The amount of Waste, Fraud & abuse for the last 8 years has been allowed to run rampart. The taxpayer's Government procurement system has little incentive to correct the ills in the system since the contractors have been successful in pitting DCMA & DCAA, our top watchdogs, at each other than the ills within the contractor's Business Systems. the contractors, like FLOR, KBR, & DYNCORP need only ignore any recommendations to provide accurate, honest, and clear documentation for incurred cost claimed. The results is compound Waste, Fraud & abuse of taxpayer dollars. I know, I worked with DCAA for 22 years to make these type of contractors accountable in the states of Georgia, Florida, North & South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, etc. Tuesday, August 11,2009 Hill hearing held by the Commission on Wartime Contracting in Iraq & Afghanistan begins the real savings of taxpayer's dollars. Read it for yourself from the Chicago Tribute:
Wartime contracting commission takes aim at KBR for resisting oversight, failing to cut costs
WASHINGTON (AP) — An independent panel examining waste and fraud in wartime spending accused contracting giant KBR Inc. on Tuesday of resisting government oversight and failing to cut costs on support work in Iraq.During a hearing held by the Commission on Wartime Contracting, KBR defended its performance, telling the panel the company was under heavy pressure to meet the urgent demands of military commanders.KBR's internal accounting and cost estimating systems have been inadequate since 2005, commissioners said, leading to questionable billings and drawn out arguments with federal auditors over hundreds of millions of dollars in charges.Commissioner Dov Zakheim said KBR's top managers meet regularly with the Defense Contract Audit Agency. Yet the company has been unable to come up with solutions that satisfy the agency. By comparison, other large contractors, such as Dyncorp International, seem to work out their problems quickly, he said."Are you guys stonewalling?" asked Zakheim, a former Pentagon comptroller.William Walter, KBR's senior vice president for government compliance, said the company was incurring expenses for the work it was doing in Iraq at the same time auditors were poring over the company's cost projections, a situation prone to confusion and disagreements."It's a vicious cycle that we were stuck in," Walter said. He described the disagreements over contract charges as "differences of judgments."KBR is the primary support contractor in Iraq, providing troops with essential services, including housing, meals, mail delivery and laundry. The company has been paid more than $32 billion since 2001.But in a prior report, the commission said billions of dollars of that amount ended up wasted due to poorly defined work orders, inadequate oversight and contractor inefficiencies.Commissioner Charles Tiefer said KBR is keeping more employees in Iraq than it should in order to keep charging the government for work even as U.S. forces are drawing down.In late January, Army Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, ordered military units to begin cutting U.S. contractors by 5 percent each quarter and to hire Iraqis instead.Tiefer, a professor of government contracting at the University of Baltimore Law School, said figures he's compiled show KBR's personnel rates in Iraq are declining more slowly than others."They're slow rolling the drawdown," he said.Walter said much work remains to be done in Iraq even as the U.S. presence is decreasing. That includes shutting down bases and housing units.Commissioners also faulted KBR for building a $30 million dining facility at a U.S. base in Iraq shortly after the company had renovated the base's existing mess hall at a cost of $3.36 million.The panel wanted to know whether KBR tried to tell the military the new facility was unnecessary, especially with American forces scheduled to be out of Iraq by the end of 2011.Walter said the renovation work and the new facility were two separate contracts from two different Army agencies, evidence of the need for government to speak with "one voice.""And nobody from KBR went to anybody senior in the Army and said, 'What in God's name are you doing?'" Zakheim said.Walter said KBR does what it is told to do by the customer.Commissioner Linda Gustitus asked Walter whether the company has been criticized by government officials for not proactively seeking cost savings.Walter didn't answer immediately."The answer is yes, by the way," Gustitus said.___On the Net:Commission on Wartime Contracting: http://www.wartimecontracting.gov/
It is up to us to make sure a new process permit the real saving to be implemented. Monitor, report, & share how they are completing this task is our responsibility.
