Lift Off to Better Science Education

By Courtney Ann Jackson- Talk Radio News

A boost in math and science education is important for today’s youth according to the Center for Excellence in Education. The Center’s Research Science Institute is the only cost-free for selected students to attend. The Center’s annual Capitol Hill luncheon Tuesday featured an example of the ultimate rise within the sciences field.

The keynote speaker and CEE Trustee was 2006 Nobel Prize Recipient in Physics , Dr. John Mather, who discussed his experiences in the field and his current projects. “I knew from childhood that science was interesting...My parents read to my sister and to me from biographies of Galileo and Darwin,” Mather said.

While discussing the Nobel Prize winners that have helped the Center President Joann DiGennaro said, “they’ve really worked with boots on the ground. They have created. They have been innovated and many of them have come from humble backgrounds.”

New programs from the CEE will help to evaluate the state of skills in American high school students excelling in math and science fields. DiGennaro, said, “We believe we can make a significant difference and we’re not asking the government for the money to do it.”

Honorary luncheon host Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) complimented the CEE’s work of capturing the standard of excellence in education and hard work that are “quintessentially American.”

Breaking News: Arlen Specter Switches Parties (Update)

By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service

Senator Arlen Specter
Photo By Michael Ruhl

Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, a long-time Republican, is defecting to the Democratic Party. This switch potentially gives Democrats in the Senate more leverage in passing their legislation and overriding Republican filibusters, if Al Franken is found to win the Senate seat in Minnesota. It's also a crippling blow to the Republican Party, which has been struggling to have its voice heard since the beginning of the 111th Congress.

Specter, 79, is Pennsylvania's longest serving senator, elected in 1980

Specter said that the increasing "extremism" within the Republican Party over the past few years has put both him and his constituents in a difficult position.

"I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans," Specter said. "I think it is very important to have a two party system, and a moderate wing of the two party system...The extremes in both parties are taking over."

He highlighted the partisanship which was amplified in Congress by the stimulus vote, saying, "it has become clear to me that the stimulus vote caused a schism which makes our differences irreconcilable."

Specter said that his defecting would not make him the "automatic sixtieth vote" for the Democrats, and that he would not be a "party-line voter" who is used to break filibusters.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said that he anticipates continued disagreements with Specter, but both of them hope to work together towards common causes. One area that Specter already said he would be opposed to most Democrats on is in reigning in executive power.

Although Specter will run as a Democrat in the 2010 election, he has not decided whether or not he will caucus with the Democrats immediately.

He informed Reid and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) of his decision last night. He then released a written statement at noon today, sending shock waves through the halls of Congress. Specter said that he made the decision gradually over the past few months, and that numerous Democrats encouraged him to defect, including Reid, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and Vice President Joe Biden. Reid said that he has been trying to convince other Republicans to switch party as well.

Reid said that both he and President Obama would personally campaign for Specter in his 2010 election after today's events. When President Obama found out, he reportedly telephoned Specter and welcomed him to the party. Specter was one of the few Republicans to vote for President Obama's stimulus package and budget.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid
Photo by Michael Ruhl

Commentators are already shouting down Specter's move as one of political strategy, as the Senator said that he would find a strong challenger in a Republican primary to be a big threat to his career. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) called it "nothing more, nothing less, then political self-preservation." He continued by saying Specter's, "Own pollster told him that he could not win the Republican primary in Pennsylvania, so his only options were to leave the Senate or join the Democratic Party.”

“I’m not prepared to have my 29-year record in the United States Senate decided by the Pennsylvania Republican primary electorate, not prepared to have that record decided by that jury,” Specter said.

Former Pennsylvania Congressman Patrick Toomey was seen as a strong candidate who could possibly have defeated Specter in the Republican primary. Additionally, Toomey is widely acknowledged as the more conservative candidate, and Specter said he did not want his career ended in a primary by his own party. He said that the Republicans don't want moderates anymore, which is why he was being targeted. "There ought to be a rebellion, an uprising," Specter exclaimed.

Incumbents in Congress have a significant advantage in winning reelection, but Specter was concerned after seeing recent polls. He said that his full constituency does not turn out to vote because the Republican party breeds extremism. Specter said that there are plenty of his constituents who agree with his positions, "but they're non-participants."

McConnell called this a "threat to the country," because it would allow the majority to "have whatever it wants, without restraint, without a check or a balance."

