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| by Jerry Holbert, August 24, 2012 |
3 Reasons To Buy This $7 Stock With A 10.5% Yield
by 'Hawkinvest,'
seekingalpha.com
August 20, 2012
Investors have been focusing on dividend stocks for at least a couple of years now. The Federal Reserve has pushed interest rates down to record lows, and that has led to a boom in large-cap stocks. For example, General Electric Company (GE) has long been considered a blue-chip stock and it is known for having a long history of paying dividends. This has put it at the top of the list for many investors and that has taken the stock up from a 52-week low of $14.02, to its current $21 per share. Because of the higher stock price, the shares now only yield about 3.2%. While that is decent, it is far from exciting and it could lead to diminished returns, going forward. That is why it could pay for investors to look at lesser known, but still solid [....]
http://seekingalpha.com/article/816471-3-reasons-to-buy-this-7-stock-with-a-10-5-yield?source=email_investing_income&ifp=0
47% Fear Health Care Law More Than Ryan’s Medicare Reform Plan
50% Now View Paul Ryan Favorably; 43% Say He Was Right Choice
Better Qualified To Serve As President? 42% Say Ryan, 40% Biden
45% Say Medicare is a Good Deal for Working Americans
52% Call for Repeal of Health Care Law
by Scott Rasmussen,
rasmussenreports.com
August 22, 2012
Democrats hope to make inroads in the senior vote by raising concerns about Mitt Romney running mate Paul Ryan’s Medicare reform proposal, but most seniors are more fearful of [....]
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/social_security_medicare/47_fear_health_care_law_more_than_ryan_s_medicare_reform_plan
Domestic Terrorism: A Persistent Threat in the United States
by Scott Stewart,
STRATfor.com
August 23, 2012
A string of incidents over the past month has served as a reminder that despite the intense, decadelong focus on the jihadist threat, domestic terrorism is still an issue in the United States. On Aug. 5, Wade Page opened fire on the congregation of a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wis., killing six and wounding three others. Though Page killed himself and did not leave any evidence explicitly listing his motives for the attack, his long association with the white supremacist movement was clearly a factor in his target choice.
On Aug. 15, Floyd Corkins [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/domestic-terrorism-persistent-threat-united-states?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120823&utm_term=sweekly&utm_content=readmore&elq=8ae6aab1c6e44aa890ea383f387cd5e5
Mexico's Strategy
by George Friedman,
STRATfor.com
August 21, 2012
A few years ago, I wrote about Mexico possibly becoming a failed state because of the effect of the cartels on the country. Mexico may have come close to that, but it stabilized itself and took a different course instead -- one of impressive economic growth in the face of instability.
Mexican Economics
Discussion of national strategy normally begins with the question of national security. But a discussion of Mexico's strategy must begin with economics. This is because Mexico's neighbor is the United States, whose military power in North America denies Mexico military options that other nations might have. But proximity to the United States does not deny Mexico economic options. Indeed, while the United States overwhelms Mexico from a [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/mexicos-strategy?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120821&utm_term=gweekly&utm_content=readmore&elq=447508d82299461fb41b2269bf5adc65
Bringing Medicaid into the Debate
by The Heritage Foundation,
heritage.org
August 21, 2012
Medicare is an emotionally charged program because it provides health insurance coverage for the elderly. But Medicaid covers America's poor and disabled—and no one wants to see them harmed, either. However, like Medicare, Medicaid is also in desperate need of reform if it is to continue serving the people it was designed to serve. Nearly one-third of America's doctors are already opting out of treating Medicaid patients—because their costs often outweigh what the program pays for care.
States—which already have budget crises of their own—share the cost of Medicaid with the federal government. They can't afford to simply add more people to Medicaid, which is one of Obamacare's main ways to insure more people. (The Supreme Court's Obamacare decision gave states some breathing room when it ruled that Obamacare's Medicaid expansion must be optional for states.) The program already covers 62.5 million people—about 20 percent of America's population—and federal spending on Medicaid has no limit. That's right—there are no limits on federal spending for Medicaid. But there are limits on American taxpayers' wallets.
Simply adding people to Medicaid should not be the goal. Instead, like other welfare reforms, the goal should be helping people while they're down—and helping them get back up. For those who are [....]
http://links.heritage.org/hostedemail/email.htm?CID=12904820086&ch=444382DDDFA4DA172E97C891EAE6635B&h=79e840947b1c6d59ba19db08ce1ce619&ei=sUwgcjkNN
Obama Edits Official State Department Documents to Tout Himself
from The Morning Bell,
heritage.org
August 17, 2012
Inserting himself into the biographies of past presidents on the White House website apparently wasn't enough for President Obama. His State Department is now editing its descriptions of foreign countries into yet another taxpayer-subsidized campaign commercial for the Obama Administration.
