PATHETIC !

GOP State Lawmakers Turn Down
Federal Money for Jobless Benefits !

(Greg Jones Note:) The below article simply exemplifies what we have been warning of for many months now which is the GOP's master plan to do all they can to force Middle America to literally suffer to the point where they are willing (and thankful) to work for Chinese wages. The crushing of unions...the disbanding of union wage/benefit agreements...combined with the new push for Privatization through what is being called a gov't/private 'joint venture', which simply means that federal monies that normally would be spent to run certain government entities would now go instead directly to the new private company in charge (like a Haliburton), who will then hire new workers at Chinese wages.....no unions...no benefits. Just 'cheap labor'. THAT is the New America the GOP envisions....and THAT is what is meant when you hear GOP politicians shouting " we must reduce the cost of doing business ".

WASHINGTON -- Republican lawmakers in Missouri are balking at accepting federal dollars to pay for 20 weeks of unemployment benefits for the long-term jobless, even though the spending would not affect state budgets, and legislators in Michigan may follow suit.

Five Republicans in the Missouri Senate have launched a filibuster to prevent their legislature from implementing a technical change to its laws that would allow the state to accept the funds, which total roughly $96 million.

"What my senator is saying is, 'Let’s send this money back,'" said James Murphy, a spokesman for state Sen. Jim Lembke (R), who is leading the filibuster. "He calls the money 'opium' -- 'other people’s money.' He wants to send back the opium that the federal government sends to the states."

That money pays for the Extended Benefits program, which kicks in for workers who exhaust 26 weeks of state-funded benefits and 53 weeks of federally-funded Emergency Unemployment Compensation. In December, Congress reauthorized both EB and EUC for all of 2011, but many states need to tweak their laws in order to remain eligible for EB because of how the aid "triggers" into place based on unemployment trends in the previous two years.

Some unemployed Missourians will stop receiving benefits after April 2 unless Lembke and his colleagues relent. Murphy said Republican leaders in the Missouri House and Senate disagree with Lembke's position.

In Michigan, House Speaker Jase Bolger (R) hasn't made up his mind whether to support accepting the federal funds, according to spokesman Ari Adler. "He is sympathetic to the unemployed who would lose their benefits," Adler said. "On the other hand, you would have businesses facing having to pay for the extension."

The Michigan Chamber of Commerce is lobbying against the benefits legislation, which it says "will result in a tax increase on Michigan job providers and more government debt."(read rest of article)

Learn The GOP Scheme...

Before It's TOO LATE !

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President Aims to Fix
Broken 'No Child Left Behind'

President Obama:
"It’s Not Enough to Leave No Child Behind.
We Need to Help Every Child Get Ahead."

(WHITE HOUSE) "I want every child in this country to head back to school in the fall knowing that their education is America’s priority. Let’s seize this education moment. Let’s fix No Child Left Behind." The audience at Kenmore Middle School in Virginia gave loud applause when the President announced that mission this morning. It's no small task, but it will be work informed by about a decade of lessons from NCLB's successes and failures, as well as two years of lessons from the President's innovative approaches like Race to the Top that leverage small investments to incentivize big reforms from the bottom up. The President's priorities and key changes from No Child Left Behind are laid in the White House fact sheet put out this morning -- here's the topline:

• A fair accountability system that shares responsibility for improvement and rewards excellence, and that is based on high standards and is informed by sophisticated assessments that measure individual student growth;
• A flexible system that empowers principals and teachers, and supports reform and innovation at the state and local level;
• And a system focused on the schools and the students most at risk -- that targets resources to persistently low-performing schools and ensures the most effective teachers serve students most in need.

President Barack Obama listens as Kenmore Middle School students share their art projects during his visit to the school in Arlington, Va., March 14, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

So while applauding the goals of No Child Left Behind, the President spoke at length about the problems that need to be addressed if our education system is going to help us win the future by getting America back to the front of the pack in graduation rates and career-readiness:

Now, last week we got a reminder of why it’s so critical that we reform this law. According to new estimates, under the system No Child Left Behind put in place, more than 80 percent of our schools may be labeled as failing -- 80 percent of our schools. Four out of five schools will be labeled as failing. That’s an astonishing number. And our impulse is to either be outraged that the numbers are so high, or skeptical that they’re even true. And let’s face it, skepticism is somewhat justified. We know that four out of five schools in this country aren’t failing. So what we’re doing to measure success and failure is out of line.

In fact, the list of supposedly failing schools includes schools that are actually making extraordinary progress -- including Kenmore. So, yes, we’ve still got more work to do here at this school to close the achievement gap. I think Dr. Word would agree with that. We’ve got to make sure that every student is on track. But, I mean, we can see here at Kenmore -- Kenmore is thriving. You guys are doing great. You got more work to do, but you’re doing fine. (Applause.)

So what this means, though, is that we need a better way of figuring out which schools are deeply in trouble, which schools aren’t, and how we get not only the schools that are in really bad shape on track, how do we help provide the tools to schools that want to get even better to get better.

That way of measuring success and failure, that’s the first problem with No Child Left Behind that we need to fix. Instead of labeling schools a failure one day and then throwing up our hands and walking away from them, we need to refocus on the schools that need the most help. We need to hold our schools accountable for the success of every child –- black, white, Latino, Asian, students with disabilities, English language learners.

We need to make sure some of our best teachers are teaching in some of our worst schools. We need to reward schools that are doing the difficult work of turning themselves around. (Applause.) We’re going to have to take a series of steps across a broad range of measures to not only target our most troubled schools, but also raise expectations for all our schools.

So first we’re going to have to fix how schools are labeled and identified. But we’ve got to do more than that. In recent years, 15 states have actually lowered their standards to make it easier for their kids to meet the targets set by No Child Left Behind. Think about that. That was -- that’s a pretty perverse incentive when states say to themselves, you know what, let’s lower our standards so that we have an easy time -- easier time passing those standards so that we don’t get punished under No Child Left Behind. That makes no sense. That’s inexcusable.

