Archive for the ‘Politics And Government’ Category

White House disputes that Bush is hurting markets

Saturday, October 11th, 2008

President Bush on Friday offered reassuring words to stop the hemorrhaging on Wall Street, but once again the stock market fell.

Bush has spoken about the economic chaos on 21 of the last 26 days as the market has been rocked by turmoil. After seven days of massive losses, the Dow Jones industrial average closed down a relatively modest 128 points Friday at its lowest level since April 25, 2003.

The White House pushed back against suggestions that when Bush talks, the market tumbles.

“If he wasn’t talking all the time, I can guarantee you the questions from the media would be to me, `Why is the president not talking? The markets have gone down everyday; the president needs to get out there,’” said White House press secretary Dana Perino.

“We’re trying to strike the best possible balance that we can,” she said. “President Bush recognizes that as the leader of this country, when … Americans are facing probably more anxiety than they’ve ever felt in their lives, that it is important that they know that the leader of the free world has his full attention focused on helping solve this problem. That’s the purpose of our communications.”

Bush made an appearance in the Rose Garden on Friday and said the government’s financial rescue plan was aggressive enough and big enough to work but would take time to fully kick in.

“What we’re trying to do is stop the bleeding, strengthen the markets … return people’s confidence,” Perino said. “Because what happens is, we have a vicious cycle — there’s anxiety, which is causing the uncertainty, which causes the market to go down, which produces further anxiety.”

Bush raises $2 million in Florida, South Carolina

Saturday, October 11th, 2008

President Bush worked to allay fears about the financial crisis on Friday then left the White House and headed south to raise nearly $2 million for the Republican Party in South Carolina and the battleground state of Florida.

GOP presidential nominee John McCain, who has taken a hit in the polls in recent weeks, is slightly behind his Democratic rival Barack Obama in Florida, which offers 27 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House.

“The president is convinced that John McCain has still time to close up this race,” White House press secretary Dana Perino told reporters aboard Air Force One after being asked if the president had voiced any concern about McCain’s standings in the polls. “He remembers when he was running in 2000 and how far he was down before the election and he came back to win.”

A Gallup Poll conducted Oct. 7-9 showed Obama with a 10-percentage-point lead over McCain, 51 percent to 41 percent.

In early October 2000, Bush was down by 11 points, 51 percent to 40 percent, in a CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll. Bush came back quickly, and for rest of that campaign’s Gallup polling Bush either led or was about even with Gore.

Bush attended a fundraiser at the home of Sergio Pino, a developer and entrepreneur in south Florida, where he raised more than $500,000, according to Republican officials.

After the fundraiser, Bush met with members of the Cuban-American community at a restaurant called Havana Harry’s in Coral Gables to underscore his administration’s commitment to a free Cuba and commemorate Cuba’s declaration of independence from Spain on Oct. 10, 1868.

Bush said his administration would not change its economic embargo against Cuba until it lets its citizens freely express themselves.

“Our message is to the Cuban people: `You’re being repressed by a handful of elites that are holding back your great potential,” said Bush, who lamented that the Cuban government led by Raul Castro had rejected U.S. hurricane aid.

“It’s so sad that right off the shores of our great nation that believes in human rights and human dignity exists this — this dungeon,” he said. “But someday Cuba will be free.”

Later he traveled to South Carolina to attend an event on Kiawah Island that was to raise $1.4 million for the Republican National Committee.

Bush invites McCain, Obama to discuss bailout

Thursday, September 25th, 2008

With extraordinary stakes on the line, President Bush has invited both presidential candidates and the leaders of the House and Senate to the White House on Thursday in hopes of securing a bill to rescue the economy.

Bush took the unusual step Wednesday night of calling Democratic Sen. Barack Obama directly to invite him to the meeting, White House press secretary Dana Perino said. An Obama spokesman said the senator would attend. The White House has also invited Republican Sen. John McCain.

Perino said the goal of the session is to make progress — fast — on a bipartisan solution to the biggest economic crisis in decades.

She said the call between Bush and Obama lasted several minutes and was “a good conversation.”

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said the Democratic presidential contender “will continue to work in a bipartisan spirit and do whatever is necessary to come up with a final solution.”

The move by Bush came just a short time before he was to address the nation about the financial crisis.

US-POLITICS Summary

Wednesday, September 24th, 2008

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama said on Tuesday a $700 billion Wall Street rescue plan would likely delay some campaign spending promises, as the reality sank in of the costs of the mammoth bailout. Obama, who faces Republican John McCain in their first face-to-face debate on Friday in Mississippi, said if elected he might have to phase in some of his plans such as an overhaul of the U.S. health care system.

Palin meets Afghan, Colombian leaders in New York

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Republican U.S. vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin heard about foreign policy challenges ranging from Russia to Latin America on Tuesday in a drive to prepare her for a debate with her Democratic counterpart, Joe Biden. Palin, who as the governor of Alaska has virtually no foreign policy expertise, had her first meetings with foreign leaders, sitting down for separate talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who are in New York for the U.N. General Assembly.

