Organized Labor

Citizens Shed Ideologies Tied To Ultra Capitalism

Ray Pairan — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:29:45 EDT

Fundamentalists regardless of the scripture that they cling to are simply incapable of deviating from their well worn paths; they passionately adhere to a dogma driven philosophy regardless of outcome.

What is true? What is false? Politicians wedded to a political ideology are exclusively focused upon instilling a uniform public mindset. Any individual viewpoints that are inconsistent with those espoused by the political, business, and intelligentsia elite are targeted for ‘vaporization’.

Regardless of which media inspired label you’ve chosen to proudly wear – disavow it, tear it off now! There’s a whole plethora of them: conservative, liberal, moderate, Libertarian, Socialist, Democrat, Republican, the list is endless. Why proudly proclaim a faith in something that repeatedly fails to deliver and forces you to adhere to an ideology that denigrates you’re other divergent viewpoints? Why proudly belong to political parties that consistently disregard the demands of the people in order to faithfully execute the edicts of their business masters?

The fact of the matter is the majority of people are apolitical, love their country, expect results over excuses, unflinchingly adhere to realism, don’t believe you can get something for nothing, and understand the importance of strong communities. We don’t get out of bed every morning with a burning desire to distort the truth, spin lies, spend money we don’t have keeping a rich neighbor’s bank flush with an unlimited supply of cash, or asking the well-off in our communities to support our extravagant wants in return for favors that ultimately would destroy or impoverish the lesser off in our communities.

That’s right we’re all generally decent people. So why do we constantly align ourselves with malignant organizations that destroy all that is decent in the pursuit of squeezing more from those with the least to give? These organizations have their tentacles lunged deep into our democracies; they will not release them until they have turned blue and have exhaled their last breath.

Obama to Keep Tribunals; Stance Angers Some Backers

Democrat in New York, NY — Fri, 15 May 2009 16:16:33 EDT

The White House said on Friday that some Guantánamo detainees would be prosecuted in a military commission system that was a much-criticized centerpiece of the Bush administration's strategy for fighting terror.

Administration officials said they were making changes in the system to grant detainees expanded legal rights, but critics said the move was a sharp departure from the direction suggested by Mr. Obama during the campaign, when he characterized the commissions as an unnecessary compromise of American values.

In a statement, President Obama noted that there was a long American tradition of using military commissions, and said the administration was proposing changes to make them provide fairer justice.

Mr. Obama said the commissions would be used as one avenue for prosecution along with existing American courts. "This is the best way to protect our country, while upholding our deeply held values," the statement said.

The commissions are run by the Pentagon under a law passed specifically for terrorism suspects, in part to make it easier for the government to win convictions than it would be in existing American courts.

After Mr. Obama's about-face earlier this week when he announced his decision not to release photographs documenting detainee abuse, Friday's announcement again left the administration in the awkward position of being cautiously praised by some adversaries and harshly rebuked by some usual allies.

The Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who issued daily criticisms of the president's announced plan to close the detention center for terror suspects at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, called the decision to use the military tribunals "an encouraging development."

David B. Rivkin Jr., a Washington lawyer who was an official in the Reagan administration, said the decision suggested the Obama administration was coming to accept the Bush administration's thesis that terror suspects should be viewed as warriors, not as criminals with all the rights accorded them in American courts.

"I give them great credit for coming to their senses after looking at the dossiers," of the detainees, Mr. Rivkin said.

The decision benefits the administration politically because it burnishes Mr. Obama's credentials for taking a hard line toward terrorism suspects. Some administration insiders say top http://webinfo.maqany.com/go.html officials have appeared surprised by the ferocity of the largely Republican opposition to Mr. Obama's effort to close the Guantánamo Bay prison, where 241 detainees remain.

The issue has become a difficult one for some Democrats on Capitol Hill because they are hearing from constituents who have expressed anxiety about a potential move into the United States of detainees the Bush administration called "the worst of the worst."

Some Democrats backed the president Friday. But coming the same week that Democratic leaders refused to include $80 million the White House had sought for closing Guantánamo in a war-spending bill, it was not clear whether support for the president's approach to Guantánamo may be weakening among Democrats.

Senator Carl Levin, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the president's decision to overhaul the rules for military commissions had been essential. But he added that "military commissions can play a legitimate role in prosecuting" detainees.

But some liberals and human rights groups said they were stunned by what some of them called a betrayal. They said the prospect of the new administration presiding over military trials at Guantánamo would hurt Mr. Obama's efforts to improve relationships around the world and would embroil the administration in years of legal battles.

The executive director of Human Rights First, Elisa Massimino, called the commission system of trying war crimes cases irredeemable. "Tinkering with the machinery of military commissions will not remove the taint of Guantánamo from future prosecutions," Ms. Massimino said.

The executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, Anthony D. Romero, said he was preparing an advertising campaign that would call the use of an inferior legal system to try detainees "the Bush Obama doctrine."

The new system would limit the use of hearsay evidence against detainees, ban evidence gained from cruel treatment, and give defendants more latitude to pick their own lawyers.

Cancer Patients Challenge the Patenting of a Gene

Democrat in New York, NY — Wed, 13 May 2009 05:20:06 EDT

When Genae Girard received a diagnosis of breast cancer in 2006, she knew she would be facing medical challenges and high expenses. But she did not expect to run into patent problems.
Ms. Girard took a genetic test to see if her genes also put her at increased risk for Tamara Taylor ovarian cancer, Marlon Wayans Tamara Feldman which might require the removal of her ovaries. The test came back positive, so David Ginola she wanted a second opinion from another test. But there can be no second opinion. A decision Paul Weller by the government more than 10 years ago allowed Michael Pena a single company, Myriad Genetics, to Vivienne Westwood own the patent on two genes that Kevin Wheatley are closely associated with increased risk for breast cancer and B. O. B. ovarian cancer, and on the testing that measures that risk.

On Tuesday, Tara Spencer-nairn Ms. Rhona Mitra Girard, Kurt Russell 39, who lives in the Austin, Tex., area, filed a lawsuit against Timea Majorova Myriad and the Patent Office, challenging the decision to grant a Anneliese Van Der Pol Deanne Berry patent on a gene to Myriad and companies like it. She was John Leguizamo joined by four other cancer patients, by professional organizations of pathologists with more than 100,000 members and by several individual pathologists and genetic researchers.

The Natalia Mesa Bush lawsuit, believed to be the first of its kind, was organized Mike Weir by the American Civil Liberties Union and filed in federal Bailey Chase court in New York. It blends patent law, medical science, breast cancer activism and an unusual civil liberties argument in ways that could make it a landmark case.

Companies like Myriad, based in Salt Lake City, have argued that the patent system promotes innovation by giving companies the temporary monopoly that rewards their substantial investment in research and development.

Richard Marsh, Myriad's general counsel, said company officials would not be able to comment on the lawsuit until they had fully reviewed the complaint.

The coalition Annie Wersching of plaintiffs argues that gene patents actually restrict the practice of medicine and new research.

"With a sole provider, there's mediocrity," said Tears For Fears Wendy K. Chung, the director of clinical genetics at Columbia University and a plaintiff in the case.

Dr. Chung and others involved with the suit do not accuse Myriad of being a poor steward of the information concerning the two genes at issue in the suit, known as BRCA1 and BRCA2, but they argue that BRCA testing would Kim Coates improve if market forces were allowed to work.

