This State Wants to BAN Soda and Chips … but There’s a Catch

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chipshelf1_newsThe state of Missouri has been slacking as far as welfare reform is concerned, which is somewhat odd given the fact that it’s a heavily red state in any given election year — but that’s all about to change in a big way.

One Missouri lawmaker decided enough is enough and is attempting to push legislation that would limit the types of foods that welfare leeches can purchase using their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program EBT cards, including “cookies, chips, energy drinks, soft drinks, seafood or steak.”

But liberals argue that seafood and steak are healthy and that the language could include low-grade cuts of beef and canned tuna. It’s difficult to officially know what welfare leeches are buying, as the Department of Agriculture, responsible for overseeing the welfare program, refuses to release bar code data that shows what’s being bought.

However, Brattin went on record to say he’s personally witnessed welfare abusers purchasing high-end seafood and beef with their SNAP cards.

“I have seen people purchasing filet mignons and crab legs with their EBT cards. When I can’t afford it on my pay, I don’t want people on the taxpayer’s dime to afford those kinds of foods either,” Brattin said. (Read more from “BREAKING: This State Wants to BAN Soda and Chips… but There’s a Catch” HERE)

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Democratic Leader: Billion-Dollar Clinton Campaign Should ‘Frighten’ Americans

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Gary HartGary Hart has serious reservations about a Hillary Clinton candidacy.

The prospect of a billion-dollar Clinton campaign “ought to frighten every American,” he said in an interview with POLITICO, and Democrats would be better served by a competitive primary that forced her to speak in more depth about the issues.

Hart, a two-time Democratic presidential candidate, offered his opinions in a phone interview Wednesday where he also expressed admiration of Elizabeth Warren and gave advice to prospective challenger Martin O’Malley, a former Hart campaign staffer.

“I like Hillary Clinton. I really appreciate what she and her husband have done, but we need new leaders,” said Hart, a former Colorado senator who rose from the bottom of the polls and nearly took down Walter Mondale in the 1984 primaries.

The post-Citizens United campaign finance environment has sullied the presidential process, he said, benefiting establishment politicians who cater to financial backers. He pointed to his own experience, noting that he and his wife mortgaged their home for between $50,000 and $75,000 — an amount that made a significant difference in his first campaign in 1984. (Read more from “Gary Hart: Billion-Dollar Clinton Campaign Should ‘Frighten’ Americans” HERE)

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CBS News: Iran’s DEATH TO AMERICA Chants Meaningless; Middle East Expert Strongly Disagrees [+video]

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barack-obama-wallpapersA televised report on CBS News Saturday morning included ludicrous pro-Obama administration spin by London-based correspondent Elizabeth Palmer on reaction to the nuclear framework deal with Iran that downplayed the continued chants by Iranians of “death to America.”

Palmer spoke over video footage of a large crowd at a Tehran mosque.

“At Friday prayers there was the usual chant of ‘death to America’, but more habit than conviction. The sermon by Senior Ayatollah Kashani made it clear that Iran’s leaders support this deal. “I congratulate those who led the talks,” he said. “Great job.”

[Listen to this Middle East expert tear apart the theory that Iran means the US no harm]

Palmer emphasized the phrase ‘more habit’ to make it sound more convincing.

Palmer made her report from CBS’ London bureau, not from Tehran. The idea that chants of ‘death to America’ aren’t to be taken seriously is Obama administration spin. (Read more from “CBS News: Iran’s Death to America Chants ‘more Habit, than Conviction’” HERE)

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IRS Deadline Extended for ObamaCare Customers Sent the Wrong Tax Form

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0728_tax-you-owe-irs-lien_300x300ObamaCare customers who received the wrong tax form from the federal government this spring will not face penalties if they miss the April 15 deadline, officials announced Friday.

Anyone who have not yet been sent corrected tax forms and are “unable to file an accurate tax return” now have until Oct. 15 to file — as long as they request an extension.

The government did not say how many people will be given extra time, though officials said in late March that 80,000 people were still waiting on their corrected tax forms. A total of 800,000 people had mailed the wrong forms.

“If a taxpayer receives their Form 1095-A before April 15 and is able to file using the form before the deadline, they should do so,” according to a statement from the Treasury Department released late Friday.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (CMS), which is overseeing the rollout of ObamaCare, has acknowledged that it has taken more time than expected to mail the proper forms. (Read more from “IRS Deadline Extended for ObamaCare Customers Sent the Wrong Tax Form” HERE)

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Rand Paul Strays from Libertarian Roots as He Courts GOP Base

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Rand PaulWhen the presidential buzz began building around Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) a couple of years ago, the expectation was that his libertarian ideas could make him the most unusual and intriguing voice among the major contenders in the 2016 field.

But now, as he prepares to make his formal announcement Tuesday, Paul is a candidate who has turned fuzzy, having trimmed his positions and rhetoric so much that it’s unclear what kind of Republican he will present himself as when he takes the stage.

“He’s going to get his moment in the sun,” said David Adams, who served as campaign chairman for Paul’s insurgent 2010 Senate campaign. “What he does with it from there will have bearing on the Republican Party.”

There are at least two areas where Paul has moved more in line with the conservative Republican base, somewhat to the consternation of the purists in the libertarian movement: adopting a more muscular posture on defense and foreign policy, and courting the religious right.

