. Lechter
• Rich Dad Secrets Of Wealth [Robert Kiyosaki, T Harv Eker, Tony Robbins, Jack Canfield]
• Rich Dad, Poor Dad
• Rich Dad’s Advisors – The ABCs of Getting Out of Debt
• Rich Dad’s Guide to Investing
• Rich Dad’s guide to Wealth
• Rich Dad’s how to Predict the Future
• Rich Dad’s Success Stories
• Rich Dad’s Who Took My Money
• Rich Dads Advisors The ABCs of Building a Business Team That Wins
• Rich Dads Before You Quit Your Job
• Rich Woman
• Richard Kiyosaki – Rich Dad, Poor Dad
• Robert Kiyosaki – 6 Steps To Becoming A Successful Real Estate Investor (AUDIO & VIDEO)
• Robert Kiyosaki – Before You Quit Your Job
• Robert Kiyosaki – Corporations
• Robert Kiyosaki – Freedom or Security
• Robert Kiyosaki – How to Find Great Investments
• Robert Kiyosaki – New Rules of Money
• Robert Kiyosaki – Real Estate Investor Business Plan
• Robert Kiyosaki – Retire Rich Retire Young (AUDIO)
• Robert Kiyosaki – Rich Dad’s Real Estate Riches
• Robert Kiyosaki – Rich Dad’s Secrets Of Wealth [T Harv Eker, Tony Robbins, Jack Canfield]
• Robert Kiyosaki – Rich Dads Guide To Investing (AUDIO)
• Robert Kiyosaki – Rich Kid Smart Kid
• Robert Kiyosaki – Sales Dogs (AUDIO)
• Robert Kiyosaki – The 8 Hidden Values of Network Marketing
• Robert Kiyosaki – The Real Book of Real Estate
• Robert Kiyosaki – Who Took My Money
• Robert Kiyosaki Cashflow 101 and 202
• Robert T. Kiyosaki – 8 Lessons in Military Leadership for Entrepreneurs
• Sales Dogs
• The ABC’s Of Building a Business Team That Wins
• The ABC’s Of Property Management
• Why -A- Students Work for -C- Students
• Kiyosaki Live NY City
• Robert Kiyosaki – 60 Minutes To Getting Rich

When most people apply to the "taxes are theft" argument, there's two main approaches:

1. Appeal to their humanity: Doesn't work on sociopaths
2. Appeal to pragmatism: Doesn't work on idiots

But there's a better response: If libertarians claim they don't need government services, then call them on their bluff, and point out that money itself is a government service. If you bring up something like roads, libertarians will insist that the market will provide a cheapebetter alternative once taxes go away. But when it comes to money, the free market alternatives already exist, but libertarians refuse to use them because the alternatives are useless without government backing.
This isn't exactly a new argument: There's the famous "Render unto Caesar" line from Jesus himself in the bible.

1. You cannot have fiat currency without taxes and spending

In David Graeber's book "Debt: The First 5000 Years," Graeber explores the history of money citing actual research rather than the historical fanfiction.
Money is circulated throughout the economy by government spending. If there was no government spending, then there would be no money to go around. Money has value because of the demand created by taxation. In the absence of taxes, then the dollar would effectively be worthless.
Hence, if libertarians are really against the idea of taxes and spending, then they should be demanding zero dollars in their bank account, rather than asking for more of them. Their entire goal is to increase their supply of dollars by cutting off the supply, which doesn't make any fucking sense.

2. Free market currencies exist, but they've been rejected by the free market

Libertarians will respond to the previous point by insisting that free market alternatives like gold and bitcoin are not only viable, but superior. But every argument in favor of these alternatives treats them as investment vehicles for the sake of generating more fiat, rather than a currency in itself. This isn't simply my opinion, it's the outcome of the free market itself.
Here's the fundamental problem: Money is supposed to be a medium of exchange, which means it must be agreeable to both parties: Something people are willing to gain, and something people are willing to lose. Except those are two opposing goals, so how can it be both? Libertarians champion gold and bitcoin because the scarcity will encourage hoarding and discourage spending. They never seem to understand that you can't have a transaction without spenders. They assume that their employers will pay them in gold coins, rather than keeping them for themselves.
Fiat currency solves this by using inflation to encourage spending, and taxes to encourage demand, which is why it's been embraced by the free market.

