Jack & Jill Politics

rikyrah:

+ US President Barack Obama (C) signs HR 146, the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009, at the White House in Washington, DC, March 30, 2009.

CONGRATULATIONS - - - PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA!!


+ Now The Day Is Over :>) :>)

G'night!!! God Bless! :>)

rikyrah: On Health Care:

The Cost of Inaction

Rebecca Adelman of the Department of Health and Human Services tells us about a new report that turns the debate over the costs of health reform on its head.

Last month, President Obama told a joint session of Congress that "health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year." A report released today by the Department of Health and Human Services highlights why health care reform cannot wait. Entitled The Costs of Inaction, this report includes statistics that illustrate the challenges Americans are facing – from skyrocketing costs to the persistent gaps in health care quality.

The full report is available at www.healthreform.gov. According to the report, health care costs doubled from 1996 to 2006, and more Americans are being left out of the health care system than ever before. An estimated 87 million people -- one in every three Americans under the age of 65 -- were uninsured at some point in 2007 and 2008. President Obama has committed to work with Congress this year to make our health care system work for all Americans.

This report comes as President Obama seeks input on health care reform from Americans across the country at the Regional White House Forums on Health Reform. The fourth regional forum will take place tomorrow in Greensboro, North Carolina, moderated by Governor Bev Perdue. You can watch the forum live on www.healthreform.gov beginning at 10:30 ET tomorrow morning.

Mr. President's got ERRYBODY on their - - -J - O - B!! :>) :>)

LEADERSHIP!! :>)

rikyrah: Sooooo FAR OFF TOPIC:

So I went lookin' for the SONG - - -There's A Thrill Upon The Hill- - -Let's go! Let's Go! Let's Go! Well, It's no longer available!

Sooo!? ***shrug**

Welll what WAS available was another SONG by them.

Soooo!?? ***shrug***

Let's go back 2 my visit with my MOM! :>)

When I was a teenager---some 2000 years ago- I was NOT allowed to listen to a couple of their songs.

Soooo!? ***shrug***

Welll. They had a St. Patrick's Day Party 4 the residents, annnnnd they played some "OLDIES!"

Soooo!? ***shrug***

Here's what SONG came on:

THE MIDNIGHTERS "ANNIE" SONGS 1954

I cracked up! Held my ears and "axed" my 92 & 5/6 years living MOM IFFF I could listen to THAT SONG NOW!!! :>)

She said: Welllll! I guess you're OLD ENOUGH!! :>) :>)

We FELL OUT LAUGHING!! :>) :>)

That's ALL!! :>) :>)

GreenLady, are we ready for the whirlwind trip abroad? I can't wait to see Michelle having tea with the Queen and much more!!

Myth: LOL! :>)

+ LUGGAGE! CHECK!! :>)

+ TICKETS

TICKETS!!???? TICKETS!!??? TICKETS!!???


+ REMOTE CONTROL!!


Y - E - A - H - -H - - H! :>( I'm READY!! :>(

More lunacy from wingnut land.

http://tigerhawk.blogspot.com/2009/03/spiked.html

rikyrah: From the "MEETIN ON THE HILL:

HILL POSTGAME: In his introductory remarks, POTUS said that he's "as serious as a heart attack" about addressing structural deficits. But Obama also argued that the deficit wasn't caused by items like health care, energy and education -- and that Democrats had a unique opportunity right now to make progress in those areas.
If these initiatives don't get done now, Obama said, "they will not get done," according to someone in the room. -- Patrick O'Connor (6:38 p.m.)
MORE: "I need your vote in passing the budget. If we do that, we will create a sense of momentum that will allow us to do health care reform and education," Obama told Democrats. "If we don't pass the budget, it will empower those critics who don't want to see anything getting done."
Obama took eight questions, from Reps. Nadler, Pallone, Kagen, Woolsey, DeFazio, Farr, Massa and Sutton. To DeFazio, who voted against the stimulus, Obama joked: "Don't think we're not keeping score, brother!" -- Patrick O'Connor (7:23 p.m.)

