“President Obama lays out the framework for U.S. counterterrorism strategy as we wind down the war in Afghanistan.”

* * *

Key Features of the Law

“The health care law offers clear choices for consumers and provides new ways to hold insurance companies accountable. The most important parts of the law are broken into groups below. We’ll highlight new features of the law here as they roll out between now and 2014.”

***

http://www.healthcare.gov/law/information-for-you/women.html

“President Obama delivers a statement about the ongoing response efforts following the devastating tornadoes in Oklahoma.”

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/05/21/resources-and-information-those-affected-oklahoma-tornadoes

“Update 2: This morning, President Obama delivered a statement on the devastating tornadoes and severe weather that impacted Oklahoma. He described the response efforts underway, and assured the people of Moore and all the affected areas that they “would have all the resources that they need at their disposal.”

For there are homes and schools to rebuild, businesses and hospitals to reopen, there are parents to console, first responders to comfort, and, of course, frightened children who will need our continued love and attention. There are empty spaces where there used to be living rooms, and bedrooms, and classrooms, and, in time, we’re going to need to refill those spaces with love and laughter and community.

“Americans from every corner of this country will be right there with them, opening our homes, our hearts to those in need,” President Obama said. “Because we’re a nation that stands with our fellow citizens as long as it takes. We’ve seen that spirit in Joplin, in Tuscaloosa; we saw that spirit in Boston and Breezy Point. And that’s what the people of Oklahoma are going to need from us right now.”"

A Storm Chase in New Castle, Oklahoma and Moore, Oklahoma of a Triple Vortex with Brenton Leete and Allen Wright.

“Teacher Mike Murphy describes what it was like inside the Moore, Oklahoma school when a huge tornado destroyed much of the school.”

“Twenty Three Arrested Protesting School Closings”

***

President Obama speaks at the Morehouse College commencement ceremony.

Below is the historic MUST READ Morehouse Commencement Graduating Class of 2013 transcript:   

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/05/19/remarks-president-morehouse-college-commencement-ceremony

“Remarks by the President at Morehouse College Commencement Ceremony”

Century Campus
Morehouse College
Atlanta, Georgia

12:06 P.M. EDT

“THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Morehouse!  (Applause.)  Thank you, everybody.  Please be seated.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  I love you!

THE PRESIDENT:  I love you back.  (Laughter.)  That is why I am here.

I have to say that it is one of the great honors of my life to be able to address this gathering here today.  I want to thank Dr. Wilson for his outstanding leadership, and the Board of Trustees.  We have Congressman Cedric Richmond and Sanford Bishop — both proud alumni of this school, as well as Congressman Hank Johnson.  And one of my dear friends and a great inspiration to us all — the great John Lewis is here.  (Applause.)  We have your outstanding Mayor, Mr. Kasim Reed, in the house.  (Applause.)

To all the members of the Morehouse family.  And most of all, congratulations to this distinguished group of Morehouse Men — the Class of 2013.  (Applause.)

I have to say that it’s a little hard to follow — not Dr. Wilson, but a skinny guy with a funny name.  (Laughter.)  Betsegaw Tadele — he’s going to be doing something.

I also have to say that you all are going to get wet.  (Laughter.)  And I’d be out there with you if I could.  (Laughter.)  But Secret Service gets nervous.  (Laughter.)  So I’m going to have to stay here, dry.  (Laughter.)  But know that I’m there with you in spirit.  (Laughter.) 

Some of you are graduating summa cum laude.  (Applause.)  Some of you are graduating magna cum laude.  (Applause.)  I know some of you are just graduating, “thank you, Lordy.”  (Laughter and applause.)  That’s appropriate because it’s a Sunday.  (Laughter.) 

I see some moms and grandmas here, aunts, in their Sunday best — although they are upset about their hair getting messed up.  (Laughter.)  Michelle would not be sitting in the rain.  (Laughter.)  She has taught me about hair.  (Laughter.)

I want to congratulate all of you — the parents, the grandparents, the brothers and sisters, the family and friends who supported these young men in so many ways.  This is your day, as well.  Just think about it — your sons, your brothers, your nephews — they spent the last four years far from home and close to Spelman, and yet they are still here today.  (Applause.)  So you’ve done something right.  Graduates, give a big round of applause to your family for everything that they’ve done for you. (Applause.)

I know that some of you had to wait in long lines to get into today’s ceremony.  And I would apologize, but it did not have anything to do with security.  Those graduates just wanted you to know what it’s like to register for classes here.  (Laughter and applause.)  And this time of year brings a different kind of stress — every senior stopping by Gloster Hall over the past week making sure your name was actually on the list of students who met all the graduation requirements.  (Applause.) If it wasn’t on the list, you had to figure out why.  Was it that library book you lent to that trifling roommate who didn’t return it?  (Laughter.)  Was it Dr. Johnson’s policy class?  (Applause.) Did you get enough Crown Forum credits?  (Applause.)

On that last point, I’m going to exercise my power as President to declare this speech sufficient Crown Forum credits for any otherwise eligible student to graduate.  That is my graduation gift to you.  (Applause.)  You have a special dispensation.

Now, graduates, I am humbled to stand here with all of you as an honorary Morehouse Man.  (Applause.)  I finally made it. (Laughter.)  And as I do, I’m mindful of an old saying: “You can always tell a Morehouse Man — (applause) — but you can’t tell him much.”  (Applause.)  And that makes my task a little more difficult, I suppose.  But I think it also reflects the sense of pride that’s always been part of this school’s tradition.

Benjamin Mays, who served as the president of Morehouse for almost 30 years, understood that tradition better than anybody.  He said — and I quote — “It will not be sufficient for Morehouse College, for any college, for that matter, to produce clever graduates… but rather honest men, men who can be trusted in public and private life — men who are sensitive to the wrongs, the sufferings, and the injustices of society and who are willing to accept responsibility for correcting [those] ills.”

It was that mission — not just to educate men, but to cultivate good men, strong men, upright men — that brought community leaders together just two years after the end of the Civil War.  They assembled a list of 37 men, free blacks and freed slaves, who would make up the first prospective class of what later became Morehouse College.  Most of those first students had a desire to become teachers and preachers — to better themselves so they could help others do the same.

A century and a half later, times have changed.  But the “Morehouse Mystique” still endures.  Some of you probably came here from communities where everybody looked like you.  Others may have come here in search of a community.  And I suspect that some of you probably felt a little bit of culture shock the first time you came together as a class in King’s Chapel.  All of a sudden, you weren’t the only high school sports captain, you weren’t the only student council president.  You were suddenly in a group of high achievers, and that meant you were expected to do something more. 

That’s the unique sense of purpose that this place has always infused — the conviction that this is a training ground not only for individual success, but for leadership that can change the world.

Dr. King was just 15 years old when he enrolled here at Morehouse.  He was an unknown, undersized, unassuming young freshman who lived at home with his parents.  And I think it’s fair to say he wasn’t the coolest kid on campus — for the suits he wore, his classmates called him “Tweed.”  But his education at Morehouse helped to forge the intellect, the discipline, the compassion, the soul force that would transform America.  It was here that he was introduced to the writings of Gandhi and Thoreau, and the theory of civil disobedience.  It was here that professors encouraged him to look past the world as it was and fight for the world as it should be.  And it was here, at Morehouse, as Dr. King later wrote, where “I realized that nobody…was afraid.” 

Not even of some bad weather.  I added on that part.  (Laughter.)  I know it’s wet out there.  But Dr. Wilson told me you all had a choice and decided to do it out here anyway.  (Applause.)  That’s a Morehouse Man talking.

Now, think about it.  For black men in the ‘40s and the ‘50s, the threat of violence, the constant humiliations, large and small, the uncertainty that you could support a family, the gnawing doubts born of the Jim Crow culture that told you every day that somehow you were inferior, the temptation to shrink from the world, to accept your place, to avoid risks, to be afraid — that temptation was necessarily strong. 

