With the health care bill dragging into its second year of debate, there is talk from house leader Nancy Pelosi that a “procedural action” called Deem and Pass may be used to move the health care bill through the House. Half vote and half procedural action, the Deem and Pass action – otherwise known as the “Slaughter rule” – has raised blood pressures on both sides of the aisle, but unless you are a career politician, deem and pass can get more confusing than no fax payday loans very quickly. So here’s the basic primer on deem and pass for all the non-politicians out there. (more…)
Entries categorized as ‘Politics’
What Is Deem And Pass?
18/03/2010 · Leave a Comment
Categories: Global Environmental News · Health Care · Politics
Tagged: deem and pass, green collar rap, Health Care, pelosi, Politics
Pa. to Offer Rebates for Efficient Home Heating
12/03/2010 · Leave a Comment
Stimulus money to be given to energy efficient shoppers this spring
Federal economic stimulus money will start providing rebates to Pennsylvanians, as early as this April, on the purchase of new, Energy Star-rated hot-water heaters, furnaces and boilers.
Gov. Ed Rendell said Tuesday that applications for rebates are expected to become available in April on the state’s stimulus Web site, www.recovery.pa.gov.
Rendell says the $11 million rebate program could benefit more than 30,000 Pennsylvania households and provide long-term energy savings.
The Recovery Act-funded rebates also include “white goods” such as washers, dryers and refrigerators.
The rebates will be worth $100 to $500. The higher the equipment’s efficiency rating, the larger the rebate.
The rebates only apply to non-electric residential heating equipment. Rebates on electrical appliances may be available through regulated electric utility companies.
Contact http://Greencollarrap.com/hec to get more information, or to schedule a consultation.
Categories: Global Environmental News · Home Efficiency · Politics
Tagged: green collar rap, home, stimulus, Pennsylvania, money, energy star, efficiency
Obama and The Former Presidents
04/03/2010 · Leave a Comment
The cast of the presidential summit on the Funny or Die site includes Will Ferrell as President George W. Bush, Darrell Hammond as President Bill Clinton, Dana Carvey as President George H.W. Bush, Dan Aykroyd plays President Jimmy Carter and Chevy Chase returns as President Gerald Ford.
The only comedian who isn’t a veteran SNL regular is Jim Carrey who appears as Ronald Reagan. He takes the place of “SNL” funny-man, Phil Hartman, who typically played Reagan on the show. Hartman died in 1998.
Of course, there’s a reason behind this video and it’s not just a reunion of SNL cast members. Directed by Ron Howard, the video is made in association with Americans for Financial Reform, a pro-regulation coalition of labor and consumer activists.
Categories: Just For Fun · Motion Pictures · Politics
Tagged: barack obama, bill clinton, bush jr, bush sr. ronald regan, former presidents, green collar rap, jimmy carter, michelle obama, saturday night live, video
President Obama Introduce New Home Star Program
03/03/2010 · Leave a Comment
By Patrick Rodgers patrick@connectsavannah.com
At 12:30 p.m. yesterday, the President entered Eckburg Auditorium at Savannah Tech, where hundreds of invited guests, elected officials and media had been waiting for his arrival. After rounds of applause and a barrage of camera flashes, the President began his comments against a backdrop of blue curtains and several American flags.
Obama talked about his tour of the campus, including facilities where students learn about green technology that will “help transform how we produce and use electricity.”
He pointed out that the Recovery Act has helped fund 300 road projects in the state at the moment, and also mentioned the billions of dollars in loan guarantees he announced last week for the construction of Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle, which he says will create 3,000 construction jobs and over 800 permanent jobs upon completion. This drew applause from the crowd.
The loan guarantee also drew several anti-nuclear protesters outside, including one who was wearing a pig suit and waving a sign decrying “nuclear pork.”
Foremost on the President’s agenda was green technology, jobs and the Recovery Act, all of which segued into his announcement of the new Home Star program.
He did not discuss whether the program would be paid with unused Stimulus money, or whether it would require further investment of taxpayer money.
“My job is to make sure every American can find a job,” the President told the crowd.
The Home Star program will include incentives for home owners to make their homes more energy efficient, upgrades like better windows, insulation and more, which would also stimulate jobs for contractors and construction workers. The improvements would also save homeowners money.
The program could make a significant difference in our national energy consumption.
According to Obama, “40 percent of the energy we use is in our homes and buildings.” (more…)
Categories: Global Environmental News · Politics · Work & Career
Tagged: 2010, barack obama, environment, green collar rap, green jobs, home star program, Politics
China attacks Clinton’s Internet speech as ‘harmful’ to relations
22/01/2010 · Leave a Comment
BEIJING — China’s Foreign Ministry sharply criticized Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Thursday call for broad Internet freedom, saying that the United States should “cease using so-called Internet freedom to make groundless accusations against China.”
Ma Zhaoxu, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, said on the ministry’s Web site that “the U.S. has criticized China’s policies to administer the Internet and insinuated that China restricts Internet freedom. We are firmly against the words and deeds contrary to the facts and harmful to China-U.S. relations.”
A Chinese newspaper also joined the criticism of Clinton, who gave her speech in the wake of Google’s declaration that it would stop censoring results on its Chinese-based search engine even if that meant losing its license after a cyberattack on its computers.
