Welcome to Monday, November 11th, new and old...

Today is the 100th anniversary of the first commemoration of Armistice Day, which marked the end of World War I.

The federal holiday was renamed Veterans Day in 1954 to celebrate the sacrifices of all former U.S. military members.

In honor of this day, we, with the help of USAFacts, take a look at how America's veterans are faring.

Veterans have enjoyed a slightly lower unemployment rate than the overall population since 2000, as this chart from USAFacts shows:

Meanwhile, the number of veterans receiving disability compensation has increased substantially in recent years, while the numbers of veterans using education and home loan benefits under the GI Bill have remained relatively constant.

Check out more graphs here, then tell your reps:

Do you think the U.S. should do more for veterans?

On the Radar

Public Service or Public Nuisance?

House Democrats are set to begin the first public hearings of their impeachment probe into President Donald Trump, something the commander in chief railed against on Friday.

"They shouldn’t be having public hearings. This is a hoax," Trump said as he left the White House for events in Georgia. "This is just like the Russian witch hunt. This is just a continuation."

Trump’s remarks contracted earlier statements by the White House and GOP lawmakers, who have been criticizing what, until now, has been closed-door hearings.

Three witnesses who gave private depositions to impeachment investigators - William Taylor, the top U.S. diplomat in Ukraine; George Kent, the State Department's deputy assistant secretary handling Ukraine; and Marie Yovanovitch, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine - will testify this week.

Do you support public impeachment hearings?

Tax Revenue Growing...So is the Deficit

The federal government’s collection of tax revenue hit an all-time high with receipts exceeding $3.4 trillion in fiscal year 2019, which ended September 30th. Despite the increased revenue, however, the federal budget deficit increased to $984 billion according to a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report released Thursday.

A major factor in the accelerated spending on mandatory programs is the aging of America’s population, as members of the Baby Boomer generation age into Medicare and Social Security.

For instance, in FY2018, the federal government’s spending on everything but interest on the national debt came to about $3.8 trillion, and about 40% of that spending went toward programs serving Americans over the age of 65. The CBO projects the proportion of federal spending on people over 65 will rise to 50% in 2029.

Should Congress reduce spending to tame the deficit?

Under the Radar

Gaming Curfew

Chinese minors will be banned from playing online games between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. in an attempt to reduce video game addiction, which Beijing says negatively affects the health and learning of children and teenagers.

In addition to the curfew, players will be limited to an hour and half of gaming during the week and three hours on weekends and holidays.

Everyone who registers for online games will have to use their real name and phone number, which will assist the government in regulating playing time.

There is also a limit on the amount of money players can spend on in-game purchases: anyone ages 8-16 can spend 200 yuan, or $29 a month maximum, while those 16-18 can spend double the amount.

The World Health Organization in 2018 recognized gaming addiction (known as Internet Gaming Disorder IGD) as a mental-health condition.

Should the U.S. impose a gaming curfew on minors?

Tearing Down This Wall

Each November 9th since 2001, the U.S. government has observed World Freedom Day to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of communist rule in Central and Eastern Europe.

This World Freedom Day marked the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, which divided not only families and one of Europe’s largest cities, but the free world from totalitarianism.

In early November 1989, the East German government began issuing regulations to allow East Germans to permanently leave the country if they chose to do so from any border crossing, including those in West Berlin. A press conference on East German television was held the night of November 9th to discuss the changes, which were supposed to take effect the next day, but the spokesman hadn’t been fully briefed and told the press the changes would take effect immediately. 

During the 10,316 days that the Berlin Wall stood, over 100,000 people attempted to escape over it ― more than 5,000 of them did so successfully. Estimates for the number of people killed trying to escape over the Wall range from 136 to more than 200. 

Read about the full history here, then join the conversation:

How do you feel about the fall of the Berlin Wall on its anniversary?

What You're Saying

Here's how you're answering Should the VA Fund a Dog Training Therapy Pilot Program for Wounded Vets?