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HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

MEETING:
MONDAY July 13, 2009

General membership meeting (second Monday of each month) at the Moose Lodge in downtown Buchanan (corner of Red Bud Trail and Front Street). Social begins at 6:00 PM and the business meeting begins at 7:00 PM. (beverages available).

POSTED 7/3/09

Congress's Travel Tab Swells

Spending on Taxpayer-Funded Trips Rises Tenfold; From Italy to the Galápagos

(From the Wall Street Journal) Spending by lawmakers on taxpayer-financed trips abroad has risen sharply in recent years, a Wall Street Journal analysis of travel records shows, involving everything from war-zone visits to trips to exotic spots such as the Galápagos Islands.

The spending on overseas travel is up almost tenfold since 1995, and has nearly tripled since 2001, according to the Journal analysis of 60,000 travel records. Hundreds of lawmakers traveled overseas in 2008 at a cost of about $13 million. That's a 50% jump since Democrats took control of Congress two years ago.

The cost of so-called congressional delegations, known among lawmakers as "codels," has risen nearly 70% since 2005, when an influence-peddling scandal led to a ban on travel funded by lobbyists, according to the data.

Lawmakers say that the trips are a good use of government funds because they allow members of Congress and their staff members to learn more about the world, inspect U.S. assets abroad and forge better working relationships with each other. The travel, for example, includes official visits to American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Journal analysis, based on information published in the Congressional Record, also shows that taxpayer-funded travel is a big and growing perk for lawmakers and their families. Some members of Congress have complained in recent months about chief executives of bailed-out banks, insurance companies and car makers who sponsored corporate trips to resorts or used corporate jets for their own travel.

Although complete travel records aren't yet available for 2009, it appears that such costs continue to rise. The Journal analysis shows that the government has picked up the tab for travel to destinations such as Jamaica, the Virgin Islands and Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Lawmakers frequently bring along spouses on congressional trips. If they take commercial flights, they have to buy tickets for spouses. If they fly on government planes -- as they usually do -- their spouses can fly free.

THERE'S MORE - GO TO THE WSJ - POSTED 7/3/09

POSTED 7/3/09

Unemployment rate rises more than expected

(From Raw Story) Employers cut a larger-than-expected 467,000 jobs in June, driving the unemployment rate up to a 26-year high of 9.5 percent, suggesting that the economy's road to recovery will be bumpy.

The Labor Department report, released Thursday, showed that even as the recession flashes signs of easing, companies likely will want to keep a lid on costs and be wary of hiring until they feel certain the economy is on solid ground.

June's payroll reductions were deeper than the 363,000 that economists expected and average weekly earnings dropped to the lowest level in nearly a year.

However, the rise in the unemployment rate from 9.4 percent in May wasn't as sharp as the expected 9.6 percent. Still, many economists predict the jobless rate will hit 10 percent this year, and keep rising into next year, before falling back.

All told, 14.7 million people were unemployed in June.

If laid-off workers who have given up looking for new jobs or have settled for part-time work are included, the unemployment rate would have been 16.5 percent in June, the highest on records dating to 1994.

There's More - Go to Raw Story Article      POSTED 7/3/09

POSTED 7/3/09

Key Senate Democrats trim cost of health care bill

(From the Detroit Free Press) Determined to advance President Barack Obama’s health care agenda, key Senate Democrats are calling for a government-run insurance option to compete with private plans, as well as a $750-per-worker annual fee on larger companies that do not offer coverage to employees.

In a letter outlining the details, Sens. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., and Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., said their revised plan would cost dramatically less than an earlier, incomplete proposal, and help show the way toward coverage for 97% of all Americans.

The two senators said the Congressional Budget Office put the cost of the proposal at $611.4 billion over 10 years, down from $1 trillion two weeks ago. The revising also “virtually eliminates” an earlier forecast that the proposal would cause many companies to drop coverage for their workers, they said.

Kennedy and Dodd wrote members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Wednesday. A copy was obtained by the Associated Press. They disclosed their plans as Congress neared the end of a July 4 vacation, and with lawmakers expected to turn quickly to health care legislation when they return to the Capitol.

