Creating a judicial pool for the 21st Century, one with intellect, fair-mindedness and integrity that resembles the nation that it serves, is a top priority for President Obama and his administration. In fact, the President’s nominations for federal judges embody an unprecedented commitment to expanding the racial, gender and experiential diversity of the men and women who enforce our laws and deliver justice.
Hon. Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice
confirmation date: 8/6/2009
Hon. Elena Kagan, Associate Justice
confirmation date: 8/7/2010
Unfortunately, the delays these nominees are encountering on Capitol Hill are equally unprecedented: earlier this month, the Senate left for its August recess without considering 20 eminently qualified candidates, 16 of whom had passed through the bipartisan Senate Judiciary Committee completely unopposed, a development the Washington Post called “not only frustrating but also destructive” in an editorial published yesterday.
The victims of these delays, of course, are the American citizens who are being denied the fair and timely judicial proceedings they deserve because of the chronic shortage of federal judges on the bench. Stephen Zack, president of the American Bar Association, told Senate leaders in a recent letter that the abundance of vacant federal judgeships “create strains that will inevitably reduce the quality of our justice system and erode public confidence in the ability of the courts to vindicate constitutional rights or render fair and timely decisions.”
.
<strong>Senate approves New Jersey judge for appeals court</strong>
4/9/13 By HENRY C. JACKSON | Associated Press – 3 hrs ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Tuesday confirmed New Jersey judge Patty Shwartz to serve on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, giving her a lifetime appointment to the Philadelphia-based court.
Shwartz was confirmed by a vote of 64-34, with most Republicans opposing her nomination. The 3rd Circuit handles cases from Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania and can sometimes be the last stop before the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Senate’s confirmation came after Shwartz’s nomination was at first held up by a Democrat, New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez.
Menendez initially said he wasn’t satisfied by Shwartz’s answers to several legal questions. After he met with Shwartz earlier this year, Menendez lifted his hold and said he was satisfied with her answers.
“I’ve always taken the role of advice and consent for judicial nominations very seriously … appointments to the federal bench are lifetime appointments,” Menendez said on Tuesday.
Menendez and Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Va., the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke in support of Shwarz on the Senate floor.
“Judged on her qualifications and her record, Judge Patty Shwartz should be confirmed by an overwhelming bipartisan vote,” Leahy said.
But many Republicans opposed her nomination, some citing her performance during a committee hearing about her nomination. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said he opposed Shwartz’s nomination because of what he called a “lack of candor” during the panel.
“I was unable to make the determination that she is prepared to be a circuit court judge,” said Grassley, the ranking Republican the Senate Judiciary Committee. “I share doubts raised regarding her limited knowledge of constitutional law, misapplication of standards of review, and inadequate understanding of substantive areas of the law.”
Shwartz is currently a magistrate judge for U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and an adjunct law professor. She previously worked in the U.S. attorney’s office in New Jersey.
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There will still be 14 other judicial nominees awaiting floor votes. Of these 14, 13 were approved by the Judiciary Committee unanimously, and five nominees would fill judicial emergencies. They have been waiting on the Senate floor for an average of 67 days for a vote. That’s nearly twice as long as President Bush’s judicial nominees.
Friday, January 6, 2012
All Times Eastern
7:00 AM
8:00 AM
9:00 AM
9:50 AM
President Obama and Vice President Biden receive the presidential daily briefing.
Oval Office
Closed Press
10:00 AM
11:00 AM
11:40 AM
President Obama delivers brief remarks at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, DC, Washington
Pooled Press
12:00 PM
12:15 PM
President Obama has lunch with winners of a campaign contest.
Travel Pool Spray
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
January 6, 2012
WhiteHouse.gov http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
11:40 AM EST
President Obama Speaks at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Washington, DC (Audio Only)
2:00 PM EST
Commerce Secretary Bryson Speaks to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
Washington, DC
—-
CNN http://live.cnn.com
11:40 AM EST
President Obama delivers brief remarks at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
—-
CSPAN http://www.cspan.org/
11:40 AM EST
President Obama delivers brief remarks at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
12:25 PM EST
House Democrats on Payroll Tax Cut Extension http://www.c-span.org/Events/House-Dems-Discuss-Payroll-Tax-Conference-Committee/10737426896/
12:30 PM EST
State Department briefing
The State Department holds its daily briefing with reporters. Topics expected to be discussed include the crisis in Syria and the Iran standoff.
Congress’ Record Judicial Delays
INFOGRAPHIC: Record Judicial Diversity, Record Judicial Delays
Posted by Colleen Curtis on August 18, 2011 at 06:33 PM EST
Creating a judicial pool for the 21st Century, one with intellect, fair-mindedness and integrity that resembles the nation that it serves, is a top priority for President Obama and his administration. In fact, the President’s nominations for federal judges embody an unprecedented commitment to expanding the racial, gender and experiential diversity of the men and women who enforce our laws and deliver justice.
Unfortunately, the delays these nominees are encountering on Capitol Hill are equally unprecedented: earlier this month, the Senate left for its August recess without considering 20 eminently qualified candidates, 16 of whom had passed through the bipartisan Senate Judiciary Committee completely unopposed, a development the Washington Post called “not only frustrating but also destructive” in an editorial published yesterday.
The victims of these delays, of course, are the American citizens who are being denied the fair and timely judicial proceedings they deserve because of the chronic shortage of federal judges on the bench. Stephen Zack, president of the American Bar Association, told Senate leaders in a recent letter that the abundance of vacant federal judgeships “create strains that will inevitably reduce the quality of our justice system and erode public confidence in the ability of the courts to vindicate constitutional rights or render fair and timely decisions.”
To better understand how the Senate delays are impacting American families and businesses, take a look at our infographic that explains the confirmation process and highlights the bottleneck.
For the graph: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/08/18/infographic-record-judicial-diversity-record-judicial-delays
Times: ABA cool on judicial picks
11/28/11 By MATT NEGRIN – POLITICO
The New York Times’s Charlie Savage reports that the ABA has “secretly” determined that some of the people President Obama wanted to nominate as judges haven’t been qualified. And of that group, “nearly all” were women or minorities, too:
The White House has chosen not to nominate any person the bar association deemed unqualified, so their identities and negative ratings have not been made public. But the association’s judicial vetting committee has opposed 14 of the roughly 185 potential nominees the administration asked it to evaluate, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The number of Obama prospects deemed “not qualified” already exceeds the total number opposed by the group during the eight-year administrations of Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush; the rejection rate is more than three and a half times as high as it was under either of the previous two presidencies, documents and interviews show. …
Administration officials are perplexed about the reasons for some of the low ratings, and in discussions with bar panel leaders, they have expressed growing frustrations, people familiar with those conversations said. In particular, they have questioned whether the panelists — many of whom are litigators — place too much value on courtroom experience at the expense of lawyers who pursued career paths less likely to involve trials, like government lawyers and law professors. …
“Although we may not agree with all of their ratings,” Ms. Ruemmler said, “we respect and value their historical role in evaluating judicial candidates. The president remains committed to addressing the judicial vacancy crisis with urgency and with qualified candidates who bring a diverse range of experience to the bench.”
Judicial Wars Flare As Senate Blocks Obama Nominee http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2011/12/06/143221121/the-judicial-wars-flare-as-the-senate-blocks-an-obama-nominee
Statement by the President on Republican Filibuster of Caitlin Halligan http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/12/06/statement-president-republican-filibuster-caitlin-halligan
Judicial System Continues to Fall Victim to Republican Obstruction http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/12/07/judicial-system-continues-fall-victim-republican-obstruction
Republicans block Department of Justice nominee http://propresobama.org/2011/05/09/whitehouse-govhispanic/#comment-41671
Senate conservatives asked Boehner to block Obama appointments
Source: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0511/55723.html
Could it be that the ABA panel are comprised of right-wingers? Hum?
