Tag Archives: budget

Headlines: Obama Budget Revealed; U.S. to Charge “Enemy Combatant”

Posted on February 27, 2009 by | Comments Off
Democracy Now Headlines: Obama Budget Revealed; U.S. to Charge 'Enemy Combatant'

Headlines from DemocracyNow.org, a daily TV/radio news program, hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez, airing on over 650 stations, pioneering the largest community media collaboration in the US.

$3.55T Obama Budget Repeals Bush Tax Cuts for Wealthy

President Obama has unveiled a $3.55 trillion spending budget for the coming fiscal year. On Thursday, Obama said the plan includes tax relief for lower-income Americans while repealing Bush administration tax cuts for the wealthy.

President Obama: “No part of my budget will be free from scrutiny or untouched by reform. We will end no-bid contracts that have wasted billions in Iraq and end tax breaks for corporations that ship jobs overseas. And we’ll save billions of dollars by rolling back tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans while giving a middle-class tax cut to 95 percent of hardworking families.”

Large businesses and wealthy Americans would see tax increases worth nearly $2 trillion over the next ten years. The estate tax would also be preserved, overriding the Bush administration measure for its repeal. The extra revenues would help pay for a $634 billion reserve fund that Obama says will be used toward universal healthcare.

President Obama: “With this budget, we are making a historic commitment to comprehensive healthcare reform. It’s a step that will not only make families healthier and companies more competitive, but over the long term it will also help us bring down our deficit.”

Budget to Include War Spending

The plan estimates the US deficit will grow to a record $1.75 trillion. In another change, war funding will now be included in fiscal budgets instead of as a supplemental. Obama said the previous exclusion of war costs from budget plans has led to “dishonest accounting.” Obama is seeking $130 billion for the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan in 2010. He says the number will drop once the US withdraws combat troops from Iraq by 2011. Overall, Obama is seeking a four percent increase in military spending, from $513 billion to $534 billion. Other budget items include some $250 billion in additional funding for bailing out the nation’s banks and an end to agricultural subsidies for farmers making more than $500,000. In the budget document, President Obama blames Bush administration policies and reckless Wall Street behavior for the economic crisis. Obama says, “We arrived at this point as a result of an era of profound irresponsibility that engulfed both private and public institutions, from some of our largest companies’ executive suites to the seats of power in Washington, D.C.”

50,000 U.S. Troops to Remain in Iraq Under Withdrawal Plan

President Obama is reportedly set to announce an order to withdraw most U.S. troops from Iraq by September of 2010. The Washington Post reports Obama will announce today a plan that would leave 35,000 to 50,000 troops in Iraq until the end of 2011. The deadline is three months longer than what Obama promised on the campaign trail. The remaining U.S. troops won’t be classified as ‘combat’ but they’ll retain free reign to carry out attacks.

Iraq Loosens Restrictions on Foreign Oil Companies

The Iraqi government is granting international oil corporations an increased stake in developing Iraqi oil. Winning bidders in future projects will be granted a seventy-five percent stake rather than the current limit of 49 percent. Iraq has also lowered the minimum production target for companies to get paid for their work.

Pentagon Lifts Media Ban on Soldiers’ Remains

The Pentagon has announced it’s easing a media ban on the coffins of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the soldiers’ family members will now be able to decide whether the coffins can be photographed.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates: “If the family of one of the fallen says that they do not want media coverage of the return of the dignified transfer process, then that will be the decision. There will be no media coverage. If they say that’s OK with them, then it will be available.”

Gates made the decision after President Barack Obama ordered a review of the media ban earlier this month.

Obama to Charge Lone “Enemy Combatant” in U.S.

