What can American taxpayers do to help them out? – about freezing assets of Qaddafi and Mubarak and to keep American money from supporting vile dictatorships –

Tags

American taxpayer dollars, brutal dictatorships supported by US and International money, cricketdiane, Egypt, Gaddafi, Human Rights, Libya, Mubarak, Qaddafi, united nations, US foreign aid, US foreign military aid

As I was responding to this question, it was obvious that it would make a better post where I can expand it a bit with more links –

It is about what people can do to stop the flow of funds to Mubarak and Qaddafi (Gaddafi), find their hidden assets and wealth, what to do with the information once it is found and what American taxpayers can do to stop brutal, vicious dictators like them from being supported with American taxpayer money –

This is the question from Michelle that I had been answering –

michellefrommadison
Submitted on 2011/03/08 at 4:31 am

What can American taxpayers do to help them out?

Japan freezes assets of Libya’s Gaddafi, others | Reuters
2 #

cricketdiane
Submitted on 2011/03/08 at 4:59 pm | In reply to michellefrommadison

 

Specific to Mr. Qaddafi and his sons – their financial wealth is being located and frozen. However, since the Qaddafi regime is still in place and intends to continue in the style to which they have become accustomed, there are actually some things that US citizens can do about that.

First, make sure that there is nowhere on this planet that doesn’t know what kind of human beings they are.

Second, make sure that the wealthy who have hosted them, fawned over them, treated them like gods, and partied with them understand that none of us think that is okay nor acceptable.

Third, let our government leaders know that trading off our principles in order to do business with those insatiably cruel, malicious regimes is unacceptable and that our tax dollars are not to be used to support any such thing.

And, fourth – make sure that the strength of our conviction about it is heard everywhere around the world including at the tables of the IMF, at the World Bank, at the European Parliament, at the tables of the United Kingdom leadership, at the United Nations, at the policy-making foundations and organizations throughout the US and around the world, at the treasuries of every national decision-making body and at the NGOs, Industries, Corporations, Businesses and Political Parties that have in the past, supported them. It is not “kind of okay.” It is not okay at all.

If there is anything that you find online about the Qaddafi regime, the Libya Investment Authority, the Qaddafi sons and their shenanigans or where they have met with anyone in the past – and you stumble over it while looking at something online in the news or in some investors’ information, or looking at some public relations or consulting firm or Wall Street firm that has bragged about it in the past – then ship it over to the UN Secretariat with the link and to the US State Department. It only takes a few minutes to do that and then if it is something they haven’t known already, they can find those resources and take charge of them for the Libyan people. The same thing is true for the Mabarak fortune which is still being tracked around the world. These things are simple enough.

It is time to say that we aren’t going to put up with it anymore.

And, if you find any photos online of Qaddafi and his regime members, family members, sons and daughter being worshiped by our business leaders, our political leaders, our industry members, our corporate CEOs, our wealthiest and powerful, our political party members – then publicly share those and the links where they can be found. If you find evidence in written materials from the past, and photos of the brutality, cruelties and torture of these regimes, publish it, forward it, blog about it and tell others where the information can be found.

The ICC and UN Secretariat among other international groups, including Interpol are working to locate some of these things and keeping them current information rather than lost in something from 1986 somewhere – will be helpful when they start to look for it as they build these cases against this brutality.

– cricketdiane

***

I had originally started with this part – in response to Michelle – (and turned it around when posting it here) –

The first thing American taxpayers can do is to say something. When our money goes to put sophisticated military hardware in the hands of the brutal regimes around the world that are known to be psychotic, authoritarian, abusive, torturing their own people, sponsoring terrorism around the world and denying basic universal human rights to their people, then the people of the world believe that we, as Americans are supporting those horrors in their lives and in their nation.

Saying something about it to our legislators, to the public, to fellow citizens, to our churches, to our NGOs, to our State Department, to our President, to our family members and to our communities of friends is first.

The second thing Americans can do is to tell legislators on the appropriations committee when those appropriations are being made and send emails or make phone calls to the Congressional and Senate members on the foreign relations and appropriations committees as well as the government oversight committee. (wait a minute and I’ll look it up.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_congressional_committee
House of Representatives
Appropriations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Committee_on_Appropriations
Foreign Affairs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Committee_on_Foreign_Affairs
Intelligence (Permanent Select)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Permanent_Select_Committee_on_Intelligence
Oversight and Government Reform
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_Committee_on_Oversight_and_Government_Reform

Senate
Appropriations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_Committee_on_Appropriations
Foreign Relations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate_Committee_on_Foreign_Relations

***

There are joint committees and subcommittees where these decisions are made which can be found here –
http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/committees/d_three_sections_with_teasers/committees_home.htm

However, most of the real policy decisions are being made in the party policy-making committees at the Republican and Democratic Party using their networks of resources and through their headquarters eventually. Those policy decisions are then enacted through their Party representatives serving in the Congress, Senate or in state governments and local governments.

These policy-makers draw on information provided to them from their favored think-tanks and academics as well as from the policy-making industry which act as consultants to them all that have arisen over the years. There is actually a school or two within our universities who specialize in government and policy that are commonly consulted by both sides of these issues. And, the special interest groups, lobbyists and international serving consultant firms are also influencing the policies and the applications of those policies through their individual and collective efforts.

Overall, the staff of the Congressional and Senate offices are more likely to be involved in sorting out the varied approaches to different issues like this one which will tend to include information from other sources in the reports they provide to the Congressmen and Senators. That information can include information from the Energy Committee for instance, that may overwhelmingly support (as in the case of Libya) a trade-off in foreign policy principles in order to satisfy the desires of the petroleum industries who want to harvest the oil reserves in that country, engineering firms who want to do business there, equipment manufacturers who want their products to be used there, the Chamber of Commerce representing businesses generally and the Petroleum Institute who serves to promote the overall interests of their industry.

These reports and briefs are put together, sometimes by think-tanks and academic institutions for the legislators and the party policy-makers as well, or analyzed by the special interest groups and policy consultant firms that hover around Washington. Sometimes, these are provided in their entirety to the Congressional members and Senate offices, and sometimes (probably more often) they are offered as a bullet list focused brief with the analysis condensed and simplified with back-up charts and data which seem to support whatever position offered. Normally, these provide intellectual arguments and data to sully support for any other position at the same time intentionally swaying the reader to think in their desired terms – most are very one-sided supporting whatever position that is in their best interest.

So, the third thing that American taxpayers can do is to find these sources of policy online and discuss it with them. Let the academics, think-tanks, political party policy-makers, policy consulting firms and special interest groups understand what we want or don’t want our money to be doing. Or, to explain to these policy sources that we expect both the things to get done that need to get done while at the same time honoring those principles upon which our nation is founded. The policies set forth by legislators as well as by businesses, industries, special interest groups, and policy-makers in our political parties can be set up to do both. It appreciably gets lost in the mix if none of us are saying anything to them about it directly.

Fourth, the other thing that people can do in America is to put a stop to it entirely. We can solve problems in other ways which are allowing our nation to be put at the mercy of other nations whose brutality we don’t want to support. That means using something other than gasoline, for instance. Those political parties and specific legislators who trade off our national principles for the support of brutal dictators for any reason can be publicized for those decisions and voted out of the seat they are warming. The special interest groups and industry representatives that are supporting those kinds of trade-offs can be publicized in that light and then removed from the list of those places where our money is donated. And, if it turns out that money we are giving to one special interest group is going eventually into supporting another group whose influence intentionally supports denying our founding principles and social responsibilities – then we can publicize that fact and stop giving them our money, our churches’ money, our charitable moneys, and enter a discussion with the initial organization funneling money into another one about our concerns. And, tell others about it.

When people give to support veterans’ needs, that money should not end up going eventually into another pool of money that abrogates programs for the veterans whether it is the Tea Party, the conservatives, the Republican Party or whatever else they funneled that money to finally. Those trails can be located through their websites and tell others about it. If all else fails, and reasonable discussions are not making any difference, then suits can be filed against them to explain that money can’t be taken for one thing and then used to do exactly the opposite. For that, they are responsible in how those funds are used and where they end up going and what gets supported when the final analysis is done.

Fifth, as fun as it is as a way to meet others, supporting protests about these things if an extreme and questionable choice but certainly does feel better than sitting at a computer engaging in discussions about it with people who basically are getting paid to serve the support of whatever policy position in order to get paid for what they do.

It would probably be easier to twitter that, “this jackass just voted to support including arms sales to psycho whomever that slaughtered 43,000 people last year. pass it on.”

I don’t know.

– cricketdiane

***

Specific to Mr. Qaddafi and his sons – their financial wealth is being located and frozen. However, since the Qaddafi regime is still in place and intends to continue in the style to which they have become accustomed, there are actually some things that US citizens can do about that. First, make sure that there is nowhere on this planet that doesn’t know what kind of human beings they are. Second, make sure that the wealthy who have hosted them, fawned over them, treated them like gods, and partied with them understand that none of us think that is okay nor acceptable. Third, let our government leaders know that trading off our principles in order to do business with those insatiably cruel, malicious regimes is unacceptable and that our tax dollars are not to be used to support any such thing. And, fourth – make sure that the strength of our conviction about it is heard everywhere around the world including at the tables of the IMF, at the World Bank, at the European Parliament, at the tables of the United Kingdom leadership, at the United Nations, at the policy-making foundations and organizations throughout the US and around the world, at the treasuries of every national decision-making body and at the NGOs, Industries, Corporations, Businesses and Political Parties that have in the past, supported them. It is not kind of okay. It is not okay at all.

If there is anything that you find online about the Qaddafi regime, the Libya Investment Authority, the Qaddafi sons and their shenanigans or where they have met with anyone in the past – and you stumble over it while looking at something online in the news or in some investors’ information, or looking at some public relations or consulting firm or Wall Street firm that has bragged about it in the past – then ship it over to the UN Secretariat with the link and to the US State Department. It only takes a few minutes to do that and then if it is something they haven’t known already, they can find those resources and take charge of them for the Libyan people. The same thing is true for the Mabarak fortune which is still being tracked around the world. These things are simple enough. It is time to say that we aren’t going to put up with it anymore.

And, if you find any photos online of Qaddafi and his regime members, family members, sons and daughter being worshiped by our business leaders, our political leaders, our industry members, our corporate CEOs, our wealthiest and powerful, our political party members – then publicly share those and the links where they can be found. If you find evidence in written materials from the past, and photos of the brutality, cruelties and torture of these regimes, publish it, forward it, blog about it and tell others where the information can be found. The ICC and UN Secretariat is working to locate some of these things and keeping them current information rather than lost in something from 1986 somewhere – will be helpful when they start to look for it as they build these cases against this brutality.

That’s all.

– cricketdiane

***

***

US Foreign Assistance Act states that countries violating the human rights of its citizens not eligible for any aid – Libya Qaddafi and Mubarak illegitimate receipt of US foreign military aid grants

Tags

cricketdiane, domestic spending cuts, Egypt, Gaddafi, Human Rights, Libya, Mubarak, Qaddafi, Republican budget cuts, US budget cuts, US economic crisis, US foreign aid, US foreign military funding

Authorization for military aid generally comes from the United States Congress. This aid can take several forms, but the most common are direct grants given to governments to purchase American-made weapons, services and training. Nearly $91 billion has been allocated in this way since 1950, and the majority of this aid goes to Israel and Egypt.^[5] Congress enacted the Foreign Assistance Act in 1961 which separated military from non-military aid and created the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to administer non-military assistance.

The act also states that countries violating the human rights of its citizens will not be eligible for any type of aid.^[6]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_military_aid

***

My Note –

Then to give this military aid to Mubarak and Gaddafi (Qaddafi) was illegal.

– cricketdiane

***

US Foreign Assistance Act states that countries violating the human rights of its citizens not eligible for any aid – Libya Qaddafi and Mubarak illegitimate receipt of US foreign military aid grants

***

Hmmm………

US Economic and Military Assistance to the World - from the GreenBook US Overseas Loans and Grants

(from)

http://gbk.eads.usaidallnet.gov/

See About the Greenbook for more important information about this site. Also see the U.S. Foreign Assistance Reference Guide, which presents in clear, understandable terms the arcane world of international development assistance.

This web site, a companion to the annual publication U.S. Overseas Loans and Grants, Obligations and Loan Authorizations—commonly known as the Greenbook—provides a complete historical record of United States’ (U.S.) foreign aid to the rest of the world by reporting all loans and grants authorized by the U.S. Government for each fiscal year.

To understand how the data on this site differ from U.S. Official Development Assistance (ODA) please see our Comparison of Official Development Assistance and Foreign Assistance

***

This page on a special interest group site has an overview of the legislative appropriations process which is valuable for anyone who would like to understand it – it is a glossary, well-written, easy to understand and does explain why things in Washington happen as they do. This is one of the entries:  ( – cricketdiane)

“Wish list” letters are submitted by members of the Committee on Appropriations, as a special, early opportunity for appropriators to weigh in on their priorities with the key decision makers (the chairman and the ranking member of the committee).

Because these letters are given particular weight by the key decision makers, it is important at RESULTS that we make sure our issues are represented in as many of them as possible.

The due dates for these “wish lists” generally range from between March and May.

http://www.results.org/skills_center/glossary_of_legislative_terms/id=2736

***

Now if every special interest lobby is doing that, it is one thing – but also I noticed that where we, as citizens have no right to be on the floor of the legislature – foreign legislators do – and, where the above special interest group promotes anti-poverty programs through USAID and other agencies to nations around the world from our US funds – other groups could be promoting damn near anything. It also notes the multiple agencies where the appropriations are being made, including from those agencies which would not be obvious sources of international funding systems from our tax money.

