Economic Stimulus Plan – President Obama Needs ‘YOUR’ Help Today

Later this week, the Senate will vote on President Obama’s economic stimulus plan which includes historic investments in green jobs, health care, and education to get our economy back on track.

But right now, the stimulus doesn’t have the votes to pass. Republicans and conservative Democrats are teaming up to strip out items that will help the average American — college loan assistance, health research, tax cuts for poor folks — in favor of more tax cuts for corporations. These republicans and conservative democrats promise to block the plan if they don’t get their way.  

President Obama’s plan isn’t perfect but it will:

• Create millions of green jobs to double our clean energy production in three years which will in turn create more jobs
• Create affordable health care for the unemployed which will take make you and I stop paying for very, very expensive emergency  room visits
• Creates the biggest investment in education since World War II.  This will help prevent hundreds of thousands of teachers from being laid off and stop thousands of schools from closing.  If teachers are laid off and schools close where will your children go to get an education?  What will you do with them during the day?

“But what we can’t do is let very modest differences get in the way of the overall package moving forward swiftly,” he said, adding that he hopes a bill can be passed “in the next couple of weeks so we can put America back to work and start digging ourselves out of this deep hole that we’re in.” President Obama 2/2/ 09

This is OUR government and President Obama needs our help today or tomorrow at the latest. 

We need to make sure our Senators and Congresspersons know that we want this plan passed sooner not later.  We have to make them know that they are standing in the way of America becoming economically healthy and we need to let them know that we not going to take their foolishness – we will vote them out in 2010!!!

Please call your senators and ask them to support President Obama’s economic stimulus plan because it will save or create 3 million jobs. Make sure you know the name of your two Senators then call the Capitol Operator at (202) 224-3121and ask to be transferred to your Senators.

You can also select your state and both your Senators office number will pop up and you can call you Senator directly in his/her office by going to:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Desperate times call for desperate solutions.  Please call your Senator today. 

Please pass this on and thanks for all you do for our country!

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Senate Passes (S-CHIP) Health Insurance Bill for Children

Yeah – finally a government by the people for the people!!!

Yesterday the Senate overwhelmingly approved legislation to provide health insurance to 11 million low-income children — a bill that will for the first time spend federal money to cover children and pregnant women who are legal immigrants.

During the presidential campaign, then Senator Obama pledged to provide coverage to every American child.

The State Children’s Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP), which is aimed at families earning too much money to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford private insurance, currently covers close to 7 million youngsters at a cost of $25 billion.

Lawmakers voted 66 to 32, largely along party lines, to renew the joint state-federal program and spend an additional $32.8 billion to expand coverage to 4 million more children. The expansion would be paid for by raising the cigarette tax from 39 cents to $1 a pack.

President Obama is expected to sign a final version as early as next week.

Democratic lawmakers, noting that President George W. Bush twice vetoed similar legislation, praised the vote as evidence of the changing Washington landscape.

“Low-income, uninsured kids all across America have been waiting for Congress to fulfill the promise of the Children’s Health Insurance Program for them,” said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (Mont.). The program “works to get low-income, uninsured kids the doctor’s visits and medicines they need to stay healthy, and approval of this bill opens the door of the doctor’s office to millions of children who live without proper health care today.”

Governors, business executives and consumer advocates lobbied for the expansion, arguing that more and more families have sought the assistance in this weakened economy.

“During this economic turmoil, it is critical that we maintain and strengthen this important lifeline to our nation’s children and that we help financially strapped states respond to the growing need for affordable health-care coverage,” said Cindy Mann, executive director of Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families.

Karen Ignagni, president of America’s Health Insurance Plans, agreed that “we’re not seeing bipartisanship” but said she is optimistic that the public’s overwhelming desire for improvement in the health system will force the two parties to the bargaining table. “People are talking about how to do it as opposed to whether to do it,” she said.

A Few Tips To Help Beat The Recession

1. Cut your spending. Make this a priority. Weigh whether you really need that new flat-screen TV, and maybe going on a luxurious overseas vacation can wait one more year. Making sacrifices this year and living on a tighter budget will leave you much better off in the long run.

2. Reduce your debts. Pay a lump sum on your credit card, and reduce any loan repayments. Make sure that you are paying the lowest rate possible on any loans you have including student loans.

3. Slash your household bills. Make sure you have the cheapest deals for your gas and electricity. If you have a cell phone see if there are cheaper options available. Chances are if you have been under the same contract for more than two years there might be a better deal out there for you.

4. Put money away for a rainy day and make sure you have a cushion of cash savings.  Try to have 6 months worth of total monthly expenses saved.

Normally, when a recession strikes, interest rates are cut. This can be good news for homeowners as it means the price of mortgages will fall.

There are some good mortgage rates available, but don’t take the risk if you cannot afford to. Taking a fix rate might mean that you miss out on a possible rate cut, but it does give you the peace of mind of knowing what your monthly mortgage payment will be.

5. If your budget gets really tight then there are some drastic options available for reducing your monthly repayments. You could move some of your loan to interest only for a short time. Or increase your mortgage term from 25 years, to 30 or 40. Don’t skip mortgage repayments.

