The number of Social Security beneficiaries hit a record 61,859,250 in November, according to data released by the Social Security Administration.
At the same time, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, with unemployment at the lowest rate since 2000 (4.1 percent), there were 126,827,000 full-time workers in the United States (including government workers). Yet that equaled only 2.05 full-time workers for each person receiving Social Security benefits.
Even when all 153,918,000 people who had jobs in November are considered (counting both full- and part-time workers), the ratio of workers to Social Security beneficiaries was about 2.49 to 1.
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Thursday, December 28, 2017
DOJ scolds Obama administration over reported groping, harassment, office sex
The Justice Department scolded the Obama administration on Wednesday following a report on how sexual harassment of all kinds was improperly handled at the department for years.
The Washington Post reported that the DOJ’s inspector general had found “systemic” problems with how complaints were addressed, with offending officials often being let off the hook or even rewarded. The article cited investigative reports on a lawyer who allegedly groped two female attorneys and a top U.S. Marshals official who had sex with “approximately” nine women in his office.
Though fresh complaints have been filed as recently as August, the IG said some of the worst alleged offenses happened several years ago in the department’s Civil Division.
Ian Prior, a spokesman in the Trump Justice Department, would not comment in detail about the allegations but described the problems as largely occurring during the prior administration.
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The Washington Post reported that the DOJ’s inspector general had found “systemic” problems with how complaints were addressed, with offending officials often being let off the hook or even rewarded. The article cited investigative reports on a lawyer who allegedly groped two female attorneys and a top U.S. Marshals official who had sex with “approximately” nine women in his office.
Though fresh complaints have been filed as recently as August, the IG said some of the worst alleged offenses happened several years ago in the department’s Civil Division.
Ian Prior, a spokesman in the Trump Justice Department, would not comment in detail about the allegations but described the problems as largely occurring during the prior administration.
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Hate crimes and hoaxes: 10 campus stories debunked in 2017
Remember when a black cadet at the Air Force Academy said he found a racist message in his dorm? That prompted Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria to say, in a speech that went viral, “If you can’t treat someone with dignity and respect, then get out.”
Turns out the episode was a hoax; the cadet had committed the hate crime all by himself.
OK, but what about the 2014 Rolling Stone article “A Rape on Campus”? That had its own problems: The piece included a discredited story about a rape at the University of Virginia involving the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. And the venerable magazine settled a $1.65 million defamation suit earlier this year as a result of the false claims.
Those are just two examples of a growing national trend, highlighted by The College Fix, in which hate crimes are falsely reported. Following President Trump’s election and inauguration, several universities have seen an increase in such reports.
One student at the University of Michigan faked an attack because of what she called a post-election “surge in hate crimes.” The UM student was fined $660 and is on a suspended 93-day jail sentence, pending probation adherence, for falsely reporting a hate crime. She admitted to having mental health issues when she pleaded guilty, but at the time, she told police she was targeted for wearing a solidarity pin.
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Turns out the episode was a hoax; the cadet had committed the hate crime all by himself.
OK, but what about the 2014 Rolling Stone article “A Rape on Campus”? That had its own problems: The piece included a discredited story about a rape at the University of Virginia involving the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. And the venerable magazine settled a $1.65 million defamation suit earlier this year as a result of the false claims.
Those are just two examples of a growing national trend, highlighted by The College Fix, in which hate crimes are falsely reported. Following President Trump’s election and inauguration, several universities have seen an increase in such reports.
One student at the University of Michigan faked an attack because of what she called a post-election “surge in hate crimes.” The UM student was fined $660 and is on a suspended 93-day jail sentence, pending probation adherence, for falsely reporting a hate crime. She admitted to having mental health issues when she pleaded guilty, but at the time, she told police she was targeted for wearing a solidarity pin.
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http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/12/27/hate-crimes-and-hoaxes-10-campus-stories-debunked-in-2017.html
Police Beat Motorist Over Tinted Windows, “Missing” Front Plate
Violent assault with the absence of any meaningful recourse
Well, here’s another one…
In Pasadena, CA some “heroes” (aka, law enforcers) noticed a motorist driving a car with windows that were tinted “too much” and which was missing its front license plate.
These are heinous offenses against the peace, you see. Can’t that let that go.
A stop was initiated.
Which quickly led to a violent beat down of the unarmed, unresisting motorist:
More/Video
Well, here’s another one…
In Pasadena, CA some “heroes” (aka, law enforcers) noticed a motorist driving a car with windows that were tinted “too much” and which was missing its front license plate.
These are heinous offenses against the peace, you see. Can’t that let that go.
A stop was initiated.
Which quickly led to a violent beat down of the unarmed, unresisting motorist:
More/Video
Rep in United flight fight has history of bad behavior
Several decades worth of coverage of Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee suggests she's behaved badly on planes – and on automobiles – before this week's incident.
The latest airplane drama came this week when a United Airlines passenger said she was booted from her first class seat to accommodate the Texas Democrat, who shot back by saying the only reason the woman complained was because Jackson Lee is black.
The latest airplane drama came this week when a United Airlines passenger said she was booted from her first class seat to accommodate the Texas Democrat, who shot back by saying the only reason the woman complained was because Jackson Lee is black.
But previous reports show the House member, who was elected in 1994, has had a history of transportation drama, including berating flight attendants on first class flights and making her Congressional staff drive her one block, while waiting on her for hours and disrupting traffic.
She's been documented calling her employees 'you stupid motherf***er,' while referring to herself as Congressional royalty.
'You don't understand. I am a queen, and I demand to be treated like a queen,' she was quoted saying in 1998, three years into her nearly 23-year tenure on Capitol Hill.
She's been documented calling her employees 'you stupid motherf***er,' while referring to herself as Congressional royalty.
'You don't understand. I am a queen, and I demand to be treated like a queen,' she was quoted saying in 1998, three years into her nearly 23-year tenure on Capitol Hill.
Proof: The Entire Trump-Russia Probe Is A Complete SHAM, Robert Mueller Isn't Even Investigating Ties To Russia!
Another day, another piece of evidence that points to the now transparently obvious fact that the FBI’s counterintelligence probe being led by deep state operative and Clinton supporter Robert Mueller is nothing more than a complete sham that isn’t even actually investigating whether or not Trump colluded with Russia to win the election.
That’s right, the supposedly extremely important probe into Russian attempts at fixing the U.S. election isn’t actually looking into connections between Trump campaign officials and Russia (because there are none) but rather they are using a form of financial terrorism to bankrupt Trump associates with white-collar crime investigations that have absolutely no connection to the 2016 election, much less Russia.
This is not up for debate as this shocking fact has now been openly admitted in the mainstream media through an article by The Daily Beast’s Betsy Woodruff, a reporter who in the past has had key information leaked to her with the specific aim of taking out a democratically elected president.
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That’s right, the supposedly extremely important probe into Russian attempts at fixing the U.S. election isn’t actually looking into connections between Trump campaign officials and Russia (because there are none) but rather they are using a form of financial terrorism to bankrupt Trump associates with white-collar crime investigations that have absolutely no connection to the 2016 election, much less Russia.
This is not up for debate as this shocking fact has now been openly admitted in the mainstream media through an article by The Daily Beast’s Betsy Woodruff, a reporter who in the past has had key information leaked to her with the specific aim of taking out a democratically elected president.
