A new web video takes a look at the way Congressional Republicans responded to President Obama's 2010 State of the Union, which included a proposal to recover the money American taxpayers spent to bailout the banks and use to help community banks lend to small businesses, calling for a new small business tax cut, a jobs bill, a comprehensive financial reform package, among others.
Check it out:
If there's one thing that's clear, it's that Republicans are still representing a party that’s still pushing the same special interest-driven policy agenda that destroyed our economy and drove us into this mess in the first place.
Doctors from all 50 states gathered at the White House yesterday to show their support for President Obama's health insurance reform plan. The first doctor interviewed in the video below is Dr. Nathan Bahr from St. Paul, who is the Minnesota State Director of Doctors for America, a grassroots groups of doctors who believe the American people deserve a better health system.
Dr. Bahr, who grew up in Caledonia, says that he become a doctor so that he could help people -- not to haggle with insurance companies about prices and coverage.
I'm working for reform for my patients and for every American; we deserve better. While some Americans can access wonderful healthcare, too many have no access at all or find out that they don't have enough coverage to pay for the care they need when it counts. I'm fighting for a system that allows me to be the doctor I strive to be. I want to supply great, efficient care to my patients without the very system I practice in interfering with my ability to do so.
Igor Vovkovinskiy, the "World's Largest Obama Supporter" who got a shout out from President Obama during his visit to the Target Center earlier this month, says he owes his life to the government-run Medicare program, which provides insurance for the elderly and disabled.
Beyond a chance to see the president, Vovkovinskiy said he wanted to be there to support the call for health care reform.
Vovkovinskiy said he wouldn't be alive without the initial medical care the Mayo Clinic provided at no charge and the continued medical care funded by the federal Medicare program for the elderly and disabled. He worries about the people with fewer medical needs but no insurance.
"People should at least have the basics," he said.
One of the myths being spread by people who want to defeat health insurance reform is that, under current proposals, Americans wouldn't be able to get the coverage they need. That's simply not true.
The truth is, health care rationing does exist. Under the status quo, health insurance companies -- not you or your doctor -- decide what care you can and can't have. And these decisions aren't based on your doctor's diagnosis or the treatments you may need, instead, they're based on what kind of insurance you have.
Here's the truth about health insurance reform, as explained by President Obama:
WASHINGTON, DC – On Saturday, September 12, 2009, President Barack Obama will travel to Minneapolis, Minnesota to hold a rally on health insurance reform.
In Minneapolis on Saturday, President Obama will discuss what’s at stake for the American people in this debate – why we need health insurance reform and why we need to act now.
President Obama’s health insurance reform plan has two goals—to bring stability and security to Americans who have insurance today, and affordable coverage to those who don’t. And his plan will bring reforms that will reduce the unsustainable growth in the cost of health care, which has doubled in the last decade and will again, unless we act.
Rally on Health Insurance Reform with President Barack Obama
Target Center 600 First Avenue North Minneapolis, MN 55403
Doors Open: 9:30 am CT Program start time: 12:30 pm CT
This event is free and open to the public. Space is available on a first come, first serve basis. No ticket is required.
All attendees will go through airport-like security and should bring as few personal items as possible. No bags, no sharp objects, no umbrellas, no liquids, no strollers, and no signs will be allowed into the venue. Cameras are permitted.
Photo: Barack Obama in Minneapolis in February 2008, via BarackObamaDotCom.
Since taking office on January 20th, President Barack Obama has been making good on his pledge to open up government in new ways and new places.
In the video below, Macon Phillips, the New Media Director at The White House, highlights various new media efforts from across the federal government.
Hard to believe it's been a month since the tax day "tea parties" took place across the country, with just a little help from Fox News and corporate lobbyists in DC.
Now that we've all had time to let the tea parties steep in our minds for a bit, we can ignore the tea baggers discredited argument about being a non-partisan movement of citizens-turned-activists and ask whether the message of the tea parties hit the mark.
