Archive for October 6th, 2011
| October 5, 2011Dear Friends,Tonight (Oct. 5th) from 7:00-8:00 p.m. PDT, I will be hosting an online town hall to discuss what is going on in Congress and hear from you about your priorities. Operated through Livestream, the online town hall is a live meeting where you can ask me questions from the comfort of your own home and watch my responses live through a video feed.To participate, just log on to my Facebook page or go to my new, redesigned website (http://mcdermott.house.gov/) during 7:00-8:00 p.m. tonight. You will be able to submit questions and watch my responses in real time at either location. For more details and to RSVP, visit the Facebook event page or my website.
Sincerely, |
Thank you for taking action on our previous efforts. From ensuring that industry does not thwart proposed food marketing guidelines, banning the sale of shark fin soup and supporting the EPA, you have answered the call. It is because of your passion for the environment that we’d like to share with you Earth Day Network; President Kathleen Rogers’ latest piece on Huffington Post titled What the Environmental Movement Can Learn from the Wall Street Zombies.
After you have read the post we ask that you share it with as wide an audience as possible. Please “like” and share it with your friends on Facebook, tweet it, digg it, submit it to Reddit and share it on your other favorite social networks. Let’s try and make this the most popular piece on Huffington Post’s Green section today!
– The Earth Day Network Team
Cost Estimate for H.R. 3078, United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act
Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Ways and Means on October 5, 2011- Cost Estimate for H.R. 3079, United States-Panama Trade Promotion Agreement Implementation Act
Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Ways and Means on October 5, 2011 - Cost Estimate for H.R. 3080, United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Ways and Means on October 5, 2011 - Cost Estimate for H.R. 2480, Administrative Conference of the United States Reauthorization Act of 2011
Cost estimate for the bill as reported by the Senate Committee on the Judiciary on September 22, 2011 - Cost Estimate for S. 1549, American Jobs Act of 2011
Cost estimate for the spending provisions of S. 1549 as introduced in the Senate on September 13, 2011.
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Whoa. ABC News heard that 135,000 Change.org members signed Molly Katchpole’s petition against Bank of America’s new $5 monthly fee to use a debit card. So the network tracked down CEO Brian Moynihan and forced him to respond to the petition. (Thanks, ABC News!) The CEO was flustered and couldn’t give a coherent explanation — an embarrassing moment on national TV for the big bank (and the second night in a row that Molly’s petition was a featured story on the newscast). Bank of America is feeling the pressure from Change.org members. As more people speak out, Bank of America will be forced to cancel its new fee — and other banks will be too scared to create their own new fees. Add your name to Molly’s petition demanding Bank of America cancel its new $5 debit card fee. While you’re signing, check out the amazing video from ABC News. It’s inspiring to see one person’s petition can make a bank CEO squirm on TV! Watch it here: http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-bank-of-america-no-5-debit-card-fees Thanks for being a change-maker, - Michael and the Change.org team P.S. Good news about Cristian Fernandez, the 12-year-old being tried as an adult that I emailed about a couple days ago. His judge pushed back the hearing for one month after more than 150,000 Change.org members demanded that he be tried as a juvenile. |
06
Oct
11
the Progress Report
Eric Cantor Puts The House Up For Sale (Moreso)
Yes to Corporate Special Interests, No to American Jobs
Early this morning, news broke that a top aide to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) was leaving Cantor’s staff to form a new “Super PAC” to suck up unlimited cash from corporations, right-wing billionaires, and anyone else who might seek to influence one of the most powerful Republicans in Washington.
Here’s the rundown.
WHO: Rep. Eric Cantor, House Majority Leader.
WHAT: A new “Young Guns” Super PAC. Young Guns is the name Cantor, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), and House Republican Whip Kevin McCarthy (CA) — who are aged 48, 41, and 46, respectively — have given to themselves.
WHAT’S A SUPER PAC: It is a new kind of PAC created by the infamous Citizens United decision. Such PACs can take in and spend unlimited amounts of money from anyone who wants to give it to them. The only real restrictions are that its donors must be disclosed and it can’t directly coordinate its activities with candidates.
WHY THIS IS A PROBLEM: It gives corporate special interests like Wall Street banks and Big Oil an even more direct hotline to one of the most powerful politicians in Washington. Campaign finance reform advocate Fred Wertheimer told the Los Angeles Times:
A super PAC to support a movement being led by key House Republican leaders opens the door wide to influence-buying with these leaders by allowing donors to give corrupting, unlimited campaign contributions to directly support the efforts of the House leaders.