And yet, here, under the tutelage of men like Dr. Mays, young Martin learned to be unafraid.  And he, in turn, taught others to be unafraid.  And over time, he taught a nation to be unafraid.  And over the last 50 years, thanks to the moral force of Dr. King and a Moses generation that overcame their fear and their cynicism and their despair, barriers have come tumbling down, and new doors of opportunity have swung open, and laws and hearts and minds have been changed to the point where someone who looks just like you can somehow come to serve as President of these United States of America.  (Applause.)

So the history we share should give you hope.  The future we share should give you hope.  You’re graduating into an improving job market.  You’re living in a time when advances in technology and communication put the world at your fingertips.  Your generation is uniquely poised for success unlike any generation of African Americans that came before it.

But that doesn’t mean we don’t have work — because if we’re honest with ourselves, we know that too few of our brothers have the opportunities that you’ve had here at Morehouse.  In troubled neighborhoods all across this country — many of them heavily African American — too few of our citizens have role models to guide them.  Communities just a couple miles from my house in Chicago, communities just a couple miles from here — they’re places where jobs are still too scarce and wages are still too low; where schools are underfunded and violence is pervasive; where too many of our men spend their youth not behind a desk in a classroom, but hanging out on the streets or brooding behind a jail cell. 

My job, as President, is to advocate for policies that generate more opportunity for everybody — policies that strengthen the middle class and give more people the chance to climb their way into the middle class.  Policies that create more good jobs and reduce poverty, and educate more children, and give more families the security of health care, and protect more of our children from the horrors of gun violence.  That’s my job.  Those are matters of public policy, and it is important for all of us — black, white and brown — to advocate for an America where everybody has got a fair shot in life.  Not just some.  Not just a few.  (Applause.)

But along with collective responsibilities, we have individual responsibilities.  There are some things, as black men, we can only do for ourselves.  There are some things, as Morehouse Men, that you are obliged to do for those still left behind.  As Morehouse Men, you now wield something even more powerful than the diploma you’re about to collect — and that’s the power of your example.

So what I ask of you today is the same thing I ask of every graduating class I address:  Use that power for something larger than yourself.  Live up to President Mays’s challenge.  Be “sensitive to the wrongs, the sufferings, and the injustices of society.”  And be “willing to accept responsibility for correcting [those] ills.”

I know that some of you came to Morehouse from communities where life was about keeping your head down and looking out for yourself.  Maybe you feel like you escaped, and now you can take your degree and get that fancy job and the nice house and the nice car — and never look back.  And don’t get me wrong — with all those student loans you’ve had to take out, I know you’ve got to earn some money.   With doors open to you that your parents and grandparents could not even imagine, no one expects you to take a vow of poverty.  But I will say it betrays a poverty of ambition if all you think about is what goods you can buy instead of what good you can do.  (Applause.)  

So, yes, go get that law degree.  But if you do, ask yourself if the only option is to defend the rich and the powerful, or if you can also find some time to defend the powerless.  Sure, go get your MBA, or start that business.  We need black businesses out there.  But ask yourselves what broader purpose your business might serve, in putting people to work, or transforming a neighborhood.  The most successful CEOs I know didn’t start out intent just on making money — rather, they had a vision of how their product or service would change things, and the money followed.  (Applause.)  

Some of you may be headed to medical school to become doctors.  But make sure you heal folks in underserved communities who really need it, too.  For generations, certain groups in this country — especially African Americans — have been desperate in need of access to quality, affordable health care.  And as a society, we’re finally beginning to change that.  Those of you who are under the age of 26 already have the option to stay on your parent’s health care plan.  But all of you are heading into an economy where many young people expect not only to have multiple jobs, but multiple careers.

So starting October 1st, because of the Affordable Care Act — otherwise known as Obamacare — (applause) — you’ll be able to shop for a quality, affordable plan that’s yours and travels with you — a plan that will insure not only your health, but your dreams if you are sick or get in an accident.  But we’re going to need some doctors to make sure it works, too.  We’ve got to make sure everybody has good health in this country.  It’s not just good for you, it’s good for this country.  So you’re going to have to spread the word to your fellow young people.

Which brings me to a second point:  Just as Morehouse has taught you to expect more of yourselves, inspire those who look up to you to expect more of themselves.  We know that too many young men in our community continue to make bad choices.  And I have to say, growing up, I made quite a few myself.  Sometimes I wrote off my own failings as just another example of the world trying to keep a black man down.  I had a tendency sometimes to make excuses for me not doing the right thing.  But one of the things that all of you have learned over the last four years is there’s no longer any room for excuses.  (Applause.)     

I understand there’s a common fraternity creed here at Morehouse: “Excuses are tools of the incompetent used to build bridges to nowhere and monuments of nothingness.”  Well, we’ve got no time for excuses.  Not because the bitter legacy of slavery and segregation have vanished entirely; they have not.  Not because racism and discrimination no longer exist; we know those are still out there.  It’s just that in today’s hyperconnected, hypercompetitive world, with millions of young people from China and India and Brazil — many of whom started with a whole lot less than all of you did — all of them entering the global workforce alongside you, nobody is going to give you anything that you have not earned.  (Applause.)

Nobody cares how tough your upbringing was.  Nobody cares if you suffered some discrimination.  And moreover, you have to remember that whatever you’ve gone through, it pales in comparison to the hardships previous generations endured — and they overcame them.  And if they overcame them, you can overcome them, too.  (Applause.)  

You now hail from a lineage and legacy of immeasurably strong men — men who bore tremendous burdens and still laid the stones for the path on which we now walk.  You wear the mantle of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington, and Ralph Bunche and Langston Hughes, and George Washington Carver and Ralph Abernathy and Thurgood Marshall, and, yes, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  These men were many things to many people.  And they knew full well the role that racism played in their lives.  But when it came to their own accomplishments and sense of purpose, they had no time for excuses. 

Every one of you have a grandma or an uncle or a parent who’s told you that at some point in life, as an African American, you have to work twice as hard as anyone else if you want to get by.  I think President Mays put it even better:  He said, “Whatever you do, strive to do it so well that no man living and no man dead, and no man yet to be born can do it any better.”  (Applause.)  

And I promise you, what was needed in Dr. Mays’s time, that spirit of excellence, and hard work, and dedication, and no excuses is needed now more than ever.  If you think you can just get over in this economy just because you have a Morehouse degree, you’re in for a rude awakening.  But if you stay hungry, if you keep hustling, if you keep on your grind and get other folks to do the same — nobody can stop you.  (Applause.)  

And when I talk about pursuing excellence and setting an example, I’m not just talking about in your professional life.  One of today’s graduates, Frederick Anderson — where’s Frederick?  Frederick, right here.  (Applause.)  I know it’s raining, but I’m going to tell about Frederick.  Frederick  started his college career in Ohio, only to find out that his high school sweetheart back in Georgia was pregnant.  So he came back and enrolled in Morehouse to be closer to her.  Pretty soon, helping raise a newborn and working night shifts became too much, so he started taking business classes at a technical college instead — doing everything from delivering newspapers to buffing hospital floors to support his family.

And then he enrolled at Morehouse a second time.  But even with a job, he couldn’t keep up with the cost of tuition.  So after getting his degree from that technical school, this father of three decided to come back to Morehouse for a third time.  (Applause.)  As Frederick says, “God has a plan for my life, and He’s not done with me yet.”

And today, Frederick is a family man, and a working man, and a Morehouse Man.  (Applause.)  And that’s what I’m asking all of you to do:  Keep setting an example for what it means to be a man.  (Applause.)  Be the best husband to your wife, or you’re your boyfriend, or your partner.  Be the best father you can be to your children.  Because nothing is more important.

I was raised by a heroic single mom, wonderful grandparents — made incredible sacrifices for me.  And I know there are moms and grandparents here today who did the same thing for all of you.  But I sure wish I had had a father who was not only present, but involved.  Didn’t know my dad.  And so my whole life, I’ve tried to be for Michelle and my girls what my father was not for my mother and me.  I want to break that cycle where a father is not at home — (applause) — where a father is not helping to raise that son or daughter.  I want to be a better father, a better husband, a better man.

It’s hard work that demands your constant attention and frequent sacrifice.  And I promise you, Michelle will tell you I’m not perfect.  She’s got a long list of my imperfections.  (Laughter.)  Even now, I’m still practicing, I’m still learning, still getting corrected in terms of how to be a fine husband and a good father.  But I will tell you this:  Everything else is unfulfilled if we fail at family, if we fail at that responsibility.  (Applause.)

