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Can Obama Win Over Donors With The Big Dollars?

Obama Win Over Donors

As the Presidential election inches closer, White House aides are pulling out all stops to attempt to win over the wealthy donors who may be possible Obama supporters if nudged in the right way.  This is especially true in the battleground states.

Along with the wealthy, Obama’s network of aides and campaign officials are trying to find ways to coax the small Internet donations which helped produce the landslide victory that occurred four years ago.

Some of the events which have happened recently are aimed at specific groups.  Some of these groups including Jews, gays and other community and business leaders are angered over the current administration’s policies.

Many of these activities almost resemble the Clinton-style traditions including presidential phone calls, Whitehouse overnights and various other enticements.  Right now, they are doing anything they can to overcome Obama’s ratings which are low and the bad economy.

It seems as if the Presidential campaign has come to life recently.  Campaign officials are in an aggressive mode during this time frame of an approaching Presidential election of staffing up various offices around the key states. This is unusually early considering this type of activity is normally seen only months before an election.

Former bank executive and White House Chief of Staff, William Daley has been seen recently with the big players on Wall Street and other business leaders in Chicago, Washington, and New York.

Jewish donors are frustrated at the Obama Administration’s Middle East policies and Daley along with other officials is trying to address these concerns.  Along with Daley, Valerie Jarrett has visited with a major pro-Israel donor and was found to also be a possible Obama financial supporter.  Jim Messina, Obama’s campaign manager, also approached several Wall Street executives in New York this spring.  It is still too early to tell how effective this new campaign push is going to be.

Iowa Woman Joins the Race for the Presidency

Michele Bachmann Presidency

In Waterloo, Iowa Michele Bachmann used her home state to formally announce that she will be running for President.  She believes that this country can’t afford for more Barack Obama years with him as President.  .

“I do so because I am so profoundly grateful for the blessings that I have received both from God and from this country, and not because of the position of the office, but because I am determined that every American deserves these blessings and that together we can secure the promise of the future for America,” Bachmann spoke outside the historic Snowden House, which used to be the home of the Waterloo Women’s Club.

Michele Bachmann lived in Cedar Falls and Waterloo until she was 12.  Then her family moved to Minnesota.  It was in Minnesota where she became the first Republic woman elected to Congress.  She has been serving in federal elected positions for four years now.

Bachmann listed problems that she sees the country facing, including: an unconstitutional health plan, unemployment, debt, jobs which do not pay enough for people to support their families as well as a housing crisis which is devaluing homes.

“We can’t afford four more years of Barack Obama,” Bachmann told a crowd of more than 300. “As a constitutional conservative, I believe in the founding fathers’ vision of a limited government that trusts in and preserves the unlimited potential of the American people.”

Bachmann mentioned on a new campaign website that her priorities are to “create millions of new jobs,” repeal the federal health care reform law and its mandates she believes are unconstitutional, make deep spending cuts to reduce federal debt, and to “defend marriage.”

Bachmann believes in a federal constitutional amendment which would overturn states where they have same-sex marriage laws.  She is also against black-robed masters on Iowa’s Supreme Court who in 2009 legalized gay marriage.

While President Obama meets with Democrats the Republicans Leave Debt Talks

President Obama meets Democrats

Announcing that President Obama needs to concern himself with Democratic demands for tax increases to reduce the national debt, two Republicans got out of the high profile talks today about budgets.

Eric Cantor who is a Republican from Virginia and House Majority said the talks about raising the $14.3 trillion dollar debt ceiling while at the same time cutting the budget will not go anywhere until President Obama gets in on the requests that have been made for tax hikes that Republications oppose.

With this stalemate Cantor says, “I will not be participating in today’s meeting, and I believe it is time for the president to speak clearly and resolve the tax issue.”  “Once resolved, we have a blueprint to move forward to trillions of spending cuts and binding mechanisms to change the way things are done around here.”

In a statement jointly with Republican leader Mitch McConnell from Kentucky, Senator Jon Kyl from Arizona decided to withdraw from the talks.  Kyl said, “The White House and Democrats are insisting on job-killing tax hikes and new spending.”

“President Obama needs to decide between his goal of higher taxes or a bipartisan plan to address our deficit. He can’t have both,” said the two Republican senators. “But we need to hear from him.”

A spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Jesse Ferguson said that Cantor exited the talks to “protect taxpayer subsidies for Big Oil and more tax breaks for multimillionaires.” He adds that the Republications are not interested in coming up with a compromise.

These announcements were made when Obama was meeting at the White House with House Democratic leaders regarding negotiating on budget cuts and the debt ceiling.  No comments were made afterward.

Other Republicans and Cantor, who control the House, stand on opposing any increases to the debt ceiling until the Democrats and Obama will agree to major budget cuts.  GOP members continue to say they oppose any tax hikes.

