2011年6月27日星期一

Obama, GOP radio duel over government debt ceiling (The Christian Science Monitor)

在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中,找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件,或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。
在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中,找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件,或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。

Washington – Saturday's radio addresses by President Obama and a Republican legislator offered a preview of the challenge the White House faces next week in restarting stalled talks over raising the federal debt ceiling and averting an August government shutdown.

Congressional Republicans last week pulled out of debt reduction talks led by Vice President Joe Biden citing their opposition to any tax increases being included in a final plan. House Speaker John Boehner warned of “job killing tax hikes.” White House spokesman Jay Carney countered that “millionaires and billionaires and special interests” should have to contribute to cutting the deficit.

On Monday, President Obama is slated to meet separately with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) of Nevada and with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) of Kentucky to try and restart the talks. So it is not surprising that the Saturday addresses from both parties continued the on-going debate about government fiscal policy.

President Obama’s address was recorded Friday during his trip to Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute in Pittsburgh. Speaking in front of a display of robots used to find leaks and breaks in water and sewer pipes, Obama said “advanced manufacturing can help spur job creation and economic growth across the country.”

His remarks on the debt ceiling debate – and related efforts to trim the massive federal budget deficit – were pointed.

“I am committed to working with members of both parties to cut our deficits and debt,” the president said. But he added, “We can’t simply cut our way to prosperity.”

Rep. Renee Ellmers of North Carolina gave the Republican response, criticizing the Obama administration for wanting to raise taxes. Ellmers, who owns a small medical practice with her husband, accused the Obama administration of wanting to "stay the course, keep spending money we don't have, and raise your taxes – all in the name of 'stimulus.'"

She added that “The job creators we hear from, they don’t have their hand out. They don’t want a bailout. All they ask us to do is get government out of the way.”

The economy’s continuing weakness remains a major concern for the Obama administration.

Weak economic growth, high unemployment, and a lagging housing sector are major factors in the president’s poor approval ratings. The latest Real Clear Politics average of major polls shows 47.7 percent of Americans approve of the job President Obama is doing while 47 percent disapprove. An approval rating under 50 percent generally indicates tough re-election prospects for an incumbent.

The war of words over economic policy will continue Saturday evening when Vice President Biden speaks at the Ohio Democratic Party’s annual state dinner. Biden has been a frequent defender of the administration’s economic policies, speaking of the economic challenges his family faced when he was a boy.

“He obviously has deep, deep roots in the industrial Midwest running from Pennsylvania right across and he’ll be very valuable there,” the Associated Press quoted Obama strategist David Axelrod as saying in Chicago last week.


View the original article here

White House confirms Medal of Honor mistake (AP)

在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中,找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件,或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。
在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中,找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件,或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。

WASHINGTON – The White House is confirming that President Barack Obama misspoke about a Medal of Honor winner coming home alive during comments at Fort Drum in upstate New York.

Addressing soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division on Thursday, Obama said one of their comrades was the first person he had awarded the Medal of Honor who wasn't receiving it posthumously. In fact, the soldier, Sgt. 1st Class Jared Monti, was killed in action.

Obama spokesman Josh Earnest says the president misspoke. He noted that Obama paid tribute to Monti in remarks to troops in Afghanistan in March 2010. But Salvatore Giunta was the first living recipient of the medal among veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Earnest wouldn't confirm an ABC report that Obama had called Monti's family and apologized.


View the original article here

Merit-Based Pay -- a State and Federal Funding Guideline Comparison (ContributorNetwork)

在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中,找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件,或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。
在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中,找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件,或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。

The federal Race to the Top grant and Ohio Senate Bill 5 have a lot in common. While many public school teachers are protesting the pending fiscally responsible law, their administrators are scrambling to comply with the federal grant guidelines. Both the hotly debated SB5 and the grant offered via the Obama administration through the Department of Education require merit based pay initiatives. Such a policy would reward quality teachers and require subpar educators to complete retraining or be removed from the classroom.

Fears surrounding merit pay measures contained inside SB 5 are hard for many private sector employees to comprehend. The concept of giving everyone a raise regardless of education level, performance reviews and attendance is backward to say the least. Apparently, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and President Barack Obama agree on at least one integral aspect of school reform. Public schools must have a merit-pay procedure in place by 2014 or become ineligible to apply or continue receiving federal grant funds.

Republicans typically do not favor the dictates contained inside the federal grant because it usurps the right of states to control educational policies. While a multitude of public school districts around the nation are lining up with their hands out for the Race to the Top funds, others are not.

School board members and superintendents are carefully weighing the need for an infusion of cash against the ability to manage their districts in the way they see fit. The sting of fiscal woes after the one time federal stimulus funds were spent still linger across the Buckeye State. A series of failed school levies and increased "pay to play" policies for students prove the one time financial shot in the arm was just a temporary patch attempting to cover a much larger problem.

Unsustainable spending and a business as usual approach to both classroom instruction and during union contract negotiations have left many communities wanting; and voting no on renewal or additional operating levies.