Sharpton registering black voters in swing states

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - U.S. civil rights campaigner and Barack Obama supporter Al Sharpton is registering blacks to vote in six battleground states that could help swing the November 4 presidential election. Sharpton, a fiery campaigner who sought the Democratic nomination in 2004, aims to register at least a quarter of the estimated 9.5 million unregistered blacks nationally.

Senators balk at quick bailout bid for markets

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration’s push for quick congressional approval of a $700 billion bailout for financial firms hit a wall of opposition on Tuesday among senators who said the plan puts taxpayers at excessive risk. “What they have sent us is not acceptable,” Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd said after a five-hour hearing on the plan. His Republican counterpart, Sen. Richard Shelby, also vowed not to “rubberstamp” the proposal.

Resentment grows over Wall Street bailout plan

ATLANTA (Reuters) - Resentment is growing on both sides of the U.S. political divide over a plan to use $700 billion of taxpayer money to bail out Wall Street firms with bad mortgage debt. The disquiet comes from many voters on the left who see hypocrisy in the rush to help some of the world’s richest firms when the government says there is insufficient money to spend on other priorities.

Majority of Americans say U.S. on wrong track: poll

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans are divided along racial lines but agree that the United States is on the wrong track and the economy is the top priority, according to an opinion poll conducted by USA Today, ABC News and Columbia University released on Tuesday. Eighty percent of blacks and Hispanics and 76 percent of whites surveyed said the economy should be the next president’s highest priority.

White House adviser says can negotiate on bailout

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - White House Economic Adviser Keith Hennessey said on Tuesday there was room for negotiation on details of the Bush administration’s proposed $700-billion financial system bailout. Interviewed on CNBC television, Hennessey said “absolutely there’s room for negotiation.” “It’s an ongoing process, the legislative process, you’ve got to have room for give and take.”

Senate oks extending energy tax credits

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Tuesday approved a package to extend $18 billion in tax credits for using renewable energy sources like wind, solar and geothermal and also provide incentives to cut energy consumption. Under the proposal, which will be part of a much bigger tax bill, the tax credit for producing electricity from wind would be extended for one year. The credit for other renewable sources, such as wave and ocean tide projects that generate power, would be extended for two years.

Economic crisis overshadows Bush farewell at U.N.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - President George W. Bush delivers his final address to the United Nations on Tuesday facing a starkly different world from the one that heard his first — prolonged wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and a financial crisis sweeping the globe. Bush probably had hoped to focus in his speech to the annual General Assembly gathering of world leaders on joint efforts to convince Iran and North Korea to give up their nuclear programs as well as to promote his free trade agenda.

CORRECTED: Obama, McCain vie for N.Hampshire “swing” votes

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire (Reuters) - The “Dinah-Mite Bursting Breakfast” is popular at the Red Arrow Diner in New Hampshire’s largest city, but politics is also on the menu in the state that could help decide who wins the U.S. presidency. “People are always talking about politics and who is supporting who — I would say it’s now a nearly even 50-50 split between Republicans and Democrats,” said Roy Donohue, general manager at the all-night eatery tucked away on a side street in Manchester, a city of 107,200 people.

6 more senators seek end to oil drilling impasse

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008

Six more senators on Tuesday joined a bipartisan group of 10 senators backing a bill they say will break the stalemate over offshore drilling in Congress.

Three Democrats and three Republicans joined the so-called Gang of 10, making it the Gang of 16. The group supports a bill that would lift a ban on oil and natural gas drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and off the southeastern U.S. coast, invest $20 billion in the development of petroleum-free motor vehicles and extend tax credits for renewable energy.

Among the new converts are two Republican senators facing tough re-election bids this fall, underscoring the role high energy prices are playing on the campaign trail. By signing on with the group, Sens. Norm Coleman of Minnesota and John Sununu of New Hampshire have broken with the majority of their party, which like President Bush, would like to see the moratorium on drilling lifted along the entire Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

Sununu said Tuesday that while he favors lifting the moratorium entirely, the bipartisan bill opens up new areas and has a chance of being passed this year.

The other senators rounding out the Gang of 16 on Tuesday were Republican John Warner of Virginia and Democrats Tim Johnson of South Dakota, Tom Carper of Delaware and Ken Salazar of Colorado.

The coalition, under the leadership of Sens. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., and Kent Conrad, D-N.D., assembled in early August. The other four original Republican members are John Thune of South Dakota, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Johnny Isakson of Georgia and Bob Corker of Tennessee. They were joined by Democrats Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Ben Nelson of Nebraska.

Congress broke for its August recess without finding agreement on how big a role expanded domestic oil and gas production should have in a broader energy bill. Lawmakers return Sept. 8 for a three-week session before leaving again to campaign for the November elections.