I know that when I am on my deathbed someday, I will not be thinking about any particular legislation I passed; I will not be thinking about a policy I promoted; I will not be thinking about the speech I gave, I will not be thinking the Nobel Prize I received.  I will be thinking about that walk I took with my daughters.  I’ll be thinking about a lazy afternoon with my wife. I’ll be thinking about sitting around the dinner table and seeing them happy and healthy and knowing that they were loved.  And I’ll be thinking about whether I did right by all of them.

So be a good role model, set a good example for that young brother coming up.  If you know somebody who’s not on point, go back and bring that brother along — those who’ve been left behind, who haven’t had the same opportunities we have — they need to hear from you.  You’ve got to be engaged on the barbershops, on the basketball court, at church, spend time and energy and presence to give people opportunities and a chance.  Pull them up, expose them, support their dreams.  Don’t put them down.

We’ve got to teach them just like what we have to learn, what it means to be a man — to serve your city like Maynard Jackson; to shape the culture like Spike Lee; to be like Chester Davenport, one of the first people to integrate the University of Georgia Law School.  When he got there, nobody would sit next to him in class.  But Chester didn’t mind.  Later on, he said, “It was the thing for me to do.  Someone needed to be the first.”  And today, Chester is here celebrating his 50th reunion.  Where is Chester Davenport?  He’s here.  (Applause.)

So if you’ve had role models, fathers, brothers like that — thank them today.  And if you haven’t, commit yourself to being that man to somebody else.

And finally, as you do these things, do them not just for yourself, but don’t even do them just for the African American community.  I want you to set your sights higher.  At the turn of the last century, W.E.B. DuBois spoke about the “talented tenth” — a class of highly educated, socially conscious leaders in the black community.  But it’s not just the African American community that needs you.  The country needs you.  The world needs you.

As Morehouse Men, many of you know what it’s like to be an outsider; know what it’s like to be marginalized; know what it’s like to feel the sting of discrimination.  And that’s an experience that a lot of Americans share.  Hispanic Americans know that feeling when somebody asks them where they come from or tell them to go back.  Gay and lesbian Americans feel it when a stranger passes judgment on their parenting skills or the love that they share.  Muslim Americans feel it when they’re stared at with suspicion because of their faith.  Any woman who knows the injustice of earning less pay for doing the same work — she knows what it’s like to be on the outside looking in.

So your experiences give you special insight that today’s leaders need.  If you tap into that experience, it should endow you with empathy — the understanding of what it’s like to walk in somebody else’s shoes, to see through their eyes, to know what it’s like when you’re not born on 3rd base, thinking you hit a triple.  It should give you the ability to connect.  It should give you a sense of compassion and what it means to overcome barriers. 

And I will tell you, Class of 2013, whatever success I have achieved, whatever positions of leadership I have held have depended less on Ivy League degrees or SAT scores or GPAs, and have instead been due to that sense of connection and empathy — the special obligation I felt, as a black man like you, to help those who need it most, people who didn’t have the opportunities that I had — because there but for the grace of God, go I — I might have been in their shoes.  I might have been in prison.  I might have been unemployed.  I might not have been able to support a family.  And that motivates me.  (Applause.)

So it’s up to you to widen your circle of concern — to care about justice for everybody, white, black and brown. Everybody.  Not just in your own community, but also across this country and around the world.  To make sure everyone has a voice, and everybody gets a seat at the table; that everybody, no matter what you look like or where you come from, what your last name is — it doesn’t matter, everybody gets a chance to walk through those doors of opportunity if they are willing to work hard enough. 

When Leland Shelton was four years old — where’s Leland?  (Applause.)  Stand up, Leland.  When Leland Shelton was four years old, social services took him away from his mama, put him in the care of his grandparents.  By age 14, he was in the foster care system.  Three years after that, Leland enrolled in Morehouse.  And today he is graduating Phi Beta Kappa on his way to Harvard Law School.  (Applause.)  But he’s not stopping there. As a member of the National Foster Care Youth and Alumni Policy Council, he plans to use his law degree to make sure kids like him don’t fall through the cracks.  And it won’t matter whether they’re black kids or brown kids or white kids or Native American kids, because he’ll understand what they’re going through.  And he’ll be fighting for them.  He’ll be in their corner.  That’s leadership.  That’s a Morehouse Man right there.  (Applause.)

That’s what we’ve come to expect from you, Morehouse — a legacy of leaders — not just in our black community, but for the entire American community.  To recognize the burdens you carry with you, but to resist the temptation to use them as excuses.  To transform the way we think about manhood, and set higher standards for ourselves and for others.  To be successful, but also to understand that each of us has responsibilities not just to ourselves, but to one another and to future generations.  Men who refuse to be afraid.  Men who refuse to be afraid.   

Members of the Class of 2013, you are heirs to a great legacy.  You have within you that same courage and that same strength, the same resolve as the men who came before you.  That’s what being a Morehouse Man is all about.  That’s what being an American is all about.

Success may not come quickly or easily.  But if you strive to do what’s right, if you work harder and dream bigger, if you set an example in your own lives and do your part to help meet the challenges of our time, then I’m confident that, together, we will continue the never-ending task of perfecting our union.

Congratulations, Class of 2013.  God bless you.  God bless Morehouse.  And God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)”

END 12:39 P.M. EDT

***

Life. Work. Policy & YOU.  IDECLAIR IT!~

YOU Are The CEO of YOU. PERIOD. 

ENGAGEMENT Is Core, Key, Critical, Cool & ESSENTIAL.  

Your REAL RAW RIGHT NOW… Circle of Encouragement, Inspiration, Responsibility, Outreach, ReachOut, Uplift, LiftUp, ScrubDown, Information, Insight, Empowerment, & HEALING!  Pass It ALL On & Repeat!  IDECLAIR IT!~

The WORK Is Ours & ETERNAL.  

IDECLAIR MEDIA, THE IDECLAIR SHOW…

REAL. RAW. RIGHT NOW…

IDECLAIR IT!~

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theideclairshow/

No Matter What… Know YOUR Value!  No Matter What… Know YOU Matter! 

No Matter What… Know The Power of YOUR ENGAGEMENT. 

No Matter What… VOTE. 

IDECLAIR IT!~ 

“President Obama talks about his belief that a rising, thriving middle class is the true engine of economic growth, and that to reignite that engine and continue to build on the progress we’ve made over the last four years, we need to invest in three areas: jobs, skills and opportunity.”

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/05/18/weekly-address-president-talks-about-how-build-rising-thriving-middle-cl

Remarks of President Barack Obama
As Prepared for Delivery
Weekly Address
The White House
May 17, 2013

“Hi, everybody.  Over the past few months, I’ve laid out a series of commonsense ideas to reignite the true engine of our economic growth: a rising, thriving middle class.

The way I see it, there are three areas where we need to focus.  One: making America a magnet for good jobs.  Two: making sure our workers have the education and skills they need to do those jobs.  And three: making sure your hard work leads to a decent living.

I’ve also been visiting cities across the country that are doing some interesting and creative things along these lines.

On Friday, I stopped by a factory in Baltimore that’s creating good jobs here at home by exporting digging equipment abroad.

I read with young kids in a pre-K program, where kids are getting a head start learning the skills they’ll need to succeed in life.

And I stopped by a program that’s helping folks in tough circumstances – especially low-income dads – get the training and guidance they need to find work and support their families.

That’s why I like getting out of the Washington echo chamber whenever I can – because too often, our politics aren’t focused on the same things you are.  Working hard.  Supporting your family and your community.  Making sure your kids have every chance in life.

More than anything, the American people make me optimistic about where we’re headed as a nation.  Especially after all we’ve been through the past several years.  And that should encourage us to work even harder on the issues that matter to you.

In a little over three years, our businesses have created more than 6.5 million new jobs.  And while our unemployment rate is still too high, it’s the lowest it’s been since 2008.  But now we need to create even more good, middle-class jobs, and we need to do it faster.