The Obama administration is reportedly preparing to bring charges against the only so-called “enemy combatant” jailed in the United States. Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri has been held in isolation at a naval brig in South Carolina for more than five years. He has never stood trial or been convicted of any crime. A Supreme Court hearing challenging his indefinite jailing is currently set for April, forcing the administration to decide whether to continue Bush administration policy or allow al-Marri to defend himself in a U.S. court. Al-Marri will reportedly be charged with providing material support to members of al-Qaeda. His attorney, Jonathan Hafetz said: “If true, the decision to charge al-Marri is an important step in restoring the rule of law and is what should have happened seven years ago when he was first arrested.” Hafetz continued: “It is vital the Supreme Court [still] hear the case… [to make] clear once and for all that indefinite military detention of persons arrested in the U.S. is illegal and that this never happens again.”

Senate Panel to Review CIA Treatment of Foreign Prisoners

The Senate intelligence committee is preparing to launch a review of the CIA’s treatment of foreign prisoners in the so-called war on terror. Congressional officials say lawmakers will use classified material and public testimony to document the use of torture practices including waterboarding. The probe is being billed as a “study”, and won’t make recommendations on whether to prosecute Bush administration officials.

U.K. Admits Sending 2 Prisoners to U.S.

The British government has retracted previous denials of involvement in the U.S. program of kidnapping and transferring suspects to foreign jails. On Thursday, British Defense Minister John Hutton said Britain has previously handed the U.S. two prisoners captured in Iraq. The prisoners were then sent to Afghanistan where they remain after more than four years.

Palestinian Unity Talks Continue in Egypt

In Egypt, unity talks continue between the leading Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas. The two groups are meeting along with ten other Palestinian factions on resolving a power split between the West Bank and Gaza for the past eighteen months. The factions have agreed on establishing five committees to resolve ongoing differences.

Hamas leader Abu Marzouq: “Thank you for coming everyone. This is a historic day, a day the Palestinians have been looking forward to for a year and a half, the day the Palestinians move towards union and the real beginning of Palestinian unity.”

The talks are continuing ahead of an international donors conference for Gaza on Monday. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is set to attend as part of her first Middle East tour since taking the State Department helm.

Ex-CIA Exec Director Gets 3-Year Jail Term in Bribe Case

Back in the United States, the CIA’s former executive director has been sentenced to more than three years in prison on wire fraud charges related to accepting bribes. Kyle “Dusty” Foggo was the third-highest-ranking official at the CIA until his resignation in 2006. Federal prosecutors say he took $70,000 worth of gifts in exchange for doling out lucrative CIA contracts. Foggo originally faced twenty-eight charges, but prosecutors agreed to drop twenty-seven of them in exchange for the guilty plea on wire fraud.

Progressive Coalition to Challenge Incumbent Dems

A coalition of unions, bloggers and activists has announced a campaign to challenge Democratic incumbents who shun progressive policies. The group Accountability Now says it plans on raising money to fund challenges to centrist and right-wing Democrats in the primaries.

Senate Backs D.C. Voting Rights

The District of Columbia has moved a step closer to getting a vote in the House of Representatives. On Thursday the Senate voted 61 to 37 to pass the DC House Voting Rights Act. The bill will expand the size of the House by two seats – giving Washington DC a single seat and Utah a fourth. The House is also expected to pass the measure and President Obama has said he will sign it into law. The Senate approved the bill only after Republicans added an amendment to throw out Washington’s gun control laws including its ban on semi-automatic weapons. More on this story later in the broadcast.

GM Posts $9.6B 4th Quarter Loss

The auto giant General Motors has posted another major quarterly loss amidst warnings it’s nearing insolvency. On Thursday, GM said it lost $9.6 billion in the fourth quarter, bringing its 2008 loss to $30.9 billion. The announcement came as GM chair Rick Wagoner met with White House officials to seek further government aid.

Paterson Seeks Delay of Solitary Confinement Ban for Mentally-Ill

Here in New York, a coalition of mental health, legal and prison rights advocates are opposing a move by Governor David Paterson to delay implementation of a bill that would bar holding seriously mentally ill prisoners in solitary confinement. Under the bill, mentally-ill prisoners would be transferred to secure treatment facilities rather than kept in twenty-four-hour solitude. Advocates for mentally-disabled prisoners have argued that solitary confinement is inhumane and has driven some to suicide and declining mental health. The measure is supposed to take effect in 2011. But Governor Paterson’s new budget calls for delaying its implementation until 2014.

