Thursday, February 26, 2009

New Era of Responsibility - Click to read Salon from January 20th - Inauguration Day


New Era of Responsibility is a 'theme' for this President and his Administration. Why is that important? Because it is a set of words that they can be held responsible to.

So far, they are proving to be important words for the President's Administration.

Above is a graph worthy to note. The reason I focus on the graph is because it clearly illustrates how the 2010 Budget is drowning in past sins before President Obama ever got a chance to adjust it for a recovery. While Republicans and Wall Streeters alike are calling for massive changes to the 2010 Budget, answer me one question. Only one question.

The one question is: "How is President Obama going to maintain all these legislated commitments AND recover the country at the same time?" It is only one question. Answer?

First 100 Days: Speech to Congress (click here)

By Steve Highsmith
NBCPhiladelphia.com
updated 7 minutes ago

...2. The President jumped his start. The protocol for such addresses is that the President is announced. He enters the chamber to applause and cheers. He takes the podium. The Speaker of the House gavels the chamber to silence and formally introduces the President. More cheering and then the President begins. In this case, the President started to talk before the 2nd introduction. (That is our Barak. The man doesn't stand on ceremony.) I think he realized this and made a joke about it to Pelosi and Biden....

The USA never had a problem with oppression under Bush/Cheney. We were always a nation with open access to information. Right.

President Obama is demonstrating 'Methods of Democracy' that work to bring 'the will of the people' to bear. The American people now have a relationship with the returning dead as well as their families. It comes full circle.

Michael Moore ! They may not need your stage anymore !


The video at CNN of Secretary Gates making the announcement that there is now a 'Working Group' to tackle the issue of how best does the nation serve military families. It is now up to the families to decide regarding media coverage of the transfer of bodies of their loved ones. It is a proud moment for Secretary Gates and a great moment for our country. I thank him. This is the kind of 'military coverage' the USA should receive, not just glorified soldier stories to justify 'W'rongful recruitment.



Official: Pentagon allows coverage of war coffins (click title to entry - thank you)


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Pentagon will lift its ban on media coverage of the flag-draped coffins of war victims arriving at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.
But the families of the victims will have the final say on whether to allow the coverage, he said.
President Obama asked Gates to review the policy, and Gates said he decided after consulting with the armed services and groups representing military families to apply the same policy that is used at Arlington National Cemetery.
"I have decided that the decision regarding media coverage of the dignified transfer process at Dover should be made by those most directly affected -- the families," he said at a news conference....



US to reassess all weapons programs: Gates (click here)
50 minutes ago
WASHINGTON (AFP) — Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday the United States was going "to reassess all weapon programs" as the new administration signaled its hopes of making budget savings.
Gates said that his department was carrying out a detailed review of the proposed defense budget for fiscal 2010 that would include a close look at weapons projects plagued by problems....

Censorship on Public University Campus - This is a violation of an artist's First Amendement Rights


UNCW's Chancellor, Rosemary DePaolo, her Provost and the Board of Trustees should be marshalled into a court of law based on the oppression of the First Amendment Rights Violation of an artist.

The Century Project has been around for a long time and most of the pictures featuring ages zero (the crowning head of a Baby Girl being born) up to the age of eighteen are now women of majority age.

The display is an artists rendition of women that have consented voluntarily to the project to celebrate women's beauty through the ages. I find the oppression by Ms. DePaolo egregious and she should be held responsible for her POLITICAL agenda for the UNCW Campus.

Perhaps the USA should sue the world to ban all nudity including "Micheangelo's David" or "Da Vinci's Madonna and Child." I mean what's next?






Issue date: 2/26/09


UNCW administration recently banned specific nude pictures of women under the age of 18 from The Century Project photo exhibit that will be displayed in the Warwick Ballroom March 2-6.


According to a news release that was sent out Feb. 24, "The ban was declared after receipt of a complaint from Oklahoma. It claimed that The Century Project is pornographic and harms women. It was sent to colleges where the project is to appear, telling them to reject it."


John Foubert, Associate Professor at Oklahoma State University, issued these six letters to colleges hosting the exhibit, imploring them to reconsider.


Marketing and Communications spokesperson Cindy Lawson issued a statement on behalf of the university that reads, "Because the exhibit does include women and girls of all ages, we wanted to be sensitive to concerns raised about nude photos of young people under the age of consent. Due to these concerns, the university requested that Century Project photographer Frank Cordelle remove any photos of minors from the exhibit when it runs at UNCW; he has agreed."


