Your Black President

Dr. Boyce: Why Michelle Would Have Made an Even Better First Black President

2012-01-19T08:30:00.001-08:00

Pres. Obama Shoots Down the SOPA Bill

2012-01-18T20:24:00.001-08:00

Michelle Obama Tired of Being Labeled an "Angry Black Woman"

2012-01-11T06:19:00.001-08:00

Pres. Obama's Chief of Staff Resigns

2012-01-09T15:18:00.001-08:00

Congress, The White House, Cut Heating Assistance to Over a Million Homes Last Year

2012-01-09T13:42:00.001-08:00

Racist? Image of Michelle Obama Based on Marie Antoinette

2012-01-09T07:35:00.001-08:00

New Book Reveals that Mrs. Obama Was Frustrated with President Obama's Team

2012-01-07T10:58:00.001-08:00

Dr. Boyce: Unemployment Data Improves, but Keeps Getting Worse for Black People

2012-01-06T08:12:00.001-08:00

Black unemployment continues to worsen, even as America cheers for the latest economic data.

Yvette Carnell: President Obama Says He Kept His Campaign Promises - I Disagree

2012-01-04T08:11:00.001-08:00

Mitt Romney Compares President Obama to Kim Kardashian

2012-01-03T16:26:00.001-08:00

President Obama's Approval Rating Shoots Up in Latest Poll

2011-12-26T15:13:00.001-08:00

Dr. Julianne Malveaux Applauds President Obama for His Recent Victory

2011-12-26T07:50:00.001-08:00

Dr. Julianne Malveaux is giving President Obama credit for a job well done.

The Media Ruins the Christmas Surprise for Sasha and Malia

2011-12-24T18:24:00.001-08:00

Fox News Calls Pres. Obama "a Skinny Ghetto Crackhead"

2011-12-23T10:59:00.001-08:00

Brent Bozell of Fox News felt the need to compare Pres. Obama to a "Skinny Ghetto Crackhead." Wow.

Sources Say Michelle Obama Wanted the $4 Million Hawaiian Vacation; Barack Wanted Something Local

2011-12-22T12:15:00.001-08:00

It seems that Michelle and Barack are not in agreement about how to spend their family vacation.

Matt Damon: "A President with some balls would have been better"

2011-12-22T10:54:00.001-08:00

Matt Damon seems to think that President Obama has no balls.

Republican Congressman Says that Michelle Obama "Has a Large Posterior"

2011-12-22T06:20:00.001-08:00

Jim Sensenbrenner has been scoping out Michelle Obama's backside.

Dr. Boyce: How the Obama Presidency Has Transformed Black Political Thinking

2011-12-20T16:00:00.001-08:00

Dr. Boyce: President of Republican Group Says "Black President Snorts Crack" on Twitter

2011-12-20T07:16:00.001-08:00

Cassie Wright, head of the College Republicans at The University of Texas seems to think that being black means that you snort crack.

Yvette Carnell: Why Eric Holder Shouldn't Be Playing the Race Card

2011-12-19T16:59:00.001-08:00

Yvette Carnell from Your Black World explains why Eric Holder shouldn't be playing the race card.

Obama Family Vacation is the Most Expensive in History

2011-12-19T08:24:00.001-08:00

California Politician Calls for the Assassination of President Obama and "His Monkey Children"

2011-12-18T19:47:00.001-08:00

Jules Manson might not be a heavyweight politician, but these comments put him on the map of Facebook, the CIA, and everyone else.

The Obamas aren't going to allow Sasha and Malia to use Facebook.

Sasha and Malia are NOT Allowed to Use Facebook

2011-12-18T09:00:00.001-08:00

Beautiful: The Obama Release their Family Photo

2011-12-16T06:47:00.001-08:00

Dr. Boyce: Tea Partiers, Skunks and a Mixed-Race President - Were they Over the Line in their Insults?

2011-12-12T17:45:00.001-08:00

Dr. Boyce Watkins and Yvette Carnell discuss the recent portrayal of President Obama as a skunk (half black, half white and stinky).

Click to watch

Tea Party Portrays President Obama as a Mixed-Race Skunk on Racist Website

2011-12-12T10:11:00.001-08:00

President Obama is being portrayed as a "half-white, half black and stinky" skunk in a racist new website by the Tea Party

The Right Wing Stalkers of Sasha and Malia Obama

2011-12-11T16:31:00.001-08:00

Sasha and Malia Obama apparently have a slew of haters who follow their every move.

An Open Letter to President Obama from a Political Scientist, Not a Political Operative

2011-12-10T16:56:00.001-08:00

Dr. Wilmer Leon from Howard University has some interesting words for President Barack Obama.

Woman Writes Open Letter of Apology to President Obama for Not Supporting His Healthcare Plan

2011-12-07T19:17:00.001-08:00

NAACP Takes Voter ID Racism Issue to the United Nations

2011-12-06T08:06:00.001-08:00

Shocking: Black Unemployment Rises in Every Category, While White Unemployment Drops for All Demographics

2011-12-04T10:08:00.001-08:00

Black unemployment keeps rising, while white unemployment goes down in every single category.

Rush Limbaugh said that if Michelle Obama came in the room, he'd play "Baby Got Back"

2011-11-28T16:23:00.001-08:00

Rush Limbaugh said that if Michelle Obama came in the room, he'd play "Baby Got Back." Whoa.

President Obama is No Longer the Underdog for the Next Election

2011-11-25T06:12:00.001-08:00

Amazing Video of Barack Obama in 1991 Doing a "Black History Minute" Segment

2011-11-20T07:28:00.001-08:00

President Obama Returns Home from Asia, Still Getting Criticism from the Republicans

2011-11-20T06:08:00.001-08:00

Shooting Suspect Had Deep Hatred for President Obama

2011-11-17T17:27:00.001-08:00

Your Black World reports

A man wearing all black was apparently obsessed with President Obama when he decided to fire shots at the White House with an assault rifle. He cracked the window of the family’s living quarters, but the president was away at the time.

The secret service found two bullets in the White House lawn and then hunted down Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez in Pennsylvania after a four-day manhunt. The 21-year old man from Idaho was arrested when he was identified by a desk clerk at the hotel.

Ortega was scheduled to appear at 2 pm Thursday in Federal Court. The Secret Service said they knew little about Ortega-Hernandez before the shooting, but they are obviously investigating him a great deal now. They believe that he targeted the White House out of an intense hatred of President Obama .

Businessman Monte McCall said that Ortega-Hernandez compared President Obama to the anti-christ.

"He seemed very sincere in what he believed but seemed rather troubled," McCall said.

Police are now investigating Ortega Hernandez’s mental health after the shooting. They say that they believe he felt himself to be on a mission from God to kill the president. The bullets he shot at the White House were stopped by ballistic glass.

Dr. Boyce: White House African American Policy Conference - Hype or Substance?

2011-11-16T08:21:00.001-08:00

Bullets Found on the White House Lawn After Someone Shoots at the Building

2011-11-16T06:18:00.001-08:00

Dr. Boyce: Sorry Chris Rock, but President Obama is Nobody's "Gangsta"

2011-11-11T10:52:00.001-08:00

Chris Rock Says Obama Will Start Doing "Gangsta Sh*t" During His Second Term

2011-11-11T10:14:00.001-08:00

Dr. Boyce: Black Unemployment Drops, but There Isn't Much to Celebrate

2011-11-04T16:19:00.001-07:00

Group Sends Out Picture of Pres. Obama with a Bullet Hole In His Head

2011-11-02T06:45:00.001-07:00

Tom Joyner Says to Support President Obama just Because He's Black

2011-10-28T18:01:00.001-07:00

Condoleeza Rice Details The "Race Problem" of Hurricane Katrina and What Went Down Behind the Scenes

2011-10-26T05:48:00.001-07:00

Condoleeza Rice has a lot to say about what went down during Hurricane Katrina.

President Obama Announces that All Troops are Coming Home from Iraq

2011-10-21T11:03:00.001-07:00

President Obama is finally bringing our men and women home from Iraq. Good for him and even better for them.

First Lady Michelle Obama Tweets for the First Time (Video)

2011-10-21T07:40:00.001-07:00

Michelle Obama is a smart lady and a fast learner. See how she gets down on Twitter.

Melody Barnes Is the Next Person to Exit the White House

2011-10-20T16:09:00.001-07:00

Looks like the Obama Administration has yet another official exit, Melody Barnes.

Study: President Obama Receives More Negative Media Coverage Than Any Other Candidate

2011-10-20T07:02:00.001-07:00

It looks like the media loves Rick Perry, but can't stand President Obama.

Scary...Bomb Squad Called to Protect President Obama

2011-10-18T07:51:00.001-07:00

It's amazing how a can of gasoline can be used for so many scary, scary things. But don't worry, the president is ok.

'Honkies for Herman' - Cain's Newest Support Group

2011-10-18T06:55:00.001-07:00

It looks like Herman Cain is getting support from nearly everyone.

Watch Herman Cain and Bill Clinton Go at It in a Public Debate on Health Care

2011-10-16T08:59:00.001-07:00

CNN: Herman Cain Rose to the Top by Throwing Black and Poor People Under the Bus

2011-10-15T09:42:00.001-07:00

by LZ Granderson, CNN.com

It seems fitting that Herman Cain has surged into the top tier of the GOP candidates just as "Celebrity Apprentice" announces its new cast for the upcoming season.

I suspect a year from now the two will be one.

After all, reality TV is at its best when there's a villain we can't take our eyes off of, and over the past two weeks, can you think of anyone who one has benefited more from playing the bad guy than Cain? Back in August he received less than 10% of the Iowa straw poll vote. At the beginning of September, he was still near the bottom in the polls. Now he's a front-runner.

How'd he do it?

By imitating Omarosa -- the villain from the first season of "The Apprentice," who has since made a career out of being bad on reality TV.

Yvette Carnell: My President is Black(ish)

2011-10-13T06:36:00.001-07:00

click here to watch the video

Is Herman Cain a Racist? Dr. Boyce and Ron Christie from Harvard Debate the Issue on CNN

2011-10-12T20:27:00.001-07:00

President Obama Issues Statement on the Passing of Civil Rights Icon Fred Shuttlesworth

2011-10-05T16:50:00.001-07:00

At Your Black World, we just received an email from the White House featuring a statement by President Barack Obama. The statement involves the recent passing of Civil Rights legend Fred Shuttlesworth. Here’s what the president had to say:

Michelle and I were saddened to hear about the passing of Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth today. As one of the founders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Reverend Shuttlesworth dedicated his life to advancing the cause of justice for all Americans. He was a testament to the strength of the human spirit. And today we stand on his shoulders, and the shoulders of all those who marched and sat and lifted their voices to help perfect our union.
I will never forget having the opportunity several years ago to push Reverend Shuttlesworth in his wheelchair across the Edmund Pettus Bridge – a symbol of the sacrifices that he and so many others made in the name of equality. America owes Reverend Shuttlesworth a debt of gratitude, and our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Sephira, and their family, friends and loved ones.

Herman Cain: “If you don’t have a job and you’re not rich, blame yourself”

2011-10-05T16:31:00.001-07:00

Michelle and Barack Celebrate 19 Years of Marriage: How Michelle Almost Turned Him Down

2011-10-03T11:53:00.001-07:00

Today’s the 19th wedding anniversary for Michelle and Barack Obama. The two celebrated Saturday night at the Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, VA. The couple was married on October 3, 1992.

Poll: 63% of Investors Support Pres. Obama’s Planned Tax Increase on the Wealthy

2011-10-01T05:31:00.001-07:00

Does President Obama Address Hispanic and Black Audiences Differently? Let’s Take a Look at the Transcripts

2011-09-28T20:45:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Boyce Watkins – Scholarship in Action

Transcript of President Obama’s Speech Before the Congressional Hispanic Caucus–September 15, 2011

2011-09-28T19:38:00.001-07:00

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, everybody. Buenas noches. (Applause.) Thank you so much. Thank you, everybody. Please, please, have a seat.

I want to thank Congressman Gonzalez, Senator Menendez for your outstanding leadership. I want to thank the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute for inviting us here this evening. It is wonderful to be back with all of you to help kick off Hispanic Heritage Month.

Now, before I begin, I want to acknowledge a few people who are with us here tonight. We are honored to be joined by Her Royal Highness Princess Cristina of Spain. (Applause.) We are honored to be joined by our first Latina Supreme Court justice, Sonia Sotomayor. (Applause.) I want to recognize House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi — (applause) — our great friend and champion, as well as congratulate Secretary Ken Salazar and Secretary Hilda Solis for their awards tonight and for their outstanding work. (Applause.)
I also want to give a special shout-out to my friend Rey Decerega, the program director here at CHCI. Not many people can give the President of the United States stitches on his lip and get away with it. (Laughter.) Rey is in unique company. (Laughter.) I sent him a photograph of the moment, as he was throwing his elbow at me, and said, he’s the only person who ever did that and the Secret Service did not arrest. (Laughter.)

And I hear he’s pretty tough off the basketball court, too.

Finally, I want to thank all the members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus here tonight. And I also want to apologize for them because they spent last week listening to me talk. So you probably thought you could escape this by coming to this dinner.

But I’m here because we’re at a critical time for our country. The fight we’re having right now — the fight to put more Americans back to work, to make our country stronger in the long run, to prove that we can get something done here in Washington — this fight could not be more important for the people in this room, for the Latino community, and for millions of Americans who need help.

I don’t have to tell you these are tough times. You know how hard this recession has hit families —
especially Latino families. You know the sacrifices that folks are making every single day just to pay the mortgage, or fill up the car, or to keep the lights on, keep kids in school.

These are families in Los Angeles and San Antonio and Miami. But they’re also families in Decatur and Des Moines. As I said when I spoke here last year, problems in the Latino community are problems for the entire American community. Our future is tied to how well the Latino community does. The reverse is also true — when our country is hurting, everyone feels the pain.

Right now, most Americans — whether they are black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American — they’re working hard to meet their responsibilities. All they want in return is for that hard work to pay off. And they want those of us in Washington to meet our responsibilities, and do our part to make their lives just a little bit easier, to create those ladders of opportunity.

