Disability Trust Fund Ran Record $31.2B Deficit In 2012; In Deficit Every Year Under Obama

Disability Trust Fund Ran Record $31.2B Deficit In 2012; In Deficit Every Year Under Obama – CNS

The federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund, which takes in money via a federal payroll tax and pays it out in disability benefits, ran a record $31.2 billion deficit in calendar year 2012, according to the Social Security Administration.

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That means the trust fund has run a deficit in each of the first four years of the Obama presidency.

For fifteen straight years before Obama took office – from 1994 through 2008 – the Disability Insurance Trust Fund ran a surplus. In 2007, for example, it ran an $11 billion surplus and in 2008 it ran an $889-million surplus.

In 2009, however, the Disability Insurance Trust Fund dipped into the red and has not returned to the black since then. In fact, each year since then the annual deficit has increased.

In 2009, the disability trust fund ran a $12.2 billion deficit; in 2010, it ran a $23.6 billion deficit; in 2011, it ran a $26.1 billion deficit; and in 2012, it ran a $31.2 billion deficit.

These deficits in the Disability Insurance Trust Fund have coincided with a massive run-up in the number of American workers taking federal disability payments.

In January 2009, when President Barack Obama was inaugurated, 7,442,377 workers took disability payments, according to data published by the Social Security Administration. In March 2013, 8,853,614 took disability payments. The 1,411,337 additional workers taking federal disability payments since Obama took office represents an increase of about 19 percent in the number of Americans claiming a disability.

Employed workers pay a 0.9 percent payroll tax for federal disability insurance and their employers pay an additional 0.9 percent. Self-employed workers pay the entire 1.8 percent themselves.

The aggregated revenue from the disability payroll tax is counted by the government as the Disability Insurance Trust Fund. When the value of the disability benefits paid by the government exceeds the value of the disability tax revenue received by the government, the trust fund runs a deficit.

The U.S. Treasury needs to borrow money–and increase the federal debt – to fund disability payments that exceed disability payroll taxes. As of the close of business on Tuesday, the federal debt equaled $16,804,876,955,116.78 – or about $146,090 for each of the 115,031,000 households the Census Bureau now estimates there are in the United States.

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Record 89,304,000 Americans ‘Not In Labor Force’… 296,000 Fewer Employed Since January

Record 89,304,000 Americans ‘Not In Labor Force’… 296,000 Fewer Employed Since January – CNS

The number of Americans designated as “not in the labor force” in February was 89,304,000, a record high, up from 89,008,000 in January, according to the Department of Labor. This means that the number of Americans not in the labor force increased 296,000 between January and February.

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The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) labels people who are unemployed and no longer looking for work as “not in the labor force,” including people who have retired on schedule, taken early retirement, or simply given up looking for work.

The increase marks the second month in a row, after rising in January from 88.8 million in December. Those not in the labor force had declined in December from 88.9 million in November.

The nation’s unemployment rate decreased to 7.7 percent in February, down from 7.9 percent in January. Overall unemployment “has shown little movement, on net, since September 2012,” the Labor Department said.

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 236,000 in February, according to the report.

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Record 40 States Honor Reagan Birthday; 8 Democratic Guvs Balk

Record 40 States Honor Reagan Birthday; 8 Democratic Guvs Balk – Washington Examiner

Ronald Reagan can count 40 states that still remember the Gipper fondly.

On his 102nd birthday Wednesday, 40 states – a record – have proclaimed February 6 “Ronald Reagan Day.” Eight Democratic governors have refused to recognize Reagan Day and two others are on the fence.

The Reagan honor is also a tribute to Grover Norquist, head of Americans for Tax Reform. He also heads the Ronald Reagan Legacy Project which asks the nation’s governors to set the day aside for Reagan.

“Ronald Reagan led America forward to defeat the threats to our prosperity of high taxes, inflation, and recession at home and a surging Soviet Empire abroad. He left America stronger, freer, and safer than the day he became President,” said Norquist, whose project also encourages the naming of roads, buildings and landmarks after Reagan.

