The Budget: A "Transformative Package"

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

This afternoon, on the eve of President Obama’s 100th day in office, progressive leaders addressed the budget and how it will improve health care, clean energy and education.

The campaign to Rebuild and Renew America Now!, a coalition of 116 national and over 700 state and local progressive, labor and advocacy organizations working together to pass the President’s budget held a press conference this afternoon and said they are confident that Congress will do what is best for the American people, and that is to pass it.

Alan Charney, the Program Director for US Action said that the budget is “transformative.”

“This blueprint totally reverses the failed economic policies of the past and sets us on a road to long term recovery,” said Charney

Tom McMahon, the Acting Executive Director of Americans United for Change criticized the Conservatives and blamed them for leading our nation into one of the most deepest recession in decades.

“Their best and in fact, only prescription for this ailing economy is more and more tax breaks for big corporations that have outsourced American jobs and more tax breaks for multi-millionaires that never manage to trickle down to anyone else and more short change investments in things that will actually grow the economy, like health care and education,” said McMahon.

The coalition members said that a clean energy legislation, health care reform and education are the most pressing issues that they hope the budget will improve.

“Congress now has the choice to stand up for our students and vote for a budget that works or they can continue to play into the pockets of the student lenders,” said Carmen Berkley, the President of the United States Student Association (USSA) and the United States Student Association Foundation (USSAF).

Berkley said that student lenders are ruining credit and dreams of students who are wanting to go to college.

Berkley also said that by eliminating programs that don’t work, like the family federal education loan program, it will put $94 billion more into the Pell grant program for students.

“We know that Congress will make an investment in students this week that works for students and their families,” said Berkley.

Get your bags packed for Cuba

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

“We ought not punish the American people. We ought to have the freedom to travel to Cuba and that is what the Freedom to Travel Act provides,” said Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.)

Today in a press conference Senators Michael Enzi (R-Wyo.), Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) and Dorgan introduced The Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act, S. 428, which would end the current ban on travel by Americans to Cuba. The U.S. government allows Americans to travel almost anywhere in the world except for Cuba, the only exceptions are in time of war between the U.S. and Cuba or imminent danger to the public health or physical safety of U.S. travelers.

“Every time that we have brought up one of these bills there’s a downside to it. The downside to it is that Castro has always done something that really violated human rights and raised the ire of the American people who said ‘how can you possibly eliminate any of the restrictions on Cuba?’ Well that’s exactly why they do those things. They don’t want us to reduce any of those restrictions. They don’t want the inter- operation or inter-communication with American citizens.... That’s what we’re doing with this bill, we’re trying something just a little different and I think it will make a huge impact. It will change Cuba and it will change other of our policies,” said Senator Enzi.

Myron Brilliant, the Senior Vice President of International Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce said that this act would help elevate our relationships in Latin America and change perceptions of foreign policy around the world. “We have been a long standing opponent of the embargo with Cuba. We see the end of the travel ban as an important first step but ultimately what we want to see is also an end of the trade embargo.... You can continue to count on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to oppose unilateral economic sanctions, they do not wok,” he stated.

Senator Dorgan said that this issue is a failed policy that has failed for 50 years and he is confident that this Act will pass through Congress. “We hope for greater human rights in Cuba. We have no interest in the Castro government except to find a way to replace it at some point in the future so that the Cuban people have the freedoms they deserve,” concluded Dorgan.

“Cuba has consistently stood out as the one country in the western hemisphere that represses nearly all forms of political dissent..... The dismal state of human rights in Cuba has not improved since the hand over of power from Fidel to Raul Castro.... We urge the U.S. government to use this bill’s introduction to begin a broader re-evaluation and reform of its polices toward Cuba,” said Jose Miguel Vivanco, the Executive Director of the Americas Divison of Human Rights Watch.

United States Senate Committee on Armed Services discusses future of Afghanistan during hearing

Chairman of the Committee Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) began by talking about two recently published reports drafted by the Afghanistan Study Group and the Atlantic Council which highlight widespread and growing instability in Afghanistan. According to Levin, the Afghanistan Study Group report finds that since 2002, violence, insecurity, and opium production have "risen dramatically." He said that the Atlantic Council report states, "Make no mistake, NATO is not winning in Afghanistan." Levin said that despite these reports, the Bush administration continues to "paint a rosy picture" of the situation in Afghanistan and that he hopes the administration will interpret the reports as a signal of the "urgent need to reassess its approach" there.

Member of the committee Senator John Warner (R-VA) spoke briefly saying that the "credibility of NATO is at stake" in the ongoing fight in Afghanistan. He said that a failure in Afghanistan would boost extremist movements and called for Europe to contribute more to the war. He said that some Europeans have been unwilling to commit more troops to Afghanistan and said that terrorist attacks in Europe such as those in London and Madrid prove that Europeans have an interest in winning in Afghanistan.

James Shinn, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs gave testimony before the committee where he stated that he agrees with many of the conclusions reached by the Afghanistan Study Group and the Atlantic Council in their reports. He said that the approach taken in Afghanistan needs to be "fundamentally altered" but he did say that NATO is winning "slowly and painfully." According to him, NATO is successful in every battle against Taliban forces but the failure to win the war is caused by the inability to eliminate the resurgence of those forces. He cited widespread corruption within the Afghan National Police (ANP) as a major obstacle preventing Afghan people from trusting the security officials. He also said that the U.S. does not bare sole responsibility in Afghanistan but the United Nations, Europe, NATO, and Afghanistan itself must all contribute to secure the country.

Richard Boucher, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, commented mostly on positive aspects of the conflict. He said that there is not yet success in Afghanistan, but that many achievements have been made there. According to him, 5 million Afghan children are enrolled in school this year—up from 900,000 children in 2001. He said that Afghans are all talking about the number of internet cafes and gas stations springing up off a road that the U.S. built. He also said that economic growth is on the rise and described last year's estimated growth of 13% as "remarkably high." But he did say that narcotics trafficking, weak government, and corruption remain "endemic."