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• <a href="https://www.tndagc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/2025-PC998-Immigration-Report-Final-2.pdf">2025 Tennessee Immigration Crime Report</a>

• <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tennessee-wants-to-lead-the-nation-in-fighting-illegal-immigration-it-may-have-a-shot">The Daily Wire: Original Tennessee Immigration Report</a></p>

A grieving father whose child was killed by an illegal immigrant delivered searing testimony at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing this week, directly confronting Chairman Dick Durbin over what he called the senator's "failure of leadership" on border security and immigration enforcement.

The emotional confrontation came during a hearing on immigration policy, where Angel Dads and families of victims killed by illegal immigrants testified before the committee. The unnamed father looked directly at Durbin and delivered a devastating indictment of the senator's record.

A Father's Pain Becomes a Nation's Wake-Up Call

"Senator Durbin, you've been in this position for years," the father testified, his voice steady despite the obvious emotion. "Your failure of leadership, your refusal to take border security seriously, your opposition to every meaningful enforcement measure - it cost my child their life. And it's costing other families their children every single day."

The room fell silent as the father continued his testimony, providing a stark contrast to the typical political theater that characterizes most Senate hearings. This wasn't about talking points or campaign messaging. This was about the real-world consequences of failed policies.

Angel Dads and Moms - parents who have lost children to crimes committed by illegal immigrants - have become powerful advocates for border security and immigration enforcement. Their testimonies cut through political spin because they speak from devastating personal experience.

The Numbers Don't Lie

The father's testimony highlighted what conservatives have been saying for years: lax border security and catch-and-release policies have deadly consequences. Under the previous administration's policies:

• Sanctuary cities released thousands of criminal illegal immigrants back onto the streets • ICE detainers were routinely ignored by local jurisdictions • Border encounters reached record highs while deportations remained low • Criminal illegal immigrants were often released pending court dates they never attended

"These aren't statistics to me," the father told the committee. "This was my child. This was our family. And you had the power to prevent it."

Durbin's Record Under Scrutiny

Senator Dick Durbin has long been a vocal opponent of robust immigration enforcement measures. He's opposed funding for border wall construction, criticized ICE operations, and supported sanctuary city policies. He's also been a leading voice against the Remain in Mexico policy that successfully reduced border crossings.

The Angel Dad's confrontation puts Durbin's record in sharp focus. When parents who have lost children to preventable crimes call out your "failure of leadership" to your face, it's not easy to dismiss as partisan politics.

You can't spin away a grieving parent's testimony. You can't tweet your way out of that kind of moral accountability.

Where Leadership Actually Matters

The contrast with President Trump's approach couldn't be clearer. From day one of his administration, Trump prioritized border security and immigration enforcement. The result? Dramatically reduced border crossings, increased deportations of criminals, and policies that actually deterred illegal immigration.

That's what leadership looks like. Making hard decisions. Prioritizing American families over political correctness. Understanding that sovereignty matters and laws have meaning.

The Question That Demands an Answer

The Angel Dad's testimony raises the question every senator should be forced to answer: How many more American families need to lose children before you take border security seriously?

How many more grieving parents need to sit in that hearing room and explain how your policies failed their families?

The father concluded his testimony with a simple challenge: "You have the power to prevent other families from going through what we've experienced. The question is whether you have the courage to use it."

That's the challenge facing every member of Congress. Angel Dads and Moms shouldn't have to exist. Their children should still be alive. But they're gone, and their parents are left to fight for changes that might prevent other families from joining their ranks.

The least we can do is listen. And then act.

Further Reading

• Trump's Border Policies: A Record of Success

• The Human Cost of Sanctuary City Policies

• Angel Families Speak Truth to Power

• Why Border Security Is National Security

The courage of Angel Dads and Moms to speak truth to power in the face of unimaginable grief should inspire us all. Their children's lives mattered. Their deaths demand accountability. And their parents deserve leaders who will finally act.

The Mississippi Senate Finance Committee unanimously killed a House-passed bill that would have made college athletes' Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) earnings tax-exempt. The reason? State Senator Dean Kirby heard from actual voters who weren't thrilled about giving special tax privileges to student-athletes while everyone else keeps paying.