Rocky Mountain News Ends Publication

And in media news, the Denver-based Rocky Mountain News is publishing its last paper today. On Thursday, parent company E.W. Scripps announced the newspaper’s closure after saying it’s failed to find a buyer. The closure comes just two months before the Rocky Mountain News would have marked its 150th anniversary.

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Bush’s Proposed Budget would Impact Michigan with Cuts, Increased Spending for Iraq War

Posted on February 9, 2007 by | Comments Off

Earlier this week, President George W. Bush submitted a $2.9 trillion budget to Congress for the 2008 fiscal year. The budget seeks a 10% increase in the Pentagon’s annual budget, an increase that would come at the expense of a variety of government programs that provide assistance to low-income residents. Funding for those programs would be reduced as part of $13 billion in cuts to non-security discretionary. The President also made a separate $103 billion supplemental budget request for this year. The majority of that request is for additional military spending, with $78.1 billion going to fund ongoing operations in Iraq and $21.5 for Afghanistan and other activities pertaining to the “war on terror.” As part of his proposed budget, Bush is planning to make permanent the tax cuts that have primarily benefited the wealthy, and in 2008 the richest 20% of taxpayers will receive two-thirds of the tax cuts or $143 billion, with the top 5% receiving 44% of the tax cuts ($92 billion). The tax cuts received by the wealthiest 5% are seven times the amount being cut from domestic services.

The Bush administration is proposing wide-ranging cuts in domestic programs to pay for military operations and tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. The budget proposes a 35% cut in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) compared to 2006, cutting a little over $1.4 billion. The Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) would be cut by 40% or $1.1 billion. The Child Care & Development Block Grant is also slated to be cut by a little over 5%. Funding for Community Oriented Policing Services would be eliminated, while environmental protections would also be reduced through a 20% cut in the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Aside from the $13 billion in cuts to non-discretionary spending on programs such as those mentioned above, the Bush administration will likely cut billions more by restricting eligibility for the government’s Medicare and Medicaid programs.

These cuts will be felt in Michigan, where the state’s low-income residents will see millions of dollars in cuts to programs according to an analysis prepared by the National Priorities Project. Money from the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program going to Michigan will be cut by $33.6 million. Less money will be available for services for children, including Head Start ($12.7 million cut), Child Care and Development Block Grants ($3.9 million cut), and Special Education ($23.5 million cut). $282,000 in funding for Community Oriented Policing Services will be removed as part of the administration’s elimination of the program. There will also be less federal money for environmental protections, with $8.1 million being eliminated from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. The National Priorities Project estimates that in addition to these cuts, taxpayers in Michigan will see an increase in the total amount that they have paid for the Iraq War, with Michigan’s share reaching $12.1 billion.

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Michigan Fails to Provide Adequate Tax Assistance for Child and Dependent Care

Posted on May 3, 2006 by | Comments Off

According to new report by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), Michigan is one of the worst states in the country in terms of offering tax assistance to those struggling to meet the high costs of child and dependent care. The NWLC’s quadrennial review of state assistance awarded “grades” to states based on an extensive evaluation of the tax policies of the forty-one states that collect income taxes. The review evaluated tax provisions based on the dollar value of each state’s tax provision, whether families that do not owe income tax can get assistance, whether the provision covers costs and provides assistance across income levels, indexing for inflation, coverage of child and adult dependents, whether the provisions encourage higher quality care, and how easy it is to understand the provision and how the provision is promoted. Based on this evaluation, Michigan was one of fourteen states that received a “failing grade” because it assesses personal income tax but offers no employment-related or dependent care tax provisions.

Since 2000, both childcare costs and the number of children in low-income families have increased, but the Congress has frozen federal funding for direct childcare assistance. Consequently, 250,000 fewer children are receiving child care assistance while the Bush administration’s 2007 recommended budget would further reduce expenditures for child care resulting in 400,000 children losing funding over the next five years. Child and dependent care costs vary but range from $3,000 to $13,000 per year, with families with incomes less than $18,000 spending an average of a quarter of their income on child care expenses. Aside from the high cost to families, many states and the federal government have reduced the number of people eligible for assistance and have cut back on reimbursement rates for child care providers, causing many child care providers that serve low-income children to make what the report termed “extraordinary sacrifices,” or as is more often the case, stop serving low-income children entirely. Funds to improve the quality of care by boosting childcare workers education levels and compensation have also been significantly reduced.