Corporate profits have skyrocketed to all-time highs.  But now we need to get middle-class wages and incomes rising too.

Our housing market is healing.  But we still need to help a lot more families stay in their homes, or refinance to take advantage of historically low rates.

And our deficits are shrinking at the fastest rate in decades.  But now we need to budget in a smarter way that doesn’t hurt middle-class families or harm critical investments in our future.

So in a lot of sectors, things are looking up.  The American auto industry is thriving.  American energy is booming.  And American ingenuity in our tech sector has the potential to change the way we do almost everything.

In the coming weeks, I’m going to visit more cities like Baltimore, and Austin, Texas – where I was two weeks ago; places where Americans are coming together to strengthen their own communities and economies – and in the process, making this country better for all of us.

And I’m going to keep trying to work with both parties in Washington to make progress on your priorities.  Because I know that if we come together around creating more jobs, educating more of our kids, and building new ladders of opportunity for everyone who’s willing to climb them – we’ll all prosper, together.

Thanks. And have a great weekend.”

***

Realizing America is superglued to scandal obsession these days, keeping our eyes on the core, key issues (infrastructure & employment, a main few) is essential.

Infrastructure! Employment! Infrastructure! Employment! Infrastructure! Employment!  IDECLAIR IT!~ 

“President Obama Speaks on Rebuilding Our Nation’s Infrastructure”

May 17, 2013

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/05/17/remarks-president-ellicott-dredges

Remarks by the President at Ellicott Dredges

Ellicott Dredges
Baltimore, Maryland

1:20 P.M. EDT

“THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Baltimore!  (Applause.)  Well, it is wonderful to see all of you.  Give Duncan a big round of applause for the great introduction.  (Applause.)  I want to thank all of you for the warm welcome, the great hospitality.  And I tell you what, I’m going to return the favor by hosting your Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens at the White House this summer.  (Applause.)  We’ll have Ray Lewis in the China Room -– what could go wrong?  (Laughter.)

I want to thank your CEO, Peter Bowe, and your plant manager, Robert Croom, and your entire team for showing me around this great facility.  I was told that one of your customers once named a dredge after President Clinton, so I’ve got my fingers crossed.  (Laughter.)  Never had a dredge named after me, so I’m looking after — looking forward to that.

I’ve come here today to talk about our single most important priority as a country right now.  And that is reigniting the true engine of our economic growth, and that is a rising, thriving middle class.  (Applause.)  And as I said in my State of the Union address this year, that’s our North Star.  That’s what we have to focus on.  That’s what has to guide all our efforts.

And we’ve got some great people who are championing middle-class families every single day.  First of all, your outstanding Governor — come on — Martin O’Malley.  (Applause.)  Your outstanding Mayor — Madam Mayor.  (Applause.)  You’ve got some outstanding members of Congress, led by your senior Senator, Barbara Mikulski.  (Applause.)  And your own leader in the House of Representatives — he is doing a great job every single day and he loves this state — Steny Hoyer.  (Applause.)

So we’ve got just some extraordinary folks here.  Let me make sure I’ve — Elijah Cummings is here.  (Applause.)  But more importantly, Elijah’s mom is here.  (Applause.)  And we are so proud of Elijah, but his mom apparently prays for me every day, so I’m very grateful for her as well.

And all of these — all of your members of Congress, every single day, are working, fighting on your behalf in terms of making sure that we’re growing an economy that creates outstanding middle-class jobs.  That’s the challenge that we should be rallying around every single day.  And I know it can seem frustrating sometimes when it seems like Washington’s priorities aren’t the same as your priorities.  I know it often seems like folks down there are more concerned with their jobs than with yours.  Others may get distracted by chasing every fleeting issue that passes by.  But the middle class will always be my number-one focus, period.  Your jobs, your families, your communities — that’s why I ran for President.  That’s what drives me every day as I step into the Oval Office.  That’s what I’m going to keep fighting for over the next four years.

And that’s why I’m so proud to have these partners.  John Sarbanes I saved for last, because Congressman Sarbanes, he himself is doing a great job, but when I first came in, his father was one of the people who I so admired in the Senate.  He had served for a long time.  And I remember just a conversation that we had — he probably doesn’t remember it — but I asked him — I came and paid him a visit, and I asked him, “What’s your advice?”  He says, “Just keep in mind the people who sent you.”  Because here in Washington, sometimes people get distracted.  But you’re here to work on behalf of your constituencies.  And if you stick to that, you’re going to be just fine.

And that’s what’s happening here in Maryland.  Under Governor O’Malley’s leadership, Maryland has won back almost 100 percent of the jobs that were claimed by the recession.  (Applause.)  So you might not know it if you were just watching the news and you’re exposed to all these partisan battles and brinksmanship in Washington, but the truth is there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic about where this country is headed, especially after all we’ve been through over the past several years.  And that’s got to encourage us to roll up our sleeves, and work together, and take on the challenges that are still holding back the economy and holding down working families.

Now, the good news is in a little over three years, businesses like this one have created more than 6.5 million new jobs.  And while our unemployment rate is still too high, it’s the lowest it’s been since 2008.  (Applause.)  That’s good news.

But that’s not enough because we’ve also got to create even more good, middle-class jobs, and we’ve go to do it even faster.

Corporate profits have skyrocketed at an all-time high. Now we’ve got to make sure that middle-class wages and incomes are going up too -– because families all across America haven’t seen their take-home pay rise for nearly a decade.  That’s the next phase.  It’s good that companies are profitable.  I want you to be profitable.  I want you to be taking a little more home in your paycheck.  (Applause.)

Our housing market is healing.  But that’s not enough.  Now we’ve got to help more families stay in their homes, or refinance to take advantage of these historically low interest rates.

Our deficits are shrinking at the fastest rate in decades.  That’s the truth.  That’s worth an applause, sure.  (Applause.)  Because you wouldn’t always know that listening to folks in Washington.  But the fact is our deficits are going down faster than they have gone down in decades.  But we still have to create a budget that is smart and doesn’t hurt middle-class families or harm our critical investments into our future.

Barbara Mikulski is on the Appropriations Committee; she’s fighting hard to make sure that this sequester that is slowing down growth, and we’re starting to see growth slowing down because of furloughs and cuts in defense spending, and a whole bunch of stuff that wasn’t well thought through — we’ve got to make sure that we’ve got a budget that doesn’t push our economy back down.  We need a budget that pushes our economy back up.

The American auto industry is thriving.  American energy is booming.  American ingenuity in our tech sector has the potential to change the way we do almost everything.

And thanks to the grit and determination of the American people, we’ve been able to clear away the rubble of the crisis.  We’re now poised for progress, but our work is not done, and our focus cannot drift.  We’ve got to stay focused on our economy, and putting people back to work, and raising wages, and bringing manufacturing back to the United States of America.  That has to be what we’re thinking about every single day.  (Applause.)

The middle class has taken a beating for more than a decade.  You deserve folks in Washington who are willing to fight back on your behalf every single day.  Because every single day, you and Americans like you all across the country are working hard and living up to your responsibilities.  So you’ve got to have the same seriousness of purpose in your leaders.

Now, I see three areas where we need to focus if we’re really going to keep the recovery going but take it to new heights.  Number one, we’ve got to make America a magnet for good jobs.  Number two, we’ve got to make sure that workers are able to get the education and skills they need to do those jobs.  Number three, we’ve got to make sure that, if and when you’re working hard, that that leads to a decent living.

And that’s why I wanted to come to Baltimore — because a lot of people here in Baltimore, they work hard.  Baltimore has gone through tough times in the past, but Baltimore has come bouncing back.  (Applause.)

I started a few hours ago at a pre-K program at Moravia Park Elementary School.  (Applause.)  There, kids are getting a head start learning skills they need to succeed in college and the workplace.  And, by the way, this is a center that was named after Steny Hoyer’s late wife, Judy, because she and Steny share my belief in the importance of giving every kid every chance as early as possible.

I got to help with one of the lessons — we were having to draw zoo animals.  (Laughter.)  And I’ve got to say, my tiger was not very good.  (Laughter.)  The kids were unimpressed.  They kind of looked at it, they said, that doesn’t look like a tiger.  (Laughter.)  But they were amazing.

