Posts with the tag budget

Democracy - Demonic Missionaries

Gene Madison — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 23:17:38 EST

We are led to believe law and money related concerns are too complex to fully understand without the proper education, and any attempt to learn is futile. Learning is never futile, as a matter of fact, the law system would be better served if the people were made to defend themselves, and only receive advice from counsel. Post will hopefully bring some attention to those seemingly unaffected, but the future is at stake.
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Constitution
Com - Together; intensive prefix + statuere "to set, fix, stitch"; Constitution "health, strength, vitality" prior to 1689 as a non-political object.
Destitute
de- "away, take from" + statuere "put, place"
Institute
in- "in" + statuere "establish, to cause to stand"; General sense of "set up, found, introduce"
unconstitutional
1734, un- "not" + Com- "Together" + statuere "to set, fix, stitch"
Conspiracy
Com - Together; piracy - from Greek Peirates "brigand, pirate," literally "one who attacks" and attributed to "one who takes another's work without authority"

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For a party claiming to represent democracy, the democratic party still refuses to bring the question regarding impeachment to the floor. Personally, I believe that all people should be held accountable for their actions. If not to punish for wrong doings, then to put to rest any and all speculation regarding the Bush Administrations actions. Misrepresentation is still fraud when you benefit from information knowing it was false. Congress is currently represented by people who do not feel a duty to hold people responsible for making poor decisions. They not only impose upon the Citizens they represent, but when they (Congress) put the 'country' into debt, they obligate the people to pay for those mistakes. This isn't working anymore. Each and every cause of the American Revolution exists today in the Federal Establishment, yet we do nothing, we don't know any better to see the obvious staring us right in the face.

PA-05: McCracken for Congress -- Turning Around This Country Will Require Tough Choices and Leaders

Victor M. Ordonez — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 14:55:44 EDT

This past Friday morning in Venango County all 3 candidates for the 5th Congressional District appeared at the Venango County Chamber of Commerce Breakfast Candidate Forum. During this event, the issue of fiscal responsibility, the $482 billion budget deficit and the $9.7 trillion federal debt came up several times. Fiscal responsibility is perhaps the single issue that clearly defines the difference between me and my opponents in this campaign.

Budget Awareness Bumper Sticker

Armen — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 18:58:43 EDT

I know I harp on this a lot but it is something that really concerns me so I am going to make sure everyone and there Mom hears about the economic issues that the US is putting itself in...I found this awesome bumper sticker that tells us about how much we are losing every moment of every day. I am not sure if there number is right, but it looks right and this is some scary stuff....

timeyourreadthis
by

Libertymaniacs

funny bumper stickers At www.zazzle.comSee more Jokes Bumper Stickers

PA-05: McCracken for Congress -- Weekly Update -- August 3, 2008

Victor M. Ordonez — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:35:35 EDT

White House Announces Bush Administration to Leave a Record Budget Deficit of $482 Billion.

Since January when we began our campaign for the 5th District seat in the US Congress, I've consistently stressed that my biggest concern is the fiscal mess that has happened in Washington. This week, White House officials admitted the Bush administration would leave office in January 2009 with a record budget deficit sitting on the books of $482 BILLION. This record $482 billion deficit is coupled with a record debt of $9.5 trillion.

On January 20th, 2001, when George W. Bush was sworn in to his first term in office and the Republican Party had control of both houses of Congress, the United States government had a record budget surplus, our economy was in a period of record expansion and the national debt was being paid down. In fact, if the Bush administration would have continued the fiscally responsible polices from the 90's by continuing to grow the surplus and pay down the debt, the federal debt could have been retired by 2013.

Offshore Drilling and Balancing the Budget

Politically Active — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:55:42 EDT

This is a joint post about two unrelated topics. To start, offshore drilling.

