Conservative Lawmakers Say Current Welfare System Is ‘Anti-Family’

With a new Republican administration in tow, conservative lawmakers are renewing their call for welfare reform that incentivizes families rather than punishing them.

“When we look at what we want for our society, when we look at the key ingredients that have to be contained within any thriving civilization, there are a couple of common themes,” Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said at an anti-poverty welfare event in the District of Columbia. “One is a strong family structure, and another involves opportunities for work.”

The problem, Lee said, is the current safety net, “in many respects, discourages these things, or undermines these interests.”

“In some instances, it discourages marriage, the formation of a family to begin with,” he said.

Lee, along with several other conservative lawmakers in favor of welfare reform, was speaking at The Heritage Foundation’s 2016 Antipoverty Forum, where policy experts and community leaders came together to discuss how to help low-income Americans from both the state and federal levels.

Lee, joined on stage by Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Dave Brat, R-Va., addressed the Welfare Reform and Upward Mobility Act, which would make significant changes to the nation’s welfare system. With President-elect Donald Trump set to take control of the Oval Office next year, they hope to make this legislation a reality.

“Think about what we now have–don’t get married, don’t get a job, have more kids, and we’ll give you more money,” Jordan said, speaking at Thursday’s forum. “That’s pretty ridiculous, right? It’s anti-family–the key institution in our culture.”

The lawmakers cited the example of an unmarried couple with two children who receive assistance under the Earned Income Tax Credit, which is one of the government’s largest federal welfare cash assistance programs. If each individual were earning $20,000 out of wedlock, for example, they would lose about 10 percent of their benefits once they got married.

“I always tell folks: The first institution the good Lord put together wasn’t the church, wasn’t the state, it was moms and dads and kids,” Jordan said. “It was family. We have an anti-family welfare system, and we have an anti-work welfare [system]. The two values that helped make America the greatest country ever. Strong families, strong commitment to the work ethic. That’s what we have to incentivize.”

Attendees also addressed the importance of religious institutions in the fight against poverty, vowing to oppose efforts that they argue are discriminatory toward people of faith.

“We have got to resolve where we are as a nation, where we are on religious liberty,” said Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., the keynote speaker of the event.

The Obama administration, he said “has tried to isolate people of faith,” and “we have got to turn that back.”

Referencing faith-based adoption agencies that were forced to shut down for refusing to place children with same-sex couples, Lankford, added, “Why should the federal government care about their faith?”

The result, he added, is that “our country is becoming afraid of faith.”

While there are some legislative measures that he believes will fix the problem, the real difference, he said, comes from homes, churches, and communities.

“Our nonprofit entities are so much more efficient at taking care of poverty than our government,” he said. “Mentor a family. It will make a world of a difference.” (For more from the author of “Conservative Lawmakers Say Current Welfare System Is ‘Anti-Family'” please click HERE)

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Central America Should Not Worry About Trump’s Election

Recently, the governments of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras agreed as a bloc to seek support from Mexico in response to the election of President-elect Donald Trump.

This move comes in response to the president-elect’s comments during a “60 Minutes” interview, where he vowed to deport unlawful immigrants with criminal records back to their country of origin.

But such knee-jerk reactions are quite shortsighted.

Rather than viewing Trump’s election as a challenge, these countries should capitalize on this unique opportunity to set the region on a proper course. The new administration’s strong focus on immigration and U.S. national security could potentially benefit them long-term.

Located directly south of Mexico, the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras are caught in the crosshairs of a dire economic and security crisis.

For many years, Honduras and El Salvador have jostled for the top spot among nations with the highest homicide rates. Violent local and transnational gangs operate with virtual impunity. Drug trafficking runs rampant and has corrupted state institutions that are already fragile.

Guatemala’s 600-mile border with Mexico is a porous haven for drug and human trafficking. High-level corruption within the government, particularly the law enforcement and military, make it virtually impossible to begin addressing these problems.

On the American side, monetary aid to the region has been politicized under the Obama administration. Much like its foreign policy writ large, the administration’s strategy toward Central America has reflected the narrow interests of progressive constituents.

