Insider Report
Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories):
1. Ted Cruz's Presidential Eligibility Already an Issue
2. Shocker: 85% of US Households Received Federal Benefits
3. Al-Jazeera's Motive in Gore TV Deal Questioned
4. Iran Frees Christian Pastor, Jails Others
5. Unemployment Among 'Millennials' Tops 16%
6. Report: Government 'Makes Americans Fat'
1. Ted Cruz's Presidential Eligibility Already an Issue
Just days after he was sworn in as a new U.S. senator, Texas Republican Ted Cruz already is making waves in Washington — and creating another "birther" controversy.
The mainstream media initially gave little or no coverage to presidential candidate Barack Obama's failure to produce a birth certificate, then lambasted those who questioned his eligibility for the White House.
But the press is already bringing up the question of Cruz's eligibility for president — which suggests that Democratic sympathizers are worried about his possible run for the White House in 2016.
Obama was born in Hawaii to an American mother and a Kenyan father, although some questioned his Hawaiian birth. Cruz was born in Canada to an American mother and a Cuban father who were working in the petroleum industry, and he lived in Canada for four years before his family moved to Texas.
The Constitution's Article II states: "No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President."
The 14th Amendment granted citizenship to anyone born in the United States, but a 1937 law passed by Congress also granted citizenship to children born to American citizens outside the country.
That would seem to clearly qualify Cruz for the presidency, but it hasn't quieted the controversy. Politico on Monday ran a story headlined "Ted Cruz draws presidential buzz, but is he eligible?" adding that he has "the aura" of a future contender.
"The problem is, no one knows what a natural born citizen is," said University of California, Davis law professor Gabriel Chin, who argued in 2008 that John McCain was not eligible to be president because he was born in the Panama Canal Zone.
"There's nothing definitive legally."
Harvard Law School law professor Laurence Tribe, an adviser to Obama, said Cruz should prepare a thorough explanation of his eligibility to put the issue at rest: "I'd need to know more, but it certainly doesn't sound like a sufficient explanation."
And University of Pennsylvania law professor Kermit Roosevelt told Politico that Cruz's "birthright citizenship derives from his parents, and the question is, does that fit with the definition of natural born citizen?"
Cruz's primary opponent in the Senate race last year, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, brought up Cruz's Canadian birthplace in a campaign ad, and his Democratic opponent Paul Sadler said in an interview: "Rafael Cruz — 'Ted,' that's what he goes by, his real name is Rafael — was born in Canada."
Cruz spokesman Sean Rushton stated that Cruz is "a U.S. citizen by birth," but declined to elaborate on the issue, saying the new senator is concentrating on his work ahead in Congress.
And Cruz has already made a splash as senator, trumpeting his opposition to gun control and Obama's choice of Chuck Hagel as Defense secretary, charging that Obama is "high on re-election."
Rush Limbaugh is among those pointing to a bright future for Cruz, calling him "terrific" and asking "why aren't there more" conservatives like him.
Editor's Note:
2. Shocker: 85% of US Households Received Federal Benefits
With Republicans in Washington calling on the federal government to rein in entitlement spending, an eye-opening new national survey reveals that 55 percent of Americans have received benefits from at least one major federal program.
The Pew Research Center survey asked respondents if they had ever received benefits from any of six major federal entitlement programs — Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, welfare, or unemployment benefits.
Pew found that in addition to the 55 percent of adults who had received benefits, another 16 percent said that while they had not received benefits themselves, a member of their household had — meaning 71 percent of adults belong to a household that has benefited from at least one of the six programs.
And if veterans' benefits and federal college loans and grants are included, the share of households with at least one recipient rises to a shocking 86 percent.
Pew also found that 32 percent of Americans had gotten benefits from two or more of the six programs, and 15 percent had received benefits from three or more.
Other findings from the Pew survey:
- A majority of both Democrats (60 percent) and Republicans (52 percent) said they have benefited from one of the six programs.
- More conservatives (57 percent) have benefited than have liberals or moderates (both 53 percent).
- 59 percent of those who voted for President Obama in 2012 have benefited, compared to 53 percent of Mitt Romney voters.
- Women are more likely to have received benefits than men, 61 percent versus 49 percent.
- 64 percent of black respondents said they have received benefits, compared to 56 percent of whites and 50 percent of Hispanics.
