National
Congresswoman Norton, D.C. Council Members Retain Posts
President Barack Obama won a second term on Tuesday against Republican contender Mitt Romney in a tight, yet historic race.
Out of some 99 million votes that were cast from 75 percent of the nation's precincts, Obama led by about 25,000 votes to hold a narrow advantage over his opponent.
"You made your voice heard, and you made a difference," Obama said in a speech shortly before midnight in Chicago where he was surrounded by his family. "I will return to the White House more inspired and more determined than ever . . . We've got more work to do."
In conceding his loss in one of the country's most expensive and closest presidential races where Obama claimed crucial victories in the state of Ohio and swing states of Virginia, Nevada, Iowa and Colorado, Romney commented that this has been a time of great challenge for the nation.
"I pray that the president will be successful in guiding our nation," Romney said to supporters in Boston.
In local District government races, David Grosso declared victory for the at-large D.C. Council seat over embattled incumbent Michael Brown, and Vincent Orange also retained his at-large post.
Trayon White defeated Phil Pannell for the Ward 8 School Board post, and Councilman Marion Barry easily defeated independent Jauhar Abraham, to win his third consecutive term to serve Ward 8.
Other Council members to win re-election were Yvette Alexander who defeated Republican Ron Moten, and Muriel Bowser and Jack Evans – both of whom ran unopposed.
Phil Mendelson will also retain his post as Council chairman, and veteran D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton trounced two opponents in keeping her seat on Capitol Hill.
A life-sized bronze statue of civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer was unveiled at the Fannie Lou Hamer Memorial Gardens in Ruleville, Miss., Friday, Oct. 5, 2012. Hamer, who died of cancer in 1977, drew national attention in 1964 when she and other members of the racially integrated Freedom Democratic Party challenged the seating of Mississippi's all-white delegation to the Democratic National Convention.
She is remembered across the world as the woman who was "sick and tired of being sick and tired."
On Oct. 5, hundreds came from across the United States to remember Fannie Lou Hamer, a tireless civil rights advocate during her lifetime, at the unveiling of a statue built in her honor in her hometown of Ruleville, Miss.
"What was it James Brown sang? I feel good," Hamer's daughter, Vergie Hamer Faulkner, said on seeing her mother's statue, according to the Clarion Ledger.
Hamer was born Fannie Lou Townsend on Oct. 6, 1917, to sharecroppers. She later worked as a sharecropper and timekeeper on a plantation in Sunflower County, Miss. She died March 14, 1977.
Many remember Hamer for her unstinting passion for civil and human rights, equality and justice. Her activism probably began in 1962 when she decided to go register to vote and was told she would have to leave the plantation where she had lived and worked for 18 years.
"I didn't go register for you sir, I did it for myself," Hamer challenged her boss W. D. Marlowe, according to the statue committee's website.
From then on she dedicated herself to registering Black voters and other social causes, and suffered imprisonment, beatings and assassination attempts. But she persevered.
Hamer helped organize the racially diverse Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, which challenged the seating of an all-White Mississippi delegation at the 1964 Democratic National Convention.
Her defining speech before the assembly was so eloquent and so fiery that President Lyndon Johnson called a press conference to try and divert attention away from her. But national networks later ran her speech in its entirety and a national audience sat spellbound by her conviction and her truths.
Speaking of her beating at the hands of highway patrolmen in Winona she asked, "Is this America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, where we have to sleep with our telephones off the hooks because our lives be threatened daily, because we want to live as decent human beings, in America?"
Such oratorical skill and fearlessness seemed to belie her beginnings.
"Fannie Lou Hamer went from being a sharecropper, born and raised in one of the most racist and bigoted areas in our country, to becoming a strong, black female who was so articulate and such an incredible motivator," said Reena Evers-Everette, the daughter of slain civil rights activist Medgar Evers, as quoted by TheGrio.com. "She changed the course of history especially in the field of politics and the Democratic Party."
