tagged w/ Disaster Relief
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BY WESLEY P. HESTER
"House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-7th, is pushing for information on the status of Gov. Bob McDonnell’s request for federal disaster assistance for Louisa County residents in the wake of an earthquake there last month.
On Friday, Cantor held a conference call with Federal Emergency Management Agency and Louisa County officials. A readout of the call provided by Cantor’s office indicates that he asked FEMA officials about the timeline and process for determining whether the agency would grant federal assistance.
“FEMA said they have received the Governor’s request and sent it to the White House for a decision but could not provide any specific information on timing,” the readout said. “Even when asked for an estimate based on past applications they were unable to do so.”
Cantor also spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, asking for additional information and a better sense of timing, according to his office."
He wants everybody eles' districts to be stuck waiting for aid until the dysfunctional congress makes matching cuts in budget. His district? Show him the $$, or at least the calendar for when the money will get there for him to glad hand as it gets passed out.
If there are still people with critical thinking skills left in this country, he should be hounded out of office for the sheer, unabashed hypocrisy.BY WESLEY P. HESTER
"House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-7th, is pushing for... more
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6NFXMEEYAQ
Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks about the need for federal aid after Irene and the state of Vermont's roadways and infrastucturehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6NFXMEEYAQ
Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks about the need... more
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Things like this need to be front and center in next years campaign.
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Last week as Joplin, Missouri was trying to recover from a devastating EF5 tornado that ripped through the middle of their town House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) said that he would not approve of any aid for the town with offsetting spending cuts. Last night Jon Stewart took Cantor to task for those comments in the video segment to the left. Using the analogy of a family of five who had their house destroyed by a tornado, Stewart illustrates exactly how Cantor’s ideology plays in the real world.
As Stewart points out, one of the ways that Cantor would like to pay for any new spending is to make dramatic cuts to Medicare through Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) budget plan. According to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, the Cantor/Ryan plan would force seniors to pay much more for their health care in the coming years. Essentially, Cantor would like to pay for tornado aid by taking away the health care of “grandma” in the future.
The Democrats have proposed paying for the budget with tax increases on the rich. In Stewart’s analogy the rich are represented by the rich brother-in-law who could help the family out by sacrificing just a few percentage points out of his massive salary. However, Republicans have flatly rejected any tax increases in order to pay for the federal budget, including tax increases on the rich that would bring rates back in line with those in the 1990’s.
Finally, Stewart argues that the tornado aid could be paid for by not putting so much money into military spending which is represented by the “stealth tank” owned by dad. However, any cuts to defense spending have also been rejected by the GOP, who actually increased defense spending in the last budget despite slashing spending for other programs. As Stewart points out, the Republican priorities are akin to putting a new laser on “dad’s car” while the family house is still in shambles from the destructive tornado.
Stewart concludes by saying that actual elephants are more helpful to the people of Joplin than the Republican “elephants,” since a number of circus elephants actually helped clear debris in the area over the past few days.
Ryan Witt
http://www.examiner.com/political-buzz-in-national/jon-stewart-slams-gop-for-not-providing-joplin-aid-without-spending-cuts-videoLast week as Joplin, Missouri was trying to recover from a devastating EF5 tornado... more
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One of the things that has irritated me in the wake of Japan's disaster is that with so much attention being focused on the nuclear power plant and the worries of the possible effects in other countries (which sometimes borders on hysteria and self-centeredness) is that the victims of this tragedy have been overlooked.
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From Kyoto Journal:
Jon Mitchell has been covering Peace Boat's relief operation in Miyagi. He writes, "In the (justified) clamour of radiation fears, we believe that the voices of the survivors are being drowned out - along with their needs. I've put together a collection of their testimonies here."
some excerpts:
- In Japan, Tohoku people are renowned for their taciturn manners, and at first, people were reluctant to speak. Five or six minutes into the interviews, however, when they realized I wasn’t searching for a 10-second sound bite, something in them seemed to give way. Their stories came out in a flow of pain, guilt and disbelief at what they had experienced. Time and time again, they described the Hollywood-like disconnect of racing before the massive tsunami. “It was as though we were in a movie.”
