Selfies at Funerals: Real people in real time
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
President Obama Speaks at the National Memorial Service for Nelson Mandela (one heck of a eulogy)
32:56
There is a word in South African "Ubuntu" we are bound in ways invisible to the eye, a oneness in humanity and we achieve ourselves by sharing ourselves with others and caring about others around us.
32:37 He changed laws but he also changed hearts.
33:30 We know that like South Africa, the United States had to overcome centuries of racial subjugation. As was true here, it took sacrifice of countess people those known and unknown, to see the dawn of a new day. Michelle and I are beneficiaries of that struggle. But in American and in South Africa and in countries all over globe, we cannot allow our progress to cloud the fact that our work is not yet done. The struggles that follow the victory of formal equality or universal franchise may not be filled with drama and moral clarity as ones that came before but they are no less important. (I read this as: Our problems are not as bad as times past but it is still pretty bad upon a closer, truthful juxtaposition of the current-day Negroid/Caucasoid relationship). We too must act on behalf of justice and peace.
35:16 There are too many people who happily embrace Madiba's legacy of racial reconciliation but passionately resist even modest reforms that will challenge chronic poverty and growing inequality. There are too many leaders who claim solidarity with Madiba's struggle with freedom but do not tolerate decent from their own people. And, there are too many of us on the sidelines comfortable in complacency or cynicism but our voices must be heard.
32:37 He changed laws but he also changed hearts.
33:30 We know that like South Africa, the United States had to overcome centuries of racial subjugation. As was true here, it took sacrifice of countess people those known and unknown, to see the dawn of a new day. Michelle and I are beneficiaries of that struggle. But in American and in South Africa and in countries all over globe, we cannot allow our progress to cloud the fact that our work is not yet done. The struggles that follow the victory of formal equality or universal franchise may not be filled with drama and moral clarity as ones that came before but they are no less important. (I read this as: Our problems are not as bad as times past but it is still pretty bad upon a closer, truthful juxtaposition of the current-day Negroid/Caucasoid relationship). We too must act on behalf of justice and peace.
35:16 There are too many people who happily embrace Madiba's legacy of racial reconciliation but passionately resist even modest reforms that will challenge chronic poverty and growing inequality. There are too many leaders who claim solidarity with Madiba's struggle with freedom but do not tolerate decent from their own people. And, there are too many of us on the sidelines comfortable in complacency or cynicism but our voices must be heard.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Friday, November 01, 2013
FACT SHEET: Executive Order on Climate Preparedness | The White House
FACT SHEET: Executive Order on Climate Preparedness | The White House
The White House
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
November 01, 2013
FACT SHEET: Executive Order on Climate Preparedness
President Obama Establishes a Task Force on Climate
“We're going to need to get prepared. And that’s why this plan will also protect critical sectors of our economy and prepare the United States for the impacts of climate change that we cannot avoid. States and cities across the country are already taking it upon themselves to get ready… And we’ll partner with communities seeking help to prepare for droughts and floods, reduce the risk of wildfires, protect the dunes and wetlands that pull double duty as green space and as natural storm barriers.” – President Barack Obama, June 25, 2013
Today, President Obama established a Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience to advise the Administration on how the Federal Government can respond to the needs of communities nationwide that are dealing with the impacts of climate change. The Task Force members include state, local and tribal leaders from across the country who will use their first-hand experiences in building climate preparedness and resilience in their communities to inform their recommendations to the Administration.
The President signed an Executive Order that directs Federal agencies to take a series of steps to make it easier for American communities to strengthen their resilience to extreme weather and prepare for other impacts of climate change.
President Obama has said that we have a moral obligation to our children and future generations to leave them a planet that is not polluted or damaged. That is why in June, the President launched a Climate Action Plan to cut carbon pollution, prepare communities for the impacts of climate change, and lead international efforts to address this global challenge. The Climate Action Plan recognizes that even as we act to curb the carbon pollution that is driving climate change, we must also improve our ability to prepare for the climate impacts we are already seeing across the country. Across America, states, cities, and communities are taking steps to protect themselves from extreme weather and other climate impacts by updating building codes, adjusting the way they manage natural resources, investing in more resilient infrastructure, and planning for rapid recovery from damages that nonetheless occur.
The Federal Government has an important role to play in supporting community-based preparedness and resilience efforts by establishing policies and prioritizing investments that promote preparedness, protecting critical infrastructure and public resources, supporting science and research needed to prepare for climate impacts, and ensuring that Federal operations and facilities continue to protect and serve citizens in a changing climate.
