Over 20,000 job losses in the USA everyday. The GOP needs to get out of the way, NOW !!!!!

102 weeks to succeed in The Road to Economic Recovery AND WHAT DOES THE GOP DO? LAUGH AT THE ONLY ANSWER TO THE PROBLEM.

36 weeks until the end of Low Oil Prices

76 Weeks until the end of the USA occupation in Iraq.


Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is making an issue out of public spending on honeybees as part of the federal stimulus. (click here)

Simple minded politics knows nothing about the importance of the economic crisis in the USA. McConnell is making a mockery of a serious issue by trivializing the sincere problem with honeybees.

The stimulus is not about Honeybees, it is about turning the corner on the demise of the USA under the Republican leadership of the last eight years.

As a side note, there was an entry on this blog about the very sincere and serious 'climate change' issue with American Honeybees. It isn't a joke. There are problems throughout the country with bees and their numbers in relation to POLLINATION.

Republicans are jerks !

What's Killing The Honeybees? (click here)
For A Second Year, Bees Are Dying Off And America's Farmers Are Getting Stung
MODESTO, Calif., March 7, 2008
by John Blackstone
(CBS) In California the almond orchards are in blossom and millions of honeybees are at work, pollinating, doing a job only they can do.
Almonds are the first big bloom of the season and the first big test of honeybee health, CBS News correspondent John Blackstone reports.
"It's not a vibrant hive, it's not full of bees," said Brett Adee. "A hive this time of year should be just busting bees. And it's just a scrawny little bee hive."
Adee, whose family runs the largest beekeeping operation in the country, says bees are dying at least as fast as they did last year.
"It's off the chart this year. It's not a sustainable thing, what's happening now," he said.
What's happening in the almond orchards doesn't bode well for crops everywhere that require pollination....

continued...

There seems to be a FEW issues surrounding aid to Gaza, the least is an Iranian ship. I don't blame Israel for being prudent !

Humanitarian efforts that 'villanize' Israel will not be successful. The aid that is best to reach Hamas is that directed by Fatah. It would be best if all aid groups, NGOs, were to find 'SAFE' entry to Gaza through efforts organized through the governments involved. Possibly Egypt needs to provide a venue of UN Peacekeepers to inspect the aid anticipated by the people of Gaza.

Hamas steals blankets, food from U.N. warehouse (click here)
Published: Thursday, February 5, 2009
Hamas steals blankets, food from U.N. warehouse
JERUSALEM — Armed Hamas police broke into a Gaza warehouse packed with U.N. humanitarian supplies and seized thousands of blankets and food packages, officials said Wednesday.
It was a rare public clash between the international agency that feeds much of the territory and the militant group that rules it. And the incident highlighted difficulties facing donors seeking to bypass Hamas while helping Gazans survive and rebuild after Israel’s punishing military operation.
Hamas policemen stormed an aid warehouse in Gaza City Tuesday evening and confiscated 3,500 blankets and over 400 food parcels ready for distribution to 500 families, said United Nations Relief and Works Agency spokesman Christopher Gunness.

Aid trucks stranded at Egypt's Gaza border (click here)
By ALFRED de MONTESQUIOU – 6 days ago
RAFAH, Egypt (AP) — More than two dozen trucks loaded with food, aid and goods intended for the Gaza Strip were stranded on the Egyptian side of the border Thursday, leaving truckers with little to do but sip tea and exude frustration.
The backlog raises questions about a U.N. appeal announced Thursday which calls for $613 million to help Palestinians recover from Israel's three-week offensive in Gaza and whether new aid will have much effect until there is a deal to open the devastated territory's borders.
"The ordinary people here in Gaza are not getting enough help and are not getting it quickly enough," said John Ging, the top U.N. official in Gaza.
He blamed the aid shortage on the lack of access to Gaza and demanded that the border crossings be opened.
"There are thousands of tons of assistance generously donated, sitting in Egypt, Jordan and also in the ports in Israel," said Ging. "That aid should be right here, right now, helping the people who need it."...


Religious figures and activists wave Palestinian and Lebanese flags aboard the ship with 50 tonnes of medicine, food, toys, books and stationery as they prepare to sail to the Gaza Strip, from the northern port city of Tripoli, Lebanon on Tuesday. (Associated Press)

Israel seizes Lebanese ship heading for Gaza (click title to entry - thank you)
Israeli military says a few dozen kilograms of supplies were on board the ship
Last Updated: Thursday, February 5, 2009 2:21 PM ET
Israel is denying allegations that it fired at a Lebanese ship carrying activists and supplies into Gaza after seizing it on Thursday.
Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said Thursday the ship was seized by the navy and escorted into the port city of Ashdod.
Journalists from Arab television stations Al-Jadeed and Al-Jazeera aboard the ship reported that the navy fired shots at the vessel. They alleged that after boarding the ship, the Israelis assaulted its occupants.
Other journalists on the ship said they could not provide any pictures of the incident because the Israelis smashed their equipment.
"They are pointing guns against us — they are kicking us and beating us. They are threatening our lives," Al-Jazeera journalist Salam Khoder reported on the broadcaster's website.
An Israeli army spokesman said warning shots were fired in the air when the ship tried to sail toward the Gaza Strip, said Reuters.
"No gunshots were fired on board during the boarding and capture of the cargo boat," the military said in a statement.
All of the ship's 20 passengers will be taken by land to Lebanon after they are questioned by Israeli officials, said Reuters....



Egypt has officially refused to give an Iranian aid ship permission to dock at Al-Areesh port. (click here)
Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:33:40 GMT
Cairo has officially refused to give an Iranian relief ship permission to unload Gaza-bound humanitarian aid at an Egyptian seaport. After weeks of stalling the Iranian aid ship Shahed some 25 km (15 miles) off the coast of Gaza, the Egyptian government expressed opposition to the emergency delivery through the Al-Areesh port, an informed source said Wednesday. The move dealt a blow to efforts by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) aimed at channeling desperately-needed aid to Gazans, added the source who requested anonymity....

