http://pound-it.org Taking the Federal Budget Back Into Our Own Hands Tue, 23 Feb 2010 03:17:59 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I haven't been writing any new posts here in a while because Pound-It is going through some restructuring and I've been rather busy as well.  However, this one subject is too ridiculous not to write about.  I'm talking about the $218 milllion in bonuses AIG paid out.  Now, what's outrageous ... http://pound-it.org/?p=348 With all the misleading comparisons and inflated numbers in the press these days, what's another few hundred million dollars? Internet and television news outlets, from MSNBC and Fox to the Daily Mail and The Guardian in Britain, have been criticizing Obama for having a $150 million inauguration and comparing it ... http://pound-it.org/?p=327 The American porn industry wants you to give it a $5 billion bailout. A few days ago, Hustler publisher Larry Flynt and Girls Gone Wild CEO Joe Francis said that they were going to ask Congress to "rejuvenate the sexual appetite of America" by supporting the porn industry even though ... http://pound-it.org/?p=321 Future of American Politics http://pound-it.org/?p=222 http://pound-it.org/?p=220 Increasing competition among insurance companies is actually one of the best parts of Obama’s plan. There are a few health insurance companies today that are dominating the market and this is one of the important reasons for rising health costs. To prevent this uncontrolled health insurance market, Obama and Biden ... http://pound-it.org/?p=215 If other countries are experiencing increasing costs in order to sustain hospitals and the health care system, then how much better could the United States do? Although the United States is the wealthiest nation in the world, it is undergoing a $10 trillion debt and it doesn’t even have universal ... http://pound-it.org/?p=213 Paying for those medical bills may now become easier! President-elect Obama has some proposals for health care reform that may provide for a large majority of the currently uninsured Americans. However, in light of the recent financial crisis, effective health care reform seems impossible. With that in mind, is universal ... http://pound-it.org/?p=211 The graying of America is also a key factor in rising health costs. Not only are more people qualifying for Medicare and Medicaid, but also more people are living longer. Thus, the growing size of the population is increasingly increasing the federal deficit: The government is spending more to cover ... http://pound-it.org/?p=209 Millions of Americans are going bankrupt and suffering from illness and injury because of rising health costs. Many insured Americans are now joining the masses of the uninsured because of rising health costs. My friend’s parents never see a doctor for health-related issues because of rising health costs. Why are ... http://pound-it.org/?p=207 I’m a major capitalist. I support free trade and competition. I don’t like the idea of the government in businesses. If someone’s got a cheaper, more effective product than you, it’s your responsibility to play ball. You don’t whine and complain to your governmental mommy that the other kids aren’t ... http://pound-it.org/?p=204 For the past seven weeks, I’ve been writing about outrageous budget related issues in our government. I’ve written about wasteful senators spending millions on projects that have little benefit, Bush’s addition to the national debt, Obama’s unrealistic reform promises, the Department of Defense’s amazing ability to misplace fighter jets, and ... http://pound-it.org/?p=181 Congratulations Mr. Obama, you have just inherited $10 trillion of debt and another $50 trillion in unfunded liabilities. Now what? While Americans have long ignored the problems that will arise from an enormous federal debt, namely the insufficient funds for entitlement programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, we will ... http://pound-it.org/?p=179 The coordinated care network of medical homes (CCNS) is essentially a model of care that enables a patient to get all of his or her treatments in a single location. Therefore, if patients choose this option, CCNS requires that they have a medical home within the coordinated system. Under this ... http://pound-it.org/?p=171 Currently, Americans have a health care system that just isn’t working and more people are becoming uninsured or are going bankrupt because they lack the money to pay for these things. For the past several years, the issue of health care has steadily worsened. The Democrats seem to have interesting ... http://pound-it.org/?p=165 In life, you have to learn to prioritize.  Right now, the world is in an economic crisis.  Banks are in trouble, industries are in trouble, and experts are predicting the biggest rise in unemployment since WWII.  