The last several weeks have been especially busy for Lee Saunders but the union leader would have it no other way. He relishes a fight, particularly when it falls within the purview of labor and he sees this year's presidential contest as the perfect example of the stark choices Americans face.
Saunders, the first African-American president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees [AFSCME] has spent large chunks of time over the last few months on the stomp in swing states for the Obama administration.
"I've been here for 34 years and we're under attack like I've never seen," Saunders, 60, said during a recent interview about the assault by Republicans on organized labor. "They're not trying to hurt us, they're trying to take us out. We're a powerful force of 1.6 million people, 35 percent in state and local government and 6.9 percent in the private sector. They have been pretty good at decimating the public sector."
"We have to rebuild. We stand in their way as an organized force, boots on the ground and connected to the grassroots ... we'll continue to fight in Ohio, Wisconsin. We've got to fight in every state and mobilize. The challenges are great, people are under pressure."
To the question often asked by Republican challenger Mitt Romney about whether Americans are better off than four years ago, Saunders' answer was unequivocal.
"A resounding yes!" he said, ticking off the Affordable Care Act, the creation of millions of jobs, and the bailout of the automobile industry as examples of what President Barack Obama has done during the past four years.
"Is there more work to be done? Yes. He inherited a big mess [but] he's well on the way to rebuilding the economy and the working class, but he does have his enemies," said Saunders as he swiveled in his chair in his downtown Washington office.
Saunders acknowledged the myriad challenges unions across the country face. In Wisconsin, Republican Gov. Scott Walker, under the aegis of the Koch brothers, eviscerated public workers'unions by signing a law limiting collective bargaining for the majority of public workers. Unions, however, were unsuccessful in recalling him. A Wisconsin state judge overturned the law and it's being appealed by Walker. Since 2010, Republicans have engaged in a sustained attack designed to weaken unions since they are major fundraisers for the Democratic Party. GOP-controlled legislatures have stayed busy and so far, 23 states have passed a right-to-work law that inhibits unions' power to collect fees from non-union employees. Walker and other anti-union politicians continue to target state and local employees.
And, voters in cities like San Jose and San Diego elected to cut retirement benefits for public employees in an attempt to balance shaky budgets, while the Los Angeles City Council has floated a plan to do the same for newly hired employees.
"We've taken some hits in some states," he said. "We're organizing 50,000 new members ... young people are the next wave. We're concentrating on AFSCME members 35 and under. It's important to [acknowledge] differences, accept it and change. Young people think differently, communicate in a different way, such as computers. We have to relate to them, talk to them, mentor them."
Saunders, who grew up in a union household where his father was a bus driver and his mom a professor at a local community college and community activist, said unions have to do a better job educating the public about the gains the entire society has made because of unions.
"Labor built the middle class," he said. "[Unions are responsible for] issues ... such as social security, Medicare, Medicaid, the 40-hour work week."
Saunders said union members were intimately involved with the Democratic National Convention with a number of union members serving as delegates. He said he believes in unions and also believes they have an important place in society.
"The president supports unions, supports the 99 percent and the 99 percent are suffering," he said.
Saunders said the Romney plan will set Americans back in a number of ways. For example, he wants to make the Medicare program a coupon program; gut Medicaid; and not raise taxes.
"It's unbelievable to me that they think that prescription would work," he said. "They don't get it. Romney said 47 percent would never support him – said they were bums – vets, seniors. This country is in a state. That's why we have to fight so hard."
Saunders said he planned to be actively campaigning in swing states until Nov. 6. He said he expected 80,000 union activists and staff to work tirelessly to re-elect Obama.
"We'll be leafleting, making phone calls, knocking on doors, talking to people who may not be union members," he said. "We'll never be able to compete with Romney and the Koch brothers. Members and non-members going door-to-door is huge. It will prove to be the turning point and will put the president back in office."
Saunders, a married father of two, said his 34 years in the union dovetails into his desire for public service.
