U.S. Fruit and Vegetable Industry is one the is very labor intensive. Simply shutting American’s door to immigrant farm workers is not the solution.
Reduction in the supply of workers that could make agricultural labor more expensive for the U.S. fruit and vegetable industry may impact industry competitiveness but the effects would vary by commodity that would lead to the extintion of American farms, American jobs and heavy importing of fruits , vegetables and other food items.
.
Farmers Oppose G.O.P. Bill on Immigration
7/30/11 By JESSE McKINLEY and JULIA PRESTON
Farmers across the country are rallying to fight a Republican-sponsored bill, Legal Workforce Act H.R. 2164 (E-Verify), that would force them and all other employers to verify the legal immigration status of their workers, a move some say could imperil not only future harvests but also the agricultural community’s traditional support for conservative candidates.
The bill was proposed by Representative Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican who is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. It would require farmers — who have long relied on a labor force of immigrants, a majority here without legal documents — to check all new hires through E-Verify, a federal database run by the Department of Homeland Security devised to ferret out illegal immigrants.
For the entire article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/31/us/politics/31verify.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
—-
Texas Democrats attack GOP Rep. Lamar Smith over HALT Act
July 22, 2011 Julian Aguilar – Texas Tribune
AUSTIN — Republican U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith’s attempt to strip President Barack Obama’s administration of its immigration enforcement powers has drawn a harsh rebuke from Texas Democrats in the U.S. House, who say the proposal “is an attack on (the president’s) integrity that should not pass unnoticed or unopposed.”
Smith, R-San Antonio, this month introduced the Hinder the Administration’s Legalization Temptation (HALT) Act, which would prevent the administration from, among other things, canceling the removal of illegal immigrants, granting protective status to any immigrant and granting parole or issuing deferred action —except in narrow circumstances. It is co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La.
For the entire article: http://www.themonitor.com/articles/democrats-53082-texas-gop.html
.
The Kochs’ quest
10/13/2012 09:11:44 PM PDT By Bill Wilson and Roy Wenzl – The Wichita Eagle
WICHITA, Kan. — In January 2009, just days after the inauguration of President Barack Obama, Charles and David Koch met in their company headquarters in Wichita with their longtime political strategist, Rich Fink.
The country was headed toward bankruptcy, they agreed. Fink told them bluntly that Obama’s administration represented the worst of what Charles and David fear most: a bloated, regulation-heavy, free-spending government that could plunge the country into another deep recession. That day, Fink advised two of the richest men in the nation that it would be the fight of their lives to stop the government spending spree and to change the course of the country, starting with the 2012 election.
“If we are going to do this, we should do it right or not at all,” Fink, 61, recalled telling the brothers. “But if we don’t do it right or if we don’t do it at all, we will be insignificant and we will just waste a lot of time and I would rather play golf.
“And if we do it right, then it is going to get very, very ugly.”
Three and a half years later, Obama accused the Koch brothers of engineering “a corporate takeover of our democracy.”
The brothers’ political spending and the network of conservative political organizations and think tanks they fund have sparked protests. The condemnations and criticism prompted Charles Koch to break his silence about politics. In his most extensive interview in 15 years, Charles Koch talked about why he wants to defeat Obama and elect members of Congress who will stop what he calls catastrophic overspending.
Government recklessness threatens the country and his business, he said.
The Kochs say the price for their involvement has been high: Death threats, cyberattacks on their business, hundreds of news stories criticizing them, calls for boycotts of the company’s consumer goods, and what the brothers see as ongoing and public attacks from the Obama administration.
The Kochs aren’t finished. Win or lose in November, they plan to start a new fight. They are organizing dozens of business and grass roots groups to build support for eliminating all corporate and agricultural subsidies.
————-
Ending agricultural subsidies would mean that American businesses would have to raise their prices and USA farmers would not be able to compete with cheap and inferior and unsafe imports.
* American diary farms would be impacted
* American vegetable and fruit farms would would be impacted
* American grain farms for human would be impacted
* American pork, beef and chicken farms would be impacted
* American nut farms would be impacted
* American fiber producers (cotton, wool, wood etc) would be impacted
* American gasoline would be impacted
There are many more that industries that would impacted.
Monday, August 1, 2011
All Times Eastern
7:00 AM
8:00 AM
9:00 AM
9:30 AM
The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing
Oval Office
Closed Press
10:00 AM
The President meets with Commerce Secretary Gary Locke
Oval Office
Closed Press
10:30 AM
The President meets with Senior Advisors
Oval Office
Closed Press
11:00 AM
The Vice President meets with the Senate Democratic Caucus at the U.S. Capitol.
11:45 AM
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney briefs the press
12:00 PM
The Vice President meets with the House Democratic Caucus at the U.S. Capitol.
1:00 PM
2:00 PM
3:00 PM
4:00 PM
5:00 PM
6:00 PM
7:00 PM
8:00 PM
9:00 PM
10:00 PM
August 1, 2011
WhiteHouse.gov http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
—-
CNN http://live.cnn.com
10:00 AM EDT
DEBT CEILING DEBATE
House Take Up Compromise Debt Plan
President & Congressional leaders announce deal, global markets rally
10:30 AM EDT
DEBT CEILING DEBATE
Senate Take Up Compromise Debt Plan
President & Congressional leaders announce deal, global markets rally
11:45 AM EDT
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney briefs the press
—-
CSPAN http://www.cspan.org/
10:00 AM EDT
DEBT CEILING DEBATE
House Take Up Compromise Debt Plan
President & Congressional leaders announce deal, global markets rally http://www.cspan.org/Events/House-and-Senate-Take-Up-Compromise-Debt-Plan/10737423198/
10:30 AM EDT
DEBT CEILING DEBATE
Senate Take Up Compromise Debt Plan
President & Congressional leaders announce deal, global markets rally http://www.cspan.org/Events/House-and-Senate-Take-Up-Compromise-Debt-Plan/10737423198/
11:45 AM EDT
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney briefs the press
Fixing the Immigration System for America’s 21st Century Economy
ICE establishes hotline for detained individuals, issues new detainer form
12/28/11 ice.gov
WASHINGTON — As part of a broader effort to improve our immigration enforcement process and prioritize resources to focus on threats to public safety, repeat immigration law violators, recent border entrants, and immigration fugitives while continuing to strengthen oversight of the nation’s immigration detention system and facilitate legal immigration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) today announced new measures to ensure that individuals being held by state or local law enforcement on immigration detainers are properly notified about their potential removal from the country and are made aware of their rights.
The new measures include a new detainer form and the launch of a toll-free hotline – (855) 448-6903 – that detained individuals can call if they believe they may be U.S. citizens or victims of a crime. The hotline will be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by ICE personnel at the Law Enforcement Support Center. Translation services will be available in several languages from 7 a.m. until midnight (Eastern) seven days a week. ICE personnel will collect information from the individual and refer it to the relevant ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Field Office for immediate action.
The new form also includes:
* A request that the law enforcement agency (LEA) provide the subject of the detainer a copy of the detainer form and includes a notice advising the subject that ICE intends to assume custody. The notice informs these individuals that ICE has requested the LEA maintain custody beyond the time when they would have otherwise been released by the state or local law enforcement authorities based on their criminal charges or convictions. The notice also includes Spanish, French, Portuguese, Chinese and Vietnamese translations.
* Further emphasis that LEAs may only hold an individual for a period not to exceed 48 hours (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays). It also advises individuals that if ICE does not take them into custody within the 48 hours, they should contact the LEA or entity that is holding them to inquire about their release from state or local custody.
* Directions for individuals who may have a civil rights or civil liberties complaint regarding ICE activities.
* The new form allows ICE to make the detainer operative only upon the individual’s conviction of the offense for which he or she was arrested.
* The new form makes clear that the existence of a detainer should not impact or prejudice the individual’s conditions of detention, including matters related to the individual’s custody classification, work or quarter assignments.
An immigration detainer (Form I-247) is a notice that DHS issues to federal, state and local LEAs to inform them that ICE intends to assume custody of an individual in the LEA’s custody and to request that the LEA notify ICE as soon as possible prior to the time when LEA would otherwise release the individual.
Detainers help ensure that individuals who are convicted of criminal charges or have previously been removed are not released back into the community to potentially commit more crimes. Detainers are critical tools in assisting ICE’s identification and removal of criminal aliens, immigration fugitives, illegal re-entrants, recent border crossers and others who have no legal right to remain in the United States.
You may also visit us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, or access this news release on your mobile device.
7/30/11 By JESSE McKINLEY and JULIA PRESTON
PATTERSON, Calif. — Farmers across the country are rallying to fight a Republican-sponsored bill that would force them and all other employers to verify the legal immigration status of their workers, a move some say could imperil not only future harvests but also the agricultural community’s traditional support for conservative candidates.
The bill was proposed by Representative Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican who is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. It would require farmers — who have long relied on a labor force of immigrants, a majority here without legal documents — to check all new hires through E-Verify, a federal database run by the Department of Homeland Security devised to ferret out illegal immigrants.
Farm laborers, required like other workers to show that they are authorized to take jobs in the United States, often present Social Security numbers and some form of picture ID. Employers, many of them labor contractors providing crews to farms, have not been required to check the information and are discouraged by antidiscrimination laws from looking at it too closely. But it is an open secret that many farmworkers’ documents are false.
Supporters of E-Verify, an electronic system that is currently mandatory for most federal contractors but voluntary for other employers, argue that it would eliminate any doubt about workers’ legal status. But farmers say it could cripple a $390 billion industry that relies on hundreds of thousands of willing, low-wage immigrant workers to pick, sort and package everything from avocados to zucchini.
“This would be an emergency, a dire, dire situation,” said Nancy Foster, president of the U.S. Apple Association, adding that the prospect of an E-Verify check would most likely mean that many immigrant workers would simply not show up. “We will end up closing down.”
That sentiment is echoed by growers like George Bonacich, an 81-year-old apricot farmer who has been working the same patch of land in Patterson, 80 miles east of San Francisco, since 1969.
This year, Mr. Bonacich employed up to 100 farmhands to pick a total of 50 to 100 tons each day, often in triple-digit heat. He speaks passionately about his employees — “They’re good people, hard-working,” he said — and plainly about what would happen if E-Verify were to become the law of the farmland.
For the entire article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/31/us/politics/31verify.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
Flawed E-Verify Law Would Derail Immigration Reform Efforts, Say Experts
7/14/11 New America Media, News Report, Caitlin Fuller
Last month, Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX) introduced the Legal Workforce Act, which would require employers to verify their employees’ legal immigration status using the online program E-Verify. While proponents of the program believe the resulting loss of jobs will compel undocumented workers to return to their home countries, not all policy experts agree.
“The law would just drive eight million unauthorized workers even deeper into the shadows,” said Angela Kelly, an analyst at the Center for American Progress (CAP).
Back in 2006 and 2007, proposed immigration reform packages included E-Verify mandates, but were counterbalanced by legalization programs for the 11 million or so undocumented people currently living in the United States. Today, only 4 percent of U.S. employers use E-Verify. If participation in the program becomes mandatory through the Legal Workforce Act, however, it would likely take the wind out of comprehensive immigration reform bills such as the one introduced by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) last month, according to Kelly and her colleagues at CAP.
During a teleconference hosted by New America Media on Wednesday, Kelly and Philip Wogin, both immigration policy analysts at CAP, told ethnic media reporters that the E-Verify legislation would also have other unintended consequences.
“This bill would break the backs of small businesses,” said Kelly, who shared CAP estimates showing that the mandate would cost small businesses a total of $2.6 billion a year.
For the entire article: http://newamericamedia.org/2011/07/flawed-e-verify-law-will-derail-immigration-reform-efforts-say-experts.php
Dairy farmers worry that proposed E-Verify law will kill industry
July 30, 2011 By Georgia Pabst of the Journal Sentinel
New Holstein – As daylight breaks, David Geiser is already in the barn of the Gold Star Dairy farm tending to more than 300 head of Holsteins on his sprawling farm.
Like his father and grandfather, Geiser has lived and worked on this farm, founded by his Polish and German immigrant ancestors, all his life. Next year the farm will celebrate its 100th anniversary.
Deborah Reinhart, whose Quaker ancestors were dairy farmers in Pennsylvania, works alongside her husband as the farm business manager and also cares for the young livestock. The couple raised three sons, who are now grown and gone to other careers and other locales.
But Geiser and Reinhart remain.
“This is our life,” Reinhart said. “It’s who we are and what we do. The dairy mentality is deep in my soul. Everything David and I have is tied up in this land.”
Now they find themselves caught up in the contentious immigration battle that stretches from the halls of Washington to this quiet rural landscape and Wisconsin’s signature industry. They worry that proposed legislation that would require all employers to use a new system – called E-Verify – to confirm employment eligibility could jeopardize their livelihood.
About four in 10 dairy farm workers are immigrants, many believed to be undocumented.
