Category Archives: Fiscal Freedom

Pete Waters| Columnist

Sgt. DeLauter laid to rest

Sgt. Roy DeLauter is laid to rest at Cedar Lawn Memorial Park Friday. A long-missing Korean War veteran, DeLauter's remains were recently identified.

Colleen McGrath, The Herald-Mail

Recently, I sat in an audience and listened to two soon-to-be high school graduates outline their plans to attend college and pursue their dreams of tomorrow.

Each had a plan on where they wanted to go, but didnt know for sure how they might get there.Scholarships are available to some, but for others a huge financial liability (student loans) awaits them.

At age 18 in 1966, I had my own awakening after high school.

I had no money and only summer employment to depend on a few bucks here and there.My future was limited to construction work and that didnt pay very well whenever it rained, I got sick, or other reasons prevented me from working.

My grandmother didnt charge me any rent and I couldnt afford college so becoming a genius was out of the question.

What was my future plan?I thought about it and decided to enlist in the United States Army. That would address my travel interests, give me a job, and pay my rent for the next three years, I figured. So thats what I did.

And I was off. I went to North Carolina, Kentucky, Southeast Asia, Australia, Virginia and parts unknown.I soon discovered there was a big world beyond Dargan.

Lessons for life: 'Now he belongs to the ages'

More from Waters: My diary has pages of sorrow

Before my enlistment was up in the fall of 1969, I embraced another interesting pastime in the form of courtship. I got married and welcomed a newborn daughter to the Waters clan before leaving the Army.

Now with a family, I thought more about my future.My wife wanted a house and that cost $17,000 to build in 1970. I had to make a 33-year loan to pay for it and was troubled that I would die before that loan was paid. I was only making a little over $5,000 a year as a correctional officer.

The GI Bill for education was available, so I decided to go to college.My decision to enlist paid dividends.It helped pay for my education for the next seven and a half years, and I acquired a masters degree.

There is no way I would have gone into debt to go to college.Buying a house was enough stress while married and raising a kid.

Students today are enticed to go into debt to pay for college. Here is a lending agents student loan pitch: "Perfect for undergraduates and graduate students alike, these private loans will fit seamlessly into your budget and will give you the financial freedom necessary to accomplish all of your educational goals."

Believe me, these loans will notfit seamlessly into your budget!

The actual collateral for your student loan is your future earnings. Should you desire to get married and have a child, your student loan does not disappear. Itbecomes like a second housing mortgage should you decide to buy a house.

Todays student loan debt for our country is estimated at $1.7 trillion. One can readily see why most students would want to have this debt canceled.

A student loan program is a fiscal accident waiting to happen and an ill-advised idea for many parents and young people. Now many are burdened with a huge debt and often no job.

There would have been no way I would have considered a student loan in my teen years as there were too many unplanned variables to consider in the future.

I suggested to one of the students having difficulty coming to terms with her tuition responsibility that maybe she consider the military as an option as educational programs remain available.

Local community colleges too are less expensive alternatives.

It seems that for some getting a loan is a more desirable option than cheaper possibilities.

One never thinks much about paying off the loan in the future when the money is so easy to obtain in the beginning. That same sort of thinking gets credit card abusers in trouble.

If you fail to pay back your loans, the lender (either the government or bank) can garnish your wages, garnish your Social Security, and even offset and take your tax refund.

Student loans are not dischargeable in bankruptcy either.

And heres one final thought for you aspiring college graduates: Once you enter into a student loan, there is a debt coming due somewhere down the road.

Student loans may work out for some, but for so many others it is an unwise investment leading to fiscal misery.

And American taxpayers are not the answer to your poor decision making.

My advice:Think twice before getting a student loan.

Lloyd "Pete" Waters is a Sharpsburg resident who writes for The Herald-Mail.

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Debt is not always the answer - Herald-Mail Media

(NEWTON) The Jasper County School Board had its regular monthly meeting for April last week in Newton. The Board : approved the payment of all bills as presented : elected new Board Officers President Mandy Rieman, Vice President Bill Meinhart, Secretary Holly Farley, Treasurer Misty Heath, and Recording Secretary Janet Benefiel thru June 30th, 2022, then Laura Volk effective July 1st, 2022 : approved the Collective Bargaining Agreement Extra Duty Schedule to add fiscal years 2023 to 2026 : agreed to raise the payment for junior high sports officials to $75 per contest for all sports : approved the $49,893 quote to repair the NCHS athletic track : agreed to renew the OPAA Food Service contract for the 2022-2023 school year : agreed to adopt the recommended English Language Arts/Reading Curriculum for the 2022-2023 school year : discussed several items including updates on the JCJH/NCHS elevator addition, HVAC upgrades at the Elementary, Junior High, and High Schools, roof repair projects, classroom remodeling projects, JCJH/NCHS gymnasium/cafeteria/kitchen renovation work, and District Health Life Safety issues : in personnel matters accepted the resignation from JCJH/NCHS Paraprofessional Karen Kerner hired Lori Rauch, Carie Shan, Jenna Funneman, and Jaime Newkirk as student teachers hired Grace Hartrich as a Newton Elementary School Teacher hired Speech/Language Pathologist Jennifer Eaton for summer teaching transferred Brandon Collins from Full-Time Substitute Teacher to the NCHS Certified Credit Recovery position : and adjourned after a 33 minute closed session to discuss personnel : next monthly meeting for the Jasper County School Board is May 16th.