"Based on my upbringing, I knew I wanted to do something to help people, be an advocate," he said. "I work to make lives better. I conducted research and collective bargaining at AFSCME. I traveled a lot. I enjoyed what I was doing. I have a high level of commitment and I am dedicated to being a fighter ... [the union offers] ... a better life and [is helping build] the middle class."
"I'm a fighter willing to think out of the box."
And until Obama can declare victory, Saunders said he'll be on the move.
"I'm on the road almost every weekend," he said. "It's important not to sit here in my office. I have to be where the members are. I have to walk shoulder-to-shoulder. We're going into battle. I work hard but I enjoy what I'm doing. It benefits not just the union but working families too."
Dr. LaMont Penry sat at La Bistro Bonne in Northwest with a group of debate watchers Monday night, shaking his head from time-to-time and grimaced as he watched the sparring match in the third and final presidential debate.
At the end of the debate, which took place at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., and two weeks before the Nov. 6 general election, Penry's disappointment was palpable.
"I don't think that [Mitt] Romney came very prepared. Most of his jargon is repetitive and he was totally on the defensive," said Penry, a self-described 'Army brat' from North Carolina. "He goes back to when he was governor only to be made a complete fool of by something he said he did 10 years ago."
Penry was referring to Romney's assertion that 4th and 8th grade students ranked No. 1 in English and math while he was governor.
"But that was 10 years before you took office," Obama said twice, leaving Romney struggling to continue.
Penry said he is flabbergasted listening to Romney repeatedly and boldly deny statements and positions he once embraced.
"He denied on national TV that he didn't say troops should leave Afghanistan – blatant dishonesty. Typical Bush, typical Republican," he said. "He comes up with analogies that have no bearing. The concern I have is that people out there aren't informed."
At the end of the day, Penry said, he believes the third debate will make a critical difference.
"This debate has made a heck of a difference in terms of who's more believable," he explained. "This is about trust."
Pedra Chaffers, a teacher who recently relocated to the District, disagreed about the debate's importance.
"I don't know if the debate will make a difference," said the 46-year-old Anacostia resident. "For some people, it will clarify some things. That doesn't hurt."
Chaffers, however, said she questions Romney's motive for his desire to become president.
"I think Romney really wants to be president but hasn't really said how," she said.
Chaffers and Penry were among a small crowd of debate watchers at the bistro at an event sponsored by the Caribbean Professional Network on Oct. 22.
Obama and Romney discussed troop withdrawal in Afghanistan, the unrest and sectarian problems in Pakistan; Iran's attempts to become a nuclear nation; the ousting of Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi; support for Israel and the Arab Spring in Tunisia, Egypt and other parts of the Middle East.
Even as Romney eschewed many of the positions he offered when seeking the GOP presidential nomination, Obama hammered him and cast a bright light on his many inconsistencies. The president castigated Romney, saying he was all over the map on a number of issues. The signature zinger of the night came as Obama ridiculed Romney's criticism of his defense strategy.
"The budget that we are talking about is not reducing our military spending. It is maintaining it. But I think Governor Romney maybe hasn't spent enough time looking at how our military works," Obama said. "You mentioned the Navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military's changed. We have these things called aircraft carriers, where planes land on them. We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines."
"And so the question is not a game of Battleship, where we're counting ships. It's what are our capabilities."
Romney supporters lauded his performance and campaign aides exulted that the debate has not slowed the momentum he grabbed when he surprised Obama and beat him handily in the first debate.
The Wall Street Journal quoted Romney as saying that he could withstand two more weeks of attacks from Barack Obama but the country could not handle another four years of the president. Running mate Paul Ryan declared that Obama has run out of ideas, which is why he is running a small campaign about small things and hoping that he can distract people from the reality ...
Reaction to the last of three debates is decidedly mixed. While all the snap polls taken immediately after the debate gave Obama a clear win, it will be several days before it is known if that translates to a bump in the polls. At the moment, both men are running neck-and-neck with Obama maintaining an edge in Ohio and Wisconsin, while being slightly behind or within the margin of error in Florida, North Carolina and Virginia.
