Ana Rivas, a member of Wise Up, a CHIRLA-affiliated student group, said that Obama in his speech “is not proposing real solutions to the desperate situation of immigrants”.
“I’m sick and tired of hearing him talk about dreams and hope, but he doesn’t give concrete solutions to the situation we’re living in,” she said.
Jorge Mario Cabrera, CHIRLA’s communications director, said that “the battle for immigration reform really began with this speech”, and now onwards what must be demanded from the president and the members of Congress is “that they translate those words into action”.
“We should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system - to secure our borders and enforce our laws, and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nation,” Obama told a joint session of the US Congress.
Scores of Kurdish migrants washed up on Corsican shore
January 22nd, 2010 PARIS - More than 100 migrants were found early Friday washed up on a beach on the Mediterranean island of Corsica, French media reported. According to France Info radio, many of the migrants were of Kurdish descent and were believed to have come from Syria or Iraq.
Court comes to the rescue of Kashmiri migrants
January 18th, 2010 NEW DELHI - The Delhi High Court Monday came to the rescue of 21 Kashmiri migrants who were forced to leave their shops in a south Delhi market following the construction of Delhi Metro. Justice S. Muralidhar pulled up the urban development ministry and other civic agencies on why no arrangement was made to allocate shops to the 21 Kashmiri migrants till date.
New US bill on immigration introduced in Congress
December 16th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new law introduced into the US House of Representatives would open a path to legal status for millions of illegal immigrants, the New York Times reported. The bill, introduced by Representative Luis Gutierrez of Illinois late Tuesday, represents the latest attempt to reform US immigration laws.
Illegals from Bangladesh plague South Korea too
December 2nd, 2009 PANAJI - Illegal migration from Bangladesh isn't India's headache alone. According a senior immigration official from South Korea, now in Goa to attend the 8th Asia-Europe (ASEM) conference of Directors General of Immigration on management of migratory flows, illegal immigration from Bangladeshis is a major issue confronting them.
'British proposals could hit legal migrants in recession'
November 18th, 2009 LONDON - Indian and other non-European migrants could find themselves doubly disadvantaged in the recession if immigration proposals currently before parliament end up wrongly targeting legal migrants, the British government has been told. New rules proposed by the Labour government to simplify and tighten immigration laws should not be applied retrospectively on immigrants who are already in Britain legally, a campaigning group said.
Britain will clamp down on skilled migrants too: Brown
November 12th, 2009 LONDON - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, besieged by immigration issues six months ahead of elections, Thursday whittled down a list of jobs that are open to highly-skilled migrants, declaring: "Immigration will fall." Hospital consultants, civil engineers, aircraft engineers and ship's officers are to be removed from a tightly-regulated list of skills which Britain needs to recruit from abroad because it cannot meet its needs from its own population. Indians are among the top applicants for a limited number of jobs that are only open to highly-skilled workers from outside Europe under a Points Based System, but Brown's Labour government has been attacked by opposition parties for allowing in too many immigrants.
Australian lawmaker for debate on Muslim immigration
October 29th, 2009 SYDNEY - Member of Parliament Kevin Andrews Thursday called for a national debate on whether Muslim immigration to Australia should be curbed. Andrews, immigration minister in the conservative government defeated two years ago, said Muslims were the first migrant group not to assimilate and to congregate in certain suburbs of big cities.
As Obama weighs immigration overhaul, US and foreign workers agree: guest worker visas abused
October 21st, 2009 US workers, immigrants unite vs. work visa programNASHVILLE — A dozen U.S.
Source:blog.taragana.com/
Showing posts with label OSU appeals for unity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OSU appeals for unity. Show all posts
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
State of the Union: Obama's national security rhetoric bogs him down
In sum, this State of the Union comes from a president still struggling to reconcile his lofty campaign hopes with the hard realities of governing, and the pressing demands of domestic politics with his inescapable responsibilities as commander in chief.
Source:shadow.foreignpolicy.com/
Chris Matthews on Obama: `Forgot He Was Black'
Those four words — "forgot he was black" — so instantly set the Twitter world afire that Matthews came back less than 90 minutes later Wednesday night to explain what he meant.
The MSNBC commentator said it was noteworthy to him that a black president was addressing a room of mostly white people and how it didn't seem to be an issue. He said he saw it in the context of growing up at a time racial divisions were ever-present.
Says Matthews: "I went in the room tonight, you could feel it wasn't there tonight and that takes leadership on his part, to get us beyond those divisions."
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Source:abcnews.go.com/
Obama’s small business proposals get mixed reviews
“We should start where most new jobs do -- in small businesses, companies that begin when an entrepreneur takes a chance on a dream, or a worker decides it’s time to become her own boss,” the president said.
To help small businesses grow, the president proposed:
• Using $30 billion in Troubled Asset Relief Program funds to provide cheap capital to community banks for use in making loans to small businesses;
• Eliminating capital gains taxes on investments in small businesses, an idea Obama proposed during the presidential campaign;
• Continuing tax incentives that allow small businesses to immediately write off much of the cost of investments in new equipment instead of having to depreciate it over time; and
• Creating a tax credit for small businesses that hire new workers or raise the wages of existing workers.
John Arensmeyer, CEO of Small Business Majority, said the proposals address a broad range of needs facing small firms.
“Collectively they start to attack different aspects of the problem,” he said.
