In God We Trust

Joy Bischoff Says:

12 May 2008 at 1:25 am.

Dear Fellow Americans:

1. Oppose twin bills S.717 and H.R.1117 - An Unwise Compromise on REAL ID
Senate bill S.717, short titled the “Identification Security Enhancement Act of 2007,” and its virtually identical companion bill in the House, H.R.1117, purportedly would alleviate concerns about The REAL ID Act of 2005 relative to the act’s huge unfunded federal mandate on state governments and its serious threat to privacy and civil liberties. It appears to be a compromise intended to bring into agreement the Bush administration and those state governments which have objected to or complained about the implementation of the REAL ID Act.
The bill(s) would repeal title II of Real ID and reinstate section 7212 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004, which would still set federal standards for driver’s licenses or ID cards, but include the participation of state officials and relevant groups in rulemaking negotiations. $300,000,000 of federal grant money would also be authorized for each of the fiscal years 2007 through 2013, amounting to a partial federal bailout of an outrageous act that is faltering.

Considering the dangers inherent in title II of the Real ID Act of 2005, it should be repealed or nullified without further ado and replaced with nothing - no compromise.
To take action on this issue click here:
http://capwiz.com/jbs/issues/alert/?alertid=11351811&type=CO

Cameron Says:

12 May 2008 at 8:22 am.

Citi’s Pandit Faces `Impossible Feat,’ Whitney Says (Update1)

By Margaret Popper and Josh Fineman
May 12 (Bloomberg) — Citigroup Inc. Chief Executive Officer Vikram Pandit faces an “impossible feat” in turning around the biggest U.S. bank as it faces “seismic” costs to restructure, Oppenheimer & Co. analyst Meredith Whitney said.

Citigroup will be forced to announce the sale of major businesses toward the end of this year or in early 2009, Whitney, who recommends investors sell the shares, said in a Bloomberg TV interview today.

Whitney, 38, correctly predicted on Oct. 31 that New York- based Citigroup would cut its dividend to shore up capital after mortgage-related writedowns. Her forecast helped send the stock down 8.1 percent the next day and contributed to a 2.6 percent decline in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. Citigroup, which lost $5.1 billion in the first quarter, has booked more than $40 billion of credit losses and writedowns since the subprime mortgage market collapsed last year.

“I think it’s an impossible feat,” Whitney said. “They don’t have the revenue power, they don’t have the earnings power in so many of their businesses. Even Stephen Hawking could not pull this off,” she said, referring to the British physicist.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aC5sYKVOwz2Q&refer=home

Angela Rogin Says:

12 May 2008 at 8:38 am.

Lots of earth changes lately.

Is that a real horse in the picture?

Jesse Says:

12 May 2008 at 11:20 am.

Keeps getting worse.

Death toll in China earthquake rises to 8,533

CHONGQING, China - A massive earthquake struck central China on Monday, killing more than 8,500 people, trapping nearly 900 students under the rubble of their school and spilling ammonia from a chemical plant, state media reported.

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake was among the worst to strike China in decades, devastating a hilly region of small cities and towns in Sichuan and nearby provinces. The official Xinhua News Agency said 8,533 people died in Sichuan and dozens of other deaths were reported elsewhere.

Xinhua said 80 percent of the buildings had collapsed in Beichuan county in Sichuan province after the quake, raising fears the overall death toll could increase sharply.

A chemical plant collapsed in Shifang city, to the northeast of the quake’s epicenter, burying hundreds of people and sending more than 80 tons of toxic liquid ammonia leaking from the site, state media reported.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080512/ap_on_re_as/china_earthquake

Sharon Anderson Says:

12 May 2008 at 1:25 pm.

This is another great link.

http://capwiz.com/jbs/issues/bills/

Look at the list of key bills in Congress, listed by topic. For example, under Immigration you can see HR 4088 (the SAVE ACT which will remove work incentives for illegals). You can click on the link to learn more and contact your rep or senator.

If your Representative has not signed the Discharge Petition to force a vote on the SAVE Act on the House floor, you can send him an email asking him to do so on this site, or call him at 202-224-3121. Only thirty more signers are needed to bring the SAVE Act to a vote.

To find out who has signed the discharge petition, go to: http://www.numbersusa.com/interests/attrition.html

In this day of technology with computers, telephones and emails, its not difficult to be informed and involved so LDS=Let’s Do Something.

M.G. Says:

12 May 2008 at 2:26 pm.

Glad you pointed that out Sharon. I went back and checked the link and it is very easy. Everybody should do that who doesn’t like this idea…and who could?

Matt Says:

12 May 2008 at 6:50 pm.

Good for Bush. It is insane that this could happen in a modern world.

Bush says world should condemn Myanmar

WASHINGTON - President Bush said Monday that an angry world should condemn the way Myanmar’s military rulers are handling the aftermath of a devastating cyclone.

“Here they are with a major catastrophe on their hands, and (they) do not allow there to be the full kind of might of a compassionate world to help them,” Bush said.

Asked in a CBS News radio interview if the isolated generals running the country were more concerned about their own grip on power than with helping their own people, Bush answered, “That’s the only conclusion you can draw.”

U.S. officials have complained that skilled aid workers are being forced to sit on the sidelines, waiting for permission from the government to enter, as victims of the cyclone die.

Bush said “the world ought to be angry and condemn the government” of Myanmar.

Meanwhile, Ky Luu, the director of the U.S. office of foreign disaster assistance, said “there’s massive concern” about whether U.S. aid for Myanmar’s cyclone victims will get to those suffering from disease and lack of food and water.

Luu told reporters at the State Department that the United States plans to rely on aid groups to track the supplies flown into the country Monday on a U.S. military C-130 cargo plane. U.S. officials were not allowed to accompany the supplies to the areas hardest hit.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080512/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_myanmar

Cameron Says:

12 May 2008 at 7:14 pm.

So Carrie, where do you work? If you want to tell that is.