Obama Health Care Remarks Arcadia University Pennsylvania full text

March 8th, 2010

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT ON HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM

Arcadia University
Glenside, Pennsylvania

THE PRESIDENT: Hello, Pennsylvania! (Applause.) Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. This is a nice crowd. (Applause.) Thank you very much. Thank you. Well, what a wonderful crowd.

AUDIENCE MEMBER: I love you!

THE PRESIDENT: Love you back. (Applause.) I am - I’m kind of fired up. (Applause.) I’m kind of fired up. (Applause.) So, listen, we - this is just an extraordinary crowd and I -

AUDIENCE MEMBER: We love you!

THE PRESIDENT: I love you back. (Applause.) I want - there’s some people I want to point out who are here who’ve just been doing great work. First of all, give Leslie a great round of applause for her wonderful introduction. (Applause.)

Somebody who’s been working tirelessly on your behalf, doing a great job - the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius is in the house. (Applause.) One of the finest governors in the country, Ed Rendell is in the house. (Applause.) Everybody notice how good Ed is looking, by the way? He’s been on that training program, eating egg whites and keeping his cholesterol down. (Laughter.)

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Vice President and Dr Biden Travel To Israel, Palestinian Auth, and Jordan

March 7th, 2010

The Vice President and Dr. Jill Biden left Washington, DC, on Sunday at 8:30 pm for the Middle East. They will land in Jerusalem and visit Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan. His visit to Egypt has been postponed. There are no meetings scheduled Monday.On Tuesday, The Vice President will have meetings with President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Tzipi Livni, Chair of the Kadima Party. Dr. Biden will visit teachers and children at the integrated Peace Pre-school program at the Jerusalem International YMCA.

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Obama Statement 45th Anniversary Selma to Montgomery Full Text

March 7th, 2010

On this day, 45 years ago, hundreds of brave men and women gathered in the small town of Selma, Alabama to announce to the world that they, too, sang America. As they marched from Selma to Montgomery, fully aware of the danger that lay ahead, these heroes let their feet speak in a way that their voices alone could not.Today, as we gather in this hallowed place on the anniversary of what would come to be known as “Bloody Sunday,” let us honor the memory of all those who were shoved and beaten within an inch of their lives because they believed in the simple truth tha. t every American - regardless of race - had the right to cast a vote; had the right to live free; had the right to reach for their dreams.

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Obama Green Jobs Remarks OPower Full Text

March 5th, 2010

Good morning, everybody. It is great to be here at OPOWER. And just looking around, this looks like a fun place to work. (Laughter.) The work you do here, as we just heard, is making homes more energy efficient, it’s saving people money, it’s generating jobs and it’s putting America on the path to a clean energy future. And I understand last year that you doubled your workforce thanks to Bonnie [Donnie] - (applause) - you’re hoping to hire another hundred workers this year. And so this is a model of what we want to be seeing all across the country. Our goal for the economy is to show similar job growth in the months ahead.This morning we learned that in February our economy lost an additional 36,000 jobs. Now, this is actually better than expected, considering the severe storms all along the East Coast are estimated to have had a depressing effect on the numbers. And it shows that the measures that we’re taking to turn our economy around are having some impact. But even though it’s better than expected, it’s more than we should tolerate.

Far too many Americans remain out of work. Far too many families are still struggling in these difficult economic times. And that’s why I’m not going to rest, and my administration is not going to rest, in our efforts to help people who are looking to find a job; to help business owners who want to expand feel comfortable hiring again. And we’re not going to rest until our economy is working again for the middle class, and for all Americans.

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Obama Remarks Health Care Reform Full Text

March 3rd, 2010

On one end of the spectrum, there are some who’ve suggested scrapping our system of private insurance and replacing it with a government-run health care system. And though many other countries have such a system, in America it would be neither practical nor realistic.On the other end of the spectrum, there are those, and this includes most Republicans in Congress, who believe the answer is to loosen regulations on the insurance industry - whether it’s state consumer protections or minimum standards for the kind of insurance they can sell. The argument is, is that that will somehow lower costs. I disagree with that approach. I’m concerned that this would only give the insurance industry even freer rein to raise premiums and deny care.

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Obama Statement On Signing Of Unemployment Extension

March 2nd, 2010

“During these difficult economic times, supporting American workers, their families and our small businesses must be everyone’s focus. The bill passed tonight by the Senate will extend access to health care benefits for workers who have lost their jobs, help small businesses get loans so they can grow and hire, and extend unemployment insurance benefits for millions of Americans who are looking for work. I’m grateful to the members of the Senate on both sides of the aisle who worked to end this roadblock to relief for America’s working families.”

Obama Health Care Summit Letter To Congress Full Text

March 2nd, 2010

LETTER TO CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS ON HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM
Please find attached and below a letter from President Obama to Congressional leaders on moving forward with health insurance reform legislation.
March 2, 2010

Dear Speaker Pelosi, Senator Reid, Senator McConnell, and Representative Boehner:

Thank you again for the time, energy, and preparation you invested in last Thursday’s bipartisan meeting on health insurance reform. I have always believed that our legislative process works best when both sides can discuss our differences and common goals openly and honestly, and I’m very pleased that our meeting at Blair House offered the American people and their elected representatives a rare opportunity to explore different health reform proposals in extraordinary depth.

The meeting was a good opportunity to move past the usual rhetoric and sound-bites that have come to characterize this debate and identify areas on which we agree and disagree. And one point on which everyone expressed agreement was that the cost of health care is a large and growing problem that, left untended, threatens families, businesses and the solvency of our government itself.

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White House Roundup Mar 1, 2010

March 1st, 2010

PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS

On Monday, March 1, 2010, the President signed into law:

S. 2950, the “Criminal History Background Checks Pilot Extension Act of 2009″, which extends through March 30, 2011, a pilot program for certain volunteer organizations that serve children to have fingerprint checks on applicants for positions as volunteers or employees processed through the fingerprint identification system of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Signed an Executive Order providing the order of succession within the Department of Defense.

Provided Congress with a letter and classified report regarding United States engagement with Iran.

Presidential Proclamation designating Read Across America Day.

Presidential Proclamation designating March as Irish American Heritage Month.

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Presidential Proclamation Read Across America Day Full Text

March 1st, 2010

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

As the foundation that makes all other learning possible, literacy is the key to unlocking every child’s full potential.From riding a bus to opening a bank account, our everyday tasks and decisions require comprehension of the written word. On Read Across America Day, we reaffirm our commitment to investing in our children and giving them an essential tool for success in school and in life: the ability to read.

Today marks the birthday of the late Theodor Seuss Geisel, known to millions as Dr. Seuss. His imaginative tales havehelped generations of children learn to read, and they hold a cherished place on bookshelves in homes across America. Authors like Dr. Seuss, whose stories introduce fantastical worlds and characters, fold joy into reading and help spark the curiosity that is central to learning.

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From Digby - Thanks Jim

March 1st, 2010

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/thanks-jim.html