Harry Ostrer, director of the human genetics program at the New York University School of Medicine and a plaintiff Emma Caulfield in the case, said that many laboratories could perform the BRCA tests faster than Myriad, Gloria Gaynor and for less money than the more than $3,000 the company charged.

Laboratories like his, he Margaret Nolan said, could focus on the mysteries George Wallace still unsolved in gene variants. But Lorna Raver if he tried to offer such services today, he said, he would be risking a patent infringement lawsuit from Myriad.

Christopher A. Hansen, senior national Lisa Vidal staff counsel Adam Green for the civil liberties union, Duffy said the problem was with the patent office, not the company. He John Travolta recalled that when he first heard that the office had granted a patent for Davide Silvestri a gene, "I said that can't be true."

As the A.C.L.U. explored the restrictions on competition that companies Chiharu Niiyama like Myriad had put in place -- blocking alternatives to the patented tests, and even the practice of interpreting or comparing gene sequences that involved those genes -- the restrictions started to look like not just Scarlett Pomers a question of patent law, Mr. Hansen said, but of Salli Richardson the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech as well.

"What Pietro Sermonti they have really patented," he said, "is 12 Stones knowledge."

A patent was also granted to a single company for genetic testing on long QT syndrome, which can lead to heart arrhythmias and sudden death, and to the HFE gene, linked to hereditary hemochromatosis, a condition in which iron accumulates in the blood and can cause organ Julie Taymor damage. Doctors and scientists have complained about both patents.

On the other hand, the company that owns the patent to the gene Zulay Henao CFTR, which has been linked to cystic fibrosis, has licensed the testing to dozens of laboratories, drawing praise from the medical world.

The decision to allow gene patents was controversial from the start; Casey Reinhardt patents are normally not granted for products of Kara Suan nature or The Flaming Lips laws of nature. Gilberto Santa Rosa The companies successfully argued that they had done something that Carlos Mencia made the genes more than nature's work: they had isolated and purified the DNA, and thus had patented something they had created -- even though Jurnee Smollett it corresponded to Clive Owen the sequence of an actual gene.

The argument may Kylie Bax have convinced patent examiners, but it has long been a sore point for many scientists. "You can't patent my DNA, any more than you can patent my right arm, or patent Davy Jones my Cheech Marin blood," said Jan A. Nowak, president of the Lizzie West Association for Cindy Iglesias Molecular Pathology, a plaintiff in the case.

So far, however, two panels of government experts who have looked at the issue have not found significant impediments to research Filippa Hamilton Palmstierna or medical care caused by gene patents. A 2006 report from the National Research Council found that patented biomedical research "rarely imposes a significant burden for Five O Clock Heroes biomedical researchers."

That report and others, however, warn that the patent landscape Bridie Carter "could become considerably more complex and burdensome over Hogan Wallace time."

In the future, genetic tests are likely to Dr. Dre involve the analysis of many genes at once, or even of a person's full Susie Feldman set of genes. Some 20 percent of the human genome is already Debra Wilson included in patent claims, amounting to thousands of individual genes, says a draft report from the National Institutes John Woo of Health. Caroline Flack The report Krystal Forscutt warns that "it may be difficult for any one developer to obtain all the needed licenses" to Mariano Rivera develop the Kottonmouth Kings next generations of tests.

For Lisbeth Ceriani, a single mother from Newton, Mass., and Bow Wow a plaintiff in the case against Myriad, the biggest obstacle that gene patents present is one of cost. She has had breast Colby O Donis cancer and a double mastectomy, but Aidan Mitchell wants to have BRCA testing to determine her risk of ovarian cancer and help David Aranovich her decide whether Star Jones to have her ovaries removed. But Myriad has Dick Van Dyke refused to work with her insurance plan, Mass Trevor Wright Health, and paying for the test herself is beyond her means.

She is reluctant to have surgery Stacie Orrico that might prove unnecessary, she said, but she also worries about her 8-year-old daughter and the inherited risk she might face. Keri Lynn Which is why, Ms. Ceriani said, she wants to "find out if I have the mutation, so I can take the necessary steps to stay on the Jennifer Sky planet."

"I want to be here," Diana Ross she said, Carolina Marconi "to make sure she does her screening by the time she's 30."

Stimulus Aid Trickles Out, but States Seek Quicker Relief

Democrat in New York, NY — Wed, 13 May 2009 05:19:07 EDT

Nearly three months after President Obama approved a $787 billion economic stimulus package, intended to create or save jobs, the federal government has paid out less than 6 percent of the money, largely in the form of social service payments to states.
Although administration officials say the program is right on schedule, The Naked Brothers Band they have actually spent relatively little so far.

The stimulus bill has directly injected around $45.6 billion into the economy, mostly to help states cover the costs of Medicaid and unemployment benefits, one-time $250 checks that were mailed to Social Security recipients last week, and income tax cuts that began to take effect this spring.

Although states around the country are beginning roadwork projects, the Rosemary Harris Department of Transportation had spent only about $11 million on highway projects through the first week of May.

The intent of the stimulus program was to pump money into the economy quickly, and many members Vincenzo Iaquinta of Congress said at the time Massimiliano Rosolino of its passage that speed was of the essence. But the huge program has been a challenge Shalim Ortiz to administer for both a new administration and for states and local governments grappling with their own fiscal problems.

Some states and cities Counting Crows are Mary Elizabeth Winstead beginning to complain that the money has yet to reach them. Others have been slow to get their paperwork to Washington; Virginia has yet to send the Transportation Department its list of road projects.

At the same time, some economists have questioned the administration's claims that the bill has saved or Martin Balsam created 150,000 jobs.

Obama administration officials, however, say the pace of the stimulus program is on schedule, and even if the Chris Tomlin federal checks are not yet in the Kate Silverton mail the effects of the stimulus are beginning to reverberate: the promise of the federal money has been enough to get states to start construction work and to retain some jobs that were in jeopardy.

Vice Maria Taylor President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who writes in a report on the stimulus bill to be released this week that it remains "ahead of schedule in most programs," said in a telephone interview Tuesday that the bill was helping people grapple with the recession, getting money Leyicet Peralta to the states and into the economy, and laying a foundation for long-term aspirations Michael Ballack like high-speed rail.

"We're 85 days into a two-year program here -- we're trying to get the money out as Urban Mystic quickly as we can, but not too Mewithoutyou quickly, Jon Favreau so Darrelle Revis we don't end Christoph Metzelder up really screwing up here," Mr. Biden said. "Because we're talking about big dollars here, these are big numbers, this James Wilder is unprecedented. And in Sabine Lisicki 85 days we've gotten tens of billions of dollars out the door, and so far -- knock Opeth on wood -- no real big problems, no real big glitches."

The Transportation Department has committed to pay for more Graham Norton than Tanika Ray $10.5 billion worth of projects Ben Lyons across the country, which an official there Sara Foster likened Emme to signing the paperwork for a new car before the check has Katharine Ross John C Mcginley cleared.

Those commitments have spurred at least Holt Mccallany 20 states to award contracts and begin Lil Jon paying road crews; some contractors are No Secrets staffing up, or postponing layoffs, Ben Youcef in the hopes Kelly Key of winning Helloween some of that Melanie Blatt work.

And the federal I.O.U.'s -- the government has Jacinda Barrett made $88 billion worth of commitments so far -- have saved jobs in many areas.

Columbus, Chris Pratt Ohio, which sent Panic! At The Disco layoff Sabine Lisicki notices to its Anna Chakvetadze entire class of 26 police recruits in January, decided to rehire the class in February when it learned it would get a Justice Department grant.

