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The Academy’s Social Security Debt Trap
From Smart Money
Everyone knows that seniors like to do things for their children and grandchildren. Many a good-hearted grandma and grandpa have co-signed student loans, instinctively trusting the academy’s promise that higher education will deliver a better life to their loved ones. And some seniors have taken advantage of government-sponsored loans to pursue studies they never had time for in their prime working years.
Then along comes the Obama economy, and, well- BLAM! Unemployment rates for young adults have skyrocketed, making it impossible for them to pay off the loans. And seniors themselves, on fixed incomes in a stagnant yet inflating economy, are finding it very hard to make ends meet. And then the government comes after them regarding the loans.
According to a study by SmartMoney, the federal government is docking the Social Security checks of delinquent seniors; the number has risen from 6 cases in 2000 to 60,000 cases in 2007 to 115,000 in 2012. And Uncle Sam’s cut can be steep:
The amount that the government withholds varies widely, though it runs up to 15%. Assuming the average monthly Social Security benefit for a retired worker of $1,234, that could mean a monthly haircut of almost $190. “This is going to catch an awful lot of people off guard and wreak havoc on their financial lives,” says Sheryl Garrett, a financial planner in Eureka Springs, Ark.
The academic establishment has been thriving on the government’s lending largesse, which removes any incentive for colleges and universities to control their costs. Now elderly borrowers, stuck with huge debt tabs for an overpriced education and facing a deeply depressed economy without adequate savings, are facing a financial calamity.
One would think that the academy, so quick to point out the failings of the rest of society, would be feeling a little guilty at this point. But one would be wrong.
#NVSen: Chamber Endorsements a Reminder of Berkley’s Long Anti-Business Record
U.S. Chamber of Commerce and The Chamber of Reno, Sparks and Northern Nevada Endorse Dean Heller
Endorsements a Reminder of Berkley’s Long Anti-Business Record
(Las Vegas, NV) – Today, Dean Heller received the endorsement of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and The Chamber of Reno, Sparks and Northern Nevada. The endorsements draw a stark contrast to seven-term Congresswoman Shelley Berkley’s long record of contempt for the very businesses that drive the American economy.
“I welcome the endorsements of both the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Reno, Sparks and Northern Nevada. These organizations are important resources for businesses and powerful advocates for the individuals and small businesses we need to create jobs in Nevada. Higher taxes, more regulations, and a more controlling government that Shelley Berkley and her Democratic allies in Washington are constantly promoting are forcing unemployment to remain unacceptably high in Nevada. I am committed to changing the Washington status which is creating too much uncertainty for businesses just like Sparks Florist,” said Dean Heller.
Margaret Spellings, Former Secretary of Education and President of the U.S. Chamber’s Forum for Policy Innovation represented the U.S. Chamber at an event in Sparks, Nevada today.
“Dean Heller is a proven leader for policies that will keep American and Nevada businesses competitive. He has fought to advance free enterprise principles that drive economic growth and job creation. The contrast between Dean Heller and Shelley Berkley on business issues could not be clearer,” said Margaret Spellings, president of the U.S. Chamber’s Forum for Policy Innovation and former U.S. Secretary of Education.
“Berkley has consistently chosen more government and increased regulations over Nevada’s job creators. We think it’s important that Nevada voters know where their candidates stand on issues critical to our nation’s economic recovery,” Spellings continued.
The Chamber of Reno, Sparks and Northern Nevada lent their support to Dean Heller as well. Tray Abney represented The Chamber to make the announcement endorsement.
“Dean Heller knows us here in Northern Nevada, and stands for policies that will energize our businesses. Shelley Berkley, on the other hand, has spent fourteen years in Washington doing nothing but raising taxes and making it harder for businesses to succeed. Even as a statewide Senate candidate, Shelley Berkley failed to explain why she thinks higher taxes and more regulations are a good idea when Nevada’s economy is struggling. People looking for work in Reno, Sparks and across the state cannot afford to have Shelley Berkley in the United States Senate,” said Tray Abney, The Chamber of Reno, Sparks, and Northern Nevada.
The endorsement event took place at Sparks Florist, a retail and wholesale operation that has been delivering flowers to Reno and Sparks residents for 52 years.
Background:
Berkley has repeatedly voted to raise taxes on job creators even within the last few months.
