Oil Barons Continue to Rape U.S. Economy

Gasoline prices have reached a national average of $4 a gallon for the first time.

Across the South, Southwest and the upper Great Plains, the combination of low incomes, high gas prices and heavy dependence on pickup trucks and vans is putting especially heavy pressure on family budgets.

Some farm workers are borrowing gas money from their bosses so they can get to work. Some are switching jobs for shorter commutes. People are giving up meat so they can buy fuel, and gasoline theft is rising. Drivers are running out of gas more often, leaving their cars by the side of the road until they can scrape together gas money.

According to Rajeev Dhawan, director of the Economic Forecasting Center at Georgia State University, gas prices have doubled across the nation over the last year, but for the rural lower income people -- as a proportion of their income -- the rise in gas is becoming very high, and for some, unmanageable.

On June 16, the U.S. nationwide price for regular unleaded gasoline reached an average of $4.08 – the highest price ever, and about a dollar higher than at the start of 2008. Nationwide, Americans now spend an average of 4 percent of their take-home income on gas. But in some areas people are spending more than 13 percent of their salaries to get around. That means gas expenses are now rivaling what families spend on food and housing.

Who’s Making Money Here?

Gas prices are as high as they are because they can be. I recently talked to an expert in this area and he and many other experts believe that as much as 60 percent of the price of oil is based on pure speculation from investors bidding up oil futures prices.

According to a June 6 article in the New York Times, a barrel of crude oil is now more expensive than it was in 1980, the previous peak, when adjusted for inflation. The oil and gas industry website Rigzone.com states the latest market rate topped $136/bbl as of June 11.

Venezuela estimate earnings of $75 billion in oil revenue in 2008, which is about twice their external debt. Venezuela has the largest energy reserves in the Americas and is the world’s fifth-largest oil exporter. According to officials about 1.4 million barrels are exported to the U.S. daily, but they still have 130 billion barrels in reserve; not exactly what you’d expect when there’s an “oil shortage.”

Likewise, oil companies are notoriously greedy, and the oil companies -- not the people running your local gas station -- have record profits. Exxon made corporate history with $11.7 billion in quarterly profit, as reported by CNN Money.com on February 1, 2008 – a 14 percent increase from the previous year.

They reported both the highest quarterly and annual profits EVER for a U.S. company, boosted in large part by soaring crude oil prices. This even tops their previous record achieved in 2005 after hurricanes destroyed the Gulf Coast.

They also set the annual profit record with net earnings of more than $40.6 billion in 2007. That’s about $1,300 of profit per second.

And that’s just ONE oil company. The number two oil giant, Chevron, reported a profit of more than $17.1 billion for 2007.

Folks, never be fooled into thinking that the oil companies are forced to jack prices up this high because of crude oil costs; they are only benefiting from the run-up in oil prices. But don’t expect gas prices to go down any time soon. $4 a gallon gas is no doubt just the beginning. I see three, potentially interconnected, reasons for the current situation:

1. Oil giants are trying to make as much profit as possible before the world wizens up and switches to alternative forms of energy, and/or
2. We’ve reached “peak oil” where the global demand now exceeds global production, which will result in never-ending price hikes as reserves start to dwindle, and
3. Runaway inflation due to the Federal Reserve’s over-printing of money that isn’t backed by anything of real value

Rising Gas Prices is Just the Beginning of U.S. Financial Woes

Rising oil prices affect so much more than just prices at the pump. Not only are you spending more on commuting, but prices on everything from groceries to tires, household goods and petroleum based personal products are also soaring.

Companies that make goods using raw materials derived from oil are trying to determine how to cope as well, opting between raising prices, shifting their production process to something less costly, or cutting workers. Many are doing all three.

For example, the tire giant Goodyear has raised the prices on its tires by 15 percent in just four months. Procter & Gamble have averaged an increase of 5 percent on its paper products and diapers, and Dow Company has hiked its prices as much as 20 percent across the board, which include wide-ranging products like paint, PC and television screens, mobile phones, light bulbs, paper and carpets.

Meanwhile, incomes are stagnating, and for many, disappearing altogether. Just last month the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics reported a jump in the unemployment rate from 5 percent to 5.5 percent with the loss of 861,000 jobs in the month of May.

Where Do We Go From Here?

We are simply running out of excuses for not converting to safer, renewable energy sources that don’t turn the Earth into a toxic waste dump, and that doesn’t continue to push the population into financial despair.

And there are already many viable alternatives!

Harnessing the energy of the sun, for example, is now becoming a very cost effective alternative for homes and other buildings. The award winning Nanosolar Company has created a breakthrough solar coating, produced at an 80 percent reduced cost from previous years, which makes them a serious contender for consumer dollars.

My new office building, constructed for my practice and web team, will eventually be powered with Nanosolar electricity , and it seems obvious to me that this technology will allow us to not only radically lower our utility bills in the coming future, but do it without polluting our environment.

Think about it: there is enough energy in the sunshine that falls on the earth in ONE HOUR to satisfy the energy needs of the entire human race for ONE YEAR. There’s simply no need for this over-reliance on oil that is now decimating the earth and financially destroying so many people’s lives.

I’ve also posted previous articles written by Darshan Goswami, retired from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture where he headed the Department of Load Forecasting and Renewable Energy. Darshan Goswami brings up many good points and explains the viability of switching from a “Hydrocarbon Economy” to a “Hydrogen Economy,” thereby eliminating our reliance on foreign oil completely.

He believes that a Hydrogen Economy would eliminate many of the problems that the hydrocarbon technology has created, and offer advantages such as:

• The elimination of pollution caused by fossil fuels - When hydrogen is used in a fuel cell to create power, it is a completely clean technology. The only byproduct is water. There are also no environmental dangers like oil spills to worry about with hydrogen.
• The elimination of greenhouse gases - If the hydrogen comes from the electrolysis of water, then hydrogen adds no greenhouse gases to the environment. There is a perfect cycle -- electrolysis produces hydrogen from water, and the hydrogen recombines with oxygen to create water and power in a fuel cell.
• The elimination of economic dependence - The elimination of oil means no dependence on the Middle East and its oil reserves.
• Distributed production - Hydrogen can be produced anywhere that you have electricity and water. People can even produce it in their homes with relatively simple technology.
• Generate new employment - This new Hydrogen Economy will create a very positive impact on the world economy.

For more information about the use of hydrogen, I recommend reading Darshan Goswami’s articles listed below.

What Can You Do Personally?

On a personal level, you can reduce your own need for oil by carpooling to work, turning off your lights and keeping your air conditioner use to a minimum. You can also bypass the rising food transportation costs by buying mostly locally grown food and even planting some of your own.

For the times when you do have to drive, you can actually increase your gas mileage by 37 percent just by braking easier and slowing down. Some people are even taking fuel economy to a whole new level simply by skillfully changing the way they drive.

One group known as hypermilers, use tips like coasting to stop lights, using cruise control, and avoiding full stops as much as possible to save gas … and some of them boast getting up to 90 mpg. Something worth looking into!