WHAT’S IT GOING TO DO: According to Cantor’s top aide John Murray, who will be leaving his office to run the Super PAC:
It’s going to support free market, pro-business candidates and ideas, and the need to change the way Washington works.
THE YOUNG GUNS AGENDA: If the ”Young Guns”-style Tea Party candidates elected with Cantor’s help in 2010 are guide, corporate special interests and the ultra-wealthy will fund this new to PAC to elect more people who will:
- Kill American jobs – 2 MILLION of which have been threatened by GOP bills the House has passed so far this year
- End Medicare
- Manufacture crisis after crisis, pushing our economy closer and close to recession
- Slash Social Security
- Cut taxes for the wealthy
- Cut taxes for giant corporations, including Big Oil and the Wall Street banks
- Eliminate the government agencies and rules that protect our food, water, and air
- Take away health care for more than 30 MILLION people
- Push an extreme social agenda targeting gays and women’s health care
WHAT’S MISSING FROM THE YOUNG GUNS AGENDA:
- American jobs. In fact, Cantor said this week that he won’t even put the put the president’s jobs plan up for a vote in the House of Representatives.
IN ONE SENTENCE: Instead of focusing on putting more Americans back to work, Eric Cantor is focused on raising corporate special interest cash in order to elect more extremists and advance his own political future.
Evening Brief: Important Stories That You May Have Missed
How can we get majority audiences consuming culture about minority experiences?
The four habits of highly successful social movements.
How Obama is jeopardizing Medicaid.
Recusing America from Wall Street.
How global fossil fuel subsidies make everyone worse off.
A 96-year-old woman was denied a voter ID because she didn’t have her marriage license.
Herman Cain tells Occupy Wall Street protesters, “If you don’t have a job and you’re not rich, blame yourself!“‘
Meet the “99 percent” who are protesting at Wall Street.
Anti-Muslim activist calls for mass murder of congressmen, Muslims, journalists, academics, and liberals.
VIDEO: Corporate Media Shows Its Disdain for The 99 Percent Movement
Other recent Progress Reports
Oct 4, 2011: The Reagan Speech Today’s GOP Doesn’t Want You To See
The Buffett Reagan Rule How extreme and out of touch are today’s Republicans? So extreme it turns out that they won’t even heed the advice of Ronald Reagan when it comes to taxing the wealthy. What Would Reagan Do? ThinkProgress Economy’s Pat Garofalo has the details: However, if calling for an end to millionaires having [...]
Oct 3, 2011: Obama’s Successful Counterterror Strategy
Last Friday, a U.S. drone strike killed radical Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki — a “propagandist for aspiring jihadists around the globe” — and another American citizen, Samir Khan, co-editor of the al Qaeda English language propaganda magazine, Inspire. President Obama called Awlaki’s death “a major blow to al-Qaeda’s most active affiliate,” referring to al Qaeda [...]
Sep 30, 2011: Millionaires Revolt!
Millionaires Want To Pay Their Fair Share It’s not just the whopping 73 percent of Americans — including 66 percent of Republicans — who agree that it’s unfair for middle class Americans to pay a higher tax rate than millionaires and billionaires. Millionaires themselves are clamoring for their taxes to be raised. Here’s the rundown [...]
Sep 29, 2011: Scenes From The Streets
Mad As Hell and Not Going to Take It Anymore Whether it’s the protesters occupying Wall Street or hundreds of smaller actions in cities across the country, there is a growing movement demanding that banks (and millionaire bankers) pay their fair share, that we rebuild the middle class and the American Dream, and that we [...]
Dear MoveOn member,
Every now and then, someone comes along and says something that makes everything clear. Elizabeth Warren just did that, and the world is taking notice.
Since we posted her quote on Facebook, it’s been shared over 140,000 times—because it’s hitting folks across America just like it hit us. As Tea Party politicians make disingenuous excuses from the right-wing about why the super-rich can’t pay their fair share, Elizabeth Warren sets the record straight.
Can you help tip this graphic over the top and make it viral?
If you didn’t click on the link above, or on the image itself, you can click here to share this great message on Facebook:
And if you’d prefer to share this message via email instead, just forward this email to all your friends and family.
Thanks for all you do.
–Peter, Eli and the rest of the team
The historic 1940′s doll experiment showed that Black children overwhelmingly preferred white dolls to black dolls, and that this preference sprung from a feeling that the white dolls were good and pretty, while the black dolls were bad and ugly.