Rather than addressing these countries’ basic security and development challenges, the administration has focused on softer projects like gender issues and climate change.

All the while, security conditions in the region have continued to deteriorate while unlawful migration to the U.S. keeps surging. Mexicans no longer make up the majority of unlawful migrants—these now primarily come from the Northern Triangle countries.

And here again, the Obama administration’s misguided policies have aided the immigration surge.

Consider its response to Honduras’ constitutional crisis in 2009. Instead of supporting the democratic ambitions of a regional partner, the administration declared the lawful deposing of its president to be a “military coup” and responded by suspending critical aid.

Counternarcotic assistance was particularly hit hard, resulting in a further reduction of the country’s already insufficient capacity to combat drug trafficking. Shortly thereafter, a State Department study found that “87 percent of all cocaine smuggling flights departing South America first land in Honduras.”

In addition to America’s porous border and weak immigration laws, these destabilizing factors in Central America play a direct role in incentivizing unlawful migration to the U.S.

As evidenced by various indicators, like the continued flow of unlawful migrants and high homicide rates, the Obama administration’s foreign policy toward Central America has been ineffective.

The doomsday prophecies pushed by the media about the coming Trump administration are baseless. Instead of buying into the hype, the Northern Triangle countries should embrace an administration that is so keenly focused on restoring security to the region. (For more from the author of “Central America Should Not Worry About Trump’s Election” please click HERE)

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7 Things Sessions Can Do Immediately to Restore the Law of Justice

Talk about change we can believe in! Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. (C, 78%) as attorney general would be nothing short of a game changer for the rule of law, sovereignty, and our security.

There is no part of the federal government that is more vital to our system of government, yet more damaged by the Obama years, than the Department of Justice. Whether it’s immigration law, domestic crime, jailbreak, crushing the states with lawsuits, or religious liberty concerns, the Justice Department stands at the nexus of the most important issues of our time. If there was ever an agency that must be cleaned out from top to bottom, it’s the DOJ. And no man is better suited for that job than Senator Jeff Sessions. He will promote equal justice under the statutes passed by Congress. Moreover, he can serve as a watchdog to ensure that other areas of the federal government are following the letter of the laws passed by Congress.

While some systemic reforms will have to come from Congress, there are some immediate steps that Sessions can take on day one to implement triage on the rule of law.

1. Clamp down on voter fraud

There is nothing more critical to the rule of law and our democracy than having free and fair elections. Federal judges, acting on lawsuits promoted by Obama’s DOJ, have been misinterpreting statutes in order to prevent states from cleaning their rolls of dead, fraudulent, and non-citizen voters. We are seeing those consequences play out now in the North Carolina governor’s election. While some of the statutes need updating from Congress, Sessions can act on day one to clean up the mess, according to J. Christian Adams, President of the Public Interest Legal Foundation:

Sessions can begin to enforce federal election laws the Obama administration deliberately stopped enforcing. Motor Voter requires voter rolls to be free of foreigners, the dead and ineligible voters. Obama’s Civil Rights Division lawyers stopped enforcing that law because they disagree with the law. Sessions already understands the problems in the Civil Rights Division so I am overjoyed by his nomination.

2. Terminate all of Obama’s lawsuits and appeals

On the first day of his tenure, Sessions should call in all unit heads and have them suspend every onerous lawsuit against states who enforce immigration law, election integrity, or implement laws pushing back against the transgender agenda, such as North Carolina’s HB2. He should also suspend the racially-charged lawsuits against local police departments. Sessions must reverse the growing trend of federal involvement in local law enforcement that does not relate to federal law.

3. Allow states to enforce immigration law and punish sanctuary cities

As AG, Sessions can interpret the immigration statutes as properly written to allow states to help enforce immigration law. At the same time, they could cut off law enforcement grants (Byrne JAG, COPS, and SCAAP funds) to localities that designate themselves as sanctuary cities and refuse to cooperate with the Secure Communities program, which helps ICE identify illegal aliens housed in local jails and state prisons.