Romney was described as tentative, incoherent, unsure. Rather than present distinctive differences in his foreign policy portfolio, a range of critics, including the New York Times, criticized him for bringing little of consequence to the debate.
"Mitt Romney has nothing really coherent or substantive to say about domestic policy, but at least he can sound energetic and confident about it," according to an editorial published in the Times on Tuesday, Oct. 23. "On foreign policy, the subject of Monday night's final presidential debate, he had little coherent to say and often sounded completely lost. That's because he has no original ideas of substance on most world issues, including Syria, Iran and Afghanistan."
Penry and Alton Drew, an Atlanta-based legal and policy analyst, both said that they wished that Romney had better outlined his vision of foreign policy in the Middle East and other parts of the world. Drew, a Libertarian said he's deeply disappointed with both parties and both candidates, saying he would vote for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. He did say that if pushed, he would vote for Obama while holding his nose.
Drew said he's not surprised the combatants weren't able to drill deeply into some of foreign policy's juicier, more complex issues. And even to do so, would cause viewers to nod off, he said.
"It depends on how closely you follow policy. It's very difficult to get substantive in an hour- and-a-half. You can only get to so many details," said the 49-year-old father of one.
"You can only get to the tip of the iceberg. If you want to bore people to sleep, talk about foreign policy."
"It was part performance. Romney knew that there was too far to go with Benghazi – it's too complicated. Distinguishing a position doesn't mean you bring anything new."
To someone who makes their decision based on feelings they probably leaned to Obama, Drew said.
"If you were into the boxing match of it, it was a good debate. But there was no substance which was surprising," he said. "Romney allowed Obama to pull him to the middle. I asked on Facebook did Ann Romney know who she was hugging last night? Romney flip-flops. He's betting that people who are seeing him for the first time don't know what he said last week."
"Critics and pundits keep saying people are getting to know him. If you're serious about voting for someone, you avoid pundits. People are swayed by the NBCs and the Foxs. If people want to know where Romney stands, they can go to his website or Google it, but we don't invest that much time. He's making the bet that people in the middle don't know him."
President Barack Obama came prepared to be tough in Monday's final debate with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and he won, portraying his moderate Republican opponent as an unstable leader.
During the 90-minute face-off on foreign policy, which was moderated by CBS News' Bob Schieffer and held at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., Obama took an aggressive stance citing that it's been under his leadership that the war in Iraq has ended, brought Osama bin Laden to justice, restored America's standing around the world and effected a reduced threat of loose nuclear material.
"My job is to keep the American people safe and that's what I've done," said Obama. "When we received the phone call [about the attack in Libya] we did everything to secure Americans in harm's way . . . We will go after those who killed Americans and bring them to justice."
Romney, who agreed with Obama on many foreign policy issues, countered that his strategy is to go after the bad guys as well. However, "We must be able to get the Muslim world to reject extremism on its own . . . We have to help nations create civil societies."
Obama responded in part that he's made sure "those (Muslim) countries are supporting our counter terrorism efforts, and that we recognize we can't continue to do nation-building in those regions," when it's particularly needed at home.
Other highlights of the debate included these statements:
Romney: "It is important that we see Syria as a friend and an important party in the Mideast."
Obama: "We've been neglecting developing our economy while trying to develop leadership in other countries."
Romney: "Our purpose is to make sure the world is more peaceful, and that mantle has fallen on America."
Obama: "Romney has taken a different approach throughout the campaign with wrong and reckless policies."
Romney: "[When elected] I will increase trade . . . especially in Latin America".
Obama: "Israel is a true friend, ally. . . We will stand with Israel if they are attacked."
Romney: "When I'm president, we will stand with Israel. Our mission is to dissuade Iran from having nuclear weapons."