Please share with your Friends, family, and membership the following upcoming events. These Tickets can be purchased through the Cobb County Democratic Committee [CCDC] website: http://www.cobbdemocrats.org or Contact CCDC: 678-278-2008
B.U.Y.-COBB 15th Annual Scholarship Prayer Breakfast Tickets APRIL 18, 2009 8AM TO 10PM @ Cobb Galleria CentrePurchase tickets online and pick them up at the door the morning of the breakfast! The cost is $35 per ticket...
Note: B.U.Y. stands for Black United Youth We want to encourage and support our youth who are young Democrats
Democratic Party of Georgia Annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner Tickets May 12 @ 5:30 PM Location: Hyatt Regency AtlantaAddress: 265 Peachtree Street, NE, Atlanta, GA, 30303 US The cost is $250 per ticket
Cobb County Democratic Party Annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner Tickets June 16 time: T/B/A Location: Doubletree on Windy Hill
Address: 2055 South Park Place, Atlanta, Georgia, 30339 The cost is $100 [est.] per ticket Speaker: Gov. Roy Barnes
To get a jump on summer, we are planning our July 4th Parade/Picnic now so be prepared to bring a chair and have some fun as we try to arrange our event soon.
SCHOLARSHIP ALERT:
2009 Tylenol Scholarships
February 10, 2009 Financial Stability Plan Fact Sheet by Treasury Department & Geithner is below and my comments are below.
What Geithner stated at the G7 world finance meeting on 2/14/09: we outlined a broad framework for financial recovery and stability. This framework is designed to provide greater transparency to the financial system, to bring in new capital, new financing to restart the flow of credit to consumers and businesses, and create a new investment fund to finance and leverage private sector capital to facilitate the clean up of bank balance sheets. In the coming days we will announce a comprehensive plan to address the housing crisis.
As we act together to build a strong foundation for recovery, we need to begin the process of comprehensive reform of our financial system and the international financial system, so the world never again faces a crisis this severe. While this is a responsibility of national governments, our markets are global and therefore national efforts cannot be fully effective without stronger international cooperation to implement higher standards. In this regard, we will continue to support the important work underway in the Financial Stability Forum and the G20. We will work closely with our colleagues in the G7 and the G20 to build consensus on reforms that match the scope of the problems revealed by this crisis.
What he stated to us on February 10, 2009: Restarting our economy and job creation requires both jumpstarting economic demand for goods and services through our American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and simultaneously ensuring through our new Financial Stability Plan that businesses with good ideas have the credit to grow and expand, and working families can get the affordable loans they need to meet their economic needs and power an economic recovery.
To address the financial crisis, the Financial Stability Plan is designed to attack our credit crisis on all fronts with our full arsenal of financial tools and the resources commensurate to the depth of the problem. To be successful, we must address the uncertainty, troubled assets and capital constraints of our financial institutions as well as the frozen secondary markets that have been the source of around half of our lending for everything from small business loans to auto loans.
To protect taxpayers and ensure that every dollar is directed toward lending and economic revitalization, the Financial Stability Plan will institute a new era of accountability, transparency and conditions on the financial institutions receiving funds. To ensure that we are responding to this crisis as one government, Secretary Timothy Geithner -- working in collaboration and joined by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, FDIC Chair Sheila Bair, Office of Thrift Supervision Director John Reich and Comptroller of the Currency John Dugan – is bringing the full force and full range of financial tools available to cleaning up lingering problems in our banking system, opening up credit and beginning the process of financial recovery.
The plan summary: on the web: http://www.ustreas.gov/news/index2.html
1. a. Increased Transparency and Disclosure: Increased and enforce banking supervisors recognize the need not to adopt an overly conservative posture or take steps that could inappropriately constrain lending.
b. Coordinated, Accurate, and Realistic Assessment: All relevant financial regulators -- the Federal Reserve, FDIC, OCC, and OTS -- will work together in a coordinated way to bring more consistent, realistic and forward looking assessment of exposures on the balance sheet of financial institutions..
c. Forward Looking Assessment – Stress Test: A key component of the Capital Assistance Program is a forward looking comprehensive "stress test" that requires an assessment of whether major financial institutions have the capital necessary to continue lending and to absorb the potential losses that could result from a more severe decline in the economy than projected.
d. Requirement for $100 Billion-Plus Banks: All banking institutions with assets in excess of $100 billion will be required to participate in the coordinated supervisory review process and comprehensive stress test.
