what IS working

Weekly Address: The President Talks About How to Build a Rising, Thriving Middle Class

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:58:00 +0000

CBO shows decline in budget deficit

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:55:00 +0000

For the first seven months of 2013, the deficit was $489 billion. That is $231 billion less than the budget shortfall for the comparable period last year. The decrease is almost entirely due to revenue increases. Revenues rose $200 billion and spending decreased only $11 billion.

Individual income tax and social insurance payroll taxes are up 16 percent this year compared to last year.

In January, Congress and the White House agreed to allow income taxes on those making more than $400,000 per year to rise and to end a 2-percentage point payroll tax holiday for all workers.

That has contributed to $132 billion more in income taxes and $52 billion more in payroll tax revenue, CBO estimated.

Renewable Energy: How the Military Will Help America Become Energy Independent

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:27:00 +0000

The United States military has the best means of advancing renewable energy. According to Pew Charitable Trusts, the DOD already committed to supplying 25% of its energy from renewable sources by 2025. The Department of Defense policy shifts toward using more clean energy in order to increase national security and save money, which could have far-reaching effects. Here is an interesting look at some of the other ways our future sustainability might end up being owed to the military.

The Department of Defense and its military branches have been national leaders in building, modifying, and the achievement of energy-efficient measures and renewable technologies. Energy independence and national security are interrelated world issues and the United States and its dependence on foreign sources of energy composes a serious threat militarily, socially and economically. More than a decade ago, the Department of the Army proposed a new vision of sustainability for the military.

In a 2010 study by the Department of Defense, the DOD realized that the agency accounts for 80% of the US Government’s energy Consumption. What it all boils down to is not all about how “green” environmentally you are but the measures of the finances and social performance in corporation over a period of time. Triple Bottom Line (3BL) was first introduced in 1994 by John Elkington. His argument was that companies should prepare three different bottom lines. One measure is profit and loss, the second measure is how socially responsible an organization has been throughout its operations and the final measure is how environmentally responsible the organization has been.

Takei & Jesse Ferguson Team Up, Take on Same-Sex Marriage Opponents

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Sun, 19 May 2013 14:18:00 +0000

I Will NOT Be Denied

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Sat, 18 May 2013 16:26:00 +0000

1ST CHINESE AUTOMAKER IN US TO OPEN CALIF. PLANTS

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Sat, 18 May 2013 14:20:00 +0000

LANCASTER, Calif. (AP) — The first Chinese-owned vehicle manufacturer in the United States unveiled ambitious plans Wednesday to eventually build as many as 1,000 plug-in electric buses a year at a refurbished RV manufacturing plant in a wind-swept, sage-dotted corner of the Mojave Desert.

In a news conference on a patio outside BYD's new energy-efficient production facility, the company's senior vice president, Stella Li, said the first of 10 zero-pollution vehicles, already on order from the city of Long Beach, should roll off the assembly line next year.

Within two years, Li said, BYD Motors expects to be producing 50 buses a year, and it will continue to ramp up production, hoping to reach the plant's capacity of 1,000 buses a year within a decade or two.

All the buses will be powered by the company's own iron-phosphate batteries, which will be manufactured at another plant near the bus factory in Lancaster, 60 miles east of Los Angeles. BYD is the world's largest manufacturer of rechargeable batteries.

Prisoners pair up with hard-to-train dogs

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Sat, 18 May 2013 14:12:00 +0000

The heavy steel door slid open with grinding, sullen deliberation. Twelve prisoners, rarely allowed into the concrete yard outside, filed through into the sunlit morning.

The men had been chosen for this privilege from among more than 30 fellow inmates in the Alternative Sentencing Detention Unit of the Philadelphia prison system. A program they knew little about other than its name - New Leash on Life USA - and the basic premise: They would be given dogs to live with and to train for the next three months.

Most were lured by the possibility of early parole. That was the bait offered by the program, in conjunction with defense lawyers and prison officials. The real objective was more profound, more personal, and more ambitious than any of them would realize for several weeks, after they were in deep.

If they allowed themselves to care about the animals, trust the people running the program, and believe in themselves, they could redirect the course of their lives.