Self-Help Guru is Guilty of Deaths in a Sweat Lodge

James Ray Negligent Homicide

On Wednesday a jury found James A. Ray, who is a self-help guru, guilty of negligent homicide in deaths of three of his followers which occurred during a failed sweat lodge ritual done near Sedona, Arizona in the fall of 2009.

After close to a four-month trial that took place in the Yavapai County Superior Court in Arizona the decision was delivered.  The courthouse is in Camp Verde, Arizona and the verdict means that Mr. Roy is at fault for the deaths of James Shore, 40, of Milwaukee; Liz Neuman, 49, of Prior Lake, Minn., and Kirby Brown, 38, of Westtown, N.Y.  Although the decision did not say that Mr. Ray had recognized the risk he had put the victims through.  He is looking at anywhere from probation up to over 30 years in prison when the court proceedings continue through next week.

Shelia Polk, the prosecutor wanted a much more serious charge of manslaughter while she argued that Mr. Ray knew how he ran the ceremony which lasted for two hours and where hot stones were piled right in the middle of the boiling lodge which risk death.  Shelia Polk believes that Mr. Ray disregarded the known risk.

This case was the center of international attention mostly because the bizarre situation and also because the deaths occurred at an immaculate campground just within sight of Sedona’s red rocks which is a famous New Age meeting place.

Mr. Ray is known as an author and a motivational speaker.  He breathed a sigh of relief as the not guilty verdict on the first manslaughter charge was rendered.  Just moments later he appeared to be stunned when the guilty verdicts starting coming in.  In the courtroom for the verdict were Mr. Ray’s relatives and some of victims’ family and friends.  The victims’ family and friends could be found holding hands while the decisions were rendered.

Once the verdicts were rendered, the prosecutor asked Judge Warren R. Darrow to place Mr. Ray into custody but the Judge did not agree with this recommendation and so he ruled against it.

During the trial Ms. Polk portrayed Mr. Ray as an irresponsible man because he continued his ceremony without care for those who fell ill and those that became unconscious.

Mr. Ray’s defense included a statement that Mr. Ray did not coerce the three victims and that they could have died from unknown toxins throughout the sweat lodge.  The sweat lodge is a rounded wood-frame construction covered with tarps and blankets.

In addition to the three deaths there were also numerous participants who were injured at the ceremony.  The ceremony’s intent is to push people to overcome their personal limits.  Everyone that participated in the ceremony had signed waivers that stated that death was one of the risks and this was noted by Mr. Ray’s lawyers.

“You will have to get to a point to where you surrender and it’s O.K. to die,” Mr. Ray said in a recording

Walk Not Talk To Protect Our Kids Health Food Industry

Healthy Foods For Kids

Federal guidelines which would help support healthy foods for kids are under attack.

Voluntary rules proposed by the FTC, FDA, USDA, and other agencies last April will, if companies follow them, make sure that foods marketed to kids contain real food ingredients including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. They’ll also minimize harmful nutrients such as added sugars, sodium and saturated fats.  Though voluntary, these guidelines help move our food system in a direction that makes sure foods available and promoted to kids are whole and minimally processed–fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Our kids deserve this option.

Although there are comments on the new standards, the Industry has been pulling double-duty to overcome the comments and they are making claims in their attempts to stop these voluntary recommendations.

Unhealthy eating is damaging our kids’ health, our economy and our future. Even companies such as Pepsi, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Burger King, Kellogg and Nestle want to be a part of the solution.  Big food companies say they also want to be part of the solution. If that’s the case, why are so many people crying wolf instead of agreeing on a consistent set of fair, reasonable standards that will do a much better job protecting our kids than they have? We cannot let them backtrack, especially with such a common sense resolution on the table. We can’t let get with their congressional buddies to delay such a critical step for children’s health.

Every parent wants their child to grow up strong and healthy, but food companies have stacked the cards against them.  The food industry spends over $2 billion per year marketing foods to kids. An average eleven year old sees over 4,000 food ads a year–and that’s just on television. Our kids are also seeing junk food promoted in movies, at school, on toys, at sports events and in virtually every part of their lives.  The worse news is that almost 100 percent of the ads they see are for foods that are high in fat, sodium or sugar.

Are these techniques effective at swaying our children on what to eat? The Institute of Medicine says yes, as does the American Academy of Pediatricians. The realistic question is: would food companies spend two billion a year on them if they weren’t?

Resolution Which Backs Obama On Libya Passes Senate Committee

Obama On Libya

On Tuesday the Senate Foreign Relations Committee overwhelmingly approved a resolution which backs President Barack Obama on Libya, in spite of Republicans laying into administration representative hours earlier for engaging the U.S. in military action without the approval of Congress.

