President Obama began to flesh out the details of one of his signature campaign promises Tuesday, outlining his plan for a major overhaul of the country's education system "from the cradle up through a career."
Obama said in an address to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, "We have let our grades slip, our schools crumble, our teacher quality fall short and other nations outpace us. The time for finger-pointing is over. The time for holding ourselves accountable is here. The relative decline of American education is untenable for our economy, unsustainable for our democracy and unacceptable for our children, and we cannot afford to let it continue."
The president outlined a five-tier reform plan, starting with increased investments in early childhood initiatives:
Fifty-five thousand first-time parents will receive "regular visits from trained nurses to help make sure their children are healthy and prepare them for school and life." In addition, there will be a boost of federal support in the form of "Early Learning Challenge" grants to states that develop plans to strengthen early education programs.
States will be enabled to develop standards "that don't simply measure whether students can fill in a bubble on a test[,] but whether they possess 21st century skills like problem-solving and critical thinking, entrepreneurship and creativity."
To help promote this goal, Obama said he would push for funding in the No Child Left Behind law to be more effectively tied to results. The Education Department, he said, would "back up this commitment to higher standards with a fund to invest in innovation in our school districts."
Federal dollars have been set aside in the stimulus plan to help prevent teacher layoffs. He also reiterated a promise to support merit pay, as well as extra pay for math and science teachers with the goal of ending a shortage in both of those subjects.
The promotion of educational "innovation and excellence" by renewing his campaign pledge to support charter schools. He called on states to lift caps on the number of allowable charter schools. In addition, he promoted the concept of a longer school calendar.
"I know longer school days and school years are not wildly popular ideas," Obama said. "But the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom."
In an effort to boost college access, the maximum Pell Grant award will be raised to $5,550 a year with indexing above the rate of inflation. This initiative also includes a $2,500 a year tuition tax credit for students from working families.
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The national teacher's unions were generally surprised and supportive of the Presidents initiatives. Excerpts from the AP below:
"We finally have an education president," said Randi Weingarten, president of the 1.4 million-member American Federation of Teachers. "We really embrace the fact that he's talked about both shared responsibility and making sure there is a voice for teachers, something that was totally lacking in the last eight years."
The president of the 3.2 million-member National Education Association, Dennis van Roekel said, "President Obama always says he will do it with educators, not to them."
"That is a wonderful feeling, for the president of the United States to acknowledge and respect the professional knowledge and skills that those educators bring to every job in the school," van Roekel said.
Van Roekel insisted that Obama's call for teacher performance pay does not necessarily mean raises or bonuses would be tied to student test scores. It could mean more pay for board-certified teachers or for those who work in high-poverty, hard-to-staff schools, he said.
The union leaders also liked that Obama took on Republicans in his speech, saying the GOP has refused to spend more money on early childhood programs despite evidence they make a difference.
There also has been considerable friction over charter schools, which are publicly funded but operate independently, free from some of the rules that constrain regular schools. Many teachers are concerned that such schools drain money and talent from regular schools.
However, Obama said state limits on numbers of charter schools aren't "good for our children, our economy or our country." He said many of the innovations in education today are happening in charter schools.
Obama addressed the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a setting intended to underscore the need to boost academic performance, especially among Latino and black children who sometimes lag behind their white counterparts.
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Broadly speaking, Obama wants changes at every level from before kindergarten through college. He is putting special focus on solving the high school dropout crisis and pushing states to adopt more rigorous academic standards.
Some of his promises already are in the works: Public schools will get an unprecedented amount of money — double the education budget under Bush — from the economic stimulus bill over the next two years. To get some of those dollars, Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan insist states will have to prove they are making good progress in teacher quality, on data systems to track how students learn and on standards and tests.
After the scheduled event, Obama made a surprise visit with Duncan to a meeting of state school chiefs at a Washington hotel. Duncan said last Friday that states will get the first $44 billion by the end of the month.
Obama also wants kids to spend more time in school, with longer school days, school weeks and school years — a position he admitted will make him less popular with his school-age daughters.
Children in South Korea spend a month longer in school every year than do kids in the U.S., where the antiquated school calendar comes from the days when many people farmed and kids were needed in the fields.
"I know longer school days and school years are not wildly popular ideas, not with Malia and Sasha," Obama said as the crowd laughed. "But the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom."
"If they can do that in South Korea, we can do it right here in the United States of America," Obama said.
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plez sez: finally! finally, a president who genuinely understands the value of education and what a handicap a poor education means to those who receive them.
george w. bush was born into a life of privilege and given a top notch education (private boarding schools, yale, harvard business school), but to this day probably doesn't understand the privilege that was extended to him just because he was the son of george h. w. bush.
BARACK OBAMA on the other hand was born to educated parents (his mother and father met at the university of hawaii), but being a minority afforded him an opportunity to see and feel the affects of a sub-par education on students, especially minority students. there is a reason why black and latino students do not perform as well as their white counterparts on standardized tests. hopefully, Obama's initiatives will begin to close the "education gap" in the united states.
With the departure of George W. Bush and the dismantling of Sen. John McCain by President Barack Obama, the Republican Party has been rudderless and faceless since the election in November. The far right abandoned the less-than-stellar conservative credentials of McCain while holding their collective noses as they supported his running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin, a relative unknown from a part of the country not generally known for its political chops.
It took six rounds of voting and considerable arm-twisting before Michael Steele could wrest control of the Republican National Committee. Steele, the former Lt. Governor of Maryland, was propped up to lean on his African American roots to be the Anti-Obama for right-thinking Americans. But his rise to the chairmanship appears to be more like window dressing than an actual change in Republican thought about Blacks and minorities in general.
The governor of Louisiana - little Piyush "it's Bobby from the 'Brady Bunch'" Jindal - was poised to jumpstart his national political two-step on the back of President Obama's first speech before Congress. Unfortunately, Jindal's handlers neglected to remind his speechwriters of how much this tenderfoot is shrinking violet under the glare of the national spotlight. They sent him out to slay the "Dragon Obama" with a pea shooter! He is no longer a national figure... no longer in the running, either.
The void left by Bush, McCain, Palin, Steele, Jindal, and the rest of nameless Republican operatives has been filled by the blowhard ass of one Rush Limbaugh. He has a devoted national audience that has been tuning in daily for close to two decades to get their right wing marching orders. He spends the better part of his radio segment telling his viewers what to think and how outraged they should be at the latest Democratic shenanigans.
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RNC Chairman Michael Steele thought that he would secure his position at the top of the party by taking on Limbaugh... he had nowhere enough piss to win that pissing contest. At the end of the week, he had to kowtow, eat crow, and apologize to Rush Limbaugh. I can almost hear Rush phoning Sean Hannity, "I made that boy lick my boots!"
To further diminish his "face of the party" credentials, a Black Republican has called for Steele to resign as party chairman. Instead of being "Darky II: The Right One, Baby" in 2012 at the top of the Republican ticket, in three short weeks, he already has the darky faithful in the Republican party putting Steele's balls in a vice.
Right wing nut job Dr. Ada Fisher, National Committee Chairwoman in North Carolina, has called on Steele to step down (from an article in The Hill):
Michael Steele should resign as Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman, according to a committee member from North Carolina.
In an e-mail to fellow RNC members obtained by The Hill, Dr. Ada Fisher, North Carolina's national committeewoman, said Steele is "eroding confidence" in the GOP and that members of his transition team should encourage him to step aside. Fisher added Steele's personal e-mail address to the e-mail.
