Obama's Weekly Address: 'Passing a Budget that Reflects our Priorities'

In this week's address, President Obama said that in order to keep growing the economy and creating good jobs, Washington must end its cycle of manufactured crises and self-inflicted wounds. It's time for both parties to work together to pass a budget that reflects our priorities -- making smart cuts in things we don't need and closing wasteful tax loopholes, while investing in areas that create opportunities for the middle class and our future generations.



I can't help but wonder how much farther along our nation would be if the Republican Party had decided to work with our 44th president when he was inaugurated back in January 2008 instead of their obstructionist tactics.

Obama's Weekly Address: The President’s Plan to Create Jobs and Cut the Deficit

President Obama tells the American people about the budget he is sending to Congress, which makes the tough choices required to grow our economy and shrink our deficits. [Video / Transcript]



Once again, our president proves that he is the only adult in the room when it comes to national politics. Will he ever find someone in the Republican Party willing to work with him on behalf of the American people? Who do you think that Republican might be? We know it wasn't Mitt Romney...

Obama's Weekly Address: End the Sequester to Keep Growing the Economy

In his weekly address, President Obama says that businesses have created jobs every month for three years straight – nearly 6.4 million altogether, and have added 246,000 new jobs in February. We must keep this momentum going, and that’s why the President recently met with Republican leaders to discuss how we can replace the harmful, arbitrary budget cuts, called the “sequester,” with balanced deficit reduction. [VIDEO]

Obama's Weekly Address: 'Congress Must Compromise to Stop the Impact of the Sequester'

In his weekly address, President Obama tells the American people that a series of harmful budget cuts ... called the sequester ... have taken effect because Congress failed to act.

Because Republicans in Congress refused to compromise to close tax loopholes for the wealthiest Americans, hundreds of thousands of Americans will lose their jobs or see their paycheck reduced, and middle class families will be hurt. Congress must join the President now to replace these cuts with a balanced approach that reduces our deficit while also making smart investments in areas that help our economy grow.

Watch this week's Weekly Address.

Weekly Address: President Obama on America's Fiscal Future

It has been an interesting week for our federal budget. A compromise on the FY-2011 federal budget was signed into law by the president ... no government shut-down (at least thru September 30, 2011).

The discussion now turns to the FY-2012 federal budget. House Republicans, led by Paul Ryan (R-WI) stepped out first with their budget plan. It seemed to raise the ante on efforts to de-fund the health care reform bill that was passed last year as well as providing over a trillion dollars in tax cuts for the wealthiest folks in America. Oh yeah, and the plan seems to call for an end to the social safety nets like Medicare and Medicaid.

President Obama pushed back with his own plan to reduce the federal deficit by $4 trillion dollars over the next 12 years. The president's budget plan calls for an end to the so-called 'Bush Tax Cuts' for the wealthiest Americans, along with cuts of $400 billion to the defense budget. The president talks about his budget plan in his weekly address to the nation.





What is your view on the ongoing federal budget discussions. Is President Obama making sense to you? Or do you think that Paul Ryan and the House Republicans are more on point for future direction of our nation's fiscal future?

Weekly Address: President Obama on the Budget Compromise to Avoid a Government Shutdown

I used to work for the federal government. As such, I'm glad that the budget battles in Washington DC over the past few weeks didn't end in a government shutdown. I appreciate President Obama for the steps he took to bring the congressional leaders together over the past week to get an agreement.

I understand that the agreement calls for $38.5 billion in cuts. I don't know what cuts were made or what programs are impacted ... but, I do think that it is a good idea to seek out cuts in the federal budget whenever possible.

Here is what the president had to say in his weekly address:





What is your take on the recent budget battles?

Will Obama's Urban School Grants Create Opportunities for African American Entrepreneurs?

According to the U.S. Department of Education, President Obama has recently announced $900 million in grants as a part of his 2011 budget to help improve student achievement at 5,000 of the nation's lowest-performing schools. Most, if not all, of the schools are in urban areas.