So instead of measuring students based on whether they’re above or below an arbitrary bar, we need to set better standards to make sure our students are meeting one clear goal –- they’re graduating ready for college and ready for a career. That’s the goal we need to set. (Applause.) To know whether our kids are on track to meet that goal, we need better assessments.

Now, I want to speak to teachers in particular here. I’m not talking about more tests. I’m not talking about teaching to the test. We don’t need to know whether a student can fill out a bubble. We do need to know whether they’re making progress. We do need to know whether they’re not only mastering reading, math, and science, but also developing the kinds of skills, like critical thinking and creativity and collaboration that I just saw on display with the students that I met here. Those are skills they’re going to need for the rest of their lives -- (applause) -- not just to be good workers, but to be good citizens. (Applause.)

Now, that doesn’t mean testing is going to go away; there will be testing. But the point is, is that we need to refine how we’re assessing progress so that we can have accountability without rigidity -- accountability that still encourages creativity inside the classroom, and empowers teachers and students and administrators.

Of course, we also know that better standards, better assessments and a better curriculum won’t make a difference without outstanding teachers. Every day in this country, teachers are doing a heroic job for their kids -- (applause) -- every day. They’re taking on the problems that follow students into class, come in early to re-write lessons, spending hours after school tutoring students. I know; my sister is a teacher. In South Korea, teachers are known as “nation builders,” and I think it’s time we treated our teachers with the same level of respect right here in the United States of America. (Applause.)

But if we’re serious about treating teachers that way, if we’re serious about educating all our kids with an excellent teacher, then we’re going to have to fix No Child Left Behind.

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(Greg Jones note) When I read this excellent piece I just had to share it.

Could not have said it any better myself....although we've been trying.

This whole
" Teach Obama A Lesson" Thing
is Working Out So Perfectly,
Isn't It ?

By Eclectablog:

Epic rant to follow. This might leave a mark. In Wisconsin. In Ohio. In Michigan. In Florida.
All across the country, the True Liberals' efforts to teach Barack Obama a lesson are paying off in spades. Their plan could not have worked out more perfectly. After a year of shouting to the highest heavens about how much they were disappointed in President Obama and the Democrats, after a year promising to withhold their support during the 2010 Midterm campaign and, more importantly, at the ballot box, they got their wish: Democrats stayed home in droves. Huge numbers of Democrats across the country, many of whom had voted for the very first time in 2008, got up and went to the fridge instead of the polls that late Fall Tuesday.

Yesterday, in Wisconsin, the tea party Governor and his cadre of Republican Senators figured out a way to bypass Senate Democrats' exploitation of a loophole that allowed them to put the brakes on a GOP effort to drive a stake into the heart of unions in their state. Most collective bargaining rights for teachers and public employees are now gone as if they were trash taken to the curb. Sure, Scott Walker's favorables took a beating there for awhile. If it weren't for that pesky quorum loophole, this would have all been taken care of weeks ago and his numbers wouldn't have tanked so far. But that's water under the bridge and now they are back on track. The unions have been squashed like bugs and they can go back to laughing at the protesters as they are frisked and searched and scanned just to enter a public building.

Barack Obama has really got to be smarting over that, eh? He's really paid the price now, by golly.

In Michigan yesterday, the GOP-controlled Senate passed a bill that enhances the Republican Governor's ability to declare financial emergencies in municipalities and appoint an Emergency Financial Manager (EFM). This EFM will have authority to do pretty much whatever they wish including suspending contracts with unions and other groups and even firing the existing elected officials. Rachel Maddow explained it very well the other night. There was a protest at the Capitol before the vote, of course. Over 700 people showed up, mostly union employees. Know what the Republican who introduced the bill said about the protest? "I don't think it had an effect outside of the fact we had to talk a little bit louder today." Ouch. They had to talk a little louder.

But that's not all that is coming down the pipeline in Michigan. The Republican Governor's budget taxes public and private pensions that helps the elderly. It eliminates the Earned Income Tax Credit that helps the poor. It eliminates a huge tax credit for filmmakers in Michigan, killing that job-creating baby in its crib. It eliminates tax credits for vehicle battery manufacturers, strangling a nascent industry before it even gets off the ground. It eliminates tax credits for redeveloping brownfield sites, ensuring that new industrial development will take place on undeveloped, pristine lands rather than on already-despoiled soil. Here's one: there's a union-busting bill in Congress to make Michigan a "Right to Work" state or, as the unions call it, a "Right to Work for LESS" state. All of this and businesses are getting billions of dollars in tax breaks, paid for by the elderly, the poor and whichever other down-trodden groups you can name.

"Eclectablog, what shall we do???!" I'm asked. "We can't let this stand. We must protest. Where is OFA???"

What can we do? We can't do ANYTHING! In Michigan, the Republicans control the House. The Republicans control the Senate. The Republicans control the Supreme Court. The Governor is a Republican. When we protest, they just talk a little louder. And after they get done redistricting our formerly solid-Democratic state this year, we'll be lucky if our dog catchers are Democrats.

Protest at the Capitol? Sorry, I won't waste my time.

But, I'll tell you this: President Obama has surely learned his lesson. These union-busting, pro-business moves by the Michigan GOP have got to be chapping his britches something fierce.

It's happening in Florida, too. Tea Party Governor Rick Scott is unstoppable. He's solving his state's multi-billion dollar deficit by cutting taxes on businesses by several billion dollars and he's cutting teachers' pay to do it. He's rejecting federal funds to develop high-speed rail.

Take that, Obama!

