10.10.09
Obama changes rule over Immigrant bosses
Written by Janet
Well Obams’s administration has now changed the rules in midstream – he has repealed a rule that would have threatened employers with prosecution unless they fired workers whose Social Security numbers did not match entries in a government database, ending a two-year battle in a San Francisco federal court.
Although the Department of Homeland Security formally withdrew the “no-match” rule Wednesday, the administration is supporting another program enabling employers to check workers’ names against electronic records that are supposed to screen out illegal immigrants.
The E verify program is voluntary for most employers but mandatory for the 170,000 companies holding federal contracts and for their subcontractors. This week, a House-Senate conference committee voted to extend E-Verify for three years. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is challenging the scope of the program in a Maryland federal court.
The Federation for American Immigration Reform, which supports restrictions on immigration, said the government has found that E-Verify is accurate in 99.6 percent of cases. The group criticized the House-Senate conference committee for refusing to make the program permanent.
The three-year extension is “further evidence of the Obama administration’s and the congressional leadership’s effort to raise a smokescreen while it dismantles all effective controls against illegal immigration,” the organization said.
President George W. Bush’s administration proposed the no-match rule in 2007, saying it would add teeth to a 1986 law that prohibited businesses from knowingly employing illegal immigrants.
The rule would have given employees three months to clear up any differences between the Social Security numbers they gave to employers and the numbers in the Social Security Administration database. After that, an employer who failed to fire the worker would be subject to civil fines and criminal prosecution. Immigrants’ rights advocates, labor unions and the Chamber of Commerce challenged the regulation, saying database discrepancies often reflected clerical errors, name changes and confusion about foreign names.
Opponents applauded the Obama administration’s decision to drop the rule.
10.02.09
Obamas fails sales pitch for Olympics in Chicago
Written by Janet
Obama failed in his quest for the Olympics to be held in Chicago in 2016. It was a stunning setback for a president who has enjoyed a pop star reception abroad. Obama’s stumble may cost him more than the $1.2 million of taxpayer money to make the overnight dash from Washington to Copenhagen.
The Obamas risked their political capital and the prestige of the presidency on an enormous Olympic campaign that resulted in an early exit for Chicago and a first place prize for Rio de Janeiro. Critics immediately spoke out against the president’s visit to Copenhagen, the first time a U.S. president made such an in-person appeal.
GOP consultant Brad Blakeman, a former Bush administration official, said it demeans the office. He further said this was a Billy Mayes sales pitch which is something presidents just don’t do. Blakeman said Obama spent more time wooing International Olympic Committee officials than he did in his meeting with Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top commander in Afghanistan, before returning to Washington.
Blakeman said Obama should have sent a delegation led by the first lady and the mayor of Chicago. Chicago’s elimination was one of the most shocking defeats in IOC voting history. It had long been seen as a front-runner and got the highest possible level of support — from the president of the United States himself. the emotional appeals from Obama and his wife Michelle — they both flew to Copenhagen to fight in Chicago’s corner — fell on deaf ears in the European-dominated IOC. The IOC’s last two experiences in the United States were bad: the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics were sullied by a bribery scandal and logistical problems and a bombing hit the 1996 Games in Atlanta.
This didn’t shield Obama from Republican criticism that he shouldn’t be hopscotching to Europe in Air Force One when there were so many pressing issues to deal with at home. The 100-plus committee members, who had already been warned not show bias during the presentations, sat silently as the Obamas walked into the Bella Center with the rest of 12-member Chicago delegation.
The president anchored the U.S. charm offensive,referencing his own election as a moment when people from around the world gathered in Chicago to see the results last November and celebrate that “our diversity could be a source of strength.” Apparently heads of state haven’t much luck in swaying the committee……During the 2005 IOC meeting in Singapore, then-British Prime Minister Tony Blair successfully lobbied members on behalf of London’s bid for the 2012 Summer Games. Two years later, Vladimir Putin, then president of Russia, helped secure the 2014 Winter Games for Sochi on Russia’s Black Sea coast.