The Health Committee could meet as soon as next week to complete its version of the bill, and the presence of a government health insurance option virtually assures a party-line vote.

Separately, the Senate Finance Committee is at work on a companion measure, although that effort is aimed at achieving a bipartisan compromise. As a result, a government-run option for coverage is unlikely to be included. Negotiations are centered on a proposal for a nonprofit cooperative to sell insurance as a competitor to private companies.

Three committees are collaborating in the House on legislation expected to come to a vote by the end of July. That measure is certain to include a government-run insurance option.

THERE'S MORE - GO TO THE DETROIT FREE PRESS      POSTED 7/3/09

POSTED 7/3/09

Granholm signs law to keep auto show

(From the Detroit Free Press) Gov. Jennifer Granholm has signed legislation for the expansion of Cobo Convention Center with tax dollars, allowing it to keep the North American International Auto Show in 2011 and beyond.

The three bills allow up to $300 million for Cobo’s renovation, paid for with hotel and liquor taxes in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, and state tobacco tax revenue.

The city would lease Cobo Center to a regional authority that would be responsible for renovating and operating the facility. Detroit would receive $20 million in return for giving up revenue from Cobo’s parking facilities.

If the expansion plan falls through, the auto show project could shift to Oakland County, most likely the Rock Financial Showplace in Novi, using tax revenue.

The Detroit City Council has until Aug. 1 to reject the plan, although Mayor Dave Bing could veto any rejection.

THERE'S MORE - GO TO THE DETROIT FREE PRESS      POSTED 7/3/09

POSTED 7/3/09

Construction of new Soo shipping lock beginning

(From the South Bend Tribune) SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. (AP) — A groundbreaking ceremony this week marked the first step toward construction of a new Great Lakes shipping lock on the St. Marys River, which supporters have sought for more than two decades.

The Soo Locks complex raises and lowers ships on the river linking Lake Superior and Lake Huron, forming a vital gateway for freighters hauling iron ore, coal and other raw materials to port cities such as Detroit and Cleveland. Last year, more than 8,460 vessels hauling a combined 81 million tons of freight passed through the locks.

But of four existing locks, just one — the Poe — can accommodate the Great Lakes' largest ships, which can be up to 1,000 feet long. Those super-sized ships carry more than 70 percent of the cargo that goes through the locks.

If the Poe were disabled, Midwestern industries such as steelmaking and electric power generation could be crippled, industry representatives say.

"It would pretty much shut down the lakes," said Glen Nekvasil, spokesman for the Lake Carriers Association, a trade group representing U.S.-flagged shippers.

A new Poe-sized lock would replace two others: the Sabin, which has been decommissioned, and the Davis, which is seldom used. The MacArthur, which can handle smaller vessels, will remain in service.

THERE'S MORE -- GO TO THE SBT STORY     POSTED 7/3/09

POSTED 7/3/09

Senate Investigates Blackwater Subsidiary

Fatal Shooting Incident in Afghanistan

(From CBS News) The Senate Armed Services Committee is investigating the private security firm Paravant LLC which provides contracted services to the U.S. Army in Afghanistan and Iraq. Paravant is a subsidiary of Xe, formerly known as Blackwater, owned by Erik D. Prince, president of The Prince Group.

Steven McClain and Justin Cannon, two former Paravant security personnel stationed in Afghanistan, were involved in a fatal shooting incident that left one Afghan civilian dead and two others wounded in Kabul on May 5, 2009.

In a letter obtained exclusively by CBS News dated June 18, Senator Carl Levin, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, demanded Mr. Prince’s cooperation in investigating the role of private security contractors and sub-contractors employed by his firm in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Senator has also requested specific documents concerning security contracts and weapons policies and practices as part of their inquiry.

The two contractors involved in the shooting were hired to help the U.S. Army train Afghan troops. The incident occurred in Kabul, Afghanistan as they were driving their interpreters back to a base when a car crashed into them. The vehicle that struck them did not turn away, instead made a u-turn and headed towards them again at which point the men, feeling threatened, opened fire at the approaching vehicle, killing one and wounding two others according to their lawyer Daniel J. Callahan.