It didn't, according to Thomas Evans, who wrote a letter to the Bemidji Pioneer about the "nonsensical blather" of protesters without a sense of history. "rumbling roads, struggling families, education, health care, law enforcement, fire departments all cost money. Grownups pay for these things, Republicans give tax breaks to millionaires and leave the bill with the middle class — lucky peasants."
So while we're still paying for the "obscene, juvenile behavior" of the Bush administration and Congressional Republicans, Thomas was probably glad to hear that President Obama announced his administration would seek to close tax loopholes for corporations and curb off-shore tax havens for millionaires.
Read Thomas' full letter below:
Much like the tea party in “Alice in Wonderland,” the right-wing tea party protests spouted amusing nonsensical blather. Have they forgotten that George Bush ran up a $1.3 trillion deficit and raided the Treasury for his Wall Street patrons before riding off into the sunset?
Have they forgotten the illegal war, the phone taps, the torture, the attacks on science and the environment? Real conservatives “conserve.” They protect liberty, the environment, the health of families, peace, decent paying jobs, the future. Banking policies, real estate Ponzi schemes, stock, commodity markets, and a cowboy government “gone wild,” are what the last eight years brought us.
Now that we have to pay for this obscene, juvenile behavior the GOP is wringing its hands. Crumbling roads, struggling families, education, health care, law enforcement, fire departments all cost money. Grownups pay for these things, Republicans give tax breaks to millionaires and leave the bill with the middle class — lucky peasants. The GOP then engages in shameless, fake displays of outrage over spending.
Oh, well! I think I’ll put on a cup of tea. Alice, the mad hatter and the barbarian hordes are at the door.
On a conference call yesterday, Governor Tim Pawlenty said that the federal stimulus money (which is shaping the state budget) will be a big help in the state by "bring[ing] relief to Minnesotans who are unemployed."
"Minnesota continues to experience concerns about unemployment these additional funds will help bring relief to Minnesotans who are unemployed, have entered the unemployment ranks we want to do all that we can to help them and this money will be a great step in that direction,"Pawlenty said.
It would seem as though Governor Pawlenty has changed his tune. In the past, Pawlenty called President Obama's economic recovery efforts a "Ponzi scheme" that wouldn't do a good job of investing in infrastructure and putting people to work.
Here's some of what the Governor has said:
- "a meandering spending buffet," but said his state is "going to accept the money. This is a bill that missed the mark in terms of being focused and targeted." [Washington Post, 02/21/2009]
- "It is a house of cards and it is eventually going to collapse, I will predict to you, sooner rather than later." [WCCO Reality Check, 12/10/2008]
- Pawlenty said such spending "doesn't do anything" for the looming budget deficit in Minnesota. [Star Tribune, 12/02/2008]
ED SCHULTZ: Governor, do you think Minnesotans are with you on this? I mean, in your state, a bridge collapsed and killed 13 people. And there are other bridges in Minnesota that need support. There are bridges all over the country that need some infrastructure work. What‘s wrong with investing in that and getting people to work?
TIM PAWLENTY: Well, the bill didn't do that to a very good degree. [The Ed Shultz Show, 04/14/2009]
While I'm encouraged by the Governor's apparent change of heart regarding the efficacy of President Obama's efforts to stimulate the economy and create long-term economic recovery, his budget proposal doesn't exactly use all of the federal stimulus dollars to help struggling Minnesotans:
The Governor’s revised budget also includes a few new recommendations in direct response to the federal stimulus package. The federal stimulus bill makes additional resources available for short-term, one-time assistance for low-income families. As a result, the Governor’s revised budget includes million for counties to provide emergency assistance (such as rental assistance, damage deposits, utility expenses and other financial issues) to families in crisis.
The Governor’s revised budget, however, would cut state funding for community action agencies in half for the next two years, about million for the biennium. This means funds intended to get into the hands of low-income people would be used instead to fill the state’s budget deficit. This reduction is offset by approximately million in federal stimulus funding for community action agencies in Minnesota. State funding is supposed to return to original levels in FY 2012-13 – approximately million for the biennium – once the temporary federal stimulus dollars expire.
