Social Issues

The Vatican has called for the establishment of a “global public authority” and a “central world bank” to rule over financial institutions that have become outdated and often ineffective in controlling the masses. A major document from the Vatican’s Justice and Peace department condemned what it called “the idolatry of the market” as well as a “neo-liberal thinking” that it said looked exclusively at technical solutions to economic problems.

Angela Merkel announced her German government’s secret weapon in the fight against terrorism is “compassion” and claimed that her open-door mass migration policy, which directly brought terrorists to Germany, is a success that the rest of the world should follow.

Lawmakers in California have officially decriminalized child prostitution on January 1, meaning children selling sex on the streets can no longer be arrested by police.  Bill SB 1322, entitled “SB-1322 Commercial sex acts: minors”, says: Existing law makes it a crime to solicit or engage in any act of prostitution. Existing law makes it a crime to loiter in any public place with the intent to commit prostitution.

The final numbers are in, and according to AFP, Saudi Arabia carried out 153 executions in 2016 based on official announcements, fractionally lower than the year before.

As AFP adds, the ultra-conservative kingdom is one of the world’s most prolific executioners and has a strict Islamic legal code under which murder, drug trafficking, armed robbery, rape and apostasy are all punishable by death. Once charged, the likelihood of avoiding a terminal sentence is nominal.

El Monte, California is a city of roughly 100,000 residents in East Los Angeles, many of whom struggle to make ends meet with a median household income of ~$39,000 and nearly 25% of people living below the poverty line.  But while most of the people of El Monte struggle to meet monthly expenses, the city's public employees are living the high life courtesy of one of the most egregious taxpayer funded pension plans in the country.  Just ask the retired City Manager, James Mussenden, who told the LA Times that he gets paid $216,000 per year in retirement to tour the w