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U.S. woman stabbed 14 times by Somali migrant, media go dark
1 more for growing Big List of related crimes being swept under rug
Morgan Evenson was walking home in downtown Minneapolis on the evening of Dec. 13 when a black man got out of his car, chased her down, tackled her and repeatedly thrust a 3-4-inch blade into her flailing body.
The 26-year-old computer-store clerk frantically fought back, kicking, scratching and screaming for help.
At some point, neighbors heard her screams and came to her aid. Her attacker – described as a Somali man in his early 20s, about 5-foot-7 with a slight build and wearing grey stone-washed jeans – fled.
Evenson was left bleeding on the curb with 14 stab wounds on her arms, neck and back. Her kidney was lacerated. She was lucky to survive.
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Morgan Evenson was walking home in downtown Minneapolis on the evening of Dec. 13 when a black man got out of his car, chased her down, tackled her and repeatedly thrust a 3-4-inch blade into her flailing body.
The 26-year-old computer-store clerk frantically fought back, kicking, scratching and screaming for help.
At some point, neighbors heard her screams and came to her aid. Her attacker – described as a Somali man in his early 20s, about 5-foot-7 with a slight build and wearing grey stone-washed jeans – fled.
Evenson was left bleeding on the curb with 14 stab wounds on her arms, neck and back. Her kidney was lacerated. She was lucky to survive.
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Democrats’ case for Trump-Russia grand conspiracy crumbles with lack of evidence
Two months ago, Rep. Adam B. Schiff, who is leading the House Democrats’ inquisition of President Trump, said it “still remains to be seen” whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia in its interference in the 2016 election.
Then on Dec. 10, the congressman from California went in a different direction.
“We do know this,” the ranking Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence said on CNN, a frequent Schiff host. “The Russians offered help, the campaign accepted help. The Russians gave help and the president made full use of that help, and that is pretty damning, whether it is proof beyond a reasonable doubt of conspiracy or not.”
Whether the Russian hacking and release of thousands of Democratic Party emails amount to acceptance of help for the Trump campaign is up for debate. The emails, and those that WikiLeaks released later from Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta’s hacked account, were publicly available and reported by many news websites.
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Then on Dec. 10, the congressman from California went in a different direction.
“We do know this,” the ranking Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence said on CNN, a frequent Schiff host. “The Russians offered help, the campaign accepted help. The Russians gave help and the president made full use of that help, and that is pretty damning, whether it is proof beyond a reasonable doubt of conspiracy or not.”
Whether the Russian hacking and release of thousands of Democratic Party emails amount to acceptance of help for the Trump campaign is up for debate. The emails, and those that WikiLeaks released later from Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta’s hacked account, were publicly available and reported by many news websites.
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"$1MM Per Minute In Salaries, $22BN Per Year In Vacation Pay" And Other Fun Facts About The Federal Workforce
The folks at Open The Books decided to take a deep dive into the salaries of 1.97 million federal employees, using data collected from the Office Of Personnel Management and the USPS via FOIA requests, and the endless examples of excessive pay and pure waste are sure to make you sick, if not downright suicidal. Here are just some of the key takeaways as summarized by OTB:
1. The federal government pays its disclosed workforce $1 million per minute, $66 million per hour, and $524 million per day. In FY2016, the federal government disclosed 1.97 million employees at a cash compensation cost of $136.3 billion.
2. Over a six-year period (FY2010-2016), the number of federal employees making $200,000 or more has increased by 165 percent; those making $150,000 or more has grown by 60 percent; and those making more than $100,000 has increased by 37 percent.
3. On average, federal employees are given 10 federal holidays, 13 sick days, and 20 vacation days per year.If each employee used 13 sick days and took 20 vacation days in addition to the 10 federal holidays, it would cost taxpayers an estimated $22.6 billion annually.
4. In FY2016, a total 406,960 employees made six-figure incomes – that's roughly one in five disclosed federal employees. Furthermore, 29,852 federal employees out-earned each of the 50 state governors receiving more than $190,823.
5. At 78 out of the 122 independent agencies and departments we studied, the average employee compensation exceeded $100,000 in FY2016.
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1. The federal government pays its disclosed workforce $1 million per minute, $66 million per hour, and $524 million per day. In FY2016, the federal government disclosed 1.97 million employees at a cash compensation cost of $136.3 billion.
2. Over a six-year period (FY2010-2016), the number of federal employees making $200,000 or more has increased by 165 percent; those making $150,000 or more has grown by 60 percent; and those making more than $100,000 has increased by 37 percent.
3. On average, federal employees are given 10 federal holidays, 13 sick days, and 20 vacation days per year.If each employee used 13 sick days and took 20 vacation days in addition to the 10 federal holidays, it would cost taxpayers an estimated $22.6 billion annually.
4. In FY2016, a total 406,960 employees made six-figure incomes – that's roughly one in five disclosed federal employees. Furthermore, 29,852 federal employees out-earned each of the 50 state governors receiving more than $190,823.
5. At 78 out of the 122 independent agencies and departments we studied, the average employee compensation exceeded $100,000 in FY2016.
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5 arrests after up to 1,000 teenagers and juveniles cause disruption at Cherry Hill Mall
CHERRY HILL, N.J. (WPVI) -- Police say up to 1,000 juveniles were causing a disruption at the Cherry Hill Mall on Tuesday night leading to some arrests.
The incident began around 7:30 p.m. at the JC Penney entrance of the mall located on Route 38.
Arriving officers found approximately 700 to 1,000 unaccompanied juveniles at the mall.
Shoppers described the chaos:
"I was scared just because there were so many and they were unsupervised," said Daija Qualis. "It looked like a hostile situation."
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The incident began around 7:30 p.m. at the JC Penney entrance of the mall located on Route 38.
Arriving officers found approximately 700 to 1,000 unaccompanied juveniles at the mall.
Shoppers described the chaos:
"I was scared just because there were so many and they were unsupervised," said Daija Qualis. "It looked like a hostile situation."
More
Maryland State Trooper Breaks Record For Number Of DUI Arrests
(PIKESVILLE, MD) – A trooper has made Maryland State Police history by breaking the record for the number of DUI arrests made in a year.
For the past four years, Trooper First Class Anthony Wallace has made at least 100 DUI arrests each year, thus breaking a statewide record for the Maryland State Police. Prior to 2017, TFC Wallace and one other trooper on the SPIDRE team were the only ones who had surpassed 100 DUI arrests for three consecutive years.
While working targeted enforcement with the SPIDRE team this past weekend, TFC Wallace made his 100th DUI arrest for the year in Baltimore County and he is on point to make more as the New Year approaches. TFC Wallace makes on average, 120 to 140 impaired driving arrests annually as a member of the State Police Impaired Driving Reduction Effort, or SPIDRE team.
After graduating in the 140th Maryland State Police Academy Class in December 2013, TFC Wallace was assigned as a road patrol trooper to the Golden Ring Barrack where he quickly demonstrated his ability to locate impaired drivers on Maryland roads. Within his first six months, he was recruited by the SPIDRE team, an elite team of state troopers focused on reducing the number of alcohol related crashes in Maryland.
