http://www.37mileads.com/37mileads.com Free USA classified adsCopyright South West Distributors Republic Of Panama. All rights reserved.<![CDATA[Senator Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton will be in the Washington DC area for three exciting fundraisers including a unique event on Monday February 25th where tickets start at 150 sign up online today atwww hillaryclinton com live We also have a line up of lower dollar surrogate events throughout the month please make sure to forward this schedule to your network If you are interested in getting involved with any of the events listed below please contact me at 703 875 3432 or njones hillaryclinton com Your help is also needed at campaign headquarters to make fundraising calls starting tomorrow morning Please contact Dana Hopp at njones hillaryclinton com to sign up for a shift and we will provide you a list to call Information on how to help with the DC MD and VA GOTV effort is also attached As always thanks for your help and commitment to the campaign Coffee with President Bill Clinton at Whitehaven Date Thursday February 14th Time 8 30 a m 9 30 a m Location Whitehaven The Clinton ResidenceWashington DC Contribution 1 000 per person RSVP Space is very limited Please contact Sharon Yang at njones hillaryclinton com or 703 875 3436 no later than Tuesday February 12th We can not guarantee spots after February 12th Hillary Live Evening with Senator Hillary Clinton Date Monday February 25thTime 6 00 p m 8 00 p m Location Downtown TBD Washington DC Ticket Levels General Admission 150 limited availability Preferred Seating 250Host Committee Raise 2 500 RSVP Sign up onlinewww hillaryclinton com live or contact Shilpa Pesaru at 703 875 3434 or njones hillaryclinton comDessert Reception with Senator Hillary Clinton at Whitehaven Date Monday February 25thTime 8 30 p m 9 45 p m Location Whitehaven The Clinton ResidenceWashington DC Contribution Raise 4 600 per person primary funds onlyRSVP Space is very limited Please contact Sharon Yang at njones hillaryclinton com or 703 875 3436 no later than Friday February 15th We can not guarantee spots after February 15th Surrogate Fundraising Events Afternoon Reception with Senator Barbara MikulskiDate Sunday February 10thTime 4 00 p m 6 00 p m Location The Franklin House 59 Franklin Street Annapolis MD Contribution 100 per person Vice Chair 500 Chair 1 000 Includes Hillary Live event with Senator Hillary Clinton on Monday February 25thRSVP For more information or to join the event committee please contact Helen Mayer at njones hillaryclinton com or 703 875 1210 Contribute online atwww hillaryclinton com midatlanticCocktails and Conversation with Team Hillary Senior Campaign Advisors to Senator Clintons Presidential Campaign Date Monday February 11thTime 7 00 pm 9 00 pmLocation The home of Sharon and Lane BaileyFairfax Station VA Contribution Co Chair Raise 5 000 Host Write Raise 1 000 Supporter 250 Includes Hillary Live event with Senator Hillary Clinton on Monday February 25thRSVP To join the event committee or to contribute please contact Helen Mayer at njones hillaryclinton com or 703 875 1210 or go online towww hillaryclinton com victoryCoffee Discussion with Congresswoman Carolyn MaloneyDate Tuesday February 26th Time 8 30 a m 10 00 a m Location Downtown TBD Washington DC Contribution Co Chair Raise 2 500 Host Write Raise 1 000 Supporter 250 Includes Hillary Live event with Senator Hillary Clinton on Monday February 25thRSVP For more information or to join the event committee please contact Helen Mayer at njones hillaryclinton com or 703 875 1210 Contribute online atwww hillaryclinton com midatlanticCocktails and Conversation with Team Hillary Senior Campaign Advisors to Senator Clintons Presidential Campaign Date Tuesday February 26th Time 6 00 p m 8 00 p m Location Bistro Bis 15 E St NWWashington DC Contribution Co Chair Raise 2 500 Host Write Raise 1 000 Supporter 250 Includes Hillary Live event with Senator Hillary Clinton on Monday February 25thRSVP Please contact Dana Hopp at 703 875 1210 or njones hillaryclinton comEvening Reception and Special Performance by Carole King Date Thursday March 6thTime 6 00 p m 8 00 p m Location The home of Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley Bagley and Smith BagleyWashington DCContribution Supporter 1 000 Friend 500Host Committee Raise 5 000 RSVP Please contact Shilpa Pesaru at spesaru hillaryclinton com or 703 875 3434 Super Tuesday Victory Generates More Than 4 Million Online In Single DayContributions pour in from new donors throughout America The Clinton campaign today announced that it raised more than 4 million online in the day after polls closed on Super Tuesday It was Hillarys biggest single day of contributions since the campaigns launch The campaign had set a goal of raising 3 million in three days and exceeded its target in less than 24 hours The new goal is 6 million in 72 hours We are gratified for this tremendous outpouring of support said Clinton Campaign Internet Director Peter Daou From over a million volunteer hours to millions of dollars in contributions from thousands of online donors across the country Sen Clintons grassroots support is a key part of her campaigns success In the past 48 hours more than 35 000 donors have contributed to the campaign helping Hillary keep pace with the combined fundraising power of Sen Obamas campaign MoveOn and Sen Kerrys 3 million person email list to which Sen Obama now has access Daily Talking Points February 7 2008 READY TO DEBATE ONE ON ONE Hillary is ready to debate Sen Obama one on one and discuss the significant challenges America faces which is why this morning Hillarys campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle wrote the Obama campaign urging that the candidates debate Hillary has accepted five debate invitations between now and March 4 a debate a week in the upcoming primary and caucus states Sen Obama has not agreed to any of the debates and his campaign has refused to join Hillary in Ohio for a conversation about making a difference in peoples lives Hillary knows one on one debates are the best way for millions of people to learn about the candidates and compare their experience After seven years of President Bush it is critically important that Democrats nominate someone who is ready to defeat Sen McCain and the Republicans in November Candidates that arent ready to debate Hillary one on one arent ready to debate Sen McCain Sen Obama has said that if he and Hillary have specific differences with respect to economic policy he d be happy to have those debates Hilary is the only candidate with a plan to end the housing crisis and help people keep their homes Hillary would impose a 90 day moratorium on foreclosures and at least a five year freeze on interest rates for subprime mortgages Candidates that arent ready to debate Hillary on the economy arent ready to turn our economy around With people worried about their loved ones in Iraq and their health care in America it is essential that Democrats nominate someone who has been tested and is ready to deliver real