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LOUISVILLE /JEFFERSON COUNTY

DEMOCRATIC PARTY NEWSLETTER

Week of February 17, 2008

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Jefferson County Democrats 

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CLICK HERE FOR CURRENT LIST OF EVENTS

Updated on a regular basis

The Louisville/Jefferson County Democratic Executive Committee meets the 4th Wednesday of every month at 5:00 pm at Democratic Headquarters,           

640 Barret Avenue .

 

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VOTERS, YOUR NEXT ASSIGNMENT

 

DITCH MITCH

 

 

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REMEMBER, CHECK TO DONATE TO THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY  

ON YOUR STATE & FEDERAL TAX RETURNS

 

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Dear Friend,

 

I'm writing you today with some disappointing news. This afternoon I informed Governor Steve Beshear of my decision to withdraw from the United States Senate race.

 

This decision was difficult for many reasons, not least because of the major challenges facing our Commonwealth and Country. Millions of Americans live without quality health care, we have shamefully disregarded the needs of our veterans, our education system is deeply flawed, and we remain embroiled in a mismanaged and ill-conceived war.  Through it all, Mitch McConnell is more interested in expanding the scope of his own power than using his office to benefit the hardworking families who make our country great.

 

I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I am for everything you have done to support me in this campaign.  I won't be the Democrat challenging Mitch McConnell next November, but our work is far from done.  We must continue to fight for the values that brought us together.  I look forward to working with you for many years to come.

 

Again, thank you so much.

 

Sincerely, Andrew Horne

 

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What's wrong with Elaine Chao? by: Michael Whitney

 

Short answer: lots.

 

Elaine Chao is the Secretary of Labor, George W. Bush's longest-serving cabinet member, and wife of Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.

 

Under Elaine's 'leadership,' the Department of Labor has turned into an agency that screws America's workers and enables corporate giveaways.

 

That's why today workers' rights advocacy group American Rights at Work launches a new campaign against Elaine Chao at www.ShameOnElaine.org.

 

Let's take a look at some of her more egregious failures.

 

We compiled a lot of dirt that's piled up about Elaine Chao over the last seven years on a multitude of issues, from mine safety lapses to plain old corruption.

 

Unlike her cohorts in the Bush Administration, Elaine Chao has escaped much-needed public scrutiny of her time on the job.  From littering the Labor Department with corporate insiders to dismantling worker safety protections and collaborating with her husband, Sen. Mitch McConnell, on a blatant anti-worker political agenda, Elaine has disgraced her role as Secretary of Labor.

 

Elaine Chao's egregious policies include rollbacks of critical mine safety protections, hostility toward workers and their unions, and collaboration with corporate interests, most notably through her husband, Senator Mitch McConnell.

Specifically, Elaine Chao:

 

- Hired a former colleague from the Heritage Foundation who actually wrote a report titled "How to close down the Department of Labor."

- Cut over 100 inspectors at the MSHA and, as a result, hundreds of mines weren't inspected and tragedies such as Sago and Crandall Canyon might have been prevented.

- Had Chao-themed coins, lanyards, and fleece blankets printed at taxpayers' expense.

- Failed to issue a rule requiring employers pay for their workers' safety gear - contributing to 400,000 workers injured and 50 dead.

- Had an auditorium named in her honor - thanks to her husband's $14.2 million earmark to enhance the Mitch McConnell Center at his alma mater, the University of Louisville.  Of course, Elaine never attended the university.

 

It's kind of hard to believe, right?  How could one person get away with so much?  Even for a Bushie, it's an atrocious record.

Labor activists have known from the beginning that Elaine Chao was not their friend.  Now, for the first time, we've put Elaine's record all in one place.  And it's pretty ugly.

 

As more and more people learn about the mess Elaine's made of the Department of Labor, the more people get outraged.  But if you need to vent that outrage, we set up a page to contact Elaine Chao.  Already in the last week, 10,000 people wrote letters to Chao's mine safety director telling him to improve mine safety.  We expect even more to step it up and write to Elaine.

 

We're going to keep the heat on Elaine to:

 

- Expose Elaine's egregious policies affecting workers to hurt her legacy.

- Increase pressure and demand accountability from Elaine during her final year.

