Obama Wants You to Go Back to School

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

President Barack Obama
Photo by Michael Ruhl

Today President Barack Obama announced a new effort to stimulate tomorrow’s economy by reviving higher education through expanding Pell Grants and removing barriers to success. The public face for his new initiative is to be Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice-President Joe Biden and Community College Professor.

Obama’s plan, detailed at opportunity.gov, would help the unemployed go back to school to build new skill sets, with the goal of helping them gain future employment through specialized technical training.

“The idea here is to fundamentally change our approach to unemployment in this country, so that it’s no longer just a time to look for a new job, but is also a time to prepare yourself for a better job,” Obama said. “Our unemployment system should be not just a safety net, but a stepping stone to a new future.”

Among the barriers to success that the President wants to break down are state programs in which a worker might lose temporary financial support if they were to enroll in an education program. Obama said that in some places a worker may be unemployed, but may not qualify for federal assistance to get an education because of the salary they had a year ago but no longer make. The President said that he is committed to working with states to change these laws.

The President said that knowledge is the most valuable skill that one can sell. He encouraged all Americans to aim for getting at least 1 year of higher education, whether it is a community college, a four year school, vocational training or an apprenticeship.

“By 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world,” Obama said optimistically.

This announcement came on the same day as the release of April’s unemployment statistics, which saw the loss of more than half a million jobs. The unemployment rate for April was 8.9 percent, up from 8.5 percent in March and 8.1 percent in February. April's numbers have already surpassed both the White House's and the Federal Reserve's projections for all of 2009, which were 8.1 percent and 8.8 percent, respectively.

Acknowledging that unemployment is as its highest rate in 25 years, the President urged patience, reminding us that the economic problems didn’t happen overnight, and couldn’t be fixed immediately.

“We’re still in the midst of a recession that was years in the making and will be months or even years in the unmaking,” Obama said. He continued, “We should expect further job losses in the months to come.”

Obama said that the Economic Stimulus Package is yielding real results, manifest in higher consumer spending and home sales, and an increase in construction spending. He praised the Recovery Act, and said, “Because of this plan, cops are still on the beat and teachers are still in the classroom; shovels are breaking ground and cranes dot the sky; and new life has been breathed into private companies.”

Fixing the economy and reforming education are two goals Obama has set for his administration. He said that in the weeks to come he would start working towards more education initiatives.

Reid: Democrat’s Support of Specter is Not Conditional

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

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.)
Photo by Michael Ruhl

According to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), the Democratic Leadership will stick by Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter through thick and thin. The remarks came at a power breakfast on Capitol Hill, where Reid addressed, among other things, Specter’s recent defection to the Democratic Party.

President Obama, Vice President Biden and Reid have all pledged to support Specter when he comes up for reelection in 2010. When asked today whether or not that support was dependent on Specter voting a certain way, Reid said that it wasn’t.

“I’m not going to be in a forever, never position, but the facts are that he’s going to vote with us most of the time,” Reid Said. “I can’t foresee him doing anything that would be so mean spirited that Obama, Biden, and Reid would turn against him.”

If Al Franken wins the Senate Seat in Minnesota, which is still being contested in court, Specter would be the 60th Democrat in Congress, the number needed to stop a Republican filibuster.

“I don’t think [Specter is] going to be an automatic vote, but I don’t have any automatic votes,” Reid said. He was referring to fears from the right that Specter will be the key vote in stifling Republican policy.

Critics believe that Specter is going to help the Democrats steamroll through radical legislation.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has called the filibuster-proof Senate a “threat to the country.” He it would allow the Democrats to “have whatever it wants, without restraint, without a check or a balance.”


Specter's defection became a reality when he was assured by Reid that his seniority in the Senate would not be compromised. Reid has publicly stated that no members of Congress will be “bumped” from a committee position to make room for Specter.

The deal struck regarding Specter’s seniority was that upon defecting, he would be treated as though he had been elected a Democrat in 1980.

Not this Congress, at least.

Reid left open the door to moving Specter up in the ranks next Congress, and said, “We’ll work something out,” adding that in every new session of Congress, committee positions are worked out at the beginning of the term and restructured as necessary, and that the next Congress will not be an exception.

Today at TRNS

Today at Talk Radio News, the Washington Bureau will be covering Vice President Joe Biden’s announcement for funding to be given to Amtrak, a discussion on “A Year After the March 2008 Protests: Is China Promoting Stability in Tibet?,” a news conference on respiratory and immune disorders, a discussion “Iran: Internal Social and Political Dynamics,” a discussion on “Same-Sex Marriage and Religious Liberty: A Reconciliation,” and a book discussion on “Life Equity: Realize your true Value and Pursue Your Passions at Any Stage In Life,” with author Representative Marsha Blackburn, (R-Tenn.).

Obama creates task force to help the middle class

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

On Friday morning in the East Room of the White House, President Barack Obama created a Task Force with the singular objective of raising the standard of living of the middle class. Obama said that his economic stimulus package was “just the beginning”, and said that this task force would be what middle class citizens so desperately need, calling the middle class the “backbone” of the economy. Vice President Joe Biden was charged with heading this endeavor, which Biden said would be “fully transparent”. The task force includes economic advisors and well as cabinet members, and according to Biden is going to seek the opinions and ideas of citizens. Meeting transcripts, documents, and other relevant material will be kept on a special website, aStrongMiddleClass.gov, which Biden said would be a place for both information and conversation, in which citizens can participate and tell their stories. The President also said that this Task Force will not forget the poor, but will give them opportunities to get a piece of the American dream if they are willing to work for it. Obama also emphasized that Labor Unions and Business can coexist, saying that the situation was not a zero sum game.

Vice President Biden will engage in monthly meetings with community leaders and interest groups to address regional economic issues across the nation, including but not limited to childcare, education, balance in the workplace, the creation of jobs, and safety and fairness in the workplace. The first meeting of the task force will be on February 27th in Philadelphia, to discuss green jobs.

The President also signed three executive orders after his remarks, which were related to these issues.

Senator Joe Biden (D-DE) Investigates Perscription Drug Abuse

A joint Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control held a hearing entitled “Generation Rx: The Abuse of Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drugs.” The Committee discussed drug abuse with a panel made up of experts including medical epidemiologist, Dr. Len Paulozzi, as well as Director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse Dr. Nora Volkow.

Chaired by Senator Joe Biden (D-DE), the experts’ testimonies at the hearing were appalling. The testimonies showed how opioids (such as Vicoden), central nervous system depressants (such as Xanax and Valium), and stimulants, were among the drugs most commonly abused by American’s today.

Paulozzi’s report concluded by noting the obvious- prescription drug overdoses are a serous health problem. Biden noted that prescribes should be taught to less carefree in dispensing pain medications, and other drugs that could leave patients susceptible to addiction. With the rate of drug overdoses and drug related fatalities growing at a startlingly high rate, Biden’s concern about the American drug dependency and problems with abuse is not difficult to realize.