And that’s why, last week, I asked Congress a simple question: In the face of a national emergency, can we finally put a stop to the political circus and actually do something to help the economy? (Applause.) Can we restore some of the fairness and the security that has defined this nation since our founding?

I believe we can, and I believe we must. And that’s why, on Monday, I sent the American Jobs Act to Congress and asked them to pass it right away. (Applause.) The proposals in this legislation have, in the past, been supported by Democrats and Republicans. And all of it will be paid for.

And the idea behind this bill is simple: to put more people back to work and put more money into the pockets of those who are working. It will create more jobs for construction workers and teachers and veterans and the long-term unemployed. It will give tax breaks to companies who hire new workers, and to small business owners, and to the middle class. And it will help restore confidence in our economy so businesses will invest and hire.

Passing this jobs bill will put people to work rebuilding our decaying roads and our bridges, and will repair and modernize 35,000 schools by fixing roofs, insulating windows, and installing science labs and high-speed Internet, and getting our kids out of trailers — (applause) — all throughout the community, especially in the Latino community, where our children — the population is growing fastest.

At a time when countries like China are building high-speed rail lines and gleaming new airports, we’ve got over a million unemployed construction workers — many of them Latino — who could be doing the same thing right here in the United States. That’s not right. It’s time for us to fix it. And that’s why Congress should pass this bill right away. (Applause.)

Passing this jobs bill will put thousands of teachers in every state back to work helping our kids compete with their peers around the world. Because at a time when teachers are being hired in countries like South Korea, we can’t be laying them off in San Diego or Philadelphia — not when our children’s future is at stake. Let’s put teachers back in the classroom where they belong. (Applause.)

Passing this jobs bill will cut taxes for small business — including 250,000 Latino-owned businesses. And it will give companies a tax credit if they hire American veterans, because if you risk your life serving this country, you shouldn’t have to worry about finding a job when you get home. This is our chance to help make it right. (Applause.)

Passing this jobs bill will give hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged young people a summer job next year. And their parents, who desperately want to work, will have more ladders out of poverty. That’s why Congress needs to pass this bill right now.

Passing this jobs bill will give companies up to a $4,000 tax credit if they hire someone who’s been looking for a job for more than six months. It will build on a program in Georgia that takes the people who collect unemployment insurance and gives them temporary work as a way to build up their skills while they look for a permanent job. And this plan will also extend unemployment insurance for another year — and that benefits over one million Latinos and their families. They need help, and it would be a huge blow to our economy if these families stopped spending money on necessities. Let’s pass this bill and keep that from happening. (Applause.)

And finally, passing this jobs bill will give the typical working family a $1,500 tax cut next year. Money that would have been taken out of your paycheck will now go into your pocket; 25 million Latino workers will benefit. Some folks have been working pretty hard in Congress to keep tax breaks for wealthy Americans. The least they can do is fight just as hard for the middle class and people at the bottom. Let’s get this done. Lets make sure that ordinary folks get some relief as well. (Applause.)

So this is what the American Jobs Act is all about: New jobs for construction workers and teachers, veterans, young people, long-term unemployed. Tax credits for middle-class families and for small businesses. And we’ll pay for it — all of it — in a way that not only covers the cost of the plan but helps to bring down our debt and our deficits over the long term.

I’ll be talking more about how we’re going to pay for this plan on Monday, but the bottom line is it has to be done in a balanced way where everyone shares the sacrifice and nobody is asked to bear the whole burden.
We need to make more spending cuts on top of the trillion dollars of cuts I’ve already signed into law, and that’s going to be tough. We need to make modest adjustments to programs like Medicare and Medicaid that will help preserve them for the next generation while protecting current retirees. But we also need to make some real choices when it comes to our tax code — choices about what kind of country do we want to be.

Instead of asking middle-class families to bear even more of a burden, let’s ask big corporations to give up tax loopholes that small businesses don’t get. (Applause.) Instead of telling seniors “you’re on your own,” let’s make sure our wealthiest citizens aren’t paying taxes at a lower rate than their secretaries. That’s not right. (Applause.) In this country, everybody should be getting a fair shake, and everybody should be paying their fair share. That’s who we are as Americans. That’s who we have to be now.
A jobs bill that puts Americans back to work; a balanced approach to pay for it that will lower our deficit in the long run — these are the steps Congress needs to take right now to put our country on a stronger footing. But we also know we’ve got to do more. If we’re going to continue to grow our economy at a time when companies can set up shop anywhere in the world, we’ve got to do more; we’ve got to look a little further down the road.

And that starts with giving our children the best opportunity to succeed — something I know Latino families are focused on every single day. Because if we’re going to out-build and out-innovate every other country on Earth, the most important thing we can do is make sure that every single young person in this country has an opportunity to thrive. The most important investment we can make is in education. (Applause.)
That’s why we launched the Race to the Top initiative — which now reaches almost one-quarter of our country’s Latino students — to help encourage schools to do the very best with our kids: Identify and support students before they drop out; implement effective bilingual education programs; make English Language Learners a priority.

We have strengthened Pell Grants and we’re investing in community colleges that help teach the skills that companies need. And that’s part of the reason why the number of young Latinos enrolled in college rose by 24 percent in the last year. They can actually afford to go to school because of the help that members of Congress who are here tonight helped deliver. (Applause.) We’ve got more Latinos attending college than ever before. And even though we’re not there yet, we are going to do everything in our power — I will do everything in my power — to make the DREAM Act a reality. (Applause.)

This has been a long and frustrating road for all of us. Republicans helped write the DREAM Act because they knew it was the right thing to do for our country. That was a while back. But then last year, we passed the DREAM Act through the House only to see it blocked by Senate Republicans. And now, for the first time in a decade, the bill doesn’t have a single Republican cosponsor. Not one. Nothing about the need for the legislation changed. Nothing about the language in the legislation changed. The only thing that changed was politics in Washington.

That’s heartbreaking. It’s heartbreaking to see innocent young people denied the right to earn an education or serve in our military because of their parents’ action and because of the actions of a few politicians in Washington. It’s heartbreaking to see these incredibly bright, gifted people barred from contributing to our country and to our economy.

Because the truth is, reforming our immigration system is crucial for our economic future. This country was built and sustained by people who risked everything because they believed in the idea of America — the idea that anybody with a dream and a willingness to work can make a life for themselves here. (Applause.) That is part of the American Dream. That’s the essence of the American Dream. (Applause.)

That’s why it doesn’t make sense that we educate more foreign-born workers than any country in the world, but our broken, outdated immigration system often sends them home to invent and build and grow their companies someplace else. It doesn’t make any sense that immigrant workers are forced into the shadows, earning unfair wages, at the same time that businesses are breaking the rules and getting away with it, while those that follow the rules get punished.

We need an immigration policy that works, one that meets the needs of our families and our businesses while honoring our tradition as a nation of immigrants and a nation of laws. Because no matter what you may hear, in this country there is no “us” or “them.” There is only “us.” One nation, under God, indivisible. (Applause.) And immigrants are part of that American family and a source of our strength. (Applause.)

Now, as I mentioned when I was at La Raza a few weeks back, I wish I had a magic wand and could make this all happen on my own. There are times where — until Nancy Pelosi is speaker again — (applause) — I’d like to work my way around Congress. (Applause.) But the fact is, even as we work towards a day when I can sign an immigration bill, we’ve got laws on the books that have to be upheld. But as you know as well as anyone that — anybody else, how we enforce those laws is also important. That’s why the Department of Homeland Security is applying common-sense standards for immigration enforcement. And we’ve made progress so that our enforcement policies prioritize criminals who endanger our communities, not students trying to achieve the American Dream. (Applause.)

But we live in a democracy, and at the end of the day, I can’t do this all by myself under our democratic system. If we’re going to do big things — whether it’s passing this jobs bill, or the DREAM Act, or comprehensive immigration reform — we’re going to have to get Congress to act. I know Nancy Pelosi is ready to act. I know the CHC is ready to act. But we got to get more folks in Congress to act. It’s time to stop playing politics and start listening to the people who sent us to Washington in the first place — because the rest of America is way ahead of us on this.

So everybody here tonight, keep the heat on me, keep the heat on Nancy, the rest of the Democrats. We feel good about where we’re at. But if we’re being honest, we know the real problem isn’t the members of Congress in this room. It’s the members of Congress who put party before country because they believe the only way to resolve our differences is to wait 14 months till the next election.

And I’ve got news for them. The American people don’t have the luxury of waiting 14 months. (Applause.) Some of them are living paycheck to paycheck; month to month; day to day. Others want to go to college right now. They want to defend their country right now. And that’s why I’m asking everybody in the Latino community — not just here, but all across the country — lift up your voice. Make yourself heard. If you think it’s time to pass a jobs bill that will put millions of Americans back to work, call on Congress to do the right thing.

If you think it’s time to give businesses the incentive to hire, and put more money into your pockets, make yourself heard. Tell Congress to do the right thing. And if your congressman or woman is already on the right page, talk to somebody else’s congressman. (Laughter.)

If you think it’s time to stop the political games and finally pass the DREAM Act and reform our immigration system, pick up the phone, get on the computer — tell your representatives in Washington the time is action — the time for action is now. We can’t wait. Not when so much is at stake.

These are difficult times. But, remember, we’ve been through worse. And think about everybody here — your parents, your grandparents, your great-grandparents — they struggled in ways we can’t even imagine to deliver that American Dream to you. We’ve always been a nation full of vision, a bold and optimistic America that does big things. We don’t have a cramped vision. We don’t try to exclude. We try to embrace and bring people in to this idea of America.

It’s a vision where we live within our means, but we invest in our future; where everybody makes sacrifices, but nobody has to bear the burden alone, and everybody shares in our success; where we live up to the idea that no matter what you look like, no matter where you come from, no matter what your surname — whether your ancestors landed at Ellis Island, or came over on a slave ship, or crossed the Rio Grande — we are all connected, and we all rise and fall together. (Applause.)

That’s the America I believe in. That’s the America that you believe in. That’s the America we can once more have, as long as all of us are working together. (Applause.)

Thank you. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)
END 8:43 P.M. EDT

Transcript of President Obama’s Speech Before the Congressional Black Caucus

2011-09-28T19:37:00.001-07:00

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, CBC! (Applause.) Thank you so much. Thank you. Please, everybody have a seat. It is wonderful to be with all of you tonight. It's good to be with the conscience of the Congress.

(Applause.) Thank you, Chairman Cleaver and brother Payne, for all that you do each and every day. Thank you, Dr. Elsie Scott, president and CEO of the CBC Foundation, and all of you for your outstanding work with your internship program, which has done so much for so many young people. And I had a chance to meet some of the young people backstage -- an incredible, unbelievably impressive group.

You know, being here with all of you -- with all the outstanding members of the Congressional Black Caucus -- reminds me of a story that one of our friends, a giant of the civil rights movement, Reverend Dr. Joseph Lowery, told one day. Dr. Lowery -- I don't think he minds me telling that he turns 90 in a couple weeks. (Applause.) He's been causing a ruckus for about 89 of those years. (Laughter.)

A few years back, Dr. Lowery and I were together at Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church in Selma. (Applause.) We've got some Selma folks in the house. (Applause.) And Dr. Lowery stood up in the pulpit and told the congregation the story of Shadrach and Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace. You know the story -- it's about three young men bold enough to stand up for God, even if it meant being thrown in a furnace. And they survived because of their faith, and because God showed up in that furnace with them.

Now, Dr. Lowery said that those three young men were a little bit crazy. But there's a difference, he said, between good crazy and bad crazy. (Applause.) Those boys, he said, were "good crazy." At the time, I was running for president -- it was early in the campaign. Nobody gave me much of a chance. He turned to me from the pulpit, and indicated that someone like me running for president -- well, that was crazy. (Laughter.) But he supposed it was good crazy.

He was talking about faith, the belief in things not seen, the belief that if you persevere a better day lies ahead. And I suppose the reason I enjoy coming to the CBC -- what this weekend is all about is, you and me, we're all a little bit crazy, but hopefully a good kind of crazy. (Applause.) We're a good kind of crazy because no matter how hard things get, we keep the faith; we keep fighting; we keep moving forward.
And we've needed faith over these last couple years. Times have been hard. It's been three years since we faced down a crisis that began on Wall Street and then spread to Main Street, and hammered working families, and hammered an already hard-hit black community. The unemployment rate for black folks went up to nearly 17 percent -- the highest it's been in almost three decades; 40 percent, almost, of African American children living in poverty; fewer than half convinced that they can achieve Dr. King's dream. You've got to be a little crazy to have faith during such hard times.

It's heartbreaking, and it's frustrating. And I ran for President, and the members of the CBC ran for Congress, to help more Americans reach that dream. (Applause.) We ran to give every child a chance, whether he's born in Chicago, or she comes from a rural town in the Delta. This crisis has made that job of giving everybody opportunity a little bit harder.

We knew at the outset of my presidency that the economic calamity we faced wasn't caused overnight and wasn't going to be solved overnight. We knew that long before the recession hit, the middle class in this country had been falling behind -- wages and incomes had been stagnant; a sense of financial security had been slipping away. And since these problems were not caused overnight, we knew we were going to have to climb a steep hill.

But we got to work. With your help, we started fighting our way back from the brink. And at every step of the way, we've faced fierce opposition based on an old idea -- the idea that the only way to restore prosperity can't just be to let every corporation write its own rules, or give out tax breaks to the wealthiest and the most fortunate, and to tell everybody that they're on their own. There has to be a different concept of what America's all about. It has to be based on the idea that I am my brother's keeper and I am my sister's keeper, and we're in this together. We are in this thing together. (Applause.)

We had a different vision and so we did what was right, and we fought to extend unemployment insurance, and we fought to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit, and we fought to expand the Child Tax Credit -- which benefited nearly half of all African American children in this country. (Applause.) And millions of Americans are better off because of that fight. (Applause.)