Fight FOX on Facebook

Click here to tell FOX:

"FOX must stop injecting racism, prejudice, and fear into our political dialogue. We intend to hold FOX, its advertisers, and its personalities accountable for FOX's attempts to smear the Obamas."

Sign the petition

Right now, FOX is trying to paint Barack Obama as foreign, un-American, suspicious, and scary. They're trying to send Americans the message that our country's first viable black candidate for President is not "one of us."

We've seen this before from FOX. They won't stop until it becomes too painful to continue—until the public calls them out and advertisers start getting worried.

Now is the time to draw a line in the sand by putting FOX on notice that their behavior won't be tolerated. Over 100,000 Americans have already expressed their outrage. Can you make that number even bigger by adding your name to this message?

"FOX must stop injecting racism, prejudice, and fear into our political dialogue. We intend to hold FOX, its advertisers, and its personalities accountable for FOX's attempts to smear the Obamas."

Clicking here will sign the petition:

http://pol.moveon.org/stopthesmears/o.pl?id=13026-7018451-xJrwqZx&t=6

FOX's longtime pattern of smearing Obama and the black community is well documented.¹ But the outrageous moments have increased in the last month.

First, a paid FOX commentator accidentally confused "Obama" with "Osama" and then joked on the air about killing Obama.² Next, a FOX anchor said a playful fist bump by Barack and Michelle Obama could be a "terrorist fist jab."³ And then, FOX called Michelle Obama "Obama's baby mama"—slang for an unmarried mother of a man's child, and a clear attempt to associate the Obamas with negative stereotypes about black people.⁴

If you know others who'd find FOX's recent actions despicable, please ask them to sign the petition too. The more people who sign, the bigger our impact will be.

Our friends at ColorOfChange.org—an online advocacy group focused on the issues of importance to the black community—are leading this charge. They will deliver thousands of petition signatures as a group to FOX's headquarters (in front of other media cameras, so FOX feels more heat). Here's how they describe the situation:

After each of the incidents mentioned [above], FOX issued some form of weak apology. But what does it mean when you slap someone in the face, apologize the next day, then slap them again? It means the apology is meaningless.

Now is the time to call out FOX for these attacks and their fake apologies. The first stop is FOX. Next will be their advertisers and the FCC. If we don't push back now, we will see more of the same from now until November. Please join us to demand that FOX answer for its behavior:

Add your name to this important cause by clicking here—then tell your friends:

http://pol.moveon.org/stopthesmears/o.pl?id=13026-7018451-xJrwqZx&t=7

Thanks for all you do.

–Adam G., Peter, Anna, Justin, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Fox Attacks Obama." Brave New Films at FoxAttacks.com, February 2007
http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/573-fox-attacks-obama

"Fox Attacks: Black America," Brave New Films at FoxAttacks.com, June 2007
http://foxattacks.com/blog/572-fox-attacks-black-america

"Fox Attacks: Obama, Part 2," Brave New Films at FoxAttacks.com, March 2008
http://foxattacks.com/blog/32376-fox-attacks-obama-part-2

2. "Fox News Jokes About Killing Obama," YouTube video posted May 25, 2008
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjYpkvcmog0

3. "Fox News' E.D. Hill teased discussion of Obama dap: "A fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab?" Media Matters, June 6, 2008
http://mediamatters.org/items/200806060007?f=h_clips

4. "Fox News in trouble again over Obama smear: 'baby mama'" Los Angeles Times, June 12, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3855&id=13026-7018451-xJrwqZx&t=8

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 3.2 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

take the fight to the GOP

The cynics can't wait for November because they think they can tell you the old rules still apply -- that no matter what Barack Obama says, no matter what Howard Dean fights for with his 50 state strategy, there really are red states where Democrats can't win.	To really change our government, we need to take the fight to states we haven't contested before. The GOP is reeling; this is the time to push hard and clean the slate. Click on the button below to contribute to some great Democrats and work for a government in DC that reflects our values.
Show the cynics they're dead wrong and turn these red states blue by electing Democratic Senators. These are once in a lifetime races - incredible Democratic candidates in red states where voters are ready to punish the Roadblock Republicans for record gas prices, our planet in peril, our foreign policy in shambles, government corruption, corporate abuse and an economy that's unfair. Elect these candidates and we get to 60 Democrats in the Senate -- and bury the politics of Bush, Cheney, Rove, and McCain and make a fresh start for our country. So let's expand the map and play offense. It's time we go deep into Republican territory and aim for some Senate seats in states that Washington purveyors of conventional wisdom thought we wouldn't contest. Follow this link to take the fight to them: http://www.actblue.com/page/expandthemap You know who I want to take on? The chief of the Roadblock Republicans himself, the Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in red-state Kentucky. Bruce Lunsford, a veteran of the Army Reserves, is running a strong race for universal access to affordable health care and a new course in Iraq, two of the many things Mitch McConnell has been instrumental in blocking progress on as Minority Leader. Defeating Senator McConnell would send the strongest message possible that we are done with the Republican policies and want a new direction. Even deeper in the South in North Carolina, Elizabeth Dole has a big battle on her hands from Democrat Kay Hagan. Kay Hagan, a State Senator in North Carolina, was part of the effort to push North Carolina into a leadership role on using renewable energy sources, and she would fight to restore some fiscal sanity to Washington. With an energized Democratic Party in North Carolina, we can turn this seat and maybe even win this state for Barack Obama. Colorado was a state that just a few years ago, everyone thought was turning red, but we have a chance, with Mark Udall, to turn it blue and set up a Mountain West base for the Democratic Party. Mark's been a great environmentalist in the House, and I know we can count on him as Senator to help us tackle the incredibly difficult challenge of energy and climate change. And, in a state where no one thought a Democratic victory was possible, there's real hope for the candidacy of Scott Kleeb in Nebraska. Scott's a fourth-generation Nebraskan who nearly won an election in 2006 in one of the most conservative districts in the country, and he ran as a proud progressive. He's running against a Bush Administration Cabinet Member, trying to help stamp out Bush Republicanism in the heartland. We can win these races and profoundly change the political course of our country, but only if you help. To win in these red areas, we need help from across the country. We need to work twice as hard to win here, but we can do it. So please do what you can to help: http://www.actblue.com/page/expandthemap Let's keep on working to changing our country. Thanks, John Kerry

Ladies & Gentlemen, Meet John Mccain

by DarkSyde

Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 06:34:53 PM PDT

As progressives, we don't want to judge a possible President solely by their personal marital history. All's fair in love and war, right? But the McCain campaign has made a big issue out of McCain's past in the military, in contrast and independent from George Bush, and GOP 'family values.' On the latter, it's therefore fair to point out that McCain in his mid-forties dumped his first wife -- after she was crippled in a disfiguring car wreck -- for a 26 year-old blond beauty queen 18 years younger and former college cheerleader who just happened to be an heiress to a vast family fortune.

