Diogenes-Light

December 31, 2012 Chief Justice Prods Congress to Resolve Budget Talks and Control National Debt By ADAM LIPTAK WASHINGTON — Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. used his year-end report on the federal judiciary to give Congressional budget negotiators a little nudge. “Our country faces new challenges, including the much-publicized ‘fiscal cliff’ and the longer-term problem of a truly extravagant and burgeoning national debt,” he wrote. “No one seriously doubts that the country’s fiscal ledger has gone awry. The public properly looks to its elected officials to craft a solution.” The chief justice said that his branch of the government provided an example of doing much with few resources. The federal judiciary makes do with a budget appropriation of about $7 billion, he wrote, “a mere two-tenths of 1 percent of the United States’ total budget of $3.7 trillion.” “Yes,” he went on, “for each citizen’s tax dollar, only two-tenths of one penny goes toward funding the entire third b...

THEHILL.COM 2 Days Ago Barrasso: Obama has 'addiction' to spending by Daniel Strauss By Daniel Strauss - 12/30/12 09:46 AM ET Tweet Remarks begin at 6:32 mark Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) accused President Obama of not adequately addressing federal spending in negotiations to avoid January's "fiscal cliff." Barrasso's comments Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union" comes as legislators rush to beat the end-year deadline to prevent automatic spending cuts and tax increases from taking effect in 2013. "He's fixated on what may fund the government for seven days a year," Barrasso said of Obama. "The president is doing nothing about the addiction that his administration and he has done to spending —he's the spender-in-chief." On Sunday both the Senate and House are slated to reconvene, setting up a chance for Obama and lawmakers to quickly pass a compromise bill. Senate leaders on Sunday worked on a compromise bill ...

Breaking News from The Washington Post White House, Senate leaders reach deal on taxes, delaying 'sequester' cuts Monday, December 31, 2012 9:00:16 PM National News Alert White House, Senate leaders reach deal on taxes, delaying 'sequester' cuts President Obama and Senate Republicans reached a sweeping deal late Monday that would let income taxes rise significantly for the first time in more than 20 years, fulfilling Obama's promise to raise taxes on the rich and averting the worst effects of the "fiscal cliff." According to Democratic aides, Vice President Biden is on his way to the Capitol to explain the details of the pact he negotiated with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and a Senate vote on the package could be held by 10:30 p.m. ET, beating a midnight deadline. White House offi...

BREITBART.COM 10 Hours Ago Obama Yawns As Syria Uses Chemical Weapons, Crosses 'Red Line' by AWR Hawkins 31 Dec 2012, 7:29 AM PDT post a comment Western intelligence operatives have reviewed multiple frames of footage taken in Syria, and from that footage have determined Assad has been using "paralyzing agents" against rebel forces for "a few months now." According to Israel's Ynet News: These agents are not mustard gas, sarin nerve gas or VX, which are classified as chemical weapons, but they can definitely be considered toxic and harmful to humans. For now, there have been less than 20 incidents in which Syrian army forces and the Shabiha militia have sprayed gas or a toxic liquid in rebel-held residential neighborhoods. Since the rebels did not display any bomb remnants, it is safe to assume that the gas was sprayed manually. These gases do not necessarily cause death and are not as lethal as gases that are classified as chemical weapons....

THEBLAZE.COM 2 Hours Ago It’s Official: U.S. Hits $16.4T Debt Limit The U.S. government on Monday officially reached it $16.4 trillion borrowing limit, a grim reminder of the state of the country’s finances. Reaching the limit sets up another dispute between the White House and Congress over taxes and spending in the new year. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says the government will take a series of accounting measures to avoid defaulting on its debt. On Monday, it suspended the issuance of new debt for two government retirement funds. Last week, Geithner said the measures would save about $200 billion and avoid default for about two months. Geithner said it is difficult to predict how long default can be avoided because of ongoing negotiations over tax and budget policies. The debt limit is the amount the government can borrow to help finance its operations. Follow Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) on Twitter The Associated Press contributed to this report. Featured im...

Breaking News from The Washington Post Hillary Rodham Clinton expected to make 'full recovery,' doctors say Monday, December 31, 2012 5:13:33 PM National News Alert Hillary Rodham Clinton expected to make 'full recovery,' doctors say Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is "making excellent progress" and is expected to make a "full recovery" after being hospitalized Sunday with a blood clot following a concussion earlier in the month, according to a statement from her doctors released by a Clinton spokesman. The doctors said the blood clot was "in the vein that is situated in the space between the brain and the skull behind the right ear. It did not result in a stroke, or neurological damage." Read more at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-se...