Originally posted here:

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING (4/18/22) | WSEI Freedom 92.9 FM | The Best Country in America - Freedom 92.9

Lyft offers flexibility

I am a parent first and a driver, second. I have four children with different school schedules which means I became a driver well before joining Lyft. As many know, the cost of childcare in Massachusetts is outrageous. Multiply that times four, and you can begin to see why flexibility has become increasingly important for parents. I enjoyed driving before earning money to do it and would like to continue in my role as an independent contractor.

Driving with Lyft allows me to set my own hours and work around the varied schedules of my kids. Lyft provides me with the freedom to manage the afternoons, snow days, half days, holidays, and summer vacations. I honestly dont know how parents in Massachusetts manage their time given school schedules. I certainly never got the kind of flexibility I needed as an employee while working in other industries.

Driving as an independent contractor allows me to make my schedule and earn income that reflects the work I put into it. If I wanted to, I could take the whole summer off to spend time with my children. My kids are the most important thing in the world to me and being my own boss allows me to adjust my schedule as needed.

I am asking you as a driver, and as a parent, to support the ballot question that would secure our flexibility as drivers, while giving us new benefits and protections.

John McPhee Dunstable

Beware of the proposed millionaires tax

Citizens, beware of the upcoming November ballot question reinstituting a 4% surtax on income over $1 million.

The Massachusetts constitution only allows a flat tax, now at 5%. Once this millionaire tax is passed, it will allow the Legislate to institute a graduated income tax in the future on all Massachusetts residents.

At present the Massachusetts income tax receipts exceed by millions, the estimated amounts included in the 2022 budget. The excess revenues in the fiscal year ended June 2021 also exceeded budget projections by many billions. The state does not need the extra tax revenues, and will probably result in an exodus to other lower-taxed states.

Beware of the Trojan horse.

Paul RigazioChelmsford

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Letters: Uber offers flexibility; Beware of the proposed millionaires tax - Lowell Sun

Politics Insider for April 29: CPC policies; Doug Ford releases a pre-election budget

Welcome to a sneak peek of theMacleansPolitics Insidernewsletter.Sign upto get it deliveredstraight to your inbox in the morning.

Preston Manning has written to CPC leadership contenders urging them to lay off personal attacks, CBC reports. He warns that attacks will deepen divisions within the federal conservative camp which have been the Achilles heel of the party for some time.

He said a particularly nasty campaign could pit eastern conservatives against their western counterparts, old PC-oriented conservatives versus Reform-oriented conservatives, secular conservatives against religious conservatives and fiscal and economic conservatives against social conservatives. Manning said the leadership race should instead focus on policy differences to avoid splintering the party and handing Liberal and NDP operatives the gift of pre-written attack lines that can be used against whoever wins the leadership.

Actual policy: In the Toronto Sun, Brian Lilley has a column looking at the policy proposals the contenders have rolled out, rather than their attacks.

Bank shots: CPC contender Pierre Poilievre, who has been quick to criticize his rivals, went after the Bank of Canada on Thursday, saying he would forbid it from issuing a digital currency, allow the auditor general to audit it and push for a review of its pandemic policies, CBC reports: Justin Trudeau has threatened the Bank of Canadas independence with a half-trillion dollars of deficits that required the central bank to print money and cause inflation. Thats Justinflation. I will end it, by restoring central bank independence, mandating an independent audit of all the money printing and stopping the risky central bank digital currency.

Pushing pipeline: Poilievre is continuing to seek support for a gas pipeline in Quebec although most parties there oppose it, La Presse reported Thursday (translation).

Poilievre Proud: Poilievre has hiredJeff Ballingalls company, Mobilize Media, parent company of Canada Proud,sources tell CBC News.

Ballingall specializes in shareable, anti-Liberal messaging that often takes on a mocking or outraged tone. His Canada Proud and Ontario Proud accounts have amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on Facebook and tens of thousands more on Twitter and Instagram.

Less debt: Peter MacKay has whittled down his debt from the 2020 leadership contest to less than $285,000, CBC reports. MacKay, who placed second to Erin OToole, previously said he owed about $1 million.

Six runners: Would-be leaders have until 5 p.m. todayto submit $300,000 worth of registration fees to appear on the partys final ballot, CPreports. In so far: Scott Aitchison, Patrick Brown, Roman Baber, Pierre Poilievre, Jean Charest and Leslyn Lewis.

