Jillian

Jillian on C-Span @ about the 9:20 AM mark - Swine Flu

Predictions for AP Micro FRQ

Q #1 – Perfect Competition-based question

Q #2 – Supply & Demand Question Product & then Factor Market Question Combined

Q #3 – Monopolistic Competition

BCS vs. playoff debate comes to Capitol Hill

Tackling an issue sure to rouse sports fans, lawmakers pressed college football officials Friday to switch the Bowl Championship Series to a playoff, with one Texas Republican likening the current system to communism and joking it should be labeled “BS,” not “BCS.”
John Swofford, the coordinator of the BCS, rejected the idea of switching to a playoff, telling a House panel that it would threaten the existence of celebrated bowl games. Sponsorships and TV revenue that now go to bowl games would instead be spent on playoff games, “meaning that it will be very difficult for any bowl, including the current BCS bowls, which are among the oldest and most established in the game’s history, to survive,” Swofford said.
Rep. Joe Barton of Texas, who has introduced legislation that would prevent the NCAA from calling a game a national championship unless it’s the outcome of a playoff, bluntly warned Swofford: “If we don’t see some action in the next two months, on a voluntary switch to a playoff system, then you will see this bill move.”After the hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee commerce, trade and consumer protection subcommittee, Swofford told reporters: “Any time Congress speaks, you take it seriously.”
Yet it is unclear whether lawmakers will try to legislate how college football picks its No. 1 before the first kickoff of the fall season. Congress is grappling with a crowded agenda of budgets, health care overhaul and climate change, and though President Barack Obama favors a playoff, he hasn’t made it a legislative priority.
College football’s multimillion-dollar television contract also could be an obstacle.
The BCS’s new four-year deal with ESPN, worth $125 million per year, begins with the 2011 bowl games. That deal was negotiated using the current BCS format. While ESPN has said it would not stand in the way if the BCS wanted to change, the new deal allows the BCS to put off making major changes until the 2014 season.Jonathan Turley, a constitutional law expert at George Washington University, said the legislation could result in a court challenge.
“This is a rare effort by Congress to prevent people from using what is a common description of sporting events,” he said in a telephone interview. The legislation, he said, “may run afoul of the contractual agreements between parties, wiping out benefits that have already been paid for by companies.”Barton, the top Republican on the committee, said at the hearing that efforts to tinker with the BCS were bound to fail.
“It’s like communism,” he said. “You can’t fix it.”
He quipped that the BCS should drop the “C” from its name because it doesn’t represent a true championship.
“Call it the ‘BS’ system,” he said to laughter.

The BCS has been a big problem since it was brought up in college football. Personally i beleive college football teams should have playoffs. This issue will be debated in the upcoming months and hopefully the House committee can do something that changes how the best college football team is crowned

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=ap-bcschampionship-congress&prov=ap&type=lgns

Farmhouse for a dollar

A farmhouse in Leesburg is being sold for a dollar the only catch is you have to move the house off the land. The house is really of no historic importance, but in times like these I found it odd that people would still be willing to move a giant house anywhere. Also moving the house would be a huge hassle because you have to move utility lines out of the way and it would cost more depending on how far you have to move it. Would a house be something that people should really be investing right now is what I am wondering.

Judy Chu

After listening to Hilda Solis's speech, I quickly went into the football field to take a picture with Judy Chu, the current Vice Chair of the California Board of Equalization. Unfortunately, we could not take a picture with Hilda Solis.

GM to cut 21,000 US factory jobs, shed Pontiac

Finally GM starts to do something on its problem. Since GM has been lost a lot of money in pervious years even in the time that the economy is growing, GM should have been resolve its problem earlier by improving their car models and restructuring their management and workers' health care. Their management is responsible for losting numerous of money and part of the government debt.

The problems with GM is that their cars are not competitive with the German and Japanese cars, that means GM has to work more on that and should try to earn money to return to the government that not to be a bad factor of the country to move away from capitalism.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090427/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gm_plan

Judy Chu and me

After Hilda Solis' speech, I saw Judy Chu and take a picture with her. We were so close and almost can take a picture with Hilda Solis but she left when it is our turn to take the picture.

Judy Chu

during the hilda solis event this last sat we meet judy chu...we tried to get hilda solis but there were just too many people

Chrysler Wins Union Concessions

The United Auto Workers announced Sunday that it has reached a tentative agreement on concessions in its contract with Chrysler LLC -- a key step in final efforts to help the automaker avoid bankruptcy.

Looks like there finally may be some hope for the troubling automaker. But i have a hunch that any tentative agreements will not last long. Unions are to blame for many of the problems. When a union demands something, depending on demands a company may or may not agree depending on profits. If it is not profitable then there is no incentive to accept demands but instead to decline. during union strikes there is always heavy losses to both sides depending on which side has the least losses determines who has the upper hand. If every major corporation was unionized there would be major problems. Of course Unions would want more benefits and companies want more profits. Because of this there will be constant gridlock and nothing would get done. chances are many things we take for granted would not be available anymore. That is why counties without unions do better and are more competitive.

Democrats near agreement on budget

President Barack Obama's Democratic allies in Congress have agreed to allow his signature $400 tax cut for most workers expire after next year but are moving to give him a better chance at passing his health care bill.Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Friday that most House and Senate negotiators have resolved most of their differences over a congressional budget blueprint designed to advance Obama's agenda through Congress. The measure will set the rules on how Congress considers Obama's agenda for the rest of the year.Lawmakers are rushing to agree on the budget framework in time to give Obama a victory within his first 100 days in office. Late-night talks Thursday produced the framework of a deal that would protect his ambitious plan to overhaul the U.S. health care system from a Republican filibuster. As you can see Obama is trying to pass legislation that would favor him. since he has more than half of the seats in Congress, he wants to give Democrats far more control over the specifics of the health care legislation.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30391669/

