Articles of Interest 9-19-07
415 Days until Election Day
MORNING UPDATE:
These have been two of the busiest weeks we’ve ever had…Mackinac Conference, Republican Presidential Debate…and oh yeah, fighting TAXES!
October 9th debate in Dearborn looking great…details being finalized!
Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference set to be a huge success!!!
National Democrats continue to ignore Michigan and Florida, keep your fingers crossed that voters remember…Yeah, we’ll remind them. J
Congressman Thaddeus McCotter on Iraq:
http://migop.blogs.com/blog/2007/09/congressman-tha.html
The “Most Outrageous Statement” of the budget debate:
"Having the courage and conviction to stay off the board has been really tough,"
Rep. Mike Simpson (D-Liberty Twp.) claiming to have “courage” NOT to vote?!?
Senate Republicans “bend over backwards” in a show of bipartisanship…and get rejected - because Democrats want MORE TAXES and LESS reforms and/or cuts.
http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2007/9/18/193021/376
Congressman Bart Stupak voted AGAIN to allow housing assistance for illegal immigrants?!?
THE REST OF THE STORY:
- Senate and House Republicans continue to hold the line on taxes and spending while Democrats continue to attempt to push through record tax increases.
“Yellow Dog Democrats” finally are getting some attention in their local media outlets as citizens are outraged that these 10 Democrat members of the House refuse to vote…one way or another.
As talk of “compromise” swirls around the Capitol and Republican continue to demand structural reforms, lower rates and if there is a need for any revenues, that it would be temporary at best, with a date certain sunset.
Republicans are fighting hard for the taxpayers of Michigan…if the 10 “Yellow Dog Democrats” would do any work at all…we could get this process moving along.
The 10 Democrats who refuse to vote on their own tax increase are profiles in cowardice. Vote ‘yes’, vote ‘no’ or resign. Period. Only in Lansing double-speak can 10 Democrat holdouts keep a bill from passing and Republicans get the blame. Michigan is speeding toward a government shutdown and these House Democrats are helping grease the skids.
- Bart Stupak (MI-01) seems to have a problem remembering whom he represents in Washington. Today, Stupak cast a vote, for the second time, to allow taxpayer dollars to be doled out as housing assistance for illegal immigrants, taking precious resources from low-income Americans.
Stupak's endless allegiance for the liberal Democrat leadership has yet again resulted in the defeat of an important measure that would have ensured that only legal residents could receive assistance from the affordable housing fund.
Bart Stupak is frivolously spending the taxpayers’ hard earned dollars on housing for illegal immigrants, while hard working citizens are left struggling. Bart Stupak continues to mount an atrocious voting record in Washington, which shows he is completely out of touch with his district.
The motion was offered to the Expanding American Homeownership Act of 2007 (House Roll Call 875). Stupak voted against the measure, which would have required persons receiving assistance from the affordable housing fund to provide valid personal identification.
STATE STORIES
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070919/POLITICS/709190392/1022
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Speaker: Deal near on budget
Dillon, Bishop take steps on tax hike, cuts, reforms
Mark Hornbeck and Gary Heinlein / Detroit News Lansing Bureau
LANSING -- The state's top Democratic lawmaker said late Tuesday the Legislature is "very close" to an agreement to wipe out the $1.75 billion budget deficit, and predicted final passage could come by the end of the week.
House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township, said he and Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, met Tuesday evening and took steps toward a solution that will include tax increases, government reforms and budget cuts.
"We're getting very close I expect you'll see more progress every day," Dillon said. "I'm comfortable we'll have a bipartisan agreement here very soon."
The House moved two bills to the Senate Tuesday night that would allow for an increase in the income tax and expand the sales tax to include some services that currently are not taxed.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070919/NEWS06/709190316
September 19, 2007
Suddenly, movement for a budget deal in Lansing
Lawmakers signal they're closer to agreeing on taxes
LANSING -- Lawmakers inched closer late Tuesday to a deal to raise taxes to solve the state's looming budget crisis.
Senate Republican leaders publicly signaled Tuesday night that they were willing to raise the state income tax -- from 3.9% to 4.3% -- and make cuts of about $1 billion.
An hour later, the state House -- in a procedural move -- sent the Senate two bills that would permit an unspecified income tax increase and the creation of a new sales tax on some services.
House Speaker Andy Dillon said he believed that there was growing momentum for an income tax increase to more than 4.3% and that the likelihood of a partial state government shutdown had diminished after Tuesday's progress.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop earlier told reporters that he believes "you can make significant cuts in the present system without crushing state government."
http://www.mlive.com/news/jacitpat/index.ssf?/base/news-22/1190124560196990.xml&coll=3
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Griffin, Simpson refuse to vote
By Chad Livengood
clivengood@citpat.com -- 768-4918
Hour after hour this weekend, the voting board for an income tax increase was left open during a marathon state House session.
All the Democratic majority needed was eight more votes to get the 56 needed to boost the income tax rate from 3.9 percent to 4.6 percent.
But local state Reps. Martin Griffin and Mike Simpson, their names displayed on the voting board in yellow, joined a group of 10 Democrats who never voted -- neither green for "yes" nor red for "no."
The House adjourned shortly before 10 p.m. Monday without passing any tax increases.
The so-called "Yellow 10" are drawing criticism for refusing to vote -- some say to save face with their constituents -- adding to the stalemate that threatens to shut down state government in 12 days.
Simpson, D-Liberty Township, said he and Griffin are in a position to hold a "balance of power" and shape the outcome of the $1.7 billion budget crisis, a rare position for freshmen lawmakers.