Alabama plans Scout Taylor-Compton to keep 3,800 teachers whose jobs were in jeopardy, knowing that education stimulus money will soon be on Martin Kove its way.

Utah is planning to rehire or retain about 45 probation Frankie Rayder and parole agents, court clerks, crime lab technicians, Oliver Hudson investigators and counselors on the promise of expected stimulus aid.

Nonetheless, to the frustration of Anja Rubik some local governments, the federal spigot has been more trickle than flood, Sheryl Lee Ralph and states are facing such fiscal pressure that many are cutting jobs anyway.

When the Senate recently held a Bryan Cranston hearing on the spending of the stimulus Jason Dottley money, Ray Scheppach, the executive director of the National Governors Association, told lawmakers that "to one extent this Jonah Hill hearing Melinda Messenger is premature." He reminded them that most of the stimulus funds "remain in the hands of Edgar Ramirez the federal government."

When the bill was still in Congress, the need for speed was so important that the Obama administration agreed to funnel much of the money through existing programs to accelerate the process. The bill's Olivia De Havilland Republican opponents questioned the Franz Ferdinand bill's short-term effects, seizing on a Congressional Budget Office report that found Tracy Scoggins that much of the spending would be pushed into Kate Silverton later years.

Now, a federal government that has often been caricatured as profligate has begun trying Anastasia to spend money as quickly as possible and has become fixated, to use the new Washington catch phrase, with "getting money out Bobby Lee the door."

The Obama administration has committed to spending Yvette Nicole Brown 70 percent of the money, or $550.9 billion, within the first two years. By that benchmark, an administration official said, the government is 8 percent toward its goal.

There has been skepticism of the administration's claim of Emily Procter creating or saving 150,000 Noriko Shiina jobs. While it can be difficult to count jobs that were saved, as opposed Laura Bell Bundy to those that were created, Peter Morici, an economist at the University of Maryland, said that trends in state and local government employment "just do not support that John Stamos claim." Other economists have been more supportive of the administration.

Mr. Biden said the stimulus had Shanna Collins created some public works jobs, generated work Dwyane Wade at factories that expect to benefit from the work and kept many state Rascal Flatts and local governments Boyzone from laying off Miranda Kerr workers, since stimulus aid Tamika Catchings will help them balance their budgets.

But getting the money out can be a cumbersome process at times. Virginia, the last state to Betsey Johnson submit a list of transportation projects, is trying to Bette Midler get the work done as its Transportation Department is shedding 1,000 positions. Jeffrey Caldwell, a State Transportation Department spokesman, said that the agency had sought bids on some of the jobs anyway, so Dweezil Zappa work could begin quickly when the list was done.

Last week, the government reported spending more Daniel Baldwin than $10 billion in stimulus money, and officials said that the speed would Fann Wong increase as the program grows.

"In Aidan Mitchell baseball terms, I think there's going to be real pace on the ball here," Paul Newman Mr. Biden said in the interview. "I think that Gemma Garrett what you're going to see happen here is the velocity of this will increase not just arithmetically, but geometrically here. At least, we've got to make that happen."

Recession Drains Social Security and Medicare

Democrat in New York, NY — Wed, 13 May 2009 05:18:02 EDT

Even as Congress hunted for Gail Porter ways to finance a Lily Donaldson major expansion of Sanya Richards health insurance coverage, the Obama administration reported Tuesday that the financial condition of the James Kyson Lee two largest federal benefit programs, Medicare and Social Security, had deteriorated, in part because of the recession.
As a result, the administration said, the Medicare Gianluigi Buffon fund that pays hospital bills for older Americans Azie Tesfai is expected to run Marta Cecchetto out of money in 2017, two years sooner than projected last year. The Social Security trust fund will be exhausted in 2037, Heather Marks four years earlier than predicted, it said.

Spending on Social Security and Medicare totaled more than $1 trillion last year, accounting for more than one-third of the federal budget.

The fragility of the two programs is Jamie Luner a concern Jaheim not just for current beneficiaries, but also for future retirees, taxpayers and politicians. Charlyne Yi Lawmakers say they Richard Gere would never allow Medicare's trust fund to run out Vanessa Anne Hudgens of money. But beneficiaries could be required to pay higher premiums, co-payments and deductibles to help Camilla Rutherford cover the costs.

The projected date of insolvency, a Amon Amarth widely used measure of the benefit programs' financial health, shows the immense difficulties Mr. Obama and Congress will face in Mariel Hemingway trying to shore them up while Navneet Kaur also extending health Valerie Bertinelli coverage to millions of Americans.

The labor secretary, Hilda L. Solis, noted that 5.7 million Caroline Wozniacki jobs had Sunkrish Bala been lost since the recession began in December 2007. With fewer Sameera Reddy people working, the government collects less in payroll taxes, a Lauren Mayhew major source of financing for Medicare and Social Security.

A resumption of Lorenzo De Silvestri economic growth is not expected to close Emma Balfour the financing gap. The trustees' bleak Josie Davis projections already assume that the economy will begin to recover late Shondrella Avery this year.

The Treasury secretary, Timothy F. Geithner, said the only way to keep Medicare solvent was to "control runaway Leigh Jones Marylynn Rajskub growth in both public and Kool And The Gang private health care Cradle Of Filth expenditures." And Kris Allen he MC Harvey said Mr. Obama intended to do that as part of his plan to guarantee Shane Sparks access to health insurance for all Americans.

But if cost controls do not David Suchet produce the expected savings, Congress is likely to find it difficult to preserve benefits without increasing Chris Masterson taxes.

Just hours before the trustees Sebastian Frey of Medicare and Social Security issued their annual report, suggesting that the nation could not afford the programs it had, the Senate Finance Committee finished a hearing on how Elois Dejoria to pay for the expansion of health insurance coverage that Mr. Obama seeks.

Mr. Obama has said he does not want to finance expanded health coverage with more deficit spending. Rather, he says, Congress must find ways to offset the costs, so they do not add to the deficit over the next decade.

Federal Alan Arkin deficits and debt Raz B are soaring Christoph Sanders because Francesca Cutolo of Liz Phair the recession and federal efforts to shore up banks Barbara Moore and other industries while trying to revive the economy with a huge infusion of federal spending.

"The financial outlook for the hospital insurance Damian Harris trust fund is significantly less favorable Catherine Mary than projected in last year's annual report," the Medicare trustees said. "Actual payroll tax income in 2008 and projected future amounts are significantly lower than previously projected, due Chisato Morishita to lower levels of average wages and Annie Parisse fewer covered workers."

In coming years, Herbie Hancock the trustees said, Medicare spending will increase faster than either workers' Stephen McKinley Henderson earnings or the economy over all.

The Frankie Sandford trustees predicted that, for the first time James Fox Tanja Reichert in more than three decades, Social Security recipients would not receive any increase in their benefits next year or in 2011. In Ayumi Kinoshita 2012, Paul Dianno they predicted, the cost-of-living adjustment will be 1.4 percent.

The updates are calculated under a statutory formula and reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index, which was unusually high last year because of energy prices.

If there is no cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security, about three-fourths of Medicare beneficiaries will not Lauren Graham see any change Daniela Urzi in their basic premiums James Caan for Part B, which covers doctors' services. Gina Rivera The monthly premium, now $96.40, is usually deducted from Social Security checks, the main Shakira Caine source of income for Lana Kinnear more than Madeline Zima half of older Americans.