I'll try 2 get a VIDEO. :>)

rikyrah: This comes under the HEADING: "Ohhhhh! Oooooo Kaaaaaay. I'll leave.

Ousted GM Boss Gets $20M Retirement Payout

If Rick Wagoner is upset about being forced out of his job as GM’s CEO, his $20 million retirement package should provide some consolation, ABC News reports. Though Treasury rules prevent Wagoner from collecting severance pay, the ousted exec is still eligible for an “Executive Retirement Plan” and a “Salaried Retirement Plan,” which totaled $20.2 million as of last year.

A GM spokesman says most of the money will be paid out over the next 5 years, with the rest as “a small lifetime annuity.” During Wagoner’s tenure, GM has lost billions of dollars and eliminated 47,000 jobs. “It’s another perfect example of why there’s so much frustration among working people,” said one Detroit-based labor advocate. “I wouldn’t mind retiring out of an industry in crisis with a $20 million package.”
Source: ABC News

"JUST SEND THE CHECKS DIRECTLY 2 MY BANK!!" :>) :>)

This is why I don't understand the hue and cry from the left about his termination. They act like they're really upset about the workers, but hasn't Wagoner's mismanagement of the GM led to a lot of the problems they are facing; and wouldn't it be better to get someone with some fresh ideas in to turn things around if possible?

hopee: Sounds like a PLAN 2 me!!

Annnnnd, I'll "betcha" IFFF we look at the "financial histories" of many other CEO's who R in "financial difficulties", there will B some SIMILAR DATA!!

They don't want NONE!!

Sooooo, THEY betta "get IT 2-gether!"

And yet he voted against the stimulus. Didn't Obama win North Carolina?

It's nice to see he cares for the Black people who can keep him in office, but what about the ones who can't?

Agreed.

Politics makes strange bedfellows.

from usatoday.com

"All eyes and cameras follow first lady to Europe

Michelle Obama is coming to visit.

Buoyed by positive reviews at home, the first lady embarks today with her husband on their first overseas trip, virtually certain to attract as much klieg-light attention as President Obama on a five-day visit to Europe.

What will she do, whom will she meet, what will she wear? When she accompanies her husband to Buckingham Palace to meet Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday, will she be — gasp! — sleeveless?

And speaking of the money shot, imagine the roar of firing camera shutters when tall, chic ex-lawyer Michelle meets tall, chic ex-model Carla — that is, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, first lady of France. Galaxies colliding indeed.

But don't expect Obama to branch out on her own, make policy statements or be provocative. Her role on this trip, says her press secretary, Katie McCormick Lelyveld, will conform to traditional first lady parameters. She will join her husband at his events, going solo only twice, and won't give interviews. She will listen raptly to his speeches, charm the locals at glittery dinners and visit first lady-type places (an opera house, cancer clinic, girls' school, hospital, a cathedral) with her counterparts in Britain, France, Germany and the Czech Republic.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: Washington | Congress | Barack Obama | Europe | Germany | France | Britain | Hillary Rodham Clinton | Czech Republic | Laura Bush | Michelle Obama | Queen Elizabeth II | Princess Diana | Sasha Obama | Malia | Buckingham Palace | Huffington Post | Eleanor Roosevelt | A-plus | Carla Bruni-Sarkozy | Jacqueline Kennedy | Katie McCormick Lelyveld | Bonnie Fuller | Carl Sferrazza Anthony | Bess Truman | National First Ladies Library
"On foreign trips, especially the first, it would be surprising if her role wasn't traditional," says Carl Sferrazza Anthony, historian of the National First Ladies Library. "Even (former first lady) Hillary Clinton, during her first trips, played a traditional role."

So far, Obama has won plaudits for balancing tradition with innovation in her public role. As the British say about their queen, she has not put a foot wrong.

"She has done extraordinarily well by following the cardinal, unwritten rule of what a successful first lady needs to do, which is to be who you really are," Anthony says. "It's not just about being a public persona but also a person."

