Good morning!

Last night president Obama gave his speech on “Jobs”. Many people, really the republicans, who don’t ever want to give Obama credit for doing anything good for our country, who would rather see our country fail under his watch, no surprise, said he sounded “desperate”.

Well yes, these are “desperate” times for many, but that’s not the “d” word that I would use to describe the feelings I felt from his words. As I watched him give his speech, I felt his “desire” for change, his “dedication” to getting this bill, the “American Jobs Act” signed now, and his “determination” to making this country better for all.

For those of you who like to look at our president when his mouth is moving, see the “determination” in his brow, hear his “desire” for change…I, for one do…here he is giving his speech on “Jobs”:

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

And for those of you who like to take your time…read the words at your leisure…pause to percolate through your mind…hey, I do too…here’s the write:

The following are President Obama’s remarks on his jobs plan as delivered to Congress on Sept. 8, 2011:

Thank you so much. Everyone, please have a seat. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, and fellow Americans, tonight we meet at an urgent time for our country. We continue to face an economic crisis that has left millions of our neighbors jobless and a political crisis that’s made things worse.

This past week, reporters have been asking, “What will this speech mean for the president? What will it mean for Congress? How will it affect their polls and the next election?”

But the millions of Americans who are watching right now, they don’t care about politics. They have real-life concerns. Many have spent months looking for work. Others are doing their best just to scrape by, giving up nights out with the family to save on gas or make the mortgage, postponing retirement to send a kid to college.

These men and women grew up with faith in an America where hard work and responsibility paid off. They believed in a country where everyone gets a fair shake and does their fair share, where if you stepped up, did your job, and were loyal to your company, that loyalty would be rewarded with a decent salary and good benefits, maybe a raise once in awhile. If you did the right thing, you could make it — anybody could make it in America.

But for decades now, Americans have watched that compact erode. They have seen the decks too often stacked against them. And they know that Washington has not always put their interests first.

The people of this country work hard to meet their responsibilities. The question tonight is whether we’ll meet ours. The question is whether — in the face of an ongoing national crisis — we can stop the political circus and actually do something to help the economy.

(APPLAUSE)

The question — the question is whether we can restore some of the fairness and security that has defined this nation since our beginning.

Those of us here tonight can’t solve all our nation’s woes. Ultimately, our recovery will be driven not by Washington, but by our businesses and our workers. But we can help. We can make a difference. There are steps we can take right now to improve people’s lives.

I am sending this Congress a plan that you should pass right away. It’s called the American Jobs Act. There should be nothing controversial about this piece of legislation. Everything in here is the kind of proposal that’s been supported by both Democrats and Republicans, including many who sit here tonight, and everything in this bill will be paid for, everything.

(APPLAUSE)

The purpose of the American Jobs Act is simple: to put more people back to work and more money in the pockets of those who are working. It will create more jobs for construction workers, more jobs for teachers, more jobs for veterans, and more jobs for long-term unemployed. It will provide…

(APPLAUSE)

It will provide a tax break for companies who hire new workers, and it will cut payroll taxes in half for every working American and every small business.

(APPLAUSE)

It will provide a jolt to an economy that has stalled and give companies confidence that, if they invest and if they hire, there will be customers for their products and services. You should pass this jobs plan right away.

(APPLAUSE)

Everyone here knows that small businesses are where most new jobs begin. And you know that while corporate profits have come roaring back, smaller companies haven’t. So for everyone who speaks so passionately about making life easier for “job-creators,” this plan’s for you. Pass this jobs bill.

(APPLAUSE)

Pass this jobs bill, and starting tomorrow, small businesses will get a tax cut if they hire new workers or if they raise workers’ wages. Pass this jobs bill, and all small-business owners will also see their payroll taxes cut in half next year. If you have 50 employees…

(APPLAUSE)

If you have 50 employees making an average salary, that’s an $80,000 tax cut. And all businesses will be able to continue writing off the investments they make in 2012.

It’s not just Democrats who have supported this kind of proposal. Fifty House Republicans have proposed the same payroll tax cut that’s in this plan. You should pass it right away.

(APPLAUSE)

Pass this jobs bill, and we can put people to work rebuilding America. Everyone here knows we have badly decaying roads and bridges all over this country. Our highways are clogged with traffic. Our skies are the most congested in the world. It’s an outrage.

Building a world-class transportation system is part of what made us an economic superpower. And now we’re going to sit back and watch China build newer airports and faster railroads, at a time when millions of unemployed construction workers could build them right here in America?

(APPLAUSE)

There…

(APPLAUSE)

There are private construction companies all across America just waiting to get to work. There’s a bridge that needs repair between Ohio and Kentucky that’s on one of the busiest trucking routes in North America, a public transit project in Houston that will help clear up one of the worst areas of traffic in the country.

And there are schools throughout this country that desperately need renovating. How can we expect our kids to do their best in places that are literally falling apart? This is America. Every child deserves a great school, and we can give it to them, if we act now.

(APPLAUSE)

The American Jobs Act will repair and modernize at least 35,000 schools. It will put people to work right now fixing roofs and windows, installing science labs and high-speed Internet in classrooms all across this country. It will rehabilitate homes and businesses in communities hit hardest by foreclosures. It will jump-start thousands of transportation projects all across the country.

And to make sure the money is properly spent, we’re building on reforms we’ve already put in place. No more earmarks. No more boondoggles. No more Bridges to Nowhere. We’re cutting the red tape that prevents some of these projects from getting started as quickly as possible. And we’ll set up an independent fund to attract private dollars and issue loans based on two criteria: how badly a construction project is needed and how much good it will do for the economy.

(APPLAUSE)

This idea came from a bill written by a Texas Republican and a Massachusetts Democrat. The idea for a big boost in construction is supported by America’s largest business organization and America’s largest labor organization. It’s the kind of proposal that’s been supported in the past by Democrats and Republicans alike. You should pass it right away.

