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Appeals for cooperation fall on deaf ears in D.C.
First lady unveils plan for fitter, leaner kids
National news briefs - Feb. 10
Police debate use of relatives' DNA
Snow socks Washington, but essential work is done
Republicans set sights on Murtha's Pa. district
Killer talks of Kansas abortion doc's death on YouTube
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Man robbed at Tallmadge Avenue eatery
Four teens restrain man, take items from his Akron home
Another winter punch heading toward Ohio
Complaints against officer keep coming
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Cuyahoga Falls residents come home to find burning couch on balcony
Blogs:
First Bell - On Education:
No City of Akron basketball tonight
Pets:
Pet telethon re-airs
The Heldenfiles:
Chipmunks "Squeakquel" on DVD/BD March 30
Akron Zips:
Late surge gives Zips ugly road win
Tribe Matters:
Blogmail response on Hafner
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth's contract terminated
Balanced Ledger:
QB in Browns future: another mock draft
Kent State Sports:
KSU Notes – February 9
Cleveland Cavaliers:
NBA Power Rankings from Around the Internet
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes grab 18 players on signing day
Varsity Letters:
Garfield at Buchtel basketball
All Da King's Men:
Palin At The Tea Party Convention
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Republican Pre-Conditions
Akron Law Café:
Citizens United v. F.E.C. (Part 4): Kennedy's and O'Connor's Basic Approaches to Constitutional Decisionmaking – Top Down and Bottom Up
Car Chase:
Collector Car Hobby Loses One of the Best—Jim Roll
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Decisions Decisions: Credit Cards or Your Mortgage?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
Sound Check:
Talk of the Town – Top entertainment picks for the weekend
HRLite House:
Track HR Research
Akron Gamer:
Makers of 'Castle Crashers' unveil 'BattleBlock Theater'
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
Measure gives Congress until Dec. 18 to finish seven funding measures
By Andrew Taylor
Associated Press
Published on Friday, Oct 30, 2009
WASHINGTON: The Senate Thursday cleared a stopgap spending measure to avoid shutting down most federal agencies at midnight Saturday.
The measure — now ready for President Barack Obama's signature — would give Congress until Dec. 18 to finish seven incomplete spending measures that were supposed to be wrapped up by Sept. 30.
The Senate cleared the bill by a 72-28 vote after a 247-178 House vote earlier Thursday.
The legislation also extends highway programs and federal loan guarantees for larger mortgages.
The anti-shutdown measure was attached to an unusually generous $32.2 billion spending bill for the Interior Department and environmental programs, one that pumps billion of dollars into clean and safe drinking water projects.
Several of the remaining bills, including a $626 billion measure funding the Pentagon, now appear likely to to be bundled together into an omnibus measure that lawmakers had hoped to avoid.
The underlying bill rewards Interior and the EPA and some smaller agencies with increases of $4.7 billion over 2009 levels, an increase of 17 percent. The biggest increases go to EPA grants to state and local governments for sewage treatment projects, wastewater treatment and clean drinking water projects.
The generosity raised hackles with Republicans, who said the increases are simply unaffordable — and unsustainable — given the government's dismal deficit picture.
''The 17 percent increase in this agreement is irresponsible, especially in light of the fact that Congress must soon consider legislation to increase our national debt,'' said Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Calif.
But Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., the chief author of the bill in the House, said that former President George W. Bush had squeezed interior and environmental accounts in his eight years in office. Bush routinely cut back grants to state and local governments that are extremely popular with lawmakers, forcing them to rummage through other accounts to restore the cuts.
There's also $475 million to restore the Great Lakes, a seven-fold increase requested by President Barack Obama, as well as lesser amounts to improve water quality in the Chesapeake Bay, Puget Sound, San Francisco Bay and the Long Island Sound.
WASHINGTON: The Senate Thursday cleared a stopgap spending measure to avoid shutting down most federal agencies at midnight Saturday.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 10:53 AM, 10/30/2009
Hmm, who'd be willing to sign a petition that all elected officials have to pay a 50% tax on their income, a 25% capital gains tax rate, and a 5% asset tax as long as our national debt remains above $5 trillion and/or our national deficit exceeds $250 billion?
I'd bet they'd reduce spending if we voted that in!