“If E-Verify passes, it will kill the dairy industry in Wisconsin,” Reinhart said. “I’m scared to death.”
The E-Verify bill, or Legal Workforce Act, was introduced in May by U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), who framed it as a jobs bill saying illegal immigrants are taking jobs from Americans who need them.
For the entire article: http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/126469973.html
US Department of Labor’s OSHA releases mobile app to help protect workers from heat-related illnesses
8/11/11 dol.gov
SANDY, Utah — As part of continuing educational efforts by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration about the dangers of extreme heat, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced the release of a free application for mobile devices that will enable workers and supervisors to monitor the heat index at their work sites in order to prevent heat-related illnesses.
“Summer heat presents a serious issue that affects some of the most vulnerable workers in our country, and education is crucial to keeping them safe,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “Heat-related illnesses are preventable. This new app is just one way the Labor Department is getting that message out.”
The app, available in English and Spanish, combines heat index data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration with the user’s location to determine necessary protective measures. Based on the risk level of the heat index, the app provides users with information about precautions they may take, such as drinking fluids, taking rest breaks and adjusting work operations. Users also can review the signs and symptoms of heat stroke, heat exhaustion and other heat-related illnesses, and learn about first aid steps to take in an emergency. Information for supervisors is also available through the app on how to gradually build up the workload for new workers as well as how to train employees on heat illness signs and symptoms. Additionally, users can contact OSHA directly through the app.
The app is designed for devices using an Android platform, and versions for BlackBerry and iPhone users will be released shortly. To download it, visit http://go.usa.gov/KFE.
For the entire article; http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/osha/OSHA20111204.htm
Immigration Update: Maximizing Public Safety and Better Focusing Resources
Posted by Cecilia Muñoz on August 18, 2011
President Obama is deeply committed to fixing our immigration laws and has been aggressively searching for partners in Congress who are willing to work with him to pass a new law. As he focuses on building a new 21st century immigration system that meets our nation’s economic and security needs, the President has a responsibility to enforce the existing laws in a smart and effective manner. This means making decisions that best focus the resources that Congress gives the Executive Branch to do this work. There are more than 10 million people who are in the U.S. illegally; it’s clear that we can’t deport such a large number. So the Administration has developed a strategy to make sure we use those resources in a way that puts public safety and national security first. If you were running a law enforcement agency anywhere in the world, you would target those who pose the greatest harm before those who do not. Our immigration enforcement work is focused the same way.
Under the President’s direction, for the first time ever the Department of Homeland Security has prioritized the removal of people who have been convicted of crimes in the United States. And they have succeeded; in 2010 DHS removed 79,000 more people who had been convicted of a crime compared to 2008. Today, they announced that they are strengthening their ability to target criminals even further by making sure they are not focusing our resources on deporting people who are low priorities for deportation. This includes individuals such as young people who were brought to this country as small children, and who know no other home. It also includes individuals such as military veterans and the spouses of active-duty military personnel. It makes no sense to spend our enforcement resources on these low-priority cases when they could be used with more impact on others, including individuals who have been convicted of serious crimes.
For the entire article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/08/18/immigration-update-maximizing-public-safety-and-better-focusing-resources
Dems cheer Obama’s more lenient rules on illegal immigrants
8/18/11 By MIke Lillis – TheHill
Democrats in both chambers are cheering Thursday after the Obama administration unveiled more lenient rules surrounding the deportation of illegal immigrants.
The changes — announced by the Department of Homeland Security — will allow many illegal immigrants to remain in the country and apply for work permits.
Under the new rules, DHS officials will perform a case-by-case reviews of those in line for deportation, weeding out violent criminals and other high priority cases while closing the books on those considered no threat.
The changes could be particularly beneficial to people who would be eligible for the DREAM Act, an immigration proposal pushed by Democrats that has yet to pass Congress.
The DREAM Act would offer a pathway to permanent residency — and eventually citizenship — for certain illegal immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. The bill passed the House in December, but was killed by a GOP filibuster in the Senate.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) praised the DHS announcement, saying Obama “made the right decision in changing the way they handle deportations of DREAM Act students.”
“These students are the future doctors, lawyers, teachers and, maybe, Senators, who will make America stronger,” Durbin said in a statement.
To be eligible for the DREAM Act, a person would need to have been in the country for at least five years; earned a high school diploma, or its equivalent; and entered an institution of higher education or the military.
For the entire article: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/177453-dems-cheer-obamas-new-immigration-policy
New U.S. Deportation Policy Spares Some
8/25/11 by TED ROBBINS – NPR
Immigrants and their lawyers are beginning to see the effects of the White House policy announced last week that downgrades some deportation cases.
The Department of Homeland Security says it hasn’t officially begun to prioritize all 300,000 cases before the nation’s immigration courts, but prosecutors are definitely employing newfound discretion.
Judy Flanagan got a call this week — a call she has never gotten before in many years as an immigration lawyer. It was a prosecutor from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in Phoenix, suggesting that a college student Flanagan represents ought to ask for her deportation case to be dismissed.
“That never happens,” she said. “I’ve asked for prosecutorial discretion in the past, too, for other students, and that didn’t work out too well. They said no.”
This time she didn’t even have to ask. The prosecutor apparently looked at the file and thought the student qualified under the new guidelines. The goal is to prosecute more people convicted of crimes, or back in the U.S. after having already been deported, and to ease off people like 22-year-old Ileana Salinas, Flanagan’s client.
For the entire article and audio interview: http://www.npr.org/2011/08/25/139931008/new-u-s-deportation-policy-spares-some
California Dream Act now on its way to Gov. Brown’s desk
9/4/11 By Laurel Rosenhall | Sacramento Bee
The California state Assembly voted Friday to send Gov. Jerry Brown (D), a bill that allows undocumented immigrant college students to receive publicly funded financial aid.
After a lengthy debate, Assembly Bill 131 — the second part of the controversial measure known as the California Dream Act — cleared the lower house on a 45-27 vote.
“Today is a wonderful day,” said Assemblyman Manuel Pérez, D-Coachella. “Today is a day of hope. Today, there are many students throughout the state of California who are saying, ‘It’s about time.’ ”
The bill allows access to taxpayer-funded financial aid for students who came to the country before age 16, attended a California high school for at least three years and graduated. Democrats argued that providing such students greater access to higher education would improve the state’s economy in the long run by creating a more educated population.
Republicans didn’t see it that way.
They argued that giving scholarships to students who are in the country illegally will encourage more immigrants to come to the state without authorization.
For the entire article: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/09/03/123094/california-dream-act-now-on-its.html
9/4/11 By MICHAEL R. BLOOD – Associated Press,STEVE PEOPLES – Associated Press | AP
BERLIN, N.H. (AP) — Bulling its way into 2012, the tea party is shaping the race for the GOP presidential nomination as candidates parrot the movement’s language and promote its agenda while jostling to win its favor.
That’s much to the delight of Democrats who are working to paint the tea party and the eventual Republican nominee as extreme.
“The tea party isn’t a diversion from mainstream Republican thought. It is within mainstream Republican thought,” Mitt Romney told a New Hampshire newspaper recently, defending the activists he’s done little to woo, until now.
The former Massachusetts governor is starting to court them more aggressively as polls suggest he’s being hurt by weak support within the movement, whose members generally favor rivals such as Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann.
Romney’s shift is the latest evidence of the big imprint the tea party is leaving on the race.
Such overtures come with risks, given that more Americans are cooling to the tea party’s unyielding tactics and bare-bones vision of the federal government.
After Washington’s debt showdown this summer, an Associated Press-GfK poll found that 46 percent of adults had an unfavorable view of the tea party, compared with 36 percent just after last November’s election.
It could give President Barack Obama and his Democrats an opening should the Republican nominee be closely aligned with the tea party.
Yet even as the public begins to sour on the movement, Romney and other GOP candidates are shrugging off past tea party disagreements to avoid upsetting activists.
That includes Perry, who faced a tea party challenger in his most recent election for governor and who has irked some tea partyers so much that they are openly trying to undercut his candidacy. Instead of fighting back, Perry often praises the tea party.
In his book “Fed Up!” Perry wrote: “We are seeing an energetic and important push by the American people — led in part by the tea party movement — to give the boot to the old-guard Washington establishment who no longer represent us.”
There’s a reason for the coziness. Voters who will choose the GOP nominee identify closely with the movement.
For the entire article: http://goo.gl/uX1It
GOP candidates (Bachmann, Perry and Romney) in SC vow to carry tea-party banner
9/5/11 By PHILIP ELLIOTT – Associated Press | AP – 3 hrs ago
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Pledging fidelity to the Constitution and vowing to carry the tea party’s priorities to the White House, the Republicans chasing the GOP’s presidential nomination pitched themselves Monday to their party’s libertarian activists as the strongest candidates to roll back four years of President Barack Obama’s tenure.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gop-candidates-sc-vow-carry-tea-party-banner-221014889.html
DNC Statement on Mitt Romney Saying He Would Veto the DREAM Act If President
Posted by DNC Press on Saturday, December 31, 2011
After Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said today at a campaign stop in Iowa that he would veto the DREAM Act if it passed and he were president, the DNC’s Senior Advisor for Hispanic Affairs, Juan Sepúlveda, released the following statement:
“If there had been doubt in anyone’s mind—least of all, Hispanics in America, that Mitt Romney’s far-right views on immigration would make him the most extreme presidential nominee in recent memory, his statement today that he would veto the DREAM Act if he were president is appalling. This piece of legislation has been supported by members of both parties. It is something that Americans can get behind, and it is in line with the spirit of inclusion and diversity of our country that has made our nation great. But Mitt Romney has shown once again that he is out of touch and far to the right of even members of his own party, and that he would not represent the best interest of middle class Americans, those still trying to reach the middle class, and Hispanics in the country. This is in direct contrast to President Obama who strongly supports opening the American Dream for hard-working, patriotic young people who are leaders in their communities today and who are looking for an opportunity to attend college or serve our country in the military, but who can’t, through no fault of their own.”
Source: http://www.democrats.org/news/press/3691
Apoyando Nuestros Suenos
Uploaded by BarackObamadotcom on Feb 23, 2012
Únete a la lucha: https://my.barackobama.com/suenosvid
El Presidente cree firmemente en la noción que, en Estados Unidos, si trabajas duro debes de poder salir adelante. Pero muchos de nuestros jóvenes no tienen esa oportunidad.
Mitt Romney promete vetar la Ley DREAM y la califica como “limosna,” pero los miles de estudiantes indocumentados que podrían ganarse la ciudadanía gracias a la Ley DREAM no buscan cosas gratuitas, sólo quieren una oportunidad para contribuir al único hogar que conocen.
El Presidente Obama sabe que en este país, el trabajo se debe de premiar. El respalda plenamente la ley DREAM, y luchará hasta que se apruebe. Únete a la lucha: https://my.barackobama.com/suenosvid
What Romney would cut
11/04/2011 Posted by Suzy Khimm – TheHill
Mitt Romney is making a big push today to cast himself as a budget-slashing fiscal conservative who isn’t afraid to wield a hatchet when it comes to government spending. But what specific cuts would he actually push for? The same ones that House Republicans were demanding earlier this year. And it’s worth remembering exactly what those were.
According to Romney’s budget proposal, he’d “send a bill to Congress on Day One” with a 5 percent, across-the-board cut to non-security discretionary spending. On top of that, he’d also pass the House Republican version of the 2011 budget, which capped spending at below 2008 levels, before Obama took office. Compared to the 2010 budget, it would have cut spending by about $86 billion. But in the process, it went after some programs far more aggressively than others.
The GOP budget plan that Romney wants to adopt would make steeper cuts to Head Start, Pell Grants and workforce training than to other programs. Romney would completely eliminate funding for a program backing remedial literacy in low-income schools, as well as federal assistance that helps low-income families pay their heating and cooling bills. Ultimately, as a result of such cuts — combined with the budget reductions passed on Obama’s watch — “157,000 at-risk children up to age 5 could lose education, health, nutrition, and other services under Head Start, while funds for Pell Grants that help students go to college would fall by nearly 25 percent,” according to a CBPP analysis of the House GOP proposal.
And that’s just the beginning. Romney’s first two steps to cut the budget would reduce spending by about 8 to 9.4 percent compared to 2012, though that’s setting aside whatever happens with the debt “supercommittee.” However, that’s outside of the entitlement reforms that he wants to pass, which would block-grant Medicaid and offer a private alternative to Medicare. Romney is also pushing additional budget-cutting measures that would reduce the size of the federal workforce and its salaries. All this would build toward $500 billion in spending cuts per year, which Romney promises to reach in 2016.
Romney, however, is selective when it comes to the specific discretionary spending cuts that he’s campaigning on. Though he’s endorsed the House GOP budget for 2011 upfront, he’s singled out just a few programs for item-line reductions: slashing money for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the National Endowment for the Arts and Title X family planning funding, for instance. Those kinds of cuts wouldn’t save much money, relatively speaking, but they are more appealing to ideological social conservatives who are a key voting block in the primary. But it will be interesting to see whether and when Romney defends the rest of the budget-slashing demands that House Republicans have made this year.