In 2005, 17-year-old film student, Kiri Davis, of Manhattan’s Urban Academy duplicated the doll experiment to see how much, if anything had changed regarding children’s perceptions when it comes to skin color and value.
Read our latest blog entry to find out how the Black image has changed and tell us what you think?
The Black Institute
http://www.theblackinstitute.org/
-=-=-
The Black Institute · 39 Broadway, Suite 1540, New York , NY 10006
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06
Oct
11
the Official White House blog
-
The
White House Kitchen Garden Fall Harvest and Grilled Garden Pizza
First Lady Michelle Obama and White House Chefs join children from Bancroft
and Tubman Elementary Schools to harvest vegetables during the third annual
White House kitchen garden fall harvest Oct. 5, 2011. Mrs. Obama planted the
White House kitchen garden to help connect kids with the food they eat – an
essential component of her Let’s Move! initiative. (Official White House Photo
by Chuck Kennedy)Today, First Lady Michelle Obama was joined by a big group of helpers for the
third annual White House kitchen garden fall
harvest. Students from Bancroft and Tubman Elementary Schools got their
hands dirty picking produce from the garden and then had a chance to try some of
the vegetables that they picked on grilled garden pizza.White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford shared the recipe for grilled
garden pizza:Learn more about , Family -
Troops and
Vets can still File for Stop Loss PayPosted by Arturo Murguia on
October 5, 2011 at 1:15 PM EDTEd. Note: Cross-posted from the Office
of Wounded Warrior Care and Transitional Policy blog.http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/7SHorklwTDo?rel=0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SHorklwTDo&feature=colike
- Last week the Department of Defense released a statement reminding Service
members and Veterans that the deadline for Retroactive Stop
Loss Payments (RSLP) is fast approaching. This is not an automatic
entitlement, benefit or allowance. Eligible Service members and Veterans must
file a claim by October 21, 2011 to receive this benefit.The 2009 War Supplemental Appropriations Act authorizes Retroactive Stop Loss
Special Pay of $500 per month for each month or any portion of a month during
the period specified that the current or former Soldier, Marine, Sailor,
and Airman was retained
on active duty as a result of of Stop Loss. The act applies to service members
Stop Lossed during the period starting 11 September 2001 and ending 30 September
2009.Learn more about Veterans -
Innovation at
the Food and Drug AdministrationPosted by Vicki Seyfert-Margolis
on October 5, 2011 at 12:09 PM EDTOn the interstate, when traffic suddenly slows, often you come across the
obvious cause of the jam: a fender bender, construction, a breakdown. But in
trying to understand why the country’s pharmaceutical, biotech and medical
device sectors seem to be facing a slowdown in terms of innovation, there is no
single cause.It’s likely that this slowdown is due to a combination of many factors. And
while these industries have fared better than others, it is critical for the
health and well being of every American that they not just survive, but
thrive.That’s why we want the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to do everything we
can to promote innovation.Today the FDA is an agency that works with industry to ensure that a wide
array of products that improve the lives of millions of Americans are safe and
effective. We do that well, and I am personally proud of that.But we have also been listening closely to companies, patients, doctors and
advocacy groups about ways we can help America remain the leader in biomedical
innovation. The FDA’s suggestion box is never closed. And, as you can imagine,
never empty. -
American
Transportation Built by American WorkersPosted by Secretary Ray LaHood on
October 5, 2011 at 11:18 AM EDTEd. Note: Cross-posted from Fast
Lane, the blog of the Secretary of Transportation.Earlier this week, President Obama called on Congress to recognize the needs
of unemployed Americans by taking up the American Jobs Act this month.I was reminded of http://fastlane.dot.gov/2011/09/railjobs.html” target=”_blank”>my trip to
St. Paul, MN, where I saw the progress being made on the Central Corridor
Light Rail Line, which will connect St. Paul and Minneapolis. That project is
expected to create 3,300 jobs – and that doesn’t even include the local
businesses that will benefit from being located near the line’s 18 new
stations.We’re talking about American transportation, built by American workers, and
http://fastlane.dot.gov/2011/04/fta-signs-grant-agreement-for-minneapolis-st-paul-central-corridor-light-rail-line.html” target=”_blank”>strengthening an American city. It can and should be a model
for the rest of the country. And that’s why I’m so excited about the American
Jobs Act.http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/dt-lpB6cLaw?rel=0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt-lpB6cLaw&feature=colike
Learn more about Economy -
President
Obama: American Jobs Act Will Prevent Up to 280,000 Teachers from Losing their
JobsPosted by Colleen Curtis on October 4, 2011 at 6:58
PM EDT
President Barack Obama tours the Lab School at Eastfield College in Mesquite,
Texas, Oct. 4, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)The White House today released a report that outlines the devastating impact
the recession has had on schools and students across the country. Teacher
Jobs at Risk highlights the significant cuts in education spending that have
resulted from state budget shortfalls since 2008, including the loss of nearly
300,000 teaching jobs across the country (see chart below).And in the coming school year, without additional support, many school
districts will have to make another round of difficult decisions. As a result of
state and local funding cuts, as many as 280,000 teacher jobs could be at risk.