There was another phrase that was just as common in these survivors’ testimonies. No matter how bad their homes had been damaged or how many of their friends and relatives were missing, Ishinomaki’s residents assured us that their losses were negligible. “There are other people far worse off than us.
- For the first ten days after the quake, nobody came to help. We set up an outdoor takidashi to feed ourselves and our neighbors.
We’ve lost our homes and our family members. There’s no gas, water or electricity. But there are many others worse off than us. This is not the worst place by any means.
- Now, two weeks on, there are 500 people taking shelter here in Minato Elementary School. We need food and water, blankets - it gets so cold that we wake up in the middle of the night in pain. A lot of the older evacuees are traumatized. In the daytime we have doctors, but when people grow sick at night, it’s impossible to do anything for them until the next day.
- Now, we stay here in this school classroom with 40 other people. We have no way to leave. Our cars have been washed away. But even if we had them, there’s no gas available. We don’t know what to do. Should we try to relocate? Should we stay? The government isn't telling us anything.One of the things that has irritated me in the wake of Japan's disaster is that... more
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The nuclear crisis in Japan escalated on Tuesday after a new explosion and fire broke out at Fukushima’s plant #1, where successive accidents since Friday's earthquake have probably caused more than 10,000 deaths.
This sequence of events has raised strong fears of radioactive contamination in the archipelago, as well as in neighboring countries such as Russia and China.
As a precaution, Prime Minister Naoto Kan has expanded the security zone around the plant by asking for people within a radius of 30 km to remain indoors, close their windows, turn off any fans and to keep their clothes on. This is in addition to the evacuation of more than 200,000 people living near the plant on the northeast coast of the Pacific Ocean.
Tensions rose in Tokyo when the level of radioactivity was slightly above normal by midday before falling again in the afternoon. There are 35 million people in the Greater Tokyo area.
see slide show
Continue reading on Examiner.com: Japan’s nuclear crisis worsens; the world reacts - National Foreign Policy | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/foreign-policy-in-national/japan-s-nuclear-crisis-worsens-the-world-reacts#ixzz1GhXnsrBlThe nuclear crisis in Japan escalated on Tuesday after a new explosion and fire broke... more
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http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601116&sid=a9_ImG_9bQdU
More than 8,000 cases of rape were reported last year in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern Kivu provinces, where government forces are battling rebel fighters, the United Nations humanitarian agency said.
Of the rapes, “a vast majority were committed by armed groups, including the national army,” the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in an e-mailed report today.
Humanitarian groups cannot reach 30 percent of the people displaced by fighting because of continuing insecurity in remote parts of the Kivus, the report said, adding that there were 179 attacks against humanitarian workers in the provinces in 2009, compared with 112 in 2008. In total, seven aid workers were killed last year, all Congolese nationals, Giuliano said.
In December, the UN Security Council mandated that peacekeepers in Congo base all future support for the Congolese army on its adherence to international law and protection of civilians.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601116&sid=a9_ImG_9bQdUhttp://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601116&sid=a9_ImG_9bQdU
More than... more
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Connecticut young professionals are doing what they can for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. CT4Haiti, a collaboration between Connecticut Social, Hip Hop Republicans and the Will Gregory for Congress campaign, has been holding small fundraisers. http://bit.ly/cR2Xfc
“We want to help, but it feels so distant,” 24-year-old Bryan Flemming said. “All we can do is make donations and hope for the best.”
Another attendee, Nikita Akramovich, 23, said he doubted he or any of his peers would actually go to Haiti and help.
