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TGIF &some News …


Today marks the 25th Anniversary of the Chanllenger Space Shuttle tradgedy with thoughts of the families of our 7 Astronauts.

It has been a couple of days, The President and his SOTU address is all over the air-waves and as talking heads debate, interpret and beat down the ” WintheFuture. “ plan. It was odd to hear that the President’s “WintheFuture” plan was leaked but can imagine that the numerous right of center reporters were excited and ready to write their articles to disapprove of the President’s plan way before he gave the SOTU address let alone “WintheFuture and while Sarah Palin took a swipe at it she also made herself look less than Presidential material.

The Plan, “WintheFuture” did not stray too far away from his original statements in 2009 in my opinion but it did include an obvious roadmap at what needs to get done and how to get it done. The reports are that polls taken after the SOTU were great with Cnn reports 84% felt the SOTU was positive, 52% were very positive and CBS reported that 91% agreed to and liked the President’s proposals.  We the People need to push shove and the most important would be to call our Congress to move “WintheFuture” through so issues like abortion can be dealt with and the Dream Act, education, energy, and climate change can be more than just possible laws but realities. However, the Republican Tea Party managed to waste time for 2 years and continues to in hope for enough negative outcomes, negative responses by tea partiers, comrades and voters trying to make Obama fail in 2012. 

It is entirely possible that Republicans are not reading or listening to the news and or Polls because they definitely are not giving credit and or respect to the American people’s ability to ferret out the slight of hand these folks are engaging in. It is encouraging to see that more and more Americans like the new Health Care Law though if you spoke to Republicans they seem stuck in their midterm election win and not the change of attitude by even their own constituents. It is obvious the HoneyMoon is over but will the Republican Tea Party is it and accept they have gone to far right of center.

 I still feel the house of Bush and Republicans are completely responsible for the state of our economy. Apparently, people like Glenn beck got it; some Conservatives seem to be avoiding or walking away from Bush, stating that big spending big government happened, but if we get back into office, we will not do it again but the fact is they keep saying they want to go back to 2006 so the lesson was obviously not learned. 

 I have been listening to both sides since the midterm election and have heard nothing-different coming out of the mouths of Republicans, Conservatives and or the tea party movement that sounds anything different from the Bush Administration. We the People need to call our Members of Congress and ask; whose side are you on because 53% voted this President in and knew exactly what we were doing but the Republican Tea Party definitely are not listening because it would interupt their move to PRIVATIZE everything. Americans, over half voted for change we can believe in. I for one would love it if the Republican Tea Party stopped holding up our President’s ability to govern, stop being Obstructionists that have now defined who and what Republicans stand for. 

The Democratic Political Party needs to come together… negotiate, support and pass the issues our President campaigned on. We pay Congress to create, make and pass laws. There were a lot of folks left of center who seemed at odds with President Obama before the midterms and threatened to hold their votes hostage if he did not do as they wanted whiched seemed awfully childish to me and the other push was for President Obama to use his pen of power to get things done. In my opinion the push toward getting the President to use Executive Order to get things done is not in our best interest because it would make the law subject to being repealed way too easily. I also feel that having Congress do what we all pay them for is just plain ole common sense.

my take

Other News …

**Tea Parties first caucus recruits about 4 people …those who called themselves tea party members did not show up …hmmmm interesting for constituents to think about

**25th Anniversary ceremony at Kennedy Space Center

**Egyptians defy police and protest

**Rahm’s Mayorial campaign continues

**GDP growth up 3.2% falls short in 4th qtr tho it still is an indication of economic growth

**Nelson Mandela is released from Hospital

**Funeral for Ugandan gay activist,David Kato was held:and FYI: Uganda’s Rolling Stone is reported as having published names of several people saying they were gay with the headline “Hang them”

** Egypt: Nobel Peace Winner is under house arrest

**Seattle, City Officials have backed off from raising parking rates up to 4dollars an hr due to substantial complaints-though free parking is still after 8pm instead of the old 6pm time

**Arizona: a bid to block citizenship for illegal immigrants “anchor babies” -Lawmakers in AZ and some other States are challenging the 14th Amendment … AGAIN

CSPAN …

Press Secretary Robert Gibbs conducts a daily briefing at the White Houss:  http://c-span.com/Events/White-House-Briefing-with-Press-Secretary-Robert-Gibbs/10737419201/

Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Philip Crowley conducts a daily briefing at the State Department. http://c-span.com/Events/State-Department-Press-Briefing/10737419203/

A number of Senators debated Senate Resolution 10, which would change Senate rules on considering legislation. It would change how filibusters are conducted and require a Senator’s name to be made public if they put a hold on a bill. It would also change rules for offering amendments. http://c-span.com/Events/Senate-Floor-Debate-on-Procedural-Changes/10737419227/

Commander Charles Benson, U.S. Marine Corps psychiatrist, deputy surgeon and director of the Concussion Restoration Care Center at Camp Leatherneck conducted a briefing at the Pentagon on combat stress and concussion care of troops in Afghanistan. http://c-span.com/Events/Defense-Department-Briefing-on-Combat-Stress-amp-Concussion-Care/10737419202/

