Free Republic

Over half of COVID-19 hospitalizations in NYC were not due to COVID-19 ------------------- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul released data Friday breaking down COVID-19 hospitalizations by those who were admitted due to the virus and those who were admitted for other reasons but were found to have the illness. Included in the data was a chart showing "how many hospitalized individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 were admitted for COVID-19/COVID-19 complications and how many were admitted for non-COVID-19 conditions." Such cases totaled 4,928 as of Jan. 7, compared to 6,620 patients "admitted due to COVID or complications of COVID."...

When the Venezuelan government defends itself from its critics, it usually points to declining poverty rates as proof of its success. For a while, this worked; poverty figures indeed improved during a portion of the chavista years. But the days when poverty was a winning issue for chavismo are over. Official statistics now show that poverty is rising rapidly. Venezuela's official statistics office (INE) mostly spends its time producing reports charged with political language -- but it still manages to report actual data once in a while. A few weeks ago, the statisticians published proof that one in three Venezuelans...

The government watchdog overseeing economic stimulus spending says the White House was too quick to take credit for saving or creating 640,000 jobs. The White House trumpeted job figures released last month, saying they proved the administration is on track to save or create 3.5 million jobs by the end of next year.

"The Obama Numbers Game" Send to a Friend Now that the economic stimulus bill has passed, how can you do your part to stimulate the economy and be sure the worst is behind us? Two important things – Play our game while watching or listening to the Presidential address tonight. President Obama will deliver his first prime-time speech to Congress tonight at 9 pm Eastern Time. Take your $13 / week tax rebate check and book your next vacation today! Play our game, use promotion code 13OFF, and get $13 off* your next flight, each way. It’s OUR economic stimulus...

Republicans are pushing to rewrite budget rules in an attempt to remove financial obstacles that threaten the GOP’s effort to reform Social Security. The potential move to craft budget language that would direct the Congressional Budget Office to score Social Security reform legislation over 30 or more years would likely increase the chances that the bill would pass in the 109th Congress. Republicans could also write budget provisions that would remove the program entirely from the budget process.Reshaping Social Security, deemed the third rail of politics, has long been viewed as an almost impossible task. But with the deficit projected...