Offshore drilling will do absolutely nothing for your gas prices. It is a stupid idea that is bad for wildlife. We need to move away from oil. Dick Cheney's drill, drill, drill strategy hasn't worked and will never work. Don't let Mac and Doubleya fool you on this one.

I am also wary of Obama because all he wants to do is spend. Faith-based initiative, things like that. It is a well-known fact that he won't balance the budget. Having a balanced budget is important. Bill Clinton was able to acheive a somewhat balanced budget, but generally Democrats haven't cared about the budget. This worries me.

Peace.

Wheat crops in Africa and Asia threatened by Ug99

Jim Callahan — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:55:58 EDT

The financial press is reporting that a variety of a
black stem rust fungus called Ug99 after its discovery in Uganda in 1999 is spreading into Kenya and threatens wheat crops in Africa and Asia. Europe is not expected to be affected because of climate and because mountains form natuaral barriers to the wind borne spore. Budget cuts to USDA labs in the US and international labs funded by USAID may delay vital research.

The disease isn't expected to pose a serious threat to European wheat areas, some experts say, because it can't tolerate frost. In addition, the Alps and the Pyrenees provide natural barriers against spores transported by the wind.

The potential for crop loss in Africa, the Middle East and south Asia is higher. Based on wind patterns and the rate of spread, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says countries in the immediate path of Ug99 grow 25% of global production.
* * *
Of particular concern is a relatively new, aggressive strain of black stem rust, called Ug99 for its 1999 discovery in Uganda, which has spread to Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen and Iran. Most commercial wheat grown world-wide has no resistance to the disease. The threat comes at a time when wheat stockpiles have shrunk because of bad weather and strong demand for wheat-based foods.
* * *
Fears that the disease may have spread to Pakistan haven't been confirmed, experts say, but Pakistan is a concern because of its proximity to India, the world's third-largest wheat producer.
* * *
"This new strain of rust has the big potential to destroy right now the major commercial wheat varieties, especially in the irrigated areas where there's high use of fertilizer, be it organic or inorganic," said Norman Borlaug, professor of international agriculture at Texas A&M University.
* * *
Ug99 poses a more serious threat to commercial crops than even the U.S. black-stem-rust epidemic of 1954 that destroyed 40% of the U.S. wheat crop, experts said.
* * *
There are some signs of hope. Scientists in the U.S. are finding effective resistance to Ug99. But many of these sources are wild relatives of wheat, and there are problems with moving the ability to resist Ug99 into commercially viable seed.

"We're fortunate here in that we've hopefully got quite a few years of lead time," said Marty Carson, research leader with the Cereals Disease Laboratory in St. Paul, Minn., a division of the U.S. Agriculture Department's Agricultural Research Service. "We're not in the situation, for example, of say India and Pakistan," which face more immediate threats.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121185245470521741.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

But, don't worry, even Forbes magazine is reporting that the Bush administration and the US Congress is cutting the budgets of the labs chareged with finding a cure for Ug99...

Dr. Jin works for the U.S. Department of Agriculture at the University of Minnesota, in greenhouses where he examines wheat samples infested with the telltale brown lesions of stem rust and seeks to identify plants whose genes resist the disease. His lab was hit by a $300,000 cut this year, 20 percent of its overall budget. The Bush administration made that reduction in a quest for budget savings. At the same time, money for international research centers that Yue works closely with, including a wheat laboratory in Mexico, saw their U.S. funding cut from $25 million to $7 million.

The threat to wheat, which provides 20 percent of the calories for the world's population, is but one facet of a food crisis that has sneaked up on policymakers. Overall U.S. spending for agricultural development around the world has dropped from more than $1 billion a year in the 1980s to less than one-third of that since 2000. "This amounts to neglect," says Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, the top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee.