Funded by the Maryland Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) Highway Safety Office, the SPIDRE team was the first of its kind on the east coast and has proven to be extremely effective. The team is deployed in areas of Maryland with high crash rates involving impaired drivers. The goal is simple – to find and arrest alcohol- or drug-impaired drivers before they cause crashes. To date, the team has been responsible for more than 7,600 traffic stops, resulting in over 2,500 DUI arrests since inception in May 2013.
SPIDRE is not alone. In the counties in which these troopers have deployed, they have been joined by officers from county police agencies to help increase the overall DUI enforcement presence. The SPIDRE team is dedicated to reaching the state’s goal of zero deaths on Maryland roadways. Officials warn that with the upcoming New Year’s holiday, there is an increase of parties and other celebrations where impairment may occur. To keep Maryland residents and visitors safe, the SPIDRE team will be out in full force over the holiday weekend.
For the past four years, Trooper First Class Anthony Wallace has made at least 100 DUI arrests each year, thus breaking a statewide record for the Maryland State Police. Prior to 2017, TFC Wallace and one other trooper on the SPIDRE team were the only ones who had surpassed 100 DUI arrests for three consecutive years.
While working targeted enforcement with the SPIDRE team this past weekend, TFC Wallace made his 100th DUI arrest for the year in Baltimore County and he is on point to make more as the New Year approaches. TFC Wallace makes on average, 120 to 140 impaired driving arrests annually as a member of the State Police Impaired Driving Reduction Effort, or SPIDRE team.
After graduating in the 140th Maryland State Police Academy Class in December 2013, TFC Wallace was assigned as a road patrol trooper to the Golden Ring Barrack where he quickly demonstrated his ability to locate impaired drivers on Maryland roads. Within his first six months, he was recruited by the SPIDRE team, an elite team of state troopers focused on reducing the number of alcohol related crashes in Maryland.
Funded by the Maryland Department of Transportation’s (MDOT) Highway Safety Office, the SPIDRE team was the first of its kind on the east coast and has proven to be extremely effective. The team is deployed in areas of Maryland with high crash rates involving impaired drivers. The goal is simple – to find and arrest alcohol- or drug-impaired drivers before they cause crashes. To date, the team has been responsible for more than 7,600 traffic stops, resulting in over 2,500 DUI arrests since inception in May 2013.
SPIDRE is not alone. In the counties in which these troopers have deployed, they have been joined by officers from county police agencies to help increase the overall DUI enforcement presence. The SPIDRE team is dedicated to reaching the state’s goal of zero deaths on Maryland roadways. Officials warn that with the upcoming New Year’s holiday, there is an increase of parties and other celebrations where impairment may occur. To keep Maryland residents and visitors safe, the SPIDRE team will be out in full force over the holiday weekend.
Trooper First Class Anthony Wallace
Management of Safe Streets to shift to mayor's office
BALTIMORE — Baltimore's Safe Streets program is moving, when it comes to which office manages it.
Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh is shifting the violence prevention program from the supervision of the Health Department to be run directly out of her Office of Criminal Justice.
Safe Streets is not a law enforcement effort. Calling themselves violence interrupters, Baltimore's Safe Streets workers try to de-escalate incidents in four city neighborhoods before violence erupts. They follow a public health model and have long operated under the Health Department, but soon they'll be under the control of the mayor's office.
"We are going to be very careful about how we roll the program out because we believe the model does work and we are not trying to change the model," Pugh said.
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Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh is shifting the violence prevention program from the supervision of the Health Department to be run directly out of her Office of Criminal Justice.
Safe Streets is not a law enforcement effort. Calling themselves violence interrupters, Baltimore's Safe Streets workers try to de-escalate incidents in four city neighborhoods before violence erupts. They follow a public health model and have long operated under the Health Department, but soon they'll be under the control of the mayor's office.
"We are going to be very careful about how we roll the program out because we believe the model does work and we are not trying to change the model," Pugh said.
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Citing need for growth, Navy eases physical fitness standards, cancels early-outs
There are still at least six weeks to go before the public unveiling of the federal budget for 2019, but the Navy is already sending strong signals that it’s planning for the sort of personnel growth it might need in order to eventually field a fleet of 350 ships and to fill the manning shortfalls it has today.
Over the last two weeks, the service has pushed out several policy changes designed to hold onto as many of its existing sailors as possible, reversing programs that culled personnel from its ranks in prior years.
In one of the changes, the Navy told sailors last week that it was relaxing previous rules under which servicemembers could be kicked out by reason of physical fitness. The service ordered commands to put a stop to any actions they’ve taken to separate sailors simply because they’ve failed the Navy’s physical fitness assessment (PFA), a twice-a-year screening process that combines medical checkups with the Navy’s physical readiness test and body fat limits.
Instead, those servicemembers will be allowed to fail the PFA at least twice. Although they will be ineligible for promotions until they pass a PFA, they will continue to serve until they’ve lived up to their previously-agreed-on military service obligations.
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Over the last two weeks, the service has pushed out several policy changes designed to hold onto as many of its existing sailors as possible, reversing programs that culled personnel from its ranks in prior years.
In one of the changes, the Navy told sailors last week that it was relaxing previous rules under which servicemembers could be kicked out by reason of physical fitness. The service ordered commands to put a stop to any actions they’ve taken to separate sailors simply because they’ve failed the Navy’s physical fitness assessment (PFA), a twice-a-year screening process that combines medical checkups with the Navy’s physical readiness test and body fat limits.
Instead, those servicemembers will be allowed to fail the PFA at least twice. Although they will be ineligible for promotions until they pass a PFA, they will continue to serve until they’ve lived up to their previously-agreed-on military service obligations.
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Ron Paul Blasts Congress' Political And Personal Immorality
Many Americans have been shocked by recent revelations of the extent of sexual harassment in Congress.
However, no one should be too surprised that those who spend their lives defending and expanding the welfare-warfare state engage in immoral personal conduct.
It is only natural that an immoral system, like the welfare-warfare state, tends to attract individuals likely to practice personal immorality.
The welfare-warfare state is built on a foundation of taxation and fiat currency controlled by a secretive central bank. While some type of taxation may be necessary to fund the few legitimate functions of government, taking people’s money to fund a redistributive welfare state at home and a global empire abroad is nothing more than theft. The Federal Reserve’s erosion of purchasing power is also a form of theft.
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However, no one should be too surprised that those who spend their lives defending and expanding the welfare-warfare state engage in immoral personal conduct.
It is only natural that an immoral system, like the welfare-warfare state, tends to attract individuals likely to practice personal immorality.
The welfare-warfare state is built on a foundation of taxation and fiat currency controlled by a secretive central bank. While some type of taxation may be necessary to fund the few legitimate functions of government, taking people’s money to fund a redistributive welfare state at home and a global empire abroad is nothing more than theft. The Federal Reserve’s erosion of purchasing power is also a form of theft.
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Trump-hating conservatives urged to ditch their rage for the sake of the 2018 election
“It is time for the remaining Never Trumpers to apologize for a reason far more important than self-castigation or merely to make things ‘right.’ Donald Trump — whose initial victory was a shock, even, ironically, to those of us who predicted it — has compounded that shock by being astoundingly successful in his first year, especially at the conclusion. He’s a quick study, evidently. More conservative goals have been achieved or put in motion in eleven months than in any time in recent, or even distant, memory. It’s an astonishing reversal for our country accompanied by the beginnings of an economic boom,” wrote columnist Roger L. Simon, founder of PJ Media.