Obama: "Our goal is to get Iran to realize it needs to give up its nuclear program."
Romney: "Iran has found weaknesses in the [Obama] administration."
Obama: "Afghanistan was America's longest war; will have troops out by 2014."
Romney: "What happens in Pakistan will have a major impact on what happens in Afghanistan . . . Not time to divorce Pakistan. It has no civilian leadership that's calling the shots."
Both Obama and Romney agreed that while America can work with China, it has to play by the rules. "From day one, I labeled them a currency manipulator," said Romney. "I want a great relationship with China, but they can't just roll all over us." Again, Obama agreed.
However, in his closing remarks Obama said Romney wants to take America back to policies the country has spent the past four years digging its way out of. "I want to ask the wealthy to do a little more," Obama said.
Romney promised that when he's elected to get people back to work. "We have to have a president who can work across the aisle," he said. "[Washington,] D.C. is broken and I know what it takes to get it back."
Political strategist Donna Brazile said that hands down, Obama was the clear winner in the debate.
"This thing is so close right now that both sides have got to go after their base," Brazile said. "But Barack Obama won because he had a strategy that this is a time to have a strong leader in the White House."
President Barack Obama took the clear lead in Tuesday night's second of three presidential debates against Republican contender, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
Throughout the 90-minute face-off held on the campus of Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY, Obama responded full force to Romney, delivering a performance that was a far cry from the mediocre presentation he rendered two weeks ago in Colorado. Although the president failed to knock Romney completely out, he was the victor on several points.
"Most improved -- that award goes to Barack Obama," CNN Senior Political Analyst David Gergen said afterward. "I think he had a much stronger debate tonight."
The event, which was offered in a town hall format, was moderated by Candy Crowley, CNN chief political correspondent, who allowed each candidate two minutes to respond to questions fielded from a small but diverse audience. Their questions ranged from the candidates' take on the country's ongoing rate of joblessness to last month's terrorist attack on the U. S. consulate in Libya.
Romney was the first to respond to a question about new college graduates' abilities to secure jobs in a weakened economy -- and how they would pay off exorbitant student loans.
"We have to make sure students can graduate and find jobs after college," Romney said. "[In order to do that] we have to keep Pell Grants and loans growing [in a society where there is] more debt and less jobs," he said. "But [if elected] we will change that – we're bringing back the economy . . . not like it was four years ago."
Obama responded, saying that students' futures are bright and the fact they're making an investment in their education is critical.
"I want to build on the five million jobs we've [already] created over the last 30 months in the private sector," he said.
To that, Romney explained that his goal in part, is to create 12 million jobs over a four-year span.
"The president's policies are not putting people back to work," Romney said. "The [current] 7.8 percent rate of unemployment is the same as it was four years ago."
On gas prices that spiked this past summer before beginning to dip just a few weeks ago, both Obama and Romney vowed a reduction, pledging they would do what they could to take control of costs that have repeatedly exceeded $4 per gallon.
"We have to make sure we can control our own energy," Obama said. "We have to have efficient energy to make gas prices lower. Romney got the oil and gas part, but he's not clear pm the energy part."
But Romney countered that Obama's energy plan is not working and if so, gas prices would have never reached the $4 per gallon mark.
The debate advanced to include questions about taxes, to which Romney answered that he would endeavor to bring rates down.
"I don't want people at the high end paying less now than middle income people – who will get a tax break," he said.
While Obama said he wants to give the middle class and others struggling to become part of it, tax reliefs, he added he is ready "to sign a bill now," but it hasn't happened because Congress wants to hold out for "the top two percent" [of taxpayers].
Regarding the attack on Benghazi where U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed, Obama confirmed that although terrorists were responsible and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said she takes full responsibility, overall, he shoulders blame as well.
Romney appeared miffed that it took the administration "days" after the attack to confirm it was an act of terrorism, rather than the result of a video protest as news reports had previously stated.