Falling Off a Cliff
Judicial Confirmation Rates Have Nosedived in the Obama Presidency
July 30, 2010 By Ian Millhiser – americanprogress
Judicial confirmations slowed to a trickle on the day President Barack Obama took office. Filibusters, anonymous holds, and other obstructionary tactics have become the rule. Uncontroversial nominees wait months for a floor vote, and even district court nominees—low-ranking judges whose confirmations have never been controversial in the past—are routinely filibustered into oblivion. Nominations grind to a halt in many cases even after the Senate Judiciary Committee has unanimously endorsed a nominee.
Such tactics are completely unprecedented, and so are their results. Fewer than 43 percent of President Obama’s judicial nominees have so far been confirmed, while past presidents have enjoyed confirmation rates as high as 93 percent. And President Obama’s nominees have been confirmed at a much slower rate than those of his predecessor—nearly 87 percent of President George W. Bush’s judicial nominees were confirmed.
The data could not be any clearer. As Figure 1 shows, judicial confirmations have fallen off a cliff since President Obama took office.
The Obama administration’s judicial nomination rates are exceptionally low.
American presidents for more than three decades have enjoyed judicial confirmation rates near or above 80 percent. This pattern persists across both Democratic and Republican administrations, and it includes presidents who presided over a period of unified government (Jimmy Carter), presidents whose party did not at any point control the Senate during their presidency (George Bush I), and presidents who saw the Senate change hands during their presidency (Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and George Bush II).
President Obama’s 42.8 percent confirmation rate is only slightly more than half of President George H.W. Bush’s 79.3 percent, even though President Bush presided over a period of divided government while Obama has thus far enjoyed unified governance.
Indeed, Obama’s confirmation rates are even lower than those during the very unusual 107th Congress when President George W. Bush’s transition period was cut short, in part because the Supreme Court did not hand down its Bush v. Gore decision until mid-December, thus limiting the time he had to plan for judicial confirmations. Congress also changed from Republican to Democratic control partway through the 107th Congress, further delaying routine business as the Senate completed administrative tasks associated with its transition. Nevertheless, fully 52 percent of President Bush’s nominees had been confirmed at this point in his presidency—nine percentage points higher than Obama’s 42.8 percent confirmation rate.
For the entire article: http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/07/judicial_confirmations.html
Obama’s Judicial Nominees Face Slowed Confirmation Process
7/22/12 Nina Totenberg – npr
We are all used to judicial nomination fights, but what has been remarkable in the Obama administration has been the molasses-like confirmation process for noncontroversial nominees, especially federal district court nominees.
The numbers tell the story. If there is no agreement to hold a vote, it takes 60 votes to “invoke cloture” and vote up or down on a nominee. Only one of President Clinton’s district court nominees faced sufficient stalling that a cloture vote was filed to force a vote. Similarly, during the George W. Bush administration, there was only one cloture petition filed to force a vote on a district court nominee.
But during the Obama administration, so far, there have been 21 cloture petitions filed to force votes on 21 district court judicial nominees. All of these nominees were subsequently confirmed, most of them with fewer than a half-dozen no votes.
On Monday, the Senate is scheduled to hold a cloture vote on the nomination of Michael Shipp, a federal magistrate judge in New Jersey, nominated for a district judgeship and reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee by a 17-to-1 vote three months ago.
Since then, Republicans have refused to agree to a vote on his nomination. So Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid filed a cloture petition to force a vote. Democrats are still holding out hope that Senate Minority Leader McConnell, R-Ky., will agree to a vote, as he has when push has come to shove in some other similar cases.
Federal district court judges are the workhorses of the federal judiciary. They are the trial judges, and they typically have heavy workloads.
At the moment, though, those workloads are even higher than usual because of a large number of vacancies , many of them in areas of the country that are designated as judicial emergencies by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
Even in the last few decades, as judicial nominations have became more and more the focus of partisan controversy, district court nominees remained largely immune.
During the Obama administration, however, district court nominees, though largely uncontroversial, have been drawn into the web of partisan stalling.
There are currently 21 federal judicial nominees pending before the Senate. Four are uncontroversial appeals court nominees reported out of committee months ago. Seventeen are district court nominees.
The Senate is rapidly approaching the point past which it generally does not consider controversial judicial nominations. Usually, in a presidential election year, the Senate wraps up action on appellate nominations before the August recess.
District court nominations, however, usually keep moving, in part because they are such an essential part of the nation’s legal machinery. In 2008, for instance, the Democratically controlled Senate confirmed 10 Bush district court nominees in late September.
In the current environment, however, past is rarely prologue.
January 03, 2013
President Obama Re-nominates Thirty-Three to Federal Judgeships
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, President Obama re-nominated thirty-three individuals who he previously nominated for federal judgeships in the 112th Congress.
“Today, I am re-nominating thirty-three highly qualified candidates for the federal bench, including many who could have and should have been confirmed before the Senate adjourned,” said President Obama. “Several have been awaiting a vote for more than six months, even though they all enjoy bipartisan support. I continue to be grateful for their willingness to serve and remain confident that they will apply the law with the utmost impartiality and integrity. I urge the Senate to consider and confirm these nominees without delay, so all Americans can have equal and timely access to justice.”
For the entire article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/01/03/president-obama-re-nominates-thirty-three-federal-judgeships
Senate Delays Negatively Impacting our Judicial System
Colleen Curtis March 05, 2013 11:45 AM EST
Ed note: The information on this graphic was updated on March 4, 2013
In his briefing today, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney talked about Caitlin Halligan, who was nominated by President Obama to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Ms. Halligan, who has bipartisan support from lawyers and law enforcement, was put forward for this position in 2011.
Mr. Carney said there will be a cloture vote on the nomination of Caitlin Halligan tomorrow, 726 days after her nomination, and strongly urged the Senate to support an up-or-down vote for this well-qualified nominee. “When Republicans filibustered her nomination in 2011, several of them hung their objections – not on her qualifications or her judicial philosophy – but on the DC Circuit workload. In essence, they didn’t object to her as a judge, just that the seat did not need to be filled. But since then, there has been an additional vacancy, leaving the court with four vacancies (36 percent vacant) – in fact, the court has never been this understaffed in history, with 188 cases pending.”
Ms. Halligan is not President Obama’s only judicial nominee suffering endless delays for a vote. As the infographic below highlights:
* 78 percent of President Obama’s circuit court judges have waited more than 100 days for a vote, compared to 15 of President Bush’s nominees.
* This obstruction also applies to President Obama’s district court nominees. 42 percent of our district court judges have waited more than 100 days for a vote, compared to 8 of President Bush’s nominees.
* Further, the average wait time for our judicial nominees to get a vote on the floor of the Senate – both for the circuit court and the district court – is 3-4 times as long as those of our predecessor.
For more: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/03/05/senate-delays-impacting-our-judicial-system
How to block a presidency
Mar 29, 2013 11:20 AM EDT By Steve Benen – maddowblog
The New York Times editorial board tackles one of my favorite subjects today, reflecting on Senate filibuster abuses, but while the piece gets everything right, it probably doesn’t go quite far enough.
From there, the Times’ editorial board runs through a list that will probably be familiar to Maddow Blog readers: filibusters of cabinet nominees for the first time in American history, holds on key nominees for petty reasons, using the confirmation process as part larger legislative extortion strategies, blocking judicial nominations at farcical levels, etc.