But the real metric for any candidate is their public record. So, what does McCain's voting record and public statements suggest about his views on women and children? Here's just a few recent instances:

• John McCain has a long, long record of supporting abstinence only as opposed to modern family planning methods. He reportedly even opposed making abstinence only programs medically accurate and scientifically based.
• John McCain voted against requiring healthcare insurance providers to cover birth control and hormone replacement therapy.
• In August of 2007, John McCain voted against reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance Program for five years and called Bush's subsequent veto of the measure the 'right call.'
• While we're on that one, John McCain repeatedly voted to cut or end various childrens' healthcare programs, and in 2005 in a truly depraved act he chose tax cuts for billionaires over the healthcare of children.
• Just this year John McCain said he opposed a Senate bill that would secure equal pay for women and didn't even bother to cast a vote on it. The bill was killed by Senate Republicans.

Out of fairness it should be noted, as unimpressive as McCain is on these issues, powerful elements in the party he represents are straight out of the Dark Ages. McCain fundraiser Clayton Williams joked that women should just sit back and enjoy being raped if it was inevitable. Right-wing pundit Rush Limbaugh remarked that advocates for women's rights were motivated 'to allow unattractive women easier access to the mainstream of society.' Conservative dominionist Pat Robertsion has reportedly stated that groups working for womens' rights "encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians."

With all the wing-nuttery, it's no surprise that McCain trails his democratic rival by double digits among women voters. But given the GOP's absymal track record and McCain's good old boy, caviliar attitude to the majority of the electorate, one has to wonder why any woman would consider voting for a Republican for any office, let alone President. Maybe it's because a lot of ladies just haven't met the real John McCain, at least not yet.

Oh, and gentlemen? Lest you think I forget you swing'n bachelors and roaming married men: the last time the only way to prevent unwanted pregancies really was abstinence only, there was no such thing as court mandated child support based on reliable genetic paternity testing. Capiche, daddios?

Democratic presidents mean better wages

By Robyn E. Blumner, Times Columnist

During Hillary Clinton's gracious concession speech she mentioned that during the 40 years that she's been involved in politics and public life the country has voted 10 times for president, with a Democrat winning the seat only three times.

"Just think how much more progress we could have made over the past 40 years," Clinton said, "if we had a Democratic president."

From the perspective of protecting the environment, expanding access to health care, promoting a progressive energy policy and even fiscal responsibility, I agree with this statement. But it was interesting to read an analysis by Larry Bartels, a professor of politics at Princeton, bearing this out in hard numbers for the daily-grind worker.

Bartels found that the real incomes of middle-class families grew more than twice as fast when Democrats were in the White House than when a Republican was president. And for the working poor, their real incomes grew six times as fast under a Democratic president.

In his analysis of six decades of available economic data, Bartels allowed one year for the economic policies of each president to get in gear. He said that the only group for whom partisan politics had little impact was the affluent. Their fortunes grew healthily regardless of party in power.

Bartels, who wrote Unequal Democracy: The Political Economy of the New Gilded Age, found that income would be more equal today than in the 1950s had our national prosperity been shared under Republican presidents as it was under Democrats. Instead, our nation is increasingly one of haves and have-nots, mired in income inequality more severe than at any time since the days of robber barons.

This is no surprise in light of the parties' differing views of workers and their rights. One dependable way for employees at the lower end of the income scale to demand a piece of increased productivity and profits is through joining unions or threatening to do so. Democrats traditionally are supportive of this while Republicans are generally hostile.

While it is true that regardless of who has resided in the White House, rates of unionization have markedly declined over the last 40 years, it is also true that helping unions and workers succeed is a central tenet of the Democratic Party.

Contrast that with the administration of President Bush, who has unleashed government to hobble unions and their organizing efforts. In just one illuminating example, Bush's 2009 budget request seeks 100 times more money to regulate unions than to ensure that employers follow wage and hour laws and other labor protections. In dollars per regulated entity, Bush has budgeted $2,500 per union and union local and only $26 per employer, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

Republican antipathy toward labor was also reflected in the lopsided vote on the Employee Free Choice Act, a measure that would help to neutralize the union-busting tactics of employers. In 2007, it passed the House with nearly every Democrat voting for it and 183 Republicans against, and died in the Senate due to Republican opposition.

Yet, a new report by John Schmitt, a senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research in Washington, finds that unionization would bring a double-digit pay premium to at least 60 percent of America's workforce. Looking at national data for the years 2003 to 2007, the study concludes that unionization raises the income of the typical low-wage worker by 20.6 percent, and that of the median-wage worker by 13.7 percent.

The next election is momentous for the future of our nation in more ways than can be listed. But I believe it will seal the fate of the American worker. A Democrat in the White House is a vital step toward making us a fair country again, countering what we have become: a nation with a small cadre of investor-class winners and a vast population of struggling wage earners, with little ground left to lose.

The Company You Keep

by mcjoan

Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 11:04:59 AM PDT

John McCain just cancelled a fundraiser set for Monday with a Texas contributor, who has already raised $300,000 for his campaign. Seems the fundraiser, oilman and former gubernatorial candidate Clayton Williams, has a rather infamous political history:

Clayton Williams stirred controversy during his 1990 campaign for governor of Texas with a botched attempt at humor in which he compared rape to weather. Within earshot of a reporter, Williams said: "As long as it's inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it."

I don't know what passes for humor, botched or otherwise, at ABC News, but rape jokes ain't it. It's far beyond sexist. It's despicable and bordering on sociopathic.

As for Williams and McCain, I wholeheartedly concur with Tracy:

It’s not enough that Senator McCain cancels an event because the media got wind of it.

It’s not enough.

Senator McCain should publicly reject and denounce this man.

He should donate every single dirty dollar that this man has raised for him - all $300,000 - to an organization working to combat rape in our society - like RAINN or RVA.

And he should apologize immediately and completely to his female supporters for daring to entertain the thought of keeping company with this despicable, disgusting individual.

McCain's FISA Flip-Flops Still in the News

by mcjoan

Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 10:09:59 AM PDT

Once again, you've got to wonder about the political acumen of Democratic leaders who are so willing to capitulate on an issue that is working against the Republican nominee for President. Here's the Philadelphia Inquirer on John McCain:

Listen. What you are about to hear is the sound of John McCain flip-flopping his position on one of America's most cherished ideals.

A top McCain advisor says the Republican presidential candidate agrees with President Bush's outrageous program of wiretapping Americans' overseas conversations without warrants.

McCain previously had been critical of the Bush administration's unilateral decision, following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, to let the National Security Agency eavesdrop on untold numbers of citizens.

Before, McCain talked of the need for presidents to obey the law, just as other Americans must do.

But now he suggests that a McCain White House would pursue the same unchecked spy powers as Bush.

His flip-flop isn't as significant as the fact that McCain has gotten hold of the wrong end of the stick.

It's bad enough to think that the Dems would be willing to reward the Bush/Cheney administration for its subversion of the Constitution. But they have apparently so lost their ability to recognize a win that they'll give McCain the gift of not having to continue to tie himself up in knots on this issue. Go figure.