Opinion: The radical dangers of Mitt Romney’s America
As president, the shape-shifting Republican would bow to the far Right — and sacrifice many of the programs and ideals that make this nation great
Dec 2, 2011 By Robert Shrum | The Week
One of the nation’s most prominent columnists told me in the past few days that he had almost written that Mitt Romney was the inevitable Republican nominee, but at the last minute, pulled back and hedged his prediction with a formulaic qualifier. Not me. For months, I’ve been boldly stating that it’s Romney. After all, I asked, who the hell else have they got?
Well, right now, Newt Gingrich — ahead in Iowa, closing in New Hampshire, pulling away in South Carolina, beating Romney by the astounding margin of 47 percent to 17 percent in the probable rubber-match state of Florida. Can it last? Is the year so weird that the traditional metrics — money, organization, a long-term strategic plan — don’t matter, or won’t make enough of a difference? I still believe, logically, perhaps stubbornly, that in the end, the unpalatable Romney is likely to prevail over the improbable Gingrich or some last hour, unthinkable incarnation of yet another non-Mitt.
The resistance to the obvious nominee reflects the nagging instinct of the GOP’s dominant right wing that, whatever his peccadilloes and his pyrotechnic deviations from orthodoxy, Newt is at heart a conservative, and that Mitt is at heart a con man.
Both propositions are amply justified on the public record, but for conservatives, the judgment about Romney should be irrelevant. The Right shouldn’t be afraid of him; it’s the rest of us who should. If elected, Romney would be imprisoned in his presidency by wary Republicans who would watch his every move and threaten his renomination if he ever dared to be pragmatic. Whether he means what he says, doing it would be his only politically viable choice in the White House.
Romney often invokes Ronald Reagan, the man he blithely disclaimed during his 1994 Senate race in Massachusetts. But Romney is no Reagan, who so embodied the conservative principles to which he did genuinely subscribe that he was free to transcend them — to compromise and event to commit moderation — when he decided that was the sensible course, or even essential to the national interest.
Thus, Reagan raised taxes after cutting them. He worked with Democratic House Speaker Tip O’Neill to save Social Security despite his earlier view that it “should be made voluntary.” Then he worked with Ted Kennedy to pass sweeping immigration reform that provided for amnesty. He denounced “the evil empire” and then made peace with Mikhail Gorbachev. This was, to certain conservative elites, the most unthinkable transgression of all. William F. Buckley Jr. called Reagan’s nuclear arms control treaty a “suicide pact.” Rep. Dick Cheney rebuked the president, who in turn said of his critics: They “have accepted that war is inevitable.”
And long before his second-term treaty-making with the Soviets, Reagan’s pragmatism had riled the self-appointed keepers of the right-wing flame. For permitting grain sales to the Soviet Union, columnist George Will attacked the administration “for lov[ing] commerce more than it loathes communism.” William Safire delivered his harsh verdict on the president’s move toward the middle on Social Security and taxes, including his move away from the flat tax. All this, he wrote, was “Reagan’s white flag” — which “invited… grinning contempt.”
Yet none of this noise mattered, and no one inside his own party seriously thought to challenge the president in 1984. He was simply, unassailably “Mr. Conservative” — and he could bend or change the rules, holding his base in the country while inside-the-Beltway critics spoke mostly to themselves. As the Moral Majority’s Ron Godwin conceded in a 1982 Washington Post piece (subscription required) reporting on complaints about Reagan’s “liberal” and “moderate” advisers, the president had a bond of trust with GOP voters: “They like him and are pleased with them.”
In contrast, Romney is seeking — and at best, will have to settle for — grudging acceptance from skeptical Republicans. As president, he would be on permanent probation because he lacks fundamental strength with a GOP base that is decidedly more hard-line than it was during the Reagan era. Romney more closely resembles the first George Bush, who, after courageously recognizing the fiscal folly of his famous pledge of “no new taxes,” was harried and wounded by Pat Buchanan in the 1992 Republican primaries. Bush had been Reagan’s vice president, his natural successor, but like Romney now, Bush senior faced a wall of conservative skepticism, both when he lost the nomination in 1980 and when he finally won it in 1988. Then he violated his parole by agreeing to a tax increase. Romney knows this history, and would not choose to repeat it. As president, he would not be that Bush. He would have to be the anti-Reagan — because he would not be less right wing, but more reliably and inflexibly just that, incapable of dispensing with his party’s dogma where and when it was wrong.
For the entire article: http://news.yahoo.com/opinion–the-radical-dangers-of-mitt-romney-s-america-.html
Mitt Romney: Extreme on immigration
November 23, 2011 Posted by Elizabeth Chan – democrats.org
In last night’s Republican presidential debate, Romney went to the far right of every other candidate, refusing to agree with others on the stage that tearing apart families is wrong or that we shouldn’t implement an extreme and inhumane immigration policy.
That makes him the most extreme, right-wing presidential candidate on the issue of immigration—ever.
———
Mitt Romney on Immigration: Dishonest. To the Extreme.
Uploaded by DemRapidResponse on Nov 22, 2011
DNC VIDEO: “Mitt Romney: Dishonest and Extreme on Immigration”
Romney makes Pete Wilson his honorary California chairman
2/7/12 By Josh Richman – bayareanewsgroup
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on Monday announced the endorsement of former California Gov. Pete Wilson, and named him the Romney campaign’s honorary California chairman — a choice that might not sit well with Latino voters.
“I’m honored to have Governor Pete Wilson‘s support, because he’s one of California’s most accomplished leaders. As governor of California from 1991 to 1999, he led California from the depths of recession to prosperous economic recovery,” Romney said in a news release.
“Taking office with an inherited revenue gap of over $14 million, he left his successor a surplus of over $12.5 million,” Romney continued. “Pete persuaded Democratic Legislative majorities to enact dramatic tax and regulatory relief especially helpful to small businesses.”
But some believe making Wilson the campaign’s honorary chair might alienate California Latino voters still embittered by Wilson’s support of Proposition 187 of 1994, which sought to create a state-run citizenship screening system and bar undocumented immigrants from using health care, public education and other social services.
Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, said Romney “is getting really bad campaign advice.”
“Anybody on the ground in California who was hoping to peel away Latino voters in a general election wouldn’t put Pete Wilson front and center,” Vargas said. “To me it’s baffling.
Meg Whitman learned what a mistake that was for her to do the same in 2010 when she ran for governor — it certainly didn’t work for her.”
For the entire article: http://www.mercurynews.com/presidentelect/ci_19906056?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com
GOP Candidates Court Hispanic Voters
January 28, 2012 NPR
Summary: Republican candidates’ efforts to win Hispanic voters have intensified in advance of the Florida primary, airing ads in Spanish and contending over immigration. Host Scott Simon speaks with Maria Elena Salinas, co-host of Noticiero Univision, about Hispanic voters’ role in the Republican primary and the upcoming presidential election.
For the entire article and audio interview: http://www.npr.org/2012/01/28/146024081/gop-candidates-court-hispanic-voters
Villaraigosa LA mayor says Rubio’s DREAM Act would create a ‘second class’
4/29/12 By Brendan Sasso – TheHill
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (D) said on Sunday that an immigration proposal from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) would create a “second class status” of people in the United States.
“I would support the president’s version of the DREAM Act,” Villaraigosa said, appearing on CBS’s “Face the Nation.” “I think that Sen. Rubio’s version of the Dream Act would create a second class status for folks.”
But Villaraigosa, chairman of the Democratic convention this summer, added that the country “should engage in a conversation and a debate” about the issue.
The Democratic version of the DREAM Act immigration reform plan would create a path to citizenship for some students who were brought into the country illegally as children. The bill failed to attract enough Republican support to clear the Senate in late 2010.
Rubio’s alternative, which he has yet to formally introduce, would give students legal status through non-immigrant visas, but not citizenship.
For the entire article: http://thehill.com/video/in-the-news/224423-la-mayor-rubio-dream-act-would-create-second-class-americans
Latino Mormons speaking out against Romney
2/20/12 By RUSSELL CONTRERAS | Associated Press – 5 hrs ago
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — When Honduran-born Antonella Cecilia Packard converted to the Mormon Faith 20 years ago, she said it was like “coming home.”
The Catholic-educated Packard, who grew up in “the middle of Mayan ruins,” appreciated the faith’s strong sense of family and conservative values. She also saw her own history in the Book of Mormon with stories of migrations, tragedies and triumphs of a people many Mormons believe are the ancestors of some present-day Latinos.
But two decades after her conversion while a college student at Mississippi State, the 43-year-old Packard finds herself on a new mission: defeating Mitt Romney and any Mormon politician who betrays what she sees as a basic Mormon principle of protecting immigrants.
As Romney continues to seek the Republican presidential nomination while rarely discussing his faith, a growing number of vocal Hispanic Mormons say they intend to use Mormon teachings as a reason to convince others not to vote for him. They have held firesides (equivalent to a tent revival) on immigration, protested outside of Romney campaign events and have traveled across state lines to help defeat other Mormon politicians with similar harsh immigration stances.
“Yes, we are happy that we have a Mormon running for president,” said Packard, a Saratoga Springs, Utah, resident and member of Somos (We are) Republicans. “But a lot of us aren’t supporting him because of his stance against immigrants.”
While stressing the Mormon faith’s historic connection to converting immigrants, Latino Mormons point directly to immigration stories in the Book of Mormon and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ recent statements against policies targeting immigrants. They also view Romney’s stance against proposals giving illegal immigrants a path to citizenship as hypocritical since Romney’s great-grandfather, Miles Park Romney, who had five wives and 30 children, sought refuge in Mexico after passage of an 1882 law that barred polygamy.
For the entire article: http://news.yahoo.com/latino-mormons-speaking-against-romney-081631712.html
Senate Republicans Boycott Immigration Hearing
4/24/12 By Matthew Larotonda | ABC OTUS News – 4 hrs ago
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A hearing of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee responsible for immigration and border security issues was absent any Republican presence today. Members of the GOP decried the panel discussion as a publicity stunt ahead of Supreme Court arguments Wednesday to decide the fate of controversial immigration laws in Arizona and other states.
Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., called the meeting “political theater.” The ranking Republican member said in a written statement that his participation was unnecessary given the high court decision to come.
“The failure of Senate Democrats to seek input from any members of the Arizona congressional delegation before scheduling the hearing further demonstrates that it is intended to be more of a spectacle than a forum,” he said.
Subcommittee chairman Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said it is Republicans who refuse to come to the center on the issue.
Schumer was joined by only one other lawmaker for the hearing, fellow Democrat Richard Durbin of Illinois.
The two senators say that alongside racial concerns about the state laws, there is a constitutional and practical argument against allowing 50 states to enforce individual immigration policies.
“Immigration is not and never has been an area where states have been able to exercise independent authority,” Schumer said
If the Supreme Court upholds Arizona’s “S.B. 1070? law, Schumer said, he intends to introduce legislation making it clear that Congress “does not intend” to allow states to develop their own immigration policies.
“This issue is much like federal tax law where the federal Internal Revenue Service interprets and enforces the law,” he said. “As opposed to 50 state agencies going to people’s houses to ensure that they properly file their federal tax returns.”
The high court is expected to issue its ruling on the matter in June.
For the entire article: http://news.yahoo.com/senate-republicans-boycott-immigration-hearing-161256781–abc-news-politics.html
Kris Kobach Attends Mitt Romney Fundraiser
5/11/2012 By Elise Foley – The Huffington Post
Immigration hawk and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach attended a fundraising appearance by Mitt Romney Thursday, according to a pool report of the event from the Kansas City Star.
Kobach is the author of Arizona’s contested immigration law, S.B. 1070, and is considered a leader in the anti-unauthorized immigration movement. He also says he is an informal adviser to the Romney campaign on immigration — some of Romney’s statements mirror Kobach’s views — a phrase the campaign backed away from in April.
The campaign told Politico at the time that Kobach was a “supporter,” not an “adviser.” When the press continued to ask about his role, Kobach insisted nothing had changed and that he still gave advice to the Romney campaign.
It’s not clear what prompted the confusion over Kobach’s role, but it came at a time when Romney was beginning to shift toward campaigning for the general election, when far-right stances on immigration are less likely to sway voters in his direction.
Although the campaign says it has been consistent on immigration, Romney has noticeably de-emphasized his stance on the matter — he told a Colorado reporter this week that he wanted to talk about “issues of significance” when asked about immigration and social issues — as the general election approaches.
An official at the Republican National Committee said on Tuesday that Romney is still deciding his immigration stance for the general election. She later said that she had mispoken. The campaign and the RNC responded that Romney’s positions on immigration are clear.
Still, associating with Kobach could be damaging to Romney politically as he attempts to attract Latino voters, a majority of whom oppose S.B. 1070.