State, Local and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience
State, local and tribal leaders across the country are already contending with more frequent or severe heat waves, droughts, wildfires, storms and floods, and other impacts of climate change. The Task Force will provide recommendations to the President on removing barriers to resilient investments, modernizing Federal grant and loan programs to better support local efforts, and developing the information and tools they need to prepare.
Task Force members comprise governors, mayors, county officials and tribal leaders, representing a diverse range of communities. The members of the Task Force include:
State Officials:
Governor Neil Abercrombie (HI)
Governor Jerry Brown (CA)
Governor Eddie Calvo (GU)
Governor Jay Inslee (WA)
Governor Jack Markell (DE)
Governor Martin O’Malley (MD)
Governor Pat Quinn (IL)
Governor Peter Shumlin (VT)
Local Officials:
Mayor Ralph Becker (Salt Lake City, UT)
Mayor James Brainard (Carmel, IN)
Commissioner Paula Brooks (Franklin County, OH)
Supervisor Salud Carbajal (Santa Barbara County, CA)
Mayor Frank Cownie (Des Moines, IA)
Mayor Bob Dixson (Greensburg, KS)
Mayor Eric Garcetti (Los Angeles, CA)
Mayor George Heartwell (Grand Rapids, MI)
Mayor Kristin Jacobs (Broward County, FL)
Mayor Kevin Johnson (Sacramento, CA)
Mayor Michael Nutter (Philadelphia, PA)
Mayor Annise Parker (Houston, TX)
Mayor Patsy Parker (Perdido Beach, AL)
Mayor Madeline Rogero (Knoxville, TN)
Mayor Karen Weitkunat (Fort Collins, CO)
Mayor Dawn Zimmer (Hoboken, NJ)
Tribal Officials:
Karen Diver, Chairwoman, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (MN)
Reggie Joule, Mayor, Northwest Arctic Borough (AK)
An Executive Order to Protect Our Communities
The Obama Administration has taken significant steps to strengthen the climate resilience of America’s communities and economy. More than 30 Federal agencies developed their first-ever Climate Change Adaptation Plans, outlining strategies to protect their operations, programs, and investments to better serve communities and safeguard our public resources in the face of climate change. In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, the Administration has provided resources to rebuild the affected area to be more resilient than before, including support for more climate-resilient roads and infrastructure, and projects that protect drinking water and buffer communities from flooding.
In addition, Federal agencies have partnered with states, cities, tribes, and the private sector to develop strategies to address the impacts of climate change on our freshwater resources, oceans and coasts, and wildlife. Agencies have also built new, data-driven tools to help decision makers and resource managers map and plan for future sea level rise. From Florida to Minnesota, and from Alaska to New York, Federal agencies have partnered with communities to provide funding and technical assistance to address local climate impacts such as sea level rise, flooding, and water scarcity.
To build on this progress, the Executive Order (E.O.) “Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change,” signed today directs Federal agencies to:
Modernize Federal programs to support climate-resilient investments: Agencies will examine their policies and programs and find ways to make it easier for cities and towns to build smarter and stronger. Agencies will identify and remove any barriers to resilience-focused actions and investments– for example, policies that encourage communities to rebuild to past standards after disasters instead of to stronger standards – including through agency grants, technical assistance, and other programs in sectors from transportation and water management to conservation and disaster relief.
Manage lands and waters for climate preparedness and resilience: America’s natural resources are critical to our Nation’s economy, health and quality of life. The E.O. directs agencies to identify changes that must be made to land- and water-related policies, programs, and regulations to strengthen the climate resilience of our watersheds, natural resources, and ecosystems, and the communities and economies that depend on them. Federal agencies will also evaluate how to better promote natural storm barriers such as dunes and wetlands, as well as how to protect the carbon sequestration benefits of forests and lands to help reduce the carbon pollution that causes climate change.
Provide information, data and tools for climate change preparedness and resilience: Scientific data and insights are essential to help communities and businesses better understand and manage the risks associated with extreme weather and other impacts of climate change. The E.O. instructs Federal agencies to work together and with information users to develop new climate preparedness tools and information that state, local, and private-sector leaders need to make smart decisions.
In keeping with the President’s Open Data initiative, agencies will also make extensive Federal climate data accessible to the public through an easy-to-use online portal.
Plan for climate change related risk: Recognizing the threat that climate change poses to Federal facilities, operations and programs, the E.O. builds on the first-ever set of Federal agency adaptation plans released earlier this year and directs Federal agencies to develop and implement strategies to evaluate and address their most significant climate change related risks.
To implement these actions, the E.O. establishes an interagency Council on Climate Preparedness and Resilience, chaired by the White House and composed of more than 25 agencies. To assist in achieving the goals of the E.O., these agencies are directed to consider the recommendations of the State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience.
