Saturday, February 14, 2009

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Burris: Blagojevich Asked For Campaign Money Before Senate Appointment Top
Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother solicited U.S. Sen. Roland Burris for up to $10,000 in campaign cash before Blagojevich named Burris to the coveted post -- something Burris initially failed to disclose under oath before an Illinois House impeachment panel, records and interviews show. Burris (D-Ill.) acknowledges being hit up for the money in a new affidavit he has sent to the head of the House committee that recommended Blagojevich be removed from office. The affidavit is dated Feb. 5 -- three weeks after Burris was sworn in to replace President Obama in the Senate. Burris -- who did not give money to the Blagojevich campaign fund in response to the previously undisclosed solicitation -- provided a copy of the sworn statement to the Chicago Sun-Times Friday in response to questions about his contacts with the Blagojevich camp about fund-raising. More on Rod Blagojevich
 
Obama's Long Weekend Begins With Visit To The Gym Top
CHICAGO — President Barack Obama began his long weekend in Chicago with a familiar trip to the gym. Obama visited the gym in a friend's apartment building on Saturday morning. It was his first trip out of his Hyde Park home since arriving Friday for his first significant break since taking office on Jan. 20. Obama and his family are spending the President's Day weekend in their hometown. Aides say they have no public events, and the first couple plans to go out for a Valentine's Day dinner Saturday night. Between his election and inauguration, Obama made the daily trip to his friend's gym. As before, he didn't speak with reporters. More on Barack Obama
 
Sun-Times Endorses Quigley In Emanuel Replacement Race Top
The Chicago Sun-Times became the first major paper to endorse a candidate in the crowded 5th Congressional District race, backing Cook County Commissioner Mike Quigley to replace Rahm Emanuel in the U.S. House of Representatives. In an editorial published Saturday , the paper described the ballot as "filled with impressive and thoughtful candidates" but felt that Quigley "stood above the rest." Quigley, 50, is that rare candidate who promises reform -- and delivers. He's the real deal. He has proved himself at the County Board and deserves a shot at proving himself in Congress. The paper hailed Quigley as a true reformer whose work on the County Board, where he is one of the strongest critics of President Todd Stroger, proves his political independence and fiscal and environmental policy chops. He has been a constant advocate for fiscal responsibility and a watchdog against waste and corruption. Just last week, Quigley was among the leaders who fought successfully against a disastrous plan by Cook County Board President Todd Stroger to borrow hundreds of millions of dollars -- some of it, stunningly, meant for day-to-day government operations. Stroger wanted to further burden taxpayers, but Quigley nixed his plans. Quigley's "lack of political charm" was viewed as an asset by the Sun-Times : He doesn't exactly light up a room. Or even smile much. He is what he is, a scrappy policy wonk who actually cares about the stuff he fights for. The paper also saw Mayor Daley's lack of affection for Quigley as a selling point, lauding him as the sort of dissenting voice who could help keep the mushrooming Olympics budget in check should Chicago be awarded the 2016 Games. The Sun-Times singled out three other candidates for praise. State Rep. Sara Feigenholtz was called "a passionate expert in health care," labor lawyer and writer Tom Geoghegan was celebrated for a career dedicated to "fighting for the little guy," and University of Chicago lecturer Charles Wheelan was hailed for his "razor-sharp mind." Conspicuously unmentioned was State Rep. John Fritchey, widely considered a frontrunner in the race.
 
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Waylon Lewis: Canadian funnyman Rick Mercer learns about the Chinese New Year. Happy (almost) Year of the Ox (video) Top
Introductory Note: with the Chinese New Year just past, and the Tibetan New Year just days away (this week is considered Don Season, an inauspicious time to do anything new, risky or adventurous, including travel), I thought a post honoring the already-or-just-about-here Year of the Ox would be appropriate. Generally, the year is (hopefully appropriate to our new Administration) thought to be one of modesty, nose-down hard work, prosperity, tolerance, fortitude and sustained effort with the long-term in mind. Traditionally, with the coming of the New Year, communities gather to share their aspirations. So, my virtual friends, if you have an aspiration for the coming 12 months, please offer it below. Mine? To be of benefit to all sentient beings, generally. Specifically, to follow the path--whether running for Boulder City Council or seeing our green / spiritual talk show make it to a mainstream platform, or both--that is of the most benefit, quickest. To have, say, one meaningful relationship over the next year (not counting my mutt, Redford). To pay my mortgage. To have fun, and be genuine, at the same time. Alright, your turn: comment below if so inspired. ~ In 1985, or something, my parents' Buddhist teacher, Chogyam Trungpa , decided to move the HQ or 'capitol' of his American Buddhist community to Canada. Halifax , to be exact. Within a few years, my mom had joined the burgeoning community up there--a community that was, with its many businesses, a first organic grocery store , fine/fun restaurants and cafes , found itself welcomed with open arms by the economically-depressed, sick-of-their-own-food Haligonians. And so I wound up spending some time, now and again, up in Halifax--and through Buddhist slash Canadian comedic star Cathy Jones (who I'd done a Dathun with, at Karme Choling in Vermont, way back in...1992?), I got to take a girlfriend (or some friends, I don't remember, this is wayyy back in my youth) to Canada's SNL, called " This Hour has 22 Minutes ." Cathy was one of the stars of the show, along with a young man by the name of Rick Mercer . Years later, Rick shoved off on his own, and has since become Canada's Jon Stewart --smart, funny, vicious with a smile, a man more powerful in politics than just about any representative. Here he visits Toronto's Chinatown for a little cultural intrigue, and requisite trouble-making. Video: More on Spirituality
 