3. Capital Assistance Program: While banks will be encouraged to access private markets to raise any additional capital needed to establish this buffer, a financial institution that has undergone a comprehensive "stress test" will have access to a Treasury provided "capital buffer" to help absorb losses and serve as a bridge to receiving increased private capital. a preferred security investment from Treasury in convertible securities that they can convert into common equity
b. This convertible preferred security will carry a dividend to be specified later and a conversion price set at a modest discount from the prevailing level of the institution's stock price as of February 9, 2009.
c. Banking institutions with consolidated assets below $100 billion will also be eligible to obtain capital from the CAP after a supervisory review.
Financial Stability Trust: Any capital investments made by Treasury under the CAP will be placed in a separate entity – the Financial Stability Trust – set up to manage the government's investments in US financial institutions.
Public-Private Investment Fund: One aspect of a full arsenal approach is the need to provide greater means for financial institutions to cleanse their balance sheets of what are often referred to as "legacy" assets. Many proposals designed to achieve this are complicated both by their sole reliance on public purchasing and the difficulties in pricing assets. Working together in partnership with the FDIC and the Federal Reserve, the Treasury Department will initiate a Public-Private Investment Fund that takes a new approach.
Public-Private Capital: This new program will be designed with a public-private financing component, which could involve putting public or private capital side-by-side and using public financing to leverage private capital on an initial scale of up to $500 billion, with the potential to expand up to $1 trillion. Private Sector Pricing of Assets: Because the new program is designed to bring private sector equity contributions to make large-scale asset purchases, it not only minimizes public capital and maximizes private capital: it allows private sector buyers to determine the price for current troubled and previously illiquid assets
Consumer & Business Lending Initiative – Up to $1 Trillion: Addressing our credit crisis on all fronts means going beyond simply dealing with banks. Between 2006 and 2008, there was a net $1.2 trillion decline in securitized lending (outside of the GSEs) in these markets. That is why a core component of the Financial Stability Plan is:
A Bold Expansion Up to $1 Trillion: This joint initiative with the Federal Reserve builds off, broadens and expands the resources of the previously announced but not yet implemented Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF). Treasury was to use $20 billion to leverage $200 billion of lending from the Federal Reserve. The Financial Stability Plan will dramatically increase the size by using $100 billion to leverage up to $1 trillion and kick start lending by focusing on new loans.
Protecting Taxpayer Resources by Limiting Purchases to Newly Packaged AAA Loans: Because these are the highest quality portion of any security -- the first ones to be paid -- we will be able to best protect against taxpayer losses and efficiently leverage taxpayer money to support a large flow of credit to these sectors.
Expand Reach – Including Commercial Real Estate: The Consumer & Business Lending Initiative will expand the initial reach of the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility to now include commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS). In addition, the Treasury will continue to consult with the Federal Reserve regarding possible further expansion of the TALF program to include other asset classes, such as non-Agency residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) and assets collateralized by corporate debt.
2. New Era of Transparency, Accountability, Monitoring and Conditions: A major and legitimate source of public frustration and even anger with the initial deployment of the first $350 billion of EESA funds was a lack of accountability or transparency as to whether assistance was being provided solely for the public interest and a stronger economy, rather than the private gain of shareholders, bondholders or executives. Going forward, the Financial Stability Plan will call for greater transparency, accountability and conditionality with tougher standards for firms receiving exceptional assistance. These will be the new standards going forward and are not retroactive. These stronger monitoring conditions were informed by recommendations made by formal oversight groups – the Congressional Oversight Panel, the Special Inspector General, and the Government Accountability Office -- as well as Congressional committees charged with oversight of the banking system.