- Surprisingly, 39 percent of respondents with annual income of at least $100,000 have received benefits from at least one of the six programs.
- 27 percent of respondents have received unemployment benefits, 26 percent have gotten Social Security payments, 22 percent have gotten Medicare, 18 percent have used food stamps, 11 percent have received Medicaid benefits, and 8 percent have gotten welfare benefits.
But efforts to cut entitlement spending are likely to face an uphill battle: Even among those who have never received benefits, a majority (55 percent) believes the government has the responsibility to care for those who cannot care for themselves, as do 60 percent of those who have gotten benefits.
Editor's Note:
3. Al-Jazeera's Motive in Gore TV Deal Questioned
Critics last week questioned why global warming crusader Al Gore would agree to sell his Current TV news channel to Al-Jazeera — a broadcaster largely funded by the government of oil-rich Qatar.
But Investor's Business Daily (IBD) has questioned the deal from Al-Jazeera's point of view.
Current TV reportedly sold for $500 million, and former Vice President Gore stands to profit handsomely from his 20 percent stake in the low-rated channel.
IBD stated in an editorial: "The effects of large quantities of crude oil on the brain may not yet have been determined by medical research, but when a Mideast media outfit swimming in government-provided oil profits pays $500 million for access to 50,000 viewers, you have to wonder.
"So why would Al-Jazeera buy this lemon? Current TV's numbers make it clear Al Jazeera's move is no attempt to become financially viable. But Islamist interests in the Mideast would love to have more influence on American public opinion, maybe sway Americans away from their loyalty to Israel."
Anti-Defamation League National Director Abraham Foxman expressed similar concerns in an interview with Newsmax TV, saying Al-Jazeera has aired anti-Israel propaganda "and even from time to time provided a platform for anti-Semites."
Editor's Note:
4. Iran Frees Christian Pastor, Jails Others
Two weeks ago the Insider Report disclosed that Iranian authorities had re-arrested a Christian pastor charged with converting from Islam to Christianity.
Iran has now released pastor Youcef Nadarkhani following a worldwide outcry — but many other Christians remain in prison in the Islamic Republic.
Nadarkhani was arrested in 2009 and sentenced to death on charges of apostasy. He spent more than 1,000 days behind bars before being freed in September, only to be arrested and jailed on Christmas Day to serve the remainder of a three-year sentence term — a move that U.S. Reps. Joe Pitts, R-Pa., and Keith Ellison, D-Minn., called "particularly cruel."
On Monday, the father of two was released from prison, according to The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ).
"Pastor Youcef's release is a direct result of people across the world standing up and demanding his freedom," said ACLJ Executive Director Jordan Sekulow. "We must continue to demand that Iran stop abusing and persecuting Christians and those willing to defend human rights."
But other Christian pastors remain behind bars in Iran. Iranian-born Saeed Abedini, who moved to the United States in 2005 and has American citizenship, has been in jail since his arrest last September while visiting his family in Iran.
A convert from Islam, Abedini had helped lead underground house churches in Iran, according to the ACLJ. The organization is urging the U.S. government to "take all available diplomatic and legislative action" to free Abedini, asserting that he is being subjected to "unspeakable abuse."
Behnam Irani, a pastor and convert from Islam, is also serving a prison sentence in Iran. Since 2006 he has been harassed, assaulted, and arrested several times, and twice convicted of security offenses, according to Present Truth Ministries.
He is now sharing a large cell with convicted murderers and has been denied access to a doctor even though his condition is so dire that he is "likely to die" in prison, Christian Solidarity Worldwide disclosed.
The Barnabas Fund, which supports Christians in Islamic nations, disclosed that about 50 Iranian Christians were arrested by police and security agents who raided a house church meeting in Tehran on Dec. 27.
Most were later released, but pastor Vruir Avanessian was taken into custody and his home was searched and ransacked by authorities. He reportedly has kidney disease and requires dialysis every two days.
Despite its record, Iran denies that it discriminates against non-Muslims. The government said in a 2010 report to the United Nations that the formation of organizations or societies "pertaining to one of the recognized religious minorities" is permitted in Iran provided they do not violate "the criteria of Islam, or the basis of the Islamic Republic."