Ask the family struggling to make ends meet if that extra few hundred dollars in their mother's paycheck from the payroll tax cut we passed made a difference. They'll tell you. Ask them how much that Earned Income Tax Credit or that Child Tax Credit makes a difference in paying the bills at the end of the month.
When an army of lobbyists and special interests spent millions to crush Wall Street reform, we stood up for what was right. We said the time has come to protect homeowners from predatory mortgage lenders. The time has come to protect consumers from credit card companies that jacked up rates without warning. (Applause.) We signed the strongest consumer financial protection in history. That's what we did together. (Applause.)

Remember how many years we tried to stop big banks from collecting taxpayer subsidies for student loans while the cost of college kept slipping out of reach? Together, we put a stop to that once and for all. We used those savings to make college more affordable. We invested in early childhood education and community college and HBCUs. Ask the engineering student at an HBCU who thought he might have to leave school if that extra Pell Grant assistance mattered. (Applause.)

We're attacking the cycle of poverty that steals the future from too many children -- not just by pouring money into a broken system, but by building on what works -- with Promise Neighborhoods modeled after the good work up in Harlem; Choice Neighborhoods rebuilding crumbling public housing into communities of hope and opportunity; Strong Cities, Strong Communities, our partnership with local leaders in hard-hit cities like Cleveland and Detroit. And we overcame years of inaction to win justice for black farmers because of the leadership of theCBC and because we had an administration that was committed to doing the right thing. (Applause.)

And against all sorts of setbacks, when the opposition fought us with everything they had, we finally made clear that in the United States of America nobody should go broke because they get sick. We are better than that. (Applause.) And today, insurance companies can no longer drop or deny your coverage for no good reason. In just a year and a half, about one million more young adults have health insurance because of this law. (Applause.) One million young people. That is an incredible achievement, and we did it with your help, with the CBC's help. (Applause.)

So in these hard years, we've won a lot of fights that needed fighting and we've done a lot of good. But we've got more work to do. So many people are still hurting. So many people are still barely hanging on. And too many people in this city are still fighting us every step of the way.

So I need your help. We have to do more to put people to work right now. We've got to make that everyone in this country gets a fair shake, and a fair shot, and a chance to get ahead. (Applause.) And I know we won't get where we need to go if we don't travel down this road together. I need you with me. (Applause.)

That starts with getting this Congress to pass the American Jobs Act. (Applause.) You heard me talk about this plan when I visited Congress a few weeks ago and sent the bill to Congress a few days later. Now I want that bill back -- passed. I've got the pens all ready. I am ready to sign it. And I need your help to make it happen. (Applause.)

Right now we've got millions of construction workers out of a job. So this bill says, let's put those men and women back to work in their own communities rebuilding our roads and our bridges. Let's give these folks a job rebuilding our schools. Let's put these folks to work rehabilitating foreclosed homes in the hardest-hit neighborhoods of Detroit and Atlanta and Washington. This is a no-brainer. (Applause.)
Why should we let China build the newest airports, the fastest railroads? Tell me why our children should be allowed to study in a school that's falling apart? I don't want that for my kids or your kids. I don't want that for any kid. You tell me how it makes sense when we know that education is the most important thing for success in the 21st century. (Applause.) Let's put our people back to work doing the work America needs done. Let's pass this jobs bill. (Applause.)

We've got millions of unemployed Americans and young people looking for work but running out of options. So this jobs bill says, let's give them a pathway, a new pathway back to work. Let's extend unemployment insurance so that more than six million Americans don't lose that lifeline. But let's also encourage reforms that help the long-term unemployed keep their skills sharp and get a foot in the door. Let's give summer jobs for low-income youth that don't just give them their first paycheck but arm them with the skills they need for life. (Applause.)

Tell me why we don't want the unemployed back in the workforce as soon as possible. Let's pass this jobs bill, put these folks back to work. (Applause.)

Why are we shortchanging our children when we could be putting teachers back in the classroom right now, where they belong? (Applause.) Laying off teachers, laying off police officer, laying off firefighters all across the country because state and local budgets are tough. Why aren't we helping? We did in the first two years. And then this other crowd came into Congress and now suddenly they want to stop. Tell me why we shouldn't give companies tax credits for hiring the men and women who've risked their lives for this country -- our veterans. There is no good answer for that. They shouldn't be fighting to find a job when they come home. (Applause.)

These Republicans in Congress like to talk about job creators. How about doing something real for job creators? Pass this jobs bill, and every small business owner in America, including 100,000 black-owned businesses, will get a tax cut. (Applause.) You say you're the party of tax cuts. Pass this jobs bill, and every worker in America, including nearly 20 million African American workers, will get a tax cut. (Applause.) Pass this jobs bill, and prove you'll fight just as hard for a tax cut for ordinary folks as you do for all your contributors. (Applause.)

These are questions that opponents of this jobs plan will have to answer. Because the kinds of ideas in this plan in the past have been supported by both parties. Suddenly Obama is proposing it -- what happened? (Laughter.) What happened? You all used to like to build roads. (Laughter.) Right? What happened? Reverend, you know what happened? I don't know. They used to love to build some roads. (Laughter.)
Now, I know some of our friends across the aisle won't support any new spending that's not paid for. I agree that's important. So last week, I laid out a plan to pay for the American Jobs Act, and to bring out -- down our debt over time. You say the deficit is important? Here we go. I'm ready to go. It's a plan that says if we want to create jobs and close this deficit, then we've got to ask the folks who have benefited most -- the wealthiest Americans, the biggest, most profitable corporations -- to pay their fair share. (Applause.)
We are not asking them to do anything extraordinary. The reform we're proposing is based on a simple principle: Middle-class folks should not pay higher tax rates than millionaires and billionaires. (Applause.) That's not crazy -- or it's good crazy. (Laughter.) Warren Buffett's secretary shouldn't pay a higher tax rate than Warren Buffett. A teacher or a nurse or a construction worker making $50,000 a year shouldn't pay higher tax rates than somebody making $50 million. That's just common sense.

We're not doing this to punish success. This is the land of opportunity. I want you to go out, start a business, get rich, build something. Out country is based on the belief that anybody can make it if they put in enough sweat and enough effort. That is wonderful. God bless you. But part of the American idea is also that once we've done well we should pay our fair share -- (applause) -- to make sure that those schools that we were learning in can teach the next generation; that those roads that we benefited from -- that they're not crumbling for the next bunch of folks who are coming behind us; to keep up the nation that made our success possible.

And most wealthy Americans would agree with that. But you know the Republicans are already dusting off their old talking points. That's class warfare, they say. In fact, in the next breath, they'll complain that people living in poverty -- people who suffered the most over the past decade -- don't pay enough in taxes. That's bad crazy. (Laughter and applause.) When you start saying, at a time when the top one-tenth of 1 percent has seen their incomes go up four or five times over the last 20 years, and folks at the bottom have seen their incomes decline -- and your response is that you want poor folks to pay more? Give me a break. If asking a billionaire to pay the same tax rate as a janitor makes me a warrior for the working class, I wear that with a badge of honor. I have no problem with that. (Applause.) It's about time.

They say it kills jobs -- oh, that's going to kill jobs. We're not proposing anything other than returning to the tax rates for the wealthiest Americans that existed under Bill Clinton. I played golf with Bill Clinton today. I was asking him, how did that go? (Laughter.) Well, it turns out we had a lot of jobs. The well-to-do, they did even better. So did the middle class. We lifted millions out of poverty. And then we cut taxes for folks like me, and we went through a decade of zero job growth.

So this isn't speculation. We've tested this out. We tried their theory; didn't work. Tried our theory; it worked. We shouldn't be confused about this. (Applause.)

This debate is about priorities. If we want to create new jobs and close the deficit and invest in our future, the money has got to come from somewhere. And so, should we keep tax loopholes for big oil companies? Or should we put construction workers and teachers back on the job? (Applause.) Should we keep tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires? Or should we invest in our children's education and college aid? Should we ask seniors to be paying thousands of dollars more for Medicare, as the House Republicans propose, or take young folks' health care away? Or should we ask that everybody pay their fair share? This is about fairness. And this is about who we are as a country. This is about our commitment to future generations.

When Michelle and I think about where we came from -- a little girl on the South Side of Chicago, son of a single mom in Hawaii -- mother had to go to school on scholarships, sometimes got food stamps. Michelle's parents never owned their own home until she had already graduated -- living upstairs above the aunt who actually owned the house. We are here today only because our parents and our grandparents, they broke their backs to support us. (Applause.) But they also understood that they would get a little bit of help from their country. Because they met their responsibilities, this country would also be responsible, would also provide good public schools, would also provide recreation -- parks that were safe, making sure that they could take the bus without getting beat over the head, making sure that their kids would be able to go to college even if they weren't rich.

We're only here because past generations struggled and sacrificed for this incredible, exceptional idea that it does not matter where you come from, it does not matter where you're born, doesn't matter what you look like -- if you're willing to put in an effort, you should get a shot. You should get a shot at the American Dream. (Applause.)

And each night, when we tuck in our girls at the White House, I think about keeping that dream alive for them and for all of our children. And that's now up to us. And that's hard. This is harder than it's been in a long, long time. We're going through something we haven't seen in our lifetimes.
And I know at times that gets folks discouraged. I know. I listen to some of you all. (Laughter.) I understand that. And nobody feels that burden more than I do. Because I know how much we have invested in making sure that we're able to move this country forward. But you know, more than a lot of other folks in this country, we know about hard. The people in this room know about hard. (Applause.) And we don't give in to discouragement.

Throughout our history, change has often come slowly. Progress often takes time. We take a step forward, sometimes we take two steps back. Sometimes we get two steps forward and one step back. But it's never a straight line. It's never easy. And I never promised easy. Easy has never been promised to us. But we've had faith. We have had faith. We've had that good kind of crazy that says, you can't stop marching. (Applause.)

Even when folks are hitting you over the head, you can't stop marching. Even when they're turning the hoses on you, you can't stop. (Applause.) Even when somebody fires you for speaking out, you can't stop. (Applause.) Even when it looks like there's no way, you find a way -- you can't stop. (Applause.) Through the mud and the muck and the driving rain, we don't stop. Because we know the rightness of our cause -- widening the circle of opportunity, standing up for everybody's opportunities, increasing each other's prosperity. We know our cause is just. It's a righteous cause.
So in the face of troopers and teargas, folks stood unafraid. Led somebody like John Lewis to wake up after getting beaten within an inch of his life on Sunday -- he wakes up on Monday: We're going to go march. (Applause.)

Dr. King once said: "Before we reach the majestic shores of the Promised Land, there is a frustrating and bewildering wilderness ahead. We must still face prodigious hilltops of opposition and gigantic mountains of resistance. But with patient and firm determination we will press on." (Applause.)
So I don't know about you, CBC, but the future rewards those who press on. (Applause.) With patient and firm determination, I am going to press on for jobs. (Applause.) I'm going to press on for equality. (Applause.) I'm going to press on for the sake of our children. (Applause.) I'm going to press on for the sake of all those families who are struggling right now. I don't have time to feel sorry for myself. I don't have time to complain. I am going to press on. (Applause.)

I expect all of you to march with me and press on. (Applause.) Take off your bedroom slippers, put on your marching shoes. Shake it off. (Applause.) Stop complaining, stop grumbling, stop crying. We are going to press on. We've got work to do, CBC. (Applause.)

God bless you, and God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)
END 8:58 P.M. EDT

WEB DuBois Would Not Want Anyone to “Stop Complaining”–Hear His Words on the Issue

2011-09-28T07:17:00.001-07:00

Your Black World reports

Should President Obama Be Telling Black People to “Stop Complaining?”–Dr. Boyce and Dr. Wilmer Leon Discuss

2011-09-27T22:44:00.001-07:00

Yvette Carnell: Obama Tells Black People to Stop Bitching and Come Work for Him

2011-09-25T20:43:00.001-07:00

Survey: Majority of African Americans Believe Obama Should Have Spoken Up for Troy Davis

2011-09-25T08:30:00.001-07:00

Michelle Obama’s Shining with $42,000 worth of Diamonds

2011-09-22T22:23:00.001-07:00

President Obama’s Disapproval Rating Reaches a New High

2011-09-14T08:02:00.001-07:00

The President’s Plan Expected to Create Over One Million Jobs

2011-09-10T14:56:00.001-07:00

Rev. Jesse Jackson to Your Black World: “We Must Support President Obama’s Proposal”

2011-09-09T20:49:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World

Maxine Waters Tells President Obama to “Treat Blacks Like Iowans”

2011-09-09T10:10:00.001-07:00

Direct from the White House: President Obama's Speech on Jobs

2011-09-08T16:26:00.000-07:00

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, and fellow Americans:

Tonight we meet at an urgent time for our country. We continue to face an economic crisis that has left millions of our neighbors jobless, and a political crisis that has made things worse.

This past week, reporters have been asking “What will this speech mean for the President? What will it mean for Congress? How will it affect their polls, and the next election?”

But the millions of Americans who are watching right now: they don’t care about politics. They have real life concerns. Many have spent months looking for work. Others are doing their best just to scrape by – giving up nights out with the family to save on gas or make the mortgage; postponing retirement to send a kid to college.

These men and women grew up with faith in an America where hard work and responsibility paid off. They believed in a country where everyone gets a fair shake and does their fair share – where if you stepped up, did your job, and were loyal to your company, that loyalty would be rewarded with a decent salary and good benefits; maybe a raise once in awhile. If you did the right thing, you could make it in America.

But for decades now, Americans have watched that compact erode. They have seen the deck too often stacked against them. And they know that Washington hasn’t always put their interests first.

The people of this country work hard to meet their responsibilities. The question tonight is whether we’ll meet ours. The question is whether, in the face of an ongoing national crisis, we can stop the political circus and actually do something to help the economy; whether we can restore some of the fairness and security that has defined this nation since our beginning.

Those of us here tonight can’t solve all of our nation’s woes. Ultimately, our recovery will be driven not by Washington, but by our businesses and our workers. But we can help. We can make a difference. There are steps we can take right now to improve people’s lives.

I am sending this Congress a plan that you should pass right away. It’s called the American Jobs Act. There should be nothing controversial about this piece of legislation. Everything in here is the kind of proposal that’s been supported by both Democrats and Republicans – including many who sit here tonight. And everything in this bill will be paid for. Everything.

