ObamaCare Exemption: How to Avoid the ObamaCare Tax Penalty

19 Jan

OBAMA-AP%20PHOTO_0

Those who have insurance through work or currently do not have insurance obviously have nothing to worry about when it comes to the tax penalty. Those on Medicare or Medicaid will also be exempt. Aside from this Americans below the %133 FPL threshold will be exempt as well. Overall around 26 million Americans will be exempt from the tax penalty.

If you belong to any of the groups listed below you are exempt from ObamaCare’s mandate to “obtain minimum essential coverage” (i.e. buy insurance):

• Unaffordable coverage options Exemption. People who would have to pay more than 8 percent of their household income for health insurance

• No filing requirement. People with incomes below the threshold required for filing taxes (in 2012, $9,750 for a single person and $27,100 for a married couple with two children)

• Hardship. The Health Insurance Marketplace, also known as the Affordable Insurance Exchange, has certified that you have suffered a hardship that makes you unable to obtain coverage.

• Short Coverage Gap Exemption. If go without coverage for less than three consecutive months during the year you will not be responsible for the fee for those months. Make sure to sign up for a plan that starts by April 1st, 2014 to avoid the per month fee in 2014. Open enrollment ends March 31st, but if you sign up after March 15th your coverage won’t start until May 1st, 2014 and you may be responsible for the fee for going without health coverage in April.

• Religious conscience. People who qualify for religious exemptions. The Social Security Administration administers the process for recognizing these sects according to the criteria in the law.

• Health care sharing ministry. You are a member of a recognized health care sharing ministry

• Not lawfully present. Undocumented immigrants; You are not a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national or an alien lawfully present in the U.S.

• Incarceration. People who are incarcerated.

• Indian tribes. Members of a federally recognized Indian tribe.

For those who can afford it and choose not to purchase health insurance the tax will be unavoidable. The money collected from these taxes goes towards funding ObamaCare and subsidizing hospitals who will have to cover unpaid emergency room visits. The money is also a down payment on your almost inevitable use of the health care system.

Check out the official IRS website on exemptions and the Individual mandate for additional details.

Hardship Exemption Update December 20th, 2013: If you had your plan canceled in 2014 due to the Affordable Care Act you now qualify for a hardship exemption in 2014. That means you won’t have to pay the fee if you decide to go without insurance and will qualify for a low premium, high out-of-pocket catastrophic plan on your State’s health insurance marketplace. This change does not affect your ability to get subsidies or purchase other marketplace plans.

ObamaCare Exemption: How to Apply for an Exemption

ObamaCare exemptions (i.e. getting an exemption from the Affordable Care Acts individual shared responsibility fee) for unaffordable coverage, short coverage gaps, certain hardships and individuals who are not lawfully present in the United States can be claimed only as part of filing a federal income tax return. The exemption for those under the federal income tax return filing threshold is available automatically. No special action is needed. For other exemptions you’ll need to claim exemption on your income taxes and/or apply for a exemption certificate through the marketplace.

What Happens If I Don’t Pay the Individual Mandate Fee?

The only way for the IRS to collect the fee for not having health insurance, if you choose not to pay it, is for them to withhold the money you would get back from the IRS after filing your income tax returns. The IRS cannot enforce the Individual Shared Responsibility provision with jail time, liens, or any other of typical methods of collection.

What is Minimum Essential Coverage?

In order to avoid the mandate you’ll have to obtain “minimum essential coverage”. Basically this includes all Government and job based insurance and most private insurance. As a rule of thumb if you have insurance already you don’t have to worry about the mandate.

Minimum essential coverage includes the following:
•Employer-sponsored coverage (including COBRA coverage and retiree coverage)
•Coverage purchased in the individual market, including a qualified health plan offered by the Health Insurance Marketplace (also known as an Affordable Insurance Exchange)
•Medicare Part A coverage and Medicare Advantage plans
•Most Medicaid coverage
•Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage
•Certain types of veterans health coverage administered by the Veterans Administration
•TRICARE
•Coverage provided to Peace Corps volunteers
•Coverage under the Non-appropriated Fund Health Benefit Program
•Refugee Medical Assistance supported by the Administration for Children and Families
•Self-funded health coverage offered to students by universities for plan or policy years that begin on or before Dec. 31, 2014 (for later plan or policy years, sponsors of these programs may apply to HHS to be recognized as minimum essential coverage)
•State high risk pools for plan or policy years that begin on or before Dec. 31, 2014 (for later plan or policy years, sponsors of these program may apply to HHS to be recognized as minimum essential coverage)

Minimum essential coverage does not include coverage providing only limited benefits, such as coverage only for vision care or dental care, and Medicaid covering only certain benefits such as family planning, workers’ compensation, or disability policies.

