Special House election puts Democrat in Republicans seat

A chair which had been held by the GOP in New York’s 26th Congressional District was won by Democrat Kathy Hochul in Tuesday’s special House election. Hochul’s opponent was Republican Jane Corwin. Hochul narrowly won, 47 percent to 43 percent. A third candidate, Democrat-turned Tea Party campaigner Jack Davis, garnered 9 percent of the votes.

Candidate against Medicare changes

The changes House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan suggested for Medicare were addressed quite a bit by Hochul. These changes are not supported by Hochul in any means. There was a debate with Ryan’s budget plan supporter Corwin last week where Hochul said: “I will fight any plan that tries to decimate Medicare. That is something people in this district feel passionately about, and I do as well.”

The win was something Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rep. Steve Israel commented on: “Even in one of the most Republican districts, seniors and independent voters rejected the Republican plan to end Medicare.”

Medicare changes passed by House

There were 15 democrats and 4 republicans that voted opposes Ryan’s Medicare plan on April 15. It was passed by the House still. People younger than 55 would be able to take advantage of the changes which would allow federally subsidizes premiums for those younger than 55.

Hochul’s win something Obama likes

President Obama praised Hochul in a statement Tuesday. “Kathy has shown, through her victory and throughout her career, that she will fight for the families and companies in western New York, and I anticipate working with her when she gets to Washington.”

Argument from Republicans

House Republican Leader Eric Cantor disputed the claims the victory was based on the Medicare reform problems. “This race is about the truth that it’s a three-way race,” Cantor said to reporters.

Sex scandal causes somebody to lose their job

A seat was lost when Republican Rep. Chris Less had a sex scandal. Hochul won’t take that seat in his place. Lee had nothing left to do but step down in February. There were shirtless photos of him shown publicly after he sent them to a woman he met on Craigslist.

Even more vacancies

This year, two more vacancies have to be filled. This will require two special House elections. One, to be held in July, will be to replace California Democrat Jane Harman. In Sept, a political election will be held in Nevada to replace Republican Dean Heller. Now Heller will be put in U.S. Senate. She is taking John Ensign’s spot.

Citations

Huffington Post

huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/24/new-york-special-election_n_866074.html

MSNBC

msnbc.msn.com/id/43161820/ns/politics-capitol_hill

Chicago Tribune

chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/la-pn-ryan-special-election-20110525,0,3908152.story

Loopholes make going Cuba achievable

There has been an embargo on travel to Cuba since the Kennedy administration, causing many people to wish for the forbidden fruit of Havana. There are loopholes, however, in the laws and regulations and legal ways to travel to Cuba, one of the last strongholds of communism. The number of individuals traveling to Cuba is increasing each year, but don’t mistake Cuba for Busch Gardens or Cancun or the price to pay will indeed be very expensive.

It is okay to travel to Cuba

Relations between the U.S. and Cuba have not been the warmest for the past half century. The Cuban embargo enacted under the Kennedy administration is still in impact, but President Clinton signed a bill granting exceptions to the ban on travel to Cuba for private citizens in 1999, according to MSNBC, which a small but growing number of people have been taking advantage of. As long as a person is going to Cuba for “people to people contacts,” it is acceptable. This means that people have to go to Cuba with the intention of learning about the Cuban culture. Adjudicating the quality of the pina coladas doesn’t count; most groups have itineraries packed with museum, factory and farm visits.

How you get in now

In order to go on this kind of trip to Cuba, a person has to book a trip with a group that is authorized to conduct such tours. The State Department won’t have to approve travel itineraries anymore ahead of time meaning it will be easier to get into a tour of Cuba. When traveling to Cuba, don’t take children. It is not the most kid friendly environment. Individuals go to Cuba for religious, journalistic or governmental reasons. That means that even though there is still “person to person” travel, you should not just go to trip, the State Department site explained. As long as relatives are Cuban nationals, individuals can go to Cuba to see them. In the Swiss Embassy in Havana, there’s a U.S. Special Interests Section that functions as an embassy. Otherwise, there is no U.S. Embassy there.

Make sure the documents are ready

Cuba is “a totalitarian police state,” according to the State Department meaning it uses physical and other means to keep its citizens under control. Make sure you’ve your paperwork in order and are behaved well while going to Cuba. Travel in Cuba is uncommon. Most are not allowed to do this. The exit visa, “white card,” required for Cubans to leave Cuba costs the equivalent of $150. Most Cubans live on $20 a month and barely get enough to eat, according to the Christian Science Monitor. If the Raul Castro regime is willing to make changes, President Obama would be willing to lift some restrictions on trade and travel, reports Reuters. Apparently Obama is trying to normalize relations with the country. Trade in Cuba is starting to take place more often. Castro won’t say goodbye to communism though.

Information from

MSNBC

msnbc.msn.com/id/43126754/ns/travel-news/

U.S. Department of State on traveling to Cuba

travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1097.html

Christian Science Monitor

csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2011/0513/Cubans-may-no-longer-be-stuck-on-Caribbean-isle

Reuters

reuters.com/article/2011/05/13/us-usa-cuba-obama-idUSTRE74C3P820110513

Joplin, Mo., is worried about one more tornado hitting

A second tornado could hit the already-tornado savaged area of Joplin, Mo. The lower Midwest is still at great risk, as a new storm front is currently looming above the area. Five states are at the center of the weather front. There’s a very strong risk of tornadoes touching down.