McCain Proves Himself Utterly Tasteless

by brownsox

Sat Jun 14, 2008 at 09:14:59 AM PDT

If you were watching MSNBC's coverage of Tim Russert's untimely passing last night, you may just have witnessed John McCain's naked attempt to make the death of this institution all about himself.

Apparently, McCain thought the time was right to make self-aggrandizing jokes about Russert's technique:

When asked yesterday by reporters what it was like to be interviewed by Russert, McCain said with a smile, ``I once told him I haven't had so much fun since my last interrogation at prison camp.''

Good God.

McCain's ravenous eagerness to reference his time as a POW at every opportunity is well documented, of course. It can be said of McCain that he comes from the Giuliani school of campaigning: each statement is a noun, a verb and Hanoi.

But I never thought the Senator would be quite so tasteless as to compare being on Meet the Press to facing interrogation in a prison camp...while eulogizing a Washington icon just hours after he passed, at a time when the nation was still in shock, still in mourning for one of its most prominent journalists.

I understand that John McCain was making a joke. I really do understand that. And I would posit that it's frankly shocking that he would use this occasion to crack wise. If Tim Russert were being roasted at a dinner, or receiving an award, it would be perfectly appropriate (well, almost appropriate) for McCain to have made this comment.

But Russert just died.

And McCain is busy with self-promotion at Russert's expense before the autopsy is done, using a joke he has used dozens of times before in a highly cavalier fashion.

McCain will use his military experience as a punchline. He has used the line, "I haven’t had his much fun since I was in Hanoi" on a number of occasions. Even more, after watching the Arizona Diamondbacks lose a game to the New York Yankees in the World Series he said, "I hadn’t had so much fun since my last interrogation in Hanoi."

Apparently, this national occasion of mourning deserves the same level of consideration as a baseball game.

Senator McCain, for once in the year, this is not about you. You are the Republican nominee for the presidency of the United States, and I understand that for most days out of the year, every interview and every speech you give will be about you.

But yesterday was about eulogizing Tim Russert, and this self-promoting reference is truly egregious and supremely tasteless.

Tim Russert deserves better at your hands.

Yesterday's vote on impeachment, and the next steps

Yesterday's vote and today's steps forward
Download and print the new ImpeachBush flyer

Today's update on the status of impeachment in Congress also includes a new resource for impeachment activists to use around the country. We also want to send a thank you! to all those who have made a donation to allow the movement to reach this incredible level of activity. Funds are critical at this stage, click here to donate.

Download this flyer by clicking here.

Yesterday, the House voted 251-166 to send the 35 Articles of Impeachment introduced on Monday to the House Judiciary Committee.

ImpeachBush.org is initiating a full-scale grassroots campaign to pressure the House Judiciary Committee to act on HRes 1258, the Articles of Impeachment for George W. Bush. It is now the Judiciary Committee's obligation to hold impeachment hearings.

We've produced a new flyer, "Impeachment: How you can help make it a reality," which you can download by clicking here. It is perfect for circulating to your friends, family members, classmates, co-workers, community members, and all other potential newcomers to the movement. If everyone on this list were to pass out the flyer to just ten people -- and that wouldn't take long at all -- we could magnify our efforts dramatically.

By bringing the millions more people who already support impeachment into the movement, through phone calls, emails, door-to-door outreach, rallies, pickets and advertising, Congress be forced to respond to the will of the people.

We'd especially like to thank everyone who has donated to the impeachment movement in the last few days. It's your help that allows us to get these grassroots initiatives off the ground and running in no time. If you have not donated this week, please consider taking a moment to do so right now and click this link. If you have already given, we thank you for any additional contribution you can make.

-- All of us at ImpeachBush.org

P.S. The 35 Articles of Impeachment of HR 1258 are available for viewing on the ImpeachBush.org website.

Kucinich’s Impeachment Measure Gains Co-Sponsor, But Pelosi Believes It's a 'Distraction'

By Jason Leopold The Public Record Tuesday, June 10, 2008

U.S. Rep Robert Wexler, (D-Fla.), said Tuesday he will co-sponsor a resolution introduced Monday night by Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich calling for the impeachment of President George W. Bush for lying to Congress and the public to win support for an invasion of Iraq five years ago.

"President Bush deliberately created a massive propaganda campaign to sell the war in Iraq to the American people and the charges detailed in this impeachment resolution indicate an unprecedented abuse of executive power," Wexler said in a prepared statement. "A decision by Congress to pursue impeachment is not an option, it is a sworn duty. It is time for Congress to stand up and defend the Constitution against the blatant violations and illegalities of this Administration. Our Founding Fathers bestowed upon Congress the power of impeachment, and it is now time that we use it to defend the rule of law from this corrupt Administration."

Wexler co-sponsored a separate resolution Kucinich introduced last year that called for the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney. When the House Judiciary Committee refused to take up the measure Wexler launched a campaign to drum up support for impeachment hearings against Cheney.

In a statement Tuesday, Kucinich said, "It is imperative that members of Congress have a thorough opportunity to read the articles of impeachment and study the documentation," Kucinich said in a statement. "When they do, I am confident that they will agree that it is both appropriate and necessary for the Judiciary Committee to begin hearings."

Steny Hoyer, the Democratic House Majority Leader, told reporters Tuesday that the 35 articles of impeachment Kucinich read to his colleagues over a four-hour period will be read again into the Congressional Record Tuesday evening by the House clerk.

Kucinich will then "rise and make a motion that the Impeachment Resolution be referred to committee,” a news release issued by the Congressman's office said.

Hoyer defended Kucinich's move to bring the impeachment articles before the House.

“This Administration has had one of the worst records domestically and internationally of any Administration in my lifetime, maybe ever,” Hoyer, who has been opposed to impeachment, told reporters Tuesday.

However, the resolution, which is expected to be sent to the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday where it will likely be shelved, does not have the support of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. The California Democrat has said repeatedly that impeachment is "off the table."

"Speaker Pelosi will continue to lead legislative efforts to find a new direction in Iraq but believes that impeachment would create a divisive battle, be a distraction from Congress's efforts to chart a new course for America's working families and would ultimately fail," Pelosi's spokesman, Nadeam Elshami, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer Tuesday.

Congress has not considered impeachment because the Democratic leadership believes it will hurt their party's chances of securing the White House in November's hotly contested presidential election between Senators Barack Obama and John McCain. Additionally, Democrats said they do not have enough votes to support a move to impeach the president.

Democrats would consider initiating impeachment proceedings if the president authorizes a military strike against Iran without first consulting Congress, according to a May 8 letter sent to President Bush by House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers.

"Late last year, Senator Joseph Biden stated unequivocally that “the president has no authority to unilaterally attack Iran, and if he does, as Foreign Relations Committee chairman, I will move to impeach” the president.

"We agree with Senator Biden, and it is our view that if you do not obtain the constitutionally required congressional authorization before launching preemptive military strikes against Iran or any other nation, impeachment proceedings should be pursued, Conyers' letter says.