4. Defang the U.S. Sentencing Commission

While some on the Right disagree over the scope and jurisdiction of some federal criminal statutes, it is clear that this determination must be left in the hands of Congress. Sentencing for federal crimes should be determined by federal judges, as dictated by guidance pursuant to congressional statutes. Yet, in recent years, the unelected U.S. Sentencing Commission, housed within the Department of Justice, has essentially operated autonomously to commute the sentences of 46,000 criminals. As attorney general in charge of the personnel within the department, Sessions can prevent the Sentencing Commission from executing its massive jailbreak agenda beyond its statutory mandate.

5. Replace immigration judges

Why do we have so much amnesty even though the congressional statutes call for illegal aliens to be deported? The immigration judges within the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EIOR) have granted de facto amnesty by overturning deportations and letting criminal aliens roam free. The administrate judges within the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), which serves as the appellate body of EOIR, have the ability to overturn a deportation order from a lower administrative judge and can review all enforcement actions taken by ICE and the border patrol. As Ian Smith of the Immigration Reform Law Institute warned, many of these administrative judges were former lawyers for illegal immigrants or organizations funded by George Soros. Given that they all work for the DOJ, Jeff Sessions can clean out the agency of Soros-affiliated immigration judges so that the foxes are not guarding the hen house and countermanding the intent of immigration statutes.

6. Immediately seek deportation for all illegal re-entrants

Deportations have become encumbered in a myriad of civil proceedings. There is definitely a long-term need to tighten up some enforcement statutes. But one low-hanging piece of fruit is for the DOJ to immediately seek expedited deportation for those who have re-entered illegally for a second time. Illegal re-entry is automatically a criminal prosecution, not a civil case. Moreover, many of the re-entrants are criminal aliens and should be immediately deported anyway.

7. Properly interpret the Constitution to protect states from liberal judges

There are three separate branches of the federal government. The judiciary does not have a monopoly on interpreting the Constitution. Even John Marshall’s controversial concept of judicial review only meant that the Supreme Court also has the right to interpret the Constitution for its own purposes in the cases and controversies that come before it as a co-equal branch of government. But the notion that the other two branches can’t push back on precedent and make a good faith attempt to interpret the Constitution for their own functions, is an ignorant misnomer among the political elites. As I noted in my piece on judicial reform, Congress has many tools it can use to fight back against the judiciary. But the executive branch also has the right to use its own interpretation when exercising its proper scope of power. That prerogative rests with the attorney general, under the orders of the president.

Therefore, in cases where lower courts force states to infringe upon religious liberty rights of private business owners or force schools to place boys in female dressing rooms, Sessions can make it clear that his version of the Constitution mandates no such right on the states. Although he can’t overturn a particular case, he can make it clear that the executive branch will not send out the marshalls to enforce a flagrantly unconstitutional order of the court. This is exactly why the Founders vested the judiciary with no enforcement mechanism — because they are not the sole and final arbiter of the Constitution. It is then up to Congress to either push back, affirm support, or ignore such a determination by the attorney general.

Whether one agrees with Jeff Sessions on policy or not is irrelevant to his appointment as attorney general. The job of a president, most profoundly manifest through his attorney general, is to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed,” as stated in Art. II Sec. 3 of the Constitution. If liberals are upset about our statutes or our Constitution as adopted there are legitimate ways of changing them. As it stands now, they must be regarded as the supreme law of the land. Liberals will whine and moan about the politics of Jeff Sessions, but if they truly understood his commitment to the law, they’d seek to change the laws themselves — not the personnel faithfully executing them. (For more from the author of “7 Things Sessions Can Do Immediately to Restore the Law of Justice” please click HERE)

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Mike Pence Begins to ‘Drain the Swamp’ by Firing All Lobbyists From Transition Team

Vice President-elect Mike Pence has begun making good on President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to “drain the swamp” by reportedly removing lobbyists from their White House transition team.

According to a source who spoke with Fox News, Pence’s decision “makes good on [Trump’s] vision of how he wants his government constructed.”