Five states need to be concerned about tornadoes

About 116 people were killed on Sunday, May 22 in Joplin, Mo., where a twister hit and is starting to form once again. According to MSNBC, the storm system has been producing tornadoes in the United States after starting in the south. People are warned with a thunderstorm advisory to view for strong winds, tornadoes and hail in Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and the northeast corner of Texas. A National Weather Service official was quoted as saying the risk of tornado outbreaks is “not through … not by a long shot.” There could be more tornadoes just as devastating as the one that struck Joplin, according to USA Today, but the risk will diminish throughout the week as the storm system passes by.

La Nina years bring greater storms

Tornadoes are the reason for many fatalities. Just this year 482 individuals have perished from them. Due to La Nina, or a time when the tropical Pacific Ocean gets cooler, the strength of the storms goes up. Storm systems become more severe meaning more tornadoes could occur when the Pacific cools since the jet streams get stronger and cool air rises into the atmosphere. Even though the tornado outbreaks in the Midwest have been terrible, they are ordinary storms, reports Yahoo News. Areas will get weather patterns such as low pressure systems that will stay for a long time and might mean a tornado. Just last month, there were many tornadoes that hit many states. Over 300 individuals were killed from them.

Insurance losses in the billions

Reuters explains that insurance companies expect to lose billions because of this. The recent Mississippi river flooding and other natural disasters in the United States for instance tornado outbreaks are expected to cost various insurance companies up to $10 billion this year, compared to a normal year’s outlays of $2 billion to $4 billion. Over $55 billion might have to be paid because of the Earthquakes in Japan and New Zealand. In just 2011, there have been 1,151 tornadoes that have hit. Building towns back up is what the Federal Emergency Agency is working on. Since 1947, the Joplin tornado is the deadliest one that has hit. In 1947, 181 people were killed in Woodward, Okla., from a tornado. The Joplin tornado was, at one point, three-quarters of a mile across and generated wind speeds of almost 200 miles an hour.

Articles cited

MSNBC

msnbc.msn.com/id/43147795/ns/weather/

USA Today

usatoday.com/weather/storms/tornadoes/2011-05-23-tornadoes-hit-plains_n.htm

Yahoo News

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_sci_midwest_storms_science;_ylt=AjjcCUBXXogIBRiQGeOupzqs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNjM21oOHRnBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTEwNTI0L3VzX21pZHdlc3Rfc3Rvcm1zBGNjb2RlA21vc3Rwb3B1bGFyBGNwb3MDMQRwb3MDNgRwdANob21lX2Nva2UEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yeQRzbGsDcmVsYXRlZA–

Reuters

reuters.com/article/2011/05/24/us-insurance-disasters-idUSTRE74M6GH20110524

Charge card businesses still after college students

College students and campuses are off limits to marketing campaigns by charge card corporations due to the CARD Act, which restricted marketing to some groups. However, credit card companies are exploiting loopholes and many students are still signing up for credit cards.

Credit cards on campuses not ending yet

All unethical practices done by credit card corporations were supposed to be stopped by the Credit card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure Act. One of the provisions of the CARD Act was to prohibit charge card businesses and card issuing institutions from marketing heavily to college students, however they’re finding ways back onto campus, according to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal. The law prohibits any free promotional gifts to students, but that does not prevent card issuers from offering other things like the $50 bonus for signing up for a card, as Citibank does. Anyone who friended the Chase Facebook group can get “karma” reward points while Facebook is being used by Chase to market to students.

No laws broken

Charge cards are typically not coming from charge card or finance businesses. They are offered by banks instead. Banks are still allowed to hand out promotional literature for checking and savings accounts, just not credit cards. However, several people see that as a canard. A University of Houston Law Center found in a survey of college students that 73 percent of credit card marketing was not on campus at all which is why financial service companies are on the same level. That survey found out that 29 percent of students applying for credit cards used loans as proof of income to get the charge card showing that students are skipping the rules to get credit cards.

The price of an education

Yearly the cost of going to a university is going up. This is why students may want a charge card to try and experience something nicer like a real meal. The debt from college is going up. Students are taking out more. The Sallie Mae foundation found that 92 percent of college students in 2009 charged an educational expense such as tuition or books and 20 percent of college seniors carried at least $7,000 in credit card debt, according to U.S. News and World Report. The class of 2011, according to Time, carries the highest average college debt ever seen. A $22,900 average debt is carried by the class of 2011. That is an 8 percent increase from 2010’s graduating class. It is a 47 percent increase from 2001 too.

Information from

Wall Street Journal

online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704322804576303652621312770.html?mod=WSJ_PersonalFinance_FamilyFinance#articleTabs%3Darticle

Time

newsfeed.time.com/2011/05/11/congratulations-class-of-2011-youre-the-most-indebted-graduates-ever/

U.S. News

usnews.com/education/blogs/student-loan-ranger/2011/05/11/student-credit-card-use-could-cause-problems-later