President Obama's Weekly Radio Address

A message from the Transporation Secretary to Senator John Kyl (R-Arizona)

The White House fights back via the Transporation Secretary, as Senator Kyl expresses his point-of-view with respect to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Kyl "publicly questioned whether the stimulus is working and stated that he wants to cancel projects that aren't presently under way," LaHood wrote Brewer. "If you prefer to forfeit the money we are making available to your state, as Senator Kyl suggests, please let me know." source: AP News - My Way

[snip]

On the Net:

Kyl column on stimulus: http://kyl.senate.gov/record.cfm?id315337

White House: http://www.whitehouse.gov

President Obama's Weekly Radio Address

The Day in 100 Seconds: Viagra and Candy

It is Thursday, we're not in a free fall, not in a recovery either, I don't know when, bigger then ever, we will come out big time, Congressional report, stimulus money, misspent, no strings attached basis, second stimulus, I'm committed to the first stimulus, time to work, it's not working, poorly designed, poorly executed, turkey, second one may well be called for, hope it doesn't get watered down, like taking 1/2 tablet of Viagra, bunch of candy, new dust up between congress and the CIA, CIA lying since 2001, don't really want to know, American people want to see, on the level, political theater, bizarre episode, attacking the CIA, making the Speaker look good, dangerous, very, very bizarre, driving the Republicans to distraction, any excuse will do, looking for some adult supervision, oversight responsibility, and that's that

'Buy American' in my neck of the woods

I've never been a great reader, but I'm trying to make myself read more in a tight budget. I have taken to refer to my reading adventures as 'in retrospect'.

I'm reading this book that I got for a buck ninety-nine at Town and Country Market about the newspaper biz. It's called Backstory by Ken Auletta. It was apparently outdated when it first came out as evidenced by the reader reviews at Amazon. I'm way too 'low-income' to purchase new releases so I am years late but I think sometimes it may be a good thing.

Right now I'm reading about what happened to change the Chicago Tribune. Oy vey.

We've sat here in Northwest Indiana watching our local old timey newspaper from childhood formerly known as The Vidette Messenger get swallowed up and turned into something unrecognizable. We don't read the bigger local newspapers anymore, but we still adore The Chesterton Tribune.

I guess we're are just too old school for the modern world in some respects. We have often pondered (not with any great degree of intensity) how we could start a newspaper modeled on The Chesterton Tribune in Valparaiso, but just haven't gotten around to it, mostly because we know nothing about starting and running a newspaper.

We're not dead yet though, so I guess there's still time.

Commissioner President Robert Harper and North County Commissioner John Evans both endorsed a “buy-American” resolution presented by Rosa Maria Rodriguez and other members of United Steelworkers Local 1010. Commissioner Carole Knoblock was absent.

Rodriguez said more than 500 states, towns, and other public entities have signed similar resolutions pledging to purchase American-made materials, whenever feasible, with the funds they will get through the American Recovery and Revitalization Act passed earlier this year by Congress. source: The Amazing Chesterton Tribune

I do believe that the Act is called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, although revitalization is also very, very good as well.

Video: President Obama on his 100th Day

Mesothelioma and The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

This was written by Richard Moyle of the National Awareness Coordinator for the Mesothelioma Cancer Center. Richard asked if I would take part in getting the word out, so here it is folks.

If you have any questions, please contact Richard at richard@asbestos.com.

Tax Credits, Better Health for Those That Remodel Green

On February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law. Included in this act were extensions of the Energy Efficiency Tax Incentives first enacted in 2005 as well as some new tax credits for people building or remodeling their homes using eco-friendly or “green” materials.

Existing homes are eligible for a series of efficiency measures that pertain to the home shell (Insulation, Windows, Sealing) worth 30% of the installed cost (materials only, labor is not included in the credit basis).

Homeowners can get tax credits for:

• Adding insulation to walls, ceilings, or other part of the building envelope that meets the 2009 IECC (& supplements) specifications.

• Replacing windows and skylights, and exterior doors which are equal to or below a 0.30 U factor and a Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) of 0.30.

• Sealing cracks in the building shell and ducts to reduce infiltration and heat loss - these should be sealed so as to be consistent with the 2009 IECC.

• Window films certified by the manufacturer that the product meets the requirements of a "qualifying insulation system."

• Pigmented metal roofs, or an asphalt roof with cooling granules must meet Energy Star requirements.

These “green” home modifications will help save on energy costs and provide tax credits, but some of them may even be better for your health. For example, if you live in a home built before 1970, odds are it was insulated with asbestos. Replacing the asbestos with an alternative insulation material like cotton fiber, lycene foam or cellulose is more energy efficient and reduces the risk of asbestos exposure.

Asbestos is the only known cause of a rare and deadly cancer known as mesothelioma. This type of cancer forms in the lining of organs (usually the lungs) and doesn’t show symptoms until about 15 to 25 years after exposure. Because of the long latency period, a mesothelioma diagnosis is not usually made until it is too late for treatment to be effective.