Friday, October 04, 2013
Thursday, October 03, 2013
Government benefit checks may be "delayed" in November if debt ceiling, government shutdown not resolved before Oct. 17
Read Why the Koch Brothers/Pale Horse Riders are responsible for this debacle.
Tuesday, October 01, 2013
Hey faction: His name is not Toby
I stand by U.S. President @BarackObama #governmentshutdown (his name is not Toby)
— imadeamesss (@imadeamesss) October 1, 2013
Friday, September 27, 2013
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Monday, September 23, 2013
Pres. Obama United Nations General Assembly Address Tuesday September 24, 2013 | UN LIVE FEED
2013 SPEECH ON 9/24
ENJOY LIVE FEED
ENJOY LIVE FEED
LAST YEAR'S (2012) SPEECH
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Monday, September 16, 2013
No-drama Budget Needed to Speed Growth
Obama: "We will do everything in our power to make sure whoever carried out this cowardly act is held responsible." #NavyYardShooting
— White House Live (@WHLive) September 16, 2013
President Obama: "We send our thoughts and prayers to all at the Navy Yard who’ve been touched by this tragedy." #NavyYardShootingDuring his address about the economy, Pres. Obama was clear he would not negotiate on Obamacare and that the main duty of Congress is to pass a budget. He said leaving sequester in place is draining economic gains made since he won re-election.
— White House Live (@WHLive) September 16, 2013
"We are not yet where we need to be. We need more ladders of opportunity for the poor who want to get into the middle class," he said adding that the top one percent of earners grab 20 percent of the economy (mostly through capital gains). Within the one percent, the upper most gains go to one-tenth of the one percent.
"Everybody else loses ground," he said.
It's all made worse by the recession. Obama asked the American public and Congress to "focus" on creating jobs and long-term economic security.
Republicans are not focused on building the economy at the moment, he said, adding that he is hoping for "the lightbulb to go off," in their collective mind and help the economy grow instead of looking at deeper education and infrastructure cuts.
"We have to make investments to attract good jobs...that pay good wages that lead to high standards of living. Education has critical role in this," he said.
Many of the president's words were met with applause.
Start at the 14:00 mark
Leaving in place sequester cuts hurt the recovery process, the president said.
"We are not growing as fast as we should because the sequester cuts are in place," Obama said, quoting "independent economists."
The president also said Republicans spend time investing in "non-growth policies," however deficits are still falling faster than they did during WWII, since before the president was born and since he has taken office. By the end of the year, deficits will be cut in half. Still, the president implored Congress to "pass a sensible budget" in place of sequester as "this is not asking too much."
"Congress' most fundamental job is passing a budget," President Obama said.
On stage, standing behind the president during his speech, were small business owners, home owners and students— those most affected by sequester cuts.
###
Editor, Imadeamesss.com
Wednesday, August 07, 2013
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Friday, July 19, 2013
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Statement by the Press Secretary on the House Republican Budget
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 12, 2013
Pres. Obama speaks about budget cuts, shootings during a visit to Hyde Park Academy Feb. 15, 2013. |
The President believes that there is an opportunity for Democrats and Republicans to come together around a balanced plan to grow the economy and shrink the deficit by investing to create jobs, cutting wasteful spending, and strengthening programs like Medicare and Medicaid. This approach will require both parties to compromise and make tough choices.
While the House Republican budget aims to reduce the deficit, the math just doesn't add up. Deficit reduction that asks nothing from the wealthiest Americans has serious consequences for the middle class. By choosing to give the wealthiest Americans a new tax cut, this budget as written will either fail to achieve any meaningful deficit reduction, raise taxes on middle class families by more than $2,000 – or both.
While the House Republican budget aims to reduce the deficit, the math just doesn't add up. Deficit reduction that asks nothing from the wealthiest Americans has serious consequences for the middle class. By choosing to give the wealthiest Americans a new tax cut, this budget as written will either fail to achieve any meaningful deficit reduction, raise taxes on middle class families by more than $2,000 – or both.
By choosing not to ask for a single dime of deficit reduction from closing tax loopholes for the wealthy and well-connected, this budget identifies deep cuts to investments like education and research – investments critical to creating jobs and growing the middle class. And to save money, this budget would turn Medicare into a voucher program--undercutting the guaranteed benefits that seniors have earned and forcing them to pay thousands more out of their own pockets. We've tried this top-down approach before. The President still believes it is the wrong course for America.
