Marine accused of sham marriages for financial gain - Associated Press

Marine accused of fake marriages for tax gain (AP) - 16 hours ago

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif.. (AP) - three Southern California marine corporals are face charges of defrauding the Government to enter into marriages of Sham financial gain, the military said Saturday.

The scam was hatched when a lesbian couple, a sailor and the other a civilian, has decided to live together basis, according to the 1st lieutenant Maureen Dooley, a spokesman for the Marine at Camp Pendleton.

The female Marine found a male Marine willing to marry, to collect a delivery of housing, said Dooley. The civilian woman also eventually married a male Marine and collected funds from the Government, according to officials of.

Corporals, assigned to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing at Camp Pendleton, will face charges of fraud and robbery, Dooley said, adding that other charges could come later. The military did not release their names.

"Regardless of what their sexual preferences are, if they are breaking the law and make fraudulent use of public money, they will be responsible for," said Dooley.

In addition to these charges, the three Marines may have to repay the military sum of $75,000.

The female Marine told KGTV-TV Friday San Diego that she and her partner have been forced to enter into sham marriages because the army does not provide an allowance for unmarried couples and they could not afford to live database without the extra money. She and her partner wanted "have a family", she said.

Only married couples are eligible for $1,200 / month, housing allowance.

Even after the military officially drops his prohibition against openly gay or lesbian members, couples of same sex, although married, still will be not eligible due to a federal statute defining marriage only between a man and a woman, the Los Angeles Times said Saturday.

The female Marine told the station that it and other corporals could face at least a year in the Brig at Miramar, since none of them can afford to repay the Government.

More prison time, she said that she will probably be demoted to the rank of corporal in private.

Copyright © 2011 the Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Recession appears to be dying - Detroit Free Press.

WASHINGTON - It's a birthday that few want to celebrate.

Two years after that economists say the great recession is over, recovery was the weakest and the most unequal of all since the 1930s.

After previous recessions people dans all income groups tended to benefit. This time, ordinary Americans are struggling with insecurity, raises too much debt and pay employment which did not follow the prices at the grocery store and gas station. Lean gains in the economy are mainly for the rich.

Salaries and benefits of workers form 57.5% of the economy, lower. Until the mid-2000s, that figure had been remarkably stable - approximately 64% economic boom and bust as.

Executive compensation is included in this figure, but ordinary workers depend much more on the benefits and regular wages. A large piece of the economy gains went to the investors as high corporate profits.

"Booty were really went to the capital to the shareholders," said David Rosenberg, Chief Economist at Gluskin Sheff + Associates in Toronto.

Corporate profits are up by nearly half since the end of the recession in June 2009. In the first two years after the recession of 1991 and 2001, profits increased by 11% and 28%, respectively.

And an analysis of the Associated Press found that the typical CEO of a large company earned $ 9 million last year, a fourth from 2009.

Driven by more profits, the Dow Jones Industrial Average held a gathering of 90% breathtaking since 6,547 hollow on March 9, 2009. These stock market gains go disproportionately to the richest 10% of the Americans, who have more than 80% of the outstanding shares, according to an analysis by Edward Wolff, an economist at Bard College from.

But if the great recession is already long Wall Street and corporate meeting rooms, it focuses on the main street.

• Unemployment has never been so high--9,1% - this long after any recession since the second world war. To the point even after three previous recessions, unemployment on average 6.8%.

• Hourly wages of the average worker, after taking account of inflation, were 1.6% lower in may one year earlier. Increase in gasoline and food prices have devoured any pay raises to most Americans.

• The jobs pay less than those who have disappeared in the recession. Paid jobs in the private sector, those who pay about $19 to $ 31 an hour, consisting of 40% of the jobs lost in January 2008 to February 2010, but only 27% of the jobs created since then.

Kathleen Terry is one of those who had to settle for less. Before the recession, she spent 16 years as a processor of mortgage in Southern California, earning as much as $ 6 500 in a good month, a pace of about $78,000 per year.

But his employer was buried in the housing crash. It is found in their work for 2 1/2 years. His savings is reduced, the single mother had to move in a motel with his three daughters.

They got on welfare and assistance of their church and their friends. Terry began to take a bus for 90 minutes for employment training courses.

Finally, she found work as a Secretary in Riverside County, California, the employment office. She likes to work, but won just $ 27 000 per year. "It's a humbling experience," she said.

Hard times have made Americans more dependent than ever on social programs, which accounted for a record 18% of personal income in the last three months of 2010 before a bit this year. About 45 million dollars are on food stamps, another record.