Leaders of other small business organizations, however, question how effective the proposals would be.
Obama’s plan to use TARP funds to spur community banks to make loans to small businesses was first unveiled in October, for example. The Treasury Department has not been able to get the program off the ground, however, because community banks are leery of the strings and stigma attached to taking TARP funds.
A recent survey by the National Small Business Association found that one-third of small businesses can’t get adequate financing. To be effective, the president’s lending initiative “must start now,” said NSBA President Todd McCracken.
Other small business groups would rather see TARP ended than have the funds applied to another program, even one designed to help small businesses.
“Given the mood of the country on spending and the bailout money, I don’t see this program going anywhere,” said Karen Kerrigan, president and CEO of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council.
The president also supports legislation that would extend provisions in the economic stimulus bill that increased the government guarantee on the Small Business Administration’s flagship 7(a) loans and reduced or eliminated fees on 7(a) loans and 504 loans, which primarily are used for real estate. Most small business groups support this proposal, even though Bill Rys, tax counsel for the National Federation of Independent Business, points out that SBA loans represent only a small percentage of lending to small businesses.
Small businesses also support Obama’s proposal to extend incentives for business investment, such as bonus depreciation and higher Section 179 expensing limits. These incentives make buying new equipment easier because businesses can write off more of the cost now instead of later.
“They incentivize businesses to make their businesses more profitable,” said Giovanni Coratolo, vice president of small business policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
These investment breaks also “have a leveraging effect,” Coratolo said, because they also create customers for the businesses that make equipment.
“Businesses planning for an upturn in the economy would be encouraged to start making the investments in equipment that will be part of getting going again and hiring workers back,” said Clint Stretch, managing principal for tax policy at Deloitte Tax.
Rys said extending these breaks is a good idea, but it’s “not a game changer” because the weak economy has kept many small businesses from taking advantage of them. Capital expenditures by small businesses are at the lowest level they’ve been in the 35-year history of NFIB’s monthly survey of business owners, Rys said.
Source:washington.bizjournals.com/
Obama headed to Tampa to announce $1.25B in rail funds
TAMPA -- President Barack Obama is slated to host a town hall meeting here Thursday, one day after he put jobs at the top of his 2010 agenda in his State of the Union speech.
Obama, along with Vice President Joe Biden, aren't coming empty-handed to the job-hungry state. They are expected to announce $1.25 billion to help build a high-speed rail system from Orlando to Tampa and, eventually, to Miami. The project is heavily supported by both Democratic and Republican elected officials.
Gov. Charlie Crist is planning to meet Obama on the airport tarmac but will not stand by him at the town hall meeting, as he did one year ago when Obama campaigned in Fort Myers for his $787 billion spending plan. Crist's support for the plan sullied his image with conservative Republicans, who condemn the administration's economic policies.
So this time, with his U.S. Senate campaign flagging, Crist is casting his face time with Obama as an opportunity to set him straight. He said in a written statement on Wednesday: ``I look forward to seeing the president tomorrow to tell him myself the direction I believe our country should move toward, not just in talk but in action: a commitment to lower taxes for families and small businesses; to pay down the deficit and stop out-of-control federal spending; to provide a real solution to the growing unemployment rate; and to, once and for all, put an end to a government-run healthcare plan.''
Appearing on NBC's Today Show, former Gov. Jeb Bush was asked if he would have joined the president as Crist did one year ago.
``I would go when the president comes to the state,'' Bush said. ``I think it's more than appropriate. It's not a sign of support. I wouldn't have necessarily embraced the stimulus plan that did not have support in the state and campaign for it and put Republicans in a vulnerable position.''
Bush also echoed Obama's call for bipartisanship but suggested that the president wasn't practicing what he preached.
``I think that leaders on both sides of the aisle need to figure out where there is common ground and at least focus on that,'' Bush said. ``It's one thing to give a good speech. The other thing is to invite people that don't agree exactly with your point of view to build consensus.''
It's no accident that Obama picked Hillsborough County to reinforce the message from his State of the Union Speech. The political battleground has reflected the must-win state's vote in every presidential election since 1964.
But since Obama carried Florida in 2008, his popularity subsided as the recession lingers. Florida's unemployment rate climbed to 11.8 percent in December.
Source:miamiherald.com/
Obama, along with Vice President Joe Biden, aren't coming empty-handed to the job-hungry state. They are expected to announce $1.25 billion to help build a high-speed rail system from Orlando to Tampa and, eventually, to Miami. The project is heavily supported by both Democratic and Republican elected officials.
Gov. Charlie Crist is planning to meet Obama on the airport tarmac but will not stand by him at the town hall meeting, as he did one year ago when Obama campaigned in Fort Myers for his $787 billion spending plan. Crist's support for the plan sullied his image with conservative Republicans, who condemn the administration's economic policies.
So this time, with his U.S. Senate campaign flagging, Crist is casting his face time with Obama as an opportunity to set him straight. He said in a written statement on Wednesday: ``I look forward to seeing the president tomorrow to tell him myself the direction I believe our country should move toward, not just in talk but in action: a commitment to lower taxes for families and small businesses; to pay down the deficit and stop out-of-control federal spending; to provide a real solution to the growing unemployment rate; and to, once and for all, put an end to a government-run healthcare plan.''
Appearing on NBC's Today Show, former Gov. Jeb Bush was asked if he would have joined the president as Crist did one year ago.
