Is The U.S. in Worse Fiscal Shape Than Greece, France & Italy?

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Is it possible that the U.S. is in worse fiscal shape than Greece, France, and Italy? According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), that is the case. If the OECD data is to be believed, the US has already surpassed Greece in terms of fiscal decline.

The OECD is not alone in its assertions.  Daniel J. Mitchell, writing for The Commentator, has put together an argument in support of the OECD:

In 2011, I posted some charts from a study by the Bank for International Settlements, revealing that the long-run fiscal outlook for the United States is worse than the outlook for European nations.

In other words, US politicians to date haven’t over-spent as much as their counterparts in Europe, but it appears that – if government is left on auto-pilot – America will suffer more from excessive government than European nations in the future.

Here’s some new evidence about the perilous long-term state of public finances in America. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the United States has to do more than almost every other nation to avoid becoming another Greece.”

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Obama Administration Will Spend $1 Billion on Iris & Facial Recognition Technology

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Candice Lanier – For over a year and a half, the Mexican government has been collecting an unprecedented amount of biometric data from minors ages 4 to 17 as part of a youth ID card program. The Electronic Frontier Foundation reports that the data is being gathered for Personal Identity Cards for minors. This I.D. card, according to Mexican authorities, will help streamline registration in schools and health facilities and comes embedded with digital records of iris images, fingerprints, a photograph and a signature for each minor.

EFF reports:

The ID card project is part of the integration of Mexico’s National Population Register (RENAPO), which is intended to provide a unique identity system to conclusively prove identities of all Mexican citizens. Under the program, the Ministry of the Interior will issue Citizen Identity Cards and Personal Identity Cards containing biometric information, first to youth, and later extending to Mexico’s entire adult population.

 

Since July of 2009, when President Felipe Calderón officially announced the creation of RENAPO, numerous observers have sounded the alarm that the endeavor violates individuals’ privacy rights. Despite serious concerns raised by a governmental accountability agency and a special commission tasked with studying the program, in January of 2011 Mexico nevertheless became the first country in the world to use iris scans as a component of ID cards.”

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been expanding its biometrics source from fingerprint to iris and facial recognition for identity verification. In addition to collecting iris and facial images on suspected illegal immigrants or immigrants arrested at border patrol stations,the DHS is also developing a program called Future Attribute Screening Technology.  The purpose of the program is to “detect cues indicative of mal-intent” based on factors including ethnicity, gender, breathing, and heart rate.

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2013 Ford Mustang GT Premium Review

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3.5 stars -  Very good

 

 

The good: The 2013 Ford Mustang GT produces massive power while getting reasonable fuel economy. Sync is, as in other Ford models, an excellent means of integrating phones and music players, and offers very advanced app connectivity.

The bad: The radio interface is clunky for browsing a connected device’s music library. Paddles would have made manual shifting easier with the automatic transmission.

The bottom line: The 2013 Ford Mustang GT looks very cool and churns out tons of power, yet its reasonable fuel economy, easy driving manners, and useful cabin tech make it a fun daily driver.