While funding on the national and state level threatens children, the NWLC does point to some successes in providing child care assistance through the tax system. There is currently a federal tax credit that provides up to $2,100 in tax assistance, yet its value is limited in that it is not refundable, so families with incomes so low that they do not pay income tax receive no benefits from the credit. As a result, campaigners have focused on improving state tax credits for child and dependent care expenses and counts as a victory improvement in tax provisions in 23 states over the past four years. The NWLC found that thirteen states now offer refundable credits for low-income families with limited state income tax liability. The improved tax policies are credited with helping reduce family tax bills and increasing refunds used to pay for childcare, thus allowing adult family members to remain employed.

Michigan’s failure to provide tax assistance for childcare stands in stark contrast to tax assistance offered by New York and Oregon, two states cited in the report as have the most helpful tax benefits for low-income families. New York offers a fully refundable credit worth up to $2,310 while Oregon’s refundable “Working Families Child Care Credit” does not have a dollar limit but instead operates on percentages. Under Oregon’s assistance plan, a family spending $6,000 on childcare expenses would be eligible for a credit of $2,400.

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Campaign to get City Commission Resolution against the Occupation of Iraq Continues

Posted on March 16, 2006 by | Comments Off

An ongoing antiwar campaign in Grand Rapids to get a City Commission resolution opposing the occupation of Iraq is continuing through activities this weekend surrounding the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq with campaign organizers collecting signatures at the March 18 march and rally and presenting at a teach-in that will follow the rally. Additionally, the campaign has released a new flyer encouraging local organizations to look at ways in which they could use some of the estimated $136 million that has been diverted from Grand Rapids to pay for the war in Iraq. While the total spent on the war has been $245 billion nationally and $6.9 billion nationally, the campaign is asking organizations and individuals to look at what they could do with 1% of that money ($1.36 million) and the ways in which that money could be used to improve the lives of people living in Grand Rapids. Materials created by organizations will be posted online and will be used as educational tools by organizations and at the City Commission’s April 11 meeting when the resolution is introduced.

The resolution is framed primarily in terms of the cost of the war and the budget difficulties facing the City of Grand Rapids. According to outreach material prepared by the campaign, the city currently has an $11 million budget deficit that has caused them to cut basic services. The money being diverted from Grand Rapids to pay for the war could easily pay off the debt and fund a restoration and expansion of city services. Among the examples cited by the campaign:

  • Pay for 2,358 additional public school teachers for one year
  • Insured 81,504 children for one year
  • Built 1,255 housing units

The resolution also addresses the flawed rational for the war (no weapons of mass destruction and no connection to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks), public opposition to the war, and the deaths of Iraqi civilians and US soldiers. Moreover, the resolution mentions that similar resolutions have been passed in other cities with 76 resolutions calling for an end to the occupation passed around the United States. If the resolution passes, the following would be the position of the Grand Rapids City Commission:

The Grand Rapids City Commission, recognizing the grievous impact of the loss of lives in the Iraq war on families and communities on both sides of the conflict and the destructive social and economic effects of the costs of the war, urges the United States government to begin a rapid and orderly withdrawal of US military personnel from Iraq and to provide the people of Iraq with all necessary non-military aid to provide for their security and rebuilding of their country, and the City Commission directs the Clerk to provide copies of this resolution to President Bush, the Secretaries of State and Defense, and to the 3rd Congressional Representative Vern Ehlers.

It is also worth noting that in March of 2004 the Grand Rapids City Commission passed a resolution opposing the USA PATRIOT Act. Thus far, 405 resolutions have been passed as a part of that movement.

