TheFrontPageCover
~ Featuring ~
Tighten Up on Student Loans
by Tom McLaughlin
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McConnell's coronavirus stimulus plan would
provide payments of $1,200 per person,
$2,400 for couples
By Gregg Re
{ foxnews.com } ~ Saying lawmakers "need to take bold and swift action as soon as possible," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Thursday... introduced legislation to provide as much as $1,200 per person and $2,400 per couple in the U.S. amid the coronavirus outbreak and skyrocketing jobless claims. The draft legislation, obtained by Fox News, would provide minimum payments of $600, and aid would be phased down at adjusted gross income thresholds of $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 per couple. Additionally, there would be $500 payments for each child. The rebate amount is slated to be reduced by $5 for each $100 a taxpayer’s income exceeds the legislation's threshold. The amount is therefore reduced to zero for single taxpayers with incomes exceeding $99,000 and $198,000 for joint filers. The IRS will determine income based on U.S. citizen taxpayers' 2018 tax returns. McConnell's proposal aligns with the Trump administration's push to swiftly send checks to American households. The legislation additionally contains numerous provisions geared at helping small businesses, including a delay of payment for employer payroll taxes, a delay of estimated tax payments for corporations, and modifications for net operating losses. McConnell's plan would provide $208 billion in loans and loan guarantees to distressed sectors of the economy, including $50 billion for commercial airlines and $8 billion for air cargo carriers, and $150 billion for other eligible businesses, but those loans would have to be paid back. It's an opening salvo in fast-track talks with Democrats as President Trump urges Congress to “go big” to respond as Americans reel from the crisis. McConnell, R-Ky., speaking on the Senate floor, said he wanted key Republicans to meet with Democrats on the relief bill, known as S.3548, Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (Phase III)....
Netanyahu: Israelis face fines for
breaking state of emergency orders
By MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMAN & ANNA AHRONHEIM
{ jpost.com } ~ The Health Ministry guidelines to fight the spread of coronavirus will no longer be recommendations or requests.... Rather, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday night that the government will sign existing restrictions into legally enforceable orders, as he declared a national state of emergency. Going forward, for the next seven days, whoever breaks these orders will be subject to fines. "There has not been anything like this since the establishment of the state," the prime minister said. "There has actually been no such thing like this in the last 100 years." “It is not going to be easy; I am asking for your cooperation.” In general, the new orders include that Israelis are not allowed to leave their homes unless "absolutely necessary." Visiting parks, beaches, pools, libraries and museums is prohibited, as are all social interactions. Work that can be done from home should be. Currently all “essential” services will remain open, including supermarkets, pharmacies and most medical services. In addition, while Israelis are encouraged to work from home, employees who need to travel to work will be able to do so. The announcement came on the backdrop of the largest spike in the number of infected Israelis: 677, according to the Health Ministry. At press time Wednesday, 433 Israelis had been diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 - an increase of 244 patients in one day. It is estimated that the number of people infected with the virus will rise significantly in the wake of the increase in the number of tests that are being conducted. Government hearings in recent days have revealed a significant gap between the Health and Finance ministries. The Health Ministry has been demanding increased restrictions but the Finance Ministry said that it fears further restrictions would cause a serious blow to the economy. A full lockdown would only be implemented if the public fails to comply with the guidelines presented by the Health Ministry or if the rate of infection across the country sharply rises... https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/529-Israelis-have-been-diagnosed-with-coronavirus-Health-Ministry-621536?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Netanyahu%3A+Israelis+face+fines+for+breaking+state+of+emergency+orders&utm_campaign=March+19+night .