- Set a higher standard of what is expected from our next Secretary of Labor - a public official who must provide a well-balanced agenda and adequately enforce federal labor laws.

 

Take a look for yourself at ShameOnElaine.org for plenty more examples  of Elaine's failures as Secretary of Labor. If you like what you see - please  spread it around!  Let's bring Shame to Elaine Chao.  SOURCE

 

 

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Putting The Screws On Workers

 

The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) -- a bill authored by Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) and signed into law by President Clinton in 1993 -- grants eligible workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave per year in case of a serious health condition, or to care for a new child or sick family member. The law protects an employee's job during such an absence and provides various benefit and privacy protections. For nearly fifteen years, the law has made it easier for over 50 million American workers to provide a better balance between work, health, and family life. The FMLA currently allows employees up to two days after the beginning of a shift to notify their employers of their intention to claim time off. But the Labor Department recently proposed changes to the law that would add restrictions to the FLMA -- provisions benefiting employers and making it more difficult for workers to take advantage of the law. Some of the proposed changes include requiring workers to notify their bosses in advance when taking non-emergency leave, allowing employers to require "fitness-for-duty" evaluations for those who took FMLA time off, requiring employees to obtain medical certifications of their illnesses every year, and allowing businesses to exclude workers who took FMLA time from perfect attendance awards.

EMPLOYEES NEED MORE PROTECTIONS: Even if the Labor Department's proposals -- which some businesses regard as welcome news -- are not adopted, the FMLA needs to expand in order to cover more American workers and to provide increased benefits. As it currently stands, the FMLA does not apply to businesses employing fewer than 50 people, a provision that allows the exclusion of nearly 40 million America workers from the law. Millions more are excluded because of rules not covering part-time workers and those who have not worked for their present employer for over one year. Yet "while unpaid leave has helped millions of families, there is little question that many employees have been unable to take time to care for a new child or an ill loved one because they cannot afford the lost pay." Indeed, a study released last year by Harvard University and McGill University found that the United States lags "far behind virtually all wealthy countries with regard to family-oriented workplace policies" such as maternity leave and paid sick days. According to the study, the United States is one of just five countries out of 173 "that does not guarantee some form of paid maternity leave." Expanding the FMLA is necessary because nearly "half of all full-time private sector workers (and three quarters of low-wage workers) in the U.S. get no paid sick days." Businesses also suffer in productivity and other workers face health risks when sick employees are forced to go to work. In fact, expanding employee benefits has overwhelming support: "95 percent of the public thinks it is unacceptable for employers to not provide paid sick leave" while "60 percent think it is illegal."

CONGRESS RESPONDS: House, Education, and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller (D-CA) has said that the Labor Department proposal tightening the FMLA "clearly benefits employers at the expense of workers." Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, has also criticized the proposals, saying they "will make it more difficult for workers to use this leave when they need it" and "impose burdensome new paperwork requirements on both workers and heath providers." Hearings on the Labor Department's proposals will be held this week in both the House and Senate. The National Journal notes that, under a new administration, Congress "could do away" with the Labor Department rule change proposals in "early in 2009 under the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to withdraw regulations within 60 session days after they are published."

 

 

 

Sweeney at Harvard: Time to ‘Turn Around America’ by Mike Hall

 

Voters are turning out in record numbers for the presidential primaries this year—and driving them in large part is their worry and anger about an economic recession, home foreclosures, stagnating wages, unaffordable health care and their vanishing freedom to improve their lives by joining unions.

But turnout at the polls, said AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, also shows voters are ready to “turn around America.”

Speaking last night at a Harvard University forum, Sweeney said:

We should all take heart in the monster voter turnout in the primaries. It is proving that when angry, hopeful people get together and stand together, we can truly make America different.

In the first-ever address by an AFL-CIO president to Harvard’s influential John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum, and in a question and answer session that followed, Sweeney outlined why America is not working for working people.

People are worried to death about the economy, tired of spending too many hours on the job for too little pay, distrustful of our government. Students are worried about earning a degree without being in hock for the rest of their lives. And for the first time in our lives, parents are rightfully worried that their children will end up less well off than they are.

This anguish wasn’t created overnight—our economy has been heading in the wrong direction for more than 30 years. Over those three decades, workers’ productivity has increased by about 75 percent, but workers’ wages are frozen right where they were in 1973. Workers are producing more but paid less, and we’re stuck with the widest income and wealth gap of any industrialized nation.

