Archive for Obama
The Chinese Drywall Complaint Center
Posted by: | CommentsThe Chinese Drywall Complaint Center is saying, “if you live in a home in Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Southeast Texas, South Georgia built, or remodeled since 2001-you have had numerous AC coil failures, or electrical issues, and some or all of the family are sick with upper respiratory issues, nose bleeds, or unexplainable rashes-we want to hear from you now.” The Chinese Drywall Complaint Center is expanding its hours to seven days a week, 9 AM to 10 PM, in the hopes they can help identify as many Knauf Chinese drywall homes as possible. The group is saying, “for the record, we are convinced there are at least 100,000+ US homes with Knauf Chinese drywall-tragically the Federal Court in New Orleans has only identified less than 4000 homeowners.
But isn’t the Obama Administration doing everything possible to help US homeowners now living in a toxic home because of toxic Chinese drywall? The Chinese Drywall Complaint Center says, “the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill-now officially the worst oil spill in US history is not the Obama Administrations first astonishing failure to respond to a national disaster. The Obama Administration’s response to toxic Chinese drywall has been negligent, and they act like they either do not want to talk about it-or their are afraid of offending the Chinese-either way 100,000’s of US Homeowners in the US Southeast have been abandoned by Washington, DC.” The group says,”even worse than Obama’s lack of interest in toxic Chinese drywall-the US Consumer Products Safety Commission has miserably failed 100,000’s of US homeowners with their lack of information.
Symptoms of toxic Chinese drywall in homes in Louisiana, North Florida, Central Florida, South Florida, South Carolina, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia, or Southeast Texas include: repeated air conditioning coil failures, within two years of the home being built. In addition to air conditioning coil failures, toxic Chinese drywall in the US Southeast may cause appliance failures, light bulbs burning out prematurely, copper turning black, combined with all, or some of the family are experiencing seemingly never ending upper respiratory issues, nose bleeds, severe headaches, unexplained very unusual rashes, especially in the late spring, or summer. The time frame for toxic Chinese drywall in the US Southeast is 2001-to early 2009. The Chinese Drywall Complaint Center is saying, “We think the worst effects of toxic Chinese drywall in the US Southeast occur in from mid April—mid October because of high heat combined with high thresholds of humidity.”
Obama: Complaints About Date Night “Annoyed” Me
Posted by: | CommentsPresident Obama doesn’t have a lot of patience for those who he says turn date night with his wife into a “political issue.”
In an interview with the New York Times Magazine for a story on “The First Marriage,” Mr. Obama said it “annoyed” him that he was criticized for flying to New York last spring to see a Broadway play and have dinner with his wife. Critics complained that the president was using public money to pay for the trip.
“If I weren’t president, I would be happy to catch the shuttle with my wife to take her to a Broadway show, as I had promised her during the campaign, and there would be no fuss and no muss and no photographers,” he said. “That would please me greatly.”
“The notion that I just couldn’t take my wife out on a date without it being a political issue was not something I was happy with,” he added, later echoing a reporter’s comment that “everything becomes political” in the White House.
Presidents always travel in secure government vehicles or aircraft for both personal and political travel.
“What I value most about my marriage is that it is separate and apart from a lot of the silliness of Washington, and Michelle is not part of that silliness,” Mr. Obama said.
“This is the first time in a long time in our marriage that we’ve lived seven days a week in the same household with the same schedule, with the same set of rituals,” the first lady said of White House life. “That’s been more of a relief for me than I would have ever imagined.”
Still, she acknowledged that “the bumps happen to everybody all the time, and they are continuous.”
Asked how it’s possible to have an equal relationship when one member of a couple is president, Mr. Obama struggled to answer and the first lady stepped in.
“Clearly Barack’s career decisions are leading us,” she said. “They’re not mine; that’s obvious. I’m married to the president of the United States. I don’t have another job, and it would be problematic in this role. So that — you can’t even measure that.”
Gun law complaints trail Obama during park tours
Posted by: | CommentsFamily in tow for a tour of national treasures far from Washington, President Barack Obama is trailed by criticism from gun opponents and parks advocates for allowing firearms into such majestic places as this.
“There is still time for Congress and the president to take steps to keep loaded firearms away from the valleys of Yellowstone, the cliffs of Yosemite, and the Statue of Liberty — but they need to act quickly,” said Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.
A bill that Obama signed in May permits licensed gun owners to bring firearms into national parks and wildlife refuges as long as state law allows it. The new law, which takes effect in February, will replace rules from the Reagan administration that generally require that guns in national parks be locked or stored in a glove compartment or trunk.
Politically, the move thrilled gun-rights advocates such as the National Rifle Association and outdoorsmen. They generally lean conservative, which may help Obama’s soft standing with centrists and independents. But it certainly didn’t set well with some of Obama’s core Democratic constituencies, environmentalists and gun-control backers.
The Obama family — the president, the first lady and daughters Malia and Sasha, and other relatives — had a busy sightseeing weekend planned: visiting Yellowstone National Park on Saturday and touring Grand Canyon National Park on Sunday.
Their stops come during one of three summer weekends when the administration waived entrance fees at 147 national parks and monuments to spur tourism and boost local economies.
Less than a year in office, Obama doesn’t have much of a record when it comes to the national park system. Nonetheless, parks advocates say the administration has indicated it wants to spend more on parks and expand the parks system.
At this point, “it’s more rhetoric than it is decisions” but “we believe there’s a pretty bold and ambitious agenda brewing for national parks in this administration,” said Ron Tipton, the National Parks Conservation Association’s senior vice president of policy. “We’re seeing the interest right out of the box, and we’re seeing it exemplified by a president who takes his family to a national park in his first year in office. That’s very unusual.”
