Good morning!

Readers: Sickening isn’t it?

A side note on Jobs: Thankfully the White House officially released its American Jobs Act yesterday. At least we know president Obama is concerned about our high unemployment and has a plan.

Thoughts? Ideas? Rants? Raves? 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)

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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!

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

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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.

************

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)

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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!

Let’s see…Florida is getting ready for the 2012 republican convention…and it won’t be the hot weather they’re preparing for. Nope, it will be the hot sweaty hands of the GOP stuffing dollar bills down the panties of pole dancers, and shelling out the big bucks for prostitutes. Wha’at?! Not the moral, conservative republicans who value family and the sanctity of marriage? Yep, you guessed it. This is big money making time for these adult playgrounds when the GOP is in town; they expect a 30% spike in sales. And don’t think for a minute religion won’t be involved either. I can hear the fellas panting now… “Ah…Ahhh…OMG…I’m…I’m…c…!” You got the picture. Now here’s the write:

Adult Industry Prepares For 2012 GOP Convention

TAMPA, Fla. — Following an extensive remodel, the Penthouse Club in Tampa, Fla., is finally ready for next summer’s Republican National Convention. Club operator DeWayne Levesque has installed two secluded VIP sections, which he hopes will help his club attract a bigger share of the 50,000 visitors expected to descend upon the city on Aug. 27 for four days of conservative politics and liberal partying. In addition to the club’s new carpets and furniture, the private rooms are designed to provide cover so that camera-shy donors, politicians and aides can enjoy the strippers without fear of getting caught, he said.

A few blocks from the Penthouse Club, another strip club owner, Joe Redner, said he has high hopes for what the convention means for business at his all-nude club, Mons Venus. “I’m guessing we’ll make five times as much in a night as we usually do,” Redner told HuffPost. “Republicans got plenty of money. They take it all from poor people,” he said.

Redner said he thinks many convention visitors will be in the market for a lap dance, but newly-released academic research suggests that some will be interested in the darker elements of Tampa’s adult scene, too — sex for sale. HuffPost teamed up with Tampa-based reporter Shawn Alff, of the Creating Loafing media group, to examine the potential impact of the RNC on two major pillars of the city’s X-rated economy: prostitution and strip clubs.

“I can make between $50,000-$60,000 a night at Mons Venus during the days leading up to the Superbowl,” Redner explained, “up from $10,000-$12,000 on an average night.” When asked how a buttoned-up, political clientele might differ from a Superbowl crowd, Redner laughed. “All customers look [at the dancers] the same, no matter what they’re wearing or what they’re here for.”

Mons Venus typically closes at 5 a.m., but Redner said he would be willing to keep the club open 24-7 during the GOP convention if demand merits it. That said, he may charge clients a premium at the door. “During the Superbowl I charge $50 a head. I may decide to do that during the convention, too.”

In the meantime, Redner’s got a few bones to pick with GOP policymakers. “[Republicans] keep saying this stuff about how if we tax the rich, then small businesses won’t be able to grow. But I’m a small business owner, and I put all my money right back into my businesses in the form of capital improvements, which I don’t pay taxes on anyway. So their argument isn’t how reality works.”

Another adults-only perk for conventioneers are scheduled appearances at clubs by well-known female adult film stars. Agent Brian Gross, who represents actresses Joanna Angel, Ryan Keely and Alexis Ford told HuffPost that “large events … give big name adult stars who dance on the circuit a great opportunity to get in front of a large crowd for their on-stage performances.”

One star who might feel right at home during the convention is Lisa Ann of the “Nailin’ Palin” adult film series, which lampooned the former governor of Alaska. Lisa Ann is currently touring, but no word on whether she’s slated to hit Tampa next summer. X-rated starlets also offer the clubs a competitive advantage, which is critical in an industry that Redner said has been hard hit by the Great Recession.

For those with cash to spend, however, the options abound. An adult video producer who gave his name as “Brandon” said he plans to offer conventioneers an erotic limo service that includes the company of “models.”

But don’t expect to see Washington big-shots climbing out of Brandon’s limo anytime soon. “The people in Tampa from D.C. will be there to work, not to get caught in a limo with [that stuff],” said a veteran Republican operative. “Now the delegates, that’s another story, because they’ve only got one thing to do the whole time, which is vote for the nominee.”

He also pointed to the recent surge in opposition video-trackers as a possible deterrent for strip clubs and the like. “I remember seeing ambush video guys outside of parties as far back as the 2008 convention in Minneapolis,” he recalled, “and there’s just so much more this time around.” No doubt many Republicans also vividly remember the public outcry caused by a party-sanctioned visit to an L.A. bondage club last year.

For Republicans, elevated risk means that a higher premium will likely be placed on discretion, and this could be good news for Tampa’s other adult services industry — prostitution — which is quietly poised for a 30 percent spike in sales during the Republican National Convention.

This number represents the findings of a study released by Baylor University this year, which measured the impact of the 2008 Democratic and Republican conventions on prostitution markets in Denver and Minneapolis. To gather data, researchers tracked new ads for prostitutes online at Cragslist.com’s now-defunct “Erotic Services” section, as well as the more exclusive escort site Eros.com.

