Saturday, March 2, 2013
President Obama signs the order for $85 billion in federal spending cuts to be unleashed across the board.
The federal government has enacted $85 billion in automatic spending cuts, known as the sequester, that will impact everything from the economy and education to the military and public health. With Congress unable to reach a last minute agreement to prevent the sequester, President Obama signed an order Friday night authorizing the cuts, reported the Chicago Sun-Times. In his weekly address, Obama said, "Because Republicans in Congress refused to compromise to close tax loopholes for the wealthiest Americans, hundreds of thousands of Americans will lose their jobs or see their paycheck reduced, and middle class families will be hurt," according to the White House. The president said the spending cuts will "cause a ripple effect across the …
Monday, February 25, 2013
A series of automatic spending cuts called a sequester could be imposed by the federal government on March 1 unless Congress accepts new revenues stemming from higher taxes on the wealthy.
In a matter of days, $85 billion worth of across-the-board government spending cuts called a sequester could affect all 50 states. If imposed, the cuts would impact everything from education spending and national defense to public health and the economy, reported the Huffington Post. President Obama is pushing Congress to accept his deficit reduction plan, which includes new revenues and spending cuts. The plan would achieve $1.8 trillion in budget reductions stemming from about $1.1 trillion in spending cuts and $680 billion in new revenues from limiting deductions and closing tax loopholes for the wealtiest Americans, reported the Huffington Post. State impact The White House has released reports detailing how each state would be …
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Find out which bridges in the Vernon Hills, Libertyville and greater Grayslake area are labeled as "structurally deficient."
President Barack Obama proposed Tuesday night a "Fix It First" program to address the nation's crumbling infrastructure—like roads and bridges—in an effort to improve citizens' quality of life and bring jobs to the United States. There are nearly 70,000 "structurally deficient" bridges throughout the United States that require "significant maintenance, rehabilitation or replacement," according to the Transportation for America website. In Illinois, 8.5 percent of the state's bridges are "structurally deficient." The state is ranked 35th worst nationally for the overall quality of its bridges, according to the Transportation for America website. Locally, there are a handful of bridges that are highlighted as structurally deficient on the …
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Patch asks Libertyville residents to weigh in on President Obama's State of the Union address.
President Barack Obama gave his fourth State of the Union address on Tuesday, Feb. 12. "There is much progress to report," he began. "Together we have cleared away the rubble of crisis." President Obama spoke of bi-partisan tax reform that includes lowering the tax rates on American businesses. He urged Congress to pass a budget that "replaces reckless cuts with smart savings." He also spoke of job creation, proposing a "fix-it first" program to repair our nation's infrastructure, including 70,000 "structurally deficit bridges." The President called for the minimum wage to be increased to $9 an hour because "no one who works full-time should have to live in poverty." He also encouraged Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act because …
President Barack Obama will give his State of the Union address at 8 p.m. CST Tuesday, Feb. 12.
Friday, February 8, 2013
President Barack Obama will give his State of the Union address at 8 p.m. CST Tuesday, Feb. 12.
Obama's annual State of the Union address is the most important speech he delivers and could be the most important of his entire presidency, argues the Washington Post. The President is expected to preview the 2014 federal budget and discuss, among other issues, gun control, job creation, infrastructure repair, deficit and debt, climate change, the military and protecting the middle class, according to useconomy.about.com. Obama's State of the Union address begins at 8 p.m. CST. What agenda items are you most interested in? Are you attending or hosting a State of the Union viewing party? Post the details in the comments to share with your neighbors.
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Do you believe Obama's gun control proposals will help prevent school shootings?
Another school shooting took place in Atlanta Thursday, the Huffington Post reports. A student opened fire at Price Middle School, shooting a 14-year-old in the neck before being stopped by an armed officer at the school. The wounded boy was taken to a nearby hospital and later discharged, the website reports. The school does have metal detectors, and it’s unclear how the weapon got inside, Fox Atlanta reports. This incident is the latest school shooting in recent months. Most notably, 26 people, mostly elementary school children, were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. in December. The Newtown shooting sparked a nationwide debate over gun control. President Obama made several proposals regarding the topic in mid…
Sunday, November 11, 2012
President Barack Obama was reelected this week.
President Barack Obama won a second term this week, winning by a wide margin in the electoral colllege and winning more than 50 percent of the popular vote. The 2012 election was unique for many reasons. It was the first presidential election since the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling. The ruling allowed unlimited donations to flow to so-called super PACs. Slate reported that the super PACs spent a total of $1 billion on the campaign. Obama was reelected despite a relatively high unemployment rate of 7.9 percent. Business Week noted that not since FDR has a president been reelected with such a high unemployment rate. The result was not a surprise to everyone. The New York Times' Nate Silver predicted Obama had a better than 90 percent …
Monday, November 5, 2012
CNN's interactive map allows voters to predict which candidate will win each state and see who reaches 270 electoral votes first.
- ELECTIONS
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Monday, November 5, 2012
Follow CNN's instructions and click on a state to choose Obama, click again to choose Romney. Or, click on a state and use the buttons in the right-hand column to make your selections.
Sean G.
3:01 pm on Sunday, March 3, 2013
The sequester did exactly what it was designed to do, reduce federal spending. more ›