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by Don Azarias
February 1, 2013
“The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government—lest it come to dominate our lives and interests”—Patrick Henry Continue reading →

February 1, 2013
Once again, gun violence has taken center stage in public opinion. I’m not talking about gun violence in the United States but halfway around the world in the land of the morning sun – the Philippines. The recent killing of 13 people under questionable circumstances in Atimonan in the province of Quezon has ignited a firestorm of controversy on gun control legislation. Many people believe that the time has come for a permanent gun ban, not just the 150-day ban that takes effect every election time. Continue reading →

by Don Azarias
January 16, 2013
Having been a Life Member of the National Rifle Association (NRA) for more than four decades, it behooves me to respond to some of those unfounded allegations and criticisms directed against the NRA by people who are grossly influenced by their disdain and contempt for an organization that they have limited conception or are completely ignorant of. And there are some who are simply swayed by their preconceived notion. Continue reading →

by Don Azarias
January 1, 2013
According to the trustees who oversee the retirement and disability program, the trust funds that support Social Security will run out of money in 2033, unless Congress acts. At that point, Social Security would collect only enough tax revenue each year to pay about 75 percent of benefits. That benefit cut wouldn’t sit well with the millions of older Americans who rely on Social Security for most of their income. Continue reading →

by Don Azarias
December 16, 2012
Politicians, economists, analysts and investors have been talking about ‘fiscal cliff” even before and even more after the Nov. 6 presidential election. They have been dealing with it in almost the same breath as the Y2K scare (remember this?) before year 2000 which, it turned out, was just a concoction of unscrupulous IT “experts” for financial gain. Continue reading →

by Don Azarias
December 1, 2012
According to the Reuters News, two of the nation’s premier economists are concerned and pessimistic that the White House and Capitol Hill will be able to strike a deal to rein in America’s soaring national debt and make a compromise to extend the Bush tax cuts. Consequently, both are predicting that the United States is heading for another recession in 2013. Continue reading →

by Don Azarias
November 16, 2012
According to the Congressional Research Service (CRS), welfare spending has grown substantially over the past four years, reaching $746 billion in 2011. That’s more than Social Security, basic defense spending or any other single chunk of the federal government. Continue reading →

by Don Azarias
November 1, 2012
As the title suggests, there’ll be a cost of living adjustment (COLA) increase for Social Security recipients in 2013. Yes, you read it right we, senior retirees, will be getting an increase in the amount of check we receive each month from Social Security. Continue reading →

by Don Azarias
Ocotber 16, 2012
On September 12, 2012, the business section of the Chicago Tribune carried this byline: “In August the unemployment rate fell slightly…because so many quit looking for work…The number of people working or looking for work has dropped to a 30-year low…while the skills of millions degrade.” Continue reading →

by Don Azarias
Ocotber 1, 2012
Why are the Democrats raising a big stink about Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s newly-released tax returns? Though he earned a lot of money, mostly through investments, he paid millions of dollars in taxes and gave millions more to charity. Yet why are they still hell-bent on making a campaign issue about the rate of Romney’s income tax payment when, in reality, Romney didn’t do anything illegal. Continue reading →