[iltos]

a continuation from here
http://forums.techguy.org/civilized-...ml#post6763550

last post

Originally Posted by xico

Because a healthy country is a strong country. I don't hear anyone complaining about putting millions in Swine Flu vaccinations. I think it's in all our interests for everyone to have the best health care possible under the most economical and efficient conditions--which is, of course, single payer.

carry on

[poochee]

Thanks Iltos.

[poochee]

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary
________________________________________________________________
EMBARGOED UNTIL 6:00 AM ET, SATURDAY, June 20, 2009

WEEKLY ADDRESS: President Obama Highlights Tough New Consumer Protections


WASHINGTON – In his weekly address, President Barack Obama explained the necessity of his proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency. It is clear that one of the major causes of the current economic crisis was a breakdown of oversight leading to widespread abuses in the financial world. The Consumer Financial Protection Agency will have the sole job of looking out for the financial interests of ordinary Americans by banning unfair practices and enforcing the rules. This is the type of reform that will attack the causes of the current crisis and prevent further crises from taking place.

The audio and video will be available at 6:00am Saturday, June 20, 2009 at www.whitehouse.gov.

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
June 20, 2009

As we continue to recover from an historic economic crisis, it is clear to everyone that one of its major causes was a breakdown in oversight that led to widespread abuses in the financial system. An epidemic of irresponsibility took hold from Wall Street to Washington to Main Street. And the consequences have been disastrous. Millions of Americans have seen their life savings erode; families have been devastated by job losses; businesses large and small have closed their doors.

In response, this week, my administration proposed a set of major reforms to the rules that govern our financial system; to attack the causes of this crisis and to prevent future crises from taking place; to ensure that our markets can work fairly and freely for businesses and consumers alike.

We are going to promote markets that work for those who play by the rules. We’re going to stand up for a system in which fair dealing and honest competition are the only way to win. We’re going to level the playing field for consumers. And we’re going to have the kinds of rules that encourage innovations that make our economy stronger – not those that allow insiders to exploit its weaknesses for their own gain.

And one of the most important proposals is a new oversight agency called the Consumer Financial Protection Agency. It’s charged with just one job: looking out for the interests of ordinary Americans in the financial system. This is essential, for this crisis may have started on Wall Street. But its impacts have been felt by ordinary Americans who rely on credit cards, home loans, and other financial instruments.

It is true that this crisis was caused in part by Americans who took on too much debt and took out loans they simply could not afford. But there are also millions of Americans who signed contracts they did not always understand offered by lenders who did not always tell the truth. Today, folks signing up for a mortgage, student loan, or credit card face a bewildering array of incomprehensible options. Companies compete not by offering better products, but more complicated ones – with more fine print and hidden terms. It’s no coincidence that the lack of strong consumer protections led to abuses against consumers; the lack of rules to stop deceptive lending practices led to abuses against borrowers.

This new agency will have the responsibility to change that. It will have the power to set tough new rules so that companies compete by offering innovative products that consumers actually want – and actually understand. Those ridiculous contracts – pages of fine print that no one can figure out – will be a thing of the past. You’ll be able to compare products – with descriptions in plain language – to see what is best for you. The most unfair practices will be banned. The rules will be enforced.

Some argue that these changes – and the many others we’ve called for – go too far. And I welcome a debate about how we can make sure our regulations work for businesses and consumers. But what I will not accept – what I will vigorously oppose – are those who do not argue in good faith. Those who would defend the status quo at any cost. Those who put their narrow interests ahead of the interests of ordinary Americans. We’ve already begun to see special interests mobilizing against change.

That’s not surprising. That’s Washington.

For these are interests that have benefited from a system which allowed ordinary Americans to be exploited. These interests argue against reform even as millions of people are facing the consequences of this crisis in their own lives. These interests defend business-as-usual even though we know that it was business-as-usual that allowed this crisis to take place.

Well, the American people did not send me to Washington to give in to the special interests; the American people sent me to Washington to stand up for their interests. And while I’m not spoiling for a fight, I’m ready for one. The most important thing we can do to put this era of irresponsibility in the past is to take responsibility now. That is why my administration will accept no less than real and lasting change to the way business is done – on Wall Street and in Washington. We will do what is necessary to end this crisis – and we will do what it takes to prevent this kind of crisis from ever happening again.