3. Fiat currency is so appealing that even foreign nations are willing to adopt it

Libertarians will claim that the only reason people use US dollars is because they're forced to by law against their will. But if that were the case, then why do foreign countries use them as well, when they obviously don't have to? Again, it's because the dollar represents a government service that these countries are voluntarily opting into. And no, bitcoin in El Salvador doesn't count, because bitcoin in El Salvador is valued based on the amount of fiat dollars you can trade the bitcoin for.

4. The US financial system as a government service

In addition to opting-in to government currencies, libertarians also opt-in to the following:

• Access to regulated/insured banks, as well as wire transfers through government systems
• Access to government court systems to settle financial disputes
• Access to government record keeping systems that track who owns what
• Access to law enforcement if people wrong you
• Access to various legal rights and protections

For instance, libertarians will whine that they still have to pay taxes even if they leave the country, but that's enforceable if they want access to US banks, which no one is forcing them to do. When you apply for a bank account, you promise you're following US tax laws, and you agree to let your bank report suspicious activity to the IRS. If you don't agree to those terms, then take your money somewhere else. But libertarians aren't willing to do that, because they want to opt-in to the service and security of the US banking system, but without the responsibility of paying for it.
Likewise, you opt-in to paying property taxes because it's part of the property contract. You can try to sign a property contract that doesn't include this, but in this case, the state has no obligation to recognize it as valid. Asking the state to recognize the contract as valid is a service that you opt into voluntarily. Otherwise, what's stopping someone else from producing their own contract claiming ownership over the same piece of land?

5. People only go to jail when they commit fraud, which only happens when you voluntarily opt-in

Libertarians frequently claim that taxes are coercion because they'll go to jail if they don't pay taxes they never agreed to for services they never asked for. But they always rely on false analogies where they say the mafia did something illegal and then claim that the IRS is doing the same thing, but lacking in any real world examples.
Here's the problem: Tax evasion is only a felony if there's proof of fraud, and we live in a country where people are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Proof of guilt only happens if there's a paper trail, and the paper trail only happens if the person voluntarily entered an arrangement with intention to deceive.
For instance, most employers will ask you to sign a form where you consent to taxes. The employer voluntarily enters the agreement because it means they can report your wages as a deduction, and the employee voluntarily enters the agreement because it gives them access to better jobs.
What if you disagree with the terms and refuse to pay taxes? Then you're free to walk away. What if you agree to report your income but then forget? You'll be sent a reminder and be given the chance to issue a correction. The only way for you to go to jail is if you knowingly lie and even when given the chance to come clean.
By contrast, there's millions of undocumented workers in America who don't pay taxes. But since their employer isn't writing off their wages as a deduction, there's no paper trail for a tax evasion case. They might get in trouble with immigration, but they generally do not worry about the IRS.
Libertarians will reply with "It's still illegal even if I don't get caught!" But this is a completely different goalpost. The original claim was the threat of jailtime, and jailtime doesn't happen without a paper trail that you opted into voluntarily. If there's no jail time, then there's no coercion.

6. Money spent is no longer yours to control

Lots of libertarians think they can invalidate taxes because they disagree with how some of that money is spent. This is a nonsense argument that would never be used in any other context.
For instance, if I spend $3000 on rent, then I can hope that my landlord spends all of that money on things I personally support, but he legally doesn't have to and he probably won't. The contract says I'm paying money for shelter, and as long as he provides that, then it's still a valid transaction.
If you pay property taxes so the state recognizes you as the registered owner, then that's the service you voluntarily opted into paying for. It doesn't matter if the money is later spent on different services you disagree with. Once money changes hand, it's no longer yours.

