Obama, Biden to announce $600M for job grants
Source: ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Striving to show action on jobs, President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden are hitting the road to trumpet $600 million in new competitive grants to spur creation of targeted training and apprenticeship programs that could help people land well-paying jobs.
They were making the announcement Wednesday at the Community College of Allegheny County West Hills Center in the western Pennsylvania borough of Oakdale.
Administration officials say they hear from too many businesses that they cannot find skilled workers for jobs they need to fill. On top of that, officials say many people who are looking for work may be open to learning new skills but need assurance that a job will be waiting for them at the end of a training program.
Obama and others in the administration often say community colleges are among the best sources for job training and say learn-on-the-job apprenticeship programs provide some of the most direct paths to well-paying jobs.
Read more: http://www.salon.com/2014/04/16/obama_biden_to_announce_600m_for_job_grants/
= new reply since forum marked as read
Meanwhile Alex Wagner and ilk Halperin MUST have their faces on the teevee. Can't not see them ya know.
I had to get SiriusXM just to get some access to progressive stations (there are 2 channels with progressive talk) plus POTUS is what they call "Politics of the U.S." and they have slowly been populating it with moderate Republicans & independents (e.g., Smerconish now has a show on there). That channel usually tries to cover all of the President's events live...
that POTUS actually added "talk" format programming with callers, so that is new. In addition to daily Smerconish, they added both Jon Huntsman and wait for it... Schmuck Toad for 1 or 2 days a week. 
However, generally it has a format similar to NPR, with a news summary program (with host Tim Farley) that would repeat multiple times during the day in between the live broadcasts. Too many times when neither cable news nor the CSPANs (including CSPAN Radio) opted to break away to show the President, POTUS Channel broadcast the audio of his speeches live.
Perhaps you should "read up on the New Deal" and then you'll discover that it had to be funded by guess who? 
Come on... Can you guess who had to authorize the appropriations for such?
Still stumped?
Of course Biden, the man who was considered the "poorest" of Senators when he was in the Senate, can easily write out that check for the NEW New Deal all by his damn self because DU believes that they can and appropriations be damned!!11!11!!!!! 
that was recently renovated under ARRA.
But again, what you are missing is that CONGRESS must enact the authorization to expend funds for projects such as what was in the New Deal like the Hoover Dam or the Tennessee Valley Authority.
The "investments" mentioned for this came out of odds and ends government funding already appropriated that had to be cobbled together because CONGRESS refuses to go big. In fact, they refuse to do anything at all. And Cheeto Boner damn sure won't bring any infrastructure investment bill to the floor. That ass won't even bring any of the Senate jobs bills, unemployment restoration bills, or wage bills to the House floor.
When you can't do something one way, you find another way until you have a stronger hand, and after all this time of the obstruction, this hasn't been figured out yet? Why does DU ignore the legislative branch? 
Meeting with representatives this past weekend, the social contract was discussed. Also education, infrastructure, social services and jobs.
The problem was and still is income inequality, as my district rep explained, but really preaching to the choir (no need to inform those of us already involved, but it was necessary to iron out our talking points) with us.
My rep has not been able to get past the brainwashed public who think that all government should be kept out of the way completely, defunded, etc., and that all who would benefit as I did in younger years, from OTJ training, cheaper education and a living wage, are just takers as the GOP says.
The problem was gone over as we see our world getting handed over to private interests who despise the government and all those who support programs as moochers. This is a blue state, I might add, but the legislative margin is very low and in the years when the GOP does get majority, very bad things happen.
My rep said the former contract between business, government and labor is now broken, and for no good reason. Government gave help to business to create good paying jobs to sustain workers and their families who then in turn pay their taxes for what they need, such as infrastructure of all kinds.
With the wages not being high enough to pay enough taxes to keep government working, there simply is NO money for government to do things as they once did.
I know my rep fought for all kinds of things to get equity in taxation, and to give the poor and those needing helping hand to improve their lot in the workforce, but all the measures were voted down by the public.
Things like a limited state income tax on millionaires, a repeal of a GOP pushed through end to estate tax, a repeal of tax breaks for businesses that did not reinvest in job training or pay enough wages to live on, and on and on.
All failed due to the public who felt it was 'tyranny' or 'class warfare' for the group they hoped to become, the upper percentages. Or all part of a government plot to take their 'liberty.'
Even some of those I know in federal and other union jobs are not voting for long-term interest or to help those who need help the most. They are voting GOP, Libertarian and Tea Party to keep what they have gained as most are near retirement and in safer plans than others, then as it goes away they figure it doesn't matter.
Before you paint Obama and Biden and these initiatives with disdain, consider the environment they work in and that the voters have created. My rep is getting tired of dealing of with people who don't feel any responsibility for their fellows citizens or the future. The Koch brothers agenda that is national is in every state and majorities are razor thin to resist them.