It also appeases hardliner Democrats such as Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has demanded that Trump purge the transition team of anyone who has ties to Wall Street firms and other corporations.

“If you refuse, I will oppose you, every step of the way, for the next four years,” she reportedly wrote in a statement Tuesday. “I will champion the millions of Americans you will fail to protect. I will track your every move, and I will remind Americans, every day, of the actions you take that fail them.”

But by no means were lobbyists the only transition members to be ousted

After New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was replaced by Pence as the transition team’s leader last week, the litany of “lobbyists, former bureaucrats, academics and corporate lawyers” he had organized were also sent packing, as reported by Fox.

Not everyone was pleased with these decisions. Included among the naysayers was former GOP national security official Eliot Cohen, who took to Twitter Tuesday to blast Trump’s transition team as “angry, arrogant.”

What’s more, some of the officials who have been ousted from the team have begun claiming that it is suffering from severe infighting, according to Business Insider.

However, Trump himself has addressed these rumors, claiming on Twitter that they are false.

“Very organized process taking place as I decide on Cabinet and many other positions,” he wrote Tuesday evening. “I am the only one who knows who the finalists are!”

He later added another tweet aimed at The New York Times.

Trump’s team must hire approximately 4,000 political appointees before he steps into office in January. (For more from the author of “Mike Pence Begins to ‘Drain the Swamp’ by Firing All Lobbyists From Transition Team” please click HERE)

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Obama Blocks New Oil, Gas Drilling in Arctic Ocean

The Obama administration is blocking new oil and gas drilling in the Arctic Ocean, handing a victory to environmentalists who say industrial activity in the icy waters will harm whales, walruses and other wildlife and exacerbate global warming.

A five-year offshore drilling plan announced on Friday blocks planned sale of new oil and gas drilling rights in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas north of Alaska. The plan allows drilling to go forward in Alaska’s Cook Inlet southwest of Anchorage.

The blueprint for drilling from 2017 to 2022 can be rewritten by President-elect Donald Trump, in a process that could take months or years. (Read more from “Obama Blocks New Oil, Gas Drilling in Arctic Ocean” HERE)

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Clinton: ‘All I Wanted to Do Was Just to Curl up’ This Past Week

Hillary Clinton said Wednesday that in the week since her stunning loss in the presidential election, there have been times when she’s wanted to hole up at home and “never leave the house again.”

But she urged her supporters to stay engaged and fight for the values that propelled her campaign.

“I will admit, coming here tonight wasn’t the easiest thing for me,” she said to the audience at a gala for the Children’s Defense Fund. “There have been a few times this past week where all I wanted to do was just to curl up with a good book or our dogs and never leave the house again.”

But Clinton struck a positive note, saying that her presidential campaign was about the “country we love.”

“And about building an America that is hopeful, inclusive and big-hearted,” she said during the ceremony, where she was being honored for her child advocacy work. (Read more from “Clinton: ‘All I Wanted to Do Was Just to Curl up’ This Past Week” HERE)

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Trump Agrees to Pay $25 Million to Settle Trump University Lawsuit

President-elect Donald Trump has agreed to settle lawsuits against him regarding the now-defunct Trump University for $25 million.

The lawsuits were filed in California and New York.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman issued a statement Friday afternoon indicating that 6,000 former students will receive restitution for their tuition payments and the State of New York will receive up to $1 million in penalties.

The president-elect won’t admit to any wrongdoing under the agreement.

The deal eliminates a litigation headache for Trump two months before his inauguration.

Trump had indicated during the campaign earlier this year that he wanted the cases to go to trial and would not settle them.

Trump posted a lengthy statement about the litigation in California after indicating the federal judge in the case, Gonzalo Curiel — an Obama appointee with Mexican heritage — was not making fair preliminary rulings in the case.

The businessman indicated that 98 percent of the students who participated in the real estate seminars gave the coursework positive ratings.

“Normally, legal issues in a civil case would be heard in a neutral environment. However, given my unique circumstances as nominee of the Republican Party and the core issues of my campaign that focus on illegal immigration, jobs and unfair trade, I have concerns as to my ability to receive a fair trial,” he wrote.