"I don't want to hear anymore [sic] language trying to be cool about the bling in the stimulus package or appealing to D.L. Hughley and blacks in a way that isn't going to win us any votes and makes us frankly appear to many blacks as quite foolish," Fisher wrote.
Fisher, who is one of three black members of the national committee, backed South Carolina GOP Chairman Katon Dawson, whom Steele edged out in the final round of voting to win the chairmanship in late January. She has voiced repeated opposition to Steele, sending dozens of e-mails to committee members even after Steele won election slamming him for any number of chips that have fallen awry.
Fisher’s call for Steele’s resignation comes amid growing frustration in the GOP that the new chairman’s repeated gaffes are hurting the party.
It remains unclear just how much trouble Steele may be in with his own membership. While several RNC members have told The Hill that Steele remains popular with their bases, Washington-based strategists are grumbling, an attitude that is slowly filtering down to the states.
Steele appeared over the weekend on Hughley's CNN show, where he fought back against the assertion that radio host Rush Limbaugh was the "de facto leader" of the Republican Party. Steele said he himself was the de facto leader and called Limbaugh an entertainer whose program's content was "incendiary" and "ugly."
On Monday, Limbaugh shot back, saying on his show that Steele was not the leader of the party and that many conservatives would "hang up" when Steele's RNC came calling for contributions.
"Limbaugh has already promised that 'His Conservatives' won't be giving to the RNC. I would suggest to you that that is a real bet," Fisher wrote. "If we can't raise money and continue to allow the alienation of the few varifiable [sic] red states remaining, we are foolish."
Steele later said he had reached out to Limbaugh to clarify his remarks, insisting he meant no offense. But the incident elicited crowing from Democrats, who for weeks have pursued a strategy seemingly designed to elevate Limbaugh to the front of the GOP line. Democrats would enjoy contrasting themselves with Limbaugh's assertion that he wants to see President Obama's economic policies fail.
Calling the Limbaugh-Steele clash a "Republican Horror Show," Fisher expressed what some other GOP strategists have until now only said privately: "I have never seen such ineptness in our GOP leadership," Fisher wrote. "And I though we handled the 2008 elections very poorly."
Fisher could not be reached for comment Thursday morning, while the RNC did not immediately have comment on her letter.
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plez sez: dang! ole girl ain't cutting the brother any slack! i hate it when Black folk bicker publicly for publicity... i understand that she isn't a big fan of brother-man, but methinks she could've done her attack more quietly.
now, brother steele should know by now that the republicans wanted a brown face to counter the brown face sitting in the Oval Office. i guess he started fooling himself into thinking that republicans would actually hand him the keys to cars to take it whereever he wanted to go... he's sitting in the driver's seat, like hoke sat in the driver's seat in "driving miss daisy." he ain't driving that car nowhere that miss daisy don't approve of!
the republican party is still populated by rednecks, southerners, delusional Black folk (like dr. fisher and steele and connerly), and outright racists who believe this country is "too much for the Blacks" already.
plezWorld wonders aloud: how did michael steele win the chairmanship again?!?
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i agree with dr. fisher about one thing... this Black thinks that the republican party looks foolish!
It is reported that President-elect Barack Obama plans to issue an executive order on his first full day in office directing the closing of the Guantánamo Bay detention camp in Cuba.
But experts say it is likely to take many months, perhaps as long as a year, to empty the prison that has drawn international criticism since it received its first prisoners seven years ago this week. One transition official said the new administration expected that it would take several months to transfer some of the remaining 248 prisoners to other countries, decide how to try suspects and deal with the many other legal challenges posed by closing the camp.
People who have discussed the issues with transition officials in recent weeks said it appeared that the broad outlines of plans for the detention camp were taking shape. They said transition officials appeared committed to ordering an immediate suspension of the Bush administration’s military commissions system for trying detainees.
During an appearance on ABC's "This Week" on Sunday, Obama said:
"It is more difficult than I think a lot of people realize and we are going to get it done, but part of the challenge that you have is that you have a bunch of folks that have been detained, many of whom who may be very dangerous who have not been put on trial or have not gone through some adjudication.
"[We are trying to develop a process that] adheres to rule of law [but] doesn't result in releasing people who are intent on blowing us up. I think it's going to take some time and our legal teams are working in consultation with our national security apparatus as we speak, to help design exactly what we need to do.
"But I don't want to be ambiguous about this. We are going to close Guantanamo and we are going to make sure that the procedures we set up are ones that abide by our Constitution."
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At his final press conference on Monday, President Bush was asked whether [Gitmo] and harsh interrogation tactics have damaged America's standing in the world. He replied, "I strongly disagree with the assessment that our moral standing has been damaged," Bush said. "It may be damaged amongst some of the elite. But people still understand America stands for freedom; that America is a country that provides such great hope."
A delusional Bush vehemently defended his record over the past eight years citing "52 months of job growth" despite having his presidency bookmarked by recession, he applauded his administration's response to the Katrina tragedy (which most sane Americans view as one of his worst blunders), and of course he was adamant that his administration did the right thing in protecting our shores from terrorists, in spite of the compromise of individual freedoms through passage of the Patriot Act.
Bush defends the Katrina response
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plez sez: i read that some human rights groups were getting antsy about Obama's apparent waffling on the campaign promise to close gitmo within his first 100 days. detainees have been locked up there in clear violation of constitutional law for over five years, i get the strange feeling that they haven't been keeping tabs on Obama's campaign promises, and if so, i doubt they'll be offended if it takes alittle longer than 100 days for him to close that joint down!
mixed in with the taxi drivers and dunkin donuts sprinkle machine operators currently housed at gitmo, i'm thinking that there are more than one or two hardcore terrorists! i'm glad that Obama is looking to close gitmo, but i'm also pleased that he will use due process to determine if the detainees should be set free. we need to remember that the masterminds of the attacks on 9/11 have not been "brought to justice" and "justice has not been brought to them" either!
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in his final press conference, bush basically snubbed his nose at popularity polls, "in terms of the decisions that i had made to protect the homeland, i wouldn't worry about popularity." lord knows he ain't winning any popularity contest for any time in the near future.
plezWorld believes that history will show george bush (the younger) as a flawed man who let blind ambition and a good pr man catapult him to a seat of power. he rode his name, a paper thin resume, and an awesome political machine to the highest office in the land, but until his last day of office, he could never measure up to even a sliver of scrutiny. his propensity to "fake it" as opposed to applying the most rudimentary of intellectual rigor to any given situation was appalling. how this "runt of the litter" could best his father and get elected (alright, selected) president more than once shows deep flaws in our political psyche.
after january 20, we should never hear from george w. bush again. i seriously doubt that BARACK OBAMA will ever find occasion to pick up the phone to seek the counsel or advise ON ANYTHING from his predecessor.
In one week, plezWorld is heading to DC for the Barack Obama Inauguration. To my way of thinking, this is probably the most significant (if not, the most important) presidential inauguration since George Washington's inauguration.
When George Washington took office, he owned over 200 people who looked like Barack Obama. And now over 200 years later, a man who looked like the slaves of George Washington will be sworn in as the President of the United States.
As an American, I feel compelled to bear witness to this historic event and my seven-year old daughter will be able to tell her children that she was "there" for history. Make sure that you are on the right side of history... as January 20, 2009 will have to be added to all US history books going forward as it will easily eclipse Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech which was delivered in Washington, DC in 1963.