Public protests continue in opposition of Ohio Senate Bill 5, but are growing smaller as the weeks go on. A ballot referendum in the fall will give the taxpayers a chance to anonymously weigh in on the discussion. Poll data shows that although a significant portion of the population is wary about limiting collective bargaining rights, a much larger segment of Ohio favors merit pay and increasing employee healthcare and pension contributions.


View the original article here

Obama pitches plan to promote high-tech innovation (AP)

在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中,找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件,或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。
在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中,找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件,或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama says technological innovations can help create jobs and spur growth in clean energy and advanced manufacturing.

In his radio and Internet address, the president promoted a plan he outlined Friday in which the government would join with universities and corporations to re-ignite the manufacturing sector with an emphasis on cutting-edge research and new technologies.

"Their mission is to come up with a way to get ideas from the drawing board to the manufacturing floor to the marketplace as swiftly as possible, which will help create quality jobs, and make our businesses more competitive," Obama said in the address aired Saturday.

It was taped Friday during his visit to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where he saw a display of mini-robots that explore water and sewer pipes.

He marveled at robots that can defuse a bomb, mow a lawn, even scrape old paint.

With growing interest from the military, businesses and consumers, the Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute has more than 500 technical experts and a $65 million annual budget.

The $500 million initiative is the latest effort by Obama to promote job creation in the midst of an economic slowdown that has reduced hiring and weakened his job approval standing with the public.

Obama has tried to brave the weak economy by featuring job creation measures during weekly trips outside Washington and in his radio addresses. On Tuesday, he will visit an Alcoa factory in Bettendorf, Iowa.

The goal of his manufacturing plan, he said, is "to help make sure America remains in this century what we were in the last - a country that makes things."

As he prepares to meet with Senate leaders on Monday in hopes of restarting budget negotiations, Obama said he is "committed to working with members of both parties to cut our deficits and debt."

But he said he would not cut spending on education or infrastructure or in the type of innovative technologies he witnessed at Carnegie Mellon. "Being here in Pittsburgh, I'm hopeful about the future," he said.

In the Republican's weekly address, Rep. Renee Ellmers of North Carolina proposed a different remedy to boost businesses.

Ellmers, who owns a small medical practice with her husband, said the Republican plan would reduce regulations, expand domestic energy production and require the government to consider the effect of federal rules on hiring.

"The job creators we hear from, they don't have their hand out," she said. "They don't want a bailout. All they ask us to do is get government out of the way."

___

Online:

Obama address: www.whitehouse.gov

GOP address: www.youtube.com/RepublicanConference


View the original article here

Michelle Obama wraps Africa visit, heads home (AP)

在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中,找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件,或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。
在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中,找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件,或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。
By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press Darlene Superville, Associated Press – Sun?Jun?26, 5:34?am?ET

GABORONE, Botswana – Michelle Obama has wrapped up a weeklong visit to Africa and is heading home.

The first lady's plane left Botswana Sunday morning. She was due to arrive at the White House early Monday.

Mrs. Obama went to South Africa and Botswana to foster good will between the U.S. and Africa. She also promoted youth leadership, education and HIV/AIDS awareness.

She ended the visit with a safari and overnight stay in a South African game reserve.

Mrs. Obama traveled with her daughters, 12-year-old Malia and 10-year-old Sasha; her mother, Marian Robinson; and a niece and nephew who live in Oregon. The president stayed in Washington.


View the original article here

Biden warns GOP on debt ceiling talks (AP)

在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中,找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件,或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。
在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中,找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件,或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Vice President Joe Biden said Saturday the Obama administration wouldn't let middle class Americans "carry the whole burden" to break a deadlock over the national debt limit, warning that the Republican approach would only benefit the wealthy.

Addressing Ohio Democrats, Biden said there had been great progress in talks with Republican lawmakers on a deficit-reduction plan agreement. But he insisted that his party wouldn't agree to cuts that would undermine the elderly and middle-class workers.

"We're not going to let the middle class carry the whole burden. We will sacrifice. But they must be in on the deal," Biden said in a speech at the Ohio Democratic Party's annual dinner.

Biden led efforts on a deficit-reduction plan but Republicans pulled out of the discussions last week, prompting President Barack Obama to take control of the talks.

The sides disagree over taxes. Democrats say a deficit-reduction agreement must include tax increases or eliminate tax breaks for big companies and wealthy individuals. Republicans want huge cuts in government spending and insist on no tax increases.

On tax breaks for the wealthy, Biden used the example of hedge fund managers who "play with other people's money."

"And they get taxed," Biden said. "I'm not saying they don't do good things, they do some good things. But they get taxed at 15 percent because they call it capital gains. Because they're investing not their money, (but) other people's money."

To ask senior citizens receiving Medicare to pay more in taxes when people earning more than $1 million a year receive a substantial tax cut "borders on immoral," the vice president said.