When Politicians Actually Listen

"I don't know about the rest of you on this committee," Sen. Dean Kirby (R-Pearl) told his colleagues on March 16, "but I've had several constituents that have called me that are not happy at all about this bill."

That was it. No long debate. No parliamentary procedure games. Just a Republican senator saying his voters spoke up, and he listened.

The bill died unanimously.

The Special Deal Nobody Asked For

The legislation would have exempted college athletes' NIL earnings from state income tax, retroactive to January 1. In other words, while regular Mississippians keep paying state income taxes until the phase-out kicks in, college athletes would get a special carve-out.

Rep. Trey Lamar (R-Senatobia), who championed the bill in the House, argued it was about keeping Mississippi competitive. "NIL is taking the country and coming by storm," Lamar said. "Other states are doing it, and I believe it's time that Mississippi starts doing this as well."

He's not wrong about the competitive pressure. Five other SEC schools can already offer athletes tax-free NIL deals, either because their states passed similar laws or because they eliminated income tax altogether.

But here's where grassroots accountability matters: being competitive and being fair to your own taxpayers aren't the same thing.

The Fairness Question

Let's be clear about what this bill represented: a special tax privilege for one specific group of people who are already receiving benefits (scholarships, training, facilities) that most taxpayers will never see.

Mississippi voters saw through that. They called their senators. They said, "Hold on. Why do they get a tax break we don't get?"

And their senators listened.

This isn't about being anti-athlete or anti-NIL. College sports matter to Mississippi communities. But tax policy should be fair. If you want to eliminate income tax, eliminate it for everyone. If you want to keep it, apply it consistently.

What Grassroots Accountability Looks Like

This story matters because it shows how the system is supposed to work:

• Legislators propose something • Constituents pay attention and speak up • Elected officials listen to the people who put them in office • Bad policy gets stopped before it becomes law

Too often, we see the opposite. Special interest groups push for carve-outs. Legislators go along to get along. Taxpayers find out later what happened.

Mississippi voters broke that cycle. They caught this early. They made their voices heard. And their senators had the backbone to listen, even when it meant disappointing university athletics departments.

The Real Competition

Here's what Rep. Lamar and other NIL tax exemption supporters might consider: the real competition isn't just about recruiting athletes. It's about recruiting families, businesses, and taxpayers.

Mississippi is already working toward eliminating state income tax entirely. That's a good policy because it treats everyone equally. It makes the state more competitive for all residents and businesses, not just college athletes.

Special carve-outs for specific groups undermine that broader goal. They create a two-tier tax system where some people get privileges others don't. That's not conservative policy. That's crony capitalism.

The Lesson

Senator Kirby and the Mississippi Senate Finance Committee got this right. They listened to constituents who understood that fair tax policy doesn't pick winners and losers based on what sport you play or how much money you can make from your name.

The lesson for legislators everywhere: your constituents are watching. They understand the difference between sound policy and special deals. And when they speak up, you'd better listen.

Because that's what representative government is supposed to look like.

Further Reading

• Clarion Ledger: Mississippi Senate committee kills bill to make NIL money tax exempt • Breitbart: Mississippi Senate Committee Kills Bill to Make NIL Money Tax Exempt

<p>Speaking with Newsmax's Bianca de la Garza, Dhillon laid out what any conservative with a functioning brain already knew was happening. Dead people on voter rolls. Duplicate registrations. People who moved but somehow still vote in their old district. And the kicker: non-citizens registered to vote.</p>

<h2>The Numbers Don't Lie</h2>

<p>Here's what the DOJ found in their review:</p>

<ul> <li>Hundreds of thousands of people who shouldn't be on voter rolls</li> <li>Dead voters still registered as active</li> <li>Duplicate registrations across jurisdictions</li> <li>Non-citizens registered to vote (and some actually voted)</li> <li>People who moved but remain on old district rolls</li> </ul>

<p>"We have also found, separately, non-citizens on the voter rolls, and so now we're doing our due diligence to identify the extent to which they may or may not have voted," Dhillon explained.</p>

<p>Translation: they're finding out how many illegal votes were actually cast. Because of course there were illegal votes cast.</p>