Organizers are asking that individuals and organizations circulate copies of the resolution to get signatures and that people make plans to attend the April 11 City Commission meeting (7:00pm, location to be determined). Organizers can be contacted at jsmith@grcmc.org.

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Forest Sale Proposal includes Land in Michigan

Posted on March 7, 2006 by | Comments Off

In President George W. Bush’s Fiscal Year 2007 budget, unveiled last month, the Bush administration proposed selling some 300,000 acres of National Forest land in order to offset the cost of the Secure Rural Schools Act of 2000. The land being sold consists of what the Bush administration is “isolated parcels” that are located on the boundaries of National Forests or in areas that are difficult to access and therefore are costly to manage. The proposal has drawn widespread opposition from environmentalists, conservationists, and legislators across the United States, especially in areas where the sale of large amounts of land has been proposed.

Of the 300,000 acres that have been proposed for sale, 5,580 are in Michigan, with 3,620 acres in Hiawatha National Forest (map) and 2,260 acres in Ottawa National Forest (map), both of which are located in the state’s Upper Peninsula. While the plan has been touted as a way to guarantee funding for rural school districts located in remote areas like the Upper Peninsula, advocacy organizations working on rural education are questioning the efficacy of the plan, citing concerns that the sale of the land will create a one-time influx of cash to fund the federal government’s commitment to rural school districts under the Secure Rural Schools Act. That law, passed by the federal legislature in 2000, has paid some $1.6 billion to rural counties and school districts as part of a 1908 statue requiring the federal government to give 25% of revenue from federal sales of timber and 50% of revenue from mineral sales to states in order to help the states maintain schools and roads. While the Secure Rural Schools Act was passed as a way of stabilizing these payments, the one-time influx of cash and the extension of the Act as proposed in Bush’s FY 2007 budget will do little to stabilize funding over the long-term. According to the Forest Service, the sale would simply provide a “short term safety net” that will be “adjusted downward overtime and eventually phased out.” Moreover, according to a recent analysis of the plan, a disproportionate amount of land will be sold in the South and Midwest while the money earned will go into a general fund, the majority of which goes to Western states. This year, Michigan received only $781,947 from the Secure Rural Schools Act.

The proposal is part of a series of Bush administration changes in forest policy that promote private ownership of forest land and the transfer of publicly owned land and resources into the hands of private corporations. Over the past six years, these changes have included proposals to sell public lands, eliminate road-less areas, and weaken Forest Service planning processes. Unlike other forest policy changes, the sale of National Forest land must approved by Congress and the President and take place under the Forest Service’s disposal guidelines.

The Forest Service is allowing public comment on the sale until March 30, 2006. Comments can be emailed to SRS_Land_Sales@fs.fed.us or faxed to 202-205-1604. The Wilderness Society also has an online action form that can be used to send a letter to your Congressional representatives.

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Campaign for City Commission Resolution against the Occupation of Iraq Begins

Posted on February 10, 2006 by | Comments Off

Yesterday a campaign to ask the City Commission to pass a resolution calling for end to the occupation of Iraq was announced. The campaign focuses specifically on the local costs of the war, as a considerable amount of money has left Grand Rapids in the form of tax-payer money to fund the war in Iraq. In an era of budgetary shortfalls with the Grand Rapids public schools lacking funding and the city struggling to open pools and host festivals, the Iraq war has cost Grand Rapids $132,882,643 dollars according to the National Priorities Project. So far, $239 billion has been spent on the war in Iraq, money that could have been used to hire over four million teachers, insured 143 million children, built over 2 million housing units, or provided 11 million scholarships for low-income students to attend college.

In light of the questions that the aforementioned numbers raise about spending priorities in the United States, the local cost of war campaign is asking for progressive and non-profit organizations to consider what they could do for the citizens of Grand Rapids if they received just 1% of the tax money that has left the community. Organizations will be putting together a variety of educational materials that will be posted on this web site and will use these materials to ask the Grand Rapids City Commission to pass the resolution on Tuesday, April 11.

View a copy of the proposed resolution or email jsmith@grcmc.org for more information on how to get involved in the campaign.

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