Day: February 10, 2011

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Barack Obama Chuck Schumer Politics United States

Mr. President, This Is Not A Good Idea

Okay, so there really is a first for everything. Consider this our first and maybe not the last critique of this Administration.

What is going on with President Obama? The National Journal is reporting massive cuts to LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program),  a federally funded program geared towards helping the poorer among us to heat their homes during the cold winter months. The report states that this will be  “the biggest domestic spending cut disclosed so far, and one that will likely generate the most heat from the president’s traditional political allies.”

This is obviously an effort by the administration to appease the Republican party, who have promised the Teaparty that they will impose massive cuts to domestic spending programs.

The decision has left some in the President’s own party scratching their heads. The report continues;

One White House friend, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said earlier today that a Republican proposal to cut home heating oil counted as an “extreme idea” that would “set the country backwards.” Schumer has not yet reacted to Obama’s proposed cut. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., declared: “The President’s reported proposal to drastically slash LIHEAP funds by more than half would have a severe impact on many of New Hampshire’s most vulnerable citizens and I strongly oppose it.” A spokesman for Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., declared similarly: “If these cuts are real, it would be a very disappointing development for millions of families still struggling through a harsh winter.”

In a letter to Obama, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., wrote, “We simply cannot afford to cut LIHEAP funding during one of the most brutal winters in history. Families across Massachusetts, and the country, depend on these monies to heat their homes and survive the season.”

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, would see funding drop by about $2.5 billion from an authorized 2009 total of $5.1 billion. The proposed cut will not touch the program’s emergency reserve fund, about $590 million, which can be used during particularly harsh cold snaps or extended heat spells, three officials told National Journal

Read the rest of the report here.


Categories
Barack Obama John McCain Republican Party (United States) United States

The Right Attacks McCain For Implying He May Do His Job

John McCain, the 2008 Republican Presidential nominee has found himself on the wrong side of the political fence.  He’s pissing off some conservatives for what is to me a very shocking reason…doing his job!;

The president has become more centrist, which makes him easier to work with, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Thursday.

Speaking with Bloomberg Television a day after a private meeting with President Obama, McCain said he could picture working with Obama on several issues going forward.

“I think there’s a number of issues we could work on together, and I think it’s pretty clear that the president has really pivoted to a much more centrist position, which I think makes it much more for us easier to work with him,” McCain said.

A United States Senator, simply saying that there may be a number of issues where he can work together with the President of The United States, has become a means for attack from the right. Doug Powers, a writer at Michelle Malkin’s blog says that McCain;

…often reminds me of a trout that just got hooked and is thrilled that the fisherman has agreed to meet him halfway.

John McCain hasn’t said yet what these issues would be, so why would this loony be mad?

It just shows that issues don’t matter with the GOP. All that matters to these people are congressmen and women who will consistently say no to everything this president offers – regardless of the issues, regardless of the policies, regardless of the positive outcome for the American people.

To those on the right, the branches of our government and the President of the United States will not work together if the president’s name happens to be Barack Obama.

Categories
News

Gabrielle Giffords One Month Later Asks For Toast

Just a little over a month after an assassination attempt, where she was shot in the head, doctors at the TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston say congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is recovering and her hard work at rehabilitation is “clearly paying off.”

“She is speaking more and more with each passing day, most recently asking for toast,” said spokesman C.J. Karamargin. “They are working with her on all kinds of language and speech exercises.”

Reuters reports:

Giffords — known to friends and relatives as “Gabby” — is eating three meals a day, her husband said.

“Gabby’s appetite is back and — even though it’s hospital food — she’s enjoying three meals a day,” NASA astronaut Mark Kelly said in a Facebook posting on Tuesday.

Kelly, a three-time space shuttle veteran, will command the shuttle Endeavour when it launches in April, NASA said last week.

“The doctors say she is recovering at lightning speed considering her injury, but they aren’t kidding when they say this is a marathon process,” Kelly said.

Doctors say Giffords’ full recovery could take months.

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