Oldest known WWII veteran honored at Arlington ceremony

The oldest known veteran of World War II was honored with a thunderous standing ovation during a ceremony Monday at Arlington National Cemetery, as President Obama and the rest of the nation paid tribute to 107-year-old Richard Overton's service.
The tribute to Overton was a stand-out moment at Monday's Veterans Day ceremonies, as details emerged about Overton's visit. Earlier in the day, the Texas man met with Obama and Vice President Biden, along with other veterans, during a White House breakfast.
"This is the life of one American veteran, living proud and strong in the land he helped keep free," Obama said during the ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery.
Though he uses a wheelchair, Overton can still stand -- and did so, as the crowd applauded his service.
Overton served in the Pacific during World War II, and Obama regaled the audience with his accomplishments. "He was there at Pearl Harbor when the battleships were still smoldering. He was there at Okinawa. He was there at Iwo Jima," Obama said.
When he returned from the war, Overton went back to Texas, where he built a house for him and his wife -- the house he still lives in today. The president said Overton still rakes his own lawn, and still drives ladies in his neighborhood to church every Sunday.
According to a profile on Overton in USA Today, his attendance at Monday's ceremony was set up after Overton visited the World War II Memorial and Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial as part of an Honor Flight Austin trip back in May. Overton reportedly wondered what it would be like to meet the president, and the visit was later arranged.
During the war, Overton was a member of the Army's 188th Aviation Engineer Battalion and reportedly volunteered for service.
He attributes his longevity in part to drinking a tablespoon of whiskey in his coffee and smoking a dozen cigars a day, according to the article.
Obama used his remarks Monday to remind the nation that thousands of service members are still at war in Afghanistan. The war is expected to formally conclude at the end of next year, though the U.S. may keep a small footprint in the country.
As the Afghan war comes to a close, Obama said the nation has a responsibility to ensure that the returning troops are the "best cared-for and best respected veterans in the world." The country's obligations to those who served "endure long after the battle ends," he said.

Food Stamp Usage is Still on the Rise

Jason is roughly my age.  I work hard, pay my taxes, and provide for myself.  Despite being able-bodied enough to surf and hit on women on a daily basis, he doesn't even try to work by his own admission, presumably doesn't pay taxes, and is provided for by people like me.  He gladly takes our "free money" to snag some sushi and lobster for him and his bros.  Jason's story is galling on some level, but is more sad than anything else.  Taxpayer anger over this abuse shouldn't be primarily directed at Jason -- although people like him should be shamed for their exploitive leechery; it should be directed at the government that enables this sort of behavior.  From the report above:

"Things have changed.  Back in 1996, if you were an able adult like Jason with no family, there were limitations.  You could get food stamps for only three months, every three years.   The exception: If you were working at least a 20 hour work week, or participated in a workfare or training program.  President Obama wiped away those restrictions when he signed his stimulus bill in 2009, and in 2010, Obama used his regulatory powers to extend the suspension of those welfare-to-work requirements."  

This president has actively turned back the clock -- legally and otherwise -- on important welfare reform successes throughout his term in office.  He claims his ideological actions are based on "compassion."  What the State is helping Jason do to himself is not compassionate.  It's poisonous.  Of course there are people who genuinely rely on food stamps and other forms of assistance to feed their children and stay alive.  Welfare programs should be limited to helping the truly needy.  Jason is the new poster child for big government's corrosive pattern abuse and excess.  Unfortunately, the ruling political party in this country is committed to expanding the dysfunction, and cynically demagoguing those who seek to rein it in.Via the Wall Street Journal, 47.6 million Americans are now food stamp recipients

Food-stamp use rose 2.4% in the U.S. in May from a year earlier, with more than 15% of the U.S. population receiving benefits. One of the federal government’s biggest social welfare programs, which expanded when the economy convulsed, isn’t shrinking back alongside the recovery. Food stamp rolls were up 0.2% from the prior month, theU.S. Department of Agriculture reported in data that aren’t adjusted for seasonal variations. Though annual growth continues, the pace has slowed since the depths of the recession. The number of recipients in the food stamp program, formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), is at 47.6 million, or nearly one in six Americans.

Part of the continued heightened reliance on federal aid is a product of the excruciatingly slow Obama 'recovery,' during which median household income has actually declined (perhaps because of the trend toward part-time work -- which, in turn, has been fueled by Obamacare).  Still, the fact that food stamp usage hasn't receded as the recession has eased is troubling.  A majority of Americans blame the government for this phenomenon, stating that benefits are too easy to come by:

A Fox News poll released Wednesday shows 74 percent think Americans rely too much on the government and not enough on themselves. That includes almost all Republicans (87 percent), most independents (80 percent) and a majority of Democrats (58 percent).  Voters are also more likely to blame the record number of people on food stamps -- more than 46 million -- on it being too easy to get government assistance (53 percent) than the severity of the recession (40 percent). 

Minority

Now the US Government wants to control what you eat.

Why not control what you eat, they're now in control of everything else in our lives Thanks to the Democrats.

Find A Pony

Obama apologizes to Americans who lost health plans

Bailey Comment: A Day late and a Dollar short!

President Obama said Thursday he was “sorry” Americans are losing health insurance plans he repeatedly said they could keep, and vowed to work with those who are finding themselves in a “tough situation” as a result.
His remarks came as a bipartisan bill was introduced in the Senate to delay the implementation of the individual mandate of ObamaCare by one year, meaning Americans would avoid a $95 penalty for not having health insurance that is scheduled to kick in next year.
Referring to those who are losing their health insurance plans, Obama told NBC News, "I am sorry that they are finding themselves in this situation based on assurances they got from me. We've got to work hard to make sure that they know we hear them and we are going to do everything we can to deal with folks who find themselves in a tough position as a consequence of this.”
The White House, while defending the health care law and vowing to fix the problems with the website, has not explicitly ruled out the possibility of delaying the individual mandate.
House Speaker John Boehner responded to Obama's apology late Thursday, saying "an apology is certainly in order, but what Americans want to hear is that the president is going to keep his promise."
Thursday's bill was introduced by Senators Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., who said since the Affordable Care Act was passed, there have been “many identifiable problems exposed in the law that need to be addressed.”
“We need to start working together to fix this law and make it work so that all Americans have access to affordable and reliable health care coverage,” Manchin said in a statement. “We can start with a one-year delay of the individual mandate to eliminate penalty fees if individuals choose to not enroll for a health care plan in 2014.
"This common sense proposal simply allows Americans to take more time to browse and explore their options, making 2014 a true transition year.”
The legislation acknowledges there are many positive components of the Affordable Care Act that will lead to health care becoming more affordable for all Americans, and these reforms must “continue to be implemented.”
“Nevertheless, it is important to recognize when a new program is not meeting the high standards that the American people expect,” the bill reads. “So far, the federal healthcare exchanges have failed, and we must deliver a better product.”
The bill also says that delaying the entire implementation of ObamaCare would not be “responsible,” but Congress should take action to make “commonsense reforms” to the law.
“Healthcare should not be a burden on consumers, which is why we must delay the penalty for individuals,” Kirk said in a statement. “Last July, American businesses were given more time to provide employees health coverage. If a delay is good enough for businesses, it should be good enough for all Americans.”