“This is the time to heal in America. I will work to be a president who seeks not to divide but unify.” – President Joseph Biden
An already broken promise from our newly elected president.
The average price of a college education is $140,000.
Very few people have the resources to cover that cost, so they must turn to student loans to make attending college possible. Often with caution thrown to the wind, 70 percent of college students take out student loans.
In fact, roughly 45,000,000 Americans owe a staggering $1.6 trillion, which has resulted in a national and personal financial crisis of significant proportions. Many students incur huge debt, hoping that it all will turn out well.
The investment world was convulsed last week when at least one hedge fund (Melvin Capital) lost billions of dollars. The sudden, massive losses happened when a tidal wave of independent individual investors, spearheaded by posts on reddit.com, triggered a short squeeze that torpedoed the hedge fund.
For those of you unfamiliar with a “short squeeze,” let me explain. Most stock market investors “go long.” That means that they buy a stock and then hope to sell it later at a higher price.
When I was 16 years old, I was invited to speak at a little country church in rural Denver, Ky., not far from Paintsville.
The church had all but closed its doors, but one man, Harold Rice and his family, wanted to see the church stay open and do well.
A church with few to almost no people typically does not attract too many interested ministers. I had spoken in my home church a few times and was a guest speaker in a few others.
I’m in transition from journalism to the counseling profession, and I’m working part time in a mental health clinic.
That position qualified me, as a health-care worker, for the first tier of the COVID-19 vaccine. I was able to secure an appointment at the Canadian County Health Department Clinic at the Yukon Community Center Dec. 31.
It was a dreary, chilly day. The line extended through the parking lot. I was glad I was bundled up with a heavy coat, gloves and a stocking cap.
“When polls said only about half of all Americans would take a vaccine, I was saying herd immunity would take 70 to 75 percent,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and public face of the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, told the New York Times in December.
“Then, when newer surveys said 60 percent or more would take it, I thought, ‘I can nudge this up a bit,’ so I went to 80, 85.”
Last week, Congress passed H.R. 133, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, providing coronavirus relief and federal appropriations until Sept. 30, 2021. The bipartisan, bicameral package included a number of important priorities.
Key priorities included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act include:
RAMP-UP Act:
It’s simple: When you step into your doctor’s office or go to the hospital for a routine service or procedure, you should know the cost. Unfortunately, however, too many patients are left in the dark regarding their bill.
The lack of price transparency for medical pricing in the United States causes fear and headaches for many families needing care.
To the Editor:
On behalf of my leadership who I’ve copied, thank you so much for your kind e-mail. Honestly, it all comes back to the community - so thank you and Mayor White for being such amazing ambassadors for El Reno. You have some amazing city leaders and members, and we appreciate working with you all as well as Shana Ford, Karen Nance, Ali Hernandez and Steve Maddox, to name a few.
For too long, Oklahoma has tried to diversify its economy by passing special-interest tax breaks and subsidies. That bureaucrat planning has failed.
It doesn’t have to be this way if lawmakers embrace the policies that are reaping job growth in other states — and elimination of the state income tax, the penalty on work, is the most obvious tool for success.
