The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 permanently protects more than 2 million acres of America’s wilderness in California, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.
This is a historic day for conservation. For years, volunteers and conservationists from coast to coast have worked tirelessly to make this happen. This is the most important lands protection legislation in decades.
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The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is a federal statute that was signed into United States law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010. This Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (signed into law on March 30, 2010) made up the health care reform of 2010. The laws focus on reform of the private health insurance market, provide better coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, improve prescription drug coverage in Medicare and extend the life of the Medicare Trust fund by at least 12 years.
PPACA passed the Senate on December 24, 2009, by a vote of 60–39 with all Democrats and Independents voting for, and all Republicans voting against. It passed the House of Representatives on March 21, 2010, by a vote of 219–212, with all 178 Republicans and 34 Democrats voting against the bill.
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The Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act of 2010 (Pub.L. 111-147, 124 Stat. 71, enacted June 2010, 03) is a law in the 111th United States Congress to provide payroll tax breaks and incentives for businesses to hire unemployed workers. Often characterized as a “jobs bill,” the Democrats in Congress insist that it is only one piece of a broader job creation legislative agenda, along with the Travel Promotion Act and other bills.
Legislative history
The Senate passed the bill on February 24, 2010 by a vote of 70-28. The House of Representatives followed on March 4, 2010, passing an amended version (in compliance with new pay-as-you-go rules) by a vote of 217-201. On March 17, the Senate agreed to the House’s amendment by a vote of 68-29, and sent the bill to President Barack Obama, who signed the bill on March 18, 2010.
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The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB) will be an independent bureau within the Federal Reserve System that will help empower consumers with the information they need to make financial decisions that are best for them and their families. Created by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act), the CFPB will work to promote fairness and transparency for mortgages, credit cards, and other consumer financial products and services. The CFPB will set and enforce clear, consistent rules that allow banks and other consumer financial services providers to compete on a level playing field and that let consumers see clearly the costs and features of products and services.
Under the Dodd-Frank Act, the Secretary of the Treasury is responsible for standing up the CFPB until a Director of the Bureau is confirmed by the Senate. President Obama has appointed Elizabeth Warren to serve as an Assistant to the President, and the Secretary of the Treasury has appointed her as a Special Advisor, responsible for overseeing the development of the CFPB. The CFPB implementation team, currently housed within the Treasury Department, is hard at work putting in place the building blocks for the Bureau.
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Feb 18, 2011 Elspeth Reeve – AtlanticWire.com
House Republicans are warning that if President Obama and Senate Democrats don’t accept their budget–which cuts $60 billion from the rest of the fiscal year–they might shut down the government. A stopgap funding measure expires on March 4. Democrats think the cuts are too steep and could threaten the economic recovery, and Obama has threatened a veto. But while the White House and Republican leadership play this high-level game of chicken, the budget has become the latest front in the the culture wars, with Republicans using an marathon session to propose to defund programs like health care reform, Planned Parenthood, public broadcasting, and the president’s Teleprompter.
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Republicans didn’t fare well during the last government shutdown, in 1995, when President Clinton’s poll numbers soared as House Speaker Newt Gingrich was blamed for the mini-crisis. But current House Speaker John Boehner says he won’t accept another stopgap if it doesn’t include big cuts, The New York Times’ David M. Herszenhorn reports. “When we say we’re going to cut spending,” Mr. Boehner declared. “Read my lips: we’re going to cut spending.” Boehner allowed lawmakers to offer hundreds of amendments to the budget bill, and they seized on the opportunity to fight some of their favorite battles in the culture war.
For the entire article: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/opinions/view/opinion/The-Budget-Battle-as-Culture-War-7029
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President Obama Announces Plan for Community-Based Conservation through the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative
EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
COUNCIL ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20503
February 16, 2011
President Barack Obama today announced the Administration’s action plan, under the America’s Great Outdoors initiative, to achieve lasting conservation of the outdoor spaces that power our nation’s economy, shape our culture, and build our outdoor traditions. This initiative seeks to reinvigorate our approach to conservation and reconnect Americans, especially young people, with the lands and waters that are used for farming and ranching, hunting and fishing, and for families to spend quality time together. Recognizing that many of these places and resources are under intense pressure, the President established the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative last April to work with the American people in developing a conservation and recreation agenda that makes sense for the 21st century.
For the entire article: http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq/Press_Releases/February_16_2011
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The Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (PAYGO, or “the Act”) is part of Public Law 111-139, enacted on February 12, 2010. Briefly, the Act requires that all new legislation changing taxes, fees, or mandatory expenditures, taken together, must not increase projected deficits. This requirement is enforced by the threat of automatic across-the-board cuts in selected mandatory programs in the event that legislation taken as a whole does not meet the PAYGO standard established by the law. PAYGO also established special scorecards and scorekeeping rules.
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The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) is a United States federal law requiring larger employers to provide employees job-protected unpaid leave due to a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform his or her job, or to care for a sick family member, or to care for a new child (including by birth, adoption or foster care). The FMLA is administered by the Wage and Hour Division of the Employment Standards Administration of the United States Department of Labor. Rep. William Ford [D-MI] sponsored the bill and President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, signed the bill into law on February 5, 1993
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Democracy is a political form of government in which governing power is derived from the people, by consensus, by direct referendum, or by means of elected representatives of the people .
The term comes from the Greek: δημοκρατία – (dēmokratía) “rule of the people”, which was coined from δῆμος (dêmos) “people” and κράτος (Kratos) “power”, in the middle of the 5th-4th century BC to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens following a popular uprising in 508 BC. Even though there is no specific, universally accepted definition of ‘democracy’, equality and freedom have been identified as important characteristics of democracy since ancient times. These principles are reflected in all citizens being equal before the law and having equal access to power.
In a democracy the poor will have more power than the rich, because there are more of them, and the will of the majority is supreme.
Aristotle
The most effective way that the common person can wield that power of numbers in a Democracy is through voting in elections.
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The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 (Pub.L. 110-28, Title VIII) is a US Act of Congress that amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 and gradually raises the federal minimum wage.
The act was a component of the new Democratic majority’s 100-Hour Plan in the United States House of Representatives. It was introduced into the House on January 5, 2007, by George Miller (D-CA) and it was passed by the House on January 10. All 233 House Democrats voted “Aye,” and 82 Republicans joined them. 116 Republican representatives voted “No,” and 4 representatives did not vote.
Source: Wikipedia
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