That’s why the President has put forward a balanced approach to deficit reduction with no sacred cows. It includes more Medicare savings over the next decade than the House Republican budget, but it does so by cracking down on waste and fraud, not by asking middle class seniors to bear the burden. It closes tax loopholes for the wealthiest and biggest corporations so we can still afford to create jobs by investing in education, manufacturing, infrastructure, and small businesses. The President’s plan puts our nation on a fiscally sustainable path and grows our economy from the middle class out.
While the President disagrees with the House Republican approach, we all agree we need to leave a better future for our children. The President will continue to work with Republicans and Democrats in Congress to grow the economy and cut the deficit in a balanced way. This is the approach the American people overwhelmingly support, and that is what the President will continue to fight for each day.
That’s why the President has put forward a balanced approach to deficit reduction with no sacred cows. It includes more Medicare savings over the next decade than the House Republican budget, but it does so by cracking down on waste and fraud, not by asking middle class seniors to bear the burden. It closes tax loopholes for the wealthiest and biggest corporations so we can still afford to create jobs by investing in education, manufacturing, infrastructure, and small businesses. The President’s plan puts our nation on a fiscally sustainable path and grows our economy from the middle class out.
While the President disagrees with the House Republican approach, we all agree we need to leave a better future for our children. The President will continue to work with Republicans and Democrats in Congress to grow the economy and cut the deficit in a balanced way. This is the approach the American people overwhelmingly support, and that is what the President will continue to fight for each day.
###
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Finding a way out of our mess: Pres. Obama to meet Friday with Republicans, Democrats
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ _______________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 28, 2013
Statement from the President
Pres. Obama Feb. 15, 2013 addressing a crowd at Hyde Park Academy, Chicago, Ill. Photo credit: Leslie Jones McCloud |
Today, Republicans in the Senate faced a choice about how to grow our economy and reduce our deficit.
And, instead of closing a single tax loophole that benefits the well-off and well-connected, they chose to cut vital services for children, seniors, our men and women in uniform and their families.
They voted to let the entire burden of deficit reduction fall squarely on the middle class.
I believe we should do better. We should work together to reduce our deficit in a balanced way – by making smart spending cuts and closing special interest tax loopholes. That’s exactly the kind of plan Democrats in the Senate have proposed. But even though a majority of Senators support this approach, Republicans have refused to allow it an up-or-down vote – threatening our economy with a series of arbitrary, automatic budget cuts that will cost us jobs and slow our recovery.
Tomorrow I will bring together leaders from both parties to discuss a path forward. As a nation, we can’t keep lurching from one manufactured crisis to another. Middle-class families can’t keep paying the price for dysfunction in Washington. We can build on the over $2.5 trillion in deficit reduction we’ve already achieved, but doing so will require Republicans to compromise. That’s how our democracy works, and that’s what the American people deserve.
###
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
Watch for 11th-hour Sequestration talks
...And a whole lot of resistance to the president's 50/50 plan...
During a teleconference Monday, there was a Titanic/sinking ship reference made, comparing the pending sequestration to “rearranging deck chairs.”
Senior Administration Officials Principal Deputy Director of the National Economic Council Jason Furman and Deputy Press Secretary for the Economy, Amy Brundage explained during a 40 minute teleconference with reporters how blindly hacking at our national programs and budgets would be bad for America and that sequestration is only a mechanism to force cooperation and compromise.
Technically, sequestration is doing what it is supposed to do. Republicans and Democrats are talking. They are saying no to each other and no to each other within the Democratic Party. They are saying no to the president and his fair compromise plan. If no votes are moved before the end of the workday Friday, sequestration will bring a 13 percent cut to defense spending and a 9 percent cut to non-defense spending.
Sequestration will not apply to Social Security payments or interest on the national debt. It is obvious why some would lead the American public to think there is nothing to the sequestration however why would they? The sequestration is all budget cuts. Why allow any tax hike on the nation’s wealthiest when all that has to happen to balance the budget is nothing. Except, sequestration is not budget balancing nor was it intended to be.
It is also in my opinion that these people who oversimplify our complicated economy await the tsunami-like destruction so they can fill their pockets.
During the teleconference, Furman and Brundage were clear how the sequestration will affect Americans.
“The president has a specific plan for a $2.5 trillion reduction in spending to prevent harmful cuts March 1,” Brundage said.
Cuts are in place as a mechanism to force cooperation and compromise but if the cuts do come to pass the funding cuts will be right away. Immediate need funding will be cut - the money that goes to people affected by disaster. Departments would have to figure what exactly to cut. They will be given a goal amount. Cuts will affect national readiness if enacted.
Thus far "the U.S. House of Representatives have not passed anything that deals with sequestration. U.S. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nevada) has put a plan forward but Republicans can block that action.” Furman said.