liar-Nancy Pelosi Shoots Down Proposal
To Give Americans Direct Financial Relief
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FDA has approved testing of coronavirus 'cure'
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OPM chief abruptly resigns
By BRETT SAMUELS & ZACK BUDRYK
{ thehill.com } ~ The head of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) abruptly resigned Tuesday... leaving a void atop a sprawling agency that oversees the federal workforce. "OPM has received the resignation of OPM Director Dale Cabaniss and OPM Deputy Director Michael Rigas is Acting Director, Office of Personnel Management," an OPM spokesperson confirmed in a statement. Cabaniss's departure was unexpected, according to sources familiar with the matter, and was believed to be related to internal conflicts. She chafed at treatment by John McEntee, the 29-year-old head of the office, as well as Paul Dans, OPM’s White House liaison, Politico reported. McEntee rejoined the White House last month and has set about stocking the administration with officials loyal to President Trump and his agenda. Politico reported that the White House's decision to hire a third college senior to a sensitive post also contributed to the tensions that preceded Cabaniss's resignation. OPM is an independent agency tasked with overseeing millions of federal workers. The office handles human resources matters and oversees the civil service hiring processes. "If these reports are true, then the Trump administration's mismanagement and political appointees have once again brought chaos to the federal workforce," Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), chairman of the House Government Operations subcommittee, said in a statement. "At the very moment we need OPM to operate smoothly and efficiently, including expanding telework for all eligible workers and contractors, we are instead faced with uncertainty that threatens to paralyze this agency," he added... https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/488129-opm-chief-abruptly-resigns-report .
Smoking: Time to Break Up?
by Lawrence Kadish
{ gatestoneinstitute.org } ~ I have been very good friends with cigars for most of my adult life. It's time we broke up. Prior to the arrival of the COVID-19 public health crisis, I was always aware that smoking was not in my best interest or that of my family and friends... But the unique taste and aroma of a good cigar was my definition of well-earned success after a long, hard day of playing the cards of high stakes business. The constant drone of public service health warnings were meant for the other guys -- those who smoked cigarettes. Ironically, their habit began to fall out of public favor until a new generation took up with gusto the equally dangerous habit of vaping. Cigars, on the other hand, were meant to accompany fine brandy and good company. It turned out to be a dangerous fiction. No more. Cigars, and their cousins, it turns out, are pathways for COVID-19. They serve as a potential accelerant for an ambulance trip to a hospital's I.C.U. Doctors are being told there are a number of specific factors that can lead to COVID-19 taking lives. As of their last grim survey, they have found that underlying issues for nearly half of those who have died include existing lung disease, suppressed immune systems, age, or smoking, according to a private briefing on COVID-19 to emergency room physicians during an online conference. Dr. Stanton A. Glantz, a PhD and Director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California San Francisco, is far more direct in his warning. In an online essay, he asserts that "among Chinese patients diagnosed with COVID-19 associated pneumonia, the odds of disease progression including to death were 14 times higher among people with a history of smoking compared to those who did not smoke. This was the strongest risk factor among those examined." Dr. Glantz makes no apologies that his professional mission is to get people to stop smoking and vaping. But whether you agree with his data and methodology or not, the stark truth is, unlike the stealth-like assassin, cancer, COVID-19 is a career criminal that will strike quickly at any vulnerability to take its victim down... https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15770/smoking-coronavirus .
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Tighten Up on Student Loans
by Tom McLaughlin
{ tommclaughlin.blogspot.com } ~ Shortly before Elizabeth dinky/liar-Warren dropped out, a man confronted her about forgiving $1 trillion+ in student debt. “My daughter is getting out of school,” he said. I saved all my money. She doesn't have any student loans. Am I going to get any money back?”“Of course not," dinky/liar-Warren said.
“So you're going to pay for people who didn't save any money, and those of us who did the right thing get screwed?” he said.
As The Washington Free Beacon reported it: “dinky/liar-Warren told the man her policy would not disadvantage him, but he described how he and his daughter sacrificed to avoid going into debt, while others spent money on cars and vacations. ‘My buddy had fun, bought a car, went on vacations. I saved my money," he said. "He made more than I did. But I worked a double shift, worked extra—my daughter worked since she was 10. So, you're laughing.’”
“No, I'm not,” dinky/liar-Warren said.
“Yeah, that's exactly what you're doing," he said. “We did the right thing, and we get screwed.”
“No, I'm not,” dinky/liar-Warren said.
“Yeah, that's exactly what you're doing," he said. “We did the right thing, and we get screwed.”
As an undergrad I rushed off after class to work the 2nd shift while many of my fellow students went partying. Some of them had prosperous parents. Others had taken out loans. I graduated with no debt, lots of work experience, and time-management skills. Too many of my fellow students just prolonged their adolescence four more years, and not a few took six or more years to finish because they partied so much. Should their student debts be forgiven? Certainly not.
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