Ford deficits: Doug Ford released his pre-election budget on Thursday, pitching big spending on infrastructure and promising tax breaks while running deficits for several years, CBC reports.

Many of the major commitments in the 268-page document were previously announced by Premier Doug Fords government ahead of the looming election campaign, set to begin on May 4. There is not enough time to pass the budget before the Legislature dissolves next week, so the document serves as a costed platform for the PCs. The core themes of the record $198.6-billion fiscal plan include improving and expanding critical infrastructure, rebuilding the economy in the wake of COVID-19, helping families with the rising cost of living and ensuring the province is prepared for any further waves of the pandemic.

Columnists react: Star Columnist Regg Cohn writes that Ford is trying to buy votes. In thePost, Chris Selley observes that fiscal hawks will find little to celebrate. In the Globe,Patrick Brethour compares free-spending Toronto to free-spending Ottawa.

Ditching Mounties? An all-party committee of B.C. MLAs is calling on the province to replace the RCMP with a provincial police force, Global reports.

The committees vision for policing and public safety includes: ensuring equitable access to police and public safety services with consistent oversight, governance, training, and policies, the report reads. It is a reflection of the challenges with governance and accountability with the current federal model.

Dramatic: The reports recommends a number of dramatic changes, but members didnt fuss too much over practical questions like cost, so its unclear what will happen to the report, writes Vaughan Palmer in the Vancouver Sun.

No exemption: The Canadian Armed Forces says over three-quarters of the more than 1,300 service members who applied for an exemption from the militarys COVID-19 vaccine requirement have had their requests denied, CPreports.

False flags: Universit de Sherbrooke prof David Morin told a parliamentary committee Thursday that a quarter of Canadians believe in online conspiracy theories, CBCreports.

Convoy cost:The parliamentary security bill for the Freedom Convoy is $6.3 million, with parliamentary security officers racking up another $4.5 million in overtime above that, the Star reports.

No charge: A woman who shouted Freedom! on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during the protest has expressed remorse and will not be charged, CTV reports.

Three-ring circus: Paul Wells consider thethree venues for review of the invocation of the Emergencies Act, noting that nobody should worry too much about the terms of reference of the Rouleau inquiry.

In the public inquiry, which the government convened on the last possible day required by law, the terms of reference have raised eyebrows because the feds invite Justice Paul Rouleau to investigate every aspect of the truckers behaviour while showing little curiosity about the feds behaviour. (In fact, the best advice I could get when I called lawyers on Wednesday is that the Act itself is so clear that no terms-of-reference smoke-screen can have much effect. It requires any inquiry to examine both the circumstances and the measures taken.)

Stephen Maher

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Preston Manning tries to calm CPC waters - Maclean's

LOMPOC, Calif., April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bureau of Land Management's annual population estimate for wild horses and burros on BLM-managed public lands shows a second straight decrease, from 86,189 horses and burros in 2021 to 82,384 as of March 1, 2022.

"This should not be mistaken for a win by the Bureau of Land Management," said Neda DeMayo, president of Return to Freedom (RTF), a national nonprofit wild horse advocacy organization. "The agency's decades-old practice of reactionary, roundup-only management will only result in the BLM continuing to chase and, at most, briefly achieve its arbitrary and low population targets on some Herd Management Areas.

"If mares are not treated with fertility control to slow reproduction on the range and released, these roundups will be followed by increases in herd populations, and then, as usual, BLM returning with helicopters to capture and place more wild horses alongside more than 60,000 warehoused in off-range holding."

Previously, the total number of wild horses and burros increased for nine straight years, from 37,294 in 2012 to a record high estimate of 95,114 in 2020.

The agency's goal is to reach its set "Appropriate Management Level" (AML) of just 26,785 total wild horses and burros across 177 Herd Management Areas in 10 Western states.

Although the BLM's annual population estimates are viewed with skepticism by wild horse advocates, they are the only range-wide figures available. The population decreases are consistent with the agency's recent actions and its plans for more of the same:

--Over the past four fiscal years, BLM has removed 43,941 wild horses and burros from their home ranges while treating only 3,257 with some form of fertility control.--BLM plans to remove "at least" a record 19,000 wild horses and burros this year while treating just 2,300 with fertility control.

RTF believes that BLM's plan for continued aggressive removals is excessive and irresponsible especially because 60,611 captured wild horses and burros already live in off-range holding, 21,784 of them in overcrowded government corrals, as of February 2022. Last year, the agency spent $72.4 million (64% of its budget) on off-range holding.

The plan is all the more irresponsible because BLM lacks the infrastructure, staff and contracts to run its own program, much less properly protect and care for captured wild horses and burros that the agency should be moving to more natural, cost-effective pastures.

Population modeling has shown that the BLM must immediately implement fertility control to stabilize herd growth so that removals, which decimate family bands and herds, can be brought to an end, and off-range holding, which costs taxpayers millions more each year, phased out.