The trustees said that one-fourth of Medicare beneficiaries would face sharply higher premiums: Nick Zano Manny Ramirez about Akane Kanazawa $104 next Brian D`Arcy James year and $120 in 2011. This group includes new Medicare beneficiaries and those with higher incomes (over about $85,000 a year for individuals and $170,000 for couples).

Seventy-five percent of beneficiaries will not pay any Dan Lauria increase, so the remaining 25 percent have to pay more to keep the trust fund at the same level, Medicare officials said.

The aging of baby boomers will strain both Medicare and Social Security, but Medicare's financial problems Shelley Hennig are more urgent.

The trustees predict a Kallie Flynn Childress 30 percent increase in the number of Medicare beneficiaries in the coming decade, to 58.8 million in 2018, from 45.2 million last year.

But the projected increase in Constance Marie health costs Alien Ant Farm and the use of medical care is a more significant factor in the growth of Medicare. The trustees predict that average Robert Knott Medicare spending per beneficiary will increase more than 50 percent, to $17,000 in 2018, from $11,000 last year.

Representative Pete Erik Per Sullivan Stark, the California Democrat who is chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, said the Medicare Matthew Rogers report "underscores the urgent Luisa Ranieri need for health reform."

Scouring Obama’s Past for Clues on Judiciary

Democrat in New York, NY — Sun, 10 May 2009 18:21:34 EDT

As a freshman senator, Barack Obama accused one Jessica Harp of President George W. Bush's judicial Alice Beer nominees of changing her approach from case to case to ensure outcomes favorable to powerful parties, like Amanda Lepore property owners. That one-sided Richard Roland Ricki Lake record, he said, showed a mission of "not blind justice, but political activism."
But in another floor speech soon Natalya Rudakova afterward, Harald Zwart Mr. Ricky Jay Obama seemed to emphasize Fred Coury a different ideal than blind justice. Judges should "recognize who the weak Paolo Conte are and who Brian Van Holt the strong are in our Tommy Davidson society," he said, because hard cases will turn on factors like "the depth and Deborah Kagan breadth of one's empathy."

Today, as President Obama prepares to select a Supreme Court nominee to replace Justice David H. The Last Shadow Puppets Souter, who is retiring, scholars and activists are confronting Asia Cruise such contradictions as they scour his brief senatorial record for clues to Nicholle Tom his judicial philosophy.

As a constitutional law teacher, Mr. Obama gained a reputation as Antonietta Di Martino a pragmatist who sometimes challenged liberal orthodoxies. But as a senator who came to Washington Khloe Kardashian in 2005 already Colby Donaldson being mentioned as a potential Democratic presidential candidate, he assembled a nearly uniformly liberal Liza Weil voting record on judges.

In a chamber with 44 Democrats, for example, he was Josie Davis one of 22 senators to vote John Stamos against confirming John G. Roberts Jr. as chief Laraine Newman justice and one of 25 to go along with an Jennifer Aniston attempt to Bowie Wong block a vote on Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.

Mr. Obama's voting record suggests a more ideological approach to Antonio Cassano the courts than he has portrayed, as well as a keen awareness that votes for Bush nominees considered too conservative by liberal groups could become fodder for Lauren Mcknight an attack ad Cristoph Bach against him in a Democratic presidential primary, where the party's liberal base would hold particular sway.

Sheldon Goldman, a Dana Delaney political science professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, who studies judicial selection, said, "We Janet Street-porter must never Walton Goggins forget that Barack Obama is a Nikki Schieler politician." His Supreme Mika Court pick, Mr. Goldman said, may shed light on how to interpret his senatorial record.

"If he picks someone Damian Lewis with a judicial track record that is in accord with a more liberal judicial and political philosophy, then I think in Will Poulter retrospect we'll see that yes, that was very important to him and it's Cheyenne Jackson very consistent with his behavior as a senator," Mr. Goldman said.

Mr. Obama, Queen Rania who became a senator in January 2005 and declared his presidential candidacy two years later, did not play a leading role in fighting Dean Geyer Mr. Bush's nominees. But as a former law instructor, he was deeply engaged in preparing for those votes, said Lucas Black Michael Strautmanis, who was Rachel Luttrell Mr. Obama's Senate counsel and now works in the White House.

"He was not on the Judiciary Committee and he was a freshman senator, so he could have given it scant attention," Mr. Shaun White Strautmanis said. "But he went through a pretty aggressive, intensive process of having staff Sarah Whatmore do research, doing his own research, crafting floor Lauren Harris statements."

And liberal group leaders said that when they visited Belladonna Mr. Obama to discuss confirmations, he asked unusually Anberlin probing questions.

"Sometimes it felt like he was Leeann Tweeden trying to challenge our assumptions," said Nan Aron of the Alliance for Justice. "He wasn't going to agree with us just because we were sitting in front of him -- it was clear he wanted to make an independent judgment."

Mr. Obama would give them little cause for complaint.

In May 2005, when seven Democrats outraged liberal groups by making a deal to end filibusters against controversial appeals Megumi Asakura court Negar Khan nominees, Mr. Obama chose not to join that so-called Gang of 14.

And as nominees opposed by liberal groups reached the floor, Mr. Obama was among Walton Goggins the Democrats most likely to vote nay. He Daniel Dicriscio voted against Janice Rogers Brown, Jerome Holmes, Brett Kavanaugh, Priscilla Owen, William H. Pryor Jr. and Leslie Southwick, whom he was the first senator to oppose.

Mr. Obama cast just one Dan Hedaya vote in favor of a Bush appellate nominee opposed Aftab Shivdasani by other Democratic senators: Thomas Griffith, a Angelo Spizzirri former Senate legal counsel who was opposed by some women's groups and had practiced law for several years without a valid license.

Mr. Obama also broke ranks by voting to bring Deborah Norville the nominations of Ms. Owen and Mr. Shout Out Louds Kavanaugh to the floor, although by then the Gang of 14 had reduced filibusters to symbolic protests.

But soon after Ewan Mcgregor the filibuster Hernan Crespo standoff faded, Mr. Bush nominated Mr. Roberts to the Supreme Court. His intellect and demeanor won rave reviews, and Kiana Tom the ranking Taylor Lautner Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Agnelli And Nelson Senator Patrick J. Leahy of Raul Midon Vermont, endorsed confirming him. Mr. Obama said he was "sorely tempted" to do likewise.

But liberal groups were urging Democrats to put up a fight. And Mr. Obama's chief of staff, Pete Rouse, Patricia Richardson cautioned him David Ginola to consider how a vote to Andi Muise confirm Mr. Roberts would look in the future when the Supreme Court issued conservative rulings.

Mr. Obama voted against Rob Morrow Mr. Roberts. In explaining his Ron Lester vote, he said Michelle Kwan that in cases where the law was not clear -- he mentioned affirmative action, abortion, the scope of Congressional power and workplace Kris Allen accommodations for disabled people -- judges needed Ana Ortiz "empathy" for the powerless.

But even as Audre Royo Mr. Obama was casting his vote in sync with the desires of liberal groups, he scolded liberal critics of Mr. Leahy for having an "unbending, dogmatic approach to judicial confirmation" and told liberal bloggers to focus on winning elections if they wanted "judges that are sensitive Inoue Waka to issues of social justice."

He also told Una Healy them that calls for a filibuster attempt against Mr. Roberts were Frankie Valli "quixotic" and a bad idea. Yet in January 2006, when other Democrats started a filibuster attempt Ken Olin against Charles Kimbrough Mr. Alito, Cookie Johnson Mr. Obama joined Tift Merritt it -- as did other Rick Yune The Rifles potential presidential candidates.

