Obama Says Bush Not Solely to Blame

[Gan]

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Not all the nation's ills can be blamed on President Bush, Democratic candidate Barack Obama (http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/o000167/) said Wednesday as he called on Americans to change the nature of politics and institute more openness in government.

"Part of the problem here is not just George Bush and the White House," Obama told a crowd of hundreds gathered at a park in Cedar Falls. "We can't just change political parties and continue to do the same kind of things we've been doing. We can't just go about business as usual and think it's going to turn out differently."

Obama, a senator from Illinois, said average Americans must be brought back to the table when dealing with every issue, from health care to education to trade.

"We've got to make sure workers are represented, not just CEOs. We've got to make sure patients are represented and the nurses are represented, not just drug companies," he said.

To make the government more accountable, Obama said he would post all non-emergency bills online for five days before he signed them into law, allowing Americans a chance to weigh in on the legislation. In addition, he said he would post all meetings between lobbyists and government agencies online.

Obama said he would require Cabinet officials to speak to Americans via national broadband town-hall style meetings to discuss issues at their agencies. He also pledged to issue an executive order that information about the government's operations must be released to those seeking it unless it could harm a protected interest.

Obama cited his record of backing ethics and lobbying reforms, including co-authoring a bill that requires all government spending to be posted online _ allowing anyone to do a simple Internet search and find that information. He said that during his time as a state lawmaker he helped to create hospital report cards so that patients could understand the quality of care offered at each hospital.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/15/AR2007081501787_pf.html

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Discuss

[Drew]

Sounds like a good idea, I imagine this speech will resonate with a lot of people.

[Drew]

To clarify, I think the tack of the speech is a good idea, not his actual ideas.

[Gan]

"We've got to make sure workers are represented, not just CEOs. We've got to make sure patients are represented and the nurses are represented, not just drug companies," he said.
In what way? As unions? As having an adequate lobby? I'm not seeing this one.



To make the government more accountable, Obama said he would post all non-emergency bills online for five days before he signed them into law, allowing Americans a chance to weigh in on the legislation. In addition, he said he would post all meetings between lobbyists and government agencies online.
I actually like this one. Whats the turn time now, arent these posted already? Or are they posted after the fact? I thought you could at least get the agenda or calendar in advance from the secretary's website. :puzzled:



Obama said he would require Cabinet officials to speak to Americans via national broadband town-hall style meetings to discuss issues at their agencies.
Can he make Congress do this? Somehow I dont think his executive powers resonate that far.


He also pledged to issue an executive order that information about the government's operations must be released to those seeking it unless it could harm a protected interest.
Freedom of information act? People can do this already I thought.

It almost sounds like he's proposing things that are already available.

[Some Rogue]

Cabinet officials are not Congress. He can make his own cabinet officers have those meetings if he desires.

[TheEschaton]

It sounds like a good idea, and indeed some things that I think I would implement if I was in political office. But on a national level, it's a daunting task. Posting an 800 bill 5 days before he signs it? Allowing Americans to complain?

What'll happen with this is the average worker, who has to work 60 hours a week, won't have TIME to participate in this process he's laid out, in their efforts to keep their heads above water. The people who will have time are the uber rich who don't have to work so hard, the companies who can hire people just to complain about certain pieces of legislation they don't like, and the lobbyists whose exact job is this.

If this was going to be done effectively, I think there'd need to be a new Office created within the White House itself (and I think it should be created in every Congressman's office)....an effective public liason's office. Namely, have an outline of access: if you get 100 people to sign a petition, you get 20 minutes on the phone with a senior aide to discuss this policy. 500 gets you a meeting with said senior aid. 1,000 for a phone call with the Prez, 5,000 for a meeting. Obviously these numbers would have to be uptweaked for national office, I was thinking merely local office with those numbers. You have one senior aide dedicated solely to meeting with the public about these issues. If (s)he's not in one of these meetings, (s)he's in town halls, on the radio, on local news programs, giving the objective issue, and that particular politician's stance on it. That senior aide will have a cell phone (in addition to their business phone) constantly on them to take public phone calls, and the number will be published, with severe penalties for abuse of the phone call. In addition, there has to be a promise that everything that reaches the senior aide (IE, is serious enough to warrant the lowest level attention on that scale) gets looked over by the politician. I imagine it would work by the aide writing up a paper involving the factual issues of the bill, the politician's stance on the bill, including the justifications thereof, and all complaining groups concerns, organized by their nature: factual, public health and safety, economical, and social (IE, don't pass this because it's against our belief, and God forbid you deny that!)

Edit: This would obviously require a dedicated aide who could handle crazy people, knows a politician's positions backwards and forwards, and can honestly speak about them.

-TheE-

[Kefka]

Freedom of information act? People can do this already I thought.

It almost sounds like he's proposing things that are already available.

The ACLU would disagree. Constant FOIA requests concerning the Patriot Act and torture among other things. Obama is suggesting less secrecy.

[Some Rogue]

The ACLU would disagree. Constant FOIA requests concerning the Patriot Act and torture among other things. Obama is suggesting less secrecy.

It's obviously a conspiracy!!1111

Just like the Clinton Library papers not getting out in time...and that was long before the Patriot Act took effect.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a64/lrenzo2/tinfoil-hat.jpg

[Kefka]

It's obviously a conspiracy!!1111

Just like the Clinton Library papers not getting out in time...and that was long before the Patriot Act took effect.

