Social Security recipients, who saw no increase in benefits for 2016, will be interested to learn that President Obama has budgeted $17,613 for each of the estimated 75,000 Central American teens expected to cross illegally into the U.S. this year, Grumpy Editor learned from a Washington Examiner story.
That’s $2,841 more than the average annual Social Security retirement benefit of $14,772.
The Examiner pointed out the total bill to taxpayers is $1.3 billion in benefits to "unaccompanied children," more than double what the federal government spent in 2010, according to an analysis of the administration's programs for illegal minors from the Center for Immigration Studies.
What’s more, added The Examiner, “the administration is also spending heavily on a program with the United Nations to help the illegal minors avoid the dangerous trip by declaring them refugees and handing them a plane ticket to the U.S. where, once here, they get special legal status.”
Meanwhile, U.S. seniors have been coping with rising costs in rent, medical care, prescription drugs and other items.
IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...
Overshadowed by extensive political coverage: U.S. employers added just 160,000 jobs last month, well below the average gain of 243,000 in the prior six months. Also missing among top headlines: The economy expanded at an annual pace of only one percent in the past six months...TV newscasts gave ample coverage to President Obama holding a glass of Flint, Mich., city water, subject of contamination reports for weeks. Motioning the glass, as in a toast, toward news folks, he then took what looked like a quick sip of the contents --- or did he really take a swig? Associated Press noted the president "coughing several times during his remarks"...The Chinese surpassed the U.S. in spending on business travel last year with $291.2 billion compared with $290.2 billion spent by their American counterparts, according to a report from the Global Business Travel Association and reported in USA Today...In an international push, look for the Los Angeles Times to build overseas bureaus in Hong Kong, Lagos, Mexico City, Moscow, Mumbai, Rio de Janeiro and Seoul...The Justice Department said it no longer will call people “felons” or “convicts” after they are released from prison because it is too hard on them emotionally...The Tampa Tribune was acquired by longtime rival Tampa Bay Times (formerly the St. Petersburg Times). Tribune subscribers will now get the Times, making it the country's fifth largest Sunday circulation newspaper...The U.S. lost about 191,000 jobs in the coal mining industry since September 2014 including about 7,000 that were lost in April, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That followed a 10 percent drop in coal production last year and the Energy Department predicted a 16 percent decline this year, biggest one-year drop since 1958...NPR reported eight in 10 Americans haven’t figured out what they’re having for dinner by 4 p.m...Officials voted to change the name of Bob Hope Airport (named after the famous comedian since 2003) to Hollywood Burbank Airport in an effort to increase recognition with passengers outside of Southern California...NewsBusters pointed out that in a nearly 20-minute live interview with Hillary Clinton, "MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell spent a mere 17 seconds asking the Democratic frontrunner about the ongoing e-mail scandal."
Grumpy Editor noticed CNN has a bad habit of indicating what is on the screen is "live" when it is not.
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