Obama

Everyone handles stressful situations differently. Some people prepare and practice, and some people… mow the lawn.

To get to as many of your inquiries as possible, this week’s mailbag will be more like a lightning round. Quick questions, quick answers — including why I can’t in good conscience stay out of politics.

From a missing family to a mistress assassin to a Social Security shortage, here is this week’s food for thought.

There is so much going on in the world, it’s impossible to stay up-to-date on the latest threats to your safety and liberty. Which is why each week, I’ll comb the web for five must-read articles to keep you informed. Think of this as your “defensive dossier.” Because it’s easier to prepare for any kind of danger if you can see it coming.

It might sound like the latest new product from Apple, but IPAB is actually the newest major legal challenge to Obamacare. Recently, a three-judge panel in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco heard arguments about the Independent Payment Advisory Board, or IPAB, a 15-member panel created by the Affordable Care Act and …

Given how poorly states like California and Illinois have funded the pension funds for their own employees, one would think that this would stop dead in its tracks any plan to have the government assist in managing private sector funds too. The spate of recent activity, however, suggests otherwise.

The problem for NSA apologist is that when guys like Snowden disclose that the government conducts comprehensive surveillance in ways that would have made 1984’s O’Brien drool, it puts the entire progressive agenda in jeopardy.

In times of war and national emergency, it’s sometimes necessary to sacrifice civil liberties to secure vital gains in public safety. In those cases, we may have to accept a loss of privacy or freedom rather than invite mass slaughter of Americans. The National Security Agency’s domestic phone records collection is not one of those. …

President Obama crowed in his State of the Union speech about the economy, even mentioning “a rebounding housing market.” Maybe he was referring to friends in high places, like the seller of Penthouse One in New York, which just closed for $50.9 million, all cash. Millions of mere-mortal homeowners likely wanted to throw something at …

Recent difficulties with implementing the Affordable Care Act have increased opposition to the program. A majority of Americans now oppose it. Problems with the HealthCare.gov website are in all likelihood temporary. However, there are serious long-term problems, particularly considering long-term finance and labor supply issues. Given the mounting difficulties with and growing concerns about the …