Reid said that with Specter's seniority within Congress, it would be as if he were elected as a Democrat in 1980. Reid was careful to say, however, that committee assignments would only be changed voluntarily, and that Specter's presence on the Democratic side would not bump any other Senators off a particular committee.

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), a longtime friend of Specter, doesn't believe that this is going to affect judicial confirmations or any potential Supreme Court vacancies that might surface in the near future.

Specter is "just as independent as ever," Leahy said.

Specter's said that in his time in the Senate, he has exercised "independent judgment to do what [he] thought was best for Pennsylvania and the nation," and that it was not his party that defined him.

Updated 5:00pm EST

Stimulus package: America’s right to follow up

The Committee on homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held a hearing today regarding The Recovery Investment Act and how to follow the trail of money that will be spent. Among the participants were Chairman Joseph I. Lieberman (ID-Conn) and Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine). Testimony was given by Robert Nabors, Deputy Director Office of Management and Budget.

Lieberman discussed the responsibility of the Committee under the Senate rules which is to study “the efficiency, economy, and effectiveness, of all agencies and departments of the Government.” He stated that it is important to work closely with the Obama Administration on this issue, because the last thing America needs is money, waste, or fraud.

Collins emphasized the importance of spending the stimulus funds effectively and with transparency plus accountability. To achieve this, Congress included strong safeguards in the stimulus bill. She described an example of this which is the funding for agency Inspectors General and the Government Accountability Office, which will act as watchdogs over the government.
Collins also referred to a new website, recovery.com, that has been created to allow every citizen to watch how their tax money is being spent.

Nabors in his testimony further discussed this website and has estimated that it has received over 150 million hits since February the 17th. “ We anticipate that the website will be a valuable resource for tracking their use,” said Nabors.

Unions: Can they help the economy?

by Christina Lovato, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Sevice

According to a report titled "Unions Are Good for the American
Economy" released by the Center for American Progress Action Fund,
unions would significantly help every American now during the economic
crisis.

"Workers in Unions earn 30% higher wages taking home about $863 a week
compared to $663 for the typical non-union worker." said Robert B.
Reich, Professor of Public Policy at the Goldman School of Public
Policy at the University of California at Berkeley and former
Secretary of Labor for President Bill Clinton. Reich also said that the
report shows that union workers are 59% more likely to have employer
provided health insurance as well.

According to the report, unions help workers achieve higher wages said
Karla Walter, the Policy Analyst with the American Worker Project at
American Progress. "We found when we controlled for factors like race,
age, and education level we were able to quantify the union
difference. What we found is that unionized workers wages on average
were 11.3% higher than non-unionized workers with similar
characteristics... That translates to $2.26 up per hour more." she said.

Walter stated that non-union workers would also benefit because their
employers would be likely to raise wages in response to fears that if
they don't raise wages their employees would unionize. "The Employee
Free choice Act is not only important because it makes it harder for
anti union companies to harass workers attempting to unionize and
break the law but it also provides a very important economic benefit.
Boosting unionization rates will improve millions of Americans
economic standing, it will provide the families who have union jobs to
pass to the middle class and it will pump billions of dollars into the
economy ever year." Walter concluded.

How many more trillions of dollars are we going to spend on health care plans?

"I might shop around for the best priced car or television but if I don't find the one I can afford, I'm not going to die. The same cannot be said for health care," said Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.), the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Health at the House Committee for Energy and Commerce. With more than $2.1 trillion spent on health care annually, the subcommittee examined new ways to reform health care and explore methods to achieve universal health care for all.

Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), gave examples of different companies in the United States that either do not have health care programs or have programs that are costing them too much. "Last time this committee had met, the spending for health care was at 14 percent, currently it is at 18 percent. With this increase it is no wonder that Starbucks is spending more on their health care plans then they are on coffee."

Senior Fellow of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, Elizabeth Edwards, gave her ideas for a new health plan. "Any health care reform has to be and will be two things. First is that it needs to be covered for all and second, it has to focus on cost control. Both need to happen together." Edwards also spoke about the presidential candidates and their health care plans. Edwards said that the one thing she and Sen. John McCain have in common is, "neither one of us would be covered under his health care plan."

"It's sad that in America, a middle class family has trouble taking their child to the doctor for a simple case of acne because of the health insurance they either have or do not have. This is not the America I know and this is not the America I want," research professor Karen Pollitz said.