Social Security

Tyson Takes a Trip to Bountiful; Imelda Dominates Here Lies Love; Midler Meddles as Sue Mengers

Where there's a will...

The Company You Keep: Wheezy Rider

New York State Has Some Crazy Facial Recognition Database To Catch Crooks

At the pace surveillance technology is moving, we guess this should be expected(?). On Tuesday, Gov. Cuomo & Co. informed the public that Albany has been using advanced facial recognition methods for the past three years (the idea was originally brought up by former Gov. Spitzer in 2008). And, in ... More >>

Transcript of President Obama's Second Inaugural Address

Here is President Obama's second inaugural address as prepared for delivery on Jan. 21, 2013.Vice President Biden, Mr. Chief Justice, Members of the United States Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens: Each time we gather to inaugurate a president, we bear witness to the enduring ... More >>

Is This the End of the Culture War? Nah -- Too Much Money In It.

Recently at The Week, rightwing author Michael K. Lewis penned a provocative column called "The culture war is over, and conservatives lost." He was echoing what many rightbloggers have been saying since the recent election -- that after two consecutive victories by the Kenyan Pretender, conservativ ... More >>

Let's Stop Caring About A President's Weight, Please

Yesterday, Barbara Walters sat down with Governor Chris Christie for a live broadcast interview. For his dedication to New Jersey during Hurricane Sandy and the non-partisan, budding friendship with President Obama, the famous newswoman made room for the Governor on her 'The 10 Most Fascinating Peop ... More >>

Counterfeiters Busted Selling Fake IDs to Undocumented Immigrants in Brooklyn

Two Brooklyn men were indicted on forgery charges yesterday for creating counterfeit identification cards and distributing them out of a Sunset Park bakery. Jose Mateo Castro, 56, and Leonel Escamiilo, 43, allegedly sold counterfeit Social Security Cards, Green Cards and driver's licenses to undocu ... More >>

The 10 Most Corrupt Tax Loopholes

If Mitt Romney won't tell you which need to be closed, we will

Mitt Romney Leads Us Into an Age of Stupidity

And other points you should consider this election

Retirees Strike Back Against Romney's Remarks Over 'Dependent' Seniors

Edward F. Coyle, Executive Director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, has this response to Mitt Romney's views on those who look for government support: "Mitt Romney's offensive comments show his true colors, a callous indifference to millions of hard-working Americans. "No, Mitt Romney, r ... More >>

How to Speak Republican

Leaked document reveals the secrets of the GOP's coded language

Rightbloggers Rejoice as Ryan Revives Romney, Reaganesquely

The ideologically fluid Mitt Romney surprised a lot of people this weekend by choosing as his Vice-Presidential running mate Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, a hardcore conservative best known for frightening off independent voters. Democrats portrayed the choice as a gift. So did rightbloggers, often for ... More >>

Medical Marijuana: Can Weed Help You Get Food Stamps?

In Oregon, some medical marijuana users can deduct the cost of prescription pot from their income to qualify for food stamps, according to The Associated Press. How does this work?

Student Loans: Will Interest Rates Double?

The Voice recently reported that the interest rates on federally backed Stafford loans will double July 1 -- from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent -- unless Congress gets its shit together. Well, it looks like some legislators in the House are trying to prevent this increase -- by cutting funding to hea ... More >>

It's Endorsement Time! Grace Meng and Liz Crowley Both Announce New Support In Congressional Race

It's endorsement season in the crowded race to replace longtime Congressman Gary Ackerman -- who surprised folks last month with the announcement that he would be retiring. You sometimes wonder how much these endorsements really matter -- but at least they offer us some insight into the kinds of d ... More >>

Can the DREAM Act Help Undocumented Students Earn a Living?