GM Considering Bankruptcy Filing Top
General Motors Corp, nearing a Tuesday deadline to present a viability plan to the U.S. government, is considering as one option a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing that would create a new company, the Wall Street Journal said in its Saturday edition. "One plan includes a Chapter 11 filing that would assemble all of GM's viable assets, including some U.S. brands and international operations, into a new company," the newspaper said. "The undesirable assets would be liquidated or sold under protection of a bankruptcy court. Contracts with bondholders, unions, dealers and suppliers would also be reworked." More on Auto Bailout
 
How The Government Stimulus Plan Will Affect You Top
An examination of how the economic stimulus plan will affect Americans. ___ Taxes: The recovery package has tax breaks for families that send a child to college, purchase a new car, buy a first home or make the ones they own more energy efficient. Millions of workers can expect to see about $13 extra in their weekly paychecks, starting around June, from a new $400 tax credit to be doled out through the rest of the year. Couples would get up to $800. In 2010, the credit would be about $7.70 a week, if it is spread over the entire year. The $1,000 child tax credit would be extended to more low-income families that don't make enough money to pay income taxes, and poor families with three or more children will get an expanded Earned Income Tax Credit. Middle-income and wealthy taxpayers will be spared from paying the Alternative Minimum Tax, which was designed 40 years ago to make sure wealthy taxpayers pay at least some tax, but was never indexed for inflation. Congress fixes it each year, usually in the fall. First-time homebuyers who purchase their homes before Dec. 1 would be eligible for an $8,000 tax credit, and people who buy new cars before the end of the year can write off the sales taxes. Homeowners who add energy-efficient windows, furnaces and air conditioners can get a tax credit to cover 30 percent of the costs, up to a total of $1,500. College students _ or their parents _ are eligible for tax credits of up to $2,500 to help pay tuition and related expenses in 2009 and 2010. Those receiving unemployment benefits this year wouldn't pay any federal income taxes on the first $2,400 they receive. ___ Health insurance: Many workers who lose their health insurance when they lose their jobs will find it cheaper to keep that coverage while they look for work. Right now, most people working for medium and large employers can continue their coverage for 18 months under the COBRA program when they lose their job. It's expensive, often over $1,000 a month, because they pay the share of premiums once covered by their employer as well as their own share from the old group plan. Under the stimulus package, the government will pick up 65 percent of the total cost of that premium for the first nine months. Lawmakers initially proposed to help workers from small companies, too, who don't generally qualify for COBRA coverage. But that fell through. The idea was to have Washington pay to extend Medicaid to them. COBRA applies to group plans at companies employing at least 20 people. The subsidies will be offered to those who lost their jobs from Sept. 1 to the end of this year. Those who were put out of work after September but didn't elect to have COBRA coverage at the time will have 60 days to sign up. The plan offers $87 billion to help states administer Medicaid. That could slow or reverse some of the steps states have taken to cut the program. ___ Infrastructure: Highways repaved for the first time in decades. Century-old waterlines dug up and replaced with new pipes. Aging bridges, stressed under the weight of today's SUVs, reinforced with fresh steel and concrete. But the $90 billion is a mere down payment on what's needed to repair and improve the country's physical backbone. And not all economists agree it's an effective way to add jobs in the long term, or stimulate the economy. ___ Energy: Homeowners looking to save energy, makers of solar panels and wind turbines and companies hoping to bring the electric grid into the computer age all stand to reap major benefits. The package contains more than $42 billion in energy-related investments from tax credits to homeowners to loan guarantees for renewable energy projects and direct government grants for makers of wind turbines and next-generation batteries. There's a 30 percent tax credit of up to $1,500 for the purchase of a highly efficient residential air conditioners, heat pumps or furnaces. The credit also can be used by homeowners to replace leaky windows or put more insulation into the attic. About $300 million would go for rebates to get people to buy efficient appliances. The package includes $20 billion aimed at "green" jobs to make wind turbines, solar panels and improve energy efficiency in schools and federal buildings. It includes $6 billion in loan guarantees for renewable energy projects as well as tax breaks or direct grants covering 30 percent of wind and solar energy investments. Another $5 billion is marked to help low-income homeowners make energy improvements. About $11 billion goes to modernize and expand the nation's electric power grid and $2 billion to spur research into batteries for future electric cars. ___ Schools: A main goal of education spending in the stimulus bill is to help keep teachers on the job. Nearly 600,000 jobs in elementary and secondary schools could be eliminated by state budget cuts over the next three years, according to a study released this past week by the University of Washington. Fewer teachers means higher class sizes, something that districts are scrambling to prevent. The stimulus sets up a $54 billion fund to help prevent or restore state budget cuts, of which $39 billion must go toward kindergarten through 12th grade and higher education. In addition, about $8 billion of the fund could be used for other priorities, including modernization and renovation of schools and colleges, though how much is unclear, because Congress decided not to specify a dollar figure. The Education Department will distribute the money as quickly as it can over the next couple of years. And it adds $25 billion extra to No Child Left Behind and special education programs, which help pay teacher salaries, among other things. This money may go out much more slowly; states have five years to spend the dollars, and they have a history of spending them slowly. In fact, states don't spend all the money; they return nearly $100 million to the federal treasury every year. The stimulus bill also includes more than $4 billion for the Head Start and Early Head Start early education programs and for child care programs. ___ National debt: One thing about the president's $790 billion stimulus package is certain: It will jack up the federal debt. Whether or not it succeeds in producing jobs and taming the recession, tomorrow's taxpayers will end up footing the bill. Forecasters expect the 2009 deficit _ for the budget year that began last Oct 1 _ to hit $1.6 trillion including new stimulus and bank-bailout spending. That's about three times last year's shortfall. The torrents of red ink are being fed by rising federal spending and falling tax revenues from hard-hit businesses and individuals. The national debt _ the sum of all annual budget deficits _ stands at $10.7 trillion. Or about $36,000 for every man, woman and child in the U.S. Interest payments alone on the national debt will near $500 billion this year. It's already the fourth-largest federal expenditure, after Medicare-Medicaid, Social Security and defense. This will affect us all directly for years, as well as our children and possibly grandchildren, in higher taxes and probably reduced government services. It will also force continued government borrowing, increasingly from China, Japan, Britain, Saudi Arabia and other foreign creditors. ___ Environment: The package includes $9.2 billion for environmental projects at the Interior Department and the Environmental Protection Agency. The money would be used to shutter abandoned mines on public lands, to help local governments protect drinking water supplies, and to erect energy-efficient visitor centers at wildlife refuges and national parks. The Interior Department estimates that its portion of the work would generate about 100,000 jobs over the next two years. Yet the plan will only make a dent in the backlog of cleanups facing the EPA and the long list of chores at the country's national parks, refuges and other public lands. It would be more like a down payment. When it comes to national parks, the plan sets aside $735 million for road repairs and maintenance. But that's a fraction of the $9 billion worth of work waiting for funding. At EPA, the payout is $7.2 billion. The bulk of the money will help local communities and states repair and improve drinking water systems and fund projects that protect bays, rivers and other waterways used as sources of drinking water. The rest of EPA's cut _ $800 million _ will be used to clean up leaky gasoline storage tanks and the nation's hazardous waste sites. ___ Police: The stimulus bill includes plenty of green for those wearing blue. The compromise bill doles out more than $3.7 billion for police programs, much of which is set aside for hiring new officers. The law allocates $2 billion for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant, a program that has funded drug task forces and things such as prisoner rehabilitation and after-school programs. An additional $1 billion is set aside to hire local police under the Community Oriented Policing Services program. The program, known as COPS grants, paid the salaries of many local police officers and was a "modest contributor" to the decline in crime in the 1990s, according to a 2005 government oversight report. Both programs had all been eliminated during the Bush administration. The bill also includes $225 million for general criminal justice grants for things such as youth mentoring programs, $225 million for Indian tribe law enforcement, $125 million for police in rural areas, $100 million for victims of crimes, $50 million to fight Internet crimes against children and $40 million in grants for law enforcement along the Mexican border. ___ Higher Education: The maximum Pell Grant, which helps the lowest-income students attend college, would increase from $4,731 currently to $5,350 starting July 1 and $5,550 in 2010-2011. That would cover three-quarters of the average cost of a four-year college. An extra 800,000 students, or about 7 million, would now get Pell funding. The stimulus also increases the tuition tax credit to $2,500 and makes it 40 percent refundable, so families who don't earn enough to pay income tax could still get up to $1,000 in extra tuition help. Computer expenses will now be an allowable expense for 529 college savings plans. The final package cut $6 billion the House wanted to spend to kick-start building projects on college campuses. But parts of the $54 billion state stabilization fund _ with $39 billion set aside for education _ can be used for modernizing facilities. There's also an estimated $15 billion for scientific research, much of which will go to universities. Funding for the National Institutes of Health includes $1.5 billion set aside for university research facilities. Altogether, the package spends an estimated $32 billion on higher education. ___ The Poor: More than 37 million Americans live in poverty, and the vast majority of them are in line for extra help under the giant stimulus package. Millions more could be kept from slipping into poverty by the economic lifeline. People who get food stamps _ 30 million and growing _ will get more. People drawing unemployment checks _ nearly 5 million and growing _ would get an extra $25, and keep those checks coming longer. People who get Supplemental Security Income _ 7 million poor Americans who are elderly, blind or disabled _ would get one-time extra payments of $250. Many low-income Americans also are likely to benefit from a trifecta of tax credits: expansions to the existing Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit, and a new refundable tax credit for workers. Taken together, the three credits are expected to keep more than 2 million Americans from falling into poverty, including more than 800,000 children, according to the private Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The package also includes a $3 billion emergency fund to provide temporary assistance to needy families. In addition, cash-strapped states will get an infusion of $87 billion for Medicaid, the government health program for poor people, and that should help them avoid cutting off benefits to the needy. More on Stimulus Package
 
