New Medicare Tax

After January 1, 2013 income derived from capital gains, dividends, and royalties will no longer be exempt from the Medicare Tax. The new 3.8% Medicare Tax (or Unearned Income Medicare Contribution Tax) will be in effect January 1, 2013 and applies to income not derived from ordinary course of business or trade (ie: interest, dividends, annuities, royalties, and rents not related to primary business). The tax is applied to the lesser of either your AGI above a certain threshold ($200K for single individuals or $250K for married couples) or your net investment income.

Are Psychoactive Drugs a Hoax?

It seems America is being ravished by the epidemic of mental illness. Those qualifying for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) has increased from 1 in 184 Americans in 1987 to 1 in 76 Americans in 2007. Mental illness is now the leading cause of disability in children over cerebral palsy and Down syndrome. A National Institute of Mental Health survey (NIMH) found that 46% of adults met criteria for having at least one mental illness at one time in their lives. Treatment today almost always means psychoactive drugs. Gone are the days when psychiatrists would actually talk to patients. The shift to prescribing drugs instead of talk therapy, which is now relegated to social workers and psychologists, correlates with the belief that mental illness is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain not the Freudian concept of unconscious conflict stemming from childhood. Psychiatrists diagnose patients based on their symptoms as assessed in the DSM, which provides diagnostic criteria for all mental illness and basically a justification for prescribing meds to treat these illnesses. And each year the DSM expands its boundaries for diagnosis so that more and more people will fall within categories of mental illness. Often patients are prescribed with a cocktail of drugs, one to offset the side effects of the next. But are these drugs effective? While it seems the positive studies are the only ones promulgated, there have been other studies that suggest psychoactive drugs have no more than an activated placebo effect, merely ineffective except for the side effects which may temporarily camouflage the symptoms. Some studies link these psychoactive drugs with shrinkage of the brain where the prefrontal cortex just shuts down. The symptoms are reduced but so is cognition. Because the cause effect relationship is still unclear when it comes to neurotransmitters and mental illness, it is difficult to assess the effectiveness of the drugs. In the meantime, the alignment of the pharmaceutical industry with the world of psychiatry ponders the intentions of our medical practitioners. Why are these drugs so encouraged when our malaise seems to be getting worse?

The Healthcare Debate

Oral arguments about the constitutionality of the individual healthcare mandate are being heard by the Supreme Court this week. The administration argues that the mandate is not severable from the law's other provisions which contravenes the Supreme Court's natural inclination to favor severability, meaning that if one part of the law is struck down, the rest of it remains intact. This is a risky "all or nothing" proposition because proponents for the law would probably rather see the rest of the law survive if it is ruled that the mandate is unconstitutional. However the question remains whether or not one provision can be excised from the law without making the entire thing untenable. 

Hilary Clinton- Charitable Feats

Hilary Clinton has played a large role in empowering women all over the world to make a difference. Dedicated to challenging the status quo and affording the less fortunate equal opportunities, she supports several charities and humanitarian causes including: American India Foundation, Clinton Foundation, Clinton Global Initiative, Friends of the High Line, Heifer International, HELP USA, Human Rights Campaign, It Gets Better Project, My Good Deed, Stop Global Warming, The Trevor Project, US Doctors for Africa, and Vital Voices.

Oil Prices

According to several sources and the US Energy Department, the US is drilling more oil domestically. Our oil exports have exceeded our oil imports for the first time since 1949, and we have more oil and natural gas drilling rigs than in any other part of the world. So why are gas prices reaching record highs? Many argue that our impending crisis with Iran is contributing to the rise in oil and it could get worse if matters escalate, but if we are producing so much domestically why should Iran make a difference? 

A WELL FUELED BODY FIGHTS TO KEEP YOU HEALTHY.  IT IS MIRACULOUS! 

We all want to be Heart Disease and Cancer FREE?

How do you feel about including the following foods in your eating routine: almonds, olive oil, steamed asparagus, oatmeal, beans, blueberries, red tomato sauce, avocado, dark chocolate, orange juice, mushrooms, onions and green vegetables everyday or at least 5 days a week?  Let us know how you feel after eating these foods for three months? Do not smoke and cut down on salt intake. WHEN YOU ARE HEALTHY AND HAPPY...YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL. Check with your doctor before starting any new routines in eating and exercising. Let's work TOGETHER for good health!

Electronic Cigarettes: Healthier Alternative

A Healthier and More Cost-Effective Alternative to Smoking: The Electronic Cigarette

You can still enjoy the pastime of smoking without bringing havoc to your lungs and wallet. For those who have tried the nicotine patches to no avail, this is your chance to be good to your body. 


An E-cigarette contains no carcinogens or other toxins- no tobacco, carbon monoxide, nicotine, tar, arsenic, cyanide, butane, and other harmful chemicals which are all found in traditional cigarettes. It contains small doses of nicotine which is given off through a water vapor mechanism. When exhaling, only water vapor is released, making it perfectly safe for others. One can opt for the disposable e-cigarettes for one time use or the rechargeable e-cigarettes with nicotine cartridges that need to be either refilled or changed.


E-cigarettes are legal for use in public areas such as airports, restaurants, bars, and even airplanes. Many employers now are allowing their employees to smoke e-cigarettes in the office! There is no unpleasant odor. No need to worry about bad breath or contaminated clothes and hair. 


With the average pack of cigarettes costing around $6-7, one saves at least around 50% equaling $1,000-$2,000 in savings a year on smoking. There are many brands of e-cigarettes and amounts and prices differ but at around $2, each cartridge will last up to around 250 puffs (equivalent to about 1 pack of cigarettes) and the battery will last through one cartridge before recharging is needed. 