(APPLAUSE)

Pass this jobs bill, and thousands of teachers in every state will go back to work. These are the men and women charged with preparing our children for a world where the competition has never been tougher.

But while they’re adding teachers in places like South Korea, we’re laying them off in droves. It’s unfair to our kids; it undermines their future and ours. And it has to stop. Pass this bill, and put our teachers back in the classroom where they belong.

(APPLAUSE)

Pass this jobs bill, and companies will get extra tax credits if they hire America’s veterans. We ask these men and women to leave their careers, leave their families, risk their lives to fight for our country. The last thing they should have to do is fight for a job when they come home.

(APPLAUSE)

OBAMA: Pass this bill, and hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged young people will have the hope and the dignity of a summer job next year. And their parents…

(APPLAUSE)

… their parents, low-income Americans who desperately want to work, will have more ladders out of poverty.

Pass this jobs bill, and companies will get a $4,000 tax credit if they hire anyone who has spent more than six months looking for a job.

(APPLAUSE)

We — we have to do more to help the long-term unemployed in their search for work. This jobs plan builds on a program in Georgia that several Republican leaders have highlighted, where people who collect unemployment insurance participate in temporary work as a way to build their skills while they look for a permanent job.

The plan also extends unemployment insurance for another year.

(APPLAUSE)

If the millions of unemployed Americans stopped getting this insurance and stopped using that money for basic necessities, it would be a devastating blow to this economy. Democrats and Republicans in this chamber have supported unemployment insurance plenty of times in the past. And in this time of prolonged hardship, you should pass it again, right away.

(APPLAUSE)

Pass this jobs bill, and the typical working family will get a $1,500 tax cut next year, $1,500 that would have been taken out of your pocket will go into your pocket. This expands on the tax cut that Democrats and Republicans already passed for this year.

If we allow that tax cut to expire, if we refuse to act, middle- class families will get hit with a tax increase at the worst possible time. We can’t let that happen.

I know that some of you have sworn oaths to never raise any taxes on anyone for as long as you live. Now is not the time to carve out an exception and raise middle-class taxes, which is why you should pass this bill right away.

(APPLAUSE)

This is the American Jobs Act. It will lead to new jobs for construction workers, for teachers, for veterans, for first responders, young people, and the long-term unemployed. It will provide tax credits to companies that hire new workers, tax relief to small-business owners, and tax cuts for the middle-class.

And here’s the other thing I want the American people to know: The American Jobs Act will not add to the deficit. It will be paid for. And here’s how.

(APPLAUSE)

The agreement we passed in July will cut government spending by about $1 trillion over the next 10 years. It also charges this Congress to come up with an additional $1.5 trillion in savings by Christmas. Tonight, I’m asking you to increase that amount so that it covers the full cost of the American Jobs Act. And a week from Monday, I’ll be releasing a more ambitious deficit plan, a plan that will not only cover the cost of this jobs bill, but stabilize our debt in the long run.

(APPLAUSE)

This approach is basically the one I’ve been advocating for months. In addition to the trillion dollars of spending cuts I’ve already signed into law, it’s a balanced plan that would reduce the deficit by making additional spending cuts, by making modest adjustments to health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid, and by reforming our tax code in a way that asks the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations to pay their fair share.

(APPLAUSE)

What’s more, the spending cuts wouldn’t happen so abruptly that they’d be a drag on our economy or prevent us from helping small businesses and middle-class families get back on their feet right away.

Now, I realize there are some in my party who don’t think we should make any changes at all to Medicare and Medicaid, and I understand their concerns. But here’s the truth: Millions of Americans rely on Medicare in their retirement. And millions more will do so in the future. They pay for this benefit during their working years; they earn it.

But with an aging population and rising health care costs, we are spending too fast to sustain the program. And if we don’t gradually reform the system, while protecting current beneficiaries, it won’t be there when future retirees need it. We have to reform Medicare to strengthen it.

I’m also…

(APPLAUSE)

I’m also well aware that there are many Republicans who don’t believe we should raise taxes on those who are most fortunate and can best afford it. But here’s what every American knows: While most people in this country struggle to make ends meet, a few of the most affluent citizens and most profitable corporations enjoy tax breaks and loopholes that nobody else gets.

Right now, Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary, an outrage he has asked us to fix. We need a tax code where everyone gets a fair shake and where everybody pays their fair share.

(APPLAUSE)

And, by the way, I believe the vast majority of wealthy Americans and CEOs are willing to do just that, if it helps the economy grow and gets our fiscal house in order.

I’ll also offer ideas to reform a corporate tax code that stands as a monument to special interest influence in Washington. By eliminating pages of loopholes and deductions, we can lower one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world.

(APPLAUSE)

Our tax code should not give an advantage to companies that can afford the best-connected lobbyists. It should give an advantage to companies that invest and create jobs right here in the United States of America.

(APPLAUSE)

So we can reduce this deficit, pay down our debt, and pay for this jobs plan in the process. But in order to do this, we have to decide what our priorities are. We have to ask ourselves, “What’s the best way to grow the economy and create jobs?”

Should we keep tax loopholes for oil companies, or should we use that money to give small-business owners a tax credit when they hire new workers? Because we can’t afford to do both.

Should we keep tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires, or should we put teachers back to work so our kids can graduate ready for college and good jobs?

(APPLAUSE)

Right now, we can’t afford to do both.

This isn’t political grandstanding. This isn’t class warfare.

(LAUGHTER)

This is simple math. These are real choices. These are real choices that we’ve got to make. And I’m pretty sure I know what most Americans would choose. It’s not even close. And it’s time for us to do what’s right for our future.

(APPLAUSE)

Now, the American Jobs Act answers the urgent need to create jobs right away. But we can’t stop there. As I’ve argued since I ran for this office, we have to look beyond the immediate crisis and start building an economy that lasts into the future, an economy that creates good, middle-class jobs that pay well and offer security.