Where will you be for Obama's inauguration?
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On Saturday evening, the Obama family visited the Lincoln Memorial. President-elect Barack Obama will be sworn in using the Bible of his political hero Abraham Lincoln. Obama will be the first president to use the Lincoln Bible for his inauguration since Lincoln used it in 1861. Inauguration organizers have said Obama's inaugural theme, "A New Birth of Freedom," was inspired by Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. The president-elect also plans a train trip from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Washington three days before the inauguration, following the final leg of the train route taken by Lincoln.
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In other news: An aircraft carrier named after President George H.W. Bush (#41) was commissioned on Saturday afternoon. The 1,092-foot, 20-story USS George H.W. Bush was decorated with red, white and blue banners for Saturday's ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk.
The 41st president joined the Navy at 18 and served as an aviator in World War II. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and three Air Medals for his Navy service in the Pacific during the war, according to the Department of Defense. His time in the Navy ended after about four years.
About 17,000 people were expected to attend Saturday's ceremony. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Vice President Dick Cheney and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine were there, as was Bush's son President George W. Bush (#43) and his wife, Laura.
After the ceremony, President George W. Bush left Norfolk for Maryland's Andrews Air Force Base on what turned out to be his last scheduled flight on Air Force One.
On Friday morning, President George W. Bush - yeah, the lame duck - waddled into the Roosevelt Room of the White House to announce his plans for an emergency bailout of the U.S. automakers, namely General Motors and Chrysler.
Ford Motor Company is a better financial position, so they were not included in this plan.
He intimated that under normal circumstances, he would just let the automakers file for bankruptcy, but in justification of his actions, Bush said:
These are not ordinary circumstances. In the midst of a financial crisis and a recession, allowing the U.S. auto industry to collapse is not a responsible course of action. The terms and conditions of the financing provided by the Treasury Department will facilitate restructuring of our domestic auto industry, prevent disorderly bankruptcies during a time of economic difficulty, and protect the taxpayer by ensuring that only financially viable firms receive financing. Additional loans may be available in February based on the availability of TARP funds.
Details of the plan are as follows:
General Motors and Chrysler will receive loans from the federal government in the amount of $13.4 billion ($9.4 billion to GM and $4 billion to Chrysler) this month
Financing will be drawn from the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) that was organized for the Wall Street bailout
The loans are designed to stabilize the two automakers through March 2009, at which time they must show they are financially viable; If the firms have not attained viability by March 31, 2009, the loan will be called and all funds returned to the Treasury
Conditions on the loans requires the companies to quickly reduce their debt by two-thirds, mostly through debt-for-equity swaps, and to reach an agreement with the United Auto Workers union to cut wages and benefits so they are competitive with those of employees of foreign-based automakers working in the United States
Other conditions on the loans include placing limits on executive compensation and perks such as corporate jets, and requiring the automakers to adhere to fuel efficiency and emission standards and open books to government scrutiny
An additional $4 billion will be made available in February, based on the release of funds from TARP
Bush's announcement comes one week after Senate Republicans blocked legislation to aid the automakers that had been negotiated by the White House and Congressional Democrats, and the loan package announced by the president includes roughly the identical requirements in that bill, which had been approved by the House.
Because the bailout legislation failed in Congress, senior administration officials said that the loan package would essentially take the form of a contract between the government and the automakers. Officials said they expected those contract agreements would be signed by the end of the day.
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A New York Times article about the bailout points out, under the plan, Mr. Bush essentially handed off to President-elect Barack Obama what will become one of the first, most difficult calls of his presidency: a political and economic judgment about whether G.M. and Chrysler are financially viable.
Mr. Obama and his economic team will have to make a convincing, public case that the wage cuts, plant closings and creditor agreements so change the landscape of the industry that the carmakers can turn profitable in short order.
But Mr. Obama will be under tremendous political pressure as well, because if his new team concludes that the automakers have not struck the right deals, it would mean a move to bankruptcy court, and likely widespread layoffs that would ripple far beyond the companies themselves.
Mr. Obama was elected partly with the enthusiastic support of the unions, who liked his talk of protecting jobs by renegotiating trade agreements. Now, in his first months, he will be asking them to give back gains they have negotiated over decades.
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plez sez: as expected, bush squeezed the last two drops of political capital from his faded political career to provide a temporary bailout to the us automakers - his post-presidential revisionist spin team will be at the ready to re-write history to show that "the us auto industry failed under Obama's watch!"
gm and chrysler will limp into the new year with a big box of money from uncle george, with both of their plants idle until late january or mid february. and i'm not convinced that chrysler will ever open its plants under the chrysler brand in 2009.
this loan comes with few strings attached (oh, they have to sell the corporate jet that they can't afford to put back in the air. ooooh, whoopie!) and good luck with getting the UAW to offer much in the area of wage concessions, after they've fought tooth-and-nail to get the compensation and nice pension plans their workers now enjoy.
as the new york times article so deftly stated, this stinking automakers bailout turd will be sitting on BARACK OBAMA's desk when he takes over the oval office on january 20th, since george bush has essentially washed his hands of this matter by giving the automakers enough money to keep them afloat until the inauguration of Obama. bush can now go back to packing boxes for his and laura's move to dallas in a few weeks.
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the federal government can't print enough money to keep the big three afloat until the end of this recession. these companies can restructure all they want, there ain't any credit available for few people who want to buy their cars! the reason for the plant shutdowns is that the inventory on hand isn't selling, so there's no need to make more cars.
okay, a show of hands: does anyone seeing this scenario of having few buyers for the glut of cars changing in the next four, eight, or twelve weeks?
...neither does plezWorld!
one of these companies - more than likely chrysler since it is so close to brink - is going to fail.
to my way of thinking, it's better to let them fail now rather than giving away untold billions of dollars that will never be recouped. this is corporate welfare (giving away money with no foreseeable way to retrieve the assets in the future) of the highest magnitude.
On Sunday, during a press conference while on a surprise (last) visit to Baghdad, an Iraqi journalist -- identified as Muntadhar al-Zaidi -- threw both of his shoes at President Bush. And as they say in the business, the rest is history...
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Excerpts of CNN.com report on "shoe throwing" incident:
An Iraqi TV reporter who threw his shoes at President Bush during a news conference remained in custody Monday, while judicial officials decided whether to charge him with assault.
Muntadhar al-Zaidi, a reporter for the TV channel Al-Baghdadia, faced testing for alcohol and drugs to determine his state of mind, said a government official, who requested anonymity.
At Sunday's news conference, the journalist whipped off his shoes and hurled them at Bush during the president's unannounced stop in Baghdad. The reporter called his shoe-throwing, a traditional insult in Arab culture, a "farewell kiss" to a "dog" who launched the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Excerpts of New York Times article on "shoe thrower":
Barely 24 hours after the journalist, Muntader al-Zaidi, was tackled and arrested for his actions at a Baghdad news conference, the shoe-throwing incident was generating front-page headlines and continuing television news coverage. A thinly veiled glee could be discerned in much of the reporting, especially in the places where anti-American sentiment runs deepest.
In Sadr City, the sprawling Baghdad suburb that has seen some of the most intense fighting between insurgents and American soldiers since the 2003 invasion, thousands of people marched in his defense. In Syria, he was hailed as a hero. In Libya, he was given an award for courage.