The committee is conducting a broad investigation into private security contractors whilst specifically investigating the actions of Paravant and the May 5th incident. The committee will also be probing disciplinary action taken by Paravant for noncompliance with corporate policies.

Senator Levin’s committee is demanding the release of documents regarding the company’s screening and hiring process, rules allowing contract personnel to carry and transport weapons and ammunition, as well as their use of deadly force.

THERE'S MORE - GO TO CBS NEWS

POSTED 7/3/09

The 'Cash for Clunkers' Law Looks Like a Lemon

Not enough new-car buyers can take advantage of it, and the program may even put more gas guzzlers on the road

(From Business Week) When President Barack Obama made the "Cash for Clunkers" bill law on June 24, supporters like Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.) hailed it as a great way to modernize America's car fleet and "accelerate national economic recovery." But don't expect either to happen in any meaningful way.

The problem with the law is that it is both underfunded and too narrow to generate a spike in showroom traffic. Standard & Poor's (MHP) says the most it will do is boost sales by 3% for the year; a similar German program pushed sales up 30% a month this year. "This is a waste of taxpayers' money," says analyst John Wolkonowicz of Boston research firm IHS Global Insight (IHS). "There won't be enough people who can take advantage of it."

First off, the feds have approved only $1 billion for the program. That could help fund the purchase of just 250,000 cars—not much more than a week's worth at current sales levels—between August, when the program likely will start, and Nov. 1, when it ends.

Plus, the law makes little sense for most passenger-car owners. The government will cut checks of $3,500 to $4,500 to dealers so they can buy old cars that get 18 miles per gallon or less and then sell the owner a more fuel-efficient replacement. But most cars on the road get more than 18 mpg, so they won't qualify. And many that are thirsty enough to warrant the deal are luxury models worth a lot more than $3,500 to $4,500. If a consumer can sell the old car for more than what the government will pay, there's no reason to take advantage of the bill, says Wolkonowicz.

Yes, there are plenty of old cars that do qualify. But many are 10 years old or more, says Edmunds.com CEO Jeremy Anwyl. People driving cars that ancient often buy used, and even with a $4,500 discount, they probably won't want to take on new-car payments during a time of economic hardship.

THERE'S MORE - GO TO BUSINESS WEEK

POSTED 7/3/09

Jobs may determine climate bill's fate

Critics rip economic impact; others tout green opportunities

Gordon Trowbridge / Detroit News Washington Bureau Washington

(From the Detroit News) The debate is supposed to be about combating climate change. But when the Senate takes up energy and climate legislation this summer, another word will be in the forefront: jobs.

Nationwide, and particularly for Michigan, the issue of economic impact is likely to determine support for legislation to limit emissions of carbon and other gases that cause rising global temperatures. After a bruising battle in the House yielded narrow passage of a bill to limit greenhouse gas emissions, attention now turns to a handful of key senators -- including both of Michigan's -- who could determine the fate of a key goal of the Obama administration.

Senate committees have begun to work on legislation, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada has said he wants the full Senate to debate the legislation sometime in September.

Republican opponents of a "cap and trade" program to address climate change describe the bill that narrowly passed the House last week as a job-killing monster. Democrats -- including all eight Michigan House members, who voted for the bill -- point to the job-creating possibilities of funding for alternative energy production, electric car research and other sections of the bill designed to spark "green jobs."

It's no coincidence that in a pointed public statement last week urging passage of the House bill, President Barack Obama pointed to job-creation possibilities -- and specified Michigan, home of the nation's highest unemployment rate, as a potential beneficiary.

Michigan's Democratic senators, Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow, have opposed climate-change legislation in the past, fearing damage to the state's auto industry and to its electric utilities powered by carbon-rich coal. And earlier this year, both signed a letter to Senate leaders warning against the use of a parliamentary maneuver that would have made it harder to amend climate legislation. Democratic leaders abandoned that idea, which means the legislation will need 60 Senate votes to pass.