“Everyone wants to go, but we can’t do more than just talk about it,” Akramovich said. “I will donate, but I still don’t feel like I’m really contributing.”Connecticut young professionals are doing what they can for the victims of the... more
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I was one of millions who were outraged at the unadulterated self-serving stupidity of christian cultists in American who would send bibles to starving, desperate Haitians instead of using that space for more desperately needed items: food, water, medications, tents. Okay, I know they also sent a few token relief items with the bibles as well, but why not substitute yet more relief items into the space (and weight) occupied by all those bibles?I was one of millions who were outraged at the unadulterated self-serving stupidity of... more
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UN troops fired tear gas at desperate Haitians crowding a food handout outside the wrecked presidential palace on Tuesday as delays in getting help to earthquake survivors persist two weeks after the catastrophe.
The Brazilian UN peacekeepers used pepper spray to control a frenzied crowd of thousands of Haitians seeking food at a makeshift camp on the grounds of the palace.
"They're not violent, just desperate. They just want to eat," Brazilian Army Colonel Fernando Soares said. "The problem is, there is not enough food for everyone."
The 7.0-magnitude quake killed up to 200,000 people and demolished swaths of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and other cities. A huge U.S.-led international relief operation is struggling to feed, house and care for hundreds of thousands of hungry, homeless survivors, many of them injured.
Facing persistent complaints by survivors that the huge amounts of aid flown in to Haiti is not reaching them on the ground, U.S. troops, UN peacekeepers and aid workers have widened and intensified the distribution of food and water.
Some of the food handouts in the capital have turned unruly.
At the presidential palace on Tuesday, UN troops with shotguns handed out sacks of rice with American flags on them. Armored trucks formed a cordon to control the crowd and people were searched as they entered the checkpoint.
"Yesterday they gave us rice, but there was not enough. There were too many people," said Wola Levolise, 47, who is living in the camp with her nine children.
The United States has dispatched more than 15,000 military personnel to Haiti. About 4,700 are deployed on the ground with the rest on ships off the coast.
The U.S. military said it could scale back its involvement within three to six months as other international organizations assume larger roles providing security and disaster relief. It does, however, plan to help build a 5,000-bed hospital to provide longer-term care to quake victims.
As the relief operation for Haiti turns from rescue to recovery, authorities are trying to relocate at least 400,000 survivors — now sheltering in more than 400 sprawling makeshift camps across Port-au-Prince — in temporary tent villages outside the wrecked city.
Health Minister Alex Larsen said 1 million Haitians had been displaced from their homes in the Port-au-Prince area. The government had tents for 400,000 to be used in the new, temporary settlements, but would need more.
Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive made an urgent appeal for an additional 200,000 tents at an international donors conference in Montreal, Canada, on Monday.
Almost daily aftershocks have shaken Port-au-Prince since the quake, raising the possibility the city might have to be rebuilt on a safer location, away from geological fault lines.
"In 30 seconds, Haiti lost 60 per cent of its GDP," Bellerive said in Montreal, referring to the concentration of commerce and people in the capital. "So we must decentralize."UN troops fired tear gas at desperate Haitians crowding a food handout outside the... more
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On a golf course in Port-au-Prince, 50,000 earthquake survivors have set up a makeshift camp. There is little food and scarce shade, but there's one thing that's critical to their survival: water.
Thanks to your donation, Oxfam is already getting it to them by the truckload.
Yesterday, our staff in Haiti sent photos from that golf course to show you how your gift is helping. I'm hoping you'll forward this slideshow to your friends and family, to make sure everyone knows that despite the severe challenges, aid is getting through:
The city's clean water system was crippled in the quake, and Oxfam is now in charge of coordinating multiple aid groups in the rush to deliver clean water and sanitation ˆ to prevent an "aftershock" of disease and life-threatening dehydration. Our staff are experts in building temporary systems quickly and efficiently ˆ trucking water into inaccessible areas, erecting massive storage tanks, hauling in generators, repairing pumps, laying temporary water lines, and handing out containers so people can carry water back to their homes.
Your donation has also helped us deploy rescue teams to collapsed buildings and provide picks and shovels to local relief workers. Days after the quake, our staff was still hearing cries coming from the rubble and because of you, we were able to save lives.
