Topic: Social Security
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Eight steps to getting the right insurance
Comparing insurance policies is tough. However, by following these eight steps, you can simplify the process and find the right insurance policy for you.
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Fiscal deal will cost you: 8 tax changes
[Editor's note: This story was updated on Jan. 2 at 10:00 am ET.]
Congress has passed a fiscal deal that averts the worst of the tax increases under the "fiscal cliff." But most Americans will still end up paying more in federal taxes. Here are eight tax changes under the fiscal deal that may hit your pocketbook:
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How much do you know about US entitlement programs? Take our quiz.
The push to reform entitlement programs is at the heart of debates about the future of the US budget. They include Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment benefits, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (welfare).
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'Fiscal cliff' 101: 5 basic questions answered
President Obama and congressional leaders are working to stop the US from going over the “fiscal cliff,” a combination of higher taxes and lower spending set to take effect Jan. 1. Here are five steps to understanding what's going on.
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6 ways to avoid the 'fiscal cliff'
Republican congressional leaders and President Obama sharply disagree over how to deal with the impending “fiscal cliff.” But a successful plan shouldn’t be that hard to put in place. Here are six ways Washington can avoid the “fiscal cliff.”
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Tax VOX
What happens if Congress goes over the fiscal cliff? Taxes rise.Americans could face an average tax hike of almost $3,500 in 2013 if Congress goes over the fiscal cliff, Gleckman writes. The looming fiscal cliff poses a major threat for the US economy.
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Potential voter registration fraud in Florida: GOP’s own 'ACORN' scandal?
The Republican Party fired a voter registration contractor this week after the firm turned in illegible, incorrect, and falsified voter registration forms to Florida election officials.
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Where did the mammoth US budget deficits come from?
Let's go back about a decade, when budget surpluses were predicted for the foreseeable future. Somehow, the math went terribly wrong, by trillions of dollars. Here's an accounting of what happened.
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Tax VOX
Five ways to tax the 47 percentGleckman offers five suggestions for reducing the portion of Americans who do not pay federal income tax.
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Energy Voices
Is the world economy suffering from 'high-priced fuel syndrome'?The major issue for many countries is that oil is becoming too expensive for the economy to afford, Tverberg writes.
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Who are the '47 percent'?
Half don't earn enough to pay federal income taxes; many pay other ways.
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McCaskill hits Todd Akin with new ad, raises 'legitimate rape' remark
Todd Akin is getting $250,000 in support from the Freedom's Defense Fund. But the Republican National Committee isn't supporting Todd Akin.
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The New Economy
Candidates indulge in China-bashing. But it's a distraction, not a solution.Every presidential election seems to create a foreign bogeyman. But China in 2012 is no more a threat than NAFTA in 1996.
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Robert Reich
Mitt Romney: A warrior for the wealthy?MItt Romney represents an unprecedented concentration of wealth and power that’s undermining our economy and destroying our democracy, Reich writes.
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3 views on how US should combat illegal immigration
For the third installment in our One Minute Debate series for election 2012, three writers give their brief take on how the United States should combat illegal immigration: 'tighten up,' 'loosen up,' and 'another way.'
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Paul Ryan to seniors: Medicare 'going bankrupt,' competition is answer
At an AARP conference Friday, GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan spoke of financial peril ahead for Medicare and contrasted his party's "competition"-based plan to fix it with Obama's plan under the health-care reform law.
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Decoder Wire
Romney, Obama, and 'redistribution': How much do US taxes reallocate wealth? (+video)The federal tax system is 'progressive' – meaning wealthier people pay taxes at a higher rate than others. It is, in effect, a wealth redistribution mechanism. But it's not new to Obama, or even more pronounced under him.
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Tax VOX
The 47 percent: a case studyGleckman profiles a single mom who likely owes no income tax thanks largely to the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit.
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Who are the 47 percent? 5 jobs held by people who pay no income tax.
Mitt Romney says 47 percent of Americans don't pay federal income taxes – and he was right. Half of that 47 percent are workers who hold jobs that don't pay enough for them to owe income taxes to Uncle Sam. What kinds of jobs are these?
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Can Romney's campaign get back on track? (+video)
Following the release of a video from one of presidential candidate Mitt Romney's fundraisers, some commentators question his campaign strategy, while others defend him. Polls show the presidential race is still close.
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Mitt Romney video fact check: Is 47 percent of US 'dependent' on government?
In a secret video of a May fundraiser, Mitt Romney says 47 percent of Americans 'are dependent upon government.' One analysis suggests he might have gotten his numbers crossed.
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Decoder Wire
Mitt Romney video and the 47 percent: Who doesn't pay income taxes?In a video of a May fundraiser, Mitt Romney says his message can't connect with the 47 percent of Americans who don't pay income tax. Mostly, these people are poor or elderly.
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How damaging is Romney's 'victims' comment? (+video)
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's staff was sent scrambling when a video surfaced of Romney saying almost half of all Americans, 'believe they are victims.'
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Obama inches ahead in key voter polls (+video)
As the clock ticks down to Election Day and the number of undecided voters shrinks, President Obama is gaining over Mitt Romney in key polls. But overall, the race remains way too close to call.
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Nakoula Basseley Nakoula – AKA 'Sam Basile' – questioned in anti-Islam video (+video)
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula has been questioned regarding the 'Innocence of Muslims' YouTube video that sparked violent protests around the world. But it's probation violations for earlier convictions on bank fraud and methamphetamine charges that could put him back behind bars.
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Automatic budget cuts would be 'deeply destructive'
Automatic budget cuts would hit Pentagon with 9 percent reduction, hurting military readiness, and 8 percent cuts in nondefense programs from the FBI to the Border Patrol to air controllers, a new White House report says.
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The Coptic Christian in California behind the anti-Islamic film
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, a Coptic Christian, says that he helped with logistics for the film "Innocence of Muslims," which mocked Muslims. He denied directing the film. But there's evidence to suggest the filmmaker, Sam Bacile is an alias, which is strikingly similar to Nakoula's middle name.
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US incomes fall to 1989 levels. How did that happen?
A Census report signals that for much of America, the economic downturn has produced not one lost decade but two. But the data also show that federal safety-net programs helped keep people out of poverty.
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Obama vs. Romney 101: 5 ways they differ on debt and deficits
President Obama and Mitt Romney offer sharply different views on how to get the nation back on a sustainable fiscal path. Here are five ways they differ on policies to cope with a soaring debt.
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Robert Reich
The 'heart of our economic dilemma': getting American consumers to spend againThe middle class isn't spending because the values of their homes have plummeted, they've lost much of their savings, and their wages are dropping. Reich argues that Obama has a way to correct this, or at least not make it worse.
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