How about Ohio? The Republican Governor there is assaulting the unions, too. And the only difference between Wisconsin and these other three states is that Wisconsin Democratic Senators had a quorum loophole they could use to stop a vote. Well, they could stop it for three weeks. Then the unions got their asses handed to them anyway.

Last night Rachel Maddow said her staff's analysis shows there are Republican-sponsored union-busting bills in the Congresses of no less than SEVENTEEN states.


Ed Schultz has been on fire on MSNBC these past three weeks, hasn't he? Nothing like pure, unadulterated union-busting by Republicans to get old Ed fired up and ready to go. And let's not pretend Ed didn't have a plan for this all along, right? Remember this from him last fall?

" And I’m announcing today, I’m not going to vote in the midterms. I’m not going to do it. You can say it’s un-American. No, it’s rather revolutionary is what it is. I’m at that point. I’m checking out. I’m checking out of the Democrats because they are proving to me that they don’t know how to handle these big babies over on the right that say no. You know what you do? You get in the driver’s seat, you hit the throttle, and you run over them. "

Un-American? Hell no, Ed! That's as American as it gets. Hell, it's practically Republican, it's so American! Create a problem that you yourself can benefit from. Help make sure the GOP takes control by helping suppress the Democratic vote then watch your rating positively SOAR when you get to be on television almost non-stop when they start crushing unions like cockroaches.

Man, you sure showed them, Ed. Obama has really got to be feeling this now, what with all those union people getting crushed and taxes being cut on the backs of the poor and the elderly.

And, let's make no mistake, it's not just Ed who is teaching a lesson to Obama. Here's part of an email I got recently from a friend, a liberal who is disappointed in the President. I had reached out to him to help us start organizing in our area so that we're ready to really hit the ground hard for the 2012 elections. He was very active in 2008 so I had hoped that he and others in our area would be eager to help get Dems elected again in 2012 considering that they control everything in our state right now. Hah. Boy was I ever wrong:

Thank you and everyone for all the hard work you guys do and will be doing. I really enjoyed working with all of you a couple of years ago.

Unless there are some drastic changes in his policies over the next few months which I doubt I simply cannot bring myself to put forth my time and money to help this President. I thought we were electing someone who would fight for our ideals and yet he has managed to compromise on just about every campaign issue he was for. From health care which no public option was even fought for, to tax cuts for the top 2% that he instantly gave, Gitmo, etc. And the major issue is the fact we are bombing even more than the Bush administration in Pakistan killing innocent people. The economic and other issue I may be able to get past but this I can’t. Along with Rendition still going on.

President Obama will probably still get my vote as from what I see the other side will probably have someone even worse but that will be to the extent of my support for him.

It's not just him. I'm hearing this from lots of Democrats. Hell, I see it on the progressive blogs like Daily Kos on a daily, even hourly, basis. They are going to teach Obama a lesson for not delivering everything they want by handing the keys to the kingdom back to the people who are most likely to screw them over.

So, I hope you like watching the unions getting squashed. I hope you enjoy watching business taxes being cut while taxes are raised on the poor and the elderly. I hope you enjoy watching environmental regulations done away with and health insurance reform rolled back. I hope you will enjoy it when even the modest regulatory reforms on Wall Street are sent to the dustbin of history and the improvements in our food regulatory system are done away with. I hope you will enjoy it when the reproductive rights of women are taken away and the rights of minorities are degraded; when same sex couples see their dream of marriage sent down the garbage disposal and members of the LGBT community are put back in the military closet. We all need to start getting used to these things.

Why? Because all that stands between us and all of these things and more happening is four Senators and one President. (Read rest of article)

It's WAKE UP TIME....
Seriously !!!
(and BEWARE of Lefty Mixed Messengers !
Names available upon request.)

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For those screaming "Walk-Out or Strike"....that's EXACTLY what the Evil Side (GOP) wants ! All part of the diabolical plot to DESTROY Middle America...forcing them to work at Chinese wages...and be glad about it.

Wisconsin GOP Bill Allows State
to Fire Employees for Strikes, Walk-Outs

(Mother Jones) On Wednesday night, Republicans in Wisconsin's state senate rammed through a retooled version of Governor Scott Walker's controversial "budget repair bill" with the 14 senate Democrats still in hiding in Illinois. The senate bill eliminates collective bargaining rights for most public-sector unions, a provision that has labor leaders and protesters up in arms. But there's another explosive provision in the bill that's received little attention: The bill authorizes state officials to fire any state employee who joins a strike, walk-out, sit-in, or coordinated effort to call in sick.

According to an analysis (PDF) of the Senate bill by Wisconsin's Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB), the legislation gives state officials the power to fire workers during a "state of emergency" declared by the governor under several conditions. If a state employee misses three working days without an approved leave of absence, that's grounds for being fired. State workers can also be dumped if, according to the LFB's analysis, they participate in a "strike, work stoppage, sit-down, stay-in, slowdown, or other concerted activities to interrupt the operations or services of state government, including mass resignations or sick calls."

The implications of this under-the-radar provision are significant. After the state senate passed its bill, talks swirled of organizing a coordinated strike or walk-out to protest the bill's attack on collective bargaining. In the state Capitol, chants of "general strike!" broke out among protesters stuck outside the building. On Wednesday night, Madison Firefighters union president Joe Conway said he's "in total agreement" with the idea of a general strike. "We should start walking out tomorrow and the next day, and see how long they can last," Conway said. Under this measure, if such protests occur, Walker could declare a state of emergency, and protesting workers could be canned.

One labor umbrella group, the South Central Federation of Labor, which includes 97 member unions and more than 45,000 employees, endorsed the idea of a general strike as early as February 21. The SCFL's affiliates include the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, the American Federation of Teachers, Service Employees International Union, UNITE HERE, and many more. Other union groups have organized "solidarity" events throughout the state for Thursday morning—from Green Bay to Fond du Lac to Platteville—to peacefully protest the Senate's blitz vote on the bill.