Dream, deferred

Grace Meng Raises $300,000 for Congressional Race; Says it Will Be a Historic Campaign

Queens Assemblywoman Grace Meng, who would be New York's first Asian-American member of Congress, has raised $300,000 in ten days. Obviously, she's thrilled. "We are definitely excited. I think this is going to be a historical campaign that people all throughout New York and the country are lookin ... More >>

John Liu, With the New School, Proposes Pension Plan to Address Retirement Crisis

​City Comptroller John Liu, staying focused on official business and not his ongoing campaign finance controversy, unveiled a new pension plan this morning designed to target what he says is a growing retirement crisis in New York City. Here's the problem, according to Liu, an expected 2013 mayo ... More >>

Fairy Tale Ending: Downtown Filmmaker Sara Driver's Lost Film, Found

Bloomberg's Young Men's Initiative Gives Money to...CEMUSA?

Last summer, Mayor Bloomberg rolled out the Young Men's Initiative, a "public-private partnership" that patted the mayor on his back for wanting to "help" young black and Hispanic men. The Voice and others pointed out that the initiative did nothing deal with the actual levers at the mayor's control ... More >>

The Case of the Hot Dog Fraud

Three hot dog vendors in New York had a plan to beat the Health Department system. According to the New York Post the men invented aliases, Social Security numbers, and addresses to apply for new permits every time they accumulated too many fines for health code violations. That way they could start ... More >>

Heist: Who Stole the American Dream?

Jazz Hayden and the Fight Against Stop-and-Frisk

An unlikely activist's battle with the NYPD's frisky business

Rightbloggers Explain How Newt Gingrich's Big Win Can Help Someone Other Than Newt Gingrich Become President

Was it the video hit his Super PAC put out on Romney? Was it his heroic denunciation of his ex-wife and the Liberal Media (mostly the Liberal Media)? Whatever the reason, Newt Gingrich won a big surprise victory in Saturday's South Carolina primary. Rightbloggers who've always loved the former Spea ... More >>

The First Occupy Wall Street Legislation?

​In the post-occupation hangover, a (or the) big question is whether or not and to what extent Occupy Wall Street's message will have managed to translate into actual policy. OWS itself has strenuously refused to get involved in coming up with any legislation, since the movement wants to esche ... More >>

Americans Like to Feed the Needy Disgusting Junk Food

​Americans like to lend a helping hand to the less fortunate during Thanksgiving and Christmas -- by giving them low-quality foodstuffs such as ramen and frosted cereal.

Scientology Chillaxin': Commenters of the Week!

This disturbing image blatantly ripped off from WhyWeProtest.net​Was this a week for Scientology watchers, or what? Things started off just after midnight on Sunday morning as we scrambled to alert our readers that what we've been waiting for had finally arrived: the launch of the new investi ... More >>

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor Andrew Cuomo Endorse the Respect for Marriage Act

​Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the Respect for Marriage Act, on a party line vote of 10 to 8. The bil, if passed, would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and make same-sex marriages legal through out the United States. (The bill will never pass, however, for it would ... More >>

NYU Students: Debt and Debtor

NYU is number one in student debt. But is it really worth it?

What You Can Learn About Rick Perry From His Interview in Parade Magazine

​Rick Perry gave an interview to Parade Magazine (this week's issue was, yet again, almost completely devoid of any coverage on parades or the parade-attending lifestyle) and people are needling him for comments he made about Barack Obama's birth certificate. He told the interviewer that he ha ... More >>

Cooper Square Committee Protests Cooper Union Over St. Mark's Bookshop Rent

Jocelyn Silver​Cooper Union held an inauguration ceremony today at noon for new president Jamshed Bharucha. In keeping with the revolutionary trend sweeping NYC, the Cooper Square Community Development Committee and Businessmen's Association staged a rather low-key protest for the struggling S ... More >>

Rent Too Damn High for St. Mark's Bookshop; East Village Institution Might Have to Close

​Local institution St. Mark's Bookshop is in danger of closing, and the Cooper Square Committee, a neighborhood group, has started a petition to try to save the independent bookstore. Rising rents and decreasing revenue have put the bookshop's future in jeopardy as the owners attempt to negoti ... More >>