Top U.S. Military Leader Offers Help to Mexico

Mexico could borrow from U.S. tactics in the fight against terrorism as it battles a crisis of drug-related violence along the U.S.-Mexico border, the top U.S. military officer said Friday.
Returning from a six-day trip to Latin America punctuated by news of beheadings and intimidation by Mexican drug cartels, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the United States could help with equipment and intelligence techniques.
Adm. Mike Mullen would not be specific about what kind of intelligence or surveillance help the United States might offer, but said he saw ways to employ experience the United States has gained in the ongoing hunt for extremists and terrorists.
He would not say whether there may already be U.S. drones flying over bloodstained cities such as Ciudad Juarez, where 17 bodies came into the morgue on one day recently, including the city police force's second-in-command and three other officers.
"Obviously it affects us because of the relationship between the two countries," Mullen said during a telephone news conference as he flew to Washington following meetings in Mexico, his last stop.
Mullen referred to the spike in violence as a crisis, and said it occupied much of his discussions with Mexican military leaders.
More than 1,000 people have been killed in Mexico in drug-related violence this year. In 2008, the toll doubled from the previous year to 6,290. Both the U.S. and Canada have warned that murders related to drug activity in certain parts of Mexico, particularly along the border with the U.S., raised the level of risk in visiting the country.
There are signs the violent competition among Mexican drug and smuggling cartels is spilling across the border, as cities in Arizona report increases in such crimes as home invasions. More than 700 people were arrested as part of a wide-ranging crackdown on Mexican drug cartels operating inside the United States, the Justice Department said last month.
Last weekend, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he also saw opportunities for the U.S. military to help with military training, resources and intelligence.
"I think we are beginning to be in a position to help the Mexicans more than we have in the past. Some of the old biases against cooperation with our -- between our militaries and so on, I think, are being set aside," Gates said in an interview that aired last Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press."
"It clearly is a serious problem," he said.



The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the United States could help with equipment and intelligence techniques after returning from a six-day trip to Latin America punctuated by news of beheadings and intimidation by Mexican drug cartels.

This I myself have seen when I have gone on vacation to Mexico. The famed group is called "Los Zetas," they aren't just drug cartels, but also some corrupt officials. The people there need help because it is has become worse. There are a lot of beheadings and people missing. Most of it is the drug cartels. This is disconcerning because it doesn't let you feel so safe while you visit. This can lead to affectint the Mexican economy even more with less tourism.

I think it is good that something might be done to help solve this problem because it might spread to the US. Here the same thing may be going on, but it is hidden, while in Mexico it is more open. Helping them with intelligence techniques will help Mexico solve the problem themselves without as much interference from the US.

Watch Your Government

http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0409/Pelosi_I_didnt_know_about_waterboarding.html

Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi was pushing back on GOP charges that accused her of doing nothing to stop waterboarding. Pelosi claims that she had been briefed on the issue but was never really informed about whether or not waterboarding would be used, but there was "opinion" that they could be used. Boehner, House Minority Leader, also claimed that there was a briefing on waterboarding but no one said a word. In defense, Pelosi said that classified intelligence briefings were meant to be kept quiet about.

What does this tell me? This tells me that our government may be getting too corrupt. The US was not suppose to use any sort of interrogation techniques, whether it is waterboarding or something else. I think that using "enhanced interrogation" may lead to unjustifiable answers and forced information, so it probably doesn't work. We need to watch our government. If something like this goes unrecognized, eventually, Pelosi or any other members of government may be the one that prevents us from receiving all our rights. This means that citizens may be subject to being plucked off the street and sent directly to "enhanced interrogation" or what I like to call it: torture.

Kansas governor vetoes late-term abortions bill

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30376695/

Governor Kathleen Sebelius just vetoed a measure that would have required physicians to report additional information to the state about the late-term abortions they perform, and would have allowed more county prosecutors to pursue criminal charges over potentially illegal late-term procedures.

In layman's terms, anti-abortion people are pissed.

You may recognize Kathleen Sebelius as Obama's choice to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services, but right now she's still a governor, and she's making opponents of abortion angry. This could potentially harm her, as those people who are angry over this are building pressure on senators to reject her nomination as Secretary.

She defended herself saying that the measure would cause honest doctors to potentially accidentally break the law, and that the bill would have been struck down in federal court anyway.

If that is so, then maybe she should have helped save her nomination by letting it get struck down. That way she doesn't look like the bad guy.

However, I don't think her nomination will get rejected just because of this decision alone. Unless of course, we find out that she also didn't pay her taxes. Then that would just be bad.

Should America Torture?

Looking around , I came across an article talking about torture. Evidently, I have failed to notice in the last couple of years that America uses torture techniques. Do I agree with it? Well, we did catch some bad guys running around like crazy half way across the world.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/21648.html

Obama has recently taken water-boarding and other torture tactics out of use. This is a really interesting move which has created a lot of chaos. Our vice president Dick Cheney disagrees with president Obama. He believes that Obama did a mistake in outlawing the tactic's because torturing the enemies has saved many American lives. So the question still remains:

Does torture work?

Some say it does, others say it doesn't. These are some view points in the article:

1. Harsh interrogation works. Period.

Proponents: Cheney, former CIA director Michael Hayden, former CIA director George Tenet

The argument: It weakens America to take harsh interrogations off the table against al-Qaida – a sworn enemy that trains its members to resist interrogation.

2. Harsh techniques may work sometimes, but the United States still shouldn’t use them

Proponents: President Barack Obama, Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair, Sen. John McCain

The argument: Obama’s press secretary Robert Gibbs laid it out in detail at Thursday’s White House press briefing, when he called the usefulness of harsh interrogations “ambiguous”

3. It doesn’t work. Period.

Proponents: Hillary Clinton, the American Civil Liberties Union, many military interrogators

The argument: Aggressive interrogation techniques like water-boarding simply don’t produce useful information.

It is interesting to see which people are supportive of the torture techniques and which are opposed. Interrogators think it doesn't work! I also found out that American troops have been trained to withstand torture tactics.

What do you think? For or against torture?

Obama 'misinterpreted' Raul's words!!!!

Fidel Castro says President Barack Obama "misinterpreted" his brother Raul's remarks regarding the United States and bristled at the suggestion that Cuba should free political prisoners or cut taxes on dollars people send to the island.



http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090423/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_cuba_castro


WHAT!?!?!? Just when I thought that Cuba can finally open up and the relationship between the US and Cuba can finally ease off, Fidel Castro jumped out and crushed the hope. I thought I will finally be able to go to Cuba with security, but now Fidel Castro just destroyed it.
Dave Chappellle's BYAH! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddy__GGuC7U&feature=related

Earth DAY!!!!

Being Earth day, I thought it would be nice to see how the political world is dealing with global warming.
There seems to be a consensus in the Democratic party that global warming is occurring in the world and something has to be done about it. While the Republican party cant even agree if the global warming is really happening or if it is scam. In this article http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/21536.html the writer goes on to say that if you ask 15 republicans about climate changes you would get 20 different answers. I don't quite understand how some people can keep denying that the earth is going through a crisis and something has to be done about it. But the bigger issue is that little things like a consensus on issues so big like global warming is causing the Republican party to crumble. Instead of trying to develop a plan of attack against global warming Republicans that will rival the Democrats' plan. Republicans are wasting time arguing about the existence of global warming.
Democrats have initiative even though their cap-and-trade system has its own problems and may be to costly for businesses. Republicans cant really criticize the plan because they don't have one.
Let's save the EARTH and RECYCLE.