The Global Times said that the U.S. “campaign for uncensored and free flow of information on an unrestricted Internet is a disguised attempt to impose its value on other cultures in the name of democracy.”
Clinton said that freedom on the Internet is closely linked to other basic freedoms, including freedom of speech, worship and assembly. And she said the U.S. government would help fund and foster individuals and companies that help those in countries with restricted access find ways to circumvent obstacles. (more…)
Categories: Politics · Tech · social
Tagged: china, clinton, green collar rap, internet, Politics, relations
Calm Restored In Nigerian City
21/01/2010 · Leave a Comment
JOS, Nigeria (Reuters) – Nigerian authorities relaxed a 24-hour curfew in the city of Jos on Thursday to allow thousands of residents to return to their homes following clashes between Muslims and Christians that killed hundreds.
The strong presence of troops and police has helped restore calm in the capital of Plateau state with no reports of major violence for nearly a day.
Four days of sectarian clashes this week killed more than 460 in and around the central Nigerian city.
The Red Cross estimated 17,000 people have been displaced and took shelter in colleges, hospitals and schools since clashes began on Sunday.
“There are so many people that need clothing, food and water. The Red Cross is focussing on those injured and referring some to hospital,” an agency spokesman said, adding that about 990 have been hospitalised.
Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang relaxed the curfew in Jos to operate between 5 p.m. (1600 GMT) and 10 a.m. to allow people to return to their homes. (more…)
Categories: Law · Politics
Tagged: christian, clash, green collar rap, muslim, nigeria, Politics
GOP sees Mass. win as stop sign for Dems
20/01/2010 · Leave a Comment
By CHARLES BABINGTON
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Reeling from the loss of a long-held Massachusetts Senate seat, Democrats are rethinking the lessons of Barack Obama’s 2008 election, with the GOP cheerfully suggesting they scale back their ambitions and agenda.
Republican Scott Brown’s win in a liberal state will do more than vastly complicate Obama’s bid to overhaul the U.S. health care system. It will send his party into a painful re-examination of voters’ anger and desires ahead of the November elections for Congress, governorships and state legislatures.
Questions will include whether Americans really want more government help in matters such as obtaining health insurance, even though Obama campaigned on that very issue.
Most immediately, Brown’s win Tuesday over Martha Coakley to replace the late Edward M. Kennedy will deprive Democrats of a filibuster-proof Senate majority. That could kill the Democrats’ effort to revamp health care unless House Democrats reluctantly embrace a previously passed Senate version that many of them dislike. It would require no new Senate action, although liberal groups might be furious.
Gleeful Republicans warned against such a move. The message from Massachusetts, said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., is: “Go back to the drawing board” on health care.
Democrats didn’t go quite that far, but some were clearly chastened.
“In many ways the campaign in Massachusetts became a referendum not only on health care reform but also on the openness and integrity of our government process,” said Sen. James Webb, D-Va. He urged that “we suspend further votes on health care legislation until Sen.-elect Brown is seated.” (more…)
Categories: Law · Politics
Tagged: green collar rap, Massachusetts, Politics, republicans, scott brown, senator, win
Sen. A. Williams set to host free energy forum
07/01/2010 · Leave a Comment
State Sen. Anthony Williams, D-8, of Philadelphia, will host a free energy forum with representatives from the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and Cobbs Creek Environmental Education Center to provide tips on cutting heating and water bills this winter.
Attendees can also learn about Act 129, Pennsylvania’s mandatory energy use reduction initiative.
Representatives from the Philadelphia Water Department, Philadelphia Gas Works, PECO Energy, Energy Coordinating Agency, Utility Emergency Services Fund and Verizon will also be on hand.
The forum takes place Jan. 14 from noon-2:30 p.m. at the Cobbs Creek Environmental Education Center, 700 Cobbs Creek Parkway, Philadelphia. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Marci Mayfield at 215-685-1900.
Categories: Global Environmental News · Politics · education
Tagged: green collar rap, environment, energy, peco, initiative, sen. anthony williams, pa act 129
World leaders try to rescue climate deal
18/12/2009 · Leave a Comment
COPENHAGEN – President Barack Obama met other world leaders in a last push for a new global climate deal on Friday, after negotiators failed to reach a deal on carbon cuts in all-night talks.
Obama and other leaders tried to muster agreement on central issues from carbon cuts to international scrutiny of climate actions at the U.N.-led talks in Copenhagen.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, speaking as the meeting broke up, said there was still no deal and Chinese resistance to monitoring of emissions was a sticking point.
Also at the meeting were Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Brazilian President Luiz Lula da Silva, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Negotiators from 193 countries reached consensus on financing and on temperature targets. A draft text called for $100 billion a year by 2020 to help poor nations cope with climate change and sought to limit warming to two degrees Celsius compared with pre-industrial levels.
But the all-night meeting broke up in the morning without a deal on the central element of a climate deal — the timing and degree of cuts in greenhouse gas emissions.
Obama was due to meet Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao later on the sidelines of the talks.
Andreas Carlgren, the environment minister of EU president Sweden, said only the world’s two biggest greenhouse gas emitters China and the United States could unlock a deal.
(more…)
Categories: Global Environmental News · Politics
Tagged: Politics, green collar rap, environment, barack obama, climate change, copenhagen
