Tag Archives: United States Senate

Observation …. word of the day

08/10/2018 Nativegrl77

Word of the day is all about the act of observation …and a rant

I have to ask everyone who is taking the time to read this —at what point will the various cable and main stream stations do the right thing and stick to the truth instead of skewing it to make the current government look sane -stop trying to sway voters and report the news…This stuff is NOT normal

After days and weeks of offensive down right discriminatory comments coming from Politicians already in office, folks running for office, even some pundits are riding on the edge of truth but the reality is – this kind of rhetoric, this fear mongering could quite possibly put our democracy at risk.

The only solution is to End the #trumpTrifecta yes, midterm2018matters

Compare and Contrast all the things that the Obama2010admin as well as Congress managed to achieve despite the Republican Tea Party.

Observe and analyze who what when and why things have not improved as some out there on the left want and then remind them what people said … that a President that goes too far left of center is not representing all Americans. The truth is most people “most” used to be moderate and expect the President to be not just moderate but bipartisan; until Obama! And while folks on the right said one thing and did another on the floor of congress and btw this is standard republican behavior no matter who is in office, it makes you wonder if taking a hard left is the only way to solve and get the People’s Business done and back on track.

Then reality comes back and we have to remember the Democratic Party is made up of a huge tent with various degrees of democratic ideology and going or taking that hard left was not only a mission impossible but possibly no one was or is ready for. The 2010-2013 Republican Tea Party were united no matter what their colleagues said or did, the Democratic party on the other hand seem to fight to get good legislation on the floor of the Senate ,debate it to make progress in the move toward the 21st Century living. We all know our ability to move forward is being held hostage by the Republican Party having turned full out trumpNation until they can ruin our recovering economy of all “it’s Obama” stamp. I hope my worry is your worry, that we will have no place to go or anyone to help if in fact we fall into a deep recession … again!

I have to say my Observation of “the Media” … is not just giving Republicans more airtime but seemingly those folks know who is buttering their paychecks so the fair and balanced slogan when describing the news is just a joke now.

We must remember what happened in 2008! Yes, Congress goes through change, but the era of trump is at hand. Now, more than ever we need main stream media to provide on a daily basis information on the failure of the house of bush, the deficit he left and finding out that Wall Street, Oil and the Banks as well as AIG made bets not only with the people’s money but against us – you would think some would understand that after years of corruption it might take years to make all the corrections given the fact that some parts needed to make the fix are being held hostage by Republicans. I am no expert but people need to compare their own budgets to what happened in 2008 then estimate your recovery time… and realize any correction will take a long time especially since folks on the right were able to downsize/block or stall most of the financial fixes in the Senate. So, voters need to take a real look at the spending that team trump is engaged in and call him out.

The Democratic Party needs to get our arses out to vote.

Mitdterm2018 is a pivotal moment and if we really want change; Not Autocratic change, we need to urge all protected classes to make sure they vote. It has become apparent that some folks do not understand why the process of change cannot and should NOT be done by only the POTUS but Congress in both Chambers as separate branches of our government needs to do the work of the people. While it is obvious, the House is definitely representing $$$$ the Senate faces obstacles and the only solution is getting truer Dems on the floor of the Senate. We must make sure our Nation is NOT sliding into an autocratic nation to which some of trump supporters have expressed as a good change? Come on!?

President Obama did the best he could with what the last admin left him and again it took a long time to get to an improved 2017 but it seems team trump has not only stripped away the Obama legacy it has hurt Americans in ways that probably won’t be fully felt until 2019. We are witnessing those on the right who choose to provoke trump fear; lately that has turned into action by those feeling certain TV or radio personalities were giving them subliminal instructions to act against those who support the Democratic Party ,Muslims, Black and Brown folks and Jews. That has got to stop; it would be even better if “the Media” would stop giving folks on the right passes when they make outrageous, racist, xenophobic exclusionary comments…we hear it from Fox News but now cable stations, depending on the day or hour seem to take a hard right and has this viewer wondering where the money is coming from, supporting the more extreme view on our airwaves? But then again Sinclair Broadcasting is another animal doing its best to alter the facts and reality of our daily lives. What we are seeing by some reporters, pundits, and talking heads are of engaging in the dance of “News manipulation” which is a sad representation of what real journalists, reporters and commentators used to be … What hashtag #FreePress means and meant to our founding fathers …lol

If you are trying to figure out exactly how we got into this mess? Remember that once fabulous video “House of Cards” by David Faber…on CNBC… but I don’t believe it’s still available

What have you Observed?