– cricketdiane

***

As the chart above shows – over $50 billion dollars going to military and non-military aid, may or may not be completely inclusive of all grants, all loans – the money we send to multilateral development banks and grants outside the 150 Account that covers most USAID funding.

The wikipedia entry about US foreign military aid also includes this note –

United States Congress created the Economic Support Fund (ESF) to promote economic and political stability in strategic regions where the United States has special interests. The funds are provided on a grant basis and are available for a variety of economic purposes, like infrastructure and development projects. Although not intended for military expenditure, these grants allow the recipient government to free up its own money for military programs.[5]

Indirect military aid also amounts to a significant source of aid. Some countries receive International Military Education and Training grants to pay for training on U.S. weapons systems, and military management in general.

(and)

* Military aid is given predominantly to Middle Eastern countries, particularly Egypt, Jordan, Israel and Saudi-Arabia neither of which is a developing country.

* Corruption is a major problem – funds often go directly to leaders who may not share the aid with citizens.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_military_aid

***

• United States – United States Agency for International Development(USAID) the Inter-American Foundation(IAF), and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_development_aid_agencies

***

USAID’s stated goals include providing “economic, development and humanitarian assistance around the world in support of the foreign policy goals of the United States”.[5] It operates in Sub-Saharan Africa; Asia and the Near East, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, and Eurasia.

* In 2004, the Bush Administration created the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) as a new foreign aid agency to provide financial assistance to a limited number of countries selected for good performance in socioeconomic development.[13] The MCC also finances some USAID-administered development assistance projects.To support U.S. geopolitical interests, USAID is often called upon to administer exceptional financial grants to allies. Also, when U.S. troops are in the field, USAID can supplement the “Civil Affairs” programs that the U.S. military conducts to win the friendship of local populations and thus to undermine insurgent support. In these circumstances, USAID may be directed by specially appointed diplomatic officials of the State Department, as in Afghanistan and Pakistan at present. USAID can also be called upon to support projects of U.S. constituents that have exceptional interest.

Financial assistance supplies cash to developing country organizations to supplement their budgets. USAID also provides financial assistance to local and international NGOs who in turn give technical assistance in developing countries.

In recent years, the USG has increased its emphasis on financial assistance in place of technical assistance. In 2004, the Bush Administration created the Millennium Challenge Corporation as a new foreign aid agency that is mainly restricted to providing financial assistance. In 2009, the Obama Administration initiated a major realignment of USAID’s own programs to emphasize financial assistance, referring to it as “government-to-government” or “G2G” assistance.

The U.S. Government’s 150 Account funds the budgets of all International Affairs programs and operations for civilian agencies, including USAID.

In FY 2009, the Bush Administration’s request for the International Affairs Budget for the Department of State, USAID, and other foreign affairs agencies totaled approximately $39.5 billion, including $26.1 billion for Foreign Operations and Related Agencies, $11.2 billion for Department of State, and $2.2 billion for Other International Affairs.

(from)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USAID

***

The National Endowment for Democracy, or NED, is a U.S. non-profit organization that was founded in 1983 to promote US-friendly democracy by providing cash grants funded primarily through an annual allocation from the U.S. Congress.^[1] Although administered as a private organization, its funding comes almost entirely from a governmental appropriation by Congress and it was created by an act of Congress. In addition to its grants program, NED also supports and houses the Journal of Democracy, the World Movement for Democracy, the International Forum for Democratic Studies, the Reagan-Fascell Fellowship Program, the Network of Democracy Research Institutes, and the Center for International Media Assistance. It has been accused by both right-wing and left-wing personalities of interference in foreign regimes, and of being set up to legally continue the Central Intelligence Agency‘s prohibited activities of support to selected political parties abroad.^[2]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Endowment_for_Democracy

(and)

The international affairs budget enables a variety of programs worldwide that promote the security and values of the American people. This budget helps to ensure long-term stability, fosters economic growth around the world, and reinforces a humanitarian ethos both domestically and abroad. The international affairs budget currently achieves all of these objectives for slightly more than 1 percent of the U.S. federal budget. In contrast, current defense spending comprises almost 15 percent of the U.S. federal budget.

The majority of U.S. foreign assistance is contained in the international affairs budget requested and allocated through the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. This is also referred to as Function 150 or the “150 account”, and contains spending on global economic, diplomatic and humanitarian programs by the State Department (DOS), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) among others. The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition provides thorough updates on the status of 150 Account budget, including a summary of individual program, or “account,” allocations.

http://www.cgdev.org/section/initiatives/_active/assistance/budget

***

(and)

It has been said that in the 1960s and early 1970s USAID has maintained “a close working relationship with the CIA, and Agency officers often operated abroad under USAID cover.”[44] The 1960s-era Office of Public Safety, a now-disbanded division of USAID, has been mentioned as an example of this, having served as a front for training foreign police in counterinsurgency methods.[45]

Folha de São Paulo, Brazil’s largest newspaper, accused USAID of trying to influence political reform in Brazil in a way that would have purposely benefited right-wing parties. USAID spent 95,000 US$ in 2005 on a seminar in the Brazilian Congress to promote a reform whose aim was to push for legislation to punish party infidelity. According to USAID papers acquired by Folha under the Freedom of Information Act, the seminar was planned so as to coincide with the eve of talks in that country’s Congress on a broad political reform. The papers read that although the “pattern of weak party discipline is found across the political spectrum, it is somewhat less true of parties on the liberal left, such as the [ruling] Worker’s Party.” The papers also expressed a concern about the “‘indigenization’ of the conference so that it is not viewed as providing a U.S. perspective.” The event’s main sponsor was the International Republican Institute.[46]

In December 2009, Alan Gross, a contractor for USAID, was arrested in Cuba. He and US government officials claim Gross was helping to deliver internet access to the Jewish community on the island, however the head of the Jewish community in Cuba, Adela Dworin, denies any knowledge of Gross and says that recognized international Jewish organizations have provided them with legal Internet connections. Cuban officials have said that Gross remains under investigation on suspicion of espionage and importing prohibited satellite communications equipment (known as a B-gan) to Cuban dissidents. [47]
Support of forced sterilization

In Peru, former president Alberto Fujimori (1990-2000) pressured 200,000 indigenous people in rural areas (mainly Quechuas and Aymaras) into being sterilized.[29] In July 2002, a final report from the Health minister proved that between 1995 and 2000, 331,600 women and 25,590 men had been sterilized. The program was mainly financed by the USAID (36,000,000 dollars) and the UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund). [48]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USAID

***

*and*

Freedom House – (but how is it being used?)

In 2001 Freedom House had income of around $11m, increasing to over $26m in 2006.[14] Much of the increase was due to an increase between 2004 and 2005 in US government federal funding, from $12m to $20m.[14]

On June 25, 2005, freelance journalist F. William Engdahl asserted on the GlobalResearch.ca website that Freedom House was “created in the late 1940’s to back the creation of NATO” and criticized the group for being headed by former CIA director James Woolsey at the time of his article’s publication.[13]

In 2001 Freedom House had income of around $11m, increasing to over $26m in 2006.[14] Much of the increase was due to an increase between 2004 and 2005 in US government federal funding, from $12m to $20m.[14] Federal funding fell to around $10m in 2007, but still represented around 80% of Freedom House’s budget.[14] As one scholar noted, “This is unusual, especially when one considers that the organizations involved in the assessment and monitoring of human rights, democracy and freedom in the world refuse on principle – as a guarantee of their independence and credibility – government funding.”[14]

The authors suggest this can be most notably seen by the way it perceived the US ally El Salvador in the early 1980s, a regime that used the army for mass slaughter of the populace to intimidate them in the run up to an “election”, but Freedom House found these elections to be “admirable”.[35] Freedom House was criticized for taking part in the rehabilitation campaign for the ARENA right-wing extremist party, which participated in the World Anti-Communist League and took responsibility for massacres in El Salvador.[36]

James Woolsey, chairman of the Freedom House, and a former director of the CIA, claimed Russia was becoming an increasingly fascist state, and that Russian administration under incumbent president Putin (2000–2008) was behaving “like a fascist government”.[citation needed] He added, “Mr. Putin and his movement toward fascism in Russia are on the wrong side of history. They are not going to succeed, they may hold on for some time in trying to undermine the democratic revolutions near Russia and in these adjoining states, and they may be partially successful here and there, but ultimately they will lose.”[citation needed]

In May 2001, the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations of the United Nations heard arguments for and against Freedom House. Representatives of Cuba alleged that the organization is a U.S. foreign policy instrument linked to the CIA and “submitted proof of the politically motivated, interventionist activities the NGO (Freedom House) carried out against their Government”. They also claimed a lack of criticism of U.S. human rights violations in the annual reports. Cuba also claimed that these violations are well documented by other reports, such as those of Human Rights Watch. Other countries such as China and Sudan also gave criticism. The Russian representative inquired “why this organization, an NGO which defended human rights, was against the creation of the International Criminal Court.”[6]

Human Rights activists have denounced Freedom House for being a political instrument used by hawkish circles in the United States to put pressure on countries that do not behave according to their standards.[25]

It is controlled by a Board of Trustees, which it describes as composed of ‘business and labor leaders, former senior government officials, scholars, writers, and journalists’. While some board members were born outside the United States, and many have been affiliated with international groups, all are current residents of the United States. It does not identify itself with either of the American Republican or the Democratic parties.

The board is currently chaired by William H. Taft IV. Taft assumed chairmanship of the board in January 2009, replacing previous chair Peter Ackerman. Other current notable board members include Kenneth Adelman, Farooq Kathwari, Azar Nafisi, Mark Palmer, P. J. O’Rourke, and Lawrence Lessig,[15] while past notable board members have included Zbigniew Brzezinski, Jeane Kirkpatrick, Samuel Huntington, Mara Liasson, Otto Reich, Donald Rumsfeld, Whitney North Seymour, Paul Wolfowitz, Steve Forbes, and Bayard Rustin.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_House

***

More about the US taxpayer funded National Endowment for Democracy – which sounds real good until really looking more into it –

Other critics say that the NED only supports candidates with strong ties to the military. William Blum accuses NED of being part of a U.S. government funding strategy to undermine left-wing leaders and “pervert elections”. Others are also critical of U.S. corporate investment in foreign countries, and criticize the NED for not supporting candidates who oppose free trade and the investing rights of US companies. For example, Bill Berkowitz of Working for Change claims, “The NED functions as a full-service infrastructure building clearinghouse. It provides money, technical support, supplies, training programs, media know-how, public relations assistance and state-of-the-art equipment to select political groups, civic organizations, labor unions, dissident movements, student groups, book publishers, newspapers, and other media. Its aim is to destabilize progressive movements, particularly those with a socialist or democratic socialist bent.”^[8]

However, supporters of the NED say that the NED supports a myriad of groups of social-democratic and liberal orientation everywhere in the world. NED has also supported, provided training, and consulted with groups which approve of democracy, but criticize the United States, in countries such as Indonesia and Ukraine. The NED says that it focuses funding on democracy-minded organizations rather than opposition groups; however it does not support groups that openly advocate communism, fundamentalism, or dictatorships. Michael McFaul, in an article for the Washington Post, argues that the NED is not an instrument of U.S. foreign policy. As an example of this, he states that the NED was willing to fund pro-democratic organizations even when the U.S. government was supportive of non-democratic governments in the region.^[9]

Activities and allegations

NED regularly provides funding to opposition candidates in elections in countries other than the USA. According to Allen Weinstein, one of the founders of NED, “A lot of what we [NED] do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA” ^[10].

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Endowment_for_Democracy

***

 

Hosni Mubarak’s cronies face corruption charges in Cairo court | World news | The Guardian

Tags

cricketdiane, Democracy, Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, Mubarak, Suleiman, US foreign aid, US foreign military aid

On Wednesday Egyptian authorities finally requested a freeze on Mubarak’s extensive international assets. However the Guardian has learned that the current government was made aware of possible illicit wealth appropriation by the Mubaraks more than a week ago, when a committee of highly respected legal experts included the former president and his sons on a list of suspect individuals whose fortunes needed to be investigated.

Egypt’s ministry of foreign affairs decided to remove the Mubaraks from the list before passing it on to European allies, potentially giving the family more time to reroute and hide its wealth. Mubarak himself remains closeted in a sumptuous villa in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh and no attempt has been made to arrest him.

via Hosni Mubarak’s cronies face corruption charges in Cairo court | World news | The Guardian.

Also it says – from the military’s statement –

“The supreme council of the armed forces strongly believes that freedom and the rule of law, supporting values of equality, democracy, social justice and uprooting corruption are the basis of any ruling system in the world,” said a military statement.

My Note –

It looks like the three listed are not the worst of the lot. There are expected to be celebrations marking the one-month anniversary of the Jan. 25 revolution across Egypt, too.

– cricketdiane

***

when I was looking up Mubarak during the Egyptian crisis, there was a massive building project listed with his name in the google search – it is in another country in the region. Is that his project in some measure? Hmmmm……. I should look it up again, I bet it is.

Report: Libyan capital deserted; opposition seizes major city – CNN.com

Tags

Bush Cheney Rumsfield Mubarak Qaddafi, cricketdiane, Gaddafi, Gadhafi, Human Rights, Kadafy, Libya, Libyan people, Qaddafi, US foreign aid, US foreign military aid

Breaking News from CNN just now –

Eight Yemeni lawmakers resign; two tell CNN they’re protesting recent violence against anti-government demonstrators.

and the story below which says that Misurata is now taken from the Qaddafi regime by government opposition groups.

via Report: Libyan capital deserted; opposition seizes major city – CNN.com.