“The sequester takes affect Friday and some affects will be felt right away and some on down the road," Furman said. Some people working today will loose their jobs, Brundage said.
“Long-term unemployment insurance will be cut by 10 percent. The impact on some aspects of Sandy relief will happen right away,” Furman said.
Overall, The sequestration will have a “macroeconomic impact,” the senior officials agreed. Each state has a laundry list of federally assisted programs that would stop or be cut. College kids will have their work study jobs cut. In Indiana and Illinois, sequestration will cut 4,820 college students off from their work study positions. The college Work Study program is a way federal financial aid is packaged for students in need. It will also have some affect on student loans but the biggest part of the student loan program is protected from sequestration.
Also on the chopping block in Indiana— if sequestration were to take effect—Hoosiers will lose teachers, Head Start funding for 1,000 children, protections for Clean Air and Clean Water including fish and wildlife protection, military readiness, law enforcement and public safety funds, job search assistance, child care assistance, public health and violence against women funding, vaccine funding and senior nutrition funding in this year alone. In neighboring Illinois, at least 6,000 substance abusers will not receive the help they need.
Overall, sequestration will impact states and the way they budget for public education so instead of investing in education funding will be taken away from America’s students, which is the opposite of Pres. Obama’s plan for America.
Border security furloughs could create delays for entry and exit into the country. The cuts will affect personnel and when or if departments can procure needed items to function properly so watch for huge delays.
Replacing sequestration with deficit reduction is the president’s plan. Targeted cuts would occur in a smart way instead of blindly across the board. The president’s plan is one plan among suggested plans however his is the only useful plan. In a fair way, the plan Obama puts forth will cut out wasteful programs that do not work while leaving vital funding for programs like Head Start and college work/study unperturbed.
However, deciding on which plan to follow is at issue. In support of President Obama’s 50/50 approach regarding sequestration, Nevada Senator Harry Reid said recently in a statement that Congress must replace it with a balanced approach to deficit reduction.
Reid backs the President’s plan of half spending cuts and half tax hikes but a group of liberal Democrats want more revenue to be made through taxation rather than cuts, according to an article in The Hill, because they feel the president‘s plan does not raise enough revenue from tax hikes. They feel most of the revenue in the president’s plan comes from budget cuts. That group of Democrats feels as if the president’s plan should tilt 80 percent tax hikes, 20 percent budget cuts.
Reid is sticking by the president because at least six Democrats running for re-election need to retain their seat in states carried by Mitt Romney, The Hill article continued. So the negotiations continue and it appears that if a plan is carried by the House and Senate, it will need to be 70/30, 75/25 or somewhere near that mix of tax hikes vs. budget cuts since the president‘s fair plan is currently unpopular. It is a lot to consider. In order for the president to push forth on the balance of his plans for improving the middle class and education, it appears he will need Democratic senators to retain their seats.
Meanwhile, the president on Monday asked governors to lobby Congress for votes in favor of his plan. An update informing the Democratic caucus of any new plans is slated for Thursday February 28 (yes, one day before the sequestration all 11th hour, Hail Mary-like and such).
###
During a teleconference Monday, there was a Titanic/sinking ship reference made, comparing the pending sequestration to “rearranging deck chairs.”
Pres. Barack Obama addresses citizens February 15th at Hyde Park Academy in Chicago, Ill. Photo credit: Leslie Jones McCloud |
Technically, sequestration is doing what it is supposed to do. Republicans and Democrats are talking. They are saying no to each other and no to each other within the Democratic Party. They are saying no to the president and his fair compromise plan. If no votes are moved before the end of the workday Friday, sequestration will bring a 13 percent cut to defense spending and a 9 percent cut to non-defense spending.
Sequestration will not apply to Social Security payments or interest on the national debt. It is obvious why some would lead the American public to think there is nothing to the sequestration however why would they? The sequestration is all budget cuts. Why allow any tax hike on the nation’s wealthiest when all that has to happen to balance the budget is nothing. Except, sequestration is not budget balancing nor was it intended to be.
The sequestration is a punishment or a pull-the-plug situation. It is an automated system that assumes the entire country is brain dead. Why would damaging cuts affect a brain dead nation? Pull the plug. It’s over.An $85 billion across-the-board cut which will take place over the next seven months is what few people in this country would like to happen. These same few people are misinformed about how our capitalistic economy works. People who make money during economic downturns may want the sequestration to occur - until a loved one is stuck in an airport somewhere or eats some tainted seafood fresh out of the lake/ocean/river.
It is also in my opinion that these people who oversimplify our complicated economy await the tsunami-like destruction so they can fill their pockets.