July 22, 2011 Julian Aguilar – Texas Tribune
AUSTIN — Republican U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith’s attempt to strip President Barack Obama’s administration of its immigration enforcement powers has drawn a harsh rebuke from Texas Democrats in the U.S. House, who say the proposal “is an attack on (the president’s) integrity that should not pass unnoticed or unopposed.”
Smith, R-San Antonio, this month introduced the Hinder the Administration’s Legalization Temptation (HALT) Act, which would prevent the administration from, among other things, canceling the removal of illegal immigrants, granting protective status to any immigrant and granting parole or issuing deferred action —except in narrow circumstances. It is co-sponsored by U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La.
The legislation was filed as a direct response to a directive issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton, who advised agency offices throughout the country last month to use prosecutorial discretion when deciding which immigrants to refer for deportation proceedings. Morton said the discretion would allow the agency to concentrate its limited resources on finding and deporting dangerous criminal immigrants that pose the greatest risk to the country.
Smith said the president “ignored the will of Congress and the American people” by using his authority to let illegal immigrants stay in the country.
Thursday in Washington, a coalition led by U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., discussed a letter sent to the White House in response to the HALT Act. Gutierrez was joined by U.S. Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston, Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, and Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso.
“Tying your hands and that of our law enforcement and border security authorities in order to score political points is a new low. It brings new meaning to the term ‘playing politics,’ but in this case has severe consequences for national security and community safety,” the letter states. It is also signed by U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, Al Green, D-Houston, Gene Green, D-Houston, Charlie Gonzalez, D-San Antonio, and Ruben Hinojosa, D-Mercedes.
For the entire article: http://www.themonitor.com/articles/democrats-53082-texas-gop.html
Labor-Intensive U.S. Fruit and Vegetable Industry Competes in a Global Market
Reduction in the supply of workers that could make agricultural labor more expensive for the U.S. fruit and vegetable industry may impact industry competitiveness but the effects would vary by commodity.
December 2010 Linda Calvin Philip Martin, University of California, Davis
U.S. fruit and vegetable producers have reason to be concerned about the cost and availability of labor to harvest their crops. For most crops, a harvest delayed by lack of labor means less profit for growers because even a short delay can reduce quality and price. Longer delays may mean that the entire crop is lost if the quality deteriorates to the point that it cannot be marketed. Growers’ competitiveness is affected by wage rates. In 2010, the Federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour ($8.00 per hour in California), while the minimum wage in Mexico ranges from $4.17 to $4.40 per day, depending on the region.
Any potential immigration reform could have significant impacts on the U.S. fruit and vegetable industry. Over half of hired workers employed in U.S. crop agriculture are believed to be unauthorized immigrants, and experience has shown that most will move on to nonagricultural employment within a decade of beginning to work in the fields. Relatively low wages compared with other U.S. jobs, hard physical labor, frequent harsh weather conditions, and seasonal employment patterns make working on crop farms unappealing to most U.S. citizens and authorized immigrants.
The supply of farmworkers for the U.S. produce industry depends on a constant influx of new, foreign-born labor attracted by wages above those in the workers’ countries of origin, primarily Mexico. Immigration policy helps to determine whether the produce industry’s labor force will be authorized or unauthorized. Any debate about more stringent enforcement of current immigration and labor laws or immigration reform that could reduce the supply of workers or make agricultural labor more expensive is of interest to growers.
For the entire article: http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/december10/Features/LaborIntensive.htm
One of the world’s ‘most feared’ pests found in Chicago
8/25/11 By Claudine Zap | The Lookout – 17 hrs ago
One of the world’s “most feared” pests was discovered on American soil. The Khapra beetle, in larva stage, was identified by customs officials last week in a 10-pound bag of rice that came from India.
In a press release, Customs and Border Protection described the bug as “one of the world’s most tenacious and destructive stored-produce pests because of its ability to damage grain.”
The beetles originated in South Asia but have invaded parts of northern Africa, the Middle East, and even Europe, Asia and South Africa.
The Khapra beetle first invaded California in 1953. The infestation was not eradicated until 1966, at a cost of $15 million.
Customs specialists have intercepted the beetle 100 times this year, “compared to three to six per year in 2005 and 2006, and averaging about 15 per year from 2007 to 2009,” the press release says.
The Baltimore Sun reports that grain shipments do not even require a live beetle for the entire supply to be rejected. No other species is treated this way.
Despite the increase in the number stopped at the border, the Khapra beetle has not made it into the American grain supply.
Economic impact of illegal immigrants in the United States
The economic impact of illegal immigration to the United States is a matter of study and debate relating to the nation’s economy and politics. Undocumented immigrants contribute both benefits and costs to the U.S. economy. At the most basic level, undocumented immigrants purchase goods and services and contribute labor and tax dollars while requiring services such as healthcare, education and law enforcement. The participation of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. economy also has more complex systemic impacts. For example, their participation can depress both wages for lower-skilled native U.S. workers and prices for all consumers buying U.S. goods and services. The evidence suggests that the overall costs imposed on the U.S. economy by undocumented immigrants are equivalent to or outweighed by the benefits. However, this issue remains contentious in part because the costs of illegal immigration are not often borne by the people and institutions benefiting from illegal immigration.
For the entire article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_impact_of_illegal_immigrants_in_the_United_States
Great thread topic as usual, CR — you are doing an awesome job!
>^..^<
Happy Sunday Kat!
Hi, Kat! I agree, CR!
Excerpts from President Obama’s speech on Comprehensive Immigration Reform
May 10, 2011
Chamizal National Memorial El Paso, Texas
“E pluribus unum. Out of many, one. We define ourselves as a nation of immigrants — a nation that welcomes those willing to embrace America’s ideals and America’s precepts. That’s why millions of people, ancestors to most of us, braved hardship and great risk to come here — so they could be free to work and worship and start a business and live their lives in peace and prosperity. The Asian immigrants who made their way to California’s Angel Island. The German and Scandinavians who settled across the Midwest. The waves of Irish, and Italian, and Polish, and Russian, and Jewish immigrants who leaned against the railing to catch their first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty.
This flow of immigrants has helped make this country stronger and more prosperous. (Applause.) We can point to the genius of Einstein, the designs of I. M. Pei, the stories of Isaac Asimov, the entire industries that were forged by Andrew Carnegie.”
“the promise of this country — that anyone can write the next chapter in our story. It doesn’t matter where you come from — (applause) — it doesn’t matter where you come from; it doesn’t matter what you look like; it doesn’t matter what faith you worship. What matters is that you believe in the ideals on which we were founded; that you believe that all of us are created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights. (Applause.) All of us deserve our freedoms and our pursuit of happiness. In embracing America, you can become American. That is what makes this country great. That enriches all of us.”
“At times, there has been fear and resentment directed towards newcomers, especially in hard economic times. And because these issues touch deeply on what we believe, touch deeply on our convictions — about who we are as a people, about what it means to be an American — these debates often elicit strong emotions.
That’s one reason it’s been so difficult to reform our broken immigration system. When an issue is this complex, when it raises such strong feelings, it’s easier for politicians to defer until the problem the next election. And there’s always a next election.
So we’ve seen a lot of blame and a lot of politics and a lot of ugly rhetoric around immigration. And we’ve seen good faith efforts from leaders of both parties — by the way, I just noticed, those of you who have chairs, if you want to sit down, feel free. ”
“(Immigration) reform will also help to make America more competitive in the global economy. Today, we provide students from around the world with visas to get engineering and computer science degrees at our top universities. (Applause.)
But then our laws discourage them from using those skills to start a business or a new industry here in the United States. Instead of training entrepreneurs to stay here, we train them to create jobs for our competition. That makes no sense. In a global marketplace, we need all the talent we can attract, all the talent we can get to stay here to start businesses — not just to benefit those individuals, but because their contribution will benefit all Americans.”
“So immigration is not just the right thing to do. It’s smart for our economy. It’s smart for our economy. (Applause.) And it’s for this reason that businesses all across America are demanding that Washington finally meet its responsibilities to solve the immigration problem. ”
” And sometimes when I talk to immigration advocates, they wish I could just bypass Congress and change the law myself. But that’s not how a democracy works. What we really need to do is to keep up the fight to pass genuine, comprehensive reform. That is the ultimate solution to this problem. That’s what I’m committed to doing. (Applause.)”
“Think about that, El Paso. That’s the American Dream right there. (Applause.) That’s what we’re fighting for. We are fighting for every boy and every girl like José with a dream and potential that’s just waiting to be tapped. We are fighting to unlock that promise, and all that holds not just for their futures, but for America’s future. That’s why we’re going to get this done. And that’s why I’m going to need your help.”
For the entire article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/05/10/remarks-president-comprehensive-immigration-reform-el-paso-texas
World warns of disaster if no debt deal done
7/31/11 By Tomasz Janowski and Olesya Dmitracova | Reuters – 2 hrs 57 mins ago
LONDON/TOKYO, Jul (Reuters) – Governments and policy makers around the world warned of the risk of financial disaster if Washington fails to raise the U.S. debt ceiling.
As Congress haggled over a deal to stave off the risk of an unprecedented U.S. default, British and Japanese officials on Sunday said failure could hurt households across the globe.
“The world is watching the United States with trepidation, with anxiety, with concern, but also with hope,” International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde told CNN.
“Instability is never a good idea, never a good idea. And this level of uncertainty, the trepidation arising from August 2, is bringing about a lot of instability,” she added.
U.S. Democrats and Republicans face a Tuesday deadline to reach agreement. The U.S. Treasury has said it will run out of borrowing room on that day although analysts say it may have enough cash to keep servicing its debt and paying its bills through the middle of this month.
The German central bank expressed confidence the United States would avert a debt default.
The key role of the U.S. dollar in global banking and trading means financial markets face the risk of major instability without an 11th-hour agreement.
Senate Leader Harry Reid said he hoped to hold a Senate vote later on Sunday on an emerging deal to raise the debt ceiling, raising hopes the impasse could be broken.
As financial markets opened up for the week in Asia, investors took some relief from the signs of progress and the U.S. dollar strengthened against the Japanese yen, after falling to a four month low on Friday.
“If they get this one wrong and there’s a default — we don’t expect that, we think that they will sort this out — but if that were to happen, it has consequences for every family and every business in this country and all across the world,” said Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the British Treasury.
For the entire article: http://news.yahoo.com/britain-japan-warn-disaster-no-u-debt-deal-163211274.html
Video available shortly…
8:40 PM EDT
President Announces Deal With Congressional Leaders on Debt Ceiling
CSPAN: http://www.c-span.org/Events/President-Announces-Deal-With-Congressional-Leaders-on-Debt-Ceiling/10737423152/
July 31, 2011
Remarks by the President
James S. Brady Press Briefing Room
8:40 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good evening. There are still some very important votes to be taken by members of Congress, but I want to announce that the leaders of both parties, in both chambers, have reached an agreement that will reduce the deficit and avoid default — a default that would have had a devastating effect on our economy.
The first part of this agreement will cut about $1 trillion in spending over the next 10 years — cuts that both parties had agreed to early on in this process. The result would be the lowest level of annual domestic spending since Dwight Eisenhower was President — but at a level that still allows us to make job-creating investments in things like education and research. We also made sure that these cuts wouldn’t happen so abruptly that they’d be a drag on a fragile economy.
Now, I’ve said from the beginning that the ultimate solution to our deficit problem must be balanced. Despite what some Republicans have argued, I believe that we have to ask the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations to pay their fair share by giving up tax breaks and special deductions. Despite what some in my own party have argued, I believe that we need to make some modest adjustments to programs like Medicare to ensure that they’re still around for future generations.
That’s why the second part of this agreement is so important. It establishes a bipartisan committee of Congress to report back by November with a proposal to further reduce the deficit, which will then be put before the entire Congress for an up or down vote. In this stage, everything will be on the table. To hold us all accountable for making these reforms, tough cuts that both parties would find objectionable would automatically go into effect if we don’t act. And over the next few months, I’ll continue to make a detailed case to these lawmakers about why I believe a balanced approach is necessary to finish the job.
Now, is this the deal I would have preferred? No. I believe that we could have made the tough choices required — on entitlement reform and tax reform — right now, rather than through a special congressional committee process. But this compromise does make a serious down payment on the deficit reduction we need, and gives each party a strong incentive to get a balanced plan done before the end of the year.
For the entire article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/07/31/remarks-president
July 31, 2011
Fact Sheet: Bipartisan Debt Deal: A Win for the Economy and Budget Discipline
BIPARTISAN DEBT DEAL: A WIN FOR THE ECONOMY AND BUDGET DISCIPLINE
The debt deal announced today is a victory for bipartisan compromise, for the economy and for the American people. The agreement:
* Removes the cloud of uncertainty over our economy at this critical time, by ensuring that no one will be able to use the threat of the nation’s first default now, or in only a few months, for political gain;
* Locks in a down payment on significant deficit reduction, with savings from both domestic and Pentagon spending, and is designed to protect crucial investments like aid for college students;
* Establishes a bipartisan process to seek a balanced approach to larger deficit reduction through entitlement and tax reform;
* Deploys an enforcement mechanism that gives all sides an incentive to reach bipartisan compromise on historic deficit reduction, while protecting Social Security, Medicare beneficiaries and low-income programs;
* Stays true to the President’s commitment to shared sacrifice by preventing the middle class, seniors and those who are most vulnerable from shouldering the burden of deficit reduction. The President did not agree to any entitlement reforms outside of the context of a bipartisan committee process where tax reform will be on the table and the President will insist on shared sacrifice from the most well-off and those with the most indefensible tax breaks.