"Lawmakers have begun providing funding for fertility control, but they must hold BLM's feet to the fire on its correct and immediate implementation," DeMayo said. "BLM's actions are that of an agency stuck in the past, one fixated on removing wild horses from the range without enough thought for the welfare of the animals, the cost to taxpayers, or the future of our wild herds and public lands.

"Congress must demand that BLM begin the long-overdue transition to proven, safe and humane fertility control as its primary management tool now and not be misled by the agency into thinking it can be postponed."

Return to Freedom Wild Horse Conservation(RTF) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to wild horse preservation through sanctuary, education, conservation,andadvocacy since 1998. It also operates the AmericanWild Horse Sanctuary at three California locations, caring for more than 450 wild horses and burros. Follow us onFacebook,Twitter,andInstagramfor updates about wild horses and burros on the range and at our sanctuary.

SOURCE Return to Freedom Wild Horse Conservation

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Return to Freedom: Population Decrease Not a Win for Wild Horses or BLM - PR Newswire

LCS3, the USS Fort Worth, departs Norfolk NOB en route to Mayport, Fla., as part of its maiden voyage toward Galveston, Texas, for its Commissioning Ceremony, Aug. 27, 2012. (Mike Rote, Lockheed Martin Corporation/TNS)

WASHINGTON (Tribune News Service) The USS Fort Worth, one of a relatively new class of nimble combat ships that can navigate shallow waters, is in the line of fire from the U.S. Navy.

And U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, the ships sponsor, isnt having it.

The former Fort Worth mayor, who is now the senior Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, recently prevented the Navy from decommissioning the USS Fort Worth and two other littoral combat ships, the USS Detroit and USS Little Rock, only weeks before they were to be retired. Granger blocked the move in the massive funding bill President Joe Biden signed March 15.

But it was a short-lived victory.

The Navy announced March 28 in its budget for the next fiscal year that it was expanding the number of ships it wants to retire 24 across the fleet, including nine of the Freedom-class littoral combat ships that it considers problem-plagued and too costly to upgrade. In a list the Navy provided the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the USS Fort Worth was ranked first among LCS ships it plans to scrap.

It disappointed me more than surprised me, Granger said in an interview. Because I think its absolutely the wrong thing to do. Its a misuse of money, first of all, and a lack of taking the time to understand what this ship can do.

She said the ship was remarkable, adding, its fast, its agile and its very capable. And it can be used in very specialized missions overseas.

What will Granger and other lawmakers do now?

We do the same thing. We stop it again, Granger said. I mean, just because they keep trying doesnt mean Im going to walk away from it.

Texas Congresswoman Kay Granger and Lockheed Martin Chairman and CEO Bob Stevens on the future USS Fort Worth, Sept. 21, 2012. (Lockheed Martin Corporation/TNS)

Asked recently if she would be speaking with Navy leadership about the latest decommissioning plans, Granger said, I just talked to the secretary of the Navy, he just left my office.

Secretary Carlos Del Toro listened, Granger said. He understood what I was saying.

Granger said she told him the LCS ships have capabilities needed by the U.S. fleet. Littoral means close to shore, and the smaller ships have capability to move in where larger ones cannot, such as to confront piracy and terrorism in coastal waters. She believes it is premature to retire such ships.

The citys namesake, built by a team led by Lockheed Martin, was commissioned Sept. 22, 2012, from Galveston with thousands of boosters in attendance from Fort Worth. It is homeported in San Diego.

This is the second time in two years that Granger has prevented the Navy from decommissioning the USS Fort Worth, which has been in service now for 10 years. The Navy needs a waiver from Congress to retire ships before their useful service life. The littoral combat ship was projected to last 25 years.

It was widely known that the Navy wanted to retire LCSs, said Loren Thompson, military analyst for the Lexington Institute, a think tank on defense and national security. Obviously the Navy did not include Kay Granger in its plans.

Thompson said that part of the problem with the Freedom-class LCS is that the Navy has decided it needs something different. There are two variations of the LCS: the Freedom class, with a steel hull, and the Independence class, with an aluminum multi-hull built by Austal USA.

The problem that the Navy has is that it takes 20 years to get from concept to operation, Thompson said. And it now sees the LCS as falling short of new expectations: the Navy has decided the LCS ships dont have enough fire power, he said.

The crew of the USS Fort Worth during its commissioning in Galveston, Texas, on Sept. 22, 2012. (Lockheed Martin Corporation/TNS)

In addition, there is a problem with most of the ships combining gear, which connects the diesel engines to gas turbines that produce additional power. The fix is costly, according to the U.S. Naval Institute. That, combined with the combat ships poor performance in anti-submarine warfare, has the Navy wanting to cut its losses in favor of new ships.

The USS Fort Worth, which has a different gear mechanism, still had a costly problem in 2016 with its combining gear due to human error when the gear was not properly lubricated. The ship became stranded in Singapore, and the commanding officer was relieved of his command.