Can I Buy Insurance for my Kids and Pay the Tax for Myself?

You can get coverage for any of all of your dependents but you will still be responsible for the tax penalty for yourself

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AN OBAMACARE STORM IS COMING…

9 Jan

STORM

Two Obamacare “meltdown” events have yet to happen – and some folks will be blind-sided…

The following is a list of “tips” the White House is providing on their website for insuring you’re properly covered.

Now this is their “disclaimer” so that when something unexpectedly happens, they can say, “Well, we had the directions on our website…”
Here are the two meltdown events coming:

1) When the employer mandate kicks in, millions more Americans will lose their health coverage at their job and be “forced” to shop the insurance exchanges.
2) Those uninformed people, many whom voted for Obama, who did not purchase the coverage mandated will be hit with fines deducted from their tax returns. If they won’t receive a tax return, the IRS will, no doubt, garnish their wages or put a tax lien on their property.

The only hope is for Republicans to win the Senate in November and the presidency in 2016. We can then use the “nuclear option” the Democrats just created to dump this piece of garbage and make some much needed changes to health care in our country.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/12/31/new-day-health-care-coverage

A New Day in Health Care Coverage | The White House

http://www.whitehouse.gov

insurance

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THE FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTS OUR RELIGIOUS FREEDOMS

9 Jan

bill of rights

Mark Caserta: Amendment protects religious freedom

Jan. 09, 2014 @ 12:00 AM

It amazes me when otherwise intelligent people invoke the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and effectuate exactly what it was intended to prevent — the suppression of religious freedom.

Nevertheless, the words, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” are recurrently maligned in pursuit of a progressive agenda rather than to protect the religious rights of Americans.

While it’s true the word “God” is nowhere to be found in the text of the Constitution, it’s equally true the words “separation of church and state” do not appear.

In order to understand the framers’ intent in constructing this founding document, one must first understand their mindset and spiritual ideology.

The absence of the word “God” doesn’t mean the Framers were not spiritual people. It’s simply expositive of their belief that the “new” government should not involve itself in matters of religion and more precisely in the rights of the people to express their faith openly.

The phrase “separation of church and state” evolved from a Thomas Jefferson writing which described the First Amendment as a “wall of separation” between the church and the state. James Madison once said it “drew a line,” but it’s Jefferson’s term that is misused today.

Based on numerous writings, documents and speeches, nearly all of the framers of the Constitution were Christian, or at the very least, deists. Generally deists believe in a single God who set the universe on its course and allowed it to evolve. Some deists believe their “deity” is the same God of Judeo-Christian tradition, some do not.

Among the framers, more than a half-dozen sects of the Protestant side of Christianity were represented and no doubt there were disagreements about styles and methods of worship. It was the framers intent to ensure no one “sect” could ever seize control of a government or begin a theocracy.

So, let’s break it down. “Congress shall…”

“Make no law respecting an establishment of religion” is crystal clear. Government may never mandate a particular religion or favor one in legislation.

“Or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” denotes government is powerless in suppressing our religious expression — period. Sadly, this issue has been inflamed by Supreme Court justices appointed for their “predictable” interpretive ideologies.

But it is the height of hypocrisy for liberals to call for punitive action against Christian symbols and actions or refuse to honor their religious beliefs when these actions clearly violate the very amendment they inappropriately invoke!

Following Congress’ work on the First Amendment, President George Washington issued a Proclamation of “thanksgiving and prayer” to thank God for the freedoms we enjoy. The opening paragraph of his proclamation said:

“Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor…”

To this day, every session of Congress begins with prayer.

Conservatives support the Constitutional interpretation of the law.

The First Amendment does not prohibit our religious freedom; it protects it.

Mark Caserta is a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.
bill of rights

CHRISTIANS MUST GET INVOLVED IN 2014

2 Jan

THE CROSS

Mark Caserta: Christians must get involved in coming year

Jan. 02, 2014 @ 12:00 AM

I believe 2014 will be a defining year for our nation — one in which the progressive movement will attempt to accost the fundamental values and principles of our country in ways we’ve never even imagined.

And God is calling His people to get engaged in the fight.