Levin spokeswoman Tara Andringa said jobs will be key to Levin's vote. "Any legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions needs to contain significant incentives to grow new green jobs and promote Michigan's economic recovery," she said. "Senator Levin will work toward a Senate bill that significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions without unduly or unfairly burdening consumers or Michigan's economy." Earlier this year, Levin told The News that he intends to find a climate bill he can support because the issue of global warming must be addressed.

An aide to Stabenow said she viewed the House-passed bill favorably but was eager "to improve its prospects for creating new jobs in Michigan."

Supporters say measures designed to reduce the impact on automakers and other manufacturers -- measures that won the support of the United Auto Workers union and all eight Michigan Democrats in the House -- should be enough to win over Levin and Stabenow.

"I don't see how this bill has as big an impact" on Michigan as previous proposals, said Joseph Romm, a climate expert at the liberal Center for American Progress.

One key issue for Michigan lawmakers is likely to be the trade aspects of the bill. In the House, Rep. Sander Levin, D-Royal Oak, and others succeeded in including language that could impose trade restrictions on foreign trade partners if they also don't agree to limits on greenhouse gases. That's designed to protect U.S. manufacturers who could lose business to foreign competitors who don't face the costs of limiting emissions. But it's one of the few issues Obama singled out in the House bill that he'd like to see the Senate remove.

The Michigan lawmakers will also face pressure from the state's utilities. Consumers Energy, the state's second-largest utility, last week praised Rep. Mark Schauer, D-Battle Creek, for easing some energy efficiency requirements in the House bill, and said it would ask Michigan's senators to make additional changes "to balance the goal of reducing greenhouse gases with the cost of that effort."

THERE'S MORE - GO TO THE DETROIT NEWS     POSTED 7/3/09

POSTED 7/3/09

governor to head to Germany, Belgium Monday

(From Forbes.Com) Gov. Jennifer Granholm plans to leave Monday for a trade trip to Germany and Belgium.

It will be the Democrat's eighth overseas trade trip. She plans to talk with leaders of high-tech companies she thinks can help Michigan move toward gaining jobs in green technology and alternative fuels, although her office hasn't provided specifics.

The governor has made previous trade trips to Germany, Austria, Japan, Sweden and the Middle East.

She'll be accompanied by officials from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and NextEnergy, a Detroit-based nonprofit that nurtures alternative and renewable energy uses.

Lt. Gov. John Cherry will be responsible for running the state in Granholm's absence.

THERE'S MORE - GO TO FORBES.COM

POSTED 7/1/09

Franken declared Senate winner, Coleman concedes

(From AT&T/Yahoo News) MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) – Democrat Al Franken, a satirist turned politician, was declared the winner of a Senate seat in Minnesota on Tuesday, clearing the way for President Barack Obama's party to secure a critical 60-seat majority in the Senate.

Ending one of the longest Senate races ever, the Minnesota Supreme Court unanimously rejected each of Republican Norm Coleman's five legal arguments that an earlier recount of the November 4 vote had been unfair. Coleman quickly conceded.

Franken will become the 58th Senate Democrat, the most the party has had since 1981. Two independents routinely vote with the Democrats, giving the party the 60 votes needed to clear Republican procedural hurdles known as filibusters.

However, the party has traditionally had trouble ensuring all its members vote the same way. They will also need to rely on Arlen Specter, a former Republican from Pennsylvania who switched parties in April who has said he will vote his own way and not necessarily along party lines.

"A lot is being made of me being the 60th member of the Democratic caucus. That's not how I see it," Franken said. "I'm going to Washington to be the second senator from Minnesota."

The Minnesota court, in its 32-page ruling, said Coleman had failed to show there was anything wrong with the standards used to reject absentee ballots that he wanted counted.

"I thought we had a better case, but the court has spoken," Coleman said outside his St. Paul, Minnesota, home. "I'll abide by the results. There will be no further litigation."

Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty said in a statement he would sign the election certificate immediately, allowing Franken, a former writer and actor for the popular Saturday Night Live television show, to join the Senate, likely next week.

After creating such characters as sad-sack self-help guru Stuart Smalley on Saturday Night Live, Franken agitated against conservatives on his nationally syndicated radio show and in a series of books that included "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right."

