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Defense health officials didn’t do the Obama administration any favor last week when they announced a “small” increase in the daily fee that military retirees under 65, their families and covered survivors must pay for inpatient care in civilian hospitals under TRICARE Standard starting Oct. 1. The jump, in fact, for working age retirees and their families is $110 per day, a 20.6 percent increase. TRICARE Standard is the military’s fee-for-service insurance option. The inpatient cost share for retirees under 65 and their family members was increased to $645 a day from $535. The actual formula for beneficiaries is $645...

Is it really possible for anyone to live happily to 100? The good news is that your body was designed to be 100 - you just have to get out of the way. Getting out of the way means taking an honest look at the habits and lifestyle you are living with today. Most of us have developed habits that limit our true health potential. But don't let these bad habits of the past discourage you - it is never too late to make new choices. What you did in the past can be changed, and your body will respond...

With all 100% precincts results in, by a factor of 52% to 48%, city residents of Columbus, Ohio have voted for a +.5% city income tax increase. I guess we are still asleep here in Central Ohio...

I've been saying for weeks that Nevada has a spending not a tax collecting problem. And now here's the picture to prove it. What's the legislature's current plan? Raise taxes and spend more.

"The fed is planning moves that would more than double its balance-sheet assets by September to $4.5 trillion from $1.9 trillion. Whether expressing approval or concern over the fed’s move, most commentators fail to understand the real magnitude of the projected expansion of the US monetary base because they don’t take into account the amount of dollars circulating abroad......................The fed’s planned balance sheet expansion results in a 15-fold increase in the base money supply. 262 Billion = US monetary base as of September 2008 (minus dollars held abroad) 3,818 Billion = projected US monetary base in September 2009 (minus dollars...

3/18/2009 - KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- Kandahar Airfield officials activated the 772nd Expeditionary Airlift Squadron March 15 here as the NATO base prepares for the build-up of forces to support Operation Enduring Freedom. The newest airlift squadron in the Air Force will be flying the C-130J Hercules, and serve under the 451st Air Expeditionary Group to assist with the increase of U.S. troops to the region. One day before the activation ceremony, local missions were being flown by American aircrews when the squadron's first four aircraft arrived at Kandahar Airfield. "Tactical airlift is a high-demand asset here and we...

With home values in free fall in many places, it might follow logically that property taxes would go down as well. Not so in San Diego County. The county assessor's office predicts that property taxes will increase this year for 75 percent of homes and other properties. That would produce a projected $91 million in additional revenue to the county, cities, school districts and other jurisdictions. “We don't have a choice,” said Jeff Olson, chief of county property assessment services. The mandate comes from Proposition 13, the 1978 tax-limitation measure, and subsequent regulations. The state initiative, passed when skyrocketing inflation...

Jackson voted against cracking down on Senate tax scofflaws Larry Peterson | Saturday, March 7, 2009 at 12:30 am Lester Jackson, who has a history of tax disputes with the state, voted against a measure this week to crack down on state Senate tax deadbeats. The Savannah Democrat opposed a resolution by Sen. Eric Johnson, R-Savannah, to allow Senate probes of those who fail to pay taxes. The Senate voted, 32-16, in favor of the measure Thursday, but that fell short of the two-thirds majority needed for passage. Johnson did not rule out seeking another vote on the measure. How...

E-ZPass users and operators of large trucks will pay more for the use of the state's toll facilities under a series of changes proposed by the Maryland Transportation Authority to offset declines in revenue and increases in the cost of maintenance, Transportation Secretary John D. Porcari said today. Under the proposal given preliminary approval by the authority's board, users of the E-ZPass electronic toll collection system will be charged $1.50 a month for bill processing even if they don't use a toll facility during that month. New and replacement transponders -- the electronic devices placed in vehicles to record tolls...

Teachers union proposes sales tax to fund schools BURLINGAME — The California Teachers Association has proposed a statewide ballot initiative to raise at least $5 billion a year for public education through a 1-cent sales tax increase. The tax would provide new, ongoing funding for schools and community colleges in a time of continuing budget shortfalls, the Burlingame-based association said. "California's budget process is broken," said David Sanchez, president of the 340,000-member CTA, "and our students and schools are suffering the consequences. More students are being squeezed into already overcrowded classrooms (and) more than 10,000 teachers and education support professionals...

I confess. Senator Obama's two tax promises: to limit tax increases to only those making over $250,000 a year, and to not raise taxes on 95% of "working Americans," intrigued me... The first loophole was easy to find: Senator Obama doesn't "count" allowing the Bush tax cuts to lapse as a tax increase. Unless the cuts are re-enacted, rates will automatically return to the 2000 level. Senator Obama claims that letting a tax cut lapse -- allowing the rates to return to a higher levels -- is not actually a "tax increase." It's just the lapsing of a tax cut....