solutions on day one Hillary hopes Sen Obama changes his mind and offers millions of busy Americans a weekly opportunity to hear the candidates debate Best Natalie Jones Hillary Clinton for President Mid Atlantic Finance Director 703 875 3432 office 202 297 7507 cell njones hillaryclinton com 4420 N Fairfax Drive Arlington VA 22203]]>http://www.37mileads.com/a2198232/p48/y8216/clinton-senator-president-fundraisers-washington-dc.html<![CDATA[Note The U S House and Senate voted overwhelmingly yesterday to approve a 168 billion economic stimulus package that would provide tax rebates to most Americans and grant tax incentives for business investment Under the plan individuals will get a maximum 600 rebate which will phase out for those with incomes between 75 000 and 87 000 Married couples will get a maximum 1 200 rebate which will phase out for those with incomes between 150 000 and 174 000 Because of changes made by the Senate yesterday low income seniors and disabled veterans also will be eligible for 300 payments The bill now goes to President Bush for his expected signature WASHINGTON D C — The legislation passed yesterday is a first step toward providing working families with much needed economic relief However our ailing economy needs more than a one time shot in the arm Yesterday s action should be seen as a down payment on a broader economic stimulus plan that can t come soon enough for struggling families seniors and working Americans Going forward Congress should move swiftly to enact an additional package that includes an extension of unemployment benefits increased fuel assistance and food stamps for low income Americans a boost in Medicaid payments to help cash strapped states and long overdue investments in our nation s crumbling schools roads bridges and infrastructure We look forward to working with Congress to advance this agenda with the same urgency that was brought to passing the initial stimulus plan The AFT represents 1 4 million pre K through 12th grade teachers paraprofessionals and other school related personnel higher education faculty and professional staff nurses and healthcare workers and federal state and local government employees]]>http://www.37mileads.com/a2198231/p48/y615/package-president-congress-statement-boston-ma.html<![CDATA[FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 8 2008Contact Press Office 703 875 1271press hillaryclinton com Our economy is sliding into recession and the strain on working families from stagnant wages rising energy costs looming foreclosures and skyrocketing tuition is growing Yet the Bush Administration has acted once again to tilt the balance of power towards corporations instead of hardworking Americans I believe we should expand the FMLA so that all workers have the time they need to care for themselves their children or sick family members and be responsible employees I have proposed a bold agenda to address the work family squeeze that so many parents feel Forty percent of workers are currently ineligible for FMLA benefits because they work part time work for small businesses or are new to their jobs My plan will expand the FMLA to cover 13 million additional workers provide 7 sick days move us towards paid family leave for new parents and caregivers and provide greater access to quality child care for working families I was also proud to work with my colleague Senator Dodd to enact legislation that provides extended access to leave for the relatives of wounded military members The Bush Administration is seeking to make it more difficult for employees to claim paid leave when it is available to them by requiring the employers leave policies to take precedent over the FMLA requiring employees with chronic health conditions to obtain an annual certification that they are able to do their job or risk being transferred to a different job allowing employers to communicate directly with medical providers which raises privacy concerns and much more The proposed regulation is 500 pages long The Family and Medical Leave Act makes it possible for people to meet their responsibilities at work and at home I have advanced a positive agenda to move our nation towards this goal The Presidents proposed regulations unfortunately are a harmful step back Paid for by Hillary Clinton for President If you would rather not receive future email messages from Hillary Clinton for President let us know by clicking here Hillary Clinton for President 4420 N Fairfax Dr Arlington VA 22203 United States Contributions to Hillary Clinton for President are not deductible for federal income tax purposes Paid for by Hillary Clinton for President]]>http://www.37mileads.com/a2198230/p48/y615/clinton-changes-statement-administration-boston-ma.html<![CDATA[MMM Corporation In post communist Russia great expectations were held for capitalism After years of communist rule many people expected that the benefits of capitalism would be immediately available to the citizens of Russia Although state owned enterprises were being sold to investors wishing to experiment with capitalism there were very few controls to monitor the quickly developing market economy Unlike western countries where legislation had been built up over centuries to ensure probity amongst corporate financiers and public companies in the first few years after Russia dismissed the communist regime a full range of legislation could not be enacted This unsound environment allowed a number of speculative companies to arise with one of the most famous being the MMM Corporation The man behind the MMM Corporation was Sergei Mavrodi a middle aged Russian who concocted a massive scheme to defraud millions of Russians of their savings The other players in the MMM Corporation are not clear The initials of the company were evidently derived from the surnames of three of the directors of the corporation and it is probable that the other people were relatives of Sergei Mavrodi One of the signatories on the initial issue of investment certificates was ‘V P Mavrodi along with ‘S Sergei P Mavrodi The MMM Corporation swindled the people of Russia by creating a huge pyramid scheme A pyramid scheme takes investors money and offers to return interest on their money at unusually high rates Investors are paid the interest as expected but the money used to pay the interest is taken from the investment capital itself or from deposits obtained by subsequent investors The money deposited by investors is never actually used to invest in business or commercial enterprises but is simply used to make interest payments on the investments As long as the rate of investors grows at a certain pace each investor gets paid their interest and they can even liquidate their entire investment Of course the bubble bursts when the interest payments required to be made become greater than the money being deposited The promoters of the scheme have an opportunity to use some of the investments as their personal wealth although most of the money is used to pay interest to make the scheme grow If the scheme is well managed the promoters make most of their profit