Washington, D.C. - August 3, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3180, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018:
“New and evolving threats around the world present grave challenges to the international community and require sophisticated abilities to combat. This legislation helps ensure America’s intelligence agencies have the resources and authorization needed to carry out their sensitive, strategically critical work that advances our nation’s goals and keeps our country safe.
“I’m glad that the bill includes language I submitted that requires the Intelligence Community to brief Congress on our intelligence capabilities in the South China Sea. Ongoing territorial disputes in the sea threaten the principles of a rules-based order and the security of the United States and our allies. The more Congress knows about conditions in the region, the better policymakers will be able to support intelligence priorities there.”
The Unpopular Truth
Thursday, August 3, 2017
U.S. Rep. Castor Introduces Legislation to Tackle America's Rising Student Debt
Washington, D.C. - August 3, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL14) filed the Student Loan Relief Act (H.R. 3390) to tackle America’s rising student debt, give working families a more affordable path for college and spur economic activity. U.S. Rep. Castor is offering the bill as the U.S. House version of the legislation filed by U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.
The Student Loan Relief Act will lower the cap on federal student loan interest to 4 percent for undergraduate students, 5 percent for graduate students and 6 percent for parents. It would change the way student loan interest rates are calculated, allow borrowers with loans disbursed before the effective date to refinance their loans at the new rates and eliminate loan origination fees. U.S. Sen. Nelson unveiled the Senate version earlier this month.
“A college or graduate degree is an important pathway to higher wages, better jobs and a better future, but can be very expensive for working families,” U.S. Rep. Castor said. “Today’s students are facing more debt than ever before and even though unemployment is down, higher wages lag. Student loan debt is growing at faster rates than all other household debt, including 42.3 million borrowers topping $1.3 trillion in federal student loan debt. College graduates in Florida face an average of $25,000 in debt when they graduate.
“Student loans have a chokehold on families legitimately trying to move forward and help their children have a better life than their parents and attain the American Dream. The crushing burden of student loan debt also hurts our economy because such debt forces young Americans to delay major life investments. Instead of buying a home, starting a business or saving for retirement, these educated and talented graduates are being forced to start their lives in the red. A recent survey found that 71 percent of student loan borrowers stated that their crushing debt has delayed their home ownership, prohibiting them from saving for down payments or making them feel too financially insecure to buy a home. Constraining young adults from investing in their future deprives our community and economy of the benefits of their hard work and ingenuity.”
The Democratic-led Congress from 2007-2010 took meaningful steps to help college students, including passing the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which boosted the maximum amount for Pell Grants and created an income-based repayment program. But with states, like Florida, contributing less money for public education and tuition prices increasing much faster than the rate of inflation, students are borrowing more to pay for college. While the Republican-controlled Congress has done little to make this a priority and has not brought any major legislation to the floor for a vote to help students and graduates – such as reducing interest rates or restructuring loan repayment plans – U.S. Rep. Castor has filed or cosponsored numerous bills over the past several years to address student loan debt and has been joined by Tampa Bay’s student leaders to bring attention to this important issue.
“U.S. Sen. Nelson and I are fighting to give students and their families a better deal. Student loan debt is holding back today’s students and young people and their hopes for career success and good-paying jobs. For our country and all of us to prosper we must ensure that higher education is not just a luxury for the few, but an opportunity for all,” said U.S. Rep. Castor. “As students begin preparing for school this fall, we should work to ensure pathways to an affordable education for them. This will spur job growth, strengthen our economy and guarantee a bright and boundless future for our country.”
The Student Loan Relief Act will lower the cap on federal student loan interest to 4 percent for undergraduate students, 5 percent for graduate students and 6 percent for parents. It would change the way student loan interest rates are calculated, allow borrowers with loans disbursed before the effective date to refinance their loans at the new rates and eliminate loan origination fees. U.S. Sen. Nelson unveiled the Senate version earlier this month.
“A college or graduate degree is an important pathway to higher wages, better jobs and a better future, but can be very expensive for working families,” U.S. Rep. Castor said. “Today’s students are facing more debt than ever before and even though unemployment is down, higher wages lag. Student loan debt is growing at faster rates than all other household debt, including 42.3 million borrowers topping $1.3 trillion in federal student loan debt. College graduates in Florida face an average of $25,000 in debt when they graduate.
“Student loans have a chokehold on families legitimately trying to move forward and help their children have a better life than their parents and attain the American Dream. The crushing burden of student loan debt also hurts our economy because such debt forces young Americans to delay major life investments. Instead of buying a home, starting a business or saving for retirement, these educated and talented graduates are being forced to start their lives in the red. A recent survey found that 71 percent of student loan borrowers stated that their crushing debt has delayed their home ownership, prohibiting them from saving for down payments or making them feel too financially insecure to buy a home. Constraining young adults from investing in their future deprives our community and economy of the benefits of their hard work and ingenuity.”