"Having the courage and conviction to stay off the board has been really tough," Simpson said. "Both sides are upset with Martin and I."
http://www.mlive.com/news/chronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1190126725318530.xml&coll=8
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Budget stall has Valentine in tough spot
By Steve Gunn
State Rep. Mary Valentine, D-Norton Shores, may be caught in the political crossfire of the fierce budget battle being waged in the state Legislature.
She is one of 10 House Democrats who hasn't cast a vote on a proposed income tax hike, a holdout position that has delayed action on the state budget and is propelling state government toward a possible shutdown.
Democratic leaders in the state House don't want her to publicly adopt their pro-tax position, according to published reports and Lansing watchers. She has to run for re-election next year in a tough district, and party leaders don't want the tax-hike label hanging around her neck.
But Valentine said she simply hasn't made up her mind, and will cast a vote on the tax increase proposal when she feels "the time is right."
Meanwhile, State Sen. Gerald Van Woerkom, R-Norton Shores, says he will be working with other senators today to try to work out a compromise plan to balance the state budget. He said it will probably include a smaller tax increase than the House proposal, as well as further budget cuts.
http://lenconnect.com/articles/2007/09/18/news/news09.txt
Up or down: Clear up the tax-hike bill now
At issue: The failure of local representatives to vote on a House bill to raise income taxes.
Our view: With an Oct. 1 deadline nearing, this bill must be handled quickly. Representatives who fail to vote are not behaving responsibly.
There are issues upon which to stand up and be counted. Michigan’s potential $1.2 billion increase in the personal income tax, the state’s biggest issue of the year, certainly is one.
Unfortunately, Lenawee County’s representatives refused throughout the first four days of balloting on the House floor to decisively vote “yes” or “no.” That lack of action fails to offer the direction needed on House Bill 5194, the proposal to raise the state income tax from 3.9 percent to 4.6 percent.
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070919/NEWS04/709190352/1005
Published September 19, 2007
Key lawmakers hold critical votes in state budget debate
Chris Andrews
Lansing State Journal
So far, state Rep. Dick Ball has been voting no on taxes, and Rep. Barb Byrum hasn't been voting at all.
But the two mid-Michigan lawmakers hold votes that could be pivotal to efforts to raise the state income tax.
Ball, of Bennington Township in Shiawassee County, is one of several Republicans who have been negotiating with Gov. Jennifer Granholm and House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township
He said there is "pretty much agreement" on a package of reforms that are necessary before he would support an increase in the income tax. He said there is not an agreement on how large that increase would be.
But he said he's not willing to vote to raise taxes unless Democrats in vulnerable seats follow suit.
"If I have to walk the plank - and I don't want to, but I'll do it if I have to - I want to look to both sides to see that there are Democratic vulnerables (representatives) walking alongside me," he said.
"Why should I walk the plank and vote yes with Leon Drolet sitting up in the balcony when one of their vulnerables stays yellow?"
http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/columns-3/119012740915010.xml&coll=7
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Democrats should show some courage
Michigan House of Representatives Democrats should develop a backbone and vote to increase the state income tax temporarily, even if not one Republican goes along.
We can understand Democrats' desire for any tax increase to have bipartisan support. Democrats representing swing districts are especially nervous about voting for a tax without the cover of bipartisan votes.
Democrats also are wary of a tax increase supported only by House Democrats and shot down in the Republican-controlled Senate.
On Monday, the Senate voted along party lines for a continuation budget which would, in effect, extend the current spending plan for 30 days past the Oct. 1 start of the next fiscal year.
Meanwhile, Gov. Jennifer Granholm has said she will veto a continuation budget unless a tax increase or other revenue increase is attached. ``I will not sign a continuation budget unless there is revenue to support it,'' she said Monday.
http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/news-25/119012746615010.xml&coll=7
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
GOP senator urges reform before taxes Medicaid, teachers' insurance should be changed, George says
cricks@kalamazoogazette.com 388-8557
Sen. Tom George said Monday he would consider a tax increase if reforms for teachers' health insurance and Medicaid are part of the deal.
George, R-Texas Township, said Republicans and Democrats must find common ground to close a $1.7 billion gap in Michigan's Fiscal Year 2008 budget.
``At a certain point you have got to solve the problem,'' he said.
The Legislature has until Oct. 1 to balance the state's budget, but the effort has stalled as Democrats and Republicans have offered competing proposals. Lawmakers now are debating a continuation budget to keep government services operating while a long-term solution is found.
Democrats tend to favor tax increases along with some spending cuts while Republicans want deeper cuts in state spending before a tax increase.
``I'm willing to consider a tax increase, but I'm looking for reform,'' George said
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070919/OPINION01/709190319/1008
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Editorial
Budget crisis opens door to real spending reforms
The Detroit News
So far in the budget brinkmanship, most of the pressure has been on legislative Republicans to accept the reality that Michigan taxpayers will have to pay more taxes next year to keep the state afloat.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, offered the necessary Republican votes for a tax hike. He's suggesting raising the income tax rate to 4.3 percent, a $700 million increase.
But that's only half the battle. Democrats have a tough job to do as well. House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township, must get his caucus to embrace spending reforms. Getting a compromise budget in place before the Oct. 1 deadline will require the House to move toward Bishop on spending.
Some of the reforms that are essential to making a tax-hiking budget deal acceptable to taxpayers include:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070918/OPINION01/709180307/1008
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Editorial
Support move toward bipartisan budget deal
The Detroit News
Sen. Mike Bishop is taking a courageous stand for a Republican legislative leader in rallying his caucus to support a compromise budget solution that combines spending reforms with tax hikes. He shouldn't have his political career threatened for doing the right thing.
Former state Rep. Leon Drolet of Macomb County, a bomb thrower whose legislative career was marked by divisiveness, is making life miserable for Bishop and other legislative Republicans, threatening to mount recall campaigns against lawmakers who vote for a tax hike.