All of this is entirely accurate, and to my mind, incredibly important. But there’s a larger point that’s often overlooked: Obama’s Republican opponents are using obstructionist tactics to block key parts of the Obama presidency itself.
Senate Republicans, for example, blocked Caitlin Halligan’s D.C. Circuit nomination, which was an outrageous move on its own. But as Dave Weigel noted the other day, there’s an ancillary effect that’s easy to miss — the D.C. Circuit hears cases related to federal regulations, and Haley Edwards explained very well that its conservative judges have already begun chipping away at the Dodd-Frank financial regulatory-reform law.
For more: http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/03/29/17517563-how-to-block-a-presidency?lite
Currently there are 202 of President Obama’s Nominees that are still pending approval:
1- VP Chairperson, Board of Directors of the Fed Deposit Insurance Corp
2- US Marshals
34 – US District Judges
12- US Circuit Judges
1- US Attorney
1 – US Alternate Executive Director
5 – Under Secretaries
1- Secretary of the Air Force
1- Representative of US on Economic & Social Council of the UN
1 – Public Printer
59- Members of various Councils and Boards
1- Librarian of Congress
3 – Judges of US Tax Court
1- Judge of US Court of Appeals Armed Forces
2 – Judges of US Court of Military Commission Review
4- Inspector Generals
1- General Counsel of the Army
2- General Counsels
6 – Directors
2- Deputy Secretaries
1 – Deputy Administrator
1- Comptroller
10 – Commissioners
3- Chiefs
2- Chairpersons
9 – Associates Judges
1- Associate Director
15 – Associate Secretaries
2- Assistant Attorney General
2 – Assistant Administrators
11- Ambassadors
1 – Alternate Rep of US to Sessions of the Gen Assembly at UN
2 – Administrators
Source: http://opendata.socrata.com/Government/Unconfirmed-nominees/95r5-3mbx
GOP candidates would cut federal judges’ power
10/24/11 By MARK SHERMAN – Associated Press | AP – 20 hrs ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — Most of the Republican presidential candidates want to wipe away lifetime tenure for federal judges, cut the budgets of courts that displease them or allow Congress to override Supreme Court rulings on constitutional issues.
Any one of those proposals would significantly undercut the independence and authority of federal judges. Many of the ideas have been advanced before in campaigns to court conservative voters.
This time, though, six of the eight GOP candidates are backing some or all of those limits on judges, even though judges appointed by Republican presidents hold a majority on the Supreme Court and throughout the federal system.
A group that works for judicial independence says the proposals would make judges “accountable to politicians, not the Constitution.”
Bert Brandenburg, executive director of the Justice at Stake Campaign, said, “Debates like these could threaten to lead to a new cycle of attempts to politicize the courts.”
Only the former governors in the race, Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Jon Huntsman of Utah, have not attacked federal judges in their campaigns.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has been the most outspoken critic of the courts. He would summon judges before Congress to explain their decisions and consider impeaching judges over their rulings.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, in his book “Fed Up,” has called for an end to lifetime tenure for federal judges and referred to the high court as “nine oligarchs in robes.”
Minnesota Rep. Michelle Bachmann, in criticizing Iowa judges who ruled same-sex marriage legal in the state, described judges as “black-robed masters.” Bachmann said Congress should prevent the courts from getting involved in the fight over same-sex marriage, among other high-profile social issues.
Texas Rep. Ron Paul has advocated cutting the jurisdiction of federal courts and has introduced a bill to that effect in the House. A judge’s violation of Paul’s proposed “We the People Act” would be “an impeachable offense.”
Paul told Iowans in March that the country ought to come up with a way for voters to remove federal judges from office, much like several states that have retention elections for state judges.
At a Tea Party forum in South Carolina in September, Republican candidate Herman Cain joined Bachmann and Gingrich in endorsing legislation that would overturn the high court’s rulings declaring that women have a constitutional right to abortion. The proposal challenges the widely held view that Congress can’t overrule the court’s constitutional holdings.
For the entire article: http://news.yahoo.com/gop-candidates-cut-federal-judges-power-131852484.html
White House Office Hours: Brian Deese Answers Your Questions on the Economy & Jobs
Posted by Kori Schulman on January 05, 2012
Tomorrow, the White House will hold a special session of “Office Hours” on Twitter moderated by Yahoo! Finance with Brian Deese, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council. Do you have questions on the economy and jobs? Ask them now using the hashtag #WHChat. On Friday, January 6th at 3:00 p.m. EST, Brain will be on the @WHLive account to answer your questions posed by the team @YahooFinance.
Here’s how White House Office Hours work:
* Ask your questions now and during the live event on Twitter with the hashtag #WHChat.
* Follow the Q&A live through the @YahooFinance and @WHLive Twitter accounts
* If you miss the live Q&A, the full session will be posted on WhiteHouse.gov and Storify.com/WhiteHouse
We hope you’ll stop by for at 3:00 p.m. EST on Friday, January 6th with Yahoo Finance! and Brian Deese. Be sure to follow @WhiteHouse on twitter for the latest news and more opportunities to engage.
West Wing Week: 1/6/12 or, “2012: The Annual Resolutions Edition”
From: whitehouse | Jan 5, 2012
Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that’s happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. This week, the President traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, to speak on appointing Richard Cordray to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which will protect families from predatory lenders, spoke on a comprehensive review of our defense strategy, and the White House staff shared its New Year’s resolutions. That’s December 30th to January 5th or “2012: The Annual Resolutions Edition.”
January 05, 2012
Readout of the Vice President’s Call with Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey
In the context of close U.S.-Turkish consultation on matters of mutual interest, Vice President Biden and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed regional issues, including political developments in Iraq, by telephone today. Following up on their conversation during the Vice President’s trip to Turkey in December, the two leaders agreed on the need to advance security, support the rule of law and encourage democracy in the region. They agreed that our two governments would remain in regular contact on these issues.
Indiana Democrats block anti-union bill a 2nd day
1/6/12 By Susan Guyett | Reuters – 11 hrs ago
INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) – Indiana Democratic legislators on Thursday delayed for a second day an anti-union bill that would make Indiana the first right-to-work state in the U.S. industrial belt.
The Indiana House of Representatives conducted no official business Thursday because it lacked a quorum, as Democrats caucused and attended committee meetings. Though Republicans have a 60-40 majority, a quorum of 67 legislators is needed to conduct official business.
Under the proposed law, employees at unionized private work places would not be required to pay union dues. Supporters say Indiana’s move would attract jobs to the Midwestern state. Critics call it union busting.
Such right-to-work laws are in force in 22 states, mostly in the South and West.
Republican Speaker Brian Bosma said he will not slow a fast-track schedule to get the legislation passed in the first few weeks of the 2012 session.
But Democratic Leader Pat Bauer said he would like to see the legislation set aside until after the next legislature is elected, since it was not an issue in the last campaigns.
Short of that unlikely scenario, Democrats have asked that additional hearings take place around the state to discuss right-to-work issues.
Bosma and bill sponsor Jerry Torr, also a Republican, said there has been enough study and testimony. More meetings allow those against the bill to import union members from other states to mount large protests, Torr said.
“It’s just a stalling tactic,” Torr said.
Democrats are moving ahead with trying to schedule hearings this weekend around the state. Bauer said that more than 50 percent of the electorate, even some of the bill’s proponents, do not understand its implications.
A joint hearing on the issue before the Indiana Legislature is scheduled to take place Friday morning.