6. Don’t change jobs. Companies make cutbacks when their profits get hit and staff is usually the first to be axed from the balance sheet. New employees can often be first in the firing line.

President Obama Loves ‘Single Ladies’

President Barack Obama has admitted to being a “Single Ladies” fan.

In a behind-the-scenes video from the presidential inauguration festivities, posted on singer John Legend’s Web site, the President was captured telling Beyonce that he’d done her dance routine from the “Single Ladies” video for the First Family.

“Mr. President, you didn’t tell Beyonce about ‘Single Ladies?’ Your rendition?” wife Michelle asked as they greeted the singer and stars including Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige.

“I’m not like Justin [Timberlake], I didn’t put on the outfit,” President Obama answered, referring to a recent “Saturday Night Live” clip, which saw Justin dancing in a leotard and tights to “Single Ladies.” “I didn’t want my girls thinking that I couldn’t, dance y’know – I got a little something.”

In the clip, First Lady Michelle, Vice President Joe Biden and his family joined the President in thanking the stars for their efforts during the campaign.

“You have been so great throughout the race, I am very grateful,” the President told John, and Michelle had kind words for the singer as well.

“You worked hard for this,” she said.

“You worked harder,” John responded.

President Obama is no stranger to showing off his dance moves. He previously tested them out on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” during his campaign.

Watch Obama dance to Snoop Dogg’s ‘Drop it like it’s hot’:

 

Economy: Republicans Impressed By President Obama Despite Differences

President Obama won praise from some of the House’s most conservative lawmakers as “engaging” and “respectful” during his meeting with congressional Republicans Tuesday.

Rep. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.) said that Obama was sincere and “impressive” during his meeting with Republicans Tuesday afternoon.

“There’s real desire in this room to figure a way back to prosperity,” Inglis wrote on Twitter. “[The president] and Republicans here [are] expressing deep concern about unemployment.”

“If [the] President carries this on it does open door for a new tone!” Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) exclaimed.

“Sharp differences are muted,” Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) Twittered.

Inglis said that a comment by Obama that he would rather be a one-term president who addressed the economy than a two-term president who did not went particularly well.

“President Obama is speaking to House Republicans right now on Democratic stimulus bill,” wrote Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) on Twitter. “Good sales man, bad product.”

The Twittering lawmakers still took shots at the House Democratic leadership, drawing contrasts between Obama and fellow lawmakers.

“His speech doesn’t match the process that Pelosi and Reid are implementing,” Hoekstra wrote.

“At least Obama has talked about the stimulus for an hour. Which is about an hour longer than Dem leadership has spent with us on this,” Burgess said.

White House Pushes Citi to Give Up $45M Jet

Change and accountability has come to the White House.  Can I get a collective “YEAH”!

The Obama administration pushed struggling Citigroup to reverse their decision after a Treasury Department official called the company on Monday and “told them it was unacceptable“ to accept delivery of a new $45 million corporate jet.

The move comes as new Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner tries to quickly bring more accountability and oversight to the much- criticized TARP program he now oversees.

Citigroup has already received some $45 billion in government bailout funds, which is why a New York Post report about the scheduled delivery of the new jet sparked outrage.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday the president believes private jets aren’t “the best use of money at this point” with America facing a financial crisis.

Citibank spokesman Michael Hanretta said on Tuesday that the company has “no intent to take delivery of any new aircraft.” This came after the company initially said on Monday it could not comment on whether it was purchasing the jet, citing security reasons.

Hours later after the Obama administration contacted them Citi reversed course, issuing a statement saying it signed a contract in 2005 for a replacement aircraft as part of a plan to reduce the number of planes it owns and cut operating costs. “Refusing delivery now would result in millions of dollars in penalties”. “Citi is exploring all its options for these assets, including the potential sale or lease of the aircraft.”

The luxury jet that was to be purchased is a Dessault Falcon 7X, which seats 12. It is so exclusive that Dessault says only 21 are operating around the world, and that the price is listed at $45 million.

Inauguration Pictures: Congratulations America and POTUS # 44!

 Being in Washington, DC during the Inauguration weekend was especially special.  The depth and breath of the experience cannot be described by words – it’s a sensation that flows through the mind and body and yes Chris Mathews – I felt a tingle down my leg!

Without a doubt President Barack Obama was the ONLY star in town – no one else mattered much.  Just seeing his motorcade drive by was enough to cause men and women to go buckwild and faint right there in the streets.

The thing that touched me most was the togetherness, unity and reaching out to each other by all there.  There was no ‘incident’, no fuss, no fighting, no quarreling even as people accidently stepped on toes or elbowed you in the ribs.  People were polite, cheerful and helpful. 

If you fell someone was there to help you up.  Complete strangers greeted each other with warm embraces and greetings.  During this weekend in Washington race, age, religion or creed did not matter – they were simply forgotten.  There was a sense of unity that I have never experienced in any other setting – ever; and I have been in some loving settings.

The tone truly comes from the top and our President set the tone.  He said,  “out of many we are one” and we listened and we heard him loud and clear. We were one in DC!

A picture is worth a thousand words – here are are few thousand words!