The bill's provision giving state officials the power to fire workers for striking or walking out isn't entirely new. It was included in Walker's original "budget repair bill" but received little attention amidst the controversy of the collective bargaining ban and Walker's perceived threat to use the National Guard against protesting workers. (Read rest of article)

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PATHETIC !

(Greg Jones) But another example of why you should NEVER hand the power to the Evil Side (GOP)....through whining, de-energizing, the "we'll fix him (Obama)", self-destructive mentality and not voting ! And THIS is just the beginning of the GOP's diabolical plot to LITERALLY destroy Middle America. Ahead, look for the GOP to turn down state financial aid with the desire to create massive layoffs of teachers, fire, police and more...all heading to their ultimate target of privatizing everything they can and forcing the jobless to work for Chinese wages. Also look for GOP schemes to disband pension plans and union wage/benefit agreements to the level that people will be begging for a Chinese wage job....just to survive. THAT is the fight ahead ! Tried...unsuccessfully to warn folks for months leading up to the midterms....but unfortunately....the whiners 'won'....which only aided the Evil Side (GOP) in their goal of the destruction of Middle America as we know it.

Wisconsin GOP Senators

Pass Anti-Union Bill

Without Democrats Present

WASHINGTON -- In a bold gambit to put an end to the weeks-long budget standoff in Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker (R) split his controversial budget-repair bill in two on Wednesday, allowing the Senate to pass the most hotly contested provisions while their 14 Democratic colleagues remained out of state.

The parliamentary maneuver, first reported by local press, allowed the anti-collective bargaining measure to pass with just Republican support. Under Wisconsin law a 3/5s quorum is needed for a statute that is fiscal in nature. No such quorum is needed for non-fiscal matters.

It was also a 180-degree reversal by Walker and state Senate Republicans, who have insisted for the past three weeks that the collective bargaining provision was designed to help alleviate the state’s budget problems. State Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R) had previously said he would not attempt to pass any portions of the bill without Democrats present.

Wisconsin Democrats decried the move as an unprecedented and blatant end-run, but it was clear that they were powerless to stop it. Indeed, it took the conference committee only a matter of minutes to pass the severed off measure by a four-to-two vote. Minutes later, the same bill passed through the entire Senate by an 18-1 margin, with Sen. Dale Schultz, a Republican moderate who had proposed a compromise measure, lodging the only no vote.

Justin Sargent, a staffer to Senator Chris Larson (D-Wis.) called the maneuver completely unexpected. It showed, he added, that this “obviously wasn’t about any kind of financing, it was an attack on working families.”

Sargent would not say whether his boss was en route back from Illinois but noted, rightly, that he wouldn’t make it back in time to even lodge an on-the-floor protest. Instead, Larson offered a simple tweet: "Shame."

The new procedural maneuver requires that bill now be sent back to the State Assembly for consideration since that body has passed only the full (not the severed) budget bill. According to Mary Spicuzza of the Wall Street Journal the Assembly will reportedly take up the measure tomorrow.

WAKE UP TIME !!!

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WARNING !!!

ANNOUNCEMENT FROM B4B: It has come to our attention that our email address has been hacked/hijacked. We DID NOT send ANY email re: making money. We IN NO WAY recommend or are affiliated with the offer sent FICTITIOUSLY through our email address. If you received an email offer supposedly from B4B re: "Making Money' we DID NOT send the email/offer therefore....Please Disregard.

The following message has been sent to the site in the link:
THIS MESSAGE IS TO NOTIFY THE OWNERS OF THIS SITE THAT WE ARE CONTACTING THE FBI TO REPORT AND FILE CHARGES AGAINST YOU ILLEGALLY SENDING OUT SOLICITATIONS TO THIS SITE USING OUR EMAIL ADDRESS.....WHICH YOU OR SOMEONE WORKING ON YOUR BEHALF, HAS HACKED/HIJACKED. WE WILL BE PURSUING CRIMINAL ACTIONS TO THE FULLEST DEGREE OF THE LAW.

GREG JONES
NATIONAL DIRECTOR
****************

WATCH: President's Weekly Address


Both Parties Must Come Together On a Budget that Cuts Wasteful Spending Without Gutting Investments in the Future

WATCH:

Subscribers CLICK B4B MAIN PAGE for Video

And to think.....

­all we had to do was
VO­TE !

Greg Jones
B4B National Director

But nooooo....­the Pro-Left and some 'Progressive' (should be called Re-gressive) Dems preferred to whine and de-energiz­e, with the 'all or nothing' attitude..­..combined with the "we'll fix him (Obama) " attitude..­..literally handing The Power to the Evil Side (GOP) not only in the Congress but at multiple state levels, where the TRUE battles against Middle America will occur.
An­d look at us now. Who did they really 'fix' ? Our Dem politician­s forced to literally flee, run, hide, get-outta-­Dodge...al­l to block the evil actions of the Right. But the truth is....they­'ll have to come home one day. I warned of the GOP plot to destroy middle America for months...obviously t­o know avail. Now, look for The Evil to gut public education.­...block state aid forcing massive layoffs of teachers, police, fire...clo­sing of libraries, etc..Expec­t the push for states to be allowed to file bankruptcy which will disband current union wage/benef­it agreements and jeopardize all future pensions. Also....Me­dicaid is in trouble.....along with ALL social programs created to help those in need (ignorantly called 'entitlement programs'). ....not to mention job-crushing budget cuts. The bottom line goal of the GOP is to force all Americans to work for Chinese wages....a­nd like it. And to think....a­ll we had to do was....sto­p whining...­.and VOTE ! PATHETIC !!!! (Below article exemplifies what is just the beginning)

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker
Unveils Full Budget With Deep Cuts

MADISON, Wis. — After focusing for weeks on his proposal to strip public employees of collective bargaining rights, Gov. Scott Walker on Tuesday presented his full budget – a plan that cuts $1.5 billion in aid to public schools and local government but avoids any tax or fee increases, furloughs or widespread layoffs.