7. Why opting out is unprofitable

If you sell goods on eBay, then you agree to pay various fees for things like shipping, insurance, commission, payment processing, and sales tax. Libertarians will claim that the last one is rape and slavery because you cannot proceed if you refuse to pay but all of the other examples are voluntary because you can refuse to pay by not proceeding.
But what happens if someone tries to opt out of all government services and taxes by hosting an eBay clone overseas? Legally, if you're outside of US jurisdiction, then the US can't do anything to stop you. So why don't more companies actually do this? The simple answer is: Because they would end up losing a lot more money.
If customers know the company is outside of US jurisdiction, then they know they won't be able to hold the company accountable if someone screws them over. Likewise, legitimate payment processors won't want to do business with them, because they don't want to deal with customer complaints, or have their reputation damaged by illegal markets. You'd have trouble finding reliable developers, because reliable developers would want to work for a company that actually obeys the law. etc.

8. "Charging taxes implies ownership!"

This is a non-sensical argument that libertarians make that goes like this:

1. Charging property taxes is only valid if government owns your land
2. Government does not own your land.
3. Therefore, taxes are invalid.

Once again, this is a silly argument that would never be applied to the free market. For instance, you cannot invalidate parking fees simply because the manager of the parking lot doesn't own your car. You cannot invalidate eBay commission fees simply because eBay doesn't own the goods you sell on eBay. etc.

Since the launch of SQE1 in November 2021, 3 rounds of exams were held. There are limited posts and sharings given the novelty of the exams so I guess that it would be helpful to share my experience with the January 2023 cohort.
Background
I am working as a full time lawyer with 8+ pqe and admitted in a non-US common law jurisdiction with a double degree in accounting and law. My first langauge is NOT English. I completed a master of law in a UK university around 10 years ago. I pass the SQE1 in the first attempt in the January 2023 diet and acheive 80%+ for both FLK1 and FLK2.
Prep School
The first common question is whether you need a prep school. The views expressed below are entirely personal opinions since each person would have their own studying methods and preferences.
In my view, prep school is essential if
(a) you have not completed your legal qualification (such as LLB/GDL/PGDL) in the UK; or
(b) you have graduated for some time and you have forgotten large chunks of laws back in your study; or
(c) you work full time (be it a lawyer or a house taker or whatever) and you do not have sufficent resources to research and locate the study material.
The second common question is which prep school you should choose. I formed a study group with a few friends. In order to maximize our resources, we have each subscribed different prep schools and compared the materials (Barbri / QLTS / OUP / UoL). DISCLAIMER: all comments are personal and each user would have different feelings on the course providers.
​

Course Provider (in alphabetical order)	Barbri	QLTS	OUP	UoL
Pros	- the textbook is very concise and is easy to read - the video lecture is comprehensive and explains the laws clearly	- the practice tests and mock exams are very comprehensive (in fact I recall that some of the questions in the real exam are very similar, if not identical to the mock)	- the course material is cheap	- it has the best textbooks out of the 4 prep schools, sufficient in content (cf Barbri) but not excessive (cf with QLTS) - the difficulty of the mock exam is similar to the real exam
Cons	- the practice question is much easier than the real exam (the real exam contains questions which are quite tricky) - a concise textbook would suggest that some of the examinable contents are missed (I would say that the book covers 85% of examinable content so you would still obtain a pass if you study the book well)	- there are 16 books and the details in the books well exceed what you need in exam - some of the content in the books and the questions are incorrect or outdated (around 5%) - the practice questions in geneal are more difficult than the real exam	- the material is not in good quality since it does not cover enough for core llb topics - the practice question is poorly designed	- very expensive, double the price of Barbri and QLTS

