Spies Hack U.S. Electrical Grid...Where's That Stimulus Money?

News about our electrical grid today is a bit on the disturbing side. According to the Wall Street Journal, cyber-spies have hacked into our national grid and mapped it out. They also left software programs behind that could disrupt our power supply in time of war or just to create chaos (possibly starting a war in such a way). Basically, this isn't good.

From The WSJ:

The espionage appeared pervasive across the U.S. and doesn't target a particular company or region, said a former Department of Homeland Security official. "There are intrusions, and they are growing," the former official said, referring to electrical systems. "There were a lot last year."

Many of the intrusions were detected not by the companies in charge of the infrastructure but by U.S. intelligence agencies, officials said. Intelligence officials worry about cyber attackers taking control of electrical facilities, a nuclear power plant or financial networks via the Internet.

So what do we do about this potential crisis? Well, instead of just spending a few billion here and there as band aids for the system, we need to completely revamp how the U.S. does energy. Barack Obama talked about a new grid that relies on alternative sources and is soundly and safely connected. It isn't solely about cyber hackers either, the system we have now is old, outdated and full of holes. Being on the east coast for the blackout six years ago, the evidence showing just how bad the way we're wired is glaring to say the least. And as a bonus, building clean energy plants and constructing a grid that fully utilizes the power will create an incredible amount of jobs and reduce our dependence on dirty coal.

Gov. Sanford Has A Severe Case Of GOP Insanity

Sanford's delusions were on full display yesterday as he tried claiming that accepting federal money to fund South Carolina's public school system is some sort of child abuse:



And the craziest thing? This man wants to run for President in three years.

Weiner And Bloomberg Stand Together For Stimulus Cash

Though there were quite a few New York politicians at this press conference, seeing Bloomberg and Weiner together is at least somewhat of a news story. Weiner has laid off campaigning and recently said he'll make a decision about running for mayor once Congress goes on break. Even with that admission, standing behind/beside the incumbent indicates that Weiner really isn't up for the challenge to contest Mayor Mike.

Murphy Slams Tedisco For Not Supporting The Stimulus

It took an entire month for Jim Tedisco to take a stand on Obama's stimulus bill. Sadly, that position is one that goes against creating jobs in upstate New York. Scott Murphy seized on Tedisco's statement and is exposing him for the failed Republican ideas (or lack there of) that Jimmy has wedded himself to.

Obama's Message To The States Concerning The Stimulus Bill

Now that the money from H.R. 1 is ready to go out, the President has a warning for governors and state legislatures across the country. Spend the money wisely by putting people to work with it. A smart message no doubt, but the President should heed another message from an equally smart man; get a comprehensive and a well-written stimulus bill on the drawing board and out to the people ASAP.

Gotbaum Goes HuffPost, Comparing Bloomberg To Anti-Stimulus Governors

Michael Bloomberg is certainly not on the top of my list of favorite elected officials, but I hadn't thought of comparing him to the ilk that Republican Governors Sanford and Jindal are. Now thanks to a Huffington Post article written by the generally laid-back NYC Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, I've got good reason to call out the Mayor not only for his bad leadership and power plays, but for putting stipulations on Federal assistance that our city desperately needs.

From The Huffington Post:

President Obama's stimulus package is expected to bring billions of dollars into New York City at a time when we desperately need it. Included in this package is a provision that will suspend the limit on how long able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDS) can receive food stamps through September 30, 2010 -- it is a provision designed to address hunger during a time of high unemployment. However, we recently learned that Mayor Bloomberg has refused to accept the provision without conditions, a decision that could cause the city to miss out on millions in federal funds for the local economy.

This is nothing new for Mayor Bloomberg: New York City, as a locality with high unemployment, had previously been eligible for a waiver to extend the time limits, but despite the urging of myself, other elected officials, and hunger advocates -- and even the advice of his own appointees -- the mayor has never accepted the ABAWD waiver.

Mayor Bloomberg refuses to extend federally funded benefits to hungry, out-of-work New Yorkers while they look for jobs, but when it comes to another group of able-bodied adults -- his friends in the financial sector -- he isn't so strict. He has announced that he is willing to spend millions of dollars in city money to retrain and support former financial services workers.

