In Depth Analysis of the Democratice Race

[lawrocket 3]

Quote

Quote

Hey in america we have quite a few convicted felons elected to public office.

The mayor of DC, quite a few congressmen, aldermen in chicago, etc.

So is disenfranchisement of felons a state by state issue?

Yes.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[kelpdiver 2]

Quote

Seriously, has there ever been a candidate who hasn't campaigned a promise of change? When was the last time you ever heard a candidate say, "If I'm elected, I won't change a damn thing. Nope. Just gonna keep everything exactly how it is."

George Bush, 1988, was pretty close to this. VPs trying to follow their President tend to ride the coattail, though Gore diverge a good bit in 2000.

[SimonBones 1]

I tell you what, it'd make for one hell of an easy campaign. Whenever someone asks you what we're going to do about X topic, just say, "keep it how it is". At every debate, "I think it's good". Think about how much time, money, and painful thinking you'd save yourself. Hell I might consider running this way one day. It'd be soo easy!

Vote for me, I won't do a damn thing and evrything will stay the same. I'm for NO change

108 way head down world record!!!
http://www.simonbones.com
Hit me up on Facebook

[nerdgirl 0]

Quote

I just found out he wrote a bill the house has passed and the senate is right now trying to push it though without much discussion. The Bill earmarks 850 billion over 13 years in new spending aid to reduce other countries proverty. This is 850
billion over what aid is spent today.
&
More on the bill
http://povertynewsblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/barack-obamas-global-tax-proposal-up.html

Thanks for the heads’ up on that bipartisan effort; it was one of which I was not previously aware. Sen Obama is lead sponsor on the Senate version of the “Global Poverty Act of 2007,” i.e., it appears that it was originally written in the House.

It's not an Appropriations bill - there's no $. Period.

At best, it's an effort to direct State Dept to coordinate (across the interagency) & strategize how to leverage it current programs that may relate (or be 'rationalizable' as relating) to poverty reduction. One could characterize it, at worse, as an unfunded mandate (altho' the only real deliverable is a report to Congress).

Summary of the bill: “Global Poverty Act of 2007 - Directs the President, through the Secretary of State, to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to further the U.S. foreign policy objective of promoting the reduction of global poverty, the elimination of extreme global poverty, and the achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goal of reducing by one-half the proportion of people worldwide, between 1990 and 2015, who live on less than $1 per day.”

From the original source of the linked commentary (above):

“The legislation would commit the U.S. to spending 0.7 percent of gross national product on foreign aid. The legislation would commit the U.S. to spending 0.7 percent of gross national product on foreign aid, which amounts to a phenomenal 13-year total of $845 billion over and above what the U.S. already spends.”

Neither the full text House or Senate version of the bill supports that assertion (to put it diplomatically). And again, it’s not an appropriations bill.

The bill’s language direct the US to develop a strategy to support “Continued investment in existing United States initiatives [emphasis - nerdgirl] related to international poverty reduction, such as the United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Act of 2003, the Millennium Challenge Act of 2003, the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, and trade preference programs for developing countries, such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act” and to submit a report to Congress NLT 1 year after Act becomes law on the strategy and the effectiveness of the programs listed above toward reducing poverty.

There does not appear to be a Presidential Budget Request (PBR) or a Congressional Addition (i.e., an “earmark”) appropriation connected to it. The FY09 PBR was recently submitted to Congress; the Executive agencies are preparing briefings for Congressional staffers. (Separately, the DoD is internally working through its FY10-15 Program Objective Memorandum (POM) cycle too.)

I can ‘guestimate’ from where the “$845B” figure was generated … it’s a red herring (at a most generous characterization).

---- --- ----

More from the source linked in your reply:

“They [the Senate bill’s co-sponsors] are Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Richard Lugar (R-IN), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ).” [States & affiliations – nerdgirl]

“The House version (H.R. 1302), sponsored by Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), had only 84 co-sponsors [“only” (?) emphasis – nerdgirl].”