Christine Newton-John, Ohio Woman, Pleads Guilty To Exercising Her Husband To Death Top
CHARDON, Ohio — A woman has pleaded guilty to reckless homicide for exercising her 73-year-old husband to death in a swimming pool, repeatedly refusing to let him leave the water. Surveillance video showed Christine Newton-John, 41, pulling James Mason around the pool by his arms and legs, said Middlefield police Chief Joseph Stehlik The chief said he counted 43 times in which Newton-John prevented her husband from leaving the water, and Mason rested his head on the side of the pool several times while gasping for breath. "The video is bone-chilling," Stehlik said. "The whole case is very sinister." Mason had a heart attack on June 2 after the extended swim session. An officer who had investigated previous complaints that Mason was being abused pursued the case because he suspected there was more to the death, Stehlik said. Newton-John pleaded guilty Thursday and faces up to five years in prison. No sentencing date was set. Police did not immediately respond to a call Saturday seeking comment on a motive. The video would have had a profound effect on a jury, Geauga County Prosecutor David Joyce said. But that wouldn't have been enough for a conviction if Newton-John had been charged with murder. "You can see the man struggling for his life on the tape, but there is no audio, so we couldn't hear what he was saying," he said. Geauga County Chief Public Defender Robert Umholtz, who represented Newton-John, declined to comment. Mason was a longtime friend of his wife's family. He knew her as John Vallandingham before she had gender reassignment surgery in 1993 and changed her name in honor of the singer and star of the hit movie version of the musical "Grease." The couple were wed in 2006 in Kentucky, where people can change their gender on their birth certificate. ___ Information from: The Plain Dealer, http://www.cleveland.com/
 
Patt Morrison: Sarah Palin Finally Gets Change -- Just Not What She Campaigned On Top
This time, ''Mission Accomplished'' really means it. Back during the presidential campaign -- remember that? -- I busted the place that Sarah Palin said was her favorite shop. It wasn't Neiman-Marcus or Bloomie's, she said. It was an Anchorage resale shop called ''Out of the Closet.'' ''Out of the Closet'' happens to be one of my favorite shops, too -- but not the Alaska one. '''OOTC'' is a chain of nonprofit thrift stores here, run for nearly 20 years by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which owns the name. Elizabeth Taylor and Carol Burnett have donated stuff to the stores. I am proud to say that in my blog here and at the Los Angeles Times, I busted the Alaska shop's chops, right after Palin said it was her favorite boutique. The next day, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, citing Palin's remarks and my post, announced that it was looking into trademark infringement by the Anchorage store. And now that shop is changing its name. ''We really had no choice legally,'' the owner said today. The shop's new name is ''Second Run.'' With a name like that, it can still be Sarah Palin's favorite store. She can buy her 2012 campaign wardrobe there. With her own money. ,
 