SGV Tribune Article

Timing is everything, and when C-SPAN asked high school students to submit videos for their annual StudentCam competition on the eve of Barack Obama's presidential inauguration, it made all the difference, according to Meredith Rapp, C-SPAN's education program specialist.
C-SPAN received 1,000 videos, three times last year's entries.
Finishing with honors were two videos produced by Los Altos High School seniors.
The videos that snagged two out of the 75 honorable mentions were "The Economic Crisis" by Jared Kasparian, Lance Vitali and Kevin Halpin, and "`These Kids' Syndrome: A Comparative Look at American Education" by Enid Zhou and Diane Ting.

(Full article below)

http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_12129608?source=rss

At least during the first semester, Mr. Park did a good job of letting us know who wrote our textbook. He was helped, of course, by the requirment that we visit its website every week and also by the mere fact that the co-author Paul Krugman, between winning a Nobel Prize, writing for the New York Times, and teaching at Princeton, is famous. Among these accomplishments and positions, Krugman is also known for being an outspoken liberal. In fact, among the mere Bush-bashing that is widespread, Krugman has called for an actual investigation of the previous president's administration.

It is for this reason that I was puzzled to see Krugman on the cover of Newsweek next to the ultimatum "Obama is wrong." http://www.newsweek.com/id/191393 "Yes, I know that," I thought to myself, "But you're the last person who I thought would admit that, Paul." This bold statement seemed strange coming from the man I've gotten to know from an argument he had with Bill O'Reilly (I admit he held his own) and the already mentioned exposure from Mr. Park. I was happy nonetheless, for it showed that even far-left liberals think Obama's wrong. Somewhere at UC Berkely, a radical elitist is saying,"Et tu Paul Krugman?"

As I read the article, however, things started to make sense. Krugman doesn't think Obama is moving in the wrong direction (towards socialism) but that the president should inflict sweeping reform on the economy, starting with nationalizing banks, and stop propping up what's becoming an "economic abyss."

Krugman would like to see the United States a Sweden of the western hemisphere, drawing attention to that country's "successful" nationalization of their banks. Although he didn't have an answer to how such a policy would be implemented in such a large, bank abundant country like the US (we have about 8,000), at least Krugman is honest and transparent as to what he wants to do. While Obama is propping up a capitalistic economy with socialistic solutions, Krugman is calling for a full fledged shift towards socialism.

Hey Mr. Park, if you get a book in the mail with a hammer and sickle on it, don't worry. It's just the updated edition of Economics from Krugman and Wells.

Hilda Solis coming to La Puente HS

April 25, Saturday, time TBD

Hilda Solis, newly appointed Secretary of Labor, will be speaking at La Puente HS

We are invited to take our students. More information to come.

+5 Points EXTRA CREDIT if you take a picture with her and post onto this blog!

Wagoner Steps DOWN!

http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/03/29/2009-03-29_president_obama_forces_gm_boss_rick_wago.html

Rick Wagoner, the head of General Motors, one of the biggest car companies in the world has stepped down at the request of President Obama. He rejected GM and Chrysler's requests for more government money and asked them to shape up and come up with a better plan. Wagoner has run GM for the last eight years, which have been very chaotic and rocky. GM is asking the government for more than $15 billion. President Obama is establishing a hard-line approach to get the carmakers to better allocate their money rather than just handing out free cash.

I think it's a good thing what President Obama is doing. Although I think he should not be able to tell Wagoner to step down, I believe it is a good move. I don't think the government should give out any more money. It's a waste of government funds and completely against the ideals of our government. Whatever happened to capitalism?

>_____<

oh damn, i didn't notice that Enid wrote about the same article. Sorry Mr. Park.

Obama team deploys campaign tactics to get point across

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- From fielding questions online, to the staging of events across the country, to deploying thousands of volunteers, President Obama and Democrats are using the same tools that helped them win the White House to push the administration's agenda.

President Obama held an online town hall, in which people could send in questions from their computers.

Supporters say the same tactics used during the campaign also work to educate Americans about the president's proposed budget and the stimulus plan.

Political experts say in order for Obama to keep his approval ratings high, he will need his agenda to be successful. To do that, they say, he and the White House will need to keep up the sales job.

The legions of volunteer supporters from the 2008 election are key to that effort. Democrats have a database of more than 13 million e-mail addresses and are eager to harness that support.

The Democratic National Committee has formed a new group called Organizing For America. Last weekend, it organized 10,000 volunteers to canvass across the country to get 100,000 people to pledge support for the administration's policies.

"We are not an electoral organization. I mean this is really about legislative advocacy and so we are going to continue supporting the president's agenda and we are not looking at 2010, and we are not looking at 2012," Mitch Stewart, executive director of Organizing for America, told CNN. "What we are looking at what kind of grassroots organization can best support the president's agenda."

"We are going to learn lessons or use the lessons we learned from the campaign, learn new lessons along the way, using the same tactics we used during the campaign but also developing new ones to promote the president's agenda."

Republican political experts say this is all smart politics.

"You can't allow any drop-off or fall-off," GOP media consultant Danny Diaz said. "You won't see diminished activities. You will see increased activities going forward to keep these people engaged and to bring additional people.

"It is part of the 21st century, and it is part of being the leader of the free world and having to make sure you keep people engaged, enthusiastic, giving money, supporting candidates and supporting your agenda."

Those who pledged support received follow-up e-mails this week asking them to call members of Congress to lobby them to pass the budget. Officials involved in the project said their efforts were not just aimed at the true believers.

Last weekend's canvassers didn't visit only the party faithful -- they went to all the homes on a given street.

"...We're not targeting a congressional district. We're not targeting individual voters. We are providing our supporters with information on the budget, why it's important and if they want to engage on that issue they can," Stewart said. "And we are then going to get those pledges to all members of Congress.

"So regardless if they are Democrat or Republican if there are 1,000 pledges in their congressional district or 30, we're going to give those to the members."

Diaz said the Democrats' tactics are necessary.

"This is something they will continue to do. It is not completely consistent with a new kind of politics that Barack Obama promised, but at the end of the day it is not how you start -- it is how you finish," he said.