Requiring Firms to Show How Assistance from Financial Stability Plan Will Expand Lending: The core of the new monitoring requirement is to require recipients of exceptional assistance or capital buffer assistance to show how every dollar of capital they receive is enabling them to preserve or generate new lending compared to what would have been possible without government capital assistance.
My Notes:
After listening to Mr. Simon Johnson, economist, on Bill Moyers this Sunday I have to admit he had motivated me to read Geithner’s Financial Stability Plan and to find out why the Market took a nose dive after the announcement of the plan. I better understand his point now. The market dominated by men lacks the keep ingredient men thrive on: Competition. The plan is definitely civil…it does not generate …what they call it…HEAT! Like Baseball there is reason the ball is at one baseball for so many minute before it ends up at the other end. {I don’t know what kind of ball player Geithner is but I know How President Obama is and he would get this point.} Men have to know the rules, see how to follow the rules then what the reward/goal for following the rules is. This is simple but true in business, finance, and economics. Note: These rules apply to women who want to participate as well.
Mr. Simon Johnson, economist, finds the plan needs a scaled up version of FDIC that require the bankers wanting and needing Government assistance should bring to the table a group of private investors and those have the most will receive the most. I have to agree with him. This would add some heat to the process something these well dressed captains of business can understand. I must pass this message to Mr. Geithner, the Obama Team, & Treasury for feedback on what they think. [Submitted to Whitehouse.gov on 2/15/2009]
BTW, Those who voted against the stimulus plan and don't like the Financial Stability Plan be aware that U do not have to take any funding from these plans. These groups can demonstrate their objections by leaving the monies in the Treasury for those who appreciate the Government assistance. Personally, I would be very please if they would do just that!
Read it and Act! Contact your representatives & let them know who supports the President.
http://www.openleft.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=11354
The Policies of the GOP for the last 28 years are tired and failed ideas. We need to move beyond their gamesmanship to Reality.
Your support can create the world that should be and that is our Challenge!
Your Friend from NWGA4Obama’08,
Marie
It has been decided that Saxby is our Sentorial Representative for Democratics and Republicians.
Make sure you submit your views often to Saxby when the issues are being decided. You can reach him at:
http://www.senate.gov/
http://www.congress.org/
http://chambliss.senate.gov
Washington, D.C. Office:416 Russell Senate Office Building,District of Columbia 20510-1005Phone: (202) 224-3521Fax: (202) 224-0103
Atlanta Office: (more district offices) 100 Galleria, Suite 1340Atlanta, Georgia 30339Phone: (770) 763-9090Fax: (770) 226-8633
REMIND HIM that He represents Georgia not just his Friends in high places!
There are just three days to go until Election Day, and there's no time to waste. I've seen how excited Georgians are for Jim and how ready they are to vote for change. The momentum is on our side. We can't stop now.Every dollar you give helps us rent more vans to take voters to the polls, buys us more radio time in key markets, and funds our final get-out-the-vote push. Please click here to make a contribution of $50, $100, or $250 today. We will rush every contribution directly into the field to be used immediately.If there's one thing I know, it's what a winning campaign looks and feels like. There's a buzzing headquarters, dedicated volunteers pounding the pavement, and a candidate sprinting to the finish. That's what we have in Georgia, and that's how I know we can win this race.I’m doing everything I can to help Jim win – I hope you're doing the same. I know you've dug deep for Jim before, and I know you'll dig deep again to help Jim finish strong. Sincerely,Donna BrazileP.S. There are just three short days left – don't wait until it’s too late to make a contribution. Please click here to make a contribution of $50, $100, or $250 today.
The Deficit Spending question I responded to the journal@c-span.org on 11/25/2008.