It isn't news that Bloomberg is out of touch with people who make less than a mid-six figure salary, but this adds more fuel to the fire. It is a cruel act of a man engorged with power and money that would deny the lengthening of food stamps to those that are barely getting by. If New Yorkers want a mayor that cares about the non-millionaires, electing someone other than Bloomberg is a necessary choice.

Cheers to Betsy Gotbaum for writing this and bringing attention to our heartless mayor. When she wants to, she is definitely able to step up and be a worthy advocate of the people. Her message to go around Mr. Scrooge the mayor is also a smart idea.

Lo And Behold, The Stimulus Bill Really Can Stimulate The Economy

Now I know Republicans hate government, especially when it can actually work for the people where private enterprise comes up short. Private business, innovation and entrepreneurship is great, but not all the time, as we can clearly see in this economy. So Barack Obama moved the stimulus bill through Congress, wanting to jump start activity. Republicans screamed and cried the whole way through, claiming that it wouldn't create jobs. Rush Limbaugh subject RNC Chairman Michael Steele said it would create work, but not jobs. Well, it is only March, but thanks to the bill there are people working now thanks to the jobs created to rebuild our infrastructure.

From The NY Times:

There is nothing monumental in President Obama’s plan to revive the economy with a coast-to-coast building spree, no historic New Deal public works. The goal of the stimulus plan was to put people to work quickly, and so states across the country have begun to spend nearly $50 billion on thousands of smaller transportation projects that could employ up to 400,000 people, by the administration’s estimates.

More than a dozen states have now said how they plan to spend at least some of their transportation money, giving the clearest picture yet of how one of the president’s signature programs is playing out around the country. Beyond all the money for Medicaid and unemployment benefits in the huge bill passed last month, this will be the face of the country’s stimulus program: a bridge will be painted on a rural road, a new lane added on a suburban highway, a guardrail built on a median strip.

They may be old plans that the recession had forced a state to shelve, but multiplied by thousands, they will quickly get bulldozers rolling again and paychecks flowing. On the highway projects alone, the White House said Tuesday that 150,000 jobs would be created or saved.

The only problem was that there wasn't enough money to fund all the projects that states wanted to begin on. Obama wanted something quick and he got that, the only trouble was that it got watered down. Now that the construction industry is rehiring workers they let go, it is time to put together a real, comprehensive transportation stimulus package. This past bill had to cover many different segments of the economy but when we really focus on infrastructure, the benefits we'll receive will far outweigh the costs to the treasury.

Instead of another TARP-like bill, we should be spending at least half a trillion solely on transport. Further, roads should only be a small percentage of that. Mass transit must be made a priority as we make the transisition from a petro-economy to a green-economy. The other day I heard someone complaining about the NYC transit system, and rightly so. It is packed and overcrowded and the service stinks. That person's response was a typical one when thinking on the individual level...buy a car to have your own space. The only problem with that is the government must spend money to maintain both options and going the 'car' route only makes things worse for us all. Now if we made mass transit more amenable by running more trains, had more routes and cleaned things up a bit, then the complaints would drop as we invested more in the system.

So if that small infusion of cash that we are seeing go to work now makes an impact, imagine what a comprehensive package would do for the country.

Tedisco Lies About Stimulus Bill In Debate With Murphy

It has to be hard to stick to the facts as a Republican in 2009. When you tell the truth, the picture is bleak, especially since the financial crisis was primarily caused by their deregulation agenda and "greed is good" mentality. As Tedisco and Murphy face off for Gillibrand's Congressional seat, the Republican has some serious hoops to jump through in order to look good, but it is nearly impossible to use a GOP talking point and not get yourself into trouble.

From The Albany Project:

Tedisco is in a rather uncomfortable position. He's trying to keep at least some distance from the trainwreck that is the House GOP by continuing to refuse to say whether he would have been the only member of the House Republican caucus to vote for the recently passed stimulus package, something he is still refusing to do.

Murphy asked Tedisco directly to declare his stance on the federal stimulus plan, as he has been pushing him to do on the campaign trail for more than 2 weeks. Tedisco didn't respond, but turned to an example of one of his accomplishments as an assemblyman, the alternative fuel fund.