on the final round of investment just before they disappear with the money Such schemes are not new and in the post communist era many such schemes flourished in the countries of the former Eastern Bloc What makes the MMM Corporation of interest is that not only were they one of the largest of the pyramid schemes but they were also responsible for issuing share certificates that looked very much like banknotes The origin of the MMM Corporation is not clear nor when it commenced its business activities Many reports about MMM state that their activities commenced in 1991 but it appears that their large promotional activities and the implementation of the pyramid scheme began in February 1994 The active marketing of the Corporation was one of the significant aspects of the scheme Twice the Corporation paid for all travel on the Moscow metro for a day During the 1994 Soccer World Cup they sponsored the Russian football team and cornered as much as 40 of television advertising in Russia during the event Their aggressive marketing program particularly on state run television created much comment and their advertisements became the most well known commercials in Russia In one advertisement the Mexican soap opera star Victoria Ruffo was manipulated through computer graphics to endorse the MMM Corporation The soap opera in which Victoria Ruffo starred had been dubbed in Russian and was one of the most popular television programmes in Russia The Corporation s most famous television advertisements portrayed a character called Lyonya Galubkov a seemingly common man who had transformed his life by investing in the MMM Corporation He was seen holidaying in San Francisco buying an apartment in Paris and sometimes in conversation with his friend Ivan with whom he explained his success and defended his method of obtaining his wealth Full page advertisements appeared in Pravda and Izvestia listing the current prices of the shares and addresses where the shares could be bought Accompanying the advertisements were cartoons showing how people had achieved almost instant wealth by investing in MMM shares Small advertisements showing the current and projected buying and selling prices of the shares were published on the front pages of the major Russian newspapers The MMM Corporation offered very attractive returns over the commercial banks in Russia As well as offering better interest rates the banks themselves had been unstable in some instances so many people were encouraged to take their savings from the banks and deposit them with the Corporation By July 1994 when the house of cards began to totter it was estimated that between five and ten million people had invested in the MMM Corporation Investors came not just from Russia but also from former Eastern Bloc countries such as Bulgaria where agencies sold the shares of the Corporation With a promise by the MMM Corporation to pay weekly interest of 10 on their shares the temptation for people to invest large amounts of money was too great especially when it was seen that people were receiving payments on their investments Although the Russian authorities had investigated the Corporation and its associated companies on several occasions they had done nothing to alert people to the issues surrounding the Corporation s activities Simply put a pyramid scheme was not illegal in Russia and they were legally selling shares although it was later reported that they had sold far more shares than they were permitted to sell and their promotion of part shares see below was also seen to be contrary to legislation When questioned as to how they were able to sustain such high returns on investments spokesmen for the Corporation stated when they could be found that they had solid investments but they did not wish to disclose their investment policies for fear their competitors might take advantage of them Several Russian politicians stated that they had reservations about the Corporation and others openly stated that they would not invest in such a company In July 1994 the Ministry of Finance finally issued statements warning about the nature of the MMM Corporation and the impossibility of the situation being sustained to a successful outcome for all investors These statements caused many people to cash in their investments and a run on the Corporation commenced At this time it was estimated that some 10 trillion rubles had been invested in MMM shares which was then equivalent to US 1 7 billion The price of MMM shares had risen from 1 600 rubles in February 1994 to around 115 000 rubles in late July the same year At that time 1 600 rubles was worth about US 1 00 By early July the shares had become so expensive that Mavrodi decided to issue part shares These part shares which were known as biletov but sometimes referred to as ‘Movrodki were made available from mid July at the height of the frenzy The first advertised price of the biletov appeared in Izvestia on 14 July The selling price was 905 rubles and the buying price 870 rubles These prices were one hundredth of the price of a share and this ratio between the prices of biletov and shares continued for the short life of the biletov which saw their demise when the run on MMM shares commenced As soon as the run began it became apparent that Mavrodi s tactics were to pay claims but to pay them at such a slow rate that no great amount of money would be paid out This resulted in the closing of all but one of his offices on 26 July There were sixt]]>http://www.37mileads.com/a2155780/p48/y16558/mavrodi-corporation-history-biggest-memphis-tn.html<![CDATA[Union activists have averted the threat of school bus privatization in San Antonio Texas and now the district will be spending 2 million for new buses and drivers by the start of the coming school year The district also will be opening a new transportation facility The San Antonio Alliance of Teachers and Support Personnel gets much of the credit for the planned improvements which include buying 75 new buses and hiring 62 new drivers Many assistant drivers now doubling as custodians and other school employees are working on obtaining their commercial drivers licenses and will move into the driver slots with new assistant drivers being hired Union leaders pushed for these upgrades for several years working with the school district to win state and city funding Told there was nowhere to locate satellite parking to alleviate overcrowding at the main lot and mechanic bays servicing about 1 300 vehicles union members kept asking the district for a solution Finally a tract of underused city property was found that will be pressed into service When you push the district hard enough you get results says Rachel Martinez executive vice president of the alliance who tapped into her good working relationship with the districts transportation director Now I know to do my research and dig a little deeper The new facility will house transportation workers and serve as a depot for many of the buses including the new ones Martinez says the district plans to finish hiring new drivers by the end of May I am