Kucinich said Monday night as he read the articles of impeachment on the House floor that President Bush misled "the American people and members of Congress to believe Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction so as to manufacture a false case for war."

"President George W. Bush, by such conduct, is guilty of an impeachable offense warranting removal from office," Kucinich said. "In his conduct while President of the United States, George W. Bush, in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the office of president of the United States, and to the best of his ability preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed, has committed the following abuses of power..."

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence agreed. Last week, the committee released a long-awaited report on prewar Iraq intelligence that concluded President Bush and Vice President Cheney knowingly lied to the public and to Congress about Iraq's links to al-Qaeda and the threat the country posed to the U.S. in the aftermath of 9/11.

That would be an impeachable offense, according to former Nixon counsel John Dean.

"To put it bluntly, if Bush has taken Congress and the nation into war based on bogus information, he is cooked," Dean wrote in a June 6, 2003 column for findlaw.com.

"Manipulation or deliberate misuse of national security intelligence data, if proven, could be "a high crime" under the Constitution's impeachment clause. It would also be a violation of federal criminal law, including the broad federal anti-conspiracy statute, which renders it a felony "to defraud the United States, or any agency thereof in any manner or for any purpose.

Moreover, the move to impeach President Bush comes on the heels of a letter signed by 56 House Democrats Friday that was sent to Attorney General Michael Mukasey calling for the appointment a special counsel to investigate whether President Bush and other White House officials violated the War Crimes Act when they authorized brutal interrogation methods against detainees at the Guantanamo Bay prison facility.

The letter says the International Committee of the Red Cross conducted an independent investigation of interrogation practices at Guantanamo Bay and “documented several instances of acts of torture against detainees, including soaking a prisoner’s hand in alcohol and lighting it on fire, subjecting a prisoner to sexual abuse and forcing a prisoner to eat a baseball.”

"This information indicates that the Bush administration may have systematically implemented, from the top down, detainee interrogation policies that constitute torture or otherwise violate the law," the letter to Mukasey says. “We believe that these serious and significant revelations warrant an immediate investigation to determine whether actions taken by the President, his Cabinet, and other Administration officials are in violation of the War Crimes Act, the Anti-Torture Act, and other U.S. and international laws.”

FEMA gives away $85 million of supplies for Katrina victims

From Abbie Boudreau and Scott Zamost
CNN Special Investigations Unit

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- FEMA gave away about $85 million in household goods meant for Hurricane Katrina victims, a CNN investigation has found.

These items, stored by FEMA, were meant for Katrina victims but were given to state and federal agencies.

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The material -- from basic kitchen goods to sleeping necessities -- sat in warehouses for two years before the Federal Emergency Management Agency's giveaway to federal and state agencies this year.

James McIntyre, FEMA's acting press secretary, told CNN that FEMA was spending more than $1 million a year to store the material and that another agency wanted the warehouses torn down, so "we needed to vacate them."

"Upon review of our assets and our need to continue to store them, we determined that they were excess to FEMA's needs; therefore, they are being excessed from FEMA's inventory," McIntyre wrote in an e-mail.

He declined a request for an on-camera interview, telling CNN the giveaway was "not news."

Photos from one of the facilities in Fort Worth, Texas, show pallet after pallet of cots, cleansers, first-aid kits, coffee makers, camp stoves and other items stacked to the ceiling. Watch dismay over "out of touch" FEMA »

FEMA said some of the items were donations from companies after Katrina, but most were purchased in the field as "starter kits" for people living in trailers provided by the agency. And even though the stocks were offered to state agencies after FEMA decided to get rid of them, one of the states that passed was Louisiana.

Martha Kegel, the head of a New Orleans nonprofit agency that helps find homes for those still displaced by the storm, said she was shocked to learn about the existence of the goods and the government giveaway.

"These are exactly the items that we are desperately seeking donations of right now -- basic kitchen household supplies," said Kegel, executive director of Unity of Greater New Orleans. "These are the very things that we are seeking right now. FEMA, in fact, refers homeless clients to us to house them. How can we house them if we don't have basic supplies?" Watch the great FEMA giveaway »

Kegel's group works with FEMA and other local organizations to rehouse victims of Katrina, the 2005 hurricane that flooded New Orleans and killed more than 1,800 people along the Gulf Coast. Community groups say thousands of people are still living in abandoned buildings in the city, though fewer than 100 people remain housed in tents.

Kegel said FEMA was told in regular meetings that Unity was desperate for household supplies and that the group has been forced to beg for donations. But she said FEMA never told Unity and other community groups that it had tens of millions of dollars worth of brand-new items meant for storm victims.

She said she learned of it from CNN, which found that those items never made it to people such as Debra Reed.

"An honest person like me didn't get nothing," said Reed, 54, who recently moved from a tent beneath a New Orleans bridge to a home with the help of Kegel's group. "I'm gonna turn, 'cause I'm gonna cry. I didn't get nothing. I fought to get my money, but they wouldn't give it to me. So I ended up going under the bridge."

FEMA confirmed it had kept the merchandise in storage for the past two years -- then gave it away to cities, schools, fire departments and nonprofit agencies such as food banks. In all, General Services Administration records show FEMA gave away 121 truckloads of material.

McIntyre said that most of the items given away were not "standard-issue type supplies" that FEMA would have distributed after other disasters. He said using the GSA, which manages federal property, to get rid of those stockpiles was "standard process."

Asked if FEMA believed Katrina victims no longer needed the items, McIntyre wrote: "If the state did not request the supplies, then FEMA would not know." Watch Kegel describe "the needs are just overwhelming" »

Pallets at the Fort Worth warehouse were piled high with boxes of buckets, boots, cleansers, mops and brooms. There were stacks of tents, lanterns and camp stoves for people still displaced, as well as clothing, bedding, plates and utensils.

Meanwhile, Kegel said, Unity's clients can take only "one fork, one spoon, one knife -- they can only take one plate. We don't have enough to go around."

But FEMA said the items were no longer needed in the stricken region. So it declared them "federal surplus" and gave them away.

Federal agencies such as the Bureau of Prisons, Postal Service and Border Patrol got first dibs on the material when FEMA started giving it away. Other agencies that received items include the National Guard, U.S. Marshals Service, the Air Force and Navy and the departments of Agriculture, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security, according to a list the GSA provided to CNN.

These items also were offered to all states -- yet Louisiana, where most of the people displaced by the storm live, passed on taking any of them.

John Medica, director of the Louisiana Federal Property Assistance Agency in Baton Rouge, said he was unaware that Katrina victims still had a need for the household supplies.

"We didn't have anybody out there who told us they wanted it," Medica said.

Instead, 16 other states took the free items.

Kegel said she could not understand how Medica could not be aware of the need in the New Orleans area.

She said she had not heard of the agency and was not registered with them, but following CNN's interview, the agency contacted her about registering Unity of Greater New Orleans so it could qualify for available supplies in the future.