Understand God has never required perfection in His people before calling them to a purpose. As with any loving father, He simply asks for our very best — our first fruits if you will — in serving Him.

I often ponder the life of Jesus and how He performed his everyday duties for his earthly father during his first 30 years before beginning his ministry.

A carpenter by trade, it’s almost certain Jesus learned his craftsman skills from his father Joseph. The custom in those days among the working class was that a trade be passed down from father to son and was often done through several generations.

I have little doubt Jesus was a master craftsman. I’d wager the work he and his father produced in their shop was widely known for its excellence in quality. Whether a table, a chair or part of an elaborate building project, I can envision him measuring and re-measuring to ensure accuracy while painstakingly cutting, fitting and molding each project to perfection!

No doubt, Jesus must have been encumbered by the same discomforts and emotions we face every day. There must have been days he certainly didn’t feel like working and felt the same “urges” to gripe and complain as the rest of us often do.

But Jesus was learning the importance of role-modeling excellence in all he set out to accomplish. He was learning that appearance profited little without an enduring structure and load-bearing foundation. His artisan training taught him the integrity of an entire structure depended upon the trueness of the first cornerstone laid.

And Jesus Christ himself would eventually become the Chief Cornerstone of the Church.

Now, some 2,000 years later, and eerily similar to those who nailed our Savior to that tree on Calvary, there are those who see Jesus and His followers as a threat to humanity and desire to “re-crucify” him by removing any reference to Christianity from public view and from any governing ideology.

At what point did God say it was acceptable for His people to idly stand by and allow the enemy to destroy the world He sent His Son to save? Does God’s Word not say, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.”

Just as Jesus’ finished work as a carpenter represented the teachings of his earthly father, our work on earth represents our Heavenly Father. Jesus took 12 men and shook the world. What can Christians do today in comparison?

Make the most meaningful New Year’s resolution you could possibly make. Get the fire, get the facts and get involved in 2014.

It’s up to Christians to return Godly values and biblical principles to our nation’s government.

Ye are the light of the world.

Mark Caserta is a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.

Obamacare more about power than healthcare

26 Dec

Mark Caserta: Obamacare more about power than healthcare

Dec. 26, 2013 @ 12:00 AM

Americans have been given a false choice regarding healthcare reform.

There were many viable alternatives for making healthcare more available and affordable in America that didn’t require tearing down the entire system and replacing it with a mandate that all Americans “bow” at the altar of the Department of Health and Human Services or the Internal Revenue Service.

Yet Democrat leadership failed to pursue reasonable solutions which studies have shown would significantly improve healthcare in the U.S. while maintaining an individual’s right to choose the coverage which best suits their needs.

Americans struggling to make ends meet should receive tax breaks commensurate with their income enabling them to afford quality healthcare for themselves and their family. I would personally like to see the money our government sends to other nations outside of humanitarian needs redirected to subsidize healthcare coverage for Americans at or below our nation’s poverty level. America must stay strong to help others!

People with pre-existing conditions shouldn’t be left out in the cold. But we can’t expect insurance companies to simply “absorb” these additional costs. Again, our government should re-allocate foreign aid funding, as well as eliminate their own irresponsible spending, to cover these additional costs in the form of a tax subsidy.

We must allow insurance companies to sell their policies across state lines. We have every reason to believe that healthy competition will reduce costs and provide more options for Americans just as every other U.S. industry.

Tort reform on medical malpractice is needed. Our current system increases costs both directly, in the form of higher malpractice insurance premiums, and indirectly, in the form of defensive medicine when medical services are prescribed simply to circumvent liability rather than benefit the patient.

Employers should be encouraged to offer Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) to their employees. HSAs allow individuals to set aside money from each paycheck, before taxes, for future medical care. The American people are much more frugal and conscientious with their money than the government! An HSA may also be an excellent fit with a high-deductible insurance plan.

Pre-Obamacare, according to the Congressional Budget Office, (CBO) there were around 15 million uninsured Americans in the U.S. But based on CBO projections, once Obamacare is fully implemented, and working smoothly, that number climbs to 30 million in 2023!

I submit the Obamacare journey, which has cost our nation billions of dollars, has never really been about providing health coverage for all Americans, but something entirely different.

President Obama and Democrats sold Obamacare on a series of lies knowing it would result in a base of voters not only dependent upon government, but subject to extortion of their tax dollars if they defied the mandate.

A defining characteristic of this administration is to arrogantly operate within the narrowest definition of executive power and outside of the people’s consent.

