Today's edition of quick hits:
* French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist candidate Francois Hollande are headed for a May 6 runoff in the nation's closely-watched presidential election.
* In the wake of the Secret Service prostitution controversy, the White House counsel's office conducted an internal investigation of White House advance staff personnel who arrived in Colombia before the president. Apparently, none of these staffers engaged in misconduct.
* Syria's military have launched attacks in cities like Hama soon after United Nations observers leave the areas.
* Conditions deteriorate in central Africa: "Sudanese warplanes bombed a South Sudanese town Monday morning, ignoring international calls to stop attacks and ratcheting up the threat of a full-blown war between the two nations."
* Arizona's anti-immigrant law will draw scrutiny from the Supreme Court this week.
* On a related note, Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) has created a task force to review the state's "Stand Your Ground" law, but his choices for the group point to a predetermined outcome.
* A new Defense Clandestine Service: "The Pentagon is planning to ramp up its spying operations against high-priority targets such as Iran under an intelligence reorganization approved last week by Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta."
* White House is now on record supporting the Safe Schools Improvement Act (SSIA) and Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA), both of which are intended to "address bullying and discrimination faced by students across the nation."
* Despite some reports to the contrary, the White House's financial fraud task force does, in fact, have a staff.
* And Rep. Allen West's (R-Fla.) McCarthyism hasn't endeared him to the NAACP.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
Leave a Comment:
Mr. West, how many communists are there in the NAACP?
Just posted on Yahoo (AP) this afternoon:
WASHINGTON (AP) -- High energy prices and an economy that has been slow to rebound are worsening Social Security's finances, shortening the life of the trust funds that support program by three years, the government said Monday.
Those trust funds will now run dry in 2033, according to a report issued by the trustees that oversee the massive retirement and disability program.
Medicare's hospital insurance fund is projected to run out of money in 2024, which is unchanged from last year. The trustees, however, said Medicare spending continues to rise.
Congress enacted a 2 percent cut in Medicare last year, which is the main reason the trust fund exhaustion date did not advance.
If the Social Security and Medicare funds ever become exhausted, the nation's two biggest benefit programs would collect only enough money in payroll taxes to pay partial benefits.
And of course, nothing substantial will be done about this. I always harp about the money part of our government here and this is no exception :). Later on in the article it talks about the 2% cut in SS taxes taken for the last two years being covered by borrowing....what an effing joke. Someone here will surely shoot me down and give some mini-lecture on how the money is counted and that it is really all right because of this or that or that when the economy really gets going, etc...but this is coming from the guys that run these programs.
So they in essence told the republicans what they wanted to hear. Imagine that. I do hope they included the fact that we are in the midst of another rise in population,though not a "boom" it will increase the monies brought in. I hope they also used realistic growth of fund figures rather than pessimistic ones. I also hope they explained how small changes to the code would result in big income rises.
That said it stands to reason that at present unemployment rates and the fact that wages are falling ever farther behind that SSI could need some tweeking but then it sure beats telling granny to eat dirt while her kids watch their 401s get trounced or stolen.
From my Post above:
Someone here will surely shoot me down and give some mini-lecture on how the money is counted and that it is really all right because of this or that or that when the economy really gets going, etc...
That didn't take too long :). Thanks for confirming my belief in the folks here. So the "they" you are speaking about - the commissioners in charge of these programs are just saying things for the Repbulicans to use? I have seen many different opinions here on a variety of topics, but almost everytime anything about the ballooning debt, annual Trillion dollar deficits and the exhausting of SS and Medicare the response is just total outright denial or...smoke and mirrors. I just don't understand why people here for the most part are averse to looking at the monetary issues involving the federal government with any serious thought.
I just can't wait (or believe) in that magical time when employment is near 100%, wages are up, taxes are fair and the government is efficient with our money. Then those 15 or 20 straight surplus years of $1 Trillion of more and Congress will and touch and let it pay down the debt. Ah....utopia. Talk about miracles...this one will be biblical in scale.
Oh and one more thing Paul - maybe they are using pessimistic numbers, which means realistic numbers no doubt. I am so tired of listening to both parties when they parade out their programs and their overly, very overly optimistic numbers in most cases. Almost every time either the cost of a program or law is double or triple what was stated in the bill OR the revenues/savings are grossly under what was "projected" . I mean seriously, can anyone state when they have ever got a bill/program right when it comes to the money part? Ever?
Yes,well some people do tire of opposing or different views but then we are not exactly on opposite sides here.