“But that same success is causing, it’s becoming increasingly clear, an equally determined, even virulent, reaction from the left. At first they too thought Trump was an ineffectual blowhard who would shoot himself in the foot, ultimately redounding to their advantage. Now that they have found that not to be the case, they are in a state of panic, fearing a defeat for their ideals that would set them back years, even decades. They cannot let this stand and are marshaling all their forces from the media to Hollywood to the academy, not to mention at least some of the investigative units of the FBI,” Mr. Simon continued.
“The next year seems poised to be an ideological duel as close to the death as we have seen in a long time..
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Forget The Phony Pension Accounting, Here's How Much Your State Pension Is Really Underfunded
The phony assumptions that go into calculating public pension underfundings in the United States are a frequent topic for us. As our readers are aware, state pension administrators are given fairly wide leeway to simply pick a discount rate out of thin air. Of course, since pensions are nothing but a massive stream of future liabilities that stretch out into perpetuity, every 100 bps increase can substantially, and artificially, lower the fund's reported underfunded level.
In fact, we estimated the impact of higher discount rates on underfunding levels in a post entitled "An Unsolvable Math Problem: Public Pensions Are Underfunded By As Much As $8 Trillion"...here was the result:
In fact, we estimated the impact of higher discount rates on underfunding levels in a post entitled "An Unsolvable Math Problem: Public Pensions Are Underfunded By As Much As $8 Trillion"...here was the result:
Breaking News: An Alabama judge rejected Roy Moore's suit challenging the Senate election results, and the state certified Doug Jones as its new senator
Republicans care about voter fraud; Democrats want to come out ahead
When it comes to voter ID laws, Republicans care intensely about fraud while Democrats worry more about whether their own party will come out ahead, according to a provocative new academic study that challenges conventional assumptions about what motivates support for stricter voting laws.
Voting-rights activists have long accused GOP officeholders of racism or political expedience in fights over voting laws, but the study suggests that at least for average voters, Republicans’ support is a good-faith assessment of dangers they see in illegal voting.
Republicans respond to even small reports of voter fraud, seeing them as a reason to back stricter voting access, according to the research by John V. Kane, a professor at New York University, whose study was published in the latest Public Opinion Quarterly.
Democrats, meanwhile, generally support voter-ID but their support is less firm. If told the GOP would suffer from stricter voter-ID laws, Democrats become more supportive, Mr. Kane found.
“There’s different concerns in both camps. Republicans really do appear to be super-concerned about fraud and Democrats not so much. Democrats really appear to be concerned about the electoral implications, not so much fraud,” Mr. Kane told The Washington Times.
His findings were for voters at large, where overall support for voter ID is relatively high among Democrats, Republicans and independents.
More here
Voting-rights activists have long accused GOP officeholders of racism or political expedience in fights over voting laws, but the study suggests that at least for average voters, Republicans’ support is a good-faith assessment of dangers they see in illegal voting.
Republicans respond to even small reports of voter fraud, seeing them as a reason to back stricter voting access, according to the research by John V. Kane, a professor at New York University, whose study was published in the latest Public Opinion Quarterly.
Democrats, meanwhile, generally support voter-ID but their support is less firm. If told the GOP would suffer from stricter voter-ID laws, Democrats become more supportive, Mr. Kane found.
“There’s different concerns in both camps. Republicans really do appear to be super-concerned about fraud and Democrats not so much. Democrats really appear to be concerned about the electoral implications, not so much fraud,” Mr. Kane told The Washington Times.
His findings were for voters at large, where overall support for voter ID is relatively high among Democrats, Republicans and independents.
More here
ISIS has lost 98 percent of caliphate after Trump scraps Obama rules of engagement
ISIS has lost 98 percent of the territory it once held -- with half of that terror group's so-called "caliphate" having been recaptured since President Trump took office less than a year ago, U.S. military officials said Tuesday.
The massive gains come after years of "onerous" rules, when critics say the Obama administration “micromanaged” the war and shunned a more intensive air strategy that could have ended the conflict much sooner.
“The rules of engagement under the Obama administration were onerous. I mean what are we doing having individual target determination being conducted in the White House, which in some cases adds weeks and weeks,” said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula, the former head of U.S. Air Force intelligence. “The limitations that were put on actually resulted in greater civilian casualties.”
More here
The massive gains come after years of "onerous" rules, when critics say the Obama administration “micromanaged” the war and shunned a more intensive air strategy that could have ended the conflict much sooner.
“The rules of engagement under the Obama administration were onerous. I mean what are we doing having individual target determination being conducted in the White House, which in some cases adds weeks and weeks,” said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula, the former head of U.S. Air Force intelligence. “The limitations that were put on actually resulted in greater civilian casualties.”
More here
Hypocrat of the Day
“All of us in leadership have to find ways in which we can recreate a common space on the Internet,” Obama said in an interview conducted by Britain’s Prince Harry, broadcast on BBC radio on Wednesday.
“One of the dangers of the Internet is that people can have entirely different realities, they can be just cocooned in information that reinforces their current biases.”
Obama has previously warned that social media platforms can lead people to make snap judgments about complex decisions although he has refrained from criticizing his successor Donald Trump who regularly uses Twitter.
More here
Video telling Hillary Clinton to ‘take up a new hobby’ sparks liberal outrage
A Vanity Fair video suggesting that Hillary Clinton should “take up a new hobby” for 2018 has sparked liberal outrage on Twitter.
In the video posted over the weekend, Vanity Fair writer Maya Kosoff recommended that the failed Democratic presidential nominee take up “volunteer work, knitting, improv comedy,” or anything that doesn’t include running for office again.
The seemingly lighthearted video received only 800 re-tweets, compared to a whopping 7,000 responses. It was panned by Clinton supporters as sexist and demeaning, spurring the hashtag #CancelVanityFair.
More here/video
In the video posted over the weekend, Vanity Fair writer Maya Kosoff recommended that the failed Democratic presidential nominee take up “volunteer work, knitting, improv comedy,” or anything that doesn’t include running for office again.
The seemingly lighthearted video received only 800 re-tweets, compared to a whopping 7,000 responses. It was panned by Clinton supporters as sexist and demeaning, spurring the hashtag #CancelVanityFair.
More here/video
University Professors Triggered: ‘Trump Has Used Christmas To Promote White Nationalism’
Leftist professors, the gift that keeps on giving. As long as they say retarded things, I will be here to tell you all about them so you no longer send your kids to college. You can get by just fine in this world without a college degree if you have the work ethic. It’s time to hit them where it hurts: their wallets. As long as they have useful idiots to brainwash, they will charge them a healthy sum for it. Stop sending your kids there, they no longer have that option.
The newest outrage comes from a Newsweek article where three university professors saying that Trump is using Christmas to further the cause of white nationalism, just like Nazi Germany. The stupidity never ends with these people.
According to the interviewed professors, Trump’s crusade to to end the “war on Christmas” and telling people they can say “Merry Christmas” again is just a “dog whistle” for white supremacy.
“I see such invocations of Christmas as a kind of cypher, what some would call a dog whistle,” Richard King, a Washington State University professor told Newsweek. “It does not appear to be intolerant or extreme, but to attentive audiences it speaks volumes about identity and belonging—who and what are fully American.”