Obama has been out and about in Washington, D.C., dining at local restaurants and helping out at a soup kitchen. She has visited schools and led the cheers for the work of federal employees. She kept Laura Bush's chef, promoted healthful eating like Clinton, planted a kitchen garden on the White House lawn like Eleanor Roosevelt, and, like Jacqueline Kennedy, installed a swing set for daughters Malia and Sasha.

"She's shaping her role in a wonderfully inventive way," says Ann Stock, former social secretary in the Clinton White House. "She's getting the kids settled in, (and) she's been ingenious in where she has gone and who she's seeing."

Says ex-tabloid editor Bonnie Fuller, who blogs about Obama on Huffington Post and compares her to the late Princess Diana in public displays of warmth: "I'd give her an A-plus. She has made no missteps at all. She is a hugger."

Her fashion choices continue to be admired, too: bold colors, elegant silhouettes, couture and off-the-rack mixing, lots of belts and flower brooches, and flats. True, some eyebrows arched when she bared arms at the president's address to Congress last month, but fashion people didn't care. "A tempest in a teacup," Fuller scoffs.

It's evidence of her "casual glamour," adds fashion expert Mandi Norwood, author of the upcoming Michelle Style: Celebrating the First Lady of Fashion. "She's straddling formal and casual."

Of course, the queen (who will be meeting her 12th president) has seen sleeveless first ladies before, including Kennedy and Bess Truman, Anthony says. She also met Bruni-Sarkozy, famous in her former life for nude modeling.

Still, "the queen is very much about protocol, formality and manners," says British-born Norwood. "It will be jarring and refreshing at the same time to see Michelle's casual approach to fashion (in that context)."

Stock says Obama and her team have no doubt prepared carefully so there are no surprises, no wardrobe malfunctions.

"They're looking at the protocol, at the gifts exchanged, at whether it's black tie, white tie or informal, who's at the dinner, how to address the queen, will she need long white gloves, is there a hat involved, even whether she needs an umbrella," Stock says.

"Believe me, there's a lot of detailed and meticulous planning going on so they understand every situation and don't have to worry when she gets there."

Will Michelle know how to act????

I hope she wears panty hose.

/snark

Well she's not just representing Michelle ya know, she's representing A-merry-ca!!

Are you being bad, Carolinagirl? :)

Yeah, but I'll just go to the corner. I don't wanna start no mess. SMH. *sulking on my way to the bad chair in the corner*

carolinagirl: RAOTFL!! :>) :>) :>) U R 2 FUNNY!! :>) :>)

lol

Angelar: Nice post. :>)

Thanks GLH...I respect you too!

Angelar:


:>)

thanks and God Bless

Mercy. That's a lot of protocol to consider.

LOL, but I'm looking forward to it.

Me too, actually.

rikyrah: THIS is A - MAZ- ING!! :>) AMAZING - - -I tell U!! :>) :>)

A member of staff of the miniature book publisher Leipzig presents a miniature edition of the US Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the inaugural adress of the 44th President Barack Obama at the opening day of the Leipzig Book Fair 2009 in Leipzig, Germany, 12 March 2009.

It's like concentrated fierceness.

LOVE THEM!!!! :>) :>)

Ima TRY 2 get ONE!! WOW!! :>)

Does anyone else feel like POTUS is damned if he do, damned if he don't? I know I'm probably over-simplifying, but it just seems like there is no pleasing anyone these days.

This is why I could not be a politician. On any given decision, I'm liable to tell someone "well F*&^ you" as I am to tell someone "I understand your frustration". I tend to be "do it of don't, whatevah, just get outta my face", which I'm sure is not a good way to be when it comes to politics.

To steal a word for VP Biden, I am "literally" feeling like I need a European Vacation.! I looking forward to seeing how things go, and I'm betting that JJP will be the place to be to find the latest video and footage.

I'm counting on ya'll

It's a thankless crappy job. Turn off the TV and the Pundits and save your sanity. He's doing his job and doing it well. What matters is what the people think.

