On Cyber Monday, Don’t Let a Cyber Grinch Steal Your Holiday Spirit

"As bargain hunters take to the Web this Cyber Monday in search of holiday deals, the Stop.Think.Connect.™ Campaign reminds online shoppers to be wary of the cybersecurity risks of theft, fraud and abuse. While many businesses offer great deals during the holiday season, cyber criminals may try to take advantage of unsuspecting online shoppers..."
On Cyber Monday, Don’t Let a Cyber Grinch Steal Your Holiday Spirit

American Families and Living Arrangements: 2010

"The 2010 Census enumerated 308.7 million people in the United States, a 9.7 percent increase from 281.4 million in Census 2000. Of the total population in 2010, 300.8 million lived in 116.7 million households for an average of 2.58 people per household. This was down from an average of 2.59 in 2000 when 273.6 million people lived in 105.5 million households. The remaining 8.0 million people in 2010 lived in group-quarters arrangements such as school dormitories, nursing homes, or military barracks..."
American Families and Living Arrangements: 2010

Offsetting a Carbon Tax’s Costs on Low-Income Households

"Imposing a tax on carbon dioxide emissions would reduce the damage from climate change but would also impose a larger burden, relative to income, on low-income households than on high-income households. This paper evaluates two broad groupings of options for reducing the regressive effects of a carbon tax; one group of options would affect large segments of the economy, for example by reducing payroll taxes, and the other group of options would be targeted at low-income households, for example by providing an additional payment to households currently receiving electronic transfer benefits..."
Offsetting a Carbon Tax’s Costs on Low-Income Households

Social Security: Cost-of-Living Adjustments

"To compensate for the effects of inflation, Social Security recipients received cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) through the legislative process sporadically from 1950 to 1974, and automatically through a trigger mechanism in all but two years from 1975 to 2012. No adjustment was made in 2010 and 2011. Benefits will be increased by 1.7% in 2013, after an increase of 3.6% in 2012. The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), updated monthly by the Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), is the measure that can trigger a change. The Social Security COLA is based on the percentage change in the index from the highest third calendar quarter average CPI-W recorded (most often, from the previous year) to the average CPI-W for the third calendar quarter of the current year. The COLA
becomes effective in December of the current year and is payable in January of the following year..."
Social Security: Cost-of_Living Adjustments

Government Transparency and Secrecy: An Examination of Meaning and Its Use in the Executive Branch

"From the beginnings of the American federal government, Congress has required executive branch agencies to release or otherwise make available government information and records. Some scholars and statesmen, including James Madison, thought access to information— commonly referred to in contemporary vernacular as “transparency”—was an essential cornerstone of democratic governance. Today, the federal government attempts to balance access to information with the need to protect certain information (including national security information and trade secrets) in order to achieve transparency. As a consequence, access and
protection are often in tension with one another..."
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/secrecy/R42817.pdf

Choices for Deficit Reduction

"The United States is facing fundamental budgetary challenges. Federal debt held by the public exceeds 70 percent of the nation's annual output (gross national product or GDP) - a percentage not seen since 1950- and a continuation of current policies would boost the debt further. Although debt would decline to 58 percent of GDP in 2022 under the current-law assumptions that underlie the Congressional budget Office's (CBO's) baseline projections, those projections depend heavily on significant increases in taxes and decreased in spending that are scheduled to take effect at the beginning of January. If, instead, lawmakers maintained current policies by preventing most of those changes from occurring - what CBO refers to as the alternative fiscal scenario - debt held by the public would increase to 90 percent of GDP 10 years from now and continue to rise rapidly thereafter..."
Choices for Deficit Reduction

2013 capital planning and stress testing program

"The Federal Reserve Board on Friday launched the 2013 capital planning and stress testing program, issuing instructions to firms with timelines for submissions and general guidelines. The program includes the Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review (CCAR) of 19 firms as well as the Capital Plan Review (CapPR) of an additional 11 bank holding companies with $50 billion or more of total consolidated assets...
2013 Capital Planning and Stress Testing Program

Federal Employees Health Benefit Program(FEHBP):Available Health Insurance Options