Still, the need is great. US officials are now saying the death toll could reach 200,000, and the recovery effort has just begun. You've already supported Oxfam with a donation ˆ but there are lots of other great ways to help:
Spread the word on Facebook or Twitter, or by forwarding this email.
Send a text message. Text your friends and let them know they can donate by mobile phone. Tell them to text "OXFAM" to 25383, and a $10 donation to Oxfam's Haiti relief efforts will automatically show up on their phone bill.*
Set up your own fund raising page. Set up a "Help Me Help Haiti" fund through Oxfam for your workplace, school, sports team, club, or just family and friends.
Hold a fund-raising event for Haiti. A bake sale, a performance, a party ˆ they can all raise money for earthquake relief efforts. You can create a special fundraising page for your event. Or, organize the whole thing on Facebook and raise money via Oxfam's Haiti Page on Facebook.
This is an all-hands-on-deck moment, and I can't thank you enough for being part of our emergency response efforts.
We will continue to keep you updated on the situation in Haiti, and on how your support is making a difference.
Sincerely,
Raymond C. Offenheiser
President
Oxfam America
A one-time donation of $10 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance. Messaging & Data Rates May Apply. All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider. Service is available on most carriers. Donations are collected for the benefit of the Oxfam America by the Mobile Giving Foundation and subject to the terms found at www.hmgf.org/t. You can unsubscribe at any time by replying STOP to short code 25383; Reply HELP to 25383 for help.
It's nice to know someone is out there making a difference.On a golf course in Port-au-Prince, 50,000 earthquake survivors have set up a... more
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The following is an email I received from a very trusted nurse and friend to the healthcare reform movement.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND GIVING TO THE RED CROSS.
I volunteered as an RN and also worked for Red Cross in the 1980's. They are not that same organization since Elizabeth Dole became the first of several questionable 'CEOs' in the 1990's. ARC DOES NOT ALWAYS USE THE MONEY COLLECTED FOR THE PURPOSE IT AS DONATED! ARC controversies ensued after 9/11, Hurricaine Katrina and after the SriLankin Tsunami. ARC has a much lower ranking with www.charitynavigator.org than many other worthy service groups and relief providers.
I did medical relief work in New Orleans just after the hurricaine...and the Red Cross was shameful in it's hands off distancing from those in need. They even refused to give aid to Latino resident hurricaine vicitms who didn't have their ID's. Gathering millions of dollars in donations, ARC sent trucks to the Common Ground Relief storage, attempting to take our donated supplies which we were distributing to areas in need that Red Cross wouldn't even go to! Some Medical volunteers who came with the Red Cross defected to other groups due to frustration with the organization's lack of genuine assistance to the disaster victims.
Read about these scandals /problems if you are interested. Articles from the LA Times, NY Times, Wash Post, Toronto Star detailing ARC transgressions can be found at www.commondreams.org . search.
1. Partners In Health http://www.standwithhaiti.org/
888 Commonwealth Avenue
3rd Floor
Boston, MA 02215
tel: (617) 432-5298
fax: (617) 432-5300
EIN: 04-3567502
Mail donations to:
P.O. Box 845578
Boston, MA 02284
RANK 66.98 **** (rankings: http://www.CharityNavigator.org)
MEDICAL care. Dr. Paul Farmer and Tracy Kidder longtime Haiti advocates recommend this group. They have operated in Haiti for 20 years.
Mission
Founded in 1987, Partners In Health's (PIH) mission is to provide a preferential option for the poor in health care. The work of PIH has three goals: to care for our patients, to alleviate the root causes of disease in their communities, and to share lessons learned around the world. Through long-term partnerships with our sister organizations, we bring the benefits of modern medical science to those most in need and work to alleviate the crushing economic and social burdens of poverty that exacerbate disease. PIH believes that health is a fundamental right, not a privilege. PIH works in Haiti, Rwanda, Peru, Russia, USA, Malawi and Lesotho, and supports projects in Mexico and Guatemala.
2. Doctors Without Borders, USA http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/
333 Seventh Avenue
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10001
tel: (888) 392-0392
fax: (212) 679-7016
EIN: 13-3433452
RANK 61.22 ****
Providing trauma and surgical care.