During the teleconference, Furman and Brundage were clear how the sequestration will affect Americans.
“The president has a specific plan for a $2.5 trillion reduction in spending to prevent harmful cuts March 1,” Brundage said.
Cuts are in place as a mechanism to force cooperation and compromise but if the cuts do come to pass the funding cuts will be right away. Immediate need funding will be cut - the money that goes to people affected by disaster. Departments would have to figure what exactly to cut. They will be given a goal amount. Cuts will affect national readiness if enacted.
Thus far "the U.S. House of Representatives have not passed anything that deals with sequestration. U.S. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nevada) has put a plan forward but Republicans can block that action.” Furman said.
“The sequester takes affect Friday and some affects will be felt right away and some on down the road," Furman said. Some people working today will loose their jobs, Brundage said.
“Long-term unemployment insurance will be cut by 10 percent. The impact on some aspects of Sandy relief will happen right away,” Furman said.
Overall, The sequestration will have a “macroeconomic impact,” the senior officials agreed. Each state has a laundry list of federally assisted programs that would stop or be cut. College kids will have their work study jobs cut. In Indiana and Illinois, sequestration will cut 4,820 college students off from their work study positions. The college Work Study program is a way federal financial aid is packaged for students in need. It will also have some affect on student loans but the biggest part of the student loan program is protected from sequestration.
Also on the chopping block in Indiana— if sequestration were to take effect—Hoosiers will lose teachers, Head Start funding for 1,000 children, protections for Clean Air and Clean Water including fish and wildlife protection, military readiness, law enforcement and public safety funds, job search assistance, child care assistance, public health and violence against women funding, vaccine funding and senior nutrition funding in this year alone. In neighboring Illinois, at least 6,000 substance abusers will not receive the help they need.
Overall, sequestration will impact states and the way they budget for public education so instead of investing in education funding will be taken away from America’s students, which is the opposite of Pres. Obama’s plan for America.
Border security furloughs could create delays for entry and exit into the country. The cuts will affect personnel and when or if departments can procure needed items to function properly so watch for huge delays.
“The problem is making $85 billion in cuts within seven months. There is no good way to do that,” Furman said.
Replacing sequestration with deficit reduction is the president’s plan. Targeted cuts would occur in a smart way instead of blindly across the board. The president’s plan is one plan among suggested plans however his is the only useful plan. In a fair way, the plan Obama puts forth will cut out wasteful programs that do not work while leaving vital funding for programs like Head Start and college work/study unperturbed.
However, deciding on which plan to follow is at issue. In support of President Obama’s 50/50 approach regarding sequestration, Nevada Senator Harry Reid said recently in a statement that Congress must replace it with a balanced approach to deficit reduction.
Reid backs the President’s plan of half spending cuts and half tax hikes but a group of liberal Democrats want more revenue to be made through taxation rather than cuts, according to an article in The Hill, because they feel the president‘s plan does not raise enough revenue from tax hikes. They feel most of the revenue in the president’s plan comes from budget cuts. That group of Democrats feels as if the president’s plan should tilt 80 percent tax hikes, 20 percent budget cuts.
Reid is sticking by the president because at least six Democrats running for re-election need to retain their seat in states carried by Mitt Romney, The Hill article continued. So the negotiations continue and it appears that if a plan is carried by the House and Senate, it will need to be 70/30, 75/25 or somewhere near that mix of tax hikes vs. budget cuts since the president‘s fair plan is currently unpopular. It is a lot to consider. In order for the president to push forth on the balance of his plans for improving the middle class and education, it appears he will need Democratic senators to retain their seats.
Meanwhile, the president on Monday asked governors to lobby Congress for votes in favor of his plan. An update informing the Democratic caucus of any new plans is slated for Thursday February 28 (yes, one day before the sequestration all 11th hour, Hail Mary-like and such).
###
Friday, February 08, 2013
What the Sequester Means to You
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 8, 2013
FACT SHEET: EXAMPLES OF HOW THE SEQUESTER WOULD IMPACT MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES, JOBS AND ECONOMIC SECURITY
Unless Congress acts by March 1st, a series of automatic cuts—called a sequester—that threaten thousands of jobs and the economic security of the middle class will take effect. There is no question that we need to cut the deficit, but the President believes it should be done in a balanced way that protects investments that the middle class relies on. Already, the President has worked with Congress to reduce the deficit by more than $2.5 trillion, but there’s more to do. The President believes we can not only avoid the harmful effects of a sequester but also reduce the deficit by $4 trillion total by cutting even more wasteful spending and eliminating tax loopholes for the wealthy.