Based on the table, one would probably agree that each prep school has its strengths and weaknesses. Further, the comments would very much depend on personal preferences. In choosing a prep school, I would recommend you trying the free session of each prep school first.
Studying for the Exam
After selecting the proper prep school, it is time for you to study. So, the third question is how much time you need to prepare for the exam.
Again, it depends a lot of the circumstances. In my view, the following two elements would be of significant weight: (a) a common law background; and (b) your practice area.
If you have a common law background, for tort, contract, criminal, trust and business law, you should already have a basic, if not sound foundation on these topics. One may just simply flip through the relevant chapters in the prep school manuals and then start doing the practice questions.
The other topics are more tricky and this is when your practice area is relevant. If you are a litigator, you may find civil procedure very easy. If you work as a criminal defender, no doubt criminal procedure (and some of the public law topics) would be at your finger tips but you probably would like to spend more time on other areas.
For people who do not complete a UK law degree: land law and property practice are big problems and they contribute around 35% of questions in FLK2. You should be prepared to spend a lot of time on these two areas since the UK land law is very different from other common law jurisdictions. I would suggest that anyone who has issues with land law to buy a copy of Concentrate Land Law from OUP. I find that if you know this book inside out, you probably will master at least half of the questions related to land law and property practice in FLK2.
Personally, I prepared the exam for 8 months. I rarely studied in weekdays due to work commitment (except for the last month before the exam) and I spent around 5 to 6 hours each day on Saturdays and Sundays. I took around 10 days off before the exam and spent around 6 hours a day to revise. Instead of reading books, I spent a lot of time doing practice questions and reviewed the explanations. I completed all the practice questions and the 30 mock exams in QLTS package. On balance, 65% of my time were on FLK2 topics while the remaining on FLK1 topics.
Speific topics: Ethics, financial services, solicitor accounts and tax
Many candidates are uncomfortable in these topics.
However, in the real exam, for ethics, the fact patterns are relatively straight forward and are covered in most prep school manuals. These are easy marks which one could get without difficulties.
The topic of financial services only appears in FLK1. It is NOT NECESSARY for you to memorize the complex rules (as found in QLTS books). In the examination, they only test you basic concepts (such as when authorizations and exemptions apply, note the special rules for insurance). The UoL books in my view better reflect what are examinable for this topic.
The topic of solicitor accounts is painful to some candidates. It is only tested in FLK2. As someone with accounting background, I only spend 30 minutes to read through the relevant rules on the SRA website and then start doing the practice questions. If you know the underlying concepts, the question is simply a formality. Again, I would recommend UoL books for those who are struggling with this topic.
Tax is a headache to most candidates. However, given the structure of the exam, one would probably safe to conclude that inheritance tax and stamp duty land tax would normally be found in FLK2 whereas income tax is usually in FLK1. In the real examination, I recall that there are only 2 or 3 questions which involve very simple calculation. So there is simply no need to worry if you are weak at maths. Further, the questions test on major topics (such as business relief exemption, captial gain exemption for own residence or small sum relief for inheritance tax). You do not need to learn very specialized rules (they are for accountants). If you do not have enough time, giving up tax topics is possible.
Passing the Examination
The exam adopts a multiple choice style and you need to choose the best answer from 5 options. You are required to answer 180 questions for each FLK.
Naturally, controversial or developing topics cannot be tested (although you will find them to be the major components in your law school exam questions), for example: whether detriment is needed for promissory estoppel to arise; whether a book debt could be the subject of a fixed charge; whether remedial constructive trust exists in law; whether you need an actual knowledge or constructive knowledge in a knowing receipt claim etc..
In my experience, out of 180 questions for each FLK,
(a) around 20% are simple factual recall or book work question in very familiar fact patterns (examples: effect of a contract under misrepresentation: a voidable contract as opposed to a void contract; transfer of equitable interest of a property: when the contract is signed);
(b) another 30% are less familar fact scenario questions which you need to apply the relevant laws;
(c) another 30% are advanced questions where the correct legal principles are stayed in 2 or 3 options but only one is applicable to the specific facts. You would need to use the method of elimination; and
(d) the remaining 20% questions test on very uncommon topics or very specialized issues (example: extended period of professional indemnity insurance if the original insurance is expired: the 30 + 60 days model). This 20% can be fairly ignored since most candidates would not be able to answer.