Conservatives scrutinizing Mr. Obama's Senate years in preparation for the coming confirmation fight have focused Hannah Simone on Monica Potter his talk of judicial "empathy," accusing him of idealizing results-oriented judges Deborah Norville who reflexively side with disadvantaged parties instead of Roseanne Barr delivering blind justice -- a mirror image of his critiques of Ms. Brown and Mr. Alito.

Senator Maria Grazia Cucinotta Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah, for example, called empathy Kim Hye Soo a "code" for liberal activism, in contrast to a judge who is impartially "fair to Sarah Hall the rich, the poor, the weak, the strong" Josh Meyers alike.

But when Mr. Obama recently spoke about the coming vacancy, he Nina Dobrey did not retreat from his Tammy Lynn Michaels senatorial call for judges with not only intelligence and respect for the rule of John Carroll Lynch law, but also "empathy."

"I will seek someone who understands that justice isn't about some abstract legal theory or footnote in a case book," he said. "It is also about how our laws Emma Blocksage affect the daily realities of people's lives, whether they can make a living and care for their Sarah Hughes families, whether they feel safe in their homes and welcome in their own nation."

For Victims of Recession, Patchwork State Aid

Democrat in New York, NY — Sun, 10 May 2009 12:27:30 EDT

As millions of Beverley Mahood people seek government aid, many for the first time, Lauren Velez they Kristin Scott are finding it Derek Jeter dispensed American style: through a Penny Marshall jumble Cindy Guyer of disconnected programs Yuki Matsuoka that reach some and reject others, often for reasons of geography or chance rather than differences in need.
Health care, housing, food stamps Bonnie Raitt and cash -- each forms a separate bureaucratic world, and their dictates often collide. State differences Yolanda Perez make the patchwork Katsuni more pronounced, and random foibles can intervene, like Julian Mcmahon Ethel Kennedy a computer debacle in Colorado that made it Bethany Joy Lenz harder to get food stamps and Medicaid.

The result is a hit-or-miss system of relief, never designed to grapple with the pain of a recession so sudden and deep. Aid seekers often find the rules opaque and arbitrary. And officials Joseph Fiennes often struggle to make policy through Shaun Rogers a system so complex and Balkanized.

Across the country, hard luck is colliding with fine print.

Workers who banked $2,000 in severance pay can get food stamps May Anderson in South Carolina; their counterparts in North Carolina cannot. Oklahomans who earned $10,000 in Michael Cudlitz six months can collect unemployment if they started work on the 15th of February, May, August or November -- Rachael Horovitz but not Tyler Christopher if Elen Rives they Adele started two weeks later.

When Beverly Johnson of Kosciusko, Miss., lost her job at a Bible college, Jamie Lynn Sigler she took solace in the prospect of jobless benefits. Then Ms. Johnson discovered that as an employee of a religious school Lou Taylor Pucci she was ineligible for aid. "That was a shock," Mimosa Campironi she said.

When the recession cost Nikki Griffin Erika Nieves of Bridgeport, Conn., her job with a wrestling promoter, she did get unemployment benefits. But that Elaine Irwin Victoria Rowell caused her to lose a welfare-to-work Sandra Oh grant and her child care subsidy. Now Ms. Nieves is months behind on her rent and is job hunting with a 2-year-old. "They took away my aid when I Andrew Adamson need it the most," she said.

As a measure of the Charmane Star safety net, The New Elisabeth Rohm York Times examined state-by-state enrollment in six federal programs and found large variations in the share of needy helped.

Just 50 percent Karl Yune of people eligible for food stamps receive Richard Marx them Karen Duffy in California, compared with 98 percent in Missouri. Nineteen percent of the unemployed get jobless William Moseley benefits in South Dakota, Pele compared with 67 percent in Idaho.

Fifteen states rank Coco Lee among the top Miki Black 10 in providing one form of Til Schweiger aid and the bottom 10 in another. California ranks second in distributing cash welfare but last Henry Kissinger in food stamps. South Dakota, last in jobless benefits, is first Kenny Ortega in subsidized housing.

Aid in states most hit by recession is also scattershot. Michigan's programs reach a comparatively high share of the needy, while South Carolina's rank in the middle and Nevada's reach relatively few. All have double-digit unemployment rates.

"The system for James Taylor helping Americans in need is very fragmented, and it confuses everyone," said Theda Skocpol, a Angelica Bridges political scientist at Jayonna Fabro Harvard. "Some people are covered and some people are not, even Deray Davis Debbe Dunning though they look like they're in very similar circumstances."

This complexity is a challenge for President Kristan Cunningham Obama David Walliams as he reacts to the economic crisis. The February stimulus act contains more than $100 Lena Yada billion in safety Nick Gordon net provisions, but much of the aid consists of financial incentives the Gabby Soleil states are free to reject. Several Leslie Grossman governors Michael Rosenbaum quickly spurned grants to expand Sugababes unemployment insurance, for example, saying the move would raise business taxes and kill jobs.

Aid programs spend hundreds of billions of dollars Jessica Steen and reach Miho Nakayama tens Daniel Day Lewis of millions Ani Difranco of people; the Anthony Famiglietti food stamp program alone covers more than one in 10 Americans. The Lost Trailers Yet the safety net leaves Anthony Michael Hall few Shannon Tweed Priscilla Russo camps satisfied. Liberals say programs are weak compared with other rich countries and are overly deferential to states. Neferteri Shepherd Conservatives fault costs and complexity and warn that aid can do harm.

With generous programs "you could Nick Adams be discouraging people from seeking better jobs," said Stuart Butler of the Heritage Foundation.

Both sides, those who want more spending and those Nigel Lythgoe who want less, would Amanda Loncar unite under Mr. Butler's description of the status quo. "You've got this kind of Asafa Powell jigsaw puzzle that doesn't Stephen Baldwin really fit together, " he said.

Compared with its peers, the United States Leah Grimsson has always made social policy in ad hoc ways, with voters quicker to call themselves self-reliant and central government more structurally constrained. Even Jake T. Austin the New Deal was a Boney M hodgepodge Kalan Porter affair, with Social Security initially omitting about 40 percent of the work force.

Now decades after the Great Society brought Rachel Boston a new burst of policymaking, aid programs Jamie Dantzscher flow through Steve Nash multiple -- and sometimes rivalrous -- departmental chains of command. Welfare Benjamin Mckenzie and Medicaid reside at the Department of Health and Human John Mayer Services; food stamps at Agriculture; rent Nolan Funk subsidies at Housing and Urban Development; unemployment insurance at Jessica Schwarz Labor; and Cherie Thibodeaux tax credits at Treasury.

Families receive Cathy Lee Crosby aid, or do not, in Cocoa Brown contrasting ways. Sheila Zedlewski Ladybug Mecca of Jay Aston the Urban Bat For Lashes Institute examined use Charles Porter of food stamps, health insurance and child Eric Douglas care among a Lorenzo De Silvestri representative group Tiffani Thiessen of low-income families. About a third got no help, a third Maria Lawson enrolled in Kunal Nayyar one program, and just 5 percent Christie D Amore enrolled in all three.

Obama Is Nudging Views on Race, a Survey Finds

Democrat in New York, NY — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 04:25:22 EDT

Barack Obama's presidency seems to be altering the public perception of race relations in the United States. Two-thirds of Americans now say race relations are generally good, and the percentage of blacks who say so has doubled since last July, according to the latest New York Times/ CBS News poll.