We now live in a world where technology has made it possible for companies to take their business anywhere. If we want them to start here and stay here and hire here, we have to be able to out-build, and out-educate, and out-innovate every other country on Earth.

(APPLAUSE)

This task, of making America more competitive for the long haul, that’s a job for all of us, for government and for private companies, for states and for local communities, and for every American citizen. All of us will have to up our game. All of us will have to change the way we do business.

My administration can and will take some steps to improve our competitiveness on our own. For example, if you’re a small-business owner who has a contract with the federal government, we’re going to make sure you get paid a lot faster than you do right now.

(APPLAUSE)

We’re also planning to cut away the red tape that prevents too many rapidly growing start-up companies from raising capital and going public.

And to help responsible homeowners, we’re going to work with federal housing agencies to help more people refinance their mortgages at interest rates that are now near 4 percent. That’s a step…

(APPLAUSE)

I know you guys must be for this, because that’s a step that can put more than $2,000 a year in a family’s pocket and give a lift to an economy still burdened by the drop in housing prices.

So some things we can do on our own. Other steps will require congressional action.

Today, you passed reform that will speed up the outdated patent process so that entrepreneurs can turn a new idea into a new business as quickly as possible. That’s the kind of action we need.

Now it’s time to clear the way for a series of trade agreements that would make it easier for American companies to sell their products in Panama, and Colombia, and South Korea, while also helping the workers whose jobs have been affected by global competition.

(APPLAUSE)

If Americans can buy Kias and Hyundais, I want to see folks in South Korea driving Fords and Chevys and Chryslers.

(APPLAUSE)

I want to see more products sold around the world stamped with the three proud words, “Made in America.” That’s what we need to get done.

(APPLAUSE)

And on all of our efforts to strengthen competitiveness, we need to look for ways to work side by side with America’s businesses. That’s why I’ve brought together a jobs council of leaders from different industries who are developing a wide range of new ideas to help companies grow and create jobs.

Already, we’ve mobilized business leaders to train 10,000 American engineers a year, by providing company internships and training. Other businesses are covering tuition for workers who learn new skills at community colleges.

And we’re going to make sure the next generation of manufacturing takes root not in China or Europe, but right here in the United States of America.

(APPLAUSE)

If we provide the right incentives, the right support, and if we make sure our trading partners play by the rules, we can be the ones to build everything from fuel-efficient cars to advanced biofuels to semiconductors that we sell all around the world. That’s how America can be number-one again. And that’s how America will be number-one again.

(APPLAUSE)

Now, I realize that some of you have a different theory on how to grow the economy. Some of you sincerely believe that the only solution to our economic challenges is to simply cut most government spending and eliminate most government regulations.

(APPLAUSE)

And — well, I agree that we can’t afford wasteful spending, and I’ll work with you, with Congress, to root it out. And I agree that there are some rules and regulations that do put an unnecessary burden on businesses at a time when they can least afford it.

(APPLAUSE)

That’s why I ordered a review of all government regulations. So far, we’ve identified over 500 reforms, which will save billions of dollars over the next few years. We should have no more regulation than the health, safety and security of the American people require. Every rule should meet that commonsense test.

(APPLAUSE)

But what we can’t do — what I will not do — is let this economic crisis be used as an excuse to wipe out the basic protections that Americans have counted on for decades.

(APPLAUSE)

I reject the idea that we need to ask people to choose between their jobs and their safety. I reject the argument that says, for the economy to grow, we have to roll back protections that ban hidden fees by credit card companies, or rules that keep our kids from being exposed to mercury, or laws that prevent the health insurance industry from shortchanging patients.

I reject the idea that we have to strip away collective bargaining rights to compete in a global economy.

(APPLAUSE)

We shouldn’t be in a race to the bottom, where we try to offer the cheapest labor and the worst pollution standards. America should be in a race to the top, and I believe we can win that race.

(APPLAUSE)

In fact, this larger notion that the only thing we can do to restore prosperity is just dismantle government, refund everybody’s money, and let everyone write their own rules, and tell everyone they’re on their own, that’s not who we are. That’s not the story of America.

Yes, we are rugged individualists. Yes, we are strong and self- reliant. And it has been the drive and initiative of our workers and entrepreneurs that has made this economy the engine and the envy of the world.

But there’s always been another thread running throughout our history, a belief that we’re all connected, and that there are some things we can only do together as a nation.

We all remember Abraham Lincoln as the leader who saved our union, founder of the Republican Party. But in the middle of a Civil War, he was also a leader who looked to the future, a Republican president who mobilized government to build the transcontinental railroad, launch the National Academy of Sciences, set up the first land grant colleges. And leaders of both parties have followed the example he set.

Ask yourselves: Where would we be right now if the people who sat here before us decided not to build our highways, not to build our bridges, our dams, our airports? What would this country be like if we had chosen not to spend money on public high schools, or research universities, or community colleges?

Millions of returning heroes, including my grandfather, had the opportunity to go to school because of the G.I. Bill. Where would we be if they hadn’t had that chance?

(APPLAUSE)

How many jobs would it have cost us if past Congresses decided not to support the basic research that led to the Internet and the computer chip? What kind of country would this be if this chamber had voted down Social Security or Medicare just because it violated some rigid idea about what government could or could not do? How many Americans would have suffered as a result?

(APPLAUSE)

No single individual built America on their own. We built it together. We have been — and always will be — one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all, a nation with responsibilities to ourselves and with responsibilities to one another.

And, members of Congress, it is time for us to meet our responsibilities.

(APPLAUSE)

Every proposal I’ve laid out tonight is the kind that’s been supported by Democrats and Republicans in the past. Every proposal I’ve laid out tonight will be paid for. And every proposal is designed to meet the urgent needs of our people and our communities.

Now, I know there’s been a lot of skepticism about whether the politics of the moment will allow us to pass this jobs plan, or any jobs plan. Already, we’re seeing the same old press releases and tweets flying back and forth. Already, the media has proclaimed that it’s impossible to bridge our differences. And maybe some of you have decided that those differences are so great that we can only resolve them at the ballot box.