Jan 26, 2009 23:43 Updated Jan 27, 2009 16:11
Cairo intercepts Iranian arms ship (click here)
Israel is closely tracking an Iranian freighter believed to be carrying weaponry for Hamas that is currently docked in the Red Sea outside the Suez Canal, after Egypt refused to permit it to cross the waterway to the Mediterranean.
According to a report received at the Defense Ministry from the Pentagon, the US Navy recently boarded an Iranian vessel that was carrying artillery shells and other weaponry.
"This is a big test for the Egyptians," a senior defense official said. "So far the Egyptians have prevented the ship from crossing the Suez and we hope it will stay that way."
Defense officials said that Iran is trying to supply Hamas with new Grad-model Katyusha rockets and to replace high-grade explosives that were exhausted or destroyed by the IDF during Operation Cast Lead....

Cyprus Silent Over Ship's Suspected Hamas Weapons Cargo (click here)
By SANA ABDALLAH
(Middle East Times, with agency dispatches)
Published: February 03, 2009
AMMAN -- Mystery continues to surround a Cyprus-flagged ship detained at the island's southern Limassol port under Israeli and U.S. suspicion it may be carrying Iranian weapons for the Palestinian Hamas movement in Gaza, underlying the difficulties in stemming arms smuggling to Palestinian groups fighting Israel.
Cyprus acknowledged it had detained a Russian-owned ship last Friday, but has refused to reveal any information to the press regarding reports that it was carrying weapons, insisting that the vessel and its cargo are still under investigation....

U.S. releases Iranian ship said taking arms to Gaza (click here)
By Natasha Mozgovaya
WASHINGTON - The U.S. navy was forced to release an Iranian boat detained in the Red Sea on suspicion of carrying arms to Hamas-ruled Gaza. Weapons of various kinds were found aboard the ship, which was flying the Cypriot flag when it was stopped January 19. The ship was released yesterday when it became apparent that there was no legal basis for holding it....

Mullen: Iranian arms probably were bound for Gaza (click here)
By ANNE GEARAN – Jan 27, 2009
WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation's top military officer said Tuesday the United States did all it could to intercept a suspected arms shipment to Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, but its hands were tied.
Separately, Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other U.S. officials said it is too soon to tell whether the prospect of new U.S. engagement with Iran will bear fruit.
Mullen confirmed that a Cypriot-flagged ship intercepted in the Red Sea last week was carrying Iranian arms and that U.S. authorities suspect that the shipment was ultimately bound for the Gaza Strip, where Hamas and Israel are observing a shaky truce after three weeks of fighting....


Egypt Hammers Hizbullah, Hamas, Qatar (click here)
Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit on Wednesday accused Hizbullah and Hamas of trying to "hurl the region into collisions and conflicts to serve Iran's interests."
Abul Gheit also said in a television interview Iran tries to "use its cards to ease the western pressures over its nuclear program."
Egypt, he said, has thwarted Qatar's attempts to sponsor an official Arab Summit Conference at Doha earlier this month.
"Had that summit been convened it would have harmed joint Arab action," he added.
"Some people thought that a television network would be able to topple the state of Egypt … Egypt is a major power and cannot be affected by al-Jazeera or other networks," Abul Gheit stressed.
He criticized Hamas for the coup it carried out against the Palestine National Authority in June 2007.
Beirut, 28 Jan 09, 20:59



A Lebanese ship is escorted by an Israeli naval boat near the port in the southern Israeli city of Ashdod, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009. The Israeli navy on Thursday intercepted a ship delivering 60 tons of supplies from Lebanon to the Gaza Strip and said it was towing the vessel into an Israeli port. The ship set sail from the Lebanese port of Tripoli Tuesday in a bid to defy Israel's blockade of Gaza. Reporters from Arab TV stations Al-Jadeed and Al-Jazeera who were on the vessel said the Israelis fired at the ship before boarding it and beating those on board. The Israeli navy said no gunshots were fired on the ship while it boarded and seized the vessel. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)



A Lebanese ship is seen docked next to an Israeli naval ship in the southern Israeli city of Ashdod, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009. The Israeli navy on Thursday intercepted a ship delivering 60 tons of supplies from Lebanon to the Gaza Strip and said it was towing the vessel into an Israeli port. The ship set sail from the Lebanese port of Tripoli Tuesday in a bid to defy Israel's blockade of Gaza. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)

The Problem globally is that everyone is waiting for 'the market adjustment' to become temporary. It won't be temporary.

From the years 2000-2007 the 'hubris' of the Bush USA Treasury 'hyper-inflated' the markets. There were all kinds of changes and so called 'perks' such as the extention of the NY Stock Exchange into Europe.

That 'hubris' is all it was and what is happening is a 'deflation' of a balloon that was 'more than just a housing bubble.' The 'adjustment' the USA and global markets are 'feeling' isn't simply a transition through a 'bad time' to return to 'good times.'

What occurred during seven years of Republican spending in the USA while they expanded the debt and annually raised the USA debt ceiling was an artifical economy based in unnecessary construction through priorities that supported a political agenda void of benevolence toward global economic stability.

The Bush Years will be measured in GOVERNMENT WASTE including the time it has taken to defeat al Qaeda.

That 'waste' was never viewed by global partners as such, but, as a ? perhaps ? new way of market strategy. It wasn't a market strategy at all, it was pure unadulterated politics. It was GROSS mismanagement by the Executive Branch of the USA Government at every turn regardless to topic. Power brokers. The Bush Years are laced with power brokers, not, good government.

If one wanted to 'analyze' the years going forward from the time Former President Clinton took office there would be a far different outcome and far more stability had Bush/Cheney not conned the Executive Branch away from Former Vice President Gore.