It didn’t take long for the conversation to turn to the National Socialist German Workers Party and its charismatic leader in the 1930s. Joe Perry, one of the professors interviewed by Newsweek’s Cristina Maza, claims that Trump is doing the same thing as the Nazis, who rewrote Christmas carols an used Christmas to promote antisemitism. This guy must be really fun at dinner parties.
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The newest outrage comes from a Newsweek article where three university professors saying that Trump is using Christmas to further the cause of white nationalism, just like Nazi Germany. The stupidity never ends with these people.
According to the interviewed professors, Trump’s crusade to to end the “war on Christmas” and telling people they can say “Merry Christmas” again is just a “dog whistle” for white supremacy.
“I see such invocations of Christmas as a kind of cypher, what some would call a dog whistle,” Richard King, a Washington State University professor told Newsweek. “It does not appear to be intolerant or extreme, but to attentive audiences it speaks volumes about identity and belonging—who and what are fully American.”
It didn’t take long for the conversation to turn to the National Socialist German Workers Party and its charismatic leader in the 1930s. Joe Perry, one of the professors interviewed by Newsweek’s Cristina Maza, claims that Trump is doing the same thing as the Nazis, who rewrote Christmas carols an used Christmas to promote antisemitism. This guy must be really fun at dinner parties.
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Nine Million American Men Pushed Out of Workforce by Cheap-Labor Policies
Nine million working-age men have been pushed out of the workforce by the federal government’s salary-killing economic strategy, says a former economist for former President Barack Obama.
The admission comes as some legislators in Congress renew their push for a huge ‘dreamer’ amnesty that would increase the number of low-wage foreign workers who can take U.S. jobs.
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The admission comes as some legislators in Congress renew their push for a huge ‘dreamer’ amnesty that would increase the number of low-wage foreign workers who can take U.S. jobs.
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New Trump Executive Order Targets Clinton-Linked Individuals, Lobbyists And Perhaps Uranium One
The Trump Administration quietly issued an Executive Order (EO) last Thursday which allows for the freezing of US-housed assets belonging to foreign individuals or entities deemed "serious human rights abusers," along with government officials and executives of foreign corporations (current or former) found to have engaged in corruption - which includes the misappropriation of state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, and corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources.
Furthermore, anyone in the United States who aids or participates in said corruption or human rights abuses by foreign parties is subject to frozen assets - along with any U.S. corporation who employs foreigners deemed to have engaged in corruption on behalf of the company.
In fact, anyone in the world who has "materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material or technological support for, or goods or services" to foreigners targeted by the Executive Order is subject to frozen assets.
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Furthermore, anyone in the United States who aids or participates in said corruption or human rights abuses by foreign parties is subject to frozen assets - along with any U.S. corporation who employs foreigners deemed to have engaged in corruption on behalf of the company.
In fact, anyone in the world who has "materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material or technological support for, or goods or services" to foreigners targeted by the Executive Order is subject to frozen assets.
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Governor Larry Hogan Announces Judicial Appointments
Fills Vacancies on the Circuit Court for Worcester County, Including First Woman Appointed in Court’s History
“After a careful and thorough vetting process, I am confident that Mary Kent and Beau Oglesby are the most qualified candidates to fill these vacancies,” said Governor Hogan. “Their dedication to the practice of law and history of involvement in the Worcester community will serve them well in these new positions.”
Mary Kent has served as a domestic relations and juvenile causes magistrate for the First Judicial Circuit since 1996. She began her law career in 1980, working as a staff attorney for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Magistrate Kent then moved on to work in private practice for Paul C. Ewell, P.A., before founding her own practice in 1991. Ms. Kent received her J.D. from the University of Richmond School of Law and her B.A. from the University of Richmond.
Beau Oglesby has served as the State’s Attorney for Worcester County since 2011. Prior to his current position, he served as Deputy State’s Attorney for Caroline County and was a prosecutor for Dorchester and Wicomico counties. Mr. Oglesby was an associate attorney in private practice for both Rowe Weinstein and Sohn (formerly Wescott Rowe, LLP), and Fulton P. Jeffers, P.A. In 1995, he served as a law clerk in the Circuit Court for Wicomico County for Judges Alfred T. Truitt, D. William Simpson and Richard D. Warren. Mr. Oglesby received his J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law and his B.A. from Salisbury State University (now Salisbury University).
Price Of Cancer Drug Raised 1,400% By New Owners
The 40-year-old medication, known as lomustine, has been used by patientssuffering from brain tumors and Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In 2013, the drug was reportedly sold to startup company NextSource. Prior to the sale, pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb sold the medicine for $50 per pill. Since NextSource acquired the drug, it has raised the price nine times and is now selling lomustine for a staggering $768 per pill.
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Communist Antifa Protesters Obnoxiously CRASH Christian Demonstration- Get HIT By Truck
I guess this is karma in the universe. You don’t want to tempt the hand of God by coming out to protest an event called “March for Jesus.” No matter what your religion or background, it would make sense to steer clear of protesting Jesus. It seems like good life advice. Advice that this one Antifa activist should have listened to before he decided to protest.
Video footage of the protest was captured and shows the Antifa protesters shouting nonsense and propaganda from a megaphone.
“You saw that flag right, with the cross on it? That’s a known white-supremacist symbol. So them, going around, pushing their Christianity on people who aren’t even necessarily Christian – their obsession with their holiday, their obsession with freedom of speech marks that they want to hurt people.”
It sounds like this guy needed some more love as a child. Maybe he didn’t have a dad growing up. Or if he did, maybe it wasn’t a great family life. Seriously, how do you get brainwashed into thinking that people who are pro-freedom of speech want to hurt people? Don’t worry, it gets better.
“Because they are more obsessed with their ‘rights’ than they are the basic decency that people deserve. These people have a disdain for human rights.”
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Video footage of the protest was captured and shows the Antifa protesters shouting nonsense and propaganda from a megaphone.
“You saw that flag right, with the cross on it? That’s a known white-supremacist symbol. So them, going around, pushing their Christianity on people who aren’t even necessarily Christian – their obsession with their holiday, their obsession with freedom of speech marks that they want to hurt people.”
It sounds like this guy needed some more love as a child. Maybe he didn’t have a dad growing up. Or if he did, maybe it wasn’t a great family life. Seriously, how do you get brainwashed into thinking that people who are pro-freedom of speech want to hurt people? Don’t worry, it gets better.
“Because they are more obsessed with their ‘rights’ than they are the basic decency that people deserve. These people have a disdain for human rights.”
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Most People On The Eastern Shore Have No Idea How Good They Have It...
Larry Hogan announces changes to Vehicle Emissions Inspections Program
Governor Larry Hogan announced more improvements to the Vehicle Emissions Inspections Program Friday.
New improvements to the program would extend the amount of time before owners of new vehicles must get a new inspection, and eliminate the requirement for pre-1996 light-duty vehicles.
Effective January 1, 2018, owners of new vehicles will not have to get their vehicles tested for 3 years instead of 2. This is expected to save residents more than $2 million a year.
Also, the inspection requirement will be eliminated altogether for all pre-1996 light-duty vehicles. That means 24,000 drivers will now be exempt.
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Governor Larry Hogan announced more improvements to the Vehicle Emissions Inspections Program Friday.