**

Afghan bank crisis clouds future European aid-EU | Reuters

Tags

Afghanistan, anti-corruption, banks, Central Banks, corruption, credit default swaps, cricketdiane, EU, foreign international aid, IMF, US foreign aid, World Bank

Afghan bank crisis clouds future European aid-EU | Reuters.

Corruption, bad loans and mismanagement have cost Kabulbank hundreds of millions of dollars and the government’s inability to come up with a serious solution has caused growing concern among Afghanistan’s international partners.

In many cases and to varying degrees, aid from donor countries and agencies is mandated on an IMF programme being in place. Donors (including the United States) contribute about 70 percent of the Afghan state operating budget, itself dwarfed by billions more in direct aid.

(etc.)

***

Republican and Tea Party Conservatives Gut the funding to America while willingly spend it on corporations, hundreds of millions in welfare grants to industries, billions to foreign nations in grants and billions to increased foreign spending

Tags

bank bailouts, cricketdiane, Republican budget cuts, Republican budget increases, Tea Party conservatives cut funding to help Americans, US budget cuts, US economic crisis, US foreign aid, US foreign military aid

GOP budget-cutters want to ax $452M in fed aid to New York City

WASHINGTON – Forget the President’s budget plan for next year – the Republican scheme for 2011 threatens to slash more than $452 million from New York City, city officials estimate.

Among the top cuts would be $38 million for schools, $122 million in community development block grants – largely used by the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development – $30million for jobs programs and $139 million for the Housing Authority.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2011/02/16/2011-02-16_gop_out_to_whack_ny_budgetcutters_want_to_ax_452m_in_fed_aid_to_city.html?r=news/politics

***

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) insisted it’s time to get really tough on spending.

“We’re broke,” he said. “It’s time for us to get serious about how we’re spending the nation’s money.”

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) insisted it’s time to get really tough on spending.

“We’re broke,” he said. “It’s time for us to get serious about how we’re spending the nation’s money.”

***

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/16/florida-rail-idUSN1629082420110216

UPDATE 1-Florida governor rejects US high-speed rail funds

Feb 16 (Reuters) – Florida’s Tea Party movement-backed Governor Rick Scott on Wednesday said he was rejecting federal funds to construct a high-speed railway project in the state.

The newly-elected governor, a former healthcare executive and uncompromising fiscal conservative, cited the likelihood of cost overruns for the project as the main reason for rejecting the federal funding.

(etc.)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/16/florida-rail-idUSN1629082420110216

***

My Note –

Not only are the industry grants to industry councils and trade groups made by the US and the Republican Party insists on increasing them – Well, if we are broke – why would we send $10 billion dollars through the State Department to other countries and the businesses of other countries? Why would we give $Billions upon Billions of dollars to business groups simply to use to lobby for their own interests to our elected leaders? Why would we continue to support the militaries of other nations around the world?

Why would we continue programs such as these below which favor international business owners rather than their national populations?

Mr. Boehner and your fellow cronies left over from the Goldwater/Nixon/Reagan days, tell me why any of these things would be continued if indeed the discretionary spending must be cut?

And, why are you and your fellow Republicans and conservatives bombing the American people and their survival while installing our money which we each gave to the Treasury to companies, industry trade groups, foreign nations, foreign economic development programs which do not benefit the United States, to prop up vicious and vile dictators, to support $488 million dollars to run the damn building where Homeland Security resides when their budget doesn’t require more $56 million?

If indeed you say we are broke so we must do this – then why aren’t you and Republican buddies doing anything to cut those things rather than increasing them, in fact as you are demanding?

– cricketdiane

***

from

http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-262T

Total U.S. preference imports grew from $20 billion in 1992 to $110 billion in 2008

U.S. trade preference programs promote economic development in poorer nations by providing duty-free export opportunities in the United States. The Generalized System of Preferences, Caribbean Basin Initiative, Andean Trade Preference Act, and African Growth and Opportunity Act unilaterally reduce U.S. tariffs for many products from over 130 countries.

Total U.S. preference imports grew from $20 billion in 1992 to $110 billion in 2008, with most of this growth taking place since 2000. The increases from preference program countries primarily reflect the addition of new eligible products, increased petroleum imports from some African countries, and the rapid growth of exports from countries such as India, Thailand, and Brazil.

***

The US government has no right to give our taxpayers money to Kuwait, or Nigeria, or any damn where else, until after the needs of the United States have been met – including those for New York City, small towns across America – people’s lives and livelihoods here. It is like the note about putting the oxygen mask on you first and then on another. If we don’t make sure our national well-being is cared for and people in the US stood upon solid ground in order to go forward – then we won’t be around to help anyone else in short order (as a nation and as citizens.)

– cricketdiane

***

Take a guess how many of these industry trade groups, how many lobbying firms, how many PACs, how many other national interests are being served up our money for free through GRANTS – not loans – GRANTS and those are our dollars being given as consumers and in donations in the first place plus the profits they make plus they get tax-incentives, tax breaks, subsidies for buildings and land, subsidies for marketing efforts and GRANTS – like the $20 million a year for the cotton industry – but they are not alone in getting that kind of indefensibly large volume of our money . . .

http://www.manufacturing.gov/interagency/manufacturing_trade_association.asp?dName=association

***

Republicans in the House are cutting Mine Safety and Health Administration from $1.5 million dollars for this year to ZERO for this year

They’ve also gutted nearly all the funding for the Bureau of Land Management which covers the inspections of oil rigs and other leases made to various mining and petroleum harvesting operations. There are multiple categories of things that cover their legal responsibilities which the Republicans have decided need ZERO for each and every category, effectively unfunding their ability to do anything.

They have planned –

$220 million for the Senate

$130.7 million for the House (increased from $80.7 in 2010)

That looks like they gave themselves a raise again.

(from)

https://cricketdiane.wordpress.com/2011/02/15/9396/

(and)

http://republicans.appropriations.house.gov/_files/ProgramCutsFY2011ContinuingResolution.pdf

Republicans budget cuts for 2011 US Budget

that is the budget for the remaining months of this year . . .

PLUS –

Guam Construction $391 million dollars (added where there was none 2010)

***

And,

State Department, Foreign Operations –

Diplomatic and Consular Programs*

from 2010 budget of $156.5 million

Republicans want $1,158.7 million (that is over a Billion dollars)

(for just this year.)

***

but New York City is to be cut by $452 million dollars – and cut $150 million from the Metro rail system in Washington, D.C.

and no more help with heating bills for the elderly, disabled and poor

no more $7 million dollars of funding for Veterans to have a place to live who are or have been homeless in Washington, D.C.

no more grants and loans to rural utilities

no more loans, grants and programs to help with rural housing and small rural businesses across America

no high-speed rail systems even as Japan, China and most of the rest of the world have them

and no more place for millions of homeless Americans to have shelter

no more food programs to help our children have good health for birth and toddler years

no more supported living programs for the elderly

no more HUD programs to help the poor families who are working buy their own homes

no more Public Broadcasting

no more economic development programs for US cities and towns

no more building America programs

no more New York Stock Exchange being owned by an American tax paying corporation

no more of thousands upon thousands of businesses that were put out of business because Republican run banks and bankers did not want to put money into them – despite them getting from Republicans – our money to bail them out . . .

and, now they would have Americans who are unemployed have nothing. And, literally kill them with exclusion from resources which they gave and all of us have given for generations to the tax coffers available for these things. But, what is being done with them? Hmmmm?

The Republican Party has decided those funds should go to increased spending on –

Plus under the same heading of the State Department, Foreign Operations –

Civilian Stabilization Initiative – $137 Million

Educational and Cultural Exchange Programs – $131.9 million

Contributions to International Organizations (CIO) – $79 million

Contributions for International Peacekeeping Activities (current year (CIPA)) $238.8 million

Broadcasting Board of Governors – $72.2 million

Operating Expenses of USAID – $204.6 million

Global Health and Child Survival – $1,517.5 million (that’s $1.5 billion)

Development Assistance4 (DA) – $1,207.1 million (that’s $1.2 billion)

International Disaster Assistance – $431 million

Economic Support Fund – $2105.4 million (that’s $2.1 BILLION DOLLARS)

Terminates the Complex Crises Fund – $100 million

Peace Corps – $115.4 million

Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) – $489.7 million

Debt Restructuring (for other nations) – $39.9 million

International Organizations and Programs (IO&P) cut by more than half – $40.7 million

AND

International Financial Institutions – $1,805.5 million

THAT IS almost TWO BILLION DOLLARS for just these financial institutions

(NONE of which is in the United States, nor serves the US interests.)

***

And, almost every one of those categories have been increased by double, triple, (or more).

None of which includes the US foreign military aid and any of various other programs serving foreign national interests and foreign businesses using our money to do it.

***

The Republican “budget cuts” for the 2011 budget affecting this year –

Have a change from $5.2 million for International Trade Administration

To what Republicans want it to be –

$92.7 million dollars

for the International Trade Administration

So, also apparently – they did not intend to cut the deficit at all –

They just wanted to move the money around to where it suits them.

(from)

https://cricketdiane.wordpress.com/2011/02/14/9385/

***

My Note –

At $174,000 a year per Congress member salary each and an army of staff members at over $150,000 each for each Congress member plus all their trips and a full bar provided in whatever accommodations they have (all top shelf, of course) – plus all expense paid just about every damn last thing anyway using our tax dollars – if there is any such thing as “entitlement” that is what that is –

They spend in one day, more than some entire national economies generate – and I’m not exaggerating.

http://www.thecapitol.net/FAQ/payandperqs.htm

Construction being done by the Corps of Engineers – instead of $441 million – the Republicans only want $100 million to do all those jobs, even those in progress that we’ve already invested in doing.

And, for the Mississippi River and Tributaries where the Corps of Engineers was trying to finish projects and make this area safer –

( in a nation of faltering dams & levees )

The Republican Party wants none of that going on – they are cutting that funding also to ZERO.

***

They want the Department of the Treasury to have not only their full operating expenses met – but an increase to $1,636.8 million  (yes, over a billion six hundred million dollars.)

Because – they want nearly everything from departmental offices to IRS enforcement to be massively funded, of course. Yes, most of these Republicans have had IRS troubles – these enforcement dollars aren’t to use against them – it is for the rest of Americans to be forced to comply with every letter of the IRS laws which no one can read and understand.

They also want to increase the salaries and expenses paid to already rich and very well paid Federal Judiciary – from $143 million as suggested in the budget for (just this year) to $449.2 million dollars (for just this year.)

And, then to spend $300 million on judges that don’t need another dime and already have pensions far in excess of the national norms and health care and perks of a vast variety – by a long ways in better shape than damn near everyone else in America?

(my note)

***

The Republicans also are cutting repairs and upgrades to the National Archives and Records Administration. Whose side are they on? How dare they declare war on America.

Why don’t they cut things that include the money going to trade associations by the billions?

And, at the Justice Information Sharing Technology where they want to make sure and keep up with every American citizen regardless of Constitutionality –

The Republicans want $101.5 million spent there instead of $10 million.

***

But that $100 million dollars is what they are cutting from the heating program to help the elderly and disabled.

And, I’ll tell you what – on that program, it takes an Act of God to even know when it is being dispersed. For years upon years, it has been gone before three days of applications have been made. An appointment is necessary to even make an application plus a ton of paperwork and they’ve spent more on the personnel to administer the program than they have given out to people’s bills which amounts to about $200, if that towards their heating bills AFTER they’ve already been paid for three months and the season is actually over.

And, everytime there is a funding crunch in any Republican run state, that is one of the first pools of money that they’ve hit and divested into other programs including paying their damn brokers fees on the state’s Wall Street portfolios and derivatives they’ve been sold.

Money given by people on their electric and natural gas utilities bills goes into the same pools of money, too. The only access to them is through the same federal heating programs and the way they are being dispensed. There is no evidence that the public actually understands that part of it, either.

When it is time to get elected or to raise money for something – here come the Republicans asking America to back them and to help. Then they sit in five-star restaurants eating the finest foods and drinking the finest wines and liquors in the world and tell us all to go to hell.

They’ve kept us in hell long enough while the Republican House and Senate members, Republican governors, Republican legislators across the country, and Republican Party policy makers have been indulging in five star resorts making decisions to cut every last dime to domestic spending programs as they increase spending to their pet projects, the business interests of their friends and the richest 1% of our nation – their actions speak clearly about what they think of the 330 million Americans and our businesses whose money they are spending.

– cricketdiane

***

AEROSPACE TRADE Association Websites

Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) provides regulatory clarification, interpretation and assistance to companies and organizations worldwide. In addition to both large and small repair station operators, membership is comprised of airline and aviation parts manufacturers, airlines, engineering firms and distributors.

Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) represents the nation’s leading manufacturers of commercial, military, and business aircraft, helicopters, aircraft engines, missiles, spacecraft, and related components and equipment.

Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) serves the aircraft electronics sector of the general aviation industry.

Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA) is an international association to improve aircraft industry sustainability by promoting safe and environmentally proactive management of the world’s aging aircraft fleet.

Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association (AOPA) provides aircraft owners and pilots with representation, support and services at federal, state, and local levels.

Air Carrier Association of America (ACAA) works with airports, business travelers, consumer groups, and local officials to eliminate barriers that block meaningful competition by low-fare carriers.

Air Taxi Association (ATXA) is an organization of next-generation air taxi providers that offer direct, on-demand flight service at business airline prices. As an Association, the ATXA serves as an aligning force to push market growth, reduce costs, and provide best practices to speed the adoption of the next generation air taxi model in a manner that benefits the industry.

Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA) represents and promotes the services and industry of air traffic control.

Air Transport Association (ATA) represents the commercial airline industry.

Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) represents pilots within the commercial aviation industry.

American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE) provides representation and services for airport executives from small to large airports.