The State Department has recently ended its long-running series of Background Notes, which were analytical, objective histories of other countries. In their place, new "Fact Sheets" now tout Obama's policies and actions toward each nation. No more historical context, no recounting of complex and long-standing issues in the country. Just cut [....]
http://links.heritage.org/hostedemail/email.htm?CID=12876312485&ch=76B547D1B8B2CBDE62FAA130CCA741FC&h=39eb53f55dd23e375bb5fdbfe4fa8e09&ei=WuHJZg8Nh
Obama Outsourcing jobs – to China
by Bob Beauprez,
townhall.com
August 21, 2012
We appreciate all the attention to our post last week, Outsourcing Hypocrisy. Barack Obama likes to point to General Motors as the poster child for the job creation success of his economic policies. However, whatever your sentiments about the government's bailout of General Motors, for every job Barack Obama "saved-or-created" in the U.S. there were two jobs off shore.
The examples of the Obama Administration "stimulating" jobs everywhere on the planet except here in America are endless. An astute reader reminded us of one of the most glaring examples – hiring Chinese companies and Chinese workers to build roads and bridges all across America. It's a story [....]
http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/bobbeauprez/2012/08/21/obama_outsourcing_jobs__to_china
Obama’s Intimidation Tactics
Staff Report,
exposeobama.com
August 17, 2012 Barack Obama lives in an alternate reality. An example is his declaration to Entertainment Tonight this week,when he said without smirk or hesitation:“And I don’t think you or anybody who’s been watching the campaign would say that in any way we have tried to divide the country. We’ve always tried to bring the country together.”
Let’s put his words to a reality check.
In October 2010,Obama met with Eddie Sotelo of the Spanish radio giant,Univision. He spoke on a number of issues of importance to Hispanics and then added:“We’re gonna punish our enemies and we’re gonna reward our friends who stand with us on issues that are important to us.” This is,to any doubters,a direct quote. Google it! It’s not taken out of context;it’s not a slash-and-paste job;it’s not a hoax or urban legend…sadly. When Obama made these remarks,he was speaking directly to Hispanic voters about the course they should take together with him in the upcoming election.
Belligerent words and intimidation tactics started almost the day he took office.
Early in his first term,Obama put out a call to the youth of America and told them he needed their help. He needed them to be strong and loyal and “turn in” anybody who wasn’t shouting “yes we can” to a “fundamentally changed America.” The president’s team went all in on the initiative. A website was launched. Social media leaders were mobilized. Young and old people were “authorized” to listen in on conversations with family members,friends at coffeehouses,and strangers on the subway. And if anything “suspect” was overheard,these newly deputized enforcement officers were to send an email to flag@whitehouse.gov and rest easy again knowing the White House would take appropriate action.
In 1930s Germany,this role was carried out by [....]
http://www.exposeobama.com/2012/08/17/obamas-intimidation-tactics/
Outrageous: Obama Eligibility Skeptics Censored
Staff Report,
exposeobama.com
August 17, 2012
On Sunday,August 12th,OETA (Oklahoma’s public television channel) aired Senator Tom Coburn’s Town Hall meeting held August 7,2012,in the auditorium of Rogers State University in Claremore. Completely missing from the video were a series of exchanges between Sen. Coburn and TEA Party leaders there to refute,in person,misinformation they received in letters from the senator. Miki Booth,originally from Hawai’i and founder of Route 66 Tea Party in Miami,OK;Jimmie Kreizenbeck,OKWest TEA Party organizer;and other TEA Party supporters arrived early and took their places in the front row of the auditorium to increase their chances of being called on. Their main goal was to ask the senator to look at the evidence of forgery and fraud compiled by Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his Cold Case Posse,led by Detective Mike Zullo,regarding Obama’s alleged birth record on the White House.gov website. Sheriff Arpaio believes a congressional investigation is warranted. [In a one-hour press conference on March 1,2012,Sheriff Arpaio and Det. Zullo announced they found probable cause that both Obama’s birth certificate released to the public on April 27,2011 and his selective service application card were manufactured forgeries. This stunning revelation was mostly ignored by the media. Reporters attending the press conference attacked the messengers by questioning the Maricopa County officials’ motives and [....]
http://www.exposeobama.com/2012/08/18/outrageous-obama-eligibility-skeptics-censored/
Seriously: Liberals Are Cheap with Charity
by John Ransom,
townhall.com
August 21, 2012 A new study produced by the Chronicle of Philanthropy shows that 14 out of the top 20 states in charitable giving are red, or Republican states, while 12 of the bottom 15 are blue, or Democrat states.
