Welfare-Warfare State

Welfare Case Manager Accused Of Offering Benefits For Sex

"A state welfare worker is facing charges after allegedly offering benefits in exchange for sex. The District Attorney’s office says the Department of Public Welfare case manager John Geary told a woman he would give her extra cash and extra benefits if she engaged in sexual acts with him. According to the police criminal complaint, Geary also repeatedly asked the woman to smoke crack with him on the weekends when his wife was working and his children were asleep in their North Versailles home." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWelfare Case Manager Accused Of Offering Benefits For Sex

Ron Paul: The Real Meaning of President Obama’s National Security Speeches

"This past Thursday and Friday, President Obama delivered two speeches designed to outline his new thinking on national security and counter-terrorism. While much was made in the media of the president’s statements at the National Defense University and the US Naval Academy suggesting that the most active phase of US military action overseas was coming to an end, this 'new' approach is but the same old policy wrapped in new packaging. In these addresses, the president panders to the progressives, while continually expanding and solidifying the 'enabling act' principle." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRon Paul: The Real Meaning of President Obama’s National Security Speeches

The deeper agenda behind Japan’s “Abenomics”

"The policy known as 'Abenomics' is a mix of monetary easing, stimulative spending and growth-inducing steps including deregulation in sectors such as energy. Some Abe allies worry that a hasty push for constitutional changes could upset voters who want the focus to stay firmly on the economy - repeating a mistake seen as a key factor in Abe's first failed attempt to govern. 'He wants to achieve what he left undone - to break free of the ‘post-war regime',' said Koichi Hagiuda, a lawmaker and special aide to Abe. 'What is most symbolic of that is the constitution that was drafted in one short week under (U.S. General Douglas) MacArthur's Occupation.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe deeper agenda behind Japan’s “Abenomics”

Lawsuit filed over veteran’s psychiatric detention over Facebook posts

"A civil liberties group filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of an ex-Marine who was detained in a psychiatric facility after posting anti-government messages on Facebook, using the case to criticize a program that looks for veterans who may have become extremists. Attorneys for The Rutherford Institute filed suit in Richmond over the weeklong detention last August of Brandon J. Raub, a veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Attorneys for Raub claimed his detention came under a federal program called 'Operation Vigilant Eagle' involving surveillance of veterans who express views critical of the government." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLawsuit filed over veteran’s psychiatric detention over Facebook posts

Debt ceiling suspended: US takes on $300bn in new debt after hitting $16.7 trillion

"America’s ticking debt bomb has been reset. Washington has suspended the debt ceiling, setting a date, and not a concrete dollar sum as a deadline, an unprecedented first in US history. Citing ‘extraordinary measures’, the US Treasury has further delayed tackling America’s debt, and will wait until Labor Day, September 2nd, to revisit the burgeoning crisis. The ceiling has been lifted, and the Treasury has promised it will keep cash pumping into government spending programs beyond the debt limit through a series of emergency cash tools." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDebt ceiling suspended: US takes on $300bn in new debt after hitting $16.7 trillion

Pentagon plans to fight ‘War on Terror’ for another 20 years

"Even after cutting off the head of al-Qaeda, the United States Department of Defense doesn’t believe an end to the war on terror is in sight. On Thursday, one Pentagon official predicted the mission against al-Qaeda could continue for another two decades. Speaking to the Senate Armed Services early Thursday, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations Michael Sheehan said the Pentagon has no plans to pull out of its almost 12-year-old war overseas. When asked for his take on how long the war on terror could go on for, Sheehan told lawmakers, 'At least 10 to 20 years.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPentagon plans to fight ‘War on Terror’ for another 20 years

The Truth: Chained CPI Is Worse Than You Thought

"The proposal to change the measure of inflation used for federal programs to chained CPI, which rises more slowly than conventional inflation measures, is usually framed as a Social Security cut. And it is. The CBO estimates that it will save $133 billion in Social Security costs over 10 years. But it’s also a tax increase. Currently, the cutoffs for different tax brackets rise with CPI-U, a non-chained measure of inflation. Chained CPI would cause the cutoffs to rise more slowly, pushing more and more people into higher tax brackets. That raises $99 billion over 10 years. So about 43 percent of the deficit reduction from chained CPI comes from increased taxes." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Truth: Chained CPI Is Worse Than You Thought

Who will pay more under Obamacare? Young men

"Obamacare limits the amount insurers can charge older enrollees to three times the amount charged for younger participants. Men usually pay less than women, since they typically visit the doctor less frequently. The Affordable Care Act, however, doesn't allow insurers to charge different rates to men and women. Taken together, men ages 25 to 36 could see rate increases greater than 50%, according to Milliman's O'Connor, but women of the same age will only see their premiums creep up 4%. Meanwhile, men age 60 to 64 could see their premiums drop by 12%." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWho will pay more under Obamacare? Young men

How Mapping Student Debt Changes the Debate

"While soaring college tuition and low barriers to borrowing have been widely blamed, the New York Fed's maps indicate that the worst employment environment in a generation has had a powerful effect. In fact, those states with high delinquency rates on student loans are having trouble with all kinds of debt. The regions on the map with the most red ink—the Deep South and Southeast—also have the highest consumer bankruptcy rates, according to the American Bankruptcy Institute. The Fed's report further connects the dots between the student debt crisis and the nation's overall financial health. It also gives policymakers contemplating a bailout something to think about." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow Mapping Student Debt Changes the Debate

Student Loans are About to Cross the Trillion Dollar Mark

"In the first quarter of 2013, students owed $986 billion in student loans, up $20 billion from $966 billion in the fourth quarter. Student-loan balances outstanding have soared 70% in the past five years, thanks to government backing of loan programs---which has done nothing but sent the price of a near useless education soaring. Prices fall and quality improves where the government doesn't intervene (see: cell phones, televisions personal computers). Prices soar and quality fall where the government gets heavily involved (see: the health sector and education sector)." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingStudent Loans are About to Cross the Trillion Dollar Mark