You are correct. He's in a no-win situation

I prefer to call it a "We don't WANT him to win" position from people on the left and right. A lot of unrealistic expectations on both sides. But hey, I knew they'd turn on him once he failed to remake the world in seven days....

Yeah it feels that way. And the left is ready to accuse him of any wrongdoing, And the blue dogs are no better. The Republicans figured that Obama would be undermined by the Democrats and I am afraid that they are right.

eclecticbrotha: VIRTUAL 'DAP'!!!

shoot, 7 days, like POTUS said at that press conference, how bout 24 hours after inauguration.

Apparently you missed the "Messiah" analogy. Then again, God made the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th so its understandable if it went over the Churchy folks heads...

I know I said this here before, but I find it interesting that many of the people who derided Obama as the "Messiah" actually expect him to be the Messiah by expecting him to solve all the problems in a extremely short time.

From Matt Yglesias at Think Progress:

The Obama Auto Plan

"It’s taken me all the way until the end of the day to actually digest the day’s big story—the Obama administration’s new auto industry plan. The first thing to say about this is that unlike a lot of other things that have raised the cry of “socialism!” this really sort of is socialism. You have the President of the United States firing the CEO of General Motors, and simultaneously ordering Chrysler to pursue a process of selling itself to Fiat. The administration is wisely trying to avoid an extended period of state-directed management of industrial firms producing consumer goods, but that’s certainly the situation they’re in at the moment and it’s something we ought to try to bring to an end as soon as possible.

My understanding of the Chrysler portion of the deal is basically that if Chrysler and Fiat can’t come to terms within 30 days, then Chrysler is going to enter into a Chapter 7 liquidation process at which point Fiat could buy whatever it wants. Consequently, Fiat is likely to be able to extract favorable terms on whatever deal they reach. General Motors, meanwhile, is in effect being put into a debtor-in-possession bankruptcy. They haven’t technically been put in such a scenario, but the firm’s restructuring plan has been rejected and the panel is offering a 60 period in which to put together a more radical restructuring featuring haircuts from bondholders and labor unions and dealers. This is basically what would happen in a DIP bankruptcy. The thinking is that given current conditions in the economy and the credit markets it wouldn’t be possible to arrange that through the private sector, so a bankrupt GM would need to be liquidated rather than reorganized. The government is stepping in to, instead, facilitate reorganization.

In both cases, these seem like economically reasonable courses of action. It’s important to note, though, that if these plans work it doesn’t seem like they’ll especially achieve what people would ideally like to see. The American auto industry isn’t really going to be “saved.” General Motors is going to shrink radically, and Chrysler’s production facilities will basically become “transplant” factories of an Italian firm. In job terms, the auto industry is going to continue to shrink as a source of employment. In particular, the Chrysler-Fiat merger scenario is consistent with massive job losses in the United States since it’s not obvious how many Americans Chrysler would really want to employ. If GM succeeds in getting out of a lot of its debt obligations, the resulting company isn’t going to be well-positioned to expand when the broader economy recovers since it’ll be hard to borrow on favorable terms. And the “good jobs” nature of blue collar work in the auto industry is going to further erode.

Long story short, this looks like an economically responsible way to avoid a cataclysmic implosion of these firms at an inopportune moment. But this isn’t going to prevent the conditions facing the population of Michigan from further deteriorating. That state more-and-more looks like it’s going to be the 21st century version of the Great Depression’s Dust Bowl. The most important policy question facing us in this regard thus continues to be what can be done to help the people of the Rust Belt that doesn’t just involved indefinitely propping up shrinking firms. The first step is simply to turn around the shrinkage in the larger economy, but the question will remain even if recovery reaches the rest of the country."

My attitude is if you come crawling to the government for money, don't get mad when the government starts telling you how to handle your business. Don't give me that "THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD STAY OUT OF PRIVATE BUSINESS" when you're asking for TAXPAYER GOVERNMENT DOLLARS to bail out your PRIVATE business.