This 'market CRASH' (and when the Stock Exchange fell 50% in one year, that my friends, is a crash, not a recession.) occurred due to "W"rongful spending, "W"rongful priorities and I apologize for the fear that gripped this country for so long that 'enabled' such tragic outcomes to global stability.

Americans have decidedly taken their country back and what that means to the global markets and growing number of USA allies, is that the USA has a lot of work to do, including being vigilant to prevent another September 11th.

I would hope every nation that has stood by in strength and compassion during this decade will come to understand the vast responsibility the USA has toward all of them and doling out funds 'willy-nilly' when those funds are desperately needed to return stability to the USA while we change our 'polluting' ways is irresponsible. It is irresponsible to our own citizens and to global citizens.

It is not protectionism. It is inclusion. It is all in the 'eye of the beholder' and there is no room for greed anywhere. Different from a Republican administration and Congress, every USA penny needs to be conserved and distributed prudently. For every 'return' on investment by American citizens that literally used their own paychecks to elect our new President, there will be vast more return to the global stability and market places.

The arguement that 'international competition' will bring 'the best value' to the USA for its economic stimulus is INVALID. We, as Americans can determine what a 'fair paycheck' looks like and how that impacts the 'cost' of rebuilding our infrastructure. With proper 'bidding' from American companies for government contracts their won't be any need for international competition to insure 'fair prices' for 'raw materials.'

I do not anticipate 'free wheeling' market competition as there was with Bush. Bush's 'Rule of Law' was a joke and he simply removed all laws and regulations that insured fair and honest market practices. There won't be any more 'fraud' to cause global instability. The 'one' place terrorist networks seek to 'hurt' nations and societies is 'within' their market strategies. We as a world intent on peace and benevolence can't allow that to happen and we need to have 'regulatory' infrastructure that promotes prosperity even in the face of possible tragedy.

What occurred under Bush and Paulson was complete exploitation of markets while ignoring the dangers of economic collapse and how that opens up the possibility of terrorist infiltration. As an example the 'mess' that is Pakistan and its lack of a cohesive market strategy is all too clear.

While a 'strong USA' seems a little scary to a world still traumatized by the last eight years, there is nothing to say 'a USA gaining strength enough' to be a 'strong partner' isn't in the best interest of the global community.

NOW, is the time for nations to take inventory of the 'best strategy' to consent to in all venues, including the extreme and present dangers of a warming planet.

NOW, is the time to 'summit' and create 'that world' of perfect balance.

NOW, is when the USA's people have offered up their favorite son ready to make agreements and sign treaties. Let us not waste what the citizens of the USA have started.



China shows recovery signs, US job loss slows
(Agencies)Updated: 2009-02-05 08:11
BEIJING/LONDON -- Improved manufacturing data from China on Wednesday suggested its downturn may be bottoming out and US employment figures were not quite as bad as forecast, but crisis-hit Russia's sovereign debt rating was cut.
US data showed another steep drop in private sector employment but the rate of job losses slowed in January for the first time since September last year. ADP Employer Services said private employers cut 522,000 jobs in January -- slightly fewer than forecast -- after a revised 659,000 jobs were lost in December.
This marked the first slowdown for four months but analysts were cautious before wider US payrolls data on Friday. "I wouldn't put too much meaning into this report. Overall, aside from the the job losses, consumption all over the world is down. That's troubling," said Win Thin, senior currency strategist at Brown Brothers Harriman in New York...

Russia to control Eurasec anti-crisis fund - Medvedev

$10 billion. If President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin can convince their allies, including Iran, to stop nuclear proliferation, the USA should entertain the 'idea' of economic enhancements between what will then be a strong alliance for PEACE.

I would imagine that such a Peace Directive would also help bring about the nuclear disarmament of Pakistan and India as well.

Russia, Allies Offer to Assist U.S. in Afghanistan (Update2) (click here)
By Lucian Kim and Ken Fireman
Feb. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Russia and four former Soviet republics offered to help the U.S. campaign in Afghanistan even as one, Kyrgyzstan, moved forward on a decision to cut off American access to an air base used for war supplies.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the five countries, including the Central Asian nations of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, are ready for “full-fledged and comprehensive cooperation” with NATO forces in the region. He spoke on state broadcaster Vesti-24 today.
At the same time, Kyrgyz Security Council Secretary Adukhan Madumarov said on the same channel that the U.S. air base at the Manas airport near Bishkek must cease operations within 180 days. The base would be crucial to President Barack Obama’s plans for a buildup of troops to defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The Kyrgyz Parliament will likely vote Feb. 6 on legislation formally renouncing the agreement allowing U.S. operations at the base, the Interfax news agency reported from Bishkek....

Russian arms exports to China may drop significantly (click here)
18:14
04/ 02/ 2009
MOSCOW, February 4 (RIA Novosti) - Russian arms sales to China could shrink from 40% to 10%, the head of a state-controlled arms exporter said on Wednesday.
In the past several decades Russia has been selling Su-27 and Su-30 fighters, Varshavyanka-class diesel submarines, and air-defense systems to China, among other types of weapons and equipment.
Rosoboronexport's general director Anatoly Isaikin did not say exactly when the Chinese share was expected to drop, stressing, however, that Russia was unfazed by the prospect.
"After all, sales volumes [across the world] are still high," he said in an interview with Nezavisimaya Gazeta.
He said Russia's cooperation with Beijing "is reaching a fundamentally new level - the development of dual-purpose products with high-tech components."
Isaikin said Russia had signed the first military contract this year for the delivery of more than 100 engines for the Chinese J-10 fighter.
He added that China would continue to buy military transport aircraft, fuel tankers, and aircraft engines from Russia, and was also interested in air-defense system and naval systems.