In this turmoil, President-elect Obama has announced his intent to pass a stimulus plan ... http://pound-it.org/?p=161 Sometimes, I lose a dollar bill or some change to the black hole that is my couch.  It's annoying but it's not that big of a deal.  Sometimes the Department of Defense misplaces fifty-six fighter jets and thirty-six missile launchers. That's a slightly bigger deal, not to mention the fact ... http://pound-it.org/?p=157 Government programs like Social Security and Medicare that benefit the older generations are going to bankrupt our nation in the near future.  The baby boomers are retiring and there are fewer middle age workers to pay for the nation's medical bills and Social Security checks. While you as current retired ... http://pound-it.org/?p=154 Health insurance. It’s something that everybody needs, yet seems to be without. As a child, I always understood health insurance to be something that I needed to be able to see the doctor. Unfortunately, many people, because they don’t have coverage, can’t see a doctor as often as they would ... http://pound-it.org/?p=152 Senator Obama won the presidential election campaigning under the slogans of "Change," and "Yes, we can," but solving real problems is harder than getting a crowd to chant a few words.  Can Obama's policies stop the impending national debt crisis?  Let's take a look at how our next president plans ... http://pound-it.org/?p=144 Video Produced by John O'Malley and William Son http://pound-it.org/?p=139 This leads us back to our domestic issues which have spurred us to sell more and more of our mounting debt in order to continue to finance our expensive programs. In order to finance these programs independently, we would need to pay exorbitant taxes, nearly fifty percent of our paychecks, ... http://pound-it.org/?p=270 So you’ve been working for over twenty-five years. You’ve watched government expand, spending increase, borrowing from foreign investors reach discomforting levels, and have, perhaps, believed for quite some time that your payroll and income taxes have been sufficient for caring for you and for covering the many public services that ... http://pound-it.org/?p=137 I was reading a bit about Social Security and I came across this quote from a Supreme Court case (Steward Machine Company v. Davis: 1937) that affirmed the act: "[It] is too late today for the argument to be heard with tolerance that in a crisis so extreme the use of the moneys ... http://pound-it.org/?p=131 Let’s take the first of the Big 3, Social Security. When your parents retire, they can choose to receive Social Security checks, beginning at age 62. Currently, they are paying for their parents, and later we will pay for them. But America as a whole is aging. By 2047 around ... http://pound-it.org/?p=279 Our generation entered this world at an extremely exciting time, when progress and change are not only possible, but happening. But unfortunately this progress might come to a screeching halt. We currently have a debt of over $10 trillion and growing. And we are going to bear the brunt of ... http://pound-it.org/?p=127 President Bush isn't officially out of office until January 20th next year, but with the presidential election happening tomorrow, it seemed appropriate and interesting to look at Bush's national debt legacy.  The day he took office, the national debt was at $5.727 trillion, but the government had a $230 billion ... http://pound-it.org/?p=117 Video Produced by John O'Malley and William Son http://pound-it.org/?p=83 This article was featured on Philly.com and in the Northeast Times. Does $700 billion sound like a lot of money to you? How about $9 trillion, which is the current sum of America’s national debt?  With the recent collapse of major Wall Street institutions and a $700 billion bailout, it is ... http://pound-it.org/?p=81 Not exactly. But it is important to understand that not everything we write about here is accepted by everyone.  Some things no one can really dispute, such as the fact that our national debt is currently above $10 trillion, the fact that the age you can first start receiving benefits ... http://pound-it.org/?p=77 What would you do with $320 million?  Would you use it to build a bridge to an island with a population of 50?  Well some government officials would.  The "Bridge to Nowhere" has been one of the more infamous pork barrel projects recently, due to the upcoming presidential election, but ... http://pound-it.org/?p=28 No, this is not some sort of practical joke.  It's how much every one of us owes for the future national debt.  Right now, our debt is a little over $10 trillion dollars.  It's quite the hefty sum, but that's nothing compared to what's about to hit us.  As the ... http://pound-it.org/?p=9