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WonderGrunion's Journal
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/01/world/mi...
BAGHDAD — Under increased pressure from the United States, an Iraqi crackdown on Iranian-backed Shiite militias has helped produce a previously elusive goal: For the first time since the American invasion of Iraq, an entire month has passed without a single United States service member dying. At War The milestone is particularly remarkable because it comes after 14 troops were killed in July, making it the most deadly month for the Americans in three years, and it has occurred amid a frightening campaign of suicide bombings and assassinations from Sunni insurgents that killed hundreds of Iraqis, resurrecting the specter of the worst days of sectarian fighting. “If you had thought about a month without a death back during the surge in 2007, it would have been pretty hard to imagine because we were losing soldiers every day, dozens a week,” said Col. Douglas Crissman, who is in charge of American forces in four provinces of southern Iraq and oversaw a battalion in Anbar Province during the troop increase. “I think this shows how far the Iraqi security forces have come.” None of the roughly 48,000 troops in Iraq were killed in August, a remarkable if fragile achievement, officials said. In all, 4,465 American soldiers have died here since the United States invasion in 2003, according to Defense Department figures. It appears combat operations really are over in Iraq.  And so is Soylent Green.
 Mittens is a moron. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/27/us/polit...
4 Charged in Incident at Office of Senator  NEW ORLEANS — The conservative activist who in January had been accused of tampering with the telephone system of Senator Mary L. Landrieu — a felony — will instead face only misdemeanor charges in the case, federal prosecutors said Friday. The charges against the activist, James O’Keefe III, and three other men were made public in a bill of information, which often indicates that a plea deal has been made. The new charge of entering the senator’s office on false pretenses comes with a maximum of six months in prison and a fine of $5,000. The original felony charges could have resulted in up to 10 years of prison time. “We worked out an agreement with the government,” said J. Garrison Jordan, who represents Robert Flanagan, 24, the only New Orleans resident to be involved in the case. Yes I am. :fistbump:
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/pr... /  No. 6: Create an Advanced Manufacturing Fund to invest in peer-reviewed manufacturing processes No. 16: Increase minority access to capital No. 17: Require economic justification for tax changes No. 26: Implement "Women Owned Business" contracting program No. 27: Change standards for determining broadband access No. 33: Establish a credit card bill of rights No. 36: Expand loan programs for small businesses No. 40: Extend and index the 2007 Alternative Minimum Tax patch No. 48: Close the "doughnut hole" in Medicare prescription drug plan No. 50: Expand the Senior Corps volunteer program No. 51: Require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions No. 53: Give tax credits to those who need help to pay health premiums No. 55: Require large employers to contribute to a national health plan No. 56: Require children to have health insurance coverage No. 57: Expand eligibility for Medicaid No. 58: Expand eligibility for State Children's Health Insurance Fund (SCHIP) No. 63: Require health plans to disclose how much of the premium goes to patient care No. 65: Establish an independent health institute to provide accurate and objective information No. 69: In non-competitive markets, force insurers to pay out a reasonable share of their premiums for patient care No. 70: Eliminate the higher subsidies to Medicare Advantage plans No. 76: Expand funding to train primary care providers and public health practitioners No. 77: Increase funding to expand community based prevention programs No. 93: Reinstate executive order to hire an additional 100,000 federal employees with disabilities within five years. No. 105: Increase the Veterans Administration budget to recruit and retain more mental health professionals No. 109: Fully fund the Veterans Administration No. 110: Assure that the Veterans Administration budget is prepared as 'must-pass' legislation No. 113: Expand the Veterans Administration's number of "centers of excellence" in specialty care No. 119: Appoint a special adviser to the president on violence against women No. 121: Fully fund the Violence Against Women Act No. 125: Direct military leaders to end war in Iraq No. 126: Begin removing combat brigades from Iraq No. 132: No permanent bases in Iraq No. 134: Send two additional brigades to Afghanistan No. 154: Strengthen and expand military exchange programs with other countries No. 156: Make greater investment in advanced military air technology No. 161: End the abuse of supplemental budgets for war No. 167: Make U.S. military aid to Pakistan conditional on anti-terror efforts No. 174: Give a speech at a major Islamic forum in the first 100 days of his administration No. 182: Allocate Homeland Security funding according to risk No. 184: Create a real National Infrastructure Protection Plan No. 188: Increase funding for local emergency planning No. 197: Stand down nuclear forces to be reduced under the Moscow Treaty No. 200: Appoint a White House Coordinator for Nuclear Security No. 204: Initiate a grant and training program for law enforcement to deter cyber crime No. 208: Improve relations with Turkey, and its relations with Iraqi Kurds No. 212: Launch an international Add Value to Agriculture Initiative (AVTA) No. 215: Create a rapid response fund for emerging democracies No. 222: Grant Americans unrestricted rights to visit family and send money to Cuba No. 224: Restore funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne/JAG) program No. 225: Establish an Energy Partnership for the Americas No. 229: Expand the Nurse-Family Partnership to all low-income, first-time mothers No. 239: Release presidential records No. 241: Require new hires to sign a form affirming their hiring was not due to political affiliation or contributions. No. 244: Provide affordable, high-quality child care No. 247: Recruit math and science degree graduates to the teaching profession No. 259: Reduce subsidies to private student lenders and protect student borrowers No. 266: Encourage water-conservation efforts in the West No. 269: Increase funding for national parks and forests No. 270: Increase funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund No. 272: Encourage farmers to use more renewable energy and be more energy efficient No. 275: Expand Pell grants for low-income students No. 277: Pursue a wildfire management plan No. 278: Remove more brush, small trees and vegetation that fuel wildfires No. 279: More controlled burns to reduce wildfires No. 284: Expand access to places to hunt and fish No. 290: Push for enactment of Matthew Shepard Act, which expands hate crime law to include sexual orientation and other factors No. 297: Restore funding to the EEOC and the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs No. 300: Reform mandatory minimum sentences No. 307: Create a White House Office on Urban Policy No. 308: Fully fund the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) No. 310: Establish program to convert manufacturing centers into clean technology leaders No. 315: Establish 'Promise Neighborhoods' for areas of concentrated poverty No. 325: Create an artist corps for schools No. 326: Champion the importance of arts education No. 327: Support increased funding for the NEA No. 328: Promote cultural diplomacy No. 332: Add another Space Shuttle flight No. 334: Use the private sector to improve spaceflight No. 335: Work with international allies on space station No. 336: Partner to enhance the potential of the International Space Station No. 337: Use the International Space Station for fundamental biological and physical research No. 338: Explore whether International Space Station can operate after 2016 No. 340: Conduct robust research and development on future space missions No. 341: Increase spending to prepare for longer space missions No. 342: Work toward deploying a global climate change research and monitoring system No. 345: Enhance earth mapping No. 346: Appoint an assistant to the president for science and technology policy No. 349: Support commercial access to space No. 351: Establish school programs to highlight space and science achievements No. 356: Establish special crime programs for the New Orleans area No. 359: Rebuild schools in New Orleans No. 371: Fund a major expansion of AmeriCorps No. 377: Create a Social Investment Fund Network No. 380: Bolster the military's ability to speak different languages No. 391: Appoint the nation's first Chief Technology Officer No. 394: Provide grants to early-career researchers No. 411: Work to overturn Ledbetter vs. Goodyear No. 420: Create a national declassification center No. 421: Appoint an American Indian policy adviser No. 422: Create new financial regulations No. 425: Increase funding for land-grant colleges No. 427: Ban lobbyist gifts to executive employees No. 433: Sign a "universal" health care bill No. 435: Create new criminal penalties for mortgage fraud No. 449: Raise fuel economy standards No. 458: Invest in all types of alternative energy No. 459: Enact tax credit for consumers for plug-in hybrid cars No. 460: Ask people and businesses to conserve electricity No. 466: Create a 'Green Vet Initiative' to promote environmental jobs for veterans No. 467: Create job training programs for clean technologies No. 475: Require states to provide incentives for utilities to reduce energy consumption No. 480: Support high-speed rail No. 483: Invest in public transportation No. 484: Equalize tax breaks for driving and public transit No. 494: Share environmental technology with other countries No. 495: Double federal spending for research on clean fuels No. 498: Provide grants to encourage energy-efficient building codes No. 500: Increase funding for the Environmental Protection Agency No. 502: Get his daughters a puppy No. 503: Appoint at least one Republican to the cabinet No. 506: Raise the small business investment expensing limit to $250,000 through the end of 2009 No. 507: Extend unemployment insurance benefits and temporarily suspend taxes on these benefits No. 513: Reverse restrictions on stem cell research I’m proud to be a woodchuck. Pragmatic Democrats have been able to accomplish a huge number of positive changes to America under the stewardship of President Obama. He has restored my faith that government can be used to demonstrate how liberal values can restore hope to an America left in shambles by the Repukes.