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My spouse (M34) agreed to pay for the monthly mortgage payments while I agreed to pay for utilities and property taxes when we purchased our house. Now he doesn't want to pay for the mortgage and expects me to give 50% towards the total expenses. Additionally he expects me to do all the household chores and manage family (i.e his parents expectations) we don't have kids but there's is lot of in laws interference in these matters.
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Press J to jump to the feed. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcutsJump to contentCreate PostSearch within massachusetts📷massachusetts11Calm_Local_552721 karmaUser account menu📷Create a crosspost📷By participating, you acknowledge that you have read and understood the rules and that you agree with all the stated rules and policies. https://www.reddit.com/massachusetts/about/rules**296/300**[**massachusetts**](https://www.reddit.com/massachusetts/)•Posted byu/Calm_Local_55277 minutes agoRichie Neal Slides Pedophile Protecting Catholic Church $2mil Fed Grant Ed Ryan Seeks to Divert Fed. Cash to Spfd MA Brothers in Rifle St. Hood Now Broken by Poverty. Ryan Begs AOC on Metaphoric Bended Knee To Call Out Neal as a 'Stinking Lying Corporate Fu#K' who Buggers Schwarzman for Nickels.NEWS📷
see; YouTube Ed Ryan Reform [email protected]
Richie Neal Corruption Now in District in Real Time.
Ed Ryan for Mayor of Springfield to end Richie Neal and Friends from Robbing and Impoverishing Springfield like a Greed Sick Crew of White Supremist Racist. Springfield City Hall has been under the Control of Richie Neal Corruption for too long. Mayor Sarno lies to the people adulating Neal as Sarno Presides over Massachusetts Poorest City , a place where over 50,00 people now Languish in poverty. Ed Ryan Promises to appoint a Co-Mayor, A Vibrant Young Leader from Springfield's Ignored and Impoverished Hispanics Community and Eds Ryan Donate Half His Mayoral Salary to Pay him as Ed Ryan is all about Establishing Real Racial, Economic and Social Justice that will Stimulate prosperity as Ed Ryan's project to Build a World Class Sister UMASS Campus in the Heart of Springfield will bring prosperity and Make Springfield an Academic and Art destination. This I promised do my best to Attain and I have little Doubt Springfield will be denied as the truth comes out that the UMASS President ( Marty Meehan the ex-congressman and extremely close friend of Richie Neal most likely knew about and assisted with the RICO Criminal Conspiracy in the Alex Morse UMASS Hate Smear, a dirty hate crime that violated Federal Election and Civil Rights laws while destroying the people’s faith in Democracy, goes uninvestigated by an FBI that is a secret police organization wrongly emmeshed in American political system protecting Corporate Democrats from any Prosecution for the often racist and hate Corruption and Corporate Pay for play that enriches and empowers Congressman like Richie Neal to now go forth at Ways and Means and write tax law after tax law that allows the Millionaires who have bought our congress, to continued not paying taxes as in the 2021 Richie Neal refusal of Bidens request to eliminate the 'step up' capital gains tax loophole used to pass down too heirs untaxed wealth at death. This Tax loophole still being used thanks to Richie Neal being bought off and denying Bidens request, and cities like Springfield, festering in poverty, are being denied by Richie Neal corruption the money needed to begin to cure this unholy, diabolically constructed mess, that is destroying the lives of so many good people. My friends, Teflon Richie Neal Corruption needs to go to jail, full stop period. Things are ugly as thousands of people, mostly of color, are thrusted into horrible lives of poverty ,thanks to Richie Neal and Friend’s Corruption in the form of these criminals literally Pillaging Springfield, and the entire district, over 30 plus year span. This Crime onto Humanity needs to end. Hopefully, things will get better soon as Ed Ryan, runs for, and is elected to Mayor of Springfield. In the spirit of always trying to do the right thing, Ed Ryan now promises to use half his mayoral salary to pay the salary of a co-mayor that Ryan will appoint from Springfield’s forgotten Hispanic community.