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is a professional society for aerospace engineers and scientists.

Aviation Suppliers Association (ASA) focuses on regulatory and legal matters such as safety, international compliance, and ethical business practices that impact the aviation parts supply industry.

Aviation Distributors and Manufacturers Association (ADMA) represents and provides services to further the aerospace industry marketplace.

Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) represents experimental and sport pilots on local, state and federal levels.

General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) represents manufacturers of fixed-wing aircraft, engines, avionics, and components. GAMA member companies also operate aircraft fleets, airport fixed-based operations, pilot schools, and training facilities across the nation. General Aviation aircraft range from two-seat training aircraft to intercontinental business jets and regional airliners.

Helicopter Association International (HAI) provides representation and promotion of the civil helicopter industry.

Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association (LAMA) is a nonprofit national trade association representing manufacturers of light aircraft, engines, avionics, parts/subassemblies, and suppliers and distributors to the light aircraft industry and community.

The Modification and Replacement Parts Association (MARPA) was formed to educate the aviation industry about the high standards applied to both design approval and production quality assurance of PMA* parts. Its mission now includes working with the FAA to help improve safety standards and ensuring that new standards do not impose significant burdens on the industry without correlative aviation safety benefits.

National Aeronautics Association (NAA) represents all areas of flight.

National Agricultural Aviation Association (NAAA) represents the aerial application industry.

National Air Transportation Association (NATA) is an organization for aviation business service providers for the general aviation industry.

National Aircraft Resale Association (NARA) promotes a consistently high set of ethical standards in buying and selling business aircraft and to communicate those standards to the marketplace.

National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) represents the interest of air traffic controllers.

National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) represents the interests of business aviation community. Members are companies that use general aviation aircraft to conduct their business. NBAA establishes industry standards aimed at enhancing safety, efficiency and acceptance of business aviation.

Professional Aviation Maintenance Association (PAMA) aims to promote a high degree of professionalism among aviation maintenance personnel; to foster and improve methods, skills, learning, and achievement in the field of Aviation Maintenance.

Regional Airline Association (RAA) represents U.S. regional airlines and the suppliers of products and services that support the industry. Visit this site for interesting statistics on the growth of regional airlines and their passenger traffic.

SAE International (SAE) is a society of aerospace, automotive, and commercial vehicle engineers that provides technical information (including standards) and educational opportunities to the global mobility community.

Satellite Industry Association (SIA) works to advance satellite interests both domestically and internationally. The association is dedicated to promoting the use of satellite technology in global communications.

Space Enterprise Council (SEC) is a forum for all sectors of the industry including commercial, civil, and military space-related companies. The council brings the collective power of its affiliation with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its diverse members into a single, unified voice that is used in advocating member interests to policymakers.

Space Foundation (SF) is the leading non-profit organization advancing the exploration, development and use of space and space education for the benefit of all humankind. To vigorously advance and support civil, commercial and national security space endeavors and educational excellence.

Space Transportation Association (STA) represents the interests of organizations and people who are engaged in developing, building, operating, and using space transportation vehicles, systems, and services to provide reliable, economical, safe, and routine access to space for private users and government, civil, and military users.

Manufacturing Approval (PMA) is a combined design and production approval for modification and replacement parts by the FAA. It allows a manufacturer to produce and sell these parts for installation on type certificated products.

http://trade.gov/mas/manufacturing/OAAI/aero_links_associations.asp

 

**

 

Auto Industry Trade Association Sites

NOTE! When you click on any of the following links you will be leaving the OTM website. You may wish to review the privacy notice on those sites since their information practices may differ from ours.

ABS Education Alliance

Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers

American International Automobile Dealers Association

Association of International Automobile Manufacturers

Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association

Automotive Communications Council

Automotive Engine Rebuilders Association

Automotive Industry Action Group

Automotive Maintenance and Repair Association

Automotive Parts Rebuilders Association

Automotive Service Association

Automotive Trade Policy Council

Automotive Transmission Rebuilders Association

Automotive Warehouse Distributors Association

Brake Manufacturers Council

Car Care Council

Council of Fleet Specialists

Drive Safer America

Equipment and Tool Institute

Filter Manufacturers Council

Fire Apparatus Manufacturers

Heavy Duty Distribution Association

International Association of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers

Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association

Motorist Assistance Program

National Association of Trailer Manufacturers

National Auto Auction Association

National Automobile Dealers Association

National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation

National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA)

Original Equipment Suppliers Association

Recreation Vehicle Industry Association

Society of Automotive Analysts

Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA)

Tune-up Manufacturers Council

United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR)

http://trade.gov/mas/manufacturing/OAAI/auto_links_assn.asp

 

**

 

Metals

Abrasive Engineering Society

Advanced Lead-Acid Battery Consortium

Aluminum Anodizers Council

Aluminum Association

Aluminum Extruders Council

Aluminum Foil Container Manufacturers Assoc.

American Ceramic Society

American Foundry Society

American Galvinizers Association

American Institute of Mining Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers

American Institute of Steel Construction

American Iron & Steel Institute

American Welding Society

American Wire Producers Association

American Zinc Association

ASM International Materials Information Society

Association for Iron and Steel Technology

Association of Steel Distributors

Battery Council International

California Cast Metals Association

Can Manufacturers Institute

Cast Iron Soil Pipe Institute

Casting Industry Suppliers Association

Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute

Copper and Brass Servicenter Association

Copper Development Association

Corrugated Steel Pipe Institute

Ductile Iron Society

Forging Industry Association

Indiana Cast Metals Association

Industrial Diamond Association

Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries

International Association of Electronics Recyclers

International Chromium Development Association

International Iron and Steel Institute

International Lead Management Center

International Lead Zinc Research Organization

International Magnesium Association

International Manganese Institute

International Molybdenum Association

International Platinum Association

International Precious Metals Institute

International Tin Research Institute

International Titanium Association

International Tungsten Industry Association

International Zinc Assn.

Interzinc

Investment Casting Institute

Iron & Steel Society

Iron Mining Association of Minnesota

Lead Development Association International

Lead Industries Association

Metal Powder Industries Federation

Metals Service Center Institute

Metal Treating Institute

Minerals Metals & Materials Society

Minor Metals Trade Association

National Coil Coating Association

National Corrugated Steel Pipe Association

National Mining Association

National Slag Association

Nickel Institute

Nickel Producers Environmental Research Institute

Non-Ferrous Founders Society

North American Die Casting Association

Northwest Mining Association

Precision Metalforming Association

Rare Earth Industry and Technology Association

Responsible Gold

Silver Institute

Specialty Steel Industry of North America

Steel Founders Society of America

Steel Manufacturers Association

Steel Plate Fabricators Association

Steel Recycling Institute

Steel Tube Institute of North America

Tantalum-Niobium International Study Center

Tin Technology

Tube and Pipe Association International

Unified Abrasives Manufacturers Assn

Wire Association International

World Gold Council

http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/forestprod/bpassoc2.html

 

**

 

Chemicals

Adhesive and Sealant Council, Inc. (ASC)

American Chemistry Council (ACC)

American Chemical Society – Green Chemistry Institute

American Cleaning Institute

American Coatings Assn.

American Composites Manufacturers Assn.

American Plastics Council

Animal Health Institute (AHI)

Center for the Polyurethanes Industry

Chemical Fabrics and Film Assn.

Croplife America

Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology

The Fertilizer Institute (TFI)

International Assn. of Plastics Distributors

International Cast Polymer Alliance

International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers

Personal Care Products Council

Polyurethane Foam Assn.

Rubber Manufacturers Assn.

Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI)

Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates (SOCMA)

Tire Industry Assn.

Vinyl Institute

http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/forestprod/bpassoc2.html

 

**

 

Forest Products American Coatings Assn.

American Fence Assn.

American Forest & Paper Assn.

American Forest Foundation

American Hardware Manufacturers Assn

American Hardwood Export Council

APA Engineered Wood Assn.

American Society of Landscape Architects

American Subcontractors Assn.

American Wood Council

Architectural Woodwork Institute

Assn. of Independent Corrugated Converters

Assn. of Millwork Distributors

Assn. of the Wall and Ceiling Industry

Associated Builders and Contractors

Builders Hardware Manufacturers Assn.

California Forestry Assn.

California Redwood Assn.

Canadian Wood Council

Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau

Composite Panel Assn.

Envelope Manufacturers Assn.

Evergreen Building Products Assn.

Forest Products Society

Forest Products Assn. of Canada

Hardwood Manufacturers Assn.

Hardwood Plywood and Veneer Assn.

Hearth Patio and Barbecue Assn.

Intermountain Forest Assn.

International Wood Products Assn.

Maine Pulp and Paper Assn.

Maple Flooring Manufacturers Assn.

National Assn. of Floor Covering Distributors

National Assn. of Home Builders (NAHB)

National Frame Builders Assn.

National Hardwood Lumber Assn.

National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Assn.

National Oak Flooring Manufacturers Assn.

NPTA Alliance (National Paper Trade Assn)

National Paperbox Assn.

North American Retail Hardware Assn.

National Roofing Contractors Assn.

National Wood Flooring Assn.

National Wooden Pallet and Container Assn.

North American Wholesale Lumber Assn.

Northeastern Retail Lumber Assn.

Painting and Decorating Contractors of America

Paper and Pulp Technical Assn. of Canada

Paper Industry Management Assn.

Paperboard Packaging Council

Southern Forest Products Assn.

Southern Pine Council

Structural Board Assn.

TAPPI (Technical Assn. of Paper and Pulp Industry)

Western Red Cedar Lumber Assn.

Western Wood Preservers Institute

Western Wood Products Assn.

Window and Door Manufacturers Assn.

Wood Flooring Manufacturers Assn.

Wood Molding and Millwork Producers Assn.

WCTA Wood Truss Council of America

http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/forestprod/bpassoc2.html

 

**

 

Building Products

AACE International (Am. Assn. Of Cost Eng.)

Acoustical Society of America

Adhesive and Sealant Council

AIR Commercial Real Estate Assn.

Air and Waste Management Assn.

Air Conditioning Contractors of America

Air Movement and Control Assn.

Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute

Alliance to Save Energy

American Architectural Manufacturers Assn.

American Assn. of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA)

American Bankers Assn.

American Boiler Manufacturers Assn.

American Ceramic Society

American Coatings Assn.

American Concrete Pavement Assn.

American Concrete Pipe Assn.

American Concrete Pressure Pipe Assn.

American Council of Engineering Companies

American Design Drafting Assn.

American Fence Assn.

American Gas Assn.

American Hardware Manufacturers Assn.

American Institute of Architects

American Institute of Steel Construction

American Planning Assn.

APA Engineered Wood Assn.

American Public Works Assn.

American Resort Development Assn.

American Road & Transportation Builders Assn.

American Society of Civil Engineers

American Society of Golf Course Architects

American Society of Home Inspectors

American Society of Landscape Architects

American Society of Professional Estimators

American Society of Sanitary Engineering

American Subcontractors Assn.

American Supply Assn.

American Water Works Assn.

Appraisal Institute

Asphalt Emulsion Manufacturers Assn.

Asphalt Institute

Assn. of Collegiate Schools of Architecture

Association of Equipment Manufacturers

Assn. for Computer-Aided Design in Architecture

Assn. of the Wall and Ceiling Industries, International.

Associated Builders and Contractors

Associated Equipment Distributors

Associated General Contractors of America

Associated Locksmiths of America

Association of Millwork Distributors

Brick Industry Association

Builders Hardware Manufacturers Assn.

Building Owners and Managers Assn.

Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau

Cellulose Insulation Manufacturers Assn.

Community Associations Institute

Construction Financial Management Assn.

Construction Industry Manufacturers Assn.

Construction Management Assn. of America

Construction Specification Institute

Cooling Technology Institute

Council of Real Estate Brokerage Managers

Distribution Contractors Assn.

Door and Access Systems Manufacturers Assn.

Door and Hardware Institute

Ductile Iron Society

Energy and Environmental Building Assn.

Fire Suppression Systems Assn.

Hearth Patio and Barbecue Assn.

Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Distributors International

Home Builders Institute

Illuminating Engineering Society of North America

Independent Community Bankers of America

Independent Electrical Contractors of America

Institute of Noise Control Engineering

Institute of Real Estate Management

Insulation Contractors Assn. of America

International Association of Lighting Designers

International Code Council

International Council of Shopping Centers

International District Energy Assn.

International Interior Design Assn.

International Masonry Institute

International Union of Building Centres

Manufactured Housing Institute

Maple Flooring Manufacturers Assn.

Marble Institute of America

Mechanical Contractors Assn. of America

Metal Building Manufacturers Assn.

Mortgage Bankers Assn. of America

National Asphalt Pavement Assn.

National Assn. of Architectural Metal Manufacturers

National Assn. of Elevator Contractors

National Assn. of Floor Covering Distributors

National Assn. of Home Builders (NAHB)

National Assn. of Real Estate Appraisers

National Assn. of Real Estate Brokers

National Assn. of Real Estate Investment Trusts

National Assn. of Realtors

National Burglar and Fire Alarm Assn.

National Concrete Masonry Assn.

National Conference of States on Building Codes & Standards

National Corrugated Steel Pipe Assn.

National Electrical Contractors Assn.

National Fire Protection Assn.

National Fire Sprinkler Assn.

National Frame Builders Assn.

National Glass Assn.

National Ground Water Assn.

National Hardwood Lumber Assn.

National Housing Institute

National Institute of Building Science

National Kitchen and Bath Assn.

National League of Cities

National Multi Housing Council

National Precast Concrete Assn.

National Ready Mixed Concrete Assn.

National Residential Appraisers Institute

National Roofing Contractors Assn.

National Society of Professional Engineers

National Terrazzo and Mosaic Assn.