Mr. Zaidi, a correspondent for an independent Iraqi television station, Al-Baghdadia, remained in Iraqi custody on Monday. While he has not been formally charged, Iraqi officials said he faced up to seven years in prison if convicted of committing an act of aggression against a visiting head of state.
Hitting someone with a shoe is a deep insult in the Arab world, signifying that the person being struck is as low as the dirt underneath the sole of a shoe. Compounding the insult were Mr. Zaidi’s words as he hurled his footwear at President Bush: “This is a gift from the Iraqis; this is the farewell kiss, you dog!” While calling someone a dog is never polite, among Arabs, who traditionally consider dogs unclean, the words were an even stronger slight.
The incident has been a source of embarrassment for the government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, who, in a statement on Monday, called the shoe throwing a “a shameful savage act” and demanded a public apology from Al-Baghdadia.
“The act damaged the reputation of Iraqi journalists and journalism in general,” the statement said.
As of Monday night, no apology from the station was forthcoming. Instead, the network posted an image of Mr. Zaidi, 29, in the corner of the screen for much of the day. Viewers were invited to phone in their opinions, and the vast majority said they approved of his actions.
Opponents of the continued American presence in Iraq turned Mr. Zaidi’s detention Monday into a rallying cry. Support for the detained journalist crossed religious, ethnic and class lines in Iraq — vaulting him to near folk hero status.
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plez sez: okay, okay! we all had a nice chuckle at our inept and goofy looking lame-duck president bush ducking the incoming shoe. and a helmet sticker goes to the iraqi prime minister for blocking the second projectile aimed at bush's cranium. some quick hands by al-maliki!
but after the laughter has subsided, let's all remember that until january 20th at high noon, george w. bush is still the president of the united states and leader of the free world. if not bush himself, the office of the president should command a certain level of respect not only here in the united states, but also in other countries around the world... especially in a country where we have squandered close to 5,000 soldiers' lives and over a trillion dollars over the past five years.
although, my household got a nice belly laugh with bush's theatric duck of the flying shoes (something that will certainly find its way into an upcoming Saturday Night Live skit), this was still a deplorable act directed at our president and indirectly at the american people who were duped by this president in "liberating" iraq from the rule of sadaam hussein.
al-baghdadia found an ideal stage for his protest; he is being hailed as a folk hero in iraq. but to my way of thinking, he has also hurled an international insult to the people of the united states. i'm sure the iraqi security detail has delivered the beatdown he so deserves - the BBC reports that muntadar al-zaidi suffered a broken hand, broken ribs and internal bleeding, as well as an eye injury according to his older brother, dargham.
and now it's time for plezWorld to keep it real! for the past eight years, Dubya has disrespected not only the people of iraq, the untold thousands of dead iraqis, the us servicemen (and women) who've given their limbs and lives for the illegal war in iraq, but also the american people who've had to put up with his jacked up and illegal policies that have so diminished the presidency of the united states that our country is a joke to these people. the line of people who'd like to put a foot up in the arse of george bush would stretch for miles in iraq... ...around the world... and throughout the united states!
al-baghdadia's shoes represent the feelings of millions of people who cannot wait for george bush to leave the white house on january 20th!
On Thursday night, the US Senate abandoned all efforts to fashion the passed House bill that would rescue General Motors (GM) and Chrysler (Ford claims it has enough cash to stay afloat). Senate Republicans refused to play ball and support a bill endorsed by the White House and Senate Democrats.
The failure to reach agreement on Capitol Hill may spell doom General Motors to a bankruptcy and closure in the coming weeks, with Chrysler potentially following close behind. While Ford Motor has more cash on hand to avoid an immediate crisis, its production could be disrupted by problems in the supplier base, as could the production of overseas automakers with U.S. plants such as Toyota Motor and Honda Motor.
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After Senate Republicans balked at supporting a $14 billion auto rescue plan approved by the House on Wednesday, negotiators worked late into Thursday evening to broker a deal, but deadlocked over Republican demands for steep cuts in pay and benefits by the United Automobile Workers union in 2009. The failure in Congress to provide a financial lifeline for G.M. and Chrysler was a bruising defeat for President Bush in the waning weeks of his term, and also for President-elect Barack Obama, who earlier on Thursday urged Congress to act to avoid a further loss of jobs in an already deeply debilitated economy.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) is quoted as saying, "We have worked and worked and we can spend all night tonight, tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday, and we're not going to get to the finish line. It’s over with. I dread looking at Wall Street tomorrow. It’s not going to be a pleasant sight. This is going to be a very, very bad Christmas for a lot of people as a result of what takes place here tonight."
Speaking for the Senate Republicans, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said, "We have had before us this whole question of the viability of the American automobile manufacturers. None of us want to see them go down, but very few of us had anything to do with the dilemma that they have created for themselves. The administration negotiated in good faith with the Democratic majority a proposal that was simply unacceptable to the vast majority of our side because we thought it frankly wouldn’t work."
Moments later, the Senate failed to win the 60 votes need to bring up the auto rescue plan for consideration. The Senate voted 52 to 35 with 10 Republicans joining 40 Democrats and 2 independents in favor.
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There is still hope and the struggling automakers may get some money anyway.
CNN.com reports as part of their effort to urge skeptical Republicans to back the deal, Bush officials made clear that if Congress didn't act, the White House would have to step in to save Detroit from collapse with funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), according to the sources familiar with the conversations. One of the sources said that a White House official made it clear to a GOP senator that would be the worst option, because the loan could go to the auto companies with few or no requirements along with it.
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Foreign automakers have been silent on the entire bailout plan. Toyota, Honda, Nissan and nearly all the other foreign companies that build vehicles in the United States have said little publicly concerning whether their American rivals should get the billions of dollars in emergency aid they have requested in recent weeks. To be sure, the companies themselves have little to gain by commenting on the bailout beyond expressing concern about the general health of the industry.
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Asian stocks sank deep into negative territory and the dollar fell to a 13-year low against the Japanese yen on Friday following the collapse of a $14 billion bailout plan for the flailing U.S. auto industry. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 share average ended 5.6 percent lower during morning trading after it became clear that the negotiations to bailout Detroit automakers had failed in the Senate.
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plez sez: much ado about nothing! the last act of the lame duck bush will be to bail out gm and chrysler... there is no way bush is going to let these guys falter before he hands over the reins to PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA on january 20th.
if necessary, the treasury will claw back some of the $700 billion wall street bailout money to keep detroit afloat for at least a few more months. and the bad thing is that this money will come with NO STRINGS ATTACHED! you can bet the gm ceo (wagoner) will hang around long enough to spend the windfall!
without a wholesale overhaul of their business practices, the detroit automakers are only prolonging the agony of their demise. plezWorld is convinced that at least one of the big three will fail within the next 12 months.
What follows are excerpts from a CNNMoney.com article on the House bill:
The House passed a stopgap $14 billion bailout to U.S. automakers Wednesday evening, but Republican opposition cast doubts about its fate as it moves on to the Senate.
The House vote came in the wake of an agreement on the measure earlier in the day between Democratic Congressional leaders and the Bush administration.
The bill is designed to keep General Motors and Chrysler out of bankruptcy through at least March to give the new Congress and Obama administration a chance to craft a more long-term solution.
The measure passed by a count of 237 to 170 thanks to overwhelming Democratic support. But only 32 Republicans joined Democrats in voting for the bill.