Health centers to help uninsured individuals gain affordable health insurance coverage

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Sat, 18 May 2013 14:11:00 +0000

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced new funding to help more uninsured Americans enroll in new health insurance coverage options made available by the Affordable Care Act. Approximately $150 million will help community health centers provide in-person enrollment assistance to uninsured individuals across the nation. About 1,200 health centers operate nearly 9,000 service delivery sites nationwide and serve approximately 21 million patients each year.

“Health centers have extensive experience providing eligibility assistance to patients, are providing care in communities across the Nation, and are well-positioned to support enrollment efforts,” Secretary Sebelius said. “Investing in health centers for outreach and enrollment assistance provides one more way the Obama administration is helping consumers understand their options and enroll in affordable coverage.”

With these new funds, health centers will be able to hire new staff, train existing staff, and conduct community outreach events and other educational activities. Health centers will help consumers understand their coverage options, determine their eligibility and enroll in new affordable health insurance options. Community health center staff will provide unbiased information to consumers about health insurance, the new Health Insurance Marketplace, qualified health plans, and Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

This funding opportunity was issued by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and it complements and aligns with other federal efforts, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service funded navigator program.

Today’s funding announcement is part of the administration's larger effort to make applying for health insurance as easy as possible. For example, last week, we released a single, streamlined application that was shortened from 21 to 3 pages. We are committed to providing the type of assistance that Americans need to ensure that they have access to affordable health care.

“Health centers work in communities across the country, giving them a unique opportunity to reach the uninsured in their communities and help connect them with the benefits of health insurance coverage under the health care law,” said HRSA Administrator Mary Wakefield, Ph.D, R.N.

U.S. Sees First Debt Reduction Since 2007 as Revenue Rises

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:52:00 +0000

The U.S. Treasury Department (USGG10YR) projected it will reduce government debt this quarter for the first time in six years as tax receipts exceed forecasts and spending diminishes.

The pay-down in net marketable debt was estimated at $35 billion in the April-June period, compared with a projection three months ago for net borrowing of $103 billion, the department said in a statement today in Washington. Treasury officials also see net borrowing of $223 billion in the quarter starting July 1. The estimates set the stage for the department’s quarterly refunding announcement on May 1, when debt issuance plans will be released.

A sustained economic expansion and across-the-board spending cuts known as sequestration may help deliver the first net decline in debt since 2007, when the government lowered borrowing by $139 billion before the global financial crisis spawned the worst recession since the 1930s. While the economy’s strength is helping boost tax revenue, total U.S. public debt outstanding is approaching $17 trillion.

Obama Might Actually Be the Environmental President

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:44:00 +0000

There are two basic ways to measure this, which must be taken together. The first, and simplest, is to ask: How much carbon are we emitting into the atmosphere? In the first year of Obama’s presidency, the United State pledged that by 2020 it would reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases by 17 percent (starting from the level set in 2005). That 17 percent reduction is the brass ring of the environmental movement. It is the target the cap-and-trade legislation was designed to hit. It is also the target that Obama must be able to claim he is on track to reach by the time of the next international climate summit in 2015. That occasion, most observers agree, will probably be the world’s last chance to sign an accord that averts catastrophically and permanently higher temperatures.

As it happens, after decades of rising, carbon-dioxide emissions in the United States started falling in 2008. They have kept falling. By the end of last year, emissions had fallen almost 12 percent below the 2005 level. That is to say, with 12 percent of the 17 percent drop having already occurred, and seven more years to go until the target date, the U.S. is two-thirds of the way to its environmental goal after just one-third of the time has passed. If you follow this measure, climate policy looks like a runaway success.

The second way to measure Obama’s climate-change record is: What has he done? He has done quite a bit, probably far more than you think, and not all of it advertised as climate legislation, or advertised as much of anything at all. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was many things—primarily, a desperate bid to shove money into enough Americans’ pockets to prevent another Great Depression—but one of them was a major piece of environmental reform. The law contained upwards of $90 billion in subsidies for green energy, which had a catalyzing effect on burgeoning industries. American wind-power generation has doubled, and solar power has increased more than six times over. As Time magazine’s Michael Grunwald detailed in his book The New New Deal, the new law suddenly transformed the Department of Energy, previously a sclerotic backwater charged mainly with overseeing the nuclear-weapons cache, into a massive new engine of cutting-edge environmental science.

