SUMMARY: AMERICAN RECOVERY AND REINVESTMENT

Below is Washington's Stimulus plan. We will be dissecting this in future posting, but for now we wanted it available for you the public to review.

Clean, Efficient, American Energy: 

To put people back to work today and reduce our dependence on foreign oil tomorrow, we will strengthen efforts directed at doubling renewable energy production and renovate public buildings to make them more energy efficient.

$32 billion to transform the nation’s energy transmission, distribution, and production systems by allowing for a smarter and better grid and focusing investment in renewable technology.

$16 billion to repair public housing and make key energy efficiency retrofits.

$6 billion to weatherize modest-income homes.

Transform our Economy with Science and Technology: We need to put scientists to work looking for the next great discovery, creating jobs in cutting-edge-technologies, and making smart investments that will help businesses in every community succeed in a global economy. For every dollar invested in broadband the economy sees a ten-fold return on that investment.

$10 billion for science facilities, research, and instrumentation.

$6 billion to expand broadband internet access so businesses in rural and other underserved areas can link up to the global economy.

Modernize Roads, Bridges, Transit and Waterways:

To build a 21st century economy, we must engage contractors across the nation to create jobs rebuilding our crumbling roads, and bridges, modernize public buildings, and put people to work cleaning our air, water and land.

$30 billion for highway construction;

$31 billion to modernize federal and other public infrastructure with investments that lead to long term energy cost savings;

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$19 billion for clean water, flood control, and environmental restoration investments;

$10 billion for transit and rail to reduce traffic congestion and gas consumption.

Education for the 21st Century: To enable more children to learn in 21st century classrooms, labs, and libraries to help our kids compete with any worker in the world, this package provides:

$41 billion to local school districts through Title I ($13 billion), IDEA ($13 billion), a new School Modernization and Repair Program ($14 billion), and the Education Technology program ($1 billion).

$79 billion in state fiscal relief to prevent cutbacks to key services, including $39 billion to local school districts and public colleges and universities distributed through existing state and federal formulas, $15 billion to states as bonus grants as a reward for meeting key performance measures, and $25 billion to states for other high priority needs such as public safety and other critical services, which may include education.

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$15.6 billion to increase the Pell grant by $500.

$6 billion for higher education modernization.

Tax Cuts to Make Work Pay and Create Jobs: 

We will provide direct tax relief to 95 percent of American workers, and spur investment and job growth for American Businesses. [marked up by the Ways and Means Committee] Lower Healthcare Costs: To save not only jobs, but money and lives, we will update and computerize our healthcare system to cut red tape, prevent medical mistakes, and help reduce healthcare costs by billions of dollars each year.

$20 billion for health information technology to prevent medical mistakes, provide better care to patients and introduce cost-saving efficiencies.

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$4.1 billion to provide for preventative care and to evaluate the most effective healthcare treatments.

Help Workers Hurt by the Economy: High unemployment and rising costs have outpaced Americans’ paychecks. We will help workers train and find jobs, and help struggling families make ends meet.

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$43 billion for increased unemployment benefits and job training.

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$39 billion to support those who lose their jobs by helping them to pay the cost of keeping their employer provided healthcare under COBRA and providing short-term options to be covered by Medicaid.

$20 billion to increase the food stamp benefit by over 13% in order to help defray rising food costs.Save Public Sector Jobs and Protect Vital Services: We will provide relief to states, so they can continue to employ teachers, firefighters and police officers and provide vital services without having to unnecessarily raise middle class taxes.

$87 billion for a temporary increase in the Medicaid matching rate.

$4 billion for state and local law enforcement funding.

The Double Standard

I would like to address some of the ethics of our officials in office. It seems that if you’re an elected official or an appointed one, you can get away with things that we regular citizens can’t.

The first example is Charlie Rangel Representative from NY and chairmen of the Ways and Means Committee. He did not pay taxes on properties he and his wife owned in NY and in the Dominican Republic. He claimed “he forget that he had them”. Then when this all come to light, congress then launches an internal investigation on the matter. Mark my words we will not hear another thing about this. He is a member of the majority party that has control of the House and Senate. As always, they take care of their own. Will we ever know if he will be punished for this, I doubt it? The investigation was suspended the last I heard because of the presidential election.

