With the share of U.S. adults aged 65 and older expected to more than double by year 2060 and nearly 96 percent of elder-abuse cases going unreported every year, the personal-finance website WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis that identifies 2017’s States with the Best Elder-Abuse Protections.
To determine which states fight the hardest against elder abuse, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 11 key metrics. The data set ranges from share of elder-abuse, gross-neglect and exploitation complaints to presence of financial elder-abuse laws.
Elder-Abuse Protections in Utah (1=Best; 25=Avg.)
*Per resident aged 65+
For the full report, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-best-elder-abuse-protection/28754/
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DECEMBER 06, 2017
A leftist nonprofit that offered to pay the legal and transportation expenses of tax reform protestors receives tens of millions of dollars from the government, according to records obtained by Judicial Watch. The New York City-based group, Housing Works, describes itself as a “healing community of people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.” Its mission is to end homelessness and AIDS through advocacy, lifesaving services and businesses that sustain the efforts.
Last week, Housing Works organized a big demonstration in Washington D.C. to protest the Republican tax overhaul and the group plans to return to the Capitol this week to try to keep the measure from passing. A D.C.-based news publication obtained an internal email that reveals Housing Works encouraged supporters to commit illegal behavior. “We will transport, house and feed you, and deal with all legal support,” reads the email to supporters. “Caveat: if you are far away from DC and expensive to transport, we can probably only fly you if you can risk arrest.” Next to the message is a link to sign up. The group described the protests like this: “The Rs voted and fled the room, but were snagged by reporters in the hallway, surrounded by bird-doggers, and shamed for their disgraceful votes.”
Undoubtedly, the measure has ignited controversy because it would be the most sweeping reform of the nation’s tax code in three decades. Americans from all walks of life and groups such as Housing Works have the right to express their opinion and rally supporters to make an impact. But it’s outrageous for a group that receives millions of taxpayer dollars to, not only embolden law breakers, but offer to pay for their legal and transportation expenses. The news publication that broke the story points out that “organizers on either side of the aisle sometimes attempt to coordinate logistics for their teams, but the requirement that an individual need to risk arrest in the District in order to qualify for aid is unique, especially given the fact that hundreds of protesters are facing decades of prison time for violently protesting President Donald Trump’s inauguration.”
What the article failed to mention is that Housing Works gets a lot of money from American taxpayers, the records obtained by Judicial Watch show. Since 2009 the group has received nearly $22 million, including $4.7 million in 2017 alone. The cash flows through the departments of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Health and Human Services (HHS). The biggest chunk of money comes from HUD, the notoriously corrupt and bloated federal agency embroiled in a multitude of scandals. Of the eight grants issued this year, only one—for $1 million from HUD—was issued before Donald Trump became president. The rest were doled out in February, May and August. A $1,187,909 HHS allocation on May 23, 2017 is described in the records as an Obamacare grant for “new and expanded services under the Health Center Program.” Judicial Watch reached out to both agencies for comment on taxpayer funds being used to promote and defend illegal behavior, but telephone calls and emails to their public affairs department went unanswered.
HUD has long been a bastion of corruption under both Democrat and Republican administrations. Ronald Reagan’s HUD secretary, Samuel Pierce, was embroiled in an influence-peddling scandal that saw 16 people, including some of his top aides at the agency, convicted. Bill Clinton’s HUD secretary, Henry Cisneros, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about payments to a mistress. George W. Bush’s HUD secretary, Alphonso Jackson, was forced to resign during a federal investigation involving cronyism. Under Barack Obama the agency was embroiled in countless scandals, including violating a federal ban on funding for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), allowing a director who simultaneously ran a leftwing nonprofit change agency policies to benefit her group and employees who went on personal shopping sprees with agency credit cards.
In 2012 Judicial Watch sued HUD for records involving a contentious St. Paul, Minnesota case in which the agency unscrupulously meddled with a local issue in the name of race. In an effort to maintain its neighborhoods, the city improved housing enforcement by targeting landlords with a history of violations. A minority contractor claimed that the new code enforcement measures reduced the availability of low-income rentals, causing a disparate impact upon African-Americans. St. Paul got slammed with federal lawsuits and the U.S. Supreme Court was expected to hear the case, but the city backed down amid intense federal pressure.