Mission
Doctors Without Borders, USA (DWB-USA) was founded in 1990 in New York City to raise funds, create awareness, recruit field staff, and advocate with the United Nations and US government on humanitarian concerns. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international medical humanitarian organization that provides aid in nearly 60 countries to people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, exclusion from health care, or natural disasters. In 2007, MSF-USA raised $152.1 million and sent 200 aid workers to work overseas.
Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
Haiti Earthquake Response - Doctors Without Borders
donate.doctorswithoutborders.org
Your gift today will immediately support emergency medical care for the men, women, and children affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Please give as generously as you can to our Haiti Earthquake Response and help us save lives.
3. Operation USA http://www.opusa.org/
Disaster relief & development since 1979
International : Humanitarian Relief Supplies
Operation USA
3617 Hayden Avenue
Suite A
Culver City, CA 90232
tel: (800) 678-7255
fax: (310) 838-3477
EIN: 95-3504080
RANK 68.30 ****
Mission
Founded in 1979, Operation USA helps communities alleviate the effects of disasters, disease and endemic poverty throughout the world by providing privately-funded relief, reconstruction and development aid. We provide material and financial assistance to grassroots organizations that promote sustainable development, leadership and capacity building, income generating activities, provide education and health services, and advocate on behalf of vulnerable people. Operation USA rapidly and expertly provides on-the-ground aid by sending vital life-saving supplies and cash grants to assist communities in rebuilding. Partnering with grassroots organizations, Operation USA specializes in reaching vulnerable populations who are in the greatest need, yet who are often ignored by governments and larger aid organizations.
4. Oxfam America http://www.oxfamamerica.org/
226 Causeway Street
5th Floor
Boston, MA 02114
tel: (800) 776-9326
fax: (617) 728-2594
EIN: 23-7069110
RANK 63 ****
Oxfam assigned to lead aid groups on water and sanitation Update: During the next two weeks, Oxfam will coordinate international aid groups on the ground in Haiti in the delivery of emergency water and sanitation services. Water is the most critical need in a country where this week’s earthquake left at least 250,000 people homeless.
5. United States Fund for UNICEF http://www.unicefusa.org/
125 Maiden Lane
New York, NY 10038
tel: (800) 367-5437
fax: (212) 779-1679
EIN: 13-1760110
RANK 61.55 ****
Mission
The United States Fund for UNICEF was founded in 1947 to support the work of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) by raising funds for its programs and increasing awareness of the challenges facing the world's children. The oldest of 37 national committees for UNICEF worldwide, we are part of a global effort to save, protect and improve children's lives. Every moment of every day, UNICEF is on the ground providing lifesaving help for children in need. We provide families with clean water and sanitation, we vaccinate against childhood illness, and we help protect children against malaria. We provide nourishment to fight malnutrition, and we care for children affected by AIDS. We protect children from abuse, and we give them an education. We are here to make sure that all children lead a healthy, humane, and dignified life.The following is an email I received from a very trusted nurse and friend to the... more
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The recent disastrous earthquake in Indonesia has prompted a quick humanitarian response from Western countries, raising some key questions: Who decides what kind of emergency food aid is delivered, and should it be healthier? This argument is not new -- nutritionists and development workers have been debating it for years -- but improved food options are causing it to heat up again.The recent disastrous earthquake in Indonesia has prompted a quick humanitarian... more
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"Philippine officials say the number of dead and missing from Tropical Storm Ketsana has climbed to at least 106 people.
Where water has subsided, the scenes of destruction are clear - shanties washed away, people left homeless, and garbage everywhere. Some areas are still 20 feet under water.
Emergency workers could be seen carrying bodies on makeshift stretchers in Marikina. One rescuer was seen lifting the small body of a child covered in mud.
The sun shone briefly in Manila on Sunday and showed the extent of devastation in many neighborhoods - destroyed houses, overturned vans and cars, and streets and highways covered in debris and mud."
