And Black was convicted of accepting a non-compete payment where the court found strong evidence of fraud as well as another count of interfering with a grand jury investigation by removing boxes of documents from his offices.

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Asked about his policy on universal benefits for pensioners, such as the winter fuel allowance, the Labour leader said he was a supporter of the payment and there was independent evidence that it had been effective at tackling fuel poverty.

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For evidence of that concern, look no further than the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB) created by ACA. The IPAB is a presidentially appointed, 15-member board subject to Senate confirmation with the authority to recommend cuts in Medicare if growth in Medicare spending exceeds targeted amounts.

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Outlawing the payment of ransoms seems unfeasible unless there is clear evidence (none exists so far) that some of the money is finding its way into terrorist hands.

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It is not Dragon's Den, but it is doubtful that responsible charitable trusts or institutional investors will be committing wads of cash to a payment-by-results mentoring scheme for ex-offenders without good evidence that it can get those results.

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