He's aided in his cause by the state Republican Party, which is urging its members to bombard Bishop with "no tax hike" phone calls and e-mails. Gov. Jennifer Granholm joined the piling on over the weekend, telling business interests that if they didn't push Bishop to compromise, she'd start yanking tax credits out of the recently passed Michigan Business Tax.
http://battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070919/NEWS01/709190320/1002/NEWS01
Budget work persists
State senators approved a continuation budget on Monday, but Gov. Jennifer Granholm said Tuesday she will accept a partial government shutdown before she'll approve a budget without a revenue increase.
The Republican-controlled Senate passed a plan along party lines Monday extending the current budget year 30 days past Oct. 1, an effort to buy more time to resolve the crisis.
Democrats — including Granholm — oppose a short-term extension and want a long-term fix that includes tax increases to help pay for schools, health care, prisons, police and
other programs.
In a press conference Tuesday, Granholm said she would veto a continuation budget unless it had a revenue increase attached to it, saying the continuation alone was like paying an overdue credit card bill with a bad check.
Published September 19, 2007
Shame: Voters must remember this moment of failure at next state elections
A Lansing State Journal editorial
To the voters of Michigan:
Our state is at a crossroads. Many here have seen their personal economic hopes bent as our state adapts to the changing global economy. As a result, our state's fiscal fortunes have suffered.
We have been in a financial downturn - a state fighting recession. Bad enough.
But our struggle is made far worse by the embarrassing lack of leadership from Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, House Speaker Andy Dillon and every single member of the current Legislature.
Their self-centered focus on their individual political futures blinded them to the urgent need to fix the state's critical financial problems. They have waited to the last possible moment.
And by waiting so long, they brought Michigan national embarrassment that will linger even after a deal is reached.
http://dailypress.net/stories/articles.asp?articleID=13591
Published: Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Casperson wants reform
By Jenny Lancour - jlancour@dailypress.net
ESCANABA — State Rep. Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba, says he’s tired and frustrated with the politics taking place as lawmakers try to adopt a new state budget. The lawmaker visited the Daily Press Monday, voicing his concerns.
Casperson brought with him a stack of paperwork, nearly an inch high, listing all the state employees whose annual salaries are $80,000 or higher, not counting benefits. As a way to fix the budget, he wants reforms in state departments, including cutting positions that are not needed.
“No one is saying a word about salaries,” Casperson said. “If the people knew the truth, they’d come unglued.”
State legislators have less than two weeks to adopt a balanced budget. Tax increases and budget cuts are being mulled over to resolve a $1.7 billion shortfall in the upcoming budget. Concerns are beginning to surface of a shutdown of nonessential government services if a budget isn’t decided by Oct. 1, the end of the fiscal year.
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070919/NEWS06/709190313/1008/NEWS06
September 19, 2007
Politically speaking
Budget battle inspires strummin' 'n' smokin'
The marathon session in the state House over the weekend produced a lot of boredom and crankiness, and a few attempts by lawmakers to bend the rules to lighten the mental strain.
During one of many long lulls, Rep. Fulton Sheen, R-Plainwell, brandished a guitar and began strumming in front of the speaker's rostrum.
Sorry, that's against the House rules, House Clerk Rich Brown politely informed Sheen. He'd have to blow in the wind elsewhere in the Capitol.
Later, Rep. John Garfield, R-Rochester Hills, was temporarily escorted out of the House by a sergeant at arms when he attempted to smoke a cigarette at his desk. No smoking in the chamber is a hard-and-fast rule.
An apologetic Garfield explained that he instinctively lit up without realizing what he was doing.
Maybe he was making a case for a higher cigarette tax.
http://www.ourmidland.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18828193&BRD=2289&PAG=461&dept_id=472542&rfi=6
09/18/2007
County GOP chair: Butler good Yob successor
By Stuart Frohm
The Midland County Republican Party's chairperson welcomes the possible election of the Rev. Keith Butler of Southfield to the Republican National Committee. Chuck Yob of Hesperia last week ended his re-election bid. But the longtime Republican activist wrote that he thinks he could have won by getting Michigan Republican precinct delegates' support. He isn't going quietly. In a letter to Republicans, Yob said he will retire from the national committee next year to avoid tearing the Michigan Republican Party apart.
And Yob:
· urged Republicans to hold Attorney Gen. Mike Cox and Michigan Republican Chairman Saul Anuzis accountable if future disunity and Republican election losses occur.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070919/AUTO02/709190374/1322/OPINION03
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
UAW's silence truly is golden
Union understands what's at stake in GM talks.
Daniel Howes:
Attention GM-UAW members: The silence may be deafening, but that's because neither side wants to screw up the hour-by-hour contract talks between your union and General Motors Corp.
As the talks today pass into deadline-day-plus-five, it's worth noting that the United Auto Workers, led by President Ron Gettelfinger, is quietly acting more like a corporate deal-maker analyzing the intricacies of a prospective acquisition and much less like a caricatured band of Luddites standing astride progress yelling "Stop!"
And that's a good thing -- for the union, its members and its growth prospects; for their largest employer and the other two -- Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler LLC -- waiting their turn; for the communities where they still operate; and for the future of the Detroit-based automakers.
Gone are the macho 72-hour bargaining marathons for which Gettelfinger is legendary, lest someone get too tired, tempers flare and a costly mistake be made. Press room vigils are gone, too, as are most of the deliberate leaks intended to inflame the rank-and-file and pressure "the corporation" with a half-baked response.
http://theoaklandpress.com/stories/091807/loc_20070918107.shtml
Web-posted Sep 18, 2007
Workers wary of trust plan for retirees
By JOSEPH SZCZESNY
Of The Oakland Press
Union officials in Pontiac report they have been bombarded with questions about plans for a special trust to handle retiree health care claims, putting new pressure on United Auto Workers negotiators. General Motors Corp. workers in Oakland County and around the country returned to work Monday under a tacit contract extension while negotiators from the company and the union try to finish work on a new contract.