``I would go when the president comes to the state,'' Bush said. ``I think it's more than appropriate. It's not a sign of support. I wouldn't have necessarily embraced the stimulus plan that did not have support in the state and campaign for it and put Republicans in a vulnerable position.''
Bush also echoed Obama's call for bipartisanship but suggested that the president wasn't practicing what he preached.
``I think that leaders on both sides of the aisle need to figure out where there is common ground and at least focus on that,'' Bush said. ``It's one thing to give a good speech. The other thing is to invite people that don't agree exactly with your point of view to build consensus.''
It's no accident that Obama picked Hillsborough County to reinforce the message from his State of the Union Speech. The political battleground has reflected the must-win state's vote in every presidential election since 1964.
But since Obama carried Florida in 2008, his popularity subsided as the recession lingers. Florida's unemployment rate climbed to 11.8 percent in December.
Source:miamiherald.com/
Obama speech spurs FTSE up 0.8 percent
LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's top shares rose early on Thursday, as investors breathed a sigh of relief after the U.S. president's State of the Union address and the Federal Reserve's decision to keep interest rates near zero.
By 0922 GMT (4:22 a.m. EST), the FTSE 100 .FTSE was up 40.88 points at 5,258.35, led by banks and commodities and echoing gains on Wall Street and in Asia, after the index finished down 1.1 percent on Wednesday, its lowest close since December 18.
Analysts said investors were relieved Barack Obama's speech did not slam banks and Wall Street anew and, while the Fed's decision was not surprising, the somewhat more optimistic tone of its statement did reassure markets.
Banks, which have been in the doldrums on fears the punitive measures threatened in the U.S. could be imposed here and after downbeat results from peers in the United States and Europe, rallied strongly following Obama's address.
Barclays (BARC.L), HSBC (HSBA.L), Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.L), Standard Chartered (STAN.L) and Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L) climbed 1.7 to 4.3 percent.
Rupert Armitage, a director at Shore Capital Stockbrokers, said any restrictions that might be imposed on banks will need time to be considered and whereas Obama's initial comments were aggressive, last night's speech was more considered.
"Last week he was forthright ... it was a lot more measured last night," he said.
"It is a combination of a relief rally in America last night and a bit from the Obama speech, which is seeing the market higher today."
Miners rebounded as metals prices rose following the previous session's weakness. Fresnillo (FRES.L), Xstrata (XTA.L) and Anglo American (AAL.L) added 1.6 to 2.7 percent.
The world's third-biggest platinum producer Lonmin (LMI.L) gained 2.5 percent as it reiterated its sales and cost guidance for the year, despite reporting a 13.6 percent fall in platinum sales in the first quarter.
Kazakhmys (KAZ.L) joined the rally after releasing Q4 output figures, climbing 3 percent.
Energy stocks bounced back from heavy falls sustained on Wednesday, with crude creeping above $74 a barrel, though with fears over China's heightened efforts to rein in soaring credit growth still hanging over the sector.
BG Group (BG.L) was up 0.5 percent, while oil explorer Tullow Oil (TLW.L) rose 1.7 percent, and Cairn Energy (CNE.L) gained 0.4 percent ahead of its trading update.
Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L), however, slipped 0.2 percent.
BSKYB IN FOCUS
British pay-TV firm BSkyB (BSY.L) rose 2.7 percent after the firm reported it added 172,000 net new customers in the second quarter of the year, at the top end of expectations, as its hugely popular high definition service pulled in new subscribers.
British private equity firm 3i Group Plc (III.L) was 0.8 percent higher after the company said it started 2010 in a strong financial position, building on the performance of the previous quarter.
Pharmaceuticals were also in demand, with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L) and Shire (SHP.L) up 0.4 and 0.5 percent, with AstraZeneca (AZN.L) gaining 0.3 percent ahead of its full-year results due later on Thursday.
Other defensive issues sagged as risk appetite among investors returned. British American Tobacco (BATS.L) and Imperial Tobacco (IMT.L) fell 0.6 and 0.5 percent respectively, while Centrica (CNA.L) dropped 0.4 percent and Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE.L) also shed 0.4 percent.
In the absence of British economic data, investor attention will be drawn to U.S. data including durable goods, the latest weekly jobless claims, and the Chicago Fed index -- all due at 1330 GMT (8:30 a.m. EST).
Source:reuters.com/
By 0922 GMT (4:22 a.m. EST), the FTSE 100 .FTSE was up 40.88 points at 5,258.35, led by banks and commodities and echoing gains on Wall Street and in Asia, after the index finished down 1.1 percent on Wednesday, its lowest close since December 18.
Analysts said investors were relieved Barack Obama's speech did not slam banks and Wall Street anew and, while the Fed's decision was not surprising, the somewhat more optimistic tone of its statement did reassure markets.
Banks, which have been in the doldrums on fears the punitive measures threatened in the U.S. could be imposed here and after downbeat results from peers in the United States and Europe, rallied strongly following Obama's address.
Barclays (BARC.L), HSBC (HSBA.L), Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.L), Standard Chartered (STAN.L) and Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY.L) climbed 1.7 to 4.3 percent.
Rupert Armitage, a director at Shore Capital Stockbrokers, said any restrictions that might be imposed on banks will need time to be considered and whereas Obama's initial comments were aggressive, last night's speech was more considered.
"Last week he was forthright ... it was a lot more measured last night," he said.