- On July 27, 2012, Shelley Berkley voted against H.R. 8, the Job Protection and Recession Prevention Act of 2012, which would extend tax relief for job creators earning over $250,000 and could cost Nevada 6,000 jobs. (H.R. 8, House Roll Call Vote #545)
- On April 17, 2012 Congresswoman Berkley voted against the Small Business Tax Cut Act. The bill would give a 20% tax cut that will help 22 million hard-working small businesses retain and create more jobs. The legislation would ultimately provide $46 billion in tax relief to small businesses and could affect as many as 45,000 small businesses in Nevada with between 1-500 employees.
Shelley Berkley supported ObamaCare, the massive government healthcare takeover known for destroying jobs and small businesses:
· ObamaCare costs 800,000 jobs at a time when Nevada leads the nation in unemployment. (Jeffrey H. Anderson, “CBO Director Says ObamaCare Would Reduce Employment by 800,000 Workers,” The Weekly Standard, 2/10/2011)
· ObamaCare is forcing one in eight small businesses to either terminate their plan or notify employees it is going to be eliminated. (“Some Small Businesses Say Health Insurers Are Dropping Their Coverage, Kaiser Health News, July 25, 2011)
- ObamaCare discourages job creation by raising the price of hiring: “If you increase the price of labor, companies will buy less of it. Requiring employers to buy health insurance for some workers makes them more expensive, at least in the short run. Particularly vulnerable are low-skilled workers…” (Robert Samuelson, “The folly of Obamacare,” Washington Post, August 4, 2012)
Shelley Berkley has repeatedly voted federal regulations that are stunting job growth in Nevada and across the country.
- On June 19, 2012, Berkley voted against the Grazing Improvement Act, which mean she chose to protect federal regulations over Nevada’s family businesses. The Grazing Improvement Act would give grazers greater certainty about their permit renewal. Without this bill, permit holders are forced to rely on year-to-year appropriations bill.
- Berkley voted against the Red Tape Reduction and Small Business Job Creation Act (H.R. 4078), which would put a stop to the government’s ever-increasing burden on businesses and the economy.
- A recent Gallup poll showed that 46 percent of small business owners are not hiring because they are worried about new government regulations. As many as 48 percent say they are worried about the potential costs of health care. (“Health Costs, Gov’t Regulations Curb Small Business Hiring,” Gallup, February 15, 2012)
And Congresswoman Berkley has voted against 20 bipartisan jobs bills:
1) Berkley opposed the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act (H.R 872).
Bill reduces overlapping and unnecessary regulation on pesticides and reduces costs to both farmers and small business owners.
2) Berkley opposed the Energy Tax Prevention Act (H.R. 910).
Legislation prohibits the federal government from regulating greenhouse gas emissions, and prevents a needless increase in energy prices for American households and businesses.
3) Berkley failed to vote on a Resolution of Disapproval Regarding FCC’s Regulation (H.J. Res. 37). Legislation prevents the federal government from regulating the Internet and broadband providers.
4) Berkley opposed the Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act (H.R 1230). Bill reduced energy prices and creates jobs by promoting offshore oil and natural gas exploration in the Gulf of Mexico and the Virginia coast.
5) Berkley voted against the Putting the Gulf of Mexico Back to Work Act (H.R. 1229). Bill promotes job creation and reduces energy prices by reinstating oil drilling permits in the Gulf Coast.
6) Berkley voted against the Reversing President Obama’s Offshore Moratorium Act (H.R 1231).
Legislation promotes lower energy costs and job creation by allowing drilling in at least 50 percent of the Outer Continental Shelf areas known to contain the most oil and gas.
7) Berkley opposed the Jobs and Energy Permitting Act (H.R 2021).
Bill promotes job growth and reduces energy costs by expediting the process of obtaining an offshore drilling permit.
8) Berkley voted against the Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act (H.R 2018), which prevents federal government from interfering with a state’s water quality program once that state has already met existing federal standards.
9) Berkley opposed the Consumer Financial Protection Safety and Soundness Improvement Act of 2011 (H.R. 1315). Legislation promotes consumer protection and allows the Financial Stability Oversight Council to vote to set aside any harmful federal regulation.
10) Berkley voted against the North American-Made Energy Security Act (H.R. 1938)
Legislation creates jobs and ensures energy security by ending the needless delay of the construction and operation of the Keystone XL pipeline.