That leads me to my next case the appointment of Timothy Geithner to Treasure Secretary. It has come to light that he did not pay assorted payroll taxes for years when he was employed by the World Bank. He claimed that the tax preparation software, “turbo tax” did not prompt him that because he was employed for a foreign company, that the software didn’t tell him that he was to pay self employment taxes. If I was the CEO of Turbo Tax I would sue him for liable. All those years he used that program and they never fix the so called problem… if you believe this, I have a bridge in Brooklyn for sale! Not only was that a bold face lie, he was required to sign a paper from the World Bank informing him of the taxes that he was required to pay each quarter, they also gave him money toward the payments! These are not the only problems he has with his taxes. He took a deduction for his kid’s summer camp and declared them as a business expense. Then he had the problem with some domestic help that wasn’t legal. This problem seems that comes back to haunt a lot of the wealthy. Then before he requested by President Obama, to fill the position he went back and pay all the taxes that he owed. I bet he wouldn’t have done it if he wasn’t going for the Treasure Secretary Job.

Now what is the conscience of our elected officials in Washington? Its “understandable” that he didn’t pay those taxes, that he’s too important to the position not to appoint him.

If that was you and I and we didn’t pay our taxes, we would be haunted by the IRS and rest assures you would have to pay! I personally remember once I forget to put in a claim of 100 dollars in interest I had received. The IRS was on me to amend my taxes and I had to pay pronto, not 4 years later.

Like I said the double standard is alive and well. I for one will make it known when I hear or read about things like this. I’m keeping an eye on these cases and I will report back about them. I don’t care what political party it is, they all cover for each other in the end!! We as American have to watch them and call our Representative and let them know how we feel about these acts of injustice.

Composed by Louis M

The First 100 Days

I think that this first 100 days of a presidency is overrated. I have heard that most of all the president will accomplish is done in the first 100 days. I hope that this is not the rule. If that’s the case, what happens to the other 5,740 days of the term? I think that it puts to much pressure on the president to have his policies enacted.

It’s just a thought….


Composed by Frank

Reflections,

I was planning to post this yesterday, but I got delayed. I'm about 24 hours late.

I sit here today after watching the transfer of power that our country is known so well for. I watch Barack Obama our new President, taking the oath of office, and watch ex President Bush sit there and watch. I wonder what goes through his mind. Does he think back on his first inauguration? Does he think how far and what has happened under his watch.

I know that there are people that hate the man for what has happen these past 8 years. I offend wonder if you were to ask these people what they hate him for what would be there answers. The war, the price of gas, the economy, Hurricane Katrina… its goes on and on. I then wonder what these people would do in his shoes after 9/11. With over 3,000 American lives lost what would they do? We all know by now (or should remember) who attacked us. I am sure that these lost lives of American’s under President Bush watch lay heavy on his mind and shaped his Presidency. I think that in time, history will tell the tale of what this man did to keep the foremost important job that a President has to do, and that is keep American’s safe from harm on the home land.

I think that on the other items with Katrina and the Economy he should have done more. But alas, hind sight is 20-20. Did he make mistakes in the war in Afghanistan, absolutely not! The Taliban running that country had given a haven for Al Qaeda and they attacked us. As for Iraq war, I think time will tell the tale for that conflict. There is a long history Saddam Hussein and UN resolutions not being followed. All of the other countries intelligence all pointed to him having weapons of mass destruction. I recall that most of the men and women in congress also agreed with the President’s plan to go forth and make sure that there were no weapons and have a leadership change there. There were things done there that again, having hind sight could have been done better. I think that the hardest thing a President has to do is have our solders go off to war. Like I said, time will tell.

In closing these remarks, I just want to say Thank You to President Bush for keeping us safe after 9/11. You help a scared country feel strong; you gave us hope after those first days, and helped us feel safe when you address us and helped us get back on our feet. I am proud of being an American. I don’t deny it. President Obama, I am giving you my support because you are my President. I am going to be watching you can be sure of that. I am sure I am not going to agree with everything that you’ll do, but I will disagree with you but not be disagreeable. I will not fall into the hate mongering that President Bush had to endure.