The fact that Obamacare shifts power away from the people and to government challenges the fundamental belief that government must derive its “just powers from the consent of the governed”.

Obamacare isn’t about healthcare. It’s about power.
one bill at at time

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MAN’S WISDOM, NOT GOD’S WORD, IS FALLIBLE

23 Dec

GOD'S WORD VS MAN

Man’s wisdom is fallible, not God’s word

Oct. 17, 2013 @ 09:27 AM

“God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God?”

Those words from Thomas Jefferson, our third president and drafter of the Declaration of Independence, are paramount for the time in which we live. For if we are to continue as the prosperous society which God intended, we must have full faith and confidence that God’s Word is unlike the “grass which withers” and the “flower which fades,” but is eternal and “stands forever.”

It’s true that some of our country’s founding fathers were not Bible-believing Christians. But the very fabric of our nation was divinely inspired of God! The reference to God and his omnipotent power is reflected throughout all of our nation’s founding documents, so I do not propose to “re-try” this argument before the court of our readers.

But we’ve all been subjected to the “guise” and “stratagem” of the progressive movement. For over a century, its goal has clearly been to methodically remove God and His influence from our society, rendering it “as a wave of the sea, tossed and driven by the wind.”

God prepared us for this time by providing the “full armor” and power of His Word so we could stand firm against the schemes of all who would attempt to challenge and bring uncertainty to the biblical statutes that have governed our lives for centuries.

Liberals see God’s Word not as truth, but as the primary obstacle for fundamentally changing America. They understand the efficacy of the Bible cannot be diminished all at once, but through gradually questioning its accuracy, interpretation and intent over time.

Now, while no one knows the heart of man, it’s indefensible that anyone would attempt to decry the legitimacy or inerrancy of God’s Word in a day and age when our country needs it so desperately.

The truth is the liberal contestation of God’s Word is inconsequential in deciding the outcome of this “battle.” God has already prevailed through his son, Jesus. His only desire in prolonging our life on earth is to allow as many believers to enter into His Kingdom as possible.

Defiance arises within the spirit of a believer when God’s Word is questioned! Why would anyone claiming to be a believer spend more time questioning God’s Word than sharing the good news of Jesus?

Even “earthly” wisdom suggests that the “unbeliever” who wrongly chooses a path to eternal destruction has more to lose than a Christian who enjoys life according to God’s commandments.

Questioning the inerrancy of God’s Word seeks to transcend the wisdom of The Almighty and typifies man’s arrogant and pernicious nature.

I certainly don’t claim to have all the answers, but I know a God who does. And I’m confident that the truth may be unequivocally found in His Word — the Holy Bible.

Rest assured, fallibility lies in man’s wisdom — not God’s.

Mark Caserta is a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.

OBAMA DESERVING OF “LIE OF THE YEAR” AWARD

19 Dec

obamacare 3 years later Obama deserved the ‘Lie of the Year’ award

Dec. 19, 2013 @ 12:00 AM

The votes are in. And the winner of the Politifact.com 2013 “Lie of the Year” award goes to (drum roll please) …

President Barack Obama’s “If you like your health care plan, you can keep it” promise he exploited for over three years!

Congratulations, Mr. President. Along with disappointing millions of Americans, you’ve successfully compromised the integrity of the office of president of the United States.

The president’s bogus pledge was the winner of this year’s “Lie of the Year” award from Politifact.com, a Tampa Bay Times project in which reporters and editors from the Times and affiliated media outlets “fact-check statements by members of Congress, the White House, lobbyists and interest groups.” On their website, original statements are evaluated and assigned a “Truth-O-Meter” rating, which range from “True” for completely accurate statements to “Pants on Fire” for outright lies.

In winning this year’s award, Barack Hussein Obama received the esteemed “Pants on Fire” rating for his presidential prevarication, and deservedly so.

In justifying last week’s annual award, Politifact explained the administration’s responses subsequent to the president’s and his Marxist minions’ original canard provided the necessary “tail wind” leading up to this year’s recognition.

Shortly after the lackluster rollout of the Healthcare.gov website and millions of Americans receiving insurance cancellation notices, the administration tried desperately to shift the blame to the health care providers.

“It’s important to remember both before the ACA was ever even a gleam in anybody’s eye, let alone passed into law, that insurance companies were doing this all the time, especially in the individual market because it was lightly regulated and the incentives were so skewed,” said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney.