They want to eat the cake and candles too. You know it's part of that FREE Market mentality

Do you feel that way about the FI's?

What's that?

Excellent post.

rikyrah: Sudan meeting - Obama meets special envoy

In a Monday afternoon meeting with Sudan Special Envoy Scott Gration, President Obama said the United States would have to ...

... play a role in getting NGOs back into the country in order to avert a humanitarian crisis, according to the pool report. Obama expressed support for Gration’s mission ahead of the retired general’s trip to East Africa.

Among the lawmakers present at the meeting with Reps. Howard Berman and Donald Payne and Sens. Russ Feingold and Johnny Isakson. The session was also attended by several activists.

Obama sends envoy to Darfur

President Barack Obama says the crisis in Darfur is not going to be easy to solve, but he says the United States can speak with one moral voice to address the humanitarian problems.

Obama said Monday that his special envoy to Sudan, J. Scott Gration (GRAY-shun), would speak with the full authority of Washington. Obama says the Darfur region of western Sudan is going through a crisis and the factions must end their fighting.

Obama says it’s going to be a tough haul, but one that the United States must make. He wished Gration luck at the end of their meeting in the White House’s Roosevelt Room.

Gration heads to the region Tuesday.

President Obama will meet with International Leaders. That's ONE way to EXCHANGE ideas!

GOOD ON HIM!! :>)

rikyrah: Awwwwwww! :>) :>)

PRESIDENT "DADDY's" - - - "Little Girl!" :>)

Daddy's Little Girl Lyrics VIDEO at the end. :>)

Why Banks Deserve Nothing From We The Taxpayers
by: KatRose
Mon Mar 30, 2009 at 12:32:37 PM EDT
I just received a present from an in-law.

No complaint about the quantity or quality insofar as what I received. I wasn't really expecting a present - but it happened.

The present was a $25.00 gift card - and here's where my rant begins. It was a $25.00 American Express gift card: $25.00 to spend anywhere (that takes Amex.)

So what's my gripe?

The fine print. No - none of it affects me, assuming of course that I use it within a year (and I will; there's a Best Buy in the neighborhood.) If not, there's a $2.00 month fee deducted from the balance. But on top of that, there was a $3.95 activation fee.

OK - I'm sure we're all familiar with this crap. Gift cards have proliferated over the last few years. And, I'm really not complaining about the gift as it pertains to me; I'm a hard person to buy for and, as I said, I wasn't expecting a gift under the circumstances anyway. Moreover, the in-laws in question make prett good money, so $3.95 isn't a measurable chunk of their spendable income.

However, its a 15.8% surcharge up front. Perhaps someone can enlighten me: How much do bookies charge these days as a premium? Something tells me that on the morality chart, the Mafia ranks closer to Mother Teresa than it does to banks.

And my experience has been that lots of people who really can't afford to get financially raped that way use these 'gift cards' without a second thought. Each of the last two summers, my partner and I have had one of my nieces stay with us for a few weeks. Their mother (my sister) would always send spending money to the girls via these things. $25 or $50...after getting dinged for $4.00; and I know that just a few multiples of $4.00 for them can result in deciding which bills to pay on time.

Yes - the billions and trillions that the 'global corporate club' is enginnering to be stolen from us in one fell swoop is a big deal. But murder is murder - whether by a 44 magnum gunshot to the head or by a thousand needles, each poked into vulnerable veins, arteries and organs.

When is this shit going to stop?

There is more.

http://pamshouseblend.com/

It will stop when you just give money as a gift.
those cards hit the general public hard in terms of fees but imagine if you do not have a checking account. You may have noticed WalMart has gone into the check cashing business. Relatively low fees to issue money orders but they get you to spend the rest right there.
the best however is the State of Pennsylvania if you are unemployed and have no checkng account. You receive a debit card but the charges are worse than ridiculous. http://www.pottsmerc.com/articles/2009/03/03/bu...