When Congress reconvenes, Republican leaders want an up-and-down vote on a bill that would allow more extensive offshore drilling. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., have indicated in recent weeks that any bill including drilling would be packaged with other measures opposed by Republicans, such as selling oil from the country’s emergency stockpile and raising royalties paid by oil companies.

Preparation of Your Income Tax Returns

Saturday, June 21st, 2008

While many have bewailed the complexity of tax laws, making them almost incomprehensible to the ordinary taxpayer, e-file services have greatly simplified the process. By making use of available online services, income tax preparation has become easier than ever.

One of the advantages of making use of online programs is that it minimizes errors, mistakes and inaccuracies.

Assessments online

Online services provide easy tools for assessing tax liabilities. The individual taxpayer does not have to be alone in determining the tax credits, exemptions, deductions or refunds he might be entitled to, nor in computing with the applicable federal or state tax rates applicable. While the process is made is made simplified as possible, assistance is also made readily available to those who desire further help. Already this can help minimize disagreements in tax assessments.

Online Filing

One of the obvious advantages of online filing or e-filing is the minimal use of papers and documents. It is also a speedy and efficient way of settling transactions and tax liabilities, since it can be done easily over the internet. This of course helps the taxpayer file his income tax returns well within the legal time limits, reducing the chances of additional charges or penalties.

I heard that the canadian dollar is worth more then the US dollar currently, is this correct?

Thursday, November 22nd, 2007
  1. im so happy about it and cant wait for the peso to take the lead……sarcasm
  2. im so happy about it and cant wait for the peso to take the lead……sarcasm
  3. Yes it is correct. The dollar is in steep decline since Bush came into office. If you peruse the Internet and dig up the Dollar Index chart you’ll notice that the dollar has fallen from 120 on the chart when Bush took office to about 76 on the chart today.

    Tax cuts for the rich combined with massive war spending are never a good thing for the value of a currency. None-the-less, that policy can serve to further enrich a cabal of wealthy elites at the expense of the general public — which is exactly what capitalism is designed to do.

  4. yes, it is correct.
    today CAD is worth more than USD.

    1 USD = 0.98321 CAD

  5. I personally believe that we wouldnt be in the pickel that we are if the “responsable” people we have elected to office for the past 25 yrs would stop spending money like a 16 year old with there dads credit card…

    How strong does our economy really look to outsiders when we havent stopped borrowing money since the was it reagan or nixon?

  6. It’s more correct to say that the American dollar is worth less than the Canadian dollar, since the Canadian dollar is worth less than it used to be. Look at the price of gold: $800 per ounce!

    The Federal Reserve is printing paper federal reserve notes rather than the U.S. mint coining gold and silver. That’s why we have inflation.

    Ron Paul wants to return to honest money and abolish the Federal Reserve. He has my vote.

  7. http://finance.yahoo.com/currency/conver…
  8. Yes it is, 1 US dollar to .98 Canadian cents. I really don’t think too much about it; I’m still looking forward to my Quebec trip in January

Would you vote for Condoleeza Rize?

Friday, October 26th, 2007

1. Absolutely!!

2. No. The President needs to be intelligent and powerful enough not to be a puppet.

3. Nope.

4. Oh my god no. She is the freakiest person I ever heard of. She makes absolutely no sense when she talks. She speaks in that government speak and does not make any sense. Have I mentioned she makes no sense?

5. Possibly, a black woman being president would be GREAT, but I don’t think there’s a chance she would ever run. She does seem to agree with EVERYTHING Bush does, other than that I think she could handle the job.

6. From what I have seen of her, I would seriously consider her as a viable candidate.

7. I would sooner vote for Condie than for Hillary

8. Helllllllllllllllllllllll Nooooooooooooooooooo!

9. It depends on who she ran against but she is definitely very highly regarded by me.

10. nope…no way …not a frig’n shot, she’s as bad as bush and darth cheney

11. Possibly, yes. IMHO, she’s the most qualified woman in America. However, she has never held an elected position in government. I say that she’d be a good VP running mate for the republican party … that would get Hillary’s and the democrat party’s panties in a bunch!

12. I would vote for her before I would Hillary Clinton. And with the way she handling foreign relations and the mid-eastern peace talks I think she would make a good president.

13. Maybe, depend on the other choice

14. She was so weak as the national security adviser and the Secretary of state that Donald Rumsfeld and the defense department bullied their way in to dictating what state department policy should be.

She would be a weak president.

15. depends on her stances and ideals, but i wouldn’t out right rule it out.

16. You bet. It’s nice to have a leader with class. And she’s tough and is a good speaker.

Joey, what a great idea!

17. No, since I never voted for her in anything in the first place. I want to know who the People get to nominate? All we get is a premade selection of choices that I would never make in the first place.

Which party tried to make women suffrage legal?

Wednesday, October 17th, 2007

Theodore Roosevelt bull moose/republican party.