Disappointed by this news, Cordelle regrets UNCW's decision of cutting 18% of his photographs.


"If it weren't for the fact that it happened at the last minute, I would have pulled the entire exhibit," Cordelle said. "It's a real violation of the first amendment and to academic freedom."...

GM needs to receive more from the remaining $300 billion Paulson Bank Bailout !

This is a RECOVERING economy, not a FLASH IN THE PAN dumping of monies to 'make an economy' seem like it is viable. The Bush Economy when in Republican Majority was NEVER a viable economy, every bill was a spending bill to support jobs and crony projects. In 2006, Bush was carrying 'clout' for two more years and look what occurred. He should have never been returned to office in 2004. Never.

There is no miracle here, but, GM is willing to trim down and support the automotive needs of the American people. We can't walk away from that. They were loyal to this country when the wars called them into service as well, we may or our children may in the future need them again.

It'll come around. It is NOT a miracle and no one is promising it will be one, but, the promise is that there will be recovery. There will be, we have to reclaim our country and do it the right way. The right way is the progession to an economy that will SUSTAIN the needs of the American Consumer and the American Consumer's Conscience.

I trust Barak. I trust his methods. I love his transparency. It will happen. Confidence has to return and it takes time.



GM posts huge $9.6 billion fourth quarter loss (click title to entry - thank you)
Thursday, 26 February 2009 12:46
General Motors has posted a whopping $9.6 billion loss in the fourth quarter which pushed its 2008 loss to $30.9 billion.
GM said the results reflected the global economic crisis and industry-wide collapse in vehicle demand, and warned that 2009 will also be a 'challenging' year.
'2008 was an extremely difficult year for the US and global auto markets, especially the second half,' GM's Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner said.
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'These conditions created a very challenging environment for GM and other car makers, and led us to take further aggressive and difficult measures to restructure our business,' he said.
'We expect these challenging conditions will continue through 2009, and so we are accelerating our restructuring actions,' he added.
General Motors says that its fourth quarter revenues dropped to $30.8 billion from $46.8 billion in 2007.
The 2008 results were still an improvement on those for 2007, however, when GM posted a $43.3 billion loss as annual revenues fell to $149 billion from $180 billion in 2007.

"The Chicago Sun Times" is reporting that Senator Burris' Son is a 'Tax Deadbeat.' How many Americans fall into that category now?

This paragraph is exactly my point about this entire mess in Illinois. The events 'outlined' in the article by the Chicago Sun Times illustrates NOTHING.

Political appointments occur everyday. Just because President Obama wants to bring Republicans into his administration to continue to secure the nation and add an aire of bipartisanship; doesn't mean any other Democrat feels the same way ! 'Keeping it in the Family' is NOT an unusal occurence in politics.

The 'events' of obtaining a job and losing a house to foreclosure and having a tax lien on that house has nothing to do with each other, if anything it all makes sense. If you had a tax lien on your home and was facing foreclosure, what would you do? I would look for a job and I wouldn't be telling my new employer that I was facing financial hard times, either.

continued...

...Blagojevich's administration hired Roland W. Burris II as a senior counsel for the state's housing authority Sept. 10 -- about six weeks after the Internal Revenue Service slapped a $34,163 tax lien on Burris II and three weeks after a mortgage company filed a foreclosure suit on his South Side house....



BURRIS' SON GOT STATE JOB FROM BLAGO (click title to entry - thank you)
SCANDAL MUSHROOMS

He serves as housing authority counsel despite facing foreclosure on his own home

...A spokeswoman for the Illinois Housing Development Authority indicated Wednesday there was nothing improper about Burris II's employment by the agency, whose mission includes overseeing mortgage programs for low-income home buyers and anti-foreclosure initiatives....

Democrats aren't 'the wealthy Americans.' This comes from a 2006 speech by Representative Jim McDermott (click here).

...Republicans in the White House and the Congress have wielded their political power like a club on America's low income and America's middle class. The single largest increase came in Medicaid, which added 15 million Americans on the President's watch from 2000-2005. Medicaid is the health care program for the poor. It speaks volumes about how the Republican Party has treated low and middle income Americans during this administration.

All but the wealthiest Americans have been left behind by the Republican Party and the Republican budget. This is a party of the 1 percent. The Republican Party deals with what is good for the 1 percent at the top, not what is good for everybody else....

Question One, "What will occur when Americans are put back to work?"

Answer :: When they go back to work they won't be on government subsidy programs anymore.

