TODAY'S FORGOTTEN NEWS

BOSTON — Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the slain Boston Marathon suspect, was named as a co-conspirator in an earlier triple homicide by Ibragim Todashev, who was shot to death while being interrogated by authorities at his home after becoming agitated. This is according to a filing by  federal prosecutors in the case against the surviving brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Todashev told investigators that the elder Tsarnaev participated in the triple killings on September 11, 2011 in Waltham, MA. The three bodies were found in an apartment with their necks slit and covered in marijuana. One of the victims was a fighter and also a friend of Tamerlan Tsarnaev. 

WASHINGTON - Jofi Joseph,  the director of nuclear non-proliferation on the White House National Security Council and who most recently was helping to negotiate nuclear policies with Iran, was fired last week after being caught "tweeting" insults of public figures at the White House and on Capitol Hill. 

He "tweeted" under the handle @NatSecWonk and sent hundreds of anonymous and caustic "tweets" over more than two years.

WASHINGTON - No less than three Republican congressional committees from the House have started the investigative process into the flawed launch of the Affordable Care Act website, Healthcare.gov. The House Energy and Commerce Committee will be the first to delve into the reasons for such a rocky start after months of planning and preparation. 

Targets of the inquest include the Administration and four contractors including website developer, CGI Federal.

The trouble site has been overwhelmed in the past three weeks by nearly 20 million people who have made attempts to investigate their options for insurance and have overloaded the system. The administration says it has brought in top technology experts in to fix the problems but have no insight as to when the glitches might be fixed.

Committee Chairman Fred Upton said the session would include questions to the contractors as well as U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

The Democratic controlled Senate has not indicated they will form any committee(s) or schedule hearings regarding the debacle, only expressing their disdain at the Republicans for their continued drive to sabotage the Affordable Care Act law, which so far has included shutting down the government.

ROME - While President Obama is attempting to reconcile his conflicts regarding Syria, Secretary of State John Kerry is facing new tensions with America's most important Middle East allies, primarily Israel. At questioned is policies and constraints on Iran's nuclear program.

Kerry is on the final leg of a three-day visit to European capitals focused on Middle East diplomacy and has said the Obama administration would welcome a change of tone by Iran but "words are no substitute for action. The trip has been most notably mark with criticism by Saudi Arabia and Israel and Kerry is making an effort to assuage them both. 

A Pissed America

I know my article might not get too many views, but I really need to get this off my chest.

America is pissed and will likely do nothing about it. That's not to say some will want to make changes, but for the most part, the people are an empathetic and forgiving lot.

If the people are truly pissed that Congress has held the public hostage, then they would remember come election time and vote out those that refused to pass a "clean Bill" to end the shutdown and a "clean Bill" to raise the debt ceiling. It seems today that every bill has attachments clinging to them that help only those constituents of the proposing members of Congress.

Cuts to Social Security, Medicare, education, especially Head Start, defunding the Affordable Care Act that has already been made law, non-creation of jobs, cuts to the military and so on and so on. All of these and more to be held hostage and over the President's head is what a small but lethal group of politicians are doing. They say they have our best interest at heart, but yet Americans are pissed.

According to a "Public Policy Poll" and paid for by MoveOn.org, Republicans could be in trouble.

Polling in the districts, conducted by the liberal-leaning Public Policy Polling and paid for by MoveOn.org, follows similar polling that found voters hostile to lawmakers supporting the shutdown.

Democrats need a net increase of 17 seats to retake control of the lower chamber, and the prior polling found 17 Republicans trailing generic Democratic opponents before voters were told they had supported the shutdown. After they were told -- which a Democratic challenger would waste no time doing while campaigning -- another four Republicans fell behind.

In the latest survey, based on a dozen Republicans, five trail Democrats and another is tied. Once voters were told the Republican supported the shutdown, another three fell behind the Democrat.

Of the 36 Republican-controlled districts where voters were surveyed by PPP, 29 of them could flip -- more than enough to give control of the chamber to Democrats.

But will America really remember in 2014 or are the Republicans counting on America to be malaise about the recent past of 2013. After all, aren't we a forgiving nation? Did we learn our lesson in 2007? I think not! We should stand up and elect the person with the least "deep" pockets, and elect business people that will run our country like a business and not by a bunch of spoiled, entitled brats.

MOTO X: Customized, Engraved, Your Favorite Color, NO PROBLEM

After further research I have found out more about the new Moto X, scheduled for possible release in August. 