Sweeney also told the audience that when President Bush took office he shoved the “descent into inequality into overdrive.” Under Bush, 3 million good manufacturing jobs are gone, poverty’s increased by 25 percent, 47 million people have no health insurance and now there is a massive housing collapse and deepening recession. These problems did not come about by accident, Sweeney said.

We were shoved in this direction by laws and policies created by corporations and politicians to push down wages and push up profits: Deregulation of basic industries so consumers can be victimized and shareholders short-changed. Downsizing government so vital services can be contracted out to profit-driven companies. Rules governing globalization written by corporations to favor corporations, pitting workers against workers and maximizing profits.

With better wages, health and pensions benefits a union card is the “best middle-class supporting program our nation has,” he said. But for the past three decades, employers have engaged in assault on workers’ freedom to improve their lives by joining unions. They’ve spent hundreds of millions of dollars to fight workers and to gut the nation’s laws that protect workers.

In response to a question from the audience, Sweeney said passage of the Employee Free Choice Act is vital:

There is a tremendous amount of fear out there. In the past 10 years, every year, more than 30,000 workers are harassed, intimidated, even fired for trying exercise their freedom to join a union. The Employee Free Choice Act guarantees workers the democratic process to decide wither they want to join union.

The November election is the best opportunity in years to change direction of the economy and the nation, Sweeney said.

We’re determined to create an economy that works for all, not the few–including universal health care, fair trade, more transparent corporate policies–and a guarantee of the freedom to form a union.

From what I’m seeing as I travel the country, I think voters are ready for a change in the direction our country is headed. They are ready to turn around our economy. To turn around our health care. To turn around our labor laws. And to turn around America.            

Before the forum, Sweeney met with Verizon techs Kevin Lippmann, Mark Latham and David Rogol. The workers are fighting to form a union with Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 2222. During his presentation, Sweeney praised their efforts to win a voice at work.

The Verizon workers also distributed fliers to the audience calling on Harvard, as a major Verizon customer, to contact Verizon management and urge the company to respect workers’ rights. About 35 audience members signed letters to Harvard’s procurement office urging the university to use its influence with Verizon in support of the workers.

The event was sponsored by the John F. Kennedy School of Government and the Labor and Worklife Program, Harvard Law School. It was broadcast live online and soon will be available at the Forum’s archive. Click here to read Sweeney’s post on the congressional insider site The Hill’s Congress Blog on why its time to turn America around

 

 

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Comments to the Editor:  

 

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DAILY GRILL  

"The people's trust in their Government is undermined by congressional earmarks." -- President Bush, 1/28/08

VERSUS

"[S]ome of those earmarks were similar or identical to ones included in the 2009 budget that Mr. Bush sent Congress last week." -- New York Times, 2/10/08

 

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"Our military commanders reviewed the new Iraqi plan to ensure that it addressed these mistakes. They report that it does. They also report that this plan can work." -- President Bush, 1/10/07, announcing the Iraq "surge"

VERSUS

"He [Former White House press secretary Tony Snow] said 80 percent of Bush's advisers opposed last year's military surge in the nation, which still faces an uncertain future." --The Desert Sun, 2/11/08

 

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"Anyone who worries about how long we're in Iraq does not understand the military and does not understand war." -- Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), 2/11/08

VERSUS

"I believe prudence dictates that we plan for an eventual drawdown and the transition of responsibilities to Iraqi security forces, and we need to do that wisely." -- Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Michael Mullen, 7/31/07

 

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Waterboarding] is not a complicated procedure. It is torture." -- Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), 10/26/07

VERSUS

"Mr. McCain voted 'no' on Wednesday afternoon." --New York Times, 2/13/08

 

 

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Quotes of the Day  

   

Jack Richardson Resignation Letter: The Constituency of a Few Sour Grapes

 

(Richardson is the local Republican Party Chairman)

 

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Recent Senate Votes 

Recovery Rebates and Economic Stimulus for the American People Act of 2008 - Vote Passed (81-16, 3 Not Voting)

The bipartisan economic stimulus package passed the Senate last week, with the chamber opting to amend this House bill rather than pass its own.