The administration has also carried out an ambitious program of regulation, having imposed or announced higher standards for gas mileage in cars, fuel cleanliness, energy efficiency in appliances, and emissions from new power plants. In aggregate, they amount to a major assault on climate change. Some environmentalists judge them to be insufficient—a fair critique—but many more Obama supporters aren’t even aware that they exist. This is likely because none of these regulations produced any political theater. There was no legislation, no ponderous Sunday-morning talk-show chin-scratching, no dramatic wrangling of votes on the House floor. Just the issuing of a new regulation, a smallish one-day story.

Slowdown in Health Costs’ Rise May Last as Economy Revives

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:34:00 +0000

Between 2009 and 2011, total health spending grew at the lowest annual pace in the last five decades, at just 3.9 percent a year, although rising out-of-pocket costs have hit millions of families. In contrast, between 2000 and 2007, those annual growth figures ranged between 6.2 and 9.7 percent, according to government figures. Data from the Altarum Institute, a nonprofit research organization in Ann Arbor, Mich., suggests that the low pace of growth has continued through 2012 and early 2013.

Economists concur that the deep recession and sluggish recovery are the main reasons for slowing growth in spending. During the recession, millions of Americans lost their jobs, and thus their insurance coverage; millions more struggling families were reluctant to see a physician or undergo a procedure. But the slowdown in health costs proved steeper than forecast. It also occurred in populations whose health spending was mostly sheltered from the economic gyrations, like Medicare patients.

But health economists are hopeful that the dozens of provisions in the Affordable Care Act designed to hold down costs might kick in as other factors fade. “My sense is that it’s really gathering speed,” Professor Cutler said of changes away from fee-for-service medicine. “Folks were taking tentative steps before the Supreme Court decision came down, but now everybody knows it’s locked in and the governors are deciding about the Medicaidexpansion. If you’re a hospital executive, you’re now saying: ‘I need to figure out how I’m going to adjust to this.’ ”

US home prices up 9.3 pct., most in nearly 7 years

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:30:00 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home prices rose 9.3 percent in February compared with a year ago, the most in nearly seven years. The gains were driven by a growing number of buyers who bid on a limited supply of homes.

The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index increased from an 8.1 percent year-over-year gain in January. And annual prices rose in February in all 20 cities for the second month in a row.

Phoenix led all cities with an annual gain of 23 percent in February. Prices jumped nearly 19 percent in San Francisco. In Las Vegas, home prices increased 17.6 percent and in Atlanta they rose 16.5 percent.

First Lady Michelle Obama Announces New Hiring Commitments for Veterans and Military Spouses

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:45:00 +0000

Two years ago, President Obama announced a challenge to the private sector to hire or train 100,000 unemployed veterans or their spouses by the end of 2013.

The First Lady announced that America’s businesses nearly tripled the goal set by President Obama and did so eight months early. The private sector has already hired or trained 290,000 veterans and military spouses.

The First Lady also announced that American companies have committed to hire or train another 435,000 veterans and military spouses over the next five years.

For example:

BNSF Railroad committed to hire 5,000 veterans and military spouses in the next five years.
UPS committed to hire 25,000 in the next five years.
Home Depot committed to hire 55,000 in the next five years.
McDonald’s committed to hire 100,000 in the next three years.
Walmart committed to hiring any veteran that served honorably the year after they separate from the service.
Deloitte will double its veteran hiring over the next three years.
USAA pledged that 30% of its new hires will be a veteran or military spouse.
The Blackstone Group challenged each of the 50,000 managers at its affiliated businesses to hire at least one veteran.
AT&T committed to creating an online military talent exchange.
The International Franchising Association has helped more than 4,300 veterans own their own business since 2011.
The U.S Chamber of Commerce just held its 400th hiring fair since last March for veterans.

Hospitals See Rapid Progress in Reducing Infections, Other Preventable Problems

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:39:00 +0000

New Jersey hospitals are celebrating a major drop in hospital infections and other preventable problems last year, due to a federally funded initiative that’s part of the Affordable Care Act.