Leo W. Gerard: "Republicants" deny sky is falling Top
The sky is falling. For the average Working Joe or Jane in America, it is anyway. Unemployment is at 7.6 percent and rising. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that there are 4.1 job seekers now for every opening. The mortgage delinquency rate set another record last quarter, and foreclosures are predicted to top 1 million this year. Because of reckless speculation by Wall Street financiers, the stock market is plummeting, taking with it a third of the value of the retirement accounts of hard-working Americans. If the average Jane and Joe have not lost their jobs, they've seen a big chunk of their retirement savings slip away. Or their kid can't find work. Or a neighbor's been foreclosed on. Still, Republicans in Congress couldn't find it in their hearts to vote for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 , commonly called the stimulus bill. They just can't vote to support the American people - they're "Republicants." An official description of the act the Republicants rejected says it: "Makes supplemental appropriations for FY2009: (1) for job preservation and creation; (2) to promote economic recovery; (3) to assist those most impacted by the recession; (4) to provide investments needed to increase economic efficiency by spurring technological advances in science and health; (5) to invest in transportation, environmental protection, and other infrastructure that will provide long-term economic benefits; and (6) to stabilize state and local government budgets, in order to minimize and avoid reductions in essential services and counterproductive state and local tax increases." In the House, not a single Republicant voted for this bill to create jobs and restore economic growth. In the Senate, three brave members of the GOP stood up to the Republicants gang to pass the Recovery Act and aid suffering Americans - Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine and Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania. The GOP made it malevolently clear during their majority years in the Bush administration that they opposed anything that would strengthen America's middle class, but its votes this week were based on deep, and frankly justified, fear of the Recovery and Reinvestment Act. New York Times Columnist and Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman explained it earlier this week at the Thinking Big Thinking Forward conference conducted in Washington D. C. by EPI, Institute for America's Future , The American Prospect and Demos. Republicans are terrified of the Recovery and Reinvestment Act because if it works, if it creates jobs and helps stimulate the economy, then Americans will think good thoughts about government action and spending. And that could lead to new public support for government payments for important social safety net programs like health care. Republicans have invested decades, untold millions of dollars and countless hours on Sunday morning blathering-head shows persuading Americans that government is too big. They've contended that taxes should be cut to force curtailment of government. Bush supporter Grover Norquist, who is president of Americans for Tax Reform and a director of the American Conservative Union , expressed it best for the group: "I don't want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub." They did cut taxes - for the rich. And they cut services - crucial ones, like inspection of toys so that millions of toxic trinkets imported from China got into the hands - and mouths -- of American toddlers. And inspection of food and the factories producing it, so it's possible that salmonella-tainted peanut butter has sickened 500 and killed eight. And they placed bunglers in charge of important government agencies. This, of course, was deliberate, to make government look incompetent -- an entity deserving of drowning in a bathtub. One of them was the infamous "Brownie," Michael P. Brown, who headed the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which, in fact, drowned when called to respond to Hurricane Katrina. Brownie's qualification to head FEMA was his service as commissioner for the International Arabian Horse Association. By contrast, he replaced James Lee Witt, former President Bill Clinton's FEMA director. Witt won acclaim for good performance in office. His qualification to head FEMA was his tenure as director of the Arkansas Office of Emergency Services. In addition to cutting service, conservatives eliminated government regulation. The result for America was the subprime mortgage crisis and credit default swaps, an unregulated risky transaction that helped push the nation's financial institutions to the brink. Americans put up $700 billion to bail out those bankers last fall. But the Republicants don't talk about that when they say, as Republicant Congressman Jerry Lewis of California did on Friday, that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is a recipe for bloated government programs that will saddle taxpayers with debt "well, well into the future." "Facts are stubborn things," Mr. Lewis said. Fact is, Mr. Lewis voted to indebt Americans for $700 billion to bail out banks. So, clearly, spending American taxpayers' money is not a problem for him. Spending it on taxpayers is. The Recovery and Reinvestment Act contains about $50 billion for shovel-ready road, airport, bridge and other infrastructure projects nationwide that will create construction and manufacturing jobs. The nation's electricity grid is to be upgraded with $11 billion, creating similar jobs. States will get $54 billion, which will help out Mr. Lewis' California, now $42 billion in debt. That money can go for highway and school building as well as to prevent layoffs of teachers, firefighters and other state workers. Altogether, the $790 billion Recovery and Reinvestment bill is designed to create or preserve between 3.5 and 4 million jobs. When the sky is falling, that's some shelter for America's little guys. If President Obama is right and this act succeeds in creating jobs and stimulating the economy, he will have performed a great service for struggling and suffering workers. He will also have revived what Norquist and Brownie, Carl Rove and Bush tried so hard to waterboard: the concept that government can do good. More on Paul Krugman
 
William Foxton, British Investor In Madoff Scheme, Kills Himself Top
A retired British army major killed himself after losing his life savings in the alleged fraud perpetrated by U.S. financier Bernard Madoff, his son said Friday. Willard Foxton told The Associated Press that, at first, he felt so angry after his father William Foxton's death he wanted to attend Madoff's possible trial in the United States to fling the veteran's medals in his face. Now he just wants Madoff to know what happened to his father. "I'm sure Mr. Madoff thinks it was just a con got out of hand. He thinks it's all about money -- I'm sure that's what he feels," Foxton said in a telephone interview. "I want him to see that people have died as a result of what he's done." Police in the English town of Southampton say William Foxton, 65, died from a single gunshot to head on Tuesday and that a pistol was recovered at the scene. An inquest still needs to determine the cause of death, but police in the town, 80 miles (130 kilometers) southwest of London, say the shooting was not suspicious. Willard Foxton said it was suicide. Foxton, 28, said his father told him that he had lost all his money in a Madoff-linked fund about a week before the shooting. "He was a bit distracted," Willard Foxton said. "He said: 'I can't really concentrate, I've lost everything in these bloody Bernie Madoff hedge funds.'" William Foxton, who served in the French Foreign Legion and rose to the rank of major in the British army, lost an arm during service in the military. He retired in the 1970s. His son said he did not know the exact circumstances of the injury, explaining that his father told him little about his time in the army. William later threw himself into humanitarian work, spending the 1990s and early 2000s in the Balkans, where he was a member of the European Commission Monitoring Mission and spent time as a spokesman for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He also did work for the German charity Arbeiter Samariter Bund, his son said. Foxton was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1999 for his work in the former Yugoslavia. His son said he had been investing his life savings in the Herald USA Fund and Herald Luxemburg Fund, both of which suffered hundreds of millions of dollars in losses as a result of Madoff's alleged scam. Foxton said he doesn't yet know how much his father lost, but thought it could be in the high six figures. Foxton's isn't the first suicide linked to the alleged fraud. In December, 65-year-old French financier Rene-Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet slit his wrists after losing $1.4 billion he had invested with Madoff. He was among the thousands of clients allegedly swindled out of billions of dollars by Madoff in a mammoth pyramid scheme -- a word used to describe a scam in which early investors are paid with money raised from new investors. Madoff was arrested in December as the scheme unraveled and he remains confined to his Manhattan penthouse under house arrest. "God knows how many people have been affected by this," Foxton said. More on Bernard Madoff
 
RNC Chair Steele On GOP: "No Reason, None, To Trust Our Word" (VIDEO) Top
Fox News' Glenn Beck laid into RNC Chairman Michael Steele during an interview Friday following the House's passing of the stimulus bill, telling him that the party had "betrayed" conservatives. "My radio audience is more pissed at you guys than the Democrats" Beck explained. Beck went on to say that conservatives didn't expect "socialism" from some members of the GOP. Steele's response: "You have absolutely no reason, none, to trust our word or our actions at this point." WATCH the clip, via Think Progress .
 