And later today, I’m going to visit with a program that helps people who have gone through some tough circumstances, especially low-income dads, and this program is now helping them get the training and the guidance they need to find work and support a family, which is a priority.  (Applause.)  And probably some of these folks who I’m meeting, they didn’t get that early childhood education that put them on the right track.  And what we want to do is, first of all, make sure our kids are getting the training they need, but if they missed out early on, we still want to give them opportunity on the backend.

But obviously, the training of kids, giving them a good education, training older workers — none of that is going to make a difference if we don’t have great companies that are hiring.  And that’s why I wanted to come to Ellicott.

Ellicott Dredges, you guys are an example of what we can do to make America a magnet for good jobs.  After all, you all know a thing or two about growing the economy — you’ve been doing it for more than a century.  This company was founded in 1885.  You’ve been right here on Bush Street since 1900.  This company built dredging equipment that helped dig the Panama Canal.  (Applause.)  That’s impressive.

What that means is this company, right here in Baltimore, literally helped create our global economy, because that was one of the first connectors that started to allow us to ship goods and cut the distances that integrated the world economy.

And yet, after all this time, this company still has a set of core values that’s lasted for generations.  Just like the folks who came before you, you’ve got that drive to make the best machines that money can buy; to sell products all over the world; to grow not just a business, but a community, and by doing that, you’re growing our country.

And these values have seen you through an era of enormous change.  Your leaders saw the potential in developing markets like China and India and Brazil and Bangladesh.  So you ramped up your focus on airports — on exports — maybe on airports, too — (laughter) — but on exports.  And the federal government has worked with you as a partner to sell dredging equipment right out of this shop all over the world.  You maintained your quality.  You built a sales force that travels everywhere, outhustling the competition in search of new business.

All that hard work has paid off.  Today, this company, you have sold equipment to more than 100 different countries.  You’ve made new investments here at home.  You employ more than 200 people in Baltimore and Wisconsin and Kansas.  And over the past few decades, during some of the tough times for our workers, you were able to keep building equipment stamped with those three proud words:  Made in America.  And you’re selling it around the world.  (Applause.)

As Steny Hoyer and some of these House members like to say, that means you’re making it in America.

MR. HOYER:  All right.

THE PRESIDENT:  See, Steny gets excited.  (Laughter.)  You’re actually making stuff here in America, but it also means that we’re all making it here in America when you do what you’re doing.  And this is a great example.

And the good news is, more and more companies are following your example.  After shedding jobs for 10 years, our manufacturers have added more than 500,000 jobs over the past three years.  Ford is bringing jobs back from Mexico.  Caterpillar is bringing jobs back from Japan.  (Applause.)  After placing plants in other countries like China, Intel, which is making the chips in your smartphone and your iPad, all of these gizmos everybody is holding up right now — (laughter) — Intel is opening its most advanced plant right here at home, right here in America.

Washington should be helping these kinds of success stories take root all across the country.  That’s why we’ve boosted — my administration has boosted our efforts to help businesses export more of their goods and services.  That’s why we signed trade agreements that will protect American workers, but open up new markets and support tens of thousands of good-paying jobs.

That’s why we reauthorized the Export-Import Bank.  And we are proud to have the bank’s chairman right here, Fred Hochberg.  He’s here this afternoon.  He’s helping this company as we speak sell more goods overseas.  And so today, exports are at an all-time high.  We are selling more stuff around the world.  We’ve added more than a million export-supported jobs since I took office.  (Applause.)

So all these steps are making a difference, but there’s more we can do.  We need to pursue new trade agreements with Europe and the Pacific region.  We need to invest in high-tech manufacturing centers, because I want the next revolution in manufacturing to be made here in America.

Our workers are at our best when we’re building stuff.  So today, I’m also announcing the next step in our effort to cut through red tape that keeps big construction projects from getting off the ground.

Now, some of you, if you’ve heard me, I’m really big on us rebuilding our infrastructure in this country.  (Applause.)  I want to put people back to work improving our roads, our bridges, our airports, our ports.  (Applause.)  We were talking about the Panama Canal.  The Panama Canal is being revamped down in Panama so that it can accommodate even bigger ships.  And these cargo ships are so big that if we don’t remodel our ports here in the United States, they can’t dock at our ports.  They’ll dock someplace else.  We’ll lose that business.

So we’ve got to up our game when it comes to infrastructure.  And the good news is, when you do that, you’re putting people back to work right away, operating dredging equipment and doing other stuff, and you’re also laying the foundation for future economic growth.

Now, the problem is we’ve had some trouble out of Congress just going ahead and funding –

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  (Inaudible.)

THE PRESIDENT:  I know, it’s surprising, isn’t it?  (Laughter.)  But we’ve had a little difficulty getting our Republican friends to work with us to find a steady funding source for these projects that everybody knows needs to happen.  But in fairness, one of the problems we’ve had in the past is, is that sometimes it takes too long to get projects off the ground.  There are all these permits and red tape and planning, and this and that, and some of it’s important to do, but we could do it faster.

So a while back, what I did was I ordered everybody who was involved in approving projects to speed up the permitting process for 50 different big projects all across the country, from the Tappan Zee Bridge in New York to the Port of Charleston in South Carolina.  And we’ve been able to, in some cases, cut approval times from seven years down to a year.  So we’ve made progress.  (Applause.)

Today, I’m directing agencies across the government to do what it takes to cut timelines for breaking ground on major infrastructure projects in half.  And what that will mean is, is that construction workers get back on the jobs faster.  It means more money going back into local economies, and it means more demand for outstanding dredging equipment that is made right here in Baltimore.  (Applause.)

Now, as some of you know, one of the guys who has been working on this, he’s Deputy Transportation Secretary John Porcari, your former transportation secretary here in Maryland before Governor O’Malley generously agreed to share him with the entire country.  (Laughter.)

So those are some of the ways that we can create the conditions for businesses like this one to generate even more good jobs.  And these are the kinds of ideas that we have to stay focused on every single day.  This should be our principal focus:  How are we making ourselves more competitive; how are we training our workers so that they can do the jobs that need to be done; how can we make sure that we stay on the cutting edge in terms of technology; how are we making it easier for businesses to succeed.

And I’m going to keep trying to work with both parties in Washington to make progress — because our challenges are solvable.  I travel all around the world, and I meet people from all walks of life.  And I can tell you, there’s not a country on Earth that wouldn’t trade places with the United States of America.  That’s really true.  (Applause.)  They know we’ve got all the ingredients to succeed.  We’ve got the answers.  The only thing that’s holding us back sometimes is a lack of political will.  Sometimes our leadership isn’t focused where we need to be focused.  And that’s where you come in.  It’s up to you and all the people across the country to tell the people in Washington, focus on getting stuff done.  We may not agree on the way to do certain things, but I think we all love our country.  We all want what’s best for our kids and our grandkids.

Wouldn’t we be better off if every American could find a good job that pays the bills and lets you afford a home, and maybe take a vacation, put some money away to retire?  Wouldn’t we be better off if we knew that all of our kids were getting a good education from an earliest age; if we reformed our high schools for this new economy; if we’re helping more young people afford to go to college?

Wouldn’t we be better off if every worker’s wage was a wage you could live on?  Nobody wants to be on welfare.  Nobody wants to have to rely on a handout.  They want to work.  But let’s make sure that work pays.

Wouldn’t we be better off if every American could afford quality healthcare, and the peace of mind that comes with it?  That’s why we passed health care reform.  (Applause.)  Wouldn’t we be better off if we did what’s necessary to protect more of our children from the horrors of gun violence?  (Applause.)

There are going to be disagreements about how we get there.  But let’s remind ourselves that when we work together nobody can stop us.  When we do the right thing — that’s what I believe.  That’s what I’m going to keep fighting for.  That’s what drives me — is all the stories of people like you that I have the great honor of meeting and working with every single day.  You deserve leaders with the same dedication and commitment and focus that the people who work at this company bring to their jobs every single day.  And you look at those dredges up there — and I met folks who have worked here 38 years, some who worked 40 years, and the pride that they take in their product and the way they all work together, that’s the attitude that we’ve got to bring to bear here.

