Obama acknowledges ‘deficit of trust’ 01/28/2010

Video of State of the Union speech (AP Photo)

“Families… are tightening their belts and making tough decisions. The federal government should do the same,” President Obama told Congress Wednesday. 

In his first State of the Union address, President Obama was properly confrontational and specific as he addressed the economy and bickering partisanship on Capitol Hill. He acknowledged loss of some of the hope since his election. He said they have to work to rebuild public trust in the federal government. 

He also outlined legislative goals including education programs, health-care reform and a jobs bill. A jobs bill passed by the House includes provisions such as giving tax breaks to companies that create jobs in the United States or putting more people to work building clean energy facilities. 

“As the first order of business this year, I urge the Senate to do the same, and I know they will.  They will.  People are out of work.  They’re hurting.  They need our help.  And I want a jobs bill on my desk without delay,” he said in the address to a joint session of Congress. 

He also laid out a plan to defend the middle class after years of declining wages and escalating costs. 

According to the White House’s Twitter page, about 1 million people watched the State of the Union address via http://www.wh.gov/ . After the speech, they could ask questions and join the discussion via online chat. 

“A new decade stretches before us. We don’t quit. I don’t quit. Let’s seize this moment – to start anew, to carry the dream forward, and to strengthen our union once more,” he said in the last lines of his State of the Union. 

The president is on the wrong track, according to newly elected Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell  who responded to the address. 

“What government should not do is pile on more taxation, regulation, and litigation that kill jobs and hurt the middle class,” he said. “It was Thomas Jefferson who called for  ‘a wise and frugal government which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry ….and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned…’ He was right. Today, the federal government is simply trying to do too much.” 

I thought the president’s message was respectful and unifying. The following is a sampling of some statements that stood out to me:  

• “We were sent here to serve our citizens, not our ambitions.”
• I will not walk away from the millions of Americans who need health care, and neither should the people in this chamber.”
• “In the 21st century, one of the best anti-poverty programs is a world-class education.”
• “I never said change would be easy. When you try to do big things & make big changes it stirs passions & controversy—that’s just how it is.”
• “I don’t think American elections should be bankrolled by America’s most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities.”
• On Wall Street reform: “if the bill that ends up on my desk does not meet the test of real reform, I will send it back”

Roland Martin: Obama Needs to go after Wall Street 12/20/2009

Journalist Roland Martin, host of TV One’s “Washington Watch,” suggests that President Obama get tougher against Wall Street, to get a little “George W. Bush” on them in efforts toward improving American confidence in the stalled economy.

Red Cross Sells Treasures to Cut Deficit 11/17/2009

Responding to Midwest floods in summer 2008. Image courtesy of the American Red Cross

The American Red Cross  is selling pieces of its history as part of its cost-cutting efforts over the past two years. Today, an auction featuring items such as nurse uniforms from the Civil War will be one of the “first rounds of an extensive sale of treasures the American Red Cross has amassed over the decades,” according to an Associated Press story.

“There’s an opportunity for people to purchase a part of the Red Cross history and at the same time contribute to our humanitarian mission,” said Red Cross spokesman Roger Lowe. At a time when many companies are cutting back on such vast archival collections, 128-year-old charity, he said, is asking itself, “Do I really need all of this?”

To save $3 million annually, the charity will close its Lorton, Va. where thousands of objects are stored.

According to the AP, “the online auctions began this month through Heritage Auction Galleries and will continue through February.”

Many items predate the founding of the charity in 1881. Many will be sent to the National Archives while “the most historically significant art and objects will be kept at the Washington headquarters and others will be auctioned in the largest sale in years, said archivist Susan Watson.”

“The charity will honor donor intent and keep its best and most historically significant art and objects, Lowe said. That will include original paintings by Norman Rockwell, Howard Chandler Christy and African-American artist Henry Ossawa Tanner, among others. Rockwell was commissioned to do paintings for the Red Cross as the basis of posters asking people to join or donate,” according to the AP.

The Red Cross assists disaster victims, supplies blood and supports military personnel and their families as well as teaches life-saving skills through its nearly 720 chapters.

Free teleconference on freelancing 11/16/2009

Information obtained from Richard Prince’s three-times-a-week online column, Journal-isms:
Freelance writer Katherine Reynolds Lewis, former money/work reporter in Newhouse News Service’s Washington Bureau, has organized a free teleconference on “How to Succeed As a Freelancer or Consultant.” Co-sponsored by the Washington chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association and CurrentMom.com, the teleconference runs from 2-3:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday. To register, visit http://workfreelance.eventbrite.com/

According to AAJA, the speakers include

Speakers include:
* Joe Grimm, creator of JobsPage.com, Poynter columnist and visiting journalist at Michigan State University
* Stephenie Overman, freelance writer and DC Society of Professional Journalists’ freelance coordinator
* Katherine Reynolds Lewis, freelance writer for outlets such as About.com, MSN Money and Parade, and founder of CurrentMom.com, a site for entrepreneurs
* Victoria Lim, media trainer, freelance journalist, consultant and convergence expert
* Arnesa Howell, freelance writer for magazines including People and Money.

Topics to be covered:
* Starting a freelance career on the sidelines of your day job
* Balancing fun or prestigious assignments with bread-and-butter work that pays the mortgage
* Is this the golden age of freelancing? Or a good time to flee to the safety of a solid employer?
* Pitching and cultivating relationships with editors or other clients
* How to think like an entrepreneur, not an employee

American Red Cross Cuts Its Budget By 75 Percent 07/21/2009

The Red Cross responding to Midwest floods in summer 2008. Image courtesy of the American Red Cross

In nine months, the organization has cut its debt from $209 million to $50 million,  American Red Cross President/CEO Gail McGovern said today.

“Over the past nine months, the agency surpassed its $100 million fundraising goal with $95 million in cash and $15 million in in-kind donations, McGovern said at an event at the National Press Club,” according to an article in the Washington Post.

She spoke about running a nonprofit in the recession.

“Fundraising tactics included ‘good old-fashioned community outreach to digital media,” she said. “We  learned that the key was to set our sights high and try lots of different approaches.”

Reducing expenses and cutting staff were among the ways the charitable organization cut its costs.

“The fact is, this economy is presenting many challenges for non-profits. But it’s also providing the impetus for the American Red Cross and other non-profits to make needed and sometimes overdue changes,” the Red Cross leader said. “Simply put, there’s a greater acceptance to change in a crisis.”

To read McGovern’s prepared remarks to the National Press Club today and a press release from the Red Cross about McGovern speaking about “navigating a non-profit through turbulent economic waters.”

The Red Cross assists disaster victims, supplies blood and supports military personnel and their families as well as teaches life-saving skills through its nearly 720 chapters.