<h2>Los Angeles: A Case Study in Election Chaos</h2>

<p>Want to know how bad this gets? Look at Los Angeles County. In 2017, they settled a lawsuit with Judicial Watch and admitted they had over one million people on their voter rolls who shouldn't have been there. One million. In one county.</p>

<p>Dhillon also mentioned "crazy videos from California" showing homeless people being used to sign petitions and register to vote, then sign ballots for other people. "That's easy when you have a system where there's no voter ID, ballots are being mailed to outdated voting lists," she noted.</p>

<p>Easy indeed. Almost like it was designed that way.</p>

<h2>29 States Refuse to Cooperate</h2>

<p>Here's where it gets really interesting. The DOJ has filed federal lawsuits against 29 states and the District of Columbia because they refuse to provide their voter registration rolls for review and audit.</p>

<p>Twenty-nine states. Why would any state refuse to let federal authorities verify their voter rolls are clean? What exactly are they hiding?</p>

<p>You already know the answer. They're hiding the same thing Los Angeles was hiding: massive voter roll corruption that makes election integrity impossible to guarantee.</p>

<h2>The SAVE America Act Solution</h2>

<p>This is exactly why the SAVE America Act matters. The bill requires proof of citizenship for voter registration and mandates regular voter roll maintenance. Basic stuff that should have been standard practice decades ago.</p>

<p>But Democrats oppose it lockstep. Chuck Schumer calls it voter suppression. Progressive groups call it racist. The media calls it unnecessary.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, we have hundreds of thousands of ineligible registrations and confirmed illegal voting happening across the country.</p>

<p>Who opposes basic election integrity measures? Only people who benefit from the chaos.</p>

<h2>What Comes Next</h2>

<p>The Senate is currently debating the SAVE America Act. If it passes, states will be required to verify citizenship for voter registration and clean up their rolls regularly. If it doesn't, we'll keep getting the same results: corrupted voter rolls, illegal voting, and election results nobody can trust.</p>

<p>Dhillon's work proves what conservatives have been saying for years: our election system has massive integrity problems that can only be fixed with federal intervention. The DOJ review isn't just finding problems. It's documenting the scope of a crisis that threatens the foundation of our republic.</p>

<p>The question isn't whether we need the SAVE America Act. The question is whether we'll pass it before the 2026 midterms, or keep pretending these problems don't exist while our elections become increasingly meaningless.</p>

<h3>Further Reading</h3>

<ul> <li><a href="https://redstate.com/wardclark/2026/03/17/51-48-senate-now-kicking-off-weekend-long-debate-on-save-america-act-n2200325">Senate Kicks Off Weekend-Long Debate on SAVE America Act</a></li> <li>DOJ Civil Rights Division Press Releases on State Voter Roll Lawsuits</li> <li>Judicial Watch Settlement with Los Angeles County (2017)</li> </ul>

You know things are getting serious when the nation's most powerful union starts backing Republican crackdowns on illegal trucking scams.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters just threw their full weight behind Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman's SAFE Act, a GOP bill designed to crush the "chameleon carrier" networks that have turned America's highways into a death trap. And frankly, it's about time.

The Chameleon Game That's Killing Americans

Here's how the scam works. A trucking company racks up safety violations, gets shut down by regulators, then simply reopens the next week under a new name with the same trucks, same drivers, same deadly practices. Rinse and repeat.

They call them "chameleon carriers" because they change their colors faster than you can say "Department of Transportation violation." The trucks stay the same. The dangerous drivers stay the same. Only the paperwork changes.

"Chameleon carriers have gone unchecked for decades, harming and weakening America's trucking industry," Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien told the Daily Caller. "These unscrupulous operators jeopardize the safety of everyone on our roadways and threaten the livelihoods of truck drivers who follow the rules."

Translation: these operations aren't just killing innocent Americans. They're undercutting the honest truckers who actually follow the law.

The Body Count Keeps Rising

The statistics tell a story Washington would rather ignore:

• February 2026: An illegal migrant driver killed four people on an Indiana highway. His truck? Part of a chameleon carrier network operating under multiple identities.