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Greg Mitchell: With Stimulus Bill Passed, Will 'Antiwar' Pressure Now Build? Top
Today's headlines about a U.S. missile strike in Pakistan killing 20 or more -- after a bloody week in Iraq and Afghanistan -- all serve as reminders that our wars continue, now on Obama's watch. Like the economic crisis, I'm sure he would rather not be saddled with all this from the Bush era but now it's on him. With the stimulus bill passed, attention is bound to turn, at least in part, to our foreign catastrophes. The economy will long remain issue #1 but it is time to include the foreign misadventures near the top of any list of pressure points -- especially since the billions spent in the wars continue to add to our economic disaster, with much more to come as the number of very needy vets increase. And let's recall that Obama has vowed to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, while seemingly deciding to extend the pullout plan for Iraq. Yes, it's early, and I'm willing to give the Obama team plenty of space. But I am also wondering, if things go as bad as many of us fear in Afghanistan (and we are still in Iraq), who might emerge as a bold antiwar Democrat to speak out against Obama? Or will anyone? As someone who lived through 1968, and ran my campus chapter of the Eugene McCarthy brigade, I know how antiwar protest can develop quickly. Remember that LBJ, who I am not really likening to Obama, won a great landslide in 1964 and drew much admiration from liberals, the young and blacks for his stands on civil rights and voting rights. But the war did him in. Now we are in two of them, and our economy is in far worse shape than it was back then. Guns and butter anyone? Here is a Spencer Ackerman report on a new poll showing Afghans turning against U.S. -- especially in area where we have done airstrikes. Already we see that liberals are not against sharply criticizing the new president on such issues as the stimulus bill, rendition and torture, appointments and so on. Expect criticism of his war policies once the economy gets more settled. We will never be lockstep like the Republicans. Nor should we be. Greg Mitchell's new book is " Why Obama Won ." He is editor of Editor & Publisher. His previous book on Iraq and the media was called "So Wrong for So Long." More on Afghanistan
 