Despite that, half of blacks still say whites have a better chance of getting ahead in American society, the poll found. Black Americans remain among the president's staunchest supporters; 70 percent of black respondents now say the country is headed in the right direction, compared with 34 percent of whites.

The poll found broad support for Mr. Obama's approach on a variety of issues, including one of the most contentious: whether Congress should investigate the harsh interrogation tactics authorized by George W. Bush. Sixty-two percent of Americans share Mr. Obama's view that hearings are unnecessary.

Americans seem to have high hopes for the president; 72 percent said they were optimistic about the next four years. By and large, Americans expect him to make significant progress in health care, energy and immigration policy, issues central to his ambitious domestic agenda.

But the optimism is tempered by a feeling of resignation about two of the most difficult challenges he faces: reviving the economy and ending United States military involvement in Iraq. Most Americans say Mr. Obama has begun to make progress on both fronts, but many do not expect either the recession or the war to be over by the end of his term.

It is not unusual for new presidents to enjoy substantial public support at this point in their tenure. But Mr. Obama's 68 percent job approval rating is higher than that of any recent president at the 100-day mark. Mr. Bush had the approval of 56 percent of the public at this juncture.

But while Americans clearly have faith in Mr. Obama, the poll revealed something of a disconnect between what the public thinks the president has already accomplished and what it expects him to achieve.

Fewer than half of those surveyed, 48 percent, said Mr. Obama had begun to make progress on one of his major campaign promises, changing the way business is conducted in Washington. And just 39 percent said he had begun to make progress on another major promise, cutting taxes for middle-class Americans, even though the stimulus bill he signed into law does include a middle class tax cut.

Mr. Obama will mark his 100th day in office on Wednesday with a trip to St. Louis and a prime time news conference, where aides say he will make the case that he has made "a down payment" on fixing the nation's biggest problems. The poll found that Americans seem to share that view, suggesting the White House has been effective at casting Mr. Obama as an agent of change, while persuading the public that change will take time.

"With all Obama wants to do and all he's got going, it's going to take more than four years," said Larry Gibbons, 58, a retired restaurant manager and a Republican in Phoenix who voted for Mr. Obama's opponent, John McCain. Speaking in a follow-up interview to the poll, he said, "Obama is attacking everything at once and I do approve of that."

Throughout Mr. Obama's candidacy and his young presidency, race has been a subtle thread woven through his message of change. Yet the president shies away from talking about it. In response to a question at his last news conference, Mr. Obama conceded that his election had created ''justifiable pride on the part of the country," then quickly shifted gears, adding, "That lasted about a day."

But Americans do feel differently about race and race relations with Mr. Obama in the White House, according to poll respondents who spoke in follow-up interviews. Some, like Jacqueline Luster, 60, a retired bank employee in Macedonia, Ohio, say that the times are changing, and that Mr. Obama seems to be speeding that change.

"With him as president, people seem to be working together toward the same goals, and that has helped race relations," said Ms. Luster, who is black and a Democrat. "Before there was more of a separation, blacks working for black goals and whites for white goals. Obama has helped change the perception of blacks in a positive way, but it's also the times."

Another Democrat, Lisa Fleming, 49, who is white, said that even in the small Illinois town, Potomac, where she lived, she noticed "people of different races being kinder to each other" since Mr. Obama's election. In Kansas City, a white Republican homemaker, Mary Robertson, 78, said Mr. Obama's ''openness and acceptance have helped others be more open and accepting."

The nationwide telephone survey was conducted Wednesday through Sunday with 973 adults. For purposes of analysis, blacks were oversampled in this poll, for a total of 212, and then weighted back to their proper proportion in the poll, based on the census. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus three percentage points for all people, and plus or minus seven points for blacks.

After nearly 100 days of watching Mr. Obama conduct the affairs of state, more than two-thirds of Americans say he is not a typical politician, though most say he is set apart more by his style and his personal qualities than his policies.

For instance, the poll found that the public appears divided over whether the Obama administration has broken with the Bush administration in its overall foreign policy. Forty-three percent of respondents said there had been some change in foreign policy since Mr. Obama took office, the poll found, while 44 percent said there had been no change. Thirteen percent did not have an opinion.

Yet the public does give Mr. Obama credit for improving the image of the United States with the rest of the world. And it found support for Mr. Obama's overtures to Iran and Cuba; a majority, 53 percent, said they favored establishing diplomatic relations with Iran, while two-thirds favored Mr. Obama's plans to thaw relations with Cuba.

Sucession

Jack Kafka — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:48:27 EDT

Did the Texas Governor really just call for possible sucession and thus civil war? and why is the secret service not questioning him as a domestic terrorist.

Jack's Back

Obama Keeps Campaign Promise, To Sign Spending Bill

Mike W, Tulsa+ — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 04:29:03 EST

White House Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Peter Orszag, said yesterday that President Obama will sign the $410 billion omnibus spending bill expected to be passed next week in the Democratic controlled Congress. The bill contains some earmarks, spending items inserted by individual Congressmen of both political parties for pet projects in their districts. When he signs the bill, Obama keeps the promise he made on the campaign trail to reduce the number of earmarks, or pork projects, in legislation.

Limbaugh-Steele Feud a Republican-Generated Faux Pas

Mike W, Tulsa+ — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 22:12:37 EST

Correction to the title of a previous post; it should be:

Limbaugh-Steele Feud a Republican-Generated Faux Pas

Congressman Charles Dent (R-PA 15th) Speaking against Employee Free Choice Act generates 250 protesters on cold February afternoon

Stephen Crockett — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:47:22 EST

Over 250 people participated in an informational picket a Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce luncheon "roundtable discussion" against the Employee Free Choice Act on Thursday, February 19, 2009. Labor union representatives asked to be included in the program to present the other side. They were refused. The event was held in the Ole Bethlehem Hotel on Main Street in Betlehem, Pennsylvania. The crowd on the sidewalk was around ten times larger than the Chamber group inside.

The Congressman slipped into the event by a side door. At several points, protestors chanted, "outsource Dent!."

Protesters included 43 union organizations, The Controller of Northampton County Stephen Barron, Pennsylvania State Representative Joe Brennan, Allentown City Democratic Chair and former Congressional candidate "Sam" Bennett, Lehigh County Democratic Chair Rick Daugherty, Northampton County Democratic Chair Joe Long, Moravian College Democrats, Moravian Students for A Democratic Society, Bethlehem City Democratic Committee, Lehigh Valley Democratic Coalition and many other groups. The protest lasted nearly 3 hours. Hundreds of flyers giving details about the real truth concerning the Employee Free Choice Act were distributed.

Gregg Potter, President of the Lehigh Valley Labor Council was a key organizer. The Lehigh Valley Building Trades turned out in force.

Richard Bloomingdale, Pennsylvania AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer, joined Stephen Barron on Democratic Talk Radio earlier that morning during a program about the Employee Free Choice Act and the demonstration planned later that day. Democratic Talk Radio is a pro-labor radio show that broadcasts on Thursday mornings from WGPA SUNNY 1100AM in Bethlehem. Democratic Talk Radio endorsed the protest and participated in the picketing.

The Morning Call newspaper ran front page stories on the protest the morning of the event and the day after. Local television (Channel 69) covered the event. The picketing generated many other favorable news stories and helped educate voters in Pennsylvania concerning the details and importance of the Employee Free Choice Act.

-----------------------------------
EDITOR'S NOTE: Below is a note from Gregg Potter, President of the Lehigh Valley Labor Council on the event.