Its a hard thing to make a decision to decommission ships, said Meredith Berger, acting undersecretary of the Navy, at a Pentagon briefing March 28. But what we are looking at is what offers the best capability against the threats that we are facing.

And as we look across LCS, this is a place where we have identified that there are real costs, Berger said.

The Navy appears to have doubled down on its decommissioning plans for the Freedom-class LCS, increasing the number of ships it proposes to retire from four in the fiscal 2022 budget to nine in fiscal 2023. The Navy budget proposes to retire a total of 24 ships for a savings of $3.6 billion and build nine new ships, including aircraft carriers and submarines.

But none of the rationale is going down with Granger, whose office says the USS Fort Worth cost about $400 million to build.

You certainly shouldnt decommission a ship when its premature to do that, she told the Star-Telegram. And its got useful years left. Its a waste of taxpayers money to say, Okay, were just going to get rid of this ship and start over with something else. Its absurd to me.

Granger, who could become chairman of the House Appropriations Committee if Republicans take back the majority in November, expects there will be congressional hearings about the Navys decommissioning plans.

In 2009, Granger won a lengthy campaign to have a ship named for Fort Worth.

When Granger put the cap on the 2012 commissioning ceremony in Galveston, exclaiming, Man your ship and bring her to life, Fort Worth joined Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Corpus Christi as Texas cities with Navy vessels named for them.

Is the fate of the USS Fort Worth personal for Granger?

The fact that we had one that was named after the city of Fort Worth, was a great honor to Fort Worth, she said. And Im very proud of that. But the argument and the concern is, why would we design ships for particular reasons, then before they reach their maturity, we say, Oh, weve got to stop these things and make it firewood. The whole thing makes no sense.

The USS Fort Worth is one of 10 Freedom-class littoral combat ships that were delivered and put in service. The first, the USS Freedom, was decommissioned in September. There are six more in the pipeline for delivery.

2022 Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Visit at star-telegram.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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The Navy wants to scrap USS Fort Worth, and Texas lawmaker is having none of it - Stars and Stripes

Howard University is entering into an unprecedented period of growth. In addition to funding for the hospital, Dr. Frederick has announced $785 million in campus construction initiatives at the University, which includes three new multidisciplinary academic facilities and other major renovations.

The HUH revitalization plan will also include an all-new Medical Office Building, which will house a new Howard University Cancer Center facility. As reflected in the 2020 CCMP, the new hospital will be located where the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences (Annex I/II) was previously housed, between Bryant Street and W Street NW. The Medical Office Building will be developed on University property proximate to the new HUH.

In fiscal year 2014, HUH reported a $60.4 million loss, and there were widespread fears that the hospital might close. Dr. Fredericks administration led a major turnaround effort, which involved several moves to improve management and the financial condition of the institution. Since early 2020, HUH has been run by Adventist Healthcare through a management services agreement.

Howard University Hospital has an unrivaled history of serving the under-resourced communities in our nations capital. But to ensure this treasured institution could survive required a new vision for how the hospital would operate. This critical revitalization effort will honor the legacy and mission of the hospital while empowering it to once again become a leading health care institution dedicated to eradicating health inequities and serving the most vulnerable individuals, said Dr. Frederick.

The rich tradition of leadership and service at Howard University Hospital dates back to 1862 and the founding of its predecessor, Freedmen's Hospital, which catered to the needs of thousands of African Americans who fled to Washington during the Civil War, seeking their freedom. Freedmens was housed in converted army barracks and was the first hospital of its kind one with a mission devoted to providing medical treatment for former slaves. In 1863, it was placed under the charge of Dr. Alexander Augusta, the first African American to head a hospital.

In the late 1860s, after the Civil War, Freedmens formed a partnership with the Howard University College of Medicine to train African American medical professionals. In 1975, the historic Freedmens Hospital closed after 112 years as Howard University College of Medicines primary teaching hospital. The existing building, facing Georgia Avenue NW, opened that same year.

HUH offers medical students and other academic health care learners a superior learning environment and opportunities to observe or participate in groundbreaking clinical and research work with professionals who are changing the face of health care. Health teams are engaged weekly in activities and services in the local community, providing medical presentations, free health screenings and educational workshops.

About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 14 schools and colleges. Students pursue more than 140 programs of study leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced one Schwarzman Scholar, three Marshall Scholars, four Rhodes Scholars, 12 Truman Scholars, 25 Pickering Fellows and more than 165 Fulbright recipients. Howard also produces more on-campus African American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visitwww.howard.edu.

For media inquiries, contact Sholnn Freeman; sholnn.freeman@howard.edu

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Howard University Hospital Revitalization Takes a Big Step Forward - The Dig

A plea for common sense regarding 'panhandling'

I wish to respond to the article in the April 6 Press-Citizen paper regarding bans on panhandling.It seems to me that a little common sense and compassion are in order.

I understand not allowing it along busy streets and highways where it creates a traffic hazard.