As a campaigner, however, he maintained serious demeanor, and said he will focus on issues such as health care reform, education and energy policy.

"I really will be catching up," he acknowledged. "I'll hit the ground, if not running, trotting."

THERE'S MORE -- GO TO YAHOO NEWS      POSTED 7/1/09

POSTED 7/1/09

Obama gets ally for health care plan: Wal-Mart

In a letter, retailer says it embraces employer coverage mandate proposal

(From MSNBC) WASHINGTON - Wal-Mart is the latest in a line of traditionally Republican-leaning businesses to embrace key portions of President Barack Obama’s bid to overhaul health care, a trend that could complicate opponents’ efforts to build a united front when Congress ramps up its work on the issue this summer.

Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest private employer, on Tuesday endorsed the idea of requiring large companies to offer health insurance to their workers. The proposal is central to Obama’s hopes of covering the nation’s nearly 50 million uninsured and is disliked by some business groups.

Wal-Mart was joined by a major labor union that sometimes has criticized the company’s relatively stingy employee benefits.

The big retailer is not the only one-time opponent of health care revisions to embrace at least some aspects of Obama’s proposals. The major group representing pharmaceutical makers recently said it would reduce senior citizens’ costs for prescription drugs by $80 billion over 10 years. And major groups representing doctors, hospitals and other providers have pledged to reduce health care costs by large amounts.

Nearly all these groups, by varying degrees, opposed efforts to overhaul the nation’s health care system during the Clinton administration in 1993-94. Moreover, Wal-Mart and its officials have given far more in political contributions over the past decade to Republicans than to Democrats. The same is true of the pharmaceutical industry and several other health-related groups.

But with better prospects for a health care bill this time — and the public favoring overhaul, many businesses and industries want to be part of the final legislation rather than left out.

“We are for an employer mandate which is fair and broad in its coverage,” Wal-Mart said in a letter to congressional and administration officials. “Any alternative to an employer mandate should not create barriers to hiring entry-level employees.”

That was a reference to some proposals in Congress to have employers pay the Medicaid costs of new hires. Critics say that would discourage the hiring of low-income people.

The letter was also signed by Andrew L. Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union, which has more than a million members and counts more U.S. health workers than any other union. Also signing it was John Podesta, who headed Obama’s transition team and is president of the Center for American Progress.

As recently as 2006, Wal-Mart fiercely fought Maryland’s efforts to force it to contribute more toward its employees’ health care coverage.

The Wal-Mart and SEIU letter could build momentum on two fronts: Wal-Mart’s bid to improve its image regarding worker treatment, and Obama’s health care agenda.

THERE'S MORE - GO TO MSNBC           POSTED 7/1/09

POSTED 7/1/09

Leadership, for a change

There is evidence that the President, thanks to some lobbying by the governor, may have been involved in the wind turbine decision. Jeffrey Immelt, General Electric's CEO, is on a White House advisory board, and sources said Mr. Obama asked him to consider Michigan and possibly other states hard-hit by manufacturing losses.

THERE'S MORE - GO TO THE The Toledo Blade

POSTED 7/1/09

Supreme Court decisions made in the 2008-09 term

Some of the significant cases the Supreme Court decided in its 2008-2009 term:

LAWYER REQUEST

The Supreme Court overturned a long-standing ruling that stopped police from initiating questions unless a defendant's lawyer was present, a move that will make it easier for prosecutors to interrogate suspects. The high court, in a 5-4 ruling, overturned the 1986 Michigan v. Jackson ruling, which said police may not initiate questioning of a defendant who has a lawyer or has asked for one unless the attorney is present. The court's opinion said the decision will have "minimal" effects on criminal defendants because of the protections the court has provided in other decisions. Decided on May 26, 2009.

There's more - go to AP story

POSTED 7/1/09

Essay: Farewell to the Future

Michigan Radio’s Jack Lessenberry:

(From Jack Lessenberry's web site) Nancy Cassis, a Republican from Novi, tried to get her fellow senators to fund the program at a much-reduced level. Liz Brater, an Ann Arbor Democrat, said to eliminate the promise grant was more than just breaking a sacred promise to Michigan’s college students.