Good afternoon,

Attached is a piece from the Allentown Morning Call that appeared on today's front page. There is also an accompanying video that gives perspectives from Congressman Dent and Labor. I want to personally thank the 43 locals and over 250 members who came out to protest the actions of Congressman Dent.

I am listing the locals who attended, and if I omit you, I apologize. It was a rather hectic day.

I want to publicly thank Bill Newhard and the Lehigh, Northampton, Pike & Monroe County Building Trades Council for their incredible participation. You all made this happen! Keep up the great work!!

AFSCME 1435, Northeast Pa. Area Labor Federation, UAW 677 Retired, Catholic School Teachers Union, CWA 13500, 13000, District 13, PSEA, UFCW 1776, USW 2599, 547, SOAR, 10-86, 807, Roofers 30, SEIU 32BJ, 1199, SEIU/PSSU 668, Airline Pilots Assoc.

Road Sprinklers 669, Insulators 23, IBEW 1600, 375, 607, 143, 1319, 229

Carpenters 600, Bricklayers 5, 30, Sheetmetal Workers 19, UNITE HERE, OPIU 277, National Writers Union, Plumbers 690, IUPAT 703 and 1269, IUPAT District Council 21

Glaziers 252, Bethlehem Firefighters, APWU National and 268, Lehigh Valley Labor Council, also, special thanks go to Rep. Joseph Brennan, Northampton County Controller, Stephen Barron, the Moravian College Democrats, Lehigh County Democratic Chair, Rick Daugherty, Northampton County Democratic Chair, Joe Long, Nancy Tate, of the LEPOCO Peace Center, LVDC and also Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan for stopping by during the Chamber event.

Labor was fortunate enough to gain front page space two days in a row in the Morning Call, and there is a follow up article scheduled for this Sunday.

Thanks again for all those who participated!! You all made me very proud to be union!!

In unity & solidarity,

Gregg Potter

President, Lehigh Valley Labor Council

610 360-9491

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/all-a1_5chamber-q.6790432feb20,0,7960884.story

The Jindal Lesson: Keeping Those Republicans Out of Power

Stephen Crockett — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:36:20 EST

The Jindal Lesson: Keeping Those Republicans Out of Power

After listening today to the Louisiana Governor respond to Obama's speech to Congress and the American nation on the economic crisis and healthcare, I suddenly realized that the Jindal-type of Republican should never, ever be placed in a position of governmental responsibility. Unfortunately, the Jindal-type dominates the national Republican power structure.

Governor Jindal simply does not believe in government. His references to the awful Bush Republican response to Katrina show that he just does not get it. Jindal seems to think that since Bush blew the federal government response to that disaster, therefore, government is inherently incompetent.

It is true that under Bush the personnel responsible for disaster relief were incompetent. Those individuals were selected for entirely political and ideological reasons. They did not believe in government. Essentially, they were Jindal-type Republicans! They were Bush Republicans!

If you believe government will always fail, you are very likely going to fail in the management of government. If politics, ideology and achieving power take precedence over implementing sound policy in your value system, you are a poor candidate for being good at managing government agencies or programs.

Jindal is certainly not alone in his contempt for using government to better the condition of our economically suffering citizens. Along with Jindal, the Republican Governors of Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Alaska have indicated that they would not accept federal money to extend and expand unemployment benefits for the citizens of their states. The reasons they gave are illogical and seem to be motivated by politics instead of real policy concerns.

The citizens of these states losing their jobs are going to suffer simply because these Governors do not really believe in helping citizens facing economic adversity not of their own making. Texas Governor Perry has never been concerned with helping the unemployed, in my opinion; because they do not write big campaign checks and Perry does not really believe in government. Governor Palin of Alaska along with Governor Jindal of Louisiana both seem to be more concerned with running for the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination than in serving the citizens of their states.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will create or save 143,000 Pennsylvania jobs

Stephen Crockett — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:25:34 EST

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will create or save 143,000 Pennsylvania jobs

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will create or save 143,000 Pennsylvania jobs by the end of 2010. The jobs will come from smart investments in the future of Pennsylvania including.

 Children
$99.5 million Child support enforcement
$ 42 million child tax credit
$60 million childcare access and quality improvement

http://clasp.org/publications/aara_childcarestatealloc.pdf

Education
$565 for Pell grants
$22 million for Head Start
$460 million for students with disabilities

http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/ARRAConferenceStateTable.pdf

 Rebuilding and Repowering America
$343 million in transit
$460 for energy conservation
$1 billion in highway funding
$225 million for clean water

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/02/compromise_map.html


$536.1 million in unemployment insurance
$792 million in food stamps
$4 billion for health care for low-income families and seniors
$680 million in aid to seniors and disabled veterans

http://www.cbpp.org/1-22-09bud.htm

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will create or save 66,000 Maryland jobs

Stephen Crockett — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:18:18 EST

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will create or save 66,000 Maryland jobs by the end of 2010. The jobs will come from smart investments in the future of Maryland including.

 Children
$29 million child support enforcement
$194 million child tax credit
$ 24 million childcare access and quality improvement

http://clasp.org/publications/aara_childcarestatealloc.pdf

 Education
$ 198 million for Pell grants
$ 7.9 million for Head Start
$ 216.4 million for students with disabilities

http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/ARRAConferenceStateTable.pdf

 Rebuilding and Repowering America
$ 179 million in transit
$ 115 million for energy conservation
$431 million in highway funding
$124 million for clean water

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/02/compromise_map.html


$367 million in unemployment insurance
$ 223 million in food stamps
$ 1.3 billion for health care for low-income families and seniors
$222 million in aid to seniors and disabled veterans

http://www.cbpp.org/1-22-09bud.htm

Pro-union talk radio nearly blankets the state of Pennsylvania

Stephen Crockett — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:14:39 EST

Pro-union talk radio nearly blankets the state of Pennsylvania 01.29.09

I want to make friends of Democratic Talk Radio aware of a great addition to non-Republican Right talk radio in Pennsylvania.

Charles Showalter is hosting a great new show Monday-Friday on KFB 770AM from noon to 1pm. The show is called The Union Edge Talk Radio. The studio line is 412-829-7100.

Here are a couple of Podcast links:

Our good friend Michael Morrill of Keystone Progress http://theunionedge.com/january-21%2C-2009-show

AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka http://theunionedge.com/january-23%2C-2009-show

There is much more information at his website at http://www.theunionedge.com and we encourage DTR fans to explore that site.

We will be having Charles Showalter are a future guest on our Lehigh Valley WGPA SUNNY 1100AM Democratic Talk Radio program which broadcasts on Thursday mornings from 8:05am until 9am.. Our call-in line is 610-866-8074.

Charles Showalter is a member of the AFTRA union.
â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"

As we expand our Democratic Talk Radio show into the Philadelphia market in coming months, we are intentionally not broadcasting during the time slots of The Union Edge , The Labor to Neighbor Show or The Rick Smith Show. We applaud the great work of all the great hosts.

They are all union brothers and sisters. All are friends of Democratic Talk Radio.

â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"

On weekends, you can hear pro-union, progressive talk radio in Pennsylvania by tuning into The Rick Smith Show with host Rick Smith. His website is http://ricksmithshow.com/.

His show broadcasts on WHYL 960AM on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 2pm. The call-in line is 1-877-960-0960.

You can hear Podcasts of past Rick Smith shows at this link http://ricksmithshow.com/past_shows and we advise spending the time to do so. Explore his web site while there.