09.18.09
Polish Prime Minister, Peeved Over Missile Shield Reversal, Rejects Call from Clinton
Written by Janet
Poland and the United States remain close allies despite President Obama’s decision to drop plans for a missile defense shield in the Eastern European country, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk insisted Thursday. But Tusk may have felt differently last night when he got the call from Obama saying he didn’t plan on going through with the missile defense shield in Eastern Europe.
Politico.com reported Friday that it wasn’t Obama on the line — that Tusk actually rejected a call from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — who called him to detail the plan — because as a head of government, he thought he should hear from Obama directly. Hillary called, and that went against protocol, it wasn’t Obama on the line. Tusk thought, since Obama was head of government, he should have called.
Tusk finally spoke with the Obama on Thursday, after Obama announced that the land-based missile defense system announced by the Bush administration for deployment in Poland and the Czech Republic would be scrapped in favor of a ship-based system. The Polish government took several hits for its decision to house a missile defense shield, and its neighbor, Russia, took it as an even greater affront, part of the reason that the president may have reached his conclusion. Tusk wasn’t pleased with Obama’s decision.
He added that the threat assessment on Iran had changed, and that the Islamic Republic was developing missiles that could reach Europe or Israel, but not the intercontinental rockets that could hit the United States. Hence the shift to a more transportable, ship-based shield.
With the missile shield out of Eastern Europe, Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, said Thursday that Obama’s call for other systems, such as the sea-based Aegis Weapons System, the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptor and advanced sensors, creates an opportunity for a ground-based missile defense at Fort Greely, Alaska. That system, Begich said, could protect the homeland from long-range rockets coming from North Korea or Iran.
All may not be lost with Poland, either, as a result of the decision to abandon the land-based shield. Tusk said Obama’s proposal is not a “defeat” for Poland, and the alternative strategy should not affect the security of Poland or of Europe.
He added that Obama signaled to him in their call on Thursday that “Poland has a chance to win an exclusive position” in the new system. That could be through an American commitment of U.S. Patriot missiles being placed in Poland, Politico reported..
09.01.09
Obama: Manufacturing growth a good sign
Written by Janet
Is the economy slowly on the mend? Obama says a promising report on the state of U.S. manufacturing is a sign that the hurting economy is moving in the right direction. The U.S. manufacturing sector grew in August for the first time in 19 months.
Obama said it’s a sign we’re on the path to economic recovery. There is no doubt that we have a long way to go.
The better-than-expected reading by the Institute for Supply Management showed the highest number for its manufacturing index since June 2007. New orders from customers jumped to the highest level since late 2004. Obama said the steps the government have taken to help the economy rebound are working.
06.27.09
Obama and the Indian crail?
What made Obama so late in finding India? Even Britain did that years ago and not just for spices but CHEAP LABOUR!
Ever tried to communicate with an Indian about telecommunic problems? I can’t! Even hearing friends of mine can”t and demand to speak to someone English! I am not being racist but it’s very difficult to understand the sing-along dialect of an Indian! BT (British Telecom) lost many of its customers because of that!
I think Obama is behind with his sentiments! Is he, like Brtitain, excploiting cheap labour !!!!!!!!!!!!!! didn’t have much influence on the creditdcrunch or worldwide recession but BT stayed in money but my phomebills went higher than ever even though I hardly used my landline! So I changed server! No more Indian dialect either!
But don’t forget there is Mendolson hovering in the background.. not a man to be trusted!
But who said the British Empire is dead?????????
hexie
Shynews - 11:24am UK, Friday June 26, 2009
Rani Singh, India Political Analyst
The US can’t get enough of India – and the UK isn’t far behind.
Or, to put it more diplomatically: “President Obama and his administration attach enormous significance in engaging India.”
That is what Anand Sharma, India’s Commerce and Industry Minister, observed as he left the US a few days ago.
Less than a month into the job and the first member of India’s new cabinet has already visited America and Europe.
Mr Sharma met US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and key trade officials in Washington, and Mrs Clinton is reportedly due to visit India in July.
