HEY LIBERALS IN CHICAGO AND DETROIT AND LOS ANGELES... LEARN SOMETHIN ABOUT CRIME FIGHTING!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Texas' Crime Rate Falling More Rapidly Than National Rate.

Trivia Tidbit of the Day: Part 960 -- Texas Crime Rate Declines-
Crime has been declining in the United States for roughly two decades now, and the declines seem to continue in good times and in bad times alike.
Always such a pivotal issue in the 1980s, rarely nowadays is crime even mentioned on the campaign trail, on the nightly news, or elsewhere as a major problem. There's less of it. People are safer. Our communities are safer. And that's great news.
But crime is still a drain on society. It harms individuals. It tears families apart. It ties up public resources. It depresses the economy.
So what if I told you that, just as Texas' relatively conservative fiscal policy has led to higher economic growth and more jobs than in states with more left-wing fiscal policy, and just as Texas' legal reforms have compelled Americans-- especially physicians-- to vote with their feet and move to Texas, and just as forced unionization has driven businesses and workers to Right to Work states like Texas, it turns out that Texas' criminal justice policy may also be a model for other states, too.
Examining Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Texas Department of Public Safety (TxDPS) data, Texas is improving its crime rate faster than the rest of the country, all while bringing costs down by tapping the brakes on both incarceration and recidivism. For the latest data available, Texas showed improvements far greater than the national improvements on both violent crime and property crime:
click image for larger version The Texas Public Policy Foundation's Marc Levin adds:

The Lone Star State has emerged as a national leader in criminal justice reform, strengthening alternatives to incarceration by using conservative principles such as limited government and accountability. The dramatic crime drop in Texas far surpasses the national downward trend and validates the smart approach to cutting crime and costs that Texas continues to take and which the Foundation’s Right on Crime initiative has promoted across the nation.

Indeed.
And, on every single sub-category of crime, Texas is improving faster than the nation:
click image for larger version There is a conservative model for producing safer communities, while safeguarding against busting the budget by simply constructing more and more prisons. It's not found in Illinois, where the number of prisoners recently hit an unexpected record high, nor in Philly, where the prison population has soared to 9,170 in an expensive prison system designed to hold 6,500 people.
The blueprint for improving crime rates and reducing costs to taxpayers is found in Texas and a growing number of states adopting conservative "Right on Crime" criminal justice principles. Back in 2005, Texas legislators looked at the bleak fiscal reality before them-- the state was going to have to spend at least a billion dollars building eight new prisons by 2012, unless something changed. So they changed.
Yes, as with education and health care and other issues, Texas has some unique challenges, given its proximity to the Mexican border. Not every single reform Texas has embarked on might be right for every other state, but the takeaway here is that the Texas success story extends well beyond economics, into keeping citizens safe without creating an over-criminalized, overbearing police state.
So, while crime may no longer be much of an issue in campaigns and elections (which is odd, given the rampant increase in murders in left-dominated places like Chicago), it's still yet another issue that Texans can brag about.

Seniors enrolled in seven of the 10 most popular Medicare prescription drug plans will be hit with double-digit premium hikes this year (2013)

AARP AND OBAMA LIED:  The TAX HIKES ON SENIORS IS STARTING!!!

WASHINGTON (AP) - Seniors enrolled in seven of the 10 most popular Medicare prescription drug plans will be hit with double-digit premium hikes next year if they don't shop for a better deal, says a private firm that analyzes the highly competitive market.

The report Monday by Avalere Health is a reality check on the Obama's administration's upbeat pronouncements. Back in August, officials had announced that the average premium for basicprescription drug coverage will stay the same in 2013, at $30 a month.

The administration's number is accurate as an overall indicator for the entire market, but not very helpful to consumers individually since it doesn't reflect price swings in the real world.

"The average senior is going to benefit by carefully scrutinizing their situation, because every year the market changes," Avalere President Dan Mendelson said. Avalere crunched the numbers based on bid documents that the plans submitted to Medicare.

The report found premium increases for all top 10 prescription drug plans, known as PDPs. However, the most popular plan — AARP MedicareRx Preferred — is only going up 57 cents per month nationally, to $40.42 from the current $39.85.

The seven plans with double-digit premium increases were: the Humana Walmart-Preferred Rx Plan (23 percent); First Health Part D Premier (18 percent); First Health Part D Value Plus (17 percent); Cigna Medicare Rx Plan One (15 percent); Express Scripts Medicare-Value (13 percent); the HealthSpring Prescription Drug Plan (12 percent); and Humana Enhanced (11 percent).

Another two plans in the top 10 also had single-digit increases. They were the SilverScript Basic (8 percent) and WellCare Classic (3 percent).

On the plus side for consumers, a new low-cost plan entered the market. Premiums for the AARP MedicareRx Saver Plus Plan will average $15 a month nationally, although it won't be available everywhere. That's $3.50 less than the current low-cost leader, the Humana Walmart plan, whose premiums are rising to $18.50.

The new AARP plan is run by UnitedHealth Group Inc., the nation's largest health insurance company. United pays AARP for the right to use its name on a range of Medicare insurance products, a successful business strategy that has proven lucrative for both partners. When Humana and Walmartteamed up to offer their low-cost plan in 2011, United felt the competition.

"There is a real focus on the premium in this market," Mendelson said. "If a plan fields an offering with a low premium, it knows it can capture a significant number of customers."

Medicare spokesman Brian Cook did not dispute the Avalere estimates. "We continue to encourage seniors to shop around and find the plan that works best for them," he said.
Medicare's open enrollment season starts Oct. 15, and beneficiaries have a wide variety of choices of taxpayer-subsidized private prescription plans. Seniors and family members can use the online Medicare Plan Finder to input individual prescription lists and find plans in their area that cover them.

About 90 percent of Medicare's nearly 50 million beneficiaries have some form of drug coverage, with more than 17 million enrolled in private plans through the prescription drug program.

President Barack Obama's 2010 health care law is improving prescription drug plans by gradually closing the coverage gap known as the doughnut hole for those with high prescription drug costs.

The Avalare numbers did have one silver lining for the Obama administration. When the projections are tweaked to account for seniors switching to lower-cost coverage, premiums for 2013 are likely to remain steady.

Separately, the administration recently announced that average premiums for Medicare Advantage insurance plans will barely inch up next year on average, while enrollment in the private medical plans will continue to rise. Many Medicare Advantage plans also combine prescription drug coverage in one package deal.

But the biggest premium announcement is yet to come. Virtually all seniors pay the Part B premium for outpatient care, including those with traditional Medicare as well as those in private plans. Currently $99.90 a month, the Part B premium it is expected to rise next year by less than $10.