Eurasian Economic Community (click here)


Russian aid to Kyrgyzstan not linked to U.S. airbase closure (click here)
20:31
04/ 02/ 2009
MOSCOW, February 4 (RIA Novosti) - Russian financial assistance to Kyrgyzstan is not linked to the Central Asian country's decision to close a U.S. military base, a deputy Russian foreign minister said Wednesday. (Video)
"We do not think these two events are connected," Grigory Karasin told journalists, adding that the decision to close the Manas base had been made independently by the Kyrgyz government.
"Russia and Kyrgyzstan are very close countries cooperating in many spheres. We were able to provide aid which could possibly help Kyrgyzstan get through a critical economic and social phase," he said, adding that the loan was the result of "many months of work by our ministries."
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said in Moscow on Tuesday he would demand the closure of the airbase, used to support antiterrorism operations in neighboring Afghanistan, citing Washington's refusal to discuss higher rental payments and its reluctance to address the 2006 killing by a U.S. serviceman of a local....

CSTO's rapid-reaction force will be equal of NATO's - Medvedev (click here)
20:49
04/ 02/ 2009
MOSCOW, February 4 (RIA Novosti) - The collective rapid-reaction force to be created by a post-Soviet regional security bloc will be just as good as comparable NATO forces, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Wednesday.
The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) agreed on Wednesday at a summit in Moscow to set up the new force, to be based in Russia.
Medvedev said the force, to be comprised of a "sufficient" number of units, would be "well trained and well equipped."
"Russia is ready to contribute a division and a brigade," he said. "This gives you an idea of the scale."
The Russian president also said the CSTO was open for cooperation with the United States in the fight against terrorism in Central Asia....

Gitmo hearing still on docket, despite Obama order

...Susan Crawford, a Bush appointee who oversees the tribunal system, has not withdrawn charges against Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, the alleged mastermind of the USS Cole bombing, and Monday's hearing remains on the schedule, the Pentagon confirmed Wednesday....

The former administration of the USA won't be brought to trial by the Obama Administration. An action like that would have to include Congress as well. But, the 'real' trials for such an action would come through the international courts and I am confident there are those, including Americans, that are seeking the venue for justice in what is the longest reign of an oppressive government in the USA.

The Obama White House is going to have to insist on Gates 'getting tough' with Gitmo. Some bad habits are hard to break. I really don't see why an Executive Order was ignored. It looks like treason to me. It isn't as though President Obama opened the gates of Gitmo and turned them loose on the country again.

February 4th, 2009 1:21 am

Some call for Bush administration trials (click here)
Want ex-leader accountable on Iraq war

...Though the new president probably didn't notice them, the protesters holding the "ARREST BUSH" placards illustrated a thorny problem he will have to confront, perhaps sooner rather than later.
While most viewed Obama's inauguration as a fresh start for the country, many on the political left - among some of Obama's most ardent supporters - want to hold George W. Bush accountable for what they believe were illegal activities in office, including misleading Congress on the Iraq war, spying on Americans, and permitting coercive interrogations that critics consider to have been torture....

Every year Saudi Arabia comes out with a list of 'The Most Wanted Terrorists.' The list in past years had usually about 30 people. The Saudis are also very successful in capturing all those listed on "The Most Wanted Terrorist" List as well.

This year there are 11 former Gitmo detainees that have reappeared as problems for Saudi Arabia.

11 former Gitmo inmates on Saudi wanted list (click here)
By PAUL SCHEMM – 11 hours ago
CAIRO (AP) — The Saudi government acknowledged Wednesday that 11 men on the country's most wanted list are former Guantanamo prisoners who went through rehabilitation, raising doubts about a program intended to counter extremist religious ideology.
President Barack Obama signed an executive order closing down the prison in Cuba on Jan. 22 — his second day in office — leaving nations scrambling over what to do with a potential flood of released detainees.
Some 133 of Guantanamo's over 700 inmates were Saudi, according to Interior Ministry spokesman Gen. Mansour al-Turki, and 117 have returned to Saudi Arabia and been through rehabilitation programs.
"Besides the 11 people (on the list) who came from Guantanamo, there are still 106 people who have gone through this rehabilitation program and are doing okay," he told The Associated Press.
With a majority of the 9/11 hijackers from Saudi Arabia and hundreds of youths streaming into Iraq to join the insurgents, there has been a concerted government effort to counter with deprogramming sessions involving clerics, psychologists and sociologists....

Deviants disappearing from Kingdom: Experts (click here)

Arab News
MAKKAH: Terror experts in the Kingdom are claiming that terror-suspects have fled Saudi Arabia as they no longer find it congenial for the growth of extremist ideologies.
“The deviant ideology is disappearing from the country and its advocates have no choice but to leave the country as indicated by the details recently published by the Ministry of Interior,” Maj. Gen. Yahya Al-Zayedi, a Saudi security expert, told Al-Madinah newspaper.
“Security operations in the Kingdom have proved to be a total success in checking the spread of extremist activities and driving them out of their hiding places.
The operations have also foiled their conspiracies against the country, society and religion, and unveiled the falseness of their claims. This is the circumstance under which militants figuring in the list ran away from the Kingdom,” Al-Zayedi said....

Some of the state's legislative branches are attempting to exert 'State's Rights' over federal military instillations. They don't have any right to impede the military. What this amounts to is a way of 'making a statement.' I suppose they could try to challenge the US DOD in the Supreme Court, but, that is like the tail wagging the dog, the States just don't have jurisdiction over the operation of the military.

Don’t bring Gitmo prisoners to Georgia, congressman says (click here)
U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey says legislation will keep 240 Guantanamo detainees out of state
By BOB KEEFE
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Not that Georgia was ever in line to become the next Gitmo, but just in case, U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey has introduced legislation he says will keep that from happening.
Gingrey (R-Marietta) got the backing of the rest of Georgia’s Republican House members for his “No GITMO in Georgia Act” that he says will ensure current detainees at the Guantanamo Bay detention center are not relocated to the Peach State when the Cuban facility closes....

