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.

Conservatives say border security is sound policy, not racism

On Thursday afternoon at the National Press Club, a panel met to discuss the role that immigration played in the Republican defeat of 2008. Marcus Epstein, executive director of the American Cause and Team America PAC, coordinated the event and sat on the panel. He said that immigration policy should be based not on hate, but on sound policy, a sentiment echoed by the rest of the panel. Panelist Jim Pinkerton, senior fellow of the Free Market Fund and New American Foundation, said that border security is the same thing as homeland security. Pinkerton highlighted the threat of terrorism, and insisted that securing the borders (in particular the one with Mexico) was a high propriety in ensuring that America's threats were minimized and managed. Pinkerton insisted that a border fence would help us maintain our national identity, and said this kind of cultural struggle is an issue "in every sovereign country". Pinkerton went on to say that a border fence would help the economy by creating jobs to construct it, as well as protecting Amerian jobs which may otherwise be taken by immigrants.

Peter Brimelow, columnist at CBS Marketwatch and former senior editor of Forbes and The National Review, stated that demographic shifts are "steadily weakening the GOP". He said that the influx of immigrants, both legal and illegal, is helping the Democratic Party. He continued that the number of people in these growing demographic groups turning out simply overwhelmed the Republicans white base in 2008. In the context of future elections in which Republicans are competing, Brimelow said that, "the projections are quite grim" for a Republican victory.

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

Kennedy moves to digitize medical records

On Wednesday Representative Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Representative Tim Murphy (R-Pa) held a press conference to discuss the Health IT portions of the economic stimulus package. Health IT refers to the maintenance of Medical records electronically and the sharing of them over the internet in a uniform and connected way, as opposed to conventional paper methods of filing. Representative Kennedy said that Healthcare in America is going to undergo an “enormous transformation”, and that everyone has a stake in Health IT. He continued that Health IT would deliver efficiency to the system and would make it more user friendly. Representative Murphy said that the legislation would eliminate $162 billion in waste in current programs and $150 billion worth of lost work time. Stephen Lieber, President and CEO of of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), said that Health IT would be necessary to meet President Obama’s call to computerize health records in 5 years, and that Health IT is both good stimulus and good policy. Critics of the legislation cite privacy as a main concern, but Representative Murphy stated that HIPAA rules would apply to the documents contained in the system, which would protect the privacy of patients.

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

Gates: Afghanistan is “greatest military challenge right now”

While testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates laid out the challenges facing the Defense Department. Gates said that “the greatest military challenge right now is Afghanistan,” but went on to say that there is “no purely military solution in Afghanistan”. Gates said that the highest priorities should be increasing the size and training of the Afghan army. He stated that America’s NATO allies could be doing more to support the war in several ways: providing caveat free military forces, providing a greater number of civilians for other efforts pertaining to operations and building, and sharing the financial burdens associated with Afghan army, estimated to be $3-4 billion in the next several years. Gates said that Afghanistan will be a “long and difficult fight”, and that the goal is for it not to be a base for terrorists.

On the topic of Iraq, Gates highlighted that on January 1st the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between the US and Iraq went into effect. SOFA withdraws US combat troops from Iraqi cities by the end of June with all troops out by 2011. Secretary Gates said that the upcoming elections in Iraq show progress. In his prepared testimony, Gates noted that the “sovereignty of Iraq” is one of the “non-military ways to blunt Iran’s power to threaten its neighbors and sow instability throughout the Middle East”. On Iran, Gates reinforced that they are “developing the capabilities needed to support a nuclear weapons program.” He said that “the lower price of oil deprives Iran of revenues and, in turn, makes U.N. economic sanctions bite harder.”

On North Korea, Secretary Gates said that denuclearization is still the goal, but it is uncertain whether North Korea will be willing to entirely give up its nuclear ambitions.

Speaking generally on foreign policy, Secretary Gates said that the United States military “must be able to dissuade, deter, and, if necessary, respond to challenges across the spectrum.” He highlighted the modernization China has recently been engaged in of their armed forces, specifically in cyber warfare, anti-satellite weaponry, anti-air and anti-ship weaponry, and their use of submarines and ballistic missiles. Gates said, “modernization in these areas could threaten America’s primary means of projecting power and helping allies in the Pacific: our bases, air, and sea assets, and the networks that support them.” Gates pointed out that the ground offensive by Russian troops into Georgia was preceded by a “sophisticated cyber attack”, and said that the Russian army is a “force to be reckoned with” in Eastern Europe. Secretary Gates was careful to say that Russia’s current efforts to dominated its “near abroad” should not be confused with the Soviet ideological campaign to dominate the world.

Defense Secretary Gates also met today with the House Armed Services Committee on the similar topics.

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

Determined bureaucracies a challenge to the policy process

While at a book review at the American Enterprise Institute, John Bolton spoke with his fellow panelists about the role the Bureaucracy plays in shaping policy. The forum addressed the late Peter W. Rodman’s book Presidential Command: Power, Leadership, and the Making of Foreign Policy from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush. The author and the panelists found that some of the bureaucratic practices often limited the number of options presented to those higher up, by deriving consensus and stifling dissent. Bolton said, “Secretaries of State and Presidents ought to welcome competing views, and then the higher level policy maker makes the decision.” Lack of accountability was also of concern to both author Rodman and the panel, who stressed that the the president and other elected officials are the ones who have legitimacy derived from the constitution and the democratic process. The panel met for approximately an hour and a half.

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