Most importantly, housing is up...That leads to confidence which leads to spending which leads to hiring...which leads to the final realization that Romney is toast...which leads to further investment by the 1%...which leads to more hiring and growth....
And of course the managers of SSI have always done a great job. They are still doing so with this by putting it out there so precautions can be taken.
Funny :). I am now "bouyed" by these comments. That is my favorite term when used in the financial arena.
Scrutiny from the Supreme Court is for sale again this week, I'd say this outcome is predetermined, certainly as much as Florida's white and surrogate white people with guns act.
I would not be surprised if the five radicals were to wear guns under their robes while ruling.
Because I suspect that the MaddowBlog is probably the last place on the Internet to voluntarily give a heads-up on this, so I'll be crass and do it for 'em.
There's news of a sort regarding the lawsuit that Bradlee Dean brought against MSNBC and Rachel. The news, as such, is that a dismissal of the suit is sought on the grounds of Washington, DC's anti-SLAPP law. Not really a surprise. The link I've given to the post on ThinkProgress contains most of the links needed to other relevant info, but here is a direct link to the filing itself for anyone who might primarily be interested in that (and hasn't seen it yet elsewhere for some reason).
Thanks, I was not aware of a conservative filing a frivolous lawsuit to silence Maddow. Republicans are always talking about frivolous lawsuits and want tort reform to (protect again) allow corporations to pay a comparatively small fine and continue doing the thing that is known to be a problem. It may be less costly to "pay the fines" than fix the problem. But I digress.
In this case Maddow told the truth about the harmful lies spread by Dean.
I hadn't known about this tactic, either. SLAPP:
http://www.prwatch.org/prwissues/1997Q2/slapp.html
We are having consumer protection removed by corporations and "reverends" silencing people who accurately point out they are spreading hateful lies. The link about dismissal of the suit shows what Dean said. He was saying (out of his arse?) that homosexuals molest people an average of 117 times before being found out, among other things. Conflating pedophilia and homosexuality, trying to maintain the false doctrine.
I just looked at my first sentence up there. Wow. What happened there? Oh, well.
Back to reality, or as nearest we can come, I only wish the worst thing was conflating pedophilia and homosexuality. Conflating homosexuality with bestiality is a popular pastime, too. You'd hope these people would be self-aware enough to realize that the only ones talking about pedophilia and bestiality (among other things) in this context are they themselves, and ask themselves why they have such a hangup, but of course they do don't do self-aware very much.
The lawsuit was kind of a thing for a while on the blog until nothing overtly happened.
SLAPPs are very bad things, but fortunately there are in some places anti-SLAPP laws. As it looks as though this is going to play out under DC's anti-SLAPP law, I took a look at an overview of it and it looks pretty much like all others. Now that the request for dismissal has been made, as I understand it, discovery proceedings are stayed (and discovery is where a lot of the real harassment of a SLAPP lies, apparently) and the burden shifts to the party bringing the suit to prove to the court that it isn't a SLAPP after all. If they can, full steam ahead. If not, case dismissed.
As long as this is an open thread...Whatever happened to wash and wear? Why is it that every time some food is talked up as healthy it's price rises? What would inorganic food be? Is it a conspiracy against fat people when shirt tails get too short and pants are designed to ride well below the belly button? Why do we accept the idea that those who feel they need their guns to revolt against the Government are mentally fit to own a gun? Ah yes why-the unending question unanswered by smart asses in philosophy 101 with because...Why not?(gawd I got an a plus and was half done with breakfast before the others finished ranting.)I got an A plus in psych class also but then I was the test subject!
I'm certain West will have this settled with an apology immediately! He’s just that kind of crazy!
Romney/McDonnell...That's weird...One is a devout Mormon, the other a devout evangelical Christian...both put their faith before their country...So, are they just going to ignore 1 Timothy:2-5 and the "White Horse Prophecy"..!!?? D-Y-S-F-U-N-C-T-I-O-N....
Don't think that adminstration will be overly friendly toward women, minorities including the immigrant community, nor the LGBT communty...(see next article)....
Definitely not a winner in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and perhaps Indiana nor New Hampshire....
Skip Hoffman, you may wish to visit the SS site at www.socialsecurity.gov . My understanding is that three analyses are generated for every report. One is "worst case", one "best case" and the third soemwhere in-between. That "in-between" report has been the most accurate time and again.
Oc course, it doesn't get the headlines...