"Will President Obama's policies energize these individuals and keep them engaged -- or will his policies and a lack of results lead to a lack of enthusiasm and engagement?" Diaz said. "That is the question."

Organizers say they are taking a bottom-up approach that also allows local groups to rally around a cause or propose their own project.

Due to today's generation widely use of the internet, this tactic will definitely reach to a variety of different audiences, especially to the younger audience. Now the younger audience will be informed about the politics going on today's society. This will be a start to a new tradition. Politics will now have a wider audience base because everyone today uses the internet.
Obama already showed how the internet does make more people involved with politics with his first online town hall meeting. Over 100,000 questions were sent online. Now politics will be more interactive and more personal to the people because of the use of the internet. Technology is huge and the government is finally utilizing it.

Budget moves through Senate committee

(CNN) -- A tightened version of President Obama's $3.6 trillion budget moved through a key Senate committee Thursday night.

Sen. Harry Reid, right, says he expects Sen. Kent Conrad's version of the budget to pass.

1 of 2

The Senate and the House are expected to vote on different versions of the budget next week.

"The budget we have now passed out of the Budget Committee preserves the core priorities in President Obama's budget plan," Sen. Kent Conrad, chairman of the committee, said in a statement.

Conrad, D-North Dakota, trimmed the president's original proposal in response to congressional projections showing larger-than-expected budget deficits over the next several years.

Conrad said he had preserved the president's major initiatives in education, energy and health-care reform in the wake of "new realities" on finances without sacrificing the administration's deficit reduction goals.

Obama has pledged to halve the deficit by 2013, a goal Conrad says his budget maintains.

Republicans and some conservative Democrats, however, have criticized Obama's budget for its hefty price tag.

Obama maintains that his budget -- and its big investments -- are essential to economic recovery.

After being labeled by Democrats the "party of no" for criticizing the budget without offering solutions, House Republicans said Thursday that they have come up with a plan B.

"Two nights ago, the president said, 'We haven't seen a budget yet out of Republicans.' Well, it's just not true, because here it is, Mr. President," House Minority leader Rep. John Boehner said Wednesday as he held up a booklet that he said was a "blueprint for where we're going."  Watch GOP leaders unveil their 'leaner' budget »

The details of the GOP budget will be presented on the House floor next week, said Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin.

"We're going to show a leaner budget, a budget with lower taxes, lower spending and lower borrowing," Ryan said.

The blueprint includes familiar Republican proposals to limit "wasteful" government spending, cut the size of government and provide incentives to private entities to expand access to health care. It also includes a major overhaul of the tax code, proposing a marginal tax rate of 10 percent for income up to $100,000 and 25 percent for any income above that level.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs laughed off the Republicans' proposal Thursday, joking that their blueprint has more pictures of windmills than charts.

"It's interesting to have a budget that doesn't contain any numbers. I think the 'party of no' has become the 'party of no new ideas,' " he said at the daily briefing.

Obama defended his budget at an online town hall meeting Thursday, saying, "it's a budget that cuts the things we don't need to make room for the investments we do, a budget that cuts the massive deficits we've inherited in half, by the end of my first term, and offers a blueprint for America's success in the 21st century."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he is confident that the full Senate will pass Conrad's version of the budget next week.

Conrad's budget strikes Obama's proposal to set aside $250 billion in case more money is needed for the financial sector rescue.

It also curtails Obama's fix of the costly alternative minimum tax and doesn't account for increased payments for doctors who care for Medicare recipients, said Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, the top Republican on the Budget Committee

"You can get these presidential numbers down by using a lot of gimmicks that the president didn't use. That would be a mistake. Let's be honest with the Americans," Gregg said Tuesday.

Conrad has repeatedly said that his plan is not a "gimmick."

Republicans also have been critical of Conrad's plan to calculate the budget deficit over five years instead of 10, meaning a common measure of government spending, the 10-year cost, wouldn't officially be part of the price. Gregg has accused Conrad of trying to hide the true cost of the plan.

"In the 34 years of the Budget Act, 30 of those 34 years we have done a five-year budget, including the last five years, including two when Sen. Gregg was Chairman of the Committee," Conrad said Thursday.

Money money money moooneey. MONEY!

I certainly think 3.6 TRILLION dollars would help the economy in the short run.

I dont know about later on....maybe 

but a couple trillion dollars right now wouldn't hurt too much.

Obama's First Online Town Hall Meeting

On Thursday, Obama turned to the web for a town hall meeting with America. He bypassed the traditional news media in favor of engaging Americans directly. He is using this unfiltered online network to speak directly to Americans.

People were encouraged to send in questions to the White House for Obama to answer. Over 100,000 questions were sent to the White House website. Most of the questions focused on the economic recession and job creation. Obama also touched on education reform, universal health care, and homeownership. He joked about the number of questions submitted by people online about legalizing marijuana and if it would help stimulate the economy. His response "I don't know what this says about the online audience" before responding that legalizing illicit drugs would not be the best choice in stimulating the economy.

This is one of many ways Obama is trying to reach out to the American public. It's a good way to get his message accross to a wide audience. He is definately using the internet to his advantage. He built a strong grassroots campaign with the help of cyberspace and now he's touting his new plans directly to the people. This question-and-answer type of online town-hall meeting would garner much more support for Obama because it offers people a chance to ask the questions instead of the questions asked by skeptical reporters.

Incorporating the internet in Obama's press plan is a smart way to reach the widest range of people. Practically everyone is attached to the web in one way or another. Expect to see more of Obama using alternative forms of media to tout his new economic policy.

it's the FILLING

Meet Jonathan Krohn – home-schooled 14 year old conservative Georgian, author of the book Define Conservatism, and guest speaker at Conservative Political Action Committee.

He outlines the basic principles of conservatism as:
1. Support for the Constitution
2. Respect for life
3. Less government
4. More personal responsibility
Define Conservatism was dedicated to Ronald Reagan, William F. Buckley Jr., Barry Goldwater, and Jim DeMint (his political heroes). He plans to write a second book that will focus on Alexander Hamilton and James Monroe.

WATCH "Jonathan Krohn Addresses CPAC":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vz1TVpwme0
his impersonation thing reminds me of Amy Poehler as Caitlin in SNL (anyone remember that?).