During the House debate, Democrats and Republicans from Michigan both expressed heavy support for the bailout. But virtually all other Republicans who spoke during the debate argued that it would not solve the problems dogging the industry. The White House so far has failed to generate support among Senate Republicans, who have the power to kill the bill when it shows up in the Senate.
The $14 billion is $1 billion less than what was being discussed earlier in the week, and less than half the $34 billion requested by automakers last week. Still it may well be enough to stave off the immediate threat of bankruptcy.
GM has said it needs $4 billion by the end of the month to continue operations, and believes it'll need an additional $6 billion in the first three months of 2009. Chrysler has said it needs $4 billion by the end of the first quarter.
Ford Motor, which has more cash on hand than its U.S. rivals, is not expected to tap into this bailout in the coming months.
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The stopgap measure is designed to let the new Congress and incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama to craft a longer-term solution. It would also give the companies time to negotiate with creditors and the United Auto Workers union on additional concessions needed to stem their ongoing losses.
But the bill also sets strict oversight of the companies. There would be limits on executive pay, prohibitions for so-called golden parachutes and requirements that the automakers get rid of their corporate aircraft and not pay dividends while loans are outstanding.
The bill also provides for a presidential appointee, popularly referred to as a "car czar," to oversee the company's efforts to restructure their operations. If the car czar determines that the companies have not made progress on cutting costs, the loans would be recalled within 30 days.
In addition, the government would receive warrants - the right to buy a stake in the companies at a certain price - equal to 20% of the loan's value.
plez sez: horse whoo-ee! the house democrats have lost their collective minds.
fourteen billion dollars is not going to save detroit... not even for a couple of weeks! this is putting the proverbial band-aid on a cancer. one of the big three is going down and they'll be taking $7-10 billion of our dollars with them.
this is a market correction exacerbated by this recession. one of the big three is not supposed to survive and a lifeline is not going to save them. and because of this act, the house democrats may be looking at BARACK OBAMA presiding over the demise of the US auto industry as we know it, instead of them failing on george bush's watch!
the mortgage companies that got fat and then got skinny with those sub-prime loans... got a bailout!
the wall street brokerage houses that got fat and then got skinny propping up those sub-prime loans for the mortgage companies... got a bailout!
the US auto manufacturers got real fat and are now looking really skinny after foisting their "less than stellar" wares on a US public that now has numerous alternatives to their shitty products... is halfway there to getting a bailout!
the 1.7 million people - like plezWorld - who worked hard but watched their jobs blow away like sand on a hurricane ravaged beach since the recession began in December 2007 (there were 533,000 job losses in November 2008 alone)... get no relief, get no sympathy, and damn sure get NO BAILOUT!
who's next? what is the next industry with a powerful lobby in washington, dc that is going to belly up to the goodwill trough in congress. we're staring at over one trillion dollars in bailout cash heading to special interest groups without ONE PENNY of relief to the people who pay their taxes. there is something wrong with this picture... something is eerily wrong here!
i will be contacting my senators to urge them to vote against ANY bill that bails out the auto industry! i'll be checking tonight to ensure that my congressman (rep. hank johnson) voted against this bill.
~ ~ Citations ~ ~
Read and download a draft version of the auto industry bailout bill here.
Read the November 2008 Bureau of Labor Statics report and then see if you support floating GM and Chrysler for another two or three months before they come back to washington looking for another handout.
Not wanting to let the economic woes of the US continue into the new year, President-elect Barack Obama unveiled the team that he has put into place that will begin to address the problem. On Monday, he called the financial crisis one of "historic proportions" and said that he and the Bush administration are "united" in their efforts to get the economy back on track. President Bush said Monday morning that Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson is working closely with the Obama transition team to ensure a seamless transfer.
As Obama unveiled his economic team, he said there isn't "a minute to waste" when it comes to rebuilding the economy. He said, "My commitment is to do what is required. President Bush has indicated that he has the same approach, the same attitude."
Obama's remarks came just hours after the federal government announced a massive rescue package for Citigroup -- which President Bush said he'd spoken about with Obama before it was announced.
The first mission over the next few weeks for Obama's economic team will be to hammer out the details of what the president-elect described this weekend as a two-year economic recovery plan intended to create 2.5 million jobs.
Estimates for how much might be spent on a multi-year stimulus package range as high as $500 billion to $700 billion. At the center of the plan are investments in the nation's roads, bridges, schools and alternative-energy infrastructure.
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In naming his economic team, Obama said, "I've sought leaders who could offer both sound judgment and fresh thinking, both a depth of experience and a wealth of bold, new ideas, and most of all who share my fundamental belief that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street without a thriving Main Street."
The Obama Economic Team:
Timothy Geithner - Treasury Secretary - Highly respected both on Wall Street and in the Capitol's corridors, has already been playing a central role in the Treasury's and Federal Reserve's efforts to stabilize the financial system.
Lawrence Summers - Director of the National Economic Council - Former President of Harvard and considered one of the country's most pre-eminent economists, he served as Treasury Secretary for two years during the Clinton administration.
Christina Romer - Director of Council of Economic Advisors - She will be relied upon to provide economic analysis and advice to the president; she is a professor of economics at Cal-Berkeley whose expertise includes the Great Depression and the economic recovery that followed.
Melody Barnes - Director of the Domestic Policy Council (DPC) - She is currently the executive vice president for policy at the Center for American Progress, where her focus was on policies to help middle-class families. She also served as chief counsel to Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) on the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Robert Reich, the former Clinton labor secretary, discusses how Obama’s selections fit on the ideological spectrum.
All are pragmatists. Some media have dubbed them “centrists” or “center-right,” but in truth they’re remarkably free of ideological preconception. All have well-earned reputations as hard workers, well-versed in the technical details of public and private finance. They are not visible veterans of the old battles over supply-side economics or deficit reduction, nor are they well-known to the public. They are not visionaries but we don’t need visionaries when the economic perils are clear and immediate. We need competence. Obama could not appoint a more competent group.
Obama's plans to boost the economy aren't likely to be limited to investing in infrastructure and energy initiatives.
Several other measures are expected as well. Among some of the possibilities discussed: direct federal aid to states and cities, tax cuts for low- and middle-income Americans, increased food stamp payments, and a tax credit for businesses that create new jobs in the United States.
Whatever Obama and his economic team ultimately decide to include in the economic recovery package, it's expected that Congress will have the final legislation ready for the president-elect's signature the day he's inaugurated.
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plez sez: since november 4th, BARACK OBAMA has continued to prove his veracity, tenaciousness, stellar judgement, and laser-like focus on issues that affect america. we may not approve of all of the tactics (it appears the bush tax cuts will remain on the books for a while longer and more bailouts for faltering industries), but plezWorld really respects his decisive and action-oriented posture during this trying economic crisis. it appears that his action is moving the bush administration from its posture of inaction, while trying to ride out the last weeks of lame-duck-ness.
the stock market also responded with a second day of triple digit growth on the news of president-elect's movement to act on the economy. i love the phrase: "there isn't a minute to waste." he is sending a message that something is going to get done, it may not work, but it's gonna get done!
As tradition dictates, President-Elect Barack Obama was invited for a private meeting by President Bush on Monday afternoon. They spent alittle over an hour in private discussing what their aides describe as "policies around the economy, national security, and the war in Iraq."
No aides or press were present for the meeting. It is interesting to note that George W. Bush's meeting with President Bill Clinton lasted for nearly two hours in 1992.