For the entire article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/07/31/fact-sheet-bipartisan-debt-deal-win-economy-and-budget-discipline
Reactions to the debt agreement
08/01/11 By MATT NEGRIN – POLITICO44
Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz: “I want to thank President Obama for his tireless leadership on this issue and for his unfailing commitment to do what is right for the country. … The agreement sets the stage for a balanced package that includes revenues. But we’re not over the hurdle yet. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this compromise and renew their commitment to working to together in a bipartisan fashion to move our country forward.”
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: “Sometimes it seems our two sides disagree on almost everything. But in the end, reasonable people were able to agree on this: the United States could not take the chance of defaulting on our debt, risking a United States financial collapse and a world-wide depression. … I know this agreement won’t make every Republican happy. It certainly won’t make every Democrat happy, either. Both parties gave more ground than they wanted to. And neither side got as much as it had hoped. But that is the essence of compromise. And the American people demanded compromise this week.”
For the entire article: http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0811/deal_watchers_be565b53-b293-401b-98d9-46524bc56b6f.html
President Obama’s Message on the Debt Agreement
Uploaded by BarackObamadotcom on Jul 31, 2011
President Obama lays out the agreement he reached with congressional leaders to meet our financial obligations and reduce our debt in a video to supporters.
Putting aside dissection of the current deal/no deal in any way (I support the President, 1000%), I found this comment on TPM’s blog. I think it’s quite well written and extremely heartfelt and gives one hope (although I do fully support the fact we should all heed the warning of the last sentence). Not sure who would agree, but thought I’d share it! Here goes:
“Well … for all the left-sided chicken-little panic exhibited here, always know, REAL progress is unstoppable, and we will prevail as progressives. It may take some time, but every one of these draconian republican class-warfare policies that we must tolerate for now to save our fiscal continuum will become a footnote in history in the very near future. With their arrogant neo-royal overreaching, they have not only spoiled their own victory party from the last election (in less than a year) they have assured that the future will be inhabited by adults who grew up watching these republicans and their blue-dog bubbas,and the Kochs destroy the quality of their young lives.Comedy Central has much more influence on young minds than FOX, and the future will prove it. The neoroyals can’t write the voter suppression laws fast enough to stop this cultural passage phenomenon from wrecking their electoral future.So instead of whining about the seedy necessities of this moment, ALL Progressives should be volunteering NOW for campaigns in the next election, to help move the fulcrum back to the center where reason prevails and reality tilts to the left.The age of The Epic Overreach is almost over.Conservatism is on the decline and Progress is heading for a golden era.Do not doubt it for a minute. If it was not true, they would not be so desperately holding on to their arcane ideology and protecting their 20th Century sacred cows. FOX is falling and a new age of progress is awakening.Their end is near, and they know it.But all that being said, beware the cornered beast.”
Good Sunday evening Ms O’Boomer! I stand will President Obama as well!
[This is what a friend of mine wrote about the White House summary on the debt deal @ http://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheet-victory-bipartisan-compromise-economy-american-people%5D
I read the WH summary you sent and it sounds to me like something a kind teacher would write to put the best possible cast on an assignment handed in late when the students aren’t too bright and didn’t really understand the material but probably did their best and at least printed neatly … and the teacher knows there will be plenty of time ahead to do it over with some mentoring.
It also gives Obama lots of room to campaign on the argument that he wanted $4 trillion in debt reduction – not the $1 trillion the Republicans forced everybody into. Wonder if they’ve thought of that yet?
Thanks for the information
Good night, CR and O’family, and all the ships at sea!
Good night Ms O’Boomer and all the ships at sea!
SEIU Cope: Es Hora de Crear Empleos
Uploaded by SEIU on Aug 10, 2011
Únase al movimiento en http://action.seiu.org/page/s/empleosdignos – Cada día, millones de familias de clase trabajadora luchan por encontrar y mantener trabajos dignos, pero los Congresistas Republicanos parecen no entender el mensaje. Para construir una economía sólida que beneficie a presentes y futuras generaciones, tenemos que traer empleos a los Estados Unidos.
Obama Adviser Lauds Deal, Says It Must Be Passed
8/1/11 by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
A top adviser to President Barack Obama said Monday the new deal to avoid a government default lifts a big cloud over the economy, even if the country had to first endure a “three-ring circus” in Washington.
Appearing on morning news shows, senior aide David Plouffe acknowledged that there were key elements of a compromise that eluded the White House and Obama. He said, for example, that the administration will continue to push for new tax revenues.
“The only way to really reduce the deficits significantly in a smart way is to make sure there is smart entitlement reform and closing of loopholes and tax reform,” Plouffe said.
The White House adviser called the process “a spectacle” for a jittery country and said, “Let’s hope it doesn’t get repeated any time soon.”
That’s why, he said, the White House is pleased the agreement now placed before the House and Senate would extend the new borrowing authority through 2012, rather than for just six months, as many had argued.
Plouffe said that both the Democratic and Republican sides “now have a result that produces good deficit reduction at the front end.”
He conceded that the process had “been messy,” and said he believes the American people “obviously would like a little bit more compromise and a little less shouting.”
On taxes, Plouffe noted that a newly constituted bipartisan congressional panel will “look at tax reform, entitlement reform,” as part of a continuing effort to reduce the deficit.
And he said the White House was not worried by lawmakers’ criticisms of the pact.
“We think that at the end of the day, this is an agreement that will pass the Senate and the House and President Obama will sign it,” Plouffe said.
For the entire article: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=137374089
Does this “debt deal” solve our debt problems?
August 1, 2011 Marketplace Morning Report
Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi says that the debt deal is a good first step, and that he expects the U.S. to keep its top-notch credit rating.
BOB MOON: Markets overseas have climbed on the news — even though this “deal” punts much of the tough decision making into next year. On the line with us now is Mark Zandi. He’s chief economist with Moody’s Analytics. Good morning, Mark.
MARK ZANDI: Good morning.
MOON: So, lawmakers in Washington are all smiles. But they aren’t all done, are they? Does this deal solve our debt problems?
ZANDI: No, it doesn’t. We need $4 trillion in deficit reduction over the next 10 years. This get us $2.5 trillion. But I think that’s an achievement. It’s a big deal, and a very substantive step forward.
MOON: Well many economists, though, have said that we need to raise taxes — not just cut spending — to solve this long-term.
ZANDI: Yeah, I think it would be appropriate to raise tax revenue — that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to raise marginal rates. You can cut the deductions and loop holes and credit the tax code. I think that would be much more efficient. It would create a more fair system. So I think that’s still on the table — it’s something that still needs to be discussed and negotiated.
MOON: Now the credit-rating arm of your organization, Moody’s, has said the U.S. will keep its AAA rating for now, but there’s still a widespread belief bigger cuts were needed. Does this prevent a downgrade?
ZANDI: Well, of course, I’m not part of the ratings agency, I don’t speak for them. My sense is that this should be sufficient to maintain the AAA rating for the time being. But, of course these are analysts making their own decisions and views and they might have a different one than my own.
MOON: We just got paltry economic growth figures — and cuts in spending at a time like that seems to me could send us back into a spiral here. Does this plan give us the breathing room we need to get the economy going again?
ZANDI: I think so. I need to see more details, but my sense is listening to the president, is that there will be no additional spending cuts at least not this year and next year that the cuts will engage in 2013 and beyond. And I think by 2013, if everything goes reasonably well, the economy should be able to digest it. Hopefully we won’t see any additional cutting in the very near term. Because of course, you’re right, the economy is still very weak.
MOON: Mark Zandi at Moody’s Analytics, thank you.
ZANDI: Thank you.
Good Monday morning everyone! I HOPE that you have a good day!
Good morning CR and everyone. HOPE you all have a terrific Monday.
Please join me in lighting a candle for our President, First Family and the Nation. May the debt ceiling outcome be extremely favorable for the middle class and the poor.
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=PBO
Good Monday morning and thank you Jackie!
Construction spending gains 0.2 percent
8/1/11 By MARTIN CRUTSINGER – AP Economics Writer | AP – 7 mins ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — Builders began work on more office buildings, shopping centers and hotels in June, pushing construction spending higher for a third straight month. But even with the gains, activity remains at depressed levels.
The Commerce Department says construction spending rose 0.2 percent in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $772.3 billion. That put overall spending just 1.2 percent higher than the 11-year low hit in March. It is just half of the $1.5 trillion pace considered healthy by most economists.
In June, residential construction declined, reflecting a big drop in apartment construction, and spending on government building projects also fell. But private nonresidential activity rose to the highest level since late 2010.
Hi everyone!! I hope all is well. The twitterverse is going crazy, the libs and pro left are hating on POTUS. Must we go through this every time he makes a deal? Have a great Monday all.
Happy Monday Sandy!
First family turns to prime time
8/1/11 Amie Parnes -POLITICO
Once, if you wanted to glimpse the president or first lady on prime-time television, you had to tune in for the State of the Union.
Coming this fall to a TV near you: Michelle Obama will guest star on ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” It will be her second cameo on an evening show since her 2009 debut on “Iron Chef America” and follows a Mother’s Day special on the Hallmark Channel, a spot on “Sesame Street” and a taped appearance on the Kids Choice Awards. This fall, she will also appear on an upcoming episode of Nickelodeon’s “iCarly” and the network’s Worldwide Day of Play.
President Barack Obama also has guest-starred on family-friendly prime-time programming. In December, he made a cameo on Discovery Channel’s “Mythbusters,” and in February, he appeared on tape at the Academy Awards to share his favorite song from a film — “As Time Goes By” from “Casablanca.”
And the shows aren’t just featuring the Obamas. Last year, Vice President Joe Biden’s wife, Jill Biden, made a guest appearance in “Army Wives,” a scripted drama series on Lifetime, playing herself.
For the entire article: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0711/60332.html
Debt and spending deal picks up momentum in Senate
8/1/11 By ANDREW TAYLOR – Associated Press | AP – 2 mins 59 secs ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House and congressional leaders worked Monday to align lawmakers from both parties behind their formula for averting a financial meltdown and halting the government’s prolific spending habits. Despite resistance from both liberals and conservatives, momentum appeared to be building in support of the compromise deficit-reduction plan.
In an apparent show of confidence, leaders in the House said they planned to bring the plan to the floor for a vote Monday afternoon. Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier, R-Calif., said there would be an hour of debate before moving to a vote.
In the Senate, where one senator can hold up action, Majority Leader Harry Reid said he was hoping to get agreement to allow a vote Monday evening. “We need to send this to President Obama as soon as we can.”
A member of the Republican leadership in the Senate predicted at least 30 GOP votes. “Maybe 35 will support it in the end. There will be some who will pull back,” Sen. Mike Crapo, the deputy Republican whip, told reporters, as climactic votes approached in both the House and Senate on the long-sought spending plan.
Leaders in both chambers were meeting with their rank-and-file to promote the package, and President Barack Obama sent out a video message to sell Democrats on the plan. “This has been a long and messy process,” he said. “As with any compromise, the outcome is far from satisfying.”
Obama was also doing debt-related tweeting. “The debt agreement makes a significant down payment to reduce the deficit — finding savings in both defense and domestic spending,” he said in one.
“We’ll know over the next two to three hours,” said House freshman Rep. Tom Reed, R-N.Y., when asked if House Speaker John Boehner had the votes in the House, where conservatives have been more resistant to the compromise.
For the entire article: http://goo.gl/14NVB
The savings
CBO: Deal would save $2.1 trillion
08/01/11 By ABBY PHILLIP – POLITICO
The Congressional Budget Office said Monday that the debt-ceiling deal announced by President Obama on Sunday would save at least $2.1 trillion over the next decade.
The spending cuts and caps that would automatically go in place over the next decade would save $917 billion dollars, the CBO said. And the recommendations of a deficit reduction committee the bill prescribes could save another $1.2 trillion dollars, it said.
According to the proposal, Obama would be able to raise the debt limit in two installments by about $900 billion dollars — enough to allow the government to pay its bills until the end of 2012. It would also establish a 12-member congressional committee to identify more cuts, entitlement reforms and tax changes by the end of this year.
If those cuts aren’t approved by Congress, automatic spending cuts, split evenly between defense and discretionary spending, would go in place.
Hello CR and friends. So nice to come here and get some real positive news. Thank you. I see the Koch bros are at it again in WI. I am glad that they are being exposed.