~Nativegrl77

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

A Historic Meeting … Cuba

08/04/2016 Nativegrl77

a repost

President Obama met with Cuban President Raul Castro in Panama City — marking the first full meeting between the leaders of the two countries since we announced a new diplomatic path with Cuba.

The two presidents discussed our shared histories, significant policy changes, and the positive response in both countries to this thaw in relations. “This is obviously a historic meeting,” said President Obama — who was in Central America for the seventh Summit of the Americas, a tradition that brings together the leaders of North and South America to discuss issues that impact the region.

Watch the President’s remarks at the Summit and learn more about his trip.

Weekly Address: Tuition-Free Community College

In this week’s address, the Vice President laid out his and the President’s plan to make two years of community college free for responsible students. A better-educated citizenry is necessary to ensure that the United States continues to out-compete the rest of the world. Making two years of community college free is good for workers, good for companies, and good for our economy.

More than 120,000 people signed a petition calling for a ban on the dangerous and unacceptable practice of conversion therapy — and on Wednesday, we responded. The overwhelming scientific evidence demonstrates that conversion therapy is neither medically or ethically appropriate and can cause substantial harm. That’s why the Obama administration supports efforts to ban the use of conversion therapy for minors.

READ MORE

West Wing Week: “A Good Deal”

Last week, the President made an important announcement about preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, traveled west to champion high-tech jobs in Louisville and clean energy jobs in Salt Lake City, had some fun at the 137th-annual White House Easter Egg Roll, and flew to Jamaica for a meeting with leaders of Caribbean nations.

Wind Energy Information

05/20/2016 Nativegrl77

by Aaron Severn
Director, Grassroots and Federal Legislative Affairs
American Wind Energy Association

I wanted to loop you in on the latest updates on American wind power. The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) recently released its Annual Market Report for 2013, as well as its First Quarter 2014 Market Report.

So what’s new?

The U.S. wind industry did not install much wind power capacity in 2013, reflecting the impact of the policy uncertainty that the wind industry faced throughout 2012.

The numbers were small:

1,087 megawatts (MW) installed in 2013, compared to 13,131 in 2012 – a 92% drop in new capacity
Corresponding drop in investment, $2 billion into the US economy in 2013, compared to $25 billion in 2012
Loss of thousands of manufacturing jobs – ending the year with 50,500 total wind industry jobs, as compared to 80,700 jobs at the end of 2012

In total, though, wind power is making impressive contributions to the U.S. electricity supply:

Wind now provides over 4% of our electricity nationally
Iowa and South Dakota get over 25% of their electricity from wind power; nine states get more than 10% and six states get more than 15% of their electricity from wind power

As you may recall, Congress allowed the PTC to expire at the end of 2012. Then, our legislators extended the credit in early January 2013, allowing projects that started construction by the end of 2013 to qualify for the credit (rather than requiring that they be operational by the end of 2013, as required in the past). The uncertainty throughout 2012 caused wind project development to come to a halt, and manufacturing orders to cease, resulting in little development and significant job loss as noted above.

How’s this year looking so far?

The PTC extension in 2013 allowed developers to put plans back in motion. As a result, 2014 is off to a great start:

Over 13,000 MW of wind power under construction – more than any other time in history – and including over 95 projects across 21 states
214 MW of wind power installed so far — more than in the first three quarters of 2013
Utility companies and corporate purchasers continue to announce agreements to purchase wind power – they announced 8,000 MW of power purchase agreements in 2013, and about another 1,000 MW so far this year

Is there a catch?

Yes – federal policy for the wind energy industry is still uncertain. The PTC expired again, at the end of 2013. Without an extension, the wind industry is looking at the prospect of near-term downturns in project development, and job layoffs as well.

The Senate Finance Committee has acted to extend the PTC, and a credit that developers can choose instead of the PTC, the investment tax credit (ITC). They extended these provisions as part of the EXPIRE Act in early April. The bill moves to the Senate floor for consideration next, and we will keep you updated on that front. It will be important to weigh in with your Senators about the importance of extending the PTC through the EXPIRE Act.

Thanks, as always, for your support. I encourage you to check out these resources if you’re interested in more information:

Sincerely,
Aaron

Aaron Severn
Director, Grassroots and Federal Legislative Affairs
American Wind Energy Association

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Mayor Rauner … seems to be against his constituents

08/10/2015 Nativegrl77

Rauner suspends $26 million in social services, public health grants

Apr 5, 2015

By KaiElz

Gov. Bruce Rauner’s office worked with the Departments of Human Services and Public Health “to see which grants could be suspended and prioritized essential services.”

Associated Press

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner suspended $26 million in social services and public health grants as part of his push to whittle away at a $1.6 billion shortfall in the current state budget.