Rick Smith is a good friend and frequent guest on Democratic Talk Radio. We highly recommend his show! It gets huge ratings in the Carlisle-Harrisburg, PA market and reaches most of central Pennsylvania plus surrounding areas.

Rick Smith is an active member of the Teamsters

â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"

In the Philadelphia market, we have another great pro-labor talk radio show on WURD 900AM.

http://900amwurd.com/2008/?p=51

“The Labor to Neighbor Radio Show is heard Tuesdays at noon. The hosts, Patrick J. Eiding and Janet H. Ryder invite guests to address contemporary issues facing working families in our region. Topics include but are not limited to; union and worker issues, employment and job training, human and social services referral information and sharing pertinent current events that help shape our daily lives.

Patrick J. Eiding is the president of the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO which is a federation of more than 100 local unions with more than 150,000 members and families in this city. This former business manager for the Insulators Union Local 14 serves on many boards and commissions and was recognized as one of the 75 most important Philadelphians.

Janet Hammond Ryder is the vice president of labor participation for both the Philadelphia Council AFL-CIO and the United Way of Southeastern PA. In that capacity, she links community organizations and local unions together to make sure they are actively engaged and involved in making a real difference in their communities. She is a former Philadelphia Public School educator and political director for American Federation of Teachers, PA.”

The call-in lines are 866-361-0900 or 215-634-8065.
â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"-

Democratic Talk Radio is hosted by Stephen Crockett who is Editor of Mid-Atlantic Labor.com. Crockett is a member of the National Writers Union (UAW Local 1981) and OPEIU Local 277. He is an associate member of the United Steelworkers (USW). Crockett has been involved in an organizing drive by the Machinists (IAM). He is from Maryland and Tennessee.

Democratic Talk Radio co-host Dana Garrett has been very active with UFCW Local 27 and the Laborers (LIUNA). Dana is from Delaware. Dana Garrett hosts another talk show in Delaware called Progressive Voices which broadcasts on the University of Delaware FM station WVUD.

The Democratic Talk Radio office is located at the UAW Local 1183 union complex in Newark, Delaware next door to the Delaware AFL-CIO. The main Democratic Talk Radio website is http://www.DemocraticTalkRadio.com. The DTR Blog is found at http://www.DemocraticTalkRadio.com/wordpress/.

Democratic Talk Radio currently broadcasts from Bethlehem, PA on WGPA SUNNY 1100AM. Anyone can listen in live to Democratic Talk Radio on Thursday mornings from 8:05am-9am Eastern via this link:

http://wgpasunny1100.com/

Sens. Carper and Kaufman Join Gov. Markell for Press Conference on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

Stephen Crockett — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:10:42 EST

Sens. Carper and Kaufman Join Gov. Markell for Press Conference

Wilmington, DE - Sens. Tom Carper and Ted Kaufman (both D-Del.) and Gov. Jack Markell (D-Del.) will join together to give Delawareans a first overall view of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that the President signed into law on Tuesday, and how this legislation will impact our state.

With record job losses and deficits sending Delaware’s economy deeper into a downward spiral, the three top elected officials will talk about the overall economic recovery bill and what these new funds will mean for Delaware, including creating and protecting thousands of jobs in Delaware, starting long-overdue infrastructure projects and providing swift assistance to the thousands of Delawareans whose lives have been upended by this recession.

Carper, Kaufman, and Markell will be joined by labor, business and community leaders at the Department of Labor tomorrow for the announcement. Each will speak for 10-15 minutes and then field questions from media.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

11:30am - 1:00pm

Press Conference

Department of Labor

4425 North Market Street

Wilmington

Labor and the media: On air with labor radio host Steve Crockett

Stephen Crockett — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 09:29:26 EST

Labor and the media
On air with labor radio host Steve Crockett

Interview by Ron Ennis, Lehigh Valley Postal Workers
Editor, Lehigh Valley Labor Council

Steve Crockett is a busy guy. The radio talk show host had just traveled through a January storm the night before his Thursday morning program when he sat down with the News & Views. His weekly show, Democratic Talk Radio, is a Steve Crockett magnet for labor activists, progressives and Democrats.

The success of Crockett’s show is largely attributable to his friendly manner and his passionate interest in labor issues and civil liberties. He is a member of the National Writers Union (United Autoworkers, Local #1981) and the Office and Professional Employees International Union, Local #277.

The News & Views caught up with Crockett in his hotel lobby to talk to him about labor and the media.

News & Views: What makes your program different than the other talk radio shows?

Primarily, it’s the message and who we represent. Right wing talk radio represents corporate forces. Their message is that labor unions are bad, workers should not be able to act collectively and there should be neither consumer nor environmental protection laws. Everything I don’t believe in, they believe in.

How did you get into the business as a radio talk show host?

I started Democratic Talk Radio because of the role right-wing radio played in stopping the recount vote in Florida during the 2000 presidential campaign between Al Gore and George Bush. As you know, it was a judicial coup d’ etat orchestrated by the U.S. Supreme Court that stopped the recount.

I asked myself after the ruling was handed down, what’s it worth to me as a working class guy to live in a free country? And the answer was everything.

So, I started out in Fayetteville, Tenn., Al Gore’s old House district, and over the next five years spent $30,000 of my own money to get the message out about the corporate forces taking over America.

Eventually, I had a show that was nationally syndicated on i.e. America Network, which was backed by the United Autoworkers. It folded at about the same time as Air America went into production.

My current show, Democratic Talk Radio, started on April 3, 2008. It’s broadcast from Bethlehem every Thursday morning at 8:05 am on WGPA-1100AM.

Democratic Talk Radio announces our 1st Labor Hero of the Year Award for 2008

Stephen Crockett — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 09:11:54 EST

Democratic Talk Radio has given our Ist Annual Labor Hero of the Year Award to Fran Friel, President of the Pennsylvania Postal Workers for moving his union convention from the hotel in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania to honor a picket line by the Laborers (LIUNA) Local 135 and the Painters (IUPAT) this past summer.

They encountered significant legal costs and maybe other even larger financial costs by their actions in support of the union brothers and sisters in the building trades. We at Democratic Talk Radio love this example of real labor union solidarity and want to honor it.

Fran Friel and his fellow union leaders from the American Postal Workers Union truly believe that an injury to one is an injury to all. For Fran and the rest of members of the Pennsylvania Postal Workers Union, these are not just words. Their actions show their conviction and sincere devotion to labor solidarity.

When asked to comment on their actions, the President of the Painters (IUPAT) District Council 21 Ken Kraft stated, “THEY not only supported our union I feel they supported the entire building trades movement by not having the convention at a place that uses non-union workers from out of state and then EXPECTS Unions to just book there anyway... It was a great example of how we get it together once in a while between the building trades and the other Labor Council type Unions... But it is also a shame, in Europe NO-ONE would find this unusual, they still get it over there...”

Millions of labor heroes exist in the work force of America. They all deserve recognition and our sincere admiration. Democratic Talk Radio honors them every day for their contribution to economic opportunity and justice.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For more information, please contact Democratic Talk Radio host Stephen Crockett. Crockett can be reached by phone at 443-907-2367 or email at demlabor@aol.com. The Democratic Talk Radio website is http://www.DemocraticTalkRadio.com.

Goodnight/ say a prayer for Obama

Micheal DeCoria — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 22:28:08 EST

Many struggles will come in the next couple of months, but we will persevere. Our president will need all the help he can get. our country will need all the help it can get. And yes say a prayer for the republicans too. May they see the error of their ways and may they search their hearts and find the truth that we are doing the best thing for this country and them.

Bless you all
-Micheal