Indiana House Democrats denied the legislature a quorum by spending five weeks in the neighboring state of Illinois last year.
Republican Bill Friend said the lack of a quorum also delays work on other issues, such as mass transit and help for families of veterans.
“This is not about one single issue,” he said, addressing a half-empty House. “We need the action of the entire body in order for this process to work.”
Good Friday morning everyone! I HOPE that you have a good day!
Unemployment rate falls as economy adds 200K jobs
1/6/12 By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER | AP – 6 mins ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — A burst of hiring in December pushed the unemployment rate to its lowest level in nearly three years, giving the economy a boost at the end of 2011.
The Labor Department says employers added a net 200,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent, the lowest since February 2009. The rate has dropped for four straight months.
The hiring gains cap a six-month stretch in which the economy generated 100,000 jobs or more in each month. That hasn’t happened since April 2006.
For all of 2011, the economy added 1.6 million jobs, better than the 940,000 added in 2010. The unemployment rate averaged 8.9 percent last year, down from 9.6 percent the previous year.
Economists forecast that the job gains will top 2.1 million this year.
It’s about time! It seems to go up very easily, but just doesn’t come down. Fabulous news.
Good morning CR and PPO family. HOPE you have a wonderful Friday.
Please join me in lighting a candle for our beloved President, First Family and the Naiton.
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=PBO
Good Friday morning and thank you Jackie!
Good Morning everybody!! Happy and Healthy New Year! 2012 is finally here. How is everybody? I am working in retail and the Holidays were very busy, now we are bracing for the returns
Not good when on commission.
Good morning Sandy. Happy to see you here!
Happy New Year Sandy!!!
HEY! * Waves*. I must add to my early comment that I am grateful to have a job (not complaining)
Romney tax plan would balloon U.S. deficit: report
By Patrick Temple-West and Kevin Drawbaugh | Reuters – 13 hrs ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. presidential hopeful Mitt Romney’s tax plan would cut revenues and increase the government’s budget deficit, while benefiting wealthy taxpayers more than others, said a report from a non-partisan think tank released on Thursday.
The Republican front-runner’s campaign responded with a defense of his plan and criticized President Barack Obama’s record on taxes, saying it has “stunted” economic growth.
The Romney plan, said tax analysts, offers a middle-of-the-road tax package – not as daring as the radical flat-tax proposals offered by some of his competitors, but conservative enough to please Republican voters.
“It is a more pragmatic plan than some of the other plans that we’ve seen,” said Clint Stretch, managing principal at Deloitte Tax LLP. “It takes some fairly orthodox, but traditional Republican positions.”
The new report from the Tax Policy Center scored Romney’s plan on its cost and effect on taxpayers at different income levels. It estimated the plan would cut federal tax revenue by $600 billion, or 16 percent, in 2015.
This estimate assumes the Bush tax cuts are allowed to expire at the end of this year, as presently planned. If the Bush tax cuts do not expire, Romney’s plan would cut revenues by $180 billion in 2015, the center said.
“A Romney administration’s revenue agenda would look a lot like President George W. Bush’s, just more so,” said Howard Gleckman, resident fellow at the center, which also has analyzed the tax plans of other Republican presidential contenders, including Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry and Herman Cain.
The report comes as conservatives have been criticizing Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, for not being bolder and clearer about how to fix a loophole-riddled tax system that falls far short of funding the government.
For the entire article: http://news.yahoo.com/romney-tax-plan-balloon-deficit-report-002130429.html
Is it possible that this group of GOP candidates combine is dumber than GW?
Obama to visit new consumer agency after using recess appointment to thwart GOP opponents
1/6/12 By Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama plans to visit the offices of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Friday and meet with the staff.
His visit comes just two days after appointing Richard Cordray to lead the watchdog agency, using a Senate recess to circumvent Republican opposition.
Later, the president will have lunch at a Washington restaurant with winners of a campaign contest.
President Obama Takes “Dinner with Barack” Contest Winners To Lunch At Scion Restaurant
JANUARY 06, 2012 obamafoodorama.blogspot
Since last summer, Obama for America has held three different sweepstakes for “Dinner with Barack,” offering what was dubbed the “rare” opportunity to dine with President Obama as a heady enticement for supporters to fill campaign coffers with donations. On Friday, the donor winners of the second contest, officially called “Dinner with Barack II,” got a bit less than the President promised: They had lunch with Mr. Obama at Scion restaurant in Washington, DC. There was no word from the White House or from OFA aides on how or why what was supposed to be dinner magically turned into lunch, but the restaurant was closed to regular customers so Campaign staff could videotape the proceedings, according to c0-owner Joanne Liu. (Above: The President with his companions at Scion, and video equipment. Winner Val Grossman is beside the President)
The event lasted a little more than an hour at the Asian-American influenced eatery in the DuPont Circle area. Deputy Campaign Press Secretary Katie Hogan told Obama Foodorama in an interview last September that the “Dinner with Barack” events would NOT be filmed to be used as campaign tools, but 6 different campaign videos were produced after the President actually ate dinner with the winners of the first “Dinner with Barack” contest in October, held at The Liberty Tavern in Arlington, VA. The President’s lunch guests at Scion all had to sign releases agreeing to be used in Campaign promotional materials in order to receive the “dinner” prize from the fundraising quarter that ended Sept. 30, 2011.
For the entire article: http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2012/01/obama-takes-dinner-with-barack-contest.html
http://t.co/o6KoFUOH
Instead, he’ll almost surely face Mitt Romney.
Mr. Romney claims that Mr. Obama has been a job destroyer, while he was a job-creating businessman. For example, he told Fox News: “This is a president who lost more jobs during his tenure than any president since Hoover. This is two million jobs that he lost as president.” He went on to declare, of his time at the private equity firm Bain Capital, “I’m very happy in my former life; we helped create over 100,000 new jobs.”
But his claims about the Obama record border on dishonesty, and his claims about his own record are well across that border.
DNC executive director on Romney’s manufacturing jobs record
January 05, 2012Posted by Elizabeth Chan – DNC.org
Don’t miss this interview with our executive director, Patrick Gaspard, who talks about Mitt Romney’s dismal jobs record as governor—during Romney’s tenure, Massachusetts lost manufacturing jobs at twice the national rate and finished 47th out of 50 in job creation.
Under President Obama, we’ve grown manufacturing jobs for the second straight year. Prior to the Obama administration, the last year the country saw manufacturing job growth was 1997. The contrast between President Obama and Mitt Romney’s records on manufacturing couldn’t be more stark.
Get the word out by passing this video along to your networks.
Great video. I never seen him on TV before, well done P.Gaspard.
The Employment Situation in December
Posted by Alan Krueger on January 06, 2012
Today’s employment report provides further evidence that the economy is continuing to heal from the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. It is critical that we continue the economic policies that are helping us to dig our way out of the deep hole that was caused by the recession that began at the end of 2007. Most importantly, we need to extend the payroll tax cut and continue to provide emergency unemployment benefits through the end of this year, and take other steps the President has proposed in the American Jobs Act.
Private sector payrolls increased by 212,000 jobs and overall payroll employment rose by 200,000 jobs in December. The unemployment rate fell 0.2 percentage point to 8.5 percent, the lowest level since February 2009. The drop in unemployment over the month was mostly due to employment growth, not lower labor force participation. The unemployment rate has fallen by 0.9 percentage point in the last 12 months. Despite adverse shocks that have created headwinds for economic growth, the economy has added private sector jobs for 22 straight months, for a total of 3.2 million payroll jobs over that period. In the last 12 months, 1.9 million private sector jobs were added on net, more than in any year since 2005. Nonetheless, we need faster growth to put even more Americans back to work.