But know this: The next election is 14 months away. And the people who sent us here, the people who hired us to work for them, they don’t have the luxury of waiting 14 months.

(APPLAUSE)

Some of them are living week to week, paycheck to paycheck, even day to day. They need help, and they need it now.

I don’t pretend that this plan will solve all our problems. It should not be — nor will it be — the last plan of action we propose. What’s guided us from the start of this crisis hasn’t been the search for a silver bullet. It’s been a commitment to stay at it, to be persistent, to keep trying every new idea that works and listen to every good proposal, no matter which party comes up with it.

Regardless of the arguments we’ve had in the past, regardless of the arguments we’ll have in the future, this plan is the right thing to do right now. You should pass it. And I intend to take that message to every corner of this country.

(APPLAUSE)

And I ask — I ask every American who agrees to lift your voice, tell the people who are gathered here tonight that you want action now. Tell Washington that doing nothing is not an option. Remind us that, if we act as one nation and one people, we have it within our power to meet this challenge.

President Kennedy once said, “Our problems are manmade; therefore, they can be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants.”

These are difficult years for our country, but we are Americans. We are tougher than the times that we live in, and we are bigger than our politics have been. So let’s meet the moment, let’s get to work, and let’s show the world once again why the United States of America remains the greatest nation on Earth.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you very much. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.

(APPLAUSE)

***********

Readers: Our President is done “flapping” his lips – at least for now. And so am I. Your turn. What did you think of his speech? I thought it was simply awesome. Blog me.

Peace & Love…

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2011

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

So…last night was the first debate with republican presidential candidates. Did you watch? I have to say that I was busy working but I did watch some of the highlighted points. Not much to say about Bachmann as she didn’t say much. Nothing new there. Perhaps she’s learned to keep her mouth shut since whatever she seems to say is not worth listening to anyway. Looks will only get you so far, and in my opinion, this candidate has reached her limit…at least I am HOPEing.

It seems all of the talk points to Perry and his view that Social Security is a Ponzi Scheme. Are Perry’s days numbered too? I wouldn’t be so sure.

Here’s a clip:

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

Readers: Don’t forget, tonight Obama will give his jobs address.

Social Butterfly: I like it.

Ym: The girl loves you too, no doubt. How could she not?

Howie: I like the idea of “buy American” too. Yes it is easier when it comes to everyday things like light bulbs, etc., but when it comes to clothing, let me tell you, it is tough. I shop for clients all of the time, and I can’t tell you how difficult it is buying clothing American made. And I am not shopping Target, but beautiful department stores and upper end lines. More than 90% of the clothing I find for my clients is made in China. It really is frustrating. The only clothing that isn’t made in China are the very big designers, and then they’re made in Italy or other parts of Europe, not the U.S.

Anything to say? you know what to do. Blog me.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2011

" Politics, god, Life, News, Music, Family, Personal, Travel, Random, Photography, Religion, Aliens, Art, Entertainment, Food, Books, Thoughts, Media, Culture, Love, Sex, Poetry, Prose, Friends, Technology, Humor, Health, Writing, Events, Movies, Sports, Video, Christianity, Atheist, Blogging, History, Work, Education, Business, Fashion, Barack Obama, People, Internet, Relationships, Faith, Photos, Videos, Hillary Clinton, School, Reviews, God, TV, Philosophy, Fun, Science, Environment, Design, The Page, Rants, Pictures, Church, Blog, Nature, Marketing, Television, Democrats, Parenting, Miscellaneous, Current Events, Film, Spirituality, Obama, Musings, Home, Human Rights, Society, Comedy, Me, Random Thoughts, Research, Government, Election 2008, Baseball, Opinion, Recipes, Children, Iraq, Funny, Women, Economics, America, Misc, Commentary, John McCain, Reflections, All, Celebrities, Inspiration, Lifestyle, Theology, Linux, Kids, Games, World, India, Literature, China, Ramblings, Fitness, Money, Review, War, Articles, Economy, Journal, Quotes, NBA, Crime, Anime, Islam, 2008, Stories, Prayer, Diary, Jesus, Buddha, Muslim, Israel, Europe, Links, Marriage, Fiction, American Idol, Software, Leadership, Pop culture, Rants, Video Games, Republicans, Updates, Political, Football, Healing, Blogs, Shopping, USA, Class, Matrix, Course, Work, Web 2.0, My Life, Psychology, Gay, Happiness, Advertising, Field Hockey, Hip-hop, sex, fucking, ass, Soccer, sox"

Good morning!

These days many people turn to lotteries in HOPEs to win it big. And the scammers are hoping you will. Don’t be fooled. Read on…

A ‘Lotto’ Concerns

You didn’t really win that state lottery you never entered

Beware of false claims that you’ve won a lottery. — Photo by: Nicholas Eveleigh/Getty Images

But savvy swindlers have turned their attention to state lotteries. You get a bogus notification that you’ve won one. It’s all part of a trick to part you with your money or personal information.

The latest variation, discovered in late August, was an e-mail claiming recipients had struck it rich with the Delaware Lottery through a “computer ballot system.” It followed similar sham notifications concerning state lotteries in South Dakota, Colorado, New York, Minnesota and elsewhere.

Congratulations are not in order

No matter what the impersonated state, the ploy is the same: By e-mail, phone call or letter, you get a notice of congratulations promising a big payoff, complete with instructions to contact a named “claims agent” for more information. E-mails and letters can look legit because they usually have an exact replica of the lottery logo or state seal. Some list the actual address of the state lottery commission.

Forewarned is forearmed – Blog me.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

Thank you for your loyal support!

All content on this site are property of Michelle Moquin © copyright 2008-2011

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This story was brought to my attention awhile ago. And yesterday I was sent this video, so I watched it last night. If you haven’t seen it, it’s time that you do. This story is one of the worse cases of sexual abuse of children by priests and workers of the Catholic Church. It is so disturbing and shocking that this sexual abuse happened to entire generations of Alaskan Native children, consistently for years and years until finally the perpetrators were caught. Yet it took many more years after that before an apology was heard, and a settlement was given.