The purpose of the American Jobs Act is simple: to put more people back to work and more money in the pockets of those who are working. It will create more jobs for construction workers, more jobs for teachers, more jobs for veterans, and more jobs for the long-term unemployed. It will provide a tax break for companies who hire new workers, and it will cut payroll taxes in half for every working American and every small business. It will provide a jolt to an economy that has stalled, and give companies confidence that if they invest and hire, there will be customers for their products and services. You should pass this jobs plan right away.

Everyone here knows that small businesses are where most new jobs begin. And you know that while corporate profits have come roaring back, smaller companies haven’t. So for everyone who speaks so passionately about making life easier for “job creators,” this plan is for you.

Pass this jobs bill, and starting tomorrow, small businesses will get a tax cut if they hire new workers or raise workers’ wages. Pass this jobs bill, and all small business owners will also see their payroll taxes cut in half next year. If you have 50 employees making an average salary, that’s an $80,000 tax cut. And all businesses will be able to continue writing off the investments they make in 2012.

It’s not just Democrats who have supported this kind of proposal. Fifty House Republicans have proposed the same payroll tax cut that’s in this plan. You should pass it right away.

Pass this jobs bill, and we can put people to work rebuilding America. Everyone here knows that we have badly decaying roads and bridges all over this country. Our highways are clogged with traffic. Our skies are the most congested in the world.

This is inexcusable. Building a world-class transportation system is part of what made us an economic superpower. And now we’re going to sit back and watch China build newer airports and faster railroads? At a time when millions of unemployed construction workers could build them right here in America?

There are private construction companies all across America just waiting to get to work. There’s a bridge that needs repair between Ohio and Kentucky that’s on one of the busiest trucking routes in North America. A public transit project in Houston that will help clear up one of the worst areas of traffic in the country. And there are schools throughout this country that desperately need renovating. How can we expect our kids to do their best in places that are literally falling apart? This is America. Every child deserves a great school – and we can give it to them, if we act now.

The American Jobs Act will repair and modernize at least 35,000 schools. It will put people to work right now fixing roofs and windows; installing science labs and high-speed internet in classrooms all across this country. It will rehabilitate homes and businesses in communities hit hardest by foreclosures. It will jumpstart thousands of transportation projects across the country. And to make sure the money is properly spent and for good purposes, we’re building on reforms we’ve already put in place. No more earmarks. No more boondoggles. No more bridges to nowhere. We’re cutting the red tape that prevents some of these projects from getting started as quickly as possible. And we’ll set up an independent fund to attract private dollars and issue loans based on two criteria: how badly a construction project is needed and how much good it would do for the economy.

This idea came from a bill written by a Texas Republican and a Massachusetts Democrat. The idea for a big boost in construction is supported by America’s largest business organization and America’s largest labor organization. It’s the kind of proposal that’s been supported in the past by Democrats and Republicans alike. You should pass it right away.

Pass this jobs bill, and thousands of teachers in every state will go back to work. These are the men and women charged with preparing our children for a world where the competition has never been tougher. But while they’re adding teachers in places like South Korea, we’re laying them off in droves. It’s unfair to our kids. It undermines their future and ours. And it has to stop. Pass this jobs bill, and put our teachers back in the classroom where they belong.

Pass this jobs bill, and companies will get extra tax credits if they hire America’s veterans. We ask these men and women to leave their careers, leave their families, and risk their lives to fight for our country. The last thing they should have to do is fight for a job when they come home.

Pass this bill, and hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged young people will have the hope and dignity of a summer job next year. And their parents, low-income Americans who desperately want to work, will have more ladders out of poverty.

Pass this jobs bill, and companies will get a $4,000 tax credit if they hire anyone who has spent more than six months looking for a job. We have to do more to help the long-term unemployed in their search for work. This jobs plan builds on a program in Georgia that several Republican leaders have highlighted, where people who collect unemployment insurance participate in temporary work as a way to build their skills while they look for a permanent job. The plan also extends unemployment insurance for another year. If the millions of unemployed Americans stopped getting this insurance, and stopped using that money for basic necessities, it would be a devastating blow to this economy. Democrats and Republicans in this Chamber have supported unemployment insurance plenty of times in the past. At this time of prolonged hardship, you should pass it again – right away.

Pass this jobs bill, and the typical working family will get a fifteen hundred dollar tax cut next year. Fifteen hundred dollars that would have been taken out of your paycheck will go right into your pocket. This expands on the tax cut that Democrats and Republicans already passed for this year. If we allow that tax cut to expire – if we refuse to act – middle-class families will get hit with a tax increase at the worst possible time. We cannot let that happen. I know some of you have sworn oaths to never raise any taxes on anyone for as long as you live. Now is not the time to carve out an exception and raise middle-class taxes, which is why you should pass this bill right away.

This is the American Jobs Act. It will lead to new jobs for construction workers, teachers, veterans, first responders, young people and the long-term unemployed. It will provide tax credits to companies that hire new workers, tax relief for small business owners, and tax cuts for the middle-class. And here’s the other thing I want the American people to know: the American Jobs Act will not add to the deficit. It will be paid for. And here’s how:

The agreement we passed in July will cut government spending by about $1 trillion over the next ten years. It also charges this Congress to come up with an additional $1.5 trillion in savings by Christmas. Tonight, I’m asking you to increase that amount so that it covers the full cost of the American Jobs Act. And a week from Monday, I’ll be releasing a more ambitious deficit plan – a plan that will not only cover the cost of this jobs bill, but stabilize our debt in the long run.

This approach is basically the one I’ve been advocating for months. In addition to the trillion dollars of spending cuts I’ve already signed into law, it’s a balanced plan that would reduce the deficit by making additional spending cuts; by making modest adjustments to health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid; and by reforming our tax code in a way that asks the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations to pay their fair share. What’s more, the spending cuts wouldn’t happen so abruptly that they’d be a drag on our economy, or prevent us from helping small business and middle-class families get back on their feet right away.

Now, I realize there are some in my party who don’t think we should make any changes at all to Medicare and Medicaid, and I understand their concerns. But here’s the truth. Millions of Americans rely on Medicare in their retirement. And millions more will do so in the future. They pay for this benefit during their working years. They earn it. But with an aging population and rising health care costs, we are spending too fast to sustain the program. And if we don’t gradually reform the system while protecting current beneficiaries, it won’t be there when future retirees need it. We have to reform Medicare to strengthen it.

I’m also well aware that there are many Republicans who don’t believe we should raise taxes on those who are most fortunate and can best afford it. But here is what every American knows. While most people in this country struggle to make ends meet, a few of the most affluent citizens and corporations enjoy tax breaks and loopholes that nobody else gets. Right now, Warren Buffet pays a lower tax rate than his secretary – an outrage he has asked us to fix. We need a tax code where everyone gets a fair shake, and everybody pays their fair share. And I believe the vast majority of wealthy Americans and CEOs are willing to do just that, if it helps the economy grow and gets our fiscal house in order.

I’ll also offer ideas to reform a corporate tax code that stands as a monument to special interest influence in Washington. By eliminating pages of loopholes and deductions, we can lower one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world. Our tax code shouldn’t give an advantage to companies that can afford the best-connected lobbyists. It should give an advantage to companies that invest and create jobs here in America.

So we can reduce this deficit, pay down our debt, and pay for this jobs plan in the process. But in order to do this, we have to decide what our priorities are. We have to ask ourselves, “What’s the best way to grow the economy and create jobs?”

Should we keep tax loopholes for oil companies? Or should we use that money to give small business owners a tax credit when they hire new workers? Because we can’t afford to do both. Should we keep tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires? Or should we put teachers back to work so our kids can graduate ready for college and good jobs? Right now, we can’t afford to do both.

This isn’t political grandstanding. This isn’t class warfare. This is simple math. These are real choices that we have to make. And I’m pretty sure I know what most Americans would choose. It’s not even close. And it’s time for us to do what’s right for our future.

The American Jobs Act answers the urgent need to create jobs right away. But we can’t stop there. As I’ve argued since I ran for this office, we have to look beyond the immediate crisis and start building an economy that lasts into the future – an economy that creates good, middle-class jobs that pay well and offer security. We now live in a world where technology has made it possible for companies to take their business anywhere. If we want them to start here and stay here and hire here, we have to be able to out-build, out-educate, and out-innovate every other country on Earth.

This task, of making America more competitive for the long haul, is a job for all of us. For government and for private companies. For states and for local communities – and for every American citizen. All of us will have to up our game. All of us will have to change the way we do business.

My administration can and will take some steps to improve our competitiveness on our own. For example, if you’re a small business owner who has a contract with the federal government, we’re going to make sure you get paid a lot faster than you do now. We’re also planning to cut away the red tape that prevents too many rapidly-growing start-up companies from raising capital and going public. And to help responsible homeowners, we’re going to work with Federal housing agencies to help more people refinance their mortgages at interest rates that are now near 4% -- a step that can put more than $2,000 a year in a family’s pocket, and give a lift to an economy still burdened by the drop in housing prices.

Other steps will require Congressional action. Today you passed reform that will speed up the outdated patent process, so that entrepreneurs can turn a new idea into a new business as quickly as possible. That’s the kind of action we need. Now it’s time to clear the way for a series of trade agreements that would make it easier for American companies to sell their products in Panama, Colombia, and South Korea – while also helping the workers whose jobs have been affected by global competition. If Americans can buy Kias and Hyundais, I want to see folks in South Korea driving Fords and Chevys and Chryslers. I want to see more products sold around the world stamped with three proud words: “Made in America.”

And on all of our efforts to strengthen competitiveness, we need to look for ways to work side-by-side with America’s businesses. That’s why I’ve brought together a Jobs Council of leaders from different industries who are developing a wide range of new ideas to help companies grow and create jobs.

Already, we’ve mobilized business leaders to train 10,000 American engineers a year, by providing company internships and training. Other businesses are covering tuition for workers who learn new skills at community colleges. And we’re going to make sure the next generation of manufacturing takes root not in China or Europe, but right here, in the United States of America. If we provide the right incentives and support – and if we make sure our trading partners play by the rules – we can be the ones to build everything from fuel-efficient cars to advanced biofuels to semiconductors that are sold all over the world. That’s how America can be number one again. That’s how America will be number one again.

Now, I realize that some of you have a different theory on how to grow the economy. Some of you sincerely believe that the only solution to our economic challenges is to simply cut most government spending and eliminate most government regulations.

Well, I agree that we can’t afford wasteful spending, and I will continue to work with Congress to get rid of it. And I agree that there are some rules and regulations that put an unnecessary burden on businesses at a time when they can least afford it. That’s why I ordered a review of all government regulations. So far, we’ve identified over 500 reforms, which will save billions of dollars over the next few years. We should have no more regulation than the health, safety, and security of the American people require. Every rule should meet that common sense test.

But what we can’t do – what I won’t do – is let this economic crisis be used as an excuse to wipe out the basic protections that Americans have counted on for decades. I reject the idea that we need to ask people to choose between their jobs and their safety. I reject the argument that says for the economy to grow, we have to roll back protections that ban hidden fees by credit card companies, or rules that keep our kids from being exposed to mercury, or laws that prevent the health insurance industry from shortchanging patients. I reject the idea that we have to strip away collective bargaining rights to compete in a global economy. We shouldn’t be in a race to the bottom, where we try to offer the cheapest labor and the worst pollution standards. America should be in a race to the top. And I believe that’s a race we can win.

In fact, this larger notion that the only thing we can do to restore prosperity is just dismantle government, refund everyone’s money, let everyone write their own rules, and tell everyone they’re on their own – that’s not who we are. That’s not the story of America.

Yes, we are rugged individualists. Yes, we are strong and self-reliant. And it has been the drive and initiative of our workers and entrepreneurs that has made this economy the engine and envy of the world.

But there has always been another thread running throughout our history – a belief that we are all connected; and that there are some things we can only do together, as a nation.

We all remember Abraham Lincoln as the leader who saved our Union. But in the middle of a Civil War, he was also a leader who looked to the future – a Republican president who mobilized government to build the transcontinental railroad; launch the National Academy of Sciences; and set up the first land grant colleges. And leaders of both parties have followed the example he set.

Ask yourselves – where would we be right now if the people who sat here before us decided not to build our highways and our bridges; our dams and our airports? What would this country be like if we had chosen not to spend money on public high schools, or research universities, or community colleges? Millions of returning heroes, including my grandfather, had the opportunity to go to school because of the GI Bill. Where would we be if they hadn’t had that chance?

How many jobs would it have cost us if past Congresses decided not to support the basic research that led to the Internet and the computer chip? What kind of country would this be if this Chamber had voted down Social Security or Medicare just because it violated some rigid idea about what government could or could not do? How many Americans would have suffered as a result?

No single individual built America on their own. We built it together. We have been, and always will be, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all; a nation with responsibilities to ourselves and with responsibilities to one another. Members of Congress, it is time for us to meet our responsibilities.

Every proposal I’ve laid out tonight is the kind that’s been supported by Democrats and Republicans in the past. Every proposal I’ve laid out tonight will be paid for. And every proposal is designed to meet the urgent needs of our people and our communities.

I know there’s been a lot of skepticism about whether the politics of the moment will allow us to pass this jobs plan – or any jobs plan. Already, we’re seeing the same old press releases and tweets flying back and forth. Already, the media has proclaimed that it’s impossible to bridge our differences. And maybe some of you have decided that those differences are so great that we can only resolve them at the ballot box.

But know this: the next election is fourteen months away. And the people who sent us here – the people who hired us to work for them – they don’t have the luxury of waiting fourteen months. Some of them are living week to week; paycheck to paycheck; even day to day. They need help, and they need it now.

I don’t pretend that this plan will solve all our problems. It shouldn’t be, nor will it be, the last plan of action we propose. What’s guided us from the start of this crisis hasn’t been the search for a silver bullet. It’s been a commitment to stay at it – to be persistent – to keep trying every new idea that works, and listen to every good proposal, no matter which party comes up with it.