Sectors with net job increases in December included transportation and warehousing (+50,200), health care and social assistance (+28,700), retail trade (+27,900), manufacturing (+23,000), leisure and hospitality (+21,000), and construction (+17,000). Local governments lost 14,000 jobs and state government employment was unchanged.
The monthly employment and unemployment numbers are volatile and employment estimates can be subject to substantial revision. Therefore, as the Administration always stresses, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report.
A good jobs report — and a good year
1/6/12 By Ezra Klein – washingtonpost
The December jobs report is good news. Very good news. Payrolls increased by 200,000 — and the growth was spread relatively evenly across the economy. Retail added 28,000 jobs. Manufacturing added 23,000 jobs. Transportation and warehousing added 50,000 jobs — 43,000 of them in the “couriers and messenging” subcategory, which suggests some of those gains are temporary holiday hires. Health care added 23,000 jobs. Food services added 24,000. Mining added 7,000 jobs. The only payrolls that shrunk in December were government payrolls: we lost another 12,000 public-sector jobs.
The December numbers also give us an opportunity to step back and look at 2011 as a whole. The economy gained 1.9 million private-sector jobs and lost 280,000 public-sector jobs. The unemployment rate dropped from 9 percent to 8.5 percent. U6 — the economic pain measure that combines formal unemployment, marginally attached workers, and workers who are part-time but wish to be full-time — dropped from 16.1 percent to 15.2 percent.
And, in many ways, 2011 was a better year for the economy than it seemed at the time. As more accurate data has streamed in, the Bureau of Labor Statistics have revised its estimates upwards for many months. For instance: The December jobs report is the best jobs report since September, when the economy added 210,000 jobs. But we only know that now. When the September jobs report came out, the initial data showed that we added 103,000 jobs. What seemed like a disappointment was actually a very strong month for the economy. (By the same token, the December numbers could be revised up or down in the coming mopnths.)
For the entire article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/a-good-jobs-report–and-a-good-year/2011/08/25/gIQAQqvqeP_blog.html#pagebreak
New Report: Investing in Innovation is Crucial to Economic Growth and Competitiveness
Posted by Quentin Palfrey & Brandon Belford on January 06, 2012
[Ed. Note: Watch Secretary of Commerce John Bryson unveil the report details live today from 10 am - noon]
Today, the Commerce Department and the White House sent to Congress the Administration’s plan on The Competitiveness and Innovative Capacity of the United States, fulfilling an important requirement under the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 which President Obama signed into law one year ago this month.
As the report emphasizes, innovation has been a key driver of U.S. prosperity and competitiveness throughout our history. Government investments in the building blocks of innovation – basic research, education, and infrastructure – have helped fuel and sustain the ingenuity of the inventors and innovators. Innovation-based economic growth has brought us higher paying, higher quality jobs as well as improved health and quality of life. Federally-supported research has led to world-changing advancements in a variety of fields, including laying the groundwork for the integrated circuit and computer industry; the Internet; advances in chemicals, agriculture, and medical science; and GPS. Millions of workers can trace their industries and companies back to technological breakthroughs funded by the Federal government.
In the 20th century, our schools turned out high school and college graduates at a higher rate than anywhere else in the world, creating a highly-skilled workforce and boosting innovation. And Federal infrastructure investments helped electrify the country, make clean water widely available, make air travel more affordable, and construct an interstate highway system. These developments helped businesses compete by opening up new markets to sell their products and services, while keeping costs low.
For the entire article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/01/06/new-report-investing-innovation-crucial-economic-growth-and-competitiveness
America’s Ideas to Support Entrepreneurship in Education, Energy, and Health Care
Posted by Aneesh Chopra on January 06, 2012 at 09:56 AM EST
In December, the Obama Administration announced the Startup America Policy Challenge to identify high-impact ideas to support entrepreneurship in areas of national interest: education, energy, and health care.
To kick off the challenge, Secretary Arne Duncan (Department of Education), Secretary Steven Chu (Department of Energy), and Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (Department of Health and Human Services) each asked the American public for ideas about how the U.S. government can break down barriers to entrepreneurship and enable the use of clean energy, digital learning, and health information technologies.
On Quora, a public question and answer website, I asked the America people to respond to these specific questions:
* <a href="In the U.S. education system, what can the government do to best enable the use of new learning technologies?
* In the U.S. energy system, what can the government do to best enable the use of new clean energy technologies?
* In the U.S. healthcare system, what can the government do to best enable the use of new health information technologies?
For the entire article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/01/06/america-s-ideas-support-entrepreneurship-education-energy-and-health-care
Next Up…
11:40 AM EST
President Obama Speaks at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Washington, DC
WhiteHouse.gov (Audio Only) http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
CNN http://live.cnn.com
January 06, 2012
Remarks by the President at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Washington, D.C.
12:02 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Well, it is wonderful to see all of you. I thought I would just drop by to help your new director move in. (Laughter.) He’s been a little busy. So I thought maybe some boxes, a little plant. (Laughter.)
I also just wanted to say hello to all of you who have just been doing extraordinary work in standing up what I think is going to be one of the most important agencies for people that there is. And I know that all of you have devoted enormous amounts of time and energy, and many of you are here making significant sacrifices with your families to make sure that this agency gets up and running really well. And so I just wanted to say thank you to all of you.
Let me begin by saying a few words about the latest economic news. This morning, we learned that American businesses added another 212,000 jobs last month. Altogether, more private sector jobs were created in 2011 than any year since 2005. And there are a lot of people that are still — (applause) — there are a lot of people that are still hurting out there. After losing more than 8 million jobs in the recession, obviously we have a lot more work to do. But it is important for the American people to recognize that we’ve now added 3.2 million new private sector jobs over the last 22 months — nearly 2 million jobs last year alone. So after shedding jobs for more than a decade, our manufacturing sector is also adding jobs two years in a row now. So we’re making progress. We’re moving in the right direction.
And one of the reasons for this is the tax cut for working Americans that we put in place last year. And when Congress returns, they should extend the middle-class tax cut for all of this year, to make sure that we keep this recovery going. It’s the right thing to do. There should not be delay. There should not be a lot of drama. We should get it done.
And the American people I think rightly understand that there are still a lot of struggles that people are going through out there. A lot of families are still having a tough time. A lot of small businesses are still having a tough time. But we’re starting to rebound. We’re moving in the right direction. We have made real progress. Now is not the time to stop. So I would urge Congress to make sure that they stay on top of their jobs to make sure that everybody else is able to enjoy hopefully an even more robust recovery in 2012.
For the entire article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/01/06/remarks-president-consumer-financial-protection-bureau
Richard Cordray wants to hear from you
Posted by Katelyn Sabochik on January 06, 2012 at 12:06 PM EST
Earlier this week, President Obama appointed Richard Cordray to be the new director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The CFPB is new organization with one important mission: fighting for American families. The folks at the CFPB go into the office every day to make sure that credit cards, mortgages, and loans work better for the people who use them.
On Thursday, Mr. Cordray put out a special video and sent an email to the CFPB email list asking the American people to share their stories about your experiences with everyday consumer financial products like credit cards, mortgage agreements and loans.
Check out the video and email below and then head over to ConsumerFinance.gov to share your story. Tell us your story at https://help.consumerfinance.gov/app/tellyourstory
For the entire article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/01/06/richard-cordray-wants-hear-you
Next Up…
2:00 PM EST
Commerce Secretary Bryson Speaks to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
Washington, DC
WhiteHouse.gov http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
Video to follow
Obama administration defends healthcare law in Supreme Court brief
By Sam Baker – 01/06/12 TheHill
The Obama administration defended its healthcare reform law Friday, arguing that the Supreme Court would have to break with clear precedent to strike down the law’s insurance mandate.