"It is a combination of a relief rally in America last night and a bit from the Obama speech, which is seeing the market higher today."
Miners rebounded as metals prices rose following the previous session's weakness. Fresnillo (FRES.L), Xstrata (XTA.L) and Anglo American (AAL.L) added 1.6 to 2.7 percent.
The world's third-biggest platinum producer Lonmin (LMI.L) gained 2.5 percent as it reiterated its sales and cost guidance for the year, despite reporting a 13.6 percent fall in platinum sales in the first quarter.
Kazakhmys (KAZ.L) joined the rally after releasing Q4 output figures, climbing 3 percent.
Energy stocks bounced back from heavy falls sustained on Wednesday, with crude creeping above $74 a barrel, though with fears over China's heightened efforts to rein in soaring credit growth still hanging over the sector.
BG Group (BG.L) was up 0.5 percent, while oil explorer Tullow Oil (TLW.L) rose 1.7 percent, and Cairn Energy (CNE.L) gained 0.4 percent ahead of its trading update.
Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.L), however, slipped 0.2 percent.
BSKYB IN FOCUS
British pay-TV firm BSkyB (BSY.L) rose 2.7 percent after the firm reported it added 172,000 net new customers in the second quarter of the year, at the top end of expectations, as its hugely popular high definition service pulled in new subscribers.
British private equity firm 3i Group Plc (III.L) was 0.8 percent higher after the company said it started 2010 in a strong financial position, building on the performance of the previous quarter.
Pharmaceuticals were also in demand, with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK.L) and Shire (SHP.L) up 0.4 and 0.5 percent, with AstraZeneca (AZN.L) gaining 0.3 percent ahead of its full-year results due later on Thursday.
Other defensive issues sagged as risk appetite among investors returned. British American Tobacco (BATS.L) and Imperial Tobacco (IMT.L) fell 0.6 and 0.5 percent respectively, while Centrica (CNA.L) dropped 0.4 percent and Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE.L) also shed 0.4 percent.
In the absence of British economic data, investor attention will be drawn to U.S. data including durable goods, the latest weekly jobless claims, and the Chicago Fed index -- all due at 1330 GMT (8:30 a.m. EST).
Source:reuters.com/
Obama's promises, verbatim
State of the Union addresses are also quasi-campaign speeches, as presidents recite a long list of pledges and promises.
Here is a list of things President Obama promised to do last night on a variety of topics. The comments are in the order they were delivered during the 69-minute address.
Bank fees.
"I've proposed a fee on the biggest banks. Now, I know Wall Street isn't keen on this idea. But if these firms can afford to hand out big bonuses again, they can afford a modest fee to pay back the taxpayers who rescued them in their time of need."
A jobs bill.
"I realize that for every success story, there are other stories, of men and women who wake up with the anguish of not knowing where their next paycheck will come from; who send out resumes week after week and hear nothing in response. That is why jobs must be our number-one focus in 2010, and that's why I'm calling for a new jobs bill tonight."
Jobs loans and tax incentives.
"Tonight, I'm proposing that we take $30 billion of the money Wall Street banks have repaid and use it to help community banks give small businesses the credit they need to stay afloat. I'm also proposing a new small business tax credit -- one that will go to over one million small businesses who hire new workers or raise wages. While we're at it, let's also eliminate all capital gains taxes on small business investment, and provide a tax incentive for all large businesses and all small businesses to invest in new plants and equipment."
New Wall Street regulations.
"Now, the House has already passed financial reform with many of these changes. And the lobbyists are trying to kill it. But we cannot let them win this fight. And if the bill that ends up on my desk does not meet the test of real reform, I will send it back until we get it right."
Energy programs
"To create more of these clean energy jobs, we need more production, more efficiency, more incentives. And that means building a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country. It means making tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development. It means continued investment in advanced biofuels and clean coal technologies. And, yes, it means passing a comprehensive energy and climate bill with incentives that will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in America."
EducationÂ
"I urge the Senate to follow the House and pass a bill that will revitalize our community colleges, which are a career pathway to the children of so many working families. To make college more affordable, this bill will finally end the unwarranted taxpayer subsidies that go to banks for student loans. Instead, let's take that money and give families a $10,000 tax credit for four years of college and increase Pell Grants. And let's tell another one million students that when they graduate, they will be required to pay only 10 percent of their income on student loans, and all of their debt will be forgiven after 20 years -- and forgiven after 10 years if they choose a career in public service, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they chose to go to college."
Health care
"As temperatures cool, I want everyone to take another look at the plan we've proposed. There's a reason why many doctors, nurses, and health care experts who know our system best consider this approach a vast improvement over the status quo."
Debt and deficits
"Starting in 2011, we are prepared to freeze government spending for three years. Spending related to our national security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will not be affected. But all other discretionary government programs will."
"We will continue to go through the budget, line by line, page by page, to eliminate programs that we can't afford and don't work. We've already identified $20 billion in savings for next year."
"I've called for a bipartisan fiscal commission, modeled on a proposal by Republican Judd Gregg and Democrat Kent Conrad. This can't be one of those Washington gimmicks that lets us pretend we solved a problem. The commission will have to provide a specific set of solutions by a certain deadline."
Governmen and election reform.
"It's time to require lobbyists to disclose each contact they make on behalf of a client with my administration or with Congress. It's time to put strict limits on the contributions that lobbyists give to candidates for federal office."