GM spokesman Dan Flores said all of GM's plants started operations Monday morning without incident. The strike talks that sprung up suddenly at the end of last week appears to have receded for now. The questions about a Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association also have touched off a wider debate over the merits of the trust, which is being criticized by union dissidents. "Lots of people have questions about the VEBA," said one official from UAW Local 594 in Pontiac, who asked not to be identified.
Several issues relating to the construction of the VEBA, including the level of funding and guarantees the union is thought to have demanded if health care claims drain the fund, are still under discussion.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070919/OPINION01/709190318/1008
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Opinion
MEA two-faced on health
Union should let schools follow its lead in controlling medical costs
Ryan S. Olson
During the state budget battle, the Michigan Education Association last week persuaded the House not to substantively reform school employee health benefits, a plan that could save school districts millions of dollars.
At the same time, ironically, the teachers union was attempting to control its own bottom line by making changes to these same health benefits plans during contract negotiations with its own employees. These actions reveal a sad case of hypocrisy that every school board, local voter and state legislator should remember when school districts face similar dilemmas.
Many of the professional employees of Michigan's largest school employees union are represented by the United Staff Organization. The USO and MEA had negotiated a contract that provided generous health insurance for working and retired employees. Like a majority of Michigan school district workers, MEA employees are covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance administered by the Michigan Education Special Services Association, an MEA affiliate.
http://info.detnews.com/weblog/index.cfm?blogid=10551
Tue, Sep 18, 2007 at 6:28 PM
Should taxpayers still buy cars for superintendents?
Richard Burr
Michigan superintendents often like to plead poverty and say their districts have been cut to the bone. But taxpayers should question whether their school leaders have their spending priorities in order, since many public school leaders get taxpayer-subsidized vehicles.
I can understand reimbursing superintendents for business use of vehicles. But should taxpayers treat superintendents like corporate chief executives, worthy of their own taxpayer-paid vehicles for personal and business use?
In these tight financial times, the perk probably needs to go. Superintendents are important. But when school boards buy SUVs for the same price that they could hire a starting teacher, something is seriously wrong.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070919/OPINION01/709190314/1008
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Reviving Metro Detroit
Detroit may be more hospitable to retail stores than firms realize
Anthony F. Earley Jr.
It's been a good summer for Detroit. The Detroit International RiverWalk opened to the public in June. Comerica Park has been packed with record-setting crowds as the Tigers battle for a playoff berth. The Detroit Grand Prix and International Jazz Festival demonstrated once again that the city knows how to stage major events.
People who haven't been in the city for years are starting to return, walking around, eating at an outdoor cafe, enjoying music at Campus Martius, taking pride in downtown Detroit again. Yet one major component of urban revitalization seems to be missing -- retail. When can the city land that homerun anchor store or trendy shopping area that will attract people and their credit cards?
The Detroit Economic Growth Corp., with the financial support of Detroit Renaissance, the Kresge Foundation and Hudson Webber Foundation, is quietly working behind the scenes to create a business case to attract national retailers and grocery chains to Detroit.
http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070919/NEWS01/709190326/1001/news
Published September 19, 2007
Foreclosures soar in Aug. in mid-Mich.; U.S. up 36%
Mortgage experts say get help fast to avoid trouble
Kathryn Prater
Lansing State Journal
It doesn't have to happen to you.
That's the message some Michigan mortgage experts are sending homeowners in the face of a 44 percent jump in local foreclosures last month.
"Someone else doesn't have to follow that same path," Michigan Mortgage Brokers Association President Pava Leyrer said. "There are other options out there besides foreclosure."
Foreclosures in Clinton, Eaton and Ingham counties totaled 528 in August, up 161 from July's 367, online real estate database RealtyTrac Inc. reported Tuesday.
Nationally, foreclosure filings jumped 36 percent to 243,947 in August.
In Clinton County, filings shot up 156 percent, from 25 in July to 64 in August, according to RealtyTrac.
Foreclosures surged about 69 percent in Eaton County, from 58 in July to 98 in August.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070918/NATION/109180071/1001
September 18, 2007
McCain sees downward spiral in Michigan
By Ralph Z. Hallow
Sen. John McCain's troubled presidential campaign organization is imploding in Michigan, senior Republicans in the state say.
Attorney General Mike Cox has told state party officials that he is resigning, possibly today, as Michigan chairman of McCain campaign, several top Michigan Republicans told The Washington Times.
Mr. Cox wanted to withdraw his support because of a "disagreement in the direction of the campaign," a state Republican activist close to the campaign confided. "He has a call into him to personally talk to him, but I'm not sure if he has heard back or not."
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070919/POLITICS/709190372/1022
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Mich. reps attack anti-SUV e-mail
David Shepardson / Detroit News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- Michigan's congressional delegation is urging the U.S. Health and Human Services Department to stop touting foreign cars to its employees.
In a letter to Secretary Mike Leavitt, Michigan lawmakers blasted an e-mail his department sent to its 67,000 employees advising them to avoid sport utility vehicles and recommending a number of foreign cars.
The sharply worded letter -- signed by all 15 Republican and Democratic House members from Michigan -- said the department had no business endorsing vehicles.
"It is our hope that your agency will refrain from sending out similar communications that make product endorsements, particularly by non-U.S. companies," the delegation wrote. "It seems to us the time and effort that went into producing this document could have been better spent preventing disease, assuring food and drug safety (and) improving children's health."