“While this lawsuit should have been dismissed, it is now scheduled for trial in November,” he added.

The trial was slated to begin at the end of the month and the president-elect faced the prospect of being compelled to testify in court either just as he is preparing to take office or shortly afterwards. (For more from the author of “Trump Agrees to Pay $25 Million to Settle Trump University Lawsuit” please click HERE)

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Moving Freedom Forward

God, in His mercy, has granted the American people an opportunity to correct our nation’s dangerous course and save the future of freedom born in the faith and wisdom of our founders.

As the Old Testament prophet Joel promised Israel, if the nation repents and returns to dependence on God’s wisdom, He will restore the blessings and fruitfulness that was lost when the people turned from God. He said he would “pour out the former and latter rain” and make up for “the years the consuming locusts had destroyed.” This is the healing of the land promised by God throughout the Old Testament and confirmed in history.

With all my heart, I believe God is giving us a chance now to repent and restore the foundation of freedom and the blessings it imparts.

God’s Opportunity Must Be Met With Our Action

The 2016 Republican platform promised a new direction, turning from terrible destructive actions taken by misguided leaders and many Americans. As an example of this change of course, Donald Trump boldly spoke out against partial-birth abortion, and tax-payer funding of it, while pointing also to the fierce assault on marriage and family. He also promised to appoint Supreme Court justices in the vein of the late Antonin Scalia.

The vast majority of Evangelicals and Catholics decided to give Mr. Trump a chance. In fact, they voted in record numbers. Based on post-election data provided by the Faith & Freedom Coalition, Evangelicals cast 32.76 million votes — the highest ever. An astounding 66.8% of Trump’s 60.9 million votes total came from Evangelicals and Catholics combined. Christians made a salt-and-light impact, just as Christ commissioned us to, by standing for sound principles essential to freedom.

However, impacting the ballot box isn’t the same thing as impacting the nation’s direction. You can start a car, but you’re not going anywhere until you actually put it in drive.

Faith-filled believers and all common-sense Americans who recognize the legitimate concerns facing our nation must become a strong force, boldly standing together to encourage and support the corrective action that must be taken.

Correction requires standing against, in part:

a manipulative political establishment
a biased, liberal, and corrupt media
the foolishness of political correctness
government excess and waste
ineffective federal programs
excessive regulations hindering small business and hurting blue-collar, hard-working families
economic instability
a lack of security
porous, lawless borders
a weak military
unfair trade agreements
a full-bore assault on religious freedom

Let’s pray that our national leaders will seek the wisdom that comes from above, surround themselves with people who are the best qualified to assist, and with determination address every area of national concern. If you happened to see Mr. Trump’s November 13 interview on 60 Minutes, you saw the demeanor of the man I have communicated with for seven months. Ben Carson and Mike Huckabee had told me, “When you talk to him in the heat of the battle, it’s amazing how calm, collected and thoughtful he is.” I’ve also found this to be true during our seven month journey together.

I have much reason to hope President-elect Trump, VP-elect Pence and their team will tackle our nation’s concerns with determination and wise counsel.

Our Greatest Hope and Source

Still, you can be assured that every good step to correct the foolish course will be resisted with anger, bordering on uncontrollable rage and threats on the lives of those who lead the necessary corrective steps. This re-establishing of freedom’s foundation and building the walls necessary to protect it will test even the strongest individuals.

Pray for shields of supernatural protection around our national leaders and all concerned Americans — and do not step down or back down. Speak the truth in love, and with humility invite those who disagree to come to the table of reason. The age of rage and potential violence can only be overcome by the power of God’s love and His truth.

As we work side-by-side in the days ahead, it is my prayer that the Christian community will reveal more effectively than ever the transforming power of the gospel of the Lord Jesus to those who do not have a personal relationship with Him. Empty religion is not the answer.