This morning, the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (FCIC) released a report on the causes of the 2008 financial and economic crisis. At the event, the Commission is delivering the results of its inquiry and its conclusions as to the causes of the crisis based on this inquiry. http://c-span.com/Events/FCIC39s-Report-on-Causes-of-2008-Economic-Crisis/10737419171/

CBO:2011-2021 forecast: The agency charged with reviewing congressional budgets unveiled it’s annual economic forecast for the federal government’s 2011 fiscal year. The new estimate predicts the federal deficit will reach almost $1.5 trillion in 2011. Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director Doug Elmendorf appeared before The Senate Budget Committee today to detail the latest CBO report and participated in a question and answer session with lawmakers.  http://c-span.com/Events/CBO39s-2011-2021-Forecast-Detailed-in-Hearing/10737419170/   

The Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing to investigate how Boeing and EADS received sensitive information about each other through an Air Force clerical error. Both companies are competing for a $50 billion contract to replace the Air Force’s aging refueling airplanes. The error gave both companies access to each other’s intellectual property which could have serious consequences for the bidding competition. A contract announcement could come as early as February. http://c-span.com/Events/Senate-Armed-Services-Cmte-Hearing-on-KC-X-Competition/10737419204/

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, French President Nicolas Sarkozy defended the euro and said France and Germany would never let the currency fail. He also outlined the economic and financial priorities of the G20. France will chair both the G8 and G20 summits this year.  http://c-span.com/Events/French-Pres-Nicolas-Sarkozy-Remarks-at-World-Economic-Forum/10737419205/

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Official Google blog


It’s become a welcome tradition: Today is the fourth annual Data Privacy Day. Dozens of countries have been celebrating with events throughout the week to inform and educate us all about our personal data rights and protections.

This is the first year I’ve marked this day as director of privacy across both engineering and product management at Google. I’ve chosen to spend the day in Washington, D.C., where there’s a been a lot of robust and productive discussion lately. People from Congress, the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Commerce, and industry and consumer groups have been contributing to these important conversations about how to best protect people’s data, and we’re happy to be participating too. I’m doing my part by bringing my geek sensibilities into a public discussion that we’re hosting today. In fact, that’s what we’re calling it: “The Technology of Privacy: When Geeks Meet Wonks.” I’ll be joined on the panel by technologists from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Federal Trade Commission and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. If you can’t attend in person, don’t worry—we’ll be uploading a video of the event later in the day on our Public Policy blog and you’ll also be able to see it on the Google Privacy Channel on YouTube.

On this Data Privacy Day, a major focus for Google is on creating ways for people to manage and protect their data. We’ve built tools like the Google Dashboard, the Ads Preferences Manager and encrypted search, and we’re always working on further ideas for providing transparency, control and security to empower our users. For example, earlier this week we launched an extension for Chrome users called Keep My Opt-Outs, which enables you to opt out permanently from ad tracking cookies. And pretty soon we’ll be extending the availability of 2-step verification, an advanced account security solution that is now helping protect more than 1,000 new accounts a day from common problems like phishing and password compromise. Right now it’s available to Google Apps Accounts; we’ll be offering it to all users in the next few weeks.

Data Privacy Day 2011 reminds us that as industry and society are busy moving forward, we face new challenges that together we can tackle through conversation and innovation. We’re eager to be part of the solution.

Posted by Alma Whitten, Director of Privacy, Product and Engineering

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Congress… The Senate will be back in Session 1/31 -the Republican led House 2/8


The Senate Convenes: 2:00pmET

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will proceed to a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each. There will be no roll call votes during Monday’s session of the Senate. However, the Majority Leader hopes to reach an agreement to begin consideration of S.223, the Federal Aviation Administration Act.

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We didn’t win on filibuster reform, but three senators fought hard


 Tell Sens. Merkley, Udall and Harkin: Thank you for showing what real leadership looks like on filibuster reform.

http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6896&id=15715-2591629-a2G1Mzx&t=1

These three champions of filibuster reform deserve recognition for their leadership.

 Clicking here will automatically add your name to this petition to Sens. Tom Udall, Tom Harkin and Jeff Merkley:

“Thank you for showing what real leadership looks like on filibuster reform. We support you in the continuing fight to fix the Senate.”

  The end game for Senate rules reform has become clear, and it’s not pretty.

Despite the best efforts of Senators Merkley, Tom Udall and Harkin, in the near future we’re likely to see only a weak, bipartisan gesture towards Senate reform. At most there will be a few minor tweaks to how the Senate is run without any attempt to address its underlying dysfunction.

While disappointed, we cannot and will not stop fighting for reform as long as the Senate remains a place where good legislation goes to die. The stakes are simply too high.

And as we recommit to this fight, we should recognize the tremendous effort by Democratic champions for filibuster reform, particularly Sens. Tom Udall, Jeff Merkley and Tom Harkin to put this issue on the table.