Unless they receive federal assistance, many school districts will be forced to
reduce the number of teachers in their classrooms, or turn to other measures
such as shortening the school year or cutting spending on schoolbooks and
supplies.President Obama, speaking
today in Texas, compared the situation here with South Korea, where their
President said they can’t hire teachers fast enough:“They call them “nation builders” — that’s what they call teachers in Korea,
“nation builders,” because they know that educating their children is the best
way to make sure their economy is growing, make sure that good jobs are locating
there, making sure they’ve got the scientists and the engineers and the
technicians who can build things and ship them all around the world. That’s what
he understands. And the whole country supports him. Here in America, we’re
laying off teachers in droves. It makes no sense. It has to stop. It has to
stop.”The President was at Eastfield Community College, in Mesquite, Texas where he
toured a pre-school before talking about the impact the American Jobs Act will have on
schools, and on teachers, across the country. He told the crowd there that the
stakes for addressing this situation are high, with “nothing less than our
ability to compete in this 21st century economy” at risk.This is why one of the central components of the American Jobs Act, which the
President introduced last month at a Joint Session of Congress, is funding to
avoid and reverse teacher layoffs now, and to provide support for the re-hiring
and hiring of educators.Specifically, the American Jobs
Act will invest $30 billion to support state and local efforts to retain,
rehire, and hire early childhood, elementary, and secondary educators. If
enacted, these teacher stabilization funds would help prevent layoffs and
support the hiring or re-hiring of nearly 400,000 educators, includ¬ing
teachers, guidance counselors, classroom assistants, afterschool personnel,
tutors, and literacy and math coaches. These funds will ensure that schools are
able to keep teachers in the classroom, preserve or extend the regular school
day and school year, and maintain important afterschool activities. -
Trade
Agreements Will Help Create Export-Supported Jobs in AmericaPosted by Ambassador Ron Kirk on
October 4, 2011 at 5:45 PM EDTEvery day, President Obama is fighting to put more Americans back to work.
That’s why he proposed the American
Jobs Act – a package of bipartisan, common sense measures designed to help
U.S. businesses grow and create jobs – which Congress should pass right
away.Yesterday, the President took another step to help create and preserve U.S.
jobs when he sent Congress three trade agreements,with Korea,
Colombia,
and Panama. President
Obama is calling on Congress to pass the trade agreements and at the same time
to renew Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) that helps workers whose jobs are
affected by global competition. All four of these items are important elements
of the President’s balanced trade agenda to open markets for U.S. exporters and
keep faith with workers here at home.Together, these agreements are estimated to increase U.S. GDP by more than
$12 billion and support tens of thousands of additional American jobs. In fact,
it is estimated that every $1 billion of goods and services we export supports
approximately 5,500 jobs at home. That means the Korea trade agreement will
support at least an estimated 70,000 U.S. jobs through increased goods exports
alone.Naturally, the big job-building potential of these agreements has led many
Americans to ask how increased trade translates into more U.S. jobs. The short
answer is that trade agreements open overseas markets to significantly enhance
opportunities for American businesses and workers to sell more innovative,
high-quality products Made in America to customers all around the world. And as
American exporters expand their businesses by increasing international sales
into these newly-opened markets, they are likely to hire more workers to produce
goods and provide services here at home.These agreements will make it cheaper, faster, and easier for U.S. producers
to sell more American goods and services in the growing markets of Korea,
Colombia and Panama. They will put American businesses, workers, farmers,
ranchers, manufacturers and service providers on a level playing field against
foreign competitors.For example, today, there are plenty of Hyundais and Kias on American
highways, because car customers here in the United States have the freedom to
choose among many different brands and models at competitive prices. In
contrast, there aren’t nearly as many Fords, Chevys, or Chryslers cruising the
streets of Korea, in part because high tariff and non-tariff barriers currently
put U.S. auto manufacturers at a disadvantage in the South Korean market.Seizing sales opportunities overseas can build jobs and businesses of all
sizes throughout the American automotive supply chain here at home. That’s why,
last year, President Obama sent a team back to the negotiating table to secure
additional market access and a level playing field for U.S. auto manufacturers
in Korea. Now there are more export opportunities – and more potential jobs – on
the table in the U.S.-Korea trade agreement. Similarly, the Colombia and Panama
trade agreements will enhance job-building export opportunities for U.S.