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/pr... / White House provides funding for advanced manufacturing technologies Updated: Friday, December 4th, 2009 | By Louis Jacobson It goes by a different name, but the White House on Aug. 5, 2009, announced $2.4 billion in high-tech manufacturing grants that sound a lot like the "Advanced Manufacturing Fund" Barack Obama promised during the campaign. The grants are geared toward keeping American companies at the forefront of emerging manufacturing technologies. The 48 grants announced in August, which were authorized under the economic stimulus package passed in February, will fund "the manufacturing and deployment of electric vehicles, batteries and components" in the United States, according to the White House. The winners were selected through "a highly competitive process by the Department of Energy" and represent "the single largest investment in advanced battery technology for hybrid and electric-drive vehicles ever made." The federal funds must be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis by the recipients. The grants include $1.5 billion for making batteries, battery components and expanding battery recycling capacity; $500 million for electric drive components for vehicles, including electric motors, power electronics and other drive train components; and $400 million to purchase thousands of plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles for test demonstrations, deployment, evaluation, and infrastructure installation, as well as work force training to support the shift to electric transportation systems. We consider this a Promise Kept. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/pr... / Economic stimulus sends money to minority-owned business Updated: Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 | By Angie Drobnic Holan The Small Business Administration is one of several federal agencies that has seen its mission expanded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Officials with the SBA said the stimulus has provided $14.7 billion in small business loans as of Nov. 13, 2009. Twenty percent of that has gone to minority-owned firms. (Just FYI, rural firms received 26 percent, women-owned firms received 19 percent and veteran-owned firms have received 9 percent.) Additionally, on Aug. 18, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Small Business administrator Karen Mills announced a public outreach to small businesses owned by minorities, women and veterans to tell them about contracts available through the economic stimulus. Officials said their goal was to host or participate in 200 events over 90 days to share information on government contracting opportunities. This is not to say that advocates for minority-owned businesses are entirely pleased with the administration. Time magazine reported that in some cases, stimulus money is bypassing low-income communities and going to more affluent areas where there are fewer minority-owned businesses. The Obama administration has said it's working to make sure stimulus money goes to disadvantaged business enterprises. Still, it's hard not to see the stimulus as increasing access to capital, and the Obama administration is specifically targeting minority-owned businesses. We rate it Promise Kept. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/pr... / Law sets rule to prevent tax dodges Updated: Thursday, June 10th, 2010 | By Angie Drobnic Holan It's called the "economic substance doctrine." What it means is that people aren't allowed to find creative ways to avoid paying their taxes. Here's how the U.S. Treasury Department defines it: "The common-law 'economic substance' doctrine generally denies tax benefits from a transaction that does not meaningfully change a taxpayer’s economic position, other than tax consequences, even if the transaction literally satisfies the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code." In practice, the economic substance doctrine applies in court cases when tax filers, usually companies, are being sued for tax evasion. Tax filers have to prove that financial transactions that appear to be simple tax dodges actually benefit them. The measure is expected to generate a relatively small amount of new tax revenue, about $4.5 billion over 10 years, according to the the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation. The economic substance doctrine was put into law as little-noticed part of the health care overhaul. We rate this Promise Kept. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/pr... / Broadband map started Updated: Tuesday, June 29th, 2010 | By Lukas Pleva It's been over a year and a half since we last reviewed President Barack Obama's campaign pledge to direct the Federal Communications Commission to provide an accurate map of broadband availability. In January 2009, we rated the promise In the Works, since the stimulus bill that Congress was considering at the time included a proposal for a "comprehensive, nationwide broadband inventory map." Obama signed the stimulus into law on Feb. 17, 2010, so we wanted to see how things have unfolded since then. It turns out that the FCC voted to change the standards for how broadband access is measured back in March 2008. Before then, 200 kilobits per second was considered "high speed." Following the vote, the low end for "basic broadband" is 768 Kbps. The FCC also now requires Internet service providers to report both the data upload and download speeds and the number