I think about a woman here, Myrna LaBarre.  Myrna LaBarre — where is Myrna?  (Applause.)  There’s Myrna right here.  (Applause.)  Myrna LaBarre.  Myrna has been at Ellicott for more than 50 years.  (Applause.)  Now, that means she started when there were no child labor laws, because it was clearly illegal.  (Laughter.)  She was about four or five, and they started putting her to work, put a broom in her hand.  But when somebody asked Myrna what lessons she learned after 50 years working at the same company, she said, “Be honest, be helpful, accept your mistakes and improve upon them, be good to people, keep a good sense of humor, have the best work ethic possible, and handle the good times and get over the bad.”  That’s a pretty good recipe for success right there.  That’s who we are.  That’s who we are.  (Applause.)  Thank you, Myrna.

I mean, that pretty much sums up everything.  (Laughter.)  That’s who we like to understand America to be, who we are as Americans.  We’re honest and helpful.  We work hard.  We’re good to others.  We handle the good times, and we get over the bad times.  If we keep that in mind, if we just all keep Myrna’s advice in mind, keep plugging away, keep fighting, we’ll build an even better America than we’ve got right now.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We’re praying!

THE PRESIDENT:  And I know you’re going to — we can pray too, we’ll add that in there.  (Laughter and applause.)

If we work to create more jobs, if we give every American the tools that they need for those jobs, if we make sure that hard work pays off and that responsibility is rewarded, then once again America is going to be the place where you can always make it if you try.  And we’ll all prosper together.  And we’ll make sure that America remains the greatest nation on Earth.

Thank you, everybody.  God bless you.  God bless America.  (Applause.)”

***

 Maybe it’s the ‘momma’ in me… but the preciousness of this is eternal.  America’s Precious & Brilliant PROMISE.  

Enjoy this.  IDECLAIR IT!~

“President Obama Talks to Pre-K Students”

May 17, 2013

***

Life. Work. Policy & YOU.  IDECLAIR IT!~

YOU Are The CEO of YOU. PERIOD. 

ENGAGEMENT Is Core, Key, Critical, Cool & ESSENTIAL.  

Your REAL RAW RIGHT NOW… Circle of Encouragement, Inspiration, Responsibility, Outreach, ReachOut, Uplift, LiftUp, ScrubDown, Information, Insight, Empowerment, & HEALING!  Pass It ALL On & Repeat!  IDECLAIR IT!~

The WORK Is Ours & ETERNAL.  

IDECLAIR MEDIA, THE IDECLAIR SHOW…

REAL. RAW. RIGHT NOW…

IDECLAIR IT!~

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theideclairshow/

No Matter What… Know YOUR Value!  No Matter What… Know YOU Matter! 

No Matter What… Know The Power of YOUR ENGAGEMENT. 

No Matter What… VOTE. 

IDECLAIR IT!~ 

“Four Better Ways To Spend The $55 Million Wasted On Votes To Repeal The Affordable Care Act”

“This week, the U.S. House will vote on a bill to repeal the 2010 Affordable Health Care Act, also known as simply health care reform or Obamacare. Here are the top five things you need to know about the Affordable Care Act.

1. What Did The Affordable Care Act Do? The Commonwealth Fund has an outline of all of the major provisions in the Affordable Care Act and when they will be (or were) implemented, including:
   1. 2010: Children were able to stay on their parents’ health insurance plans until they are 26 and insurance companies can no longer deny health insurance to children with preexisting conditions.
   2. 2013: New Medicare tax and limits on health savings accounts took effect.
   3. 2014: Individuals will be required to have health insurance or will be forced to pay a fine. Businesses that employ more than 50 full-time employees will be have to provide health insurance to them or face fines. Medicaid is expanded for states that opted to participate in this portion of the law. (The Kaiser Family Foundation has tracked which states will participate.)
   4. 2018: Tax on high-cost insurance plans will take effect.
2. How Much Will The Affordable Care Act Cost? According to the Congressional Budget Office’s most recent estimate, the Affordable Care Act will cost taxpayers $1.3 trillion over the next decade. That figure is up about $170 billion from the CBO’s previous estimate, which was released in August 2012. (The most recent estimate was released in February 2013.)
3. Did The Affordable Care Act Raise Taxes? Yes, it included 18 tax increases that are estimated to cost taxpayers about $675 billion over ten years. (Other sources say the increases could total as much as $1 trillion.) The New York Times says one of the new taxes will hit married couples especially hard and another may also make it more difficult for consumer to get tax refunds for medical expenses. One of the most controversial tax increases – and one for which there is bipartisan agreement that is should be repealed – is the tax on medical device manufacturers. According toForbes contributor Grace Marie Turner this tax could result in jobs being shipped overseas. She said, “Many firms say this tax – slated to collect $29 billion over 10 years – will soak up virtually all of their research budgets. The medical device industry employs more than 400,000 people in 12,000 factories across the country, often small, entrepreneurial firms with a small product line.  Many say that to survive, they will have no choice but to relocate abroad – taking much-needed, high-tech jobs with them.
4. Will All Americans Have Health Insurance After The Affordable Care Act Is Implemented? No. According to the Congressional Budget Office, while the percentage of the population without health insurance coverage will fall under the Affordable Care Act, at least 30 million people will still be without health insurance by 2023. Also, according to The Washington Post, the CBO expects seven million Americans will lose their employer-based coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
5. How Do Americans Feel About The Affordable Care Act? The Kaiser Family Foundation has been tracking views on the law since it was signed. While support for the Affordable Care Act has dropped, opposition to it has remained about the same as when it was passed. According toKaiser, 35 percent of adults have a favorable opinion of the 2010 health care law, down from 42 percent in April 2012 and from 46 percent in April 2010, right after the law was passed. Forty percent currently have an unfavorable opinion, down from 43 percent one year ago, and the same as in April 2010. According to Gallup, small business owners are some of the most wary of the effects of the bill. According to Gallup, 39 percent of small business owners think the law will have no effect on their business; nine percent think it will have a positive effect; and 48 percent think it will have a negative effect. Specifically, 37 percent of small business owners think the bill will have no impact on their health care costs; five percent think it will cut costs; and 55 percent think it will increase costs.”

***

Screw the Right Wing WET DREAM of OBSTRUCTION & Never Ending  Republican Scandal rotisserie!  THIS is (just some of ) what American’s are not discussing! 

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2013-05-15/u-dot-s-dot-banks-set-to-win-rollback-in-dodd-frank-swap-trading-rules 

“U.S. Banks Set to Win Rollback in Dodd-Frank Swap-Trading Rules”
May 15, 2013

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America’s Epidemic & Horror of Military Sexual Assault:  

“Defense Department Briefing”  

May 17, 2013

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/DefenseDepartmentBriefing399

“Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair General Martin Dempsey spoke to reporters and answered questions on a number of topics. Among the topics they addressed were sexual assault in the military.”

***

http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=120054

***

http://www.military.com/daily-news/2013/05/17/hagel-sexual-assault-solution-wont-come-quickly.html?comp=7000023317828&rank=1

Hagel: Sexual Assault Solution Won’t Come Quickly

May 17, 2013

By Richard Sisk

***

Back live Monday.  

Life. Work. Policy & YOU.  IDECLAIR IT!~

YOU Are The CEO of YOU. PERIOD. 

ENGAGEMENT Is Core, Key, Critical, Cool & ESSENTIAL.  

Your REAL RAW RIGHT NOW… Circle of Encouragement, Inspiration, Responsibility, Outreach, ReachOut, Uplift, LiftUp, ScrubDown, Information, Insight, Empowerment, & HEALING!  Pass It ALL On & Repeat!  IDECLAIR IT!~

The WORK Is Ours & ETERNAL.  

IDECLAIR MEDIA, THE IDECLAIR SHOW…

REAL. RAW. RIGHT NOW…

IDECLAIR IT!~

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theideclairshow/

No Matter What… Know YOUR Value!  No Matter What… Know YOU Matter! 

No Matter What… Know The Power of YOUR ENGAGEMENT. 

No Matter What… VOTE. 