Gitmo resolution advances in KS House (click here)
TOPEKA House members give first-round approval to a resolution against bringing detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Kansas.
The resolution states the Legislature's opposition to bringing any of the some 240 suspected terrorist detainees now held on the base in Cuba to Kansas.
Fort Leavenworth is among three military sites in the United States under consideration by the Pentagon.
President Barack Obama has signed an executive order calling for the closure of the Guantanamo prison within a year.
Today's brief debate sends the measure to final action.
The Senate approved the measure on Monday, with 38 of the 40 members sponsoring the resolution.
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has written Defense Secretary Robert Gates stating her opposition to moving detainees to Kansas.

Where is The Middle Class in all this Joe Biden ? This is OUR Stimulus and OUR Tax Base. No one else's.

Biden to Lead Task Force on Issues of the Middle Class
Group's Goal: Raise Standard of Living For Working Families

By Anne E. Kornblut and Anthony Faiola
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, January 31, 2009; Page
During his first major White House event since taking office, Vice President Biden on Friday announced that he will be leading a task force on issues affecting the middle class....


President Obama introduces Vice President Biden, who delivered remarks on the Middle Class Working Families Task Force during a signing ceremony in the East Room.

“Buy American” needs to stay in the Stimulus Legislation. We are NOT to 'sell out' the country to outsourcing !

Geithner is diverting the Stimulus to the priorities of others, rather than the priorities of the American people.

I'd like to know why Senator Chris Dodd isn't heading up Commerce?

The article at the title to the article is from The Straits Times, a Singpore paper. China. You know the country, the one that currently OWNS the USA.

...To supporters, including labour unions that helped the Democrats retake the White House last year, a 'Buy American' clause is just common sense at a time of economic crisis and massive layoffs....


FTSE 100 (above - Europe)

Hong Kong stocks rise on China manufacturing data (click here)
The Associated Press
Published: February 4, 2009
HONG KONG: Hong Kong's key stock index rose more than 2 percent Wednesday on better-than-expected news about China's manufacturing industry.
The blue-chip Hang Seng Index added 287, or 2.3 percent, to 13,063.89.
Investors were heartened by a report pointing to possible recovery in Chinese manufacturing. While manufacturing shrank again in January, the contraction was less severe than in recent months and seen by some as a sign China's stimulus measures might be taking hold.
"The results suggest that government measures to revive lending and infrastructure spending as well as to boost consumption are beginning to work," Dariusz Kowalczyk, chief investment strategist of SJS Markets, wrote in a report Wednesday.
Shares in commodity producers and shippers led the way on hope of greater demand for resources in China....

The DOW


If Europe and Asia want a stimulus package they can do it themselves. Does anyone actually believe there is a reason to 'share?'

NO !

This stimulus is NOT a global stimulus, it is a stimulus designed to return jobs to the American people and the USA TAX BASE.

I do believe Mr. Geithner, who seems to think he can railroad over top of American workers by capping Executive pay, wants to hand over OUR country's stimulus to every other country in the world.

Hell NO !

The last $700 billion BAILOUT 'got lost in the shuffle' somewhere between the shores of the USA and that of Europe and Asia. The Stimulus is NOT going to do the same thing. I am a bit outraged by the 'siding' with more OUT SOURCING by Mr. Geithner, a 'Goldman Sachs' Homeboy ! He needs to resign and PAY HIS TAXES !

This is a President to be proud of. This bill will lighten the load of the states and the Governors can start to prioritize a little differently.

US President Barack Obama, surrounded by members of Congress and US Vice President Joe Biden (3rd R)

The 2008 Presidential Election was an easy win for our President. North Dakota's three electoral votes went to McCain. I noted, however, that when it comes in caring for North Dakota's children, the newspapers there tell it like it is with enthusiasm. President Obama is making friends in North Dakota. Do I detect a Red State turning Blue?

(click title to article - thank you)

With BC-Children's Health, moving nationally BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) Members of North Dakota's congressional delegation say a bill extending health coverage to 4 million uninsured children nationwide will ensure that nearly 5,000 North Dakota children will have access to coverage.

President Barack Obama signed the bill Wednesday. It calls for spending an additional $32.8 billion on the State Children's Health Insurance Program, known as SCHIP. It currently enrolls an estimated 7 million children.

North Dakota Congressman Earl Pomeroy and Senator Byron Dorgan say the bill will ensure that about 3,500 North Dakota children enrolled in the Healthy Steps program will continue to have coverage. And another 1,300 children are now expected to be covered.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 02-04-09 1833CST

Why should we pay for thier golden parachutes? What did they ever do for us?

I am proud of the President. He did well. This is going to 'move' the executives that are holding on to their positions from those jobs. It will make room for new and younger executives that are anxious to turn the corner on corporate failure. They'll come into the job, hone the companies they lead and begin 'again' to earn higher salaries and bonuses.

Nice. It is about time the young people in this country has a chance to lead their own economy. Very nice. I can't wait.

President Barack Obama has placed an annual $500,000 (£345,000) pay limit on bank executives whose institutions require further rescue funds from the US government. (click title to entry - thank you)

Governor Granholm needs a hand. She needs to see that FUNDING for the State Fairs in Michigan should be privatized.

Change we can live with !

A suggestion. Where State Fairs and the like are being sacrificed for other budget priorities, I suggest these events be treated in similar ways as any Olympic Games or Superbowl. The States should 'sell the franchise' rights to private contractors and collect a percentage of profits as well.

I would think this could be a perfect opportunity for 'Six Flags' to come up with a corporate strategy to 'service' such events while using their larger market share of 'wholesale supply' purchasing power to bring costs down.

I mean after all, we need to know who can actually grow the largest watermelon, right? And what about those '4-H' kids and their prize dogs, cats, cows and horses. We can't let them down now, can we?