Analysts say trade between India and the US trade could rise to $320bn from $41bn in under a decade.
From America, Mr Sharma and his powerhouse delegation of some of India’s leading chief executives flew into London for talks with Lord Mandelson, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and skills.
Sharma was warmly welcomed at a conference of the Confederation of British Industry in London by Director General, Richard Lambert, as well as Lord Adair Turner, Chairman of the Financial Services Authority.
But why the friendly overtures?
India is seen as something of an economic ‘white knight’ in the middle of a world recession.
With a growth rate approaching seven percent, it is still the world’s second-fastest growing economy.
The newly elected pro-reform government wants to continue this expansion and open India up to more foreign investment.
India, after America, is the second highest foreign employer in the UK. Indian investment in the UK in terms of jobs created has risen from just under 1,000 in 2004 to over 37,000 in recent years.
Bilateral trade between the UK and India is worth $10bn, and the UK is India’s largest trading partner in Europe.
There is potential for trade between the two countries to quadruple within eight years. Indian companies view Britain as a stepping stone to the EU market.
Lord Davies, the UK’s trade minister, said: “I am absolutely committed to doubling the amount of British trade with India.”
More trade equals more business, equals more jobs.
India is a major spokesman for emerging nations in the stalled World Trade Organisation talks at Doha.
Mr Sharma has said he is keen to restart these talks and “re-energise” world trade.
“In the present economic crisis which the world is facing, this will be a positive message for global trade barriers to be broken down further and global trade to move,” he said.
hexie
Skynews -
11:24am UK, Friday June 26, 2009 Rani Singh India Political Analyst
The US can’t get enough of India – and the UK isn’t far behind.
02.21.09
Gordon Brown to visit Obama
Written by Janet
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is coming to the white house to talk with President Obama. This meeting is set for March 3. They plan to discuss the global financial crisis, an economic summit set for London in April and the war in Afghanistan, as well as NATO’s upcoming 60th anniversary summit.
The White House said in a statement Saturday that Britain and the U.S. share a special partnership and Obama looks forward to working closely with Brown to address common global challenges.
Obama is hosting another foreign leader — Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso — on Tuesday.
02.08.09
CIA to Obama: British Terrorists Pose Top Threat
Written by Janet
The latest the CIA is telling Obama is the fact that they believe the next terrorist attack is likely to come out of Britain. Agents say the most likely theoretical culprit is British-born Pakistani extremist entering the US through the visa waiver program.
Now, four of every counterterrorism operations are now conducted against targets in Britain, says one source, a number that has grown in the wake of the Mumbai attacks. Lashkar-e-Taiba is now seen as a threat on par with al-Qaeda, and it has a major penetration in the UK’s Pakistani Diaspora communities. As a result, the CIA now has a record number of informants in those communities.
Meanwhile Gordon Brown has hinted that Britain would defy a request by Barack Obama to send 2,000 more troops to Afghanistan, the Times of London reports. After hearing of bleak progress there against the resurging Taliban, Brown warned that other nations will have to shoulder further deployments. Brown faces a strained budget and public outcry against increasing casualties in the drawn-out conflict.
Obama May Change Medical Marijuana Policy
Written by Janet
The White House won’t say one way or the other, and neither will the DEA, yet there is a whiff in the air, that U.S. policy is about to change when it comes to medical marijuana.
Soon it will no longer be a federal policy to beat up on hippies. In California this past week, agents raided four dispensaries in Los Angeles and seized 500 pounds (225 kilograms) of pot. The message is, this is no longer drug warrior time. We are not on a cultural crusade against pot-smoking.
California law permits the sale of marijuana for medical purposes, though it is still against federal law. As of this moment, 13 states have laws permitting medicinal use of marijuana. California is unique among them for the presence of dispensaries, businesses that sell marijuana and even advertise their services. Legal under California law, such dispensaries are still illegal under federal law.
But according to a DEA spokeswoman, Anyone possessing, distributing or cultivating marijuana for any reason is in violation of federal law. That may be the law, but it contradicts the medical marijuana position of the new president.
