Week Fourteen

National Scene    4/29 – 5/4/09

By Linnie Frank Bailey

The Administration began the week with the confirmation of the President’s cabinet pick for the Department of Health and Human Services—former Kansas Governor, Kathleen Sebelius.  Sebelius was the last of Obama’s picks to be confirmed (by a vote of 65-31) and the new Secretary had to hit the ground running as the nation dealt with the swine flu pandemic.  The vote came after Democrats urged quick action so that Sebelius could get to work leading the federal response to the world-wide flu outbreak.  The week ended with reassurances that the flu was not as severe as first suggested. However, the Administration vowed to keep close tabs on the outbreak as it spread across the country.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

100^th Day celebrated in Missouri

President Obama marked the actual one hundredth day of his administration at a town hall meeting in Arnold, Missouri.  During a moment of retrospection, he recalled,  “Now, back in November, some folks were surprised that we showed up in Springfield at the end of our campaign.  But then again, some folks were surprised that we even started our campaign in the first place. They didn't give us much of a chance.  They didn't think we could do things differently.  They didn't know if this country was ready to move in a new direction.  But here's the thing -- my campaign wasn't born in Washington.  My campaign was rooted in neighborhoods just like this one, in towns and cities all across America; rooted in folks who work hard and look after their families and seek a brighter future for their children and for their communities and for their country.”

Obama’s Deal for Teachers

During his town hall in Missouri, Obama repeated a pledge he made during his campaign to improve the educational system.  Speaking of the challenges, Obama stated:  “The deal I've got to strike with teachers, though -- I may not get as much applause on this -- is I would like to work with teachers and the teachers unions, because I'm a union guy, but I do believe that it's important for the unions to work flexibly with school districts ….so that if you've got a really excellent teacher, after 15, 20 years, they can get paid a little bit more if they're doing a really good job.  And now the flip side -- I'm telling you, I'm getting to the point where I'm not going to get applause.  If you've got a bad teacher who can't -- after given all the support and the training that they need -- is just not performing up to snuff, we've got to find that person a new job.”

Monday, May 4, 2009

Ending Offshore Tax Havens

Addressing another campaign pledge, President Obama submitted a proposal to curb tax havens and end benefits for companies who create jobs overseas.  Instead, the Administration wants to provide incentives for businesses to create jobs in America. Describing his proposal as “restoring fairness and balance to our tax code,” Obama continued, “On the campaign, I used to talk about the outrage of a building in the Cayman Islands that had over 12,000 businesses claim this building as their headquarters. And I've said before, either this is the largest building in the world or the largest tax scam in the world,” Obama said. “And I think the American people know which it is.”

The Administration expects strong opposition from businesses that want to hold on to their tax loopholes. Their Congressional supporters may also provide opposition.  However, in announcing proposals aimed at overhauling the U.S. tax code, Obama complained that existing law makes it possible to “pay lower taxes if you create a job in Bangalore, India, than if you create one in Buffalo, N.Y.”

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo

The Obamas each celebrated Cinco Del Mayo—the President with Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan at the White House—and the First Lady at D.C.’s Latin American Montessori Bilingual Public Charter School, a small institution serving 145 pre-school through fourth grade students. “Feliz Cuatro de Mayo!” said Michelle Obama as she greeted her audience and enjoyed student performances of folk dances from El Salvador, Colombia and Mexico. The students were dressed in colorful, native costumes. “Que fantastico!” Mrs. Obama exclaimed after the performances.