It is also a move designed to sabotage our state’s future economy. But Tony Stamas of Midland, the chair of the appropriations committee wasn’t sympathetic. He said “we don’t have the dollars,” which, in a sense is true. The state is running an enormous budget deficit, and painful cuts have to be made.

But then, according to the respected Gongwer News Service, Stamas added that the state also has a promise to keep prisoners behind bars. Well, nobody has been suggesting turning our serial killers loose to roam the streets. But I am struck by his choice of priorities. For years, it’s been clear that a big part of our economic problem in Michigan has been an insufficiently educated work force.

We have a smaller percentage of young adults with college degrees than our surrounding states, the ones that compete most heavily with us for jobs. There’s no great mystery as to why this is so.

For many years, you could come out of high school and get a good-paying job slapping fenders on cars or bending metal on an assembly line. Those jobs have vanished now, and aren’t coming back. Michigan needs to transition from a brawn-based to a brain-based economy, as fast as possible. The Michigan Promise Grant is designed to help do that, by providing scholarships worth up to $4,000 to college-bound kids graduating from Michigan high schools.

Lt. Gov. John Cherry knows how short-sighted eliminating the grant is. Five years ago, when times were still relatively good, he chaired a special commission that looked at higher education in the state. Its members concluded that we needed to start by doubling the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded within a decade. We are now running far behind that pace, and zeroing out the promise grant will set us back even further. “It’s so basic to your state’s future,” the lieutenant governor said yesterday. Ninety-six thousand students were depending on promise grant funding this fall.

The lieutenant governor argued that eliminating the promise grant would be like a farmer eating his seed corn.

But he failed by a single vote to sway the Republican-controlled senate. The senators also cut funding for other need-based programs, including competitive scholarships and tuition grants. They slashed money for nursing students at a time when Michigan has a dramatic shortage of nurses and has to import them from Canada.

Now, what the senate did isn’t the final word. The Democrats control the House, and some of this money may yet be restored.

But the senate’s action is profoundly dismaying. Our elected leaders are supposed to try to give us a better future.

And sadly, this bunch just isn’t there yet.

Hear Audio Story 

POSTED 7/1/09

Supreme Court rules for white firefighters over promotions

(From the Detroit Free Press) The Supreme Court ruled today that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge.

New Haven was wrong to scrap a promotion exam because no African-Americans and only two Hispanic firefighters were likely to be made lieutenants or captains based on the results, the court said today in a 5-4 decision. The city said that it had acted to avoid a lawsuit from minorities.

The ruling could alter employment practices nationwide, potentially limiting the circumstances in which employers can be held liable for decisions when there is no evidence of intentional discrimination against minorities.

“Fear of litigation alone cannot justify an employer’s reliance on race to the detriment of individuals who passed the examinations and qualified for promotions,” Justice Anthony Kennedy said in his opinion for the court. He was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.

In dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said the white firefighters “understandably attract this court’s sympathy. But they had no vested right to promotion. Nor have other persons received promotions in preference to them.”

Justices Stephen Breyer, David Souter and John Paul Stevens signed onto Ginsburg’s dissent, which she read aloud in court today.

Kennedy’s opinion made only passing reference to the work of Sotomayor and the other two judges on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals who upheld a lower court ruling in favor of New Haven.

But the appellate judges have been criticized for producing a cursory opinion that failed to deal with “indisputably complex and far from well-settled” questions, in the words of another appeals court judge, Sotomayor mentor Jose Cabranes.

“This perfunctory disposition rests uneasily with the weighty issues presented by this appeal,” Cabranes said, in a dissent from the full 2nd Circuit’s decision not to hear the case.

THERE'S MORE - GO TO THE DETROIT FREE PRESS      POSTED 7/1/09

POSTED 7/1/09

Close McCain friend allegedly called Palin 'Little Shop of Horrors'

(From Raw Story) It's well known that there were tensions between Arizona Sen. John McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin last year during their presidential run, but a new article in Vanity Fair magazine sheds light on just how serious the rift between the two camps was.