producers.President Obama wants to turn these trade opportunities into real jobs and
more money for American working families. Now’s it’s up to Congress to act by
passing the trade agreements and renewing TAA. By coming together to find common
ground on a balanced approach to trade, we can get our economy moving full speed
ahead with more jobs for hard-working Americans.Learn more about Economy -
Georgia Teen
Hopes American Jobs Act Is PassedPosted by Colleen Curtis on October 4, 2011 at 2:09
PM EDTDestiny Wheeler wants Congress to pass the American Jobs Act now. The
16-year-old wrote to President Obama last month, and explained that the rough
economy was making it “hard to see myself pushing forward and putting my family
in a better position.”The President was moved by the Georgia high school junior’s plea, and
referenced her letter in his October
1 weekly address. In it, Destiny wrote about her fears that despite her
hard work, the caliber of her education will seem “trivial” compared to her
peers in other countries. “The American Jobs Act,” she wrote “gives me hope that
I might start to receive a better education, that one day job opportunities will
be open for me to grasp and that one day my personal American Dream will be
reached.”In a follow-up conversation, Destiny said it wasn’t just concern for her own
future that compelled her to write to the President for the first time, but the
Jobs Acts’ emphasis on modernizing schools across the country. “I am mostly
focused on what I see in other schools. In some schools there will be tons of
students and only 3 computers and one of them doesn’t even work. You modernize
schools and you help kids move forward.” Her own school, Destiny said, does have
enough computers for students to use in class.President Obama is well aware of the negative effects the economy is having
on our students. “Here in America, we are laying off teachers in droves. It
makes no sense, and it has to stop,” President Obama said today in Texas.
“Congress should pass this jobs bill so we can put our teachers back in the
classroom where they belong.”America’s education system has always been one of this country’s greatest
sources of strength and global economic competitiveness, as well as the engine
of incredible progress in science, technology, and the arts. Today’s students
will not get the training they need for the high-skilled jobs of today, or for
the opportunities of the future, without investments in a world-class education
system.Today, the White House released a report, Teacher
Jobs at Risk, outlining how the Administration’s efforts – including the
American Jobs Act – will keep teachers in the classroom, strengthen our schools
and improve the local economy in communities across the country.The American Jobs Act will support
nearly 400,000 education jobs, preventing layoffs of educators and allowing
thousands more to be hired or rehired. In addition, the President’s plan will
modernize at least 35,000 public school buildings and community college
campuses, which is the element of the plan that so appeals to Destiny Wheeler,
and is giving her renewed hope for her own future and that of students like her
across the country.“Please Mr, President,” she wrote, “continue your support for this BIll, it
means so much to me and my family to know there is someone in government looking
out for the common citizen.” -
Now Is
Not the Time to Wave the White Flag on Clean Energy JobsPosted by Dan Pfeiffer on October
4, 2011 at 1:26 PM EDTThis morning, Chairman Cliff Stearns, who leads the House Energy and Commerce
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, told NPR that “We can’t compete
with China to make solar panels and wind turbines.”This comment reflects exactly the sort of counterproductive
defeatism that Energy Secretary Steven Chu warned against this weekend when
he spoke to a group of America’s most promising young solar innovators:“The United States faces a choice today: Will we sit on the sidelines and
fall behind or will we play to win the clean energy race? Some say this is a
race America can’t win. They’re ready to wave the white flag and declare
defeat… Others say this is a race America shouldn’t even be in. They say we
can’t afford to invest in clean energy. I say we can’t afford not
to.“It’s not enough for our country to invent clean energy technologies – we
have to make them and use them too. Invented in America, made in America, and
sold around the world – that’s how we’ll create good jobs and lead in the
21st century.”The race for clean energy jobs and industries is on – and it is a race well
worth winning. The International Energy Agency projects that in the coming
decades, solar power could grow to more than 20 percent of the world’s
electricity. Conservatively, this means that there is an economic opportunity
worth trillions of dollars for whichever countries claim the lead. The global
market for wind turbines is also growing exponentially.But it’s not just the vast potential of jobs tomorrow – these industries
employ a growing number of Americans today. In fact, business groups
estimate that America’s solar industry accounts for about 100,000 jobs and the
