Free Republic

One of the biggest advantages of Social Security is that its payments get annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). When inflation is high -- as seniors have seen during the past couple of years -- these COLAs cause monthly checks to rise the following January to help retiree purchasing power keep pace. 2022's COLA boosted benefits by 5.9% this year, and early estimates make it likely that the COLA that will take effect in early 2023 will be between 8% and 9%. What's even better news is that, unlike in 2022, many Social Security recipients are more likely to see the full...

Democrats are feeling gloomy as their "infrastructure" bills are stuck in a fight between leftists and "centrists." Many predict that if these huge spending bills could be passed, then the midterm prospects for President Joe Biden and his party would look much brighter. Will Saletan at Slate tweeted for the optimists: "Soon the infrastructure and reconciliation bills will pass. A year from now, COVID will be largely under control, supply chains will be restored, and the Afghan collapse will be forgotten." Many Democrats cling tightly to the popularity of massive spending as Biden's approval rating keeps sinking. Fiscal conservatives should...

A pair of proposals would invest in infrastructure, education, work force development and fighting climate change, with the aim of making the economy more productive. President Biden’s economic advisers are preparing to recommend spending as much as $3 trillion on a sweeping set of efforts aimed at boosting the economy, reducing carbon emissions and narrowing economic inequality, beginning with a giant infrastructure plan that may be financed in part through tax increases on corporations and the rich. After months of internal debate, Mr. Biden’s advisers are expected to present a proposal to the president this week that recommends carving his...

$5,000 Stimulus Check Loan Proposal: The Washington Post reported that senior economic officials at the White House are exploring a polarizing proposal by conservative scholars at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute and Hoover Institution. The scholars, Andrew Biggs (a Forbes contributor) and Joshua Rauh, had published an opinion piece in The Hill outlining their plan, which would provide cash to households, but not in the form of a direct stimulus payment. Instead, the two argue that Congress should offer voluntary loan checks of up to $5,000 – the actual amount is up for debate – in exchange for a delay...

April 15 (UPI) -- The IRS rolled out a new tool Wednesday that allows Americans to check the status of their stimulus payments, and tens of millions are expected to have their money by the end of the day. The agency launched the "Get My Payment" web page, where Americans can track their payments by entering tax return information for either 2018 or 2019. The U.S. Treasury began depositing the payments electronically last Friday. The first recipients are eligible U.S. taxpayers who filed a tax return for either of the last two years. For those, the funds will automatically appear...

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he won’t quickly pass a “phase four” coronavirus bill, citing his concern about the cost of another massive spending package. McConnell tamped down anticipation after President Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) agreed this week they’d like massive infrastructure spending in a new bill. Trump is pushing for a $2 trillion package. **SNIP** Pelosi insisted Tuesday that a fourth bill would be “specific to the coronavirus challenge” and “recovery” from it, and that she saw infrastructure as common ground. The president agreed, tweeting, “It should be VERY BIG & BOLD, Two Trillion Dollars,...

President Trump has signed the largest-ever US financial stimulus package, worth $2tn (£1.7tn), as the country grapples with the coronavirus pandemic. The House of Representatives passed the cross-party bill two days after the Senate debated its provisions. On Wednesday the number of Americans filing for unemployment surged to a record high of 3.3 million people. The US has more confirmed cases of coronavirus than any other country, with more than 97,000 positive tests. No Democratic lawmakers were invited to the historic signing ceremony, which was held at the White House.

According to the latest Farm Journal Pulse Poll, which featured responses from 1,286 farmers, President Trump received an approval rating of 83 percent, a point higher than the previous poll. Only 18 percent disapprove of President Trump. Since Farm Journal’s tracking of Trump’s support from farmers in recent months, the latest poll marks his highest approval.

Jordan Peterson spoke at a Heritage Foundation event in New York City. We discussed the rise of socialism in America, the importance of personal responsibility, and why his message is resonating with so many people. Peterson is a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, a clinical psychologist, and author of the book “12 Rules for Life.” A lightly edited transcript is below, or you can listen to the interview on The Heritage Events Podcast. ................................ https://www.heritage.org/progressivism/commentary/jordan-peterson-explains-what-draws-people-socialism Video https://youtu.be/JPWx0ilenKM

At the start of the 2014 election cycle, Mark Pryor's future in the Senate was widely considered as dead as the raccoons at the Gillett Coon Supper, an annual fundraiser and gathering spot for Arkansas pols. ....... A series of Pryor television ads focus on Medicare and Social Security, hitting his opponent for supporting Paul Ryan’s budget proposal, which would alter the structure of the programs and increase the eligibility age. It’s a well-worn strategy used by Democrats in states and districts across the country and designed to portray their adversaries as extreme. But there are a couple of particular...

Young Americans: Pay Attention, Or Pay The Bills If you’re in your 20s or 30s, one of the biggest decisions affecting your life likely will be made this fall. It’s not whether to get married. Or to buy a house. Or even to have and educate children. But it’s a decision that could affect your ability to afford any or all of those things. That decision, which will be made by Congress, is whether or not to give senior citizens, regardless of income or need, a prescription-drug entitlement in Medicare. The House and Senate each have approved separate bills that...