Watch the segment from Frontline (30 minutes) and/or read the timeline below.

Watch the full episode. See more FRONTLINE.

Timeline

In the 1960s and ’70s, almost an entire generation of Alaska Native children in the village of St. Michael were sexually abused by Catholic priests and church workers. Here’s information on the history of the abuse, legal actions taken by the survivors, and how the child abuse crimes in Alaska fits into the larger story of the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal.

Editors’ Note: This timeline contains descriptions of sexual abuse.

Key Villages, Towns and Cities In This Timeline

Notable U.S. Catholic Clergy Abuse Settlements

• ALASKA$50 million — In November 2007, the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus settles with 110 Alaska Natives, including those in St. Michael and Stebbins.$10 million — After its bankruptcy filing is approved in January 2010, the Diocese of Fairbanks agrees to paynearly 300 victims of clergy sexual abuse. The settlement requires Bishop Kettler to apologize in person to them and also meet privately with any victim who asks. He also must read a statement from the pulpit, post a list of perpetrators, conduct a healing ceremony and pay for counseling services.$166.1 million — In March 2010, the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus reaches a settlement for some 524 cases of clergy sex abuse that occurred in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska and Montana. Those who file suit includes men and women who had settled with the Jesuits in November 2007, as well as additional survivors.
• MASSACHUSETTS$85 million — On Sept. 9, 2003, the Archdiocese of Boston agrees to pay a settlement to more than 500 victims of clergy sex abuse.For more on this scandal in the Boston area, watch our 2007 film Hand of God and read The Boston Globe’sspotlight investigation.
• OREGON$53 million — The Archdiocese of Portland files for bankruptcy after paying abuse victims in July 2004. It’s considered the first bankruptcy filing by a U.S. archdiocese.
• CALIFORNIA$660 million — The Archdiocese of Los Angeles agrees to pay more than 500 victims of clergy sex abuse in July 2007.The Orange County Diocese reaches an undisclosed settlement with 87 victims of clergy sexual abuse in December 2004. It is thought that the payout is larger than the $85 million reached in the Boston Archdiocese settlement.
• For more, see BishopAccountability.org’s detailed chartof clergy sex abuse settlements and monetary awards in U.S. civil suits.

Late 1800s

In 1867, the United States purchases Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. U.S. Catholic missionaries begin pouring into the new state.

The missionaries arrive in St. Michael and build their first mission in 1899. A church is built a year later. The village is in a remote section of Alaska, almost 200 miles from the Arctic Circle, and is not accessible by roads.

In the early 1900s, an influenza and measles epidemic known as the “Great Sickness” wipes out more than 60 percent of Alaska’s Native population. After the epidemic, Jesuits make headway in converting Alaska Natives.

June 24, 1936

Father George S. Endal, S.J., arrives in Alaska and is assigned to the Holy Cross Mission in Holy Cross. He remains there for two years.

In 1938, Endal is transferred to Mountain Village and serves there until 1946, at which time he transfers to the village of Alakanuk. In 1948, he arrives in Dillingham, where he builds a school, a chapel and residences.

1949

Father George Endal meets Joseph Lundowski sometime after 1949. There is very little known about Lundowski’s past, other than the fact that he served in the Army during World War II under Gen. George Patton in North Africa, that he was briefly a Trappist monk and that he was a netsetter in Alaska.

Without church authorization, Endal names Lundowski a “Brother” and places him in charge of the boys’ dormitory at the Holy Rosary Mission School in Dillingham.

Years later, a former student testifies that Endal knew about Lundowski’s sexual abuse because he walked into a church room in Dillingham “where he saw Joe sucking my penis.” Endal reportedly warned the then 6-year-old boy to stay away from Lundowski because it wasn’t safe.

1956

Father James E. Poole, S.J., receives his first assignment in Alaska as pastor in the Native villages of Mountain Village, Pilot Station and Marshall. Poole becomes the host of a popular Catholic radio program at KNOM in Nome and, in 1978, is named one of Alaska’s hippest DJs by People magazine.

1960A letter is sent by Jesuit Vicar General Father John Swain to Jesuit headquarters in Rome warning about Father James Poole’s penchant for keeping Alaska Native girls in his room and visiting them in their dorm rooms.

In 2004, Father Henry G. Hargreaves, S.J, who was Poole’s supervisor, is asked about the letter during a deposition. He responds: “It’s all hearsay. It, no one saw it first, and then it was nothing more than gossip.”

1962 Father Endal moves to Nulato. Lundowski follows him there and, according to church documents, is involved in a sexual scandal with a person who is “not a woman.”

1965 Father Jules M. Convert, a French national who served in St. Michael, Stebbins and Unalakeet, and was appointed General Superior of the Jesuits in Alaska in 1964, writes a series of letters to the Vicar General Father John E. Gurr, the bishop’s principle deputy, urging the church to dismiss Joseph Lundowski as a volunteer. Convert argues that it’s inappropriate for Lundowski to use the word “Brother” to describe Lundowski’s station. The vicar general hints at previous problems and urges Convert to “bring the scandal to an end.” Ultimately, both men seem at a loss as to what to do about this situation since neither believes he has the jurisdiction to take action against a church volunteer.

An additional letter is written to the vicar general by a senior Jesuit, stating that the church “should have gotten rid of [Lundowski] a long time ago.” This letter suggests that the church knew who Lundowski was and, in some cases, had serious concerns about him.

1968 After a three-year assignment in Hooper Bay — where Lundowski was allowed to conduct religious services and distribute communion by Father Endal — Endal suggests to the diocese that both he and Lundowski be sent to St. Michael. He requests that Lundowski be given the official power to distribute communion: “I feel he is very well qualified to be given this trust,” Endal writes. The request is not granted at this time, and records indicate that Joseph Lundowski was never formally given the title of “deacon” by the church.

