Wanted -- Straight Talk At The State Of The Union

President Obama must tell the American people that he was elected to not just give good news but true news.

Every president has his portrait painted early on in his first term. The figurative portrait of President Obama the public sees is the gilded orator who can give a great speech but fails to produce the necessary action. It doesn’t matter if that is the full truth about the president it is how he has been painted by public opinion. President Obama must address that perception in his State of the Union speech on Wednesday night. His address needs to be an action speech.

The president must outline his plan to get America working again. It has to be bold and specific. He must acknowledge that while the stock market has begun to rebound there are too many people under-employed or unemployed. He needs to propose legislation and then tell the Republicans that if they have a plan, it cannot be just a “cut taxes and wait plan,” but it must be a real plan. He ought to announce that he will be holding office hours at The White House over the next four weekends. He should then invite Republicans to come over and present any plans and legislation they have.

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House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer Breaks Down Democrats' 2010 Agenda

By Laurel Brishel Prichard and Sofia Sanchez University of New Mexico/ Talk Radio News Service

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) gave an overview Tuesday on what to expect from Democrats in 2010, which according to Hoyer will include health care, jobs, and whether Haitians will be allowed short term refugee status in the United States.

“The failure [of health care reform] is a fact, and we have to learn from it if we want to do better,” said Hoyer in a statement.

While the state of the health care bill is still unknown, Democrats have several options at hand: do nothing, try to pass a lesser form of the bill, pass the senate bill as is, or pass the Senate bill with the understanding that there will be corrections to the bill in another piece of legislation.

Hoyer said the Senate bill in its current state is not viable.

Many Democrats are hoping that President Barack Obama will address the next move in his State Of The Union address Wednesday.

Hoyer told reporters that jobs have not been on the back burner to health care. One of the first bills passed in 2009 was in regards to jobs, as was the last piece of legislation that the house put through. Also, Hoyer said, health care reform would could spur job growth.

“If health care is passed, it will help create 4 million jobs in the next decade,” said Hoyer.

Hoyer expressed sympathy for the Haitian community when asked if special exceptions will be allowed for Haitian immigration into the United States.

“I don’t want to pre-judge what will happen,” said Hoyer.

The United States has assisted in rushing through some adoptions of Haitian children in the time since the earthquake hit Haiti.

Commission Could Resolve Health Care Workforce Woes

By TRNS/UNM Staff

“By 2020 there will be a shortage of up to 200,000 physicians and 1 million nurses” in the U.S., according a new report put out by the Center for American Progress. Advocates for the inclusion of a National Health Care Workforce Commission in the Congressional health care reform bill say that rural Americans are vulnerable to health care workforce shortages.

“Some expect the shortage to worsen as 78 million baby boomers begin to hit retirement in 2011,” according to the “Closing the Health Care Workforce Gap Report”. The 35-page document was submitted to members of Congress last month.

The Commission could affect thousands of New Mexicans by increasing the number of scholarships given to medical students, which will strengthen a deteriorating health care workforce nationwide.

“This is not a one-shot deal,” said commission supporter U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). “We need an independent organization, a broad, well informed, independent organization that can make recommendations on an annual basis going forward.”

New Mexico has a high number of rural and minority communities. In 2008, there was a 350 to 1 ratio of patients to physicians in New Mexico, according to statehealthfacts.org.

“Data suggests that medical school applicants from underrepresented minority, rural and middle- or low-income families are more likely to practice in underserved areas from which they came,” according to the report.

Bingaman foresees opposition due to political pressure to reduce the cost of the health care reform bill. “We think it’s crucial that this remain in the final legislation,” he said.

The bill is expected to hit President Barack Obama’s desk before the upcoming State of the Union Address.

Democrats and Republicans need to sink their teeth in to reach consensus

By Candyce Torres and Suzia Van Swol, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss) expresses his opinion on President Obama's speech, reaching consensus within both parties, and comments on promises of cutting the deficit in half. "Well I would have started with not spending the eight hundred billion dollars that we have spent on the stimulus." said Wicker

White House Gaggle

January 29, 2008
Briefer: Tony Fratto
By: Ellen Ratner

Schedule:

The President had his normal briefings. This morning he has an interview with Morton Kondracke. Then he will go to Baltimore to make remarks on faith based program at the Jericho Program. This is the seventh anniversary of the President's Faith Based Program. Later he will sign the Executive Order on earmarks that he announced during his State of the Union Address last night. Then he will meet with the Joint Chiefs and Combatant Commanders. This is an annual meeting. A list of participants will be coming from the White House later in the day. The House will vote on HR 5140, the Economic Stimulus bill. On Wednesday the President will fly to California and will discuss Free Trade. On Thursday he will go to Las Vegas and will discuss FISA and the Global War on Terror. On Friday he will go to Kansas City. Data will be available on jobs on Friday.

Financial/Budget Package:

In terms of an economic stimulus the White House said that the solution worked out between the Congress and the Administration will provide immediate tax relief and be large enough to make a difference. The budget will be presented on February 4th. The President will deliver a package that creates a budget surplus by 2012.

FISA:

The President will veto a thirty day extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act . When asked why the White House said they needed FISA and could not get a warrant. White House Spokesman Tony Fratto responded that the Senate had six months to pass a bill.

Iraq and North Korea:

Asked why the President did not mention North Korea in the State of the Union Speech, Tony said that there could be a whole briefing on things that were not mentioned in the speech. In terms of Iraq, the President did say that twenty thousand troops would be leaving Iraq by the end of 2008 this is not the entire surge force which added 30 thousand troops to Iraq.