President Obama’s Weekly Address – 01/28/12
In his weekly address, President Obama discusses the blueprint he put forward this week in the State of the Union Address for creating an economy built to last. After focusing on American manufacturing, American energy, and skills for American workers during each of the last three days, he used his weekly address to highlight his commitment to a renewal of American values. The President is challenging leaders in Washington, DC to follow the model set by our men and women in the military, end the gridlock and start tackling the issues that matter – without regard for personal ambition.
Who Gets Food Stamps?
Filed under: Blog Entries, Community, Politics, Society & Culture
Whenever I hear the words “food stamps” or “WIC”, I have this image in my mind. I don’t know how it got there, but it’s there and for some reason I can’t seem to shake it. I know others have that same image and over the years, the “welfare system” has become a hot topic on the Republican debate trail. People are going crazy over a program that helps those in need and I’m sure the majority of those complaining have no idea who the system is helping. While reading through some posts at factcheck.org, I found the following:
The most recent Department of Agriculture report on the general characteristics of the SNAP program’s beneficiaries says that in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2010:
- 47 percent of beneficiaries were children under age 18.
- 8 percent were age 60 or older.
- 41 percent lived in a household with earnings from a job — the so-called “working poor.”
- The average household received a monthly benefit of $287.
- 36 percent were white (non-Hispanic), 22 percent were African American (non-Hispanic) and 10 percent were Hispanic (Table A.21).
We don’t argue that the program is either too large (as Gingrich does) or too small. It has certainly reached a historically high level, and may or may not grow even larger in the months to come. But the plain fact is that the growth started long before Obama took office, and participation grew more under Bush.
Now, I don’t want you to think I’m blind to the fact that there are people abusing the system. Just like the tax code is abused, I’m sure there are many getting over on the good ol’ US of A. But for the most part, in my special world, I’d like to think it’s beneficial to those who need it most.
As an added bonus, I thought I’d add a link to the WIC PARTICIPANT AND PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS 2010: SUMMARY.
Google Anita Borg Scholarship
Filed under: Blog Entries, Education, Personal Finance
The deadline is approaching, so you might want to jump on this now.
As part of Google’s ongoing commitment to encouraging women to pursue careers in computing and technology, we’re pleased to announce the Google Anita Borg Scholarship, through which we hope to encourage women to excel in computing and technology and become active role models and leaders.
Scholarships will be awarded based on the strength of candidates’ academic background and demonstrated leadership. A group of female undergraduate and graduate student finalists will be chosen from the applicant pool.
All scholarship recipients and finalists will be invited to visit Google headquarters in Mountain View, California for a networking retreat which will include workshops with a series of speakers, panelists, breakout sessions and social activities.
Award Amount:
$1,000 – $10,000
Deadline:
Usually In February
Website/Contact Info:
http://groups.google.com/anitaborg
Interact with the Obama Administration Online
Filed under: Blog Entries, Obama, Politics, Technology, Twitter
The Obama Administration has done an amazing job in utilizing technology and this week is no different. Wednesday thru Friday, they will be hosting live discussions online covering topics that Americans are concerned about. On Monday the President will be interviewed LIVE from the White House on Google+ and Youtube.
Wednesday – Friday: Office Hours marathon of online question and answer sessions on Twitter
To participate, anyone can ask a question on Twitter with the hashtag #WHChat, and administration officials respond to questions in real-time via Twitter. Follow the Q&A through the @WHLive Twitter account. If you miss the live session, the full Q&A will be posted on WhiteHouse.gov to cross-post and Storify.com/WhiteHouse.
1/25: Answering general questions about the speech
All-day: Josh Earnest, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary
1pm: Mark Zuckerman, White House Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council
3pm: Dan Pfeiffer
1/26: Constituency focused sessions
10am: Veterans
- Matt Flavin, White House Director of Veterans and Wounded Warrior Policy
11am : LGBT
- Miriam Vogel, White House Senior Policy Advisor and Gautam Raghavan, Assoc. Director for Public Engagement
Noon : Women
- Racquel Russell, Special Assistant to the President for Mobility and Opportunity Policy and Avra Siegel, White House Deputy Executive Director for the Council on Women and Girls
I’m Back! (Hopefully for good this time)
I’m sure if you’ve visited this site in the past, you’ve noticed the lack of posts over the last year. I love blogging, but it takes a lot of time to put together and the last year has been pretty crazy. I have so much I plan on posting, but I never quite get to it.
Well, that’s about to end. Life is no less hectic, but I want to commit to doing better this year. “Random thoughts about everything and nothing” will become less of a motto and more of a reality. While the posts may not be as lengthy as I’d like, I hope to share some quality thought-provoking topics with you.
Here’s to a new start.
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