During their meeting, Laura Bush treated Michelle Obama to a tour of the White House. Mrs. Bush gave Mrs. Obama a tour of the first family's living quarters, including the bedrooms used by children of past presidents. White House press secretary Dana Perino said the two women were expected to talk about living in one of the world's most famous building, from family life to the help provided by executive staff.
The meeting between the current and future president comes amid the backdrop of an economy that is begging to be called a recession and the popularity of the current president continues to plummet to historic levels. President Bush is the most unpopular president since approval ratings were first sought more than six decades ago. Seventy-six percent of those questioned in the poll disapprove of how he is handling his job.
That's an all-time high in CNN polling and in Gallup polling dating back to World War II. No other president's disapproval rating has gone higher than 70 percent. Bush has managed to do that three times so far this year. Bush is now more unpopular than Richard Nixon was when he resigned from office during Watergate with a 66 percent disapproval rating!
The mood of the public is also at an all-time low. Only 16 percent of those questioned in a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Monday say things are going well in the country today. Eighty-three percent say things are going badly, which is an all-time high. In the 34 years that this question has been asked, the number who say things are going well has never fallen below 20 percent.
So far, Obama seems to be meeting the public's high expectations. Two-thirds of all Americans have a positive view of what he has done since he was elected president, and three-quarters think he will do a good job as president.
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This country has come a long way. In a commentary written for CNN.com, Peggy Wallace Kennedy, daughter of Alabama Governor George Wallace, writes of her support of Barack Obama and the promise of the future.
Excerpts: George Wallace's Daughter on Obama
MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- I heard a car door slam behind me and turned to see an elderly but spry woman heading my way.
The night before, a gang of vandals had swept through the cemetery desecrating graves, crushing headstones and stealing funereal objects.
My parents' graves, situated on a wind-swept hill overlooking the cemetery, had not been spared. A large marble urn that stood between two granite columns had been pried loose and spirited away, leaving faded silk flowers strewn on the ground.
I was holding a bouquet of them in my arms when the woman walked up and gave me a crushing hug. "Honey," she said, "you don't know me, but when I saw you standing up here on this hill, I knew that you must be one of the girls and I couldn't help myself but to drive up here and let you know how much me and my whole family loved both of your parents. They were real special people."
I thanked her for her kind words as we stood side by side gazing down at the graves of Govs. George Wallace and Lurleen Wallace.
After a few moments, the woman leaned into me and spoke almost in a conspiratorial whisper. "I never thought I would live to see the day when a black would be running for president. I know your daddy must be rolling over in his grave."
Not having the heart or the energy to respond, I gave her bony arm a slight squeeze, turned and walked away. As I put the remnants of the graveyard spray in the trunk of my car, I assumed that she had not bothered to notice the Barack Obama sticker on my bumper.
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George Wallace and other Southern governors of his ilk stood defiantly in the 1950s and '60s in support of racial segregation, a culture of repression, violence and denial of basic human rights.
Their actions and the stark images of their consequences that spread across the world galvanized the nation and gave rise to a cry for an end to the American apartheid. The firestorms that were lit in Birmingham, Oxford, Memphis, Tuscaloosa, Montgomery, Little Rock and Selma were a call to arms to which the people responded.
And now a new call to arms has sounded as Americans face another assault on freedom. For if the stand in the schoolhouse door was a defining moment for George Wallace, then surely the aftermath of Katrina and the invasion of Iraq will be the same for George W. Bush.
The trampling of individual freedoms and his blatant contempt for the rights of the average American may not have been as obvious as an ax-handle-wielding governor, but Bush's insidiousness and piety have made him much more dangerous.
Healing must come, hope will be our lodestar, humility will reshape the American conscience, and honesty in both word and deed will refresh and invigorate America, and having Barack Obama to lead will give us back our power to heal.
My father lived long enough to come to an understanding of the injustices borne by his deeds and the legacy of suffering that they left behind. History will teach future generations that he was a man who used his political power to promote a philosophy of exclusion.
As his daughter, who witnessed his suffering in the twilight of his years and who witnessed his deeds and heard his words, I am one who believes that the man who, on March 7, 1965, listened to the reports of brutality as they streamed into the Governor's Mansion from Selma, Alabama, was not the same man who, in March of 1995, was welcomed with open arms as he was rolled through a sea of African-American men, women and children who gathered with him to welcome another generation of marchers, retracing in honor and remembrance the historic steps from Selma to Montgomery.
Four years ago, the young Illinois senator who spoke at the Democratic National Convention mesmerized me. I hoped even then that he would one day be my president.
plez sez: "January 20, 2009 marks the end of an error."
if george w. bush and his administration did anything right over the past eight years, plezWorld would like to know about it. everything the bush administration touched was ill conceived and poorly executed. even BARACK OBAMA's brief visit to the White House on Monday seemed like a breath of fresh air after eight years of the foul smell of the "failed policies" that wafted from the bush white house.
President-Elect Barack Obama held his first press conference on Friday afternoon. He talks about the need to address the economy as one of his first acts:
plez sez: wasting no time, only two days after his win, President-Elect Obama met with his economic advisers prior to giving his first press conference. in effort to NOT step on his predecesor's toes, he vowed to wait until after January 20th to implement his plans (unless the lame-duck Congress does something within the next 10 weeks... which is doubtful).
~ ~ ~
no surprise to plezWorld, but Obama has not missed a beat since his big win on Tuesday. other than an off-handed remark about nancy reagan (for which he subsequently apologized), Obama got off to a great start. he called for a stimulus package for the middle class and vowed to work with george w. bush to get something done prior to his inauguration.
he introduced a powerhouse group of economic advisors while laying out details for his stimulus plan. lastly, he asked for congress to work with him in a bipartisan manner to solve our economic woes.
during the question and answer period with reporters, Obama was crisp, concise, and humble about his role leading up to the january 20th inauguration.
On Monday afternoon, in Canton, Ohio, Sen. Barack Obama laid out in broad strokes the reasons why Americans should elect him as the 44th President of the United States. He told the voters that that after twenty-one months and three debates, Senator McCain still has not been able to tell the American people a single major thing he’d do differently from George Bush when it comes to the economy. But this is going to be a close race and the campaign must remain vigilant to win on November 4th.
Obama said, "We cannot let up for one day, one minute, or one second in this last week. Not now. Don't think for a minute that power concedes. We have a lot of work to do. We have to work like our future depends on it in this last week, because it does depend on it this week."
"Sen. McCain says that we can't spend the next four years waiting for our luck to change, but you understand that the biggest gamble we can take is to embrace the same old Bush-McCain policies that have failed us for the last eight years," Obama said.
Portions of Barack Obama's Closing Argument Speech:
After decades of broken politics in Washington, eight years of failed policies from George Bush, and twenty-one months of a campaign that has taken us from the rocky coast of Maine to the sunshine of California, we are one week away from change in America.
In one week, you can turn the page on policies that have put the greed and irresponsibility of Wall Street before the hard work and sacrifice of folks on Main Street.
In one week, you can choose policies that invest in our middle-class, create new jobs, and grow this economy from the bottom-up so that everyone has a chance to succeed; from the CEO to the secretary and the janitor; from the factory owner to the men and women who work on its floor.
In one week, you can put an end to the politics that would divide a nation just to win an election; that tries to pit region against region, city against town, Republican against Democrat; that asks us to fear at a time when we need hope.
In one week, at this defining moment in history, you can give this country the change we need.
