ECONOMY — WHILE TEXAS CAN’T AFFORD TO BUY NEW FAR-RIGHT TEXTBOOKS, RICK PERRY STILL RESISTS FEDERAL AID: For the past year, far-right members of the Texas Board of Education have been overhauling the state’s textbook standards. The changes include “pushing for inclusion of more…Confederate glorification,” renaming the Atlantic slave trade the “Atlantic Triangle Trade,” and raising doubt about climate change. However, the Texas Observer now reports that, with the state facing “a budget shortfall of at least $11 billion in 2011,” the “money isn’t going to be there” for the state to buy the new books. The books with the new science standards “would have cost $400 million, and the Legislature is already expecting a bill of $888 million for textbooks already ordered.” To ensure that students can still be exposed to “proof, supposedly, of evolution’s fallibility,” the Board is trying to secure funding for special “supplements for science classes from fifth grade through high school.” Ironically, though, the legislature’s biggest obstacle to securing the revisionist textbooks is right-wing Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R), whose constant compulsion has been to oppose federal funding. At the beginning of June, he refused to let Texas compete for Race to the Top funding for education reform because he falsely claimed the program would weaken the state’s school standards, an allegation refuted by fellow Republican governor Sonny Perdue of Georgia. The Houston Chronicle earlier this week lamented Perry’s stubborn “grandstanding” despite the clear need for education support in the state. Texas now faces a daunting $18 billion shortfall for the next two-year budget cycle, amounting to 20 percent of the total budget, but Perry misguidedly insists he can find enough spending cuts to create balance. He is even blustering about rejecting supplementary Medicaid funding from Congress that would greatly help address the state’s fiscal woes. Last year, he tried to reject the stimulus money that proved key to balancing Texas’ budget, insisting, “We can take care of ourselves,” before the legislature intervened and secured relief.
Tag Archives: king of pop
Official Vote: Choose your favorite planks
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It’s now or never. In the wake of the BP spill and the Wall Street meltdown, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rescue our democracy from the corporate corruption that led to these disasters.
It’s time for elected officials in Washington to choose sides: Will they do the bidding of corporations and their lobbyists or stand with the Other 98% of us to make government work again? Together we’re creating a tool to put them on the record on this critical question—but we need your help.
The “Stand for Democracy” project has already generated hundreds of ideas that have been rated over 1.3 million times. Now, we’ve got the top tier of ideas, and we a really tough decision to make together. Which ideas should make it into our final platform?
Click here to help choose the winning ideas so we can construct our pledge against corporate corruption in our democracy. Voting ends Monday night at midnight PST.
http://pol.moveon.org/sfd/slate/signup.html?id=21231-9640874-.zBcRQx&t=5
Once the pledge is formed, we’ll ask candidates to endorse it and work with us to take our country back from giant corporations and their lobbyists.
In the face of the ongoing economic crisis and the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, we simply can’t sit back and wait for change. We need to be clear on what we’re asking, fight for candidates who are with us, and oppose those who would rather do the corporations’ bidding. That’s just what we’re doing with the Stand for Democracy project.
We’re figuring out how to re-wire American politics to work for regular people again, instead of the 11,000 corporate lobbyists who have taken over Washington, D.C. This grassroots project has absolutely taken off in the last week, with hundreds of ideas receiving over a million votes.
Now, we need your vote so we can package the winning ideas into this high-profile pledge. It needs to reflect your vision for how to take back our country from the forces that have worked to block real reform at every step. Please take a moment to vote on the final slate of ideas for our pledge to combat corporate corruption:
http://pol.moveon.org/sfd/slate/signup.html?id=21231-9640874-.zBcRQx&t=6
Thanks for all you do.
–Ilyse, Milan, Anna, Tim, and the rest of the team
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Spill baby Spill
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what’s going on in Congress …
The Senate Convenes: 2:00pET June 21, 2010
| Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will proceed to a period of morning business until 5:15pm with senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each and with no motions in order.At 5:15pm, the Senate will proceed to Executive session and debate concurrently until 6pm, with the time equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Sessions or their designees. At 6pm, the Senate will proceed to vote on confirmation of the below listed nominations: – Calendar #777, Mark Goldsmith, of Michigan, to be US District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan; |
| Votes: 195: Confirmation of Calendar #777, Mark Goldsmith, of Michigan, to be US District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan; Confirmed: 89-0 196: Confirmation of Calendar #778, Marc Treadwell, of Georgia, to be US District Judge for the Middle District of Georgia; Calendar #779, Josephine Tucker, of California, to be US District Judge for the Central District of California; |
| Unanimous Consent: Adopted S.Res.560, a resolution recognizing the immeasurable contributions of fathers in the healthy development of children, supporting responsible fatherhood, and encouraging greater involvement of fathers in the lives of their families, especially on Father’s Day.Adopted S.Res.561, a resolution designating June 25th, 2010 as National Huntington’s Disease Awareness Day. |
The next meeting in the House is scheduled for 11:00amET on June 21, 2010
CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS
LEGISLATIVE DAY OF JUNE 21, 2010
111TH CONGRESS – SECOND SESSION
- 11:03 A.M. –
- The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn. The next meeting is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. on June 22, 2010.