The international labs, part of a consortium called the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, have for years been financed in part by the Agency for International Development. However when it came time to dole out money this year, AID found it had little to give because Congress had specified that nearly all overseas development aid go to other priorities - education, water projects, help for business start-ups, combating AIDS and malaria and promoting democracy.* * * The cuts in agricultural research budgets couldn't come at a worse time, says Dr. Norman Borlaug, the 94-year-old Nobel laureate best known as the father of the "Green Revolution" that brought adequate food supplies to developing countries around the world in the mid-20th century. Lulled by that success, "the public and policymakers became complacent" about maintaining research, Borlaug said in an interview. * * * The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in April gave $27 million to help fund rust research in Mexico, Kenya and Ethiopia.

A Government Accountability Office report due out this week concludes that the United States and other developed countries have failed to give proper attention to helping their poorer neighbors grow sufficient food to feed their people.

Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL

McCain's New Gaffe

Frank George — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:58:33 EDT

John McCain is going to straight talk himself right into a hole. The New York Times is reporting that he cited Ronald Reagan while talking about reducing our deficit. Sad thing is the deficit tripled under the Reagan Administration.

U.S. "Budget"?

marsha — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:10:02 EDT

A Cherokee grandfather spoke of two wolves fighting in his yard.
One of the wolves represented fear, arrogance and lies, the other, joy, faith, and generosity.
His grandchild asked,"Which will win?"
He answered,"The one I feed."
Thanks to FNCL for that thought and these numbers.

U.S. Budget proposed by the Bush Administration.

Current Wars........................................30.9%
Past Wars..............................................13.5%
51% increase in nuclear weapons systems
Total Military spending......................... 44.4%
Does not include the $120-150 billion supplemental bill this Spring.

Healthcare............................................19.7%
Interest on non-military debt................10.9%
Response to poverty..............................11.8%
Government opperations.......................7.0%
Science, energy and the environment.....2.5%
(27% cut to renewable energy development)
(30% cut to EPA)
(40% cut to AMTRACK)
Education and Jobs.................................2.2%
Diplomacy and human needs abroad......1.5%
(State Department cuts reduce our ability to prevent war.)

I will be voting for peace, please join me.
We can't afford not to.
Feel free to send this to anyone you know.
peace,
marsha

Balanced Budget or Effective Investment Stimulus

Ray Pairan — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 12:48:30 EST

Balancing the federal budget over past few years has taken on the aura of the sacred. Just as with everything in life there are ebbs and flows that exert forces compelling enough to shift a seemingly inappropriate action to the category of appropriate. Nothing is ever indefinitely in a state of stasis for what may be deemed an appropriate action tomorrow may very well be inappropriate on the following day. The same may be said of our economy which is a complex system influenced by a multitude of factors over a continuous stream of time.

Florida's economy and state budget

Jim Callahan — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 04:53:06 EST

"Florida is behaving as though we were in a national recession," said Amy Baker, coordinator for the Legislature's Office of Economic and Demographic Research. * * * the 2007-08 spending plan will wind up another $1 billion short before the fiscal year ends June 30.

Link
Jim Callahan
Orlando, FL

Republican Talking Points on Taxes-Just More Lies

Steve Wilson — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 17:56:25 EDT

3-23-2007 NV Sen.Ensign votes against...record tax hikes Link
3-27-2007 House Dems Pushing for Largest Tax Increase in History Link
5-17-2007 TX Sen. Hutchison Votes Against Record Tax Increases Link
6-12-2007 Boozman, 3rd dist AR: Tax Increases Will Hurt America Link

The fact is, when Bush and a Republican Congress passed tax cuts in 2001 and 2003, *they* chose to have these tax cuts expire in 2010.
Now that they do not have enough votes to pass new tax cuts, they are blaming Democrats for the *Largest Tax Increase in History*

Expect to hear this message repeated over and over as the 2008 election gets closer.