But the president distanced himself from the field in winning this year’s award when he tried to rewrite history altogether and “lie about his lie.”

“Now, if you have or had one of these plans before the Affordable Care Act came into law, (it was also at this point the moniker “Obamacare” disappeared from the lips of liberals) and you really liked that plan, what we said was you can keep it if it hasn’t changed since the law passed,” the president told his political supporters.

But as Politifact reported, President Obama uttered his infamous “If you like it, you can keep it” phrase at least 37 times without any such caveat or disclaimer.

While I offer a facetious portrayal of this annual accolade, I submit that this was an unapologetic deceit of the highest order which is impacting the lives of millions of Americans who are losing their healthcare coverage.

One must wonder what other lies Americans have been told to advance or protect this president’s socialist agenda?

Were Americans lied to about the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi, the ATF’s “Fast and Furious” scandal, the IRS targeting Tea Party groups or the NSA?

These questions remain unanswered but voter polling makes one thing perfectly clear.

If Americans had known the truth about Obamacare, Barack Obama would have never won the 2012 presidential election.

Mark Caserta is a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.

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PERHAPS WE SHOULD REFLECT ON THE CHAINS WE’VE FORGED

18 Dec

CHRISTMAS CAROLDec. 21, 2011 @ 10:00 PM

The brilliance and imagery of the Charles Dickens classic, “A Christmas Carol,” offers a timeless reflection of the magical consequences of human kindness.

Of his tale, Dickens wrote, “I have endeavored in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.”

And “haunt” us it has for over 150 years with its sustained relevance for mankind and its sobering look at the sanctity and purpose of life.

Ebenezer Scrooge was a man lost within his own maize of anxiety, stripped of his compassion for others whose significance diminished as his wealth grew.

Yet, Scrooge, although unworthy of his journey of recompense, was given an opportunity to witness the chains he forged in life from the third person as he was led on a journey by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come.

I can only surmise Dickens chose Christmas as the setting of his tale of repentance because of the depth of purpose he envisioned it had for his fellow man and the opportunity it offered for reflecting upon one’s life choices.

I do, however, submit Dickens is prompting us to invoke similar introspection.

How would your journey fare with the three apparitions?

How sound are the choices in your past?

Life choices in today’s world are exceedingly complex and follow a path dimly lit and laden with distractions proprietary to our times.

A popular phrase the past few years has been, “What would Jesus do”?

Psalms 25:4 says, “Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.”

More than ever before, we need a spiritual compass to help with our decision-making.

What about the present day?

As you woke this morning and prepared for interaction with others, what was your expectation? What, do you suppose, was theirs?

James 1:19 tells us, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry…”

A simple recommendation which would undoubtedly help each day become more productive for many of us!

What about your future? Surely thoughts of our future should consume us! After all, we’re taught from a young age to prepare for this period of life!

But isn’t that exactly what Ebenezer did?

Today is yesterday’s future!

God doesn’t want us consumed with hoarding riches in this life.

Matthew 6:19 advises, “Do not store up yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.”

God wants us to love each other and build our eternal riches in heaven!

Ebenezer Scrooge had some ghostly mentors to influence change in his life and Dickens ensured his writings paved the way by allowing time for Scrooge to alter his future.

Unfortunately, none of us have Dickens’ script guaranteeing our life tomorrow.

Perhaps we should use Christmas, as Dickens did, to reflect upon chains we may have forged.

Mark Caserta is a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.

Iran gamble gives Tehran time and money

14 Dec

Iran nuclear sites

Iran gamble gives Tehran time and money

Dec. 12, 2013 @ 12:00 AM

The Obama administration is gambling on the world stage, and the stakes are very high.

A deal was reached last month with Tehran and six major powers meant to freeze key components of the Iranian nuclear program in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.

At the time the deal was signed, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a “historic mistake” and one that made the world a “much more dangerous place.”

Consider first, the players at the table — Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.

An argument can be made that the interest of our closest ally and the nation with the most to lose from these negotiations was missing from the table. That is Israel.

Second, both China and Russia are known to be actively engaged in assisting Tehran in its nuclear and missile technology. In fact, the very foundation of Tehran’s nuclear program can be traced to extensive Chinese and Russian cooperation.

Tehran has received extensive missile testing and guidance assistance from China and Russia, according to multiple reports. In June 1996, the results of a Congressional hearing cited U.S. intelligence findings that China had already “delivered dozens, perhaps hundreds of missile guidance systems and computerized tools to Iran.”