Hillary Clinton: Forbes Most Powerful

Hillary Clinton makes # 2 on the list of the world's 100 most powerful women by Forbes magazine. Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Michele Bachmann, Lady Gaga, and Beyonce Knowles also on the list.

New Immigration Policy

Obama’s DREAM Act has been ratified through the back door by an executive ICE memo, after being rejected by Congress twice.

The Obama administration is suspending the deportations of thousands of illegal immigrants and helping their families gain legal status to bolster Latino support in the 2012 election.

The new policy interprets “family” to include partners of lesbian, gay and bisexual people.

Under current law, an illegal immigrant whose parent or spouse in an American citizen can apply for a green card but the immigrant must apply in the his/her home country and is not permitted to return to the US until three years, sometimes 10 years. In sympathetic situations, the illegal immigrant can request a waiver, which usually takes about 6 months for approval.

The new policy allows illegal’s to get waiver approval in advance, reducing the time they’d have to spend out of the country. 

Clinton Foundation

Former President Bill Clinton is doing remarkable work through his foundation to empower those around the world to "meet challenges of global interdependence", focusing on areas such as health, economy, leadership, and other global initiatives. 

The SOPA

The goal of SOPA (and its Senate counterpart, the PROTECT-IP Act) is well intentioned to fight copyright violators and counterfeiters who run sites beyond the jurisdiction of US courts. However it’s an overly aggressive attempt (and a costly one) by the government to censor the internet and poses serious concerns about preserving free speech.

These bills empower the attorney general to seek orders mandating thousands of (ISPs)Internet service providers to block customers from visiting purported infringing websites, compelling search engines to redact their results, excluding the targeted site, and requiring ad networks and payment processors to terminate business with the alleged site.

It expands the President’s authority to police the internet and derogates the ability of the judiciary and federal courts to handle intellectual property enforcement which they have done effectively for decades.

Essentially, ISPs, could, for instance, implement tactics used by the Chinese Firewall to target traffic going to a blacklisted site and simply block it.

What the bill can't do is block numeric IP addresses, so you could still access the censored site, if you know the numeric IP address which defeats the whole purpose of the bill.  So this bill will not forestall piracy but will censor any web site that facilitates or promotes pirated content. This includes sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr, and many more. Something as minor as posting a copyrighted image to your Facebook page can warrant a violation. One can submit an appeal, which is ineffective most of the time, within five days, but it’s better sense to remove the questionable content to avoid expensive legal proceedings.

Understanding the NDAA

The NDAA seems to reaffirm law that was already put in place with a few disconcerting changes that may give more flexibility and rights to accused terrorists and increased culpability to US citizens. 

Section 1021 expands the President’s authority beyond anything that current law or court precedent now gives him. While the AUMF may imply the authority of the President to indefinitely detain US citizens accused of perpetrating or facilitating an act of terror in the context of war, the definition of those who can be detained is very narrow and lucid, targeting two kinds of people–those who helped with the 9/11 attacks and those who harbored people who did.

Section 1021 targets the same people pending disposition under the law of war and then adds an entirely new category: those who were a part of or substantially supported al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners, including any person who has committed a belligerent act or has directly supported such hostilities in aid of such enemy forces.

It goes on to say that “Nothing in this section is intended to limit or expand the authority of the President or the scope of the Authorization for Use of Military Force” and that “nothing in this section shall be construed to affect existing law or authorities relating to the detention of United States citizens, lawful resident aliens of the United States, or any other persons who are captured or arrested in the United States.” If this were true, why did they feel the need to add those extra ambiguous words to the definition of covered persons? Why wouldn’t the AUMF be sufficient? This is very confusing.

One of the reasons the President decided to sign the recent version of the bill was because it authorized him to grant a waiver issuing an exemption to military detention for a particular prisoner so he could be brought to trial in a civilian court. The original version of the 2012 NDAA prohibited the use of civilian courts in prosecuting Al Qaeda suspects. It allowed for the use of exceptions to military detention, requiring approval by the President, the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of State, and the Director of National Intelligence. However, President Obama insisted this provision be changed to allow the President to issue these national security waivers on his own. So the President can now decide unilaterally whether a suspected terrorist should be held in civilian custody or military custody. US citizens are exempt from mandatory military detention since the requirement only applies to a particular subset of covered persons, which includes members of al Qaeda or its associated forces; however, they are not precluded from the possibility. Under the definition of “covered persons” anyone suspected can potentially be detained by the armed forces pending disposition under the law of war. However this requirement is not so mandatory since the President can issue waivers for exemption that no longer need the approval of other departments.

Disposition under the law of war can include: detention under the law of war without trial until the end of the hostilities, a trial by military commission, trial by “an alternative court such as civilian trial, or competent tribunal having lawful jurisdiction,” or be transferred to another country.  Theoretically, a US citizen accused of committing a belligerent act, whatever that may be, can be deported to another country.

Section 1024 grants additional rights to any unprivileged enemy belligerent held in long-term military detention and who is not already subject to habeas corpus review, such as those detainees in Afghanistan, by affording them the right to a military lawyer and a proceeding before a military judge to contest their grounds for detention. They already have access to the Detainee Review Board screening process, which is quite sufficient. Now lawyers and judges have been included in the list of benefits for those who attack Americans with human shields.

The NDAA continues to uphold the prohibition on the transfer of detainees to the US and forbids the use of any funds toward building an alternate site. Any Guantanamo detainees that may be freed must be transferred to other countries.

Essentially the NDAA empowers the President by officially granting him the authority he always claimed to have had but technically didn’t under law. This congressional affirmation could open the door to vulnerabilities down the road and may be an invitation for abuse.