Mark Green: 7 Days: Kirsten Gillibrand Talks Policy Top
She's called it her "baptism by fire" -- literally one day a little known upstate congresswomen, the next a national celebrity after her appointment by Gov. Paterson to succeed mentor Hillary Clinton. Her friends call her brilliant -- her critics expedient. 7 Days found a person thoroughly substantive and adaptable. INTERVIEW OF SENATOR KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND, FEBRUARY 13, 2009 MARK GREEN : When did you realize you had a real shot at being appointed to the Senate seat by Governor Paterson? SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND : During the process, I figured I had about a 5% chance. I thought there were so many qualified public servants that were offering their time and talents to the governor to take on Senator Clinton's seat. GREEN : You're apparently a better Senator than handicapper. GILLIBRAND : Well, yes. I think so. But you know, a lot of things came into play and I feel very grateful that I had the opportunity to do this. I really didn't have state-wide aspirations, I was looking to work very hard for my district for a very long time, and it's just a privilege to actually serve in Senator Clinton's seat. Our Secretary of State is someone I've admired for years and years, someone who's been a mentor and a friend. She's always been an adviser, you know. When I ran my first race for Congress, my husband and I paid for our own poll to see if it was possible to win, and I showed that poll to Senator Clinton. I said: "will you look at this and tell me your advice and guidance about whether I should run?" And so to try to follow in her footsteps is quite an extraordinary privilege because those are very large shoes to fill, and I hope I do my best to serve near state as well as she did. GREEN : In your view, is the Stimulus/Recovery bill good enough for New York -- or, if you were on the Conference Committee, what would you have tried to get back in good for NY? GILLIBRAND : Well, I would've been advocating for more funding for education. It's one of the areas that the senate took out. And those dollars would've been very, very valuable to New York state, because, obviously, education is the gateway for the American dream. And I think it's so important that we're investing in our kids by giving them, not only the resources to have the best education possible, but opportunities for early childhood education and for college tuition. So, having more of those dollars in education funding, I think, would've been a long term economic stimulative effect that really can't compare to anything else. Because when you educate a child, and you give them the opportunity to achieve their God given potential, that child will then excel and they will go on to high school and go on to college. And when you have a college education, you know, you can earn much more money. The average high school diploma earns you about $25K, but the average college diploma is closer to $45K. And that means you can provide more for your family and invest more in our economy. That's an effect that's long-term economic growth. GREEN : What do you think of Treasury Secretary Geithner's proposed bank bailout plan this week? GILLIBRAND : Well, what was hopeful is that he has three basic approaches that he's going to use in concert, which I think is a greater opportunity for success. One of his approaches includes buying equity. Significant portions of equity, getting preferred chairs, warrants, seats on boards, controlling shares, voting rights. So that you can actually have an impact on making sure we don't pay dividends, making sure we don't pay excessive CEO salaries and bonuses, making banks recapitalize, helping them to write down bad debt, take on new equity, become healthy again so they can lend. That's an approach that I thought Paulson should've pursued. He ultimately did do a buy-equity strategy, but then he didn't do it right because he didn't take any of the controlling interests. But, the bottom line with Geithner's approach right now is that he has the framework laid out. And the framework seems fine, but the details are so essential, and so many of us are waiting on those details because they will determine whether it has a chance for success. So, in the one prong that we're talking about, the buy-equity approach, how much control is he going to take? And how long? And how will he transfer that ownership interest back into the private sector over time? Because we don't want to own banks forever... GREEN : What are your colleagues saying could be a Plan B if this plan doesn't work? GILLIBRAND : Well, let's go to the recovery package, because that's different. What the recovery package is talking about is, how do you stop the rapid job loss that's happening? You know, in the last several months, we've lost 3.5 million jobs. More than half of them in the last three months. That is very sobering statistic that creates a great sense of urgency for solutions. So, the recovery package is basically three approaches. One is to invest in energy independence. The other is to invest in infrastructure, both old and new. And the third is to invest in targeted tax cuts and getting money immediately into the market through things like unemployment insurance increases, increases in food stamps. Having these separate approaches is very important because it has both long term and short term investment. On the long term, some of the new infrastructure, if you build a road or a bridge, traditional infrastructure, that creates a job of the worker that's actually working for that time that it's being constructed. But when you're building rural broadband, or high speed rail, or healthcare IT, what you're talking about is decades of economic generation. If you build a high speed rail from New York City, to Albany, to Montreal, and then from Albany straight to Buffalo, you are basically creating an opportunity to put jobs in upstate New York, and throughout New York State for decades to come. And that's exciting. Here's an example of what I would've put more in if I was in the conference committee: we put two billion dollars behind high speed rail. And it may be just because there aren't many "shovel-ready" projects, which is the point of this particular investment, but that's something I hope President Obama says: "A hallmark of my administration is going to be to put high speed rail across America." So, that's a Plan B, for example. [Another] area is energy. This package has about $40bn in energy tax cuts, research and development grants for the alternative markets, so people who are working on wind energy, or solar, or bio-fuels, or cellulosic ethanol, or fuel cell, or battery technology, can get the R&D grants and tax credits to make those business cost-efficient so that they can make money to stimulate the entrepreneurs and the businesses that are in this sector. GREEN : How do you answer your critics -- from the Village Voice to the New York Times editorial page, who've labeled your views as "expedient"? GILLIBRAND : Well, they don't know me well, so they don't know what I believe in. They don't know my core-beliefs. I've always fought for middle-class tax cuts, so that we educate our kids, to make sure that every child in America has the opportunity to achieve their God-given potential. My core values are about opportunity, education, and healthcare. So, when you hear criticisms, they're usually from political opponents, they're often political rhetoric, and they're often not accurate. On areas where I did not take a leading role in advocacy, or my district was focused on a different aspect