With Russian help, Iranian scientists have set up two sites to use laser technology to “more efficiently” enrich uranium which could be used for a nuclear bomb. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reports Tehran expects Russia to build two “additional” nuclear plants in the Bushehr province where they’ve been assisting the Iranians for years.

Two years ago, the IAEA released a comprehensive report on Tehran’s nuclear program based on intelligence from multiple countries, interviews with scientists who helped Tehran develop their program and the IAEA’s own investigations.

The report clearly indicated Iran engaged in “activities relevant to the development of a nuclear device.” These activities include:

Research on uranium cores and detonators for nuclear weapons.

Acquiring nuclear weapons information and documentation from a clandestine supply network.

Developing an indigenous nuclear weapons design and testing of the components.

Computer modeling of nuclear explosions and logistics for nuclear testing.

Engineering studies to adapt missiles for nuclear warheads.

The IAEA’s May 2013 report noted Tehran already had a sufficient stockpile of enriched uranium to produce weapons-grade uranium for seven nuclear bombs and was continuing to increase its capacity to enrich to weapons-grade.

Remember, Tehran is considered to be the leading state sponsor of terrorism, providing financial support and training for organizations such as Hamas, Hezbollah and others.

The United States seems to be the only nation with no “down cards” in this apocalyptic game. Inspections and “fail-safe” measures aside, once a rogue nation has technology, it cannot be extracted!

A good gambler knows when to walk away. Right now, President Obama is “all in,” wagering the safety of millions on the hope we can trust Tehran, China and Russia — and the odds aren’t favorable.

Staying in this game provides our enemies with the two resources they need most — time and money.

Mark Caserta is a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.

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FOREIGN AID? AMERICA HAS HER OWN PROBLEMS

5 Dec

obamaspast00Mark Caserta: Foreign aid must be cut to bolster US stability
Dec. 05, 2013 @ 12:00 AM
The United States simply cannot sustain current levels of assistance to other countries.

According to the Treasury Department, our projected deficit for Fiscal Year 2014 is about $744 billion and our national debt is around $17 trillion, or about $52,807 per person.

I’d say it’s time to keep some cash at home until we can get our own financial house in order.

From a business perspective, it’s inconceivable that Congress has been operating without a federal budget for over three years. And sadly, our current mix of representation lacks the competencies required to build relationships and collaborate on viable financial solutions.

Additionally, President Obama, who is required by law to submit a budget to Congress on or before the first Monday in February of each year, has missed the mark four of the past five years and has yet to have a proposal seriously considered by either chamber of Congress.

Understand, the U.S. budgetary process is essential in determining funding levels for the next fiscal year and directly affects the monetary amounts allocated to foreign assistance programs.

The U.S. Agency for International Development states its function is to provide “economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of the foreign policy goals of the United States.” The U.S. provides around $50 billion in aid to other countries each year, according to the agency.

Now, humanitarian aid, at reasonable levels, has a strong political constituency in the U.S. But development aid remains controversial, and many contend it is a waste of taxpayers’ money. Multiple reports reveal inadequate oversight has resulted in billions of dollars in wasted resources.

The Commitment to Development Index (CDI) compiled each year by the Center for Global Development ranks the “quantifiable performance” of foreign aid for 27 of the world’s richest countries. The index uniquely assesses multiple categories ranging from trade to technology — not based on how much aid a nation provides, but the weighted value of the aid given.

Of the 27 countries, while the United States was by far the world’s top financial donor, it ranked 19th in overall value, behind countries like Denmark, Ireland and Canada.

Conspicuously missing from the donor list was China, which recently surpassed Japan as the world’s second largest economy and is forecasted to overtake the U.S. by 2016.

Yet, according to the Congressional Research Service, the U.S. provided $28.3 million in foreign assistance to China in 2012 to promote human rights, democracy, the rule of law, environmental conservation and to support Tibetan culture!

While perhaps noble in nature, do these causes supersede the fundamental needs of Americans?

What portion of U.S. foreign aid could have been re-allocated as tax subsidies for the 15 percent of Americans who were without health coverage, pre-Obamacare? And still could.

Our government has become a poor steward of the taxpayers’ hard-earned money — domestically and internationally.

And until we achieve financial stability, we must limit foreign aid to humanitarian needs and require other nations to be more assertive in their own development.

The U.S. has its own problems.

Mark Caserta is a Cabell County resident and a regular contributor to The Herald-Dispatch editorial page.

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