Regardless of the arguments we’ve had in the past, regardless of the arguments we’ll have in the future, this plan is the right thing to do right now. You should pass it. And I intend to take that message to every corner of this country. I also ask every American who agrees to lift your voice and tell the people who are gathered here tonight that you want action now. Tell Washington that doing nothing is not an option. Remind us that if we act as one nation, and one people, we have it within our power to meet this challenge.

President Kennedy once said, “Our problems are man-made – therefore they can be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants.”

These are difficult years for our country. But we are Americans. We are tougher than the times that we live in, and we are bigger than our politics have been. So let’s meet the moment. Let’s get to work, and show the world once again why the United States of America remains the greatest nation on Earth. Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.

###

Economic Policy Expert Claud Anderson Writes Open Letter to President Obama

2011-09-07T11:24:00.001-07:00

President Obama’s Approval Drops to New Low: He Is No Longer the Favorite in 2012

2011-09-06T07:06:00.001-07:00

The White House Now Offers Online Petitions

2011-09-05T10:13:00.001-07:00

Your Black World reports.

The Obama Administration is giving the public a simple way to make change if that's what they would like. The White House has issued a site called "We the People,"allowing the public to create and sign petitions asking for the government to make changes in a multitude of areas.

If a petition gets 5,000 signatures within 30 days, it will draw an official response from the government. Staff and policy experts will first review the petition before issuing the response.

"When I ran for this office, I pledged to make government more open and accountable to its citizens," President Barack Obama said about the site.

The president claims that the site will give Americans a "direct line" to the White House. The site came as the president has been pushing the public to get Congress more involved on matters of public interest. He is also seeking additional public support for his initiatives on jobs and balancing the budget with tax increases on the wealthy.

African Americans can find special use for the site, especially on the matter of black unemployment. Recent data shows thatblack unemployment is the worst that its been in 24 years. Some find it ironic that the worst economic conditions for the black community have come with a black president in office. While there are those who criticize the president for ignoring the economic suffering of the black community, this website may be a chance for black Americans to have a voice.

The site will begin accepting petitions at the end of September.

NASCAR Drivers Turn Down President Obama

2011-09-04T17:13:00.001-07:00

It looks like NASCAR drivers don’t like President Obama very much…or at least have very little respect for him.

Aretha Franklin to Sing for President Obama on Monday

2011-09-04T07:38:00.001-07:00

Your Black World reports.

A 24-Year Peak in Black Unemployment? Time to Wake Ourselves Up

2011-09-02T15:23:00.001-07:00

Continue reading →

Black Unemployment Skyrockets in August

2011-09-02T10:36:00.001-07:00

Obama Administration Insider Says Black Leader Criticism is “Bullshit”

2011-08-30T19:53:00.001-07:00

Colin Powell Says He’s Not Sold on Obama for 2008

2011-08-29T06:18:00.001-07:00

Your Black World reports.

Colin Powell made headlines in 2008 when he stepped away from the Republican Party and supported President Barack Obama. Powell still respects Obama, but says that he has yet to be sold on the idea of reelection.

“I haven’t decided who I’m going to vote for,” Powell said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “Just as was the case in 2008, I am going to watch the campaign unfold. In the course of my life I have voted for Democrats, I have voted for Republicans, I have changed from one four-year cycle to another.
“I’ve always felt it my responsibility as a citizen to take a look at the issues, examine the candidates, and pick the person that I think is best qualified for the office of the president in that year. And not just solely on the basis of party affiliation,” he said.

But Powell didn’t seem impressed with either the Democrats or the Republicans, stating that he was also not sure which Republican candidate he likes the most or if any had gotten him especially excited. Powell said that the Republican Party has some “interesting candidates,” but no one who has “emerged into the leading position.” “So let’s see if anybody else is going to join, and we’ve got a long way to go,” he also said.

Comparing Obama to Reagan and Carter on Black Unemployment: Is Obama Worse than the Others?

2011-08-24T18:15:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World

(more…)

Tea Party Rep in Trouble for Circulating a Joke about Killing Mr. and Mrs. Obama

2011-08-24T07:10:00.001-07:00

CLICK TO READ

Gadafhi on the Run in Libya

2011-08-22T10:55:00.001-07:00

President Obama has a Confrontation with a Tea Party Activist

2011-08-17T07:18:00.001-07:00

By JasmineHughes

US President Barack Obama was recently pulled into a heated debate with a prominent conservative Tea Party activist over remarks made by Vice President Joe Biden, allegedly calling Tea Party members ‘terrorists.’

As part of his three state bus tour, which also includes Minnesota and Illinois, Obama was approached by Ryan Rhodes, a leader of the group in Iowa, during an open-air town hall meeting.

Rhodes shouted out that the president’s calls for more civility in politics had little chance of coming to pass after “your vice president is calling people like me, a Tea Party member, a ‘terrorist.’”

The incident he is referring to stemmed from media reports that Vice President Joe Biden made some accusatory remarks in a private meeting with House of Representatives Democrats at the climax of a debt debate earlier this month.

It was obvious that Obama was prepared to nullify concerns as he replied, “I absolutely agree that everybody needs to try to tone down the rhetoric,” he said, before going on to detail some of the more explosive charges that conservatives have laid against him.

“In fairness, since I have been called a socialist who wasn’t born in this country, who is destroying America and taking away its freedoms because I passed a health care bill, I am all for lowering the rhetoric.”

Later, Obama and Rhodes had another exchange as the president greeted supporters on a rope line after the event, See video here. The activist later told reporters that he believed that Obama was indeed a socialist.

The Tea Party may lack centralized national leadership, but since 2010, has been regarded as a powerful influence on conservative Republican politics. This authority is considered by some, a key component of Republican leadership tactics in a debt showdown with Obama.

About jasminesnroses

Hello World. I'm a recent graduate of Rutgers University, trying to make my mark. I have many interests, curiosities and ideas. All of which can be found here. So stick around =)

Read President Obama’s Remarks at a Townhall Meeting in Cannon Falls, Minnesota–8/15/11

2011-08-15T20:49:00.001-07:00

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

________________________________________________________________

For Immediate Release August 15, 2011

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

IN A TOWN HALL MEETING

Hannah’s Bend Park

Cannon Falls, Minnesota

11:56 A.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Cannon Falls! Hello, Minnesota! Well, what a spectacular setting. Let’s get the grill going.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: Fishing!

THE PRESIDENT: And do a little fishing? It is wonderful to see all of you here today. Thank you for showing up, and what a incredible setting. Everybody, feel free to have a seat; we’re going to be here for a while. (Laughter.)

A couple introductions I want to make real quick, although these folks don’t need any introduction. The outstanding governor of Minnesota Mark Dayton is in the house. (Applause.) Two of the finest senators in the country, Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken are here. (Applause.) From your congressional delegation, Tim Waltz -- (applause) -- Keith Ellison. (Applause.) We’ve got the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack is here. And I want to thank the mayor of Cannon Falls, Minnesota, for organizing perfect weather -- Ravi Robinson is here. (Applause.)

So I am very pleased to be out of Washington -- (applause) -- and it is great to be here. What I’m going to do is I’m just going to say a few things at the top, and then what I want to do is just open it up for questions and comments, and I want to hear from you guys. That’s the reason that we’re on this bus tour.

Obviously America has gone through extraordinary challenges over the last two and a half years. We’ve gone through the worst recession since the Great Depression, dating all the way back to 2007, 2008. But here’s the interesting thing: If you ask people around the world, people would still tell you America has got the best universities, we’ve got the best scientists, we’ve got the best entrepreneurs -- we’ve got so much going for us that folks would gladly trade places with us. (Applause.) Around the world, people still understand the extraordinary power, but also the extraordinary hope that America represents.

So there is nothing wrong with America that can’t be fixed; what’s broken is our politics. (Applause.) Think about it: Over the last six months, we’ve had a string of bad luck -- there have been some things that we could not control. You had an Arab Spring in the Middle East that promises more democracy and more human rights for people, but it also drove up gas prices -- tough for the economy, a lot of uncertainty. And then you have the situation in Europe, where they’re dealing with all sorts of debt challenges, and that washes up on our shores. And you had a tsunami in Japan, and that broke supply chains and created difficulties for the economy all across the globe.

So there were a bunch of things taking place over the last six months that were not within our control. But here’s the thing -- the question is, how do we handle these challenges? Do we rise to the occasion? Do we pull together? Do we make smart decisions? And what’s been happening over the last six months -- and a little bit longer than that if we’re honest with ourselves -- is that we have a political culture that doesn’t seem willing to make the tough choices to move America forward.

We’ve got a willingness to play partisan games and engage in brinksmanship that not only costs us in terms of the economy now, but also is going to place a burden on future generations. And the question is, can we break out of that pattern? Can we break out of that pattern? Think about it: We just went through this debacle with the debt ceiling -- an entirely self-inflicted wound. It wasn’t something that was necessary. We had put forward a plan that would have stabilized our debt and our deficits for years to come. But because we’ve got a politics in which some folks in Congress -- not the folks who are here -- but some in Congress would rather see their opponents lose than America win, we ended up creating more uncertainty and more damage to an economy that was already weak.

Now, we can’t have patience with that kind of behavior anymore. I know you’re frustrated, and I’m frustrated, too. We’ve got to focus on growing this economy, putting people back to work, and making sure that the American Dream is there not just for this generation but for the next generation. (Applause.)

Another way of putting this is, we expect our political representatives to show the same level of responsibility that all of you show. I don’t know most of you, but I can guess that you’re all working hard. You’re managing your budgets. You’re putting something away for your kids’ college education, maybe for your retirement. You’re at the local church, working in the food pantry or doing something to help out your community, coaching Little League. You are following through on your responsibilities, and that’s true all across the country. People are doing the right thing.

Well, if you can do the right thing, then folks in Washington have to do the right thing. (Applause.) And if we do that, there is not a problem that we face that we cannot solve.

Think about it. Our biggest challenge right now is putting people to work. Biggest challenge is getting the economy growing as rapidly as it needs to grow. It’s been growing. We’ve been able to reverse the recession. We’ve added over 2 million jobs in the private sector over the last 17 months. (Applause.)

But we’re not growing it as fast as we need to to drive down the unemployment rate in a significant way and to give people confidence.

So here are some things that we could do right now, what I’ve been talking about now for months. We could renew the payroll tax cut that we gave you in December that put $1,000 in the pocket of a typical family so that you’ve got more money in your pockets to spend to meet your obligations. It also means businesses have more customers. And it means they might hire a few more folks as a consequence. All we need to do is renew it. It’s already in place. If we have certainty next year that that same tax cut is going to be in place, then that’s going to help businesses make decisions to hire people and open up and make investments. That’s something we could do right now. Congress can do that right now. (Applause.)

Congress right now could start putting folks to work rebuilding America. One of the biggest things that caused this recession was the housing bubble, and all those subprime loans that were going out that were getting packaged in Wall Street and folks were making millions and billions of dollars off them, and then the whole thing came crashing down. And no one has been hit harder than construction workers.

And so for us to say at a time when interest rates are low, contractors are begging for work, construction workers are lining up to find jobs -- let’s rebuild America. We could be rebuilding roads and bridges and schools and parks all across America right now. (Applause.) Could put hundreds of thousands of folks to work right now.

There’s a bill sitting in Congress right now that would set up an infrastructure bank to get that moving, attracting private sector dollars, not just public dollars. Congress needs to move.

Right now we’ve got our veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan, who’ve taken their place among the greatest of generations, have made extraordinary sacrifices. I meet these young people -- (applause) -- I meet young people, 23, 24 years old, they’re in charge of platoons, making life or death decisions. They’re in charge of millions, tens of millions, a hundred million dollars’ worth of equipment, and they’re coming home and they can’t find work. So we’ve said, let’s give tax credits to companies that are hiring our veterans, and let’s put them back to work and let’s let them use their skills to get this country moving again. (Applause.) Congress could do that right now.

Trade deals. You know, trade deals haven’t always been good for America. There have been times where we haven’t gotten a fair deal out of our trade deals. But we’ve put together a package that is going to allow us to start selling some Chevys and some Fords to Korea so that -- we don’t mind having Hyundais and Kias here, but we want some “Made in America” stuff in other countries. (Applause.) That’s something that Congress could do right now.

Patent reform is something that a lot of folks don’t talk about, but our entrepreneurs, when they come up with a good idea, if we could reform how that system works and cut some of the red tape, we could have entrepreneurs creating businesses like Google and Microsoft right now, all across the country. But we’ve got to make this investment, and Congress could make that decision to make it happen.

So there is no shortage of ideas to put people to work right now. What is needed is action on the part of Congress, a willingness to put the partisan games aside and say, we’re going to do what’s right for the country, not what we think is going to score some political points for the next election. (Applause.)

Now, we also need to do this in a way that allows government to live within its means. Like I said, everybody here, you make responsible choices about what you can afford and what you can’t afford. America needs to do and can do the exact same thing. There are some programs that don’t work; we should stop funding them. There is some red tape that needs to be cut; we should cut it. But the fact of the matter is that solving our debt and deficit problems simply requires all of us to share in a little bit of sacrifice, all of us to be willing to do a little bit more to get this country back on track. (Applause.) And that’s not too much to ask.

Basically what we need to do is we need to cut about $4 trillion over the next 10 years. Now, that sounds like a big number -- it is a big number. But if we were able to, as I proposed, cut about $2 trillion in spending, if folks who could best afford it -- millionaires and billionaires -- were willing to eliminate some of the loopholes that they take advantage of in the tax code and do a little bit more, and if we were willing to take on some of the long-term costs that we have on health care -- if we do those things, we could solve this problem tomorrow. I put a deal before the Speaker of the House, John Boehner, that would have solved this problem. And he walked away because his belief was we can’t ask anything of millionaires and billionaires and big corporations in order to close our deficit.

Now, Warren Buffett had an op-ed that he wrote today, where he said, “We’ve got to stop coddling billionaires like me.” (Applause.) That’s what Warren Buffett said. He pointed out that he pays a lower tax rate than anybody in his office, including the secretary. He figured out that his tax bill, he paid about 17 percent. And the reason is because most of his wealth comes from capital gains. You don’t get those tax breaks. You’re paying more than that. And -- now, I may be wrong, but I think you’re a little less wealthy than Warren Buffett. That’s just a guess. (Laughter.)