Unemployed Minnesotans may get a bit of a helping hand from the state this year, but as soon as the federal stimulus dollars run out, the agencies which provide assistance to the unemployed will find themselves underfunded or even eliminated.
The Governor revised budget still reduces or eliminates a variety of grants and programs serving for vulnerable populations, including: * Reducing general fund support for the Minnesota Jobs Skills Partnership by one-third. This program partners with businesses and educational institutions to develop training programs that meet businesses’ current needs for employees.
* Reducing funding for services helping people with disabilities get job training and find work, including employment and interpreter services for the deaf.
* Reducing pass-through grants to nonprofits providing low-income, minority and other vulnerable populations with employment services, including Opportunities Industrialization Centers, WomenVenture, Metropolitan Economic Development Association and Lifetrack Resources.
* Significantly decreasing funding to several youth programs that help with job training and placement. For example, the St. Paul and Minneapolis Summer Youth programs, which support job placement and mentoring for youth, would be cut 17 percent and 25 percent, respectively. Youthbuild, a program for low-income young people to work toward their GEDs or high school diplomas, learn job skills and serve their communities by building affordable housing, would be cut $ 150,000.
* Eliminating grants to the Minnesota Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs, Rural Policy and Development Center, and Entrepreneurs and Small Business Grants.
Governor Pawlenty's proposals to play accounting games with the federal stimulus dollars and balance the budget on the back's of Minnesotans struggling to make ends meet fly in the face of President Obama's plan for long-term economic recovery and endanger the future economic health of the state.
A new AP poll released today found for the first time in nearly five years there are more Americans who believe the country is on the "right track" than who do not. This is a sign that the steps President Obama has taken to lay a foundation for change and long-term economic recovery since taking office nearly 100 days ago are inspiring hopes for a brighter future, says AP.
The "right track" number topped "wrong direction" for a few months after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, according to non-AP media polls, and for several months late in the Clinton administration.
So far, Obama has defied the odds by producing a sustained trend toward optimism. It began with his election.
In October 2008, just 17 percent said the country was headed in the right direction. After his victory, that jumped to 36 percent. It dipped a bit in December but returned to 35 percent around the time of his inauguration and has headed upward since.
The AP-GfK poll suggests that 64 percent of the public approves of Obama's job performance, down just slightly from 67 percent in February. President George W. Bush's approval ratings hovered in the high 50s after his first 100 days in office.
Most Americans say it's too soon to tell whether he's delivered on his promise to change Washington. But twice as many say Obama is living up to his promises as those who say he's not (30 percent to 15 percent).
Worries about losing their jobs, facing major medical expenses, seeing investments dive and paying their bills remain high among Americans, the poll shows, just slightly lower than two months ago.
Still, seven in 10 Americans say it is reasonable to expect it to take longer than a year to see the results of Obama's economic policies.
Check out the map of the corridors that are in the running for the new federal funds the Obama administration announced today:
Minnesota is one of 8 Midwestern states which has applied for federal stimulus funds for high-speed rail.
Midwestern governors have proposed a first phase of a high-speed rail network that would connect Chicago to Madison, Wis., the Detroit area and St. Louis. Those rail lines could be operating by 2014 at an estimated cost of .4 billion, the governors said.
Extending the Chicago-Madison line to the Twin Cities would be part of the projects' second phase.
Separately, Transportation Department officials said the Chicago hub system is one of about six proposed routes that stand a good chance of getting some of the billion award.
The President today declared a major disaster exists in the State of Minnesota and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms and flooding beginning on March 16, 2009, and continuing.
Federal funding is available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms and flooding in Clay, Kittson, Marshall, Norman, Polk, Traverse, and Wilkin Counties.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
Michael H. Smith has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area.
FEMA said that damage surveys are continuing in other areas, and more counties and additional forms of assistance may be designated after the assessments are fully completed.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: FEMA (202) 646-4600.
While President Obama was answering tough questions on economic recovery, foreign policy, and health care reform, House Republicans were just 12 blocks away, dining on crab and red pepper glazed tenderloin.