New improvements to the program would extend the amount of time before owners of new vehicles must get a new inspection, and eliminate the requirement for pre-1996 light-duty vehicles.
Effective January 1, 2018, owners of new vehicles will not have to get their vehicles tested for 3 years instead of 2. This is expected to save residents more than $2 million a year.
Also, the inspection requirement will be eliminated altogether for all pre-1996 light-duty vehicles. That means 24,000 drivers will now be exempt.
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Austrian Muslims Say Religious Intolerance Is Growing
Across the street from Vienna's iconic Ferris wheel, the Schura Mosque is packed each Friday with Muslims who come to pray.
It's one of some 300 mosques and prayer rooms serving 700,000 Muslims who live in Austria and who've enjoyed the same rights as Christians and Jews since Islam was made an official religion there in 1912.
A few mosques, like Vienna's Islamic Center, even have a minaret. But they are silent these days, a metaphor of sorts for the low profile many Muslims are keeping because they no longer feel welcome in Austria. One of the worshipers at Schura Mosque on a recent Friday was Viennese Councilman Omar al-Rawi. He said Muslim asylum-seekers are especially afraid to enter mosques nowadays.
"They say, 'We won't go to pray because maybe they will think we are radicals so it's better not to pray'" until their refugee status is approved, he explains.
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It's one of some 300 mosques and prayer rooms serving 700,000 Muslims who live in Austria and who've enjoyed the same rights as Christians and Jews since Islam was made an official religion there in 1912.
A few mosques, like Vienna's Islamic Center, even have a minaret. But they are silent these days, a metaphor of sorts for the low profile many Muslims are keeping because they no longer feel welcome in Austria. One of the worshipers at Schura Mosque on a recent Friday was Viennese Councilman Omar al-Rawi. He said Muslim asylum-seekers are especially afraid to enter mosques nowadays.
"They say, 'We won't go to pray because maybe they will think we are radicals so it's better not to pray'" until their refugee status is approved, he explains.
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Man killed after being hit during a Florida softball game
A newlywed died on Sunday, two weeks after he was taken to the hospital because he was hit in the head with a softball.
Greg Fusco, from Palm Harbor, Florida, was struck in the left temple by a line drive while he was pitching during a softball tournament near Jacksonville on December 2, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The 37-year-old softball fanatic was first knocked out by the hit, but regained consciousness before an ambulance arrived.
Nevertheless he was airlifted to the University of Florida Health Jacksonville for what doctors first thought would be non-life-threatening injuries.
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Greg Fusco, from Palm Harbor, Florida, was struck in the left temple by a line drive while he was pitching during a softball tournament near Jacksonville on December 2, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
The 37-year-old softball fanatic was first knocked out by the hit, but regained consciousness before an ambulance arrived.
Nevertheless he was airlifted to the University of Florida Health Jacksonville for what doctors first thought would be non-life-threatening injuries.
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Ron Paul: Trump may be vulnerable to 2020 GOP primary challenge
Former Texas Rep. Ron Paul says a yearlong economic boom under President Trump is “a bit of an illusion” and that debt, inflation, and inequality could cause turmoil that benefits a “hardcore nucleus” of libertarians.
The libertarian Republican leader told the Washington Examiner that Trump could face a strong challenger in the 2020 GOP primary, especially if “things are really much worse."
“The big opening for us is the fact that this system is coming apart. We’re on the verge of something like what happened in ‘89 when the Soviet system just collapsed,” he said. “I’m just hoping our system comes apart as gracefully as the Soviet system.”
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The libertarian Republican leader told the Washington Examiner that Trump could face a strong challenger in the 2020 GOP primary, especially if “things are really much worse."
“The big opening for us is the fact that this system is coming apart. We’re on the verge of something like what happened in ‘89 when the Soviet system just collapsed,” he said. “I’m just hoping our system comes apart as gracefully as the Soviet system.”
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South Africa's New Leader Aims to Seize White Owned Land Without Compensation
One might call it a “fundamental transformation.”
Cyril Ramaphosa, the new president of South Africa’s ruling ANC, wants to seize land from white South Africans without compensation as part of a policy of “radical economic transformation.”
One might call it a “fundamental transformation.”
From CNBC:
South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, the new leader of the governing party ANC, said on Thursday he aims to stamp out corruption and pursue a policy of “radical economic transformation” that will speed up expropriation of land without compensation.
“This conference has resolved that the expropriation of land without compensation should be among the mechanisms available to government to give effect to land reform and redistribution,” he said in his maiden speech delivered in the early hours after a long delay.
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Cyril Ramaphosa, the new president of South Africa’s ruling ANC, wants to seize land from white South Africans without compensation as part of a policy of “radical economic transformation.”
One might call it a “fundamental transformation.”
From CNBC:
South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, the new leader of the governing party ANC, said on Thursday he aims to stamp out corruption and pursue a policy of “radical economic transformation” that will speed up expropriation of land without compensation.
“This conference has resolved that the expropriation of land without compensation should be among the mechanisms available to government to give effect to land reform and redistribution,” he said in his maiden speech delivered in the early hours after a long delay.
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Bundy Trial Perjury by The BLM
A mistrial was declared in the Bunkerville Trial on December 20th with the prosecution, headed by Acting US Attorney Steven Myhre, criticized by Judge Navarro for blatant violations of the law.
The violations go to BRADY v. MARYLAND in which the Supreme Court held that the prosecution has a constitutional duty to disclose evidence that is exculpatory to the defense.
We have heard about numerous violations, yet it does not end there. Ryan Bundy filed another motion to dismiss the case on December 19th based on yet another violation by the prosecution.
The government called witness Mary Jo Rugwell, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) District Manager for Southern Nevada from April 2008 through August 2012, to the stand in November. The cross examination revealed several points:
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The violations go to BRADY v. MARYLAND in which the Supreme Court held that the prosecution has a constitutional duty to disclose evidence that is exculpatory to the defense.
We have heard about numerous violations, yet it does not end there. Ryan Bundy filed another motion to dismiss the case on December 19th based on yet another violation by the prosecution.
The government called witness Mary Jo Rugwell, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) District Manager for Southern Nevada from April 2008 through August 2012, to the stand in November. The cross examination revealed several points:
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"You're an angel from God."
When a classmate's Nintendo 3DS was stolen, a group of high school students got together to make his day brighter - collecting enough money to replace it. His reaction will warm your heart.
GOP Rep Gaetz: 'We Have Email Evidence From Andrew McCabe Indicating That Hillary Clinton Was Going to Get a 'HQ Special''
Friday on FNC’s “America’s Newsroom,” Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) said a congressional committee had evidence FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe indicated Hillary Clinton was going to get an “HQ special” regarding the investigation of her unauthorized email server and ties to the Clinton Foundation during her tenure as secretary of state.
Gaetz, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, described the circumstances at the FBI regarding the investigation as “extreme pro-Hillary Clinton bias.”
“The Judiciary Committee is engaged in an investigation, particularly as it relates to the handling of the Hillary Clinton email scandal and any potential investigations of the Clinton Foundation and the handling of bribes or other types of improper payments,” Gaetz said. “I can certainly say that my impression after these interviews is that there was extreme pro-Hillary Clinton bias that benefitted her in this investigation and that she received special treatment as a consequence of her candidacy for president. That shouldn’t happen. The law should apply equally to all Americans whether they’re political candidates or not. And so, we need to institute reforms through the Judiciary Committee for more oversight, for more transparency so that this never happens again.”