McCain: Bringing the troops home is "not too important"

by BarbinMD

Wed Jun 11, 2008 at 08:35:18 AM PDT

Yes, he really said that. Via Talking Points Memo:

There have been 10 American soldiers killed in Iraq during the first 10 days of this month, 189 killed this year, and 4,094 killed over the past five years, but bringing the troops home "isn't too important" because we've got troops stationed in Germany and South Korea and no one is killing them?

This is what John McCain is "fine" with for another 100 years.

House votes on impeachment today!

House Votes on Impeachment Today!

Three important updates

ImpeachBush will be delivering you action alerts and updates on the impeachment struggle in Congress. Today, we have three things to report, but first we want to send a thank you! to all those who have made a donation to allow the movement to go into high gear. Funds are critical at this stage, click here to donate.

Update:

1) House members are expected to vote Wednesday (today) on sending articles of impeachment against President Bush to the Judiciary Committee. The 35 articles introduced by Dennis J. Kucinich, D-Ohio, on Monday are pressuring the Democratic Party to make good on a promise many of them made before the 2006 elections: to impeach! Just one week ago, ImpeachBush.org members flooded Judiciary Chairman John Conyers offices with the demand for impeachment during the National Call-In Day for Impeachment. We must continue to let Rep. Conyers and every other Congressperson know that the people demand action!

2) Calling it "a sworn duty" of Congress to act, U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler of Florida signed on yesterday to Dennis Kucinich's 35 Articles of Impeachment. "President Bush deliberately created a massive propaganda campaign to sell the war in Iraq to the American people and the charges detailed in this impeachment resolution indicate an unprecedented abuse of executive power," Wexler said in a statement.

3) At 1pm, June 11, members of Veterans for Peace will hold a news conference at the Capitol to display the 22,000 names they collected on a petition to impeach Bush, which they will deliver to the office of John Conyers, Chair of the House Judiciary Committee. VFP Vice-President Elliott Adams wrote, "Having taken an oath to defend the Constitution 'from all enemies foreign and domestic,' our members take the obligation to impeach George W. Bush most seriously. We must hold this administration accountable for waging a war of aggression against Iraq."

What we are doing

We are going into overdrive with volunteers in DC and around the country putting pressure on Congress to act on impeachment now. We are also doing massive outreach to bring more and more people into the impeachment movement at this critical moment. We are printing thousands of leaflets, organizing door-to-door outreach for volunteers, phone banking, and exploring the possibilities for internet advertising and more newspaper ads. What we can achieve depends on the level of financial support provided by those who believe that the impeachment of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney is necessary. Click this link to make your donation.

Breaking News: Articles of Impeachment Being Introduced in Congress Right Now

Breaking News:
Articles of Impeachment Being Introduced in Congress Right Now

Make a donation Please take a brief moment right now to donate to support the impeachment effort - together we can make impeachment a reality.

Right now, Monday night, Rep. Dennis Kucinich is on the floor of the House of Representatives introducing articles of impeachment against George W. Bush. He is presenting a 35 count indictment which is being broadcast on C-Span. We will provide a more detailed update, but wanted to be sure to let everyone know right away.

The intense work of the ImpeachBush.org/VoteToImpeach membership is forcing impeachment on the table. During ImpeachBush.org's National Call In Day for Impeachment held just one week ago, the offices of Rep. John Conyers were flooded with calls demanding impeachment. We have received reports that there were more calls than could even be answered.

Your work and perseverance is making the difference!

Please take a brief moment right now to donate to support the impeachment effort - together we can make impeachment a reality.

-- All of us at ImpeachBush.org/VoteToImpeach

White House Lied About Abramoff Contacts

by SusanG

Mon Jun 09, 2008 at 02:30:12 PM PDT

Here's what the White House today is calling warmed up leftovers and "a joke":

President Met Disgraced Lobbyist At Least Six Times

The White House Had Previously Acknowledged Only Two Meetings

By JUSTIN ROOD

June 9, 2008 —

The White House had stronger ties to disgraced superlobbyist Jack Abramoff than it has publicly admitted, according to a draft congressional report released Monday.

President Bush met Abramoff on at least four occasions the White House has yet to acknowledge, according to the draft report by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

And White House officials appeared as comfortable going to Abramoff and his lobbyists seeking tickets to sporting and entertainment events, as they did seeking input on personnel picks for plum jobs, the report found.

President Bush himself met Abramoff on at least six occasions, the report said, citing White House documents; the White House had previously acknowledged only two.

Yep. The president lying about contacts with a criminal is just a freakin' hilarious "joke," isn't it?

And it would be irresponsible not to begin speculation about the following tidbit, wouldn't it?

At least three former officials declined to answer some or all of the investigators' questions, citing their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, the draft report said.

Bush administration destroying more evidence from interrogations

by smintheus

Mon Jun 09, 2008 at 01:37:41 PM PDT

The White House likes to pretend that it has not created a kafkaesque spiderweb of prisons and military tribunals, despite all the evidence to the contrary: kidnapping, the purchase of prisoners for "bounties", torture and abuse, coerced confessions, locking up known innocents for years at a time, secrecy and lies, destruction of evidence, poor access for lawyers and human rights watchdogs, prolonged imprisonment without trial, a series of kangaroo-court procedures, reprisals against military lawyers who uphold standards of justice, and the flagrant politicization of trials. Well, add another stone to the mountain of evidence against this "administration".

A Gitmo defense lawyer stumbled upon a Pentagon manual that advises interrogators to destroy their hand-written notes in order to thwart any inquiries at trial into wrong-doing by officials.

Interrogators at Guantánamo Bay were told to destroy their notes to stop them potentially being used to highlight the mistreatment of detainees, according to a US military lawyer.

William Kuebler, a lieutenant commander who is defending Omar Khadr, a Canadian national facing trial for alleged war crimes in Afghanistan, said the classified instructions were included in an operations manual that prosecutors allowed him to see last week...

He told reporters the instruction was contained in a US military manual of standard operating procedures, or SOPs, for interrogators that was shown to him during a pre-trial review of possible evidence.

The mission has legal and political issues that may lead to interrogators being called to testify ... Keeping the number of documents with interrogation information to a minimum can minimize certain legal issues," the document was cited as saying in an affidavit signed by Kuebler...

Kuebler said the operations manual, from January 2003, was attached to a 2005 report into alleged detainee abuse at Guantánamo, but that the section covering the manual was not made public at the time.

Omar Khadr was 15 years old when the military imprisoned him. His defense alleges that interrogators coerced a false confession from Khadr partly through abuse and threats to rape him:

Mr. Khadr's defense team at Guantanamo Bay had asked the prosecution to provide handwritten notes relating to Mr. Khadr's interrogations in both Guantanamo Bay and Afghanistan.

"Counsel for the government claim that, after a diligent search, they have been unable to locate and unable to provide responsive materials," LCdr. Kuebler writes in his affidavit.

It looks like Kuebler is right that the Pentagon insured that interrogators "routinely destroyed evidence" that might have been used to defend the Khadr and other detainees.

