“Feel free to whack me over the head because I probably will not compromise on that part.”

Glad I’ll most likely be getting a stimulus check, not sure that was the best offer for the President to make however… as much as I would love to see the Secret Service take down some old Capitol Hill cronies in a slap fight.

1909 – United States troops leave Cuba with the exception of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base after being there since the Spanish-American War.
1915 – An act of the U.S. Congress creates the United States Coast Guard.
1916 – Louis D. Brandeis becomes the first Jew appointed to the United States Supreme Court.
1917 – Municipally owned streetcars take to the streets of San Francisco, California.
1921 – A symbolic Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is installed beneath the Arc de Triomphe in Paris to honor the unknown dead of World War I.
1981 – Ronald Reagan lifts remaining domestic petroleum price and allocation controls in the United States helping to end the 1979 energy crisis
1985 – Supergroup USA for Africa (United Support of Artists for Africa) records the hit single We Are the World, to help raise funds for Ethiopian famine relief.

Treasury Secretary

Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner announced new rules that will prevent banks from lobbying for money set aside by the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act.

These new rules restrict contact between bank lobbyists and Treasury officials, and restrict members of Congress from securing money on behalf of banks in their home districts.

Mr. Geithner had this to say:
“American taxpayers deserve to know that their money is spent in the most effective way to stabilize the financial system. Today’s actions reaffirm our commitment toward that goal.”

President Obama had this to say after his visit:
“There are some legitimate philosophical differences with parts of my plan that the Republicans have, and I respect that … I don’t expect a hundred percent agreement from my Republican colleagues, but I do hope that we can all put politics aside and do the American people’s business right now.”

From whitehouse.gov:

President Obama directed the Department of Transportation to establish higher fuel efficiency standards for carmakers’ 2011 model year. The current standard, known as Corporate Average Fuel Economy, was established in 1975 in the wake of the Arab Oil Embargo.

The second memo paves the way for California and more than a dozen other states to raise emissions standards above and beyond the national standard. They’d asked to do so before, but the Bush administration had denied the request.

“Instead of serving as a partner, Washington stood in their way,” President Obama said. “The days of Washington dragging its heels are over.”

Defense Secretary Robert Gates

Defense Secretary Robert Gates spoke to the Senate Armed Services Committee today and stated that missile strikes in Pakistan will continue in an effort to root out al Qaeda members and that our greatest military challenge is Afghanistan

Gates also supports the closing of Guantanamo and says setting a deadline is the only way to ensure facility is eventually closed.

This comes on the eve of Special Envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell arriving in the region with a visit that begins in Egypt and continues on to Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, Turkey and ends in Saudi Arabia.

ORDINARY PEOPLE CHANGE THE WORLD

Our Mission

“To strengthen.
To inspire.
To save.
And most important, to remind us that there is greatness inside all of us.
We are all ordinary. We are all boring. We are all spectacular. We are all shy. We are all bold. We are all heroes. We are all helpless. It just depends on the day. And on remembering that we should never ever ever apologize for who we are.
Unless we’re real jackasses. Then apologize away.

Let me be as clear as I can here: I believe ordinary people change the world.

Is it idealistic? Yes. Is it naïve? Absolutely. But there’s no reason to apologize for who you are. I am idealistic, and I’m okay with being naïve and silly and kinda (mostly) soft. I learned that one from Mr. Rogers. When Mr. Rogers was a boy, he had allergies that were so bad, his parents made him spend the whole summer in the house. The only thing he had to entertain himself was his piano and a bunch of sock puppets. Freddy made the best of it.”

Written by Brad Meltzer on his site www.ordinarypeoplechangetheworld.com

Please visit this website and see how $1 can make a difference.

From Mr. Meltzer:
“In this economy, we know it’s tough to give money. But if everyone who visits this site gives JUST $1, together we can make a difference. Our goal is to raise $100,000 for City Year to help kids get back on track.”

About the City Year organization:
“City Year unites young people of all backgrounds for a year of full-time service, giving them the skills and opportunities to change the world.

As tutors, mentors, and role models, these idealistic leaders make a difference in the lives of children, and transform schools and neighborhoods in 18 U.S. locations and Johannesburg, South Africa. Just as important, during their year of service corps members develop civic leadership skills they can use throughout a lifetime of community service.

Major corporations and businesses participate in our mission by serving as strategic partners, team sponsors, and national leadership sponsors.

Together we’re building a citizen service movement that is larger than our organization, our lifetime, and ourselves.”

You can even click here and search for or submit your own or your favorite charity to be a part of Mr. Meltzer’s site:

http://ordinarypeoplechangetheworld.com/OneDay/Default.aspx

Also, since the pseudo-resignation of New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, the office of Secretary of Commerce is still up for grabs… in case anyone’s interested!

A Penny Saved

Tax time is upon us! Whether you are anticipating a refund or expecting that you might owe Uncle Sam a few bucks, a great way to save money on tax preperation and filing is to use Tax Act. Tax Act offers free preperation, free printing and free filing of your FEDERAL tax returns! And state return preperation costs only $13.95 with free e-file!

http://www.taxact.com/

Hope this has you spending your refund in no time!!