On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I congratulate the people of Pakistan as you mark your National Day on March 23rd. Almost seventy years ago, men who would become the Founding Fathers of Pakistan met in Lahore and helped shape the birth of your nation.
Pakistan is close to my heart, and I have been privileged to make five visits over the years. And I have seen firsthand how special your country is — rich with history and culture, blessed with natural beauty, and home to people of unforgettable warmth and strength.
This week I am honored to welcome Foreign Minister Qureshi and other Pakistani officials to Washington for our first Ministerial-level U.S.-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue. The United States is supporting Pakistan’s efforts to strengthen democratic institutions, foster economic development, expand opportunity, and defeat the extremist groups who threaten Pakistan, the region, and even our own country. Our broad partnership is based on mutual respect and mutual interest, and this dialogue will be an opportunity to forge even closer ties between our nations.
Today, your country is suffering from terrorism and your security forces and civilians are making great sacrifices to fight extremists. The people of the United States will stand by and support Pakistani efforts to build a peaceful and prosperous future. We wish you a happy Pakistan Day.
SECRETARY DUNCAN RELEASES APPLICATION FOR $650 MILLION TO SUPPORT INNOVATION
WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced the Department of Education’s final priorities and the grant application for the $650 million Investing in Innovation Fund (i3). The fund, which is part of the historic $5 billion investment in school reform in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), will support the development of pathbreaking new ideas, the validation of approaches that have demonstrated promise, and the scale‐up of the nation’s most successful and proven education innovations.
“Many of our generation’s greatest breakthroughs occur when people are willing to invest in small scale projects with big scale potential,” said Duncan. “We need to identify these pockets of promise in the education community and give them the resources they need to grow.”Individual school districts or groups of districts can apply for the i3 grants, and entrepreneurial nonprofits can join with school districts or a consortium of schools to submit applications. To qualify for the competitive grants, applicants will need to address one of the four areas that are driving the Obama administration’s school reform agenda: supporting effective teachers and principals; improving the use of data to accelerate student achievement; complementing the implementation of standards and assessments that prepare students for success in college and careers; and turning around persistently low‐performing schools.
Applicants will receive a competitive preference if their project addresses one or more of the following priorities: improving outcomes for young children; expanding students’ access to college and preparing them for success in college; addressing the unique needs of students with disabilities and of limited English proficient students; and serving schools in rural areas.
Unlike other federal grant programs where evidence is a selection criterion, in the i3 program evidence is a formal eligibility requirement. The i3 regulations also include specific definitions for what constitutes strong evidence, moderate evidence and a reasonable hypothesis and will award three types of grants based on these three levels of evidence. Development grants will require a reasonable hypothesis and will be aimed at helping develop fresh ideas, Validation grants will require moderate evidence and will be aimed at validating and spreading promising programs to regional scale, and Scale Up grants will require strong evidence and will be aimed at bringing proven programs to national scale. The Department expects to make Development grants of up to $5 million each; Validation grants of up to $30 million each; Scale Up grants of up to $50 million each.
“This fund awards three different grants to programs at three different stages of development that all share one thing in common‐ evidence of success,” said Duncan. “We will award modest grants for new ideas, more for programs with moderate levels of evidence and significant funds to those with the strongest track records of success. There is no argument for investment more powerful than a program that is making a difference in the lives of our kids.”
Once identified as an award recipient, successful applicants will need to demonstrate how their programs will be sustainable after their federal grants are completed as well as find a 20 percent cash or in‐kind match of the federal award from the private sector. To assist recipients in their efforts to find private matches and to serve the larger purpose of creating an innovation community, the Department of Education has launched an online community, the Open Innovation Portal. This is the first national forum within which entrepreneurs, education stakeholders of all types, and funders can partner to develop and fund innovative ideas in the education sector.
Through this portal, the Department will hope to facilitate partnerships by convening like‐minded individuals to accelerate the development, identification, and broad use of innovative products, practices, and processes to improve education in schools. Applications will be due in mid‐May and grants will be awarded in September. In the coming weeks, officials from the Department’s Office of Innovation and Improvement will hold informational workshops in Atlanta, Baltimore and Denver that will be web‐accessible. President Obama has proposed an additional $500 million of the i3 program in his fiscal 2011 budget.
President Obama is pushing for a controversial Healthcare reform system that will entitle every American to proper healthcare. Republicans have criticized the initiative, stating that it is based on the communism ideal that everyone works together for the benefit of everyone else. I understand that conservative views are against communism as a whole, but this specific ideal (related to the well-being of the people) is not only very fair to everyone, but should also be considered a basic right of humanity.