This kid gets a lot of hate mail, saying that he is brainwashed by his parents. I don’t know if he is, but he is a pretty great communicator at age 14. I have to say I like this little guy. It’s a hopeful sight to know that not all young folks are liberals. I always have this feeling that everyone is a liberal, but then I am reminded I live in California. I’m not a hardcore conservative, but I do find myself agreeing with a lot of its principles. (I’m not against liberalism; I’m still trying to figure out my political beliefs. My parents are registered independents, but my mom is ideologically democrat and my dad wavers back and forth, so I guess I am somewhat of an exception to the whole “family is the biggest influence”-thing.)

But I wanted to post about little Jonny because he talks about a lot things we have learned in class, such as the Constitution (and how strictly or loosely we should abide to it). One principle I particularly like is “more personal responsibility.” We can’t control many things in life – from luck, or lack thereof, to how others act – but we can be responsible for ourselves. Someone undergoing an unfortunate situation, such as losing their home and having to resort to living in tents (it’s happening and it’s incredibly sad), should not feel they have to cheat or take from those in better circumstances. Basically, we can’t change the economics of it all, but diligence and persistence can change the circumstance, and even that isn’t definite because it’s life and it’s not always unfair. But this is America – land of opportunities, not land of economic equality. And no, I don’t come from a family of wealthy, business owners; not even close. But I do believe that it is unjustifiable to take from others when it is a problem involving the economics of life. In closing, I will say I am open to other people’s beliefs &

as much as you do or do not agree with him, Jonathan Krohn is going places.

court dismisses Al-Qaeda case

Continuing from the Al-Marri case which I posted about last month, US top court has dismissed Al-Marris case (link). I really think Al-Marri should get a chance to say something, in human rights way. Albeit, I do not think it will make any differnce, and I see the point why President Bush transferred him without charging. Although U.S. court dismisses his case, I think it's just stepping back to where he came from; he had over 200--I do not really remember the number--credit card frauds, lectures from Osama Bin Laden, and some kind of poisons, and I think that is kind of lucid that he is a terrorist. I do not know, but we will see the result after April 27.

This is just for fun :)

I found this article quite funny. This is from this month's Harper's Magazine by Mark Twain.

More Bomb Threats?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/03/22/uk.gatwick.airliner/index.html

It has been nearly 9 years since 9/11 yet there are still people who place bombs in airplanes. Although this one might have been a "false alarm" there are still others out there that wish to do harm to others in such a way. Because of these bomb threats, the airlines have enforced strict rules about what can and cannot be taken on the airplane. Even if it may be for the safety of the people, it's very inconvenient. What if there are things that you cannot bring in your luggage that must be brought as a carry-on, only this is impossible because of the regulations? I am waiting until the day that air travel will be safe and free from threats like bombs and hijackers. Hopefully, that day will come soon, especially since the world is relying more and more on airplanes to take them places.

Is Geithner a liability for Obama?

The man who was a symbol of Barack Obama's moderation might become a symbol of the new president's struggle with competence.At the mere word of Mr. Geithner's nomination as treasury secretary back in November, the market jumped close to 500 points. He was hailed by market insiders as a "fantastic choice," "highly-skilled and pragmatic." He was even praised by his Bush administration predecessor, Hank Paulson, who said, "I have great confidence in his understanding of markets, his judgment and leadership, and his ability to meet the challenges that lie ahead." However recently he has had problems with tax issues and has made the market tumble by over 400 points. As Obamas top advisor, it is shame that he has made this kind of mistake especially when we are in a economic crisis. Some say his days are numbered because of his credibility. The bet is that he will be out by June 30, but can he make his name credible again and save his job ???

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/19/feehery.geithner/index.html

Is our education recession proof?

The final $787 billion stimulus bill that President Obama is expected to sign today contains $105.9 billion for education, including $650 million for the federal Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program. Even though an estimated $9.9 billion total investment is needed to ensure that all Title I schools have effective, technology-rich classrooms, according to the groups.

Even though our education system got more than we asked for, you can see the that the students today are feeling the recession take its toll. It has been reported that college admissions have been cut down, for example University of California San Diego was rumored to have only admitted 9% of applicants, whereas last year it was 40%. Many students are resorting to community colleges and then transferring after their general education, lowering the transfer rate in a few years. So freshmen acceptance rates are down, transfer rates will be down in a few years, what's happening to our higher education system? We need those funds to enter the system and we need it now.


The graphs above were obtained by me when I went to interview our own HLPUSD district's resource manager Gary Matsumoto and Norman Hsu. As you guys can probably tell, our district is actually holding out okay, but it is due to the large amount of stowed away savings HLPUSD has, that's why much of our school functions are still performing, unlike many others whereas teachers are being laid off left and right, classrooms are jam-packed, and resources are running low.

But we can only last a year or 2, maybe 3, like the graphs above said, with cuts, we can stay afloat a little longer, our students can have a comfortable education for a little longer. Because of our savings, we don't have to lay off as many teachers, even though they will have to divert some of the financial resources to other places from projects, so things will be moving around, until the Title 1 105.9 billion dollars comes.

Until then, we will just have to wait for the Cavalry. Until then, college acceptances will be more competitve, since it won't have enough resources to admit the normal rate of students before the recession hit. Although the Private Colleges will not undergo much acceptance rate changes since they are privately funded, not like UCs, where they are funded by the state. Many LAHS and perhaps students around the state and nation are on the verge of tears, seeing previous generations enter college only to have them shut the door in their faces. Seeing how 2009 is, is 2010 going to be worse for our siblings and the generations after us?

President Obama, is help really on the way?

Commentary: Obama a leader who actually leads

By Jack Cafferty

CNN

Editor's note: Jack Cafferty is the author of a new book, "Now or Never: Getting Down to the Business of Saving Our American Dream." He provides commentary on CNN's "The Situation Room" daily from 4 to 7 p.m. ET. You can also visit Jack's Cafferty File blog.

Jack Cafferty says Obama is getting things done

even though he's made some mistakes.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- What a welcome change to feel like someone is running the country instead of running it into the ground.

President Obama has done more in eight weeks than George W. Bush did in eight years -- unless you include starting a couple of wars.

While the armchair quarterbacks second guess the new president, he gets up every day and does things, lots of things.

Whether it's creating commissions for women and girls, ordering the investigation of President Bush's use of signing statements, or jamming a huge stimulus package through Congress, the man is working his tail off. And he seems to be loving every minute of it. It's almost as though our president was born to do exactly what he's doing.

He's leading, and boy, is that refreshing.

I remember many times when Bush was in office wondering who the hell was running the country. Then he would appear somewhere in front of a handpicked audience to utter some banalities or say something utterly stupid and I would be reminded. I don't miss him.