really proud of our board members because they could have easily turned to private contractors Martinez says but they figured out a way to take that money and help the community]]>http://www.37mileads.com/a2155533/p48/y8216/school-program-staves-contract-washington-dc.html<![CDATA[By a bipartisan vote of 354 to 58 the U S House of Representatives passed a bill on Feb 7 to reauthorize the Higher Education Act Known as the College Opportunity and Affordability Act the legislation reflects Congress determination to provide more aid to college students to encourage institutions to rein in tuition hikes and to clean up the student loan programs The bill authorizes the maximum Pell Grant at 9 000 up from 5 800 and makes the grants available year round It authorizes up to 10 000 in loan forgiveness for people who go into public service careers taking jobs as teachers nurses police and firefighters It raises standards for teacher education programs and offers incentives for teachers to go into science technology and other high demand fields The Higher Education Act is an extremely important piece of legislation that will make higher education more affordable and no longer just a dream for millions of low income and middle class families says AFT president Edward J McElroy Increasing Pell Grants to 9 000 and expanding loan forgiveness programs will greatly offset soaring tuition costs An important concern for the AFT and for the Free Exchange on Campus coalition of which the AFT is a part was seeing that the bill did not contain so called academic bill of rights language This measure would restrict faculty freedoms and invite government intervention into hiring and curriculum decisions The national union worked over the course of two years—literally up until the last hour—to keep this language out The day before the House voted the White House released a long statement strongly opposing the bill Its leading objection related to Congress blocking administrative efforts to allow the U S Department of Education greater control in regulating the accreditation process and how colleges are held accountable for student learning The Bush administrations proposal for the federal government to get involved in regulating student accountability is misguided notes McElroy as every college and university has its own mission and should set its own standards and evaluation measures In addition to providing more aid through Pell Grants the bill addresses the college cost issue in a number of ways It requires the Department of Education to maintain a consumer Web site with information about college pricing Institutions that raise their tuition unreasonably will be published there on a list The bill ensures that states maintain higher education funding and provides incentives such as additional need based aid to encourage colleges to hold down price increases It also requires institutions and lenders to adopt strict codes of conduct regarding student loans and protects students from aggressive practices by private lenders The bill also addresses textbook costs file sharing and music and movie downloading An effort to allow student loan debt to be handled in the same way as other consumer debt in bankruptcy proceedings which the AFT supported failed Another very controversial amendment that failed would have forced colleges to spend up to 5 percent of their endowment assets each year to keep costs to students down The Senate has already passed its version of the higher education bill The AFT will work hard to make sure that the bill that results from the conference process is one that reflects our members priorities Barbara McKenna]]>http://www.37mileads.com/a2155528/p48/y8216/passes-affordability-strong-college-washington-dc.html<![CDATA[AFT president Edward J McElroy is urging Congress to reject the FY 2009 budget proposal released on Feb 4 by President Bush and replace it with a plan that better reflects the nations values and priorities Bushs proposal eliminates or cuts many key education programs and slashes Medicare and Medicaid by almost 200 billion The budget provides inadequate increases to Title I and special education yet diverts 300 million to a new unproven national voucher program and adds more than 100 million to a flawed teacher pay plan the Teacher Incentive Fund The best news about President Bushs budget McElroy says is that its his last Seven years of irresponsible tax cuts bad economic policies and soaring military spending have landed the nation in a deep fiscal hole he adds The presidents FY 2009 budget proposal digs that hole deeper increasing the deficit to 400 billion while saddling children seniors and other vulnerable populations with the brunt of cuts to vital public services Overall the budget essentially freezes domestic discretionary funding at current levels which will result in cuts to most services after taking inflation and population growth into account The silver lining is that once President Bush leaves office we finally will have the opportunity to address the mess he has left behind— 9 trillion in debt chronic revenue shortfalls and shameful underinvestment in our nations schools universities infrastructure and healthcare services McElroy says Recovering from this presidents mistakes will require bold new leadership in 2009 The scope of the challenges ahead underscores the importance of electing candidates in 2008 who have the experience know how and commitment to tackle big problems and restore the American dream for millions of working families]]>http://www.37mileads.com/a2155523/p48/y19203/mcelroy-congress-proposal-reject-cleveland-oh.html<![CDATA[Clinton Rides AFT Support to Key Wins on Super Tuesday The AFTs campaign on behalf of Hillary Clinton moves on to a whole new set of states after Super Tuesday when the unions endorsed candidate won victories in key primaries including New York and California and emerged with a lead in the delegate count The results again show that voters across the nation recognize Hillary Clinton has the strength and experience to move America forward AFT president Edward J McElroy said AFT members and other voters are responding enthusiastically to Clinton because they know she is ready to turn the economy around expand access to healthcare and improve Americas standing in the world As in earlier states where Clinton won including New Hampshire and Nevada the unions member to member outreach program for Super Tuesday included mailings phone banking and canvassing to educate members about the issues and encourage them to support Clinton In addition to the convincing wins in California and in her home state of New York where New York State United Teachers and the United Federation of Teachers in New York City ran an aggressive campaign on her behalf Clinton scored an impressive victory in Massachusetts The economy factored large in Massachusetts where Clinton highlighted concrete strategies to help victims of the subprime crisis in housing to win universal healthcare and to invest in green collar jobs Weve got some serious economic issues here and Hillarys message