“The nation's sharp political divide can provide a clue to fundraisers,” writes the Chronicle. “The eight states that ranked highest in The Chronicle's analysis voted for John McCain in the last presidential contest while the seven lowest-ranking states supported Barack Obama.” The study also found that the more religious states- which also happen to be more Republican- tend to give more than the less religious states.
But wait.
No, no, no: This can’t mean what we think it means. It can’t mean that liberals are just cheaper than conservatives, despite outward appearances.
Let’s disregard what the data tells us, and go to that bastion of deconstructing EVERYTHING, white, liberal academia- with just a hint of Native American to satisfy a quota- so they can tell us what the study REALLY means. So to make that point – in other words to make the point that [....]
http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/johnransom/2012/08/21/no_duh_study_liberals_are_cheap_with_charity/page/full/
Targeting Tribal Leaders: A New Militant Tactic in Sinai
by Ashley Lindsey,
STRATfor.com
August 16, 2012
Militants killed Egyptian tribal leader Khalaf al-Menahy and his son Aug. 13 as the two were returning from a conference in east Sinai organized and attended by tribal leaders to denounce militancy, according to Sinai security forces. The senior al-Menahy was a prominent proponent of bolstering the Sinai Peninsula's representation in Egypt's parliament and of improving security in the region. He also was a prominent sheikh in the Sawarka tribe, said to be the largest in Sinai. Following his burial Aug. 13, the tribe vowed to seek vengeance.
This is the first reported case of [....]
http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/targeting-tribal-leaders-new-militant-tactic-sinai?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20120816&utm_term=sweekly&utm_content=readmore&elq=b288dde85c424c82b6ee07f82ad1caad
What Is the Pizza Tax and What Does It Have to Do with Obamacare?
by The Heritage Foundation,
askheritage.org
undated Papa John’s Pizza founder John Schnatter spurred new outrage over Obamacare when he said recently that the law will hike pizza prices. But his business isn’t the only one that will have to pass its new costs on to consumers—or cut back, which will mean even fewer jobs. At least 60 percent of firms are estimating Obamacare will raise their health care costs, according to a new study released Wednesday by Mercer, a human resources consulting firm. One-third of those expect a cost increase of 5 percent or more. The study reports:
The employers that will be hit hardest are those with large part-time populations—employers in retail and hospitality services. Nearly half of these employers (46%) expect PPACA will push up cost by at least 3% in 2014—and another third don’t yet know what the impact will be.
A full third of the businesses can’t even estimate Obamacare’s impact yet—because so many of the law’s rules have yet to be written by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). And a number of its main provisions don’t [....]
http://www.askheritage.org/what-is-the-pizza-tax-and-what-does-it-have-to-do-with-obamacare/?utm_source=AH_Weekly&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=2012-08-17&utm_campaign=2012_Brand
Government Will Take Almost Half Your Paycheck in 2013
by Patrick Tyrrell,
heritage.org
August 13, 2012
How high is the marginal tax rate on each additional dollar the average American earns? In other words, if you got a raise of one dollar, how much of that dollar would be taxed away? These rates are already high, and they’re getting higher next year. A middle-class taxpayer’s income is subject to a 25 percent federal income tax. Then there is the federal Social Security and Medicare payroll tax of 13.3 percent in 2012—5.65 percent of that is removed from the employee’s paycheck, and the remaining 7.65 percent is paid by the employer. (In reality, the employee pays the entire 13.3 percent, because the employer’s portion of the tax does not affect the cost of labor: The employer would pay the employee 7.65 percent more if there were no employer’s portion of the payroll tax.)
So the 25 percent federal income tax plus 13.3 Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes equals 38.3 percent going to federal taxes in 2012. And then there are state taxes. According to the Tax Foundation, the average state’s income tax rate for the middle-class taxpayer is 4.82 percent, which brings the total to 43.12 percent in federal and state taxes. And it’s going higher, thanks to the nearly $500 billion in tax increases for 2013 that some have called Taxmageddon. In January of next year, the federal income tax rate for middle-class taxpayers is scheduled to rise from 25 percent to 28 percent, and the payroll tax is scheduled to rise from 13.3 percent to 15.3 percent. This drives the marginal tax rate based on the aforementioned three taxes to 48.12 percent. Add in state and local property, corporate, excise, and other state and local taxes, and the percentage of each additional dollar that is taxed hovers around 50 percent.
When half [....]
http://blog.heritage.org/2012/08/13/government-will-take-almost-half-your-paycheck-in-2013/?utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=BudgetSense
Parts 2 and 3 to follow....
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