From Bernie Sanders, the Koch Libertarian platform, also touted by Alex Jones, Glenn Beck and FNN:
“We urge the repeal of federal campaign finance laws, and the immediate abolition of the despotic Federal Election Commission.”
“We favor the abolition of Medicare and Medicaid programs.”
“We oppose any compulsory insurance or tax-supported plan to provide health services, including those which finance abortion services.”
“We also favor the deregulation of the medical insurance industry.”
“We favor the repeal of the fraudulent, virtually bankrupt, and increasingly oppressive Social Security system. Pending that repeal, participation in Social Security should be made voluntary.”
“We propose the abolition of the governmental Postal Service. The present system, in addition to being inefficient, encourages governmental surveillance of private correspondence. Pending abolition, we call for an end to the monopoly system and for allowing free competition in all aspects of postal service.”
“We oppose all personal and corporate income taxation, including capital gains taxes.”
“We support the eventual repeal of all taxation.”
“As an interim measure, all criminal and civil sanctions against tax evasion should be terminated immediately.”
“We support repeal of all law which impede the ability of any person to find employment, such as minimum wage laws.”
“We advocate the complete separation of education and State. Government schools lead to the indoctrination of children and interfere with the free choice of individuals. Government ownership, operation, regulation, and subsidy of schools and colleges should be ended.”
“We condemn compulsory education laws … and we call for the immediate repeal of such laws.”
“We support the repeal of all taxes on the income or property of private schools, whether profit or non-profit.”
“We support the abolition of the Environmental Protection Agency.”
“We support abolition of the Department of Energy.”
“We call for the dissolution of all government agencies concerned with transportation, including the Department of Transportation.”
“We demand the return of America's railroad system to private ownership. We call for the privatization of the public roads and national highway system.”
“We specifically oppose laws requiring an individual to buy or use so-called "self-protection" equipment such as safety belts, air bags, or crash helmets.”
“We advocate the abolition of the Federal Aviation Administration.”
“We advocate the abolition of the Food and Drug Administration.”
“We support an end to all subsidies for child-bearing built into our present laws, including all welfare plans and the provision of tax-supported services for children.”
“We oppose all government welfare, relief projects, and ‘aid to the poor’ programs. All these government programs are privacy-invading, paternalistic, demeaning, and inefficient. The proper source of help for such persons is the voluntary efforts of private groups and individuals.”
“We call for the privatization of the inland waterways, and of the distribution system that brings water to industry, agriculture and households.”
“We call for the repeal of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.”
“We call for the abolition of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.”
“We support the repeal of all state usury laws.
In other words, the agenda of the Koch brothers is not only to defund Obamacare. The agenda of the Koch brothers is to repeal every major piece of legislation that has been signed into law over the past 80 years that has protected the middle class, the elderly, the children, the sick, and the most vulnerable in this country.
http://www.sanders.senate.gov/koch-brothers
http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a7980koch
to kpete:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024806298
These are the exact memes we are dealing with in trying to talk to people about maintainng the things you appear to want, as I do.
As disgusting and infuriating as all of this is, and I agree on your points but not the cynicism that leads to this happening in the first place, this is the reality Democrats are confronted with daily. I've seen some really dirty tricks played in my blue state, as nothing is beneath those who support these plans, and they are IMPOSSIBLE to deal with.
My rep warned us that there appears to be no relief in sight, there will continue to be less funding for human needs from one end to the other, and more competition for scarce resources as the plutocrats continue to get voters to elect those with their agenda.
So, the efforts of Democrats who support NONE of the Koch platform, but are outvoted by their fans, is THE major factor in what we are seeing. I see it up close where I live.
We have many who have our vision, and we run candidates with it, but are outspent, and those who are interested in the bones tossed them by the agenda of the Koches, and there are those really do benefit from dissolving the programs and rights WE believe in, or at least I think YOU do, are going to continue to force these programs to be used to address the inequity.
When you say it is more on the taxpayer, you are in the long-term supporting a weaker government that cannot spend to help its citizens to better lives. If the private sector refused to help people get jobs, why is it wrong to spend federal dollars on jobs or training? Isn't that what FDR did?
All of these solutions are going to be dissed from the Right, so why do it from the Left, assuming again of your intent to support this help given, but I will not claim to know your heart.
Know that as we discussed with our reps and advocates this weekend, and then again this week, we must come out in overwhelming numbers at community meetings despite the verbal abuse we already know that we will receive, and at the polls, and everywhere we can make our voices heard, to say that what we want to have continue has been beneficial for all.
Otherwise, the Koches win.
Peace Out.
Response to DonViejo (Original post)