was powerful ” said Tom Gosnell president of AFT Massachusetts Clinton also won in Arizona Arkansas New Jersey Oklahoma and Tennessee Her strong performance in states where she didnt win also meant she collected about half of the pledged delegates in additional states As the campaign progresses the AFT will continue to mobilize members on Hillary Clintons behalf McElroy said Over the next seven days there are several primaries and caucuses including the so called Chesapeake primary on Feb 12 of Maryland Virginia and the District of Columbia Looking ahead the delegate rich states of Ohio and Texas vote on March 4 with Pennsylvania set for April 22 McElroy also is urging AFT members to make a contribution to Clintons campaign She has raised closed to 8 million since Super Tuesday but needs additional funds to successfully compete in the upcoming primaries and caucuses Individuals may contribute up to 2 300 for the primary The quickest way to make contributions to the campaign is by using this link Dan Gursky Mike Rose AFT public affairs department]]>http://www.37mileads.com/a2155513/p48/y19203/clinton-hillary-united-states-cleveland-oh.html<![CDATA[The College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007 reauthorizes the Higher Education Act It already has passed the Senate and with today s House passage by a vote of 354 58 the legislation goes to a conference committee to iron out differences WASHINGTON D C —The Higher Education Act is an extremely important piece of legislation that will make higher education more affordable and no longer just a dream for millions of low income and middle class families Increasing Pell Grants to 9 000 and expanding loan forgiveness programs will greatly offset soaring tuition costs The bill also allows colleges universities and faculty to continue to define their own standards for student achievement The Bush administration s proposal for the federal government to get involved in regulating student accountability is misguided as every college and university has its own mission and should set its own standards and evaluation measures The Higher Education Act has received strong bipartisan support We are optimistic that this solid foundation will lead to a final conference package that President Bush will sign into law as quickly as possible]]>http://www.37mileads.com/a2155033/p48/y3684/president-higher-federation-education-new-york-ny.html<![CDATA[Statement from Edward J McElroy President American Federation of Teachers and Merlene Martin President Oregon School Employees Association on OSEA Affiliation with AFT On Feb 5 after celebrating 70 years as a successful independent state union the 20 000 member Oregon School Employees Association OSEA overwhelmingly voted to affiliate with the American Federation of Teachers AFT the largest affiliation of an independent union in AFT history WASHINGTON D C — This vote is the culmination of a decade of mutual respect and cooperation between the AFT and OSEA It formalizes what has always been a close relationship between our unions and allows us to take our partnership to a new level The affiliation between OSEA and the AFT will magnify the strengths of each organization OSEA is a powerful effective organization whose 20 000 members will make the AFT an even stronger union Likewise OSEA will benefit from the expertise resources and political influence of its new national union This partnership will enhance the ability of our two unions and the Oregon AFL CIO to fight for our members rights in the workplace and to improve the quality of services to their students and their communities Working families schools and communities will face many challenges and opportunities forwarding the future The AFT and OSEA look forward to meeting these challenges and taking advantage of these opportunities together building upon an already productive working relationship The AFT represents 1 4 million pre K through 12th grade teachers paraprofessionals and other school related personnel higher education faculty and professional staff nurses and healthcare workers and federal state and local government employees Visit the AFT Web site www aft org OSEA represents over 20 000 educational employees working in Oregon school districts community colleges education service districts Head Start agencies libraries and park and recreation districts Visit the OSEA Web site www osea org]]>http://www.37mileads.com/a2110414/p48/y3684/president-mcelroy-oregon-merlene-new-york-ny.html<![CDATA[By HILLARY CLINTONFebruary 4 2008 Page A15Throughout my campaign I have been listening to the voices of people across America I met one man who told me I dont know what I did wrong I got my education and I worked hard Ive been at the same company for 12 years now but Ive just been asked to train my successor because my job is moving to another country Another woman said to me I just cant make ends meet My health care premiums have doubled college tuition is up How am I supposed to make it as a single mom I am running for president to bring those voices to the White House and give people a chance to achieve the American Dream having a good job owning their own home and living with financial security That means tackling our toughest challenges rising inequality stagnating wages and a growing sense that too many middle class families are just one pink slip away from financial devastation My measure of economic success will never be a single dry statistic Rather success means an economy that allows those at the bottom to work their way into the middle class without pushing anyone out It means leaving people better off when I finish than when I start In short success means an economy that shares its prosperity with all In the 1990s we saw how smart economic plans could help spur the economy to create 22 million new jobs and income growth across the board For the past seven years weve seen the opposite Corporate earnings have been impressive but the average income of workers has declined The typical household is paying 2 000 more in energy costs Health care is nearly twice as expensive with the number of uninsured rising to 47 million Five million Americans have fallen into poverty Because of the Bush administrations neglect the forces of globalization and technological change which should represent opportunities for economic growth have weakened Americas great middle class Simply put since 2001 our economy has failed the shared prosperity test and we need decisive experienced leadership to get us back on the right track As president I will not hesitate to take swift bold action to address our immediate challenges starting with a strong stimulus package and a comprehensive solution to our housing crisis And I will have a long term economic plan that creates jobs strengthens the middle class and allows everyone to share in our economic growth Shared prosperity means providing greater economic security and opportunity for middleclass families American families dont need new government bureaucracies they need new tools to help them climb the economic ladder This begins with