Sen. Mitch McConnell voted YES

Sen. Jim Bunning voted YES

 

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Recent House Votes 

 

College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007 - Vote Passed (354-58, 17 Not Voting)

The House passed this bill to address rising tuition costs and remove obstacles that make it more difficult for students to attend college.

Rep. Ron Lewis voted YES

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

 

Recovery Rebates and Economic Stimulus for the American People Act of 2008 - Vote Passed (380-34, 16 Not Voting)

The House agreed to the Senate amendment of the economic stimulus package, expanding the eligibility of rebate checks to over 130 million people.

Rep. Ron Lewis voted YES

Rep. John Yarmuth voted YES

 

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HUMOR     

  

This is a year where both Groundhog Day and the State of the Union address occurred in the same week. And, as it has been pointed out, "It was an ironic juxtaposition of events: one involved a meaningless ritual in which we looked to a creature of little intelligence for prognostication, while the other involved a groundhog."

 

"Boy, talk about a black eye for baseball. You know what's happening today? Congressional investigations into Roger Clemens and the steroid use begin tomorrow. And it's interesting, you know? We didn't get bin Laden but by God, we're nailing this guy." --David Letterman

"But Roger Clemens is expected to testify that a size 48 neck is completely normal." --David Letterman

"And of course Mitt Romney dropped out of the race, and I'm going to miss him. Romney looked like a close personal friend of the late Bob Crane. ... Romney looks like a guy who says to the bartender, 'If I wanted a glass of tonic, I would have ordered it.' ... Romney looks like a guy you just met who uses your first name too much. ... Mitt Romney looks like a cavalry officer who has no intention of honoring the treaty with the Apaches." --David Letterman (Read more of Letterman's Mitticisms)

"Very awkward moment in the Hillary Clinton campaign today. I guess Hillary told her staff to call Democrats with money, and they called Barack Obama." --Jay Leno

"Here's something interesting. They did a poll on whether Bill's campaigning for Hillary helped her or hurt her. And 38% thought it hurt her, 36 percent thought it helped her, and 26 percent said, 'He never told me he was married!'" --Jay Leno

"The government is going to be handing out rebate checks. We're like a bad car dealership now in this country, handing out the rebate checks. They're trying to restore confidence in the U.S. economy. The bad news - half the people want the money in euros, the other half want it in pesos." --Jay Leno

"According to a new poll, the nation's youth do not have as much faith in the federal government being able to help them in their future. Fifty percent of the young people polled said they felt the federal government would get in their way of their goals and their ambitions. The other 50 percent said they had no goals or ambitions and hoped to work for the Federal government." --Jay Leno

Scientists for the United States Army have developed a sandwich that can remain edible for three years. Well, if that doesn't get guys to re-up, nothing will. Let me tell you, that shows you how dedicated our armed forces are. I mean, the other side offers their guys, what, 72 virgins? We get a 3-year-old sandwich." --Jay Leno

"Bad news for Hillary Clinton. She's lost more primaries! She's calling her supporters to let them know her campaign is not in financial trouble. The embarrassing part is she's calling them collect." --Craig Ferguson

"Earlier today Hillary promised that her husband wouldn't be involved in any sex scandals if she were elected president. Also today, Bill Clinton backed Barack Obama." --Craig Ferguson

 

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UNREADY FOR NEW THREATS: A sobering report from the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves "concludes that the nation 'does not have sufficient trained, ready forces available' to respond to a chemical, biological or nuclear weapons incident, 'an appalling gap that places the nation and its citizens at greater risk.'" "We must not allow the challenges of today to keep us from being prepared for the realities of tomorrow," Mullen said last week. "There is risk that we will be unable to rapidly respond to future threats to our vital national interests." With over-stretched forces focused on Iraq, the Taliban has regained large parts of southern Afghanistan. "Some way must be found to deal with this perpetual problem of Afghanistan being overshadowed by the Iraq war," Karl Inderfurth, a former senior diplomat in the Clinton administration, said last month. Center for American Progress scholars Caroline Wadhams and Lawrence J. Korb have called for a renewed commitment to the fight in Afghanistan. "Getting Afghanistan right is critical to preventing it from once again becoming a safe haven for terrorists," they write. "This is the war we cannot afford to lose." 