Here is the Reagan Legacy Project’s list of those backing–and rejecting–Reagan Day:

Alabama – Robert Bentley (R)

Alaska – Sean Parnell (R)

Arizona – Janice Brewer (R)

California – Jerry Brown (D)

Colorado – John Hickenlooper (D)

Florida – Rick Scott (R)

Georgia – Nathan Deal (R)

Idaho – Butch Otter (R)

Illinois – Pat Quinn (D)

Indiana – Mike Pence (R)

Iowa – Terry Branstad (R)

Kansas – Sam Brownback (R)

Louisiana – Bobby Jindal (R)

Maine – Paul LePage (R)

Maryland – Martin O’Malley (D)

Michigan – Rick Snyder (R)

Mississippi – Phil Bryant (R)

Missouri – Jay Nixon (D)

Montana – Steve Bullock (D)

Nebraska – Dave Heineman (R)

Nevada – Brian Sandoval (R)

New Hampshire – Maggie Hassan (D)

New Jersey – Chris Christie (R)

New Mexico – Susana Martinez (R)

New York – Andrew Cuomo (D)

North Carolina – Pat McCrory (R)

North Dakota – Jack Dalrymple (R)

Ohio – John Kasich (R)

Oklahoma – Mary Fallin (R)

Pennsylvania – Tom Corbett (R)

Rhode Island – Lincoln Chafee (I)

South Carolina – Nikki Haley (R)

South Dakota – Dennis Daugaard (R)

Tennessee – Bill Haslam (R)

Texas – Rick Perry (R)

Utah – Gary Herbert (R)

Virginia – Bob McDonnell (R)

West Virginia – Earl Ray Tomblin (D)

Wisconsin – Scott Walker (R)

Wyoming – Matt Mead (R)

The eight governors who have refused to issue a proclamation declaring Ronald Reagan Day in their states:

Arkansas – Mike Beebe (D)

Delaware – Jack Markell (D)

Hawaii – Neil Abercrombie (D)

Kentucky – Steve Beshear (D)

Massachusetts – Deval Patrick (D)

Minnesota – Mark Dayton (D)

Oregon – John Kitzhaber (D)

Vermont – Peter Shumlin (D)

The two governors who have not yet decided whether or not to issue a proclamation declaring Ronald Reagan Day in their states:

Connecticut – Dannel Malloy (D)

Washington – Jay Inslee (D)

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Storm victim finds out how important she really is to our glorious leader

I feel badly, very badly for this woman’s problems. But, the fact is that she was used as a photo-op by the president, and once she was no longer needed? Well, under the Obama Magic Bus she went

Via NorthJersey.com:

Donna Vanzant struggled through flooded streets and downed power lines two days after superstorm Sandy to reach the ravaged marina she owns in Brigantine.

Secret Service agents were combing the area when she finally arrived, and by the time the afternoon was over, she had met President Obama and shared an emotional hug with him.

The following morning, the image of that embrace, top right, appeared on the front page of The Record and was published and broadcast by news outlets around the world.

I was fortunate enough to be in the pool of news photographers who accompanied the president on his tour of the devastation along the Jersey Shore, and among those who got to photograph Vanzant’s presidential encounter.

I returned to Brigantine last week to see how she was doing.

All but one of the boats in her North Point Marina that were pushed as far as three blocks away by the storm surge have now been recovered, but there is much left to do. Vanzant estimates that her business losses will amount to at least $500,000, including the cost of repairing the marina.

She said she was honored to meet Obama, but she is also frustrated that she has yet to receive help from either her insurance companies or the government. “The president told me I would get immediate help,” she said.

“Looking back on it, it wasted a lot of people’s time,” she said of the visit.

Democrats are like the person who uses whatever they can to get you in bed, and then bolts once they get what they wanted! Wake up America!

 

Thanks Barack… Record 88,921,000 Americans ‘Not In Labor Force’

Record 88,921,000 Americans ‘Not In Labor Force’ – CNS

The number of Americans whom the U.S. Department of Labor counted as “not in the civilian labor force” in August hit a record high of 88,921,000.

The Labor Department counts a person as not in the civilian labor force if they are at least 16 years old, are not in the military or an institution such as a prison, mental hospital or nursing home, and have not actively looked for a job in the last four weeks. The department counts a person as in “the civilian labor force” if they are at least 16, are not in the military or an institution such as a prison, mental hospital or nursing home, and either do have a job or have actively looked for one in the last four weeks.

In July, there were 155,013,000 in the U.S. civilian labor force. In August that dropped to 154,645,000 – meaning that on net 368,000 people simply dropped out of the labor force last month and did not even look for a job.