IDECLAIR IT!~ 

“Good afternoon, Chairman Goodlatte; Ranking Member Conyers.  I appreciate this opportunity to appear before you today to discuss the Justice Department’s recent achievements and to provide an overview of our top priorities.

Particularly in recent years, the Department has taken critical steps to prevent and combat violent crime, to confront national security threats, to ensure the civil rights of everyone in this country, and to safeguard the most vulnerable members of our society.  Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of my colleagues – the nearly 116,000 dedicated men and women who serve in Justice Department offices around the world – I’m pleased to report that we’ve established a remarkable record of progress in expanding our nation’s founding promise of equal justice under law, and ensuring the safety and security of our citizens.

The need to continue these efforts – and to remain vigilant against a range of evolving threats – was brought into sharp focus last month, in the most shocking of ways, when a horrific terrorist attack in Boston left three innocent people dead and hundreds injured.  In the days that followed– thanks to the valor of state and local police, the dedication of federal law enforcement and intelligence officials, and the cooperation of members of the public – those suspected of carrying out this terrorist act were identified.  One suspect died following a shootout with police and the other has been brought into custody and charged in federal court with using a weapon of mass destruction.  Three others have been charged in connection with the investigation of this case, which is active and ongoing.

As we continue working to achieve justice on behalf of our fellow citizens and brave law enforcement officers who were injured or killed in connection with these tragic events – and to hold accountable, to the fullest extent of the law, all who were responsible for this heinous attack – I want to assure you that my colleagues and I are also committed to strengthening our broader national security efforts.  Over the past four years, we’ve identified, investigated, and disrupted multiple potential plots involving foreign terrorist organizations as well as homegrown extremists.  We’ve secured convictions – and tough sentences – against numerous individuals for terrorism-related offenses.  We’ve utilized essential intelligence-gathering and surveillance capabilities in a manner that’s consistent with the rule of law, and with our most treasured values.

Beyond this work, my colleagues and I are enhancing our focus on a variety of emerging threats and persistent challenges – from drug trafficking and transnational organized crime, to cyber-threats and human trafficking.  We’re moving to ensure robust enforcement of antitrust laws, to combat tax fraud schemes, and to safeguard the environment.  We’re building on the significant progress that’s been made in identifying and thwarting financial and health care-related fraud crimes.  For example, in FY 2012, our fraud detection and enforcement efforts resulted in the record-breaking recovery and return of roughly $4.2 billion.

Over the last three fiscal years alone – thanks to the President’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force and its federal, state, and local partners – we have filed nearly 10,000 financial fraud cases against nearly 14,500 defendants, including more than 2,900 mortgage fraud defendants.  As these actions prove, our resolve to protect consumers and seek justice against any who would take advantage of their fellow citizens has never been stronger.

The same can be said of the Department’s vigorous commitment to the enforcement of key civil rights protections.  Since 2009, this commitment has led our Civil Rights Division to file more criminal civil rights cases than ever before – including record numbers of human trafficking cases.  Using new tools and authorities, including the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, we’ve improved our ability to safeguard our civil rights and pursue justice for those who are victimized because of their gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.  We will continue working to guarantee that – in our workplaces and military bases; in our housing and lending markets; in our schools and places of worship; in our immigrant communities and our voting booths – the rights of all Americans are protected.

But all of this is only the beginning.  As we look toward the future, my colleagues and I are also determined to work closely with Members of Congress to secure essential legislative changes – including commonsense steps to prevent and reduce gun violence, and comprehensive legislation to fix our nation’s broken immigration system.

It’s long past time to allow the estimated 11 million individuals who are here in an undocumented status to step out of the shadows, to guarantee that all are playing by the same rules, and to require responsibility from everyone – both undocumented workers and those who hire them.  Like many of you, I am encouraged to see that these basic principles are reflected in the bipartisan reform proposal that is currently being considered by the Senate.  The Department will do all it can to help strengthen that proposal, and to advance a constructive, responsible dialogue on this issue.  I understand that this Committee and other Members are working on immigration reform proposals as well, and I look forward to working with you as those efforts move forward to enact comprehensive reforms.

However, I must note that our capacity to continue building upon the Department’s recent progress is threatened by the long-term consequences of budget sequestration and Joint Committee reductions, which will worsen in Fiscal Year 2014, unless Congress adopts a balanced deficit reduction plan.  Should Congress fail to do so, I fear that these reductions will undermine our ability to deliver justice for millions of Americans, and to keep essential public safety professionals on the job.

We cannot allow this to happen.  This afternoon, I ask for your support in preventing these cuts and ensuring that the Department has the resources it needs to fulfill its critical missions.  I thank you, once again, for the chance to discuss our current efforts with you today.  And I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.”

***  

Republicans Waste (Tax Payer) Millions Voting To Repeal ACA (37/38) Times:  Thank you THINKPROGRESS.ORG!  

For more: http://to.pbs.org/129axrV

“Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters during a news conference Tuesday that he ordered an investigation on the IRS’ extra scrutiny on tea party groups. Holder also said he had no involvement in the leak probe in which the Department of Justice seized phone records of Associated Press reporters and editors.

Holder also said the DOJ charged 89 people with healthcare fraud and that the resulting sequestration cuts would slow any further clampdowns.”

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The ‘Society of Professional Journalists,’ makes the serious case (again) for the need for the ‘Shield Law.’  Your thoughts on this law?  

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/493483-SPJ_AP_Phone_Record_Collection_Highlights_Need_for_Shield_Law.php

“SPJ: AP Phone Record Collection Highlights Need for Shield Law”

“Society president calls DOJ actions unwarranted intrusion”

By John Eggerton — Broadcasting & Cable, 5/14/2013 10:16:35 AM

“Society of Professional Journalists president Sonny Albarado has condemned the Justice Department’s alleged secret collection of AP reporter and editor phone records and said it highlights the need for a federal shield law.

“The Justice Department’s secret acquisition of two months of the business and personal phone records of AP’s reporters and other employees is shameful and outrageous,” Albarado said in a statement.

“This incident proves once again the need for a federal shield Law. Prosecutors, unlike reporters, have subpoena power to compel testimony, yet lazy prosecutors often prefer to go after reporters’ notes and records rather than do the hard investigative work to dig out information without trampling on the First Amendment,” he said.

SPJ has for years been pushing for a federal shield law, aided by a number of legislators including notably the late Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Arlen Specter. Those attempts have been resisted by various administrations, including the present one.”

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The REAL RAW RIGHT NOW… on the Real IRS (behind the scandal) MESS:  

The link below are sizzling MUST READS.  THANK YOU TheNation.com, & WashingtonPost.com. 

http://www.thenation.com/blog/174320/irs-fallout-real-scandal-secret-money-influencing-us-elections#

“IRS Fallout: The Real Scandal Is Secret Money Influencing US Elections”

Read more: http://www.thenation.com/blog/174320/irs-fallout-real-scandal-secret-money-influencing-us-elections#ixzz2TN5ROKz0

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ruth-marcus-irs-has-been-too-lax-on-tax-exempt-status/2013/05/14/bd7404b6-bcb8-11e2-97d4-a479289a31f9_story.html

“IRS has been too lax on tax-exempt status”

Ruth Marcus May 14

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The issue of republican obstruction is at the root of so many problems in our governing process, and policy implementation today.  Please see the blog posting below for references heard on today’s program. 

http://ideclairmedia.com/republican-senators-on-environment-public-works-committee-abuse-rules-of-senate-w-obstruction-blocking-not-showing-up-anti-woman-republicans-disrespect-epa-admin-nominee-gina-mccarthy-amer/

“NO SHOW REPUBLICAN Senators on Environment & Public Works Committee “Abuse Rules of Senate” OBSTRUCTS/ BLOCKS / INSULTS ALL Americans!”

***

Think Agriculture policy doesn’t connect to you, and your REAL RAW RIGHT NOW… ?  THINK AGAIN! 

Senate Farm Bill Slashes & Cuts Billions in Food Stamps: 

A super serious issue, event, and concern not in the news is on our REAL RAW RIGHT NOW… to do list today.

‘The Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013′ is legislation ALL Americans should know about, make themselves familiar with, and contact your elected official regarding your perspective.  