Commentary by Frank

Today we make History… Let’s not forget what we need.

As President elect Obama takes the oath at noon this county made a major leap in race and adversity. Here is a man who was a child of a Black Man from another county and his American White Mother, a hippy who took him to Africa and was raising him there when his grandparents (her parents) took him in and finished raising him to young adult hood. He goes on his own and with schooling and his drive made something of himself and lifted his life and is now our President. This proved that anyone who has the drive and the inner strength can make it to be the leader of the United States of America.

Let all American’s celebrate today’s achievement. It speaks to all of us as a nation, and the world, where we have come in equality, but let be said that there is more to be done. Now the real work is at hand. This new administration has big plans and has made promises of “Change”. It is time for all of us to watch, learn and listen to what will be coming out of the President and the leaders in Washington. It is up to all of us to be a part of this “Change”. The problem is that our leaders in Washington are so removed from main stream America that they don’t really know what we need. Think about this. When was the last time Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi pumped gas in their car. Did they have to worry how much money it was going to cost? Did they have to make sure they had enough money left to buy some fast food to feed they kids because your working 2 jobs you can’t cook for them and get to the second job on time. Think about that. Do you think that our elected officials have these concerns? In Washington they get lots of perks of their jobs. We Americans don’t know the perks or what they do because they are very good in keeping what they do secret. What is needed is transparency in government.

Now is the time for the Right and Left to stop all the hate and get down to what we need as a county. It’s not the radical views that both sides preach but what Middle American’s needs. This is a very historic day in our Counties history, but it is also the start of the Change that we all must make to look ahead and work together. I wish our new President well. Go forth and do well and if you do, we will do well also. But remember this, we all must get informed, make our elected officials accountable, and get in there watch and listen to what is being done. If you don’t, you only have yourselves to blame.

Commentary by Louis

Expressing my General Feelings...

I wanted to express my feelings on the state of our county today. I think that we have a problem with the way the government has run the county for the past 40 years. We have to much of the “OLD BOYS” Network going on. Corporations, Lobbyist, and people who have money buy influence in the way the country is governed. What happened to “We the People for the People”??? We need more transparency in government. We also need to have more American Citizen involved in the running of the government. They need to keep up with what is going on with our elected officials.

We are a free market society and need to run our government in that manner. I see that we have fallen on hard times. Wall Street, the Banking and Mortgage Industries, have failed to do they jobs honestly. We can argue what political party had the blame for this, but don’t be fooled; they both had a hand in it. Now we the people have to pay for the errors that were made. We need to be informed on what this bail out money is being spent on.

It’s time for the Politicians to govern for the people and not for special interest and lobbyist that influence them. This must stop and we must speak out and let our representatives know we will no longer tolerate this practice. So people it is time for all of us as a nation to answer the call and make them accountable and do it now.

Come on People; don’t get your news from shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report and the late night shows on the network channels. Not to say that the shows I mention are not fun to watch, but they not the last word in what is going on. There entertainment shows, not a News Program! We all have become knowledgeable of what is going on. We can set aside a hour to watch the networks news shows as well at the several 24 hour news channels that are available. Read a newspaper, not People Magazine. Go on the on the internet and read the different news sites. If we don’t do this how you are going to see what your elected officials are up to. If we don’t keep tabs on them, they will do what they want and we will never get back the quality of life that we all so richly deserve.

Mission Statement

I have created this blog for myself, and others that I will have as contributors, to express their feelings about things that are happening in America. First let me say that it’s just everyday people giving their views. I will expect that people that contribute and people that comment will be respectful at all times. I reserve the right to remove any and all posting that I find to be offensive. I have decided to start this because I have seen a decline in the fiber of America.

I have seen that if you have a political opinion, that you can be vilified by the people that have a different view. I think that we can disagree, but there should not be the hate and the distain that I have seen against people that think differently. I think that we have to take a step back and see what this hatred has caused. I have seen in my family, it’s has caused brothers to stop talking to each other. I don’t think that this is the exception. I had people say to me that this person is “too liberal” or “to conservative” for them and that it has effected there relationships.

We have to remember that we are all Americans first and foremost, and for that, we are together. Please I encourage healthy debate and looking forward in seeing what is written.