But then he did something to make sure he didn't stray too far from GOP orthodoxy by repeating the now thoroughly debunked claim that the stimulus package contained $30 million for protecting a marsh mouse in San Francisco. You remember that bit of nonsense don't you[...]

Tedisco even invented a new price tag for this completely made up, nonexistent program claiming that it would cost "$32 million."

Philip asks whether Tedisco is lying or merely misinformed. Although I suspect that is a rhetorical question, I'll answer it anyway. The man is lying. Why would the residents of NY-20, in such crucial times for upstate New York and the nation, want a man that can't stake a position on the stimulus bill and on top of that, lies about what's in it. The country is collectively trying to get rid of Congressmembers that are denying the reality of our situation. Why on Earth would we want to add another to the mix?

President Obama Corrects GOP, Money For Education Is Not A Waste

For too long our public education has been beaten down by conservatives, whether it be on cable news programs, opinion pages or by cutting funding for our schools. Well, Barack Obama has a word or two for critics of the stimulus bill who think that investing in our kids is a bad idea.

Gov. Arnold To Gov. Jindal, Show Me Your Stimulus Money!

While on the show yesterday, Arnold was asked to Sanford's statement over taking stimulus money, but since he took his state's share, the request by California's Governor goes to his fellow Republican Executive in Louisiana, Gov. Jindal. Bobby Jindal denied his state approximately $90 billion in unemployment monies because he erroneously though that it would raise taxes. So, Gov. Jindal, hand that money over to California, they need the finances just as bad as you do. Oh and citizens of Lousiana, you know what to do with Jindal next time he's up for re-election (or if he goes after the party's ticket in 2012).

M.T.A. Tells Ratner To Stay Away From Their Stimulus Money

It has already been mentioned that community destroyer developer Bruce Ratner is looking for a chunk of that economic stimulus money to build his offices, apartments and basketball arena. However, the opposition to that has been fierce and people are noticing. First of all it wasn't written anywhere in the bill (probably because H.R. 1 was about stimulus and not earmarks) and now the M.T.A. is telling Ratner to scat as well.

From The Gothamist:

Atlantic Yards opponents have expressed considerable outrage over developer Bruce Ratner's attempt to get a taste of the federal stimulus package for his embattled stadium, office, and residential project in Brooklyn. Last week it came to light that former Senator Alfonse D’Amato’s lobbying firm, Park Strategies, was working behind the scenes to secure a cut of the stimulus for Ratner. But they can forget about getting any of the loot earmarked for the MTA; a transit official tells the Post that the stalled development is "not on any of our lists [of projects]." However, Ratner is still lobbying for some of the stimulus money outside of the MTA's purview; there's some $3.9 billion for "infrastructure and energy assistance" which will soon be at Governor Paterson's disposal. A spokeswoman for the governor says they're "examining whether the project warrants stimulus funds," and notes that "there's a lot of competition."

Damn, not even a lobbying effort could get AY a dime (though I'm sure D'Amato didn't come for free, heh). Now as for Paterson's discretionary $3.9 billion, if he even thinks twice about giving Ratner money, he can kiss Brooklyn's vote in next year's primary race goodbye.

Congratulations President Obama, For Taking The First Step

There is so much to be done in order to repair the damage our country has endured under Republican leadership rule. Yet we now have a President that is willing to take bold steps to put us on the path to recovery. With the stimulus bill having been written and signed into law, we have taken the first step on that path.

Senate Passes Stimulus Bill, Now What?

The Senate passed a heavily redacted stimulus bill today, even less stimulating than what the House passed a week and a half ago. Neither are what Barack Obama initially wanted and even further from what America really needs to get the economy going again. Well, before President Obama signs it, the bill has to go to a House-Senate Conference Committee, that is, unless the House bows down before Senate's version. Granting that doesn't happen, it is time for Obama to get to work so that committee delivers something of value to the nation. Perhaps he might want to remind the members of the Conference what they are doing to their own states by axing so much of the bill's original intent.

From TPM:

Arizona, where Sen. John McCain (R) is touting his dogged opposition to the stimulus, is facing a $1.6 billion budget shortfall that could double in size by next year -- a gap representing nearly one-third of the state's general fund, according to the CBPP.