Editor's Note:
5. Unemployment Among 'Millennials' Tops 16%
The official U.S. unemployment rate in December stood at 7.5 percent, but the true rate among "millennials" — those ages 18 to 29 — was more than twice as high, capping what's been called "another year without hope for a generation."
Officially, the unemployment rate for those young adults — called millennials because they came of age in this millennium — was 11.5 percent in December. For African-Americans 18 to 29 years old, it was 22.1 percent; for Hispanics, 12.2 percent.
But an additional 1.7 million young adults are not counted as "unemployed" by the U.S. Department of Labor because they are not in the labor force, meaning that they have given up looking for work due to the lack of jobs, according to Generation Opportunity, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for millennials.
If those young adults were included in unemployment calculations, the actual rate would rise to 16.3 percent.
"The fact is that 2012 marked yet another year in which millennials were unable to find real opportunities in the vocations for which they trained and are qualified," said Matthew Faraci, senior vice president for communications at Generation Opportunity and a former Labor Department spokesperson.
"This meant another year just scraping by, falling further behind on student loan payments, living at home with Mom and Dad, sending out hundreds of resumes, and filling out numerous job applications, all with little or no result.
"This was another year without hope for a generation eager to apply their skills and get in the game.
"As Washington argues over short-term fixes, millennials are wondering why their elected leaders continue to ignore critical issues such as unprecedented youth unemployment as well as the larger concern of addressing the nation's underlying fiscal challenges."
Editor's Note:
6. Report: Government 'Makes Americans Fat'
A new report points a finger of blame for America's obesity problem at a surprising culprit — Washington, D.C.
"The government, with its accomplices in the food lobby, has helped to make and keep us fat" through "subsidies and misguided food suggestions," according to the report from The Freeman, the flagship publication of the Foundation for Economic Education, which advocates free-market, libertarian ideas.
At any given time, 45 percent of American women and 30 percent of men are trying to lose weight. Yet 65 percent of adults are overweight — as are 15.3 percent of 6- to 11-year-olds — and the prevalence of obesity has risen from 14.5 percent in 1980 to 30.5 percent today.
One example of the government's misguided meddling is the food pyramid, according to The Freeman report by Dr. Jenna Robinson, director of outreach at the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy.
In 1982, federal authorities told Americans to reduce fat consumption from 40 percent to 30 percent of daily intake, so instead of fats, Americans began eating more carbohydrates — an increase of 57 grams per person from 1989 to today. The typical American diet is now about 50 percent carbohydrates, contributing to the obesity problem.
Over the years, government recommendations have contributed to the replacement of lard with trans-fats, the substitution of margarine for butter and back to butter again, and conflicting recommendations about eggs, orange juice, vitamins, certain types of fish, and the temperature at which it's safe to eat meat. A committee at the Food and Drug Administration awarded sugar "Generally Recognized as Safe" status, even for diabetics, and in 2011 Congress legislated that pizza sauce can count as a vegetable in school lunches.
"Setting aside the issue of whether such government recommendations are correct, its actions as food nanny essentially absolve Americans from the responsibility of making their own nutrition decisions," Dr. Robinson stated.
Farm subsidies serve to reinforce the government's recommendations. Most subsidies go to corn, rice, wheat, and soy — staples that can be converted into cheap, highly processed foods.
In the case of corn, government subsidies starting in the mid-1980s led to food companies turning cheap corn into high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as a replacement for more expensive sugar. HFCS then was used in previously unsweetened foods, including bread, baked goods, cereal, condiments, canned vegetables, and pasta sauce. The average American now eats 41.5 pounds of HFCS per year — financed by U.S. corn subsidies.
Wheat, rice, and soy are turned into similarly processed food products. And government subsidies make these foods very cheap — much cheaper than unsubsidized raw produce, fish, or meat. Today, 23 percent of Americans' grocery budgets go to processed foods and sweets, compared to 12 percent in 1982.
"One thing is clear: Government interference is steering us in the wrong direction — toward sweetened and processed foods that no doctors, nutritionists, or researchers recommend," Dr. Robinson concludes.
"To improve the 'Standard American Diet,' the first thing government can do is get out of the way."
Note: Newsmax magazine is now available on the iPad. Find us in the App Store.
Editor's Note:
Editor's Notes:
© 2013 Newsmax. All rights reserved.