“The bill itself quotes Bush as declaring that ‘We fight against poverty because opportunity is a fundamental right to human dignity.’ Bush’s former top aide, Michael J. Gerson, writes in his new book, Heroic Conservatism, that Bush should be remembered as the President who ‘sponsored the largest percentage increases in foreign assistance since the Marshall Plan…’”

Additionally, the full text of the bill also cites:

“The [White House’s –nerdgirl] 2002National Security Strategy of the United States notes: `[A] world where some live in comfort and plenty, while half of the human race lives on less than $2 per day, is neither just nor stable. Including all of the world's poor in an expanding circle of development and opportunity is a moral imperative and one of the top priorities of United States international policy.'.”
&
“The [White House’s –nerdgirl] 2006 National Security Strategy of the United States notes: `America's national interests and moral values drive us in the same direction: to assist the world's poor citizens and least developed nations and help integrate them into the global economy.'.”
&
“The bipartisan Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States [aka ‘the 9-11 Commission report’ – nerdgirl] recommends: `A comprehensive United States strategy to counter terrorism should include economic policies that encourage development, more open societies, and opportunities for people to improve the lives of their families and enhance prospects for their children.'.”

This is also thematically reflected in vision (if not the actual mission) of DoD’s AFRICOM.

This bipartisan House & Senate legislation appears to be fully in line with the highest level documents reflecting President Bush’s goals and strategies, as well as being in line with his Millenium Challenge Corporation. From the official White House release: “President Bush called for ‘a new compact for global development, defined by new accountability for both rich and poor nations alike. Greater contributions from developed nations must be linked to greater responsibility from developing nations.’ The President pledged that the United States would lead by example and increase its core development assistance by 50 percent over the next three years, resulting in an annual increase of $5 billion by FY 2006.”

It’s a potential win-win for President Bush w/r/t establishing a legacy & for Congress for supporting his anti-poverty goals.

Now the next administration may chose to incorporate such a budget request, but it's not there now.

---- --- ----

For comparison, a full list of bills under consideration in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is available here, which include:
S. 721: Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2007
S. 1007: United States-Brazil Energy Cooperation Pact of 2007
S. 2243: Saudi Arabia Accountability Act of 2007 (!)
S. 2257: Burma Democracy Promotion Act of 2007
S. 2166: Jubilee Act for Responsible Lending and Expanded Debt Cancellation of 2007
S. 2172: Saffron Revolution Support Act of 2007

VR/Marg

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying

[azdiver 0]

this bill will mandate that the us pay the money the un to be distributed as they see fit. its also called the global tax bill. to fund this a new tax would have to be imposed to do so. the dems are trying to get this through, and are pushing for a gas tax as a basis for funding. this bill will take up 1.8 to 2.2 percent of the federal budget. the us currently spends around 89 billion in aid already, and that doesnt include the amount we spend that isnt on the budget, ie disaster aid. the us would also be the biggest source of money for this U.N program.
senator kyle is going to be interviewed on monday on this bill. if i learn any more info on it i will post it later

light travels faster than sound, that's why some people appear to be bright until you hear them speak

[nerdgirl 0]

Quote

this bill will mandate that the us pay the money the un to be distributed as they see fit. its also called the global tax bill. to fund this a new tax would have to be imposed to do so. the dems are trying to get this through, and are pushing for a gas tax as a basis for funding. this bill will take up 1.8 to 2.2 percent of the federal budget. the us currently spends around 89 billion in aid already, and that doesnt include the amount we spend that isnt on the budget, ie disaster aid. the us would also be the biggest source of money for this U.N program.
senator kyle is going to be interviewed on monday on this bill. if i learn any more info on it i will post it later

I don't like sounding harsh, but no, it's not. Period.

Do you understand the difference between an appropriations bill (i.e., one that had money attached to it) and non-appropriations bill (one that does not have money)?

This seems to be the latest incorrect viral email circulating the web.

VR/Marg

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying

[crwtom 0]

Quote

In November, McCain would make mincemeat of Hillary. But Obama can actually win this thing - and McCain knows it. McCain desperately wants to run against Hillary.

General elections are a whole different animal from primaries. In primaries "staying above the fray" and being generally polite is valued.

General elections tend to be all out mud wars. Remember how the repubs made big hay of Kerry's supposed "legislative laziness". Imagine this machine unleashed on Obama -- Kirk Watson will be the biggest star in repub campaign ads.

Cheers, T

*******************************************************************
Fear causes hesitation, and hesitation will cause your worst fears to come true

[Amazon 7]

Scary aint it