As President Obama prepared to hold his second prime time news conference, more than 1,200 Republicans gathered 12 blocks away to break bread at a multi- million dollar fundraiser and discuss the road back to power in the nation’s capital.
Attendees dined on red pepper glazed tenderloin and crab, while listening to House Minority Leader John Boehner, National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Pete Sessions and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal speak about the GOP’s future.
The NRCC, the campaign arm for House Republicans, raised million at the event.
If you didn't get a chance to catch the President Obama's press conference, you can watch it below--hopefully you have a better excuse than the Republicans.
Later today, President Obama will meet with clean energy entrepreneurs and leaders to discuss strategies for building a clean energy economy to help create the jobs of the future.
Minnesota is a leader on the new clean energy front, one of the reasons the Middle Class Task force picked St. Cloud for its second meeting.
Minnesota's leadership in the new energy sector began in 2007, when Minnesota adopted what was, at the time, the strongest renewable energy standard in the country, requiring Minnesota utilities to generate 25% of their power from renewable sources by the year 2025.
This past summer, I had a chance to tour one of the facilities at the forefront of clean energy research here in Minnesota:
UM-Morris is a leader in renewable energy initiatives, both in Minnesota and America, and is home to the first large-scale wind research turbine ever constructed in the United States, which produces 5.6 million kilowatt hours of power each year--more than half of the campus' annual energy requirements.
The wind turbine and biomass gasification facility are an example of what can be done to secure our energy future, and it's going to require far more than the same old Washington gimmicks proposed by John McCain and Sarah Palin. It will require a sustained and shared effort by government, businesses, education and research facilities, and the American people. With the clean tech research being done at UM-Morris, Minnesota proves that, with clarity of direction and adequate resources, Americans poses the insight, courage, and determination to build a new economy.
The Biomass Gasification Facility is a testament to the potential of partnerships between communities, universities, and state and local governments, as Senator Obama calls for. What started with the Minnesota Legislature's appropriation of funds to build the facility in 2005, is on track to reach its goal of energy self-sufficiency on the UM-Morris campus by 2010.
Biomass technology allows crops such as corn stover and other fibrous plants to be used as fuel sources, sources which don't produce greenhouse gases and emit fewer pollutants than coal, oil, and wood.
The facility at UM-Morris generates steam to meet 80% of the campus heating and cooling needs--proof that, with proper investment, Americans can rise to the energy challenge and transform our energy economy.
The Obama administration has taken the first step to securing our energy future, including billion in energy investments and billion in tax incentives for clean energy in the economic recovery package. This is the money that will end up back in the pockets of Minnesota's families and funding the important research being done at Minnesota's universities.
The combination of public spending and tax benefits is important, because the research shows that every dollar of tax benefit stimulates as much as an additional dollar of private research and development spending, increasing the economic benefits derived from the President's plan.
The first dollars from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act are going out in just two days -- Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2009 -- in the form of federal support for state medicaid payments.
But the impact is already being felt well beyond that. Just today, Minneapolis mayor R.T. Rybak announced that he was prepared to swallow hard and make significant cuts to public works and public safety. Thanks to the ARRA, he won't have to:
"Now let’s turn to Police. If the Governor’s cuts were passed on directly to the Police Department, it would have led to the elimination of 57 sworn police officer positions and 19 non sworn employees. We will not have to do that because of two factors. First, working with Chief Dolan, we are proposing elimination of $1.5 million in non personnel costs, including overtime.
"Second the federal Recovery Act’s one time public safety grants arrived just in time. President Obama said he would help cities keep police officers on the job and he has delivered. Because of this funding I will be proposing no personnel cuts in the Police Department. Next time someone asks you what the Recovery Act will do, start by telling them it will keep 57 police officers working on the streets of Minneapolis."
While President Obama was answering tough questions on 
Later today, President Obama will meet with clean energy entrepreneurs and leaders to discuss strategies for building a clean energy economy to help create the jobs of the future.
Posts