11) Berkley opposed the Protecting Jobs From Government Interference Act (H.R. 2587). Legislation would guarantee private companies the ability to develop their businesses in the state that offers the best opportunities for growth, job creation and stability.
12) Berkley voted “no” on the Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts (TRAIN) Act (H.R. 2401). Legislation mandates an evaluation of the economic impacts of EPA regulations and delay the final dates for both the maximum achievable control technology (Utility MACT) standards and the cross-state air pollution rule (CSAPR) until the full impact has been studied. Both regulations would cost consumers and businesses $184 billion from 2011-2030 and would skyrocket electrical prices.
13) Berkley voted against the EPA Regulatory Relief Act (H.R. 2250). Bill alleviates the excessive regulatory burden placed on employers by the EPA’s Boiler MACT rules, potentially costing companies $14 billion and 224,000 American jobs, and replacing them with sensible, achievable rules that do not destroy jobs.
14) Berkley voted against the Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act (H.R. 2273). Legislation provides consistent, safe management of coal combustion residuals in a way that protects jobs and encourages recycling and beneficial use.
15) Berkley opposed the Regulatory Accountability Act of 2011 (H.R. 3010). Legislation would require agencies to assess costs and benefits of new regulations on small businesses.
16) Berkley voted against the Regulatory Flexibility Improvement Act of 2011. Legislation closes loopholes used by federal agencies that allow them to impose costly, job-crushing regulations.
17) Berkley voted to kill the Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act (H.R. 3094). Bill would make sure President Obama’s National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) could not impose sweeping new regulations that threaten American jobs.
18) Berkley opposed the Regulatory Flexibility Act (H.R. 527). Legislation would require federal agencies to analyze fully the impact a new regulation would have on small businesses, before the agency adopts the regulation.
19) Berkley voted against the Regulatory Accountability Act (H.R. 3010). The bill would update and reform the rulemaking process by setting mandatory rulemaking principles.
20) Berkley voted against the Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2011 (H.R. 10), which would increase accountability for and transparency in the federal regulatory process. The REINS Act would result in more carefully drafted and detailed legislation, an improved regulatory process, and a legislative branch that is truly accountable to the American people for the laws imposed upon them.
21) Berkley voted against the Farm Dust Regulation Prevention Act of 2011 (H.R. 1633). Legislation would keep the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) from proposing, finalizing, implementing, or enforcing any regulation revising the National Ambient Air Quality Standard applicable to coarse particulate matter under the Clean Air Act for at least one year from the date of enactment.
Speaking of Syria, Center-Right Analysis of the Situation There
Maj. Gen. James Livingston (USMC retired): “This country is in possession of WMDs. The strong possibility exists that some of these may have originated in Iraq and moved prior to the war. The other concern is that these weapons get in the hands of known terrorists. What now? We made such a big deal about controlling nuclear weapons when the Soviet Union collapsed, this is a bigger deal.”
Ilan Berman, Vice President, American Foreign Policy Council: “Speaking strategically, the long game in Syria isn’t about Syria at all. Rather, it’s about Iran. The Assad regime has long represented Iran’s most stalwart ally in the Arab world, and over the past quarter-century this “axis of resistance” has helped Tehran tremendously, most directly by sustaining and empowering Hezbollah in Lebanon. A collapse of the Assad regime would effectively sever that connection – and significantly complicate Iran’s ability to project power into the Levant. Not a bad outcome, in my opinion. Recent leaks about U.S. support to the Syrian opposition notwithstanding, the truth is that Washington has been woefully late in the game in understanding and engaging the Syrian opposition. The forces fighting against Assad are still rather fragmented and disorganized – something which the Obama administration has taken as an excuse not to get involved. But by not doing so, the White House has made a clear choice: to sit on the sidelines while other actors (such as Saudi Arabia, Iran and al-Qaeda) shape the direction of the Syrian opposition… and, quite possibly, the disposition of the future Syrian government as well.”
William Schneider Jr., former chairman of the Defense Science Board, former Defense advisor to the Bush (43) administration: “The events in Syria are a tragedy in several respects. The extensive loss of life rivals the carnage inflicted by the elder Al-Assad in the 1980s, and the reprisals that are likely to follow will almost certainly be worse. The consequences of the failure of the US government to provide effective support for democratic forces in Syria is likely to have enduring consequences. The failure to support regime change in Syria, Iran, and North Korea has created a tail-wind for the proliferation of WMD. The nations with overt or clandestine WMD programs are not selected for ‘regime change’ by the US. However, countries that have either renounced WMD (Libya), or have maintained friendly relations with the US for decades (e.g. Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, etc.) have been effectively targeted for regime change. The lesson countries will derive from the Syrian debacle is that obtaining WMD is the way one ‘gets a pass’ from the US.