You have to think of our situation like a mass car wreck during blizzard. The economy is the first patient to be treated but the most important one. The Economy has to be brought to a stabilizing state before we can obtain a healthy recovery. Like In any emergency room, you do not add up the cost of emergency care use to make the patient stable but once you have been moved from ICU do you figure out if you’re able to pay the emergency room bill as well as the hospital stay. True, it may take a generation to move us to meeting the full payment of this debt but without it the patient [the economy] does not survive. Once the patient [the economy] is allowed to grow stronger then you can decide how to pay the debt. This can happen only if the patient can work after a full recovery is achieved. All working parts must be moving and healthy to develop the correct therapy to maintain a long-term recovery. So, the deficit number should not be our primary concern but how to achieve the long-term recovery where the debt can be addressed. Meanwhile, the wreck did not happen between two vehicles but many and it will take a while to clear the wreck from the road. Yes, this will require our patience until we heard good news. Consequently, we will all have to pray for a good solid recovery once we have been taken off life support measures. Unfortunately, we are still in surgery with the Obama surgeons at the moment waiting for a promising sign of good health.
I believe some of own worst critics are short-sighted and have not counted on many unforeseen events about to happen in our economy. It should not require a genius to tell us that all the factors and new factors that are about to interact within this new economy can create a lot more possibilities than the old model we have been using for decades can project.
Georgians Remember to Vote for Jim Martin, Jim Powell, and Sara Doyle in December 2nd Runoff. We need you now more than ever to keep our momentum toward a brighter future.
Don't forget to volunteer! Make some phone calls, canvass or volunteer to take people to the polls. Our Recovery can not happen without your continued support.
I share this message since it complements my early cry for all us to light the candle since He had set the candle down at our table. It was our job to add the flame and we did!
By Alice Walker | TheRoot.com Alice Walker on expectations, responsibilities and a new reality that is almost more than the heart can bear.Nov. 5, 2008 Dear Brother Obama,You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us. Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade, century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can bear. And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really only to say: Well done. We knew, through all the generations, that you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday, was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based solely on your wisdom, stamina and ch aracter, is a balm for the weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.I would advise you to remember that you did not create the disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that your family is large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate. One way of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can model real success, which is all that so many people in the world really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost everyone.I would further advise you not to take on other people's enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear, humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We must learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused adversaries who are ourselves in disguise. It is understood by all that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely. However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I often fought, "hate the sin, but love the sinner." There must be no more crushing of whole communities, no more to rture, no more dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people's spirit. This has already happened to people of color, poor people, women, children. We see where this leads, where it has led.A good model of how to "work with the enemy" internally is presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet. Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies. And your smile, with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our way, and brightening the world.We are the ones we have been waiting for.In Peace and Joy,Alice Walker
FYI~~
For Volunteers: https://services.myngp.com/ngponlineservices/volunteer.aspx?X=NqjXO81IXYbcH6qS8A%2fCTQ%3d%3d
Absentee Ballots
IF YOU INTEND TO VOTE BY ABSENTEE BALLOT, PLEASE APPLY FOR A BALLOT IMMEDIATELY AND NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER 19.
If the ballot does not arrive before November 25, please call your county's elections office. You can find the phone number at the Secretary of State's website, by clicking on this link.
Absentee ballots will not be counted unless they are received before the closing of the polls (7:00 p.m.) on the day of the runoff, December 2.
For information on applying for an absentee ballot, please see the Secretary of State's website by clicking on this link. You will have to: 1. Download, print, and fill out the form provided (it is a PDF); and 2. Mail, fax, or hand-deliver the completed form to your county elections office. You can find the address and fax number for your elections office at the Secretary of State's website, by clicking on this link. Given the short amount of time before the runoff, we recommend that you fax or hand-deliver the application if possible.
Advance Voting Advance, in-person voting for the runoff will run from Monday, November 24 through Friday, November 28 (the week before the runoff) - with the exception of Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 27, when there will be no advance voting. It is also possible that your advance voting location will be closed on Friday, November 28.
Please go to the Secretary of State's website and find out information regarding the advance voting schedule in your county (please note that, as of November 8, the site is not currently up to date with runoff information).
There is no advance voting on Monday, December 1, the day before the runoff. You will likely have to vote at a location that is different from your usual polling place during the advance voting period.