The president believes that federal resources should not be used to circumvent state laws, and as he continues to appoint senior leadership to fill out the ranks of the federal government, he expects them to review their policies with that in mind.
As a presidential candidate, Obama repeatedly promised a change in federal drug policy in situations where state laws allow use of medical marijuana.
At age 47, Obama is part of a generation that had plenty of exposure to pot.
In his memoir, “Dreams from My Father,” he described time spent as a youth struggling with questions about his race and identity, and turning to drugs — including marijuana and cocaine — to “push questions of who I was out of my mind.”
Experts believe it is already clear the Obama administration will change the strategy, if not the law, on medical marijuana. It’s expected, the Obama administration will eventually instruct the DEA to emphatically scale back raids on dispensaries, and conduct such raids only in instances where investigators believe a business is abusing the dispensary system as a cover for other criminal behavior. So last week’s raids in California may be the last of their kind.
02.04.09
Obama Calls for ‘Common Sense’ on Executive Pay
Written by Janet
On Wednesday, President Obama announced a salary cap of $500,000 for top executives at companies that receive the largest amounts of bailout money, calling the step an expression not only of fairness but of “basic common sense.”
“We all need to take responsibility,” the president said as he prompted Congress once again to act on his economic stimulus program and repeated comments that some Wall Street executives had shown “the height of irresponsibility” when millions of non-wealthy Americans were bearing the burden of Wall Street’s failures.
He said the people are sick and tired, of seeing Wall Street executives come to the government “hat in hand when they were in trouble, even as they paid themselves customary lavish bonuses.”
Americans definitely begrudge “executives being rewarded for failure,” especially if their earning are subsidized by taxpayers, “many of whom are having a tough time themselves,” he said.
Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, appearing with the president, announced the restrictions, which do not require Congressional approval. “The economic crisis was caused in part by a loss of confidence in our financial institutions, and it was made worse by a loss of faith in the quality of judgments made by some executives and some boards of directors,” Mr. Geithner said.
More healthy companies that get government help will also be under the $500,000 cap, but could waive it more easily, providing that they do so with full public disclosure.
The president used the White House announcement to call for quick action on his stimulus plan, whose cost could approach $1 trillion, depending on the final version that emerges after Senate and House conclude their negotiations. (The president has said the final package should not exceed $900 billion.)
With the new Treasury Department restrictions, executives of companies getting bailout money will also be prohibited from receiving any bonuses above their base pay, except for normal stock dividends.
The new rules will be far tougher than any restrictions imposed during the Bush administration, and they could force executives to accept deep reductions in pay. They come amid rising public fury about huge pay packages for executives at financial companies being propped up by federal tax dollars.
Executives at companies that have already received money from the Treasury Department would not have to make any changes. But analysts and administration officials are bracing for a huge wave of new losses, largely because of the deepening recession, and many companies that have already received federal money may well be coming back.
01.26.09
Obama vs Limbaugh
Written by Janet
Rush Limbaugh said on the air that he was rooting for Barack Obama to fail and resented efforts, presumably by friends, to give the new president a honeymoon.
According to a statement by Limbaugh:
We are being told we have to hope he succeeds, that we have to bend over and grab our ankles … because his father was black, because he’s the first black president, we’ve got to accept this.
Could Limbaugh possibly have meant, that he hoped the president’s liberal agenda would fail?
On Friday, Obama told Republican lawmakers that bipartisanship over his mutli-gazillion-dollar stimulus plan requires good faith on both sides. “You can’t just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done,” he told them.
Limbaugh, who promises to deliver his own bipartisan bailout proposal today, said all of this means ”the president is more frightened of me than GOP lawmakers.”
But Obama continued today with his selling of the stimulus. He plans his first-ever visit to Capitol Hill as president Tuesday, to meet not with Democrats but with Republican lawmakers and brief them on his plan. If he gets some of their votes, at least on the Senate side, it could tilt the balance.
The Ticket imagines Limbaugh will have something to say about that too.
