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05 Sep 2011 11:05

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Politics: Obama on Irene cleanup: “We are going to meet our federal obligations”

  • As president of the United States I want to make it very clear that we are going to meet our federal obligations because we are one country. When one part of the country gets affected, whether it’s a tornado in Joplin, Missouri or a hurricane that affects that eastern seaboard, then we come together as one country and make sure that everybody gets the help that they need.
  • President Barack Obama • Speaking about the need for federal disaster funding during a visit to Irene-ravaged New Jersey yesterday. This is an issue as a result of some stuff Eric Cantor said last week, suggesting that federal funding of disaster cleanup would only happen by cutting matching funding elsewhere. We like the point The Bergen Record’s Mike Kelly makes about this: “Memo to conservatives: You make good points about the need for America to get serious about government spending. But this is not a John Wayne western, with steel-eyed gunfighters making black-and-white decisions about life and death.” Conservatives are right on a surface level on this — we need to cut spending — but get down to the nitty-gritty and it’s simply not clear-cut. source

12 Apr 2011 21:18

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U.S.: Clogged-up Texas education funding unclogged in budget deal

  • $830 million in education funds will finally go to Texas source
  • » A federal vs. state fight: Last year, Texas Rep. Lloyd Doggett (a Democrat) pushed through a provision effectively barring the state from receiving any federal education money unless it promised to spend all of it on education — something that didn’t happen when Obama pushed through his stimulus in 2009. The intention of the amendment was to get Texas to spend the money on education — which they’ve cut in recent years to help close a large deficit. The result of the amendment was that the money was stalled entirely, putting a stranglehold on Texas schools for nine months. Now Doggett’s amendment will go away — and the money will go to schools.

17 Mar 2011 10:53

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Politics: Waste of time: House GOP pushes to hur NPR’s federal-funding

  • Taxpayers should not be on the hook for something that is widely available in the private market. I wish only the best for NPR. Like many Americans, I enjoy much of their programming.
  • Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) • Attempting to make his final dagger-push into the body that is the federal funding of NPR. The bill “prohibits NPR and its local affiliates from using federal dollars to produce programming or purchase content from other member stations. Affiliate stations could only use taxpayer money for administrative costs, under the bill.” It’s being fast-tracked for a vote later on today. Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me! The House GOP’s going to push for something that’s not going to pass the Senate, Obama’s not going to sign, and is going to waste everybody’s time yet again. Check. Come on. Your party can’t complain about Obama picking his NCAA bracket if all you’re giving him to work with are stupid things that won’t go anywhere. source

10 Nov 2010 00:53

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Politics: Ray LaHood to states: Keep building high-speed rail or lose money

  • no Newly elected governors in multiple Midwest states want to cancel in-progress high-speed rail projects they say their states can’t afford.
  • but … However, these newly minted Republican leaders want to keep the money already set aside for these projects to help fix the roads.
  • no Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says the states either have to keep the projects going or forfeit the money entirely. It’s war, guys. source
  • » Our take: Why is it that the first thing GOP leaders look to cut are public-works projects with potential long-term implications? The two projects in question here – a high-speed link between Milwaukee and Chicago and another between four of Ohio’s largest cities – would have a long-term positive effect on the state economies. Yet canceling them halfway through is a great idea. Have these guys even looked at the rising popularity of the Acela trains in the Northeast Corridor? Or how much these would help commuters? Milwaukee to Chicago, for example, is a very common Amtrak trip, and faster trains would make it easier for people who want to skip the traffic to make the trek. It’s not always about slimming down now, but planning for tomorrow.

12 Dec 2009 11:00

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Politics: ACORN finally gets some good news from the courts

  • They have been singled out by Congress for punishment that directly and immediately affects their ability to continue to obtain federal funding, in the absence of any judicial, or even administrative, process adjudicating guilt.
  • Judge Nina Gershon • On her decision to overturn the House ban on grants for ACORN, which was ruled unconstitutional yesterday. Gershon and others argue that the bill equated to a “bill of attainder,” which punishes a group without the benefit of a trial. Conservative groups perhaps played their hand a little too loosely on this case. Even though ACORN screwed up, they didn’t commit any crimes other than large amounts of idiocy. So this decision was the right one. source

28 Sep 2009 09:22

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Politics: Problematic: The New York Times missed ACORN – and Van Jones

  • They didn’t cover ACORN until it was simmering for a full week. NYT Public Editor Clark Hoyt put up an article this weekend picking up the pieces left by the paper essentially ignoring two of the biggest news stories of the last month – the resignation of Van Jones and Congress’ removal of ACORN’s federal funding. Apparently, it’s become clear that editors at the paper don’t watch Fox News. “Some stories, lacking facts, never catch fire,” Hoyt writes. “But others do, and a newspaper like The Times needs to be alert to them or wind up looking clueless or, worse, partisan itself.” The solution? Have an editor follow the blogosphere drama beat. source