"I don't think American elections should be bankrolled by America's most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities. They should be decided by the American people. And I'd urge Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to correct some of these problems."
"Tonight, I'm calling on Congress to publish all earmark requests on a single Web site before there's a vote, so that the American people can see how their money is being spent."
Disaster response.
"We are launching a new initiative that will give us the capacity to respond faster and more effectively to bioterrorism or an infectious disease -- a plan that will counter threats at home and strengthen public health abroad."
Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
"I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. It's the right thing to do."
Immigration.
"We should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system -- to secure our borders and enforce our laws, and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nation."
Source:content.usatoday.com/
Here is a list of things President Obama promised to do last night on a variety of topics. The comments are in the order they were delivered during the 69-minute address.
Bank fees.
"I've proposed a fee on the biggest banks. Now, I know Wall Street isn't keen on this idea. But if these firms can afford to hand out big bonuses again, they can afford a modest fee to pay back the taxpayers who rescued them in their time of need."
A jobs bill.
"I realize that for every success story, there are other stories, of men and women who wake up with the anguish of not knowing where their next paycheck will come from; who send out resumes week after week and hear nothing in response. That is why jobs must be our number-one focus in 2010, and that's why I'm calling for a new jobs bill tonight."
Jobs loans and tax incentives.
"Tonight, I'm proposing that we take $30 billion of the money Wall Street banks have repaid and use it to help community banks give small businesses the credit they need to stay afloat. I'm also proposing a new small business tax credit -- one that will go to over one million small businesses who hire new workers or raise wages. While we're at it, let's also eliminate all capital gains taxes on small business investment, and provide a tax incentive for all large businesses and all small businesses to invest in new plants and equipment."
New Wall Street regulations.
"Now, the House has already passed financial reform with many of these changes. And the lobbyists are trying to kill it. But we cannot let them win this fight. And if the bill that ends up on my desk does not meet the test of real reform, I will send it back until we get it right."
Energy programs
"To create more of these clean energy jobs, we need more production, more efficiency, more incentives. And that means building a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country. It means making tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development. It means continued investment in advanced biofuels and clean coal technologies. And, yes, it means passing a comprehensive energy and climate bill with incentives that will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in America."
EducationÂ
"I urge the Senate to follow the House and pass a bill that will revitalize our community colleges, which are a career pathway to the children of so many working families. To make college more affordable, this bill will finally end the unwarranted taxpayer subsidies that go to banks for student loans. Instead, let's take that money and give families a $10,000 tax credit for four years of college and increase Pell Grants. And let's tell another one million students that when they graduate, they will be required to pay only 10 percent of their income on student loans, and all of their debt will be forgiven after 20 years -- and forgiven after 10 years if they choose a career in public service, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they chose to go to college."
Health care
"As temperatures cool, I want everyone to take another look at the plan we've proposed. There's a reason why many doctors, nurses, and health care experts who know our system best consider this approach a vast improvement over the status quo."
Debt and deficits
"Starting in 2011, we are prepared to freeze government spending for three years. Spending related to our national security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will not be affected. But all other discretionary government programs will."
"We will continue to go through the budget, line by line, page by page, to eliminate programs that we can't afford and don't work. We've already identified $20 billion in savings for next year."
"I've called for a bipartisan fiscal commission, modeled on a proposal by Republican Judd Gregg and Democrat Kent Conrad. This can't be one of those Washington gimmicks that lets us pretend we solved a problem. The commission will have to provide a specific set of solutions by a certain deadline."
Governmen and election reform.
"It's time to require lobbyists to disclose each contact they make on behalf of a client with my administration or with Congress. It's time to put strict limits on the contributions that lobbyists give to candidates for federal office."
"I don't think American elections should be bankrolled by America's most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities. They should be decided by the American people. And I'd urge Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to correct some of these problems."
"Tonight, I'm calling on Congress to publish all earmark requests on a single Web site before there's a vote, so that the American people can see how their money is being spent."
Disaster response.
"We are launching a new initiative that will give us the capacity to respond faster and more effectively to bioterrorism or an infectious disease -- a plan that will counter threats at home and strengthen public health abroad."
Don't Ask, Don't Tell.
"I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. It's the right thing to do."
Immigration.
"We should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system -- to secure our borders and enforce our laws, and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nation."
Source:content.usatoday.com/
Banking shares up after Obama says he does not want to punish banks
Shares in Barclays rose more than 4% this morning to become the FTSE 100's biggest gainer after President Obama loosened his hard stance on banks.
Shares in Barclays were up 11.5p, or 4.31%, at 278.35p.
In his State of the Union speech yesterday, Obama said that he does not want to punish banks. However, he added that he would reject any financial reform bill that is too weak.
"Look, I am not interested in punishing banks. I'm interested in protecting our economy. A strong, healthy financial market makes it possible for businesses to access credit and create new jobs. It channels the savings of families into investments that raise incomes. But that can only happen if we guard against the same recklessness that nearly brought down our entire economy," he said.
Shares in Lloyds were up 1.8p, or 3.56%, at 52.66p and shares in the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) were up 1.04p, or 3.15%, at 34.03p.
Source:guardian.co.uk/
Shares in Barclays were up 11.5p, or 4.31%, at 278.35p.
In his State of the Union speech yesterday, Obama said that he does not want to punish banks. However, he added that he would reject any financial reform bill that is too weak.