Walker said the cuts could be paid for in large part by forcing government employees to pay more for their pension and health care benefits. And the governor whose cost-cutting ideas have stirred a national debate over public-sector unions gave no indication he would soften his demand to reduce their power at the negotiating table.

"This is a reform budget," Walker told lawmakers inside the Assembly chamber as protesters on the floor below screamed, banged on drums and blew horns. "It is about getting Wisconsin working again, and to make that happen, we need a balanced budget that works – and an environment where the private sector can create 250,000 jobs over the next four years."

Walker's legislation has drawn tens of thousands of demonstrators to the Capitol over the last three weeks, and tensions were still evident when Walker outlined the budget during a joint session of the Legislature convened under heavy security. Assembly Democrats refused to stand and greet the governor as he arrived to speak.

"It feels like we're announcing a going-out-of-business sale," said state Rep. Cory Mason, a Democrat from Racine who criticized Walker's proposed cuts to education.

Walker's budget places "the entire burden of Wisconsin's budget shortfall on our children, our most vulnerable citizens in need of health care and long-term care, and our dedicated public employees," said Robert Kraig, director of the consumer advocacy group Citizen Action of Wisconsin.

Doing so is Walker's "own value choice, not an economic necessity forced on him by others," Kraig said.

The governor released his two-year budget in part to support his argument that public-worker concessions are essential to confront a projected $3.6 billion shortfall. His proposal to eliminate most collective bargaining remains in limbo after Senate Democrats fled the state to prevent a vote.

Wisconsin "cannot grow if our people are weighed down paying for a larger and larger government, a government that pays its workers unsustainable benefits that are out of line with the private sector," he said. "We need a leaner and cleaner state government."
(read rest of article)

Time to Unite...
To FIGHT for AMERICA !

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PATHETIC !
Faux News Pundit Writes Book
Revealing GOP Plot to
DESTROY AMERICA'S MIDDLE CLASS !

Greg Jones
Blacks4Barack
National Director

As many of you already know, I regularly monitor right-wing news and radio to stay abreast on where the evil side is coming from. They don't know it, but I'm also on various right-wing email lists. So I get emails as if I'm 'one of them'. One email I received just today further reconfirms the diabolical right-wing plot to literally destroy America as I have been warning of for months. The email is from former President Clinton adviser turned total traitor Faux News pundit Dick Morris who has gone as far as to have written a book (which we are in no way endorsing or recommending you buy) for fellow right-wingers to have a clearer knowledge of the GOP sinister plot. Check his email out for yourselves THIS is what we MUST UNITE TO FIGHT AGAINST !

******************NOW THE DICK MORRIS EMAIL *********************

REVOLT!: STATES LEAD THE WAY

Published on DickMorris.com on

*************************

February 23, 2011

As predicted in Revolt! (Dick's and Eileen's new book) - States Lead the Way Toward Reform

It is not only the Arab world that is in turmoil! Reform Governors like Scott Walker (Wisconsin), John Kasich (Ohio), Mitch Daniels (Indiana), Tom Corbett (Pennsylvania), Butch Otter (Idaho), and Rick Scott (Florida) are leading a movement for fundamental change in America.

In Revolt!, Morris and McGann's new book, they describe how newly elected Republican Governors - impelled by their budget crises and empowered with GOP Legislatures - will accomplish sweeping changes in our politics. Read how: * Republican Governors will destroy the political base of the Democratic Party by ending automatic dues deductions from paychecks by unions. * GOP Legislatures will strip teachers of tenure, end seniority based pay, enact merit pay, and promote school choice, dramatically eroding the power of the teachers' unions. * Collective bargaining reforms will free school boards and principals to run their schools and end union control. * State fiscal problems will force them into bankruptcy. And, in bankruptcy, they can cancel all union contracts.

For all the changes coming in Washington, the Tea Party revolution's most important changes will be at the state level. Good-bye AFT, SEIU, AFSME, NEA!

It's all in Revolt!: How To Defeat Obama and Repeal his Socialist Programs - A Patriot's Guide Dick's and Eileen's new book.

To pre-order a signed copy of Revolt from Amazon.com - CLICK HERE.

To pre-order a signed copy of Revolt from Barnes&Noble.com - CLICK HERE.

Dick has signed 13,000 copies but they will probably be gone soon so order now!

PRE-ORDER A SIGNED COPY OF REVOLT! AT AMAZON.COM OR BN.COM AVAILABLE WHILE SUPPLIES LAST - CLICK HERE!

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

GO TO DICKMORRIS.COM! TO READ ALL OF DICK'S COLUMNS!

PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO FRIENDS & FAMILY AND INVITE THEM TO RECEIVE OUR FREE COLUMNS BY SUBSCRIBING HERE. THANKS!

THANK YOU!

(c) COPYRIGHT 2011, DICK MORRIS AND EILEEN MCGANN. REPRINTS WITH WRITTEN PERMISSION ONLY.

************** END OF EMAIL **************

B4B NOTE: Is THIS pathetic OR what ? Again, we are NOT recommending you buy this book but simply exposing the GOP plot. Share this....spread the word....this is in fact, only part of the GOP Plan ahead.....to LITERALLY Destroy America ! Time to Unite....to FIGHT !!!

Knowledge is Power !

Pass It On !

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WHY VOTE ?

Hoping that my fellow Dems and Professional Left learn that the midterm whining and de-energizing which lead to the Repubs gaining power in multiple states across the country (and the Congress) only aided the evil side...and seriously hurt America !