The Justice Department submitted its first brief on the merits of whether the individual mandate is constitutional. The court will hear oral arguments in March and is widely expected to issue a ruling this summer.
The arguments in Friday’s brief are largely similar to the approach the Justice Department has taken in lower courts. The brief says the mandate is an acceptable use of Congress’s taxing power and defends the policy under the Constitution’s Commerce Clause.
The tax argument has failed in every lower court, but senior administration officials said they still believe in it.
“There’s no hiding of the ball here,” one official said. “This is front and center.”
The healthcare law requires almost all Americans to either purchase insurance or pay a penalty, which the Justice Department defines as a tax. But lower courts have said the mandate’s purpose is clearly to get people to buy insurance, and Democrats claimed repeatedly during the healthcare debate that the penalty is not a tax.
Administration officials also said they haven’t changed their answer on the key question of how far Congress’s power extends. Even some judges who have upheld the mandate have been concerned about the lack of a “limiting principle” — a clear example of where the power to require a specific purchase would stop.
Administration officials insisted that they do not need to define a limit in their briefs. The mandate falls within the bounds of the Commerce Clause, they said, so the limits in the text of the Constitution and previous Supreme Court cases don’t need to change.
“All the limits are satisfied here, and the fact [they are] satisfied here has no bearing on whether someone could dream up some way they could be satisfied in some hypothetical situation,” an administration official said.
Joining Forces with the NCAA
From: whitehouse | Jan 6, 2012 | 302 views
First Lady Michelle Obama and NCAA President Mark Emmert speak on the national initiative Joining Forces, which mobilizes all sectors of society to give our service members and their families the opportunities and support they deserve. http://joiningforces.gov
January 06, 2012
Statement by the President on the Celebration of Coptic Christmas
Michelle and I wish Coptic Orthodox Christians in the United States and around the world a blessed and joyous Christmas. On this special day, we give thanks for the extraordinary contributions that Coptic Christians have made to the United States. I want to reaffirm the commitment of the United States to work for the protection of Christian and other religious minorities around the world. As events in Egypt and elsewhere have illustrated, and as history repeatedly reminds us, freedom of religion, the protection of people of all faiths, and the ability to worship as you choose are critical to a peaceful, inclusive and thriving society. In this Christmas season, we join our Coptic brothers and sisters around the globe in prayers for peace.
January 06, 2012
Readout of the President’s Call with King Abdullah of Jordan
President Obama spoke with King Abdullah of Jordan by phone earlier today and congratulated him on Jordan’s role in convening the meetings between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators earlier this week in Amman. The two leaders expressed their shared goal of achieving a comprehensive and lasting peace in the region and promised to stay in touch in the coming weeks on this and other issues of mutual concern.
January 06, 2012
Readout of the Vice President’s Call with the Prime Minister of Kuwait
Vice President Biden spoke by phone today with His Excellency Prime Minister Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah of Kuwait. The Vice President congratulated the Prime Minister on his recent appointment to that office. The leaders affirmed the close bilateral relations between the two countries and discussed a range of regional issues. The Vice President reaffirmed the strong U.S. commitment to the security of the region and of our partners.
Justice Department Announces Major Step Forward to Combat Rape
Posted by Lynn Rosenthal on January 6, 2012 at 9:56 AM EST
For many rape survivors, today is an important day. It means that the devastating violence they suffered will now be counted in this nation’s crime statistics. Attorney General Holder announced today that the FBI will be changing the definition of rape used to collect data from local law enforcement about these crimes. This data is published in the Uniform Crime Report and is the nation’s main source of information about crime trends.
The definition of rape used to compile these crime statistics has not been revised since 1927. Revisions are long overdue and welcomed by law enforcement officials and victim advocates. The definition will now include rapes committed against men, as well as a broader range of sexual acts. The new language also removes “forcible” from the definition of rape. These changes mean that rapes that are already being reported to local law enforcement will now be included in our nation’s crime data.
Changing this definition is about more than statistics – it’s about the women and men behind the statistics and what happened to them. It’s about how we view rape and how seriously we take this crime. The act of rape causes intense physical and emotional suffering. Rape victims are much more likely to need mental health services, to attempt suicide, and to face ongoing health problems than those who have not experienced this type of crime. When victims are suffering so greatly yet are invisible in our crime data, it limits our ability to fully understand the extent of the problem.
Improving our nation’s response to rape and sexual violence has long been a priority for Vice President Biden and the White House Council on Women and Girls. Early in the Administration, the Vice President convened federal agencies to assess trends and identify gaps in our response to violence and abuse. We identified data collection as one of the biggest challenges we face in understanding and combatting these crime. Thanks to the hard work of the Attorney General Holder, the FBI, law enforcement leaders, and the women’s organizations who have long advocated for this change, we are one step further towards meeting that challenge.
U.S. plans to ease immigration process for some families
1/6/12 By Roberta Rampton | Reuters – 39 mins ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The government said on Friday it plans to reduce the time that U.S. citizens are separated from spouses and children who have been in the country illegally and who are forced to leave for as long as 10 years while their visa requests are processed.
The move drew immediate praise from Hispanic groups, a key constituency for President Barack Obama in the 2012 election year.
“The purpose of the new process is to reduce the time that U.S. families remain separated while their relative proceeds through the immigrant visa process,” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said in its announcement.
Democrats and Republicans have said Hispanic voters could decide the 2012 election. Latino groups have been disappointed in Obama’s lack of progress on immigration reform and have disapproved of a stepped-up deportation program.
The largest Hispanic civil rights group in the United States called the current system “unconscionable” and praised the plan.
“This sensible and compassionate proposal helps bring much-needed sanity to an often senseless process,” said Janet Murguía, president of National Council of La Raza.
A group that works with Arab immigrants said the changes would help thousands of families who are kept apart because of the current process.
“The modifications … are an important and humane first step toward alleviating that pain and suffering,” said Nadia Tonova, director for the National Network for Arab American Communities.
The changes will not take effect for months. First, the government needs to propose a detailed rule and then it will take public comments, the USCIS said.
Saturday, January 7 , 2012
All Times Eastern
President Obama receives the presidential daily briefing
7:00 AM
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January 7, 2012
WhiteHouse.gov http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
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CNN http://live.cnn.com
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CSPAN http://www.cspan.org/
Hello CR and friends. I am estatic about all of the good news happening. PBO and his administration have worked so hard against all of the hateful republican obstruction, and we all deserve this good news, even if it is short-lived. If this good news continues, this the republican platform will be completely destroyed.
Hello COS! I second your statement!
President Obama has a Lesser Depression that he is trying to pull America out of (the other leaders are also dealing with the Lesser Depression). PBO is also dealing with a gridlocked Congress and a GOP that is also trying to gridlock his efforts but yet because of the steps taken by PBO the US economy is slowly getting back on it’s feet.
Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
The White House
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Hello, everybody.
This week, I traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, to talk with folks about the biggest challenge we face as a country – rebuilding our economy so that, once again, hard work pays off, responsibility is rewarded, and anyone, regardless of who they are or where they come from, can make it if they try. That’s the economy America deserves. That’s the economy I’m fighting every day to build.
Now, to get there, the most important thing we need to do is get more Americans back to work. And over the past three years, we’ve made steady progress. We just learned that our economy added 212,000 private sector jobs in December. After losing more than 8 million jobs in the recession, we’ve added more than 3 million private sector jobs over the past 22 months. And we’re starting 2012 with manufacturing on the rise and the American auto industry on the mend.
