PACs Donate To GOP Presidential Contenders (NPR Report)

No GOP White House hopeful has rolled out a campaign committee yet — or even launched a presidential exploratory committee. But several of them have built fundraising organizations. NPR Report - Listen -

"The National Institute on Money in State Politics is the only nonpartisan, nonprofit organization revealing the influence of campaign money on state-level elections and public policy in all 50 states. Our comprehensive and verifiable campaign-finance database and relevant issue analyses are available for free through our Web site FollowTheMoney.org. We encourage transparency and promote independent investigation of state-level campaign contributions by journalists, academic researchers, public-interest groups, government agencies, policymakers, students and the public at large." NIM Site

"Petro Euros vs. Petro Dollars"

"The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is shifting away from total reliance on the dollar as an international currency - and adopting the euro as an alternative. This is probably the US government's worst nightmare, economically speaking. Saddam Hussein's biggest crime in recent years - in the minds of the US elites - is his demand to be paid in euros instead of dollars for the oil that Iraq exports (it was a wise business decision, given that the dollar has dropped and the euro is now worth $1.10, as of March 10, 2003 - $1.20 reached in December, 2003) These articles provide background and detail about the war between the dollar and the euro, which will be waged by proxy in Iraq (and Iran)." Please Continue

The Reading Corner - Martin L. Gross

"Entrenched politicians and other beneficiaries of the public dole are rightfully threatened by the information contained in Gross' book" - Gerard F. Leblond (Jamesville, NY United States)



Playing Chicken With U.S. Credit . . .

Earlier this month, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner warned Congress that the U.S. will, in the coming months, reach its legal debt limit unless members vote to raise the debt ceiling. "Never in our history has Congress failed to increase the debt limit when necessary," Geithner wrote. "Failure to increase the limit would be deeply irresponsible. For these reasons, I am requesting that Congress act to increase the limit early this year, well before the threat of default becomes imminent." Geithner's predecessor, Henry Paulson, agreed with the necessity of raising the debt limit long before this political controversy, saying that it is "vital to protect America's creditworthiness, and therefore I'm confident Congress will act to increase the debt limit well before it is reached." The U.S. Congress first imposed a debt ceiling in 1917, and has raised the debt limit 74 times since March 1962, according to the Congressional Research Service, with ten raises occurring after 2001. However, a growing number of Republicans have made it clear that they intend to play chicken with the debt ceiling, risking the credit worthiness of the United States in order to score political points or extract demands from the Obama administration. "The American people will not stand for such an increase unless it is accompanied by meaningful action by the president and Congress to cut spending," said House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH). But by playing games with the debt ceiling, the GOP is inviting a variety of harmful consequences that come with even hints that the U.S. might default on its debt. Think Progress

What Anniversary Card You're Sending??

Common Cause This Friday is the first anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United, which gave corporations the right to spend as much as they want to influence our elections. And spend they did--more than half a billion dollars. So what's the sentiment in the anniversary card you're sending??

Pledge at least 25 Actions During 2011 to Make a Difference for Others

To mark the 25th anniversary of the King Holiday, and to encourage ongoing service throughout the year, we are launching the MLK 25 Challenge – a call to all Americans to honor Dr. King by pledging to take at least 25 actions during 2011 to make a difference for others and strengthen our communities.

From something as simple as cleaning a neighborhood park to a more intensive commitment such as becoming a mentor, the key is to give of yourself in some way to help others. You may want to volunteer in a range of efforts, or make a sustained commitment to a single cause. There is no shortage of work to be done, or lack of ways to get involved. Follow your passion, and find something that’s right for you. You can find volunteer opportunities and get ideas for your own projects by visiting Serve.gov or Or MLKDay.org

Greetings From Cincinnati, OH

It's a new year 2011 and I am blogging again. I am the biggest "flake" when it comes to blogging so we'll see how long this "shit" is going to last. My last blog was on the Microsoft "Spaces" platform and my work schedule in workforce development in this economy in SouthWest Ohio was killing me [2007-2009] so I chucked it. [no suprises here]

Then Microsoft announced that they were shelving the platform but advising users [if they wanted to] that WordPress is available to migrate their blog(s) [before Spring '11] to this platform but I decided to resume on Blogspot.

Have a enjoyable but productive 2011! - CinShel -