There are massive cuts coming, and reforms in place.  The links below are MUST READ. 

http://www.ag.senate.gov/about/jurisdiction  

http://www.ag.senate.gov/newsroom

http://www.ag.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/the-agriculture-reform-food-and-jobs-act-of-2013

Thursday, May 9, 2013

“The Senate’s bipartisan 2013 Farm Bill represents the most significant reform of American agriculture policy in decades.

With the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act, the era of direct payments is over. Instead of subsidies that pay out every year even in good times, the bill creates risk management tools that support farmers when they are negatively impacted by weather disaster or market events beyond their control.

By ending unnecessary subsidies, streamlining and consolidating programs and cracking down on abuse, the bill reduces the deficit by billions. Passing the Farm Bill will yield a total of $23 billion in cuts to agriculture programs (including cuts made due to the sequester). 

$23 billion is over double the amount the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles commission ($10 billion) and Gang of Six ($11 billion) recommended in total agriculture cuts.

Agriculture is a bright spot in America’s economy. The Senate’s 2013 Farm Bill strengthens top priorities that help farmers, ranchers and small business owners create jobs.

The current Farm Bill expires September 30^th.  A new Farm Bill must be passed this year to provide farmers the certainty they need to keep driving our economic recovery.

Sixteen million jobs hang in the balance.

Last year’s similar Senate Farm Bill passed the Senate with a wide bipartisan vote, 64-35.  The Farm Bill is broadly supported by Democrats and Republicans across the country for its major reforms, common sense deficit reduction and strengthened job creation initiatives.

Major Reform: Ending Direct Payments; Creating Responsible Risk Management

Farmers face unique risks unlike other businesses. Weather and market conditions outside a producer’s control can have devastating effects. Responsible risk management tools help ensure that farmers – and farm jobs – are not wiped out by disasters, and protect all American families from sudden spikes in food prices.

However, for too long farm programs have existed as subsidies that provide payments even when farmers are already doing well. The 2013 Senate Farm Bill reforms farm programs to save taxpayer dollars, while providing farmers with a responsible risk management system that only helps farmers when they experience substantial losses due to events beyond their control.  This proposal:

• Eliminates direct payments. Farmers will no longer receive payments when prices are rising and support is not needed. Ending these subsidies and creating responsible risk management is a major shift in American farm policy
• Caps remaining risk management support at $50,000 per person
• Ends Farm Payments to Non-Farmers. This bill closes the “management loophole,” through which people who were not actually farming—in many cases not even setting foot on the farm—were designated as farm “managers” so they could receive farm payments
• Strengthens crop insurance and expands access so farmers are not wiped out by bad weather
• Includes disaster relief for producers hurt by drought, spring freeze, and other weather disasters

• Reforming farm programs, ending direct payments and implementing market-oriented programs to help farmers manage risk saves $16 billion dollars ($12 billion in the bill, $4 billion through sequestration)

Consolidating and Streamlining Programs

By eliminating duplicative programs, funds are concentrated in the areas in which they will have the greatest impact, reducing the deficit while strengthening top priorities.  The Senate Farm Bill eliminates over 100programs and authorizations under the Agriculture Committee’s jurisdiction.  For example:

• The bill consolidates 23 existing conservation programs into 13 programs—while maintaining existing tools to protect and conserve land, water and wildlife
• Streamlining programs provides added flexibility and focuses conservation around four primary functions: working lands conservation, the Conservation Reserve Program, regional partnerships, and easements to help prevent sprawl and protect wetlands
• These reforms save money while still increasing resources for top priorities
• Because we are truly doing more with less, changes to conservation policies are supported by nearly 650 conservation organizations from all 50 states

Improving Program Accountability 

At a time when many out-of-work Americans are in need of food assistance for the first time in their lives, it is more critical than ever that every dollar go to families in need. By closing loopholes, cracking down on abuse and improving program integrity, the Farm Bill reduces the deficit without cutting standard benefits or removing any needy family from the program.  The Senate Farm Bill increases accountability in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) by: .

• Stopping lottery winners from continuing to receive assistance
• Preventing states from providing $1 per year in home heating assistance to individuals who do not have a heating bill for the sole purpose of providing extra benefits above what they would normally receive
• Ending misuse by college students whose families are not truly low-income
• Cracking down on retailers and recipients engaged in benefit trafficking
• Increasing requirements to prevent liquor and tobacco stores from accepting food assistance benefits
• The above savings reduce the deficit while continuing support for food banks, seniors’ food programs and healthy school lunch initiatives

Continuing Growth in America’s Diverse Agricultural Economy

The Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act increases efficiency and accountability, saving tens of billions of dollars overall, while still strengthening agricultural jobs initiatives through:

• Export opportunities to help farmers find new global markets for their goods
• Help for family farmers to sell locally, increasing support for farmers’ markets and spurring the creation of food hubs to connect farmers to schools and other community-based organizations
• Training and access to capital to make it easier for beginning farmersto get off the ground
• Initiatives to help American veterans start agriculture businesses
• Growth in bio-based manufacturing (businesses producing goods in America from raw agricultural products grown in America) to create rural agriculture and urban manufacturing jobs
• Innovation in bio-energy production, supporting non-food based advanced biomass energy production such as cellulosic ethanol and woody biomass power
• Research to promote the commercialization of new agricultural innovations
• Rural development initiatives to help rural communities upgrade infrastructure, extend broadband internet availability and create a better environment for small businesses”

***  

Think Agriculture policy doesn’t connect to you, and your REAL RAW RIGHT NOW… ?  THINK AGAIN! 

Senate Farm Bill Slashes & Cuts Billions in Food Stamps: 

A super serious issue, event, and concern not in the news is on our REAL RAW RIGHT NOW… to do list today.

‘The Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013′ is legislation ALL Americans should know about, make themselves familiar with, and contact your elected official regarding your perspective.  

* * *

Thank you Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.  The below link is MUST READ. 

http://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/gillibrand-statement-on-committee-passage-of-senate-farm-bill-

“Gillibrand Statement on Committee Passage of Senate Farm Bill”

“Senate Farm Bill Slashes $4.1 Billion in Food Stamps For Veterans, Seniors, and Food Insecure Families Over Next Decade — Half of Food Stamp Beneficiaries Are Children”

May 14, 2013

“Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand issued the following statement today after voting against the Farm Bill that passed out of the Senate Agriculture Committee with $4.1 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). 

“Just as important as the health of our agriculture industry, is the health and nutrition of our children and families. I am deeply concerned with the drastic cuts this bill makes to SNAP that will literally take food away from hungry children, while protecting corporate welfare for insurance companies based in Bermuda, Australia and Switzerland who don’t need it. These are the wrong priorities.

“The Americans who rely on SNAP are not nameless, faceless people looking for a handout. They are children, hard-working adults, struggling seniors, veterans, active duty troops and the families that stand by them.  That’s who suffers in this callous political fight. 

“Losing ninety dollars a month in food assistance may not sound like a lot to some people. But if you’re a parent who’s trying to protect your children and feed them good, wholesome, nutritious food, or a senior on a fixed income, it means everything in the world.

“As a mother and a lawmaker, watching a child go hungry is something I just will not stand for. Families who are living in poverty – hungry children, seniors, troops and veterans who are just trying to figure out how to keep the lights on and put food on the table — they did not spend this nation into debt and we should not be trying to balance the budget on their backs. They deserve better.””

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All this, more, and your REAL RAW RIGHT NOW… Join us.  

***

Life. Work. Policy & YOU.  IDECLAIR IT!~

YOU Are The CEO of YOU. PERIOD. 

ENGAGEMENT Is Core, Key, Critical, Cool & ESSENTIAL.  

Your REAL RAW RIGHT NOW… Circle of Encouragement, Inspiration, Responsibility, Outreach, ReachOut, Uplift, LiftUp, ScrubDown, Information, Insight, Empowerment, & HEALING!  Pass It ALL On & Repeat!  IDECLAIR IT!~

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http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theideclairshow/

No Matter What… Know YOUR Value!  No Matter What… Know YOU Matter! 

No Matter What… Know The Power of YOUR ENGAGEMENT. 

No Matter What… VOTE. 

IDECLAIR IT!~