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke to The Bee on Thursday after embracing a temporary 1-cent sales tax proposal to help bridge a $15.2 billion budget shortfall. Under the plan, the sales tax after three years would drop permanently by 1.25 cents, and lawmakers would agree to support long-term budget changes. The state is now 53 days into the fiscal year without a budget. You campaigned on the idea of no new taxes. Do you feel that you broke that promise? I look at that as being realistic and not getting stuck in ideology but doing what is right for the state...

Despite calls from the presidential campaign trail for a Memorial Day-to-Labor Day tax freeze, lawmakers quickly concluded — with a prod from the construction industry — that having $9 billion less to spend on highways could create a pre-election specter of thousands of lost jobs. Now, lawmakers quietly are talking about raising fuel taxes by a dime from the current 18.4 cents a gallon on gasoline and 24.3 cents on diesel fuel. Not so quiet any more, is it fellas? That's a 54% increase. That's not all. It seems they want to increase it by more than 100% by the...

GENEVA (Reuters) - Record growth in the world's poorest countries has failed to prevent an increase in their total numbers of poor people, the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) said on Thursday. Recent rising food costs threaten to undercut what modest progress has been achieved, while three quarters of people living in least developed countries (LDCs) still survive on less than $2 a day, it said in a report. Income under $2 a day does not allow most people to meet basic needs for food, water, shelter, health or education, the Least Developed Countries Report 2008 noted. The...

Transportation panel says 40 cents more over 5 years will do it WASHINGTON - Federal gasoline taxes should be increased up to 40 cents per gallon over five years, a special commission urged Tuesday in calling for drastic changes to fix aging bridges and roads and reduce traffic deaths. The two-year study by the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission is the first to propose brad changes after the devastating bridge collapse in Minneapolis that took 13 lives last August shone a spotlight on the deteriorating national infrastructure. Calling for immediate action, the "congressinally created panel warned that...

Canadians Advocate Boosting Vitamin D in PregnancyA Canadian medical society recommends pregnant women and nursing moms boost their intake of vitamin D dramatically Janet Raloff Canadian pediatricians certainly aren't shirking controversy when it comes to a vitamin guideline they've developed for pregnant women and nursing moms. They're asking these women to boost their intake of vitamin D dramatically—to 10 times the daily doses advocated by most health organizations in the States. This new prescription is aimed at combating rickets—leg deformations caused by soft bones—in youngsters who get too little of the sunshine vitamin. EATING FOR TWO. To ensure baby's bones...

WASHINGTON - Congress is taking new whacks at the cigarette industry, banning tobacco sales in Senate buildings and — more importantly — seeking a significant federal tax increase on cigarettes. House and Senate negotiators are trying to craft a veto-proof version of the bill. President Bush says he would veto it because it calls for a 61 cents-per-pack increase in the federal excise tax on cigarettes, taking it to $1.

The number of California high school dropouts spiked in 2006, the first year seniors were required to pass the state's exit exam to graduate, according to a report presented Wednesday to the state Board of Education. California's high school graduation rate also fell by about 4 percent from the previous year. The analysis found that 24,000 high school seniors dropped out in 2006, about 10,000 more than just four years earlier. The information could give ammunition to lawmakers and others who have criticized the exam, as well as those who have lobbied for alternative assessments. The firm that prepared the...

HEIDELBERG, Germany, Oct. 25, 2007 – Defense Secretary Robert M Gates urged European military leaders meeting here today to step up their countries’ contributions in Afghanistan and eliminate restrictions on their forces that threaten the mission’s success. The NATO alliance has made huge contributions leading the International Security Assistance Force, Gates told officers attending the 15th Conference of European Armies. U.S. Army Europe sponsors the annual ground-forces conference. He noted that NATO leads 25 provincial reconstruction teams that are helping the Afghans build infrastructure, while some allies are conducting decisive military actions that are thwarting Taliban efforts. Meanwhile, Gates said,...

Passed in the House (57 to 52) on September 30, 2007, to increase the state income tax from 3.9 percent to 4.35 percent, effective Oct. 1, 2007.