Vice President Joe Biden rolled his eyes, held his hands up to the sky and snickered while his Republican opponent, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, struggled to make a presence during the vice presidential debate that took place Oct. 11 on the campus of Centre College in Danville, Ky. The occasion marked the only time the two vice presidential candidates will meet during the campaign.
Biden, 69, showed his mastery of foreign policy which should be of no surprise. Before he became vice president, Biden served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and, when the Republicans were in charge of that chamber, he was its ranking member.
By the way, it's no secret in Washington that Biden would love to be secretary of state.
So when Ryan, 42, took the Obama administration to task for not properly responding to an attack on the U.S. embassy in Libya and the death of the American ambassador last month, Biden had enough. Ryan towed the line of his running mate former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) when he said that "it took two weeks [for the Obama administration] to acknowledge that this was a terrorist attack."
In his now-famous line, Biden responded, "with all due respect, that's a bunch of malarkey."
Political analysts and observers understand that the vice presidential debates are, as in the words of Fox News journalist Chris Wallace, "fun, informative and they don't mean anything."
While the first presidential debate took place in 1960 with then-Vice President Richard Nixon and Sen. John F. Kennedy, the first vice presidential face-off did not occur until 16 years later, with Republican Sen. Robert Dole and Democrat Sen. Walter Mondale fighting it out.
Mondale, in reference to his opponent, said that Dole "earned his reputation as a hatchet man." That characterization of Dole stayed with him throughout his successful career in the U.S. Senate and when he lost his bid for the presidency to Bill Clinton in 1996.
Eight years later, then Republican Vice President George H.W. Bush debated Democrat Geraldine Ferraro in na historic contest in which the first woman on a major party ticket took on a sitting vice president. Most political analysts considered the debate a draw, but Bush got flak from some in the media when he told an aide after the debate that, "we kicked a little ass."
The most famous vice presidential debate took place in 1988, when seasoned Democratic U.S. Sen. Lloyd Bentsen said to then-Republican Sen. Dan Quayle, "senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."
Biden may have been aggressive in the debate with Ryan because of Obama's mediocre performance with Romney a week earlier. It is likely that Biden, a well-tested politician, wanted to rattle the young congressman who has only been on the national scene for a few years.
Biden's strategy must have worked, for Ryan said that things like "the vice president very well knows that sometimes the words don't come out of your mouth the right way."
Biden coolly, but firmly said, "but I always say what I mean."
Ryan, who seemed weary of interruptions and corrections by the vice president said, in a desperate, yet polite tone, "Mr. Vice President, I know that you are under a lot of duress to make up for lost ground, but I think the people would be better served if we don't keep interrupting each other."
HBO recently had a show, "Veep," that is about a vice president who is marginalized by the president and is never consulted on even minor policy decisions. John Nance Garner of Texas, who served as vice president under Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933-1941, said that the vice presidency "is not worth a warm bucket of spit."
Still, one of these men will become president if the leader of their ticket dies or becomes incapacitated. Along those lines, the Biden-Ryan contest was worth watching.
Otherwise, it was pure entertainment.
Congressman Jesse L. Jackson Jr., who has been out of the public eyes for the past four months due to illness, is now under investigation for alleged misuse of campaign funds. The money was reportedly used to redecorate his house.
The FBI began making inquiries surrounding the 47-year-old Illinois Democrat prior to his hospitalization in June for depression, according to a New York Times report -- which also states that Jackson, who won his first election in 1995, is seeking another term in office.
Jackson, the son of the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, first came under federal scrutiny in 2008 after being mentioned in connection with the case of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted of trying to sell the senate seat that Barack Obama vacated when he became president.
Jackson, who reportedly aspired to be mayor of Chicago or U.S. senator, was not charged in that case.
However, his efforts to join the senate have been part of an ongoing House ethics investigation looking into claims that a longtime friend and supporter of Jackson offered Blagojevich significant contributions to appoint him to the seat.