The effort, led by the New Jersey Hospital Association, is aimed at improving the quality of care offered at hospitals by reducing preventable illnesses that originate in healthcare facilities. These problems are a major cause of concern at hospitals and reducing their occurrence is a goal of federal health reform.

The association has been holding face-to-face learning sessions in which doctors and nurses share their experiences in reducing the spread of infections, readmission rates, and other preventable problems.

“It’s really bringing together clinicians and focusing on what are the best practices,” said Aline Holmes, director of the NJHA Institute for Quality and Patient Safety and a registered nurse.

General Motors signs onto corporate ‘climate declaration’

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:36:00 +0000

General Motors Co. is signing onto a joint statement from a slew of big companies that calls for bolder federal action to confront climate change.

GM on Wednesday became the first automaker to sign the “climate declaration” that was initially unveiled in mid-April and is organized through Ceres, a sustainable business and investing group.

“Everywhere you look there are opportunities to seize the high ground on climate and energy,” said Michael J. Robinson, GM’s vice president of sustainability and global regulatory affairs, in a statement.

E2-Wire has much more here on the declaration, which has attracted support from several dozen companies.

Gas Prices See Cheapest April in Three Years: AAA

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:26:00 +0000

U.S. drivers paid the least for gas in April than they have in at least three years, the AAA said on Tuesday, bringing hopes of relief at the pump just in time for the summer driving season.

The AAA said national gas prices averaged $3.55 per gallon, their least expensive in April since 2010. Over the course of the month, retail gasoline shed nearly 3 percent, or 13 cents per gallon—its largest percentage decline for the month in a decade, the agency said.

Market watchers cite a combination of factors behind the move. Primarily, sliding crude oil prices in world markets, and a lack of major refinery outages that normally lead to fuel shortages and drive up prices, have helped to contain prices.

American Auto Industry Has Best Performance in 20 Years

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:43:00 +0000

Sales successes came across the board for the U.S. automakers last month. Ford had a record April in Fusion family- car sales, which rose 24 percent and topped Nissan Motor Co. (7201)’s Altima. GM’s hot-selling new Cadillac ATS sports sedan drove a 34 percent increase in the surging luxury line’s sales. Chrysler’s redesigned Ram 1500 pickup jumped 49 percent.

“Detroit is arguably much more competitive than they have been, from the broad spectrum of their lineup, in a decade or more,” said Jeff Schuster, an analyst with researcher LMC Automotive. “Right now, Detroit has the momentum.”

Ford sales rose 18 percent and GM and Chrysler deliveries both increased 11 percent. That beat forecasts by analysts of a 17 percent rise for Ford and 10 percent for Detroit-based GM and Fiat SpA (F)-controlled Chrysler.

Rick and ZENN Car

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:41:00 +0000

CBO shows decline in budget deficit

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

For the first seven months of 2013, the deficit was $489 billion. That is $231 billion less than the budget shortfall for the comparable period last year.

The decrease is almost entirely due to revenue increases. Revenues rose $200 billion and spending decreased only $11 billion.

Individual income tax and social insurance payroll taxes are up 16 percent this year compared to last year.

In January, Congress and the White House agreed to allow income taxes on those making more than $400,000 per year to rise and to end a 2-percentage point payroll tax holiday for all workers.

Weekly Address: Growing the Housing Market and Supporting our Homeowners

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:25:00 +0000

S.E.C. Is Asked to Require Disclosure of Donations

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Mon, 13 May 2013 03:32:00 +0000

A loose coalition of Democratic elected officials, shareholder activists and pension funds has flooded the Securities and Exchange Commission with calls to require publicly traded corporations to disclose to shareholders all of their political donations, a move that could transform the growing world of secret campaign spending.

S.E.C. officials have indicated that they could propose a new disclosure rule by the end of April, setting up a major battle with business groups that oppose the proposal and are preparing for a fierce counterattack if the agency’s staff moves ahead. Two S.E.C. commissioners have taken the unusual step of weighing in already, with Daniel Gallagher, a Republican, saying in a speech that the commission had been “led astray” by “politically charged issues.”