“The Obama administration’s former head of the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff, Ann Marie Slaughter pleaded with the Obama administration to support the anti-Assad democratic forces. Syria is the vital link in the projection of Iran’s influence into the Levant, and has sustained terrorist movements in Southern Lebanon and Gaza. Supporting the democratic forces in Syria offered an opportunity to interdict Iranian influence in the region that is now likely to be foregone. The administration’s refusal to provide ‘lethal’ equipment has left the job of arming the democratic opposition to Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The opposition is only getting small arms that will be insufficient to overthrow the regime. Recognizing this, the Al-Assad regime has had no incentive to negotiate, and has quickly seen off the UN-sponsored Kofi Annan mission. The extensive concessions given to Russia to lubricate the ‘reset’ appear to be a significant miscalculation as Russia not merely supports the Al Assad regime in blocking UN Security Council action against the regime, but is providing arms to facilitate the suppression of the opposition.”
Video: Fair? What’s Fair Mr. President
President Obama’s policies have failed and have made our economy worse. He’s invested taxpayers’ money into failed projects, rejected domestic energy production and wants to raise taxes to increase government spending. Because he can’t stand on his record, he is resorting to the politics of envy and division, oftentimes promoting his policies as “fair.”
President Obama calls for fairness, but ironically his failed policies are anything but fair to Americans who are trying to find work and make ends meet in this economy.
Invests taxpayers’ money into failed projects. Rejects domestic energy production. Raises taxes to increase government spending. President Obama calls for fairness, but ironically his failed policies are anything but fair to the American people. House Republicans have a jobs plan: http://jobs.GOP.gov
#FLSen Video: Connie Mack Video Response to Nelson’s Negative Ad; What Matters.
Connie Mack video response to Nelson ad: Senator’s a “typical career politician wants to talk about Hooters and what I did as a kid.”
From the Miami Herald:
Sen. Bill Nelson’s first negative ad against Rep. Connie Mack sure hit a nerve, and it provoked an interesting response: a web-ad rebuttal from the Republican. Conventional campaign wisdom says you shouldn’t repeat an opponent’s attack. But Mack does a solid job looking serious, sober and tough, thereby trying to judo Nelson to make him like the frivolous one talking about the past instead of the future.
Here’s the ad:
“Sad, 40 years in politics and this is what Bill Nelson wants to talk about. Even if it were all true, and it’s not, who cares.”
“After all, Bill Nelson and I are candidates for the United States Senate and their are real differences between us.
“Bill Nelson cast the deciding vote for ObamaCare and voted to raise our taxes 150 times- I voted to against ObamaCare and to cut taxes.
“I want to talk about what really matters- fixing our economy, creating jobs and tackling our deficit. Bill Nelson, like a typical career politician, wants to talk about Hooters and what I did as a kid. “Lets get serious: Our country is in crisis. It’s time to debate the issues that matter, not this nonsense”.
Romney’s Ad on Religious Freedom
President Obama has declared war on religion by forcing religious institutions to go against their faith. Mitt Romney will stand up and protect religious freedom whenever it is threatened.
Be Not Afraid
Below is a statement from Maureen Ferguson and Ashley McGuire of The Catholic Association (TCA) concerning Mitt Romney and his new ad on religious freedom. www.thecatholicassociation.org
We applaud Mitt Romney for taking a strong stand for religious liberty and alerting the people of America to the threat posed to our freedoms. But people need to remember that it was President Obama who picked this fight with people of faith when he shattered a long-standing bipartisan consensus protecting conscience rights in America. His HHS mandate is only the latest in a series of actions designed to confine religious freedom to houses of worship. The President deliberately chose politics over religious liberty and conscience rights. May he reap the whirlwind.
#NVSen: Embattled Congresswomen Shelley Berkley Panders to Latinos, Pitches DREAM Act for DNC Platform
From Bloomberg:
In an appeal to Latino voters, three Senate candidates in the Southwest are calling on delegates to the Democratic National Convention to make support of a bill to help young illegal immigrants gain citizenship a part of the party platform.