health care because rising costs erode workers savings make insurance less affordable put businesses at a competitive disadvantage and threaten our fiscal future And lets be clear Unless we cover all Americans we will never end the hidden tax that the uninsured pass on to the rest of us when they end up in the emergency room and we wind up footing the bill Of all the candidates in either party I have the most aggressive plan to lower health care costs It steps up prevention and chronic care management cuts unnecessary spending creates electronic medical records and ends health discrimination by insurers And by providing sensible and generous health care tax credits I will ensure that everyone can afford to be covered Shared prosperity also means doing something about the cost of education My plan will make college affordable again by more than doubling the Hope tax credit increasing Pell grants enacting more sensible loan repayment schedules returning to direct loans with stable and low interest rates and allowing those who perform community service or pursue a public interest career like teaching to get a break on college costs We must also encourage Americas families to save Research confirms that when you make savings easy and automatic and give generous incentives to save more people will save So my American Retirement Accounts plan will offer up to 1 000 in matching tax cuts and will give employers new incentives to automatically enroll their employees in savings accounts Shared prosperity means addressing the root causes of poverty I thank John Edwards for his role in making poverty a central focus of this campaign Ensuring that all Americans especially our children have a decent life is central to the goal of shared prosperity The cause of children in need has been the passion of my life fueling my interest in early childhood education foster care reform and childrens health care and combating poverty It will be a top priority for my presidency We will fight for universal pre school to close gaps in cognitive development We will improve our schools by ending the unfunded mandate known as No Child Left Behind investing in mentoring programs for at risk middle schoolers and cutting the black and Hispanic high school drop out rate in half We will raise the minimum wage expand the Earned Income Tax Credit EITC and pass the Employee Free Choice Act Well take on the issue of homelessness particularly for our veterans And I want to say directly to the people of New Orleans We will not forget you So long as any of our neighbors remain in poverty our nations commitment to the pursuit of happiness for all cannot be fulfilled Shared prosperity means restoring a strong climate for investment innovation and job creation As president I will foster job creation by restoring America as the worlds innovation superpower I will double investments in basic and applied research extend broadband throughout our country and encourage more women and minorities to pursue careers in math science and engineering In the face of high energy costs and a climate crisis we can turn a grave challenge into a historic opportunity by developing green technologies and energy efficiency solutions That will drive productivity gains and help create at least five million new green collar jobs over the next decade And finally to restore a climate of investment we must end the culture of waste That is why I believe in making government more efficient and restoring fiscal responsibility so we can pay down the debt quit borrowing money from countries like China and deal with long term challenges like Social Security As a sign of that commitment you can go to hillaryclinton com and see exactly how I plan to pay for my economic plan If we listen to the voices of the American people we can find common ground on solutions to provide economic security fight poverty and move toward balanced budgets With shared responsibility we can have shared prosperity and finally give all of our families the opportunities they need to live their dreams Mrs Clinton is a Democratic senator from New York Contributions to Hillary Clinton for President are not deductible for federal income tax purposes Paid for by Hillary Clinton for President]]>http://www.37mileads.com/a2095382/p48/y3684/hillary-clinton-shared-prosperity-new-york-ny.html<![CDATA[Note President Bush released his FY 2009 budget proposal today It eliminates or cuts many key education programs and slashes Medicare and Medicaid by almost 200 billion The budget provides inadequate increases to Title I and special education yet diverts 300 million to a new unproven national voucher program and adds more than 100 million to a flawed teacher pay plan the Teacher Incentive Fund Overall the budget essentially freezes domestic discretionary funding at current levels which will result in cuts to most services after taking inflation and population growth into account The budget now goes to Congress for its consideration and modification WASHINGTON D C — The best news about President Bush s budget is that it s his last Seven years of irresponsible tax cuts bad economic policies and soaring military spending have landed the nation in a deep fiscal hole The president s FY 2009 budget proposal digs that hole deeper increasing the deficit to 400 billion while saddling children seniors and other vulnerable populations with the brunt of cuts to vital public services We urge Congress to reject this budget and put forth a plan that better reflects the nation s values and priorities The silver lining is that once President Bush leaves office we finally will have the opportunity to address the mess he has left behind— 9 trillion in debt chronic revenue shortfalls and shameful underinvestment in our nation s schools universities infrastructure and healthcare services Recovering from this president s mistakes will require bold new leadership in 2009 The scope of the challenges ahead underscores the importance of electing candidates in 2008 who have the experience know how and commitment to tackle big problems and restore the American dream for millions of working families The AFT represents 1 4 million pre K through 12th grade teachers paraprofessionals and other school related personnel higher education faculty and professional staff nurses and healthcare workers and federal state and local government employees]]>http://www.37mileads.com/a2095345/p48/y3684/president-statement-proposal-federation-new-york-ny.html<![CDATA[Clinton Obama Insurance By PAUL KRUGMAN The principal policy division between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama involves health care Its a division that can seem technical and obscure and Ive read many assertions that only the most wonkish care about the fine print of their proposals But as Ive tried to explain in previous columns there really is a big difference between the candidates approaches And new research just released confirms what Ive been saying the difference between the plans could well be the difference between achieving universal health coverage a key progressive goal and falling