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070919/BUSINESS01/709190346
September 19, 2007
Health official's auto advice sparks outcry
Mich. legislators slam foreign push
WASHINGTON -- Here's some advice to the federal agency that helps children and the elderly, protects the food supply and prevents disease:
Stay out of the auto business. Especially if you're trying to promote foreign car sales.
On Tuesday, the members of Michigan's congressional delegation signed a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt telling him an August newsletter on energy-saving tips was way out of line, encouraging as it did the agency's 67,000 employees to choose international vehicles over domestic.
"It just blows my mind," said Rep. Joe Knollenberg, a Bloomfield Township Republican. "Why would they think of doing that?"
For the agency's part, officials say they didn't.
Yes, the HHS Energy News Report, which comes out several times a year and is aimed at giving workers tips on saving energy, included a list of 12 fuel-efficient vehicles -- like the Honda Civic, Toyota Prius and Nissan Altima Hybrid -- that failed to mention a single U.S. model.
http://info.detnews.com/dcblog/index.cfm?blogid=263
Tue, Sep 18, 2007 at 2:46 PM
Rep. Dingell swoons over Clinton health care plan
Deb Price
Well, it wasn't an actual endorsement of U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential bid, but U.S. Rep. John Dingell today held nothing back in his rave review of her new universal health care plan.
"There is no candidate for president with more experience in fighting the health care battle and more knowledge of the health care issue than Sen. Clinton, my partner in seeking to expand coverage for the children of our nation," Dingell said in a statement released by his campaign.
That's quite a compliment since health care has always been one of the deepest political passions of Dingell, the powerful Democrat from Dearborn who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
He adds, "Her proposal outlined yesterday is a serious one that I welcome. Her focus on controlling costs and on making sure every American is covered is exactly right. They are her priorities, they are my priorities, and they must be our national priorities."
Clinton's "American Health Choices Plan" would let Americans keep their current plans or choose among plans including one similar to Medicare.
http://jackshow.blogs.com/jack/2007/09/essay-howling-w.html
9/18/07
Essay: Howling Wolf
There’s a story which I am sure isn’t true, but was told to me as though it were. Just before we attacked Iraq in March 2003, then-Secretary of State Colin Powell was at a Washington cocktail party.
“Why is the President so obsessed with Iraq?” A sweet young thing reportedly asked. “Why not the other two countries in Mr. Bush’s axis of evil, North Korea and Iran?”
Mr. Powell smiled and said. “Because those countries really might have weapons of mass destruction.”
Well, kidding aside, here’s the problem. Congressman Mike Rogers, a Republican, is a former FBI agent who serves on the House intelligence committee. He is convinced that Iran is working hard to get nuclear weapons, and that if they do, it could be terrifically dangerous for the world. Here’ s something else you may not have known about Mike Rogers, who represents a large district that sprawls from Oakland County past Lansing. Exactly five years ago, he came back from the Middle East and announced he had changed his mind and was no longer in favor of a military attack on Iraq.
Information from Saudi and Israeli intelligence agents had convinced him it wasn’t necessary, he said. He held that position for about six weeks. But then he changed his mind again.
NATIONAL STORIES
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usrudy0919,0,5482525,print.story
Giuliani to meet with the Iron Lady, Thatcher
12:13 AM EDT, September 19, 2007
BY TOM BRUNE
LONDON: Rudy Giuliani has a date with the Iron Lady Wednesday night.
Giuliani will share the stage here with Margaret Thatcher, the iconic conservative former British prime minister, as he delivers an inaugural lecture named after her to the right-leaning Atlantic Bridge think tank.
He will address foreign policy, the war on terror and the importance of a strong British-U.S. relationship, a campaign aide said -- important themes for Tories who have had difficult relations with the White House over the Iraq War and President George W. Bush's ties to recent Labor Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Yet the visit is more about image than the tangled political relationship between the two countries' conservative parties.
Giuliani crossed the Atlantic Tuesday for the opportunity to be photographed with Thatcher, 81, whose stature has only grown since she left office.
Politicians right and left seek to compare themselves to the iron-willed Tory, including liberal politicians such as current British Labor Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/09182007/news/nationalnews/giuliani_to_woo_nra.htm
September 18, 2007
GIULIANI TO WOO NRA
By CARL CAMPANILE
-- Rudy Giuliani, an ardent gun-control advocate as mayor, will address the National Rifle Association on Friday.
The GOP White House hopeful, who backed the federal assault-weapons ban in 1994 over the objections of the NRA, has changed his position as a presidential candidate. He now says he supports the Second Amendment and believes gun laws should be addressed by the states.
It is possible that the NRA would endorse Giuliani.
"We take into consideration a candidate's past record and what they're saying now and what they'll do in the future," said NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam.
September 19, 2007
In Olympics Success, Romney Found New Edge
By KIRK JOHNSON
SALT LAKE CITY — Mitt Romney walked onto the Olympic stage in 1999 a rich businessman still smarting from losing his first bid for public office. He walked off, three years later, a star-polished candidate who would be elected governor of Massachusetts in a matter of months. This was the place of his emergence and his transition.
In rescuing the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games, which had been tarnished by scandal, Mr. Romney learned the ways of Washington and the hurly-burly of politics, mastered the news media, built a staff of loyalists and made fund-raising connections in Utah that have proven vital to his presidential campaign.
“The Olympics gave him a public persona he didn’t have before,” said Robert H. Garff, a businessman who served as the chairman of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee. “He grew into the person he is today.”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070918/ap_on_el_pr/mccain_bush_video
Tue Sep 18, 7:21 PM ET
Elder Bush backs McCain's pro-war stance
By JIM DAVENPORT, Associated Press Writer
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Former President George H.W. Bush backs John McCain's efforts to increase support for the Iraq war in a new video, a telecast that aides to both men say shouldn't be construed as an endorsement of McCain's White House bid.