The church must become the united, healthy body of Christ, sharing the good news of Jesus faithfully and fearlessly with undeniable love and compassion. Jesus said, “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” Ambassadors of Christ must “go forth sowing, weeping” and, yes, “reaping a great harvest.” After all, the problem is not found in the harvest fields, but with the failure of the laborers to go into the fields. We must no longer just go to church; we must become the church and dedicated witnesses for Christ.

Move into the fields, and watch America change course. See redemption come not only to individuals, but to a nation.

Christians and all true lovers of freedom who understand that it has a principled foundation are witnessing the first move toward the next Great Awakening. The invitation Jesus offered Jerusalem when facing total desolation can be applied to America today: “Come like chicks to the wings of a hen.” We are invited by Almighty God to return to the shadow and shelter of protection and provision only He can offer.

It’s time to take serious His promise. “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3 NAS)

That’s what we must trust Him for. (For more from the author of “Moving Freedom Forward” please click HERE)

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Serve America: Donald Trump Wants YOU!

Want to help make America great again? YOU could be a part of President-elect Donald Trump’s new administration!

That’s right! For a limited time only (4 to 8 years), the next Mr. President is looking for the finest men and women from across the country to serve in his Administration. No prior political experience required!

Have you longed to hold the title of civil servant? Now is the time to apply! The President-elect is filling positions across multiple departments and agencies. From the Presidential Transition Team to the National Endowment for the Arts, there’s a place for you!

Other positions include Finance and Budgetary, Human Capital and HR, Information Technology, Legal and Legislative Affairs, Management, Policy, Public Affairs and Communications. Just go to GreatAgain.gov and Serve America!

Whether you’re fresh out of college or a seasoned professional, there’s never been a better time to serve your country.

CLICK HERE to apply now! (Please allow 4 to 6 seconds for the page to load.)

Applicants may be subject to rigorous processing such as full FBI background checks, consideration for possible conflicts of interest and periods of restricted dealings with the United States federal government. Workloads are demanding, fast-paced and require significant time commitments. Serious considerations will be asked about possible conflicts of interest deriving from your sources of income; all aspects of your personal and professional life, including organizations to which you belong or once belonged; speeches you may have given and books, articles and editorials you may have written; legal, administrative and regulatory proceedings to which you may have been a party; in short, anything that might embarrass the President or you if he should choose you for a position in his administration. One should assume that all information provided during this process is ultimately subject to public disclosure, if requested under the Freedom of Information Act.

(For more from the author of “Serve America: Donald Trump Wants YOU!” please click HERE)

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‘The Lord’s Been Good’: Mother Reunited With Daughter After 62 Years

In 1954, Goldie Waltman was young, single and unemployed. She’d just given birth to a daughter, Patricia Lorenz, when she realized she couldn’t take care of the baby and left her in the care of a couple she’d been staying with. She prayed for her daughter every day, but leaving her wasn’t easy. “I gave her up, and it was the hardest thing I ever did in my life,” the 85-year-old Waltman said, in a story reported by Fox8.

She kept her daughter a secret from her five children born later. Waltman’s daughter Kellie Taylor said that it was at a doctor’s visit five years ago that she and another sister found out about Lorenz. The doctor asked Waltman how many children she had and she said six. “No, you have five,” her daughter said. When Waltman responded, “No, I have six,” her daughters realized they had a sibling they never knew.

For the last five years the family has searched for Lorenz without luck. Two weeks ago, Waltman connected with her daughter through ancestry.com and the two sent messages back and forth. Waltman got a phone call the same day from the little girl she gave up so long ago. “She said ‘It’s Patty,” and I said ‘Oh!’” said Waltman.

Waltman’s family flew Lorenz to see her mother this week, reuniting mother and daughter after 62 years. “I finally got to see her,” said Waltman. “The Lord’s been good. I didn’t think this would ever happen.”

Lorenz was just as excited to see her birth mother after searching for her for 47 years. “I don’t know how to explain it,” she said. “I’ve been excited about coming to meet her and see her for so long, and it’s like a reality come true.”

Lorenz will meet the rest of the family throughout the weekend. (For more from the author of “‘The Lord’s Been Good’: Mother Reunited With Daughter After 62 Years” please click HERE)

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