 

ETHICS -- EARMARK LED TO LAND DEAL BENEFITING EX-STEVENS AID: Newly released documents reveal that a $1.6 million earmark in 2005 by Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) "was manipulated to lead to the purchase of property owned by his former aide, Trevor McCabe, now an Anchorage fisheries lobbyist." The public records show that another Stevens employee-turned-lobbyist "acted as a go-between" connecting a Senate aide with the Alaska SeaLife Center, a federally supported marine research center and tourist attraction. The documents show that "the Senate aide was shopping for an entity that would guarantee the purchase of McCabe's property if it got the earmark." Stevens found such an entity in the SeaLife Center, to which he "has steered more than $50 million in federal funds to the nonprofit facility since it opened in 1998." The Center bought McCabe's property for $558,000 in 2006. The land sale -- paid for with money originally earmarked for "waterfront development and beautification" -- is under investigation "by the FBI and inspectors general from two federal departments, Interior and Commerce."

 

MILITARY -- BUSH'S 2009 BUDGET IS A WINDFALL FOR DEFENSE CONTRACTORS: Last week, President Bush submitted his $515.4 billion defense spending budget for FY '09. Contained within that budget is a windfall for defense contractors -- "$104.2 billion for weapons procurement and nearly $80 billion for research and development." This budget is 7.5 percent higher than the current year's. Even defense experts are surprised at how generous the Bush administration is willing to be with the taxpayers' money, in light of a faltering economy and deep cuts to domestic programs. One defense analyst said, "[I]t has surprised everyone to see how long this increase has continued. This budget was a great budget for all defense contractors." The military, however, is pushing for even more funding than what the administration has requested. It has dispatched "legions of lobbyists and defense contractors" to Capitol Hill to push for approval. Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and James Inhofe (R-OK), for example, have taken up the military's quest for more F-22 fighter planes, even though Defense Secretary Robert Gates has deemed more of these useless planes unnecessary. A 2007 report by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform found that between 2000 and 2005, procurement was the "fastest growing component of federal discretionary spending."

 

ETHICS -- CONGRESS TO FORCE A CONTEMPT VOTE ON WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS: House Democratic leaders plan to force a vote as early as Thursday on holding White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers in contempt of Congress. Bolten and Miers, as instructed by the White House, "refused last year to comply with subpoenas from the House Judiciary Committee issued as part of the congressional probe into the firing of nine U.S. attorneys." The expected vote, delayed until congressional leaders finalized the economic stimulus deal, comes seven months after the committee passed a contempt resolution against Bolten and Miers. The Bush administration has cited executive privilege in directing the two not to testify before Congress and has "already said it would order the Justice Department not to pursue contempt charges." House leaders, however, "have decided that they have no choice but to pursue the citation to protect Congressional oversight authority."

IRAQ -- THIRTY-EIGHT WOMEN REVEAL SEXUAL ASSAULTS WHILE WORKING FOR HALLIBURTON: In December, former Halliburton/KBR employee Jamie Leigh Jones revealed that in 2005, she had been had been gang-raped by her co-workers while working in Baghdad. Since coming forward, 38 women have contacted Jones to say that they were also victims of sexual assault while working for Halliburton/KBR in Iraq.  Many of the women "cannot speak publicly due to arbitration agreements in their employment contracts." Jones, speaking before Congress yesterday, said that "victims of crime perpetrated by employees of taxpayer-funded government contracts in Iraq deserve the same standard of treatment and protection governed by the same laws whether they are working in the U.S. or abroad." "My goal is to ensure all American civilians who become victims of violent crimes while abroad have the right to justice before a judge and jury," Jones added.

 

ECONOMY -- ADMINISTRATION SHUTS DOWN WEBSITE TRACKING U.S. ECONOMIC INDICATORS: With the U.S. economy faltering, conservatives have attempted to deflect attention from the crisis by blaming the media's negative coverage and insisting the United States is not headed toward a recession, despite what economists are predicting. The Bush administration's latest move is to simply hide the data. Forbes had awarded EconomicIndicators.gov one of its "Best of the Web" awards. As Forbes explains, the government site provides an invaluable service to the public for accessing U.S. economic data. Economic Indicators is particularly useful because people can sign up to receive e-mails as soon as new economic data across government agencies becomes available. While the data will still be available online at various federal websites, it will be less readily accessible to members of the public. The Bush administration has decided to shut down this site because of "budgetary constraints," effective March 1, even though Bush recently submitted a record $3.1 trillion budget to Congress for FY '09.