far short Specifically new estimates say that a plan resembling Mrs Clintons would cover almost twice as many of those now uninsured as a plan resembling Mr Obamas at only slightly higher cost Lets talk about how the plans compare Both plans require that private insurers offer policies to everyone regardless of medical history Both also allow people to buy into government offered insurance instead And both plans seek to make insurance affordable to lower income Americans The Clinton plan is however more explicit about affordability promising to limit insurance costs as a percentage of family income And it also seems to include more funds for subsidies But the big difference is mandates the Clinton plan requires that everyone have insurance the Obama plan doesnt Mr Obama claims that people will buy insurance if it becomes affordable Unfortunately the evidence says otherwise After all we already have programs that make health insurance free or very cheap to many low income Americans without requiring that they sign up And many of those eligible fail for whatever reason to enroll An Obama type plan would also face the problem of healthy people who decide to take their chances or dont sign up until they develop medical problems thereby raising premiums for everyone else Mr Obama contradicting his earlier assertions that affordability is the only bar to coverage is now talking about penalizing those who delay signing up but its not clear how this would work So the Obama plan would leave more people uninsured than the Clinton plan How big is the difference To answer this question you need to make a detailed analysis of health care decisions Thats what Jonathan Gruber of M I T one of Americas leading health care economists does in a new paper Mr Gruber finds that a plan without mandates broadly resembling the Obama plan would cover 23 million of those currently uninsured at a taxpayer cost of 102 billion per year An otherwise identical plan with mandates would cover 45 million of the uninsured essentially everyone at a taxpayer cost of 124 billion Over all the Obama type plan would cost 4 400 per newly insured person the Clinton type plan only 2 700 That doesnt look like a trivial difference to me One plan achieves more or less universal coverage the other although it costs more than 80 percent as much covers only about half of those currently uninsured As with any economic analysis Mr Grubers results are only as good as his model But theyre consistent with the results of other analyses such as a 2003 study commissioned by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that compared health reform plans and found that mandates made a big difference both to success in covering the uninsured and to cost effectiveness And thats why many health care experts like Mr Gruber strongly support mandates Now some might argue that none of this matters because the legislation presidents actually manage to get enacted often bears little resemblance to their campaign proposals And there is indeed no guarantee that Mrs Clinton would if elected be able to pass anything like her current health care plan But while its easy to see how the Clinton plan could end up being eviscerated its hard to see how the hole in the Obama plan can be repaired Why Because Mr Obamas campaigning on the health care issue has sabotaged his own prospects You see the Obama campaign has demonized the idea of mandates most recently in a scare tactics mailer sent to voters that bears a striking resemblance to the Harry and Louise ads run by the insurance lobby in 1993 ads that helped undermine our last chance at getting universal health care If Mr Obama gets to the White House and tries to achieve universal coverage hell find that it cant be done without mandates but if he tries to institute mandates the enemies of reform will use his own words against him If you combine the economic analysis with these political realities heres what I think it says If Mrs Clinton gets the Democratic nomination there is some chance nobody knows how big that well get universal health care in the next administration If Mr Obama gets the nomination it just wont happen]]>http://www.37mileads.com/a2095331/p48/y3684/clinton-insurance-new-york-ny.html<![CDATA[Subject HILLARY CLINTONS FAIR CREDIT FOR FAMILIES AGENDAJanuary 30 2008Hillary Clintons Fair Credit For Families Agenda A Comprehensive Plan To Address Credit Card Abuses Promote Fair Lending And Expand Access To Fair CreditWith American families falling further into debt than ever before Hillary Clinton unveiled a comprehensive plan to ensure fair access to credit on reasonable terms and to help Americans get back on their feet Today families across America are struggling to cope with spiraling household debt Households in poverty face a vicious credit cycle suffering abusive rates and penalties as they struggle with mounting debt And middle class Americans dealing with resetting mortgages and rising health care college and energy costs are depending more and more on credit cards just to stay afloat Americans have a record 940 billion in revolving debt and the average person carries up to nine different credit cards Federal Reserve 2007 The average family carries thousands in credit debt over 10 of credit card users carry a balance of 10 000 or more Fair Isaac 2007 Credit cardholders in the bottom two income quintiles already paying on average the highest starting interest rates are more than twice as likely to pay penalty interest rates as those in the top two income quintiles Cracking down on predatory credit card companies is an important step in lifting American families out of poverty Demos 2007 For three decades now credit card companies and major banks have been subject to less and less regulation Most state regulations today do not apply to credit card companies and federal law sets few restrictions on what they can do To help reverse these trends and protect American families Hillarys Fair Credit for Families Agenda will Immediately impose a 30 percent cap on annual interest rates for credit cards and work toward a lower cap Prevent credit card companies from unfairly increasing interest rates or charging interest in unfair or unreasonable ways Require that credit card companies provide clear easy to understand information about credit card terms and fees Create a new Financial Product Safety Commission to police credit products Crack down on abusive payday lenders and refund anticipation loan providers Empower communities to help families control their own financial destiny through improved financial literacy and better borrowing opportunities ENDING CREDIT CARD LENDING ABUSES1 Immediately impose an annual interest rate cap of 30 and work toward a lower cap According to a Government Accountability Office survey of 28 credit cards issued by the nations leading banks up to a quarter of them charged penalty rates over 30 And African Americans Hispanics single women and low income families are most likely to be saddled with high interest rates To rein in already extreme rates and to ensure that rates climb no