The Republican’s office released a list of targeted programs late Friday that included funding to pay for the funerals and burials of public-assistance recipients, smoking cessation, teen programs, autism, and HIV and AIDS programs, among other things.

Rauner also froze $3.4 million in funding for immigrant integration assistance as part of ongoing efforts to keep the state rolling through the June 30 end of the fiscal year.

Rauner’s office said the check-writing halt – he also interrupted $180 million in parkland grants in March – is necessary because the expenditures were based on the assumption a temporary income tax would be extended past January, but it wasn’t after Rauner won the election.

“Part of the solution to solving the inherited $1.6 billion budget hole without raising taxes or increasing borrowing is to continue to evaluate the current fiscal year’s budget,” Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said. “The governor’s office worked with agencies to see which grants could be suspended and prioritized essential services.”

The cuts will save the state $21.8 million in Department of Human Services Grants and $4.5 million in unexpended funding through the Department of Public Health. The suspensions only affect this year’s funding, Kelly said.

But there’s always another price – this one paid for by constituents who, as soon as Monday morning, will be told through closed doors there’s no more money to help them.

Breandan Magee, senior director of programs for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, said dozens of organizations assisted 102,000 legal immigrants in 2014 with applications for citizenship, English as a Second Language classes and health and nutrition programs for low-income immigrants.

“There are 299 jobs across 60 different immigrant-services agencies at risk” with funding ceasing, Magee said Saturday. “There are workshops scheduled for citizenship, applications for citizenship pending, ESL classes hallway through.”

Immigrant integration programs – which Rauner proposed eliminating entirely in the 2016 budget – will forfeit nearly half of their $6.7 million budget, according to figures provided by the governor’s office. Magee said he hopes the state will cover expenses he’s already incurred.

A copy of Friday’s letter from Human Services, obtained by The Associated Press, notifies the recipient to “immediately cease incurring additional obligations, costs or spending any further grant funds.” Agencies must submit records of all spending for the year. Jimi Orange of Children’s Home and Aid faces the unenviable task of telling up to 25 of the 100 children in Chicago’s impoverished West Englewood neighborhood they can’t come to Earle Elementary School for after-class tutoring and cultural activities because the state has recalled the remaining $3.1 million of Teen REACH money for kids ages 7 to 17.

“The staff’s concern is how to tell the families? What to tell the kids? How to tell the kids?” Orange said. “These are kids who already have abandonment issues, trust issues.”

Parkland-related grants Rauner has suspended this year include $90 million for park facility construction, $56 million for local governments to purchase open space for future parkland, and $30 million for museum capital-construction grants.

Grants suspended by Rauner include:

DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES

Funeral & Burial, $6.9 million

Rauner’s ‘turnaround budget’ has cuts called ‘reckless,’ ‘wrong priorities’

You be the judge. Look at the list below and decide if grants for the Homeless or for HIV assistance, Addiction prevenetion, and so on are reckless.

Immigrant Integration Services, $3.4 million

Welcoming Centers, $191,300

ARC Lifespan, $118,100

Best Buddies, $250,000

Autism, $1 million

Group Home Loans, $20,000

Compulsive Gambling $406,000

Westside Health, $94,200

Addiction Prevention, $1.6 million

Assistance for Homeless, $300,000

Community Services, $2 million

Teen REACH, $3.1 million

Coalition F/Tech Assist-Child, $250,000

For Children’s Health Program, $231,600

Outreach to Individuals to Engage in Services, $380,700

Regions Special Consumer Support, $277,700

SMRF Training, $420,100

Transportation, $43,900

DD Latino Outreach, $87,500

Microboard Development and Outreach, $47,500

Epilepsy, $514,700

DHS TOTAL: $21.8 million

DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

Brothers and Sisters United Against HIV/AIDS, $789,800

Increasing Access to Health Care-Wellness on Wheels, $180,000

Wellness on Wheels – Mobile Administration 2015, $135,000

Illinois Tobacco Quitline, $3.1 million

Project Safe Sleep Education and Outreach, $250,000

MidAmerica Regional Public Health Leadership Institute, $75,000

IDPH TOTAL: $4.5 million

DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES*

Park and Recreational Facility Construction, $89.5 million

Open Space Lands Acqusition and Development, $56.3 million

Museum Capital Grants, $30.4 million

Bike Paths, Mud-to-Parks, others, $2.6 million

IDNR TOTAL: $178.8 million

*Grants suspended in March

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

How many Bolivians are dying because foodies love quinoa?