 

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Think Fast           

Yesterday, Attorney General Michael Mukasey refused to answer the question of whether or not he had been instructed by the President not to enforce the subpoenas of Harriet Miers and Josh Bolten.

 

The Decider failed to decide. A Rand Corp. study of post-war failures in Iraq -- which the Army attempted to bury -- chided President Bush for failing to make key decisions prior to the war. "Throughout the planning process, tensions between the Defense Department and the State Department were never mediated by the president or his staff," the report said.

 

Vice President Cheney is trying to "block the release of video depositions by White House aides" in a lawsuit "by a man who was arrested after he allegedly touched Cheney at a Colorado shopping mall in 2006." Cheney's lawyers expressed concern that the videos could "embarrass and even humiliate" the aides if posted to YouTube.

 

"The media have been barred from covering" Karl Rove's speech to students at Choate Rosemary Hall, a prestigious prep school, today. Rove and the school's headmaster "decided mutually to exclude the media." Rove was originally set to speak at the school's commencement, but his speech was moved to today after student protests. 

 

Last week's Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) was, as always, "full of colorful characters and even more colorful posters, t-shirts and signs." The DC Examiner photographed the top 10 CPAC signs here.

Due to a backlog of immigration cases, "the Bush administration will grant permanent residency to tens of thousands of legal U.S. immigrants without first completing required background checks against the FBI's investigative files." Only immigrants "whose cases are otherwise complete but whose FBI checks have been pending for more than six months" will be affected.

 

"A Bush administration plan to crack down on contract fraud has a multibillion-dollar loophole: The proposal to force companies to report abuse of taxpayer money will not apply to work overseas, including projects to secure and rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan."

 

"Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) joined several House Republicans Tuesday by promising not to request any earmarks in appropriations bills this year. 'We have a problem in Congress,' said Waxman in a statement." Waxman praised House Appropriations Chairman David Obey (D-WI) for cutting down on earmarks last year, but said more needs to be done. 

 

Yesterday, the Treasury Department announced that the "federal budget deficit is running at a pace that is more than double last year's imbalance through the first four months of the budget year." The "budget was in surplus in January, but totals $87.7 billion so far this budget year, double the $42.2 billion imbalance recorded during the same period in 2007."

 

President Bush "was coasting through a list of greetings for prominent African-American leaders at a White House ceremony yesterday afternoon when he came to one of his fiercest critics, the Reverend Al Sharpton. 'Rev. Al Sharpton, and his wife, Dominique -- Reverend, it's good to see you,' Mr. Bush said." The problem? The 21-year old Dominique is Sharpton's daughter, not his wife. An attendee "quickly shouted a correction to the president, who winced as the audience broke out in laughter."

 

"Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Michael Savage are the top three 'most important' talk radio hosts in the country, according to the annual 'Heavy Hundred' list released yesterday by Talkers magazine."

 

 

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INTERESTING  

 

(THIS ARTICLE IS ABOUT THE 9-12 PM TALK SHOW ON WHAS840 IN LOUISVILLE)

 

 

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Bush touts troop-benefit program — but doesn’t pay for it

 

In arguably the most forgettable State of the Union addresses in memory, George W. Bush did manage to propose a few worthwhile ideas about benefits for U.S. troops and their families.

 

“Our military families also sacrifice for America. They endure sleepless nights and the daily struggle of providing for children while a loved one is serving far from home. We have a responsibility to provide for them. So I ask you to join me in expanding their access to child care, creating new hiring preferences for military spouses across the federal government, and allowing our troops to transfer their unused education benefits to their spouses or children. Our military families serve our nation, they inspire our nation, and tonight our nation honors them.”

 

Not surprisingly, the remarks were very well received, and would draw little if any opposition once lawmakers took the task of passing a budget.

 

But therein lies the rub: the president didn’t include funding for his own ideas in his own budget.

President Bush drew great applause during his State of the Union address last month when he called on Congress to allow U.S. troops to transfer their unused education benefits to family members…. A week later, however, when Bush submitted his $3.1 trillion federal budget to Congress, he included no funding for such an initiative, which government analysts calculate could cost $1 billion to $2 billion annually.