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2011/08/01/284603/koch-wisconsin-dirty-trick/
Hello and thank you COS!
The article says:…..”DAVID KOCH’S AMERICANS FOR PROSPERITY PLAYS DIRTY TRICK IN WI: MAILS ABSENTEE BALLOTS TO DEMS WITH WRONG ELECTION DATE ”
Wow CR, I love the yellow entry. That is great. That number should be posted everywhere.
Baselines and Balance
Posted by Gene Sperling on August 01, 2011 at 04:07 PM EDT
The budget deal sets the stage for balanced deficit reduction. It immediately makes a down payment on deficit reduction of more than $900 billion by limiting discretionary spending and sets up a new Joint Congressional Committee charged with recommending $1.5 trillion in additional deficit reduction by the end of the year. As the President has said, that deficit reduction should be balanced and cut tax loopholes and expenditures just like it cuts traditional spending.
There are now reports that this Joint Committee won’t be able to raise revenue at all because of the way the budget deal is drafted. That is simply wrong.
The Joint Committee is tasked with deficit reduction, and the Committee can reduce the deficit by cutting spending and getting rid of tax loopholes and expenditures. Everything is on the table, as it should be.
First, the Committee can consider getting rid of tax expenditures like subsidies for oil and gas companies or corporate jet owners. These types of tax changes have been a major part of the recent deficit reduction conversation and would be a smart part of an overall balanced plan. No one on any side can dispute that the Joint Committee could consider them.
Second, the Committee can consider the kind of revenue raising tax reform that has broad and growing bipartisan support.
For the entire article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/08/01/baselines-and-balance
There are so many lies floating around about this deal. Deaniac at The People’s view sure took Krugman to task about the article he wrote about the deal. It was a very good read.
Thanks for this, COS.
Deaniac: “Barack Obama ate John Boehner’s lunch, and then he turned Boehner out to go preach to his conservative colleagues that this eating of the lunch by Obama is actually politically good for them.”
I laughed out loud when I read that part Kat. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this get passed and behind us.
Oops, I meant “that”.
Happy Monday/August CR, COS, Sandy, Jackie, Jacqueline and all friends!
>^..^<
Here is commentary from a TPM reader that I enjoyed:
"Let me get this straight. The President kept revenues on the table, did not touch the sunset provisions in the Bush tax cuts, ensured that military cuts keep the GOP honest, protected Medicare by adding in only provider cuts in the trigger, made the reduction apparently enough to stave off a debt downgrade, got the debt ceiling raised, wounded Boehner by demonstrating to the world that he is controlled by the Tea Party caucus, took out the requirement that a BBA be passed and sent to the states and got the extension through 2012? What exactly is wrong with this deal?
The fact that there are cuts? If people don't like that, why in God's name didn't they turn out to vote and bring back our Congressional majority?….
The GOP came out of this looking unreasonable…. Nate Silver tweeted last week that local conservative talk radio in Kansas was filled with callers attacking the Tea Party! The Wall Street Journal ran two editorials which called the GOP delusional and "childish." …. an urban Catholic who voted for Nixon over Kennedy and has always voted Republican suddenly thinks the GOP is out to lunch and supports the President…."
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2011/08/another_take_5.php?ref=fpblg
Hey Kat. Howz it going? I really enjoyed reading this one also. The Krugman takedown by Deaniac was great also. Krugman is suppose to be the Nobel Prize winner but Deaniac’s analysis put his to shame. I am listening to Randi Rhodes and she is saying PBO was brilliant in the way he crafted this deal. She likes the deal and she has been explaining it in laymen’s terms.
http://www.thepeoplesview.net/2011/08/paul-krugman-is-political-rookie-or-how.html
We have a BRILLIANT President! We knew that, of course!
Yes we did!
Happy August Kat!
Hi CR! I see Mitt Romney has come out of nowhere to say he doesn’t like the deal and HE would have done something better in some other universe where gumdrops grow on trees. Where has he been, in a cave? The Cone of Silence from Get Smart?
Romney is so out of touch with reality…..especially him being a millionaire and joking about him being UNEMPLOYED when in a 2007 his net worth was $250 million.
I am watching Rev Al right now and he is getting ready to take Romney to the woodshed.
He talked about Romney’s abscence on the debt ceiling issue last week.
I look forward to that!
Valerie Jarrett is coming up on Rev. Al. I love Chaka Fatah(sp) from PA. He is definitely on the same page as PBO.
BREAKING NEWS !!!
HOUSE APPROVES DEBT CEILING BILL 269 – 161
Nancy Pelosi is speaking now…and Gabby Gifford is in the house to support the bipartisan bill!
CNN http://live.cnn.com
CSPAN http://www.c-span.org/Live-Video/C-SPAN/
House votes to raise debt limit, cut spending
8/1/11 AP – 12 mins ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed legislation designed to keep the government from defaulting on its debts. The measure also sets a course for reducing the federal deficit in the future.
The Senate, where support is stronger, is expected to take up the bill on Tuesday, the deadline for Congress to act before the government loses its ability to pay all its bills.
The 269-161 vote in the House came after Republican leaders spent the day urging recalcitrant conservatives to support the bill.
The bill would raise the debt ceiling by more than $2 trillion and cut federal spending by a similar amount over the next decade. A special congressional committee would be set up to consider entitlement and tax changes.
Video of Gabby returning to the House floor!
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/08/gabby-giffords-returns-i-had-to-be-here-for-this-vote.php
Thanks Kat!
Biden talks debt with CBS
8/01/1 By ABBY PHILLIP – POLITICO44
Vice President Biden will tape an interview with CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley Monday evening, the network says.
Biden went to Capitol Hill Monday morning to meet with the Democratic caucuses in both chambers before scheduled votes on the debt ceiling compromise negotiated over the weekend.
The interview will be shown at 6:30 p.m.
Biden had taken a lead role in negotiating a compromise on the deficit with congressional leaders, and once again this weekend, he worked with Democratic Senate leadership and Sen. Mitch McConnell, the minority leader, to craft the final deal. His task on Monday, to win over disenchanted Democrats who see the bill as a capitulation, might help determine the chances of the bill’s passage in the House and in the Senate.
July 31, 2011
Statement by the President on the Violence in Syria
I am appalled by the Syrian government’s use of violence and brutality against its own people. The reports out of Hama are horrifying and demonstrate the true character of the Syrian regime. Once again, President Assad has shown that he is completely incapable and unwilling to respond to the legitimate grievances of the Syrian people. His use of torture, corruption and terror puts him on the wrong side of history and his people. Through his own actions, Bashar al-Assad is ensuring that he and his regime will be left in the past, and that the courageous Syrian people who have demonstrated in the streets will determine its future. Syria will be a better place when a democratic transition goes forward. In the days ahead, the United States will continue to increase our pressure on the Syrian regime, and work with others around the world to isolate the Assad government and stand with the Syrian people.
August 01, 2011
Readout of the President’s meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford
The President took the opportunity today to consult with U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford, who is in Washington D.C. for meetings with the Senate and key Administration officials. The President thanked Ambassador Ford for his extraordinary service to the American people at a very challenging time in Syria. The President also reiterated his strong condemnation of the Syrian regime’s outrageous use of violence against its own people, and reaffirmed America’s support for the courageous Syrian people, and their demands for universal rights and a democratic transition.
August 01, 2011
Statement by the President on the Occasion of Ramadan
As Ramadan begins, Michelle and I would like to send our best wishes to Muslim communities in the United States and around the world. Ramadan is a festive time that is anticipated for months by Muslims everywhere. Families and communities share the happiness of gathering together for iftar and prayers. Bazaars light up the night in many cities from Rabat to Jakarta. And here in the United States, Muslim Americans share Ramadan traditions with their neighbors, fellow students, and co-workers.
For so many Muslims around the world, Ramadan is also a time of deep reflection and sacrifice. As in other faiths, fasting is used to increase spirituality, discipline, and consciousness of God’s mercy. It is also a reminder of the importance of reaching out to those less fortunate. The heartbreaking accounts of lost lives and the images of families and children in Somalia and the Horn of Africa struggling to survive remind us of our common humanity and compel us to act. Now is the time for nations and peoples to come together to avert an even worse catastrophe by offering support and assistance to on-going relief efforts.
Times like this remind us of the lesson of all great faiths, including Islam — that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. In that spirit, I wish Muslims around the world a blessed month, and I look forward to again hosting an iftar dinner here at the White House. Ramadan Kareem.
Senate to vote on debt deal at noon tomorrow!
Tuesday, August 2 , 2011
All Times Eastern
7:00 AM
8:00 AM
9:00 AM
9:15 AM
The President meets with the AFL-CIO Executive Committee.
East Room
Closed Press
10:00 AM
10:30 AM
The President receives the presidential daily briefing.
Oval Office
Closed Press
11:00 AM
The President meets with senior advisers.
Oval Office
Closed Press
12:00 PM
12:15 PM
The President delivers a statement to the press
Rose Garden
Open Press
1:00 PM
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney briefs the press
James S. Brady Briefing Room
Open Press
2:00 PM
3:00 PM
3:15 PM
The President meets with the crew of the Space Shuttle Endeavour and the U.S. Commander of the ISS Expedition 26.
Oval Office
Closed Press
4:00 PM
4:30 PM
The President meets with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.
Oval Office
Closed Press
5:00 PM
6:00 PM
7:00 PM
8:00 PM
9:00 PM
10:00 PM
August 2, 2011
WhiteHouse.gov http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
12:15 PM EDT
The President delivers a statement to the press
Rose Garden
1:00 PM EDT
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney briefs the press
1:00 PM EDT
Call for Questions & Input: The President’s Council on Jobs Session
—-
CNN http://live.cnn.com
9:30 AM EDT
The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan. Witnesses include Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn III and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. James Cartwright
9:30 AM EDT
U.S. Senate: Debt Ceiling Debate
10:00 AM EDT
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee: Enhancing Reactor Safety
10:00 AM EDT
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee: Health Overhaul
10:00 AM EDT
Housing reform hearing
CorTrust Bank CEO Jack Hopkins and Faith Schwartz of the Independent Community Bankers of America testify before a Senate committee hearing on housing finance reform.
12:00 PM EDT
U.S. Senate: Final Vote on Debt Ceiling Agreement
12:15 PM EDT
The President delivers a statement to the press
Rose Garden
1:00 PM EDT
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney briefs the press
2:00 PM EDT
Uganda hearing
A House subcommittee looks at hydrocephalus treatment in Uganda.
—-
CSPAN http://www.cspan.org/
9:30 AM EDT
The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan. Witnesses include Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn III and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. James Cartwright
9:30 AM EDT
U.S. Senate: Debt Ceiling Debate
10:00 AM EDT
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee: Enhancing Reactor Safety http://www.cspan.org/Events/Senate-Committee-Considers-Nuclear-Plant-Safety/10737423212/
10:00 AM EDT
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee: Health Overhaul http://www.cspan.org/Events/States-Monitor-Insurance-Premium-Hikes-Under-New-Health-Care-Law/10737423223/
10:00 AM EDT
Housing reform hearing
CorTrust Bank CEO Jack Hopkins and Faith Schwartz of the Independent Community Bankers of America testify before a Senate committee hearing on housing finance reform.
12:00 PM EDT
U.S. Senate: Final Vote on Debt Ceiling Agreement http://www.cspan.org/Events/Senate-To-Vote-on-Debt-Ceiling-Plan-at-Noon-ET/10737423213/
12:15 PM EDT
The President delivers a statement to the press http://www.cspan.org/Events/Senate-Passes-Debt-Ceiling-Bill-74-26/10737423213-6/
1:00 PM EDT
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney briefs the press http://www.cspan.org/Events/Senate-Passes-Debt-Ceiling-Bill-74-26/10737423213-6/
2:00 PM EDT
Uganda hearing
A House subcommittee looks at hydrocephalus treatment in Uganda. http://www.cspan.org/Events/Reps-Hear-About-Innovative-Treatment-for-Hydrocephalus/10737423217/
—
Department of Defense http://www.pentagonchannel.mil
9:30 AM EDT
The Senate Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan. Witnesses include Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn III and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. James Cartwright
Call for Questions & Input: The President’s Council on Jobs Session in Palo Alto, CA
Posted by Aneesh Chopra on August 01, 2011
On Tuesday, the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness is holding the next in a series of Listening and Action Sessions to get input on how the public and private sectors can come together to foster opportunity and promote job creation for startups and high growth businesses. We want to hear from you.
I’ll be joining Jobs Council Members Steve Case, John Doerr, Sheryl Sandberg, as well as Netflix CEO Reed Hastings on a panel moderated by the Editor-in-Chief of Wired Magazine Chris Anderson. The panel will focus on issues that impact entrepreneurs and high growth businesses, as well the importance of innovation, entrepreneurship and high growth companies to our economy. During the Session, Council members will respond to questions and comments from people across the country submitted via LinkedIn and Facebook.