"We're never going to get this done, we're never going to solve our debt problem if we ask only those who are struggling in this economy to bear the burden and let the most fortunate among us off the hook," Biden said.

Republican leaders say without a deal cutting long-term deficits, they will not vote to increase the nation's borrowing — which will exceed its $14.3 trillion limit on Aug. 2. The Obama administration has warned that if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling, it would lead to the first U.S. financial default in history and roil financial markets around the globe.

Obama and Biden are scheduled to meet with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky on Monday. McConnell and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, say no agreement can include tax increases.

Biden assailed moves by GOP governors in Wisconsin and Ohio to strip away collective bargaining rights from most public workers while criticizing efforts by Republicans in Congress to alter the Medicare program. He defended Obama's handling of the economy, pointing to difficult decisions on an economic stimulus package and the rescue of U.S. automakers.

Ahead of Biden's visit, Republicans countered that Obama's policies led to GOP gains in 2010 and have failed to revitalize the economy.

"All the visits in the world from President Obama, Vice President Biden and other top-level surrogates won't change the administration's job-killing policies," said Republican National Committee spokesman Ryan Tronovitch.

Biden, who spoke frequently of his blue-collar roots in Scranton, Pa., during the 2008 presidential race, is expected to be a frequent visitor to the Midwest during next year's campaign.

Obama won states such as Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania in 2008. But those states elected Republican governors in 2010 and are considered prime targets for Republicans next year.

Looking ahead to 2012, Biden called Ohio "the state that we must win and will win."

___

Ken Thomas can be reached at http://twitter.com/AP_Ken_Thomas


View the original article here

Michelle Obama leaves southern Africa charmed (AFP)

在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中,找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件,或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。
在 ServiceModel 客户端配置部分中,找不到引用协定“TranslatorService.LanguageService”的默认终结点元素。这可能是因为未找到应用程序的配置文件,或者是因为客户端元素中找不到与此协定匹配的终结点元素。

GABORONE (AFP) – US First Lady Michelle Obama flew home Sunday after a tour of southern Africa that paid tribute to Nelson Mandela and other liberation icons and enjoined a new generation to follow their lead.

Obama departed Botswana with her daughters, Malia and Sasha, two of their cousins, and her mother, Marian Robinson, who had joined her on every stop of the journey whether dancing and playing with children or spotting an elephant on safari.

The highlight of the trip was a brief audience with Mandela, an increasingly rare event as the 92-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner grows more frail with age.

Photographs of Obama smiling with Mandela and her children, reading from a new book of his quotations, were splashed across the South African media, and her image was never far from the front pages in either country during her trip.

The Sunday Times played a front-page photo of the Obamas in an open-air, four-wheel drive vehicle in South Africa's Madikwe Game Reserve near the Botswana border.

They had spotted an elephant, but it dashed off after scenting a gathering place for the travelling press.

"Kristina, the press scared the elephant away," Obama told her communications director, Kristina Schake.

Besides the elephant, most others who crossed Obama's path seemed charmed by her presence.

"Michelle Obama brings out the best in southern Africa," the Sunday Independent declared, over a photo of her kicking a soccer ball at Cape Town Stadium.

In Botswana she met President Ian Khama, but also painted a mural with AIDS orphans and then stunned villagers when she stopped at a roadside village restaurant for food.

"When we were told to expect a visitor, I never imagined that it was Michelle Obama. I am still in shock," a shop assistant told AFP.

Throughout her travels, Obama drew parallels between the struggle for liberation in Africa and the American civil rights movement, and on a more personal level, between her own modest upbringing and the challenges facing young African women.

The tactic won over crowds and dignitaries, even in South Africa where the government has been critical or even defiant of American policy in countries from Libya to Haiti.

"We are welcoming you as a daughter of African heritage, and we can call you the queen of our world," enthused Graca Machel, Mandela's wife, as she introduced Obama to a crowd of 2,000 at an historic church in Johannesburg's Soweto township.

The themes of Obama's talks echoed messages that she regularly delivers to Americans, encouraging young people and women in particular to find success through hard work, whatever their background.

"Success is not about where you come from or how much money your family has," she said in an oft-repeated line.

"Success is about how passionately you believe in your own potential and more importantly how hard you're willing to work to achieve it."

She also encouraged a passing of the torch from liberation leaders to the youth, bringing poor children to tour the University of Cape Town and play in the city's World Cup stadium, always speaking of life's possibilities.

"All of you, the young people of this continent, you are the heirs of that blood, sweat, sacrifice and love" of those who had fought for freedom and democracy," Obama told young people in Soweto on Wednesday.

"So the question today is, what will you make of that inheritance?"

Obama included her daughters, aged 10 and 12, in every event -- whether reading "The Cat in the Hat" to schoolchildren in a Johannesburg shantytown, dining in a neighbourhood deli in Cape Town, or playing football with Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

"What do you feel? How are you feeling being here?" Tutu asked when they met on Thursday.

Gesturing to her daughters, Obama said: "It's not about us now -- it's about them."


View the original article here