Yes, the story is sickening, our Hispanic brothers and sisters, and so many others in Springfield, have been buried under a slash pile of corruption that Richie Neal and friend's, like Springfield Mayor Dominic Sarno, Atty Jim Roosevelt and UMASS President, Marty Meehan (the guy who sees fit to pay a Football Coach over $850'000 per season rather than investing a dime in the great City of Springfield),and Springfield Power Law Firm Buckley Richardson's Atty Melinda Phelps, who acts as a racist administering housing grants in Springfield issued by Rich Neal to be used to stop low class minority encroachment into middle class neighborhoods. This are high end well educated people in powerful positions pretending their doing right, when, in reality their bunch of greed sick bigoted racist who need to learn what the inside of a jail cell looks like when door clangs behind you. Yes, my friends, no wonder their is so much apathy, as people trust their leaders less and less. And to top it off, the FBI now protects the Corporate Democrats so they can get a cut a cut of the corporate cash flowing like the champaign fountain at a Donald Trump wedding. And you will learn more of the sordid details as you read in the Sludge account below. But know this, it still goes on today in real time as Congressman Richie Neal recently issued a series of 2023 grant letters to a bunch of cohorts across district. Besides supplying grant money payola in the form of funding at least 10 non-essential projects across the district at a time when the cities die in poverty, Richie Neal now ‘gets down’ with his Catholic Church masters issuing a 2 million dollar grant to the Elms College to paint the yellowed walls of Catholic Church Property. Yes, in a certain scheme to allow Richie Neal and his bag men, along with the Bishop, with crews of tight lipped white collared priest, to loot the 2 million dollar slush fund with a papal kick-back designed by Vatican. If I am wrong, then ‘my bad’ but my gut is churning, and it is rarely wrong. So give me a break Richie Neal, you now enrich the same crew of sickos who allowed at least two bishops and an multiple of priest to damage untold number of boys with their twisted pedophile predilection. And now we see a Cardinal or Bishop in NYC paying lobbyist 2 million dollars to loosen up the child sexual assault laws so that priests and bishops, and others, can continue their sick ways fearless of being prosecuted. That's a fact Jack. Catholic Priest pedophile sexual abuse of boys is still going on today, and you ,Richie Neal ,and your Buddies at the Springfield Law Firm of Egan and Flanagan, the church lawyers, profit off it, as you do your best to help sweep this sick reality under the rug. In doing so the Church will continue to whisper support of you to the loyal flock members , and fund dark money PACS to destroy your opponents with Alex More Like Hate Smears. And All this warped corruption allows you to continue con folks with Irish Catholic phony piety. You sir are a dangerous corrupt bigot, says Ed Ryan. Yes, Ed Ryan was addicted, in the gutter years ago, but now, healed by adhering to Existentialist principles of not believing any Bible based superstition sold by the church because falsehood as truth corrupts logical intellectual abilities. So I am a godless atheist who is now, fully transparent, and serious as a heart attack about always doing the right. Thus I now adhere to the most important existentialist tenant, that being to defeat evil as best I can when I met up with it, and I have met it in learning about you along with the jam packed ongoing crew along for the ride ion the criminal concern you that you king pin. So I will l now singlehandedly, make sure that the Elms College does not see dime of that 2 million dollars on the table, even if have to sue in Federal court on the principle of separation of Church and state, or call the Pope and telling him what’s up. But, I’m sure he already knows as 2million is a worthy, holy chunk of change, even for a pointed hatted pope, sore in the elbows from waving at the hordes of brainwashed victims of church religiosity, That’s my promise mister, and know this, you are in a Donnybrook, and I am going to Donnybrook your corrupt butt, out of Congress. This I promise. ed ryan
see; YouTube Ed Ryan Reform [email protected]