• June 2024: Dalilah Coleman was struck and killed by an illegal migrant trucker working for a chameleon carrier. Her death inspired President Trump's "Dalilah's Law."

• Countless other crashes across Wyoming and Indiana involving the same deadly pattern.

Every single one of these tragedies was preventable. If these companies had stayed shut down after their first round of violations, these victims would still be alive today.

But that would require a government that actually enforces its own rules.

The SAFE Act: Automated Detection, Real Enforcement

Hageman's legislation isn't complicated. It's common sense:

• Automated detection tools to spot chameleon carriers during the registration process

• Enhanced federal-state coordination to share violation data across jurisdictions

• Nationwide study to understand the full scope of the problem

• Human review requirements to preserve due process while catching the bad actors

"These companies game the system, ignore the law, and put American families at risk, all while punishing hardworking truckers who follow the rules," Hageman said. "If a trucking company racks up violations or loses its license, it should not get to slap on a new name and get back on the road."

Revolutionary concept: when you break the law, you face consequences. Who would have thought?

When Unions and Republicans Agree, Pay Attention

This isn't your typical political alliance. The Teamsters endorsing a Republican crackdown on trucking violations? That's the kind of bipartisan moment that happens when the problem is too obvious to ignore.

Indiana Senator Jim Banks has been leading the charge from the Senate side, demanding DOT investigate chameleon carrier networks and running a tip line for industry insiders to report violations. He's also championing Dalilah's Law, named after the little girl whose death exposed this entire deadly system.

Marcus Coleman, Dalilah's father, is meeting with Hageman this week to push both bills forward. The man has turned his grief into action, and Congress would be wise to listen.

The Trump Factor

This crackdown fits perfectly with the Trump administration's broader push to secure American transportation and hold lawbreakers accountable. When illegal immigration intersects with regulatory failures that kill American families, you get exactly the kind of policy response voters demanded.

The question isn't whether this legislation should pass. It's whether Congress has the backbone to actually enforce it once it becomes law.

Further Reading

• Daily Caller exclusive on Teamsters endorsement

• Rep. Hageman's SAFE Act details

• ICE enforcement on illegal truckers

Bottom Line: When Teamsters President Sean O'Brien and Wyoming Republican Harriet Hageman are on the same side of a trucking safety issue, that tells you everything you need to know about how broken the system really is. The only question left is whether Washington will finally do something about it before more families bury their loved ones.

Jackson Healthcare, owned by the Republican gubernatorial candidate, acquired Avant Healthcare Professionals in 2018. What does Avant do? It specializes in recruiting foreign nurses to work in U.S. hospitals through H-1B and EB-3 visa programs.

Here's where it gets interesting.

The Lawsuit That Tells the Real Story

Two foreign nurses filed a federal lawsuit against Avant in 2023, alleging labor trafficking and wage suppression. Latoya Lewis from Jamaica and Lucinda Byron from St. Thomas claimed they were paid less than American nurses and threatened with deportation if they complained.

The allegations are serious: "indentured servitude" where foreign workers were forced into contracts they didn't fully understand, paid $10 per hour during training, and kept in line with threats to immigration officials.

Translation: import cheap foreign labor, undercut American wages, and use the threat of deportation to keep workers compliant.

But wait, there's more.

How the Scheme Works

Avant charges hospitals for placing these foreign nurses. The longer the placements, the more money Avant makes. Contract breaches hurt their bottom line. So they have every incentive to keep foreign workers locked into below-market contracts.

The lawsuit revealed Avant recruited 5,219 foreign nurses since 2013. That's thousands of jobs that could have gone to American nurses, or at minimum, jobs that should have paid prevailing wages without the threat of deportation hanging overhead.

The settlement? Up to $3 million in damages and attorney fees. Avant agreed to stop pursuing "liquidated damages" from nurses who wanted out of their contracts.

Translation: they were caught.

The Primary Battle

Jackson is running against Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, and Attorney General Chris Carr in the May 19 Republican primary. This isn't exactly the immigration resume conservative voters are looking for.

Jones has already gone after Jackson on this issue, posting on social media that "Never Trumpers couldn't ask for a better friend than Rick Jackson" and highlighting Jackson's lack of political donations to Trump.