Democrats Propose Tax Surcharge for War By ANDREW TAYLOR Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Democrats on Tuesday proposed an income tax surcharge to finance the approximately $150 billion annual cost of operations in Iraq, saying it is unfair to pass the cost of the war onto future generations. The plan, unveiled by Reps. David Obey, D-Wis., John Murtha, D-Pa., and Jim McGovern, D-Mass., would require low- and middle-income taxpayers to add 2 percent to their tax bill. Wealthier people would pay an additional 12 to 15 percent, Obey said. The plan's sponsors acknowledged it's unlikely to pass, but Democrats...

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Michigan's governor says a deal that solves the state's fiscal crisis through broad-based tax increases and spending cuts should help the state's image.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) -- Gov. Jennifer Granholm and the Legislature are down to the last day to avoid a partial state government shutdown. Sources tell FOX 2 Politcal Analyst Tim Skubick that a framework of a temporary budget deal appeared to be falling into place early Sunday, but the final details haven't been worked out or voted on by lawmakers. The key pieces are a higher income tax -- possibly to 4.35 percent -- and an expanded sales tax on some services. Government restructuring proposals that could include health benefits for public school teachers also could be part of an...

WASHINGTON - The Senate passed a bill early Friday to increase aid to college students. The bill would give more money to Pell grant recipients, who are among the poorest. They get a maximum award of $4,310 annually now, but that would be bumped up to $5,400 by 2011. To pay for the proposal, lawmakers would cut roughly $18 billion in federal subsidies to banks that issue government-backed student loans. Budget rules require that more than $700 million of that savings go toward reducing the federal deficit, but the rest would go to student benefits. "This legislation does not cost...

Survey of Independents, Who Could Be Key in 2008, Finds Attitudes From Partisan to Apathetic... ...The study is a comprehensive examination of a broad segment of the electorate -- about three in 10 voters call themselves independents -- that is poised to play the role of political power broker in 2008. Independents split their votes between President Bush and Kerry in 2004 but shifted decisively to the Democrats in 2006, providing critical support in the Democratic takeover of the House and the Senate. The new survey underscores the Republican Party's problems heading into 2008. Fueled by dissatisfaction with the president...

Per FR excerpt policy, Bloomberg is link only.STORY

NEW YORK (Reuters) - American chief executive officers saw their total direct compensation -- an executive pay measure including salary, bonus and incentive shares -- rise 8.9 percent in 2006, a private study showed on Monday. The study by consulting company Mercer found that CEOs' pay was linked more to performance than in recent years, driven in part by strong corporate results and shareholders returns. The median total direct compensation for executives at the 350 companies surveyed -- total direct compensation plus benefits and perquisites -- rose to $6.5 million, according to Mercer's study. Net income at the companies surveyed...

TOKYO, March 30, 2007 – The United States and Japan are increasing their military cooperation and coordination to face evolving threats, the commander of U.S. Forces Japan and 5th Air Force here said. “The security relationship between the United States and Japan is tied to international knowledge and understanding of the alliance,” said Air Force Lt. Gen. Bruce A. Wright. The bedrock of U.S. strategy in Asia remains the Japanese-U.S. Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Defense. Signed in 1960, the treaty relationship between the two nations has changed, but the document still remains relevant. “Only 15 years after the...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 23, 2007 – President Bush’s pick for command of Multinational Force Iraq today supported the new strategy for Iraq, emphasizing that additional U.S. forces are essential in accomplishing the mission there. “If we are to carry out the Multinational Force Iraq mission in accordance with the new strategy, the additional forces that have been directed to move to Iraq will be essential, as will greatly increased support by our government’s other agencies, additional resources for reconstruction and economic initiatives, and a number of other actions critical to what must be a broad, comprehensive, multifaceted approach to the...

Patti Maguire Armstrong  Other Articles by Patti Maguire Armstrong Printer Friendly Version   Room for More: Population Is Declining January 19, 2007 After years of hearing that the earth is in serious danger due to overpopulation, I've got some surprising news: the world's population will soon be shrinking.  The bad news is that because of those who swallowed "the earth won't sustain us" lie, there are a lot of people that should be here but are not.Of course there will be no apology, but only a morphing of the original message.  One would think that groups like Zero Population...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 19, 2007 – An increase in the active-duty military and changes to the policies for reserve forces announced this month by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates are aimed to increase the military’s overall capabilities, a senior defense official said here today. “This build is about the whole range of capabilities that makes American military forces effective,” David S. C. Chu, undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness, said at a Pentagon news conference. “Particularly, it is designed to relieve the pressure on units that are described as ‘high-demand, low-density,’ meaning in plain English, there aren’t enough.” Gates...