Richard Neal’s Inner Circle of Corporate Lobbyists and Real Estate Developers, from Sludge Friends, family, and staff of Rep. Richard Neal have all benefited from the revolving door linking Springfield and K Street, at great cost to Massachusetts residents Neal, in his 16th term, finds himself in a single-digit race against progressive Holyoke mayor Alex Morse, according to two recent polls. On August 19, Rep. Richard Neal’s powerful D.C. lawyer Brian Svoboda sent a cease and desist letter to local news station WWLP-22, in Massachusetts’s First Congressional District. An outside ad had been hammering the incumbent over his record of taking more money from corporations than any other member of Congress. Writing on behalf of Neal, Svoboda claimed that the ad, from Justice Democrats, conflates taking “money from corporations”—a felony under federal law—with taking money from corporate PACs. The legal counsel for Justice Democrats described the letter as “not valid from a legal perspective.” ADVERTISING The letter comes as Neal, in his 16th term, finds himself in a single-digit race against progressive Holyoke mayor Alex Morse, according to two recent polls. The primary is on Tuesday. Semantics aside—and he is in fact the single largest recipient of corporate (PAC) dollars in all of Congress—Neal has used his powerful position as chair of the Ways and Means Committee to grease a revolving door that shepherds friends, family, and staffers between his office and the lobbyist firms that advocate on behalf of his biggest donors. Before threatening a local news provider with legal action, Neal made no small effort to conceal his fealty to the powerful special interest groups funding his campaign, corporate interests that have a dramatic impact on the lives of his constituents. More from Daniel Bogus law For example, Neal’s former legislative director Melissa Mueller has taken to lobbying for organizations that have donated considerable sums to the Neal campaign this year. At Capitol Tax Partners, Mueller took in $460,000 from Verizon, insurance companies like Northwestern Mutual Life, and big energy firms like NextEra and Terra-Gen Power. In 2020 alone, corporations compensating Mueller for her lobbying efforts donated over $290,000 to Neal’s campaign. After twenty years in Rep. Neal’s office, former chief of staff Ann Jabulon also began working as a lobbyist at Capital Counsel, a bipartisan D.C. lobbying firm, in 2016. Public lobbying disclosures show that in 2020, Jabulon’s firm received over one million dollars in income from the same hospital, pharmaceutical, and doctors’ associations that have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Neal’s campaign this cycle. Notable among them is the American Medical Group Association, which opposed legislation that would have curbed surprise billing that Neal ultimately killed and Jabulon lobbied against. The surprise-billing fiasco has damaged lives across the country, including those in Massachusetts. The surprise-billing fiasco has damaged lives across the country, including those in Massachusetts. A review of over 330 pages of complaints to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office, obtained by the group Fight Corporate Monopolies, reveals the way numerous patients have been victimized by unexpected medical bills in the state. Time and again, Massachusetts patients check and double-check that they would not be hit with an out-of-network change for anesthesiologists, radiologists, or emergency room doctors, are told everything will be fine, and still end up owing thousands of dollars. One patient treated at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, Massachusetts, got a bill from “Rhode Island Imaging,” for having their radiologist read X-rays. When the patient questioned “why someone at Sturdy would be billing separately by a Rhode Island company, I was told ‘That’s just the way it is.’” Another patient went for a colonoscopy at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton because that was listed “in network” on her insurance company Cigna’s app. The bill from Cigna then stated “that Cooley Dickinson was out of network … I owed $1,730.06.” The same thing happened to a patient in Salem, who was assured before getting a mammogram that the services would be in network but found out later that the radiologist was not. A fourth patient from Waltham received a $4,321 bill for an out-of-network anesthesiologist. A fifth from Somerville had to pay $5,557.78 for an out-of-network doctor. A sixth from Newton racked up over $10,000 in charges from out-of-network healthcare providers, after confirming that the doctor was in-network. Trade groups representing hospitals, radiologists, and anesthesiologists have devoted over $600,000 to Neal’s effort, both through direct funding to the Neal campaign and third-party spending. WHILE NEAL’S FORMER EMPLOYEES have turned to lobbying, former lobbyists have in turn joined