(still PATHETIC !)
The Time Is NOW....To UNITE !!!

President Holds "Winning The Future"
Business Forum in Cleveland

(Cleveland Plain Dealer) President Barack Obama makes opening remarks for the "Winning the Future" forum on small business at the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University on Tuesday. The forum is designed to spotlight Obama's efforts to help small companies and promote the economic themes of innovation, education and technology stressed during his State of Union speech. (Read complete article)

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Protests Against GOP Plot to

Crush Unions Mount Nationwide

IN OHIO: Thousands Gather to Protest Bill

(Reuters) - Thousands of people picketed the state Capitol on Tuesday to protest a bill to cut collective bargaining rights for state workers.

In a local repeat of an issue that has roiled Wisconsin over the last two weeks, state Republican leaders say the bill is necessary to address the state's budget problems, while union leaders say it is designed to hurt unions.

"The intent is to give taxpayers a seat at the negotiating table," said Jason Mauk, spokesman for Ohio Senate Republicans.

Introduced in late January, the bill was scheduled for a state Senate Committee hearing on Tuesday.

Ohio's bill goes farther than Wisconsin's in some ways, Mauk said. While Wisconsin's bill allows collective bargaining on wages, up to the rate of inflation, for state workers, the Ohio bill prohibits collective bargaining for 42,000 state workers in addition to 19,500 workers in the state's university and college system.

This would end a right established in 1983 for Ohio's public-sector workers.

For local governments that bargain with unions representing some 300,000 workers including police, firefighters, and public school teachers, the bill removes health care and some other benefits from the negotiating process.

Like Wisconsin, Ohio has a new Republican governor and Republican majorities in both legislative houses.

"What's happening in Ohio is similar to what's happening in Wisconsin," said Joseph Slater, professor of law at the University of Toledo College of Law.

Slater said there is no correlation between whether a state gives collective bargaining rights to workers and whether they have a deficit. (Read rest of article)

IN WISCONSIN: A Summary

The Huffington Post's Lila Shapiro has put together a great report that summarizes the Wisconsin situation so far and highlights many of the issues involved:

MADISON, WI -- On Friday, February 11th, at the same hour that the world watched the former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak resign his post, the newly appointed Republican Governor of Wisconsin quietly launched a ferocious attack on public sector unions -- and the very notion of organized labor in America.

For nearly fifty years unions have sought to safeguard and advance their rights through a process known as collective bargaining, which is the the most powerful tool labor has for peacefully resolving disputes and ensuring workers a voice in negotiations on everything from fair wages to safety conditions and sick leave.

The bill championed by Wisconsin's governor takes dead aim at this process by stripping most state workers of many of their collective bargaining rights. Union leaders have responded uproariously, claiming that the bill effectively guts public unions of their most critical asset in a state that pioneered many of the fundamental fights for worker's rights. Political chaos has ensued on both sides. State Democrats fled the state last week to prevent a vote on the legislature, while many Republican governors -- some who already have similar bills on the table -- watch carefully to see, if the bill succeeds, how they might pass anti-union legislature in their own states. Read full story

IN INDIANA: Indiana Workers Protest Labor Bill

(WSJ) INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.—The fight over limiting organizing and bargaining of public-sector workers spread from Wisconsin, where a week long battle remains unresolved, to Indianapolis Monday where thousands of steelworkers, auto workers and others surrounded the state capital to protest a right-to-work labor bill that passed a committee of the Republican-controlled House, prompting discussion of a walkout by Democrats.

The Indiana bill, which would change state law so that private-sector workers no longer are required to pay dues or belong to a union that bargains on their behalf, now goes to the full House, which would need two-thirds or 67 of the 100 House members present to vote.

Republicans hold a 60-40 lead in the Indiana House and need a two-thirds quorum to vote on legislation.

Democratic Rep. David L. Niezgodski said that leaving to stymie a quorum "is absolutely an option we have."

About 22 states, mostly across the South, have such laws. In Indiana currently, if a union bargains for a group of workers at an employer, all workers covered by the contract must belong to the union. Proponents of the bill say it would create jobs while opponents say it would drive down wages. The bill would exempt members of the construction industries, whose unions and management argued that the unions play a critical role in training and apprenticeships. (Read rest of article)

Related Article:
Protests Against Union-Busting Bill Sweep Midwest


B4B NOTE: The GOP plot to crush unions is but one segment of their overall diabolical scheme. They will also push for new laws allowing states to file bankruptcy which will disband union pay/benefit agreements, forcing workers to work for less pay. State bankruptcies will also force the layoffs of millions of teachers, police, fire and others nationwide. Also, pensions will be in jeopardy if state bankruptcies are allowed....another goal in their overall plot. The bottom line GOP goal is to force Americans to have to work....LITERALLY...for Chinese wages. They MUST BE STOPPED ! Lastly....ALL of this would have been avoided had my fellow whiny Dems just voted in the midterm elections.....but instead, they simply de-energized, handing over the power to the evil side. Still A Shame !!!

Next ?
The GOP's destruction of America's Public School Systems.

The Time Is NOW....
To UNITE....and FIGHT !!!!

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WATCH:
The View From The Front Lines
of the Wisconsin Protests

FIGHT TIME ! As I previously warned....the battles ahead will be at state levels (as exemplified in Wisconsin, Ohio and others) to block the GOP from literally DESTROYING AMERICA !....and they've only just begun ! The Time Is NOW to UNITE.....to FIGHT !!! (B4B)

WATCH:

Related Article: Wisconsin Protests Grow in Size

IT'S FIGHT TIME !