 

Bush’s proposal was added to the speech late in the process, administration officials said, after the president decided that he wanted to announce a program that would favor military families. That left little time to vet the idea, develop formal cost estimates or gauge how many people might take advantage of such a program. Some administration officials said the proposal surprised them, and they voiced concerns about how to fund it.

Can’t anybody here play this game?

The White House worked on the State of the Union for months, Apparently, late in the process, the president decided to throw a bone to U.S. troops. But not only was the decision made too late to make the budget, some administration officials don’t even like the ideas Bush proposed.

 

Some critics in Congress cite the episode as a case study of what they consider the slapdash way Bush has put together the legislative program for his final year in office.

 

Ya think? After more than seven years in office, the fact that the Bush gang still hasn’t quite worked out how to unveil an idea in a State of the Union might — just might — be a sign of rank incompetence. Just a thought.

 

Of course, as it turns out, it’s too late for the Bush administration to balk at the idea the president told the nation he wanted. The White House may not want to take “yes” for an answer, but lawmakers are running with the proposal.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have drawn up legislation that would remove restrictions that currently prevent most troops from transferring education benefits to family members. […]

 

The idea of allowing more troops to extend education benefits to family members has been percolating on Capitol Hill for some time. Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett (R-Md.) has been pushing it for years and introduced a bill after Bush’s surprise endorsement. His measure would drop the restrictions on how many benefits can be transferred and would allow members of the reserves and National Guard to participate.

 

In the Senate, Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.) has introduced similar legislation. In an interview, she said that she hopes the White House will back her plan. “We ought to be able to get it pretty quickly through,” she said. “It was their idea, and they ought to get credit for it.”

 

The idea has bipartisan support. “It was a very pleasant surprise coming from an administration that has tried to balance its budgets on the backs of military families,” said Rep. Steve Israel (D-N.Y.), who is co-sponsoring Bartlett’s bill. “I don’t know where they got the idea, but I am not going to quibble.”

 

Hopefully, the president will come to the same conclusion.

 

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Huckabee Crosses Picket Line—Again 

 

Writers Guild members met Huckabee with angry resistance last night as he crossed a picket line to be a guest on “The Colbert Report.” This is how the WGAE website describes the episode: 

 

As his black SUV arrived outside the set, 20 or so picketers swarmed in close, shouting things such as “Don’t cross Governor!” and “This is a struck show!” 

 

As Mr. Huckabee’s security team led him toward the guest entrance WGA members persisted in their attempt to persuade him not to cross, shouting and holding up signs that read “Huckabee Don’t Cross (Again)” & “Huckabee Supports Scabs.” This strong union action was captured on film by reporters from CNN and NBC, who were there on the scene to record his appearance. 

 

Mr. Huckabee gained notoriety by being the first guest for Jay Leno the night the TV host returned to work without his writers on January 3rd. 

 

On Jan. 30, Republican front-runner Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) crossed a writers’ picket line to appear on the Leno show.

 

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There was not very much Good News this week for Working Families.

 

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VIDEOS      

 

McCain's Doubletalk (With Video) 

 

Karl Rove's Endorses John McCain, McCain Embraces Rove (With Video)

 

 

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NEED COMPUTER ASSISTANCE?? 

Democrat Activist Mike Bailey is now providing “Professional Computer Support.”  He can be contacted at 502-558-4026, or mikebailey2000@usa.net. 

 

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Notice to our Readers &  2008 Primary Election Candidates:

This newsletter will carry, in this space, any Democratic candidates' notice of events or communications (250 words or less) to our readers that the candidate provides to the editor at rcrider@insightbb.com

 

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Your contributions of news, comments and/or events are invited. Please e-mail such items to

Ray Crider at rcrider@louisvilledem.com . If you know someone who would like to be on the newsletter e-mail list, please have him or her supply the following information to the same

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Publication of Louisville/Jefferson County Democratic Party Tim Longmeyer, Chairman Ray Crider, Editor 640 Barret Ave Louisville, Ky  40202 502-582-1999   Paid for by the Louisville/Jefferson Co Democratic Party Charlie Horton, Treasurer Produced & Printed In-House

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