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TRANSFORMING PEOPLE’S LIVES OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2024
8880 Cal Center Drive #190 Sacramento, CA 95826 www.ranchodlaw.com
916-613-3553
Navigating the Rapids of Fear
EMBRACE WHAT SCARES YOU AND GROW
As Halloween approaches and scares take center stage, it’s the perfect time to confront the monsters in our own lives — our fears. We all have things that scare us, whether it’s facing a new challenge or navigating the immigration process to the United States. I think, more often than not, we blow up our fears larger than they really are. When we can overcome them, an amazing confidence boost gives us the courage to do things we never thought possible. Overcoming fears often means confronting them head-on, which sometimes requires a leap of faith. One of the biggest fears I had to conquer was the churning rapids of class five whitewater. When I was in college, we went on a whitewater rafting trip, and almost every time I got onto the raft, the quick-moving currents tossed me back into the water. The idea of getting back onto the raft was daunting, so it took me a while to do it again when my friend, a whitewater raft guide, invited me. But I rode the waters again by having faith in someone I trust and finding a solid support system. Many also fear becoming a new parent, and I experienced that when we were about to have our son. I was concerned I wouldn’t know what to do or wouldn’t be good at it. I discovered that nothing can truly prepare you for parenthood, but diving in and focusing on embracing the process was the key for me. Many of the clients I serve have to find a lot of courage. They fear returning to their home country or being separated from their
loved ones. The legal process can be confusing, and the uncertainty of government decisions only heightens their stress. With over 22 years of experience, we understand these fears intimately. Our approach is to devise a meticulous strategy and leave no stone unturned as we prepare for our cases. We analyze all the risks of different hypothetical explanations and give clients realistic expectations. One of the best things you can do if you are facing fear is to talk to someone who has been through a similar situation. This allows you to determine how rational your fear is and can help you develop a plan and a backup plan. Most of the time, what we are afraid of isn’t as unbeatable as we think. Look at your fear and decide whether it is realistic. What are the consequences of having that fear? When we can move past something scary holding us back, it empowers us to keep doing great things. This October, let’s remember that the scariest monsters are usually the ones we create in our minds. When we believe in ourselves and find a solid support network, we can overcome the things that scare us most. Facing our fears with courage can turn our most daunting challenges into stepping stones for personal growth. President Biden’s latest immigration reform policy could be life-changing for you, or your friends and family. If the plan is approved by the courts, it could help the spouses of undocumented U.S. citizens apply for legal permanent residency here in the U.S. Contact Ranchod Law at 916-613-3553 if you have questions or to find out about the latest updates.
–Kaushik Ranchod
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Ranchod Law Group • www.ranchodlaw.com
Battle for Survival TIKTOK IS CHALLENGING THE BAN
The clock is ticking for TikTok, the world’s most popular social media app, as it faces a federal ultimatum: Either the Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells its stake in the company, or TikTok will be removed from U.S. app stores by Jan. 19, 2025. It is difficult to fathom that an app downloaded tens of millions of times and receiving over $100 million in revenue every month may leave the American market at the start of next year. But this is just the U.S. government’s latest step since TikTok first arrived on the scene. The TikTok Saga Douyin, the predecessor to TikTok, started in China in 2016. In 2017, it merged with Musical.ly, an app for posting lip-syncing videos; at one point, it topped the charts on the Apple App Store and soon rose to global stardom. Then, the app got a new name, TikTok, and a revolutionary algorithm. The algorithm influenced users to binge-watch content and presented videos from various genres and topics to keep them hooked. While gaining popularity stateside, it drew no small amount of scrutiny from government watchdogs and federal agencies. In September 2019, the Washington Post reported that images of democratic protests in Hong Kong were being suppressed, while posts with the #trump2020 tag received millions of views. TikTok denied political favoritism and alleged their app was a neutral platform. Despite TikTok’s reassurance, the Pentagon recommended all U.S. military personnel delete the app from their phones, regardless of whether it was for personal or government work. In January 2020, the Pentagon banned the app entirely on all military phones.
“On its website, TikTok describes the moves it has made to improve data security and privacy. Still, none of these measures have persuaded the federal government of their benign intentions.”
In May 2020, privacy groups began to raise concerns that TikTok posed a threat to children. Just two months later, India banned TikTok following a military clash at their disputed border with China. Despite these hiccups, TikTok claimed to have over a billion monthly users by September 2021. Further problems with the app materialized in 2022 when viral hoaxes and harmful content promoting eating disorders caused outrage nationwide. In December 2022, the FBI warned that the Chinese government could use the app to influence American citizens. In 2024, Congress drafted legislation to ban the app and force ByteDance to sell TikTok officially. The Future of TikTok President Biden signed H.R. 815 into law on April 24, 2024, which contains a provision that “prohibits distributing, maintaining, updating, or providing internet hosting services for a foreign adversary controlled application (e.g., TikTok).” That is strong language and indicates the government is not likely to back down from its demands. Despite this, TikTok has challenged the law, arguing the ban is unconstitutional. More than a dozen social and racial justice groups recently supported TikTok’s cause. On its website, TikTok describes the moves it has made to improve data security and privacy. Still, none of these measures have persuaded the federal government of their benign intentions. In June 2024, in response to the ban being signed into law, TikTok released a letter alleging that the Biden administration had negotiated with the company using “political demagoguery,” or, in other words, in favor of appealing to voters rather than finding an equitable solution. Their case is headed to the U.S. Court of Appeals later this year.
