January 1, 2023 - The Florida Capital Star

March for Life President Calls for Americans to ‘Fearlessly Continue Marching’

January 1, 2023December 31, 2022 Florida Capital Star Staff

The annual March for Life is set to take place January in Washington, D.C., on the 50th anniversary of the monumental 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade. And while some have suggested that pro-life activists should focus on state-level efforts, March for Life President Jeanne Mancini is calling on pro-life Americans to “fearlessly continue marching.”

This will be the first such march since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, saving the lives of over 10,000 babies, by some estimates—and prompting criminals across the nation to attack and vandalize scores of pro-life pregnancy resource centers. The attackers graffitied many of the pregnancy centers with phrases such as “If abortions aren’t safe, then neither are you.”

Biden Economy Sent Retirement Funds Spiraling, Prompting Mass Bailouts for Union Pensions

January 1, 2023December 31, 2022 Just the News

America’s pension plans are struggling to meet their financial targets amid ruinous inflation, compromising the retirement of countless Americans. The Biden administration has responded by doling out massive amounts of taxpayer money to bail out retirement funds mostly run by unions.

More than Half of States Poised to Raise Minimum Wage in 2023 as $15 an Hour Gains Traction

January 1, 2023December 31, 2022 Just the News

Four states will have a $15-an-hour minimum wage by New Year’s Day, while 27 states are poised to raise the minimum wage in 2023.

Some states are enacting the wage change after Jan. 1, so by the end of 2023 there will be six states that are set to have minimum wages at or above $15 an hour. They are California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, and Washington, according to a report last week from the National Employment Law Project.

New Legislation for Florida Landlords Takes Effect January 1, Meant to Keep Tenants Safer

January 1, 2023December 31, 2022 The Center Square

Landlords in Florida will have a new set of rules to abide by come Jan. 1 when new legislation goes into effect.

Senate Bill 898, also known as ‘Miya’s Law’, is named after Miya Marcano, a 19-year-old student who was killed in her apartment complex in Orlando in 2021 by a maintenance worker who had access to a master key. The law was designed by lawmakers to provide more safety measures for tenants by keeping records of who has access to a tenant’s property.

Commentary: An American Awakening

January 1, 2023December 31, 2022 Florida Capital Star Staff

The seemingly novel developments of the last several years have not taken me by surprise. When I completed American Awakening in May 2020, the national election was still five months into the future, and the stringent measures ostensibly instituted to hold the Wuhan Flu at bay had just been implemented. I thought then that a Democratic Party victory in November 2020 would promise the American electorate a return to normal politics, but in fact would operate on the basis of what, in American Awakening, I called the politics of innocence and transgression; and that if Joe Biden became the Democratic Party nominee, in order to demonstrate that he was the-right-kind-of-white-man, he would champion this sort of politics.

Commentary: Remembering Pope Benedict XVI

January 1, 2023December 31, 2022 Florida Capital Star Staff

A couple of months ago I was in a fascinating conversation with a Catholic colleague regarding the papacies of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, here in the ninth year of this curious era, 2013-22, when the world was living with, in effect, two popes of sorts, a reigning pope named Francis and a resigned pope — a “Pope Emeritus” — named Benedict XVI. We were wondering if the latter would, ironically, ultimately outlive the former, who few expected to have a papacy this long. When Francis’ papacy started in 2013, he was already known for poor health, which has progressively gotten worse.

Anti-Christian Violence on the Rise in the U.S. — Five Alabama Churches Attacked Since 2018

January 1, 2023December 31, 2022 Florida Capital Star Staff

A new report from the Family Research Council (FRC) indicates that acts of hostility toward Christian churches in the United States are on the rise.

In an analysis issued this month, the FRC cited at least 420 acts of hostility against U.S. churches between January 2018 and September 2022. Acts of hostility include vandalism, arson, gun-related incidents, bomb threats and more.

Venezuela, Cuba, and Argentina Have the Highest Inflation in Latin America

January 1, 2023December 31, 2022 ADN America

Venezuela, Cuba and Argentina registered the highest inflation in 2022 compared to other Latin American countries, according to figures from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and BCC reports .

The report covers the period between October 2021 and October 2022, where the highest growth of the index is led by the Caribbean country, which accumulates an increase in inflation of 146%, exceeding that of Argentina by more than 50 percentage points (87 8%), the second on the list, and Cuba, which ranked third with 34.2%.

Commentary: Seven Financial Tips from the Book of Proverbs

January 1, 2023December 31, 2022 Florida Capital Star Staff

Ask someone from the millennial or Generation Z crowds about tech-related topics and you’ll likely get an encyclopedia of knowledge pouring forth. Ask those same cohorts about a financial decision or money-related matter and you just might get a deer-in-the-headlights look.

Over two-thirds of people ages 18-41 have “financial topics they want advice on,” a Harris Poll found earlier this year, “but aren’t sure how to get it.” And given that 70 percent of millennials and 65 percent of Generation Z live paycheck to paycheck, it’s not hard to imagine what types of financial advice might be needed.

Commentary: Eisenhower Was a Conservative in Action, Not Ideology

January 1, 2023December 31, 2022 Florida Capital Star Staff

When Dwight D. Eisenhower left the presidency at the age of 70, there was excitement in the air as the torch of power was passed to “a new generation” exemplified by 43-year-old John F. Kennedy. The national media fawned over the new president, while Eisenhower, the old soldier, faded away at his Gettysburg farm. The country was about to learn the importance of character in its leaders.

Washington State Senators File Constitutional Amendment to Double-Down on Abortion Rights

January 1, 2023December 31, 2022 The Center Square

Two Washington state senators have proposed a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the rights to obtain an abortion and to use contraception in the state, both of which are already codified in state law.

The proposed amendment, Senate Joint Resolution 8202, was filed Dec. 21 by Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, and Sen. Patty Kuderer, D-Bellevue, at the request of Gov. Jay Inslee according to a joint statement from the lawmakers.

Blue States Worry They Can’t Pay Out Retirement Benefits

January 1, 2023December 31, 2022 Florida Capital Star Staff

Three high-profile Democratic governors are struggling to stabilize their states’ retirement programs due to a falling stock market and may have difficulties paying out benefits in the coming years, according to Politico.

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, all of whom are considered potential candidates for the 2024 presidential race, have poured billions of dollars into their states’ pension funds, according to Politico. They may struggle to maintain their public images if they’re forced to raise taxes or make budget cuts to keep pension payments flowing.

Tom Wopat Releases ‘Simple Man’

January 1, 2023December 31, 2022 Bethany Bowman

NASHVILLE, Tennessee- Long before Luke Duke was sliding across the hood of the General Lee, Tom Wopat was making music. He has been singing since he was a child and thought one day he might make a career of it. He studied opera in school while simultaneously performing in a rock band.

California Saw Six-Figure Population Drop as Gov. Newsom Ran ‘Join Us’ Ads

January 1, 2023December 31, 2022 Florida Capital Star Staff

California residents are still leaving the blue state in droves despite Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s summer ad campaign urging Florida residents to “join” the blue state.

California’s population decreased by six-figures as 343,230 people fled the state in 2022, according to data from the United States Census Bureau. The population decline follows a 30-second advertisement from July in which Newsom urged Floridians to move to the blue state where he claimed they “still believe in freedom.”