For its part, the Pentagon didn't even try to defend the destruction of evidence when the SOP was exposed.

A Pentagon spokesman, Navy Cmdr. Jeffrey Gordon, said he was reviewing the matter Sunday evening.

Destruction of evidence is in fact routine at Guantanamo. Last December we learned that in 2005 the CIA ordered the destruction of videotapes of interrogations, apparently at the behest of the White House.

If the Guantanamo tribunals really are legitimate courts of law, as the WH insists, then the destruction of videotapes and interrogators' notes ought to count as obstruction of justice. This report from March remains relevant:

“They thought they were saving themselves from legal scrutiny, as well as possible danger from Al Qaeda if the tapes became public,” said Frederick P. Hitz, a former C.I.A. officer and the agency’s inspector general from 1990 to 1998, speaking of agency officials who favored eliminating the tapes. “Unknowingly, perhaps, they may have created even more problems for themselves.”

In a suit brought by Hani Abdullah, a Yemeni prisoner at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, a federal judge has raised the possibility that, by destroying the tapes, the C.I.A. violated a court order to preserve all evidence relevant to the prisoner. In at least 12 other lawsuits, lawyers for prisoners at Guantánamo and elsewhere have filed legal challenges citing the C.I.A. tapes’ destruction, said David H. Remes, a Washington lawyer representing 16 prisoners.

“This is like any other cover-up,” Mr. Remes said. “We’ve only scratched the surface.”

Indeed, as the new revelation about the Pentagon manual demonstrates. Kuebler's find has been reported widely outside the US. Shame that there's only a single, brief report in the American news media.

++++

Obama says he would impose oil windfall profits tax

RALEIGH, North Carolina (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said on Monday he would impose a windfall profits tax on U.S. oil companies as he sought political gain from Americans' pain over high gasoline prices.

Launching a two-week focus on the economy after clinching the Democratic presidential nomination, Obama drew a sharp contrast between his economic policies and those of John McCain, his Republican rival in the November election.

"I'll make oil companies like Exxon pay a tax on their windfall profits, and we'll use the money to help families pay for their skyrocketing energy costs and other bills," the Illinois senator said.

Obama charged that McCain's support for extending President George W. Bush's tax cuts means he is in favor of $2 trillion in corporate tax breaks, including $1.2 billion for Exxon Mobil Corp.

"If John McCain's policies were implemented, they would add $5.7 trillion to the national debt over the next decade. That isn't fiscal conservatism, that's what George Bush has done over the last eight years," Obama said.

McCain lied to Newsweek...will the press notice?

by BarbinMD

Mon Jun 09, 2008 at 09:57:44 AM PDT

In an interview with Newsweek, John McCain tries to back away from his recent criticism of the media:

Q: Want to back up a little bit and talk about press coverage. One of the things that you mentioned in your speech in New Orleans was that you felt that the media hadn't recognized or had overlooked some of the attributes that Hillary Clinton had brought to the race. And I wondered—

MCCAIN: I did not [say that]—that was in prepared remarks, and I did not [say it]—I'm not in the business of commenting on the press and their coverage or not coverage...I can't change any of the coverage that I know of except to just campaign as hard as I can and try to seek the approval of the majority of my fellow citizens.

It is something that the American people will judge, and I won't complain about it and I won't praise it. I will just run my campaign and hope that the American people will make a judgment.

The problem is, he did say it (video from redlasso):

Senator Clinton has earned great respect for her tenacity and courage. The media often overlooked how compassionately she spoke to the concerns and dreams of millions of Americans and she deserves a lot more appreciation than she sometimes receives.

Oh, he'll complain about it. Then he'll just lie about it. The question is, will the media notice?

(h/t to Atrios)

More Iraq $ on the way?

by Kagro X

Mon Jun 09, 2008 at 10:50:11 AM PDT

The House has another snoozer of a week coming up, with a whopping 37 suspensions on the calendar, to be followed by the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2008.

Hoo-wee!

But hey, that's the reality of life in Congress. It's not all the glamorous stuff that makes people send you hate mail, you know.

There is one bill of general interest looming, however, and that's the latest Iraq war funding bill, which could reach the floor this week depending on how final negotiations go. The funding comes once again in the form of an "emergency" supplemental -- the eighth such "emergency" bill of the Bush "administration" (not counting two additional "bridge funding" Iraq appropriations bills, which we're supposed to think are some other species of "Oh crap, we need more money again" bills).

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) says he'd like to see the bill get to the floor "earlier rather than later" in the week, which would likely mean Wednesday or Thursday rather than sticking around for big votes on Friday. Yes, most people would consider Monday or Tuesday "earlier," but 37 suspensions is quite a load. And frankly, they'll need it, since it's not at all clear that negotiations have progressed with regard to what should be in this bill.

What's to negotiate? Well, there's the question of whether or not to keep provisions extending unemployment benefits? And how about Senator Webb's "new GI bill?" Together, they add some $60 billion or so on top of the $108 billion that Bush says is the cap beyond which he'd veto the bill. But federal unemployment stats show the biggest monthly spike in the unemployment rate in over 20 years. And the GI bill is a no-brainer. Still, Blue Dogs in the House are balking at the lack of offsets to pay for these measures, and the Senate has already rejected tax increases on the top income brackets the Blue Dogs proposed as an answer.

To top it all off, we're back where we were last year on this issue, with the "Commander in Chief" threatening to hold the troops hostage if Congress doesn't rubber stamp his funding request. And that doesn't just mean giving him every dollar he asks for. It also means not giving him a penny more. Because he's "fiscally responsible!" This is something of a repeat of last year's battle, but with a new twist. In addition to his annual threat to veto any bill exceeding his request,

Bush said that if Congress does not act promptly, "critical accounts at the Department of Defense will soon run dry." He added that civilian employees may face "temporary layoffs," and the Pentagon would be forced to "close down a vital program that is getting potential insurgents off the streets and into jobs." If the supplemental spending bill is not enacted after July, Bush said, the department would "no longer be able to pay our troops," including ones in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Let's let VetVoice's Brandon Friedman tell you about that one:

I just want to be clear about two points:

1. Insurgents kill Americans. So when the President says that the Pentagon would be forced to "close down" a program that gets "potential insurgents off the streets," he's really saying that he'll deliberately allow the threat to American troops in Iraq increase if he doesn't get his money. He's playing chicken with Congress at the expense of American lives in Iraq. Make no mistake about it: More insurgents on the streets would lead to more American deaths.

Perhaps someone knows more about this than I do, but I suspect Bush might be setting a precedent here. I'm not sure this has ever happened before.

2. Bush is also threatening to stop paying troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is funny, because I don't hear him threatening to cut the contracts of Halliburton, Blackwater, SAIC, and DynCorp--and thus cutting their employees' inflated salaries.

This is a clear indication that the Bush administration is more loyal to contractors than to soldiers. When forced to cut spending, Bush would rather starve members of the Armed Forces than cut the exorbitant pay checks given to those who work for privatized military companies.

That's some Commander Guy we've got there, ain't it?