Painting and Decorating Contractors of America

Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors Assn.

Plumbing Manufacturers Institute

Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Assn.

Polyurethane Foam Assn.

Porcelain Enamel Institute

Portland Cement Assn.

Precast / Prestressed Concrete Institute

Professional Construction Estimators Assn.

Resilient Floor Covering Institute

Safety Glazing Certification Council

Single Ply Roofing Institute

Society of American Registered Architects

Society of Fire Protection Engineers

Society of Industrial and Office Realtors

Steel Deck Institute

Steel Door Institute

Steel Structures Painting Council

Steel Tank Institute

Structural Board Assn.

Structural Stability Research Council

Tile Council of America

Tilt-Up Concrete Assn.

Transportation Research Board

Valve Manufacturers Assn.

Vermiculite Assn.

Window and Door Manufacurers Assn.

Wood Flooring Manufacturers Assn.

Wood Molding and Millwork Producers Assn.

Wood Truss Council of America

http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/forestprod/bpassoc2.html

 

**

 

Consumer Goods Related Trade Associations

Note: When you click on any of these links you will be leaving the OCG website.
You may wish to review privacy notice on those sites since their information collection practices may differ from ours.

Appliances

Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers
1111 19th St., N.W., Suite 402	PHONE: 202 872-5955
Washington D.C. 20036	FAX: 202 872-9354

 

Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association
2107 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 600	PHONE: 703 525-7060
Arlington, VA 22201	FAX: 703 525-6790

Processed Foods and Beverages

American Bakers Association
1350 I St., NW, Suite 1290	PHONE: 202 789-0300
Washington, DC 20005	FAX: 202 898-1164

 

American Frozen Food Institute
3502000 Corporate Ridge, Suite 1000	PHONE: 703 821-0770
McLean, VA 22102	FAX: 703 821-1350

 

American Meat Institute
1150 Connecticut Ave NW 12th Floor	PHONE: 202-587-4200
Washington, DC 20036	FAX: 202-587-4300

 

American Society of Baking
P.O. Box 1853	PHONE: 866-920-9885
Sonoma, CA 95476	FAX: 707-935-0174

 

Beer Institute
122 C Street, NW, Suite 750	FAX: 202 737-7004 PHONE: 202 737-2337
Washington, DC 20001

 

Biscuit and Cracker Manufacturers Association
8484 GA. Ave #700	PHONE: 301 608-1552
Silver Spring, MD 20910	FAX: 301 608-1557

 

Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S.
1250 Eye Street NW Suite 900	PHONE: 202 628-3544
Washington, D.C. 20005-3998	FAX: 202 628-8888

 

Food Products Association
1350 Eye Street, NW, Suite 300	PHONE: 202 639-5900
Washington, DC 20005	FAX: 202 639-5932

 

Grocery Manufacturers of America
2401 Pennsylvania Ave NW 2nd floor	PHONE: 202 337-9400
Washington, DC 20037	FAX: 202-337-4508

 

Independent Bakers Association
PO Box 3731	PHONE: 202 333-8190
Washington DC 20007	FAX: 202 337-3809

 

Institute of Food Technologies
525 W. Van Buren, Ste. 1000	PHONE: 312.782.8424
Chicago, IL 60607	FAX: 312.782.8348

 

Independent Bakers Association
PO Box 3731	PHONE: 202 333-8190
Washington DC 20007	FAX: 202 337-3809

 

National Association for the Specialty Food Trade, Inc.
120 Wall Street, 27th Floor	PHONE: 212-482-6440
New York, NY 10005-4001	FAX: 212 482-6459

 

National Confectioners and Chocolate Manufacturers Association
8320 Old Courthouse Rd, Suite 300	PHONE: 703 790-5750
Vienna, VA 22182	FAX: 703 790-5752

 

National Fisheries Institute
1901 North Fort Meyer Drive, Suite 700	PHONE: 703 524-8880
Arlington, VA 22209	FAX: 703 524-4619

National Milk Producers Federation
2101 Wilson Blvd.	PHONE: 703 243-6111
Arlington, VA 22201	FAX: 703 841-9328

 

National Pasta Association
1156 Fifteenth St NW	PHONE: 202- 637-5888
Washinton, DC 20005	FAX: 202- 223-9741

 

Pet Food Institute
2025 M St NW, Suite 800	PHONE: 202 367-1120
Washington DC 20036	FAX: 202 367-2120

 

Snack Food Association
1711 King Street, Suite One	PHONE: 703 836-4500
Alexandria, VA 22314	FAX: 703 836-8262

 

Wine Institute
425 Market Street, Suite 1000	PHONE: 415 512-0151
San Francisco, CA 94105	FAX: 415 442-0742

 

Wine America
1212 New York Avenue, Suite 425	PHONE: 202-783-2756
Washington, DC 20005

 

Dietary Supplements

American Herbal Products Association (AHPA)
8630 Fenton St., Suite 918	PHONE: 301-588-1171
Silver Spring, MD 20910	FAX: 301-588-1174

 

Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA)
900 19th Street, NW Suite 700	PHONE: 202-429-9260
Washington, DC 20006	FAX: 202-223-6835

 

Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN)
1828 L Street, NW Suite 510	PHONE: 202-204-7701
Washington, DC 20036	FAX: 202-207-7701

 

Natural Products Association (NPA)
1773 T Street, NW	PHONE: 202-223-0101
Washington, DC 20009	Fax: 202-223-0250

 

United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA)
1075 East Hollywood Ave	PHONE: 801-474-2572
Salt Lake City, UT 84105	FAX: 801-474-2571

Home and Office Furniture

American Home Furnishings Alliance
317 West High Street, 10th Floor	PHONE: 336 884-5000
P.O. Box HP-7	FAX: 336 884-5303
High Point, NC 27261

 

Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers, Inc.
PO Box 427	PHONE: 336 885-8315
High Point, NC 27261	FAX: 336 886-8865

 

BIFMA International
2680 Horizon Dr., S.E., Suite A-1	PHONE: 616 285-3963
Grand Rapids, MI 49546	FAX: 616 285-3765

 

California Furniture Manufacturers Association
1240 N. Jefferson St.	PHONE: 714 632-6800
Anaheim, CA 92807	FAX: 714 632-5405

 

International Sleep Products Association
501 Wythe Street	PHONE: 703 683-8371
Alexandria, VA 22314	FAX: 703 683-4503

 

National Home Furnishings Association
3910 Tinsley Drive, Suite 101	PHONE: 336 801-6100
High Point, NC 27265	FAX: 336 801-6102

 

Unfinished Furniture Association
15000 Commerce Parkway, Suite C	PHONE: 800-487-8321
Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054

 

Upholstered Furniture Action Council
Box 2436	PHONE: 336 885-5065
High Point, NC 27261	FAX: 336 885-5072

Housewares

American Manufacturers Association
21165 Whitfield Place #105	Tel: 703-433-9281
Potomac Falls, VA 20165	FAX: 703-433-0369

 

American Lighting Association
2050 Stemmons Freeway
World Trade Center Suite 10046	PHONE: 800 605-4484
Dallas, TX 75342-0288	FAX: 214 698-9899

 

Cookware Manufacturers Association
PO Box 531335	PHONE: 205 802-7600
Mountain Brook, AL 35253	FAX: 205 802-7610

 

International Housewares Manufacturers Association
6400 Shafer Court, Suite 650	PHONE: 847 292-4200
Rosemont, IL 60018-4929	FAX: 847 292-4211

 

Home Fashion Products Association
355 Lexington Avenue, 15th Floor	PHONE: 212-297-2122
New York, NY 10017	FAX: 212-370-9047

 

International Housewares Representatives Assn.
175 N. Harbor Dr., #1205	PHONE: 312 240-0822
Chicago, IL 60601	FAX: 312 240-1005

 

National Assn. of Independent Lighting Distributors
2207  Elmwood Ave.	PHONE: 716 875-3670
Buffalo, NY 14216-1009	FAX: 716 875-0734

 

National Candle Association
1156 15th St., NW, #900	PHONE: 202 393-2210
Washington, DC 20005	FAX: 202 223-9741

 

Jewelry

Jewelers of America
52 Vanderbilt Ave, 19th Floor	PHONE: 646-658-0246
New York, NY 10017	FAX: 646-658-0256

 

Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America
45 Royal Little Drive	PHONE: 401 274-3840
Providence, RI 02904	FAX: 401 274-0265

Lawn and Garden

Outdoor Power Equipment Aftermath Assn.
1726 M Street #1101	PHONE: 202-775-8605
Washington, DC 20036	FAX: 202-833-1577

 

Outdoor Power Equipment Institute
341 South Patrick St.	PHONE: 703 549-7600
Alexandria, VA 22314	FAX: 703 549-7604

Musical Instruments

NAMM: International Music Products Association
5790 Armada Drive	PHONE: 760 438-8001
Carlsbad, CA 92008	FAX: 760 438-7327

Printing

Greeting Card Association
1156 15th Street NW, Suite 900	PHONE: 202 393-1778
Washington, DC 20005	FAX: 202-331-2714

 

National Association for Printing Leadership
75 West Century Road	PHONE: 201 634-9600
Paramus, NJ 07652-1408	FAX: 201 634-0324

 

Printing Industries of America, Inc.
100 Daingerfield Rd.	PHONE: 703 519-8100
Alexandria, VA 22314	FAX: 703 548-3227

School and Office Products

School and Office Products Network
35 Compark Road Room 213	PHONE: 937-610-3333
Centerville, OH 45459	FAX: 937-610-0400

Sporting Goods

American Sport Fishing Association
1033 North Fairfax Street, Suite 200	PHONE: 703 519-9691
Alexandria, VA 22314	FAX: 703 519-1872

 

Motorcycle Industry Council
2 Jenner St., Suite 150	PHONE: 949 727-4211
Irvin, CA 92718	FAX: 949 727-4217

 

National Golf Foundation
1150 S. US Highway 1., Suite 401	PHONE: 561 744-6006
Jupiter, FL 33477	FAX: 561 744-6107

 

National Marine Manufacturers Association
200 E. Randolph Drive, Suite 5100	PHONE: 312 946-6200
Chicago, IL 60601	FAX: 312 946-0401

 

National Sporting Goods Association
1601 Feehanville Dr. Suite 300	PHONE: 847 296-6742
Mt. Prospect, IL 60056- 6035	FAX: 847 391-9827

 

National Sports Shooting Foundation
10 Mile Road	PHONE: 203 426 1320
Newtown, CT 06470-2359	FAX: 203 426 1087

 

Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association
8505 Fenton Street, SUite 211	PHONE: 202-775-1762
Silver Spring, MD 20910	FAX: 202-296-7462

 

Toys, Dolls and Games

American Amusement Manufacturers Association
450 E. Higgins Rd. Suite 201	PHONE: 847 290-9088
Elk Grove, IL 60007	FAX: 847 290-9121

 

American Specialty Toy Retailers Association
116 W. Illinois St., Ste 5E	PHONE: 800-591-0490
Chicago, IL 60610	FAX: 312- 222-0986

 

GAMA: The Game Manufacturers Association
280 North High Street, Suite 230	PHONE: 614-255-4500
Columbus, Ohio 43215 USA	FAX: 614-255-4499

 

Craft and Hobby Association
319 E. 54th Street	PHONE: 201 794-1133
PO Box 348	FAX: 201 797-0657
Elwood Park, NJ 07407

 

International Council of Toy Industries
1115 Broadway, Suite 400	PHONE: 212 675-1141
New York, NY 10010	FAX: 212 633-1429

 

Toy Industry Association, Inc.
200 Fifth Ave. Suite 740	PHONE: 212 675-1141
New York, NY 10010	FAX: 212 633-1429

 

http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/ocg/assoc.htm

 

**

 

Energy Trade Associations and Other Energy-Related Organizations

When you click on any of the following links, you will be leaving the ITA Energy Industries Team Web site. Links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the sites or the information contained therein.

General
International Energy Agency
U.S. Energy Association

Alternative and Renewable Energy
American Council on Renewable Energy
American Wind Energy Association
Business Council for Sustainable Energy
Geothermal Energy Association
Geothermal Resources Council
National Hydropower Association
New Uses Council
Renewable Fuels Association
Solar Energy Industries Association
U.S. Hydropower Council for International Development

Coal
American Coal Council
Coal Utilization Research Council
Colorado Mining Association
IEA Clean Coal Center
Kentucky Coal Association
National Coal Council
National Mining Association
Washington Coal Club
West Virginia Coal Association

Electric Power
American Boiler Manufacturers Association
Edison Electric Institute
Electric Power Supply Association
National Electrical Manufacturers Association

Oil and Gas
American Gas Association
American Petroleum Institute
Domestic Petroleum Council
Independent Petroleum Association of America
National Petroleum Council
Petroleum Equipment Suppliers Association

Energy Efficiency
Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute
Alliance to Save Energy
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers
Export Council for Energy Efficiency
International District Energy Association

Nuclear
Nuclear Energy Institute

Information Resources by Region
Africa
The Americas
Europe
Middle East
Russia & Central Asia
South & Southeast Asia
United States

Information by Sector
Biofuels
Coal
Energy End-Use
Nuclear
Oil and Gas

Trade Data

Energy Trade Associations

Energy Team Internships

ITA’s Environmental Industries Team

http://www.ita.doc.gov/td/energy/trade_associations.htm

 

**

 

Air & Waste Management Association

American Academy of Environmental Engineers

American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC)

American Membrane Technology Association

American Society of Civil Engineers – VA Office

American Water Works Association

Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies

Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies

Business Council for Sustainable Energy

Coalition for Responsible Waste Incineration (CRWI)

Environmental Industry Association (EIA)

Environmental Technology Council

Export Council for Enegy Efficiency

Institute of Clean Air Companies

Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries

Integrated Waste Services Association

International Desalination Association

International Private Water Association

Irrigation Association

Manufacturers of Emission Controls Association

National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements

National Ground Water/National Well Water Association

National Pollution Prevention Roundtable

Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA)

Submersible Wastewater Pump Association (SWPA)

Waste Equipment Technology Association

Water and Wastewater Equipment Manufacturers Association

Water Environment Federation

Water Quality Association

 

http://web.ita.doc.gov/ETE/ETEINFO.nsf/vwTradeAssoc

 

**

Average annual wages for Americans – (in a CNN story today, I’m not sure that it is adjusted to the real currency values)

$33,000 2008

$33,800 1988

from CNN

but average annual incomes have been reported to be $55,000 a year all this time and the basis of policy decisions have been that the majority of full-time working Americans averaged $55,000 a year

 

**

THERE”S MORE –

 

 

 

***

 

Republicans cut US rural utilities funding while increasing International Trade Administration funding from $5.2 million to $92.7 million dollars – Whose money is it?