Living in Canada, where we have a healthcare system, I can say it is very beneficial.
The main opponents of the health care reform seem to be right-wing, white, upper class and upper-middle class people. Why? Because they happen to be the ones who benefit from the lack of a health care system (as in the case of hospital owners / pharmaceutical companies / investors), and if not, they happen to be people well enough that they can afford the best without any waits; good for them, but what about the other 80% of the people in the country?
I’m not rich, but I make enough money that I could afford the heavy doctor and hospital bills should I need to pay in case of an emergency; however, I much prefer paying my monthly premium (which comes right out of my pay cheque along with other taxes) and knowing that no matter what happens, no matter the cost, my healthcare system will take care of me without making a huge negative financial impact from which I may never recover. Seeing as how so many people are not in the same financial situation as I am, I am proud to live in a country where everyone will have proper access to healthcare simply by being a citizen who contributes to this society.
Does a healthcare reform have a bad side? Yes.
The main issue is that, since everyone will have access to doctors and hospitals, waits will become longer; this is why people who have more money than they will ever spend in their lifetime are so opposed to a healthcare reform: because they rather spend the money, selfishly keeping all attention to themselves, while those who are not as well-off die and suffer, not being able to afford the outrageous bills of the current healthcare system in the USA.
The reality now is that millions of Americans go though life without treating or even addressing any health problems, ranging from basic sicknesses and injuries to life-threatening diseases, because they do not have coverage they need through work or otherwise.
What you need to ask yourself is: What kind of society have we become, if we are unwilling to allow everyone the opportunity to take care of their health and LIVE, based on the amount of money they have?
If we have lost all disregard for the well-being and life of others, then we have bigger issues to consider.
The decision is now not only in the hands of the politicians. Every American individual has the power to call their government representatives and speak their minds on this issue, and hopefully make a difference in the shaping of their country.
I strongly believe that healthcare is everyone’s basic right, not just that of the rich and powerful. I personally will be very disappointed if the American public chooses to reinforce the stereotype of Americans being selfish and unintelligent, by choosing to deny a healthcare reform that is fair to everyone.
Has a sitting U.S. President EVER been disrespected like this by a domestic reporter? ..let alone on a national news network? Real talk, fuck Brett Baier. I dont even know why Obama even started communicating with the Fox News Network. Its COMPLETELY obvious that that network and the vast majority of their viewers have an agenda. The agenda – to disagree and fuck over ANYTHING the president proposes. What’s interesting is how Obama ALWAYS handles his business when confronted by bias opposition. Here is Baier’s Twitter @SpecialReport . Ole Hunchback Of Notre Dame lookin ass dude..
With the Democrats poised to pass a $1 Trillion Dollar overhaul of the U.S. Healthcare system, I still have not heard how we are going to pay for it.
Until Now!!!
Why doesn’t the U.S. implement a Windfall Tax on political campaign contributions? Instead of trying to tax healthcare plans to pay for healthcare, lets look to where the big money is.
President Obama spent almost $1 Billion Dollars on his bid for the White House. The average Senatorial Campaign costs around $200 Million Dollars and to become a State Representative can cost upwards of $75 Million Dollars.
So let’s do some simple math on just the Federal Campaigns. Ever four years, two (sometimes more) candidate go head to head for the White House. So let’s adjust for differences in donations and estimate $1.5 Billion Dollars spent in the Presidential Race. There are 100 Senators and 100 challengers in the Senatorial Race so that is another $40 Billion Dollars spent on ridiculous ads and buying votes. Now, we have 435 State Representatives and including their challengers, that is 870 campaigns out spending money to the tune of $65.2 Billion Dollars. So every fours years, there is over $106 Billion Dollars received and spent by our politicians in attempts to get jobs that pay less then $250,000 per year.
I will not get into State Campaigns but that could easily double or triple the total amount spent every four years.
So I propose a 50% Tax on all campaign contributions for every political campaign!!!
This tax will bring in approximately $53 Billion Dollars every four years just in Federal Campaign money and almost $50 Billion from all of the state and local campaigns. And why not, the money was not earned by the candidate! It was a windfall, just like Banker Bonuses and Cadillac Insurance Policies!!
Sunday, March 21, 2010 is likely the end of the road for America.