higher Hillarys plan will immediately impose a national annual interest rate cap of 30 on all credit cards Such a cap would cover not just the stated credit card interest rate but the effective rate This rate cap will also apply to abuses in the payday lending and refund anticipation loan arena She will then direct the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to make recommendations on a lower interest rate cap linked to a standard benchmark plus a margin to provide for a reasonable profit This cap would not preempt lower state law caps 2 Create a Financial Product Safety Commission to crack down on lending abuses and to protect consumers who use credit cards car loans home mortgages and a number of other financial products Professor Elizabeth Warren notes that credit products are regulated by a tattered patchwork of federal and state laws that have failed to adapt to changing markets And there is currently minimal enforcement against abusive practices In 2004 consumers filed 17 000 complaints about credit cards with the Better Business Bureau But the OCC the FDIC and the Office of Thrift Supervision have undertaken only a handful of enforcement actions relating to unfair or deceptive lending practices To ensure that the government is fulfilling its responsibility to protect the public from predatory financial products Hillary will establish a Financial Product Safety Commission as a counterpart to the Consumer Product Safety Commission The new agency will oversee lending banks and financial institutions establish a set of fair rules and guidelines for financial products including disclosure and reporting rules and develop new protections against predatory and abusive lending practices It will have a hand in shaping and implementing the rules described in this agenda Hillary will streamline federal oversight and enforcement beyond the FPSC and give states concurrent enforcement authority against national banks for violations of federal law 3 Work with the new FPSC to prevent credit card companies from unfairly increasing interest rates or charging interest in unreasonable ways Credit card companies cannot raise your interest rate because of an unrelated change in your credit score or because of a missed payment to a different creditor Even when you have always made your credit card payments on time these so called universal default clauses allow lenders to suddenly raise your rate for unrelated reasons For example your credit score could change because you have fallen behind on your home payments and for that alone your credit card interest rate could skyrocket overnight Credit card companies cannot raise your interest rate without your affirmative written consent Many credit card deals include clauses that allow lenders to raise rates at any time for any reason so long as they give 15 days notice to the consumer Hillary will require lenders to obtain written consent from a borrower before any rate increases or change in terms become effective Credit card companies cannot apply new interest rates to your old transactions Hillary will stop lenders from raising your interest rate and then applying that higher rate to money you borrowed before at a lower rate Credit card companies can only charge interest on the money they loan not on the fees they impose Some credit card companies collect interest on late penalties over limit fees and other hidden charges Hillarys plan will make sure you only pay interest on the money you borrow Credit card companies can only collect interest on the unpaid portion of the previous months bill Under some credit card practices you could pay off your 500 balance completely but still be liable the next month for interest on that 500 balance Hillary will put an end to this practice of double cycle billing Credit card companies should automatically apply payments to the portion of the outstanding balance with the highest interest rate If half of a credit card balance is subject to a 10 rate and the other half is subject to a 25 rate monthly payments should pay down the half subject to the 25 rate 3 Establish fair and uniform rules for when credit card companies can charge late fees Credit card late charges have nearly tripled since 1994 and the industrys revenues from late fees grew from 1 7 billion in 1996 to 12 billion in 2006 Fair and simple rules are needed so hardworking Americans do not fall victim to heavy penalties just because a deadline wasnt clear Hillarys plan will develop uniform rules for credit card payment deadlines For example customers should not be unfairly penalized if their payments are postmarked by the due date the lender provides Hillary will also guarantee a grace period before penalty rates apply 4 Require clear disclosure of the terms of the credit card that is actually issued to the consumer and of the consequences of making only minimum payments American families received an estimated 8 billion credit card]]>http://www.37mileads.com/a2015939/p48/y3684/credit-agenda-address-hillary-new-york-ny.html<![CDATA[STATEMENT BY EDWARD McElroy PRESIDENT AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS ON PRESIDENT BUSHS STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS WASHINGTON D C — President Bush State of the Union Address can be summed up in four words too little too late The president mentioned No Child Left Behind but he continues to turn a blind eye to the law s flaws Our members who work in classrooms every day see the flaws all too clearly NCLB puts too much emphasis on testing fails to recognize schools in which students are making progress and offers little help to schools that desperately need it The president Bushs budget proposals have shortchanged the law year after year Making matters worse the president is proposing a school voucher program that would divert 300 million from public schools that serve the vast majority of our students For seven years President Bush has ignored the struggles of middle class and working class Americans who have suffered as a result of his economic policies If he were committed to helping anyone other than the ultra rich he would support an economic stimulus package that includes unemployment insurance extensions increased support for the Food Stamp Program and increased aid to states facing ever mounting Medicaid costs If his priorities included job creation strengthening our infrastructure and better educational opportunities we would expect to see a stimulus package that addresses our nation s 100 billion backlog in school repairs The president is still in denial about the damage his policies have inflicted on our nation and his speech to Congress indicates that he is unable or unwilling to provide the leadership we need to move this country forward The AFT represents 1 4 million pre K through 12th grade teachers paraprofessionals and other school related personnel higher education faculty and professional staff nurses and healthcare workers and federal state and local government employees]]>http://www.37mileads.com/a1999711/p48/y3684/president-statement-federation-mcelroy-new-york-ny.html