I wouldn't go that far. Just points out there's secrecy on both sides. He's suggesting an end to that.

[Daniel]

:


Can he make Congress do this? Somehow I dont think his executive powers resonate that far.




Congress is not the Cabinet. Good try though.

No. You're not republican!

[Gan]

Yea, my bad. Somehow I was reading that this morning as Congress.

[Daniel]

It's cool. Some of us still believe you're actually a moderate.

[Gan]

It's cool. Some of us still believe you're actually a moderate.

Shhh! Dont give me up like that!

(Only when it comes to social issues, and thats because I think organized Religion and the people who represent it needs to back the fuck off of what we do in our daily lives).

[Latrinsorm]

Obama said he would post all non-emergency bills online for five days before he signed them into law, allowing Americans a chance to weigh in on the legislation. t3hs bill sux lol repub > democrat$

Everything besides letting random people on the Internet post things sounds good to me. How is this guy not the runaway favorite?

[Keller]

Did anyone else hear about the Obama's proposed legislation which would give a 5% tax credit to businesses certified as PATRIOT businesses?

I'll try to find it any repost it with it's own topic. Might have to wait till tomorrow, but it's a douzy.

[Gan]

Did anyone else hear about the Obama's proposed legislation which would give a 5% tax credit to businesses certified as PATRIOT businesses?

I'll try to find it any repost it with it's own topic. Might have to wait till tomorrow, but it's a douzy.

http://thinkonthesethings.wordpress.com/2007/08/02/obama-et-al-introduce-patriot-employers-act/

Reading up on it now.




U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) Barack Obama (D-IL) Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) today introduced legislation to reward companies that invest in American jobs, pay decent wages, provide good benefits, and support their employees when they are called to active duty. The Patriot Employer Act of 2007 would provide a tax credit to companies that make a commitment to American workers.
When companies make headlines today it is often for all the wrong reasons: fraud, tax avoidance and profiteering,” Durbin said. “Americans have had enough with a corporate culture that rewards bad behavior and ignores the well being of workers. It is time for Patriot Employers to be recognized for doing right by their workers even while they do well for their customers and shareholders.”



“Instead of providing incentives for employers to outsource and move their headquarters overseas, we should encourage corporations to be patriot employers that create good jobs with good benefits for American workers,” said Senator Obama. “Patriot employers help maintain American competitiveness in the global marketplace, while keeping our workforce and our middle class strong.”



“For far too long, our government has betrayed the middle class while giving tax breaks to billionaires and multinational corporations that ship jobs overseas,” Senator Brown said. “Instead we should reward patriot companies that are loyal to workers and advance jobs.”



“The Patriot Corporation Act would reward companies that invest in our nation and its workers,” said Congresswoman Schakowsky. “Americans have had enough of businesses offshoring jobs and skirting the law to increase their bottom line. We must stop rewarding outsourcers and tax dodgers, and make corporations earn their tax incentives by investing in America and American workers. Our bill will create a new patriotic corporate ethic in America that unites workers and their employers in the mutual goal of building a stronger, more prosperous democratic business sector to compete in the twenty-first century global economy.”
The Patriot Employers legislation would provide a tax credit equal to 1% of taxable income to employers that:

Invest in American jobs, by maintaining or increasing the number of full-time workers in America relative to the number of full-time workers outside of America AND by maintaining corporate headquarters in America if the company has ever been headquartered in America.
Pay decent wages, by paying each worker an hourly wage that would ensure that a full-time worker would earn enough to keep a family of three out of poverty (at least $ 7.80 per hour).
Prepare workers for retirement, by providing either a defined benefit plan OR a defined contribution plan that fully matches at least 5% of worker contributions for every employee.
Provide health insurance, by paying at least 60% of each worker’s health care premiums.
Support the troops, by paying the difference between regular salary and military salary for all National Guard and Reserve employees who are called for active duty AND by continuing their health insurance coverage for the Guard member and his or her family.

[Gan]

Holy shit.

Hillary's going to have her hands full with this one.

[Keller]

I'm still looking for the actual bill. It's fucking stupid retarded. Especially when you see the pay-fors.

[Keller]

Link to the bill: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:S.1945:

I can't find a link to the pay-fors, but they are as follows:

1) Increase the top 2 income tax brackets by 3 percent.

2) Any foreign corporation with its headquarters in a foreign country but more than 50% of its operations in the United States shall be considered a domestic corporation for federal tax purposes. In addition, any corporation who headquarters off-shore for a predominantly tax evasive purpose will be recharacterized as a domestic corporation for federal tax purposes.

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1) Is ok. I'm fine paying more taxes, to be honest.

2) Fucking retarded. That will essentially treat every foreign corporation as a US corporation.

General thought on the bill: This should be renamed the "Bring the IRS to a Screeching Halt" bill. Can you even BEGIN to imagine the cost of administering this system? Think of how many businesses there are. Now think about how long it would take to annually certify a business. Now multiple those two. That's how many hours it would take to just comply with this one piece of legislation. Now take into account that no gov't employee works more than 30% of their 8 hr day.

Great intentions, but impracticable.