-Snip-
Democratic candidate Shelley Berkley in Nevada says she supports the effort to get the DREAM Act into the Democratic Party platform. A spokesman for Senate candidate Richard Carmona in Arizona says he does as well.
It’s unclear whether the Democrats’ platform committee will support the effort.
Spending Daily August 9, 2012
#FLSen: Little-known Glenn Burkett Accuses Nelson of Website Hacking
From the Miami Herald:
Little-known Glenn Burkett, who is running for the Democratic nomination against incumbent U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, is accusing Nelson of hacking his website.
Here’s the statement from Burkett.
Just one day after press release reporting over a thousand people per day and climbing was visiting the Glenn Burkett for U.S. Senate campaign web site was attacked early this morning. Voters are calling reporting the site is down. Glenn Burkett is Nelson’s only competitor in the primary. Glenn Burkett’s business and Foundation web sites are up and running. The company providing the server for the site is investigating the source of the hackers since 8 am this morning.
Voters today depend on researching candidates position on issues via web sites. Burkett does not believe this was an accident because it happened during early voting.
Nelson campaign manager Pete Mitchell called the claim “absurd.”
#NVSen Update: Berkley’s 1996 Ethics Flap & U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Reno Endorse Dean Heller
In Nevada, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the GOP has revived Shelley Berkley’s 1996 ethics flap, where she told the Chairman of the Las Vegas Sands that he should buy off judges and county commissioners. It was only a matter of time before Republicans rolled this out but Crossroads GPS is on the air today with a commercial that resurrects a Shelley Berkley ethics run-in from her days as a Las Vegas casino attorney. … Berkley served as a vice president for legal and governmental affairs at Las Vegas Sands Inc., working for chairman Sheldon Adelson as the casino magnate was building his flagship Venetian resort on the Strip. … In June 1998, old Sands memos surfaced as well as a taped phone call in which Berkley was recorded saying she recommended Adelson offer favors to then-Clark County commissioners Erin Kenny and Yvonne Atkinson Gates to help complete the Venetian. One Berkley memo to Adelson from September 1996 recommended making campaign contributions to Las Vegas judges because “they tend to help those who have helped them.” “If we want to be able to continue contacting the judges when we need to, I strongly urge that we donate to the judges I recommended,” the memo said in part.
- Meanwhile, Politico’s Morning Score reports that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Reno, Sparks and Northern Nevada will endorse Dean Heller and his pro-jobs campaign.U.S. Chamber official and former Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings will make an announcement regarding Senator Dean Heller’s re-election campaign at a small business in Sparks, Nevada, today. The Chamber of Reno, Sparks and Northern Nevada will co-host the event to ‘highlight Senator Heller’s record of cutting spending, promoting free enterprise and fighting the taxes, regulations, and mandates that are strangling Nevada small businesses.’ The Chamber’s national political director Rob Engstrom: ‘ Nevada’s Senate race will determine whether we have a pro-business majority in the U.S. Senate, whether free enterprise leads our country, and will establish the course of our country for decades to come.’ The Chamber hasn’t officially endorsed Heller yet.
Former U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings
Joins U.S. Chamber of Commerce & the Chamber of Reno, Sparks, & Northern NV to Endorse Dean Heller
Press Availability at Sparks Florist Today
(Las Vegas, NV) – Today at 10:00 a.m PT, former U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings will represent the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for a formal endorsement of Dean Heller in Nevada’s U.S. Senate race. The Chamber of Reno, Sparks, and Northern Nevada will also endorse Dean Heller at the event.
WHAT: U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Reno, Sparks, and
Northern Nevada endorse Dean Heller.
WHO: Dean Heller, United States Senator
Margaret Spellings, Former United States Secretary of Education
Tony Fiannaca, owner, Sparks Florist
Tray Abney, The Chamber
WHEN: Today, August 9th from 10:00 – 10:30 a.m. PT
WHERE: Sparks Florist
1001 Pyramid Way
Sparks, NV 89431
Margaret Spellings served as U.S. Secretary of Education from 2005 to 2009. She is a senior advisor to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and President of its Forum for Policy Innovation. As President, Spellings oversees the Chamber’s three non-profit foundations: the National Chamber Foundation (NCF), the Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) and the Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW) which promotes the rigorous educational standards and effective job training systems needed to preserve the strength of America’s workforce.