Fair point.

Jackson's Defense: It's Legal

Jackson's campaign responded that foreign nurses "come to America legally" and "save lives." They argue hospitals need nurses, especially in rural Georgia.

Here's the thing: nobody's arguing Avant broke immigration law. They're arguing it's bad policy that hurts American workers.

Legal doesn't mean right.

When Americans can't find nursing jobs that pay a living wage, and your company is importing foreign workers who get paid less and threatened with deportation if they complain, you're part of the problem.

The Bigger Picture

This story highlights the tension between business interests and America First policies. Jackson built a successful healthcare empire. That's admirable. But building it on cheap foreign labor while running on an immigration platform? That's harder to defend.

Conservative voters deserve better.

The H-1B and EB-3 visa programs were supposed to fill genuine labor shortages in specialized fields. Instead, they've become a way for companies to avoid paying market wages to American workers.

Jackson's situation is exactly why these programs need reform, not expansion.

What This Means for Georgia

Georgia Republicans have a choice in May. They can nominate someone whose business model relied on importing foreign workers, or they can pick someone who puts American workers first in policy AND practice.

The lawsuit against Avant shows what happens when foreign worker programs operate without proper oversight: wage suppression, labor violations, and American workers getting pushed aside.

Actions speak louder than campaign promises.

Questions That Need Answers

• How many American nurses applied for positions at facilities using Avant recruits?

• What was the wage difference between foreign and domestic nursing staff?

• Will Jackson commit to ending his company's foreign recruitment practices if elected?

• Does he believe the H-1B and EB-3 programs need reform?

Conservative voters deserve straight answers.

The Bottom Line

Rick Jackson built a successful business. But success built on cheap foreign labor while American workers struggle isn't the conservative model Georgia needs.

Republicans want leaders who put America First in their business practices, not just their campaign rhetoric. Jackson's company importing thousands of foreign workers while Americans face unemployment isn't the track record conservative primary voters are looking for.

The choice is clear in May.

Further Reading:

• Daily Caller: "GOP Governor Hopeful Owns Company Importing Foreign Nurses Over Americans"

• Florida Trend: Investigation into Avant Healthcare settlement

• Federal lawsuit documents: Lewis v. Avant Healthcare Professionals

Immigration and Customs Enforcement is practically begging Virginia officials, including Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D), not to release a 20-year-old illegal alien accused of soliciting sexual content from children under 10 years old. His name is Angel David Rubio Marin. He crossed the border at an unknown date and location. He's been arrested twice.

And local officials already let him walk once.

The Perfect Storm of Policy Failure

Here's how this went down: In 2024, Rubio Marin was arrested in Prince William County on two counts of public masturbation. Normal people might think, "Okay, here's a guy who's in the country illegally committing sex crimes in public. Maybe we should hand him over to ICE."

But no. Local officials released him back into the community instead of turning him over to federal immigration agents.

You already know where this is going.

This week, Rubio Marin was arrested again in Culpeper, Virginia. This time the charges are worse: soliciting sexual content from at least three children under the age of 10. Police say he offered to pay them "Robux" (the digital currency used in the video game Roblox) in exchange for photos and videos.

Let that sink in. A grown man targeting elementary school kids with video game money.

"This Sicko Preyed on Innocent Children"

ICE isn't mincing words about what happened here. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Lauren Bis called Rubio Marin exactly what he is: "This sicko preyed on innocent children by offering to pay them in a video game currency in exchange for child pornography."

But here's the part that should make every parent in Virginia furious:

"This illegal alien was released from jail after an arrest for public masturbation. This case is a perfect example of why we need state and local cooperation with ICE. We are calling on Virginia sanctuary politicians and Governor Abigail Spanberger to commit to not releasing this child predator back into Virginia neighborhoods."

ICE has lodged a detainer against Rubio Marin. That means federal agents are formally asking local officials to hold him so they can take custody when his local case is resolved.

The question is: Will Virginia officials honor that detainer, or will they release him again?

The Sanctuary Policy Reality Check

Sanctuary policies aren't abstract political debates. They have real victims.