Rightbloggers Find the Cause of England's Riots: Gun Control and Black People

Riots broke out in London and other parts of England last week. The evident catalyst was the controversial killing by police of Mark Duggan; but, as with the Rodney King beating that sparked the 1992 Los Angeles Riots, it's unlikely that one small event could have caused so much fury and violence. ... More >>

Maybe I Do And Maybe I Don't

Gays get the freedom to marry—and for some, the freedom not to

Rightbloggers: S&P Downgrade of U.S. Means We're On The Right Track

Last week, hot on the heels of the Congressional debt-ceiling fiasco and the ensuing stock market drop, Standard & Poor's downgraded the credit rating of the United States of America from AAA to AA , and placed the ailing superpower on "CreditWatch with negative implications." The reactions of Ame ... More >>

How Will the Law Recognize Your Same-Sex Marriage? The NYCLU Explains

After July 24, no one​The New York Civil Liberties Union has created an excellent guide to what same-sex couples can expect legally after they've tied the knot. The Marriage Equality Act creates a certain level of legal equality for same-sex couples under New York State law, but in no way does ... More >>

James "Whitey" Bulger: 25 Things You Should Know About the Captured Boston Irish Mob Legend

Free Whitey! (Just kidding.)After Osama bin Laden's death, James "Whitey" Bulger was the Most Wanted Man in America. Then after 16 years on the run, the mythological South Boston ex-con was caught yesterday in California. Jack Nicholson's character in The Departed was loosely based on Whitey, in the ... More >>

Why Do Mexicans Come to This Country Illegally Instead of Legally?

And how can we finally secure our border with Mexico?

Scientology Critics Find That Someone Wants Their Cellphone Records

Mike Rinder​What a week it's been in the world of Scientology watching. After a bizarre goon squad tried to intimidate Marty Rathbun at his Corpus Christi home, and then character actor Michael Fairman made public his excommunication declaration, things seemed to be whipping up into something ... More >>

Mafia Disorganized; 17 Killed in Tornados; Radioactivity Rises Off Japan Coast

​The Mafia is out of commission. Rather, the Mafia Commission, the caucus of leaders of the five main crime families, apparently hasn't met in 25 years. Cue "disorganized crime" joke. [NYDN] A tornado warning has been issued for parts of Georgia as the death toll from recent twisters rises to 17. ... More >>

Let's Look at Obama's Debt-Reduction Plan!

​Hey American, did you do the assigned homework for today? You were supposed to watch Obama's big debt-reduction speech! People are going to try to talk to you about it, what are you going to say? Sure, whether you saw it or not won't affect your response to the plan or the president; our smal ... More >>

Serial Killer Dorothea Puente Is Dead, But Her Cookbook Lives On

Amazon.comFirst class murder, first class recipes​Convicted serial killer Dorothea Puente died in Central California Women's Facility prison on Sunday. But her legacy will live on past her death. And not just the legacy of her murders, but her culinary one. Yes, Cooking with a Serial Killer ... More >>

Supreme Court Justices Are Nerds; Mel Gibson Somehow Involved

​When most Americans punch out at 5 o'clock, we plop down in our armchairs, crack open a cold brew, and watch CBS until we forget our Social Security numbers. Work is for the office, home is for NCIS: Los Angeles. Members of the Supreme Court didn't get the memo. The Wall Street Journal ran a ... More >>

Obama Advisor Knows Debt, Rap; Loves 'Enema Man' And 'Snoopy Snoopy Poop Dogg'

​Alan Simpson, former Senator and current co-chairman of President Obama's deficit commission, went on Fox News' version of 106 & Park (that would be Your World with Neil Cavuto) to discuss Social Security. Politico reports Simpson argued that old people were being oversensitive with their Soc ... More >>

Apple Store Employee: 'I've Never Been Treated So Badly in My Life'

​Along with speculation that Grand Central Terminal is getting its very own Apple Store comes the anonymous insider's account "Confessions of an Apple Store Employee" from Popular Mechanics. In all, it's not very scandalous, but if Apple is really going to occupy 16,000 square feet in our city ... More >>