The point is, is that if we’re willing to do something in a balanced way -- making some tough choices in terms of spending cuts, but also raising some revenue from folks who’ve done very well, even in a tough economy -- then we can get control of our debt and deficit and we can start still investing in things like education and basic research and infrastructure that are going to make sure that our future is bright. (Applause.) It’s not that complicated, but it does require everybody being willing to make some compromises.

I was in Holland, Michigan, the other day and I said, I don’t know about how things work in your house, but in my house if I said, you know, Michelle, honey, we got to cut back, so we’re going to have you stop shopping completely -- you can’t buy shoes, you can’t buy dresses -- but I’m keeping my golf clubs -- (laughter) -- you know, that wouldn’t go over so well.

The point is, something is happening in Washington where we think that kind of compromise that we do every day in our own families, with our neighbors, with our co-workers, with our friends, that somehow that’s become a dirty word. And that’s got to change. That’s got to stop. (Applause.)

So here’s the bottom line: Obviously, with the markets going up and down last week and this downgrade, a lot of folks were feeling a little anxious and distressed and feeling like, boy, we’ve been working so hard over the last two and a half years to get this economy back out of recession, and some folks worry that we might be slipping back. I want all of you to understand: There is nothing that we’re facing that we can’t solve with some spirit of America first; a willingness to say, we’re going to choose party -- we’re going to choose country over party, we’re going to choose the next generation over the next election. (Applause.) If we are willing to do that, then I have absolutely no doubt that we can get this economy going again, we can put people to work back again, small businesses can start growing again. But I’m going to need your help to make it happen. You’ve got to send a message to Washington that it’s time for the games to stop. It’s time to put country first. (Applause.) It is time for the games to stop.

Some folks were asking me, well, why don’t you just call Congress back? And I said, you know, I don’t think it’s going to make people feel real encouraged if we have Congress come back and all they’re doing is arguing again. So what they need to do is come to Cannon Falls, they need to come to -- they need to go back to their districts, talk to ordinary folks, find out how frustrated they are, and hopefully, when they get back in September, they’re going to have a new attitude. (Applause.)

But I want everybody to understand here that I’m not here just to enjoy the nice weather, I’m here to enlist you in a fight. We are fighting for the future of our country. (Applause.) And that is a fight that we are going to win. That is a promise that I make with your help.

Thank you very much, everybody. (Applause.)

Thank you. All right. So everybody have a seat. We’re -- here’s how we’re going to do it. I’m just going to call on folks, and we’re going to go girl, boy, girl, boy to make sure that -- (laughter) -- make sure it’s fair. I’ve got a couple of daughters, so I know that sometimes, you know -- all right.

Right here, go ahead. Yes, yes. Hold on, we got a mic -- and introduce yourself for me.

Q Okay. Hi, I’m Cecilia Findorf (ph), and first off, President Obama, I just -- I want to say, as a young voter, thank you for helping me believe that it will be good some day -- like -- (applause) --

THE PRESIDENT: It’s going to be good.

Q But I have a question, I promise.

THE PRESIDENT: You bet.

Q My question is, how are you going to use renewable energy to create jobs in the future?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, this is a great question, especially for rural communities all across America. Tom Vilsack, who was the former governor of Iowa, knows a little bit about agriculture. And so when I put Tom in as the head of the Department of Agriculture, one of the first things we talked about was, how can we mobilize the incredible resourcefulness and hard work of rural communities all across this country, not just to create jobs, but also to win back energy independence. And as a consequence, we have put billions of dollars into energy research and to help move in a direction of greater reliance on fuels that are homegrown.

So let me give you a couple of examples. One, obviously, is biofuels. And a lot of folks here are familiar with corn-based ethanol, but the fact of the matter is the technology is moving where we need to start taking advantage of a whole range of biofuels, using refuse, using stuff that we don’t use for food to create energy. And we are seeing incredible progress on that front, but it’s key to make sure that we continue to make the research and that we also use the incredible purchasing power of the federal government to encourage it.

So one of the things that I know we’re doing is we’re actually working with the Department of Defense to start saying, let’s run some of these -- let me just say this: The Department of Defense uses a lot of fuel, so the question is, can we get trucks and jeeps and, in some cases, even fighter jets running on alternative fuels, which is important for our national security but also could provide an incredible boost to communities all across Minnesota, all across the country?

The other thing that we have to do is look at things like wind power and solar power and the next generation of electric vehicles. You will recall when I came into office they were talking about the liquidation of GM and Chrysler, and a lot of folks said, you can’t help them, and it’s a waste of the government’s money to try to help them. But what I said was, we can’t afford to lose up to a million jobs in this country, particularly in the Midwest, but we also can’t afford to lose leadership in terms of building an auto industry that we used to own.

And so we turned around those auto companies -- they are now making a profit for the first time in decades, they’re gaining market share for the first time in years. (Applause.) But what we said was, if we’re going to help you, then you’ve also got to change your ways. You can’t just make money on SUVs and trucks. There’s a place for SUVs and trucks, but as gas prices keep on going up, you’ve got to understand the market -- people are going to be trying to save money.

And so what we’ve now seen is an investment in electric vehicles, and then what we did was we put investments in something called advanced battery manufacturing, because those electric cars, how well they run depends on how good the batteries are -- how long they can run before they get recharged. We only had 2 percent of the advanced battery manufacturing market when I came into office. We’re on track now to have 30, 40, 50 percent of that market. (Applause.) We are making batteries here in the United States of America that go into electric cars made here in the United States of America. It creates jobs, and it creates -- (applause) -- and it creates energy independence, and it also improves our environment.

So that’s the kind of approach that we have to take -- using the private sector, understanding that ultimately the private sector is going to be creating jobs, but also understanding that the government can be an effective partner in that process. And nowhere is that more true than in rural America. So, great question. (Applause.)

All right, gentleman right here. You can borrow my mic. Oh, you got it? Okay.

Q Mr. President, I’m Gary Evans (ph) from Winona, Minnesota. I run a broadband company there, and I’ve got a couple of messages that I hope you’ll take back to your colleagues in D.C. The first is, two years ago we had 60 employees; tomorrow we will cross 100. (Applause.) We are making the investments in this country, so my first message is: Help the job creators; do what it takes. Secondly, it was already apparent as the debt debate went on that the mood in America had shifted again to skepticism, so I’m hoping that you and your colleagues will do everything possible to make certain that confidence is restored to the country and that we have a bright future. I think broadband is a key, and I appreciate what you did for it during the stimulus act. Thank you.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) We were talking earlier about rural America. Despite all its incredible advantages, especially its people, a disadvantage is that rural America, by definition, is a little more spread out. It’s a little more stretched out, right? Population density isn’t as great. So as a consequence, when we’ve seen all these investments in wireless and broadband and all these new technologies that are stitching the world together, a lot of times rural America is left out.

And that’s why, when we came into office, one of the big investments we said we were going to make is in broadband technology so that we can connect every single town all across America. We want 98 percent coverage when it comes to broadband, and we want that same kind of coverage when it comes to wireless -- (applause) -- because what that means is -- what that means is, is that if there’s a small business in Cannon Falls that’s got a great idea, you don’t have to just confine your market to Cannon Falls; you can start selling in Rochester, and then you start selling in Des Moines, and then you start selling in New York and maybe you start selling something in Paris. And there are incredible opportunities in terms of business growth, but it requires a connection to all these wider markets.

The days are gone where any business is going to succeed just by selling right where they’re located. And that’s why we’ve made such a big investment in this, and I’m pleased to see that it’s working.

In terms of boosting folks’ confidence, I think people would actually feel pretty confident if they felt like their leaders were working together. I mean, that’s my belief. (Applause.) But I also think that they’re looking for some practical common sense. I know it’s not election season yet, but I just have to mention, the debate the other party candidates were having the other day, when they were asked to reduce our deficit, reduce our debt, would you be willing to take a deal where it was $5 of spending cuts for every $1 of increased revenues, who would take it? Everybody said no. They said, how about 10 to 1? Ten dollars of cuts for every dollar increase in revenue? Are you saying that none of you would take it -- and everybody raised their hand. None of them would take it. Think about that. I mean, that’s just not common sense.

Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton -- the last time we had a balanced budget -- all of them understood that you have to take a balanced approach to solving our deficit and debt problems, the same way a family would. If you knew that you had to cut down on your budget, you wouldn’t stop funding the college fund for your kid. You wouldn’t say, sorry, Johnny, you know, things are tight so we’re going to keep on taking our annual vacation and I’m going to buy a new car next year, but you’re not going to college. That’s not how you balance your budget.

Well, the American people are expecting that same kind of common sense reflected. And if it was there, I guarantee you confidence would go up. I speak to CEOs of companies all across America, and what they tell me is, you know what, we’re actually willing to do a little bit more when it comes to our personal taxes -- because they know they’ve done very well. They said, the single most important thing we want is making sure that middle-class families and small businesses are successful, because if they’re successful we’re going to be successful, and we’ll have more products. (Applause.) That’s what we’re waiting for. And that can be achieved, but it’s going to require all of us working together.

All right, who’s next? Yes, this young lady in the green. Right there. And then I’ll call on this guy back there because you’ve been -- you’ve had your hand up a bunch of times. (Laughter.)

Q Okay, thank you. Welcome, President Obama.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.

Q My name is Eunice Biel (ph) from Harmony, and my husband and son and his wife were dairy farmers. And so I just wanted -- for years, we have -- we’ve never had very much money, but we have been creating wealth for this country. And I would just like to say that I am -- with your rural committee, I just wanted you to keep that in mind that we always create wealth for this country. Thank you. (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: You bet. You bet. You know, one thing that I think is worth noting, because -- again, I’m going to brag on Vilsack here, because he’s done a great job -- through the Department of Agriculture, we’ve provided $5 billion in assistance, in terms of loans and other forms of assistance, to small and medium-sized farmers all across the country. And that creates a lot of jobs.

One of our great strengths as a country is agriculture. And one of the pledges that I made when I came into office was we’re going to double our exports. And a big component of that is agricultural exports. And so far, we’ve seen agricultural exports rise to over $100 billion. It creates over two -- that means over 800,000 jobs all across America. But the fact of the matter is, is that a lot of family farmers are still struggling. And so one of the things that we’re going to be talking about during this tour -- and we’ve got a big roundtable discussion tomorrow, drawing on the work that our Rural Council did -- is how we can make sure that we can get more capital to small farmers; how can we help young farmers who want to go into farming be able to buy land because land prices have gone up so high; how can we make sure that they’re able to market their products effectively, because right now, if you’re not a mega-farm, a lot of times you get squeezed.

So there are a lot of things that we can be doing to help the farm economy. And if you help the farm economy in rural communities, you help the economy of entire states. And if you help entire states, then that’s good for the country as a whole. So thank you for what you do. (Applause.)

Young man over here.

Q Well, thank you, President Obama, for coming to the great state of Minnesota, home of Senator Paul Wellstone. (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: And Franken and Klobuchar. (Applause.)

Q Yes, for sure. My name is Will Morrison (ph). I actually live in Rochester, Minnesota, home of the Mayo Clinic. Well, I just want to say I don’t think we should solve this debt crisis -- and it is a crisis -- on the backs of the middle class and the poor. (Applause.) They don’t have special interests, they don’t have lobbyists. And I want to be their lobbyist and special interest. And I just think that if we are serious about this debt, we need to ask the millionaires and billionaires to give up their tax breaks so not all the burden is on us.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, we -- look, I can completely agree with you.

Q So with that, I just want to say thank you so much for a great job you are doing. I support you 100 percent. And you got my vote in 2008 and I’m going to vote for you in 2012. Good luck. (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you. I do want to just say one thing about this debt. When I came into office, we had about a trillion dollars of debt -- or deficits already. The debt is the accumulation of the annual deficits, year after year. We had a balanced budget in 2000. We then launched two wars that we didn’t pay for. First time we had ever, by the way, not decided to pay for wars that we were going to fight; we just put it on the credit card.

We added a prescription drug plan for seniors, which was important to do, but we didn’t pay for it. And we had tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 that were not paid for. So that added a huge amount of debt. And then with the recession coming in, that added more debt, because what happens is you get less tax revenue, businesses have fewer sales, folks may have been laid off. And you’re also sending more money out because of things like unemployment insurance, helping farms stay afloat, making sure that we were putting folks to work through things like broadband.

So the debt problem is real and the deficit problem is real, but as I said before, it is actually a manageable problem. And if you don’t believe me, think about it: Even after the downgrade, the next day, when the stock markets were going haywire and everybody was thinking, what’s the best risk-free investment, what did they invest in? They invested in treasuries. So the market said this is -- America is still one of our best bets. They’re betting on us. And that’s why you have to recognize this is not a financial crisis -- although it could turn into one if we don’t do anything about it -- this is a political crisis. This is manageable.

Now, I don’t want to lie to you. That doesn’t mean that we can’t -- and we don’t have to make some tough choices. We do. We cut in this debt deal about a trillion dollars’ worth of spending over 10 years. We protected programs for student loans through the Pell Grant program, for example. (Applause.) We protected programs for hungry kids. We protected health care for seniors. (Applause.) We protected people who are the most vulnerable and need the most help from government. But we made some cuts in areas -- including defense spending, by the way -- where we had just gotten kind of carried away. And that was important to do.

Now, that solves about one-fourth of the problem. We’ve got more work to do. The key -- and I want everybody to pay attention to this as the debate unfolds over the next couple of months -- the key is not to try to cut more out of programs for poor folks or programs for seniors. The key right now is to get a long-term plan for fiscal stability. And in the short term, we should actually make more investments that would put people to work and get the economy moving. (Applause.) And if you combine those two things, we can actually solve this problem and grow the economy at the same time.

The one area where we are going to have to take a look at how we can improve the system is our health care programs Medicare and Medicaid. Now, my grandma, even though she worked hard all her life, had a decent income most of her life, she was hugely reliant on Medicare at the end of her life. So I know what Medicare means to seniors.