Next question: "What occurs when Americans aren't receiving subsidy programs anymore?"

Answer :: The budget to the USA shrinks 'EXPONENTIALLY.'

Next question: "What occurs when the Federal Budget shrinks exponentially?"

Answer :: The bills get paid, the deficit comes down and more monies are available to create jobs and return our economy back to a status of functioning and the 'cash flow' from enhanced consumer spending CREATES its own jobs both domestically and internationally.

Next question: "Any more questions?"

Answer :: NO !


Burris delivers speech, presides over Senate (click here)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Roland Burris is back at work, a day after being urged to resign.
Burris gave a two-minute speech from the Senate floor on Wednesday in support of a voting rights bill, then presided over the Senate for an hour, a tradition for freshmen lawmakers.
Burris also announced his chief of staff and a communications director.
A day earlier, Burris' Illinois colleague, Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin, told Burris he should resign due to questions about how he won appointment to the seat vacated by President Barack Obama.
Burris was appointed by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was impeached and driven from office amid allegations that he tried to sell the Senate seat.
(This version CORRECTS that Burris presided over the Senate on Wednesday, not Tuesday.)

This is nothing more than a media circus and the Illinois Republicans and RNC are hoping to ride it to victory in 2004 or any other election in between. The Democrats that are 'going along' with this mess feel pressure from constituents to do so because of the 'unpopularity' of the Former Governor. There are no charges filed 'additionally' from the Fitzgerald Camp even weeks after the 'leg up' from Bush's Homeland Security and the COMPLAINT still has yet to make it to a Grand Jury. With this new disclosure about Burris' Son, it makes more and more sense that Senator Burris was the choice of the Former Governor. They obviously trusted each other enough to 'close ranks' around each other. Senator Roland Burris had enough 'Political Capital' to survive the day during very rough times with the Illinois legislature 'on the hunt.' The people of Illinois and the people of the USA, knowing that he is a strong supporter of President Obama, are lucky to have him in the Senate.

In DC, with the Obama Administration, we are witnessing 'first hand' the viciousness of the press and the RNC in regard to political appointments. I do believe at this point the Obama Administration is still missing two cabinet officers. I don't want to hear how people are appointed or hired into political positions to support an elected official. It happens all the time and there are strong reasons why that happens. The arrogance of Judd Gregg when refusing the Cabinet Post of Commerce Secretary spoke EONS as to why political appointments occur and why the current Republicans in the Seante DO NOT get along with the new administration. It isn't for the lack of 'trying' by the Obama Administration.

...“We are functioning from a different set of views on many critical items of policy (click here),” Gregg said in a statement citing “irresolvable conflicts.”
At issue for Gregg was a plan announced by the White House last week to strip the 2010 census from the commerce secretary’s control and have the U.S. Census Bureau report directly to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs noted in a statement that Gregg approached Obama about the commerce position and “offered his name.”
“He was very clear throughout the interviewing process that despite past disagreements about policies, he would support, embrace and move forward with the president’s agenda,” Gibbs said. “We regret that he has had a change of heart.”...

The Summit referred to in the article below concluded on Monday. At that Summit 'round table' that was viewed by the press and hence the American people; John McCain spoke in support of the Obama Initiatives and in turn Barak made a special note that Senator McCain was a 'special' voice to the conclusion of the meetings. The Republicans need to 'get over themselves.' Try talking to Governor Crist, he is a 'believer' and welcomes the 'stimulus' to his state with open arms. Governor Crist was also a once 'hopeful' for candidate in 2008 for President.

Despite about-face, Gregg gets White House invite (click here)
Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor

February 18, 2009 12:53 PM

..."I've been asked by the President, along with a number of other Members of Congress, to join him next Monday," Gregg said in a statement. "My goal for the summit will be to address the long-term fiscal tsunami that is headed our way as a result of the cost of making payments to the Baby Boom Generation through health and retirement entitlement programs."...

Meanwhile, in Minnesota the trial for Senator is delaying the 'win' of Al Franken.

We all wish Laurie Coleman the best of luck in promoting her career choice.


Senator's Wife Reveals Almost All! (click here)
By Richard LeibyThursday, August 26, 2004; Page C03
Senator's Wife Reveals Almost All! Eager to promote her career as a Hollywood actress, Laurie Coleman, wife of Republican Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota, has authorized our exclusive publication of photos that show her in glamorous, provocative poses -- just in time for next week's Republican National Convention, where her husband, coincidentally, is among the operatives striving to add sizzle and star power to President Bush's coronation....