The Federal Reserve numbers overloaded by Haver Analytics suggests that Americans have a long way to go before their finances will be strong enough to support robust spending: despite the Cup to the last three years, the debt of the average household to 119 per cent of the income after annual tax.

To the point even after the recession of 1981-82, debts were 66%. After the recession of 1990-91, 85% and after the recession of 2001, 114%.

Most of the workers does not raise the request or search for the best jobs.

High use of WINS IMF Lagarde, press the Greece on the crisis (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - French Minister of finance Christine Lagarde Tuesday clinched the top IMF job, keeping the lender in the hands of a European international at a time of growing concern about a possible Greek debt default value.

LaGarde, who starts his term of five years as Director-General on 5 July, will find itself immediately plunged into efforts by the IMF and the European Union at the head of a Greek default which could trigger an international crisis.

Minutes after his appointment, pressed Lagarde of Greece to move quickly push through unpopular austerity measures that the IMF and EU say are a prerequisite for some help.

"If I have a message this evening on the Greece, it is to appeal to the Greek political opposition in support of the party which is currently in power, in a spirit of national unity," she told TF1 television.

LaGarde, 55, the first woman at the head of the IMF, the successor to Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who resigned from the IMF in May to defend himself against charges of sexual assault against a New York hotel maid. He denies the charges.

His skills as a difficult bargaining with a reputation for bargains to seal under pressure will be weight that it moves to defend the economic interests of the France to the supervision of an international institution which must be considered as a neutral player in the world.

Succession race was one of most hotly contested in the history of the emerging MFIS of nations market expressed dissatisfaction with the 64-year tradition of having a European head of the IMF and an American lead sister institution, the World Bank.

In a Financial Times blog, Mohamed El-Erian, Chief Executive Officer of Pimco, the largest investor of binding of the world, said that Lagarde would need to show the efforts of the IMF to help distressed European countries were not politically motivated.

He said that she would need to prepare for the possibility that the IMF could face losses of rescue plan big loans made in recent years, including the 30 billion euros for the Greece.

LaGarde must also demonstrate a commitment to meritocracy by eliminating some appointments based on nationality, El-Erian added, quoting the position of n ° 2 of the Fund which traditionally goes to an American.

Washington is considering already appoint the White House Advisor David Lipton to succeed John Lipsky IMF second in command at the end of August, according to sources close to discussions of.

FINDING CONSENSUS

Selection of Lagarde to the Central Bank Governor Agustin Carstens of the Mexico was assured after the United States clearly support and emerging markets China, Brazil, the India and the Russia did likewise.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy called the new appointment of Lagarde "a victory for the France".

Carstens, said that he hoped that Lagarde would continue "significant progress in strengthening the governance of the institution, to ensure legitimacy, cohesion and ultimately, its effectiveness."

Developing countries, resentment in a process which favored a European from the outset, said they would hold Lagarde to his promise to give them more voting power in the Fund.

Emerging markets have long called for greater say in the IMF to take account of their weight in the global economy. They have threatened to leave the fold of the IMF unless that imbalances of power electoral fund are corrected.

Strauss-Kahn pushed through changes in the voice that benefited mainly large emerging economies such as China, the India and the Brazil, but not as much as they wanted.

"RIGGED SYSTEM."

Finance Minister Guido Mantega to the Brazil said Brazil sustained Lagarde because it promised to continue "raise the profile of emerging markets" in the IMF. "We hope that the commitment is met," said Mantega.

Arvind Subramanian, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute in Washington, said emerging economies had missed a golden opportunity to force change at the head of the IMF by failing to rally around Carstens, or putting in place their own candidate of consensus.

"It is a fake system must change, but... the only reason that the result is that (developing countries) wanted to because the emerging-market countries do not seize the opportunity,"Subramanian said."".

The global development group Oxfam said appointment of Lagarde is "ridiculous" and had damaged the credibility of the IMF.

"There were noises concerning the opening, but the decision was made before that the candidates were interviewed, said Sarah Wynn-Williams, head of Oxfam in relations with the IMF and the World Bank."

The United States, worried by the possibility of contagion from the Greek crisis, warned that the appointment of the next IMF Chief should not be delayed.

The Board of IMF progressed despite persistent concerns about a legal matter unresolved in France research on the role of Lagarde in a payment of arbitration 2008 to a French businessman.

Lagarde said she was "completely indifferent" by the case. A top French court postponed a decision on the matter until July 8.

The IMF may decide not to offer a contract to Lagarde to what the Court makes a final decision, said a Council source.