On Monday night, the former president appeared in the video shown at South Carolina's military college, The Citadel, during the final stop of the Arizona senator's "No Surrender" tour.
"The bottom line is we must persevere; we must not surrender; we must not quit and run away. God bless our troops and everyone involved in the 'No Surrender' rally there in Charleston," Bush said, according to a transcript of the video provided by the McCain campaign.
Bush also praised McCain and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who will work in the Senate on turning back Democratic efforts to limit U.S. troops' time in Iraq.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/18/AR2007091801781.html?hpid=topnews
Wednesday, September 19, 2007; Page A01
Debate No-Shows Worry GOP Leaders
Candidates Are Urged to Attend Forums Sponsored by Minorities
Washington Post Staff Writer
Key Republican leaders are encouraging the party's presidential candidates to rethink their decision to skip presidential debates focusing on issues important to minorities, fearing a backlash that could further erode the party's standing with black and Latino voters.
The leading contenders for the Republican nomination have indicated they will not attend the "All American Presidential Forum" organized by black talk show host Tavis Smiley, scheduled for Sept. 27 at Morgan State University in Baltimore and airing on PBS. Former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, former senator Fred D. Thompson (Tenn.) and Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) all cited scheduling conflicts in forgoing the debate. The top Democratic contenders attended a similar event in June at Howard University.
http://info.detnews.com/weblog/index.cfm?blogid=10546
Tue, Sep 18, 2007 at 2:08 PM
How juicey: O.J. backs Hillary
Richard Burr
Now that O.J. Simpson is being held without bail for an alleged armed robbery in Las Vegas, thoughtful people want to know whom O.J. is backing for president in 2008. The answer: Hillary Clinton.
Now, voters should not necessarily hold this against the Democratic presidential front runner. Candidates can't control which unsavory characters vocally support their candidacies, just whether they accept those characters' campaign contributions.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070919/POLITICS/709190328/1022
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
House passes mortgage plan
The bill lets the FHA back refinancing for homeowners stung by current housing woes.
Marcy Gordon / Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- The House on Tuesday approved a plan to expand federal backing of mortgages in hopes of helping struggling homeowners avoid foreclosure.
The bill, which passed the House, 348-72, would allow the Federal Housing Administration, which insures mortgages for low- and middle-income borrowers, to back refinanced loans for tens of thousands of borrowers who are delinquent on payments because their mortgages are resetting to sharply higher rates from low initial "teaser" levels.
The measure, which exceeds limits favored by the Bush administration, is Congress' first stand-alone bill in response to the mortgage-market tumult of the summer, which came amid a rising tide of defaults and foreclosures. The Senate last week passed spending legislation that includes $200 million to provide aid to nonprofits and other groups that offer counseling and information to help homeowners avoid foreclosure.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070919/BIZ04/709190311/1022/POLITICS
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Decision 2008
Wikipedia defines lives of presidential candidates
Do-it-yourself editors debate every detail about 2008 campaign hopefuls in online encyclopedia.
Jose Antonio Vargas / Washington Post
WASHINGTON -- On Sen. John McCain's Wikipedia entry, the argument has been over whether he is a conservative, moderate or liberal Republican. A heated exchange on former Sen. John Edwards' page has centered on deleting any reference to his $400 haircuts. And perhaps the most contentious dispute of all -- at least last week -- was over Fred Thompson's proper name: Is it Freddie, the name he was born with? Or Fred, as he's called now?
'Freddie' makes Thompson sound ridiculous," a user argued. "It's not about " making Thompson look silly," another responded. "It's about having accurate information."
On Wikipedia.org, the write-it-yourself encyclopedia, everyone can be an editor, and every day thousands of them are engaging in fierce battles over the life stories of the 2008 presidential candidates.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070919/OPINION03/709190371/1308
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Fed's big cut: Good or bad?
The half-point rate reduction is twice what experts had expected from Bernanke
Brian O'Connor
On the same day that housing foreclosures hit their highest rate since the Great Depression, the Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee cut interest rates by a half-point. It was the first rate cut in more than four years and double what most forecasters predicted.
The Fed's action comes after credit markets nearly seized up this summer on fears that growing subprime mortgage defaults would lead to huge losses for banks and investors.
That credit crunch, "has the potential to intensify the housing correction and to restrain economic growth," according to a statement issued by the Fed.
The cut from 5.25 percent to 4.75 percent in the key Federal Funds rate means many consumer loan rates will fall. The Fed's move sent stocks and oil soaring while the dollar dropped to a new low against the Euro.
Let's look at the numbers first, then at what they might mean:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CHILDRENS_INSURANCE?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Sep 18, 7:51 PM EDT
Dems take fewer dollars for kids program
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democratic lawmakers have settled on a $35 billion increase for a children's health insurance program, a move they hope will enhance the prospects for overriding a veto.
Top Democratic leaders, meeting privately late Tuesday, said they were close to an agreement for renewing the State Children's Health Insurance Program, but they declined to provide details except for overall spending. The $35 billion increase, as confirmed by Sen. Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, would bring total spending to about $60 billion - or twice the level sought by the Bush administration.
Many Democratic leaders in the House wanted a larger spending increase.
The program, called SCHIP, provides government-subsidized health coverage to about 6 million children and about 600,000 adults. The program expires on Sept. 30 and Democratic leaders are trying to pass a bill before that date.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DIET_FOOD_SAFETY?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Sep 18, 8:03 PM EDT
Grocers seek more rules for food imports
WASHINGTON (AP) -- In a rare move, the grocery industry asked Tuesday for more regulation - to ensure that the imported products they sell meet U.S. safety and quality standards.