But to criminalize it in a pedestrian setting is, to me, a whole other matter, which violates not only the rights of the solicitor, but also those of the person who wants to help.

-Nancy Smith, Iowa City

We cant count on Miller-Meeks

U.S. Rep.MariannetteMiller-Meeks sent out her latest fund-raising letter telling constituents she ran for Congress because I want to protect the American Dream.

As a voter, I dont see Miller-Meeks protecting the American Dream or her constituents.

For instance, she said she voted for fiscal restraint and limited government.Her votes keep constituents living below the poverty line.She voted against the American Rescue Plan, Build Back Better and raising the minimum wage.Americans were food-insecure during the pandemic and many still are.She had an opportunity to help us, but she chose not to.

Miller-Meeks said she voted for more individual freedom.How is she giving us more individual freedom by voting againstFor the People Act, legislation created to expand voting rights?She claimed a shortened early voting period and shaving an hour off of Election Day voting is updated and modernized election laws.Thats voter suppression.

Miller- Meeks said she supports law-and-order.She also supports twice-impeached former President Donald Trump, whose flaunting of our legal system includes the attempt to illegally overturn the 2020 election.

Christina Bohannan will be a representative that Iowans in the 1stdistrict can rely on to reflect their views in Congress, unlike our current representative, who votes her party line.

-Dave Bradley,West Liberty

Iowa needs to stop exporting its pollution

Since Iowa has been turning our rivers and streams into sewers, we should thank those people who live next to the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico for providing the toilet for our sewage.Without their cooperation, indulgenceand permission, we would not be able to send our human feces, cow and hog poop to them, turning the Gulf of Mexico into a dead zone devoid of all living things.

Thank them for providing this giant toilet for big agriculture in Iowa, who are the only ones that benefit from the septic tank Iowans live in.If you want to see toilet paper float by or swim and ingest pathogens;experienceflesh-eating bacteria, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomachacheand fever;cometo Iowa.

Republican legislators have been bought and sold to big agriculture and do not want to tell farmers not to pollute.They dont want to tell pollutersnot to plant stream to streamon land that becomes flooded, or to not put hog and cattle poop on frozen ground.They do not provide adequate retention ponds used in small towns and cities that overflow with human feces whenever it rains heavily.Everyone in Iowa that finds polluting our water disgusting should write to anyone they know in a state that borders the Gulf of Mexico or the Mississippi River.Ask them to tell their state legislatures to stop accepting Iowas poop.

Iowans need to enlist their help as we have not been able to do it by ourselves.

-Joel E. Wells, Iowa City

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Letters: On panhandling bans, polluted waterways and disappointment in Miller-Meeks - Iowa City Press-Citizen

Dr Biman Prasad with (from left) Retired Professor AUT Pacific Media Centre Dr David Robie, Est Papuan student leader Laurens Ikinia and Green MP Teanau Tuiono at the media conference in Auckland on April 13, 2022 (INL Photo)

The change is imminent in the November Election

Venkat RamanAuckland, April 15, 2022

National Federation Party Leader and Fijis Member of Parliament Dr Biman Prasad is confident that the incumbent Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama government will be defeated in this years general election, because, as he said, People have had enough; they want a change.

Speaking to the media in Auckland on Wednesday (April 13, 2022) he said that Fiji is suffering from an economic downturn, inept policies and an unfriendly government.

Bainimarama does not hold any hope for our people. His government has been in power since December 5, 2006, when he ousted a democratically elected coalition government. Since then, Fiji has been sliding on the economic scale. We are in dire straits, he said.

Describing the Constitution of Fiji, adopted in 2013 as draconian, he said that several provisions of the document are detrimental to human rights and freedom of speech.

There are human rights breaches, media cannot operate freely and even the Opposition is also allowed to function as per democratic standards, he said.

Fijis electoral system

Fiji follows a Single, Nationwide Constituency method of electing members to its Parliament through the Open List Proportion with an electoral threshold of 5%. The House had 50 Seats that are allocated using the DHondt method. Also known as the Jefferson Method or the Greatest Divisors Method, it allows for the allocation of seats in Parliaments among federal states or in the Party-List Proportional Representation system. It belongs to the class of Highest Average Methods.

The method was first described in 1972 by future US President Thomas Jefferson and was reinvented in 1878 by Belgian Mathematician Victor DHont and hence the name.

The Election Office in Fiji has not set the date for this years election but said in an announcement on March 17, 2022, that it will be held during November this year. Candidates can begin campaigning on April 26, 2022, but must conclude two days before the polling date.

The first general election was held in September 2014 with the Parliamentary term set at four years. Mr Bainimarama and his close friend Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum established the FijiFirst Party, which won 32 seats, followed by the Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) (15 seats) and NFP (3).

However, in the 2018 election, FijiFirst won only 27 seats, with SODELPA gaining 21 seats, while NFP retained its three seats in the 51-Member House.