That's not to say President Obama hasn't stubbed his toe here and there. Signing that omnibus spending bill with all those earmarks in it after campaigning so hard against pork was probably a mistake. The opportunity was right there to send that bill back to Congress with a note that read, "I told you I am against earmarks and I meant it. Now do it over and send me something clean." Nancy Pelosi's head would have probably exploded, but the American people would have been ready to crown him king.

There are serious questions about whether Tim Geithner has what it takes to solve the banking crisis. Either nationalize the big ones in trouble or let them fail. It doesn't seem that just continuing to hand them money is working.

Better background checks on some of his appointees would have saved him some embarrassment. There's no excuse for asking someone like Tom Daschle with his problems to do anything.

But the point, I guess, is this: President Obama is attacking our country's problems on several fronts. He's got ambitious ideas on how to solve them, and he communicates a sense of calm and confidence to the rest of us as he goes about his business. Will all his ideas work? Of course not. But if you throw enough stuff at the wall, some of it will stick.

And at least I don't go to bed at night worried that I'll wake up in the morning to find out we're about to invade someone.

*After having read this, do you agree/disagree with Jack Cafferty's opinion about Obama's actions so far, and their effects?

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/17/cafferty.obama/index.html?iref=24hours

Obama Offers Education Plan

President Obama recently conveyed a new education plan for the people of America. In this new education plan President Obama called for longer school days and extended school years as well as more charter schools and also a greater effort from the parents and a greater effort to recruit more people into the teaching profession altogether.

"America's entire education system must once more be the envy of the world, and that's exactly what we intend to do," Obama Said. Obamas plan includes grants for states that improve early childhood education. Probably the biggest change in our education system would be the pay raise for teachers based on performance. It has incentives enough to show improvements in grades but i'm a bit concerned with the externalities that might come from "merit" pay raises, such as cheating, and corruption in public education; Although Obama did not state that pay raises would come directly from student test scores.

However i do agree that we need to lower the opportunity cost for good teachers and give the bad ones the salary they deserve. I support the tack that Education Secretary Arne Duncan took when he led the Chicago Public Schools where teachers recieved additional pay for completing rigorous graduate training. Truth be told(for me) teachers deserve a heck of a lot more credit(especially the good ones).

Presidential Elections

2008 Presidential Election
2004 Presidential Election
2000 Presidential Election
1996 Presidential Election
1992 Presidential Election

Here are the 5 presidential elections that will be the topic for Friday's essay.

Read them!

We will have a class assignment based on these 5 presidential elections.

Internship Opportunity

Can you forward to your students? I'll talk a bit about this opportunity too when I speak with your class.

- Jay

Jay Chen
Clerk, Board of Education
Hacienda-La Puente Unified School District
Direct: 626-513-2114


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <ClarkLee2K@aol.com>
Date: Fri, Mar 13, 2009 at 4:43 PM
Subject: Internship Op - Judy Chu for Congress
To: ClarkLee2K@aol.com

Gain skills and enhance your resume by participating in the

Judy Chu for Congress Internship Program!

Internship Duties Include:

• Telephone and Door-to-Door Voter Contact: Gain valuable communication skills
• Management: Help lead and supervise small and large teams to develop your leadership abilities
• Presentation: Practice your public speaking skills to educate individuals and groups
• Grassroots Organizing: Outreach to your community and motivate others

Who is eligible to participate?:

• Youth 14-17, with parental consent
• Young Adults 18-25
• Adults
• Individual members of groups
• Must be able to complete 10 hours a week total service hours

Internships offered:

• Campaign Fellowship: 10-hours a week and Leadership roles

Graduates Will Receive:

• Letters of Recommendation from Judy Chu for Congress
• Certificate of completion in team management, canvassing and voter contact

Please contact:

Arianne Garcia

Judy Chu for Congress

(626) 430-3601 | arianne@judychu.net

The "restoration of science to its proper place"?

I'm glad to see someone smarter than me finally expose the fraud of Obama's claim to "restore science to it's proper place." Click here.

Charles Krauthammer points out the hypocrisy:

Restoring? The implication, of course, is that while Obama is guided solely by science, Bush was driven by dogma, ideology and politics.

What an outrage. George Bush's nationally televised stem cell speech was the most morally serious address on medical ethics ever given by an American president. It was so scrupulous in presenting the best case for both his view and the contrary view that until the last few minutes, the listener had no idea where Bush would come out.

Obama's address was morally unserious in the extreme. It was populated, as his didactic discourses always are, with a forest of straw men. Such as his admonition that we must resist the "false choice between sound science and moral values." Yet, exactly 2 minutes and 12 seconds later he went on to declare that he would never open the door to the "use of cloning for human reproduction."

Does he not think that a cloned human would be of extraordinary scientific interest? And yet he banned it.

Science must be guided by moral principles, otherwise we end up with lampshades made of human skin, etc. The battle is over whose moral principles are the right ones. Or as it actually happens, who can persuade the rest of the country that their principles sound better.

Obama signs big spending bill despite earmarks

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090311/pl_nm/us_obama_spending

By now we have, or should have, all read past chapter 4 in "naked economics" and we should have all noticed that chapters 3 and 4, although they go hand in hand on the issue of government involvement in economics, they also show the conflicting sides of government's tinkering of the economy.

Although government can fund projects through collectively taxing whole populations to better the population, government is also plagued by corruption and corrupt bureaucrats/lawmakers. They tend to promote funds for their own pet projects in bills and more then likely the bills get passed.

Obama signed a bill knowing that there were earmarks and proclaimed that this had to be done as a message that things will be different and that future earmarks should be eradicated. However, Senator John McCain opposed this bill, saying that Obama is covering his actions with his 'rhetoric' and that basically everything Obama is saying against the earmarks is meaningless.

Let me throw up some quick rounds to shoot out some information.
-Obama heavily critized earmark spending.
-Obama went behind closed doors and, fully aware of the earmarks, signed a $410 billion dollar spending bill.
-Obama says, correct me if I am wrong, that we do not have time to deal with it. "...we have a lot more work to do."
-McCain implies that Obama is a liar, or some what of one.
-McCain "What he(Obama) should have done was say he was going to veto this bill, that he wanted the $8 billion in earmarks removed and then he would sign it,"
-Howard Dean then responded with proclaiming "BYAHHHHH!!!"