The Moto X will allow those that order them online to select from a palette of some 20 colors for the back of the phone as well as choosing a different color for the edges. Orders placed online through, I would imagine a Motorola website, will be personalized in Google’s new 500,000 sq.ft. factory in Texas, the same place the phones are manufactured and assembled. Ordering online would also allow you to upload a photo you wish to have as your wallpaper and even have a name or message engraved on the back of the phone and the phone will still be delivered in a manner of days.

If you choose to purchase one from a retailer, it will be a generic design with no customizable features, at least for now. 

Again, the phone will have Google’s own Android operating system in the new 4.2.2 Jelly Bean platform and some carriers, including Verizon, are testing the phone and it’s processor will be a dual-core with tested speeds of up to 1.7ghz. It’s touted to have a dual antenna’s for faster uploads and downloads. It will also be available with multiple storages options. 

ABC News reported the phone will smart enough to know when you’re driving and will automatically launch the speakerphone function. Google’s advanced voice technology will have added voice capabilities, which could be a real threat to Apple’s iPhone 5 and Siri.

Also one of the new functions be touted is the ability to flick the phone to launch the camera, which reduces the fumbling around for the camera icon. 

This will be the first product made beginning to end since Google acquired Motorola Mobility in August 2011. Mountain View, CA is the home to the Android operating system and is still being tweaked there.

MOTO X - COMPLETELY AMERICAN!

Google/Motorola Mobility has announced it has designed the first Smartphone, engineered and assembled in the good ol' USA and will be arriving shortly, the MOTO X

It's an announcement that is long overdue since Google purchased Motorola Mobility some two years ago. The Droid Razr series was the last big thing in their arsenal to arrive on the mobile, smartphone  scene. Google/Motorola Mobility has also announced that it's Ft. Worth plant  will hire approximately 2,000 new employees that will assist in making the MOTO X possible.

When you have some of the best engineering, design and manufacturing talent in the U.S., you can expect a smartphone that will enable you to design the phone  to be as unique as you want it to be. I personally am looking forward to a new gen Motorola Smartphone and it will surely be affordable by the time my contract is up for renewal on Verizon. Of course mine will be genuinely vanilla compared to those tech savvy enough to tweak it to their personal preference.

Motorola will offer it's customers a chance to customize it's color, engravings and make it truly theirs and still have it in your excited little hands in a matter of days. It will run the latest version of Google's Android iOS, the 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and should be upgrade able through Motorola upon new Android releases that will be in the near future.

The MOTO X amounts to a rebirth of Motorola into the smartphone market given it's limited exposure the past two years. They hope this will launch a new assault on market shares currently being captured by  Samsung and Apple.

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, attempted to vanish our outrage to the fact that companies avoid paying taxes which leaves the rest of us to pay. Above is a chart, provided by Huff Post Business and Business Insider, that reflects the minimal amount of corporate income taxes paid compared to the remaining income tax sources.

As you can see, the beige stripe, which reflects corporate tax percentage, is continuing to shrink as compared to 1950. The olive green stripe is growing larger than the beige stripe used to be, which represents  the amount of payroll taxes paid to the federal revenue.

What this proves is that payroll taxes account for 35 percent of all tax receipts, up from 11 percent in 1950, and in the last six decades corporate income has drop approximately 26 percent to less than 10 percent of the total of federal revenue. As a result our personal taxes has risen exponentially to fill the void left unpaid by "big business".

Individual income tax, which has remained virtually unchanged in the last 60 years, accounts for 46 percent of the total federal income taxes.

If we are to assume that companies pay half of the payroll taxes collected, this would result in individuals are paying around 63 percent of the total tax burden, up from 45 percent in 1950. From 32 percent in 1950 to a paltry 17 percent in 2010, corporate contributions are definitely showing the unfairness in our current tax code. And we know if anyone can afford to find the loop-holes, it would be corporate America and not  individuals.

With the tax laws written the way they are right now, we should not be upset that they allow Apple to keep as much as $102 billion in off-shore accounts, or that other companies are doing the same. We should be angry that the lawmakers have let these laws stand without revision and that the "new reform" will not only still allow the practice to stand, it might even encourage it to keep big business in this country alive and "healthy".

Corporate America pays a great deal of money to political campaigns and lobbying efforts to make sure their growing profits are kept off-shore. The profits you and I make possible by purchasing their products and services.