The Democratic-led Congress from 2007-2010 took meaningful steps to help college students, including passing the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which boosted the maximum amount for Pell Grants and created an income-based repayment program. But with states, like Florida, contributing less money for public education and tuition prices increasing much faster than the rate of inflation, students are borrowing more to pay for college. While the Republican-controlled Congress has done little to make this a priority and has not brought any major legislation to the floor for a vote to help students and graduates – such as reducing interest rates or restructuring loan repayment plans – U.S. Rep. Castor has filed or cosponsored numerous bills over the past several years to address student loan debt and has been joined by Tampa Bay’s student leaders to bring attention to this important issue.
“U.S. Sen. Nelson and I are fighting to give students and their families a better deal. Student loan debt is holding back today’s students and young people and their hopes for career success and good-paying jobs. For our country and all of us to prosper we must ensure that higher education is not just a luxury for the few, but an opportunity for all,” said U.S. Rep. Castor. “As students begin preparing for school this fall, we should work to ensure pathways to an affordable education for them. This will spur job growth, strengthen our economy and guarantee a bright and boundless future for our country.”
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
The RAISE Act Will Cut Legal Immigration In Half—Here’s Why That’s Good
National Economics Editorial
According to reports from the Daily Caller, Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas and David Perdue of Georgia are working with the White House administration to create a bill (the RAISE Act) that would fundamentally transform, and possibly fix, America’s broken legal immigration system.
The RAISE Act would not only stop the practice of chain-migration, but it would also cut the number of immigrants in half over the next decade. Should the Act eventually get passed, it would be the biggest change to America’s immigration system since the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, which opened up the US borders to mass migration from the developing world.
Although many Americans believe that we need to curb illegal immigration into the country, the question of legal immigration is more tricky. In fact, many people think legal immigration is not only harmless, but that it’s an integral to America’s survival—many can’t imagine an America without mass-migration.
You’ve heard the mantra: “America is a nation of immigrants”. This is taken as gospel. To disagree is sinful.
But here’s the deal: we’re all sinners. We shouldn’t be afraid to talk about immigration reform, whether legal or illegal. So, very briefly, I’m going to explain why the RAISE Act hits the nail on the head, why America needs to reform its legal immigration system.
According to reports from the Daily Caller, Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas and David Perdue of Georgia are working with the White House administration to create a bill (the RAISE Act) that would fundamentally transform, and possibly fix, America’s broken legal immigration system.
The RAISE Act would not only stop the practice of chain-migration, but it would also cut the number of immigrants in half over the next decade. Should the Act eventually get passed, it would be the biggest change to America’s immigration system since the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, which opened up the US borders to mass migration from the developing world.
Although many Americans believe that we need to curb illegal immigration into the country, the question of legal immigration is more tricky. In fact, many people think legal immigration is not only harmless, but that it’s an integral to America’s survival—many can’t imagine an America without mass-migration.
You’ve heard the mantra: “America is a nation of immigrants”. This is taken as gospel. To disagree is sinful.
But here’s the deal: we’re all sinners. We shouldn’t be afraid to talk about immigration reform, whether legal or illegal. So, very briefly, I’m going to explain why the RAISE Act hits the nail on the head, why America needs to reform its legal immigration system.
Read more...
Idaho Democrats won't challenge new request for voter data
Boise:Idaho Statesman
Officials with the Idaho Democratic Party say a recent federal court ruling has limited their legal options to fight a second request from President Donald Trump commission investigating possible voter fraud.
Idaho Democratic Party Chairman Bert Marley said Tuesday that the best recourse is for Idaho citizens to ask Secretary of State Lawerence Denney to deny the request.
Officials with the Idaho Democratic Party say a recent federal court ruling has limited their legal options to fight a second request from President Donald Trump commission investigating possible voter fraud.
Idaho Democratic Party Chairman Bert Marley said Tuesday that the best recourse is for Idaho citizens to ask Secretary of State Lawerence Denney to deny the request.
Read more...
German court rules against 'Spaghetti Monster church'
Brunswick:News
A German court has ruled that local authorities are entitled to prevent a group calling itself the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster from advertising its "noodle Masses" at the entrance to an eastern town.
It's standard practice in Germany for small signs at the entrance to towns to announce there's a Lutheran or Catholic church and detail when it holds services. The "Spaghetti Monster" group, an organization that criticizes religion as intolerant, wanted permission to do the same in Templin, northeast of Berlin.
A German court has ruled that local authorities are entitled to prevent a group calling itself the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster from advertising its "noodle Masses" at the entrance to an eastern town.
It's standard practice in Germany for small signs at the entrance to towns to announce there's a Lutheran or Catholic church and detail when it holds services. The "Spaghetti Monster" group, an organization that criticizes religion as intolerant, wanted permission to do the same in Templin, northeast of Berlin.
Read more...
