Damn Kids

Marijuana Legalization Activists Target States For 2014

"Alaska and Oregon may become the next states to legalize marijuana for recreational use, as early as next year some proponents say. But the big battle over marijuana prohibition will come in 2016 with the next presidential election. Although a slim majority of Americans support legalization, younger voters may vote for change in higher numbers than older generations, Mason Tvert, a spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, says. That group, and others, plan to target state legislators in five states, including Rhode Island and Hawaii, to legalize the drug by 2017. UN drug control officials remain alarmed by challenges to marijuana prohibition in America, Germany, and Uruguay." Continue reading →

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Charges reduced for officer who ran over teens while fiddling with phone

"Felony hit-and-run charges against fired Manchester police sergeant Stephen Coco have been reduced to misdemeanors, charges that would allow the 17-year police veteran to avoid a state prison sentence in the high-profile case. Last Thursday, the special prosecutor in the case filed Class A misdemeanor charges of vehicular assault against Coco, claiming he was fiddling with a cell phone last March when he hit two Bedford teenagers outside their Harrod Lane homes. He was driving an unmarked Manchester police vehicle at the time." Continue reading →

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Obamacare hides switch of subsidies from young to old, says study

"A new analysis of Obamacare prices says the much-touted taxpayer subsidies for young people are smaller than promised. The missing subsidies will jack up costs for young, healthy people who are single and childless, which may deter many from joining the government-run network. This, in turn, would likely boost Obamacare’s costs to all taxpayers. The new data also shows that officials are choosing to steer the promised subsidies to older people, despite their relatively fewer expenses for children, student loans, careers and housing." Continue reading →

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ObamaCare’s Bad Surprises Begin on October 1.

"You must have a plan by January 1, or else pay a tax to the government: 1% of your 2013 income, or $95, whichever is more. This tax will rise every year. There is a calculator to show what coverage will cost you. It shows if you are eligible for tax credits. People with low incomes will not qualify for tax credits. But they will have to pay the extra premiums. This is called 'helping the poor.' I'm on Medicare. You pay my premiums ($12,000 a year). My wife has Christian Health Care Ministries. She pays $1,000 a year. What about you? What about your children? They lose your coverage at age 26. Young people lose the subsidies at lower income than had been originally promoted." Continue reading →

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Annual Medicare Subsidy Per Enrolled Member, 2011: $12,000

"Few voters know what the average Medicare beneficiary receives each year. This rises every year. It was about $11,000 in 2008. In 2011, it was $12,000. Americans become eligible at age 65. Beginning in the year 2010, the baby boomers began to reach age 65. They were born in 1946, the year after World War II ended. The birth rate soared. It did not reverse until 1958. There is no question what is going to happen to Medicare. It is today the #1 government expense: 23%. This percentage will be over 50% before the boomers depart, unless Medicare is abandoned by younger voters in a great default." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnnual Medicare Subsidy Per Enrolled Member, 2011: $12,000

Minimum Wage Madness

"Switzerland is one of the few modern nations without a minimum wage law. In 2003, 'The Economist' magazine reported: 'Switzerland’s unemployment neared a five-year high of 3.9 percent in February.' In February of this year, Switzerland’s unemployment rate was 3.1 percent. A recent issue of 'The Economist' showed Switzerland’s unemployment rate as 2.1 percent. Most Americans today have never seen unemployment rates that low. However, there was a time when there was no federal minimum wage law in the United States. The last time was during the Coolidge administration, when the annual unemployment rate got as low as 1.8 percent." Continue reading →

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Africa’s baby-boom: Population to double by 2050

"By 2050, many African states will likely more than double in population. Kenya will rise from 44 million to 97 million people, and Nigeria from 174 million to 440 million. Some nations will nearly triple their growth, the reports finds. Somalia will have 27 million people in 2050, up from an estimated 10 million today; the Democratic Republic of Congo’s 71 million population is predicted to rise to 182 million. The total number of people on the continent is predicted to rise from 1.1 billion to 2.4 billion. India, currently the second most populous country in the world, will overtake China to become the most populous by 2030. The US population was estimated to rise from 316 million to 400 million." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAfrica’s baby-boom: Population to double by 2050

California Approves $10 Minimum Wage; What Will Become Automated Now?

"The next time you pump gas for yourself ask yourself what happened to the gas station attendants that used to pump gas and wash your windshields. The same thing when you can't find a department store clerk. It's the same thing with those damn automated phone answering services that most firms now use, it's just too expensive to hire human operators. And its the same with grocery store baggers from days of old. Thank you minimum wage. The damage of minimum wage isn't some theoretical, you have just gotten so use to it that you have forgotten what things were like, or you are too young to know the good old days." Continue reading →

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