Thank you.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_...r-Protections/

[poochee]

June 20, 2009
Obama punch lines take aim at Washington press corps
Posted: 09:18 AM ET
From CNN Political Producer Rebecca Sinderbrand

WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Obama ribbed the press corps Friday night at the Radio and Television Correspondents Dinner in Washington, thanking them for "this opportunity to tell all the jokes that weren’t funny enough for me to use when we did this five weeks ago" at the more high-profile White House Correspondents Dinner.


http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/

[aka Brett]

Poochee
Were you nervous?

[poochee]

SATURDAY, JUNE 20TH, 2009 AT 4:18 PM
The President's Statement on Iran
Posted by Macon Phillips
Today, President Obama made the following statement concerning Iran:

The Iranian government must understand that the world is watching. We mourn each and every innocent life that is lost. We call on the Iranian government to stop all violent and unjust actions against its own people. The universal rights to assembly and free speech must be respected, and the United States stands with all who seek to exercise those rights.

As I said in Cairo, suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away. The Iranian people will ultimately judge the actions of their own government. If the Iranian government seeks the respect of the international community, it must respect the dignity of its own people and govern through consent, not coercion.

Martin Luther King once said - "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." I believe that. The international community believes that. And right now, we are bearing witness to the Iranian peoples’ belief in that truth, and we will continue to bear witness.

The President also addressed the situation with Iran in an interview yesterday with CBS's Harry Smith (video available on CBS's website).

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/The-P...ement-on-Iran/

[poochee]

Huffpost - Drug Companies, White House Reach $80B Prescription Drug Deal
stumble reddit del.ico.us ShareThisDAVID ESPO | June 20, 2009 07:03 PM EST | AP

WASHINGTON — The pharmaceutical industry agreed Saturday to spend $80 billion over the next decade improving drug benefits for seniors on Medicare and defraying the cost of President Barack Obama's health care legislation, capping secretive negotiations involving key lawmakers and the White House.

"This new coverage means affordable prices on prescription drugs when Medicare benefits don't cover the cost of prescriptions," Sen. Max Baucus, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said in a statement announcing the accord.

The deal marked a major triumph for Baucus as well as the administration. Obama praised the deal.

"The agreement by pharmaceutical companies to contribute to the health reform effort comes on the heels of the landmark pledge many health industry leaders made to me last month, when they offered to do their part to reduce health spending $2 trillion over the next decade," Obama said. "We are at a turning point in America's journey toward health care reform."

Baucus, a Montana Democrat, has been negotiating with numerous industry groups for weeks as he tries to draft legislation that meets Obama's goal of vastly expanding health coverage, has bipartisan support and does not add to the deficit.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/0..._n_218431.html

[poochee]

White House releases Bo's baseball card.He's is soooooooo cute!
Posted: 03:20 PM ET
Filed under: Bo

Video at:http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...baseball-card/

[ekim68]

Thanks, iltos, I found it...

[poochee]

In Poll, Wide Support for Government-Run Health
MARJORIE CONNELLY
Marina Stefan and Dalia Sussman contributed reporting
Published: June 20, 2009

Americans overwhelmingly support substantial changes to the health care system and are strongly behind one of the most contentious proposals Congress is considering, a government-run insurance plan to compete with private insurers, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

The poll found that most Americans would be willing to pay higher taxes so everyone could have health insurance and that they said the government could do a better job of holding down health-care costs than the private sector.

Yet the survey also revealed considerable unease about the impact of heightened government involvement, on both the economy and the quality of the respondents’ own medical care. While 85 percent of respondents said the health care system needed to be fundamentally changed or completely rebuilt, 77 percent said they were very or somewhat satisfied with the quality of their own care.

That paradox was skillfully exploited by opponents of the last failed attempt at overhauling the health system, during former President Bill Clinton’s first term. Sixteen years later, it underscores the tricky task facing lawmakers and President Obama as they try to address the health system’s substantial problems without igniting fears that people could lose what they like..Don't let this happen again!

