U.S. Half-Measures in Syria Are Worse Than Doing Nothing - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
"The road to Damascus is a road to peace," Pelosi announced then in her glib fashion. The same Pollyanna views have, until now, characterized the Obama administration's "reset" with traditional enemies, who are looking for soft spots in the U.S. belly.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Thursday, August 22, 2013
SSA Disability Fraud Arrests Should Extend Beyond Puerto Rico - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
SSA Disability Fraud Arrests Should Extend Beyond Puerto Rico - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Government programs always begin with the best of intentions. Some Americans of an earlier age had little or no income when retired at age 62 and so were offered retirement benefits. Since wives of the 50s and 60s often stayed home to attend domestic affairs, an array of spousal benefits were added. Then children's benefits. And survivor's benefits. And when earnest, hard-working construction people fell from buildings, or factory workers suffered heart attacks, strokes, or developed terminal cancers and were too weak to work, Social Security Disability paid them benefits.
That was all well and good until disability became institutionalized and, to a degree-automatic. According to the Wall Street Journal, nearly 11 million people were receiving disability benefits at an annual cost of $136 billion in 2012. With that many people receiving disability benefits, the definition of "disabled" would have to include maladies of a less severe nature than those for which the program was intended.
Seventy-five people were arrested yesterday in Puerto Rico and accused of defrauding the Social Security Disability program.
Government programs always begin with the best of intentions. Some Americans of an earlier age had little or no income when retired at age 62 and so were offered retirement benefits. Since wives of the 50s and 60s often stayed home to attend domestic affairs, an array of spousal benefits were added. Then children's benefits. And survivor's benefits. And when earnest, hard-working construction people fell from buildings, or factory workers suffered heart attacks, strokes, or developed terminal cancers and were too weak to work, Social Security Disability paid them benefits.
That was all well and good until disability became institutionalized and, to a degree-automatic. According to the Wall Street Journal, nearly 11 million people were receiving disability benefits at an annual cost of $136 billion in 2012. With that many people receiving disability benefits, the definition of "disabled" would have to include maladies of a less severe nature than those for which the program was intended.
Seventy-five people were arrested yesterday in Puerto Rico and accused of defrauding the Social Security Disability program.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Governor Chris Christie Throws His Spear in the GOP Sand - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Governor Chris Christie Throws His Spear in the GOP Sand - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie made a cannonball splash at what some in the the media are calling the GOP "summer camp." By accounts such as those in the Boston Globe, the governor's speech was an improvement over his lackadaisical recitations at the GOP national convention in 2012.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie made a cannonball splash at what some in the the media are calling the GOP "summer camp." By accounts such as those in the Boston Globe, the governor's speech was an improvement over his lackadaisical recitations at the GOP national convention in 2012.
Christie has a definite flair for practical politics, a major factor in how Republican Christie could win the governorship in decidedly blue state New Jersey. You do that by being the prototype "Jersey Boy" and Christie is surely that-wisecracking, brusque, blunt, and irreverent. He doesn't stroll the New Jersey boardwalks with sleeveless tee-shirt and tattooed arms but he does the next best thing.
Christie's Twitter profile provides the clues: "I've got the keys for 4 years. Let's party! Except for teachers and public workers. You have to put the beer down. Immediately. Now go get me a sandwich." Funny stuff, even in Georgia.
(turn the page. read the balance, hit the linked title)
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Quinnipiac Poll Shows De Blasio Leading, Quinn Trailing Among Democrats in NYC Primary Race - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Quinnipiac Poll Shows De Blasio Leading, Quinn Trailing Among Democrats in NYC Primary Race - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Mr. de Blasio is currently saturating New York airwaves with a political ad narrated by his mixed-race teenage son, complete with 70s style big hair. To complete the one-size-fits-all social issues candidate, New York insiders know that de Blasio's interracial marriage survived the gay liaisons (reported on the Politicker site) of wife Chirlane McCray.
Is there a candidate who can top that? Is there a candidate who can match de Blasio in the egalitarian touchstones of race, gender, and social advocacy?
Mr. de Blasio is currently saturating New York airwaves with a political ad narrated by his mixed-race teenage son, complete with 70s style big hair. To complete the one-size-fits-all social issues candidate, New York insiders know that de Blasio's interracial marriage survived the gay liaisons (reported on the Politicker site) of wife Chirlane McCray.
Is there a candidate who can top that? Is there a candidate who can match de Blasio in the egalitarian touchstones of race, gender, and social advocacy?
Monday, August 12, 2013
Corn-Ethanol Lobby Hits the Blend Wall - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Corn-Ethanol Lobby Hits the Blend Wall - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com
Aside from ethanol slowly but methodically destroying all the small engines of America, there is another problem called the "blend wall." What the blend wall means is that American cars can only tolerate ten percent ethanol. Going beyond that on most conventional vehicles means that, if you put more than 10 percent ethanol in your gas tank, the auto manufacturer will not honor the guarantees they made when you bought the vehicle.
If the manufacturer found out you continuously poured water in the gas tank, they wouldn't honor the warranty either, but that's similar to what you'd be doing by using an 11 percent ethanol-fuel blend or higher blend.
Aside from ethanol slowly but methodically destroying all the small engines of America, there is another problem called the "blend wall." What the blend wall means is that American cars can only tolerate ten percent ethanol. Going beyond that on most conventional vehicles means that, if you put more than 10 percent ethanol in your gas tank, the auto manufacturer will not honor the guarantees they made when you bought the vehicle.
If the manufacturer found out you continuously poured water in the gas tank, they wouldn't honor the warranty either, but that's similar to what you'd be doing by using an 11 percent ethanol-fuel blend or higher blend.
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