"FEHBP is generally available to employees, annuitants, and dependents. Eligible individuals may elect coverage in an approved health benefits plan for either individual or family coverage. For the 2013 plan year, there are about 230 different plan choices, including all regionally available options. As a practical matter, an individual's choice of plans is ofter limited to 10 to 15 different plans, depending on where the individual resides. While enrollees have a range of choices, they typically decide which option best match their needs, the amount of their wages they will contribute to health insurance, and how risk-averse they are to potential out-of-pocket costs..."
Federal Employees Health Benefit Program

Supplemental Poverty Measure and How Does it Differ from the Official Measure

"Since the publication of the first official U.S. poverty estimates in 1964, there has been a continuing debate about the best approach to measure income and poverty in the United States. An interagency technical working group recognized that alternative estimates of income and poverty can provide useful information to the public as well as to the federal government. Therefore, in 2009, it asked the Census Bureau, in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, to develop a new measure that will allow for an improved understanding of the economic well-being of American families and how federal policies affect those living in poverty.."
Supplemental Poverty Measure and How Does it Differ from the Official Measure?

Veterans Day: Nov. 11, 2012

"Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation in 1954 to change the name to Veterans Day as a way to honor those who served in all American wars. The day honors military veterans with parades and speeches across the nation. A national ceremony takes place at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia..."
Veterans Day: 2012 

What Happens Next in the Election Process

"Here’s a look at what happens between now and the inauguration:

Between now and December 17:

The governors of all of the states must certify the election results, and provide copies of the Certificates of Ascertainment to the Archivist of the United States and your state’s electors.

December 17:

Electors meet in their state and cast their ballots for the President and Vice President. A copy of these votes is sent to the Vice President for the official count in Congress. The votes must be received by December 26.

January 6:

Congress meets in a joint session to officially count the electoral votes. As President of the Senate, the Vice President oversees the process and announces the final results.

January 20:

January 20 is the official day of the inauguration, however, this year because it falls on a Sunday, the public swearing in ceremony will be held on Monday, January 21, 2013..."

What Happens Next in the Election Process

Arrests in the United States: 1990-2010

"Presents annual estimates of arrests in the United States covering the period between 1990 and 2010. Based on data collected by the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program, this report expands the FBI's set of published arrest estimates to include offense-specific arrest estimates grouped by age, sex, and race. These breakdowns of arrests and arrest trends provide a detailed description of the flow of individuals into the criminal justice system over a long period. The national estimates represent arrests by state and local law enforcement agencies, and control for variations in sample coverage from year to year..."
Arrests in the United States:1990-2010

American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month: November 2012

"The first American Indian Day was celebrated in May 1916 in New York. Red Fox James, a Blackfeet Indian, rode horseback from state to state, getting endorsements from 24 state governments, to have a day to honor American Indians. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed a joint congressional resolution designating November 1990 as "National American Indian Heritage Month." Similar proclamations have been issued every year since 1994. This Facts for Features presents statistics for American Indians and Alaska Natives, as this is one of the six major race categories.."
American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month:Nov. 2012

Crime in the U.S.:2011

"This edition of Crime in the United States indicates that violent crime continued to decrease in 2011. While these statistics are reflective of most communities, many communities are still confronting crime, drugs, violence, and domestic terrorism. To combat these challenges, law enforcement personnel, with the support of involved citizens, have dedicated themselves to protecting our neighborhoods and making this country safer for our fellow citizens; the FBI shares these commitments. We, too, are trying to make an impact at the neighborhood level. Part of realizing that goal is sharing the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program’s data, which is provided by our 18,000+ law enforcement partners across the nation..."
Crime in the U.S.: 2011

National Donations Management Network

" FEMA, the Aidmatrix Foundation and Corporate Sponsors have partnered to launch a virtual portal to allow companies or individuals to offer their support on-line to leading organizations in humanitarian relief. This portal is designed to make it as easy to offer financial support, product donations, or to donate your skills and time to nonprofit organizations active in disaster relief. Please select below if you would like to extend your support to national nonprofits or to a specific state and their nonprofit partners..."
National Donation Management Network