For the truth about how the *Expire on Their Own* Bush Tax Cuts affected Americans, by way of income level, check out

Link
Link

It's not JUST the Economy, Stupid

Julie — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 14:39:25 EDT

How is it we always manage to come up with however many billions Washington wants, as long as there's a War involved, and yet when we ask for something that might help Americans, like Universal Health Care, we always get the belt-tightening, "we can't afford it" argument.
I'm beginning to think it's just another scare tactic, which works because ordinary people (including me) have no earthly idea how a national economy works, and are used to being told they can't afford things, which they do without.

ANTIWAR vote in Congress this week.. get involved with UNPJ NOW !

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 20:28:17 EDT

UNITED FOR PEACE + JUSTICE = UFPJ Legislative Update friday july 6th 2007 = CONGRESS WORKS ON IRAQ WAR MONDAY--please call your senators + house members MONDAY at 202-224-3121 = END THE WAR = 160 BILLION REQUEST THIS WEEK??

UFPJ Legislative Update "" DON'T MEND IT ' END IT ""

1. Sample Alert for Monday - Congress back in town to vote, vote, vote on Iraq2. National Legislative Conference Call - July 10
3. Iraq Cabinet approves hydro-carbon law
4. More voices Against the War

READ BALANCE + PLEASE RESPOND AT EITHER OR ALL OF THE FOLLOWING 3 BLOGS

BARACKOBAMA.COM
Link

MYDD.COM
Link

DAILYKOS.COM
Link

OR CLICK READ MORE HERE TO SEE BALANCE OR ARTICLE + RESPOND

On Teaching Debt Collection To Kids, Or, Here's The Outrage Of The Week

Democrat in Chicago, IL — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 11:03:12 EDT

There have been efforts in the past to teach “<a href="Link skills</a>” to students in the public schools, and of course among those skills is the lesson of financial responsibility.

I can imagine that these classes, especially for a student forced to take them first thing in the morning, can be like a daily session of discussing Hawley/Smoot in Ben Stein’s high school <a href="Link class</a>. So, so dull that they make you nod your head in....zzzzzzz...

For some school districts, however, a more direct method of financial education has been employed-a method that will be our outrage of the week.

I am disillusioned with the Democrat Congress :(

Democrat in McKinney, TX — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 20:03:41 EDT

I am quite disillusioned with the Democrat Congress. When we all thought that this President [Bush] and his administration was going to become a real â��lame duckâ�� with no power and authority over important bills, the Democrats handed him [Emperor Bush & cronies] a â��blank checkâ�� on a silver platter to continue funding â��hisâ�� war for the benefit of Oil producing companies and WAR PROFITEERS, not only for consultants (war outsourcing companies) and war contractors KBR or Black Water, but for small arm weapons such as Remington and whole war machinery such as Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, etc. as well as non-bid construction companies like Halliburton ! Are the â��newâ�� Democrat lead in congress, who were elected by the people tired of this war that only benefits the war machinery, very pretentious by aligning with the American people against war, and then accepting Mr. George W. Bushâ��s funding for war ?

Then to top it off, the Democrats couldnâ��t agree on a just and comprehensive immigration bill. To our large Hispanic community in Texas, as well as for LULAC, our patience is wearing thin. We may even decide to go for the independent vote.

Cream and Sugar

Democrat in Atascadero, CA — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 04:45:15 EDT

The Bush Administration has received the wake-up and has mustered it's best defense against the withdrawal proviso, not necessarily the veto, but whatever it is that saps the will of the Senate not to rally around overriding that veto.

Will the Senate Democrats be able to accept their morning coffee without cream and sugar?

Analysis Finds White House And Capitol Hill May Have Time To Find A Middle Road

Democrat in Atascadero, CA — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 00:47:35 EDT

War efforts funded through July, analysis finds
from Dana Bash
CNN congressional correspondent

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A new analysis of funding for U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan concludes the Army could continue to wage war through July without additional funding from Congress.

The analysis may bolster Democrats in their increasingly contentious veto showdown with President Bush.

In a report prepared for the Senate Budget Committee, the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service said the Pentagon has flexibility to transfer money from elsewhere for "urgent requirements" and could finance the war with current appropriations "through most of July 2007."

