WhatFinger


Alan Joel

Alan Joel has been a practicing CPA in NYC for more than 40 years. He loves liberty and writes on the politics of taxes at his popular blog, AlanJoelNY.com

Most Recent Articles by Alan Joel:

Obamacare "Essential Benefits" Rendered Most Current Health Plans Obsolete

The great bait-and-switch of ObamaCare ("you can keep your plan and your doctor") was intentionally orchestrated by the architects of the legislation. There were thousands of policies offered nationwide that were good and even very good but now they can't be sustained under the new Obamacare policy requirements.
- Monday, December 2, 2013


De Blasio and The Triborough Amendment: The Impending Fiscal Crisis For NYC

De Blasio’s recent mayoral victory was a sad day for New Yorkers. Electing him was proof that the constituency in NYC is morally, philosophically, and educationally bankrupt. And if the mayor sticks to his positions that he declared as candidate De Blasio, NYC will be financially bankrupt as well.
- Saturday, November 23, 2013

We Finally Have The Real Reason Behind ObamaCare: Discrimination and Wealth Transfer

The legislative name for ObamaCare is the Affordable Care Act. This name was chosen precisely to appeal to Americans to consider buying a health insurance plan from a government-run exchange. Who doesn’t like the idea of something that is “affordable”? By using that term, it suggested that the current system of health care was the opposite –”unafforable”.
- Friday, November 15, 2013

84 Years Since Black Tuesday Stock Market Crash

Today marks 84 years since the Great Stock Market Crash of 1929, also known as Black Tuesday. This typically is considered the beginning event of the Great Depression that lasted some 10 years in the United States.
- Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Hurricane Sandy and Government Machinations: One Year Later

What a year it has been since Hurricane Sandy. Nearly three months after Superstorm Sandy hit the US on October 29, 2012, the Sandy Relief bill was passed. It almost didn’t make it in Congress at all, having been caught up in the “Fiscal Cliff” crisis.
- Sunday, October 27, 2013

Are Obamacare Enrollment Pressures Unconstitutional?

As each day passes, the various facets of Obamacare are getting implemented in order to be fully operational by January 1, 2014. But we are hearing about the difficulties in the implementation caused primarily by either 1) the website fiasco; 2) low number of enrollees; and 3) people wanting to pay the penalties in order to avoid having to pay for intentionally overpriced health “insurance”.
- Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Detroit’s $320 Million Federal Aid Package

Right before the government shutdown, Detroit received a pledge for a $320 million federal "aid package". The Obama Administration wants to make it perfectly clear: this is not a bailout. That word is too toxic during this time of fiscal instability in Washington. This is relief. A stimulus. It is a hand-up, not a hand-out, and, as the NY Times reports, this will not be the only federal infusion that Detroit receives to get back on its feet.
- Monday, October 21, 2013



Congressional Chicken or Egg

The Democrats (and some others) have been screaming for all the country to hear that the upcoming debt ceiling vote should not have to be. After all, once Congress passes a law that involves paying for something, and the President signs it, the country has an obligation to “pay its bills”, right?
- Monday, October 7, 2013


Obama’s speech on the debt ceiling in 2013 vs 2006

CNS News reported an excerpt from President Obama’s speech on September 18 at the Business Roundtable in D.C. Obama claimed that, “Now, this debt ceiling — I just want to remind people in case you haven’t been keeping up — raising the debt ceiling, which has been done over a hundred times, does not increase our debt; it does not somehow promote profligacy. All it does is it says you got to pay the bills that you’ve already racked up, Congress. It’s a basic function of making sure that the full faith and credit of the United States is preserved.”
- Thursday, September 19, 2013

Disparate Impact and the IRS

The idea of “disparate impact” is a poisonous cancer that has taken root as an important concept in the business world. If we do not end it soon, it will continue to grow, extorting huge sums from innocent companies, creating an enormous economic burden on society, and allowing the tort bar to run amok.
- Monday, September 9, 2013

Obamacare is the “Law of the Land” (except when it’s not)

Eye-opening words of HHS Secretary Sebelius yesterday: “This is no longer a political debate; this is what we call the law,” Sebelius told a group that includes Democrats and Republicans, elected officials, political appointees and bureaucrats. “It was passed and signed three years ago. It was upheld by the Supreme Court a year ago. The president was re-elected. This is the law of the land.”
- Wednesday, August 14, 2013

The Liberty of Risk

Ben Casselman penned a thoughtful piece last week in the WSJ which documented the decline of risk-taking in business ventures. Hard data show that both the number of new companies and the use of venture capital is waning. And this downward trend is a major contributor to the fact that the recovery from the recent recession is so painfully slow and anemic.
- Sunday, June 16, 2013

Debunking the Myth of Social Security Solvency

Faithful devotees on the Left continue to peddle the notion that Social Security is not in crisis, that it doesn't contribute to the deficit, and there is no need for reform. However, reading through this year's just-released Social Security Trustees report, the annual "State of the SSA", we find that the Trustees tell a different narrative--one that grim indeed.
- Tuesday, June 4, 2013

The “Not Me” Administration

One of the key components of Tea Party ideology is the championing for smaller government. As the IRS scandal targeting the Tea Party, Conservatives, and pro-Israel Jews continues to fester, a cursory glance at the various figures involved in the wrongdoing have resorted to finger pointing and the blame game. According to the key players themselves, "Not Me" did it.
- Sunday, June 2, 2013


Timeline of the IRS Scandal

With all the reports coming in fast and furiously from different news agencies, here’s a pieced-together timeline of events. The information below is a timeline of events taken from numerous media outlets with their links provided.
- Monday, May 13, 2013

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