"Look, I am not interested in punishing banks. I'm interested in protecting our economy. A strong, healthy financial market makes it possible for businesses to access credit and create new jobs. It channels the savings of families into investments that raise incomes. But that can only happen if we guard against the same recklessness that nearly brought down our entire economy," he said.
Shares in Lloyds were up 1.8p, or 3.56%, at 52.66p and shares in the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) were up 1.04p, or 3.15%, at 34.03p.
Source:guardian.co.uk/
State of the Blogosphere 2010
As we’ve come to expect from President Obama, tonight’s State of the Union message was a model of coherent argument and organization. In response, here’s a mishmash of reactions from sundry corners of the blogosphere:
— As the president went through his initial laundry list of wishes and causes, Josh Marshall of TPM came to think liberals might not be in such dire political straits: “Listening to this litany, I’m reminded how Republicans are on the wrong side – just politically, let alone on policy — of most signature issues in a populist economic moment. I think there were zero Republicans standing up on any part of Obama’s financial reform agenda — something that polls exceedingly well in addition to being good public policy.”
— Ramesh Ponnuru of National Review was struck by this passage: “The House has already passed financial reform with many of these changes. And the lobbyists are already trying to kill it. Well, we cannot let them win this fight. And if the bill that ends up on my desk does not meet the test of real reform, I will send it back.” Dumbstruck, that is: “Raise your hands if you believe there are any circumstances under which this president would veto a financial-regulation bill passed by this Congress.”
— “The most interesting part of the speech is where he threatens to veto any financial bill that doesn’t really take on the banks,” echoed Megan McArdle at the Atlantic.
Related
The State of the Union
Columns, quick takes and the editorial on the president’s 2010 national address.
Commentary From Opinionator »
“The proposals he unveiled last week to limit the size of bank liabilities, and dismantle their proprietary trading desks, were greeted with acclaim by many financial journalists, but it is widely believed that legislators like Senator Dodd will simply kill them in committee. If he’s willing to risk ending up with nothing, that may be smart politics–and perhaps smart regulation. But that’s a very daring move for a president who has so far proved extremely reluctant to take on his congress.”
— Ponnuru’s colleague at the Corner, Kathryn Jean Lopez, had some ungrudging praise: “The President did outright the Right on nuclear power plants. So many have given up on that issue.”
— Andrew Sullivan had a similar observation: “His energy program sounds a lot like McCain’s in the campaign: all of the above. And drill, baby, drill! But I love this: clean energy is worth doing whatever you think of climate change. Plenty of conservatives should be able to support this if they could get past their partisanship and bile.” But Sullivan thinks style confidently trumped substance: “I’m struck by how relaxed he seems. Smiling, confident, easy-going, and yet also deadly serious. He’s certainly a lot calmer than most of his supporters, including me. I was a bit of a wreck before this after such a depressing couple of weeks. But he is managing to lift that gloom - not by dazzling rhetoric, but by a form of realism that is reassuring.”
— Regarding the president’s comment that reforming health care wasn’t a fight he was aching for, Ana Marie Cox of GQ notes that his spokesman like to say “he didn’t take on health care because it’s his hobby.” “But, you know, it sort of does feel like it’s a hobby to him, no?” asks Cox. “He tinkers, and pauses, puts it away, moves his own deadline, goes back to the drawing board…”
— For Allahpundit of Hot Air, the most striking claim from the White House came earlier in day, when Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs appeared on Good Morning America. “Many of the same factors that led Sen. [Scott] Brown to become a senator from Massachusetts led Barack Obama to become president,” insisted Gibbs. “Now, we’ve got to deal with those angers and frustrations by putting people back to work, by demonstrating we have a plan to get our economy continued on the road to recovery and putting those folks back to work, and protecting our country from those who seek to do us harm.” Allahpundit’s response: “The One has always enjoyed psychoanalyzing American voters — look no further than his massively overhyped speech on race — but watching him explain to Massachusetts that they were actually kinda sorta voting for him when they voted for Scott Brown should make this his most entertaining soliloquy yet.”
— There was big applause for the president’s line that “I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are,” but Tanya Domi, a former Army captain writing at Pam’s House Blend, didn’t think that fellow gay men and lesbians should show much gratitude for the rather vague pledge.
Our community, including any Democratic voter who supported you in November 2008 would expect you to sign a hate crimes act into law. This is a given by any Democratic president and surely those inside the Beltway would call signing a hate crimes bill as “low hanging fruit.”
And yet the President once again throws out a few crumbs to our community, announcing to the entire country that there will be no reversal to a discriminatory law for the time being that continues to place our sisters and brethren in harms’ way, for more than simply serving in wars, as tragic and dangerous as they are.
This is the change we have been waiting for? Where is the fierce urgency of now, Mr. President? Don’t you hear that trumpet of justice pounding in your ears when military bands play ‘Hail to the Chief’?
Jillian Bandes of TownHall found the president’s shifts between acknowledging ideological differences and criticism of partisanship a bit muddled. “Obama thinks the Citizens United ruling will “usher in” more special interests in Washington. Alito looked a little combative. I think mud wrestling is in order. Hats off to him recognizing that there is a “fundamental difference in ideology” between different political views. He admitted that some politics are irreconcilable, and I think he might’ve even alluded to Thomas Paine, but I’m working my way through a bottle of wine and can’t be completely sure. He referenced Scott Brown for about half a second. Republicans “have to lead” now that Democrats don’t have a supermajority. If leading means holding your ground on that irreconcilable ideology, I’m all for it.”