The state already has eliminated temporary health benefits for the disabled, hiked public university tuition by 9.5%, and instituted a hiring freeze. Meanwhile, McCain and Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) are almost certain to vote against even the compromise cuts to state stabilization aid, with McCain thundering that the stimulus will "mortgage the future of our children [with] fiscally profligate spending."

Let's not even mention Nevada, where Sen. John Ensign (R) is opposing state stabilization aid despite a budget deficit that swallows 38% of the general fund. A provision in the stimulus says that states may lose out on money if they do not increase education spending to 2006 levels -- a requirement that Nevada is finding difficult to meet. The state already has delayed a promised kindergarten expansion, cut money for gifted and disabled education, and sliced public university aid, according to the CBPP's analysis.

Which brings us to Maine, the home of lead centrist negotiator Sen. Susan Collins (R). The state budget chief says Maine is hoping for as much as $1 billion in federal aid to help close a deficit that is already forcing layoffs and fee increases. So why did Collins work so hard to trim the estimated $250 million in state stabilization aid that would have gone to her own constituents? If she knows, she's not telling.

And these Republicans are just the tip of the iceberg.

The budget gaps are daunting to say the least. Here in New York the number is $13.7 billion for FY 2010 alone. Yet Republicans and so-called centrists would rather stick to a failed ideology that incorrectly states that tax cuts create jobs. History says otherwise. President Obama is trying to be pragmatic about our economic doldrum and it would be best to put partisan games aside for the sake of the country at least just this once.

Sen. Grassley Loves Him Some "Porkulus"

Senator Grassley probably thought he was being witty when he labeled parts of the stimulus bill as "porkulus." Though as most politicians like Grassley, he forgets that the Internet has a funny way of recounting the Senator's own pork-barrel spending and Jon Stewart had no problem in pointing that out.

Do They Think That This Stimulus Is Just A Game?

I've given up hope for Republicans to come to the table and honestly help broker a package that can put America back to work. I've also been wary of conservative Democrats around this whole thing too, but now it seems a few of them really don't care much either. Take for instance Senator Bayh, who was too busy to go to a meeting he said included important discussions on the bill. And then you have people like Senator Ben Nelson, who defines the term "DINO."

From Greg Sargent:

Total Reductions: $80 billion

Eliminations:

Head Start, Education for the Disadvantaged, School improvement, Child Nutrition, Firefighters, Transportation Security Administration, Coast Guard, Prisons, COPS Hiring, Violence Against Women, NASA, NSF, Western Area Power Administration, CDC, Food Stamps

*****************************

Reductions:

Public Transit $3.4 billion, School Construction $60 billion

*****************************

Increases:

Defense operations and procurement, STAG Grants, Brownfields, Additional transportation funding

*****************************

Nelson spokesperson Clay Westrope confirms the authenticity of the memo, adding that the figures obviously could change. But this is currently the general direction.

Instead of working with his party, he opts to go the "bipartisan" route, meaning that women, children, firefighters, mass transit and the poor will suffer at the behest of the Defense industry. Sounds like more of the same from the last eight years to me. The last thing we need is to make the Defense industry any more bloated than it already is. In fact, if our government really wanted to solve problems here at home, they would start cutting that $527 billion dollar budget (not including war expenses) and give it to programs that help the people.

Shame on Nelson for supporting tripe like this.

Unemployment Numbers Released Today Minimize The Problem By Half

The headlines this morning, even on the Huffington Post screamed about unemployment jumping 0.4% to 7.6%. These numbers haven't been seen in thirty-five years, but it is far from the reality of the actual problem we face. Unemployment in this country is a serious problem that continues to get worse, but that single digit number so many people see on their newsreaders is far from accurate. It is only one data point among five others that the Bureau of Labor Statistics uses to gauge unemployment. Their most comprehensive number, the U6, is actually at 13.9% and not even that gets the clearest snapshot of what is going on.

From DailyKos:

But even the U6 figure undercounts, according to other observers, including John Williams, who runs the subscription-only electronic newsletter Shadowstats.com. Williams hasn't yet posted his January calculations, but last month he put the jobless rate at 16.5 percent -- more than double the official rate. His figures include unemployed workers who have been left out of the overall count since "discouraged workers" were dropped during the administration of Lyndon Johnson and other downward adjustments were made in 1994. Those changes mean the official rate can't be fairly compared with the official rate in the 1980s, much less the 1930s.