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GET READY !
As we have been warning of for months....the actions in Wisconsin by the right-wing Governor exemplifies the GOP plot nationwide to crush unions...reduce employee pay forcing them to work for Chinese wages....with the ultimate goal being to bankrupt states...forcing massive layoffs....of which, then, 'privatization' (Halliburton & Co.) will 'come to the rescue' thru so-called private/gov't joint ventures which simply means the private co's will get the federal monies....and rehire all those layed-off at the Chinese wages. (B4B)

Wisconsin Protests
Governor's Plot to Crush Unions

(HuffPo) Wisconsin Democrats on Thursday fled the statehouse in an effort to prevent legislators from reaching a quorum and passing a bill put forth by Gov. Scott Walker (R), which would cripple the collective bargaining rights of public unions.

(Scroll down for the latest updates from Wisconsin)

The move produced a frantic political drama, as state troopers were reportedly sent out to find the fleeing lawmakers and Walker hinted that the National Guard would be called in to fill the void left by protesting union workers.

One Democratic senator told the Milwaukee-WIsconsin Journal Sentinel that most of the members of his caucus had already crossed state lines.

Their flight further heightened the drama that has surrounded the Wisconsin statehouse this week. On Wednesday there were an estimated 30,000 peacefully rallying in front of the state capitol building, and on Thursday that number is expected to be even higher.

Madison public schools are closed for the second day running, as teachers call in sick and students walk out.

Wisconsin is a stronghold of the labor movement -- the birthplace of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, one of the nation's largest labor unions -- with a long history of successful battles for workers' rights. This is part of the reason the pushback to Walker's bill has been so strong. It's also why, if the bill does pass, the precedent it sets for other conservative governors looking to go after collective bargaining rights is so powerful.
(read rest of article)

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The President's Budget
for Fiscal Year 2012

(THE WHITE HOUSE) Having emerged from the worst recession in generations, the President has put forward a plan to rebuild our economy and win the future by out-innovating, out-educating, and out-building our global competitors and creating the jobs and industries of tomorrow. But we cannot rebuild our economy and win the future if we pass on a mountain of debt to our children and grandchildren. We must restore fiscal responsibility, and reform our government to make it more effective, efficient, and open to the American people.

The President’s 2012 Budget is a responsible approach that puts the nation on a path to live within our means so we can invest in our future – by cutting wasteful spending and making tough choices on some things we cannot afford, while keeping the investments we need to grow the economy and create jobs. It targets scarce federal resources to the areas critical to winning the future: education, innovation, clean energy, and infrastructure. And it proposes to reform how Washington does business, putting more federal funding up for competition, cutting waste, and reorganizing government so that it better serves the American people.

B4B NOTE: As President Obama unveils his Budget Proposal to Congress...which includes some budget cuts even to programs he cares deeply about...looks like there's ABSOLUTELY NO slashing of Social Security, Medicaid or Medicare...proving the fear mongering, de-energizing Professional Left...WRONG.....again !

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WATCH:
President's Weekly Address:

President Readies
For Tough Budget Cuts Ahead !

WASHINGTON – President Obama used his weekly address to preview his budget saying that it will help the government live within its means, while still investing in the future. In addition to stripping out waste, his budget includes a freeze on annual domestic spending over the next five years—even for programs he cares deeply about—which will reduce the deficit by more than $400 billion over the next decade. And, it will make investments in the future, by supporting what will do the most to grow the economy in the years to come. This means investing in things like infrastructure, research, and education.



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Watch:
President Obama Responds to
Mubarak Resignation

WATCH:


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GOP GAME PLAN TO GUT AMERICA
....BEGINS !

If their plan becomes law, it could lead to layoffs of tens of thousands
of federal employees, big cuts to heating and housing subsidies for the
poor, reduced grants to schools and law enforcement agencies. Also ahead....BEWARE of the GOP PLOT to bankrupt states to make pensions and union agreements null & void. All an orchestrated plot to lead to privatization of government entities while forcing workers to work for Chinese wages. Learn the plot...spread the word. (B4B)

They MUST BE STOPPED !

House Repubs Slash Domestic Programs

(HuffPo) WASHINGTON — Republicans now running the House are barely touching Congress' own generous budget even as they take a cleaver to many domestic agencies.

A new GOP proposal would reduce domestic agencies' spending by 9 percent on average through September, when the current budget year ends.

If that plan becomes law, it could lead to layoffs of tens of thousands of federal employees, big cuts to heating and housing subsidies for the poor, reduced grants to schools and law enforcement agencies, and a major hit to the Internal Revenue Service's budget.

Congress, on the other hand, would get nicked by only 2 percent, or $94 million.

Recent hefty increases to the congressional budget – engineered by Democrats when they held power in the House from 2007-2010 – would remain largely in place under a plan announced Thursday by the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky.

The plan, developed in close consultation with Republican Speaker John Boehner's office, would cut Congress' budget less than any other domestic spending bill, except for the one covering the Department of Homeland Security.

All 12 spending bills left unfinished by Democrats will go into a single, enormous measure that Republicans promise to bring up the week of Feb. 14.

"Charity begins at home, and Congress should lead the way with cuts to their own budget," said Steve Ellis of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a Washington-based watchdog group. "Instead they're protecting their bottom line while slashing everyone else's."

The cut to Congress gets a little deeper, to 3.5 percent, if it were imposed for a full calendar year instead of the seven months that will remain in the current budget year. But so, too, would the cuts to other agencies – growing to 16 percent. (read rest of article)

RELATED ARTICLE:
State Bankruptcy Weighed by Republicans
Blocking State Aid

(Bloomberg) Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, emboldened by the majority they won in November elections, want to send a message to U.S. states grappling with soaring pension liabilities: Don’t come to us for a handout.

A broader option, being pressed by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a potential presidential candidate in 2012, would be to change U.S. law to allow states to file for bankruptcy, giving them more leverage to renegotiate labor contracts.

