Free Republic

But is that actually a good thing?Retiring on Social Security alone is a dangerous thing. That’s because those benefits will only replace about 40% of the typical worker’s pre-retirement income, and most seniors need about twice as much money to maintain a comfortable lifestyle.But the reality is that a lot of people do end up retiring solely or largely on Social Security. And it’s those same people who are apt to be the most impacted by Social Security raises.Each year, benefits are subject to a cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, based on inflation levels. Since inflation has been sky-high this year,...

Sri Lanka's fuel stocks will last for about five more days, its power and energy minister said on Thursday, as the island nation awaits official confirmation from the Indian government for a new $500 million credit line for fuel. The country of 22 million people is caught in its worst financial crisis in seven decades after its foreign exchange reserves dwindled to record lows, with dollars running out to pay for essential imports including food, medicine and fuel. Chronic fuel shortages have worsened this week with kilometers-long lines at some gas stations countrywide, leading to sporadic protests as vehicle owners...

Hillary Clinton has served America for decades; in January 1993, she made history as she became the country's first co-president along with her husband, Bill. After her tour in the White House ended, she answered the call from her adopted state of New York and voluntarily gave up a lucrative career trading cattle futures to act as one of only two US senators from that state. In 2008, after tirelessly devoting herself to helping Barack Obama become America's best president, she looked forward to retiring to a quiet life in a small cottage somewhere. Once again her country called, pleading...

The Obama Administration’s 2015 proposed “Budget of United States” promises that the economy will grow at the fastest rate in a decade, unemployment will fall to the average of the Reagan Administration and spending will rise at its lowest percentage rate since the Clinton Administration. As a math person I can assure readers there appear to be no arithmetic errors in the two-pound budget book. But no one will take Obama’s budget proposal very seriously because the projections that underlie his next year’s wish list are just more Rainbows, Butterflies, and Unicorns.