of those issues, there's enormous opportunity for me to travel across the whole state and spend time in every community. And I'm going to do exactly what I did when I was a congresswoman in upstate New York. I'm going to listen to their views, I'm going to take their priorities and translate it into legislation, I'll create a legislative agenda that reflects all of New York and the priorities of every community, and work hard every day for our constituents... The proof will be in the pudding. It'll take time. You know, you have to remember, I represented 600,000 upstate residents. I now represent almost 20 million people all across New York state. So, there's a lot of different constituencies and a lot of different priorities where I will be a leading voice on the issues that they care about. GREEN : You spoke to Mayor Bloomberg this week about gun violence. You've previously focused on "hunters rights", with hunters caring essentially about long guns. What handgun controls might you now support? GILLIBRAND : Well, I think you're mixing apples and oranges, actually. What Mayor Bloomberg and I talked about was -- how do we end gun violence and how do we keep guns out of the hands of criminals? And those are core values I've always held. But we didn't have gang violence in upstate New York in my district. We didn't have the sense of urgency because young people were getting killed because of gun violence, and getting in the crossfire of gangs. And we didn't have the problem of traffickers coming into our districts selling illegal guns on the street corners for criminals. So what I'm going to work on with Mayor Bloomberg is actually solving that problem. Because what we need to do is have a way to get guns out of the hands of criminals to keep our communities safe, to make sure our children can be safe. But, in my district, those weren't our issues. Our issues were more making sure Americans who are law-abiding citizens can go hunting if they want to go hunting. Or own guns because they're sportsmen, or because they want to have home protection. Those are fundamental Constitutional rights that can be protected. It's so different than the issues of ending gun violence. And so, I can be an advocate for ending gun violence. I can be an advocate for keeping our community safe and keeping guns out of the hands of criminals. I'm actually going to work on legislation to address two things. One is, get the guns off the streets. The guns that are in New York today are from other states -- they are 85% from out of New York state, and they are sold illegally directly to criminals. We need to end that influx of guns and weapons and this illegal sale. I'm actually going to write legislation on trafficking, because there is no federal legislation on cracking down on gun trafficking and trying to keep these guns out of the hands of criminals. The second thing that the students asked for -- "what we really need is an answer to the gangs." Gangs for many people is very attractive, because it's a community, it's something to do after school, it's something they see other people in their community doing. And if they had something to do, like going to a club, having some after school programming where they can do sports or job training, or develop their interest in professional areas. That, and have a community of its own, they said that would make a difference. So I'm going to work on legislation to figure out how to do this, whether we do it through a funding mechanism, through a pilot program, whether we empower local communities to do this, but actually create a legislative agenda around that problem. That's something that Mayor Bloomberg appreciated, and he thinks it's going to be very helpful. GREEN : If a version of the Kennedy/McCain bill came up on the Senate floor -- creating a "pathway to citizenship" by the payment of fines, learning English, waiting 12 years -- could you support a version of that, or would you continue to view it as "amnesty"? GILLIBRAND : Well, the Senate bill had a lot of flaws. So, we need a lot of work on a comprehensive immigration strategy. One of the biggest flaws of the bill was that it accepted that, for family reunification, an eight year backlog was acceptable. To me, that's outrageous. Why would you say you're doing immigration reform and not solve that issue? What you should have is to hire the right number of lawyers and caseworkers, have infrastructure in place so you can get that backlog done within six months. Immigration is part of our nation's heritage. Our country was built on immigrants. We have so much richness in our culture and in our traditions because of our immigrant populations. Family reunification is a core value of America, and it's something that we should solve. The second issue that I felt was very problematic was if we're going to have a guest worker program, then you need to have one that is going to work. Immigrant communities are very vibrant and essential for our economy and for many, many industries. I happen to know a lot about farming. So, in that regard, we need to right-size immigration. We need to know how many visas we need in this country and have the right number and have a system that actually allows for an immigration system that works, and works for everyone. So, I will work with the President on a comprehensive immigration plan... Whether it's similar to what the Senate bill had, whether it's learning English, paying back fines, paying back taxes, having a job training opportunity, whatever the President wants to do, I will work with him in that regard. I think we do need t o solve the problem in a comprehensive way so that we can have a system that works and works for everyone. Interview audio can be found at airamerica.com Panel with Arianna Huffington & Katrina vanden Heuvel MARK GREEN : Katrina, you heard Sen. Gillibrand in our opening two segments and previously when she spoke privately to leading progressives in NYC. Your view of her? KATRINA VANDEN HEUVEL : Well, I was in a small group and Senator Gillibrand talked about her listening tours with different constituencies. Immigrant rights, gun control, but this was with an exotic group of birds called New York progressives. I have to say, before I went into that meeting, I was in touch with one of the leading progressives in New York and he said she had called him the day before and said: "I know I have to keep the left happy." After that she had been talking about Swedish bank nationalizations. But still she was very eloquent. Very long- winded, but eloquent about "green jobs" in upstate New York. About economic recovery, about investment in infrastructure, such as light rail and high speed rail. And she gave one of the best explanations about the original Bush-Paulson bailout, which is why I'm confused that she's more supportive of Geithner's plan, which I think is sort of "Son of Paulson", because she gave an analysis of why she voted against that original bailout bill. Which sounded like a combination of Bill Greider and David Sirota. It was really quite striking... Mark, you know, I think it was 39 years ago, another upstater -- Republican Charles Goodell -- was appointed to the Senate to fill a vacancy. He too was pretty conservative and became one of the more progressive members of the senate. He was voted out. So, we'll see what happens with Gillibrand. GREEN : You mentioned Goodell's appointment and then loss [to Conservative Party nominee James Buckley in 1970]. Do you think Gillibrand -- who actually gets 95% to 100% ratings from the ACLU, NARAL, NAACP, League of Conservation Voters -- is vulnerable to a challenge from the
 