What is also true, though, is our health care costs have been skyrocketing and more seniors are joining up Medicare because the population is getting older. So part of what I recommended when we were in these negotiations -- although we didn’t get a commitment from the other side -- is to say, can we manage to reduce the overall cost of Medicare in a way that still preserves the integrity of the system and strengthens it so it’s there for future generations?

Now, what some of the folks on the other side are proposing is actually to turn Medicare into a voucher program. So instead of fixing the system, they’d just completely overhaul it. And what would happen would be, is you’d get a voucher that says, you’re allowed to get X amount -- spend X amount on health care, and if your health care costs keep on going above that, you’re out of luck. And it was estimated that under their plan the average senior would pay about $6,000 more per year for their Medicare when it kicked in. I think that’s a bad idea. (Applause.) I think there are better ways for us to manage the Medicare problem than to put a burden on seniors.

And one example is, if I were paying my fair share of taxes, then we don’t have to put that kind of burden on seniors. We don’t have to. I don’t want a tax break that requires 33 seniors or 40 seniors to pay thousands of dollars more on their health care. I don’t need it. And it’s not the right thing to do. (Applause.)

All right. The young lady right here has been waiting for a while. Hold on -- hold on, one second, get your microphone. We want to all hear you.

Q Welcome to Minnesota.

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.

Q Mr. President, I’ve been sleeping in my truck for two days to ask you this question. (Laughter.) I am recovering from lung cancer. I tried to get Social Security disability and they turned me down. My question to you is, we can talk about Social Security a little bit?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, Social Security -- here’s my commitment -- I don’t know about the other folks, but I’ll make a commitment as long as I’m President of the United States -- Social Security will not only be there for you, but it’s also going to be there for the next generation and the generation after that because it’s one of the most important social insurance programs that we have. (Applause.) And by the way, you pay into Social Security. They call it an entitlement, but it’s not an entitlement; you’re paying for it. It’s getting taken out of your paycheck.

So it is true that as the population gets older there’s going to be more and more pressure on the Social Security system. But the Social Security system is not the cause of our debt and deficit. (Applause.) So don’t let folks fool you by saying that in order to get a handle on our debt we’ve got to slash Social Security. There are some modest adjustments that can be made that will make it solvent for 75 years -- and that’s about as long as you can think ahead as a country.

And the way to do it is similar to the way that Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill fixed Social Security back in 1983. They said, okay, we’ll make some modest adjustments that are phased in over a very long period of time; most folks don’t notice them. But if we do that, and all the money goes back into Social Security -- it doesn’t go anywhere else -- then there’s no reason why Social Security won’t be there for future generations. But, again, this is an example of where everybody gets so dug in on their positions.

And I have to say, in fairness -- because I’ve commented on the other side not always being flexible -- there have been times where our side -- when Democrats aren’t always as flexible as we need to be. I mean, sometimes I do get frustrated when I hear folks say, you can’t make any changes to any government programs. Well, that can’t be right. I mean, most companies every year, they’re kind of thinking, what can we do better? Are there some changes we could make in order to have the operation go a little smoother? The government should have to do the same thing. But that doesn’t mean we have to make radical changes that dismantle what is the most important social insurance program that we have. But, again, the problem is not the program, the problem is our politics.

You’ll hear a lot of folks, by the way, say that government is broken. Well, government and politics are two different things. Government is our troops who are fighting on our behalf in Afghanistan and Iraq. That’s government. (Applause.) Government are also those FEMA folks when there’s a flood or a drought or some emergency who come out and are helping people out. That’s government. Government is Social Security. Government are teachers in the classroom. (Applause.) Government are our firefighters and our police officers, and the folks who keep our water clean and our air clean to breathe, and our agricultural workers. And when you go to a national park, and those folks in the hats -- that’s government.

So don’t be confused -- as frustrated as you are about politics, don’t buy into this notion that somehow government is what’s holding us back. Now, too much government -- if it’s oppressive and bureaucratic and it’s not listening to people and it’s not responsive to the needs of people and isn’t customer friendly -- that’s a problem. And if you stand in line at some government office and nobody seems to be paying any attention to you, well, that needs to be fixed. And if somebody is trying to regulate a small business and they’re not paying attention to the realities of the small business, that’s a problem.

But don’t buy into this whole notion that somehow government doesn’t do us any good; government is what protects us. The government is what built the Interstate Highway System. Government is what sent a man to the Moon. It’s what invested in the research and development that created innovations all across this country. (Applause.)

All right. I think it’s a gentleman’s turn, isn’t it? Right back there. Yes, sir. Right there.

Our mic guys are doing a great job, aren’t they? Give them a round of applause. (Applause.)

Q Thank you. Are we on? First of all, welcome to Cannon Falls, President Obama. We’re really pleased to have you here.

THE PRESIDENT: Thrilled to be here.

Q You just did a little lead-in to my question a couple of minutes ago when you said that the government is a lot of things. And as we look around us right now and we see that we are ringed by school buses all the way around this way, that’s kind of where I’m headed here. It’s because we can’t improve the economy unless we improve its foundations, and education is at the foundation of this economy. (Applause.) I would like to know what it is that your administration is planning on doing to bolster education in the face of state cuts, federal cuts -- 45 students to a classroom, cutting teachers and so forth.

Thank you. (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: Well, let me tell you first of all what we did when I came into office. The Recovery Act, about a third of it was support to states to prevent layoffs of teachers and firefighters and police officers. And thanks to the work that Amy and Al and Keith and Tim and others did, even after the first round of the Recovery Act, we then gave states some additional assistance to prevent layoffs of teachers.

Now, at a certain point, the money ran out. And states are still going through a tough time. I personally believe that one of the most effective ways that we could help the economy is making sure that we’re not seeing more teacher layoffs -- (applause) -- and I’m going to be working with Congress and state governments all across the country to prevent that from happening, because you’re exactly right -- we can’t eat our seed corn. We can’t shortchange investments in the future, and no investment is more important than education.

Now, the challenge we have in education is not just money, though. We’ve also got to make it work better. And that’s why what my administration has done is to say, we’re going to put more money into education, but we’re also going to look for high standards and reform at the state levels. And what we’ve tried to do is collaborate with governors and say, look, instead of a No Child Left Behind law that labels schools failures but doesn’t give them help that they need -- (applause) -- what we think you should do is we’ll work with you to come up with what are the things that work. How do we help train young teachers more effectively? How do we make sure that there’s good data, so instead of just teaching to the test, teachers are able to get results from a test to use to actually improve teaching in the classroom while it’s taking place right then? (Applause.)

And the steps we’ve taken, including something called Race to the Top that creates competition and says, you know what, if you’re doing a really great job and you’re coming up with innovative new ideas, we’ll give you a little extra money to implement those reforms and those good ideas -- we’re actually starting to see improvement across the country. The problem is, if the improvement is undermined because teachers are getting laid off and kids are ending up having to go to school four days a week in some states instead of five, or if suddenly things like music and art and PE that used to be critical to any school experience, suddenly that stuff is going away, then that’s undermining the reforms that we’re making.

So my argument to every governor and every local school district is, figure out what you can do without, but don’t shortchange education. And ultimately the most important thing in education are our teachers, and we’ve got to give them support and buck them up. (Applause.) In fact, we should be paying them more than they’re getting paid. (Applause.) If we’re doing that, then we’ll be in pretty good shape.

All right. Gentleman in the yellow -- oh, I’m sorry, it’s a lady’s turn. Right there, in the sunglasses -- in the blue blouse, right there. There we go.

Q Hi, Mr. President. My name is Teresa Morel (ph), and I just want to say that I’m really excited that you’re here in Cannon Falls. And my question is, is there something we can do about the rising cost of prescription drugs? And number two, if you can’t legalize marijuana, why can’t we just legalize medical marijuana to help the people that need it?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, a lot of states are making decisions about medical marijuana. As a controlled substance, the issue, then, is, is it being prescribed by a doctor as opposed to -- well, I’ll leave it at that. (Laughter.)

With respect to prescription drugs, the prescription drug program that now is part of Medicare obviously has been very helpful, but the costs had been going up and up and up. So part of the Affordable Care Act health care reform, also known as “Obamacare” -- by the way, you know what? Let me tell you, I have no problem with folks saying “Obama cares.” I do care. (Applause.) If the other side wants to be the folks who don’t care, that’s fine with me.

But, yes, I do care about families who have been struggling because of crushing health care costs. I met a young man here who -- right here -- who, as a consequence of health care reform -- he’s got a blood disorder that, if it weren’t for the health care reform act, his family would have been capped out and he wouldn’t have the help that he needs. (Applause.) So -- and you can tell he’s an outstanding young man and he’s going to do great things, and his family is not going bankrupt as a consequence of it.

Now, the same thing is true on prescription drugs. What we did as part of the Affordable Care Act was we said, first of all, we’re going to give a $250 rebate to every senior out there who’s using the prescription drug plan to help lower their costs a little bit, and what we’ve done is we’re starting to close what’s called the “doughnut hole.” And for those of you who aren’t familiar with the doughnut hole, the way the original prescription drug plan was structured, you would get some coverage up to a certain point -- a couple thousand dollars -- once you spent a few thousand dollars, suddenly it just went away and you were on your own, out of pocket, until you got on the other side where you’d spent many more thousands of dollars, and then you would get a prescription drug plan again.

Well, we said, that doesn’t make any sense; let’s close that hole. And as part of the Affordable Care Act, we will be closing that hole, and we’re also making it cheaper for generics to get onto market as well as brand-name drugs. So, overall, the health care act should be lowering prices for prescription drugs over the next few years. It’s getting phased in, so it didn’t all take into effect right away after I signed the bill; it’s getting phased in over the next several years. But you should start seeing some relief if your family needs prescription drugs. That was part of the Affordable Care Act. All right?

Gentleman in the yellow shirt right here.

Q Hello, Mr. President. I’m Pat Tulo (ph) from Cannon Falls Township. First, I want to echo the sentiments of those who have spoken before me in praising you and thanking you for all of your efforts and all the things that you’ve tried to do during probably one of the most difficult situations faced by any president in the face of unreasonable obstruction and opposition. So thank you. (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you.

Q I’d like to follow up on health care reform. As of two days ago, we now have a split in the 11th Circuit and 6th Circuit Courts of Appeals, where, inevitably, this is heading for the U.S. Supreme Court regardless of how the 4th Circuit rules. I don’t have a lot of confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court with its conservative wing. My concern is that they will drive this toward striking down the individual responsibility mandate, which I understand to be so critical to making the system work -- if everybody doesn’t buy in, it really doesn’t work. My question to you, sir, is, what do we do? This is a giant step backward if it happens. And I know I’m counting on -- I’m talking about things that haven’t happened yet, but just in terms of contingency planning, you must be thinking about this.

THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, I think it’s important for everybody to understand that the Affordable Care Act won’t have fully taken effect until 2013. So on a big change like this where we’re helping a lot of people, you want to phase it in and do it right.

Now, there are a lot of different component parts to it. I just mentioned prescription drugs, helping seniors be able to afford their prescription drugs. You’ve got the law that says that folks can stay on their parents’ health insurance up until they’re 26 years old -- (applause) -- so a lot of young people, especially if they don’t have a job yet or they don’t have a job that gives health insurance, they’ve got some security as they’re getting started off in life.

All the patient -- essentially patient rights that were in the bill, all those things are going to be there. So no lifetime caps and no fine print that the insurance company gives you where you think you’re covered and then when you’re sick you go to try to get insurance and it turns out that they’re not covering you for that -- all that stuff is going to be in place.

And what we’re doing is each state is setting up what’s called an exchange where, essentially, you can pool with your friends who also don’t -- and neighbors who don’t have health insurance, and now you’ve got a big purchasing unit, right, just like a big company does, and that means you can negotiate with the insurance companies and you can get a better deal.

How many people here have tried to buy health insurance on their own without a company? And you know what happens, right? They will charge you an arm and a leg, because their attitude is you’re not part of a big enough pool that we can spread the risk across.

So we’re setting up these exchanges. Now, where the individual responsibility mandate comes in has to do with the part of the law that says an insurance company can’t reject you because you’ve got a preexisting condition. And -- which I think is the right thing to do. (Applause).

Here’s the problem: If an insurance company has to take you, has to insure you, even if you’re sick, but you don’t have an individual mandate, then what would everybody do? They would wait until they get sick and then you’d buy health insurance, right? No point in you -- I mean, it’s just like your car insurance. If you could buy -- if the car insurance companies had to give you insurance, you’d just wait until you had an accident and then you’d be dialing on the phone from the wreck, and you’d say, “State Farm, I’d like to buy some car insurance please.” (Laughter.)

So that’s why the individual mandate is important. Because the basic theory is, look, everybody here at some point or another is going to need medical care, and you can’t be a free-rider on everybody else -- you can’t not have health insurance, then go to the emergency room and each of us who’ve done the responsible thing and have health insurance, suddenly we now have to pay the premiums for you. That’s not fair. (Applause.) So if you can afford it, you should get health insurance just like you get car insurance.

This should not be controversial, but it has become controversial partly because of people’s view that -- well, let me just say this: You’ve got a governor who’s running for president right now who instituted the exact same thing in Massachusetts -- this used to be a Republican idea, by the way, this whole idea of the individual mandate, and suddenly some -- it’s like they got amnesia. (Laughter.) It’s like, oh, this is terrible; this is going to take away freedom for Americans all over the world, all over the country. So that’s a little puzzling.

One court has said -- actually, the majority of courts that have looked at it, the lower courts, have said individual mandate is fine. Medical care is different from everything else. There’s nothing wrong with saying to people who can afford to get health insurance, you need to buy health insurance just like car insurance. You can’t wait and then go to the emergency room, because we can’t turn you away at the emergency room. And if you’re broke, then we’ll give you some help, but if you can afford it, you should buy it. That’s what the majority of courts have said.

There have been two appeals courts so far. One has said it’s fine. The other one has taken sort of the conservative line that this restricts freedom and Congress doesn’t have the authority to do it. If the Supreme Court follows existing precedent, existing law, it should be upheld without a problem. If the Supreme Court does not follow existing law and precedent, then we’ll have to manage that when it happens.