Saudi Arabia plans to increase its crude oil production capacity nearly 40 per cent by 2009 and double its refining size over the next five years to keep pace with growing global demand, the country’s oil minister said on Thursday. Ali Naimi said the plans are part of a $80-billion-commitment that Saudi Arabia — the world’s biggest oil exporter — has made to increase oil supplies in the global market. Naimi blamed the sharp rise in global crude prices over the past two years mostly on “insufficient investment and rising energy demand,” especially from the booming economies of Asia. “The...

...Nothing good is going to come from political haggling over some hypothetical Social Security crisis decades in the future, when our economy will be vastly different and hugely more productive. From the completion of a worldwide fiber-optic broadband Internet to cornucopian energy and medical advances, the global economy is engaged in a siege of accelerating innovation that will unify it and enrich it increasingly as time passes. But no legislative reshuffling of taxes and spending today will enhance the economy's ability to support medical care, housing and transport for the aged in the future. That will depend not on actuarial...

WASHINGTON — After years of playing a marginal role in the Iraq war, congressional Democrats plan to move quickly next month to assert more control and undercut any White House effort to increase troop levels. As President Bush prepares to outline his plan for Iraq in a major speech in the next few weeks, Democratic leaders will counter with weeks of oversight hearings, summoning military officers, administration officials and foreign policy experts to Capitol Hill. The Democratic plans put Congress on a collision course with Bush over the direction of the nearly 4-year-old war. And they signal a new phase...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13, 2006 -- To speed the development of Iraqi security forces, the United States is accelerating its use of military, police and border transition teams, a coalition spokesman in Baghdad said today. “Iraqis need capable and honest security forces that are loyal to all of their people,” Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, said in a news conference with U.S. and Iraqi media. “They need forces that can run complex operations against terrorists and criminal elements. And the best way for Iraqi security forces to enhance these capabilities is through the mentorship and partnership...

During the recent off-year elections, the president repeatedly pointed to the booming economy and noted that his tax cuts were responsible. With growth strong and unemployment low despite the ending of the stock-market bubble, terrorist attacks and the war in Iraq, he had every reason to be proud. Moreover, both economic theory and the actual timing of the economic revival support his claims regarding the tax cuts. That is why it is so odd that rumors swarm around Washington that the president may be willing to raise taxes as part of a "deal" on entitlement reform. In particular, the rumors...

Aided by a governor who has promised to preserve the coast, California is expanding its network of areas where fishing and other marine harvesting are banned or restricted. The idea is to better safeguard the diversity and abundance of marine life by limiting those activities in key habitats such as lagoons, bays, kelp forests, rocky reefs and the edges of marine canyons. California already has 80 “marine protected areas” covering about 4 percent of state waters, but scientists agree that most of those sites are too small to help depleted species rebound. “No other state in the Union has done...

MEXICO CITY - Mexicans living abroad sent $11 billion home in the first half of 2006, an increase of 23 percent over the same period last year, the government news agency Notimex reported Friday. Remittances have become an increasingly important source of income for the country in recent years, surpassing tourism. They represent Mexico's second-largest source of foreign income after oil. They topped $20 billion for the first time in 2005, a 17 percent increase from the previous year. Mexico's government has lobbied intensely for the U.S. government to legalize some of the 11 million undocumented migrants living in the...

FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas (Army News Service, Aug. 22, 2006) – Wounded Soldiers at Brooke Army Medical Center now have a place to call home during their recovery. Post leaders turned 24 barracks rooms built for two into 12 spacious living areas for single occupants last month. The new rooms can accommodate servicemembers recovering from varied impairments, and brings BAMC's number of wheelchair-accessible rooms to 24. “With just the original 12 rooms, we were running out of space due to an increased numbers of patients from the war on terror,” said Lt. Col. Barbara Holcomb, commander, Special Troops Battalion. “We...

CRAWFORD, Texas - Anti-war demonstrators said Sunday they hope the end of President Bush's ranch vacation doesn't hurt attendance at their protest during the rest of the summer. They urged opponents of the war in Iraq to come to the five-acre campsite purchased last month by Cindy Sheehan, who resumed her protest a week ago. Sheehan's first trek to Crawford one year ago during Bush's monthlong vacation turned into a 26-day vigil that drew more than 10,000 people and spurred counter-protests by Bush supporters. A few hundred war opponents returned at Thanksgiving, when Bush was at his ranch, and again...

Quix note: most color and bold is added for emphasis, by me—as signified by: [QC] for Quix Color. BIBLE CODE DIGEST PART II JULY/AUGUST 2006 Bible Codes: A Sign of the End Times? By Ed Sherman Map of Israel from Wikipedia.org. [was OMITTED as it wouldn't post] Is the discovery of substantive Bible codes a telling sign that we are living in the End Times? Most people intrigued by Bible codes seek predictions of the future. And the more detailed the prediction, the better. But what if the Encoder simply intended that Bible codes would only provide a general prediction...