There were also 119,000 fewer Americans employed in August than there were in July. In July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 142,220,000 Americans working. But, in August, there were only 142,101,000 Americans working.

Despite the fact that fewer Americans were employed in August than July, the unemployment rate ticked down from 8.3 in July to 8.1. That is because so many people dropped out of the labor force and stopped looking for work.

Click HERE For Rest Of Story

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EDITOR’S NOTE: According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the total population of the United States is right around 315,000,000.

There are roughly 40,000,000 Americans age 65 or older, 66,500,000 children under the age of 16 and 25,000,000 non-institutionalized, disabled people between the ages of 16 and 64 who are considered incapable of working.

There are also around 2,600,000 people in the non-civilian (state and federal law enforcement officers, paid fire fighters and active duty military personnel) workforce, and another 2,320,000 adults who are institutionalized in medical or correctional facilities.

Oh, and let’s not forget the estimated 12,000,000 illegal aliens in the U.S.

Added together, the number of people in these six groups totals 148,420,000. Subtract that figure from the total population of the U.S. and you’re left with 166,580,000. This is reasonably close to the true number of American civilians between the ages of 16 and 64 who are capable of holding down a job.

Okay, so subtract from that figure the number of American civilians currently working [142,100,000-rounded slightly] and you are left with 24,480,000.

Now, if you want to know what percentage of the total civilian workforce that last number equates to, simply divide it by 166,580,000, and you get 0.1469564173370. Then multiply that number by 100 and the result is 14.7 percent (rounded slightly). This is the approximate percentage of Americans between the ages of 16 and 64 who are capable of working but do not have a job.

Remarkably, it is 6.6 percentage points greater than the official unemployment figure [8.1 percent] released by the Obama Labor Department this week.

Ain’t math fun?
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Daily Benefactor News – Navy’s Sci-Fi Railgun Breaks Record For Most Powerful Gun On The Planet

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Navy’s Sci-Fi Railgun Breaks Record For Most Powerful Gun On The Planet – New York Daily News

Say hello to the Navy’s little friend.

Navy scientists set a world record Friday during a test of an electromagnetic railgun, a tractor-trailer sized weapon that sends a 20-pound projectile rocketing through the air at seven times the speed of sound.

The futuristic gun was tested twice at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Dahlgren, Va., and the first shot generated 33 megajoules of force out of the barrel, a world record for muzzle energy, the scientists said.

One megajoule is a unit of energy roughly equal to the energy generated by a 1-ton vehicle moving at 100 MPH. The same rail gun generated about 10 megajoules during a test two years ago.

Roger Ellis, the railgun program manager, told The Washington Post that people “see these things in the video games, but this is real. This is what is very historical.”

What is novel about the gun – aside from its astonishing power – is the way it works.

Instead of relying on explosive propellants like gunpowder to fire, the gun uses a giant surge of electricity to propel the slug out of the barrel at speeds that can approach Mach 8 and can strike targets more than 100 miles away.

Charles Garnett, a project manager on the railgun experiment, told the Post that the gun gets its power the same way a pocket camera builds up energy to operate its flash, but on a much larger scale.

Also, the projectile does not carry a warhead and therefore does not explode on impact, which will allow Navy ships to carry far less explosive material on board and cut down on the possibility of accidental blow ups.

Instead, the slug obliterates whatever it hits by sheer force of impact, hence the Navy’s Latin motto for the project, “velocitas eradico.” Translation: Speed destroys.

The Navy also said that the railgun will allow warships to attack enemies from safe distances and could be used as a defense against enemy cruise missiles.

On Friday, the schoolbus-sized gun took about 5 minutes to power up before an explosion inside the barrel flung the slug about 5,500 feet through the wooded test range.

A bright column of fire trailed the bullet as it left the gun, and it caused a small sonic boom during flight before tumbling into the woods.

“It’s exhilarating,” Elizabeth D’Andrea, the railgun project’s strategic director, told the Post.

Navy officials said the gun isn’t going to be ready for battle any time soon.

Rear Adm. Nevin P. Carr Jr., chief of Naval Research, told the Post he would like to see the railgun demonstrated at sea by 2018 and deployed on ships in the early 2020s.

By 2025, the Navy wants to be able to fire the gun at 64 megajoules, making it capable of sending a bullet 200 miles in six minutes, scientists said.

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