But I just want to make everybody understand that there are a lot of components to the health care law that are good for you, even if you don’t have health insurance -- or even if you have health insurance. It’s true that we helped 30 million people get health insurance. (Applause.) But it was also the strongest patient bill of rights that has ever been passed to make sure that if you do have health insurance, the insurance companies don’t jerk you around, that they treat you fairly. And that is going to stay in place. And that’s the right thing to do. (Applause.)

All right, I’ve got time for one more question. And I’m going to ask this young lady right here. I always want to end with the next generation.

Q I’m Vanessa Pier (ph) and I’m from Cannon Falls. And I’m going to say, happy birthday to Val. (Laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT: Oh, happy birthday, Val. Val looks like she’s about 29. (Laughter.)

Q And why Cannon Falls? (Applause.)

THE PRESIDENT: Why Cannon Falls? Well, I had heard that Cannon Falls has some of the smartest, best-looking kids around. And you have confirmed the rumor about the outstanding children of Cannon Falls. (Laughter.)

So thank you very much, everybody. God bless you.

Atlanta Courts Rule Against President Obama’s Healthcare Plan

2011-08-15T15:16:00.001-07:00

by Antoine Scroggins, Your Black World

It seems that almost the entire American Republic is growing weary of President Obama and his political agenda. Our alleged “One-term” President has been ostracized immensely for everything from the struggling economy, the Bush tax cuts( which are still intact), and the current wars in Libya and Afghanistan. We might as well add a couple of Atlanta judges to the “just say no” to Obama list.

The 11th Circuit court of Appeals recently said no the President’s healthcare plan that would require all Americans to purchase healthcare insurance or be hit with hefty tax penalties for failing to do so.

Chief Judge Joel Dubin and Circuit Judge Frank Hull ruled that, “to force citizens to enter into contracts with private insurance companies for the purchase of an expensive product from the time they are born until they die”, to be unconstitutional.

White House advisor, Stephane Cutler, thinks that there will be adverse affects if the health plan is not implemented. She believes that Americans with “insurance” and “taxpayers” will be stuck with the bill if uninsured citizens do not obtain some form of health insurance.

Many believe that this recent decision by the Appeals Court will prompt the U.S. Supreme Court to get involved.

President Obama reaches an all-time Low

2011-08-15T04:16:00.001-07:00

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University – Scholarship in Action

President Obama received some bad news this week: A recent Gallup Poll foundthat the approval rating for the president has dropped below 40 percent for the first time ever. A full 54 percent of Americans disapprove of the job the president is doing. This puts President Obama into George Bush territory. Bush’s approval rating dropped below 40 percent in early 2006 and never recovered after that.

Continue reading →

President Obama Blames “Politics” for the Problems of America

2011-08-13T22:29:00.001-07:00

President Barack Obama continues to outsource the responsibility of job creation to congress, imploring voters to press their elected representatives to “pass bills that will create jobs.”

Speaking at a hybrid car battery plant in Holland, Michigan – an endeavor made possible by the stimulus package – President Obama says that there is nothing sub-par about the United States:

A Former Obama Loyalist Writes Open Letter Expressing Disappointment

2011-08-12T18:55:00.001-07:00

C. Frank Igwe, PhD

Any compromise on mere fundamentals is surrender. – Mohandas Gandhi

Mr. President, I remember.

I remember serving on your Media Rapid Response Team, and the hours spent pounding out responses to false attacks on you. I remember steering committee meetings on sweltering summer afternoons. I remember the cold October and November nights, when the bands between professor and student dissolved, as we all went door to door hanging campaign paraphernalia. I remember manning the polls, and the endless lines on election day. How can I forget the stream of elderly men and women in wheelchairs voting for the first time, because they believed? I remember hurriedly packing my bags, and driving four hours south later that evening, so that I could watch the election results come in with my father and my brother. I remember the stunned silence, at the midnight hour, when Keith Olbermann announced, “Barack Obama has been elected the 44^th President of the United States.” I remember watching the lone tear make its way down my dad’s cheek.

Yes, Mr. President, I remember, and you owe me an explanation. You owe my dad an explanation. You owe ALL of your supporters an explanation.

Mr. President, please understand that I am writing out of character at the moment, because I try to live by the old Japanese credo:

“A man knows when you have done right by him. However, this good should never be raised or spoken of by you, because it is not your job to remind the man of what you have done…it is HIS job NEVER to forget.”

And so here I am, speaking for myself, for my family, and for tens of millions of other people I will never meet, because evidently Mr. President, you have forgotten the blood, sweat, and tears shed by all of us over the course of your 2008 campaign.

Mr. President, you have made one thing clear over your tenure in office: where politics and principle divide, you have consistently chosen what is politically expedient, even at the cost of willingly denouncing things you once enthusiastically accepted. I readily concede that there may be a myriad of top-secret factors that dictate the decisions and compromises you have made, but despite this, your supporters need to hear SOMETHING. Even if that “something” is as simple as: “there are things that I cannot provide details, but trust me when I say that I got the BEST deal possible for the Nation at this point and time”. Mr. President, we need you to tell us…something.

As it stands right now, all we see from you is compromise after compromise. While I fully understand the concept of compromise, I do not subscribe to a philosophy of “compromising unto death”.

President Bush is rightly criticized for ignoring a Daily Brief emblazoned with the title: “Bin Laden Determined to Strike U.S.”, and part of the castigation stems from the explicit nature of the warning. Similarly, Mr. President, you have been warned over and over again by Republicans of all ranks, that they want you to fail. RushLimbaugh pulled no punches: "The dirty little secret ... is that every Republican in this country wants Obama to fail, but none of them have the guts to say so; I am willing to say it.” Let’s be honest, there is even a television network dedicated to your demise!

Turn the cheek once, Mr. President. Turn it twice, if you must, but there are only so many cheeks to turn. After your enemies have been revealed as such, it becomes your solemn duty to crush and slay them faithfully. Politics is a contact sport, and you cannot have clean hands in this fight. The sad part is, after all these years, I still do not know what you stand for. I rooted so hard for you to succeed, that I allowed myself to be convinced by faithful members of the Democrat base that your capitulations were merely those of a Harvard educated lawyer thinking 10 steps ahead of the curve. Day by day, issue by issue, ground was ceded: Healthcare, Iraq, Afghanistan, Gitmo, Wall Street regulation, cutting funding for heating oil for the poor, cutting funding for graduate education, failure to appoint Elizabeth Warren (or your numerous other nominees) during the congressional recess, the list continues.

For me, the moment of truth came with your compromise on the Bush tax cuts, which were set to expire last December. This was the moment, Mr. President, that YOU (and I do blame you) failed to rescue our country from the fiscal hell spawned by President Bush. By allowing the tax cuts to expire, you could have single handedly saved America a projected $4 trillion in the coming decade, and simultaneously saved us from a tanking stock market, and subsequent AA+ credit downgrade. This was the moment that you could have proved to be the courageous leader America desperately needed.

The use of “courageous” is pivotal, because “courage” has been described as “not the absence of fear, but the strength to do what is right in the face of this fear”.Instead of showing courage, you folded, and now you want to sell us the idea that “Republicans are holding the country hostage, because they won’t agree to revenue increases”. With all due respect, Mr. President, you insult our collective intelligence with that incomplete retelling of events leading to the debt ceiling brinksmanship fiasco. The reason? You were complicit in the hostage crisis, and YOU had the opportunity to shape the narrative with regards to the Bush tax cuts, but you decided to extend them, and thereby entrusted your fate to others. Fast forward a few months, and you effectively negotiated against yourself, with chips that you voluntarily gave to the Republican opposition. The Republicans are guilty of plenty, but they are true to their principles, and they have you as an unwitting, or possibly witting, accomplice.

And so, yes, this economy is now your economy, and unfortunately you will go down in history as the presiding President when America received its first ever credit rating downgrade. You chose to side with Wall Street over Main Street, and Wall Street burned you, while sitting on over $2 trillion that they refuse to spend to lubricate the economy. The wealth gap of African American and Latino families relative to their White counterparts has exploded, and the unemployment rate continues to be astronomical. Your Democrat base is frustrated, the Independents are seeking alternatives, while the Republicans are high-fiving.

Mr. President, you pride yourself on being a historian, and readily embrace the comparisons of Abraham Lincoln. As a fellow fan of history, please allow me to remind you that in fact, Lincoln is not remembered as much of a compromiser.Yes, he was a strong leader and a savior of the United States Government, but by no means was he a great compromiser. You see, in a lot of ways he was the very opposite of yourself. He employed some rhetoric of compromise, but none of the action. He understood that when times get tough, the tough get rough.

Mr. President, your greatest gift is not compromise, rather, it is the ability to move the masses with your oratory flourishes. With the unique bully pulpit of the presidency, and both chambers of Congress, you stood poised to present an agenda and have it swept through the legislative pipeline by sheer power of will, and a healthy dose of strong arming. Instead, you stood on the sideline, and watched your political capital fritter away. Mr. President, I will still vote for you in 2012, because the truth is I see no viable alternative, and I value the symbolism of having a Black face in the White House. But the truth is, you have lost the confidence of the American people, and without the people, you have nothing.

By C. Frank Igwe, PhD

Michael Blake from the White House Office of Public Engagement, Resigns

2011-08-12T15:42:00.001-07:00

Michael Blake, formerly the Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, has resigned.

Blake represented the White House at the "Measuring the Movement" forum, hosted by Rev. Al Sharpton. He also produced several initiatives to support the 2012 reelection campaign for the president. He was often the public face for the president within the African American community. There is no word yet as to the reasons for the resignation.

He sent this letter out to the public following his resignation:

Family,

It is with a great sense of humility and emotion that I write that today is my last day here at The White House. I will be going to Chicago for the next journey.

There has been and will be no greater honor than serving President Barack Obama, especially being given the opportunity to be his director of African-American and Minority Business Outreach.

I say thank you for walking with me on this journey. It is one that I will never forget and will be forever indebted to the President, Valerie Jarrett and Michael Strautmanis entrusting me with given the magnitude of the moment.

We have the power in our hands to change the world and do transformational, game changing things.

Remember the words of Jim Wallis, “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for”.

I can’t wait to work with you again.

Please stay in touch and be blessed,

Obama Issues Stern Demand for Congress to Pass Job-Creating Legislation

2011-08-12T14:38:00.001-07:00

By JasmineHughes, Your Black World

This past Thursday President Obama discussed the job-creating potential of investing in clean energy. He took a tour of a Holland, Michigan factory that makes advanced batteries for alternative-fuel vehicles such as hybrids or all-electrics.

Obama talked about the benefits of spending money on producing such clean-energy technologies as advanced batteries, which would include more jobs and reduced consumption of foreign oil. He calls them “jobs of the future” and says the U.S. should lead the way in developing energy sources that pollute less.

Critics Question Whether Pres. Obama Should Take Luxury Vacation During Tough Economic Times

2011-08-12T07:54:00.001-07:00

By JasmineHughes, Your Black World

If you ask White House press secretary, Jay Carney, he’ll tell you that just as most Americans do, Obama needs down time to regenerate and adds, “Besides, the presidency travels with you.” However, in light of the economic turmoil and astronomically high unemployment rate, many are questioning how appropriate it is for President Obama to be vacationing in Martha’s Vineyard next week; a place where the average home can run nearly $1 million dollars.

Michael Moore Says President Obama Should Arrest the CEO of Standard and Poors

2011-08-11T07:45:00.001-07:00

Steve Harvey Calls Tavis Smiley and Cornel West Uncle Toms

2011-08-10T14:49:00.001-07:00

Dr. Boyce: It seems that Steve has a lot to say about Tavis Smiley and Cornel West.

President Obama: The US is Still a AAA-Rated Country

2011-08-10T13:57:00.001-07:00

Kirsten West Savali, Your Black World

In the wake of his perceived capitulation to the GOP, giving them “ninety-eight percent” of what they asked for in the debt-ceiling mis-deal, President Barack Obama is now calling for “political will” from both sides of the isle.

“We knew from the outset that a prolonged debate over the debt ceiling, a debate where the threat of default was used as a bargaining chip, could do enormous damage to our economy and the world’s,” he said in televised comments to reporters from The White House.

In a contentious process that amounted to nothing more than a schoolyard brawl, the Tea Party fueled GOP held the livelihood of vulnerable American citizens in limbo as they relentlessly held conservatives to a pledgecreated by founder of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR), Grover Norquist, requiring that they did not raise taxes under any circumstances.

In keeping with what has become a recurring pattern, President Obama called for a comprehensive deal that would cut spending, reform entitlement programs and increase tax revenue, without offering any details of a potential plan. However, in an admirable attempt to raise the morale of the country, the President did offer abstract words of confidence, calling into question the relevance of Standard & Poor’s:

“Markets will rise and fall, but this is the United States of America. No matter what some agency may say, we’ve always been and always will be a triple-A country.”

With no clear plan on how to restructure the incohesive and combative nature of Beltway politics, it would serve the Obama Administration well to remember that a solvent nation is only as strong as its elected officials, and a triple-A country requires triple-A leadership.

***

Kirsten West Savali is an independent journalist based in Los Angeles, CA. Her provocative topics explore the interconnectivity of race, gender, politics and culture. Kirsten’s commentary can be found on AOLBlackVoices.com, BlackPower.com, BirthplaceMagazine.com, CarsonVentureMagazine.com, The Loop21.com, and others. She is also founder of The Nomadic Poets Oasis, a website dedicated to the elevation and exposure of Poetry and Spoken Word. Connect with her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter: @KWestSavali

President Obama Says Goodbye to “No Child Left Behind”

2011-08-09T17:38:00.001-07:00

Perhaps the President Should Begin to Speak Openly about Minority Education

2011-08-09T15:33:00.001-07:00

Your Black World reports

Russlyn Ali is no stranger to the huge disparity in the educational achievement gaps among blacks and whites. In fact, most of her professional career had been tirelessly spent on improving educational opportunities for low-income and minority students.