Key Coleman witness tossed from Minn. Senate trial (click title to entry - thank you)
By BRIAN BAKST – 12 hours ago
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — An argument that Republican Norm Coleman hoped would draw him closer to Democrat Al Franken suffered a hard blow Wednesday in the Minnesota Senate trial when the judges threw out the testimony of the only witness to claim seeing errors that may have given some people two votes.
The testimony of Minneapolis election judge Pamela Howell was thrown out because she had supplied materials to Coleman's legal team that weren't given to Franken's lawyers. The judges deemed that a violation of civil trial procedures....



The Republicans have no ideas, they only have failed policies and old rhetoric.

The lowly defender to the Republican Political Rant is Rush Limbaugh and Republican Talk Radio. Oh. That saids it all, doesn't it?

There are limited venues for returning the USA economy. The Democrats have all the in-roads to revitalizing the USA and they always have. Infrastructure changes to energy sources, transporation, health care, medical research and INVENTION. Republicans do NOT embrace new ideas, their venue is to satisfy cronies with more money for the businesses that buoy the RNC platform and elect RNC members.

The RNC has no way of recovering their party. It's over. This is more proof than any other so far. This is their new voice? Then its a familiar voice with a different face, that's all. Get over it, the Bush White House raided the USA Treasury to survive the Democratic Majority. Obama has a little more than $300 billion of Paulson's 'Bank Bailout' to redistribute to AIG and the others, I suggest he do that and do it well.


Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana in his address Tuesday.

...But the speech raised questions.
“This was the moment for him to seize the mantle with new ideas, new direction, and lay the groundwork for himself as a creative new thinker,” said Thomas Schaller, a political scientist at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. “He just used old platitudes and party clichés.”
Laura Ingraham, the talk radio host; David Brooks, the New York Times columnist; and Juan Williams of Fox News were among Mr. Jindal’s unimpressed reviewers in television commentary, while Rush Limbaugh defended the governor on his radio show. Several commentators noted that response speeches, in which a designated member of the opposition party delivers a short, canned speech with no live audience, have often been a recipe for failure.
“He went in there with high expectations, probably too high for any politician,” said David Johnson, a Republican political strategist. “Republicans are looking for a voice to lead them out of the wilderness.”
Still, Mr. Johnson said, “it was a flop.”...

The Purple Five Dollar Bill is still stronger than its competition.

When the stock markets are down, the dollar has been up. It is a strong alternative to other currencies.

The Japanese Market had a good day on Tuesday, I believe.

The problem with the EURO is more that just the usual concerns for all the markets these days, it doesn't have a strong 'history' and that is the unfortunate part. The EURO was developed for the European Union which is still in its early years although the governments comprising the EU are long lived. The problem is the countries within the EU have inherent problems and while they are buoyed through all this with the expertise of better established countries in Europe they will add to apprehension regarding investors. The EURO will regain its value when the markets start to pick up.

Consumer spending across the globe will increase when the stimulus monies are circulating as Americans purchase over 'the net' frequently to keep costs down and for the first time in a long time, it might be Americans that are seeking bargains in Europe with exchange rates better.



CURRENCIES
Dollar gains as U.S. stocks slip (click title to entry - thank you)
By Lisa Twaronite, Deborah Levine & William L. Watts, MarketWatch
Last update: 5:16 p.m. EST Feb. 25, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- The U.S. dollar pushed higher against most major rivals Wednesday as downbeat economic data and more weakness on Wall Street increased safe-haven flows to the greenback.
Dismal global data also weighed on the euro, Japanese yen and British pound....


...The dollar's rise was "confirming to us that despite the waves of optimism that show up in intermittent equity market rallies, there is still a strong sense of fear of the unknown apparent. That's showing up in growing demand for the dollar," said Andrew Wilkinson, senior market analyst at Interactive Brokers Group in Greenwich, Conn....

..."The downgrade reflects a deeper problem in the euro zone," said strategists at brown Brothers Harriman. "Greece is suffering from an inability to compete not just in the euro zone but also outside the euro zone."
The U.K. Office for National Statistics confirmed an earlier estimate pegging the quarterly decline in British GDP over the final three months of 2008 at 1.5% -- the steepest fall since 1980. The third quarter was downwardly revised to show a 0.7% contraction following an earlier estimate of a 0.6% fall.
The data showed a 0.7% quarterly fall in real consumer spending and a 2.3% fall in investment.