Latest news with #DeGraaf
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Blue state GOP rep forced to remove 2A sticker from laptop: 'Offensive'
A Republican lawmaker from Colorado expressed shock at being told by Democratic colleagues that he had to remove a sticker supporting the Second Amendment from his laptop while in the state's House chamber. "I had to cover up this, they couldn't stand my sticker," Colorado Republican state Rep. Ken DeGraaf said during remarks on the state's House floor, pointing to paper covering up a sticker in support of the Second Amendment on a laptop he carried with him to the chamber. "It said 'shall not be infringed' and signed '2-A' and that was considered offensive, which I understand would be offensive to this bill," he continued. The remarks come as Colorado lawmakers debate a controversial gun control bill that would limit the sale of some semiautomatic firearms that rely on detachable magazines, such as the popular AR-15 platform. Nm Lawmakers Warn Sweeping Gun Control Bill Primed For Passage Shows Dems 'Are Dead-set On Disarming Us' The legislation, Colorado Senate Bill 25-003, would be one of the strictest gun control measures in the country, something the state's Democratic lawmakers argue is necessary to keep citizens safe. Read On The Fox News App "Preventing gun violence is one of the most effective ways that we can make our communities safer and save lives. Semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines are uniquely lethal and dangerous," state Rep. Meg Froelich, a Democatric sponsor of the bill, told KKTV. "This bill is a commonsense solution to ensure that people receive effective training and meet the requirements under state and federal firearm laws before purchasing the most lethal weapons on the market. From background checks and waiting periods to limits on high-capacity magazines, Colorado Democrats have enacted multiple laws to protect Coloradans from future gun violence." Gov. Desantis Makes Push To Repeal Florida's Red Flag Laws The bill has passed the state's Senate and a second reading in the House, according to the KTTV report, which noted that lawmakers largely expect the legislation to be ready for a final vote in the coming week. The bill has faced stiff resistance from Republicans such as DeGraaf, who argue the legislation would run afoul of the U.S. Constitution. DeGraaf accused his Democratic colleagues of being offended by the Constitution during his remarks on the House floor, pointing to the forced removal as an example. As DeGraaf lamented the covering of the sticker, he was informed that the only reason for the request was because such displays are banned in the "well" of the chamber, which sits between the chamber's front desk and the first row of member seats. "So OK, no displays of the Constitution in the well, got it," DeGraaf quipped article source: Blue state GOP rep forced to remove 2A sticker from laptop: 'Offensive'
Fox News
23-03-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Blue state GOP rep forced to remove 2A sticker from laptop: 'Offensive'
A Republican lawmaker from Colorado expressed shock at being told by Democratic colleagues that he had to remove a sticker supporting the Second Amendment from his laptop while in the state's House chamber. "I had to cover up this, they couldn't stand my sticker," Colorado Republican state Rep. Ken DeGraaf said during remarks on the state's House floor, pointing to paper covering up a sticker in support of the Second Amendment on a laptop he carried with him to the chamber. "It said 'shall not be infringed' and signed '2-A' and that was considered offensive, which I understand would be offensive to this bill," he continued. The remarks come as Colorado lawmakers debate a controversial gun control bill that would limit the sale of some semiautomatic firearms that rely on detachable magazines, such as the popular AR-15 platform. The legislation, Colorado Senate Bill 25-003, would be one of the strictest gun control measures in the country, something the state's Democratic lawmakers argue is necessary to keep citizens safe. "Preventing gun violence is one of the most effective ways that we can make our communities safer and save lives. Semi-automatic weapons and high-capacity magazines are uniquely lethal and dangerous," state Rep. Meg Froelich, a Democatric sponsor of the bill, told KKTV. "This bill is a commonsense solution to ensure that people receive effective training and meet the requirements under state and federal firearm laws before purchasing the most lethal weapons on the market. From background checks and waiting periods to limits on high-capacity magazines, Colorado Democrats have enacted multiple laws to protect Coloradans from future gun violence." The bill has passed the state's Senate and a second reading in the House, according to the KTTV report, which noted that lawmakers largely expect the legislation to be ready for a final vote in the coming week. The bill has faced stiff resistance from Republicans such as DeGraaf, who argue the legislation would run afoul of the U.S. Constitution. DeGraaf accused his Democratic colleagues of being offended by the Constitution during his remarks on the House floor, pointing to the forced removal as an example. As DeGraaf lamented the covering of the sticker, he was informed that the only reason for the request was because such displays are banned in the "well" of the chamber, which sits between the chamber's front desk and the first row of member seats. "So OK, no displays of the Constitution in the well, got it," DeGraaf quipped back.
The National
14-03-2025
- Business
- The National
Money & Me: 'Investing in Dubai property is great to beat inflation'
Dutch national Kristan De Graaf dismisses the idea of saving money in the bank. Instead, he is willing to take big risks and believes in the compounding power of investments. The 30-year-old, who lives with his wife and one-year-old son in Dubai Hills, earns money through two main sources. He is the co-chief executive and founder of Elite Rentals Dubai, a supercar rental and luxury yacht charter service. However, he makes big profits through property investments in which he and his brother buy plots of land to develop or acquire mansions and renovate them. They then sell them on at 'record values'. For instance, Mr De Graaf bought the land for the Dubai Hills property he now lives in three years ago for Dh16.5 million ($4.5 million), built a villa for Dh17.5 million and believes it is now worth Dh82 million. He says his most cherished purchase is a Lamborghini Tecnomar 63 yacht in Dubai, for which he paid €4.6 million ($4.8 million) last year. He has lived in the UAE since 2019 when he arrived on holiday and never left, and has a master's degree in international business management at the University of Amsterdam. My first job was selling apartments to expatriates in Amsterdam and I earned €2,500 per month in 2015. In 2019, my brother and I took over a yacht management and supercar luxury rental in Dubai. My friends were already managing the business very successfully and we took over. We initially earned around €10,000 to €15,000 net profit, or approximately Dh40,000 to Dh45,000, per month. We do big numbers now as the business has scaled a great deal. But luxury car and yacht rentals are just one part of what we do. Our real business is to buy land for development or mansions for renovations, and sell them. For instance, we bought a 13,500 square feet plot in Dubai Hills in 2022 for Dh16 million, spent Dh18 million on developing it and sold it for Dh82 million in 25 months. So, we made a profit of Dh48 million on this project alone. We put all our money in real estate and cryptocurrencies. I started investing in crypto in 2019 and in property three years ago. Most of my property investments are in the UAE. No, I don't take any form of debt. I have strong partners behind me to support my real estate investments. No, I come from nothing. My father was an architect for superyachts. I learnt everything about money myself. We faced a big tax issue in the Netherlands, which put us down very hard. But we came back from it and the incident made us very strong. My standard expenses come up to around €50,000 per month. These are on my basic needs such as clothes, food, drinks and going out socially. I don't save. Instead, I believe in benefiting from the power of compounding investments. I don't plan to retire because I do what I like. Yes, it's saved in a safe crypto wallet that can be liquidated anytime. Yes, when we need money or cash flow for new real estate projects. That's the only thing we worry about. I want to create more awareness about the real estate projects that we undertake. I don't have a personal financial goal per se. To be able to go wherever I want when I want and not stay in one place. I have already achieved financial freedom. Investing in property in Dubai is great to beat inflation. Never put your money in the bank, put it in the right instruments so it will keep compounding.