Stephen Schlesinger: Obama -- It's Time to Visit the UN Top
President Obama has just won a major victory to help solve America's financial mess -- the passage of the stimulus bill. While the president is properly preoccupied these days by domestic matters, I hope that he may soon give some more direct attention to foreign affairs -- and I think that the best forum for that would be a major speech before the United Nations General Assembly sometime in the next few months. Obviously Obama today has the complete sympathy and admiration of the world, and, given this unparalleled global support, he could take full advantage of that wonderful spirit of comity with a visit to the planet's pre-eminent security organization. There would be an apt moment for him to remind the states of the globe that, under his presidency, we as a country are finally back to being the leading multilateralist nation on earth. Given the world-wide incipient depression, too, his doing this would also assure that the US will be better able to rally our friends behind a global-wide plan for economic recovery. In addition, I think his appearance at the UN would be the appropriate occasion to publicize Obama's interest in nuclear disarmament. There have been some published reports about his desire to start talking with the Russians very soon about the task of cutting back on nuclear weapons, especially with the expiration of the START treaty looming at the end of 2009 and the UN's five-year Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty review taking place in 2010 and the issue of submitting the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty to the Senate for ratification still up in the air -- so this would also be a time to push forward on that agenda. In all, a trip to the UN would be a win-win achievement for the new president. More on Foreign Policy
 

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