Created by Geniuses and run by Idiots

* If you can get arrested for hunting or fishing without a license, but not for being in the country illegally . . . you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

* If you have to get your parents’ permission to go on a field trip or take an aspirin in school, but not to get an abortion . . . you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

* If you have to show identification to board an airplane, cash a check, buy liquor, or check out a library book, but not to vote who runs the government . . . you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

* If the government wants to ban stable, law-abiding citizens from owning gun magazines with more than ten rounds, but gives 20 F-16 fighter jets to the crazy new leaders in Egypt . . . you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

* If, in the largest city, you can buy two 16-ounce sodas, but not a 24-ounce soda because 24-ounces of a sugary drink might make you fat . . . you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

* If an 80-year-old woman can be stripped searched by the TSA but a woman in a hijab is only subject to having her neck and head searched . . . you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

* If your government believes that the best way to eradicate trillions of dollars of debt is to spend trillions more . . . you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

* If a seven year old boy can be thrown out of school for saying his teacher is “cute,” but hosting a sexual exploration or diversity class in grade school is perfectly acceptable . . . you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

* If children are forcibly removed from parents who discipline them with spankings while children of addicts are left in filth and drug infested “homes”. . . you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

* If hard work and success are met with higher taxes and more government intrusion, while not working is rewarded with EBT cards, WIC checks, Medicaid, subsidized housing, and free cell phones . . . you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

* If the government’s plan for getting people back to work is incentive to NOT working with 99 weeks of Unemployment checks and no requirement to prove they applied but can’t find work . . . you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

* If you pay your mortgage faithfully, denying yourself the newest big screen TV while your neighbor buys iPhones, TV’s and new cars, and the government forgives his debt when he defaults on his mortgage . . . you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

* If being stripped of the ability to defend yourself makes you more “safe” according to the government . . . you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.

What a country!

In Case You Didn't Know

Middle Class families are in for a big shock if the "Sequester" goes through March 1st. The impact of the Sequester will be felt by hundreds of thousands of middle class families in job cuts, cuts to vital services for children and seniors and most of all our military troops around the world.

Yes it's true, we need to cut the deficit, but it needs to be done in a responsible fashion and a balanced way that protects investments that the middle class relies on. Congress, in it's infamous dereliction of their elected duties, are playing a dangerous political maneuvering game that could result in a crippling economy and hundreds of thousands of job losses. 

Here are just a few of the consequences of the sequester:

Cuts to education by eliminating funds for the Head Start program that would cause 70,000 young children to lose access to Head Start and 10,000 teacher jobs would be cut. 

Small business would lose out as automatic cuts to loans guarantees would be reduced by approximately $900 million.

If sequestration takes effect, up to 2,100 fewer food inspectors could occur putting families at risk of outbreaks of foodborne illnesses creating a serious threat to public health.

The FBI and other law enforcement agencies would lose up 1,000 Federal agents which would greatly impact violent crimes, financial crimes and security of our borders and the protection of national security.

Veterans services would be cut by the reduction of staff, leaving 150,000 veterans a year without transitioning services as they move from active to private life. It would also reduce the capacity to serve tens of thousands of veterans assistance to find civilian work.

Many of the 398 National parks would either be closed or have shortened operating hours. There would be reduce maintenance and visitor services would be cut. As a result, surrounding small businesses and regional economies would suffer greatly.

Title I education funds would be eliminated for more than 2,700 schools and 1.2 million disadvantaged students. 10,000 teachers and aides would also feel the impact as they would be at risk of losing their jobs.

Federally assisted "Meals On Wheels" programs would be affected as there would be a reduction of 4 million fewer meals to seniors unable to get out on their own and prepare their own meals.

Approximately 600,000 women and children would be dropped form the Department of Agriculture's Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program from March through September. And again, job losses could amount to at least 1,600.

More than 100,000 formerly homeless people, including veterans, would lose their current housing and emergency shelter programs.

Emergency unemployment compensation would be cut by nearly 11% causing a reduction of nearly $450 in benefits that families count on while they search for employment and smaller unemployment checks will also have a negative impact on the local economies. 

These are certainly just a handful of sober impacts the sequester will have across the country and in many cases world wide if we include the cuts to military spending. Allowing the sequester to happen on March 1st. is a self-inflicted would the United States may not recover from. The sad thing is the Congress has known about the deadline since it's inception and once again it comes down to the last minute, but will anything really get done this time or is the US simply going to limp along with a severe affect in the economy.