Add your voice to the dialogue by sending us your questions and comments:
Right now, you can post your questions and comments on the White House LinkedIn group. Here’s what we’re looking for:
* What questions do you have for Steve Case, John Doerr, Reed Hastings and Sheryl Sandberg about accelerating growth and job creation for innovative companies?
* What policy recommendations would you want them to consider for their report to the President?
* What are some of the obstacles you’re facing with regard to your workforce and finding talent?
* What have you found to be successful practices in hiring and managing your workforce
Watch live on Tuesday, August 2nd at 1:00 p.m. ET/ 10:00 a.m PT on http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
Submit questions in real-time through the White House Live Facebook application.
This session is part of a series of regional Council Listening and Action Sessions that are taking place around the country as a result of the President’s challenge to the Council to bring new voices to the table and ensure that everyone can participate and inform the Council’s work and recommendations. We look forward to hearing from you.
Infographic on the debt agreement from Obama 2012:
From the Barack Obama Twitter feed:
This balanced approach includes asking special interests and the wealthiest Americans to share in the sacrifice of future cuts.
The debt agreement also creates a bipartisan committee to keep working on a balanced approach to reducing our deficit.
As it makes tough cuts, the debt agreement also protects critical investments in education, job creation, Social Security, and Medicare.
The debt agreement makes a significant down payment to reduce the deficit—finding savings in both defense and domestic spending.
By raising the debt limit until 2013, the debt agreement removes uncertainty that’s been dampening economic growth.
http://twitter.com/#!/BARACKOBAMA
Secretary Gary Locke Resigns and Becomes the Next U.S. Ambassador to China and Acting Deputy Secretary Dr. Rebecca M. Blank Assumes Role of Acting Commerce Secretary
Submitted on August 1, 2011 – commerce.gov
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke formally resigned today and was sworn-in by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as the next U.S. Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China. Dr. Rebecca M. Blank, Acting Deputy Secretary of the Commerce Department, will serve as Acting Commerce Secretary. Blank has served as Acting Deputy Secretary since November 2010.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime serving as Commerce Secretary for President Obama. I’m proud of the men and women with whom I had the privilege to work and the tremendous accomplishments we’ve made together in the last 28 months,” Ambassador Locke said.
“From increasing U.S. exports and reducing patent application wait times, to creating the foundation for a national smart grid and taking an important first step to reform the export control system, we have helped create jobs, lay the foundation for future economic growth and made American companies more innovative at home and more competitive abroad. And we did all of this while making the Commerce Department more efficient and responsive to its stakeholders,” Locke noted, citing the 2010 Census in particular.
For the entire article: http://www.commerce.gov/blog/2011/08/01/secretary-gary-locke-resigns-and-becomes-next-us-ambassador-china-and-acting-deputy-
Good Tuesday morning everyone! I HOPE that you have a good day!
Good morning CR and everyone. HOPE you all have a great Tuesday.
Please join me in lighting a candle. The President needs all the help he can get.
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=PBO
Good Tuesday morning and thank you Jackie!
Getting the facts on the Debt Limit – treasury.gov
Debt Limit
The debt limit is the total amount of money that the United States government is authorized to borrow to meet its existing legal obligations, including Social Security and Medicare benefits, military salaries, interest on the national debt, tax refunds, and other payments. The debt limit does not authorize new spending commitments. It simply allows the government to finance existing legal obligations that Congresses and presidents of both parties have made in the past.
Failing to increase the debt limit would have catastrophic economic consequences. It would cause the government to default on its legal obligations – an unprecedented event in American history. That would precipitate another financial crisis and threaten the jobs and savings of everyday Americans – putting the United States right back in a deep economic hole, just as the country is recovering from the recent recession.
MYTH: If Congress fails to increase the debt limit, the consequences would not be any worse than the effects of a government shutdown
MYTH: Raising the debt limit increases the federal government’s obligations.
MYTH: If Congress simply enacted the House Republican Budget Resolution that Representative Paul Ryan proposed, there would be no need to increase the debt limit.
MYTH: If Congress and the Administration would just cut spending then they wouldn’t need to increase the debt limit.
MYTH: Passing legislation to “prioritize” payments on the national debt above other legal obligations would allow the government to avoid a default without increasing the debt limit.
MYTH: The Treasury Department can simply continually push back the date it hits the debt limit.
For the entire article: http://www.treasury.gov/initiatives/Pages/debtlimit.aspx
Obama administration sues to block Alabama immigration law
By James Vicini and Jeremy Pelofsky | Reuters – 14 hrs ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration on Monday sued to block enforcement of Alabama’s new immigration law, widely considered to be the toughest measure in the United States to try to crack down on illegal immigrants.
The law, known as H.B. 56, was signed by Republican Governor Robert Bentley in June and is due to take effect on September 1. Civil rights groups brought a separate lawsuit challenging the law about a month ago.
“If allowed to go into effect, H.B. 56′s enforcement scheme will conflict with and undermine the federal government’s careful balance of immigration enforcement priorities and objectives,” administration lawyers said in the lawsuit filed in federal court.
“The scheme will cause the detention and harassment of authorized visitors, immigrants, and citizens who do not have or carry identification documents specified by the statute, or who otherwise will be swept into the ambit of H.B. 56′s enforcement-at-all-costs approach,” the lawsuit said.
The administration, which sought an injunction to block the law from taking effect, argued that the U.S. Constitution bars the state from adopting its own immigration regime that interferes with the federal immigration system. There are an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States.
Conservatives have complained that the Obama administration has failed to sufficiently stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the country. Attempts to overhaul federal immigration policy have gone nowhere in the U.S. Congress.
For the entire article: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-administration-sues-block-alabama-immigration-law-211623335.html
Joe Biden, Mitch McConnell and the making of a debt deal
8/2/11 By GLENN THRUSH & CARRIE BUDOFF BROWN & MANU RAJU & JOHN BRESNAHAN – POLITICO
He had given away his demand for a clean increase in the debt limit. He had given up on tax hikes on the rich and closing corporate loopholes. He had even given away billions in cuts to domestic programs close to his heart.
But by 4 p.m. Sunday — two days before the country would plunge into default — President Barack Obama drew the line against congressional Republicans who wanted assurances that defense spending would be cut less than many other programs.
“We just can’t give there,” Vice President Joe Biden, Obama’s chief emissary to the Hill in the budget negotiations, pointedly told House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).
With that, a grim Obama contemplated the unthinkable: pulling the plug on a deal and precipitating a global economic crisis. Huddled in the Oval Office, the president and his top aides proceeded to discuss how Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner might step out later that night and prepare the country for the inevitable market crash.
Then, almost as abruptly, the compromise started coming together. What happened during a weekend of frenzied negotiations to salvage the deal is a tale of cataclysm narrowly averted, a historic debt-reduction plan that satisfies none of its signatories and a lesson on how even the most dysfunctional political system can be made functional through the injection of fear, finesse and Joe Biden’s old friendships.
For the entire article: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/60463.html
Next Up…
12:00 PM EDT
U.S. Senate: Final Vote on Debt Ceiling Agreement
CNN http://live.cnn.com
CSPAN http://www.cspan.org/Live-Video/C-SPAN2/
Senate passes the Debt Ceiling bill 74 – 26
Next Up…
12:15 PM EDT
The President delivers a statement to the press
Rose Garden
WhiteHouse.gov http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
CNN http://live.cnn.com
CSPAN http://www.cspan.org/Events/Senate-Passes-Debt-Ceiling-Bill-74-26/10737423213-6/
August 02, 2011
Statement by the President
Rose Garden
1:06 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everybody. Congress has now approved a compromise to reduce the deficit and avert a default that would have devastated our economy. It was a long and contentious debate. And I want to thank the American people for keeping up the pressure on their elected officials to put politics aside and work together for the good of the country.
This compromise guarantees more than $2 trillion in deficit reduction. It’s an important first step to ensuring that as a nation we live within our means. Yet it also allows us to keep making key investments in things like education and research that lead to new jobs, and assures that we’re not cutting too abruptly while the economy is still fragile.
This is, however, just the first step. This compromise requires that both parties work together on a larger plan to cut the deficit, which is important for the long-term health of our economy. And since you can’t close the deficit with just spending cuts, we’ll need a balanced approach where everything is on the table. Yes, that means making some adjustments to protect health care programs like Medicare so they’re there for future generations. It also means reforming our tax code so that the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations pay their fair share. And it means getting rid of taxpayer subsidies to oil and gas companies, and tax loopholes that help billionaires pay a lower tax rate than teachers and nurses.
I’ve said it before; I will say it again: We can’t balance the budget on the backs of the very people who have borne the biggest brunt of this recession. We can’t make it tougher for young people to go to college, or ask seniors to pay more for health care, or ask scientists to give up on promising medical research because we couldn’t close a tax shelter for the most fortunate among us. Everyone is going to have to chip in. It’s only fair. That’s the principle I’ll be fighting for during the next phase of this process.
And in the coming months, I’ll continue also to fight for what the American people care most about: new jobs, higher wages and faster economic growth. While Washington has been absorbed in this debate about deficits, people across the country are asking what we can do to help the father looking for work. What are we going to do for the single mom who’s seen her hours cut back at the hospital? What are we going to do to make it easier for businesses to put up that “now hiring” sign?
That’s part of the reason that people are so frustrated with what’s been going on in this town. In the last few months, the economy has already had to absorb an earthquake in Japan, the economic headwinds coming from Europe, the Arab Spring and the [rise] in oil prices — all of which have been very challenging for the recovery. But these are things we couldn’t control. Our economy didn’t need Washington to come along with a manufactured crisis to make things worse. That was in our hands. It’s pretty likely that the uncertainty surrounding the raising of the debt ceiling — for both businesses and consumers — has been unsettling, and just one more impediment to the full recovery that we need. And it was something that we could have avoided entirely.
For the entire article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/08/02/statement-president
Good morning/afternoon, O’family!
Believe the debt deal vote in the Senate is happening now, then we will hear from the President. I’m going to mute CNN until I see the President walk to his podium!
Then this latest “crisis” pushed by the Republicans will be off the table for a while. Maybe Democrats can get back to thinking about how they can get President Obama re-elected, which is the only way we can get good things done for our country.
Good Tuesday morning Ms O’Boomer!
Hi, CR! I’m vowing not to use the word “deal” any more, as I did here earlier this morning! Please excuse my rant below.
No problems Ms O’Boomer! Just so glad that there is a temorary fix and that it can be tweeked later.
How the plan works
8/2/11 AP, New York Times
The debt-limit passed by the House and awaiting approval by the Senate and the President would raise the nation’s debt ceiling by up to $2.4 trillion, which would be offset by equal or grater spending cuts.’
Debit-limit hike
$400 billion increase now
$500 billion more this fall
$1.2 to 1.5 trillion more by next year
Spending cuts
$917 billion cut over 10 years starting Oct 1
$1.2 to 1.5 trillion over 10 years cut by Dec 23
Timetable and details
Immediately: Raise debt limit by $400 billion
Oct 1: Begin caps by spending that will reduce deficit by $900 billion over 10 years
This fall: Obama can order another $500 billion debt-limit increase
Unless House and Senate override him by veto-proof margin
By Nov 23: House-Senate committee identifies $1.2 trillion to $1.5 trillion in cuts or new revenue
By Dec 23: Congress must cote to enact committee plan with now amendment or delays, or else the White House budget office imposes across-the-board spending cuts.
Before Dec 31: Both houses of Congress must vote on a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget.
Next year: Debit limit could be raised $1.2 trillion to $1.5 trillion if an equal amount of spending cuts are approved, or if Congress passes and sends to states a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget.
Good Tuesday CR and all friends! Just waiting for PBO to speak now…
They are showing the podium!
>^..^<
Here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
Good Tuesday morning Kat
CBO ANALYSIS OF AUGUST 1 BUDGET CONTROL ACT
AUGUST 1, 2011
Letter to the Honorable John Boehner and the Honorable Harry Reid
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated the impact on the deficit of the Budget Control Act of 2011, as posted on the Web site of the House Committee on Rules on August 1, 2011. The legislation would:
Establish caps on discretionary spending through 2021;
Allow for certain amounts of additional spending for “program integrity” initiatives aimed at reducing the amount of improper benefit payments;
Make changes to the Pell Grant and student loan programs;
Require that the House of Representatives and the Senate vote on a joint resolution proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution;
Establish a procedure to increase the debt limit by $400 billion initially and procedures that would allow the limit to be raised further in two additional steps, for a cumulative increase of between $2.1 trillion and $2.4 trillion;
Reinstate and modify certain budget process rules;
Create a Congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to propose further deficit reduction, with a stated goal of achieving at least $1.5 trillion in budgetary savings over 10 years;
and
Establish automatic procedures for reducing spending by as much as $1.2 trillion if legislation originating with the new joint select committee does not achieve such savings.