05/12/2015 Nativegrl77

By Virginia Heffernan

A long time ago, “Bolivian marching powder” meant cocaine.

a repost

Now it could mean quinoa. Quinoa is a massive crop that for millennia has honed its extraterrestrial nutritional powers in the dizzying altitudes of the Andes. In recent years, this curious substance—like coke before it—has also become a major export for Peru and Bolivia.

But, as the Guardian recently reported, the foreign market for the good seed has driven the street price of quinoa up so high that most Bolivians and Peruvians can no longer afford their homegrown staple. For the people who used to live on it, protein-dense quinoa is now more expensive than chicken. That’s rich.

Denied their indigenous marching grain (technically a “pseudocereal”), Bolivian and Peruvian peasants are turning to junk food—the same sugary bunk that sickens and malnourishes millions of us in the U.S. And thus we net a nifty parable of globalism, progress and nutrition, with one clear upshot: Foodism, like every other ideology, is dangerous—and carries unintended consequences.

I would tell you what quinoa is, in hair-splitting pseudo-agricultural detail, but then I’d sound like just one of them. The foodies. Those people who are always saying—oh, I can’t even mock them. Suffice it to say I’d rather hear an Oxycontin addict talk about how he puts the edge back on with Adderall than I would a foodie talk about how he balances the acids in mustard greens with cake flour. At least the Oxy folks don’t turn their boring and expensive pleasure into sanctimony. In my experience, they’re even somewhat private and sheepish about it.

But let’s just say quinoa is a thing that foodies adore, that exists by the gunnysackful in the stockrooms of liberal-elite restaurants and liberal-elite kitchens in Boston, San Francisco, Manhattan, Portland, Chicago, Austin and Seattle.

Quinoa is stylish and, furthermore, believed by the Timothy Learys of the foodists to goose or balance “amino-acid levels,” without which many noble vegans and carniphobes would perish (or have to resort to yucky supplements). To be a good sport, since I live in foodie Brooklyn myself, I have tried quinoa with beets and cheese and fish, in muffins, beside eggs—wherever regular American carbs like potatoes used to be served.

The people of the Andes like to eat quinoa this way too, it turns out. Quinoa is known to Andean folks as the “lost crop of the Incas,” as well as a “miracle grain” for its near-holy amino-acid balance. But then, suddenly, rich people in other countries, including the United States, some of whom have shifted their taste from white powder to this other intoxicant measured in grams, wanted to sample the latest Bolivian miracle. So we enriched many farmers by buying up the quinoa—and further impoverished the Andeans, by dooming them to malnutrition.

What a story! Quinoa prices, according to the Bolivian department of agriculture, have almost tripled in five years, during which time Bolivia’s own quinoa consumption has dropped by a third. In areas where quinoa is grown, chronic malnutrition in children marches upward.

Of course, there’s a style issue in Bolivia, too. Kids in Park Slope, Brooklyn or Marin County, Calif., raised in the cult of Alice Waters and Whole Foods, may like quinoa, but regular kids in countries that aren’t hyper-trophically developed don’t typically ask for it. Sensibly, they ask for what’s sugary and on circus-colored billboards. Explains Víctor Hugo Vásquez, vice minister of rural development and agriculture in Bolivia, “If you give them boiled water, sugar and quinoa flour mixed into a drink, they prefer Coca-Cola.”

At the same time, ballooning quinoa prices also raise questions that could, if answered, change the story from ironic and sad to more complex still.

As Marc F. Bellemare, an assistant professor at Duke University, points out in his blog, the tragic take on the quinoa boom assumes that Bolivian households are mostly quinoa consumers penalized by a bull market and not quinoa farmers and sellers who stand to gain from it. In fact, agricultural economists haven’t sorted this out yet. Journalists who make the opposite, and equally unfounded, assumption—that Bolivians are mostly quinoa farmers (and not children starving for want of quinoa)—sound like delirious free-market boosters. In The Globe and Mail, Doug Saunders has raved that for Bolivians the quinoa craze is “the greatest thing that has happened to them. … Quinoa had all but died out as a staple in Bolivia, replaced by beans and potatoes, until farmers began planting it in the 1980s with exports to North America in mind.”

The important thing, then, is to follow the food without getting ideological, not only about wholesome classy quinoa, but also about delicious tawdry Coca-Cola, that bugbear of foodies who are perpetually disgusted to discover that the feeble-minded among us still like a little sugar with our water. Eat what you want, but stop preaching about it, and it surely can’t hurt to leave some Andean quinoa for the people of the Andes.

To help children in Bolivia, where more than half the kids 6 months to 5 years old suffer from malnutrition, and 54 in a thousand die in childhood, consider supporting MAP’s Community School for Life.