But after his arrival in St. Michael, Lundowski begins serving as a de-facto deacon, administering communion and teaching catechism. His victims say their molestations, including rape, typically occurred after Mass or catechism when Lundowski would bribe his victims with candy, money, sacramental wine, beer and the promise of better grades.

According to church documents, Lundowski’s sexual predation of children “accelerated” after he and Endal were transferred.

1969 Father Endal writes the diocese again asking for special authority for Lundowski: “… the people instinctively address him as Brother. In my nine years of association with him, I must testify that he acts the part.” Bishop Robert L. Whelan grants the request for Lundowski to officially distribute communion.

1971 Joseph Lundowski molests 12-year-old Peter “Packy” Kobuk after catechism class, performing oral sex on him in a rectory bedroom, according to Kobuk. The abuse continues for another four to five years.

1975  A witness sees Lundowski engaging in a sex act with a 6- or 7-year-old boy. The witness, abuse survivor Ben Andrews’ cousin, “raised a fuss” with the diocese, according to Andrews. The next day, “an agitated” Endal asks pilot Jerry Austin to immediately fly Lundowski to Unalakleet.

1978 According to court records, Father James Poole begins molesting 10-year-old Elsie Boudreau. Boudreau says the abuse continues until 1984.

1983 Father George Endal leaves the region. He molests several children in the years after Lundowski is flown out of St. Michael. Under Father Endal’s watch, nearly 80 percent of the town’s children — literally an entire generation — are molested.

1985

Packy Kobuk decides to talk openly about his sexual abuse. He raises the issue with at least three priests and Bishop Michael J. Kaniecki. Kobuk reports: “He would just change the subject.”

One priest, Father Ward Walker, later states that he reported Kobuk’s allegations to the diocese. The diocese maintains there are no records of that report.

During the same year, Father Thomas P. Doyle, a canon lawyer for the Vatican embassy, writes a confidential memo to U.S. Catholic bishops. He lays out 30 known cases of abuse across the country with around 100 victims, and estimates that cost to the church could be $1 billion over 10 years.

1992 U.S. bishops endorse a set of guidelines for handling cases of sex abuse. At the same time, Jason Berry’s history of the scandal, Lead Us Not Into Temptation: Catholic Priests and the Sexual Abuse of Children estimates 400 priests have been accused of abuse, costing the church more than $400 million.

1993 Joseph Lundowski responds to a letter written to him by one of his victims, a schizophrenic serving time in prison for rape. In the letter, the victim had described the turmoil he suffered as a result of the molestation. Lundowski writes:

“Your letter came to me as a shock and sadden [sic] me as to your condition. It goes without saying that if I am in anyway [sic] to blame for your illness, I apologize. …

“I pray to God who relieves all illness to comfort you and to restore you to perfect health. Since I left Alaska and came [to Chicago] to work, I have accepted the Lord in a real and personal manner. … I too have suffered. Two years ago I had a heart attack with a stroke and still have limited use of my legs and arms. My prayer for myself every day is for Him to come and take me. I don’t write this for sympathy, but to let you see the Lord punishes us in his own ways.”

1994 Father James Poole is sent to the Servants of Paraclete in New Mexico, a Jesuit-run psychiatric facility for troubled priests. Little is known about his whereabouts after 1994.

1996 Joseph Lundowski dies. At the time of his death, he is a resident of the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago, where he served as a nighttime switchboard operator for the radio show “Unshackled!”. There is no evidence that he discussed his experience in Alaska with anyone in Chicago.

A few months later, Father George Endal dies while a resident of the Pioneers Home, a church facility in Anchorage. His career with the Catholic Church in Alaska spanned 60 years.

1999 St. Michael sexual abuse survivor Tommy Cheemuk’s brother, John “Dunny” Cheemuk, commits suicide. Tommy believes his brother’s death is to due the molestations.

2002

Former Anchorage prosecutor Ken Roosa signs his first client in Alaska’s sexual abuse scandal.

April 2002Pope John Paul II summons America’s cardinals to the Vatican to discuss the growing sex scandal in the church. He states: “The abuse which has caused this crisis is by every standard wrong and rightly considered a crime by society: it is also an appalling sin in the eyes of God.”

Read more about this meeting and the events surrounding it on the PBS NewsHour’s website.

June 2002

Pope John Paul II appoints Father Donald Kettler as the fourth bishop of Fairbanks. He is the first non-Jesuit to head the diocese; before his appointment he was a parish priest who performed a regular televised mass in South Dakota.

At their annual general meeting in Dallas, U.S. bishops approve a “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” [PDF], calling for zero tolerance for child sexual abuse by clergy. They also authorize an investigation by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice into sexual abuse in the U.S. Catholic Church. It becomes known as the “John Jay Report” and is released in 2004. The research reveals that, “of the 195 dioceses and eparchies that participated in the study, all but seven have reported that allegations of sexual abuse of youths under the age of 18 have been made against at least one priest serving in ecclesiastical ministry in that diocese or eparch.”

July 2002 Pope John Paul II speaks publicly for the first time about the sex scandals during an outdoor mass concluding World Youth Day in Toronto. He tells a crowd of more than 800,000 Catholics that the harmful actions of some “fills us all with a deep sense of sadness and shame.”

June 2003 The first Alaska clergy sexual abuse lawsuit is filed against the Diocese of Fairbanks after the parties are unable to reach a settlement. The claimants are six men from St. Mary’s who say they were abused by Father Jules Convert. In the end, Convert has 35 sexual abuse claims against him — more than any other priest in the Diocese of Fairbanks.

August 2003 CBS News obtains a confidential Vatican document [PDF], written in 1962, that lays out a church policy on sexual abuse by priests. The document calls for absolute secrecy when it comes to these cases, warning that anyone who speaks out could be thrown out of the church. The U.S. Conference of Bishops issues a statement saying that the document is being taken out of context.