According to the article, former McCain campaign staffers suffer from a collective "survivor's guilt" over the problem-plagued choice of Palin as vice-presidential candidate. The friction between McCain and Palin was so intense that it carried over into election night, when Palin wanted to address the Arizona crowd to whom McCain was to give his concession speech. After much back-and-forth wrangling, Palin didn't speak that night.

But trouble had been brewing long before that. Over the course of the campaign, one close friend of McCain's who frequently traveled with him on the trail was purportedly "heard to refer to Palin as 'Little Shop of Horrors.'"

McCain campaign members, in a series of conversations, told the magazine that "no serious vetting had been done before the selection (by either the McCain or the Obama team), and there was trouble in nailing down basic facts about Palin’s life" -- an omission that would cause immediate trouble as details of Palin's sordid family life began to emerge.

Palin's lack of aptitude in her new starring role as V-P candidate became obvious quickly. At times, it seemed as if she was more concerned with her popularity back home in Alaska than with the national presidential campaign that she was now a central part of.

"By all accounts, Palin was either unwilling, or simply unable, to prepare," the piece says. "In the run-up to the Couric interview, Palin had become preoccupied with a far more parochial concern: answering a humdrum written questionnaire from her hometown newspaper, the Frontiersman ... At the same time, she grew concerned that her approval ratings back home in Alaska were sagging as she embraced the role of McCain’s bad cop."

There's More - Go to Raw Story Article      POSTED 7/1/09

POSTED 7/1/09

POSTED 6/28/09

DIARY SOURCE

POSTED 6/28/09

POSTED 6/28/09

Michigan Braces for a Surge in Welfare Applications

Strict System Installed in 1990s Has Kept the State's Caseloads Down, but Exhaustion of Jobless Benefits Will Pose a Test Soon

(From the Wall Street Journal) Michigan's generous jobless benefits and strict eligibility rules have kept the welfare rolls down despite the state's 14.1% unemployment rate, the highest in the country. But a surge in jobless workers reaching the time limit for unemployment benefits in coming months could change that.

A major test for the state's welfare system could come by January, when nearly one in seven unemployed workers will have exhausted their jobless benefits, unless the laws change, said Norm Isotalo, a spokesman for Michigan's unemployment-insurance agency. Many of the more than 680,000 unemployed workers in the state are collecting jobless benefits, which last for as long as 79 weeks.

Other states with high unemployment, such as Florida and Oregon, have already seen significant increases in welfare caseloads.

"We're expecting a huge influx of applications in the next few months," said Barbara Anders, the director of adult and family services at the Michigan Department of Human Services. About 100,000 people's jobless benefits will expire by January. Officials hope for funding to add staff to handle the influx, and the state Senate appropriations committee has approved hiring 200 more staffers.

"We believe that the safety net remains strong in Michigan," said Liz Boyd, a spokeswoman for Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm. She added that the state's food-assistance and Medicaid programs have expanded.

In contrast to most other big states, welfare caseloads in Michigan are 4.8% below year-ago levels, though the total number of cases has stopped falling in the past four months. In April, the state reported about 70,000 families were receiving welfare under the federal-state Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, or TANF. But nearly one in seven residents, or 1.4 million in all, are receiving food stamps -- a clear symptom of Michigan's economic distress.

THERE'S MORE - GO TO THE WSJ - POSTED 6/28/09

POSTED 6/28/09

Senate urged to pass climate bill

(From the Detroit Free Press) Hours after the House passed landmark legislation meant to curb greenhouse gas emissions and create an energy-efficient economy, President Barack Obama today urged senators to show courage and follow suit.

The sharply debated bill’s fate is unclear in the Senate, and Obama used his weekly radio and Internet address to ratchet up pressure on the 100-seat chamber.

“My call to every senator, as well as to every American, is this,” he said. “We cannot be afraid of the future. And we must not be prisoners of the past. Don’t believe the misinformation out there that suggests there is somehow a contradiction between investing in clean energy and economic growth.”