An accomplished academic

Dr Prasad, who served the University of South Pacific as a Lecturer and Professor for 28 years, gave up his academic career to enter politics. He was the Associate Editor of the Journal of Fijian Studies and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Pacific Studies, the Head of the School of Economics and later Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics.

He said that the Fijian economy suffers from mismanagement and wasteful expenditure.

Poverty, which was placed at 29% of the population in 2019, has risen sharply since the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country. Today another 20% of our people are on the margin of poverty. The government received budget support of F$300 million from Australia and New Zealand. The total amount obtained in the last two years from various sources is F$1.3 billion. Covid has exposed the extent of mismanagement. Our growth has been negative for the past three years. The Agriculture and Sugarcane sectors have been neglected and all the money has been spent on Tourism. Our infrastructure is in a pathetic state, he said.

IMF expects contraction

According to the December 2021 Report of the International Monetary Fund, Fijis Real Gross Domestic Product contracted by an estimated 15.7% in 2021 and is projected to contract by another 4% in the fiscal year 20211-2022 in the wake of the Delta variant Covid outbreak.

The fiscal deficit reached a record 13.1% of GDP in the fiscal year 2020-2021 with an accompanying rise in public debt to 89.8$ of the GDP by March 2022. Year-on-year consumer price inflation reached -2.8% at the end of 2020. Increases in international commodity prices and local food prices are expected to drive consumer price inflation to 1.4% by end of 2021. Both lending and deposit rates have decreased, and private sector credit contracted by 3.1% in 2020 and is expected to shrink by a further 3.6% by the end of the 2021 financial year. Non-performing loans have risen to record levels, the IMF Report said.

Pact with Rabuka

Dr Prasad said that NFP will work with Sitiveni Rabuka, who is expected to emerge as a strong leader in the 2022 election, saying that he has changed and favours inclusive politics.

We will restore the rights of the people, including freedom of speech, and freedom of the media and repeal the draconian laws within the first 100 days in office. We will have a strong focus on social welfare and improve the availability of healthcare and medicines. Fiji wants a free government. As a politician, I was arrested more than once for speaking out against the Constitution, he said.

He is confident that the people of Fiji will elect the opposition parties to form the government later this year.

Our people want a good, accountable and transparent government. Our Constitution does not allow a collation government but we are confident of reaching an agreement with other parties. We have plenty of work to do, he said.

Dr Prasad ruled out another coup saying, Fijians will not tolerate any more of them.

Earlier, New Zealand Green Party MP Teanau Tuiono spoke about the plight of the West Papuan students who have been facing hardship since the Indonesian government stopped funding their scholarships at the beginning of this year.

He said that he has written to the Labour government asking for urgent financial support through the Scholarship Fund and including the affected students in the 2021 Pathway to Residency Programme.

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Biman Prasad calls out the Bainimarama government - indiannewslink.co.nz - Indian NewsLink

ANCA launches anca.org/april action platform encouraging U.S. Representatives to co-sign the FY23 Armenian Caucus Foreign Aid Letter; Support full range of April pro-Armenian priorities

WASHINGTON, DC The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is rallying community and coalition support for a Congressional Armenian Caucus request for at least $150 million in US aid to Artsakh and Armenia, as Appropriations Subcommittee on State-Foreign Operations chairwoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Ranking Member Hal Rogers (R-KY) begin crafting the US House version of the Fiscal Year 2023 foreign aid bill.

We thank the Armenian Caucus for its leadership in seeking to end the US aid blockade of Artsakh and stop US military assistance to Azerbaijan, said ANCA executive director Aram Hamparian. ANCA activists and allies can take action at anca.org/april speaking out on these two issues and our other policy priorities.

A Dear Colleague letter sent to members of Congress encourages support for funding to strengthen the U.S.-Armenia strategic partnership, bolster democratic gains in Armenia, and hold Azerbaijan accountable for their destabilizing behavior in the region. The letter includes the following budgetary requests:

$50 million in humanitarian and development aid to Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)

The suspension of all US military assistance to Azerbaijan

$100 million in security and economic assistance to Armenia.

The ANCA has launched an action platform through which pro-Armenian advocates can encourage members of Congress to cosign the Congressional letter as well as cosponsor the Armenian Genocide Education Act, and attend the Capitol Hill Armenian Genocide Observance, scheduled to take place on April 27th.

The full text of the Congressional Armenian Caucus letter is provided below.

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Dear Chairwoman Lee and Ranking Member Rogers:

We write to thank the Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs for your longstanding support of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). This includes the important language you incorporated into the Fiscal Year 2022 bill providing $45 million in funding for Armenia and $2 million in demining assistance for Artsakh. We ask that you build on these historic investments by considering the inclusion of the below provisions that will help strengthen Americas standing with partner countries in the region and hold Azerbaijan accountable for its ongoing hostilities in Artsakh and Armenia.