When local officials refuse to cooperate with ICE, they're not protecting "immigrant families" or "vulnerable communities." They're protecting people like Rubio Marin, who crossed our border illegally and then proceeded to commit sex crimes against children.

Twice.

After the first arrest for public masturbation, this should have been simple. Turn him over to ICE. Deport him. Done. Instead, Prince William County officials decided to release him back into the community where he could target more children.

Now we have at least three kids under 10 years old who were allegedly targeted by a predator who shouldn't have been here in the first place.

Where Are the Adults?

Gov. Spanberger ran as a moderate Democrat. She talks about public safety. She talks about protecting families. Here's her chance to prove it.

ICE is asking for cooperation to ensure a child predator doesn't get released back into Virginia neighborhoods. This shouldn't be a partisan issue. This shouldn't be complicated.

"No one wants this pedophile loose on American streets," Bis said in her statement. That should be true. But sanctuary policies suggest otherwise.

The Bigger Picture

Rubio Marin is what immigration experts call a "got-away." He crossed the U.S.-Mexico border at an unknown date and location and has been living in the shadows ever since. He's one of millions of people in this country illegally whose whereabouts and activities are completely unknown to authorities.

Until they commit crimes.

Until they target children.

Until local news outlets are forced to report on cases that never should have happened.

This is the cost of immigration policies that prioritize ideology over public safety. This is what happens when local officials refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. This is the predictable result of treating immigration law as optional.

The Simple Question

The Trump administration has made immigration enforcement a top priority. ICE agents are doing their jobs. They're asking for basic cooperation from local officials to protect American communities.

The question for Gov. Spanberger and every Virginia official involved in this case is simple: Are you going to help protect children from predators, or are you going to let sanctuary politics put kids at risk?

Because those are the only two options here.

Further Reading:

• ICE Immigration Detainer Process

• Virginia Immigration Laws and Local Cooperation

Seattle businessman Marc Barros just gave Washington State a masterclass in unintended consequences. After the legislature passed their shiny new 9.9% income tax on millionaires, Barros announced he's packing up his photography equipment company and moving it to Wyoming.

Plot twist: he's not even a millionaire.

"I'm not even a millionaire affected by this tax," Barros posted on X. "But when you add up all the costs to run a business in WA we can't afford it."

That sound you're hearing? It's the law of unintended consequences laughing at progressive tax policy.

Death by a Thousand Cuts

Here's what Barros is actually escaping:

• 10.5% city sales tax (because Seattle needs more money for... reasons)

• City property taxes (your building costs money just to exist)

• State capital gains and estate taxes (they want a cut when you sell, and when you die)

• Business and occupation taxes (the privilege of employing people)

• Digital advertising tax that just kicked in this year

That last one is the kicker. Barros says it's costing his company $200,000 per year. The state is even taxing ads his company runs in Germany.

"Overnight that is a $200K a year tax that did not exist last year," he said. "Again it's not even based on where your ads run or where your team is. Incorporated in WA state? You will pay this tax."

Translation: if you have the audacity to be incorporated in Washington, they own you wherever you do business.

The Exodus Has a Name

Seattle attorney Joe Wallin, who represents startups and testified against the income tax bill, put it simply: "The new income tax, scheduled to go into effect in 2029, will definitely cause some businesses to leave."

Some will stay because they're too invested to move. Others will quietly slip away to places where government doesn't treat success like a crime.

But here's the part that should worry every Washington taxpayer: "Some of the bill's effects will be invisible because new companies won't come to Seattle or the state of Washington in the first place."

You can't count the businesses that never show up. You can't tax the jobs that never get created. You can't fund programs with revenue from companies that set up shop in Texas instead.

The Numbers Don't Lie

Want to know how well this strategy is working? Seattle's office vacancy rate hit 30% in the last quarter of 2025. That's a record high.

Amazon, the company that basically built modern Seattle, has been quietly moving thousands of employees from Seattle to Bellevue. Why? According to Downtown Seattle Association President Jon Scholes, it's "directly attributable to an increase in local taxes on businesses."

When Amazon is fleeing your tax policies, maybe it's time to reconsider your approach.