If appropriations in the next 10 years are equal to the caps on discretionary spending and the maximum amount of funding is provided for the program integrity initiatives, CBO estimates that the legislation—apart from the provisions related to the joint select committee—would reduce budget deficits by $917 billion between 2012 and 2021. In addition, legislation originating with the joint select committee, or the automatic reductions in spending that would occur in the absence of such legislation, would reduce deficits by at least $1.2 trillion over the 10-year period. Therefore, the deficit reduction stemming from this legislation would total at least $2.1 trillion over the 2012–2021 period.
Those amounts are relative to CBO’s March 2011 baseline adjusted for subsequent appropriation action. CBO has also calculated the net budgetary impact if discretionary savings are measured relative to its January baseline projections. Relative to that baseline, CBO estimates that the legislation would reduce budget deficits by at least $2.3 trillion between 2012 and 2021.
http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=12357
Thank you, President Obama, for all you do for the American people!
As I watched the TV just now (on mute), awaiting the President’s remarks, I was struck not only by the dumbing down of some of our countryfolk by the media and Republicans and people who only care about their wealth, but also by the cheapening of our political process. While that isn’t new, it’s getting more appalling by the day. I hereby vow to do everything in my power to get President Obama re-elected in 2012.
Media coverage (the few minutes I allowed myself) of today’s vote further uncovered:
1. Banners at the bottom of the teevee screen that read “Debt Deal Passed” show us this is all a game to the media. Is the name of important future legislation – signed by the President of the United States – going to be stuff like “Debt Deal of 2011″ or “Appropriations Deal of 2011″? This isn’t Let’s Make a Deal, but that’s what is being fed to the public.
2. The faces of CNN media jackals made me cringe too much, so I switched to MSNBC (on mute). So far, they’ve interviewed Michael Steele and Lindsay Graham. Oh, and the guffaws from and smiling faces of Andrea Mitchell and Friar Tuck Chuck Todd make me realize once again that they think THEY had something to do with what happened in Congress on this issue. As though THEY negotiated with the White House or THEY voted on the bill in the House or Senate. As though THEY are responsible for anything that gets done within our government. Cringe!
Please excuse my rant. I will go back to acting like an adult now!
Next Up….
WhiteHouse.gov http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
1:00 PM EDT
Call for Questions & Input: The President’s Council on Jobs Session
Wonderful, clear remarks by our President!
Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!
President Obama keeps his eye on:
*Increasing jobs in America
* Increasing American export products
* Increasing the American workers job skills
* Increasing America’s students ability to compete on the global market
* Increasing projects that help to fuel American innovation of technologically advanced and greener products
It’s clear to anybody who wants to see it who is focused on solving America’s problems, building up the country and giving our citizens real freedom and opportunity, and who is just playing games, kicking the can down the road, not caring how they harm the United States as long as they glean a talking point to use against this great President!
State and Local Officials Speak Out on Bipartisan Compromise
Posted by Cecilia Muñoz on August 02, 2011
Over the past 24 hours state and local officials from across the country have spoken out about the bipartisan compromise:
Los Angeles, California Mayor and President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Antonio Villaraigosa
California State Assembly Speaker John Pérez
San Francisco, California Mayor Ed Lee
Orlando, Florida Mayor Buddy Dyer
Tallahassee, Florida Mayor John Marks
Louisville, Kentucky Mayor Greg Fischer
Maine House Democratic Leader Emily Ann Cain
Maine State Representative Peggy Rotundo
North Dakota State Senator Tim Mathern
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Mayor Michael Nutter
Texas State Representative Garnett Coleman
Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire
Seattle, Washington Mayor Mike McGinn
For the entire article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/08/02/state-and-local-officials-speak-out-bipartisan-compromise
FAA partial shutdown must end, says Obama
8/2/11 By JENNIFER EPSTEIN – POLITICO
With the stalemate over the debt ceiling finally resolved, President Barack Obama called on Congress to end another impasse – the one that is keeping the Federal Aviation Administration in a partial shutdown.
“There’s another stalemate in Congress right now involving our aviation industry which has stalled airport construction projects all around the country and put the jobs of tens of thousands of construction workers and others at risk — because of politics,” Obama said during his Rose Garden speech after the compromise bill to raise the debt ceiling won final approval in the Senate.
“It’s another Washington-inflicted wound on America, and Congress needs to break that impasse now — hopefully before the Senate adjourns — so these folks can get back to work,” the president said.
The agency’s operating authority ended during the last week of July, with only air traffic controllers staying on the job, and disagreements between the Republican majority in the House and the Democratic majority in the Senate have kept it stalled.
But soon after Obama spoke, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) pledged to work to resolve the impasse, telling reporters that if Senate Democrats aren’t able to pass their own FAA bill, they will give into House demands and vote on a bill that includes cuts to FAA spending.
For the entire article: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0811/60531.html
Rick Perry’s ‘truly bizarre’ speech: Was he drunk?
Oct 31, 2011 By The Week’s Editorial Staff – The Week
A Friday speech that is charitably being called “passionate” raises new doubts about the Texas governor’s presidential viability
The video: Texas Gov. Rick Perry raised some eyebrows — and questions about his sobriety — with an unusually expressive speech to a conservative group in Manchester, N.H., on Friday. In the speech, Perry ditched his typically reserved style and instead employed “the sort of tics, facial contortions, mimes, and muggings that one would expect from a comic performer,” says Thomas Lane at Talking Points Memo. The media scuttlebutt is largely based on an anonymously posted YouTube compilation of “highlights” from the speech (watch the clip below), but even some in attendance were perplexed. “It was different,” Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas told The Huffington Post. Another GOP operative said it reminded him of Democrat Howard Dean’s race-ending “scream” in 2004. Perry’s campaign’s response? The speech simply proves that Perry is “passionate about the issues he talks about.”
The reaction: Perry’s performance was “truly bizarre,” says Libby Spencer at The Impolitic. “He comes off as pretty well drunk. Or drugged.” Yes, and though it’s not a crime to be “pretty publicly lit,” it’s almost certainly bad politics for a presidential hopeful, says Andrew Sullivan at The Daily Beast. Well, I doubt he’s drunk, says Josh Feldman at Mediaite. But his exuberance is “fun to watch.” I bet “Alec Baldwin will appreciate the material for his next Perry impersonation. Look, “we’re not saying that he’s definitely drunk,” says Max Read at Gawker, “we’re just saying, watch the whole thing” and judge for yourself.
———–
Is Rick Perry drunk??? Full Cornerstone speech
Uploaded by LoopyRick420 on Oct 29, 2011
Rick Perry speaks at Cornerstone Action’s Annual Fundraising Dinner and Awards Gala in Manchester, New Hampshire, on October 28, 2011.
Lawyer: Cain May Have Violated Confidentiality Of Harassment Settlement
11/1/11 by LIZ HALLORAN – NPR
The lawyer for a woman who settled a sexual harassment complaint against Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain in the late 1990s says that Cain may have violated the confidentiality terms of the agreement by commenting on its specifics over the past 24 hours.
“Herman Cain and others have already disclosed that there was a confidential settlement,” says Joel P. Bennett, a Washington-based attorney specializing in employment law, who also represented the woman when she negotiated her settlement.
Two women, including Bennett’s client, settled sexual harassment complaints against Cain when they worked for him during his late-1990s tenure as head of the National Restaurant Association.
The revelations were first contained in a story in Politico; Bennett declined to confirm the identity of his client.
“I don’t know if she’ll ever go public,” he said Tuesday.
Cain may have waived the confidentiality requirements by talking publicly about the settlement, including disclosing details of the agreement, Bennett told NPR. That could potentially free up his client, as well as a second woman who settled a similar complaint, to speak publicly.
Cain, in television interviews Monday and during a speaking engagement, first denied knowledge of any settlements. Later in the day, he acknowledged the existence of the agreements, suggested one may have included two or three months pay, and also disparaged the work performance of one of the claimants as “not up to par.”
For the entire article: http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2011/11/01/141907744/lawyer-cain-may-have-violated-confidentiality-of-harassment-settlement
Accuser attorney: Settlement dated 9/99, Kilgore signed
11/4/11 By JONATHAN MARTIN – POLITICO
Joel Bennett, the attorney for one of the women who complained about Herman Cain at the National Restaurant Association said Friday that his client’s settlement was dated in September of 1999 and signed by the trade group’s general counsel but not Cain.
Cain had already left the organization by then, before his three-year term was up, as my colleagues reported last night.
That the settlement was signed by the restaurant association’s counsel, Peter Kilgore, illustrates just how central he is in the allegations against Cain. As Vogel, Haberman and Burns reported last night, Kilgore was made aware by an association board member about the claim by a second woman that Cain made a sexual overture to her. Kilgore, according to sources, also looked into the charges of this woman. Citing a policy about not discussing personnel, Kilgore has remained mum since POLITICO broke the story on Sunday night.
Bennett has requested that the association free his client, the first woman, from her non-disclosure agreement and let her speak. Bennett suggested that his client would not delve deeply into details, but would push back against the claims by Cain in recent days that her charges were “baseless.” The attorney has requested an answer by this afternoon from the association about whether his client will be allowed to issue a statement.
POLITICO reported yesterday that Bennett’s client received a payout of about $45,000 in signing the settlement.
The Nation: Is Ryan A Warrior For The Wealthy?
10/27/11 by ARI BERMAN- NPR
Ari Berman is a contributing writer for The Nationand an Investigative Journalism Fellow at The Nation Institute.
The Washington Post’s Greg Sargent does a great job of dismantling Paul Ryan’s new speech at the Heritage Foundation, where the Wisconsin congressman absurdly accused President Obama of “sowing social unrest and class resentment.”
Lest there be any doubt, Ryan should now be regarded as a first-rate demagogue and class warrior for the wealthy, rather than the deep thinker behind the intellectual resurgence of the GOP.
Ryan’s speech, however, is sure to get a lot of coverage in Washington. After all, he’s now considered a very serious person inside the Beltway, willing to take “bold” and “courageous” unpopular positions. As I wrote in my recent piece, “How The Austerity Class Rules Washington,” Ryan largely owes his rise to the so-called centrist deficit hawks in DC, who’ve validated his radical policy prescriptions.
Here’s the relevant section from my post:
The unholy alliance between the austerity class and supply-side conservatives, who talk a good game about deficits but in fact care principally about cutting taxes and government spending, has shifted the debate over the economy and the deficit far to the right since Obama took office. By promoting an age of austerity, the deficit hawks have enhanced the power of “starve the beast” conservatives like Grover Norquist, whose goal for years has been to shred the New Deal. The austerity class’s infatuation with Representative Paul Ryan is a prime example of this addled love affair.
In 2008, when Ryan introduced his radical budget road map—which called for turning Medicare into a voucher system, privatizing Social Security and redistributing income upward by drastically cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans and largest corporations—MacGuineas praised his “tremendous courage and leadership.” When Ryan reintroduced his plan in 2010, the CRFB lauded his “thoughtfulness and courage.” The CRFB failed to mention that Ryan’s plan would increase the deficit, from a debt-to-GDP ratio of 60 percent in 2010 to 175 percent by 2050. “Paul Ryan added a huge amount to the deficit,” says John Irons, policy director at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). “To call that even remotely fiscally responsible was not a correct analysis. It’s almost as if they said, We don’t care what your plan does—as long as you talk tough on deficits we’re going to support you.”
For the entire article: http://www.npr.org/2011/10/27/141755330/the-nation-is-ryan-a-warrior-for-the-wealthy
Why 2012 is about tax cuts for the wealthy
11/2/11 By Suzy Khimm – washingtonpost
Now that we’ve heard from the number-crunchers on Rick Perry’s tax plan, how does it stack up against Herman Cain’s? As expected, Perry’s plan leaves the poor and middle-class with more after-tax income, while Cain’s plan is significantly more regressive—it leaves everyone earning under $100,000 with less after-tax income, according to the Tax Policy Center. But both plans would leave wealthy Americans—particularly those earning $500,000 or more—with a lot more after-tax income income, with rich Americans benefiting slightly more under Perry than Cain.
Here’s a chart showing how much income Americans in different economic classes would have after taxes, if the Perry and Cain plans were enacted:
The graph above also includes Tax Policy Center’s analysis of how President Obama’s American Jobs Act would impact U.S. households, which incorporates both the sweeping payroll tax cuts and the tax increases on the wealthy that are used to pay for them. It’s not Obama’s full tax reform plan, so it’s not meant to be an apples-to-apples comparison. But it’s one indication of the stark differences between Republicans and Democrats in terms of tax policy.
For the entire article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/why-2012-is-about-tax-cuts-for-the-wealthy/2011/11/01/gIQAuUuKdM_blog.html#pagebreak
Paul Ryan Mis-Reads Catholic Teachings To Defend ‘Immoral’ Budget
Published on Apr 27, 2012 by politicalarticles
*********************
THIS POST IS NOW CLOSED
NBLB Come on over to my newest post
titled: “STEM Economics & Statistics ”
**********************
To get to newest post click on “HOME” at the top of the page and click on the title of the newest post