It is a little-known law introduced in 1994, posing a threat to private investors by allowing financial institutions to use investors’ assets as collateral in times of economic crisis.

Only South Dakota is addressing this threat, with lawmakers introducing House Bill 1199 on Monday, January 29, to rewrite the commercial code in the state. The proposed legislation would ensure investors retain ownership of their assets, even when utilizing intermediaries like Fidelity or Merrill Lynch.

The law, Article Eight of the Uniform Commercial Code, changes individual property rights related to investment accounts across all 50 states. Under this framework, investors no longer own their investments.

According to Cornell Law School, under “Article 8-106. CONTROL. (3) another person has control of the security entitlement on behalf of the purchaser or, having previously acquired control of the security entitlement, acknowledges that it has control on behalf of the purchaser.”

Instead, the intermediary or stockbroker retains ownership. It allows intermediaries to use investors’ assets as collateral in their financial agreements, putting investors at risk in the event of a financial institution’s bankruptcy.

“You purchase a car outright, but the car lot from which you bought it can use your car as collateral in another automobile sale,” said a political pundit. “And if that sale falls through, you lose your car even though you paid in full for it.”

House Bill 1199 in South Dakota is a measure that preserves investors’ rights. Despite opposition from bank lobbyists and financial institutions, the bill would be a first step in rectifying a system designed to protect banks and other financial institutions while jeopardizing the investments of millions of Americans.

The outcome of the South Dakota legislation could set a precedent for similar reforms in other states, including Nevada, potentially leading to a nationwide overhaul of the law.

Reno City Council member Miguel Martinez potentially violated travel policies during his attendance at two separate conferences. Documents obtained by This Is Reno suggest discrepancies in Martinez’s submission of travel documents and expenses, raising questions about accountability and adherence to city regulations.

Martinez’s first trip to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund conference in New York City in July 2023 drew attention due to several apparent policy breaches. Despite registering for the conference and purchasing airfare in April 2023, Martinez failed to submit a travel request form until August 8, more than three weeks after his return. Furthermore, his expense report was submitted a week later, raising concerns about the accuracy of reported costs.

Analysis of Martinez’s expense report revealed discrepancies, including the misrepresentation of lodging expenses. While Martinez listed his lodging at $492.15 per night, the receipts attached showed a lower actual cost of $455.62 per night. Moreover, his estimated expenses of $2,231 contradicted the nearly $4,000 spent by August 8, with airfare costs excluded from his travel request despite being paid for using a city credit card.

Additionally, Martinez’s failure to provide a reason for staying in New York City two days after the conference, with allegations of traveling with family for sightseeing purposes during this period, has raised further questions regarding the legitimacy of his expenses.

In a separate instance, Martinez’s attendance at the National Recreation and Parks Association conference in Dallas, Texas, in October 2023 also faced scrutiny. Despite submitting a travel request form on November 8, nearly a month after the trip, Martinez’s estimated expenses of $2,760 included lodging costs based on the GSA rate for Austin, Texas, rather than Dallas, the conference site.

Concerns have over the approval process for Martinez’s travel expenses, with questions lingering about oversight and adherence to city policies. While City Council member Naomi Duerr expressed confidence in the council’s adherence to travel policies, calls for transparency and accountability regarding Martinez’s travel expenses have intensified.

Efforts to obtain clarification from Martinez and city officials regarding the alleged violations have met silence.

A recent review of tax records by the Washington Free Beacon revealed that Senator Jacky Rosen has been consistently late in paying her property taxes, raising questions about her financial management and commitment to public funding priorities.

Since her first election in 2017, Rosen has twice failed to meet property tax deadlines for her $1 million, six-bedroom home in Henderson. In March 2018, while serving as a congresswoman, Rosen was 32 days late in paying $1,074 in property taxes. Subsequently, in January 2020, she was 38 days late, paying $2,279 in property taxes.

Rosen’s tax delinquency has drawn criticism, particularly in light of her advocacy for increased public school funding through tax hikes on corporations and wealthy individuals. According to the Washington Free Beacon, her late payment contradicts her stance, as the Nevada public school system heavily relies on property and sales taxes for its funding.

Despite her financial means, as disclosed in her 2022 financial disclosure, where she reported assets worth up to $18.5 million and debts totaling no more than $1.5 million, Rosen incurred $88 in penalties for her tardy payments.

In response to inquiries about her tax delinquency, a spokesperson for Rosen’s campaign says that the Rosen’s have since paid all property taxes on their home and are currently up to date with payments.

My Cousin Elmo says, “A 1,000 pound horse can produce between 35-50 pounds of poop a day, which makes it the second biggest producer of horseshit after Karine Jean-Pierre.”

In a plot twist that even the most seasoned soap opera writers could not conjure, the political theater of the U.S. just hit a new peak of absurdity.

Picture this: a Republican, who is secretly a registered Democrat from Ethiopia and moonlights in the Israeli Defense Force, loses an election to — wait for it — another registered Democrat who dared to run as a Democrat.

But hold on to your hats, folks! It gets juicier.

Remember Ronna Romney McDaniels? Yep, the same McDaniels, still reigning over the National RNC. She’s been playing fairy godmother with her financial wand, sprinkling cash on that Republican-in-disguise.

And in a revelation shocking precisely no one, it has been confirmed that Obama’s spying on Trump’s presidential endeavors was indeed the real deal. But who needed confirmation?

It was about as surprising as finding out your neighbor’s dog barks.

Now, onto the grand finale of today’s circus: a national security threat, fresh off the assembly line, care of the Deep State. They’re up to no good again, crying about some weapon Russia or China has test-fired and are hiding in outer space.

Cue the panic buttons, folks, and the $60 Billion for Ukraine!