November 2003Father James Poole is sent to live in a Jesuit retirement home in Spokane, Wash., where he still lives today.

March 2004 Elsie Boudreau files the first civil complaint against Father James Poole using the pseudonym “Jane Doe 1.” It states that “Father Poole committed hundreds of acts of molestation upon Jane Doe including, but not limited to: touching and fondling her body; kissing and tongue kissing; and having her lie atop him in a manner simulating sexual acts.”

June 2004 Attorney Ken Roosa and legal consultant Patrick Wall visit St. Michael and Stebbins to hear from victims of clergy sex abuse. This is the first time Roosa hears testimony about Joseph Lundowski, and he agrees to take their case.

September 2004

Rev. Jim Poole testifies about accusations that he sexually molested children in a deposition. He admits to “French-kissing” Elsie Boudreau but denies that he did it in a sexual way.

November 2004

Twenty-eight men in Alaska file a suit against the Jesuits claiming that Joseph Lundowski sexually abused them. During the following years, more and more claimants come forward. Their attorney, Ken Roosa, describes how it happened:

“… after we first began filing lawsuits and expanded the number of molesters that we were suing, each time as we identified a new molester, it would open up a new group of victims because no victim wanted to be the first one to say something about a priest, because each person believed they were the only one until they found out somebody had made a complaint against their perpetrator and then they would go, ‘Wow, I’m not the only one.’”

March 2005

Elsie Boudreau publicly reveals her identity just prior to the finalized settlement of her lawsuit against Rev. Jim Poole. She states, “Not using my name just continued the secrecy of abuse.”

Her settlement is announced on April 4, 2005; she receives a combined $1 million from the Catholic Diocese of Fairbanks and the Oregon Province of the Society Jesus, the Jesuit group that includes Alaska.

September 2005Former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who had just been named Pope Benedict XVI, is granted immunity from prosecution in U.S. sex abuse cases by the Justice Department.

November 2007The Oregon Province of the Society Jesus settles with 110 Alaska Natives, including those in St. Michael and Stebbins, for $50 million. The settlement covers claims against Convert, Hargreaves, Lundowski, Endal and other Alaska priests.

March 2008The Diocese of Fairbanks files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and begins an assessment of assets and liabilities.

February 2009The Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. None of the Jesuit-sponsored university assets are included in the filing. Seattle University and Gonzaga University are the most important and economically-viable assets to the province, and separating them out reduces the assets that can be claimed.

For more on the bankruptcy filings, read our interviews with attorney Ken Roosa and Bishop Donald Kettler. Roosa claims that “both of these institutions have sought refuge in the bankruptcy process,” while Bishop Kettler claims that “being a missionary diocese, we did not have a lot of financial resources.”

January 2010

The Diocese of Fairbanks bankruptcy settlement is approved. The diocese agrees to pay victims $10 million. The non-monetary section of the settlement requires the bishop to personally apologize to the nearly 300 victims. It also stipulates that the bishop meets privately with any victim who asks, read a statement from the pulpit, post a list of perpetrators, conduct a healing ceremony and pay for counseling services.

Chapter 3 of The Silence focuses on Bishop Donald Kettler’s visit to St. Michael in December 2010 to apologize to survivors. You can read Bishop Kettler’s thoughts about and reaction to the visit here:

“There’s no satisfaction, I think, to what has happened. I pray and hope that they will be able to forgive and to offer their forgiveness, not only for the sake of the person who did it, but for their own sake. And I believe that being able to forgive can bring a little peace into their hearts; and I’ve seen that happen. If they can say to me, ‘I forgive you for the part that I had to play with it.’ And they do say sometimes, ‘I feel better,’ you know. So maybe there’s something happening in there. But you know, we can never do enough to make up for what’s happened to them personally. “

Dec. 20, 2010In a speech to Vatican cardinals and bishops, Pope Benedict XVI claims secular society is to blame for the clergy’s abuse of children in the form of “child pornography, sexual tourism and the moral relativism of the 1970s.”

March 25, 2011The Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus reaches a settlement of $166.1 million for approximately 524 cases of clergy sexual abuse. The states represented in the settlement are Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska and Montana. The victims who filed suit include both men and women who settled with the Jesuits in November 2007, as well as additional survivors.

Sources: Alaskana Catholica: A History of the Catholic Church in Alaska (2005); “Missionary’s Dark Legacy” (Los Angeles Times, Nov. 19, 2005); “Faith Betrayed” (KTUU News, January 2005); “The ‘Pedophile’s Paradise’” (The Stranger, February 2009).

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Readers: Have something to say? Blog me.

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

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Good morning!

I HOPE everyone is enjoying the Labor Day Holiday. Let’s HOPE that the near future brings labor to those that are jobless.

Long-Term Unemployment: States Search For Strategies To Counter Joblessness

WASHINGTON — When Steve Clark of St. Louis, Mo., lost his IT job in 2009, he intuitively knew that as someone older than 60, he’d have a tough time getting back to work. So he scrambled, compiling all of his professional contacts, drafting 13 different versions of his resume and meeting with anyone he could.

A former client who owned an IT consulting business told Clark he could have hired him before the economy went sour, but not now. Still, Clark pushed ahead.

“I knew his business because I’d been selling to him for 20 years,” Clark said. “I said, ‘I can come in and work in your office. I can answer the phone, I can dispatch your technicians. I’ll do it for free just because I want an office to go to, a place to work out of.’ “

Clark said the former client set him up with a desk and a phone. Clark got to work, and within three months, he said, he’d made himself so useful that he got hired in August, 2009. Now Clark, 62, is making a third of what he used to, but he’s grateful to have a job.

“In a couple years, everything will be in place and I’ll retire,” he said.

To confront the growing problem of long-term unemployment, the Obama administration may seek to put Clark’s strategy into practice on a national scale. The White House has signaled that it may replicate a program in Georgia that allows businesses to train jobless workers for two months without having to pay them.