Dorn, likewise, applauded Obama for “making a pretty significant statement this early in his administration at a time when he’s got some pretty heavy things on his shoulders.”
From the outset of his presidency, Obama signaled his would be an administration sympathetic to the parks. He signed legislation that set aside more than 2 million acres in nine states as protected wilderness. That was one of the largest expansions of wilderness protection in a quarter-century. Supporters said the law would strengthen the national parks system; opponents called it a “land grab.”
Geithner, Bernanke Debate Oversight Role
Posted by: | CommentsTreasury Secretary Timothy Geithner suggested Friday that the Obama administration would agree to revise parts of its plan to overhaul financial-market regulation, moving to protect a key initiative even as the White House wrestled to keep its health-care initiative on track.The effort to revamp financial regulation has lost considerable momentum since it was proposed in June, despite President Barack Obama’s call for quick action. It has been hindered by political and industry criticism and overshadowed by a larger political debate over health care. It has also ignited a turf war between federal agencies that stand to gain or lose significant authority.
Mr. Geithner sought to defend the plan at a hearing before the House Financial Services Committee Friday, saying that while it had triggered “heated debate” there “should be no disagreement on the need to act.”
The sweeping proposal would give the Federal Reserve expanded authority to oversee the country’s largest financial firms. It would also create a new regulator for mortgages and credit cards, give the government the power to take over and break up large faltering companies, and toughen oversight of credit derivatives and hedge funds, among other things.
Rein in Wall Street Fat Cats – Improve Banking Regulation Today?
Posted by: | CommentsThe financial industry cut spending on lobbying and campaign contributions this year, even as the Obama administration drafted a sweeping plan to tighten federal control over its players.
* In a major break with most other large companies, Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N) Tuesday told the White House that it supports requiring employers to provide health insurance to workers, a centerpiece of U.S. President Barack Obama’s effort to provide near-universal coverage to Americans.
* The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp on Thursday is expected to propose new guidelines for private-equity investors seeking to buy failed banks, people familiar with the matter said.
* Freddie Mac’s (FRE.N) board has made Charles “Ed” Haldeman Jr. its prime candidate for chief executive officer of the government-backed mortgage company, according to people familiar with the situation.
* China’s government delayed its controversial requirement that manufacturers include Web-filtering software in all new personal computers sold in the country — an 11th-hour move that shows the challenges Beijing faces in its wide-ranging efforts to rein in the Internet.
* A regulator fined a unit of ICAP Plc (IAP.L) and one of its former brokers for “numerous improper communications” with rival firms over fees on credit-default-swap trades, in an ongoing probe that could widen to include other brokerage firms.
* Sales of Michael Jackson’s music have skyrocketed since he died suddenly last Thursday, returning the late pop star to the top-selling spot he held more than once during his career.
* The Obama administration’s tough new fuel-efficiency standards could pose problems for some car makers, but Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) is hoping to benefit. The Japanese company is betting the rules will give an advantage to its expanding lineup of hybrid vehicles, and it also aims to boost revenue by licensing to other car makers the patents that protect its fuel-saving technologies.
* U.S. home prices eased their slide in April, but rising unemployment and shaky consumer confidence are weighing on prospects for a recovery in the housing market and broader economy.
* Financier Allen Stanford is a serious flight risk and must remain in jail until he is tried on charges of masterminding a Ponzi scheme, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
* Gannett Co (GCI.N), the largest U.S. newspaper publisher by daily circulation, will cut between 1,000 and 2,000 jobs out of its 41,500-person work force in response to continuing revenue declines, according to a person familiar with the company’s thinking.
Complaints Fill Hearing About Federal Employees’ Health Plan
Posted by: | CommentsThe Montana Democrat provided no details, but others have said the changes made in recent days would lower the cost of government subsidies for those who cannot afford insurance, as well as pare back a planned 10-year series of rate increases for doctors serving Medicare patients.
Aides said the Congressional Budget Office had estimated that the elements under consideration would extend coverage to 97 percent of the population, excluding illegal immigrants.
Progress sought
Baucus’ comments coincided with the beginning of a one-week congressional vacation, and came as he and the Obama administration sought to demonstrate progress on the president’s top domestic priority. President Barack Obama’s goal is to revamp a broken system, reducing costs and providing coverage for nearly 50 million Americans who lack it.
Despite the gains made in lowering costs, Republicans made clear that intense negotiations lie ahead if a bipartisan bill is to emerge.
Republicans and Democrats remain at odds on major issues, including the question of a government-run option for insurance that would compete with private industry. Obama has endorsed the idea, saying it would hold down costs, while GOP lawmakers oppose it.
Another dispute revolves around the Democrats’ call for a requirement on businesses to either provide insurance for their employees or pay into a government fund subsidizing coverage for those who lack it. Many smaller businesses would be exempt, and others would qualify for government subsidies to help them afford coverage, but most Republicans have expressed opposition to a so-called “employer mandate.”
White House shrugs off Iran complaints
Posted by: | CommentsThe White House on Wednesday shrugged off Iran’s claim it was interfering in the post-election crisis, saying President Barack Obama would express his concerns about, but not meddle in, Iranian politics.
Obama’s spokesman Robert Gibbs noted that the president discussed universal principles such as the right to peacefully demonstrate and stressed they should be observed in Iran as the political tumult escalates.
“The president will continue to express those concerns and ensure that we are not meddling,” said Gibbs.
Earlier, Iran protested to the Swiss envoy in Tehran, who represents US interests, over “interfering remarks” by US officials on last week’s presidential election, state television reported.
Obama said on Tuesday that he had concerns about the conduct of last week’s election and subsequent violence, but said that US “meddling” in Iranian affairs could be counterproductive.