Unfortunately, many Republicans in Congress refuse to ask the wealthy to pay a little more by closing tax loopholes so that we can protect investments that are helping grow our economy and keep our country safe. Our economy is poised to take off but we cannot afford a self-inflicted wound from Washington. We cannot simply cut our way to prosperity, and if Republicans continue to insist on an unreasonable cuts-only approach, the middle class risks paying the price. The most damaging effects of a sequester on the middle class are:
· Cuts to education: Our ability to teach our kids the skills they’ll need for the jobs of the future would be put at risk. 70,000 young children would be kicked off Head Start, 10,000 teacher jobs would be put at risk, and funding for up to 7,200 special education teachers, aides, and staff could be cut.
· Cuts to small business: Small businesses create two-thirds of all new jobs in America and instead of helping small businesses expand and hire, the automatic cuts triggered by a sequester would reduce loan guarantees to small businesses by up to $540 million.
· Cuts to food safety: Outbreaks of foodborne illness are a serious threat to families and public health. If a sequester takes effect, up to 2,100 fewer food inspections could occur, putting families at risk and costing billions in lost food production.
· Cuts to research and innovation: In order to compete for the jobs of the future and to ensure that the next breakthroughs to find cures for critical diseases are developed right here in America, we need to continue to lead the world in research and innovation. Most Americans with chronic diseases don’t have a day to lose, but under a sequester progress towards cures would be delayed and several thousand researchers could lose their jobs. Up to 12,000 scientists and students would also be impacted.
· Cuts to mental health: If a sequester takes effect, up to 373,000 seriously mentally ill adults and seriously emotionally disturbed children could go untreated. This would likely lead to increased hospitalizations, involvement in the criminal justice system, and homelessness for these individuals.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) now calculates that sequestration will require an annual reduction of roughly 5 percent for nondefense programs and roughly 8 percent for defense programs. However, given that these cuts must be achieved over only seven months instead of 12, the effective percentage reductions will be approximately 9 percent for nondefense programs and 13 percent for defense programs. These large and arbitrary cuts will have severe impacts across the government.
More detailed explanations of these cuts as well as additional areas that will be impacted include:
Security and Safety
· FBI and other law enforcement – The FBI and other law enforcement entities would see a reduction in capacity equivalent to more than 1,000 Federal agents. This loss of agents would significantly impact our ability to combat violent crime, pursue financial crimes, secure our borders, and protect national security.
· U.S. Attorneys – The Department of Justice would need to furlough hundreds of Federal prosecutors. As a result, approximately 1,000 fewer criminal cases nationwide would be prosecuted, and some civil litigation defending the financial interests of the United States would not be pursued, potentially costing taxpayers billions of dollars.
· Emergency responders – FEMA would need to eliminate funding for State and local grants that support firefighter positions and State and local emergency management personnel, hampering our ability to respond to natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy and other emergencies.
Research and Innovation
· NIH research – The National Institutes of Health (NIH) would be forced to delay or halt vital scientific projects and make hundreds of fewer research awards. Since each research award supports up to seven research positions, several thousand personnel could lose their jobs. Many projects would be difficult to pursue at reduced levels and would need to be cancelled, putting prior year investments at risk. These cuts would delay progress on the prevention of debilitating chronic conditions that are costly to society and delay development of more effective treatments for common and rare diseases affecting millions of Americans.
· NSF research – The National Science Foundation (NSF) would issue nearly 1,000 fewer research grants and awards, impacting an estimated 12,000 scientists and students and curtailing critical scientific research.
· New drug approvals – The FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) would face delays in translating new science and technology into regulatory policy and decision-making, resulting in delays in new drug approvals. The FDA would likely also need to reduce operational support for meeting review performance goals, such as the recently negotiated user fee goals on new innovative prescription drugs and medical devices.
Economic Growth
· Small business assistance – Small Business Administration (SBA) loan guarantees would be cut by up to $540 million, constraining financing needed by small businesses to maintain and expand their operations and create jobs.
· Economic development – The Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) ability to leverage private sector resources to support projects that spur local job creation would be restricted, likely resulting in more than 1,000 fewer jobs created than expected and leaving more than $47 million in private sector investment untapped.
· International trade – The International Trade Administration (ITA) would be forced to reduce its support for America’s exporters, trimming assistance to U.S. businesses looking to increase their exports and expand operations into foreign markets. In addition, ITA would not be able to place staff in critical international growth markets, where there is a clear business opportunity for many American businesses to increase their sales and create jobs at home. These staff would have been part of a key program working to promote and facilitate global investment in the U.S., supporting thousands of new jobs through Foreign Direct Investment.