Remember the Contract With America and all the other good stuff about reducing the size of government? Here's a nice graphic illustrating the question: What Happened? I have no idea.

Corzine's cuts: Hard to some, soft to GOP By Jennifer Moroz Inquirer Trenton Bureau TRENTON - Don't take it personally, Cherry Hill. Gov. Corzine said he weighed the state's need to be frugal - and fair - when he took roughly $52 million for local projects and causes out of the state budget before signing it into law Saturday afternoon. Cherry Hill was perhaps the hardest hit in South Jersey by Corzine's line-item vetoes, losing out on almost $1 million for homeland security, library debt service, recreation improvements, and traffic management stuffed into the $30.9 billion budget by legislators at...

House Republicans have one last chance to demonstrate that they have any remaining intelligence or principles. On June 13, the House Appropriations Committee approved a bill that would increase the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour over the next three years. This bill, with the support of seven Republicans on the committee, would implement one of the highest priorities of the congressional Democratic leadership. An increase in the minimum wage is one of the dumbest possible policies for the following reasons: The employment of the least-skilled members of the labor force—often new entrants—would be reduced. The non-wage benefits...

WASHINGTON, May 17, 2006 – A new agreement between the United States and Australia opens the door to more information sharing and cooperation in research and development related to combating terrorism. Ambassador at Large Henry Crumpton (standing), the State Department's counterterrorism coordinator, looks on as Thomas O'Connell (left), assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, and Peter Shergold, Australia's secretary for the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, sign a memorandum of understanding promoting counterterrorism cooperation May 17. Photo by Donna Miles  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Thomas O'Connell, assistant secretary of defense for special...

AL ASAD, Iraq (April 26, 2006) -- The cargo bay doors of a KC-130J Hercules opened, bringing the night air into view, as a chill wind circulated through the inside of the plane. Five Marines braced themselves against the front of the cargo bay watching the two remaining parachute systems attentively. The massive plane jumped as its airspeed slowed to half of what it had been moments before. A heavy hum vibrated through the walls of the aircraft, as the pilots powered up its engines and aimed it toward the stars. The two crates slid from the bay and disappeared...

(GRD Photos) (GRD Photos) Al-Basrah Oil Terminal Improvements Increase Oil Exports By Lisa J. Anderson Gulf Region Southern District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Base Camp Adder (Ali Base) Iraq – The Al-Basrah Oil Terminal (ABOT) Hydraulic Bridge System Repair is now complete. After years of neglect and disrepair, the telescopic platform bridging systems at Berths 1 & 2 (Platform A) and Berths 3 and 4 (Platform B) were removed, repaired and reinstalled. Hydraulic power units, directional control valves and other system-critical equipment was also repaired and reinstalled. This refurbishment will make terminal operations more efficient which will increase the terminal’s...

SACRAMENTO – Some state firefighters will get a pay raise in June estimated to average 22 percent, and others may be able to retire with pensions higher than their final salary. That could give the firefighters, who have long complained about being underpaid, the largest one-time pay increase ever received by members of a state labor union. The big pay raise on June 30, estimated to cost the state $38.7 million next fiscal year, comes on the last day of a little-publicized union contract approved by lawmakers five years ago. The firefighter contract, which has already boosted base salaries and...

Dr. Azhar Al-Shakhly (left), of the Iraqi State Ministry for Woman Affairs, and Azza Humadi, Gulf Region Division Women’s Issue Coordinator, work closely to build a stable foundation for Iraqi females. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Denise Calabria Iraqi Women Work to Increase Opportunities From business opportunities to educational issues, two Iraqi women strive to improve the lives of Iraqi women. By Denise Calabria Gulf Region Division U.S. Army Corps of Engineers BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 25, 2006 — While dirt-covered construction workers toil to rebuild Iraq’s decimated infrastructure, two Iraqi-born women more accustomed to “basic black with...

SACRAMENTO - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger plans to boost school spending by $4.3 billion next year, adding money for everything from low-performing schools and physical education to arts and after-school programs, administration officials said Tuesday. In his proposed budget, to be released next week, Schwarzenegger will seek spending of $54.3 billion from the general fund and property taxes on education in kindergarten through community college, up 8 percent from the current year, the governor's secretary of education, Alan Bersin, said. Including money from the federal government and other sources, the 2006-07 education budget would total $66 billion if approved by the...