Most people are unaware of the fact that eco-friendly products can cut energy costs by 25 to 35% per year. Rather than expensive and mal-treated wood, interior walls can be made from steel and concrete, avoiding many of the problems associated with asbestos and other insulation methods. There are a number of alternative types of insulation that can be used that are more eco-friendly than asbestos and don’t pose any danger to your health. The United States Department of Energy has a list of insulation “Energy Savers” you can use when making plans to remodel your home.

"We definitely need to bail out the hungry"

Help somebody, if you can. It's better to be hated for who you are, than loved for who you're not.

The economic stimulus plan provides $150 million for food banks. Advocates for the hungry say it can't arrive soon enough.

By David Goldman, CNNMoney.com staff writer

Last Updated: February 24, 2009: 2:05 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- For Jesse Taylor, the debate over the federal stimulus plan wasn't about politicians trying to score points or economists parsing the unemployment rate.

It was about the growing ranks of hungry people lining up outside his Harlem food pantry.

"We're in the midst of a perfect storm: We've received budget cuts, we've seen an increase in the number of people coming in, and we've seen the cost of food going up," said Taylor, senior director of Community Kitchen, a food pantry and soup kitchen run by the New York City Food Bank.

On a recent cold morning, the unassuming and friendly Taylor greeted members of the community -- some of whom he has come to know by name -- waiting to enter the pantry for a bundle of groceries.

"We definitely need to bail out the hungry," Taylor said.

The $787 billion economic stimulus plan signed by President Obama on Feb. 17 allocates $150 million to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Emergency Food Assistance Program.

The 28-year old program, known as TEFAP, sends shipments of federally purchased food to states, which in turn gets the food in the hands of large food banks. The food banks then allocate the food to soup kitchens and pantries that serve people in need.

The $150 million for TEFAP provided by stimulus about doubles the amount of money allotted to the program in 2009, and the funds will be distributed starting soon, according to the USDA. But with the economic situation still deteriorating, people on the front lines of the nation's hunger problem worry that it's not enough.

"It's a great first step, and we're grateful to the administration for putting those funds into TEFAP," said Taylor, whose parent agency is set to receive about $6 million more in food this year because of the stimulus package. "But it's not enough to cover all the people coming in and requesting emergency food assistance." read more at CNN Money

One of my favorite songs, 'Help Somebody' by Van Zant.

Hey, listen to me squirt!

Enjoy, and help somebody if you can.

Cherry Pickin' Stimulus: Alaskan Governor rejects 31%

Don't need all of the cotton pickin' stimulus funds so cherry pickin' it is.

JUNEAU, Alaska - It's up to the Alaska Legislature to request hundreds of millions of dollars in federal stimulus funds from the federal government.

Gov. Sarah Palin said Thursday that she would accept only 69 percent of the estimated $930 million dollars that could flow to the state, including $514 million for capital projects and $128 million for a hike in Medicaid reimbursement.

Palin said she would accept money that is "timely, targeted and temporary" and does not create strings that will bind the state in the future.

"I can't attest to every fund that's being offered the state in the stimulus package will be used to create jobs and stimulate the economy, so I'm requesting only those things that I know will," Palin said at a news conference at the Capitol. "Public discussion will have to ensue on all those other dollars that some will say 'you left on the table. source: read more at Examiner.com

18% Unemployment Rate: 'Feed the Children' takes care of folks in Elkhart, Indiana

Elkhart is a couple of hours East of where I am.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

This was Elkhart, Indiana when they received President Barack Obama for a town hall on the economic stimulus plan. The unemployment rate in early February was 15.3%.

Part One

Part Two

Here's how we're doing in my neck of the woods.

According to data released on Friday by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, in January the unemployment rate in Porter County hit 9.2 percent, compared to the national rate in the same period of 8.5 percent. It was still marginally lower than the state rate of 9.9 percent.

Disturbingly, Porter County’s 9.2 percent unemployment rate in January represents a significant increase of nearly two full points over the 7.4 percent rate in December 2008, the greatest monthly uptick since the rate started galloping last fall (4.5 percent in October, 5.8 percent in November). And that 9.2 percent rate represents better than a doubling of the 4.3 rate in January 2008. source: The Chesterton Tribune

We're not sitting pretty by a long shot, but Elkhart has twice as many worries.

I watched the 'Feed the Children' infomercials on television before. I equate that organization with helping other impoverished nations, not the United States of America. It's good that they are here to help folks like those in Elkhart, Indiana, but it's awfully hard to think that some of our fellow citizens are in such dire straights these days.

If you've got an inkling to help out some American families, here's the link. God bless them and you.

On the 'brink of a depression'

Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, one of the three Republicans who voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, told reporters at the state Capitol in PA that the nation is on the 'brink of a depression'.

"Our economic problems are enormously serious - more serious than is publicly disclosed. And I think we're on the brink of a depression," he told reporters at the state Capitol. source: Examiner - Indianapolis

Senator Specter also remarked that he believed the stimulus package has a 'reasonable chance' of easing the situation.

Paul Begala on Ring of Fire with Mike Papantonio

I like it when Begala allows his Southern accent to shine through. I actually wish he'd do it more often.