Government Services
· Food safety – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could conduct 2,100 fewer inspections at domestic and foreign facilities that manufacture food products while USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) may have to furlough all employees for approximately two weeks. These reductions could increase the number and severity of safety incidents, and the public could suffer more foodborne illness, such as the recent salmonella in peanut butter outbreak and the E. coli illnesses linked to organic spinach, as well as cost the food and agriculture sector millions of dollars in lost production volume.
· IRS customer service and tax compliance – The cuts to operating expenses and expected furloughs at the IRS would result in the inability of millions of taxpayers to get answers from IRS call centers and taxpayer assistance centers and would significantly delay IRS responses to taxpayer letters. The IRS would be forced to complete fewer tax return reviews and would experience reduced capacity to detect and prevent fraud, resulting in an inability to collect and protect billions of dollars in revenue annually. Cuts to the IRS would ultimately cost taxpayers and increase the deficit through lost revenue from recoveries and additional fraud and abuse.
· Native American programs - Tribes would lose almost $130 million in funding from the Department of the Interior. Reductions would be necessary in many areas including human services, law enforcement, schools, economic development and natural resources.
· Workplace safety – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) could have to pull its inspectors off the job for some period of time. This would mean roughly 1,200 fewer inspections of the Nation’s most dangerous workplaces, which would leave workers unprotected and could lead to an increase in worker fatality and injury rates.
Education
· Title I education funds – Title I education funds would be eliminated for more than 2,700 schools, cutting support for nearly 1.2 million disadvantaged students. This funding reduction would put the jobs of approximately 10,000 teachers and aides at risk. Students would lose access to individual instruction, afterschool programs, and other interventions that help close achievement gaps.
· Special education (IDEA) – Cuts to special education funding would eliminate Federal support for more than 7,200 teachers, aides, and other staff who provide essential instruction and support to preschool and school-aged students with disabilities.
· Head Start – Head Start and Early Head Start services would be eliminated for approximately 70,000 children, reducing access to critical early education. Community and faith based organizations, small businesses, local governments, and school systems would have to lay off over 14,000 teachers, teacher assistants, and other staff.
Economic Security
· Social Security applicant and beneficiary services – The Social Security Administration (SSA) would be forced to curtail service to the public and reduce program oversight efforts designed to make sure benefits are paid accurately and to the right people. Potential effects on SSA operations could include a reduction in service hours to the public, the closure of some offices, and a substantial growth in the backlog of Social Security disability claims.
· Senior meals – Federally-assisted programs like Meals on Wheels would be able to serve 4 million fewer meals to seniors. These meals contribute to the overall health and well-being of participating seniors, including those with chronic illnesses that are affected by diet, such as diabetes and heart disease, and frail seniors who are homebound. The meals can account for 50 percent or more of daily food for the majority of home‑delivered participants.
· Nutrition assistance for women, infants and children – Approximately 600,000 women and children would be dropped from the Department of Agriculture’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) from March through September. At least 1,600 State and local jobs could be lost as a result.
· Rental assistance – The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Housing Choice Voucher program, which provides rental assistance to very low-income families, would face a significant reduction in funding, which would place about 125,000 families at immediate risk of losing their permanent housing.
· Emergency unemployment compensation – People receiving Emergency Unemployment Compensation benefits would see their benefits cut by as much as 9.4 percent. Affected long-term unemployed individuals would lose an average of more than $400 in benefits that they and their families count on while they search for another job. Smaller unemployment checks will also have a negative impact on the economy as a whole. Economists have estimated that every dollar in unemployment benefits generates $2 in economic activity.
· Homelessness programs – More than 100,000 formerly homeless people, including veterans, would be removed from their current housing and emergency shelter programs, putting them at risk of returning to the streets.
Public Health
· Mental health and substance abuse services – Cuts to the Mental Health Block Grant program would result in over 373,000 seriously mentally ill adults and seriously emotionally disturbed children not receiving needed mental health services. This cut would likely lead to increased hospitalizations, involvement in the criminal justice system, and homelessness for these individuals. In addition, close to 8,900 homeless persons with serious mental illness would not get the vital outreach, treatment, housing, and support they need through the Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) program.
· AIDS and HIV treatment and prevention – Cuts to the AIDS Drug Assistance Program could result in 7,400 fewer patients having access to life saving HIV medications. And approximately 424,000 fewer HIV tests could be conducted by Centers for Disease Control (CDC) State grantees, which could result in increased future HIV transmissions, deaths from HIV, and costs in health care.
· Tribal services – The Indian Health Service and Tribal hospitals and clinics would be forced to provide 3,000 fewer inpatient admissions and 804,000 fewer outpatient visits, undermining needed health care in Tribal communities.
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