Granholm's State of the State speech a mix of cutbacks, 'green' initiatives (click title to entry - thank you)
Gary Heinlein / Detroit News Lansing Bureau
LANSING --Gov. Jennifer Granholm delivers her seventh State of the State address just after 7 this evening.
She is expected to call for downsizing state government, the end of the Michigan State Fair and the Upper Peninsula State Fair; a freeze on tuition at state universities; and a mini-moratorium on new coal-fired power plants.
And Granholm, aides say, will seek a 10 percent pay cut for elected state officials, and a moratorium on utility shutoffs.
Many of the governor's plans require legislative approval.
Her speech, televised statewide, will be delivered to a packed state House chambers, where representatives, governors, judges, top bureaucrats and guests will gather.
While focusing on government belt-tightening in tough times, the governor is expected to devote a third of her speech to proposals for "green" energy, with a plan to reduce the state's reliance on fossil fuels for energy generation 45 percent by 2020. It means some of the eight coal-fired power plants now in the pipeline will never be built.

YES !

And while that may be welcomed by environmentalists, the Granholm's plan to turn wetland regulation over to the federal Environmental Protection Agency has not been well received.
You can reach Gary Heinlein at (517) 371-3660 or gheinlein@detnews.com. You can reach Gary Heinlein at (517)371-3660 or gheinlein@detnews.com.

The RNC needs to stop their attempts to undermine the will of the American People.

The Primaries and the General Election is over and McCain and the RNC lost and they lost big. They need to join 'main stream' America to rebuild this country after the Republican reign under Bush raped its Treasury.

Perhaps McCain needs to realize how completely unpopular his ideas are. President Obama should not be distracted by this mess by the RNC in an attempt to provide "W"rongful guidance on the stimulus package now before the Senate.


ADAPT Activists Protest John McCain, RNC
Posted by Matt Ortega on April 29, 2008 at 06:10 PM
Folks from ADAPT, an advocacy group for persons with disabilities, is in Washington, D.C. this week for their 25th anniversary. According to attendee reports, about 100 people showed up outside the RNC because of John McCain's opposition to the Community Choice Act (CCA) (click here).

The RNC, now lead by John McCain, has been out of step with Main Stream America for a long, long time. The American People took the advise of Republicans following the tragedy of September 11, 2001. We 'bought' and 'went on vacation.' Boy, did we ever go on vacation. But, the point is the misguided ways of the Republicans have proved to be the worst strategies this country has ever seen.

I had to laugh the other week when Rahm Emanuel was asked by David Gregory how some of the stimulus was considered 'stimulus' when all was supposed to be 'shovel ready' jobs. That was never stated by the President even as President-Elect. The 'shovel ready' jobs was an expression of the fifty Governors of the country when they appealed to the then President-Elect to rebuild infrastructure lost under the shrinking federal assistance they were denied under the Republicans.

Everyone is 'putting' their own brand on this stimulus package and refusing to LISTEN to the President's focus to address the NEEDS of the USA.

The 'infrastruture' of America that direly needs to be rebuilt are in SOME instances construction jobs, large public spending bills, such as bridges. But, if the economy continues to fail as noted with 'car sales' reports today, there won't be need for bridges or roads.


Detroit car makers hand in steep U.S. sales drops (click here)
Toyota sales fall 31.7% as huge declines mount across the industry
By Shawn Langlois, MarketWatch
Last update: 4:09 p.m. EST Feb. 3, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - The auto industry's historic meltdown showed no signs of relenting in January, with Ford Motor Co., General Motors Corp. and Chrysler on Tuesday posting U.S. sales declines of more than 40% -- below even the lowest of Wall Street targets....

Ford sales drop 40 percent in January (click here)
DEARBORN, Mich.
Ford Motor Co. said Tuesday its U.S. sales fell 40 percent in January, but the company said sales of its F-series pickup trucks and Fusion midsize sedan helped the company post its fourth consecutive month of higher retail market share.
Ford said it sold 93,060 light vehicles in the U.S. last month, compared with 155,832 in January 2008. Light vehicle sales exclude heavy trucks.
Ford estimated that its share of the market was 12.7 percent, up 0.3 point from a year earlier....

Pick-up truck sales indicate a growing infrastructure of people that 'work' and 'play' in areas that require such vehicles. The Ford Fusion is the 'new hope' for 'energy conscience' Americans (click here) as a Midsize answer for American familes. Detroit is answering the call for Americans. They are looking at the demands by Americans for a change in transportation and are making vehicles available that will address the 'prestige' of the NEW American road.

BUT, the banking industry, the Republican bastion of hope for any economic up-tick, is still failing the American consumer and there aren't loans for Americans to purchase cars of any kind. Not only that, but, there is an increase in the number of cars repossessed by banks. Why? Do banks actually believe repossessing cars is any different than homes? If they work with car owners to continue to finance rather than repossess cars they might find they have a better cash flow. Basically, the monies that SHOULD already be in the banking sector for loans for these auto makers is still absent from the economy of the USA. Detroit can build cars, but, they can't get financing for their customers. It would seem the 'Bush Bail out' of the banks was and is a complete waste of money.

David Gregory cited a stimulus to NOAA for its programs as something NOT worthwhile as a 'shovel ready job.' Jobs that contribute to the tax base of the USA come from all sectors of our country. Why should scientists be out of work as opposed to construction workers? Bush believed in concrete proliferation as a way to economic success and it collapsed the economy when a glut of houses and buildings replaced the beauty of our country's wilderness. What makes anyone believe that construction is an answer when real estate is still selling for low market prices?

You all need to get over yourselves !

America needs to go back to work. It needs to go back to work in ALL sectors of our country, including, scientists that monitor the Earth's troposphere and monitor species survival. How, as a country are we to know that our strategies to lower carbon dioxide are working? How are we to protect our nation from loss of species across our country and in the wilderness of the Arctic and Antarctica?

The USA, under Republicans, have grossly neglected the natural world and our nation's parks, what makes anyone believe that putting Park Rangers back to work is a bad idea? With National Parks and natural areas of this country protected and well researched, it brings people to tour this country and every dollar spent on our natural world is returned a hundred if not a thousand fold when tourists can appreciate the great benevolence of the USA.