"I believe as we move forward, we can come together around principles that prevent the abuse of earmarks," he said.
Lets just all hope Obama keeps his word, I am not attacking him, I just hope he can actually better America and at least dampen this recession. I, unlike some people, would actually like to see Obama succeed because although we might not share political views, we are both Americans, and if Obama fails, then America fails.

Guess Who's Back in Court?

Nope.. not Chris Brown.. JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG!



Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said yesterday that she plans to be on the Supreme Court for years to come. She had surgery a month ago for pancreatic cancer that might have questioned her health, but that doesn't appear to stop her from work.

On February 5, Ginsburg underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer, but has returned to the Supreme Court. Ginsburg states, "I also wanted them to see that I was alive and well, contrary to that senator who said I'd be dead within nine months." Ohhh in your face Senator Bunning from Kentucky! Altough, he did apologize for his comment.

According to a statement, all her lymph nodes were tested negative for cancer. AND She's survived cancer before. She battled colorectal cancer... what is that? Anyway, the Justice resumed her daily duties in her office. She had made it apparent that she will not leave because she plans to match the tenure of Justice Brandeis (1916-1939). Although many may not agree with what she has to say, it's nice to see her back at work and healthy.


weeeee.... Thanks to USA Today.

GOP spilt over possible 2012 contenders

A recent national poll of Republicans indicate that there is no clear-cut fore-runner for the next GOP presidential nominee in 2012. Numbers indicate that Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin has 29% of the vote for support in the next presidential race. However the margin between her and the next candidate, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, is fairly slim with 26% of the vote. Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is also not very far behind with a 21% rating. The last candidate, Bobby Jindal recieved 9% of the votes.
However, while the poll showed now clear cut winner, it did show a rather significant gender gap. Among Republican Women, Sarah Palin showed to have recieved 32% of the votes. This is a 10% lead against Huckabee with 22%.
It was a bit surprising to see Sarah Palin up there on the ballot above Huckabee and Romney. It definitely shows a significant shift in a different direction for the Republican Party. As far as the gender gap issue goes, I believe that it is to be expected. Women voting for another woman just isn't that surprising to me. On a side note, I believe Bobby Jindal's vote percentage will go up with the recent publicity he has been getting.

A Lot of Hurt

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner must find someone to fill the position as senior staff in the Treasury. Annette Nazareth came into consideration; however, she withdrew from the position which put Geithner in a bad place. The senior staff now had too few people in the treasury to represent the department in meetings, which prevented them from making decisions. It got to the point where at a Senate hearing about the American International Group Inc., a Treasury member was to be sent but no one actually showed up. Geithner’s lack of senior staff concerns Wall Street especially in economic crisis. I think that Geithner definitely needs to find a member fast. As one of the teams that oversee Obama’s financial stabilization plans, the Treasury definitely needs to be at its strongest in economic declines. If Geithner continues to fail to find an assistant secretary , this country may be in for a lot of hurt.

McDonalds

In a previous post...

I think the whole no refund, all sales are final policy for a McDonalds is pretty ridiculous. I guess it's pretty complicated pressing those cash register buttons with the little pictures on them (I kid.)

Hey! I'd like to point out that cash registers are deceptively harder to use than they seem. Especially when you work at a fast food restaurant where there are no easy bar codes to scan. Trust me. I used to man a cash register, and it is VERY annoying when a customer decides to change his order halfway through. Plus, if the employee makes a mistake on the register, the $$ recorded won't match the actual amount at closing, and guess who has to pay for the difference.

My coworker has a friend who worked at McDonalds, and he says that to input an order, you literally have to construct the burger. Add patties, buns, etc. Fun stuff.

Why would a fast food place allow refunds in the first place? It would overly complicate the process, and you'd need a whole other cash register to be able to handle that. There isn't even a barcode for the machine to scan. Should they ask for your zip code too? Not even restaurants have a refund policy. You can just usually ask for another meal for the same price, or some other form of exchange. That's because it's too complicated on counting the money after closing, if one allows refunds with such an easily consumable good.

Anyway, I don't know why I even made this post. I guess I just got kind of worked up over the fact that someone thought cash registers have little pictures on them. Admittedly, having a picture of every item would be pretty cool and about a hundred times easier.

Knowing Mickey D's menu however, that would mean a freakin' enormous cash register.

Shunning Bunning

So the GOP is SHUNNING BUNNING. From the article from politico.com, Bunning [R-Kentucky Senator] is depicted as the lunatic grandpa, who forgets what he says and is very defensive about comments he believes he did not make. To summarize the article, the GOP is simply not going to give Bunning money, so he will lose re-election, while finding a new GOP to replace him. But this will probably give the seat to a Democrat. The Republicans are really hoping Bunning will realize he can’t win and plan for retirement, but this guy is no quitter. He seems only more persistent when there are more challenges against him.

And yes, Bunning was a former pitcher for the Phillies.

According to the article:
"In his 2004 race, Bunning said his Democratic challenger Daniel Mongiardo looked like “one of Saddam Hussein’s sons.” He won that race, but only by 1 percentage point in a big GOP year.

Mongiardo, who is now the state’s lieutenant governor, plans to run for the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat, and he called on Bunning last week to bow out of the race, something that may only encourage Bunning to dig in."

Bunning is an interesting guy, no?

So I thought it over, and even though it is harsh to “shun” Bun[ning], it would save the GOP money, or at least used it elsewhere efficiently. Maybe there are nicer ways, but I guess this is politics and I still have a lot to learn.

Maybe Steele can make a move to “urbanize” the GOP here.

Limbaugh: A deliberate distraction or de facto leader?

article: http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/05/limbaugh/index.html#cnnSTCText

The article focused on how Democrats see Rush Limbaugh, a conservative talk show host, as "de facto leader of the GOP," meanwhile, Republicans see this as a scheme to take away the attention from the Democrats' spending proposals. There's a lot of tension between the two parties, as Democrats call Limbaugh as the face of the GOP, and Republicans demand an apology for the "political attack game." This all started when Limbaugh vocalized his desire for President Obama to fail.

Honestly, in a time of great crisis, which we are in now, it's ridiculous to spend so much time and effort to criticize each other. But I guess if I were to lean in favor of one side, I would lean towards the Democrats. I think they made a valid point when they voiced their desire for Republicans to ignore Limbaugh and "start working with President Obama on real solutions for the American people." In such a difficult time, we should try their best to come together on the best possible solution to get America out of its crisis. I really believe we are in a desperate enough situation to put aside differences in thoughts and mediate on a solution. Limbaugh's wanting for President Obama to fail also does not appeal to me because if Obama does really fail, then so does America. It's not an immediate worry whether or not Limbaugh [or others] agrees with Obama's ways; what the focus should be on is figuring out how to better our situation.