The Grocery Manufacturers Association proposal seeks to calm fears about the safety of imported food after a rash of high-profile recalls. It wants the Food and Drug Administration to oversee the program - and have Congress provide the cash-strapped agency the money to do so.
The proposal also would expedite the processing of imports pre-cleared with the FDA, in part by allowing companies to share in confidence test results and other data. That would let the agency focus on products from other sources deemed of higher risk, according to the group. Today, the FDA inspects less than 1 percent of all food imports.
"Because we cannot simply inspect our way to a safer food supply, industry can apply its vast knowledge and practical experience along the entire supply chain to prevent problems before they arise," said Cal Dooley, the president and chief executive of the trade group, whose members include ConAgra Foods Inc., Kraft Foods Inc. and Nestle USA Inc.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LEAD_TOYS?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Sep 18, 8:57 PM EDT
Companies critical of lead-free claims
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Companies behind recent recalls of children's toys and jewelry have told Congress that their Chinese suppliers assured them the products were virtually lead-free, though in one case a simple store-bought test revealed dangerous levels of the toxic metal.
Congress is investigating the recent spate of recalls, most of them involving Chinese-made products that contained excessive amounts of lead, including some toys sold by Mattel decorated with paint that exceeded U.S. lead standards by a factor of nearly 200. A subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee plans to open two days of hearings Wednesday on this year's recalls of millions of toys and other children's products.
The subcommittee is expected to examine in part the business models that allowed the companies to import the lead-laden products.
Many of the companies behind the recalls of gumball machine trinkets, toy soldiers and costume jewelry said their suppliers signed agreements to comply with U.S. lead standards
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070919/OPINION01/709190315/1008
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Don't bog down attorney general hearings
Presidential nomination should be separate from Gonzales probe
The Detroit News
President George Bush has nominated a respected former chief federal district judge to serve as U.S. attorney general. But there are rumblings that some Democratic senators want to use the nomination as a wedge in their ongoing dispute with the administration over presidential power.
That is a mistake. Investigations and questions about the controversial firing of a number of U.S. attorneys during the tenure of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, as well as a continuing inquiry into a wiretapping program, are separate issues from the appointment of a new U.S. attorney general.
Named to the post was Michael Mukasey, 66, a retired chief judge of the U.S. District Court's Southern District of New York. Mukasey was named to the federal bench in 1987 by Ronald Reagan after service as an assistant U.S. attorney.
September 19, 2007
Socialized Medicine Is Broken and Can't Be Fixed
By John Stossel
Last week I pointed out that Michael Moore, maker of the documentary "Sicko," portrayed the Cuban health-care system as though it were utopia -- until I hit him with some inconvenient facts. So he backed off and said, "Let's stick to Canada and Britain because I think these are legitimate arguments that are made against the film and against the so-called idea of socialized medicine. And I think you should challenge me on these things."
OK, here we go.
One basic problem with nationalized health care is that it makes medical services seem free. That pushes demand beyond supply. Governments deal with that by limiting what's available.
That's why the British National Health Service recently made the pathetic promise to reduce wait times for hospital care to four months.
The wait to see dentists is so long that some Brits pull their own teeth. Dental tools: pliers and vodka.
One hospital tried to save money by not changing bed sheets every day. British papers report that instead of washing them, nurses were encouraged to just turn them over.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IRAQ?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Sep 19, 2:17 AM EDT
Democrats won't temper Iraq legislation
WASHINGTON (AP) -- After weeks of suggesting Democrats would temper their approach to Iraq legislation in a bid to attract more Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid declared abruptly Tuesday that he had no plans to do so.
The Democratic leader said he will call for a vote this month on several anti-war proposals, including one by Sen. Carl Levin that would insist President Bush end U.S. combat next summer. The proposals would be mandatory and not leave Bush wiggle room, said Reid, D-Nev.
"There (are) no goals. It's all definite timelines," he told reporters of the planned legislation.
Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Monday night he would have agreed to turn his summer deadline into a nonbinding goal if doing so meant attracting enough votes to pass. Several Republicans have said they are uneasy about Bush's war strategy but do not like the idea of setting a firm timetable on troop withdrawals.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070919/OPINION03/709190303/1008/OPINION01
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
U.S. military reflects on its limits
George Will
CARLISLE BARRACKS, Pa. -- Officers studying at the Army War College walk the ground at nearby Gettysburg where Pickett's men walked across an open field under fire. They wonder, how did Confederate officers get men to do that? The lesson: Men can be led to places they cannot be sent.
Today's officers lead an Army that was sent into Iraq in 2003 and by 2004 the operation became, as an officer here says, "a deployment in search of a mission." Since then, missions have multiplied. Today's is to make possible an exit strategy.
Gen. David Petraeus' Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual says counterinsurgency's primary objective is to secure the civilian population rather than destroy the enemy. This inevitably involves the military in organizing civil society, a task that demands skill sets that are scarce throughout the government and have not hitherto been, and perhaps should not be, central to military training and doctrine. Nevertheless, the War College is coming to grips with the fact that what soldiers call "nonkinetic" -- meaning nonviolent -- facets of their profession are, in Iraq, perhaps 80 percent of their profession.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IRAQ_CONTRACTORS?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Sep 19, 5:09 AM EDT
Who watches US security firms in Iraq?
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The fog of war keeps getting thicker. The Iraqi government's decision to temporarily ban the security company Blackwater USA after a fatal shooting of civilians in Baghdad reveals a growing web of rules governing weapons-bearing private contractors but few signs U.S. agencies are aggressively enforcing them.
