The days of guaranteed retirement benefit in the form of a pension are long gone. As numbers out of the Bureau of Labor Statistics show – defined benefit retirement pension are on a drastic decline since 1981. That was the year when over 80% of full-time workers in the private sector participated in a pension plan. By 1997, that number had plummeted to just over 50%.

Florida Governor Rick Scott is using poor people in his state as pawns in his political game. Scott is one of a number of Republican Governors, who are using their grudge against President Obama to deny millions of low-income Americans health insurance coverage. As part of Obamacare – states are expected to expand their Medicaid coverage to cover more low-income Americans.

Of what might happen if Republicans refuse to raise the debt limit, is beginning to emerge. According to analysis by the Bipartisan Policy Center – if the debt limit isn’t raised by the end of February – then a chain reaction of events will happen that will ruin both the United States’ and global economy.

Are Republicans really going to blow up the economy in the debt-limit fight? All signs point to yes. On Sunday, Republican Congressman Matt Salmon called on his colleagues to shut down the government unless President Obama agrees to significant spending cuts to Social Security and Medicare Insurance.