Within the 'benevolence' of the 'economic stimulus' that President Obama put forth there exists the future to the youngest of our citizens. We need to retool this country to answer the need for energy and transportation. THERE IS NO QUICK FIX in this stimulus, but, hope and incentive to rebuild this country for the future of our children. The Republicans didn't care about 'the silent vote' of our children. They cared about their bankers and their stockholders and their oil wars, but, they didn't hear the 'silent vote' of America's children. The Democrats DID and are acting to insure the futures of our children NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES.

The Democrats are NOT ABOUT 'government as usual.' It is about 'change' and the long anticipated NEW direction of our nation. As we wind down from the "W"rongful invasion of Iraq, the military budgets will decrease as well as when Russia and the USA find new in roads to peace and nuclear non-proliferation.

I have said from the beginning of the Bush administation's 'redirection' of the efforts to stop terrorist networks that such 'W'rongful strategies into Iraq would bring about spending in other countries as well as the USA in Cold War Technologies.

The way to economic stability is not through war economies but through peace economies. Besides, war isn't supposed to be AN ECONOMIC STIMULUS. War is supposed to be a defense of this country. When will people that hold such strongly negative opinions of PEACE and CHANGE in government stop being stupid and longing for 'Economic War Stimulus' rather than 'Economic Stimulus' that fights the 'Good Fight.' That good fight is to insure the well being of our children on a shrinking planet that is growing dangerously warm by the day.

Honestly.

It is unfortunate that there are some nominees from the Obama Transition Team that aren't measuring up the way everyone had hoped, but, that is simply a new President making the best effort at change that was expected of him. No one has demanded that President Obama be perfect, now are they? I am, however, demanding that HE KEEP HIS WORD.

If those around him fail at proving they are worthy of a place in his administration then so be it. We want NEW government without corruption, without regrets and while Republicans seek to tarnish President Obama's victory and the victory of Democrats that are intent on turning the corner on America's failing while lead by Republicans, we won't give up. We want the change President Obama promised and we know he and his majority House and Senate can deliver it. We look forward to it and patiently await an administration worthy of President Obama's 'hope' and 'ideals' for this country.

Frankly, I think he's doing a great job. I hope his administration continues to grow in expertise and productive directions for our country. Barak has a huge task ahead of him. He has to RETURN the country to Americans after years and years of Republican exploitation.

Oh, yeah, the McCain 'Stimulus?' He isn't elected and there is plenty of PORK within its content !

The UK measures its temperature in Celcius

Snow and freezing weather threaten to shut down Britain (click title to entry - thank you)

Arctic blizzards are set to cause a national shutdown on Monday as forecasters warn of the most widespread snowfall for almost 20 years.


By John Bingham


Last Updated: 11:34PM GMT 01 Feb 2009


The Met Office is warning of an "extreme weather event" across large swathes of England, Scotland and Wales with up to 10in of snow expected even in the usually warmer south and as much as 1ft on higher ground.


With freezing temperatures expected to endure for at least a week, there were predictions that resulting disruption and an expected spike in absenteeism could cost the British economy as much as £600 million a day, as the public transport system grinds to a halt and schools and offices are forced to close.


The wintry conditions claimed their first victim at the weekend as a walker fell more than 650ft after slipping on "iron-hard" snow in the Cairngorms.


Teresa Conalty, 40, from Co Wicklow, Ireland, died after slipping while walking on Coire Cas on Saturday.


Heavy snowfall forced Gatwick and London City airports to temporarily close their runways on Sunday night.


A Gatwick spokeswoman said 23 flights had been cancelled and 18 diverted as a result of the weather.


The snow also caused problems with the rail network as a number of services between London and the south coast were experiencing delays and cancellations as the snow drifted onto tracks....

The "Royalty" of the White House ends while returning White House Records to the People of the USA

Jack Abramoff and "W" - Where is the White House Guest Book?

President Bush met Abramoff on at least four occasions the White House has yet to acknowledge, according to the draft report by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

From The San Francisco Chronicle (click here)

...Perhaps the most significant was the repeal of a policy outlined in an Oct. 12, 2001, letter to federal agencies by then-Attorney General John Ashcroft that effectively urged them to resist Freedom of Information Act requests. Although it came soon after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, its reach went well beyond national security. The attorney general expressed a concern that "institutional, commercial and personal privacy interests" could be jeopardized by the use of the 35-year-old law. He assured agency heads that the "Department of Justice will defend your decisions" to withhold records, unless such denials lacked a "sound legal basis."

On his first days in office, Obama restored a "presumption in favor of disclosure" on FOIA requests. "The government," he said, "should not keep information confidential merely because public officials might be embarrassed by disclosure, because errors and failures might be revealed, or because of speculative or abstract fears."

Obama also repealed his predecessor's 2001 executive order that endowed former presidents and their heirs with near-absolute authority to invoke executive privilege to keep presidential records secret. Obama's order re-established the principle that White House records belong to the public - while maintaining a necessary process for current and former presidents to review and withhold documents whose disclosure might have negative national security implications....

Suu Kyi leaves home for UN envoy talks: Witnesses

2 Feb 2009, 0926 hrs IST, AFP
YANGON: Myanmar's detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi (click here) was taken on Monday from her home in a convoy for a meeting with visiting UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari, witnesses and officials said.

A Myanmar government official said that Aung San Suu Kyi and senior members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) party would hold a joint meeting with Gambari, who arrived in Myanmar on Saturday.

People living near Aung San Suu Kyi's sprawling lakeside compound in the former capital Yangon said cars left at about 10:00 am (0330 GMT), heading in the direction of a state-run guest house where Gambari has been holding talks....

It wasn't enough that Barak had to be sworn in my a Neocon Chief Justice that couldn't remember his lines, but, this?