And all I can think about are the corruption scandals that have plagued Philippine politics in the past few years. Maybe if Pinoy congressman had spent more time on flood mitigation and less on covering up embezzlement not as many people would be lying the city's poorly-funded morgues.."Philippine officials say the number of dead and missing from Tropical Storm... more
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The OBI team throws a Christmas party for the villagers as construction races ahead. For more info check out : http://www.chinaquakeproject.comThe OBI team throws a Christmas party for the villagers as construction races ahead.... more
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Residents of Haiti were already facing food shortages and rising inflation rates when triple natural disasters hit.
Hurricanes Gustav, Hanna and Ike drenched Haiti during the last few weeks causing widespread flooding, massive mudslides and hundreds of fatalities.
To help those displaced by the floodwaters, Operation Blessing has teamed up with long-time German partner, Humedica, to provide disaster relief, medical care and food.
To learn more about our relief effort in Haiti, visit: www.ob.orgResidents of Haiti were already facing food shortages and rising inflation rates when... more
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Senators have passed a spending bill that aids Gulf Coast disaster victims and subsidizes federal loans for automakers. President Bush is expected to sign the measure despite some reservations.
The $634 billion bill provides money to keep the government running until the next president takes office.
The 78-12 vote Saturday also lifts a quarter-century ban on oil drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. That's a big victory for Republicans.
The Democrats have once again caved into Bush's demands.
Republicans say ending the drilling ban should lower gasoline prices. Democrats say it won't mean additional oil production for years.
Then why did lift the ban?
The lifting of the offshore oil drilling moratorium does not mean drilling is imminent. But it could set the stage for the government to offer leases in some Atlantic federal waters as early as 2011.
The low-interest loans for automakers are intended to help the companies develop technologies and retool factories to meet new standards for cleaner and more fuel-efficient cars.
After hard lobbying, automakers won up to $25 billion in low-interest loans to help them develop technologies and retool factories to meet new standards for cleaner and more fuel-efficient cars.
The legislation also contains 2,322 pet projects totaling $6.6 billion, according to Taxpayers for Common Sense, a watchdog group. That included 2,025 in the defense portion alone that cost a total of $4.9 billion.Senators have passed a spending bill that aids Gulf Coast disaster victims and... more
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The Senate overwhelmingly passed a spending bill Saturday that allows a 26-year ban on offshore oil drilling to expire, subsidizes federal loans for automakers and offers aid to Gulf Coast hurricane disaster victims.
The House already passed the $600 billion stop gap funding bill on Wednesday. The bill, which passed the Senate on a 78-12 vote, will continue government spending at the current level through March 6, 2009.
President Bush is expected to sign the measure.
The end to the ban on oil drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts is a major victory for Republicans. Speeches at the Republican National Convention last month were often interrupted with chants of "Drill, baby, drill."
The ban will be lifted October 1.
Republicans on Capitol Hill have seized on drilling as a major election year issue, citing multiple public opinion polls that show a majority of Americans support more offshore drilling. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, had incurred Republican wrath for originally blocking any vote on drilling before allowing a vote on limited drilling earlier this month.
The spending bill includes $25 billion in loan guarantees for U.S. automakers, $23-24 billion in disaster aid for flood and hurricane recovery efforts, $2 billion for Pell grants for student loans and $5.2 billion for low-income energy assistance.
Democrats decided to get a vote on this funding measure out of the way but plan to move an economic stimulus package separately. The stimulus package is still being crafted but would likely include an extension of unemployment benefits, food stamps, aid to states for Medicare and Medicaid and billions for infrastructure programs designed to add more jobs to a slowing economy.The Senate overwhelmingly passed a spending bill Saturday that allows a 26-year ban on... more
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People who are to be hit by Ike living in single family homes are strongly urged to leave thier home or face "certain death" if they feal they can survive Ike head on. Texans scramble to prepare as looming doom covers citizens and Americans alike as we wait for the storm to hit land.People who are to be hit by Ike living in single family homes are strongly urged to... more
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