today’s news and information gleanings from here and there! Today’s Weather!   Today in History!

Quote for today… “Before you speak, listen. Before you write, think. Before you spend, earn. Before you invest, investigate. Before you criticize, wait. Before you pray, forgive. Before you quit, try. Before you retire, save. Before you die, give.” ─ William A. Ward

• From yesterday’s Harrisburg Patriot-News: If you are reading this; it didn’t happen yet; “End of world nigh. How will you spend last days before the Rapture”
• from today’s Harrisburg Patriot-News: two school systems decide to raise taxes – “Cumberland Valley School Board OKs tentative budget with 2.9% tax increase” and “Steelton-Highspire School District’s proposed budget would include 6.4% tax increase”   
• from the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal/New Era: “Stephanie M. Kalbach was named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at Liberty University, Lynchburg, VA, where she is a sophomore majoring in family and child development. A graduate of Hempfield High School, she is the daughter of John and Patricia Kalbach of Columbia.”
• from Congressman Joe Pitts’ newsletter: Looks like we are broke! “Debt Limit Reached On Monday” – Treasury Secretary Geithner announced that the U.S. government had reached the debt limit, while also indicating that the Treasury Department could continue normal government operations until at least August 2. With $14 trillion in debt already piled up, it is critical that Congress agree to a long-term plan to balance our budget and pay our obligations. President Obama continues to call for an increase in the debt limit without a corresponding vote to restrain government spending. I believe this would be irresponsible. In a recent speech before the Economic Club of New York, Speaker John Boehner called for $2 trillion in long-term spending cuts if Congress is to raise the debt limit by $2 trillion.”
  and this surprise (?) news – “Medicare Trustees Report: Program Goes Broke in 2024″ – The new Medicare Trustees Report for 2011 indicates that the trust fund will run out in 2024. This is five years earlier than last year’s projection. The new report shows that Obamacare failed to correct our biggest health problem, the collapse of government-managed health programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Without legislation to strengthen and save the Medicare trust fund, the program will eat into general government revenue. Absent substantial reform, Medicare and Medicaid would eventually consume the entire federal budget. I believe we need bipartisan cooperation to reform these programs and that the longer we wait, the more difficult it will be.”