Part One

Part Two

Jonathan Alter on Countdown

I listened to Howard Fineman's view of taking on Rush, who says not a smart idea. Alter and Fineman both made good points but Alter says that imprinting what Limbaugh said in people's minds is a good thing. Fineman not so much.

Personally, as an everyday person watching the news, I'm sick of watching and listening to Rush Limbaugh. But then, I don't forget what he said. Others do.

That is to say there's been an imprint on my brain for quite some time.

I especially like what Alter said about The New Deal and government spending with respect to the Republican's repeated argument against the fact that The New Deal and government spending actually got us out of The Great Depression.

Government spending didn't get us out of The Great Depression, even though unemployment went from 25% to 15% once the Deal's programs were put into action and put people to work. The New Deal didn't work. It was WWII that got us out of The Great Depression they say, which by the way was massive government spending.

It's such a ridiculous argument but they keep repeating it. This statement by Alter needs to be imprinted on people's brains even more so than any comments by Rush Limbaugh.

Greenville, SC Tea Party

Louisiana seeks a 'magentic levitation' line from stimulus funds

I think that Jindal must have mocked the fast rail as 'magnetic levitation' so he would not have to use the oft repeated phrase in Republican circles lately, namely, 'Sin City to Disney Land' due to the fact that in some folks eyes, Louisiana has a 'Sin City' of it's own in New Orleans.

I personally see New Orleans more like Disney Land myself.

The proposed rail line in Louisiana will be from New Orleans to Baton Rouge.

I hope they get there high speed rail line. I hope that Las Vegas gets one too. We need more high speed rail.

The Associated PressLouisiana's transportation department plans to request federal dollars for a New Orleans to Baton Rouge passenger rail service.

The $8 billion pot is for high-

The high-speed rail line, a topic of discussion for years, would require $110 million to upgrade existing freight lines and terminals to handle a passenger train operation, said Mark Lambert, spokesman for the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.

Jindal on Tuesday delivered the official Republican Party response to President Barack Obama's address to Congress. He criticized the stimulus package passed by the Democratic-majority in Congress and the president and noted examples of projects that he found objectionable.

"While some of the projects in the bill make sense, their legislation is larded with wasteful spending," Jindal said. "It includes ... $8 billion for high-speed rail projects, such as a 'magnetic levitation' line from Las Vegas to Disneyland."

The $8 billion pot is for high-speed rail and inter-city passenger rail service projects. The Federal Railroad Administration will make decisions about which grant applications to approve but has not yet released the rules and requirements that will determine the awards process. Emphasis will be placed on projects that are near ready for implementation so that the stimulus money can hit the streets soon.

Jindal oversees the state transportation department and appointed its secretary.

source: nola.com

Lousiana Democrats react to Jindal

Not so happy Louisiana Democrats express themselves Wednesday on the steps of the Capitol in Baton Rouge.

..."He is spending his time promoting himself on national talk shows and disparaging the president's economic recovery plan," Rep. Patricia Smith said.

[snip]

"Why would we tell Washington that we don't want a reinvestment of those tax dollars that we sent, just a small piece of it back," Rep. Karen Carter Peterson said. "It doesn't make any sense for us to turn this money down," Rep. Sam Jones said. "It doesn't make any sense for us to not accept what we are going to pay for anyway."

[snip]

"How on Earth can you, in good conscience, not take money for people who are unemployed or people that are sick?" Rep. Yvonne Dorsey said. Democrats also lashed out at the Republican governor's portrayal of Louisiana as, at one time, "half under water, the other half under indictment."

"I don't care how he phrased it," Dorsey said. "It was absolutely a slap in the face for every Louisianan in this state." Democrats said that, because the bill has been passed and part of the tax dollars came from Louisiana, Louisiana is due the money.

"Like the governor of California said -- if we don't take it, California will take it," Jones said. source: WSDU.com - New Orleans News

Front Page: The President's Address to Congress

From Organizing for America Blog

Nobody Messes With Joe: CBS Morning Show Interview --Good Morning Mr. Vice President

VP Biden Talks Stimulus Plan On CBS Morning Show

Source: The Political Carnival

Carmel, Indiana: Indiana school bracing for teacher layoffs as budgets cut

We will probably be seeing more and more of these types of stories as time goes on.

source: Channel 8 Wish TV

CARMEL, Ind. (WISH) - Two local school districts have announced plans to cut their budgets. The move is likely to lead to layoffs.

Carmel expects to reduce spending by a million and a half dollars, which is likely to mean the loss of almost 20 teaching positions.

Superintendent Barbara Underwood said cuts in Carmel would be spread through every level of the district. She hopes the changes can come through attrition, but she's not counting on it.

"Retirements and resignations are running very low compared to most years, which I don't think surprises any of us," said Underwood.

A member of the teachers union says the teacher layoffs would not be needed if the district eliminated six administrative positions.

Carmel's school board will vote on the plan at its March 23 meeting. read more here

Video: Schumer to Governors on stimulus package - 'They ought to take it or leave it...'

See also text of Schumer's instructions to Peter Orszag regarding stimulus funds not being 'a la carte'.