Help The Middle ClassNews and Information For The Heart Of America
49 Million Americans Go Hungry Each Day According to USDA (Yahoo! News)
More than one in seven American households struggled to put enough food on the table in 2008, the highest rate since the Agriculture Department began tracking food security levels in 1995.
That’s about 49 million people, or 14.6 percent of U.S. households. The numbers are a significant increase from 2007, when 11.1 percent of U.S. households [...]
Gov’t Report: Medicare Paid $47 Billion In Suspect Claims (Yahoo! News)
The government paid more than $47 billion in questionable Medicare claims including medical treatment showing little relation to a patient’s condition, wasting taxpayer dollars at a rate nearly three times the previous year.
Excerpts of a new federal report, obtained by The Associated Press, show a dramatic increase in improper payments in the $440 billion Medicare [...]
The New Art of Alimony (Wall Street Journal)
Paul and Theresa Taylor were married for 17 years. He was an engineer for Boston’s public-works department, while she worked in accounting at a publishing company. They had three children, a weekend cottage on the bay and a house in the suburbs, on a leafy street called Cranberry Lane. In 1982, when they got divorced, [...]
Scott Rasmussen & Douglas E. Schoen Opinion: Independent Voters Quiting Team Obama
The announcement a week ago of 10.2% unemployment is a significant political event for President Barack Obama. It could well usher in a particularly serious crisis for his political standing, influence and ability to advance his agenda.
Double-digit unemployment drove Ronald Reagan’s disapproval ratings in October 1982 up to a record high 54%. It was only [...]
Obama in Singapore to strengthen Southeast Asia ties — latimes.com
The president, who spent part of his childhood in Indonesia, will meet with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations along with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev.
resident Obama arrived in Singapore today to meet with leaders of Southeast Asia, as he seeks to reach out to a region that many feel has been neglected by [...]
SWINE FLU UPDATE: My Ordeal With Swine Flu (U.S. News & World Report)
Like most people, I've been following the news about the H1N1 swine flu with some concern. Unlike most people, however, I've spent years interviewing doctors.
via My 10-Day Ordeal With the Swine Flu – US News and World Report.
5 Cars You Should Not Purchase (Yahoo!)
When it comes to the auto industry, Detroit hasn’t exactly been synonymous with the word “reliability” in decades. But a strong sign of a return to form has appeared.
In Consumer Reports’ just-released 2009 Annual Car Reliability Survey, Ford was the only domestic automaker with ratings on par with those of other global automakers. Ninety percent [...]
Federal Housing Administration Almost Broke – Clamps Down On Loans (New York Times)
The Federal Housing Administration, the government agency whose loan-insurance programs have become a crucial source of support for the housing market, said on Thursday that its cash reserves had dwindled significantly in the last year as more borrowers defaulted on their mortgages.
The agency released an audit that spelled out the rapid deterioration of its finances. [...]
America Is Smoking! Cigarette Smoking Rises – 1st Time In 15 Years (USA TODAY)
Cigarette smoking rose slightly for the first time in almost 15 years, dashing health officials’ hopes that the U.S. smoking rate had moved permanently below 20%.
A little under 21% of Americans were current cigarette smokers, according to a 2008 national survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s up slightly from the [...]
Dylan Ratigan Opinion: Veterans: Lip Service, Bankers: Billions & America: Foreclosures – Here’s The Fix (Huffington Post)
One thing about doing a two hour show that heavily covers both the financial crisis and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is that you notice on a daily basis the shocking juxtaposition between the lucky Wall Streeters and the unlucky soldiers.
We all know at this point that our banking system is being used as [...]