Last month, Williams told Reuters: "I expect that unemployment in the current downturn, which will be particularly deep and protracted, eventually will rival, if not top, the 25 percent seen in the Great Depression."

According to increases reported at the BLS, Williams' number could be at or above 17%. A much more ominous report than 7.6 percent. The traditional media is trying to coat the story with the thickest amount of sugar as they can. While the media networks must address the seriousness of the problem, no one wants to make comparisons to the Great Depression. However, the American people are feeling the effects of this downturn, no matter what official number is touted.

What it all means is that we need a real, solid stimulus bill to be signed by President Obama as soon as possible. What a shame that Republicans and some conservative Democrats are being allowed to dilute the bill, when what it really needs is to be strengthened.

McCain's Attempt To Stay Relevant In Senate Fails

It is hard to be in the minority, no matter what legislative body you are in. When you are a recently failed Presidential candidate and your party was soundly rejected at the ballot box and continuing in public opinion polls, things get even worse. If John McCain and the Republicans actually wanted to help the American people, they'd have tried to work with Democrats on the Majority's bill. However, led by McCain of all people, going it alone resulted in where many Senate bills go, to the trash heap.

From The Huffington Post:

WASHINGTON — The Senate has killed an alternative economic stimulus plan by Sen. John McCain that would have cut income and payroll taxes but spent far less than President Obama's plan.

The party-line 57-40 vote against McCain's $421 billion plan came Thursday as a group of moderate Democrats and Republicans struggled to cut up to $100 billion from Obama's version.

McCain's plan would have cut the bottom two income tax brackets and lowered corporate income taxes. It also would have extended unemployment benefits and provide money to repair and replace military equipment worn out in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Of course it wasn't surprising that this bill met a quick demise. It was never in the cards for a Republican sponsored stimulus to get any kind of recognition. I understand they want to be the party of opposition but pulling crap like this smells more like obstructionism than anything else.

Obama Reminds GOP They Lost In November

The GOP has been acting just a little too big for their britches in the Senate, forgetting how the American people took in a lot of length on their particular brand of cloth. Yet McConnell and his forty troopers (along with a couple conservative Dems) are determined to continue the failed ideas of the past. Well, President Obama had a thing or two to tell them today:

Funding Education Is An Economic Stimulant

Center for American Progress' Raegen Miller tells us why funding for education is such an important part of an economic stimulus. It shouldn't take a rocket scientist to realize that teaching the next generation skills for the 21st century is a good idea, but apparently a lot of people in Washington need to be reminded.

Fun Facts Of The 2nd Ave Subway

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (my rep by the way), with all the talk of economic stimulus via infrastructure bouncing off the halls of Congress, has decided to get in the game. The massive project underway in her district is none other than the infamous 2nd Ave. subway and guess what, it needs money. Maloney took the time to spout off some facts about how it helps the local economy, but forgets about how it hurts in the short-term.

From The Gothamist:

Yesterday, Representative Carolyn Maloney released a report detailing how construction for the Second Avenue Subway, as well as the East Side Access plan, have helped out the economy. According to the findings, the Second Ave Subway has created 16,00 jobs, generated $842 million in wages, and produced $2.87 billion in economic activity, while East Side Access has created 22,000 jobs, generated $1.176 billion in wages, and produced $4 billion in economic activity. And by the endShe said, “The stock market may be slumping, but these two transit megaprojects are delivering a very healthy return on the federal and state investments in them... While these projects won’t cure everything that ails our economy, they are a huge help in getting us back on track.” Read the report (PDF). Last month, NY1 focused on 2nd Avenue businesses that have taken a hit since the dig—Second Avenue Business Association says, "Within the first six months of the construction process commencing, business declined between 15 and 20 percent."

The jobs and wages are great, the impact on local businesses is not so great, but the long-term impact of having a second subway line on the eastside is essential for NYC. Back when the project was initially started in 1929, the city was so eager for it that they tore down the El lines in anticipation of the underground route. Of course as we know now, eighty years later and we still do not have a working T train. So basically I feel for those suffering businesses, but then again thinking long-term is key here.