Saturday, July 30, 2011

In the Midst of Chaos . . .

I took yesterday off -- everything just got to be too much here and I'll spare y'all the gory details and just say that my last nerve was in mortal danger. The idiot Tea Party Freshman are still acting like damned fools which doesn't surprise me at all. I got a letter last night from mine and I sent a note back asking him if he was going to lend me the money to pay my rent when my Social Security check isn't deposited. I hope that I wasn't the only one who did that.

With the budget crisis at the forefront, I was pleased to see my Senator, Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), take the floor and talk about something useful and that we desperately need: jobs. He's a good friend of Bernie Sanders (and stood with him during the Berniebuster) who is co-sponsoring this bill that calls for making American flags be made in America -- currently, most are made in China. What's wrong with this picture?



I didn't have the time to do the text for y'all but I've included a letter that Sen. Brown and others sent to Obama that will tell you what he talked about. (A tip of my Thinking cap to the good folks at Crooks and Liars.

"Dear Mr. President:

In your State of the Union address, you called for consolidating and reorganizing the Administration’s trade agencies. To that end, you tasked the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to examine the consolidation of export and trade offices managed primarily by the Office of U.S. Trade Representative and the Commerce Department.

During this process, I urge you to ensure that this reorganization focuses not only upon export-related efforts but also the non-export policy needs of domestic manufacturers. Currently, the Office of Manufacturing and Services (MAS) is the designated office for supporting the Secretary of Commerce in his role as the federal government’s chief advocate for American manufacturing.

This office is within the International Trade Administration (ITA) and primarily supports sectors that have a direct connection to exports or impact trade flows. With more than 90 percent of the world’s customers outside the United States, this focus on exports is clearly a central plank in a national manufacturing strategy and efforts.

However, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), in a report I requested, found that MAS set an internal goal for 75 percent of its resources to support the National Export Initiative (NEI).

This singular focus upon exports is of great concern, especially when greater challenges face the manufacturing sector than export barriers, including: tax issues; access to credit and financing for viable producers; workforce training; and regulations. These challenges take on new urgency considering that from 2000-2009, fifteen of the nineteen aggregate-level U.S. manufacturing sectors shrank in output while manufacturing jobs fell by 6.1 million, or 34 percent.

You have given manufacturing policy significant attention, as outlined in the December 2010 “Framework to Revitalize American Manufacturing” and as evident in your recently announced Advanced Manufacturing Partnership. Further, your efforts to restructure the auto industry have saved thousands of jobs in my state and throughout the country, and now we are seeing new jobs created in the auto sector.

I fully support and encourage your efforts, but request that you consider a comprehensive and sustainable structure within the Commerce Department to serve as the voice for domestic manufacturers and the integrator of Federal agency manufacturing efforts within yours and future Administrations. I have proposed legislation that will help to achieve these goals, which with your support has the potential to create a more cohesive and coordinated approach to promoting U.S. manufacturers."

And here's three minutes of common sense from Bernie Sanders on the Ed Show on the current debacle:



Happy Blogging!!!!!!!!

Kay

13 comments:

  1. Its good to know there is someone like Bernie. Well, we have 2 that is for the people. I don't feel so alone with Bernie & Brown fighting for us :)

    Loved what you wrote to the Tea Partier :)

    I did not know that our flags are made in China. That made me sick. I am going to go look at ours and see if I can find where it was made at. If it says China, I'm going to be looking for one made in America!

    take care

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  2. I couldn't get through that mind-numbing letter, but I definitely agree that American flags should be made in America! (If that's what he was getting at.)

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  3. Good going, Kay. I will have to remember that IF my representative every has the balls to write me. The only time I remember hearing from his was when election time rolled around.

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  4. I saw your good Senator on one of the MSNBC shows last evening. I am very impressed with him. Of course, you know how I love Bernie Sanders. If only we had more brave men in Washington.

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  5. Anonymous2:51 PM

    We had to look very hard to be sure that a flag we bought was made in America. The Chinese people working in the flag factories must just shake their heads.

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  6. It is all so damn effing depressing. What I will NEVER understand is: The people of this country who are represented by the Republicans in office now---These Representatives are going against the BEST interest of their constiuency's---WHAT'S WTONG WITH 'THE PEOPLE' THAT THEY CANNOT SEE THAT THIS IS NOT IN THEIR BEST INTEREST???
    PLUS....these Republicans are out to destroy Obama. And I know this in the deepest part of my heart and soul---And they are doing it at ANY cost to 'The People'!!

    HELP!!!!!!!

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  7. Anonymous3:36 PM

    There was a report in the media a day or two ago (I would tell you which medium and what day if I remembered!) talking about the effect that the ratio of men:women affected the way that men behave. The higher the ratio (more men, fewer women) the larger the amount of male posturing. I think that explains a lot about what goes on in the halls of Congress and in the Oval office.

    I have a solution: Elect more women. In fact, I would recommend that only women be allowed to run until parity has been achieved between the sexes.

    One grunchy old woman, signing out-Cop Car

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  8. LTTS: You are lucky!!!! I need to check my flag, too.

    Tom: It was indeed!!!! And jobs, of course!!!!

    Mary: I signed up for all of my representatives newsletters. See if yours has one.

    Darlene: You know that I'm with you!!! Senator Brown and his wife are good friends with the Sanders family and are frequent visitors to Vermont. I've noticed that Brown is usually in the background when Bernie speaks. That tells me that he is a loyal friend as well as a good senator.

    AITBR: Good for you! I have to go check my flag!

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  9. Naomi: I agree!!! It's affecting my health.

    CC: I'm as grunchy as you are!!!!

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  10. I'm in the midst of making apple sauce for a dinner party tonight (Dutch apple sauce, one of my mom's recipes) and I'm sitting in front of the TV and the computer. I've been watching CNN and feeling pretty disgusted about Washington and knew you would help me clarify. Thanks, Kay.

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  11. All this is keeping me totally bewildered – what is going on in the US? Going down in a self made economic abyss? In the meantime I hope your health is improving.

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  12. I think Sherrod Brown is stupendous and Ohio is so lucky to have him! He's got a smart (and relatively new) wife, too; I always admire a man who chooses a woman as smart as he is.

    Like you, we're sweating this thing hard. All our income is tied to federal pensions and Social Security, so we're beside ourselves with fury over this debt diddle.

    Let me get this straight. The tea party doesn't want to pay the bills that were run up by the Bush administration and the incumbent GOP congress. Well, hell, neither do I, but I know better than to take an entire economy down with me.

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  13. Kay -- I am tired of the whole charade. For the politicians to drag the middle and lower class through this mess is irresponsible of them. We need a total reevaluation of this whole system of operating. What happened to pressing issues like oil and food prices etc. Perhaps the politicians are happy they don't need to address these other concerns for awhile? At least not until gas reaches ten dollars a gallon. -- barbara

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