Shootings at the Super Bowl parade, a Florida mall, and a Georgia high school—all conveniently timed with the emergence of the “threat.” Coincidence?

You be the judge.

But fear not, for House Intel Committee Chair Mike Turner is here to save the day, armed with urgent letters and a serious clown face. He is demanding declassification faster than you can say “classified.”

And when you thought the rollercoaster ride was over, a swarm of elected officials suddenly remembers a meeting about this threat they knew about for a month. Oh, the amnesia of politics!

But wait, there’s more!

According to some, this threat-capable thing is like finding out your favorite show was not renewed — disturbing, but not an immediate crisis. Way to keep us on the edge of our seats, folks.

In conclusion, being an American these days feels like running a marathon through a hall of mirrors — exhausting, disorienting, and you’re never quite sure if what you see is real or Memorex. It is how the Deep State likes it.

So grab the popcorn, folks, because the show must go on.

The latest Gallup poll paints a stark picture of the financial hardship across party lines.

The Gallup Economic Confidence Index has lingered in negative territory since the onset of the pandemic, reaching historic lows in June 2022 as inflation hit its highest point in four decades. Despite Democratic optimism about the economic trajectory from President Joe Biden, the poll reveals that 51 percent of Democrats are contending with financial hardship due to inflation.

The key findings shed light on the prevailing economic sentiments and challenges as a majority express pessimism about the economy under Biden, with a significant portion anticipating a further downturn. The prevailing sentiment is one of concern regarding the future economic landscape.

The data indicates that 63 percent of respondents acknowledge experiencing financial hardship due to recent price increases. Within this group, 17 percent describe their situation as a severe hardship affecting their ability to maintain their standard of living, while 46 percent report a moderate hardship that does not jeopardize their standard of living. However, 37 percent of respondents believe inflation has not posed a hardship.

Approximately 45 percent of Americans rate the current economic conditions in the country as poor. In contrast, just over one-quarter view conditions as excellent (5 percent) or good (22 percent), while 29 percent believe they are only fair. It reflects a prevailing sentiment of dissatisfaction with the current economic landscape.

The index, a key indicator of public sentiment, continues to dwell in negative territory, underscoring the overall economic pessimism prevalent among Americans. The impact of inflation on Nevada households reveals that the average family needs to spend an additional $13,296 per year to maintain the same standard of living as in January 2021.

An ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted in early January showed record-low approval rating of 33 percent for Biden.

My Cousin Elmo says, “I remember in years past when the New Year arrived it came with best wishes, now when it comes it wants money without a job and a new game station.”

My Cousin Elmo says, “The ladies all wanna cowboy until they get Copenhagen in their lipstick.”

For the first time in over a century, one of many concrete barriers on the Klamath River began its water release in preparation for dam removal as part of the drawdown phase.

The operation commenced on Thursday, January 11, with water released through a tunnel at the base of Iron Gate. Subsequent milestones included the blasting out of a concrete plug at J.C. Boyle on Tuesday, January 16, which drained the area in 16 hours, and a week later, on Tuesday, January 23, another concrete plug met the same fate at Copco’s reservoir.

The strategic release of water during winter, a period when sensitive aquatic life, including endangered salmon, tends to be away from the main stem of the Klamath, aims to facilitate the movement of sediment. The Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC), the entity overseeing the dam removal, estimated that 17 to 20 million cubic yards of sediment behind Iron Gate, JC Boyle, and Copco No. 1, with an anticipated five to seven million cubic yards expected to cascade downstream through February.

While the reservoirs may experience periodic refilling during winter runoff, the prevailing drought conditions have kept levels in check. Iron Gate’s reservoir has seen partial refilling from upriver water releases.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and KRRC estimate it will take 18 to 24 months for the water quality to attain pristine conditions. Activists and environmentalists expressed optimism that sediment removal, though a temporary disruption, is preferable to the toxic algae that plagued the reservoirs each summer.

As part of the ongoing restoration efforts, the Yurok Fisheries Department has already begun planting native vegetation in the exposed areas. Meanwhile, the larger objective of dam removal remains on track for Fall 2024.

In what some in the media have termed a symbolic gesture, Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign redirected its efforts to California on Wednesday, February 7, following a setback in Nevada’s Presidential Preference Primary.

Haley, facing another challenging bid against former President Donald Trump, reaffirmed her commitment to the race during an indoor rally in Los Angeles’s historic Hollywood neighborhood.

“I’m not going anywhere. I’m in this for the long haul,” Haley declared to cheers from supporters.

With mail voting already underway in California, attendees at the rainy night rally remained optimistic about her chances, brushing off the Nevada setback as inconsequential and soon to be forgotten.

As the Republican contest narrows Trumo and herself, Haley has embraced her role as a defiant Trump opponent and positioned herself as an outsider to the establishment. She has consistently warned against the prospect of another Trump presidency, citing potential “chaos” for the nation.

The day earlier, Haley suffered a blow in Nevada, where GOP voters overwhelmingly chose a “none of these candidates” option on the ballot, effectively snubbing her publicly. Further, the primary did not allocate any delegates needed for securing the GOP nomination, and Haley refrained from campaigning in Nevada, alleging rule manipulation by Trump allies. Despite the setback, Haley’s campaign reported a fundraising haul of $16.5 million in January.

Meanwhile, Trump bypassed the Nevada primary to focus on the state’s caucuses, where he secured all 26 delegates at stake.

In California, Trump is heavily favored, with the primary election concluding on Tuesday, March 5. Given California’s significant delegate count of 169, it is conceivable that Trump could sweep the state. However, California’s heavily Democratic leanings suggest that its electoral significance may diminish in November 2024, with the state widely expected to favor the Democratic nominee on Election Day.