Gift cards are a total ripoff - that fine print on the "information" about the card, which is in 2 pt font...IF THAT....hides a lot of information about those plastic demons.

LOL! I really don't want to laugh, but .... My daughters used to give me those demons for X-mas. By the time I'd go to cash in, those demons were dead.... total rip off!!!!

We should have known by the way all of a sudden they got catapulted to the top of EVERY store as the "gift of choice" that something was amiss.

Word. Gurrl, I had a Starbucks gift card a few years ago. I went in to get a few soy lattes, and a few Venti coffees for me and my friends; you know,,,treats on me!

Well, four oders and a $20 gift card later, NO cash left on the card....... Umm.... I never even used the card. I didn't have cash and I don't use credit cards..... I was so embarrassed.

After a few calls and a talk with the manager, I was told the card had to be used within 30 days of purchase.. I guess I didn't read th at on the2 pt, font. no gift cards for me EVER since!

The card had to be used within 30 days of purchase? Oh that really sucks! From now on, IF I am ever given a gift card, I will definitely read the fine print.

Me too. I had no idea. I just gave my 13 yr. old daughter a few gift cards for her birthday so she could enjoy being old enough to go shopping without mom. Now I'm going to have to check to see what's left.

Thanks for the heads up!

Paying in Full as the Ticket Into Colleges
By KATE ZERNIKE
Published: March 30, 2009

In the bid for a fat envelope this year, it may help, more than usual, to have a fat wallet.



Facing fallen endowments and needier students, many colleges are looking more favorably on wealthier applicants as they make their admissions decisions this year.

Institutions that have pledged to admit students regardless of need are finding ways to increase the number of those who pay the full cost in ways that allow the colleges to maintain the claim of being need-blind — taking more students from the transfer or waiting lists, for instance, or admitting more foreign students who pay full tuition.

Like they already didn't favor those who could pay?


http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/31/education/31c...

Geez.................

Sorry Negro, you look like just another drug dealer to me.

Hi, it's me,field, your friendly "racism chaser", and I have another story for you:

Terrence Jones is a retired Philadelphia police officer. He was on the force for 11 years until he got a job related injury and decided to settle down in a beautiful South Jersey McMansion with his family. Life was good for Terrence Jones until the night of February 4, 2007. That's the night he met Patrolman Michael Schaeffer.

The Patrolman pulled Jones over and asked him why he was exiting an industrial park. He then proceeded to ask Mr. Jones if he had been drinking and if he would allow a vehicle search. Jones told the Patrolman that he never drinks and refused to allow the search of his Lincoln Navigator. (Come on field, he was asking to be stopped. Why don't you black people drive simple cars?) The Patrolman, undaunted, ordered Jones out of his vehicle, frisked him, and then leaned into the vehicle to look around. To top it off, he did a sobriety test after not smelling liquor on Jone's breath and justified it by telling someone on his police radio that Mr. Jones is "just shady".

Now if you think all of that was outrageous; wait, it gets better: Mr. Jones had the nerve to be outraged at the treatment he received at the hands of one of South Jersey's finest, so he did what any angry citizen would do: he wrote a letter to the Police Chief of the township where he was harassed for DWB. What do you think happened? Well, the police chief claimed that he never got the letter, and finally, after Mr. Jones called him, he decided that he he would pick up a copy of the letter from Mr. Jone's home. Of course he never questioned or disciplined the officer involved, and he passed the complaint on to a county investigator.

Read on.

http://field-negro.blogspot.com/2009/03/sorry-n...

Banks Starting to Walk Away on Foreclosures

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/30/us/30walkaway...


Unreal

No wonder we are in such a mess today. If a bank is going to walk away from a foreclosure why foreclose on the home in the first place? On a related note, it looks like the "produce the note" folks had the right idea all along.

So, these folks have to endure the extreme stress of home forclosure, home vandalization,and then told they still own the phucked up home because the banks don't want the home. SMH!

That is beyond phucked up.

No vaseline....no kiss.......no "get gone bitch".....no nothing.......just screwed.

For REALZ.