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Two people from Oklahoma have been found alive after they reportedly went missing on Wednesday during a scuba trip off the coast of Texas. The U.S. Coast Guard said Nathan and Kim Maker from Edmond never resurfaced after unsuitable weather conditions threatened their dive about 15 miles offshore from Matagorda, Texas. According to the Maker family, the couple was taken to a hospital in the area to be checked out, but otherwise are doing okay.

Extremely dangerous Category 5 Hurricane Rita continues to threaten the Greater Houston Metropolitan area. The forecast track has shifted slightly to the northeast, increasing the risk to Southwest Louisiana, and a significant portion of the oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico. Texas Governor Perry is urging all coastal residents between Beaumont and Corpus Christi to evacuate as soon as possible. The following links are self-updating: Public Advisory Currently published every 3 hours 5A, 8A, 11A, 2P, etc. ET NHC Discussion Published every six hours 6A, 11A, 6P, 11P Three Day Forecast TrackFive Day Forecast TrackRita Forecast Track...

It is high time someone told the truth about AARP: "The Emperor has no clothes." On Social Security they are completely wrong in their attacks against letting workers own their own accounts. AARP and other critics of President Bush’s Social Security plan for Personal Retirement Accounts argue that individually owned Social Security accounts cannot provide improved retirement benefits and will destroy what they claim is the "safety net." But a retirement program in Texas shows how to improve upon Social Security with Personal Retirement Accounts, and accomplish this while controlling financial risks. A bit of history: Until the 1983 Social...

There currently is much discussion about the state of the Social Security System. Some are advocating radical change such as privatization of the system. These calls are met with concern that nothing like that has ever been done. Even if we ignore the success of other countries that have privatized this remnant of paternalist government, we need to look no further than the Texas coast for an example of successful privatization. In the late 1970's it was becoming clear that Social Security was in financial trouble and that Congress was not dealing with it. What was less known was that...