The Conservative Alternative

Meanwhile, states like Wyoming, Texas, and Florida are rolling out the red carpet. No state income tax. No capital gains tax. No digital advertising tax. Just a simple message: bring your business here, create jobs, and we'll leave you alone.

Barros can "build a remote team and re-open in Wyoming, removing all of these costs." His company Movement is making the move this month.

Wyoming gets the jobs. Wyoming gets the tax revenue from what taxes they do have. Wyoming gets a successful business owner who chose freedom over fiscal punishment.

Washington gets to keep its 9.9% millionaire tax and wonder where all the millionaires went.

The Real Question

This isn't just about one businessman or one tax. It's about a fundamental choice between two competing visions of America.

One vision says success should be punished, wealth should be redistributed, and government knows better how to spend your money than you do.

The other vision says success should be rewarded, entrepreneurs should be celebrated, and government should get out of the way of people trying to build something.

Marc Barros just voted with his feet. How many more will follow before Washington figures out that you can't tax your way to prosperity?

The millionaire tax doesn't take effect until 2029. But businesses are already making their escape plans.

Because smart money doesn't wait around to get robbed.

Meet Paige Cognetti, current mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania. On Good Friday 2020, just two days before Easter, she had a message for churchgoers: stay home or face the police.

"Don't have a church service this weekend," Cognetti warned during a virtual town hall. "Don't make my police have to go out and tell you guys to stop."

Here's the thing nobody's talking about: Pennsylvania had a state-wide religious exemption to its stay-at-home order. Cognetti was threatening to enforce rules that didn't exist.

The Backtrack That Said Everything

Eleven days later, Cognetti quietly acknowledged what constitutional lawyers already knew: she had zero authority to shut down faith-based institutions.

But here's where it gets interesting. At that second town hall, instead of apologizing for her Easter intimidation tactics, Cognetti doubled down. She thanked a constituent for REPORTING a religious organization that was still holding in-person services. Then she bragged about how her office "attempted to pressure" that church's leader into moving services online.

And the kicker? She encouraged more people to spy on their religious neighbors.

"We only know about it if you're out in the community, let us know," Cognetti said.

Translation: keep snitching on your church-going neighbors.

The Pattern You've Seen Before

This isn't just about one overzealous mayor. This is the playbook:

• Threaten what you can't legally do

• Backtrack when called out

• Keep the pressure on anyway

• Encourage citizens to police each other

• Never actually apologize

Sound familiar? It should. It's exactly what happened in blue states and cities across America during 2020.

From Mayor to Congress

Apparently threatening the First Amendment rights of Scranton residents wasn't enough. Cognetti now wants to take her act to Washington, mounting a bid for Pennsylvania's Eighth District against Republican incumbent Rob Bresnahan.

Think about that for a minute. A politician who admitted she had no authority to stop church services, but threatened to do it anyway, now wants you to trust her with federal power.

The same person who thanked constituents for reporting their neighbors' church attendance wants to represent those neighbors in Congress.

What This Really Means

When government officials threaten rights they can't legally touch, they're not just breaking the law. They're testing what they can get away with. Cognetti's Easter ultimatum wasn't a mistake. It was a trial run.

Her willingness to pressure church leaders despite having no authority shows you exactly what she thinks about religious freedom. Her encouragement of neighbor-snitching tells you what she thinks about community.

And her decision to run for Congress after all this? That tells you what she thinks about consequences.

The Stakes in PA-08

Pennsylvania's Eighth District will be a key battleground in 2026. Republicans need to hold seats like this to maintain control and support President Trump's America First agenda. Losing to someone with Cognetti's record would send exactly the wrong message about religious liberty and government overreach.

Voters in PA-08 have a choice to make. They can send someone to Congress who respects the Constitution and understands the limits of government power. Or they can reward a politician who threatened to sic police on Easter churchgoers, then bragged about pressuring pastors and encouraged neighbor surveillance.

The question is simple: if she couldn't be trusted with municipal power in 2020, why would you trust her with federal power in 2026?

Because if there's one thing we learned during COVID, it's this: when politicians show you who they are, believe them the first time.

---

Further Reading:

• Original Townhall report with video evidence

• Pennsylvania religious exemption policies during 2020 lockdowns

• First Amendment protections for religious gatherings