Please see the Secretary of State's website for more information on where to advance vote by clicking here (as of November 8, the site is not currently up to date with runoff information). You will need an approved photo ID in order to vote in person.
Please see the Secretary of State's website for more information.
Election Day Runoff Election Day is Tuesday, December 2.
To find your Election Day polling place, Please use the Secretary of State's poll locator. Again, you will need an approved photo ID in order to vote in person.
Military and Overseas Ballots GO HERE: http://www.martinforsenate.com/runoff_voting_information.html
!We can Decide the 58th seat in the Senate, YES WE CAN!!!
HAPPY OBAMA DAY!!!
Stay Blessed!
E. Marie
Voice: 678-516-6591
for My Basic Business Solutions:
http://www.mybiztogo.com
Specialties: Accountants To Go (ATG); Computer Gladiator IT (CGIT) US: 800 363.7212 phone: 678 525.3939 fax: 866 903.8556
OUR PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA: If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
Its the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.
Its the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.
Its the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
Its been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.
I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and hes fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nations promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nations next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy thats coming with us to the White House. And while shes no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics - you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what youve sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to - it belongs to you.
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didnt start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington - it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.
It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generations apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.
I know you didnt do this just to win an election and I know you didnt do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how theyll make the mortgage, or pay their doctors bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there.
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who wont agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government cant solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way its been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, its that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.
Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, We are not enemies, but friends...though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you.
And to all those who have wondered if Americas beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.
For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one thats on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. Shes a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldnt vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that shes seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we cant, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when womens voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that We Shall Overcome. Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we cant, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
But Georgia remains RED:
http://www.sos.georgia.gov/elections/election_results/2008_1104/
For all those with Facebook accounts, I will like to make a request that you join me before November 4th, 2008 @ http://www.facebook.com/home.php It is a possibility that we will be locked out of the MYBO sites on Nov 5th. We only have 3 days left. Therefore, to keep the support of each other and conversation going in supporting our candidates, please join me at my new address on Facebook. I'm listed as Marie Green and I have a Picture of Obama next to my name. I appreciate all of you and all the work you have done for our candidates, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. They will need our support more than ever after the election since there will be a surge of protest by certain groups if our efforts prevail. So, I look forward to your invitation. I'm also open to join anyone on LinkedIn as well. Let’s keep the party going! It is our choice…It is our Year,Marie
PS. My next posts will appear on Facebook and you would not want to miss them.
Are you hosting an event this week and need fliers? We have at least 100 - 200 Obama fliers that we printed and have not used. We are not having anymore events. PLEASE come get them and hand then out at your event.
Some are women for Obama, some are Obama on the issues and some are Obama for rural America.
The fliers are at our headquarters in Summerville, Chattooga County,
2292 Commerce Street, Summeville, GA call 706-822-0399 or email comments@chattoogadems.com
Thank You!!
Kelly
www.chattoogadems.com
For those who are not the faint of heart:
1. On October 16, Vitaly Churkin, Russian envoy to the U.N. received a letter dated September 29 asking for a donation up to 5000 in Russian currency for their presidential campaign. Please guess Who? [Someone is still not aware of a concept called the internet that is completely exposing their lies & tactics.] ********************************************************************************
2. Guess who said this quote to Mr. Liddy:
8. Guess who hired a well-connected PR firm to target East Coast journalists and courted conservative media insiders who eventually championed their VP candidacy?
********************************************************************************
One woman yelled, "Socialist! socialist! Get out of here!" as another angry customer snapped at her: "At least he's not a war-monger,"
I just saw this. Let's all make a Barack O Lantern for Halloween!
http://yeswecarve.com
The website has lots of photos and a great video. Please pass it on!!
***************************************************************************************************************
I found Shocking news yesterday and hesitated to share it since the other side is throwing enough mud. But the information is passed along here to share and to provide example of the outright Hypocrisy that is taking place in the McCain Camp. Some may already know this.