The declaration, authored by Sens. John Kerry who is a Democrat from Massachusetts and John McCain a Republican from Arizona, gives the White House authorization to proceed in Libya with much less American forces in a sustaining role. Specifically, it bans the use of ground troops and it also expires in a year. It cleared the committee on a 14-5 vote; with the five nays coming from Republicans.

The measure has to pass the full Senate and it comes just days after the House rejected a similar measure. But it gave the White House a much needed show of support from Congress, where many lawmakers are between frustration and outrage over Obama’s choice to bypass their authorization on Libya.

Earlier today, Republicans took out those frustrations on State Department lawyer Harold Koh, who was making the case to the panel saying Obama has full legal authority to unilaterally progress forward in Libya with the limited scope of the effort.

“Contrary to what some have claimed, we are not asserting sweeping constitutional power to bypass Congress,” commented Koh.

Koh mentioned an “unusual confluence” of issues that are affecting the U.S. role in Libya — the limited mission, risk of escalation, exposure and choice of military means — that eventually led Obama to decide that he has the ability to begin military action in this case. The White House validates its argument saying the U.S. has played only a sustaining role in the NATO-led bombing in Libya, which began in March.

But some Senators said Koh’s analysis still didn’t answer their questions about the constitutionality of Obama’s actions, or his knowledge in bypassing Congress. Indeed, Tuesday’s hearing largely

Secretary Of Labor Announces 8 New Members To Advisory Committee For Construction Safety And Health

Construction Safety and Health

The Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced today that eight new members have been appointed to the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health.  Each committee member will serve two-year terms and they represent the interests of employers, employees, public and government.

The now fifteen member committee will meet twice a year.  The eight new members are joining seven re-appointed members.

“The new ACCSH members possess a wealth of knowledge and real-world experience on a wide range of construction health and safety matters,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. “I am confident these new members, representing the interests of labor, management, government and the public, will use their expertise to provide valuable advice and recommendations on important workplace safety and health issues. We share the goal of good, safe jobs for all American workers.”

Two members represent the public: Latitia K. Davis, director, Occupational Health Surveillance Program, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston and is a new appointee and Jewel Elizabeth Arioto, president, Arioto Safety and Health Consulting Services, Stockton, California who was re-appointed for one more year.

Five members represent employees:

Gary L. Batykefer, administrative director, Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust, Pittsburgh, Pa. and is a new appointee.

Laurie A. Shadrick, training specialist, United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters, Arlington, Va. and is another new appointee.

Erich J. (Pete) Stafford, director, safety and health, Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO, Silver Spring, Md., also a new appointee.

Frank L. Migliaccio Jr., executive director, safety and health, International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental & Reinforcing Iron Workers, Washington, D.C. was re-appointed for one more year.

Walter A. Jones, associate director, occupational safety and health, Laborers’ Health and Safety Fund of North America, Washington, D.C. also re-appointed for one more year.

Five members represent employers:

Kevin R. Cannon, director, safety and health services, Associated General Contractors of America, Arlington, Va. and is a new appointee.

Thomas Marrero, safety manager, Zenith Systems LLC, Seven Hills, Ohio – another new appointee.

William E. Hering, corporate manager, environmental health and safety, SM Electric Co. Inc., Rahway, N.J. – another new appointee.

Michael J. Thibodeaux, president, MJT Consulting for the National Association of Home Builders, Wimberley, Texas who was re-appointed for one more year.

Daniel D. Zarletti, vice president, safety and health, Road Safe Traffic Safety Systems Inc., Chicago, Ill. – who was re-appointed for one more year.

Two members represent state governments:

Charles Stribling, occupational safety and health federal-state coordinator, Kentucky Labor Cabinet, Department of Workplace Standards, Frankfort, Ky. – a new appointee.

Steven D. Hawkins, assistant administrator, Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Nashville, Tenn. A previous committee member re-appointed for one more year.

One member was appointed by the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

OSHA Cites Alabama Auto Parts Manufacturer

The US Department of Labor’s OSHA has cited Alabama auto parts manufacturer for willful, repeat violations and imposed more than $179,000 in fines.  Partly because the company failed to make corrections from 2009 OSHA inspection.

Saehaesung Alabama Inc. in Andalusia has been cited for eight safety violations by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).  These citations carry fines of over $179,000 and were issued when OSHA conducted an inspection to e

Occupational Safety & Health Administration

valuate the violations found during 2009’s inspection.

The violations include two willful violations with fines of $140,000 for failing to develop, document and utilize tagout/lockout procedures for energy sources and also did not provide workers with the skills and knowledge necessary for safe usage of energy control devices.  A willful violation occurs when the employer demonstrates either an intentional disregard for the requirements of the law or indifference to employee health and safety.

