Welfare-Warfare State

83-year-old nun gets 20 year sentence for ‘symbolic’ nuclear facility break-in

"An 83-year-old nun who broke into a Tennessee depleted uranium storage facility in 2012 and splashed human blood on several surfaces, exposing a massive security hole at the nation’s only facility used to store radioactive conventional munitions, was convicted Wednesday and sentenced to a term of up to 20 years in prison. She and two other peace activists, 64-year-old Michael Walli and 56-year-old Greg Boertje-Obed, were convicted of 'invasion of a nuclear facility' in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, even though investigators admitted they did not get close to any actual nuclear material." Continue reading →

Continue Reading83-year-old nun gets 20 year sentence for ‘symbolic’ nuclear facility break-in

U.S. Currently Fighting 74 Different Wars … That It Will Publicly Admit

"By mid-2010, the Obama administration had increased the presence of Special Operations forces from sixty countries to seventy-five countries. [A]mong the countries where [Joint Special Operations Command] teams had been deployed under the Obama administration were: Iran, Georgia, Ukraine, Bolivia, Paraguay, Ecuador, Peru, Yemen, Pakistan (including in Baluchistan) and the Philippines. These teams also at times deployed in Turkey, Belgium, France and Spain. JSOC was also supporting US Drug Enforcement Agency operations in Colombia and Mexico." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. Currently Fighting 74 Different Wars … That It Will Publicly Admit

“Butt Out,” 60% of 18 to 34-Year Olds Tell Federal Government

"Despite a horrendous unemployment rate of 45% for this age group — almost as bad as Spain’s and Greece’s — about 60% of America’s young adults believe that the government should get out of their lives. Even more amazing, half believe that the government is not helping the economy. Two-thirds are favorable to entrepreneurship. These opinions were made clear in a recent poll sponsored by the Young America Foundation. Unfortunately, only 44% think that free markets are positive." Continue reading →

Continue Reading“Butt Out,” 60% of 18 to 34-Year Olds Tell Federal Government

The Pension Rate-of-Return Fantasy

"In June of 2012, Calpers lowered the expected rate of return on its portfolio to 7.5% from 7.75%. Calpers had last dropped the rate in 2004, from 8.25%. But even the 7.5% return is fiction. Wall Street would laugh if the matter weren't so serious. And the trouble is not just in California. Public-pension funds in Illinois use an average of 8.18% expected returns. The 100 top U.S. public companies with defined benefit pension assets of $1.3 trillion have an average expected rate of return of 7.5%. Three of them are over 9%. (Since 2000, these assets have returned 5.6%.) Who wouldn't want 7.5%-8% returns these days? Ten-year U.S. Treasury bonds are paying 1.74%." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThe Pension Rate-of-Return Fantasy

Moody’s: ‘Strategic Default’ Viewed as Less Taboo by Cities

"The number of defaults from U.S. municipal issuers rated by Moody’s Investors Service has more than tripled to 4.6 per year since 2007, showing willingness to pay can’t be taken for granted, the company said in a report. Five municipalities rated by Moody’s defaulted last year, including Stockton, California, which became the biggest U.S. city to seek Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection in June. Wenatchee, Washington, failed to honor a guarantee on an interest payment for a sports arena. The figure doesn’t include issuers such as Vadnais Heights, Minnesota, which 'selectively defaulted' on contingent liabilities, the report said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMoody’s: ‘Strategic Default’ Viewed as Less Taboo by Cities

Bill Bonner: ‘War’ takes place in the shadows

"How long will it be before the clandestine terrorist agencies begin their own campaigns of terror? Perhaps they already have. With so many secret agencies plotting, conniving, enticing, luring, fomenting, and sowing their evil seeds, it won't be long before something takes root. One group of spooks will lay a trap...and catch another group....and accuse a third group, whom they will mistake for real terrorists. One bomb will go off. Another attempt will be thwarted at the last minute. Still another group, led on a double-agent and financed by secret funds provided by the taxpayer, will be hauled in front of the TV cameras." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBill Bonner: ‘War’ takes place in the shadows

Young people are three times as likely to be unemployed in global economy

"Global youth unemployment has risen to close to its crisis peak and will climb higher as the economic recovery falters, a report by a UN agency has warned. The International Labour Office said the youth unemployment rate had been falling since hitting 12.7% in 2009, but this year had climbed again to stand at 12.6%. The rate is forecast to reach 12.8% by 2018. The ILO paints a grim picture for school leavers and graduates across large parts of the world, saying young people continue to be almost three times more likely than adults to be unemployed." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingYoung people are three times as likely to be unemployed in global economy

Turns Out British Spies Were Giving Bags of Cash to Karzai, Too

"A week after we learned that the CIA delivered bags full of cash to Afghan President Hamid Karzai in exchange for his cooperation, the United Kingdom's MI6 admitted to doing the same thing this weekend. While the British spies say they forked over just a fraction of what their American counterparts did, the new information proves that this quasi-bribery scheme was hardly an isolated incident. In fact, it sounds like it was a big part of the allies' operation in Afghanistan. The leader called the CIA and MI6 contributions an 'easy source of petty cash' for dealing with the Taliban." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTurns Out British Spies Were Giving Bags of Cash to Karzai, Too

North Carolina Senate blocks testing themselves when passing welfare drug testing bill

"Republicans in the North Carolina state Senate on Monday pushed through bill that would strip public benefits like food stamps and job training for people who fail a drug test. The bill requires those applying for benefits to pay for their own drug tests. Applicants who test negative would be eligible to have the costs of their tests reimbursed. The policy could cost the state more than $2.1 million. At the same time, senators rejected an amendment offered by Democratic state Sen. Gladys Robinson that would have drug tested lawmakers, the governor and cabinet secretaries." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNorth Carolina Senate blocks testing themselves when passing welfare drug testing bill

Food Stamp Nation: 20% of U.S. Households

"The economic recovery rolls on. The number of American households receiving food stamps has hit 23 million. This is 23 million out of 115 million households. That’s 20%. The government has a solution. Stop calling them food stamps. It has now issued cards that look just like credit cards. If the recovery is real, why are more Americans on food cards? Because the farm bloc wants its subsidies, and the welfare bloc does, too. It’s a matter of supply and demand. If demand stays high, farm prices stay high. There is nothing like free food to increase demand. Food cards offer free food. Rising demand proves there is rising need. Rising need proves that more food cards are necessary." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFood Stamp Nation: 20% of U.S. Households