- 11:01 A.M. –
- PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG – The Chair led the House in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. The Speaker announced approval of the Journal. Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved.
- 11:00 A.M. –
- Today’s prayer was offered by Reverend Doug Tanner, Faith & Politics Institute The House convened, starting a new legislative day.
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Weekend …&some News
This week ended in calamity…Well, new information this Saturday afternoon to top off all the nonsense of all things BP and associates have said and or done this last week -a real fU moment to Americans … Apparently, BP CEO Tony Hayward was seen sailing in his yacht getting his life back. Though the Media is trying to tie the President’s & Vice President’s Saturday golf game to the BP person out sailing I have to say ish on it. There had to be a lot to talk about and what better place to say exactly what you want without a live mic on and if a deal needs to be made no one else has access to the information … hey- there are the two of them out there .. In addition, the FBI/Body Guards…if anything makes the airwaves -you know the guilty party. People do use golf for meetings why not think something positive is going on not something negative or self-serving…
I do not agree with any so-called journalist’s comments about where the President should be or how he is handling himself. Where was all this talk and or nonsense when Bush took Americans for an 8yr ride and then ruined our economy the double standard is astonishing, offensive and the whole notion of polls having any meaning is just strange… I didn’t get polled …who got polled and what percentage were Republicans how many were white men or women, were minorities included and what percentage men and women were included in these polls …
If you were listening to American TV and or radio you would have heard that Tony Hayward stepped down… not so. If you were listening to the BBC and or overseas radio, the fact is he is still in CEO mode but I have a feeling this ceo will no longer be taking the witness stand unless forced and we probably will not see him with a mic in his hand. The other strange things heard on British radio are the overwhelming negative complaints edging on disdain feelings toward our President. These feelings and comments are beyond me since reports and evidence that Americans did want this President to go after BP. The People of the USA wanted the President to get funds for the people on the Gulf Coast. The reports are that the British people feel our President is such an actor that it is making them disrespectful of his intent; which was and still is to make the people on the gulf coast completely whole again. In addition, BP cannot fix the damages they inflicted on the Gulf Coast but they can pay until they fix the economy there. However, if you listened to the folks on radio we seem to be making a mountain of a molehill…that I find absurd. In addition, the little people or small people comment from the British radio folks felt the comment was appropriate, because the spill did hurt the little people.
The British compared the people on the Gulf Coast to the people like Congress and or the President and they make their wages from the water and or the things that help their people. I actually think he said exactly what he meant because it was a comparison made between aristocrats vs. the small people -maybe cable heads asked but I don’t remember the exact answers to it; go figure. I knew exactly what that man meant and it was offensive. I also got the impression that getting real answers will be harder than they were if not more because according to British radio the drama the yelling and screaming from the panel was a joke to them. In addition, when pressured about the lives lost. It seemed like they were sorry but that jobs with risk are just that- risky.
The other wacky and or offensive behavior this week was the lack of cooperation going on in Congress. It was just strange that the House and Senate Democrats either didn’t sync up their votes or didn’t care because major miss-communication went on to the point where major and I mean major progress was lost because of scheduling, planning or just plan ole incompetency. There were major votes that went on this last week and while there were miscues in both Chambers the biggest offensive miscues were the vote for Medicare and Veteran coverage. The doc fix was in line to be voted on after Republicans managed to stall and block HR4213 which, would have helped millions of Americans; but Republicans and a couple of Democrats made a deliberate choice to block a jobs bill.
The Senate finally decided under the max Baucus amendment to help doctors and our Vets; but after the final vote, which passed; politicians started claiming victory for progress. Then, within hours of the vote, journalists were stating the doc fix was too late because the House was not in session until June 21. My first thought was: how could this be, how could they not prepare for a special session to get the fix in before claims would be processed at the lower rate and will definitely cost more for tax payers and providers. The Democratic Party needs to make sure they are available so miscue -votes never happen again. The Democratic Party is supposed to be organized and in control, they need to act like it.
Other News …
The students taping the Democratic Congressman was in error and should have id’ himself and got permission to tape before s–there have been instances of violence toward our politicians and no one can blame D. Bob Etheridge apologies should be given by both sides.
C-SPAN …
In his weekly address, President Obama criticizes congressional Republicans for blocking legislation on a variety of issues including the extension of unemployment benefits, tax credits for first-time homebuyers, and over 100 nominations for federal positions.
Pres. Obama’s Weekly Address
Be a Seed for Change 
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