Robust U.S. Assistance in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)

The people of Artsakh continue to face severe hardships caused both by the deadly 44-day war Azerbaijani forces provoked in 2020 and their ongoing provocations against innocent civilians to this day. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), 88 percent of the approximately 90,000 refugees displaced to Armenia were women, children, and the elderly. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) also acknowledges that an acute humanitarian crisis continues for many of these families, including those who have been able to return to Artsakh. Unfortunately, the $5,000,000 in Fiscal Year 2021 funding USAID has committed to date is insufficient to address the overwhelming needs of these people.

The U.S. has historically promoted peace in Artsakh through U.S. government-funded landmine and unexploded ordnance clearance efforts and enabling rebuilding by investing in similar humanitarian assistance initiatives. We are requesting a robust humanitarian assistance package for Artsakh that lives up to American humanitarian commitments. The package would help provide Armenian refugees with the aid, housing, food security, water and sanitation, health care, rehabilitation, and demining/UXO clearance they need to reconstruct their communities, rebuild their lives, and resettle their homes.

We urge you to include the following provision in the body of the foreign aid bill:

Of the funds appropriated under this heading, not less than $50,000,000 shall be made available for assistance in Nagorno-Karabakh, used to provide humanitarian assistance and rebuilding and resettlement support to the Armenian victims of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, both those residing in and those displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh. Such assistance will help to meet basic human needs, including maternity healthcare and drinking water programs.

Security, Economic, and Governance Assistance for Armenia

The United States remains uniquely positioned to make important diplomatic advances in the South Caucasus. This is especially true in Armenia, an ancient nation with a modern democracy that continues to make democratic reforms in a region dominated by autocratic leaders. Providing significant assistance to Armenia will help make its people more secure, bolster its democracy, sustain economic development, stabilize its civil society, and aid its ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This critical investment will build on past support for Armenia and Artsakh by the Subcommittee and will help strengthen the U.S.-Armenia strategic partnership, solidify our presence, and grow our influence in the region. We request the following language be included in this legislation:

Of the funds appropriated by this Act, not less than $100 million shall be made available for security, economic, governance, and rule of law assistance to Armenia. An increase in funding to accounts such as the Department of States Office of the Coordinator of U.S. Assistance to Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia and the U.S. Agency for International Developments Bureau for Europe and Eurasia should be made available for these purposes.

Prohibition on U.S. Military Aid to Azerbaijan

President Ilham Aliyev began his brutal 2020 assault on Artsakh not long after receiving over $100 million in security assistance through the Section 333 Building Partner Capacity Program in Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019. Azerbaijani forces used advanced Turkish drones, cluster munitions, and white phosphorus to indiscriminately attack homes, churches, and hospitals killing thousands in the 44-day war. While an agreement halting the war was signed in November 2020, Azerbaijan continues its aggressive behavior in the region with troop movements and other escalatory measures into Armenian and Artsakh territories. On March 25, 2022, State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Jalina Porter State stated the U.S. was deeply concerned about these actions and called them irresponsible and unnecessarily provocative. It is equally concerning that Azerbaijani troops continue to carry out the desecration of Armenian Christian holy sites, weaponize major sources of natural gas for civilians, and illegally detain and abuse Armenian prisoners of war.

The Section 333 funding, paired with other U.S. funding to Azerbaijan through the IMET and FMF programs, clearly defies almost two decades of a policy of parity in security assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan. In fact, according to a January 31, 2022, report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the State Department likely violated Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act in sending this and other assistance to Azerbaijan from 2014 to 2021. They did so by not properly consulting and communicating with Congress on what processes they used to determine whether U.S. aid to Azerbaijan could be used for offensive purposes against Armenia.

The overdue process of holding Azerbaijan accountable must begin with Congress encouraging the Administration to fully enforce Section 907, restricting the State Departments authority to waive this law, and enacting statutory prohibitions on any new U.S. military or security aid to Azerbaijan. We request that the following language be included in the final SFOPs bill:

None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available under this Act may be provided to the Government of Azerbaijan through U.S. security assistance programs.

Armenian Prisoners of War and Captured Civilians

On November 9, 2020, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia signed a tripartite statement to end the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh, where all parties agreed that the exchange of prisoners of war, hostages and other detainees as well as the remains of the fatalities shall be carried out. However, the Government of Azerbaijan continues to detain an estimated 200 Armenian prisoners of war, hostages, and detained persons, misrepresenting their status in an attempt to justify their continued captivity. We request that the following language be included in the final SFOPs bill:

The Committee is concerned by Azerbaijans failure to immediately return all Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians and, thus, (2) urges the Secretary of State to engage at all levels with Azerbaijani authorities, including through the OSCE Minsk Group process, to make clear the importance of adhering to their obligations, under the November 9 statement and international law, to immediately release all prisoners of war and captured civilians.

Again, thank you for your leadership on the Subcommittee. We appreciate your consideration of these requests.

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

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Armenian Caucus seeks over $150 million in US aid for Artsakh and Armenia - Armenian Weekly