BY IGOR VOLSKY ON MARCH 12, 2014 AT 10:07 AM

House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) previewed his upcoming legislative proposals for reforming America’s poverty programs during an appearance on Bill Bennett’s Morning in America Wednesday, hinting that he would focus on creating work requirements for men “in our inner cities” and dealing with the “real culture problem” in these communities. “We have got this tailspin of culture, in our inner cities in particular, of men not working and just generations of men not even thinking about working or learning the value and the culture of work, and so there is a real culture problem here that has to be dealt with,” he said.

Ryan also cited Charles Murray, a conservative social scientist who believes African-Americans are, as a population, less intelligent than whites due to genetic differences and that poverty remains a national problem because “a lot of poor people are born lazy.”

Ryan’s comments come a week after he released a 204-page report analyzing the effectiveness of the nation’s anti-poverty programs 50 years after President Lyndon Johnson declared a national War on Poverty. The former GOP vice presidential candidate, who argues that federal anti-poverty programs have contributed to the nation’s high poverty rate and “created what’s known as the poverty trap,” is expected to offer reforms to the programs in his upcoming FY 2015 budget.

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/03/12/3394871/ryan-poverty-inner-city/

Former Manatee deputy arrested in steroids probe

By Elizabeth Johnson
elizabeth.johnson@heraldtribune.com

MANATEE COUNTY - A former sheriff's deputy who played a significant role as a confidential informant in an undercover steroids investigation has been arrested.
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James "Jac" Choate, 40, was arrested Thursday on three counts of possessing steroids with intent to distribute. Choate acted as a confidential informant in the undercover steroids investigation that netted nine other people, including sheriff's deputies and firefighters. Photo provided by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office
Photo provided by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office

James “Jac” Choate, 40, faces three state-level charges of possessing steroids with intent to distribute.

Choate acted as a confidential informant in the multi-agency investigation, which has led to the arrests of two firefighters, three Manatee County sheriff's deputies, a personal trainer and three others. The investigation also led to the termination of a fourth deputy who spoke with Choate about buying steroids but never purchased the illegal items.

Choate, arrested Feb. 27, is one of three people to face state charges. The other two, former deputies Tom Frank and Chris Tucker, who opted to enter pre-trial intervention programs to avoid trial and becoming convicted felons. Frank and Tucker were charged with possession of steroids.

Choate is the only person facing distribution allegations to not face federal charges.

Former deputy Tom Peel; Wayne Faulkner, of West Manatee Fire and Rescue; James Sevier, whose employer is not listed on his arrest report; Aaron Larkin, whose employer is not listed; Andrew Cleveland, a personal trainer at Crunch Fitness on University Parkway; Gregory Waldo, of Parrish Fire District, and his wife, Stephanie Waldo have entered guilty pleas to federal charges.

http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20140304/ARTICLE/140309870/-1/sports?Title=Former-Manatee-deputy-arrested-in-steroids-probe-