VIDEO: 116 GOP Highway Hypocrites

By GottaLaff



Video via the DNC's Rapid Response team.

116. 116:

A new Web video from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) claimed more than half of the GOP lawmakers in Congress, including prominent members of leadership, were guilty of railing against the $787 billion stimulus act in the past year, only to have touted projects in their home states or districts as having created jobs.

The video says that 116 Republicans in Congress are guilty of "hypocrisy," a charge leveled by the DNC in recent weeks in defense of the year-old stimulus bill.

Hyp. O. Crites.

America first!

Video- OFA: Road to Recovery

Well done. Let's hope they get it on the air everywhere.

VIDEO- Bill Maher: Evan Bayh "isn't a centrist. He's a corporatist"

By GottaLaff

I'm glad he's back. He may be annoying sometimes, and we may not agree with everything he says, but IMHO, blunt (wink) is good:



H/t: Hippie_Cyndi

Video- VP Biden & President Obama on the Recovery Act year one

"Would you like to see if you qualify for this tax credit?"

Thems the pretty words I saw for the first time yesterday. I've been doing taxes for friends for years, started doing them to keep those folks from being fleeced by the various tax places "instant refund" offers. (You'd be surprised how many have and will lose a chunk of their cash just to get the remainder faster.) So yesterday I was doing the taxes for a friend (my first for the season)- older, works in a factory, single and makes about 30k a year. I've been doing his particular taxes for a few years, so I pretty much know how the drill goes and how much he usually gets back- $400-$500ish. Then the question above, with this pop up screen-

Making Work Pay Credit

Part of the government's 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the making work pay credit reduces your 2009 taxes up to $400 ($800 for couples filing a joint return). If you're eligible for this credit, chances are you've already been receiving it in the form of reduced withholdings on your paychecks. TurboTax will figure out your credit and make sure you've received everything you're entitled to.

Now in a previous discussion I had pointed out to him the increase in his take home pay due to this credit, so I figured he wouldn't qualify. I was wrong, he received an additional $400 credit, meaning his refund was padded nicely and he was very pleased. (I did make him say "Thank you President Obama" out loud)

An extra $400 in his pocket, and I'm guessing many others. I, a political junkie and demi professional, knew nothing about it. Think this is the kind of thing that we should be touting to the folks just like him? Start telling everyone you know.

Liveblog: President Obama's remarks about the stimulus

By GottaLaff

Liveblogging Prez O in Virginia, speaking about the stimulus:

Middle class Americans built this country... We need to live up to our responsibilities as faithfully as these workers are living up to theirs...

Need everyone who looks for work to find a job.... not only have stock market rise again, but hire again.

We have a lot of work to do. Thanks to Tim Kaine, Mark Warner, Jim Moran, Webb... we've made some meaningful progress.

As difficult as these times are... we are moving in the right direction. Economy's in better shape today than when I took office...

One reason is because we voted to pass Recovery Act... spurred job creation and economic growth.

The Fairfax County Parkway Project... will create new private sector jobs. Makes a difference to communities where they spend their paychecks... beyond FF County and Va.

It's one of more than 60 planned all across Va. and 8000 across country. 5000 are already under construction. 3/4 projects already invested, largest since 1950s. They're coming in 10-20% UNDER budget... unheard of. So we can invest more.

These are not gov't. jobs. They're private sector jobs.

Ultimately, that's the engine of our economy, businesses large and small getting back on feet.

This is getting work done that America needs... transportation, bridges, railroads, infrastructure. Lasting benefits. Stronger, safer communities.

This is only one part of Recovery Act. 95% of working families got tax cut. Increased, extended unemployment insurance.

We've made COBRA 65% cheaper.

Emergency relief to over 1 million seniors, veterans.

We've prevented teachers, firefighters, police from being laid off.

Loans to small businesses, created/saved 1000s of jobs. Go to Recovery.Gov.

Bottom line: We're moving forward, will continue to explore every avenue. It all starts with projects like this.

If we get economy moving here, it moves across Va. and all America.

Contessa Brewer on MSNBC: Army just hit recruiting goals because jobs are scarce.

President Obama to announce $5 billion in research grants

Mmmm, research is good.

WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Barack Obama, in an effort to stimulate the economy and support critical research, will announce $5 billion dollars in grants when he visits the National Institutes of Health on Wednesday, according to an administration official.

The money comes from Recovery Act funds and is aimed at supporting "12,000 critical research projects — and tens of thousands of jobs associated with them, ranging from teachers and lab technicians to database managers and scientists," the official wrote in an e-mail.

(snip)

More than 450 NIH employees, scientists, local officials and members of Congress are expected to be on hand.

The White House says the research grants are part of the Recovery Act's overall investment of $100 billion in innovative research and advancing science and technology infrastructure.