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Archive for the ‘Issues’ Category

10 things you should know about Obama’s plan (but probably don’t)

Sunday, March 1st, 2009

The plan:

  1. Makes a $634 billion down payment on fixing health care that will go a long way toward paying for a more efficient, more affordable health care system that covers every single American.3
  2. Reduces taxes for 95% of working Americans. And if your family makes less than $250,000, your taxes won’t go up one dime.4
  3. Invests more than $100 billion in clean energy technology, creating millions of green jobs that can never be outsourced.5
  4. Brings our troops home from Iraq on a firm timetable, finally bringing the war to a close—and freeing up almost ten billion dollars a month for domestic priorities.6
  5. Reverses growing income inequality. The plan lets the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans expire and focuses on strengthening the middle class.7
  6. Closes multi-billion-dollar tax loopholes for big oil companies. 8
  7. Increases grants to help families pay for college—the largest increase ever.9
  8. Halves the deficit by 2013. President Obama inherited a legacy of huge deficits and an economy in shambles, but his plan brings the deficit under control as soon as the economy begins to recover.10
  9. Dramatically increases funding for the SEC and the CFTC—the agencies that police Wall Street.11
  10. Tells it straight. For years, budgets have used accounting tricks to hide the real costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Bush tax cuts, and too many other programs. Obama’s budget gets rid of the smokescreens and lays out what America’s priorities are, what they cost, and how we’re going to pay for them.12

This is the change we voted for. President Obama has done his part, now we need to do ours.

(Taken from a MoveOn.org email 01 March 2009)

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Things Republicans list as wasteful in the economic stimulus

Tuesday, February 3rd, 2009

This is off of CNN.com with my own commentary added 

 • $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees. (clearly republicans hate emission control)• $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD’s. (people with STD’s apparently don’t deserve help)• $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs. (do rural people even vote? Why help them?)• $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion. (shouldn’t Mormons love this?)• $75 million for “smoking cessation activities.” (yeah…smokers should be punished not helped)• $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges. (I also hate helping kids learn)• $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction. (I am seeing a theme of not helping people with problems)• $500 million for flood reduction projects on the Mississippi River. (last time we didn’t try to prevent flooding I seem to remember things going really really bad)• $6 billion to turn federal buildings into “green” buildings. (apparently republicans hate anything that helps the environment)• $500 million for state and local fire stations. (and they seem to hate stopping fires too)• $650 million for wildland fire management on forest service lands. (yeah… let America burn EXCEPT FOR THE FLAG)• $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint.  (I think they got high off of the lead-based paint so I see why they do not want to prevent it)

The Charter for Compassion

Thursday, November 13th, 2008

I first heard of the Charter for Compassion from the TED talks. Karen Armstrong sent out a wish to push compassion into the majority of human acts, using religion as a tool to foster that sort of love.

“The Charter will show that the voice of negativity and violence so often associated with religion is the minority and that the voice of compassion is the majority”

http://charterforcompassion.com/

Ted Talk: Karen Armstrong

Mr. President

Wednesday, November 5th, 2008

It was an amazing, historic night.  Thanks to everyone for coming and thanks to Macrae for the pictures.

Randal

GOP Leader Endorses Bennion Spencer for U.S. House

Tuesday, October 14th, 2008

GOP leader Dean Hawker today endorsed Bennion Spencer for U.S. Congress at a press conference at Provo City Hall.

Hawker, speaking before reporters and television cameras, announced that he is leaving the Republican Party and supporting Bennion Spencer, saying, “I have personally met with Bennion and he represents the values that I hold most dear.”

“After 48 years of active service to the Republican Party, I have decided to resign my position as Vice-Chair of Legislative District 61 effective immediately,” said Hawker. ” I cannot in good conscience continue to serve a party that is no longer willing to address the excesses of power politics that threaten our party and supports extremist candidates for office like Jason Chaffetz.”

Hawker served for 10 years on the Republican State Central Committee, and 5 years as Secretary of Utah’s Stop ERA Program to advance a pro-life agenda and family values. Most recently he served eight years as the Vice-Chairman, and 10 years of Chairman of Legislative District 61.

Jason Chaffetz’s immigration policy of tent cities prison camps with barbed wire for undocumented immigrants is inhumane and irresponsible and in no way should reflect the values of tolerance and compassion for which the Republicans Party in known. Mr. Chaffetz campaigns on the merits of family values, yet rejects Children’s Health Insurance. I fear that Jason’s extreme, ultra-conservative policies and combative nature will be an embarrassment to Utahans.”

Bennion Spencer then told reporters and supporters, “I’m very honored and humbled to have Dean Hawker’s endorsement. Dean is an outstanding member of our community. He is a man who cares deeply about his community and his country. Dean understands that the issues that face America today are not Republican or Democratic, but rather American issues that we can only solve by working together.”