Nearly a year after a law was passed holding contracted employees to the same code of justice as military personnel, the Bush administration has not published guidance on how military lawyers should do that, according to Peter Singer, a security industry expert at the Brookings Institution in Washington.
A Congressional Research Service report published in July said security contractors in Iraq operate under rules issued by the United States, Iraq and international entities such as the United Nations.
All have their limitations, however.
A court-martial of a private-sector employee likely would be challenged on constitutional grounds, the research service said, while Iraqi courts do not have the jurisdiction to prosecute contractors without U.S. permission.
"It is possible that some contractors may remain outside the jurisdiction of U.S. courts, civil or military, for improper conduct in Iraq," the report said.
Blackwater and other private security firms long have been fixtures in Iraq, guarding U.S. officials and an international work force helping to rebuild the war-torn country.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_IRAQ_REFUGEES?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Sep 18, 8:48 PM EDT
New effort to admit Iraqi refugees
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration will name two senior officials to straighten out its handling of Iraqi refugees in response to numerous complaints that Washington is failing to meet pledges to admit thousands who have fled the country.
The Homeland Security and State departments are to announce on Wednesday the appointments of Lori Scialabba, a top immigration official, and James Foley, a career diplomat, to the posts, officials at the two agencies told The Associated Press.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the appointments had not yet been made public.
Scialabba, who has more than 20 years of experience in immigration law, and Foley, a former ambassador to Haiti, will be responsible for coordinating and improving the admission of Iraqi refugees into the United States, a process that has been dogged by delays and vehement complaints from refugee advocacy groups.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/18/AR2007091802203.html?hpid=topnews
Wednesday, September 19, 2007; Page A01
U.S. Working to Reshape Iraqi Detainees
Moderate Muslims Enlisted to Steer Adults and Children Away From Insurgency
Washington Post Staff Writer
The U.S. military has introduced "religious enlightenment" and other education programs for Iraqi detainees, some of whom are as young as 11, Marine Maj. Gen. Douglas M. Stone, the commander of U.S. detention facilities in Iraq, said yesterday.
Stone said such efforts, aimed mainly at Iraqis who have been held for more than a year, are intended to "bend them back to our will" and are part of waging war in what he called "the battlefield of the mind." Most of the younger detainees are held in a facility that the military calls the "House of Wisdom."
The religious courses are led by Muslim clerics who "teach out of a moderate doctrine," Stone said, according to the transcript of a conference call he held from Baghdad with a group of defense bloggers. Such schooling "tears apart" the arguments of al-Qaeda, such as "Let's kill innocents," and helps to "bring some of the edge off" the detainees, he said.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/R/RICE?SITE=MIDTN&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Sep 19, 3:45 AM EDT
Rice vague on Mideast peace meeting
SHANNON, Ireland (AP) -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday a U.S.-sponsored Mideast peace conference this fall will confront "critical issues" in the six-decade conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, but she remained vague about what is on the agenda and who will attend.
"Nobody wants to have a meeting where people simply come and sit and talk and talk and talk," Rice said en route to a quick visit with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. "We want to advance the cause," of peace between enemies.
President Bush in July called for a new conference to break the deadlock in the Mideast peace process, but the lack of an official agenda, location and timing for the meeting worries Arab leaders the United States wants to recruit as backers for renewed peace talks leading to an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
With only two months to organize the session, expected in mid-November, the United States has not issued invitations to Arab states or others and has been unclear about what it wants to accomplish.
Sep 18, 9:08 PM EDT
State Department under Hill scrutiny
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A congressional committee has opened an investigation of the State Department's inspector general, alleging he blocked fraud investigations in Afghanistan and Iraq, including potential security lapses at the newly built U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
Also under scrutiny is whether Blackwater USA, the private security firm banned this week from working in Iraq over the killing of civilians, was "illegally smuggling weapons into Iraq," according to a letter to IG Howard J. Krongard obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.
The Democratic-led investigation accused Krongard of trying to protect the White House and the State Department.
"Your partisan political ties have led you to halt investigations, censor reports and refuse to cooperate with law enforcement agencies," said a letter from Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Sep 19, 6:56 AM EDT
NATO Launches New Afghan Operation
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- NATO forces launched a new military operation Wednesday in Afghanistan's most violent southern province, while the alliance said it was investigating a shipment of weapons intercepted near the border with Iran this month.
About 2,500 Afghan and NATO troops began the operation in the Gereshk region of Helmand province, the site of the fiercest battles this year and the world's largest opium-producing region.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force said the troops would conduct military "security and stabilization" operations in the upper Gereshk Valley, but provided no other details.
Meanwhile, a NATO spokesman said ISAF was investigating the source of a weapons shipment recently intercepted by troops in Farah province near the Iranian border.
September 18, 2007
Recognizing the Axis of Evil
If media reports of last week's IAF raid in Syria pan out, the attack against a North-Korean-supplied Syrian nuclear facility in eastern Syria should serve as a pivotal event in the free world's understanding of the enemy it faces in the current global war. The central question now is whether this clarity will be followed by a strategic shift in the US and Israeli governments' conceptualizations of the challenges facing them in the various theaters of war and diplomacy in which they are now engaged.
What the raid exposed is that the free world faces a cohesive alliance of enemy forces that collaborate closely in their joint and separate offensives against their common foes. Whether or not it is called the axis of evil, after the IAF raid it is undeniable that its members - North Korea, Iran and Syria - collaborate closely in their joint war.
Contrary to the prevailing wisdom, this is not a temporary alliance of convenience among three otherwise unrelated states. It is a strategic alignment of three regimes that have been acting in tandem on multiple levels for decades. Their collaborative operations have served two primary functions. First they cooperate in perpetuating their holds on power.