wind industry employs 75,000. Should we simply tell those workers that we’ve
given up on them?A study released last month showed that, in spite of the intense global
competition, the U.S. remains a net global exporter of solar technology – with
$5.6 billion in exports and an overall positive trade balance of $1.8
billion.It is certainly true that China is playing to win. Last year alone, China
offered its solar manufacturers $30 billion in government financing, vastly
exceeding the U.S. investment. And China has overtaken the United States market
share in solar power – a technology we invented.Chairman Stearns and other members of his party in Congress believe that
America cannot, or should not, try to compete for jobs in a cutting edge and
rapidly growing industry. We simply disagree: the answer to this challenge is
not to wave the white flag and give up on American workers. America has never
declared defeat after a single setback – and we shouldn’t start now.America’s entrepreneurs and innovators are still the very best in the
world. Our workers are second to none – and we have never been afraid of a
challenge. It’s time to do what we’ve always done in the face of a tough
competitor: roll up our sleeves and recapture the lead. -
Oregon
Governor: The American Jobs Act Is Exactly What We NeedPosted by Colleen Curtis on October 4, 2011 at 11:13
AM EDTGovernor John Kitzhaber of Oregon says that in his state,
“the American Jobs Act
will translate into almost
9,000 jobs for vital transportation, school infrastructure projects for idle
construction workers, funding for our schools and incentives for small
businesses to put people back to work.”Most importantly. says Kitzhaber, the jobs that are
created will be “good middle income family wage jobs,” which will create a
significant economic ripple across the state. “In an economic crisis we need to
be investing in the economy–we need to be investing in job creation and I think
the American Jobs Act is exactly
what we need at the right time and certainly for Oregon and I think for
America.”See how other elected officials say the American Jobs Act will impact their
communities:Mayor
Antonio R. Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, California
Mayor
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake of Baltimore, Maryland
Mayor
Michael Hancock of Denver, Colorado
Mayor
Mark Mallory of Cincinnati, Ohio
Mayor
Greg Fischer of Louisville, Kentucky
Mayor
Sly James of Kansas City
Mayor
Phil Gordon of Phoenix, ArizonaLearn more about Economy -
Ask Michelle Obama
Posted by Sarah Bernard on October 4, 2011 at 10:26
AM EDTSuddenly it’s October. The kids are settled back into school, and at the
White House we’re preparing for the 2011 Fall Garden Harvest tomorrow – so
healthy eating is on our minds. Do you have a question about Let’s Move!, the First Lady’s initiative
to end childhood obesity? Ask it on WhiteHouse.gov, facebook
or on Twitter with the hashtag #AskMichelle and the
First Lady will answer a few in the coming days.
First Lady Michelle Obama and kids double-dutch jump rope during a taping for
the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA) challenge and Nickelodeon’s
Worldwide Day of Play, on the South Lawn of the White House. July 15, 2011.
(Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)Learn more about -
Reaffirming
Our Commitment to Fighting – and Preventing – Breast CancerPosted by Kathleen Sebelius on
October 3, 2011 at 6:47 PM EDT
The North Portico exterior of the White House is illuminated pink, Oct. 3,
2011, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. (Official White House Photo by
Lawrence Jackson)Ed note: This has been cross-posted from healthcare.gov
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month – a time to remember those
who have lost their lives to breast cancer and those who are battling it now,
and to celebrate with those who have survived. It is also a time to reaffirm our
commitment to fighting breast cancer and to remind ourselves of the importance
of prevention and early detection.In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I had the privilege of
joining actress Jennifer Aniston, who recently directed a new Lifetime Original
movie exploring a family affected by breast cancer, Dr. Jill Biden, and a small
group of breast cancer survivors, providers and others, to discuss lessons
learned from those who have been treated for breast cancer. We also talked about
how important it is to coordinate health care, so we can do more to treat and
prevent breast cancer.Breast cancer remains one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers among
American women and despite remarkable advances in treatment and prevention, it
remains the second leading cause of cancer death.Learn more about Health Care, Women -
Over 2,000 Agree –
1is2ManyPosted by Amy Dudley on October
3, 2011 at 5:07 PM EDTIn the weeks since Vice President Biden launched the 1is2Many initiative – a
call for young women and men to share their ideas on how to prevent dating
violence and sexual assault at their schools and college campuses – he has
received more than 2,000 responses via the www.whitehouse.gov/1is2many and