Did McCain Tamper With the Drug Enforcement Agency to Protect His Career?
http://www.alternet.org/story/98503/did_mccain_tamper_with_the_drug_enforcement_agency_to_protect_his_career/
Did you know President Bush W plans to stay on the scene after he leaves office? I wonder what role he expects to hold. What role would you advise?
Has anyone confirmed whether the Builder that did free work for Representative Stevens also built Gov Palin a whole house for FREE?
****************************************************************************************************************
Radio talk show host and registered Republican Michael Smerconish tells Hardball’s Chris Matthews the factors which made him endorse Barack Obama:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3096434/
******************************************************************************************************************
Early Voting for November 4th!
No reason required—tell family and friends too!
Happy Voting!!!!
Betty White: http://tinyurl.com/3kh3o2
Betty White 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9bfpu9jWVY
IOUSA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgfNSriMtnw
Walker on debt: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0E-fwdyS-w
The folks have tried to shut me down but I got the message through anyway. [Like I don't know Rove tactics when I see it.] Guard your computer folks...McCain's Camp has been sending electronic assaults now.
Learn more about the amendments included on our 2008 Election Ballot:
Item one: To encourage the preservation of Georgia's forests through conservation use property tax reduction program.
Item Two: To authorize local school districts to use tax funds for community redevelopment purposes.
Item Three: To authorize the creation of special Infrastructure Development Districts providing infrastructure to underserved areas.
Note: Don’t let the wording fool you, especially on Item three. Very clever wording to take A lot of money from Home buyers.
Item Two seems foolish after telling the teachers that we can not give them the pledged 3 percent raises.
Source: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=146x5856
or_
References:http://www.times-herald.com/Local/Proposed-amendment-wo... http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Georgia_2008_ball... http://news.mywebpal.com/partners/680/public/news915307
GA news ~
ON September 30, 2008
Chambliss leads Martin only 37% to 34% in DSCC pollGeorgia Democratic Senate candidate Jim Martin is within three points of Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss and holds Chambliss to just 37% of the vote, according to a new poll taken for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Chambliss leads Martin 37% to 34% in the poll, which also found that only 27% of Georgia likely voters say that Chambliss is doing an excellent or good job as Senator – a ten point drop from a poll taken for the DSCC in early August.“Georgians continue to show that they are unhappy with the job Saxby Chambliss has done in Washington and are ready for a change,” DSCC spokesman Matthew Miller said. “With thirty-five days to go until the election, Jim Martin is in a strong position against an unpopular incumbent.”The poll of 600 likely voters was taken September 24 to 28 by the Mellman Group and has a 4% margin of error.
Now! Jim Says:
From 3 to 2 to 1: New Independent Poll Shows Us Within 1 Point of Chambliss!Today brings the third in a series of new polls that pegs our race at a dead heat! Last week, we told you about a new Mellman Group poll that had us within 3 points of Saxby Chambliss - and then a new SurveyUSA poll that had us down by only 2.And now, this morning, a new Research 2000 poll shows that we are trailing Chambliss by only 1 point, 45% to 44%!There can be no doubt that we have the momentum on our side. Over the weekend, while I was meeting with folks in LaGrange, Columbus, and Fayetteville, the papers were full of doom-and-gloom stories for Saxby Chambliss, calling him "beatable in conservative Georgia." The Washington Post described Chambliss as "suddenly teetering." Another outlet lauded us for running a "smart, aggressive operation" in going after Chambliss.
Source: http://www.martinforsenate.com/blog/
Reason for the big jump in the polls is directly related to our hard work registering new voters. Great Job Folks!!!
**********************************************************************************************************************
WARNING!
Do not watch on C-span the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee hearings about the $700Billion Rescue unless you have a strong stomache. The Greed of LB & AIG executives are unbelievable.
******************************************************************************************************************************
McCain revisiting Keating 5 banking scandal again after his campaign goes Nasty! It's about time, I think.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081007/ap_on_el_pr/mccain_keating
If we learned nothing from the swiftboating in 2000 & 2004, defend yourself and fast. It's sad but true.