Closing the door to U.S. aid may further stress states facing more than $140 billion in budget deficits next fiscal year, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington research group. Fewer than half of their pensions had assets to pay for 80 percent of promised benefits in the 2009 fiscal year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. States now face the end to federal stimulus payments granted two years ago to help them cope with the deepest recession in 80 years.

“We are not interested in a bailout,” Representative Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican and chairman of the House Budget Committee, said at a Jan. 6 forum in Washington.

“Should taxpayers in Indiana, who have paid their bills on time, who have done their job fiscally, be bailing out Californians, who haven’t?” he said. “No, that’s a moral hazard we are not interested in creating.”

Representative Devin Nunes of California introduced the Public Employee Pension Transparency Act last month, co- sponsored by Ryan and Darrell Issa of California. It requires more reporting from state and local pensions and prohibits federal bailouts of states.

Congressional Shift

It’s a shift from the previous Congress, where a Democratic majority in both houses passed the $814 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009 to aid states as the recession choked their tax collections.

“We’re going to look at state and municipal budget issues, their unfunded and underfunded pension liabilities as well as the impact defaults and bankruptcies of municipalities would have on the bond market,” Representative Patrick McHenry, 35, a North Carolina Republican and chairman of the newly formed TARP, Financial Services and Bailouts of Public and Private Programs subcommittee, said in a Jan. 12 telephone interview.

Utah Representative Jason Chaffetz said Republicans have contacted bankruptcy attorneys to discuss ways to change the law to allow states to restructure financial obligations such as debts to retirees. He said it hasn’t been decided whether that would mean allowing states to file for bankruptcy.

Chaffetz said he proposed legislation to oppose federal bailouts of pensions.(read rest of article)

HELP EXPOSE THE GOP PLOT....
(since the media won't)

IT'S WAKE UP TIME !
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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of Media Affairs

Obama Administration Celebrates Black History by Winning the Future

WASHINGTON, DC – During Black History Month, Americans from around the country will celebrate the creativity, determination, and progress that African Americans have made to our nation’s identity and culture. This year’s celebration of Black History Month will be an opportunity not just to look back and celebrate the achievements of our community, but also to honor the legacy of those that have come before us while fostering the leaders of tomorrow. Throughout the month, Cabinet Members, Administration officials, and senior staff will participate in events to highlight the various ways African Americans are winning the future by out-innovating, out-educating, and out-building our global competition.

"During National African American History Month, we recognize the extraordinary achievements of African Americans and their essential role in shaping the story of America. In honor of their courage and contributions, let us resolve to carry forward together the promise of America for our children," --President Obama’s National African American Heritage Month Proclamation.

In addition to events, the White House will feature African Americans from agencies throughout the Administration that contribute to the President’s vision of winning the future through their efforts to move America forward. Each profile will post on the “Celebrating Black History by Winning the Future” webpage. This week, whitehouse.gov will feature administration officials that are using Innovation to win the future:

Featured Blog Posts: Innovation

· Introduction blog post: Black History Month: "Shaping the Story of America"

· Christopher Smith, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oil and Natural Gas in the Office of Fossil Energy of the U.S. Department of Energy. Link

· Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Link

· Dr. Cecilia Rouse, Member of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. Link

· Charles Bolden, Administrator for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (This post will be released on Saturday)

Throughout February guests that tour the White House will be welcomed by volunteers and given a Black History Month brochure with photos and text that showcase Presidents and American icons throughout history. One of the display cases on the tour will showcase photographs with a similar theme to the pamphlets. One day each week during Black History Month will feature a musical performance. The Friday, February 4, will feature a performance from the Washington Performing Arts Society Children Gospel Choir.

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Federal Homelessness Program
Runs Out of Money as Need Rises

While all of the media focus is currently on Egypt....
time to focus on the needs right here at home. (B4B)

Article By: Laura Basset (HuffPo)

WASHINGTON -- Homelessness has significantly risen in the U.S. as a result of surging foreclosures and joblessness caused by the recession, but a new federal program designed to nudge people back from the brink of life without shelter is on the brink itself.

A new report, released by the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty on Jan. 26, found that a homelessness prevention and re-housing program funded by the 2009 stimulus bill needs more money to meet rising need. Instead, the program will likely be left out of the new federal budget.

In response to the 20 percent increase in foreclosures that occurred from 2008 to 2009, the Department of Housing and Urban Development used $1.5 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to create the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP), which helps keep people in their apartments by subsidizing their rent.

The program is quickly running out of money, however, and having a number of administrative difficulties trying to keep up with demand. In Detroit, for instance, about 50,000 people filled out applications for only 3,500 grants on the first day the money was available, and a number of major U.S. cities have already used up more than 80 percent of their allotted funds, which were supposed to last until 2012.

When the NLCHP report surveyed local service providers and legal assistance organizations to determine the overall effectiveness of the program, about 61 percent said that "program bureaucracy" resulted in over half of people applying for HPRP not receiving assistance. About half of the respondents said there was no clear appeals process to give people a second chance when their initial application was denied, and in many communities, eligible families were not even aware of the program because of a lack of outreach efforts.

Sheila Crowley, president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, told HuffPost she is not surprised the program is having difficulties meeting demand because it was only supposed to be an emergency band-aid for victims of the recession.

"The program was basically created fairly quickly, and the idea was to put some cash into the hands of the service providers in communities who are there when people knock on the door and say, 'I'm about to be evicted,'" she said. "It's a program that was seen as a one-shot deal in response to what, in 2009, people hoped was a short-term crisis. Here we are two years later, and unemployment is still high, and foreclosures continue, so it's sort of the story of what happens when you do programs like that." (read rest of article)

B4B NOTE: Now that the Republicans control the purse-strings of America, thanks to my fellow Dems not turning out to vote in the midterm elections this past November, there will be a vital need to pressure and DEMAND Congress to re-fund homeless programs which will literally save lives of Americans in need.

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