The Democrats will likely “deem” the Senate bill pass in the greatest act of political cowardice and underhanded chicanery in American History.
And The President is worried.
President Obama is not worried about the “procedural” debate over whether House Democratic leaders should go ahead with a plan to approve health care reform without a traditional vote, he told Fox News on Wednesday.
Why should he be.
Though the Senate will still have to vote for the Reconciliation package (and additional 2,300 pages bringing the monster to 5,000 pages!!) it will be by simple majority, which should be no real problem.
So Obama will get enshrined in the Liberal Socialist Hall of Fame and raised up amongst their Gods.
The mere mortals, The American People, who are not for it, get stuck with a terminal cancer that will eat away at them forever.
Democracy in action.
“I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about what the procedural rules are in the House or Senate,”
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Obama said. “What I can tell you is that the vote that’s taken in the House will be a vote for health care reform. And if people vote yes, whatever form that takes, that is going to be a vote for health care reform. And I don’t think we should pretend otherwise. And if they don’t, if they vote against it, then they’re going to be voting against health care reform and they’re going to be voting in favor of the status quo.
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“So Washington gets very concerned with these procedures in Congress, whether Republicans are in charge or Democrats are in charge,” he said.
Indeed, House lawmakers would be going on record for health care reform. But they wouldn’t be casting a vote for the Senate bill alone.
Instead, under a process called a “self-executing rule,” the House could simultaneously approve the Senate bill while voting on a package of changes to it. This would “deem” the Senate bill to be passed, without compelling members to vote for it directly.
They vote for the rule, not the bill.
Schoolhouse Rock’s “I’m Just a Bill” has just been murdered! :0
But in all such Cases the Votes of both Houses shall be determined by Yeas and Nays, and the Names of the Persons voting for and against the Bill shall be entered on the Journal of each House respectively. (Article 1 Section 7).
But the Orwellian bastards will try and sell that pile of crap all summer and the Liberal media (aka The Ministry of Truth) will go along with it when it comes up.
There is no “Fourth Estate” to protect you, they are a Fifth Column.
Asked to respond to a viewer’s e-mail question about why he has to “bribe Congress to pass it,” Obama said, “I’ve got the same exact e-mails that I could show you that talk about why haven’t we done something to make sure that I, a small business person, am getting as good a deal as members of Congress are getting, and don’t have my insurance rates jacked up 40 percent?”
Obama later added, “I’ve got to say to you, there are a lot more people who are concerned about the fact that they may be losing their house or going bankrupt because of health care.”
Obama expressed confidence that the health care bill will pass.
“And the reason I’m confident that it’s going to pass is because it’s the right thing to do,” he said.
“And yes, I have said that this is an ugly process,” he said. “It was ugly when Republicans were in charge. It was ugly when Democrats were in charge.”
“But they did it too Mommy!!” is Obama’s basic answer for everything these days.
But if it passes (or is “deemed” more likely) he gets to ascend to Liberal Socialist Godhood and nothing else matters.
Except, attempting to rig future elections that is.
Remember, the White House took control of the Census data that can be used to gerrymander legislative districts.
Also, you have 12-20 million new socialist Democrats and ACORN chomping at the bit to get them registered.
They are called Illegal Aliens.
Obama won by 10 million last time.
But he has so pissed off many Americans he would need more voters to replace them.
So in come the Illegals, most from socialist countries to the south.
Most can’t speak much English.
Many are very undereducated.
And virtually all will be grateful to their new God, Obama and The Democrats for giving them Amnesty.
But that won’t stop the Illegals.
They’ll still keep coming.
And with Former Arizona Governor and lover of all things Non-American Janet Napalitano cutting funding for Border Security you have a never ending supply of new Democrats to bring in to use as electoral weapons.
And with Cap and Trade (which they will try and pass before November) they can effectively run your life for you.
As Obama said, it’s the right thing to do.
They “deem” it so. So mote it be.
So enjoy your weekend, as Americans, it’s probably our last.
Health Insurance Premiums Will Rise Under Obamacare
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) last Wednesday contradicted socialist Barack Hussein Obama on whether the health care reform bill will lead to a decrease in health care premiums. Durbin claimed that rates would go up, while Obama said the rates would go down..continued…
Moms, Dads, Grandparents we started a forum just for you!! Visit MomsandDadsBeHeard soon! 2010 is a MUST year to be involved. No longer can we sit back and allow our rights to disappear. The 2010 elections will be the deciding factor. Get involved, speak out!