But then again, I guess all this is part of politics, and I know politics wouldn't work that way. And part of this would be why I don't do politics. There's no real right or wrong answer to anything, so there will be tension on the differences in ideas. It was still unnecessary for Limbaugh to just call out the president, though. Maybe it'd be more reasonable if a debate between him and Obama actually happened, like how he wants. Maybe then Limbaugh will openly discuss his ideas on the issues instead of just criticizing, and perhaps it will bring light to a new solution.

Senate Republicans force delay on spending bill

WASHINGTON – Senate Republicans, demanding the right to try to change a huge spending bill, forced Democrats on Thursday night to put off a final vote on the measure until next week. The surprise development will force Congress to pass a stopgap funding bill to avoid a partial shutdown of the government.
Republicans have blasted the $410 billion measure as too costly. But the reason for GOP unity in advance of a key procedural vote was that Democrats had not allowed them enough opportunities to offer amendments.
Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., canceled the vote, saying he was one vote short of the 60 needed to close debate and free the bill for President Barack Obama's signature.
Democrats and their allies control 58 seats, though at least a handful of Democrats oppose the measure over its cost or changes in U.S. policy toward Cuba. That meant Democrats needed five or six Republican votes to advance the bill.
None of the GOP's amendments is expected to pass, but votes on perhaps a dozen are now slated for Monday night, Reid said.
The huge, 1,132-page spending bill awards big increases to domestic programs and is stuffed with pet projects sought by lawmakers in both parties. The measure has an extraordinary reach, wrapping together nine spending bills to fund the annual operating budgets of every Cabinet department except for Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs.
Once considered a relatively bipartisan measure, the measure has come under attack from Republicans — and a handful of Democrats — who say it is bloated and filled with wasteful, pork-barrel projects.
The measure was written mostly over the course of last year, before projected deficits quadrupled and Obama's economic recovery bill left many of the same spending accounts swimming in cash.
And, to the embarrassment of Obama — who promised during last year's campaign to force Congress to curb its pork-barrel ways — the bill contains 7,991 pet projects totaling $5.5 billion, according to calculations by the GOP staff of the House Appropriations Committee.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Obama's opponent in last fall's presidential campaign, called the measure "a swollen, wasteful, egregious example of out-of-control spending" and again criticized Obama for pledging to sign the measure despite his earlier promises on earmarks.
"It doesn't sound like he's willing to use his veto pen to back up his vow," McCain said.
The earmarks run the gamut. There's $190,000 for the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyo., $238,000 to fund a deep-sea voyaging program for native Hawaiian youth, agricultural research projects, and grants to local police departments, among many others.
While earmarks have come under attack from conservative watchdog groups and cable television commentators, lawmakers in both parties seek them, arguing they best know the needs of their states and home districts. Under a long-standing tradition, Republicans get about 40 percent of them since they are the minority party.
Several lawmakers took to the floor during the week to defend their projects, including Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who backed $1.7 million for pig odor research. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., promised $3.8 million to preserve and redevelop part of old Tiger Stadium to help revitalize a distressed area of Detroit.
By a 52-42 vote Thursday, Democrats cleared the way for the Obama administration to reverse a rule issued late in the Bush administration reverse that says greenhouse gases cannot be restricted in an effort to protect polar bears from global warming. Another Bush administration rule that reduced the input of federal scientists in endangered species decisions can also be quickly overturned without a lengthy rulemaking process.
The big increases — among them a 21 percent boost for a popular program that feeds infants and poor women and a 10 percent hike for housing vouchers for the poor — represent a clear win for Democrats who spent most of the past decade battling with President George W. Bush over money for domestic programs.
Generous above-inflation increases are spread throughout, including a $2.4 billion, 13 percent increase for the Agriculture Department and a 10 percent increase for the money-losing Amtrak passenger rail system.
Congress also awarded itself a 10 percent increase in its own budget, bringing it to $4.4 billion. But the House inserted a provision denying lawmakers the automatic cost-of-living pay increase they are due next Jan. 1.
Separately, the House on Thursday rejected an effort by Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., to launch an ethics committee investigation into possible connections between campaign contributions made by the PMA Group lobbying firm and special projects designated in the spending bill that benefit clients of the firm. The vote to table, or kill, Flake's resolution was 222-181.





I am sick of reading articles about Republicans Senates are against the package but I agree the package is not healthy for the economics improvement. I personally against government funding to the business directly because it does not help business. The business would continue to loss money and competitive strength. Democratic should cooperate with the Republican more to stimulus the economy. However, I mean President Obama should post some effective way to stimulus like help the business to borrow money easily or create jobs (which is the portion I agree), not funding health care and private business directly.

Obama calls for overhaul of U.S. health care system

Obama has called for the health care reform. Obama has recently been giving a speech where he is deeply promoting the forward direction of Universal Health care. My question for Obama "is this the best way?" Is America ready for a system of this type? Another big thing is that why did Obama decide to go with health care? He said that it was the way that America would be able to stimulate the economy and be able to create a massive amount of jobs for the economic rut that we are in. Mr.Obama even had Ted Kennedy a victim suffering from brain cancer come by and spoke and helped to strengthen the point that there was the great need for medical reform. Obama is also putting aside $634 billion for health-care reserve fund for the next 10 years to help achieve the goal of universal coverage. He also would require senior citizens making more than $170,000 annually to pay a greater share of their prescription drug costs under Medicare.
Melody Barnes, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, said that the costs for medicare are "exploding" that people are getting less and less money and yet they continue to see their premiums go higher and higher. As director of the White House Office on Health Reform,Nancy-Ann DeParle, the new health czar, will work with Kansas governor Sebelius as the president's point person coordinating outreach to Congress on health care issues.The administration also is planning to hold five regional health care summits in the weeks ahead to help sell Obama's health care plan. There is a drive to a national conversation regarding Health care.
I believe that times are going to get worse and worse. Who knows just how bad the economy will become i think all we have to do is wait and see. There is no money anywhere and people are dropping more and more into debt. Especially within America. Next month there will be an increase on the taxes moving from 8.25% to a 9.25%. Just how bad can it be? I can only hope that President Obama's plans are for the better. With his dedicated plan to push for medicare to become universal and in the process help to stimulate the economy and also create millions of new jobs. One can only hope that this plan will work because if it doesn't end up working just how bad will the American people have to pay for it?

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/05/health.care.summit/index.html