Twitter.Earlier today, the Vice President thanked everyone who submitted their ideas
via Twitter:
Many responses highlighted the importance of educating boys and girls early
on about healthy and respectful relationships. A number suggested upgrading
campus infrastructure by improving lighting or ensuring that campus police are
always accessible. -
President
Obama Meets with Cabinet to Discuss Job CreationPosted by Colleen Curtis on October 3, 2011 at 4:43
PM EDT
President Barack Obama meets with the Cabinet in the Cabinet Room of the
White House, Oct. 3, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)President Obama today met with his Cabinet to talk about the most pressing
issue facing the country right now: Putting America back to work. The President
is waiting for Congress to take action on the American Jobs Act, which he
introduced at a Joint Session in early September. But in the meantime, the
President is committed to having the entire administration and all agencies to
do everything possible that does not require Congress’s help, as he said before
the meeting today:Each of the Secretaries and heads of agencies have been assigned to look at
what we can do administratively to accelerate job growth over the next several
months. And working with the Jobs Council that we’ve set up, working with the
private sector, we have been looking for a wide range of ideas of administrative
action we can take. A good example would be, for example, accelerating the
payments to small businesses so that they’ve got better cash flow; trying to
figure out ways that we can be working in the housing market without
congressional action to provide some relief for homeowners.http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/GBTojAl7A-Q?rel=0
Learn more about Economy -
A
good problem to have: Raising the signature threshold for White House
petitionsPosted by Macon Phillips on
October 3, 2011 at 3:13 PM EDTWow.
Planning for the new We the
People platform, we were confident the system would ultimately get a lot of
use, but we expected it would take a little longer to get out into the ether and
pick up speed.Let’s just say our estimates were … ahem … a wee bit on the low side! In
one week, more than 7,800 petitions have been created, more than 600,000
signatures have been logged and more than 375,000 people have created an account
to participate in this platform. It’s by far the biggest online engagement
event ever for the White House – and we’re just getting started.That’s what you call a good problem to have. Here’s one thing we’re doing to
address it:The massive participation on We
the People means that in the first week over 30 petitions reached 5,000
signatures, the initial threshold to generate an official response from the
White House. At our first internal review meeting Friday, two things were clear:
(a) everyone is thrilled about this new challenge and excited to process the
first batch, but (b) this many petitions challenges our ability to offer timely
and meaningful responses to petitions in the long term.So starting now, the threshold a petition has to reach in order to
generate an official response is 25,000 signatures in 30 days. This change only
affects petitions created from this point forward, and will not be applied to
petitions of any signature count already in the system.This may not be the last time we change the thresholds, both in terms of
signatures and amount of time. And we’re also evaluating a number of other ways
to improve the system, many based on ideas we’ve received from you. Since we
launched We the People we’ve been reading your feedback submitted via the feedback form on the We
the People platform and through the Twitter hashtag #WHWeb.Here are a few answers to questions and issues we’ve seen over the last few
days:Learn more about , Technology -
Watch
Live: President Obama Takes Your QuestionsPosted by Nikki Sutton on October 3, 2011 at 2:25 PM
EDTEd. Note: This event has now ended.
Today, President Obama will sit down with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos to take
questions submitted through Yahoo.com.
Watch the interview live beginning at 2:35 p.m. EDT:Learn more about Economy -
National
Cybersecurity Awareness MonthPosted by Howard A. Schmidt on
October 3, 2011 at 12:52 PM EDTToday, the White House issued a Presidential
Proclamation designating October as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
On Friday, I will be speaking together with Secretary of Homeland Security Janet
Napolitano at the official kick-off event for the month at Eastern Michigan
University in Ypsilanti. In the following weeks, the Department of Homeland
Security will be hosting events across the nation to bring cybersecurity
awareness to your state and your community. Every company, school, and family
should use October as an opportunity to focus on cybersecurity – update
training, attend or host an event, or talk to your children about responsible
use of the Internet.Cybersecurity is of course not something we can pay attention to for only
one-month each year. It is a shared responsibility each and every day. That is
why last year we began the National Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign – Stop. Think.