Tags

2011 US Budget Cuts, cricketdiane, job losses in US, Republican budget cuts, Republican war on American citizens, Tea Party conservatives cut funding to help Americans, unemployment, US budget cuts, US domestic spending cuts, US economic crisis, US foreign aid, US foreign military aid, US foreign military aid increases

And, apparently the Republicans don’t want us to be competitive with China or anyone else – as evidenced by the above (posts) and other things like this one –

The Republican “budget cuts” for the 2011 budget affecting this year –

Have a change from $5.2 million for International Trade Administration

To what Republicans want it to be –

$92.7 million dollars

for the International Trade Administration

So, also apparently – they did not intend to cut the deficit at all –

They just wanted to move the money around to where it suits them.

And, at the Justice Information Sharing Technology where they want to make sure and keep up with every American citizen regardless of Constitutionality –

The Republicans want $101.5 million spent there instead of $10 million.

***

And, if you ever want to know how they are spending our money on themselves and their staff offices –

http://www.thecapitol.net/FAQ/payandperqs.htm

At $174,000 a year per Congress member salary each and an army of staff members at over $150,000 each for each Congress member plus all their trips and a full bar provided in whatever accommodations they have (all top shelf, of course) – plus all expense paid just about every damn last thing anyway using our tax dollars – if there is any such thing as “entitlement” that is what that is –

They spend in one day, more than some entire national economies generate – and I’m not exaggerating.

But those are the people who think school children should not have school lunches or breakfasts – because, as Michelle Bachmann said – they will learn better if they are hungry. I’ve never seen her pass up a meal paid for by us – and we know she isn’t eating a $3.00 fast food meal when she does it.

– cricketdiane

US economic crisis – nothing – these people are spending on themselves like there is no crisis, no economic blight on our cities and the roaring 20s were an ongoing reality.

Then, they turn towards Americans and blame us for the money they claim isn’t available. Well it is available and the Republicans are determined that it go to foreign nations, foreign nationals, foreign businesses, foreign military aid, foreign aid, to support foreign dictatorships, foreign profit-making industries who don’t bring any of their money here, and oil interests in which they own a vested interest both personally and collectively.

They are also spending it for foreign nation’s schools and universities and research programs while undermining the funding for ours in the US.

***

http://republicans.appropriations.house.gov/_files/ProgramCutsFY2011ContinuingResolution.pdf

Over the entire course of funding for Independent Agencies this year which would include the National Transportation Safety Board and the Consumer Products Commission, among others –

The Republicans decided to fund only $575.6 million of the $1564.8 million in the 2011 budget. Why did they even have those agencies file budget requests, if they had no intention of giving funding to anyone except the CIA from among them?

And, that agency is probably funded in about fourteen other ways to Sunday on top of it.

But, no –

Investigations by Corps of Engineers ( in a nation of faltering dams & levees)

the Republicans want all money stopped that is going there this year.

And, that means ZERO for that purpose.

Construction being done by the Corps of Engineers – instead of $441 million – the Republicans only want $100 million to do all those jobs, even those in progress that we’ve already invested in doing.

And, for the Mississippi Rive and Tributaries where the Corps of Engineers was trying to finish projects and make this area safer –

No –

The Republican Party wants none of that going on – they are cutting that funding also to ZERO.

Because they didn’t like that people served the horrors of Katrina actually had any chance of survival apparently. Those are not their corporate “friends”. And that is where they want that money to go – either to their own pockets, their own corporate interests or to serve corporations from foreign nations who take those profits back home with them. And, to do that – they are robbing the very things that will keep people in the United States safe, or make our lives better.

That is just plain nasty wrong.

For Water and Related Resources, Bureau of Reclamation –

The Republicans don’t want $37.7 million for that – oh, no.

They want 0.1 million for it. And, yes – it says 0.1 million instead.

Those are the people voted to hold those “Representative” seats. I’d say they don’t represent the American people’s interests, at all.

It is evident by what they are choosing to do.

***

759 US bases in 131 countries around the World.

There is another thing – which is that the Republicans want in their budget “cuts” to the US Budget 2011 –

AN INCREASE from $250 million dollars to $1,410 million (that would be over a billion dollars) for

LOAN GUARANTEE AUTHORITY

under the heading – Energy and Water Development – which includes coal-fired and petroleum fired electric generation, nuclear power plants, weapons activities and nuclear waste, among others – that means to borrow money by someone which we will then guarantee to pay off

Isn’t that how we got here in this trillions of dollars of debt they are claiming to be against doing any more of –

Hmmmm…….

Why, yes. It is.

(page 3 of the pdf) with the Republican budget cuts.)

***

They want the Department of the Treasury to have not only their full operating expenses met – but an increase to $1,636.8 million  (yes, over a billion six hundred million dollars.)

Because – they want nearly every things from departmental offices to IRS enforcement to be massively funded, of course. Yes, most of these Republicans have had IRS troubles – these enforcement dollars aren’t to use against them – it is for the rest of Americans to be forced to comply with every letter of the IRS laws which no one can read and understand.

There is also a cut to the White House Repair and Restoration – because Republicans don’t care if it falls into the ground as long as their rich buddies making drugs or harvesting our oil resources are kept subsidized to the tune of trillions of American dollars.

And, of course they want to increase funding for illegal drug enforcement when it is obvious that if the Washington elite and particularly, the Republican party members would just stop buying them, the market for these drugs would damn near – dry up. If they weren’t buying prostitutes’ services, at least half of our young women and our beautiful smartest and brightest women would go work somewhere else and the rest wouldn’t be trafficked to provide those services to them. That market would dry up also.

They also want to increase the salaries and expenses paid to already rich and very well paid Federal Judiciary – from $143 million as suggested in the budget for (just this year) to $449.2 million dollars (for just this year.)

Well, let’s see –

What could $306 million dollars have done instead?

***

Agriculture –

Departmental Administration and Offices

– 31.8 million dollars

Inspector General – (for Agriculture Department)

not $8.7 million dollars – they cut it to $4.5 million dollars

(that may mean that the Inspector General’s office will not be able to pursue anything of merit, doesn’t it?)

***

Agriculture Research Education and Extension Services –

cut from $185.1 million (which was not enough as it was)

to only $84.3 million this year – (that takes away $100.8 million)

***

National Institute for Food and Agriculture –

cut from $217.1 million to

$15.7 million as the Republicans would have it

but they would increase “other research by the agriculture service which probably includes breeding thoroughbred horses, or race horse foodstocks, or wait a minute, what is their other favorite use of our agriculture money – oh, yeah – providing subsidies to Monsanto for seed research for which they make the profits.)

Other Research (Agriculture) –

from $13.2 million to $20.8 million UPWARDS

****

But then we get to Marketing and Regulatory Programs for the Department of Agriculture –

The Republicans are cutting that to undermine food inspections –

from

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

$75 million which wasn’t near enough at all

to be only $32.3 million for the entire growing season plus

and to cover not only the US agriculture products but those being produced elsewhere and brought to the US – like the Smithfield foods pig farm within a few hundred yards of the first swine flu case where the putrid fetid water was flowing from the pork-pig plant to the village and the not so distant discovery of tainted fresh spinach, peppers, what was thought to be tomatoes but wasn’t, the salmonella laced peanut butter (Georgia’s Republican State Product) and the E. Coli laced varieties of meats, eggs, pork products, and commonly, hamburger meat.

___

But, for the entire Food Safety and Inspection Service – the Republicans want to cut $35.7 million dollars -Hmmm………..

From $88.4 million enacted in FY 2010

They want it to be $52.7 million for this year.

So, I guess they don’t care if these foods, agriculture products, agriculture and food manufacturing plants are inspected – they don’t want those business owners bothered by such things.

You know it will be the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire on March 11, 2011 –

I don’t know why business owners (and Republicans) hate regular everyday American citizens so much. I don’t know why they won’t do it right and care for people as fellow human beings when left to do so without anyone requiring it. I don’t know that. But, I do know that they don’t.

It’s like Mubarak of Egypt. He had all the power to do it right and care for his people all that time. He could have. But, he didn’t.

There is a reason we had to have unions to represent the rights, dignities and basic human needs of workers, including safety. It is exactly because the business owners and government overseers were not doing it and would not do it and refused to do it and killed people over and over and over and over again.

And, they do to this day – and when they couldn’t do it that way in the US and get away with it, they moved their plants to other nations where they could still get away with it.

I don’t know why that is, except that apparently the rest of the 330 million Americans in America, are just cluttering up the landscape as far as the Republicans in positions of power are concerned, whether those are positions of government, Congress, states, state governments, cities and counties or corporate businesses. They also gave the rights of citizens to businesses and corporate interests as if those entities were not only entitled to such rights but could or would have the conscience that a human being has to honor such rights. It makes no sense.

But, back to the budget cuts the Republicans would give us –

(and will, since they’ve declared war on the American people, on the poor, on the disabled, on the families, on the children that are among the destitute, on the homeless, on the veterans and on the elderly and disadvantage.)

As I said earlier,

The budget cuts to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (and all its jobs and responsibilities in our national public interest)

would be to take away $126.3 million dollars

That would take a budget of $172.5 (barely enough to cover it)

and make it $46.2 million.

Also cutting thousands of jobs and educational opportunities to American citizens that live in America and pay taxes here in all 50 states, in fact.

***

Rural Development –

Rural Housing Service Loans and Grants –

was $208.8 million

Republicans cut it to $35.1 million

(Now, tell me they don’t hate Americans and American families.)

***

Rural Business Loans and Grants – (to cover all of America)

from $33.2 million

which the Republicans would increase to $51.4 million

(but do not expect that you or I could use any of that money to have or start a rural business – that is not what they do with it.)

Rural Utilities Loans and Grants (which keep the utility rates reasonable)

Republicans cut this one from $204.5 million to become only $6.3 million for the entire country this year – which means it won’t be available to help keep utilities going and financially solvent.

And, insures rates will increase on utilities across the nation as well as guaranteeing that infrastructure projects will be either withheld or incomplete across the country.

That also includes decimating the funding for those projects which have been already waiting for thirty plus years to get done, to get remedied, to get fixed, to get updated, to get upgraded for the number of people now in the common use area they are serving, or to get replaced as they should have been many years ago.

*****

The Risk Management Service for the Agricultural Department’s Marketing and Regulatory Programs – the Republicans want more support for them – those insurer and banking industry statistical services are necessary as far as the business community of large hedge funds and commodities traders are concerned. It subsidizes their need for information on which to do “trading” or as the rest of the world calls it, “gambling.”

That budget outlay would increase from $3.1 million to $5.9 million – gee, that’s almost double for people to risk analyze.

I hate them.

***

It looks like they want to increase the Domestic Food Programs (sort of) – but the likelihood is that there will be so many increased stumbling blocks to receiving such aid that it will be nearly impossible for anyone to get it. That is the way the Republican Party does things. I know it also says that the Commodity Assistance Programs will be changed from $26 million dollars to $7.6 million instead according to the Republican budget cuts.

That’s because the Republicans don’t want people in America to eat. They are being served filet mignon at their table with their rich friends from dictatorships they are sponsoring around the world which we are paying for them to have as friends and to serve at their table – from our paychecks and small business profits that are taxed.

***

The Independent Agencies which include –

• Independent regulatory agency
• List of U.S. federal independent agencies (legislative branch)
• List of U.S. federal independent agencies (judicial branch)
• List of U.S. federal independent agencies (executive branch)
• List of United States federal agencies

(from wikipedia, if you ever want to know what those are)

And here are the “Independent Agencies” – whose funding is to be cut from $1564.8 million to $575.6 million – that is Minus a billion

(There are hundreds of federal agencies and commissions charged with handling such responsibilities as managing America’s space program, protecting its forests, and gathering intelligence. For a full listing of Federal Agencies, Departments, and Commissions, visit USA.gov.)

http://www.whitehouse.gov/our-government/federal-agencies-and-commissions/

You do not want to see this –

http://www.usa.gov/Agencies/Federal/All_Agencies/index.shtml

***

Suffice it to say that these are the Independent Agencies whose budgets totally (excepting the Commodity Futures Trading Commission) are being cut across the board by a billion dollars –

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is the United States federal agency with jurisdiction over interstate electricity sales, wholesale electric rates, hydroelectric licensing, natural gas pricing, and oil pipeline rates. FERC also reviews and authorizes liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals, interstate natural gas pipelines and non-federal hydropower projects.

**

The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board is one of the smaller Executive Branch agencies, with just over 100 employees. It was established to administer the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), which provides Federal employees the opportunity to save for additional retirement security. The Thrift Savings Plan is a tax-deferred defined contribution plan similar to a private sector 401(k) plan.