Tell Sens. Merkley, Udall and Harkin: Thank you for showing what real leadership looks like on filibuster reform. Click here to automatically add your name to the petition.

http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6897&id=15715-2591629-a2G1Mzx&t=9

By all accounts, the overwhelming majority of Senate Democrats supported the move known as the “Constitutional Option” to fix the filibuster and other Senate rules by majority vote. This would allow Democrats to change the rules with 51 votes.

However, the Constitutional Option was only available on the first “legislative day” of a new session of Congress (a technical term that does not correspond to a calendar day).

When the Senate adjourned on Tuesday night, the first legislative day ended, and the Democrats lost their only opportunity in this session of Congress to pass Senate rules reform with a simple majority vote. Any rules changes in this Congress now face a 2/3rds supermajority requirement to pass, and nothing significant will have the votes to overcome that threshold.

The inability of the Democrats to capitalize on this opportunity is a substantive failure for all of us who wanted to see Senate reform enacted any time soon. But even more than that, it demonstrates a monumental failure of leadership by the top Democrats in the Senate.

Democratic leaders like Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer have time and again blamed Republican filibusters for their inability to move the Democratic legislative agenda through the Senate.

This was a sentiment shared by their colleagues. Just a month ago, Democrats in the Senate were so fed up with the endless abuse of the filibuster by Republicans that every single returning senator in the Democratic caucus signed a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid about the need for rules reform.

However, a handful of reluctant Democrats (we’ve been told as few as six or seven) were unwilling to support the Constitutional Option. And Democratic leadership decided it would rather negotiate with Republicans than bring the caucus into line.

Nominally, these holdout Democrats were worried about setting a precedent for the Republicans — under the false notion that not taking action when they had the chance would make Republicans hesitant to change the rules to their own advantage when they eventually regain the majority.

In essence, these weak-kneed Democrats were willing to forfeit any chance at governance in the next two years, including giving up a reasonable chance to address the crisis in the judiciary and end the Republicans hostage-taking approach to judicial appointments. And all in the hopes that when the Republicans take power they will play nice.

The Democratic leadership faced a choice — they could whip the votes for the Constitutional Option and undercut the ability of the Republican minority to abuse the rules, or they could accept the decision by a fraction of their members to give the Republicans what is in effect a veto over the Democratic agenda. I think you know what they chose.

When push came to shove, rather than address the issue of filibuster reform head on, the Democratic leadership forfeited their ability to stop the abuses.

We now face a long-term effort to fix the Senate. Without buy-in from the leadership of the Democratic caucus, we’ll continue to need rank and file Democrats like Sens. Udall, Merkley and Harkin to join us in this fight.

And as they continue fighting, they need to know we support them.

Tell Sens. Merkley, Udall and Harkin: Thank you for showing what real leadership looks like on filibuster reform. Click here to automatically add your name to the petition.

http://act.credoaction.com/r/?r=6897&id=15715-2591629-a2G1Mzx&t=10

Thank you for standing up for real filibuster reform.

Matt Lockshin, Campaign Manager

CREDO Action from Working

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Fraudulent colleges ruin lives …


Shannon Croteau was 11 classes away from a degree from Kaplan University Online (a for-profit college owned by The Washington Post Company) when she learned she was out of financial aid, $30,000 in debt, and here’s the kicker – the degree she was working toward would be worthless in her state of New Hampshire.

She was billed for loans she never signed up for, enrolled in classes she didn’t choose and, when she complained, was given the runaround by a succession of fake “loan officers” who wouldn’t tell her the truth, let alone their last names. “They lied and cheated,” Shannon told us at  “It has ruined me.”

She’s just one of millions of students to have her financial life devastated by the fraudulent and predatory practices of for-profit colleges. Countless other Kaplan students have come forward, saying they’ve been charged for classes even after they’ve withdrawn, stalked by aggressive admissions officers or had their degrees held hostage if they don’t ante up “surprise” fees.

Shannon has started a petition on the Change website , demanding that the Washington Post Company stop preying on low-income students.

 add your name.

It’s important to understand that for-profit colleges stay in business by taking billions from the federal government: During the 2008-09 academic year alone, for-profit colleges siphoned off $4.3 billion of federal student aid.

And if the students can’t pay those loans back, who cares? Students who attend for-profit colleges account for only 12% of America‘s college students, but they represent nearly half of student loan defaults. Those students will be hounded by creditors for the rest of their lives. Our tax dollars cover their debts. And the for-profit colleges never have to give back a dime.

They don’t care whether the students they recruit can afford college, or even whether those students will be able to use their degrees if and when they graduate. For these businesses, each new recruit represents a profit. Nothing more, nothing less.

But Shannon Croteau and a group of former Kaplan students are fighting back – and Change.org members can help. By raising the profile of these appalling institutions, we can pressure the Washington Post Company to get out of the business of preying on people’s dreams of better educations and better careers.

Please take action today to tell Washington Post Company Chairman Donald Graham to either stop the fraudulent practices or shut down Kaplan University:

Thanks for taking action,

Judith and the Change.org team

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