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Ranchod Law Group • www.ranchodlaw.com
Gas prices are often a topic of conversation, but usually for less-than-pleasant reasons. Whenever the subject appears in the news, it is most often because prices have become outrageously high . However, this article will take a different approach. Have you ever wondered why gas price tickers include a 9/10 of a cent at the end? It started nearly a century ago but remains to this day for surprising reasons. Great Depression Decisions The 1930s were a time of great economic uncertainty. The stock market crashed in 1929, and the federal government took extensive measures to balance the budget. Among these was the Revenue Act of 1932. This law introduced several tax hikes, including a more than 20% increase in estate and personal income taxes. However, it also introduced a one-cent tariff on gasoline and fuel oil. While this may not seem like a lot in today’s currency — the average cost of a gallon of gas now is around $3.53 — back then, it was a significant burden on motorists. After all, the average price of a gallon of gas in 1932 was just $0.18, so a one-cent tariff represented a more than 5% increase in price. In today’s money, it would be equivalent to a $0.22 tax per gallon of gas. In 1933, the gas tariff accounted for 8% of the federal government’s tax revenue. Fractional Prices Gas station owners paid the new tariff when purchasing their fuel from suppliers, but they had the option of paying the tax themselves, in full or in part, to take the hit in place of their customers. This is where fractional prices first came into play: Gas station owners would advertise that they were paying, say, half of the one-cent tariff on gasoline, which means their prices would only increase by 5/10 of a cent. Over time, the tariff became less relevant, but fractional prices remained. This has largely contributed to the psychological aspect of paying 9/10 of a cent rather than a full cent — the same thinking behind charging $1.99 rather than $2 for a product. The Strange Gas Law Why the 9/10 of a Cent?
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PUMPKIN PIE FRENCH TOAST Inspired by AllRecipes.com
Ingredients
• 1 tsp vanilla extract • 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice • 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts • 8 slices day-old bread • Maple syrup, to taste
• 1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil, or as needed • 1/2 cup half-and-half • 1/4 cup canned pumpkin purée • 3 large eggs • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Directions 1. Lightly oil a skillet and heat over medium heat.
2. Whisk half-and-half, pumpkin purée, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice together in a bowl. Stir in walnuts until evenly distributed. 3. Place 1 slice of bread in the bowl and let it soak briefly to coat both sides. Lift bread to let excess liquid drip back into the bowl, then transfer to the hot skillet. 4. Cook for 2–3 minutes or until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side until done. 5. Stir batter to redistribute walnuts and repeat with other slices of bread, cooking in several batches if necessary. 6. Serve warm with maple syrup.
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Ranchod Law Group • www.ranchodlaw.com
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Representing Clients Throughout the 50 States SACRAMENTO
8880 Cal Center Drive, #190 Sacramento, CA 95826
916-613-3553 916-220-3137 (Español)
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
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How to Face Your Fears With Confidence
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TikTok’s Appeal Against the Ban
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Pumpkin Pie French Toast
The Law About Gas Pricing
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The NFL’s Massive Antitrust Fine
NFL’S RECENT ANTITRUST RULING What Led to the Historic Fine Over Sunday Ticket
offering the ability to purchase only the games they were interested in. For instance, if you are a Philadelphia Eagles fan but live in Florida, your local on-air broadcasts are unlikely to show Eagles games. In that case, if you wanted to watch all the Eagles’ games, you’d have to shell out a good chunk of change to access those games. As of 2024, a subscription to NFL Sunday Ticket costs $449 per year. After five hours of deliberation, the jury agreed with the plaintiffs and awarded $4.7 billion in damages to the residential subscribers and $96 million to the business subscribers. Due to federal antitrust laws, those damages can be tripled. That means the NFL may be liable for up to $14.39 billion in damages. The NFL has appealed the decision, but if upheld, each NFL team could be forced to pay nearly $450 million in damages.
Google’s YouTube TV. However, the NFL’s exclusive deals for Sunday Ticket have come at a cost. After a trial in June that lasted just three weeks, a jury in Los Angeles awarded over $4.7 billion in damages to the plaintiffs in an antitrust class-action lawsuit against the NFL. The Trial The Mucky Duck sports bar in San Francisco initially filed the suit in 2015; an appeals court dismissed then reinstated the case in 2017 before it became a class-action lawsuit. The lawsuit now covers about 2.4 million residential subscribers and 48,000 business subscribers. The plaintiffs alleged that the NFL’s agreement with DirecTV, and now YouTube TV, violated antitrust laws. Not only did the NFL allegedly overcharge both residential and commercial subscribers, but it also removed competition. It forced fans to purchase access to all games rather than
NFL Sunday Ticket, also known as Sunday Ticket, is a sports package allowing purchasers to view regular season NFL games not carried by local broadcasts in their area. Sunday Ticket has been around since 1994, with DirecTV offering it exclusively until 2022 when the NFL signed a seven-year, $14 billion deal with
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