HHS also has a documented history of wrongdoing, especially involving Obama’s disastrous takeover of the nation’s healthcare system. The agency spent millions of taxpayer dollars on a “guerilla campaign” to promote Obamacare and pumped $1.2 billion into government-funded nonprofit health insurers, known as Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan Programs (CO-OP), that failed. Judicial Watch has been a leader in investigating HHS’s Obamacare embarrassments, including that the agency launched its defective Obamacare website despite known security flaws. Judicial Watch also obtained records showing the Obama Internal Revenue Service (IRS) coordinated with HHS and a hokey White House Behavioral Sciences team in a $5 million program to pressure Americans to sign up for Obamacare.
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USDA Promises New SNAP Flexibilities to Promote Self-Sufficiency
WASHINGTON, December 5, 2017 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is promising increased cooperation with states in the operation of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to promote self-sufficiency, integrity in the program, and better customer service. To make these improvements, USDA intends to offer state agencies greater local control over SNAP, the safety net program that serves millions of eligible, low-income individuals and families. Specifics on such flexibilities will be communicated to state agencies in the coming weeks.
“SNAP was created to provide people with the help they need to feed themselves and their families, but it was not intended to be a permanent lifestyle,” said Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. “As a former Governor, I know first-hand how important it is for states to be given flexibility to achieve the desired goal of self-sufficiency for people. We want to provide the nutrition people need, but we also want to help them transition from government programs, back to work, and into lives of independence.”
The broad outlines of the coming flexibilities aimed at transitioning people into independence were described today by Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services Acting Deputy Under Secretary and Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Administrator Brandon Lipps to state human services officials as part of a meeting of the Secretaries’ Innovation Group (SIG). SIG is a membership organization of state human service and workforce secretaries who share innovations and push for national solutions which favor healthy families, work, economic self-reliance, budget responsibility, and limited government.
The pledge to provide greater local control to help people achieve self-sufficiency echoed themes Lipps expressed in a letter (PDF, 527 KB) to all state SNAP commissioners last week. Lipps’ letter listed the areas the new flexibilities will address:
“We believe states are laboratories of innovation and seek to learn from you what works and what does not,” Lipps wrote. “As necessary to address each of these focus areas, we will allow greater state flexibility in areas that do not increase costs to taxpayers or our various partners on the ground.”
As FNS announces specific new flexibilities for promoting independence in the coming weeks, the agency will also continue to welcome additional ideas from the states that improve program integrity and best serve the participant and the American taxpayer. Guided by Secretary Perdue’s direction to “do right and feed everyone,” FNS will engage all relevant stakeholders throughout this process.
USDA's Food and Nutrition Service administers 15 nutrition assistance programs that include the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and the Summer Food Service Program. Together, these programs comprise America's nutrition safety net. For more information, visit www.fns.usda.gov.
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Date: Tuesday, December 5, 2017
For more information contact:
Senator Jim Dabakis
Phone: 801-815-3533
Email: jim.dabakis@gmail.com
Representative Chris Stewart has made a proposal to create a Grand Staircase-Escalante National Park. Senator Jim Dabakis (D- Salt Lake City) released the following:
"Congressman Stewart's proposal is a slight of hand, a trick, a PR stunt to make up for the sins of drastically shrinking two precious national moments in Utah.
Senator Dabakis continued,
"Over 20 years ago, the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was created. It was more than 1.9 million acres. President Trump flew into town on Monday, and in three hours, he cut the protected area to one million acres. Now, Congressman Stewart, with a magnifying glass in hand, has selected a mere 100,000 acres for a proposed national park. So, in two days we've gone from 1.9 million acres, down to Stewart's proposal of 100,000 acres.
I fear that Congressman Stewart and the rest of Utah's Republican officials simply want to participate in a land grab, so they can open a doorway to their pollution creating friends and donors in the coal and fossil fuel business. I fear for Utah's hunters, anglers, campers, hikers, ATV users, and outdoor sporting families. Under the Republican plan, there will be little left for those families to enjoy."