**

An independent Postal Regulatory Commission, also created in 1971 as the Postal Rate Commission and strengthened under the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act enacted in December 2006, provides regulatory oversight over the activities of the United States Postal Service.

**

The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) provides trade expertise to both the legislative and executive branches of government, determines the impact of imports on U.S. industries, and directs actions against certain unfair trade practices, such as patent, trademark, and copyright infringement.

**

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was established to protect investors who buy stocks and bonds. Federal laws require companies that plan to raise money by selling their own securities to file reports about their operations with the SEC, so that investors have access to all material information. The commission has powers to prevent or punish fraud in the sale of securities and is authorized to regulate stock exchanges.

**

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigates all commercial aviation accidents in the United States, and certain major railroad and other accidents.^[12]

**

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) administers the principal United States labor law, the National Labor Relations Act. The board is vested with the power to prevent or remedy unfair labor practices and to safeguard employees’ rights to organize and determine through elections whether to have a union as their bargaining representative.

**

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforces federal antitrust and consumer protection laws by investigating complaints against individual companies initiated by consumers, businesses, congressional inquiries, or reports in the media. The commission seeks to ensure that the nation’s markets function competitively by eliminating unfair or deceptive practices.

**

The Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) regulates the international ocean transportation of the United States. It is charged with ensuring a competitive, efficient, and economic ocean transportation system.^[11]

**

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable. It licenses radio and television broadcast stations, assigns radio frequencies, and enforces regulations designed to ensure that cable rates are reasonable. The FCC regulates common carriers, such as telephone and telegraph companies, as well as wireless telecommunications service providers.

**

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) oversees campaign financing for all federal elections. The Commission oversees election rules as well as reporting of campaign contributions by the candidates.

**

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regulates commodity futures and option markets in the United States. The agency protects market participants against manipulation, abusive trade practices and fraud. Through effective oversight and regulation, the CFTC enables the markets to serve better their important functions in the nation’s economy providing a mechanism for price discovery and a means of offsetting price risk.

**

The Consumer Products Safety Board is among them, too.

(And others)

There are a small number of independent agencies that are not considered part of the executive branch, such as the Library of Congress and Congressional Budget Office, which are administered directly by Congress and thus are legislative branch agencies. There is one independent agency in the judicial branch.

Office of Compliance (Congress), also.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_federal_agencies#Independent_Agency

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_agencies_of_the_United_States_government

Somewhere I had a page which completely listed all of these independent agencies of the government – but they included the Consumer Protection Agency and the list was pretty comprehensive. To consider that what would need to be a budget for all of them of really more than the $1,564.8 million (or one and half Billion dollars) budgeted for 2010 – to fund over twenty different expansive groups charged with the public safety and public interests of integrity such as the SEC must cover and the National Transportation Safety Board / FAA must cover, etc. – is to be cut by a billion dollars.

And, – to think of their budgets being slashed by a billion dollars is an unjust evil for the number of lives that ill fate will suffer as a result.

I probably put that last sentence backwards, I meant to say, damn the Republicans for killing and maiming people this way by unfunding and underfunding things that would have kept us safe.

Yeah, well knowing how they think about physics and not knowing what they do about things that go up – may come down also, I would not be surprised if the Republican party members and Tea Party conservatives did not know that airplane safety isn’t just to keep the planes safe for people flying in them, it also means they don’t fall out of the sky on someone else. Cars that aren’t recalled when they need to be – or that ended up out on our streets when the NTSB didn’t do the safety inspections that should’ve been done – could kill anybody.

And, when Bernie Madoff got away with scamming those $50 billion dollars from people because the SEC did not investigate him when they were told that there was a problem for five damn years – well, what results did that have?

– cricketdiane

Unfunding – $1,564.8 million

To be – $575.6 million

What kind of math is that?

And, then to spend $300 million on judges that don’t need another dime and already have pensions far in excess of the national norms – by a long ways?

What kind of nonsense would cause that kind of thinking?

And, that’s not all.

The NIST construction grants to be terminated.

The Washington DC Metro to be scammed out of $150 million when they were already in the hole by $72 million anyway.

The Corps of Engineers funding to be gutted.

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve to go from $120.2 million to $15.3 instead.

The Uranium Enrichment D&D Fund to go from $70 million to $26.6 which wasn’t just working on enrichment projects but others as well.

The nuclear waste disposal funds (which were severely underfunded anyway) are to go from $2.8 million to ZERO.

And, the Nondefense Environmental Management is cut away $20 million to become 0.9 million dollars. (Yes, 0.9)

The Environmental Management (EM) program is responsible for managing and addressing the environmental legacy resulting from nuclear energy and civilian energy research programs

These research and development efforts of the U.S. Department of Energy and its predecessors generated waste, pollution, and contamination which pose unique problems, including unprecedented volumes of contaminated soil and water, radiological hazards from special nuclear material, and a large number of contaminated structures. Much of this infrastructure, waste, and contamination still exists and is largely maintained, decommissioned, managed, and remediated by the EM program. EM’s responsibilities include facilities and areas located in 30 states and one territory that occupy an area equal to that of the States of Rhode Island and Delaware combined — or about two million acres.

Non-Defense Environmental Management

http://www.cfo.doe.gov/budget/01budget/ndefem/ndefem.pdf

***

They don’t care – they can go live in Switzerland.

– cricketdiane

***

(Note – but the Republicans do also have an increase in “Weapons Activities” of $312.4 million dollars – apparently, they don’t have enough ways to shoot the American people and everybody else in the world, right now.)

***

There’s one more –

$488 million dollars for the Department of Homeland Security – just their offices (headquarters and administration) is being placed in their funding by the Republicans who are “cutting” the budget deficit from the 2010 budget for their headquarters and administration of $30.3 million. Which surely was way more than enough for that in the first place.

What are they doing – trying to keep up with the Egyptian’s 1.7 million member secret police and put them all in the headquarters at our department of homeland security? . . . I swear, they deserve each other. But, to give that purpose (the headquarters and administration of homeland security) $488.8 million dollars just for the rest of 2011?

Would this make sense anywhere?

***

http://republicans.appropriations.house.gov/_files/ProgramCutsFY2011ContinuingResolution.pdf

Republican Budget Cuts for 2011

Anything to gut the American economy further as they literally make war on the American people – as evidenced by the budget cuts they are demanding.

***

AND for FEMA Emergency Food & Shelter programs to help in a disaster –

The Republicans have decided that there should be ZERO for that, too.

(not $100 million dollars – as the budget certainly would require – no, ZERO.)

***

Happy Valentines Day

from House Republicans intent on decimating the American economy and every single household in America.

(and from me who can do absolutely nothing about it.)

***

Republican Party today wages war on Americans using defunding, unfunding, cutting domestic spending, while increasing their own funding, pet projects, corporate and industry friends pockets, foreign interests, and themselves

Tags

2011 US Budget Cuts, cricketdiane, job losses in US, Republican budget cuts, Republican budget cuts increases for pet projects, Republican war on American citizens, Tea Party conservatives cut funding to help Americans, US economic crisis, US foreign aid, US foreign military aid

Reid: Congressional Budget Increased To Pay GOP Staffers

Feb 25, 2009 … A ten percent increase in the budget for Congressional operations was needed because Senate Republicans wanted to retain previous staff …
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…/reid-congressional–budget_n_169847.html

***

When you went to the election booth and voted for a Republican – why did you agree to this?

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to be cut for this year (2011)

from $75 million dollars (across the entire food production market inspections)

to $32.3 million dollars

Do you like peanut butter with salmonella in it fed to your children at their pre-school as happened already? Or to have that peanut butter served to you in your hospital room when you are recuperating from an illness already as happened to many people?

Did you like the E. Coli tainted hamburger that killed 2-year old children because it was not properly being inspected since President Reagan’s administration (also Republican), defunded the programs which placed 1 inspector where every 27 had been before that?

I just don’t get it.

That same amount of money provides salary increases for Republican staff members in their massive Congressional offices. – But one thing does for many and the other does for a few. Is that what you voted to have?

I don’t get it.

***

Overall – the Republicans are cutting the food safety inspections like this –

from $88.4 million

to become (for this year’s needs) – $52.7 million

And, there has never been a renewal of the funding that was cut twenty years ago and sliced every year the Republican Party was in power. But, they want it that way.

I don’t get it.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service would change from $172.5 million to $46.2 million – by the Republicans budget cuts.

How many jobs does that tear out of our economy?

Tell me, whose nation are they serving? The Republicans have and now, again are – doing more damage than any enemy we, as a nation have ever endured.

Why did anyone vote for anything that evil and despotic in our nation?

Anywhere?

What would possibly have made that seem like the right thing to do?

I just don’t get it.

***

The cuts to Rural Housing Service Loans and Grants –

instead of $208.8 million

will be $35.1 million

– whose fucking stupid idea was that?

Mr. Boehner?

***

There is nothing right about that – not one thing when they are willing to spend $3.5 million dollars each and every day to Egypt and $7 million dollars a day to Israel plus countless dollars going out to USAID programs that are a piece of shit and countless other dollars going to every other kind of program for foreign nationals and foreign corporations and industries that can damn well support themselves.

– cricketdiane

***

House Republicans’ proposed cuts — the full list of which can be found here –

(from)

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dc/2011/02/house_gop_proposes_deep_cuts_t.html

***

Oh yeah –

And after most of rural and middle America brought the Republican’s into the House of Representatives – ’cause they just had to cast their votes for them –

guess what?

Here is what they get –

Budget Cuts from the Republican Party in Washington –

Rural Utilities Loans & Grants –

Instead of $204.5 million

It will be $6.3 million dollars for the entire country this year.

WHICH MEANS – they are insuring that your light bill will go up like a rocket. (But theirs won’t.)

You voted for this. You decided you wanted those same crooks to be in Washington taking the money you sent there from your paycheck and having it spent to support Mubarak instead of your local electric utilities, natural gas, heating oil, and water system.

Now, those things will have to raise their rates to you – because after years upon years of our tax dollars building the damn things – the Republicans don’t want Rural electricity available cheaply.

That isn’t where they live.

– cricketdiane

***

And, it isn’t Texas around Houston where their oil and chemical industry friends do have subsidies for their electricity needs.

The Republican Party wants to thank them. They do not want to thank you. (or me, or any of the rest of the Americans who voted for them, or any of the communities in America, etither for that matter.)

Yes, the was a time when our nation faced grave enemies from outside the US. We probably still do.

But apparently – The members of the ruling Republicans who are running damn near every state where they have power, into the ground – are now in Washington with your votes and backing and money – deciding that China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Russia, Sweden, Portugal, Belgium, Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan, and even, Canada should have more of our taxpayer dollars than you do or your community does or that your local utilities can have to keep jobs there and to keep rates at some reasonable level in this damaged economy.

***

But, no.

The Republicans have declared war on America’s citizens – because we are a waste of their time, and don’t amount to much in their estimations – as evidenced by this –

Their idea of what to give “Foreign Agriculture Service” is not a cut – it is massively larger –

Instead of $14.9 million (most of which goes to large agri-biz anyway.)

The Republicans want $83.4 million for them.

***

House Republicans’ proposed cuts — the full list of which can be found here

***

http://www.thecapitol.net/FAQ/payandperqs.htm

Personal Staff Allowances enable members to hire aides for clerical, administrative, legislative and media support.  (See Congressional Deskbook, § 5.60, “Personal Staff”)

• Representatives’ staff allowances can be used to hire up to 18 permanent and four non-permanent aides divided between the members’ Washington and district offices. Up to $75,000 of a representative’s staff funds can be transferred to his or her official expense account for use in other categories, such as computer and related services. The maximum salary allowed House personal staffers in 2005 was $156,848 (2001: $140,451)..

• Senators’ personal staff allowances vary with the size of the members’ states. Senators may hire as many aides as they wish within their allowance; typically this ranges between 26 and 60, depending on the size of the state and the salary levels offered to the staffers.
  • The maximum salary allowed to Senate personal staffers in 2003 was $150,159 (1999: $132,159); for Senate legislative staffers the maximum salary in 2005 was $153,599.

• In addition to their personal staffs, senators and representatives are assisted on legislative matters by staffs of the committees and subcommittees on which they serve.
• Congressional salary information is available from LegiStorm.
• “Legislative Branch Staffing, 1954-2007,” by R. Eric Petersen, CRS Report for Congress R40056, October 15, 2008 (16-page PDF )

Expense Allowances for members, kept separate from personal staff allowances, cover domestic travel, stationery, newsletters, overseas postage, telephone and telegraph service, and other expenses in Washington and in the members’ state or congressional districts.

Foreign Travel by members for the conduct of government business is financed through special allowances. These funds can come from various sources.

• Money is appropriated by Congress through the Mutual Security Act to pay travel and other expenses of congressional committees for routine and special investigations.
• Members traveling abroad are allowed to use American-owned counterpart funds. These are foreign currencies held by U.S. embassies and credited to the United States as part of various foreign assistance programs; they can be spent only in the country of origin.
• American Ambassadors overseas are allocated sums for official entertaining. These funds may be used for the same purpose by members of Congress when traveling overseas.
• Members may use the funds of various government agencies when they speak on foreign policy issues at overseas posts.
• Members may travel on military aircraft, including cargo planes, at no charge.
• The 1989 Ethics in Government Act set restrictions on foreign travel paid by lobbyists and other special interests.
  • For both the House and Senate, special-interest paid foreign travel is limited to seven consecutive days, excluding the days spent traveling.
  • Domestic travel funded by special-interest groups is limited to four consecutive days on the House side (including travel time), and three consecutive days on the Senate side (excluding travel time).
  • One relative per trip also may accept special interest-paid travel expenses, and the ethics committee may grant an extension in exceptional circumstances.