More: Link

Iraq War Is Expensive

Grassroots Democrat Bruce — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 21:40:45 EDT

The Iraq war is expensive. Matt Crenson of the Associated Press reports the following information. In 4 years it's cost nearly $500,000,000,000 (that's $500 billion)! He says that's more than the Korean War and almost as much as 12 years in Vietnam adjusting for inflation.

RI Budget Poltics

Pat Crowley — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 16:54:59 EST

Ian Donnis from the Providence Phoenix has a post on his blog about an upcoming analysis of the Governor's budget proposal....

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

RI's Politics of Rich and Poor

In a short piece to be published in this week's Phoenix, Brian C. Jones takes a look at the budget math of how Governor Carcieri has proposed taking about $15 million in state child-care subsidies from thousands of low-income families -- about the same amount of state revenue eliminated with last year's upper bracket tax cut:

This is the background: The tax break approved by the Democratic General Assembly and Republican Carcieri could help 2900 taxpayers with incomes of $225,000 and more.

My math says that 1073 resident taxpayers could save an average of nearly $11,000 this year; non-residents could average about $1600. Overall, $14.5 million would be lost in state revenues.

In contrast, the governor has just proposed saving the treasury $15.2 million by eliminating about 2400 lower-income households from child-care subsidies.

These families earn roughly $25,800 to $38,600. Because of the subsidies, they pay a just a faction of the estimated $15,000 it costs for two children in day care.

But if Carcieriâ��s cuts go through, I figure each family would pay an average of about $8000 more for child care.

For a class warrior, the math is disturbing: take away $15 million from working families; give the wealthy $15 million worth of tax savings.

But as I checked figures with various agencies, one state government veteran suggested I skip the beat-on-the-rich part.

This Wise One is weary of Rhode Islandâ��s historic civil wars between ethnic groups, economic classes, and political parties.

Stick to the merits of child-care, he said.

A cornerstone of the stateâ��s farsighted approach to welfare reform, the program helps nearly 6700 families grab the bottom rungs of the economic ladder.

Without such help, work often canâ��t pay.

For example, the Poverty Institute at Rhode Island College says a single mom, who has two kids and earns around $31,000, can make ends meet if she gets the subsidy.

She pays about $2,200 a year -- seven percent of her income -- for child-care. Dumped from the program, the full $15,000 child care bill will devour 50 percent of her income.

Child-care itself has grown into a healthy industry: 1037 center- and home-based facilities in 1997, compared with 1831 in 2005.

Linda Katz, the Poverty Instituteâ��s policy director, says child-care is important to the overall economy. It provides jobs and allows others to go to work.

Meanwhile, the Wise One with whom I consulted argues: â��So what if the tax cut matches the budget cut?â��

The theory of the tax break is that Rhode Islandâ��s top tax bracket drives away the rich, and the state loses their big, taxable incomes, plus jobs their companies provide.

Personally, I think itâ��s a preposterous theory. But Iâ��m often wrong about such things, and if the proponents are right, the state will be a big winner.

Meanwhile, the child-care program stands on its own. It deserves support, as do the heroic families making their way in the brutal economy of the 21st Century.

Can You Believe This President?

Ron McBride — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 14:01:10 EST

I believe that there are extraordinary possibilities in ordinary people, of course I still believe that a manâ��s word is his bond, and a handshake is as good as a written contract.

NaÃ¯ve, yea guess so to a degree. But arenâ��t we all?

I have some big ideas for growing the progressive movement and in turn changing the way America is governed, and while we all wish that everyone was on the same wave link, we see small men like this President who has small ideas that don't a make a whit of difference in the lives of working Americans.

Just take for instance the speech by this same President, GW Bush last night. He managed to shovel it out once again, and we heard mainstream media jump on the band wagon, sugar coating their commentary and evading the truth.