We’re heading in the rightdirection. And we’re not going to let up. On Wednesday the White House will host a forum called “Insourcing American Jobs.” We’ll hear from business leaders who are bringing jobs back home and see how we can help other businesses follow their lead.
Because this is a make or break moment for the middle class and all those working to get there. We’ve got to keep at it. We’ve got to keep creating jobs. And we’ve got to keep rebuilding our economy so that everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share – and everyone plays by the same rules. We can’t go back to the days when the financial system was stacking the deck against ordinary Americans. To me, that’s not an option. Not after all we’ve been through.
That’s why I appointed Richard Cordray as our nation’s new consumer watchdog this week. Richard’s job is simple: to look out for you. Every day, his sole mission is to protect consumers from potential abuses by the financial industry and to make sure that you’ve got all the transparent information you need to make the important financial decisions in your lives.
I nominated Richard for this job last summer. And yet, Republicans in the Senate kept blocking his confirmation – not because they objected to him, but because they wanted to weaken his agency. That made no sense. Every day we waited was a day you and consumers all across the country were at greater financial risk.
So this year, I’m going to keep doing whatever it takes to move this economy forward and to make sure that middle class families regain the security they’ve lost over the past decade. That’s my New Year’s resolution to all of you. Thank you, and have a great weekend.
Good Saturday morning everyone! I HOPE that you have a good day!
Unemployment Dips to 8.5%, but How Is Overall U.S. Recovery Going?
1/6/12 PBSnewshour
JEFFREY BROWN: The U.S. economy added more than 200,000 jobs last month, beating expectations and raising hopes that a stronger recovery might be under way.
Spurred by a surge in hiring in December, the nation ended 2011 with a jobs report that had the best numbers seen in some time, among them, the unemployment rate down to 8.5 percent, the lowest in nearly three years, and falling for the fourth consecutive month.
The economy has now added 100,000 jobs or more for each of the last six months. That hasn’t happened since April 2006. And the drop in the jobless rate came from new hires, not discouraged workers giving up the job hunt.
For President Obama, it was welcome relief. He spoke today at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: After losing more than eight million jobs in the recession, obviously we have a lot more work to do. But it is important for the American people to recognize that we’ve now added 3.2 million new private sector jobs over the last 22 months — nearly two million jobs last year alone.
JEFFREY BROWN: Republican House Speaker John Boehner released a statement calling it good news, but, he noted, “Today marks the 35th consecutive month of unemployment above 8 percent, and too many Americans continue to struggle to find their next job.”
The president also today called on Congress to extend the payroll tax cut for the rest of 2012 to help the recovery maintain momentum by bolstering spending and putting some of the 13 million Americans who remain unemployed back to work.
And some parsing of the numbers now from Diane Swonk, senior managing director and chief economist for Mesirow Financial, a diversified financial services firm based in Chicago, and Mark Vitner, managing director and senior economist with Wells Fargo, where he tracks U.S. and regional economic trends.
Diane Swonk, let’s start with — focus on the positive signs in today’s report. This was better than expected. Where was the hiring coming from?
DIANE SWONK, Mesirow Financial Holdings, Inc.: Well, we saw broad gains in a lot of different places. Some of the biggest gains were in things like transportation.
It wasn’t just those free shipping that we saw out there. We actually saw a lot of couriers and messengers being used by corporate America that were loosening their coffers on those — all that cash they have on their balance sheets.
We also saw a lot of hiring in the food and hotel industry, the entertainment industry — again, corporations returning to all of that kind of holiday spending they once did, entertaining their clients and their workers. So those people who are working got a few more holiday parties this holiday season.
For the entire article: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/business/jan-june12/jobs_01-06.html
Good Saturday morning CR and everyone! HOPE you have a great day.
Please join me in lighting a candle for our beloved President, First Family and the Nation.
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=PBO
Good Saturday morning and thank you Jackie!
Good and HOPEful Saturday CR and all friends!
>^..^<
Great thread topic, too.
Good and HOPEful Saturday Kat!
Taxpayers owe $385 billion in 2006 taxes: IRS
1/7/12 Ian Simpson – Reuters – 52 mins ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. taxpayers owe an estimated $385 billion in unpaid taxes for 2006, up about a third from the “tax gap” five years before, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said.
Despite the wider shortfall between 2001 and 2006, voluntary compliance remained steady at about 83 percent for both years, the agency said on Friday in its five-year update on the amount of taxes that are never paid.
“On a relative basis, the tax gap is largely in line with the growth in total tax liabilities,” the IRS said in a statement.
“In addition, some growth in the tax gap estimate is attributed to better data and improved estimation methods.”
The gross tax gap, or the amount that was not paid on time, was estimated at $450 billion in 2006, up from $345 billion in 2001.
The net tax gap, or the amount that was never paid, was $385 billion in 2006, compared with $290 billion five years before, the tax agency said.
Most of the wider tax gap over the five years was concentrated in underreporting and underpayment. The non-filing portion was largely unchanged.
Underreporting climbed to $376 billion from $285 billion, and more than a third of the growth was from corporate income taxes.
Underreporting on corporate income taxes more than doubled to $67 billion, the IRS said.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
All Times Eastern
President Obama receives the presidential daily briefing
7:00 AM
8:00 AM
9:00 AM
10:00 AM
11:00 AM
12:00 PM
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January 8, 2012
WhiteHouse.gov http://www.whitehouse.gov/live
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CNN http://live.cnn.com
9:30 PM EST
Rep. Giffords Attends Candlelight Vigil on Shooting Anniversary
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CSPAN http://www.cspan.org/
9:30 PM EST
Rep. Giffords Attends Candlelight Vigil on Shooting Anniversary http://www.c-span.org/Events/Rep-Giffords-Attends-Candlelight-Vigil-on-Shooting-Anniversary/10737426906/
New Hampshire debate dominates Sunday shows
1/6/12 By ZACK HALE – POLITICO44
(Democratic excerpts only)
Center stage on this Sunday’s television talk shows is a special edition of NBC’s “Meet the Press,” which is joining Facebook to host the last Republican presidential debate before Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary…
Fox will feature as well its own debate between the national party chairs: Republican Reince Priebus and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.).
And CNN also has House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.); former New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu, who’s supporting former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for president; and former Rep. Bob Walker (R-Pa.), who’s aligned with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.).
Meanwhile, George Stephanopoulos, the new host of ABC’s “This Week,” debuts with President Barack Obama’s longtime political counselor, David Axelrod, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who unsuccessfully sought the Republican presidential nomination in 2008.
CBS’s “Face the Nation” focuses on the president’s new plan for a leaner, less costly military with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey…
And, finally, TV One’s “Washington Watch” visits with Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele.
For the entire article: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71168.html
GOP debate comedy:
Mitt Romney just said John Adams wrote the Constitution!!!
Ha! Crazy palinism speak!
Remembering January 8th’ Community Events
Arizona.edu
Sunday, January 8, 2012 at 7 a.m.
“Remembering January 8th” is a community-wide effort that will commemorate the first anniversary of the tragic day in 2011 when U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) and 18 other people were shot during a public event held at a Tucson shopping center. Six of the shooting victims died that day. This year, in order to honor Tucson’s response in the aftermath of this tragedy, many community and grassroots organizations have come together to provide a variety of commemorative events that will take place throughout January 2012.
RememberingJanuary8.org is the public’s source for information regarding these ongoing events throughout Tucson. This website also allows visitors to submit related events and share personal stories about the impact of January 8th on their lives.