OSHA has also issue the company a repeat citation with a $16,500 penalty for not providing training and information to employees regarding hazardous chemicals.  A repeat violation occurs when the employer has been previously cited for the same or a similar infraction of a standard or regulation.  This location was also cited for the same hazardous chemical communications violation in 2009.

In addition, four serious citations amounting to $22,800 in penalties were issue for allowing employees to work where exit routes were blocked, failing to use safety blocks while adjusting dies in the mechanical power press and a few other violations.  A serious violation occurs when there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result from a hazard which the employer knew about or should have known about.

NASA Telescope Hunts For New Planets Through Seeking Shadows

NASA Telescope Hunts New Planets

Facing east after dark and holding out your first at arm’s length.  Look for Vega which is the brightest star on the eastern side of the sky.  Put your first just to Vega’s left then take it away.  That area which it was covering is the area of sky that NASA’s Kepler space telescope watches 24 hours a day 7 days a week in extraordinary detail and is hunting for planets.

Every few seconds, the 95-megapixel camera that Kepler has will measure the brightness of 156,000 stars in this area to a precision which is better than 1 part in 10,000.  Plans are to do this continuously for at least 3.5 years.  With the main goal being to watch for slight dimming, at slow, clockwork intervals which occurs if an orbiting planet is oriented just right for its tiny silhouette to cross the star’s face as seen from Earth.

Launched since 2009, Kepler has had spectacular success.  Its science team reports 1,235 “planet candidates” so far, from super-Jupiters down to Earth-sized bodies in a variety of orbital configurations.

Just two weeks ago at a convention of the American Astronomical Society in Boston, a panel of Kepler’s team members told at a standing room only press conference that they expect 90-95 percent of their “planet candidates” to prove real.  There are other effects which can happen on or near a star that sometimes mimic the special dimming caused by transiting planets.  But Kepler scientists said they figured out ways to spot and eliminate almost all false alarms.

So far Kepler’s statistics are strengthening the idea that most stars have planets.  Team member Geoffrey Marcy estimates that 80 percent of all stars are planet-bearing.  Among Kepler’s findings are small worlds are turning out to be ore abundant than large ones in trends which continue all the way down to Kepler’s detection limits.  Another statistic is that 10-20 percent of alien solar systems are turning out to be nice, flat, round and orderly, just like ours.  The other 80-90 percent apparently went through some period of chaos soon after being formed.  This leaves their surviving planets on looping elliptical orbits which are often tilted every which way.

All of this information and more is based just on Kepler’s first four months worth of data.  The craft had been up watching for 26 months by the time of the press conference.  When a reporter asked chief scientist William Borucki why the group is so slow to release the rest of the data, Borucki said,  “We want to be certain that what we say is correct.’’ Stay tuned.

Trump Puts Jersey Shore Landmark Up For Sale

Trump Marina Casino

Just a couple of months after selling Trump Marina casino, Trump Entertainment Resorts has put Atlantic City’s Steel Pier amusement park on the selling block.

The New Jersey beachfront landmark dates back to 1898 and is many times compared to New York’s Coney Island.  It is known for showcasing attractions like the Human Cannonball and the Diving Horse, in addition to thrill rides and other entertainment.

But in this move by Trump Entertainment to sell off assets, the company has hired C B Richard Ellis which is a real-estate services firm, to auction off the 9.7-acre home to 24 rides, games and wheels of prizes. The minimum bid for this notable pier is set at $2.5 million, according to the real-estate services firm.

“We believe selling the Pier through auction is the best course of action for the company to increase the equity value for our shareholders,” said a spokesman for Trump Entertainment, Brian Cahill. “We are a gaming company, and Steel Pier is not part of the casino.” Steel Pier is operated by Atlantic Pier Amusements Inc., and their lease is set to expire in 2016.

During one point in time, Trump Entertainment was planning to change the pier, by possibly adding a hotel, spa, casino and luxury condominiums. The development permits that the company obtained are not able to be transferred to the winning bidder, according to a managing director of CBRE Auction Services, Douglas Johnson.

This new item up for sale comes as Atlantic City struggles with a poor economy and increasing competition from new casinos that have built up in surrounding states. As a result, values for properties have been falling.

The Trump name used to be the same with Atlantic City, yet in recent years has faded from the scene.  In the late 80s, Trump developed three casinos in Atlantic City but when the fortunes of the city started declining, they went in and out of bankruptcy on three different occasions, diminishing Mr. Trump’s stake.

Mr. Trump currently owns a 5% to 10% interest in Trump Entertainment Resorts, which happens to own the Steel Pier along with the Trump Taj Mahal and Trump Plaza.  The remaining of the company is owned by former creditors.  Last February the company sold Trump Marina for $38 million to Landry’s Inc., a company that operates Las Vegas’ Golden Nugget.

Trump Entertainment has no direct links to the Trump Organization, Mr. Trump’s company which is involved in a range of real-estate developments around the world.