Now I ask you, whom do you trust your Constitution to?

Yes, folks. That is definitely Clarence Thomas, Associate Justice of the United States, sleeping through Barack Obama's inaugural address. Even his pal Antonin Scalia had the decency to frown through the speech with his eyes open.

OPINION: GOP Atheist Tells Michael Steele to Divorce Religious Right (click here)
By American Atheists , An Educational Organization for Atheists - January 31, 2009

...David Silverman of American Atheists had this response:

I am a Republican Atheist, but I haven't voted for a Republican since Christie Whitman because I haven't been able to do so.

I believe in gun rights, a small government, low taxes, and a strong military. I believe the unions can be just as corrupt as corporations, and I believe in "workfare not welfare".

But I can't vote Republican, ever, because they have become tools of the Religious Right. They are, in my opinion, much more concerned about Intelligent Design, Faith-Based Initiatives, and making ME a 2nd class citizen than any of the issues on which we agree....

...and the Republican corruption scandal continues to unfold.

Then Washington lobbyists Jack Abramoff and Todd Boulanger are shown in this 2002 file photo.

Abramoff deputy, from NH, pleads guilty in scandal (click title to entry - thank you)
January 31, 2009

WASHINGTON—A former New Hampshire man who was a deputy to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff has pleaded guilty to charges in a Washington influence-peddling scandal.

Lobbyist Todd Boulanger admitted to a federal judge that he lavished government officials with trips, event tickets and pricey meals to get them to help his clients.

Boulanger is a native of Manchester, and for years was an aide to former New Hampshire U.S. Sen. Bob Smith. He left Capitol Hill to work with Abramoff, who now is in prison.

Boulanger, who is 37, could have faced up to 5 years in prison, but under terms of his plea deal, prosecutors recommended he get 18-24 months with reduced time if he continues to cooperate.

It is time to "Roll Back" the H1B Visa Program. It is costing Americans jobs.

The graph below is touted by The Heritage Foundation as a way to increase the nation's tax base. (click here) We need to educate our children and INSURE their college educations actually lead to well paying jobs with advancement opportunities. These visa programs are a Republican methodology to provide 'skilled labor' at cheap rates.

Foreign workers take jobs from Americans (click title to entry - thank you)
February 1, 9:17 AM
by Martha R Gore, Watchdog Politics Examiner

Foreign imported workers have been used by American corporations under the false allegation of a worker shortage. The real reason for using foreign workers is that they are willing to work for lower wages.
As far back as 2002, Nobel economics laureate Milton Friedman said that the 1990 H-1B visa program is a government subsidy because it allows employers access to imported highly skilled labor at below-market wages. The excuse is that there are not enough qualified American workers but the reality is that since 1960, 30 million Americans have graduated with bachelor's degrees and advanced degrees, who could work as scientists, engineers, computer programmers and mathematicians.
During that time, there were only 8 million high tech positions that needed that level of training. So Americans were competing with foreign technical workers for the same positions. Between 1975 and 2005, more than 25 million foreign workers were approved in just five highly skilled visa programs. Fast forward to 2009 and the growing number of unemployed in the United States (U.S.)
According to a review of visa applications published by the Associated Press (AP) on February 1, 2009, a good example is the banking industry which is being bailed out with billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars. Over the last six years, dozens of banks now receiving bailout funds have requested visas for more than 21,800 foreign workers as senior vice presidents, corporate lawyers, junior investment analysts and human resources specialists. During a time when huge numbers of bank employees were being laid off, the number of visas sought by a dozen banks actually increased from 3,258 in 2007 to 4,163 in 2008....

The "Lemon-Scented" streets of New Orleans seems a little expensive for Mayor Nagin.

..."Clarkson said she hoped to be able to announce an agreement by this evening or Monday morning to continue paying for the full panoply of enhanced "Disneylike" sanitation services."...


"THE BULL" SIDEWALK CLEANER (click here)
"The Bull" Sidewalk Cleaner is an innovative new service offered by SDT. Our sweepers and water trucks keep New Orleans' streets clean and fresh smelling, but our sidewalk cleaner takes it to the next level.

SDT's investigator says waste dumped as sabotage (click here)
by Chris Kirkham, The Times-Picayune
Friday November 21, 2008, 9:50 PM
A private investigator hired by SDT Waste & Debris says an employee intentionally sabotaged the company by illegally dumping portable toilet waste into sewage systems in and near New Orleans' City Park, then taking the story to a local media outlet....

States fail in latest prairie dog report card

Blacktail Prarie Dogs (click here)

02/01/2009
By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN / Associated Press
Whether he sees his shadow or not this Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil has it easy.
But in the West, his cousins are in dire straits, according to a report to be released Monday by WildEarth Guardians. The environmental group says North America's five species of prairie dog have lost more than 90 percent of their historical range due to habitat loss, shooting and poisoning.
WildEarth Guardians' report grades three federal land management agencies and a dozen states on their actions over the past year to protect prairie dogs and their habitat. Not one received an A.
New Mexico, home to the Gunnison's prairie dog and black-tailed prairie dog, earned a D — the same as last year — because the group said state wildlife officials weren't actively conserving prairie dogs. The group says oil and gas activity threatens habitat in rural areas, while urbanization in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos is pushing the animals out.
"It's hard to see the prairie dogs that are missing when you drive across the West because our modern society has no perception about what it was like before we started poisoning prairie dogs," said Lauren McCain, WildEarth Guardians' desert and grassland projects director....

What in God's name has happened to the USA?

Michael, tell me this isn't so !

Town of Berwyn Heights, A Tree City, USA (click here)




..."As Cheye knelt, bound and half-naked, on his living room floor, "no one spoke to me about why they were here," Cheye recalled. "No one said, 'Prince George's County police' or 'Prince George's County sheriffs.' They never made that kind of announcement, just simply didn't do it."...