The events scheduled for Jan. 8 include:
7 a.m. | Ben’s Bells Distribution
Hundreds of Ben’s Bells will be randomly distributed throughout Tucson in memory of those we lost on January 8th, 2011, and in gratitude for our beautifully supportive community. Location: Ben’s Bells Main Gate, 816 E. University Blvd. Contact: 520-628-2829.
10 a.m.-5 p.m. | A Day of Kindness at the Children’s Museum Tucson
Join Ben’s Bells at the Children’s Museum Tucson For a Day of Kindness. Ben’s Bells invites families to gather to sign the Kindness Contract, to paint Kindness Coins and to hang Kindness Wishes in the trees at the Museum. The Museum will serve as a gathering point for families to celebrate the kindness in our community. Location: Children’s Museum Tucson. Contact: 520-792-9985 (Children’s Museum), 520-628-2829 (Ben’s Bells).
1 p.m. | “We Remember, We Celebrate, We Believe” Interfaith Service
All faith communities in Tucson are invited to join in commemoration of both the tragedy and the triumph of Jan. 8, 2011. The service will consist of prayer, music, reflections, dance and the participation of those attending. The service will include Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Baha’i and Sikh traditions of prayer. Location: St. Augustine Cathedral, 192 S. Stone Ave.
3 p.m. | Reflections: Honoring the lives of January 8 shooting victims
A series of talks reflecting on the lives of Congresswoman Giffords and those who were killed on Jan. 8. Speakers include: Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo. (for Congresswoman Giffords), U.S. District Judge Raner Collins (John Roll, chief judge of the U.S. District of Arizona), for Arizona State University President Lattie Coor (for Gabe Zimmerman), Serenity Hammerich (for Christina-Taylor Green), Giffords’ staffer Ron Barber (for Dorwan Stoddard), classical music (for Phyllis Schneck). Location: Centennial Hall, University of Arizona, 1020 E. University Blvd.
6:30 p.m. | Candlelight Vigil on University of Arizona Mall
TheTucson Symphony Orchestra will perform, and confirmed speakers include Tucson Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, Giffords’ surgeon Dr. Peter Rhee of The University of Arizona Medical Center and Giffords’ husband Mark Kelly.
More events are listed on the RememberingJanuary8 website.
Oh my gosh. Has it been one year. These sound like very good events.
I send a prayer to all of those affected.
JANUARY 08, 2012
President Obama Calls Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Marks Anniversary Of Attack At Tucson Safeway
1/8/12 obamafoodorama
Tucson, Arizona is today marking the one-year anniversary of the shooting attack on Jan. 8, 2011 that profoundly wounded US Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and 12 others, and killed six citizens, including a nine-year-old girl and a federal judge. President Obama today reached out to Giffords, phoning her to “offer his support in advance of the candlelight vigil commemorating the anniversary of the tragic shooting,” the White House said in a readout of the call.
The attack from a lone gunman occurred in the parking lot of a Safeway supermarket in La Toscana Village as Giffords was holding a “Congress on Your Corner” event. She visited this morning for the first time since the attack, according to her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly.
“The President told Rep. Giffords that he and the First Lady keep her, the families of the fallen, and the whole Tucson community in their daily thoughts and prayers and, along with the entire nation, continue to join her in mourning those lost,” the White House said.
“The President expressed amazement at the courage and determination Rep. Giffords has shown along her incredible road to recovery, calling her an inspiration to his family and Americans across the country.”
For the entire article: http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2012/01/president-obama-calls-rep-gabrielle.html
Good Sunday morning everyone. I HOPE that you have a good day.
Good and HOPEful Sunday, CR and all friends!
>^..^<
Good and HOPEful Sunday Kat
Pirate Capture Shows U.S. Commitment to Free Seas, Leaders Say
Jan. 7, 2012 By Karen Parrish – American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON– The U.S. Navy’s Jan. 5 capture of 15 suspected pirates in the northern Arabian Sea demonstrates the Defense Department’s commitment to maritime freedom of navigation, DOD’s senior leaders said yesterday.
During a taped interview with Bob Schieffer for the CBS news program “Face the Nation,” Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Joint Chiefs Chairman Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey noted the pirates capture represents a routine U.S. Navy mission.
At about 12:30 p.m. local time on Jan. 5, an SH-60S Seahawk from the guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd, part of the USS John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group, detected a suspected pirate skiff alongside the Iranian-flagged fishing boat, Al Molai. The master of the Al Molai sent a distress call about the same time reporting pirates were holding him captive.
A visit, board, search and seizure team from the Kidd boarded the dhow, a traditional Arabian sailing vessel, and detained 15 suspected pirates who had been holding a 13-member Iranian crew hostage for several weeks. The Al Molai had been pirated and used as a “mother ship” for pirate operations throughout the Persian Gulf, members of the Iranian vessel’s crew reported.
Dempsey told Schieffer U.S. sailors responded “as we do to calls of distress. We protect freedom of the seas, freedom of navigation.
“We … recaptured the ship, took the pirates into custody, and returned the ship to Iranian control,” he added.
The suspected pirates did not oppose boarding of the Iranian-flagged ship, and no injuries were reported in the incident, the chairman noted.
For the entire article: http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=66710
Well done, U.S. Navy!
Please join me in lighting a candle for our beloved President, First Family and the Naiton.
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=PBO
Done! 18 now.
9:30 PM EST
Rep. Giffords Attends Candlelight Vigil on Shooting Anniversary
CSPAN http://www.c-span.org/Events/Rep-Giffords-Attends-Candlelight-Vigil-on-Shooting-Anniversary/10737426906/
Giffords Attends Tucson Vigil
Published on Jan 9, 2012 by AssociatedPress
U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords led the pledge of allegiance at a memorial ceremony
A Justice Deliberates: Sotomayor On Love, Health And Family
January 12, 2013 7:00 AM by NINA TOTENBERG – NPR
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor readily concedes that she was the beneficiary of affirmative action in higher education, and she doesn’t really know why her view is so different from that of her colleague, Justice Clarence Thomas.
“As much as I know Clarence, admire him and have grown to appreciate him,” she says, “I have never ever focused on the negative of things. I always look at the positive. And I know one thing: If affirmative action opened the doors for me at Princeton, once I got in, I did the work. I proved myself worthy. So, I don’t look at how the door opened.”
Sotomayor made the remarks in an interview with NPR just before the release of her new autobiography, My Beloved World.
At Princeton, where she went to undergraduate school, there were fewer than 30 Latinos, she says, “but all of us had done spectacularly well in our high schools.” And while Sotomayor cannot explain why Thomas, the nation’s second African-American justice, feels so differently from her, she says, “I do know one thing about me: I don’t measure myself by others’ expectations or let others define my worth.”
She notes that so-called “legacy admits” at top schools — students whose parents are alumni — never question how they get into school, nor do those with sports scholarships. So, like these students, she says, she concentrated on “the benefits of education and the fact that I have taken advantage of it in a positive way.” True, she observes, youngsters who attend prep schools do better on standardized tests and usually have a leg up when they get to college. “Is that a fair advantage? No, it’s life.”
She says affirmative action, as she has seen it, is simply an attempt by schools to look “more widely” for minority students and those from poor families who have the ability to “master the environment” of a highly competitive college or university. It’s the kind of student you might find at Cardinal Spellman High School, her alma mater, in the Bronx.
For the entire aritcle and audio interview: http://www.npr.org/2013/01/14/167699633/a-justice-deliberates-sotomayor-on-love-health-and-family
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