of subscribers, among other detailed metrics. The money that comes from the grants will be used for broadband data collection and mapping activities. "Awardees will collect and verify the availability, speed, and location of broadband across the state. This activity is to be conducted on a semi-annual basis in the next two years, with the data to be presented in a clear and accessible format to the public, government, and the research community," according to the NTIA. Ultimately, the government plans to compile all of the state-level data to create and publish a national map of broadband availability by Feb. 17, 2011. Critics of the program charge that it's too expensive and that the federal government is already distributing grants for broadband expansion projects, despite the map not being scheduled for release until early next year. Still, President Obama promised to direct the creation of a broadband availability map under new standards. Our research shows that the project is well under way. We rate this Promise Kept. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/pr... / Obama signs credit card bill of rights Updated: Friday, May 22nd, 2009 | By Catharine Richert On the campaign trail, President Barack Obama promised to clean up the credit card industry by establishing a consumers bill of rights. No more "any time, any reason" rate increases, no more confusing contracts, he said. Once in office, Obama wasted little time weaving that promise into speeches and town hall meetings, saying that "it’s time for reform that is built on transparency, accountability, and mutual responsibility — values fundamental to the new foundation we seek to build for our economy." On April 23, 2009, he told credit card company executives that he was supporting the consumer credit card bill of rights already inching its way through Congress. The bill passed and Obama signed it on May 22, 2009, despite worries from the banking industry that it would reduce credit availability during the economic crisis. In large part, the law fulfills Obama's campaign pledge: It prevents creditors from imposing arbitrary rate increases on customers, it prohibits most rate increases meant to penalize consumers for late payments on unrelated accounts, and it requires companies to post credit agreements on the Internet, among other things. Obama promised voters a credit card bill of rights that prevents arbitrary rate hikes and makes contracts clear, and nearly every line of the new law matches Obama's pledge. Even though the law does not prohibit interest on fees, consumer advocates who have spent years lobbying on the issue say the bill represents a major step forward for consumers. As a result, we give Obama a Promise Kept. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/pr... / Obama announces incentives for small business loans Updated: Wednesday, March 18th, 2009 | By Angie Drobnic Holan President Obama gave small business some love when he announced he was expanding programs for the Small Business Administration on March 16, 2009. "Our recovery in the present and our prosperity in the future depend upon the success of America's small businesses and entrepreneurs," he said. The Obama administration announced it was increasing the amount it would guarantee to private lenders making loans under Small Business Administration (SBA) programs. Previously, the federal government would guarantee 85 percent for loans at or below $150,000 and up to 75 percent for larger loans. Under the new program, the government will guarantee up to 90 percent of all loans for a limited time. Obama promised he would expand Small Business Administration loan programs. The SBA does not lend money directly, so these moves have the effect of expanding the program by increasing incentives for private lenders. These efforts are temporary, but Obama specifically said he would be outlining further steps on behalf of small businesses in the weeks and months ahead. For now, the Obameter moves to Promise Kept. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/pr... -/ Alternative Minimum Tax patch is in the stimulus bill Updated: Tuesday, February 17th, 2009 | By Angie Drobnic Holan During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama and Republican nominee John McCain promised they would extend and index for inflation a "patch" to fix the Alternative Minimum Tax. Commonly called the AMT, it is a separate income tax that was intended to ensure that wealthy people did not use loopholes to avoid paying taxes. If you reach a certain minimum income level, you have to pay this tax regardless of your deductions and exemptions. The trouble is that the AMT, unlike the standard system, is not indexed for inflation. More and more people have hit the threshold, and when they do they end up paying higher taxes. Increasingly, the AMT is becoming a burden for the middle class. During negotiations on the bill that would become The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the AMT patch was added in the Senate, where the bill needed Republican support to overcome a threat of filibuster. (Three Republican senators ultimately joined Democrats in voting for the bill.) The AMT patch may not have been as high-profile as some of Obama's other promises, but he made the pledge, and it was in the bill. Promise Kept. More at the following link: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/pr... / |
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