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Gaetz, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, described the circumstances at the FBI regarding the investigation as “extreme pro-Hillary Clinton bias.”
“The Judiciary Committee is engaged in an investigation, particularly as it relates to the handling of the Hillary Clinton email scandal and any potential investigations of the Clinton Foundation and the handling of bribes or other types of improper payments,” Gaetz said. “I can certainly say that my impression after these interviews is that there was extreme pro-Hillary Clinton bias that benefitted her in this investigation and that she received special treatment as a consequence of her candidacy for president. That shouldn’t happen. The law should apply equally to all Americans whether they’re political candidates or not. And so, we need to institute reforms through the Judiciary Committee for more oversight, for more transparency so that this never happens again.”
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New York City's 2017 murder rate is on track to look like it did in the 1950s. But there's a #MeToo caveat: Reports of sex crimes ticked up.
Crime has fallen in each of the major felony categories: murder and manslaughter, rape, assault, robbery, burglary, grand larceny and car thefts.
But there has been an increase in reports of rapes toward the end of the year, coinciding with the publication of accusations against powerful men like Harvey Weinstein, officials said.
But there has been an increase in reports of rapes toward the end of the year, coinciding with the publication of accusations against powerful men like Harvey Weinstein, officials said.
Report: Public school teachers ‘sicker’ than those in charters
Higher absenteeism from 'generous leave policies, job protections'?
A report just out at the Heartland Institute is raising a powerful new argument for charter schools, which are run by boards of parents rather than the traditional superintendent-principal-teacher triumvirate.
Tim Benson cites a report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute that “finds one out of every four teachers (28.3 percent) at traditional public schools across the United Sates are ‘chronically absent.'”
That means, he said, they are out of the classroom while sick or on “personal leave” at least 10 days for each 180-day school year.
Hawaiian schools have the worst problem, with a “staggering 79 percent” of teachers are chronically absent, he said.
In Florida, it’s 40 percent and in Nevada 50 percent.
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A report just out at the Heartland Institute is raising a powerful new argument for charter schools, which are run by boards of parents rather than the traditional superintendent-principal-teacher triumvirate.
Tim Benson cites a report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute that “finds one out of every four teachers (28.3 percent) at traditional public schools across the United Sates are ‘chronically absent.'”
That means, he said, they are out of the classroom while sick or on “personal leave” at least 10 days for each 180-day school year.
Hawaiian schools have the worst problem, with a “staggering 79 percent” of teachers are chronically absent, he said.
In Florida, it’s 40 percent and in Nevada 50 percent.
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Baltimore Murder Rate Surges Again In 2017 (Now Tied With Venezuela); Here's How Your City Fared...
Once again this year, the Brennan Center for Justice has analyzed violent crime stats from the 30 largest cities in America to provide some insight on national trends. Not surprisingly, this year's report is full of more bad news for the residents of cities like Baltimore and Chicago that have experienced devastating spikes in homicides over the past two years.
Looking at homicides per capita in 2017, Baltimore is clearly the most dangerous large city in the U.S. with a murder rate that is more than 4x the average of other large cities and some 40% higher than the second most dangerous city of Detroit. To put things in perspective, the murder rate in Baltimore is now exactly tied with Venezuela at 57.2 murders per 100,000 residents.
Of course, as our readers are undoubtedly aware, high violent crime rates in cities like Baltimore and Chicago are hardly a new phenomenon. Therefore, we decided to take a look at year-over-year changes in murder rates by city and made some interesting discoveries. While Charlotte saw the biggest YoY spike, cities like San Francisco and Seattle, both of which are experiencing tech-induced economic booms, were also at the top of the list.
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Looking at homicides per capita in 2017, Baltimore is clearly the most dangerous large city in the U.S. with a murder rate that is more than 4x the average of other large cities and some 40% higher than the second most dangerous city of Detroit. To put things in perspective, the murder rate in Baltimore is now exactly tied with Venezuela at 57.2 murders per 100,000 residents.
Of course, as our readers are undoubtedly aware, high violent crime rates in cities like Baltimore and Chicago are hardly a new phenomenon. Therefore, we decided to take a look at year-over-year changes in murder rates by city and made some interesting discoveries. While Charlotte saw the biggest YoY spike, cities like San Francisco and Seattle, both of which are experiencing tech-induced economic booms, were also at the top of the list.
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IRS Advisory: Prepaid Real Property Taxes May Be Deductible in 2017 if Assessed and Paid in 2017
WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service advised tax professionals and taxpayers today that pre-paying 2018 state and local real property taxes in 2017 may be tax deductible under certain circumstances.
The IRS has received a number of questions from the tax community concerning the deductibility of prepaid real property taxes. In general, whether a taxpayer is allowed a deduction for the prepayment of state or local real property taxes in 2017 depends on whether the taxpayer makes the payment in 2017 and the real property taxes are assessed prior to 2018. A prepayment of anticipated real property taxes that have not been assessed prior to 2018 are not deductible in 2017. State or local law determines whether and when a property tax is assessed, which is generally when the taxpayer becomes liable for the property tax imposed.
The following examples illustrate these points.
Example 1: Assume County A assesses property tax on July 1, 2017 for the period July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018. On July 31, 2017, County A sends notices to residents notifying them of the assessment and billing the property tax in two installments with the first installment due Sept. 30, 2017 and the second installment due Jan. 31, 2018. Assuming taxpayer has paid the first installment in 2017, the taxpayer may choose to pay the second installment on Dec. 31, 2017, and may claim a deduction for this prepayment on the taxpayer’s 2017 return.
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The IRS has received a number of questions from the tax community concerning the deductibility of prepaid real property taxes. In general, whether a taxpayer is allowed a deduction for the prepayment of state or local real property taxes in 2017 depends on whether the taxpayer makes the payment in 2017 and the real property taxes are assessed prior to 2018. A prepayment of anticipated real property taxes that have not been assessed prior to 2018 are not deductible in 2017. State or local law determines whether and when a property tax is assessed, which is generally when the taxpayer becomes liable for the property tax imposed.
The following examples illustrate these points.
Example 1: Assume County A assesses property tax on July 1, 2017 for the period July 1, 2017 – June 30, 2018. On July 31, 2017, County A sends notices to residents notifying them of the assessment and billing the property tax in two installments with the first installment due Sept. 30, 2017 and the second installment due Jan. 31, 2018. Assuming taxpayer has paid the first installment in 2017, the taxpayer may choose to pay the second installment on Dec. 31, 2017, and may claim a deduction for this prepayment on the taxpayer’s 2017 return.
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Scrooged: Christmas Edition of 'Monday Night Football' Hits Lowest Rating Since 2012
The Oakland Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles met on the gridiron last night, but turned in the lowest Week 16 ratings forMonday Night Football since 2012.
With their win against the Raiders 19-10 at Philly’s Lincoln Financial Field on Christmas Day, the Eagles clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed earning themselves a spot in the playoffs coming on either Jan. 13 or 14.