Oh about that Bear DNA POrk Spending McCain Mocked about - He voted for it! Did you Vet your Candidates Sir?
Guess what The Palins were associated with a " Domestic Terrorist" THe Leader wanted to Alaska to Succeed from the US.
Revealed: $Arah Palin Cut $1.1 Million in Funding for Teen Moms
Did He not hear of these issues associated with her?
Vote Early!!!! Obama '08
The state is floating a proposal to remove the 3% COLA that's been promised to our Teacher Retirement System (TRS) for years. Please contact the executive director of the TRS here:
executive.director@trsga.com
and let them know you oppose the proposed change to TRS! More details and contact info below.
Tom McMahan, NBCTCatoosa County
Speak up for your Retirement!
To the members of the Georgia Association of Educators:
TRS, the Teachers' Retirement System, is considering a proposal that could reduce the amount of money that they have guaranteed you. GAE vehemently stands against any effort to weaken your retirement. You've spent your career investing in this state and its children. The state of Georgia must continue to honor that commitment. GAE attended a recent Board of Trustees meeting of the Teachers' Retirement System where a proposal was presented to alter the way your guaranteed Cost Of Living Adjustment, or COLA is determined. Historically, retired educators could count on a three percent COLA increase. The proposal before TRS is to allow the flexibility to determine your increase on a sliding scale-a scale that might not work in your best interest. The proposed language provides that "a cost-of-living increment may be granted two times a year." This removes the current certainty that as a member of TRS you will be granted a 1.5% COLA in January and July.
GAE believes a promise made should be a promise kept. We are working with you to see that this promise is kept. GAE will continue to engage in dialogue with the Executive Director of TRS, Jeff Ezell, about this issue and will be participating in a coalition with other stakeholder organizations to defeat this proposal. On Thursday, October 2, GAE will be attending a Retiree COLA Study meeting at the legislature. We will provide an update from that meeting.
Here's what you can do to help.
To make any changes to the retirement system, Georgia law requires at least a 30-day notice prior to taking action. That means you have 30 days to take action. You may submit in writing your opinions to the TRS Board of Trustees. The Board must consider all such submissions prior to final adoption of any policy change. We must act quickly to stop this action!
Today. Send an email. Write a letter. Say no to the change. Say yes to a fully funded retirement. Let TRS know how this change will affect your retirement.
Thursday, November 19, 2008 at 10:30am - Pack the TR House! The TRS Board of Trustees will hold a meeting to vote on this issue. You need to be there. GAE needs to be there in full force! The meeting will be held at 2 Northside 75, Suite 100, Atlanta, Georgia 30318. Send your letters to GAE- we will be compiling them and delivering them to TRS.
its important, take a few minutes and write a letter folks! We should be outraged. Our future lies in the best education we can offer our children so they won't need a "Resue Plan." Will the best teachers be available for long with such low wages & no pay growth?
So this is the role of MS Palin to spout all the lies discuss in my "mist in your eyes..." blog below. The trash that McCain does not want to carry since He is still in the Senate. He sends Ms. Palin out on a mission to distract and lie to the public about Barack Obama. Well, McCain she lies in your behalf so your hands are dirty too.
Yesterday she spouts "Obama is assoicated with Terrorist!"
She continues "He is behind the Freddie and Fannie failure!"
How looney tunes can this get? Well, its going to get serious in all the battleground states who will hear all about these lies in the last days of the campaign to keep them in line with the McCain/Palin ticket. If you know anyone in the battleground states, please send them these links:
http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/09/mccain_attack_on_obama_and_cor.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/24/us/politics/w24davis.html?_r=3&hp=&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
http://www.newsweek.com/id/160561/output/print
http://mccainkeatingfive.com/?p=6
We need to be on the offensive on this one. The McCain Camp believes if they say it enough, these lies will stick to Obama. However, if we keep spreading the TRUTH...hopefully they will stick to McCain.
So pass the word folks...The Truth will only set our campaign FREE to WIN back the White House for the People!