A petition to the S.E.C. asking it to issue the rule has already garnered close to half a million comments, far more than any petition or rule in the agency’s history, with the vast majority in favor of it. While relatively few petitions result in action by the S.E.C., the commission staff filed a notice late last year indicating that it was considering recommending a rule

Happy Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Mon, 13 May 2013 00:13:00 +0000

Happy Mother's Day, FLOTUS!

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Mon, 13 May 2013 00:01:00 +0000

Principal fires security guards, hires art teachers to save his school

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Sun, 12 May 2013 15:19:00 +0000

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

In a school notorious for its lack of discipline, where backpacks were prohibited for fear the students would use them to carry weapons, Bott’s bold decision to replace the security guards with art teachers was met with skepticism by those who also questioned why he would choose to lead the troubled school.

“A lot of my colleagues really questioned the decision,” he said. “A lot of people actually would say to me, ‘You realize that Orchard Gardens is a career killer? You know, you don't want to go to Orchard Gardens.’”

Share your Big Idea with NBC Nightly News! Your ideas may be featured online -- or on our broadcast.

But now, three years later, the school is almost unrecognizable. Brightly colored paintings, essays of achievement, and motivational posters line the halls. The dance studio has been resurrected, along with the band room, and an artists’ studio.

Local food — put a sticker on it!

noreply@blogger.com (Linda H) — Sun, 12 May 2013 03:17:00 +0000

The Windy City is about to roll out a new local food label designed to support the city’s burgeoning urban farming movement. “Chicago Grown” will soon appear on signs around the city and on stickers on fruit, veggies, herbs, and honey, and eventually on processed items in which they’re included, such as salsa, jams, and even kombucha.

Backers believe Chicago Grown will be the first label issued by a major city specifically to promote its urban ag culture. “We really want the label to both increase demand for foods grown through urban agriculture and celebrate that so many people are growing food within Chicago,” says Megan Klein with the Chicago Food Policy Advisory Council (CFPAC), who is spearheading the effort with input from growers around the city. “We want people to be able to identify who is growing the food around them and to let them know where they can get it.”

Chicago Grown and efforts like it are a natural next step for the “buy local” campaigns started in the ’90s. The early movement helped usher in the era of farmers markets, launch community supported agriculture operations (CSAs), and convince the nation’s gonzo chain grocery stores to stock their shelves with “local” products — but the definition of “local” varies. Now, a flurry of branding and rebranding efforts around the country is giving the eating public an easy way to tell exactly where its food comes from and who grew it.

what IS working

Weekly Address: The President Talks About How to Build a Rising, Thriving Middle Class

CBO shows decline in budget deficit

Renewable Energy: How the Military Will Help America Become Energy Independent

Takei & Jesse Ferguson Team Up, Take on Same-Sex Marriage Opponents

I Will NOT Be Denied

1ST CHINESE AUTOMAKER IN US TO OPEN CALIF. PLANTS

Prisoners pair up with hard-to-train dogs

Health centers to help uninsured individuals gain affordable health insurance coverage

U.S. Sees First Debt Reduction Since 2007 as Revenue Rises

Obama Might Actually Be the Environmental President

Slowdown in Health Costs’ Rise May Last as Economy Revives

US home prices up 9.3 pct., most in nearly 7 years

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home prices rose 9.3 percent in February compared with a year ago, the most in nearly seven years. The gains were driven by a growing number of buyers who bid on a limited supply of homes.

read more

First Lady Michelle Obama Announces New Hiring Commitments for Veterans and Military Spouses

Hospitals See Rapid Progress in Reducing Infections, Other Preventable Problems

General Motors signs onto corporate ‘climate declaration’

Gas Prices See Cheapest April in Three Years: AAA

American Auto Industry Has Best Performance in 20 Years

Rick and ZENN Car

CBO shows decline in budget deficit

Weekly Address: Growing the Housing Market and Supporting our Homeowners

S.E.C. Is Asked to Require Disclosure of Donations

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day, FLOTUS!

Principal fires security guards, hires art teachers to save his school

Local food — put a sticker on it!