We began this journey in the depths of winter nearly two years ago, on the steps of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois. Back then, we didn't have much money or many endorsements. We weren't given much of a chance by the polls or the pundits, and we knew how steep our climb would be.
But I also knew this. I knew that the size of our challenges had outgrown the smallness of our politics. I believed that Democrats and Republicans and Americans of every political stripe were hungry for new ideas, new leadership, and a new kind of politics – one that favors common sense over ideology; one that focuses on those values and ideals we hold in common as Americans.
Most of all, I believed in your ability to make change happen. I knew that the American people were a decent, generous people who are willing to work hard and sacrifice for future generations. And I was convinced that when we come together, our voices are more powerful than the most entrenched lobbyists, or the most vicious political attacks, or the full force of a status quo in Washington that wants to keep things just the way they are.
Twenty-one months later, my faith in the American people has been vindicated. That's how we've come so far and so close – because of you. That's how we'll change this country – with your help. And that's why we can't afford to slow down, sit back, or let up for one day, one minute, or one second in this last week. Not now. Not when so much is at stake.
We are in the middle of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. 760,000 workers have lost their jobs this year. Businesses and families can't get credit. Home values are falling. Pensions are disappearing. Wages are lower than they've been in a decade, at a time when the cost of health care and college have never been higher. It's getting harder and harder to make the mortgage, or fill up your gas tank, or even keep the electricity on at the end of the month.
At a moment like this, the last thing we can afford is four more years of the tired, old theory that says we should give more to billionaires and big corporations and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. The last thing we can afford is four more years where no one in Washington is watching anyone on Wall Street because politicians and lobbyists killed common-sense regulations. Those are the theories that got us into this mess. They haven't worked, and it's time for change. That's why I'm running for President of the United States.
Now, Senator McCain has served this country honorably. And he can point to a few moments over the past eight years where he has broken from George Bush – on torture, for example. He deserves credit for that. But when it comes to the economy – when it comes to the central issue of this election – the plain truth is that John McCain has stood with this President every step of the way. Voting for the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy that he once opposed. Voting for the Bush budgets that spent us into debt. Calling for less regulation twenty-one times just this year. Those are the facts.
And now, after twenty-one months and three debates, Senator McCain still has not been able to tell the American people a single major thing he'd do differently from George Bush when it comes to the economy. Senator McCain says that we can't spend the next four years waiting for our luck to change, but you understand that the biggest gamble we can take is embracing the same old Bush-McCain policies that have failed us for the last eight years.
It's not change when John McCain wants to give a $700,000 tax cut to the average Fortune 500 CEO. It's not change when he wants to give $200 billion to the biggest corporations or $4 billion to the oil companies or $300 billion to the same Wall Street banks that got us into this mess. It's not change when he comes up with a tax plan that doesn't give a penny of relief to more than 100 million middle-class Americans. That's not change.
Look – we've tried it John McCain's way. We've tried it George Bush's way. Deep down, Senator McCain knows that, which is why his campaign said that “if we keep talking about the economy, we're going to lose.” That's why he's spending these last weeks calling me every name in the book. Because that's how you play the game in Washington. If you can't beat your opponent's ideas, you distort those ideas and maybe make some up. If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run away from. You make a big election about small things.
Ohio, we are here to say “Not this time. Not this year. Not when so much is at stake.” Senator McCain might be worried about losing an election, but I'm worried about Americans who are losing their homes, and their jobs, and their life savings. I can take one more week of John McCain's attacks, but this country can't take four more years of the same old politics and the same failed policies. It's time for something new.
The question in this election is not “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” We know the answer to that. The real question is, “Will this country be better off four years from now?”
I know these are difficult times for America. But I also know that we have faced difficult times before. The American story has never been about things coming easy – it's been about rising to the moment when the moment was hard. It's about seeing the highest mountaintop from the deepest of valleys. It's about rejecting fear and division for unity of purpose. That's how we've overcome war and depression. That's how we've won great struggles for civil rights and women's rights and worker's rights. And that's how we'll emerge from this crisis stronger and more prosperous than we were before – as one nation; as one people.
Remember, we still have the most talented, most productive workers of any country on Earth. We're still home to innovation and technology, colleges and universities that are the envy of the world. Some of the biggest ideas in history have come from our small businesses and our research facilities. So there's no reason we can't make this century another American century. We just need a new direction. We need a new politics.
Now, I don't believe that government can or should try to solve all our problems. I know you don't either. But I do believe that government should do that which we cannot do for ourselves – protect us from harm and provide a decent education for our children; invest in new roads and new science and technology. It should reward drive and innovation and growth in the free market, but it should also make sure businesses live up to their responsibility to create American jobs, and look out for American workers, and play by the rules of the road. It should ensure a shot at success not only for those with money and power and influence, but for every single American who's willing to work. That's how we create not just more millionaires, but more middle-class families. That's how we make sure businesses have customers that can afford their products and services. That's how we've always grown the American economy – from the bottom-up. John McCain calls this socialism. I call it opportunity, and there is nothing more American than that.
Understand, if we want get through this crisis, we need to get beyond the old ideological debates and divides between left and right. We don't need bigger government or smaller government. We need a better government – a more competent government – a government that upholds the values we hold in common as Americans.
We don't have to choose between allowing our financial system to collapse and spending billions of taxpayer dollars to bail out Wall Street banks. As President, I will ensure that the financial rescue plan helps stop foreclosures and protects your money instead of enriching CEOs. And I will put in place the common-sense regulations I've been calling for throughout this campaign so that Wall Street can never cause a crisis like this again. That's the change we need.
The choice in this election isn't between tax cuts and no tax cuts. It's about whether you believe we should only reward wealth, or whether we should also reward the work and workers who create it. I will give a tax break to 95% of Americans who work every day and get taxes taken out of their paychecks every week. I'll eliminate income taxes for seniors making under $50,000 and give homeowners and working parents more of a break. And I'll help pay for this by asking the folks who are making more than $250,000 a year to go back to the tax rate they were paying in the 1990s. No matter what Senator McCain may claim, here are the facts – if you make under $250,000, you will not see your taxes increase by a single dime – not your income taxes, not your payroll taxes, not your capital gains taxes. Nothing. Because the last thing we should do in this economy is raise taxes on the middle-class.
When it comes to jobs, the choice in this election is not between putting up a wall around America or allowing every job to disappear overseas. The truth is, we won't be able to bring back every job that we've lost, but that doesn't mean we should follow John McCain's plan to keep giving tax breaks to corporations that send American jobs overseas. I will end those breaks as President, and I will give American businesses a $3,000 tax credit for every job they create right here in the United States of America. I'll eliminate capital gains taxes for small businesses and start-up companies that are the engine of job creation in this country. We'll create two million new jobs by rebuilding our crumbling roads, and bridges, and schools, and by laying broadband lines to reach every corner of the country. And I will invest $15 billion a year in renewable sources of energy to create five million new energy jobs over the next decade – jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced; jobs building solar panels and wind turbines and a new electricity grid; jobs building the fuel-efficient cars of tomorrow, not in Japan or South Korea but here in the United States of America; jobs that will help us eliminate the oil we import from the Middle East in ten years and help save the planet in the bargain. That's how America can lead again.
When it comes to health care, we don't have to choose between a government-run health care system and the unaffordable one we have now. If you already have health insurance, the only thing that will change under my plan is that we will lower premiums. If you don't have health insurance, you'll be able to get the same kind of health insurance that Members of Congress get for themselves. We'll invest in preventative care and new technology to finally lower the cost of health care for families, businesses, and the entire economy. And as someone who watched his own mother spend the final months of her life arguing with insurance companies because they claimed her cancer was a pre-existing condition and didn't want to pay for treatment, I will stop insurance companies from discriminating against those who are sick and need care most.