Across a number of questions, the poll detected substantial support for a greater government role in health care, a position generally identified with the Democratic Party. When asked which party was more likely to improve health care, only 18 percent of respondents said the Republicans, compared with 57 percent who picked the Democrats. Even one of four Republicans said the Democrats would do better.



http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/he...er=rss&emc=rss

[poochee]

Portugal to take 2 or 3 Guantanamo prisoners
Spain, Italy have also offered to accept several detainees
Rueters
updated 2 hours, 50 minutes ago

LISBON - Portugal will accept "two or three" prisoners for resettlement from the U.S. detention camp of Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, state news agency Lusa quoted Foreign Minister Luis Amado as saying Saturday.

In December, Portugal became the first country to press publicly for a coordinated European Union resettlement plan for Guantanamo prisoners. Monday, the EU announced European nations are ready to help Washington and take detainees on a case-by-case basis.


Excerpts from: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31465880...ews-terrorism/

[poochee]

June 21, 2009
Senators weigh in on Iran
Posted: 12:05 PM ET
CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) – A bipartisan group of four senators expressed support Sunday for the Iranians protesting in the country’s streets for the last week but differed over how the United States should react to the evolving situation.

California Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Iran’s leadership “threw the gauntlet to the people, essentially.”

Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley joined a chorus of fellow Republicans who have criticized how President Obama is responding to the political unrest in Iran.Suprise.

“I think [President Obama’s] gotten it just right,” Casey told CNN Chief National Correspondent John King. “At this moment in the history of Iran, we should not politicize this issue here in the United States. The key thing here is striking the right balance – telling those who are protesting that we share their values but also making sure that we keep our eye on the ball here.”

After saying that Iran’s nuclear program is the biggest threat to American security and security in the Middle East, Casey said he thought the best approach to Iran was “to leave every option on the table,” including tough diplomacy and the possibility of sanctions against the Iranian regime.”


Excerpts from: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...gh-in-on-iran/

[poochee]

June 21, 2009
Obama gives exclusive interview to Pakistani media outlet
Posted: 01:51 PM ET
CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Barack Obama told a Pakistani television interview that isolating extremists is crucial for improving ties between Muslim nations and the United States.

A report on the interview posted on the DawnNews Web site said Obama called the huge street demonstrations in Iran an indication that the announced election results there "obviously raised a lot of doubts."

"We respect Iran's sovereignty, but we also are witnessing peaceful demonstrations, people expressing themselves, and I stand for that universal principle that people should have a voice in their own lives and their own destiny," Obama said, according to Web site report. "And I hope that the international community recognizes that we need to stand behind peaceful protests and be opposed to violence or repression."

Asked about his June 4 speech in Cairo to the Muslim world, Obama called it a first step in the process of improving U.S. relations with Muslim countries.

Excerpts from: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...-media-outlet/

[poochee]

June 21, 2009
McCain: Obama has done well, but hasn't been bipartisan
Posted: 05:38 PM ET
CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) — You can't call John McCain a sore loser.

"I think he's done well," McCain said on the CBS program "Face the Nation."

"He has achieved literally every one of his legislative accomplishments," McCain noted in reference to the economic stimulus package and other measures passed by Congress in recent months.

Excerpts from: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com...en-bipartisan/

[xico]

Originally Posted by poochee

Portugal to take 2 or 3 Guantanamo prisoners
Spain, Italy have also offered to accept several detainees
Rueters
updated 2 hours, 50 minutes ago

LISBON - Portugal will accept "two or three" prisoners for resettlement from the U.S. detention camp of Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, state news agency Lusa quoted Foreign Minister Luis Amado as saying Saturday.

In December, Portugal became the first country to press publicly for a coordinated European Union resettlement plan for Guantanamo prisoners. Monday, the EU announced European nations are ready to help Washington and take detainees on a case-by-case basis.


Excerpts from: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31465880...ews-terrorism/

Why am I not surprised? Like we've never had prisoners before? Much Ado about nothing. But the wingers need to change their diapers and move on. Obama won!