So what will the Congress be doing this week? Falling all over itself in the rush to knuckle under, of course. But not before taking a few minutes to posthumously award a Congressional gold medal to Constantino Brumidi. Which is nice. Don't get me wrong.

Fighting For Florida's Economy

Dear Friends,

With skyrocketing costs for food, gas, and healthcare, the economic downturn is hitting Florida families hard. I have been working hard with my colleagues in Congress to take action to strengthen and rebuild our economy. Earlier this month, Congress passed landmark legislation that will help ease the housing crisis and keep more Americans in their homes. In addition, 130 million American taxpayers started to receive their Economic Recovery Rebate Checks last week from the first economic stimulus package passed by the Congress in February. These measures will help struggling Florida families and will help get our economy back on track.

Halting Florida's Foreclosure Crisis

Florida homeowners are faced with a toxic combination of high property taxes, skyrocketing insurance premiums, and increasing mortgages. Combined with the downturn in the economy and a depressed real estate market, Florida now has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the country and ending this foreclosure crisis is vital for our economic recovery.

Earlier this month, the House passed a series of measures that I co-sponsored and supported to help families become first-time homebuyers, assist existing homeowners, help families facing foreclosure keep their homes, and to stabilize property values in neighborhoods harmed by high foreclosure rates. These measures will:

• Provide first time homebuyers with an interest free loan, up to $7500, towards a home down payment. Taxpayers would be required to repay any amount received under this provision to the government over 15 years in equal installments.

• Provide Property tax relief for homeowners who claim the standard deduction by allowing them to claim an additional standard deduction of up to $350 ($700 for joint filers) for State and local real property taxes. This provision applies for 2008.

• Help refinance at-risk borrowers into viable mortgages.

• Strengthen regulations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and raises their loan limits to increase liquidity in the mortgage market. It also creates a new fund to boost the nation’s stock of affordable rental housing

Congressman Mahoney spoke on the floor to support the legislation.
Click Here to See Congressman Mahoney’s Speech.

Economic Recovery Rebate Checks Helping Florida Families

This comprehensive housing package comes just as 8.3 million families across Florida are getting their Economic Recovery Rebate checks that were part of the bipartisan economic stimulus package that Congress passed in February to halt the deepening recession. The economic stimulus package puts $145.9 billion in the hands of seniors and working families and it gives small business $44 billion in tax cuts this year. In Florida alone, the Economic Recovery Rebate checks will inject $6.8 billion back into the local economy, with the average Florida household receiving a check for $819.

In coming weeks, Congress will launch a second economic recovery effort that will bring relief to homeowners facing lost value in their homes or foreclosure, create highway construction jobs, and help American families struggling to make ends meet.

While longer term solutions must be paired with short-term recovery, this economic stimulus package provides unprecedented tax relief for working Americans and will inject confidence and consumer demand into our economy, promote economic growth and create jobs.

To learn more about getting your rebate, please visit my Online Tax Resource Center at: www.mahoney.house.gov.

Sincerely, Congressman Tim Mahoney

TRUE CRIMES - The Untold Story Behiind the Devastation of Iraq

Tonight, go to worldcantwait.org for an exciting live webcast of the event "True Crimes: The Untold Story Behind the Devastation of Iraq." The event, which will take place at New York City's Town Hall, features bestselling author JEREMY SCAHILL, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer CHRIS HEDGES, journalist LAILA AL-ARIAN, and The New Yorker's SEYMOUR HERSH, as they go behind the headlines to tell the untold story of the occupation of Iraq, the daily plight of Iraqi civilians, and the ongoing role of private mercenaries in America's so-called "war on terror."

The webcast will stream live at 7 p.m. EST. This event marks the book launches of Collateral Damage: America's War Against Iraqi Civilians by Chris Hedges and Laila al-Arian and the updated paperback edition of Blackwater: Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army by Jeremy Scahill.

As the director of The World Can't Wait - Drive Out the Bush Regime, I get many substantial messages from supporters on the crimes of the Bush regime, with proposals, events, thanks, and people continually urging me to see that the Bush & Cheney get brought to justice. I also hear from some people who think the movement to repudiate the Bush program is passe, too negative, and unnecessary. They say we should be looking forward to what good the next president (whom they presume will not be a war criminal) could do. These offerings are for both groups, and for those of you who ponder "how did the Bush regime get this far and what does it mean"? BUSH: "We are Not Blinking!" Tom Engelhardt writes about a memoir from a Bush insider, General Ricardo Sanchez. "Let me briefly set the scene, as Sanchez tells it on pages 349-350 of Wiser in Battle. It's April 6, 2004. L. Paul Bremer III, head of the occupation's Coalition Provisional Authority, as well as the President's colonial viceroy in Baghdad, and Gen. Sanchez were in Iraq in video teleconference with the President, Secretary of State Colin Powell, and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. (Assumedly, the event was recorded and so revisitable by a note-taking Sanchez.) The first full-scale American offensive against the resistant Sunni city of Fallujah was just being launched, while, in Iraq's Shiite south, the U.S. military was preparing for a campaign against cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army militia. According to Sanchez, Powell was talking tough that day: "We've got to smash somebody's ass quickly," the general reports him saying. "There has to be a total victory somewhere. We must have a brute demonstration of power." (And indeed, by the end of April, parts of Fallujah would be in ruins, as, by August, would expanses of the oldest parts of the holy Shiite city of Najaf. Sadr himself would, however, escape to fight another day; and, in order to declare Powell's "total victory," the U.S. military would have to return to Fallujah that November, after the U.S. presidential election, and reduce three-quarters of it to virtual rubble.) Bush then turned to the subject of al-Sadr: "At the end of this campaign al-Sadr must be gone," he insisted to his top advisors. "At a minimum, he will be arrested. It is essential he be wiped out." Not long after that, the President "launched" what an evidently bewildered Sanchez politely describes as "a kind of confused pep talk regarding both Fallujah and our upcoming southern campaign [against the Mahdi Army]." Here then is that "pep talk." While you read it, try to imagine anything like it coming out of the mouth of any other American president, or anything not like it coming out of the mouth of any evil enemy leader in the films of the President's -- and my -- childhood: "'Kick ass!' [Bush] said, echoing Colin Powell's tough talk. 'If somebody tries to stop the march to democracy, we will seek them out and kill them! We must be tougher than hell! This Vietnam stuff, this is not even close. It is a mind-set. We can't send that message. It's an excuse to prepare us for withdrawal. "There is a series of moments and this is one of them. Our will is being tested, but we are resolute. We have a better way. Stay strong! Stay the course! Kill them! Be confident! Prevail! We are going to wipe them out! We are not blinking!'" There is a huge and growing body of evidence of war crimes, for those who wish to see them. World Can't Wait is resolute in determination to halt the whole Bush program. Debra Sweet, Director, The World Can't Wait - Drive Out the Bush Regime

World Can't Wait - info@worldcantwait.org - 866.973.4463 - 305 W. Broadway #185, NY, NY 10013