— “So we’re going to double our exports in five years, are we?” asks Kevin D. Williamson at the Corner. “Well, let’s think about that. Two ways of counting it up:”
In 2008, the total value of U.S. exports was about $1.8 trillion, and the value of our exports was growing at 12 percent per year, according to Commerce. So, left to their own devices, our exports ought to go from about $2 trillion now to about $3.5 trillion over the next five years — not quite double, but 75 percent growth. So, how many billions of dollars are we going to spend to get that last $500 billion in exports? (And that’s not $500 billion in profit, as I understand it, that’s $500 billion in sales.)
Looked at another way: Exports were 13 percent of GDP in 2008. If that’s the metric we’re using, then they’ll need to be 26 percent of GDP in five years to hit Obama’s goal. If the rest of the economy just stood still (and hold on while the English major thinks this through) that means that exports would have to expand by the equivalent of 13 percent of today’s GDP in five years to hit Obama’s goal. In other words, our new exports — just the new ones — would have to be roughly equal in size to the entire U.S. health-care industry today. That does not seem to me especially likely to happen.
If I’m missing something here, let me know.
Feeling the same way was Ezra Klein, who leaves us with a fitting encapsulation of the American political mood: “Rumor has it the State of the Union is today rather than tomorrow to avoid conflicting with the Lost premiere. But my feelings towards one are pretty similar to my feelings towards the other: I’m confused by the most recent plot twists and skeptical that the writers can wrap it all up in one tidy package.”
Source:opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/
— As the president went through his initial laundry list of wishes and causes, Josh Marshall of TPM came to think liberals might not be in such dire political straits: “Listening to this litany, I’m reminded how Republicans are on the wrong side – just politically, let alone on policy — of most signature issues in a populist economic moment. I think there were zero Republicans standing up on any part of Obama’s financial reform agenda — something that polls exceedingly well in addition to being good public policy.”
— Ramesh Ponnuru of National Review was struck by this passage: “The House has already passed financial reform with many of these changes. And the lobbyists are already trying to kill it. Well, we cannot let them win this fight. And if the bill that ends up on my desk does not meet the test of real reform, I will send it back.” Dumbstruck, that is: “Raise your hands if you believe there are any circumstances under which this president would veto a financial-regulation bill passed by this Congress.”
— “The most interesting part of the speech is where he threatens to veto any financial bill that doesn’t really take on the banks,” echoed Megan McArdle at the Atlantic.
Related
The State of the Union
Columns, quick takes and the editorial on the president’s 2010 national address.
Commentary From Opinionator »
“The proposals he unveiled last week to limit the size of bank liabilities, and dismantle their proprietary trading desks, were greeted with acclaim by many financial journalists, but it is widely believed that legislators like Senator Dodd will simply kill them in committee. If he’s willing to risk ending up with nothing, that may be smart politics–and perhaps smart regulation. But that’s a very daring move for a president who has so far proved extremely reluctant to take on his congress.”
— Ponnuru’s colleague at the Corner, Kathryn Jean Lopez, had some ungrudging praise: “The President did outright the Right on nuclear power plants. So many have given up on that issue.”
— Andrew Sullivan had a similar observation: “His energy program sounds a lot like McCain’s in the campaign: all of the above. And drill, baby, drill! But I love this: clean energy is worth doing whatever you think of climate change. Plenty of conservatives should be able to support this if they could get past their partisanship and bile.” But Sullivan thinks style confidently trumped substance: “I’m struck by how relaxed he seems. Smiling, confident, easy-going, and yet also deadly serious. He’s certainly a lot calmer than most of his supporters, including me. I was a bit of a wreck before this after such a depressing couple of weeks. But he is managing to lift that gloom - not by dazzling rhetoric, but by a form of realism that is reassuring.”
— Regarding the president’s comment that reforming health care wasn’t a fight he was aching for, Ana Marie Cox of GQ notes that his spokesman like to say “he didn’t take on health care because it’s his hobby.” “But, you know, it sort of does feel like it’s a hobby to him, no?” asks Cox. “He tinkers, and pauses, puts it away, moves his own deadline, goes back to the drawing board…”
— For Allahpundit of Hot Air, the most striking claim from the White House came earlier in day, when Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs appeared on Good Morning America. “Many of the same factors that led Sen. [Scott] Brown to become a senator from Massachusetts led Barack Obama to become president,” insisted Gibbs. “Now, we’ve got to deal with those angers and frustrations by putting people back to work, by demonstrating we have a plan to get our economy continued on the road to recovery and putting those folks back to work, and protecting our country from those who seek to do us harm.” Allahpundit’s response: “The One has always enjoyed psychoanalyzing American voters — look no further than his massively overhyped speech on race — but watching him explain to Massachusetts that they were actually kinda sorta voting for him when they voted for Scott Brown should make this his most entertaining soliloquy yet.”
— There was big applause for the president’s line that “I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are,” but Tanya Domi, a former Army captain writing at Pam’s House Blend, didn’t think that fellow gay men and lesbians should show much gratitude for the rather vague pledge.
Our community, including any Democratic voter who supported you in November 2008 would expect you to sign a hate crimes act into law. This is a given by any Democratic president and surely those inside the Beltway would call signing a hate crimes bill as “low hanging fruit.”