(Reporting by Glenn Somerville on Washington, Luciana Lopez in Brasilia and Alexandria Sage and Catherine Bremer additional Paris)

(Editing by Paul Simao, Jan Paschal and Andrew Hay)

LaGarde WINS IMF post, press the Greece on the crisis

Finance Minister Christine Lagarde the France reacts after the announcement that it has been selected as the new head of IMF, in the studios of TV TF1 in Boulogne-Billancourt, near Paris, June 28, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/TF1By Lesley Wroughton

WASHINGTON. Tue, June 28, 2011 6 pm EDT

WASHINGTON (AFP) - the Minister of French finance Christine Lagarde Tuesday captured the top job of the IMF, keeping the international lender between the hands of a European at a time of growing concern to a default value of Greek debt as possible.

LaGarde, who starts his term of five years as Director-General on 5 July, will find itself immediately plunged into efforts by the IMF and the European Union at the head of a Greek default which could trigger an international crisis.

Minutes after his appointment, pressed Lagarde of Greece to move quickly push through unpopular austerity measures that the IMF and EU say are a prerequisite for some help.

"If I have a message this evening on the Greece, it is to appeal to the Greek political opposition in support of the party which is currently in power, in a spirit of national unity," she told TF1 television.

LaGarde, 55, the first woman at the head of the IMF, the successor to Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who resigned from the IMF in May to defend himself against charges of sexual assault against a New York hotel maid. He denies the charges.

His skills as a difficult bargaining with a reputation for bargains to seal under pressure will be weight that it moves to defend the economic interests of the France to the supervision of an international institution which must be considered as a neutral player in the world.

Succession race was one of most hotly contested in the history of the emerging MFIS of nations market expressed dissatisfaction with the 64-year tradition of having a European head of the IMF and an American lead sister institution, the World Bank.

In a Financial Times blog, Mohamed El-Erian, Chief Executive Officer of Pimco, the largest investor of binding of the world, said that Lagarde would need to show the efforts of the IMF to help distressed European countries were not politically motivated.

He said that she would need to prepare for the possibility that the IMF could face losses of rescue plan big loans made in recent years, including the 30 billion euros for the Greece.

LaGarde must also demonstrate a commitment to meritocracy by eliminating some appointments based on nationality, El-Erian added, quoting the position of n ° 2 of the Fund which traditionally goes to an American.

Washington is considering already appoint the White House Advisor David Lipton to succeed John Lipsky IMF second in command at the end of August, according to sources close to discussions of.

FINDING CONSENSUS

Selection of Lagarde to the Central Bank Governor Agustin Carstens of the Mexico was assured after the United States clearly support and emerging markets China, Brazil, the India and the Russia did likewise.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy called the new appointment of Lagarde "a victory for the France".

Carstens, said that he hoped that Lagarde would continue "significant progress in strengthening the governance of the institution, to ensure legitimacy, cohesion and ultimately, its effectiveness."

Developing countries, resentment in a process which favored a European from the outset, said they would hold Lagarde to his promise to give them more voting power in the Fund.

Emerging markets have long called for greater say in the IMF to take account of their weight in the global economy. They have threatened to leave the fold of the IMF unless that imbalances of power electoral fund are corrected.

Strauss-Kahn pushed through changes in the voice that benefited mainly large emerging economies such as China, the India and the Brazil, but not as much as they wanted.

"RIGGED SYSTEM."

Finance Minister Guido Mantega to the Brazil said Brazil sustained Lagarde because it promised to continue "raise the profile of emerging markets" in the IMF. "We hope that the commitment is met," said Mantega.

Arvind Subramanian, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute in Washington, said emerging economies had missed a golden opportunity to force change at the head of the IMF by failing to rally around Carstens, or putting in place their own candidate of consensus.

"It is a fake system must change, but... the only reason that the result is that (developing countries) wanted to because the emerging-market countries do not seize the opportunity,"Subramanian said."".

The global development group Oxfam said appointment of Lagarde is "ridiculous" and had damaged the credibility of the IMF.

"There were noises concerning the opening, but the decision was made before that the candidates were interviewed, said Sarah Wynn-Williams, head of Oxfam in relations with the IMF and the World Bank."

The United States, worried by the possibility of contagion from the Greek crisis, warned that the appointment of the next IMF Chief should not be delayed.

The Board of IMF progressed despite persistent concerns about a legal matter unresolved in France research on the role of Lagarde in a payment of arbitration 2008 to a French businessman.

Lagarde said she was "completely indifferent" by the case. A top French court postponed a decision on the matter until July 8.

The IMF may decide not to offer a contract to Lagarde to what the Court makes a final decision, said a Council source.

(Reporting by Glenn Somerville on Washington, Luciana Lopez in Brasilia and Alexandria Sage and Catherine Bremer additional Paris)

(Editing by Paul Simao, Jan Paschal and Andrew Hay)