Neal’s staff. Picking up where Mueller left off, Neal’s deputy chief of staff on the House Ways and Means Committee, Elizabeth O’Hara, previously spent six years lobbying for O’Hara Federal Strategies, where her father now serves as principal. One of O’Hara Federal Strategies’ chief clients is Norfolk Southern, which has donated more than $25,000 to Neal over the last four election cycles. In between her former role as Neal’s legislative director and her current role as Senior Counsel to the Ways and Means Committee, Peg McGlinchey lobbied on behalf of Deloitte, Baxter Healthcare, PhRMA, Baxalta, and AmerisourceBergen. Combined, these companies have donated some $52,000 to Neal since 2014. Beyond friends and staffers, a member of Neal’s nuclear family has also come to benefit from the tremendous power that flows from the gavel of the Ways and Means Committee. Neal has also supported the endeavors of friends in addition to congressional staff. Melinda Phelps, head of the government strategies group at the powerful Springfield law firm Bulley Richardson, is also a former member of Neal’s mayoral campaign and a close friend of Neal’s. Phelps sits on multiple boards that have received donations from Neal. Data compiled by the Center For Responsive Politics for the Prospect shows that one of the boards that Phelps sits on, The Spirit of Springfield, has received $15,355 from Neal’s Congressional committee. While Spirit of Springfield is a civic pride organization, Develop Springfield, a privately funded development non-profit where Phelps serves as vice chair, has also received help from Neal. The congressman has written multiple times to the Springfield Community Preservation Committee advocating for public subsidies for private developments supported by the group. Neal has appeared at Develop Springfield events, and touts his record securing federal matching for their projects. None of the projects listed on Develop Springfield’s website mention low-income housing or community-based development, despite their requests for taxpayer dollars intended for projects that “preserve the character of the community.” This falls in line with Phelps’ statements describing community development projects as “encroachments” on middle-class neighborhoods. Phelps’s law firm Bulley Richardson has received $1,800 for “fundraising,” per Center For Responsive Politics records, and hosted a pre-gala VIP reception with Neal last year. Phelps also attended a Spirit of Springfield fundraiser co-chaired by Neal and MassMutual CEO Roger Crandall, although photo galleries on MassLive covering both events disappeared from their site, displaying an “internal server error” message, after the Prospect began contacting sources as part of its investigation into Phelps last week. The removal of the photos comes on the heels of The Intercept’s reporting on the tilted local media coverage of the MA-01 race. As of Sunday, the galleries seem to have been restored. Beyond friends and staffers, a member of Neal’s nuclear family has also come to benefit from the tremendous power that flows from the gavel of the Ways and Means Committee. As The Intercept reported earlier this month, Neal’s son Brendan was able to secure a lucrative lobbying job with Trestle Energy, a California-based biofuel company, after Neal helped the biofuel industry win a $3 billion dollar tax credit. As Lee Fang wrote, “The legislative gift followed a series of PAC donations from the largest ethanol and biofuel companies in America to Neal’s campaign, a tradition that enriches the campaign war chests of most legislators on the tax-writing committee.” Total biofuel industry donations to Neal this cycle are over $20,000. In addition to taking biofuel money, Neal has also advanced legislation that would give massive tax incentives to biomass energy providers like the embattled Palmer Renewable Energy, which has fought a prolonged battle with activist groups and city councilors to build a wood-burning biomass plant in East Springfield. Already suffering from the highest rates of asthma in the country, Springfield residents have raised the alarm over the plant’s potential to worsen public health, a sentiment that activists and local politicians have echoed. In 2010 Palmer Paving, whose owners the Callahans are also investors in the east Springfield plant, donated $5,500 to Neal. Between 2012 and 2020 members of the Callahan family donated an additional $2,500.
see; YouTube Ed Ryan Reform [email protected]
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