The budget includes a $100-million program aimed at increasing college-level, dual-credit and other accelerated courses in schools, allowing students to earn a high-school diploma and an associates degree simultaneously.

What does this mean for entrepreneurs of African descent?

This means that local businesses that sell educational services and products can benefit too. The grant money will be allocated in many ways, such as to hire tutors, to buy educational software and materials, to upgrade old technology (computers, etc), to hire local motivational speakers, to hire scholarship experts and college consultants, and more.

The grant money may even be used to hire interior decorators and architects to make the schools look more modern. Do your research, and find out if there are schools in your area that will receive assistance from the grants. If so, find out what the schools' needs are and position yourself to offer relevant services. There will, no doubt, be many contracting and purchasing opportunities in the near future.

Here is a listing of other 2010 business grant opportunities that you might find useful.

Fight AIDS: The Lazarus Effect

I had a client earlier this year who hosted a symposium on the impact of HIV/AIDS on women. One of the outgrowths of that effort was creation of a HIV/AIDS Awareness groupsite that is still up and running. Most of the time the statistics and the information that we share is negative. AIDS is killing folks at a rapid rate all over the world.

I'm pleased to see a good news message for once. Did you know that AIDS medicine is giving people the opportunity of a future where once there was no hope?

Treatment costs around 40 cents a day.

The results are nothing short of miraculous.

Someone on death's door can be brought back to life. In as little as 90 days.

This transformation is called the Lazarus Effect.




I encourage all villagers to send President Obama a holiday card asking him to give a gift to the world and support the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The Global Fund has already saved 4.9 million lives in just 6 years and if we can convince President Obama to take action, we can make sure that millions more of the world's poorest people survive these deadly, but treatable diseases and are able to live healthy, productive lives.

We can make a difference!

Obama Proposes $1.25 Billion for Black Farmers

Field Negro (BBR #9) and others took the Obama administration to the woodshed for reneging on a promise to the impoverished Black farmers. As such, I was glad to see that Obama did the right thing when push came to shove.

President Barack Obama is proposing that the government give $1.25 billion to settle discrimination claims by Black farmers against the Agriculture Department.

The White House said the money would be included in Obama’s 2010 budget request.

Earlier this year, Black farmers and lawmakers criticized Obama for neglecting the need for more money to fund claims under a 10-year-old, class-action lawsuit against the government.

In a statement, Obama said the proposed funds would “close this chapter” in the agency’s history.

"My hope is that the farmers and their families who were denied access to USDA loans and programs will be made whole and will have the chance to rebuild their lives and their businesses," Obama said.

John Boyd (shown in photo shaking Obama's hand), head of the National Black Farmers Association, has called the proposal a "step in the right direction," but said additional funds would be needed.

"We think this is a good step in the negotiating process. We're glad to know this issue is on the president's radar screen and we commend him for taking this step," he said. But "we need to make sure that none of the Black farmers are left out."

Obama Wants to Close 5,000 Failing Schools

I am pleased to see that the Obama Administration is taking steps to change the dynamics of the American educational system. He wants to see 5,000 failing schools close and reopen with new principals and teachers over the next five years. The plan for failing schools is part of an effort to fundamentally change perceptions about what works in education.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan says kids have only one shot at a good education and chronically underperforming schools need a new start.

Obama doesn't have authority to close schools himself. That power rests with local school districts and states. But the president will have unprecedented money to offer schools from a federal school-turnaround fund. And states have an incentive to act in the federal economic stimulus law, because they must help failing schools improve to be eligible for the dollars.

The administration's goal is for the lowest-performing 1,000 schools — about 1 percent of schools nationwide — to close and reopen each year for the next five years.

Combined with the budget plan released last week, Obama could have as much as $5 billion to facilitate school turnarounds, which could translate to $1 million for every school that is closed and reopened.

I hope that Obama is able to keep the spotlight on his challenge to Americans. We need to significantly increase our efforts in public schools if we plan to maintain our position of global superiority in the future.