Connect., an ongoing effort to educate Americans about risks in
cyberspace and promotes simple steps that everyone can take to protect
themselves online.I’d also like to highlight the re-launch of OnGuardOnline.gov, the federal government’s
website to help you be safe, secure and responsible online. The site is a
resource for parents, educators, and individuals who want to learn more about
cybersecurity. Managed by the Federal Trade Commission, OnGuardOnline.gov is a
partner in Stop. Think. Connect. and part of the National Initiative for Cybersecurity
Education (NICE), led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
I encourage everyone to visit these three sites to learn more about what you can
do to be safe online.As this is the eighth National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, it is a fitting
time to reflect on how far we have come and how far we still need to go to
secure this nation in cyberspace. At the start of the Obama Administration, we
released the Cyberspace Policy Review, which issued a near term action plan to
improve cybersecurity. I am pleased to say that our progress looks
pretty good. In the last year, we issued two strategies that address major items
on the action plan. The National
Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace described a
private-public partnership that will improve the way online transactions are
conducted by moving beyond passwords toward secure, reliable online
credentials. The federal government is now working to implement this vision on
our own networks and encouraging the private sector to do so as well. We also
released the first comprehensive International
Strategy for Cyberspace, calling for prosperity, security, and openness
in a networked world. The strategy lays out the Administration’s vision for the
future of the Internet and an agenda for partnering with other nations and
peoples to realize this vision. Yet still more must be done. Working with the
private sector, we expect to finalize the National Cyber Incident Response Plan
shortly. The interim version of this plan has served our government well in
managing cyber incidents over the last year. The revised plan has benefited from
this experience.Over the next year, we will continue progressing on the President’s vision of
an open, interoperable, secure and reliable Internet. This month, stay tuned for
the release of a strategic plan that will outline how we will develop the
next-generation of game-changing technologies for cybersecurity and for the
release of the Department of Homeland Security’s strategic plan for securing the
homeland security enterprise in cyberspace.
06
Oct
11
thirsty Thursday &some News
Just another rant …
All we are asking is for the millionaires and billionaires to pay their fare share !!! I Support Obama/Biden 2012 I’m in that 99% and that means i believe that 1 – 2% should pay their fare share.
My response to those trying to bring back and pollute the airwaves with 
the BS about
President Obama being “the other” geez, we are all “other” at
some point in our lives, get real please…
Typical doubter rhetoric but i respect your opinion… i may not agree with it but i will not call you names or think less of you. I will
admit to feeling you need some re-education, rehab and or exposed to reality. I don’t know you and ok so you voted for a RWNJ, that is your unfortunate act as
you do remember what happened afterwards right. Though before the Mid-term
elections your Speaker Boehner announced far and wide that Jobs Jobs Jobs is
was will be the focus of your Party and then promptly attacked women and their
right to choose, children, food safety, clean air, seniors, gays and the whole
immigration system. I accept that you voted for RWNJ freshman with absolutely
no qualifications to hold a seat in Congress let alone vote on issues that
affect all Americans because they do not care. This is a small group of extremists who have held the middle class hostage. They have shown themselves to be willing to
drive our economy and our Democracy into the abyss and now the byproduct is rearing its ugly head in all kinds of ways even though you said we are going
the wrong direction and the solutions are the Republican Party in 2012. That statement is disturbing on so many levels. However, i did vote for Obama 2008 and will again in 2012 because Republicans/Conservatives proved themselves to be useless what with all those votes in the House of Representatives against the People they say they
represent but have yet to listen to. Republicans are governing the House with little or no effort to admit that the American People not only have buyer’s
remorse they are for taxing the rich though Cantor has stated that will not happen and btw they have no one in charge, they have no solutions only
complaints all coming from Eric Cantor. The solutions they do have are only for the top 1%, that 1% has been getting breaks for a long time, and that trickle down
theory… how is that working for us. I personally am subscribing to what works and that is the Government right now though Republican Governors have been
laying off government workers to sabotage all efforts in my opinion. If, you were able to watch the original not what is now posted online: The cnbc’s the
House of Cards you would understand why Wall Street types, capitalists like bernie madoff and others like him engaged in creative accounting. Greed! In
addition, the excesses going on were impossible to regulate or more accurately, these folks flew their corruption like a freak flag. The people at AIG and
those around them created a monster and the pay out by AIG to various Banks was enormous which having worked its way overseas
became something too big to fail … Is that the kind of Capitalism you want? Capitalism does not mean firms
should engage in cooking the books, secret transactions and or becoming bigger than their sum value or investing in schemes … and Regulation does not have to
mean “job killer” though it is being used as a scare tactic in Congress.
We the People need capitalism with a small c and more regulation … with a huge R
Other News …
Geithner Testifies About Financial Stability
Biden, Scalia and Boehner Attend “Ideas Forum”
Lawmakers Explore Increasing Cooperation Within Intel Community