When it comes to giving every child a world-class education so they can compete in this global economy for the jobs of the 21st century, the choice is not between more money and more reform – because our schools need both. As President, I will invest in early childhood education, recruit an army of new teachers, pay them more, and give them more support. But I will also demand higher standards and more accountability from our teachers and our schools. And I will make a deal with every American who has the drive and the will but not the money to go to college: if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford your tuition. You invest in America, America will invest in you, and together, we will move this country forward.
And when it comes to keeping this country safe, we don't have to choose between retreating from the world and fighting a war without end in Iraq. It's time to stop spending $10 billion a month in Iraq while the Iraqi government sits on a huge surplus. As President, I will end this war by asking the Iraqi government to step up, and finally finish the fight against bin Laden and the al Qaeda terrorists who attacked us on 9/11. I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm's way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home. I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century, and I will restore our moral standing, so that America is once again that last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.
I won't stand here and pretend that any of this will be easy – especially now. The cost of this economic crisis, and the cost of the war in Iraq, means that Washington will have to tighten its belt and put off spending on things we can afford to do without. On this, there is no other choice. As President, I will go through the federal budget, line-by-line, ending programs that we don't need and making the ones we do need work better and cost less.
But as I've said from the day we began this journey all those months ago, the change we need isn't just about new programs and policies. It's about a new politics – a politics that calls on our better angels instead of encouraging our worst instincts; one that reminds us of the obligations we have to ourselves and one another.
Part of the reason this economic crisis occurred is because we have been living through an era of profound irresponsibility. On Wall Street, easy money and an ethic of “what's good for me is good enough” blinded greedy executives to the danger in the decisions they were making. On Main Street, lenders tricked people into buying homes they couldn't afford. Some folks knew they couldn't afford those houses and bought them anyway. In Washington, politicians spent money they didn't have and allowed lobbyists to set the agenda. They scored political points instead of solving our problems, and even after the greatest attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor, all we were asked to do by our President was to go out and shop.
That is why what we have lost in these last eight years cannot be measured by lost wages or bigger trade deficits alone. What has also been lost is the idea that in this American story, each of us has a role to play. Each of us has a responsibility to work hard and look after ourselves and our families, and each of us has a responsibility to our fellow citizens. That's what's been lost these last eight years – our sense of common purpose; of higher purpose. And that's what we need to restore right now.
Yes, government must lead the way on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and our businesses more efficient. Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair. But all of us must do our part as parents to turn off the television and read to our children and take responsibility for providing the love and guidance they need. Yes, we can argue and debate our positions passionately, but at this defining moment, all of us must summon the strength and grace to bridge our differences and unite in common effort – black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American; Democrat and Republican, young and old, rich and poor, gay and straight, disabled or not.
In this election, we cannot afford the same political games and tactics that are being used to pit us against one another and make us afraid of one another. The stakes are too high to divide us by class and region and background; by who we are or what we believe.
Because despite what our opponents may claim, there are no real or fake parts of this country. There is no city or town that is more pro-America than anywhere else – we are one nation, all of us proud, all of us patriots. There are patriots who supported this war in Iraq and patriots who opposed it; patriots who believe in Democratic policies and those who believe in Republican policies. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America – they have served the United States of America.
It won't be easy, Ohio. It won't be quick. But you and I know that it is time to come together and change this country. Some of you may be cynical and fed up with politics. A lot of you may be disappointed and even angry with your leaders. You have every right to be. But despite all of this, I ask of you what has been asked of Americans throughout our history.
I ask you to believe – not just in my ability to bring about change, but in yours.
I know this change is possible. Because I have seen it over the last twenty-one months. Because in this campaign, I have had the privilege to witness what is best in America.
I've seen it in lines of voters that stretched around schools and churches; in the young people who cast their ballot for the first time, and those not so young folks who got involved again after a very long time. I've seen it in the workers who would rather cut back their hours than see their friends lose their jobs; in the neighbors who take a stranger in when the floodwaters rise; in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb. I've seen it in the faces of the men and women I've met at countless rallies and town halls across the country, men and women who speak of their struggles but also of their hopes and dreams.
I still remember the email that a woman named Robyn sent me after I met her in Ft. Lauderdale. Sometime after our event, her son nearly went into cardiac arrest, and was diagnosed with a heart condition that could only be treated with a procedure that cost tens of thousands of dollars. Her insurance company refused to pay, and their family just didn't have that kind of money.
In her email, Robyn wrote, “I ask only this of you – on the days where you feel so tired you can't think of uttering another word to the people, think of us. When those who oppose you have you down, reach deep and fight back harder.”
Ohio, that's what hope is – that thing inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better is waiting around the bend; that insists there are better days ahead. If we're willing to work for it. If we're willing to shed our fears and our doubts. If we're willing to reach deep down inside ourselves when we're tired and come back fighting harder.
Hope! That's what kept some of our parents and grandparents going when times were tough. What led them to say, “Maybe I can't go to college, but if I save a little bit each week my child can; maybe I can't have my own business but if I work really hard my child can open one of her own.” It's what led immigrants from distant lands to come to these shores against great odds and carve a new life for their families in America; what led those who couldn't vote to march and organize and stand for freedom; that led them to cry out, “It may look dark tonight, but if I hold on to hope, tomorrow will be brighter.”
That's what this election is about. That is the choice we face right now.
Don't believe for a second this election is over. Don't think for a minute that power concedes. We have to work like our future depends on it in this last week, because it does.
In one week, we can choose an economy that rewards work and creates new jobs and fuels prosperity from the bottom-up.
In one week, we can choose to invest in health care for our families, and education for our kids, and renewable energy for our future.
In one week, we can choose hope over fear, unity over division, the promise of change over the power of the status quo.
In one week, we can come together as one nation, and one people, and once more choose our better history.
That's what's at stake. That's what we're fighting for. And if in this last week, you will knock on some doors for me, and make some calls for me, and talk to your neighbors, and convince your friends; if you will stand with me, and fight with me, and give me your vote, then I promise you this – we will not just win Ohio, we will not just win this election, but together, we will change this country and we will change the world. Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless America.
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Read the CNN.com article about the last week of Barack Obama's campaign for president here and here.
plez sez: BARACK OBAMA made his case for president while continuing to link john mccain to george bush.
we are one week away from changing AMERICA and plezWorld!
~ husband ~ father ~ son ~ brother ~ mentor ~ subdivision dweller ~ northern by birth ~ southern by choice ~ raised a black baptist, now guided by the spiritual ~ raised a kennedy democrat, now politically dead center (moderate) ~ raised in a Cadillac Coupe Deville, now hooked on an SUV ~ college educated and still a student of life ~ wild college frat boy and now a settled alumnus ~ intellectual yet fun-loving geek ~ technical and leading edge ~ corporate cog ~ consultant ~ college football saturday devotee ~ and a ramblin' gamblin' helluva engineer (GO JACKETS!) ~
This is my personal blog. The views expressed on these pages are mine; and they are in no way associated with the views of my employer, family, friends, or associates.
President Obama began to flesh out the details of one of his signature campaign promises Tuesday, outlining his plan for a major overhaul of the country's education system "from the cradle up through a career."
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