Where he once pledged to sharply cut the Pentagon’s budget, for instance, Paul late last month proposed a $190 billion increase over the next two years — albeit one that would be paid for by cutting foreign aid and other government programs. His tour following the announcement of his candidacy will include an event at Patriots Point in South Carolina’s Charleston Harbor, with the World War II-era aircraft carrier USS Yorktown as a backdrop. (Read more from “Rand Paul Seems to Stray from Libertarian Roots as He Courts GOP Base” HERE)

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‘Role Players’ Solicited for Military’s Emergency-Prep Drill in Texas

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Emergency Prep“Role Player’s (sic) Needed,” is the title of the ad, posted five days ago on the local Craigslist for Austin.

The ad is soliciting online applicants for a total of 60 paid “role players” to participate in a four day U.S. National Guard Training Exercise for Emergency Preparedness slated to begin April 22 in Govalle.

Only ten “role players” are needed for the final day of the drill. The pay is $10.10 per hour.

The ad explains, “Role players will simulate as ‘victims’ who are then ‘rescued’ as part of their training” . . .

The ad was placed by IIF Data Solutions, a private firm that specializes in domestic operations training and exercise development, logistics and facilities operations and role player support services, among other services. (Read more from “‘Role Players’ Solicited for Emergency-Prep Drill” HERE)

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Brownback Signs Bill That Allows Permit-Free Concealed Carry of Guns in Kansas

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BrownbackKansans soon can carry concealed weapons without permits or training under a bill signed by Gov. Sam Brownback on Thursday.

The new law, which kicks in July 1, makes Kansas the sixth state to allow “constitutional carry.” It will allow Kansans 21 and older to carry concealed firearms regardless of whether they have obtained a permit.

Training still will be required for anyone who wants to carry a concealed gun in the 36 states that accept Kansas permits.

Brownback touted the importance of training, explaining that his youngest son took a hunter safety course this past week.

“It was an excellent course. He got a lot out of it. I got a lot out of it. And I want to urge people to take advantage of that,” said Brownback, who was flanked by Republican lawmakers and representatives from the National Rifle Association and Kansas State Rifle Association. (Read more from “Brownback Signs Bill That Allows Permit-Free Concealed Carry of Guns in Kansas” HERE)

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Obama’s Sordid Employment Numbers Set Several All-Time Records; Americans Not in Labor Force Exceed 93 Million for First Time

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

By Ali Meyer. The number of Americans 16 years and older who did not participate in the labor force–meaning they neither had a job nor actively sought one in the last four weeks–rose from 92,898,000 in February to 93,175,000 in March, according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

That is the first time the number of Americans out of the labor force has exceeded 93 million.

Also from February to March, the labor force participation rate dropped from 62.8 percent to 62.7 percent, matching a 37-year low.

Five times in the last twelve months, the participation rate has been as low as 62.8 percent; but March’s 62.7 percent, which matches the participation rate seen in September and December of 2014, is the lowest since February of 1978. (Read more from “Americans Not in Labor Force Exceed 93 Million for First Time” HERE)

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56,131,000 Women Aren’t in Labor Force

By Caroline May. Corresponding with the national increase in Americans not in the workforce the number of women, African Americans, and Asians not in the workforce also experienced an increase in March.

According to data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 56,131,000 million women were not in the labor force last month, an increase of more than 100,000 from February when 56,023,000 women were not in the workforce.

The level is a record high, and the labor force participation for the month of March at 56.6 percent is a 27-year low, according to CNS News. In February that rate for women was 56.7 percent.

People not in the labor force are defined as those 16 years and older who are not employed and have not “made specific efforts to find employment sometime during the 4-week period ending with the reference week.”

The unemployment rate for women did decline, from 5.4 percent to 5.3 percent. (Read more from this story HERE)

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Which State Is Still Waiting for a Visit from Obama?

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Photo Credit: AP

Photo Credit: AP

Utah, check. One more state to go for President Barack Obama: South Dakota.

Utah was the 49th state visited by Obama and the latest stop on his recent tour of Republican “red” states.

Since Republicans took control of both houses of Congress in January, Obama has traveled to 10 GOP states: Arizona, Tennessee, Idaho, Kansas, Indiana, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and Utah, all of which voted for Obama rival Mitt Romney in 2012. Obama also has visited nine states that voted for his re-election.

The White House says there is no concerted effort to put the president in Republican states. “”There are really important, substantive reasons that explain the places we go,” White House spokesman Eric Schultz said.

After spending the night in Salt Lake City, Obama appeared on Friday at Hill Air Force Base near Ogden to announce new steps to support military veterans by training them for solar industry jobs. “A lot of our men and women in uniform at some point are going to transition into civilian life and we want to make sure that after they’ve fought for our freedom that they’ve got jobs to come home to,” the president said. (Read more from “Which State Is Still Waiting for a Visit from Obama?” HERE)

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White House Declares War on Three Antibiotic-Resistant ‘Superbugs’

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CDIFF CDCTrying to avert what some clinicians are calling “the post-antibiotic era,” the White House has declared war on three antibiotic-resistant “superbugs.”

Drug-resistant bacteria have caused 23,000 deaths and more than 2 million illnesses in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Last Friday, President Obama released his National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria, with the ambitious goal of reducing “inappropriate antibiotic use by 50 percent in outpatient settings and by 20 percent in inpatient settings” over the next five years.

Under the National Action Plan, all acute-care hospitals in the nation will be required to improve their infection control rates while simultaneously reducing the use of commonly prescribed antibiotics whose overuse is blamed for the rise of drug-resistant strains.

By 2020, the White House hopes to slash in half the infection rate of three superbugs currently listed by the CDC as “urgent threats” to public health. (Read more from “White House Declares War on Three Antibiotic-Resistant ‘Superbugs’” HERE)

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