Sanuber

A blog on Politics and Economics

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The FCC's 5G Rules Will Hinder Development, not Encourage It

The FCC’s 5G Rules Will Hinder Development, not Encourage It

Last Wednesday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) moved to limit the control cities have over how wireless companies develop 5G networks. During a statement at the vote, FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel called the decision “extraordinary federal overreach.” She is right. City governments will still have to negotiate with wireless companies, and this decision will only hinder 5G in…

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Moving Cities? Nominal vs. Real Income is Important

I love Miami - it's home - but when you compare real average income in Miami versus New York, that is after you calculate for price inflation, you notice that money in Miami just doesn't last... Local price inflation.

I’ve been missing in action this past month, sorry about that. I’m in a weird moment between undergrad and grad school and have been squaring things away in Miami before moving to New York City for grad school. Moving cities gave me the perfect way to get this blog started back up: exploring how my wallet is going to be affected by looking at nominal and real income in Miami and New York City.

Sh…

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U.S. Tariffs Will Not Do the Solar Industry Any Favors

As Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi warns the world against the rise of protectionism at the World Economic Forum at Davos, U.S. President Donald Trump tried to sell the attendees “America First.” On Monday, he also slapped tariffs on foreign-built solar panels and washing machines. This seems to be a part of his push to defend the U.S economy against bad deals, but this will only mean higher…

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The Endowment Tax Likely Won't Do What it Claims to Do

The Endowment Tax Likely Won’t Do What it Claims to Do

The 2018 tax law includes an unprecedented 1.4 percent tax on net investment income to schools that have 500 or more students and net assets of at least $500,000 per student. For universities, this applies to their endowments.

Credit: the Wall Street Journal

Republican lawmakers say the tax mirrors a tax on private foundations and that the goal is to encourage colleges to use their large…

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2018 Taxes Quick Sheet: Income tax brackets and deductions

While 2017 tax season is underway, here are the changes that passed for 2018 income tax rates and brackets.

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The Iran Protests: Money Matters

It was an omen. On December 27th, there was an earthquake in Iran’s capital. The next day, there were “unauthorized protests” in major cities across Iran, initially about price hikes, most notably in egg price which shot up 50%.

By Day 3, protesters were calling on Supreme Leader Khamenei to quit and demanding a referendum, similar to the one that established the Islamic Republic in 1979. This…

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Top 5 Developments of 2017

2017 has been pretty hectic. I’m assuming it has been as well for the rest of the world. In case you have been too scared/annoyed/excited to keep up with the news (and to start up this blog after a long hiatus), here are some of the central trends I noticed throughout 2017.

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The Panama Papers: Self-Help Wins Over the Public Good

The Panama Papers: Self-Help Wins Over the Public Good

On Sunday, Süddeutsche Zeitung revealed that it received what is the largest leak of offshore financial information.

All information on the biggest data-leak: https://t.co/KsSuPDHG3F #panamapapershttps://t.co/Glg7u0LnQl

— Süddeutsche Zeitung (@SZ) April 3, 2016

The leak, which has been dubbed the Panama Papers, contains emails, pictures, financials etc. on offshore structures managed by Mossack…

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Brussels Attacks: Governments, Be Careful when Raising Patrols

Brussels Attacks: Governments, Be Careful when Raising Patrols

Within hours of the attacks in Brussels, Belgian soldiers were seen patrolling the streets. This urgent response was a part of the anti-terrorist efforts that were already in place – the Belgian government was on its second-highest terror alert when the attacks occurred, and it raised its alert to the highest level after the attacks. Many other Western countries, including the US, the UK and…

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The EU Turkey Refugee Deal is a Cop Out

Today, Turkey’s Capital is suffering its fourth bomb attack since June last year. With this news, it is important for Turkish and EU diplomats to deeply consider the consequences of an ambiti…

The Turkey EU deal took effect Sunday, all with little to no consideration and fueled by desperation. Turkey is not a “safe state” and the EU cannot decide to change its status when it is convenient.

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“Do Your Job” – Advising on the Supreme Court Nomination is The Senate’s Job

Within hours of President Barrack Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland to fill Justice Antonin Scalia’s shoes in the Supreme Court, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reaffirmed th…

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The EU Turkey Refugee Deal is a Cop Out

The EU-Turkey Refugee Deal is a Cop Out

Today, Turkey’s Capital is suffering its fourth bomb attack since June last year. With this news, it is important for Turkish and EU diplomats to deeply consider the consequences of an ambitious new deal, pushed by Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, to send all “boat-people” to Turkey for processing [the Economist has a interesting article on the deal here]. The deal proposes to move the central…

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Is American Populism Hurting the Two Party System?

Is American Populism Hurting the Two Party System?

In an interview with MSNBC, Donald Trump mistook a description of Bernie Sanders’ campaign for his own. Apparently, there isn’t much difference between them. Credit: CNN Money Both candidates are channeling a deep-seated anger among their supporters and are fanning an already strong distrust against “politicians” (Trump) and “the establishment” (Sanders). The word “populist” has even been thrown…

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The Iran Nuclear Deal and How It Intends to Avoid History Repeating Itself

Background Attempts to reign control over Iran’s nuclear program have been going on since 2002, when dissidents in Iran revealed two facilities that were not reported to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Iran has suffered through series of sanctions since 2006. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is the product of…

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China's Stock Crash [Again]: Ever-Higher Stocks in Response to Slowing Growth

When China’s Xi Jinping declared in a 2013 conclave that the government would move towards allowing market forces to determine resource allocation, it likely wasn’t expecting a crash so soon. The government’s panicked response to its recent drop in stocks is worrying and, to many, overly paranoid. By July 7th 90% of Chinese exchanges have been halted or suspended, initial public offerings have…

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