But the big win apparently didn’t do anything for the TV ratings:
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With their win against the Raiders 19-10 at Philly’s Lincoln Financial Field on Christmas Day, the Eagles clinched the NFC’s No. 1 seed earning themselves a spot in the playoffs coming on either Jan. 13 or 14.
But the big win apparently didn’t do anything for the TV ratings:
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The Obama-Hezbollah Conspiracy Could Shake The "Deep State" And Latin America
Politico published an explosive investigative report which alleges that the Obama Administration politically interfered to obstruct a far-reaching criminal justice operation against Hezbollah in order to facilitate the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.
The exposé is extensive and covers a wide array of purported activities over a ten-year period all across the US, Latin America, West Africa, Europe, and the Mideast, though the point of this analysis isn’t to summarize what’s contained in the report or to judge its veracity, but to interpret the significance of it being made public at this point in time. The codename given to the investigation into Hezbollah’s global economic network was “Operation Cassandra”, and it alleges to have discovered the mechanics behind the group’s self-sustaining financial ecosystem, some of which supposedly dealt with organized criminal activities such as drug trafficking and money laundering.
Politico’s bombshell wasn’t just the alleged facts that it uncovered, but the claims from some of the operation’s participants that the Obama Administration was undermining their work because it feared that taking action against Hezbollah would endanger Washington’s efforts to clinch the 2015 nuclear deal with the group’s patrons in Tehran. If true, then this would represent a major split within the American “deep state”, or permanent military, intelligence, and diplomatic bureaucracies, because it suggests that the State Department and possibly even the CIA were conspiring to subvert the law enforcement duties of the FBI and DEA on behalf of the President.
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The exposé is extensive and covers a wide array of purported activities over a ten-year period all across the US, Latin America, West Africa, Europe, and the Mideast, though the point of this analysis isn’t to summarize what’s contained in the report or to judge its veracity, but to interpret the significance of it being made public at this point in time. The codename given to the investigation into Hezbollah’s global economic network was “Operation Cassandra”, and it alleges to have discovered the mechanics behind the group’s self-sustaining financial ecosystem, some of which supposedly dealt with organized criminal activities such as drug trafficking and money laundering.
Politico’s bombshell wasn’t just the alleged facts that it uncovered, but the claims from some of the operation’s participants that the Obama Administration was undermining their work because it feared that taking action against Hezbollah would endanger Washington’s efforts to clinch the 2015 nuclear deal with the group’s patrons in Tehran. If true, then this would represent a major split within the American “deep state”, or permanent military, intelligence, and diplomatic bureaucracies, because it suggests that the State Department and possibly even the CIA were conspiring to subvert the law enforcement duties of the FBI and DEA on behalf of the President.
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Texas teen shot dead trying to sell marijuana
A 17-year-old Texas high school student was shot and killed while trying to sell marijuana to two suspects on Christmas Eve, police said.
The incident took place shortly after 9pm on Sunday when officers with the Irving Police Department responded to a shooting report in the 200 block of Red River Trail.
Arriving at the scene, the cops found 17-year-old Brett Adkins, of Plano, suffering from a single gunshot wound to the left chest.
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The incident took place shortly after 9pm on Sunday when officers with the Irving Police Department responded to a shooting report in the 200 block of Red River Trail.
Arriving at the scene, the cops found 17-year-old Brett Adkins, of Plano, suffering from a single gunshot wound to the left chest.
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Bar Drinks
A union boss walks into a crowded bar next to the factory and is about to order himself a drink, when he sees a guy close by wearing a "Make America Great Again" cap and a TRUMP for President button, and a beer in front of him. He doesn't have to be an Einstein to know that this guy is a Republican.
So, he shouts over to the bartender so loudly that everyone can hear, "Drinks for everyone in here, bartender, but not for the Republican."
Soon after the drinks have been handed out, the Republican gives him a big smile, waves at him then says, "Thank you!" in an equally loud voice.
This infuriates the union boss.
Later, the union boss once again loudly orders drinks for everyone except the Republican. As before, this doesn't seem to bother the Republican.
He continues to smile and again yells, "Thank you!"
The union boss says to himself, "Damn Republican!"
After a while, the union boss once again loudly orders drinks for everyone except the Republican.
So, he shouts over to the bartender so loudly that everyone can hear, "Drinks for everyone in here, bartender, but not for the Republican."
Soon after the drinks have been handed out, the Republican gives him a big smile, waves at him then says, "Thank you!" in an equally loud voice.
This infuriates the union boss.
Later, the union boss once again loudly orders drinks for everyone except the Republican. As before, this doesn't seem to bother the Republican.
He continues to smile and again yells, "Thank you!"
The union boss says to himself, "Damn Republican!"
After a while, the union boss once again loudly orders drinks for everyone except the Republican.
As before, this STILL doesn't seem to bother the Republican who continues to smile, and again yells, "Thank you!"
The union boss asks the bartender, "What the hell is the matter with that Republican?
I've ordered three rounds of drinks for everyone in the bar but him, and all that silly ass does is smile and thank me. Is he nuts?"
"Nope," replies the bartender. "He owns the place."
ADVICE TO DEMOCRATS, LIBERALS AND ALL LEFTIES: WHEN THE HORSE DIES; ITS TIME TO DISMOUNT!
The union boss asks the bartender, "What the hell is the matter with that Republican?
I've ordered three rounds of drinks for everyone in the bar but him, and all that silly ass does is smile and thank me. Is he nuts?"
"Nope," replies the bartender. "He owns the place."
ADVICE TO DEMOCRATS, LIBERALS AND ALL LEFTIES: WHEN THE HORSE DIES; ITS TIME TO DISMOUNT!
Breaking News: At least 40 people were killed in bombings at a Shiite cultural center and a news agency in the Afghan capital
It was unclear what militant group was behind the attack, and there was no immediate claim of responsibility. The Taliban’s spokesman denied that the insurgents were behind it. In the past, Islamic State loyalists have singled out Shiites for attack, and the group claimed to be behind an attack last month on another news organization in Kabul, Shamshad TV.
Thoughts From a Duck
I saw a woman wearing a sweatshirt with ‘Guess’ on it.
So I said ‘Implants?’
She hit me.
BOOTLEGGERS BASH
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Hungarian Christmas Message: 'We'll Protect Christian Culture, Not Retreat Behind Concrete Blocks and Watch Our Women Harassed On New Years
“Christianity is culture and civilization.”
Viktor Orbán has used his annual Christmas message to call on Europeans to protect their Christian culture, and vowed Hungary will not “retreat behind concrete blocks” at Christmas and watched its women and daughters “harassed in the New Year’s Eve crowd” like its multicultural neighbours.
“Christianity is culture and civilization. We live in it. It is not about how many people go to church or how many pray honestly. Culture is the reality of everyday life… Christian culture defines our everyday morals,” wrote the Fidesz leader, in an article published in Magyar Idők.
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Viktor Orbán has used his annual Christmas message to call on Europeans to protect their Christian culture, and vowed Hungary will not “retreat behind concrete blocks” at Christmas and watched its women and daughters “harassed in the New Year’s Eve crowd” like its multicultural neighbours.
“Christianity is culture and civilization. We live in it. It is not about how many people go to church or how many pray honestly. Culture is the reality of everyday life… Christian culture defines our everyday morals,” wrote the Fidesz leader, in an article published in Magyar Idők.
More/Video