Obama said the bill would create jobs, make renewable energy profitable and decrease America’s dependence on foreign oil.

“It will spur the development of low-carbon sources of energy — everything from wind, solar and geothermal power to safer nuclear energy and cleaner coal,” he said.

House Democratic leaders said the bill helped accomplish one of Obama’s campaign promises and would make the U.S. a leader in international efforts to address climate change when negotiations take place in Copenhagen later this year.

“We passed transformational legislation, which will take us into the future,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., after the 219-212 vote.

“For some it was a very difficult vote because the entrenched agents of the status quo were out there full force, jamming the lines in their districts and here, and they withstood that,” Pelosi said.

The vote marked the first time either house of Congress has passed legislation to curb global warming gases. The legislation, totaling about 1,200 pages, would require the U.S. to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions by 17% from 2005 levels by 2020 and by 83% by mid-century.

THERE'S MORE - GO TO THE DETROIT FREE PRESS

POSTED 6/28/09

Green Bill's Biggest Test Awaits In The Senate

Rural opponents have a greater say than they did in the House.

The regional differences that nearly derailed the Clean Energy Act in the House are magnified in the Senate. Indeed, the biggest opposition to the bill came from farm- and coal-state legislators who feared its bill’s carbon cap-and-trade scheme would damage local economies by disproportionately raising the price of electricity, and would harm ethanol, manufacturing and mining businesses.

Representatives from the Southeast were concerned that utilities would have to import expensive wind- and solar-generated electricity from other states because of a lack of resources needed to generate them in their own states. Despite concessions designed to allay these concerns, 44 Democrats, primarily from central and Southern states, voted against the legislation.

Dissenting voices will only gain prominence in the Senate, where each state has equal representation.

“The Senate magnifies the significance of rural constituencies,” says Scott Segal of Bracewell and Giuliani, a Washington, D.C., law firm specializing in energy issues.

<snip>

A list of key fence-sitting Democratic senators could include Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and Mark Warner of Virginia. Republicans who in the past have voiced support for energy or climate legislation include George Voinovich of Ohio and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, if concessions are made to promote nuclear power. Some observers remain optimistic about the chances for a combined energy and climate bill from the Senate.

“The Senate is full of moderates, and the template out of the House is genuinely a very moderate and corporate-friendly piece of legislation,” says Brad Johnson, a climate specialist at the Center for American Progress. “You have so many utilities and corporations supporting this legislation,” he says. “There isn’t a real reason for a moderate senator to vote against this.”

One thing is for sure: This fall, climate debates could heat up even faster than the atmosphere.

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POSTED 6/28/09

Congress Ignores WH Veto Challenge Over Fighter Jets

(From CBSNews.Com) Congress is moving forward with plans to fund the construction of additional Lockheed Martin F-22 fighter jets, even though the Obama administration has said the president would veto such a move.

A Senate panel on Thursday approved $1.75 billion to build seven more F-22s and the House of Representatives voted in favor of a Defense Department funding bill that would allocate more funds for the planes, the New York Times reported. Both chambers are also asking for a report from the administration on possibly exporting the planes to Japan and other allies.

On Wednesday, the Obama administration made it clear it opposes the extra funding. The Office of Management and Budget said the funding for more F-22 fighters runs counter to the "collective judgment" of the military's top leaders. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said production of the jets should stop after 187 have been built. Last week, he called the funding boost a "big problem." He said the jet does not fit well into 21st century warfare.

Both the Senate and the House have also approved the development of an alternative engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, another program that the White House wants to get rid of.

While some politicians have argued the jets are necessary for national security, some also say reducing their production would result in more jobs lost, especially in Georgia, where the planes are produced. According to Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee, there are 95,000 jobs directly or indirectly tied to F-22 production, the Associated Press reports.

"It is regrettable that the administration needs to issue a veto threat for funding intended to meet a real national security requirement that has been consistently confirmed by our uniformed military leaders," Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) said in a statement.

Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and ranking member John McCain (R-Ariz.), who both voted against the funding, said Congress will ultimately side with the administration because of the high regard for Gates' opinion, according to the Hill.

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