The results showed that both conventions “increased the count of Craigslist sex worker ads by a substantial amount.” In Minnesota, the researchers observed “a 29-44 percent increase in Craigslist ads in Minneapolis during the RNC.” The Democratic convention, meanwhile, produced a 47-77 percent increase in ads for sex workers in Denver. The actual number of new ads posted during the conventions, however, was nearly identical for both cities. Denver had fewer ads to begin with, so it grew by a larger percentage.

Perhaps surprisingly, the one group of sex workers who didn’t benefit from the 2008 conventions were the high-priced escorts on Eros.com — the kind of women who have been linked to more than a few politicians in the past. One of the authors of the study, Dr. Scott Cunningham, recalled a high-priced escort who explained the trouble with political conventions. “She said to me, ‘Scott, there just isn’t enough disposable income at those political things. But there’s a really great radiology convention up in Chicago, and I always go to that.’”

The reality, however, is that most of Tampa’s prostitutes won’t be jetting from one convention to the other. Conversely, they could end up in the hands of a man like Charles Fox, who ran a brothel in the middle of South Tampa for nearly seven years until he was arrested last month. According to police, Fox kept up to five women at a time enslaved in a small greenhouse using a combination of fear, drugs, alcohol and violence. He sold them to men online, controlled their every move, and took 100 percent of their earnings. Those who protested were tied up, raped, or worse.

For men like Charles Fox, political conventions are a great place to make money, said anti-trafficking advocate Andrea Powell. “You can be sure a pimp knows when large numbers of men are going to be in the area,” she said in an interview with HuffPost, “and he’ll do whatever he can to get his piece of that business.”

Powell is a co-founder of the Fair Fund, which helps rescue trafficked young women, and she said there is absolutely no way for a potential customer to know whether a prostitute has been trafficked.

“This concept that you can differentiate between willing sex work and trafficking is really complicated, because sex work fuels trafficking, and there’s so much money involved,” she said. “Consider that one girl can have sex with 15 men in a night, at $100 an hour. This means she’s producing $35,000-$40,000 a month for whoever owns her.”

With police resources stretched thin during the convention, officers are unlikely to make prostitution busts a big priority. “Our primary focus will be to ensure that we have a smooth and safe event,” Tampa Police Department spokeswoman Laura McElroy told WSFA this spring. “But we will enforce all of our laws, and have officers assigned to enforcing our prostitution laws.” Police also said they would be “keeping an eye on Craigs list [sic].”

But if that’s the plan, then Tampa law enforcement may be a few steps behind. Craigslist.com closed their “Erotic Services” section in 2009, under increasing pressure from the Justice Department and consumers. In response, much of the online prostitution jumped over to the Village Voice-owned site Backpage.com, which currently dominates the market (disclosure: Creative Loafing publishes classified ads on Backpage.com, although not for adult services). In Tampa, more than 480 new ads for adult services were posted to Backpage.com on Monday alone, with at least 230 of them tagged “Escort.” Many of these had disclaimers saying that hourly rates were for “companionship only,” and not for sex. But the photos suggest otherwise.

Unlike Craigslist.com, Backpage appears to welcome the chance to litigate any challenges to its adult services section. Their case is girded by a 1996 law that absolved individual websites of responsibility for illegal content posted by users. Last month, lawyers for Backpage.com won a victory in court when a judge dismissed a lawsuit that had been brought on behalf of a teenage girl forced into prostitution and sold by a pimp through Backpage.com.

As prostitution continues its steady migration from the street corner to the Internet, sites like Backpage are well-positioned to play an even bigger role at 2012 political conventions than Craigslist did in 2008. But a lot can happen in 12 months, and Backpage has powerful enemies. As the site fends off external threats, the toughest criticism leveled at the Mons Venus club may come from the owner himself. “I would never frequent a strip club if I didn’t own one,” Redner said. “I don’t like to be teased.”

This story is part of an editorial partnership with Creative Loafing Tampa and Creative Loafing Charlotte, the alt-weeklies covering the Florida and North Carolina cities that will host the 2012 Republican and Democratic National Conventions, respectively.

***********

Readers: Okay let me be clear, this isn’t about strip clubs. I don’t see anything wrong with visiting a strip club; I have visited quite a few myself and have indulged in some pole dancing fun. But I do not perch myself on high moral ground and then cheat on my spouse, or pay for sex. Or talk about spending cuts, and then spend on corporate jets and strip clubs, etc. Nor am I a closet gay, fighting against gay rights and hoping to pray away the gay. It’s about the hypocrisy. I could go on and on but I think you got the picture? The GOP…How hypocritical can one be?

And I just have to say one last thing: What is even more ridiculous are the stupid women who buy this BS and support these so-called “moral” men. Ladies: Wake up. Start thinking for yourselves. See the truth; it’s right in front of your eyes.

Like I said, I could go on and on…but I’m done for now. Your turn. Blog me your thoughts.

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"