What say u?

President's Weekly Address: 'Calling for Fiscal Discipline'

This week the President reiterates a theme that has been a hallmark of his career, namely that "old habits and stale thinking" will simply not help us solve the new and immense problems our country faces. Listing off several specific changes he intends to bring, he describes his guiding principle:

"To help build a new foundation for the 21st century, we need to reform our government so that it is more efficient, more transparent, and more creative. That will demand new thinking and a new sense of responsibility for every dollar that is spent."

I gotta tell you ... I've never been more proud of my president than I am of Barack Obama. When you consider the level of difficulty his presidency had upon his inauguration ... don't you have to give him a grade of 'A' on the first 100 days?

President's Weekly Address: 'Efficiency and Innovation'

With the process of going through the budget line by line in full swing, the President uses his Weekly Address to give some examples, big and small, of how the Administration is working to cut costs and eliminate waste.

The President also announces two new key appointments, Jeffrey Zients as Chief Performance Officer and Aneesh Chopra as Chief Technology Officer, who will be invaluable in streamlining the way government functions through efficiency and innovation.



What do you think of this week's message?

Urban League Issues 'The State of Black America 2009: Message to the President'

Did you see where the National Urban League issued it's annual State of Black America for 2009? The report seeks to address the issues central to Black America in 2009 by examining Black progress in education, homeownership, entrepreneurship, health and other areas. [SOURCE]

Ordinarily the report is simply issued to the public-at-large. This year the report is specifically addressed to President Obama.

We welcome the new vision the Obama administration brings to Washington and to America. But this vision can only become a reality if we make it so. The State of Black America 2009: Message to the President, is an essential part of the National Urban League’s effort to bring about this vision by working with the new Administration to tackle the nation’s deepening domestic challenges. I hope that it encourages and inspires each of you to join us in working to help President Obama fulfill the promise he made to us last summer “to build a nation worthy of our children’s future.” - Marc H. Morial, National Urban League President & CEO

The 11-page executive summary lays out the basic elements of the full report. The Urban League issues their message to President Obama about race. Of course, President Obama gave an honest answer when asked about race at his press conference the other day. Check it out:

Villagers, I agree with Obama. He needs to focus on fixing the economy for all Americans ... not just African Americans. Our community needs to take some responsibility for dealing with the recommendations laid out in this year's Urban League report.

The 31 specific recommendations in the report appear to be dealt with fairly well in Obama's stimulus plan and budget priorities. Some of the Urban League recommendations included:

• Ensure that the stimulus package’s green job creation includes poor urban communities.


• Increase funding for job training and placement for disadvantaged workers.


• Guarantee full-day schooling for all 3 and 4 year olds.


• Expand the school day to account for working parents and families without nearby relatives to help with after-school care.


• Fund mortgage counseling and education programs for African Americans.


• Implement universal health care and a “comprehensive” system to provide Blacks with health education, prevention and intervention.

I appreciate the work that the Urban League puts into this report each year. I figure that they added the 'Message to the President' in the title of the report so that it would increase sales. In reality, the message needs to be given to each of us. It is time for us to get busy!

Should We Support Obama's Budget?

I must admit that the budget submitted to congress by President Obama looks like my personal budget ... more money flows out than flows in. The difference is that I can't print money at my house.

That being said ... we elected President Obama because he had specific ideas and programs that he feels will change America in a positive way. I respect him for doing what he said he was going to do. He allows the Bush tax cut for the wealthy to expire. He provides a tax cut for 95% of working Americans. He makes large investment in health care reform and energy independance.

At the end of the day ... we elected President Obama to lead us out of our current economic crisis. He says that he needs this budget passed. My attitude is that we should trust him. We should give him the budget that he needs. Here is how he introduced the budget to America yesterday.




I encourage you to invite other villagers to watch this video. In the meantime, what are your thoughts on the federal budget proposed by President Obama?