And yet the President once again throws out a few crumbs to our community, announcing to the entire country that there will be no reversal to a discriminatory law for the time being that continues to place our sisters and brethren in harms’ way, for more than simply serving in wars, as tragic and dangerous as they are.
This is the change we have been waiting for? Where is the fierce urgency of now, Mr. President? Don’t you hear that trumpet of justice pounding in your ears when military bands play ‘Hail to the Chief’?
Jillian Bandes of TownHall found the president’s shifts between acknowledging ideological differences and criticism of partisanship a bit muddled. “Obama thinks the Citizens United ruling will “usher in” more special interests in Washington. Alito looked a little combative. I think mud wrestling is in order. Hats off to him recognizing that there is a “fundamental difference in ideology” between different political views. He admitted that some politics are irreconcilable, and I think he might’ve even alluded to Thomas Paine, but I’m working my way through a bottle of wine and can’t be completely sure. He referenced Scott Brown for about half a second. Republicans “have to lead” now that Democrats don’t have a supermajority. If leading means holding your ground on that irreconcilable ideology, I’m all for it.”
— “So we’re going to double our exports in five years, are we?” asks Kevin D. Williamson at the Corner. “Well, let’s think about that. Two ways of counting it up:”
In 2008, the total value of U.S. exports was about $1.8 trillion, and the value of our exports was growing at 12 percent per year, according to Commerce. So, left to their own devices, our exports ought to go from about $2 trillion now to about $3.5 trillion over the next five years — not quite double, but 75 percent growth. So, how many billions of dollars are we going to spend to get that last $500 billion in exports? (And that’s not $500 billion in profit, as I understand it, that’s $500 billion in sales.)
Looked at another way: Exports were 13 percent of GDP in 2008. If that’s the metric we’re using, then they’ll need to be 26 percent of GDP in five years to hit Obama’s goal. If the rest of the economy just stood still (and hold on while the English major thinks this through) that means that exports would have to expand by the equivalent of 13 percent of today’s GDP in five years to hit Obama’s goal. In other words, our new exports — just the new ones — would have to be roughly equal in size to the entire U.S. health-care industry today. That does not seem to me especially likely to happen.
If I’m missing something here, let me know.
Feeling the same way was Ezra Klein, who leaves us with a fitting encapsulation of the American political mood: “Rumor has it the State of the Union is today rather than tomorrow to avoid conflicting with the Lost premiere. But my feelings towards one are pretty similar to my feelings towards the other: I’m confused by the most recent plot twists and skeptical that the writers can wrap it all up in one tidy package.”
Source:opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/
State of the Union speech: chastened Barack Obama appeals for unity
required him to verge at times into the unfamiliar territory of humility, as he showed that the lessons of a bruising first year had been absorbed.
"Our administration has had some political setbacks this year, and some of them were deserved," he admitted. On the deadlocked health care bill, he said: "I take my share of the blame for not explaining it more clearly to the American people." But admitting his own mistakes was combined with forceful demands for his audience of Congressmen to put doing the people's work above their own interests.
"We were sent here to serve our citizens, not our ambitions. So let's show the American people that we can do it together," he said, in one of many entreaties for both parties to set politicking aside.
He warned Democrats scared after the loss of a Senate seat in liberal Massachusetts not to "run for the hills" and urged Republicans not to "say no to everything".
These occasions can be rowdy. When he spoke to a joint session of Congress in September a Republican congressman called him a liar. At one point a member of the audience tried to interrupt the president but was briskly removed from the chamber.
But you could have heard the proverbial pin drop when the president dwelt on why Americans had lost faith in business, the media and the government. This is clearly a subject that bothers those whose behaviour is a major source of the problem.
"I campaigned on the promise of change – change we can believe in, the slogan went," said Mr Obama. "And right now, I know there are many Americans who aren't sure if they still believe we can change – or at least, that I can deliver it," he said.
After last night, there probably will be more Americans ready to accept that he can live up to his promises. But as the public has shown at the ballot box, their patience will not last long.
Source:telegraph.co.uk
"Our administration has had some political setbacks this year, and some of them were deserved," he admitted. On the deadlocked health care bill, he said: "I take my share of the blame for not explaining it more clearly to the American people." But admitting his own mistakes was combined with forceful demands for his audience of Congressmen to put doing the people's work above their own interests.
"We were sent here to serve our citizens, not our ambitions. So let's show the American people that we can do it together," he said, in one of many entreaties for both parties to set politicking aside.
He warned Democrats scared after the loss of a Senate seat in liberal Massachusetts not to "run for the hills" and urged Republicans not to "say no to everything".
These occasions can be rowdy. When he spoke to a joint session of Congress in September a Republican congressman called him a liar. At one point a member of the audience tried to interrupt the president but was briskly removed from the chamber.
But you could have heard the proverbial pin drop when the president dwelt on why Americans had lost faith in business, the media and the government. This is clearly a subject that bothers those whose behaviour is a major source of the problem.
"I campaigned on the promise of change – change we can believe in, the slogan went," said Mr Obama. "And right now, I know there are many Americans who aren't sure if they still believe we can change – or at least, that I can deliver it," he said.
After last night, there probably will be more Americans ready to accept that he can live up to his promises. But as the public has shown at the ballot box, their patience will not last long.
Source:telegraph.co.uk
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