Domestic Travel (to and from District/State)
House:  Included in office expenses is a minimum amount of $9,700 (2003), with additional funding based on a formula that uses the distance from Washington, DC to the farthest point in the Congressional district from Washington.

Senate:  The official expense allowance is based overall on population and distance, and includes travel.

http://www.thecapitol.net/FAQ/payandperqs.htm

***

But, without doing the math –

The Republicans will terminate the NTIA – Public Telecom Facilities Construction which was slated to get $20 million and is in progress. That is about one trip for a three-day junket for their staff to take.

– cricketdiane

***

And, apparently the Republicans don’t want us to be competitive with China or anyone else – as evidenced by the above and other things like this one –

The Republican “budget cuts” for the 2011 budget affecting this year –

Have a change from $5.2 million for International Trade Administration

To what Republicans want it to be –

$92.7 million dollars

for the International Trade Administration

So, also apparently – they did not intend to cut the deficit at all –

They just wanted to move the money around to where it suits them.

And, at the Justice Information Sharing Technology where they want to make sure and keep up with every American citizen regardless of Constitutionality –

The Republicans want $101.5 million spent there instead of $10 million.

Well, there you go.

That’s what you right wing, conservative, Republican voters wanted . . .

Or, in fact – did they just sell you a bill of goods and you bought right into it.

Woops.

Now, that would be a problem.

– cricketdiane

***

State Department to Discuss USAID programs at 1.30 pm EST today

Tags

cricketdiane, US budget, US economic crisis, US foreign aid

StateDept StateDept

Watch a live webcast of the State Department and @USAID #budget rollout at 1:30 pm EST Feb 14: http://go.usa.gov/grZ

13 minutes ago Favorite Undo Retweet Reply

***

My Note –
There have been 7 million jobs lost in the last two years or something in that neighborhood, according to what I read a few days ago. So at 1.30 pm the State Department is going to have their discussion about the budget for the USAID – well, there’s no good news.

The cuts proposed by the Republicans in this year’s budget have literally declared war on the poor, disadvantaged, elderly, disabled, the children, the families, the public, the unemployed, the barely employed and others in America suffering from the economic crisis – not because they are criminals nor undesirables, but rather because they are not bankers or Wall Street tycoons as favored by the Republican Party. What a shame. (my note)

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dc/2011/02/house_gop_proposes_deep_cuts_t.html

cuts veterans’ housing by $7 million (in DC area alone for this year) “House Republicans’ proposed cuts — the full list of which can be found here -”

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, cutting grants from the Federal Transit Administration by $150 million just as the agency is preparing to cope with a forthcoming budget gap of $72 million.

***

Below are some charts from my files from researching this economic crisis – and the same sources have a variety of charts available as well – didn’t look up the links for them – (sorry about that, will have to do it later, my note)

There are also some great charts that show what real incomes actually became through the Bush years before President Obama had a seat in the Oval Office – those are through a Congressional study – I’ll look them up. It means that we, the American people started at a disadvantage in the first place while all these economic gurus in Washington and New York were playing games with our money and economic policies. (apparently, the enemy of the Republican Party as far as they are concerned, are the American people who are wasting the Republican cronies’ free and pervasive use to suit their own desires and enrich themselves from the taxpayer’s funds.)

– cricketdiane

***

US Labor Department Jobs / Employment / Government Employment 2010

***

US Bureau of Economic Analysis - 2010? - Personal Real Income Chart - US

***

StateDept StateDept

Watch a live webcast of the State Department and @USAID #budget rollout at 1:30 pm EST Feb 14: http://go.usa.gov/grZ

13 minutes ago Favorite Undo Retweet Reply

***

TED Conference
February 28 – March 4
Long Beach, CA

noted by Wired Magazine

http://conferences.ted.com/TED2011/

***

Communicate if Your Government Shuts Off Your Internet

http://howto.wired.com/wiki/Communicate_if_Your_Government_Shuts_Off_Your_Internet?mbid=wir_newsltr

This offers a comprehensive list of common sense and how to if a natural disaster or an event occurs which shuts off the internet, such as Egyptian government officials chose to do a few days ago.

There are a lot of scenarios in which this can happen – and this article is worth reading, saving, using, and sharing about it. Written as a common sense approach to it rather than an “end of the world” scenario as some are done.

– cricketdiane note

***

I also found a nifty thing where DARPA is calling for designs through March 3 for a get-around vehicle to do a number of flexible job details from carrying equipment and personnel to urban warfare and evacuation scenarios – well, worth a look and maybe enter a design.

There is a frame that it requires the designer to use and a specific engine/ drive train but otherwise it is open season on how the design can be created. They will accept hand made sketches to CAD work ups. Probably could even use Google SketchUP for that matter.

Sounds pretty nifty. It reminded me of the two guys who built an all-terrain tank for the Army in their backyard which is now in use, I believe. It is very fast, very flexible and very maneuverable. They are doing second generation stuff with it now. Very nifty.

Anyway – this DARPA call is a public call to anyone and everyone that would like to join in and put their design ideas into an applied military need to help our troops and increase their safety. It sounds pretty good. They will be micro-manufacturing them through a company that is already involved.

– cricketdiane

***

From the GizMag article describing the DARPA call for designs –

The challenge is being conducted with Local Motors, a Phoenix-based company that lets a community of car designers and engineers collaborate on designing cars, which can then be bought and built in regional micro-factories. Local Motors’ first “open source” production vehicle is the Rally Fighter, which was developed in 2008 using a crowd-sourced process. The XC2V design submissions must be based on the lightweight, tubular steel chassis and the General Motors LS3 V8 powertrain found in that vehicle.

Budding designers must also devise a vehicle that meets two mission sets – combat delivery and evacuation and combat reconnaissance. To meet the requirements of combat delivery and evacuation missions, the judges will be looking for flexible vehicle body designs that allow supplies, people and equipment to be transported around a potentially hostile battlefield in the quickest and most efficient way possible.

http://www.gizmag.com/kalashnikov-ak-47/12306/
#
# Inventions that changed the world: Mikhail Kalashnikov’s AK-47

http://www.gizmag.com/darpa-xc2v-design-challenge/17863/?utm_source=Gizmag+Subscribers&utm_campaign=efcaf89bee-UA-2235360-4&utm_medium=email

[The XC2V must be designed around the tubular chassis found in the Local Motors Rally Fighter]

DARPA asks public to design new combat support vehicle

By Darren Quick

23:13 February 13, 2011

Entrants must be over 18 with full competition details and entry guidelines available at Local Motors’ website.
http://redirectingat.com/?id=3971X639606&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.local-motors.com%2F&sref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gizmag.com%2Fdarpa-xc2v-design-challenge%2F17863%2F%3Futm_source%3DGizmag%2BSubscribers%26utm_campaign%3Defcaf89bee-UA-2235360-4%26utm_medium%3Demail

DARPA link –
http://redirectingat.com/?id=3971X639606&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.darpa.mil%2Findex.html&sref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gizmag.com%2Fdarpa-xc2v-design-challenge%2F17863%2F%3Futm_source%3DGizmag%2BSubscribers%26utm_campaign%3Defcaf89bee-UA-2235360-4%26utm_medium%3Demail

***

My Note –

And I found this from the New York International Auto Show

(later this spring)

LeMay: America’s Car Museum to Return
Celebrating Mini and Micro: Always a crowd favorite, LeMay will be returning to this year’s show with their popular “Heritage & Horsepower” exhibit plus an exhibit celebrating Small,Mini and Micro cars from private collectors.  Born from  a need for reliable and efficient transportation following WWII, these prized cars are the predecessors of today’s hottest offerings from the world’s manufacturers. The exhibit will only be open the first weekend of the show (April 22-24) so be sure not to miss it!

***

Register to watch the four-day TED2011 webcast »

TED Conference
February 28 – March 4
Long Beach, CA

noted by Wired Magazine

http://conferences.ted.com/TED2011/

***

And this is very nifty –

The thermal Casimir force – whereby two objects feel an attraction caused by thermal fluctuations of the electromagnetic field – has been measured for the first time by physicists in the US. The tiny attractive force was detected between two gold surfaces separated by at least 3 µm. This is too far apart to have been due to the more familiar Casimir force that arises from quantum zero-point fluctuations.

( . . . )

Lamoreaux and colleagues mounted the flat surface on a horizontal beam suspended from its centre by a wire to create a torsion pendulum. The sphere was brought up slowly to the plate and, as a result of the Casimir force, the pendulum twisted towards the sphere. The team then measured the electrostatic force that had to be applied to the other half of the pendulum to balance the beam as the sphere was slowly moved from 7 to 0.7 µm from the plate and then back again.

After correcting for the residual electrostatic forces between sphere and plate, due to imperfections in the gold surfaces, Sushkov and colleagues found that the zero-point Casimir force dominated, as expected, at separations of less than about 3 µm. However, at greater distances, where the zero-point force is expected to drop off rapidly with the inverse cube of the separation, the team measured a force that fell more slowly with the inverse square of the separation.

(from)

http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/45048

Thermal Casimir force seen for the first time

Feb 8, 2011

***

I just thought it was nifty – and the applications that could be derived from it are inspiring. But, the Casimir force that it measures has been known. The nifty way they have measured it is pretty inspiring. (has a picture of it, too.)

– cricketdiane

***

And, I looked at this video on bloomberg which shows an absolutely beautiful mall – said to be the largest in the world in China – mostly standing empty and the original developers that built it went bust – but it is beautiful –

http://www.bloomberg.com/video/65822094/

Dongguan Ghost Mall Haunts China’s Property Boom

from Jan. 12 (includes an incredible video describing it with photos of the mall spaces and multiple stories of storefronts almost completely empty.)

***

Wonder how much US money went to help built it – I would not be surprised if it did. Looks like just the kind of USAID project that millions are poured into around the world. Kind of like the tent city in Haiti that was built with portable showers and everything so far away from anything that no one would even go live there, also built by USAID money. Worthless waste – and it didn’t even help the people of Haiti. I don’t know if any US money was in the Dongguan project or not, I just wouldn’t be surprised knowing how they do things with our money.

The USAID has had all kinds of projects in Egypt for the last thirty years – guess who advantaged out of that> It wasn’t the people of Egypt, nor a push for democratic reforms that were accomplished, obviously.

Who are these people making decisions? Long before the current group in Washington got their say about it, we have been spending our taxpayer money left and right to support the damndest things around the world that served no one except big corporations who could’ve supported themselves, and industries that had profits and pools of massive amounts of money along with funding brutal and horrific dictatorships and programs in their nations which they could’ve been funding themselves (or funding regionally.)

But, no – the first thing the Republicans want to do is to further that funding and cut funding to American domestic spending. It figures. They are the same bunch that sponsored, funded and favored Enron, put Bernie Madoff into the seat of power at NASDAQ and gave trillions of dollars to bailout banks and AIG – maybe they contributed to the debt of our nation when they did that – Hmmmm……….. let’s see, what good did it do for any of us?

– cricketdiane

***

My Note about the budget cuts from above and the ones for Metro DC –

The cuts proposed by the Republicans in this year’s budget have literally declared war on the poor, disadvantaged, elderly, disabled, the children, the families, the public, the unemployed, the barely employed and others in America suffering from the economic crisis – not because they are criminals nor undesirables, but rather because they are not bankers or Wall Street tycoons as favored by the Republican Party. What a shame. (my note)

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dc/2011/02/house_gop_proposes_deep_cuts_t.html

cuts veterans’ housing by $7 million (in DC area alone for this year)

“House Republicans’ proposed cuts — the full list of which can be found here -”

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, cutting grants from the Federal Transit Administration by $150 million just as the agency is preparing to cope with a forthcoming budget gap of $72 million.

***

So, instead of adding jobs – the Republicans are decimating the few that are around and insuring that America is a blight upon the landscape.

Good going – I would expect nothing less from the Republican Party as it stands today than to be a greater enemy of America than the Russians were during the Cold War or the Japanese were during Pearl Harbor.

Figures.

– cricketdiane

***

from msnbc report just now – Egypt’s military rulers disolve parliament – World news – Mideast/N. Africa – msnbc.com

Tags

cricketdiane, Democracy, Egypt, Freedom, Human Rights, Mubarak, Suleiman, US foreign aid, US foreign military aid

CAIRO — Egypt’s military rulers are dissolving the parliament and suspending the constitution, meeting two key demands of pro-democracy protesters.

In their latest communique, the military leadership that took power when President Hosni Mubarak stepped down Friday, said they will run the country for six months, or until presidential and parliament elections can be held.

(etc.)

Egypt’s military rulers disolve parliament – World news – Mideast/N. Africa – msnbc.com

***

This article is comprehensive and about halfway through it describes the police that have been protesting with demands of immunity from prosecution and higher pay. They were apparently making about $136 a month for brutalizing people and claim they were told by superiors to make up the money they needed by getting it from the people.

And, the most marvelous section is below the article where there is a map showing the region which, if the button for show more information is clicked, there are sections with maps, a photo of each ruler and a brief explanation for each country in the area. Absolutely amazing.

And, very, very nifty.

– cricketdiane

***

In fact, if I wanted my children (or friends) to better understand what the big deal is about all this “Egypt” stuff – I would encourage them to read this one article especially on this page from msnbc. It explains the situation and a little of what is at stake and puts it in perspective with the entire region.

Yes, very nifty.

***

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41558249/ns/world_news-africa/

Egypt’s military rulers dissolve parliament
Leaders also suspend constitution; protesters holding firm in Tahrir Square

msnbc.com staff and news service reports
updated 3 minutes ago 2011-02-13T14:12:47

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