Welfare-Warfare State

What’s Up with Inflation?

"Many argue that these weightings skew the CPI lower, as do hedonic adjustments. The motivation for this skew is transparent: since the government increases Social Security benefits and Federal employees' pay annually to keep up with inflation (the cost of living allowance or COLA), a low rate of inflation keeps these increases modest. Those claiming the weighting is accurate face a blizzard of legitimate questions. For example, if healthcare is 18% of the U.S. GDP, i.e. 18 cents of every dollar goes to healthcare, then how can a mere 7% wedge of the CPI devoted to healthcare be remotely accurate?" Continue reading →

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‘Neighbor vs. neighbor’ in US cities, Meredith Whitney says

"Meredith Whitney painted a dire picture in a CNBC interview Wednesday of cities slashing services and communities battling for mere survival. The financial advisor and analyst said the financial woes facing bankrupt Detroit will become common around the country as local governments do whatever they can to escape onerous debt burdens. 'I think you're going to see a real issue of neighbor against neighbor on these very issues,' she said during a 'Closing Bell' conversation. 'That has been glossed over for years. What's at stake are social services we count on.'" Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Neighbor vs. neighbor’ in US cities, Meredith Whitney says

Which State Has the Most Self-Reliant People?

"Back in 2010, I put together a 'Moocher Index' as a rough measure of which states had the highest levels of welfare dependency after adjusting for poverty rates. It turned out that there were huge differences among states. Nearly 18 percent of non-poor Vermont residents were utilizing one or more welfare programs, putting them at the top of the Moocher Index. In Nevada, by contrast, less than 4 percent of non-poor residents had their snouts in the public trough. So I was very interested when I came across some state-by-state numbers from the Department of Agriculture showing food stamp participation compared to food stamp eligibility." Continue reading →

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Republican battles for Medicaid funding turn to God and morality

"Most Republicans oppose Obama's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as a costly, ineffective and unnecessary expansion of government. But some Republican governors, like Arizona's Jan Brewer and Michigan's Rick Snyder, have broken ranks to embrace the law's Medicaid expansion as a practical way to help the poor while infusing their state budgets with billions of dollars in federal funding to pay for it. Ohio's John Kasich has gone further. His message of morality goes straight to the Republican Party's allegiance to traditional American values including charity, and should resonate with religious conservatives within its influential Tea Party faction." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRepublican battles for Medicaid funding turn to God and morality

Democrat seeks to defund Obama’s expansive war powers

"Rep. Adam Schiff’s (D-CA) amendment would prohibit the use of funds pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) effective on December 31, 2014. The Bush and Obama administrations have used the AUMF as a legal justification for vast electronic surveillance and targeted drone strikes against suspected terrorists. The AUMF has also been used to deploy troops to various countries — including Ethiopia, Djibouti, Georgia, Kenya, Somalia, and Yemen — and justify indefinite detentions at Guantanamo Bay." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDemocrat seeks to defund Obama’s expansive war powers

Colorado Springs bans recreational marijuana shops

"Officials in Colorado’s second-largest city voted on Tuesday to ban recreational marijuana shops, becoming the largest community in the state to utilize an opt-out provision of a law that legalized the non-medical use of pot. Colorado Springs has a population of about 420,000 with a large military and evangelical Christian presence and is one of the most conservative and Republican areas in a state which in recent election cycles has turned leftward. The federal government lists cannabis as a dangerous narcotic and considers it illegal for any purpose, a point underscored by Colorado Springs residents who spoke on Tuesday in favor of the ban." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingColorado Springs bans recreational marijuana shops

Meredith Whitney: ‘Detroit Will Start A Wave of Municipal Bankruptcies’

"At the root of the problem is the incentive system that elected officials used to face. For decades, across the US, local leaders ran up tabs for future taxpayers; they promised pensions and other benefits for public employees that have strong legal protection. That has been a great source of patronage for elected officials: they can promise all sorts of future perks to loyal supporters with very little accountability on the delivery of those promises.[...] Leaders across the country cannot continue as they have. They must choose sides because there is simply not enough money to go around. Will they side with taxpayers, unions or the municipal bondholders?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMeredith Whitney: ‘Detroit Will Start A Wave of Municipal Bankruptcies’

Atheist anti-war immigrant to be awarded US citizenship following public outcry

"A woman who was nearly denied U.S. citizenship over her lack of church membership will soon be naturalized thanks to a public outcry. The immigration office in Houston had informed Margaret Doughty, 64, that she would need to provide proof of membership in a church if she wished to gain conscientious objector status. Doughty, an atheist, had provided the immigration office with a secular rather than religious explanation for why she objected to war. In response, groups sent letters to the immigration office demanding Doughty be granted conscientious objector status. The office withdrew the request on Thursday and approved her application." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAtheist anti-war immigrant to be awarded US citizenship following public outcry

Justice Department sues Florida over ‘deliberate indifference’ in treatment of disabled children

"The U.S. Justice Department sued the state of Florida on Monday, accusing health officials of violating the Americans with Disabilities act by placing almost 200 handicapped minors in nursing homes usually used for elderly residents, Mother Jones reported. Florida is the 12th state sued by the department over alleged mistreatment of physically or mentally disabled residents in the past four years. The Miami Herald reported that while the state has increased patient care payments to $550 per day for children placed in nursing homes, lawmakers also cut $6 million from a program allowing residents to get private health care at their homes." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJustice Department sues Florida over ‘deliberate indifference’ in treatment of disabled children