Justice Dept. to use resources to sue universities over discrimination, document says
Bradenton:Herald
The document does not explicitly identify whom the Justice Department considers at risk of discrimination because of affirmative action admissions policies. But the phrasing it uses, “intentional race-based discrimination,” cuts to the heart of programs designed to bring more minorities to university campuses.
Supporters and critics of the project said it was clearly targeting admissions programs that can give members of generally disadvantaged groups, like black and Latino students, an edge over other applicants with comparable or higher test scores.
The document does not explicitly identify whom the Justice Department considers at risk of discrimination because of affirmative action admissions policies. But the phrasing it uses, “intentional race-based discrimination,” cuts to the heart of programs designed to bring more minorities to university campuses.
Supporters and critics of the project said it was clearly targeting admissions programs that can give members of generally disadvantaged groups, like black and Latino students, an edge over other applicants with comparable or higher test scores.
Read more...
Satanist controversy may lead to ban on all displays at Boca park
Boca Raton:News
hey say the devil has all the good music — but he might have one less venue for his dark arts this holiday season.
Boca Raton plans to discontinue a policy that allowed religious displays at Sanborn Square Park each December, including the 10-foot, 300-pound pentagram (a satanic symbol) that made waves in the community last year.
hey say the devil has all the good music — but he might have one less venue for his dark arts this holiday season.
Boca Raton plans to discontinue a policy that allowed religious displays at Sanborn Square Park each December, including the 10-foot, 300-pound pentagram (a satanic symbol) that made waves in the community last year.
Read more...
Whitman: Keep your mitts off my voting record (column)
Summit Daily
Folks in my small Western town are divided: die-hard right-wingers on one side and so-called progressives on the other. But both appear to support those "deregistering" from the list of eligible voters for fear of federal intervention in what is a state right.
I see the hard-right folks in Safeway carrying pistols. The progressives hang out in my favorite coffee shop with The New York Times. Both are likely influenced by the myths of the Old West, either consciously or unconsciously. And both are dropping off the voting rolls at an alarming rate; somewhere around 3,000 have deregistered in Colorado so far.
Folks in my small Western town are divided: die-hard right-wingers on one side and so-called progressives on the other. But both appear to support those "deregistering" from the list of eligible voters for fear of federal intervention in what is a state right.
I see the hard-right folks in Safeway carrying pistols. The progressives hang out in my favorite coffee shop with The New York Times. Both are likely influenced by the myths of the Old West, either consciously or unconsciously. And both are dropping off the voting rolls at an alarming rate; somewhere around 3,000 have deregistered in Colorado so far.
Read more...
Trouble Brewing in the Democratic Party
The National Patriot
This needs to go viral. This is a must read!
Debbie Wasserman Schultz is finished…or she should be
Last week, her IT officer, one Imran Awan, was arrested as he attempted to flee the United States for Pakistan, with a layover in Qatar…the very country that specializes in being the halfway house for former GITMO terrorist inmates as they reenter their natural workforce in various terrorist fields of endeavor.
Imran Awan had, just a few months ago, wired nearly $300,000 dollars to relatives in Pakistan, and his wife, Hina Alvi, a Congressional aide to New York Democrat Gregory Meeks, soon after that, fled the United States for Pakistan with more than $12,000 in cash stashed in her bag.
Trust me, it get plenty worse.
This needs to go viral. This is a must read!
Debbie Wasserman Schultz is finished…or she should be
Last week, her IT officer, one Imran Awan, was arrested as he attempted to flee the United States for Pakistan, with a layover in Qatar…the very country that specializes in being the halfway house for former GITMO terrorist inmates as they reenter their natural workforce in various terrorist fields of endeavor.
Imran Awan had, just a few months ago, wired nearly $300,000 dollars to relatives in Pakistan, and his wife, Hina Alvi, a Congressional aide to New York Democrat Gregory Meeks, soon after that, fled the United States for Pakistan with more than $12,000 in cash stashed in her bag.
Trust me, it get plenty worse.
Read more...
Man In Wheelchair Struck By Car, Gets Ticket For Not Crossing Road Fast Enough
5 News
A man in a wheelchair claims he was ticketed because he couldn't get across the road during the signal's allotted time and now he's fighting the citation, according to KDVR.
Kyle Wolfe said he was passing through 19th and Lawrence streets in downtown Denver. Wolfe said he started to cross the street when the signal indicated it was his turn to cross.
Wolfe said he couldn't make it through the intersection in the 20 seconds allotted at the light. He said he was 5 feet from the curb when an SUV struck him from behind.
A man in a wheelchair claims he was ticketed because he couldn't get across the road during the signal's allotted time and now he's fighting the citation, according to KDVR.
Kyle Wolfe said he was passing through 19th and Lawrence streets in downtown Denver. Wolfe said he started to cross the street when the signal indicated it was his turn to cross.
Wolfe said he couldn't make it through the intersection in the 20 seconds allotted at the light. He said he was 5 feet from the curb when an SUV struck him from behind.
Read more...
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