The program, called Georgia Works, is only open to workers receiving unemployment insurance benefits. Businesses have no obligation to hire participating workers, and the arrangement is voluntary for both parties. Its proponents say it lets workers get their foot in the door and that it reduces businesses’ hiring risks. Labor advocates are howling that Georgia Works exploits workers and violates federal labor laws, and they argue that it shouldn’t be tangled up with unemployment insurance dollars. (It could be that the White House is interested in Georgia Works, which is popular with Republicans, as part of a bargain that includes a re-authorization of federal extended benefits, which are set to expire in January.)

But there is urgent need for an innovative solution to the problem of long-term joblessness. In 2007, there were 228,000 people unemployed for 99 weeks or longer, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Now there are more than 2 million who’ve passed the 99 week milestone, which is the cutoff point for unemployment insurance in the hardest-hit states. The longer a person is out of work, the less likely he or she is to find a new job.

Georgia Works isn’t the only way state innovators are trying to break the cycle. A unique public-private partnership in Connecticut, for example, targets people who have already exhausted 99 weeks of unemployment benefits without finding work.

“I recognize that businesses don’t need to look at people who’ve been out of work two years because there’s a rich, rich field of people who haven’t been out of work that long,” said Joe Carbone, president of The Workplace, Inc., the company implementing the Connecticut initiative. “Unfortunately these folks are the sacrificial lambs of the Great Recession.”

The brand new program, called Platform to Employment, puts workers through a four-week training period followed by an eight-week tryout at a participating business. During the tryouts, the workers’ wages are paid by The Workplace, which raised enough funds to support 100 jobs starting this fall. In December, Carbone’s team will evaluate the program’s success.

“We’re giving a lot of advantage to business, but we’re also giving our candidates sort of an eight-week interview,” Carbone said. “It gets their foot in the door.”

Yet another strategy would use public dollars to subsidize wages. Early in 2010, Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) pushed legislation that would have revived a wage-subsidy program that he said put 7,400 people to work within six months of its launch during the recession of the early 1980s. The plan, known as the Minnesota Emergency Employment Development (MEED) program, lasted from 1983 to 1987. A new version, called Strengthening Our Economy Through Employment and Development (SEED), would have used leftover bailout dollars to subsidize up to 50 percent of a workers’ wages for up to 12 months.

“MEED was an incredibly effective program and created thousands of jobs in Minnesota, which is why I thought it had enormous potential to do the same on the national level and why I introduced the SEED Act in Congress,” Franken said in a statement to HuffPost. “I still think that SEED is a great model, but whether it’s this particular plan or another, my top priority is clear — we need to create jobs and get people back to work.”

Instead of adopting Franken’s proposal to subsidize wages, Congress enacted the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act, which gave businesses $13 billion worth of tax credits for hiring unemployed workers. The measure has not been evaluated.

In Mississippi, Republican Gov. Haley Barbour revived a program this summer called Subsidized Transitional Employment Program and Services, which in its first incarnation was funded with stimulus dollars from a new emergency fund attached to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (formerly known as welfare). Congress let the fund die in 2010, snuffing some 240,000 subsidized jobs, according to the liberal-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

According to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, the new version of the initiative, known as Subsidized Transition Employment Program and Services (STEPS 2), will be funded with left-over stimulus dollars and will last from August to December. It initially covers 100 percent of an employees wages, gradually reducing the subsidy for every 160 hours worked.

“Mississippi STEPS 2 is unique in that it is a program specifically designed to benefit both the employee and employer,” Gov. Barbour said in a statement. “We saw tremendous results with our original program, which created more than 1,800 permanent, private-sector jobs. I fully expect the STEPS 2 program to provide much-needed support to small businesses by enabling them to hire new workers, thus enhancing the economic engines of our local communities.”

A Department of Employment Security spokeswoman said 80 companies have signed up for the program, and that 450 workers were expected to enroll.

Of course, the best possible solution to long-term unemployment would be a stronger economy — but that option appears to be off the table for a while. Last week, the White House said it expected the unemployment rate will not come down to 6 percent until 2016.

And since it is Labor Day, I also want honor to this day by posting a bit of Women’s history…the 100th anniversary of…

Remembering the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

Posted by Hilda Solis on March 28, 2011 at 06:14 PM EDT

Today, as part of Women’s History Month and in commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, Valerie Jarrett and I welcomed four remarkable women organizers to the White House.  On a panel in front of more than 100 labor leaders, we invited them to share how each is organizing to make a difference in their workplaces, in their communities and in the lives of their families.

On March 25, 1911,146 garment workers – mostly young women and girls – either burned or jumped to their deaths when a fire ignited at the Triangle Factory in New York City.  Within 18 minutes, due to hazardous working conditions, these workers were dead.  A century later, the fire resonates with us, not only because of the magnitude of the tragedy, but also because it was a galvanizing moment for women standing up to demand better working conditions, safer workplaces, and the right to have their voices heard.

In communities across the country, courageous women are still standing up for those same things.  And today, a select few of them gave us a glimpse into their lives and invited us into their struggles.  From a child care worker in Ohio, to a nanny in New York, these women are fighting not only for a voice – they’re fighting for dignity and respect.

We were honored to have heard the hopeful stories of these brave women.  They were a reminder of the obstacles that must be overcome in the workplace and of the very hard work we still have to do on behalf of all working people.

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Lea: My pleasure. Hafa Adai.

Howie: Thank you for providing this vital information.

Doug:  You know how I feel about animals – so very touching. Thank you.

Readers: Anything to say? Say it here. – blog me.

Peace & Love…

Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.

Gratefully your blog host,

michelle

Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)

If you love my blog and my writes, please make a donation via PayPal, credit card, or e-check, please click the “Donate” button below. (Please only donations from those readers within the United States. – International readers please see my “Donate” page)

Or if you would like to send a check via snail mail, please make checks payable to “Michelle Moquin”, and send to:

Michelle Moquin PO Box 29235 San Francisco, Ca. 94129

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