Meanwhile, Jackson's Republican opponent in the November election, Brian Woodworth, said in a statement that "there is a cloud that surrounds this man."
Said Woodworth: "It should matter. One cannot assume guilt of course, but the flip side is how perception affects the district and the state."
Source: The New York Times
Race to the Top marks a historic moment in American education. This initiative offers bold incentives to states willing to spur systemic reform to improve teaching and learning in America's schools. Race to the Top has ushered in significant change in our education system, particularly in raising standards and aligning policies and structures to the goal of college and career readiness. Race to the Top has helped drive states nationwide to pursue higher standards, improve teacher effectiveness, use data effectively in the classroom, and adopt new strategies to help struggling schools.
To date, President Obama's Race to the Top initiative has dedicated over $4 billion to 19 states that have created robust plans that address the four key areas of K-12 education reform as described below. These states serve 22 million students and employ 1.5 million teachers in 42,000 schools, representing 45 percent of all K-12 students and 42 percent of all low-income students nationwide. The four key areas of reform include:
•Development of rigorous standards and better assessments
•Adoption of better data systems to provide schools, teachers, and parents with information about student progress
•Support for teachers and school leaders to become more effective
•Increased emphasis and resources for the rigorous interventions needed to turn around the lowest-performing schools
Forty-six states and the District of Columbia submitted comprehensive reform plans to compete in the Race to the Top competition. While 19 states have received funding so far, 34 states modified state education laws or policies to facilitate needed change, and 48 states worked together to create a voluntary set of rigorous college- and career-ready standards.
Race to the Top – District competition
In 2012, the Obama Administration launched a Race to the Top competition at the school district level. Known as Race to the Top – District, this program will invest nearly $400 million in 2012 in schools to create new models to personalize learning for students, so that they can engage their interests and take responsibility for their success.
Inspired by the education reform taking place in state K-12 systems nationwide, this next phase of RTT will build on the four core principles of reform at the classroom level, supplying teachers with the strategies and tools they need to help every student learn and succeed. The Race to the Top – District competition will encourage transformative change within schools, targeted toward leveraging, enhancing, and improving classroom practices and resources.
Source: Whitehouse.gov
Although many Americans are living longer, a new public policy analysis reveals that a disproportionate number of older people are also living in poverty – particularly if they are a person of color. According to the AARP Public Policy Institute, Social Security keeps about 30 percent of older African Americans and Hispanics from retirement poverty. Yet another 20 percent of these two ethnicities at ages 65 or older, live in poverty at a rate that is double that for whites.
The reasons for these disparities are tied to multiple economic impacts incurred over lifetimes spent in the workplace. Years of working at lower incomes and wages do not easily allow for aggressive savings or investment portfolios. Additionally, many people of color have or held jobs that did not provide for pensions or retirement accounts. For other workers whose employers provided some kind of retirement plan, often the benefits are smaller.
Among all people of color, AARP found that higher-income Asian-Americans were the most likely to receive diversified incomes in retirement years that included interest, dividends and rental income from assets.
For Black and Latino retirees, more than a quarter eventually rely on Social Security for 90 percent of their family income, says AARP. According to the report, "The median annual Social Security family income of older minorities is roughly 26 percent lower than that of older whites."
The worst disparities in Social Security benefits were found in comparing women by race and marital status. Never-married African-American women usually receive benefits at much lower rates than married women of color. By contrast, older white women regardless of marital status received benefits at much similar rates to white men.
Fortunately, the Social Security Administration provides options to increase the amount of monthly benefits by determining the best time to retire.
For example, most consumers can receive Social Security benefits as early as age 62. The trade-off is that the monthly payments will be lower than those choosing to wait for full benefits. People born before 1938 are eligible for full benefits at 65. For people born in 1960 or later, 67 is the age to receive full retirement. If retirement can be delayed until age 70, those extra years of working will earn higher benefits than those available at an earlier age.
Regardless of when people choose to retire, Social Security recipients are eligible for cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). After no COLAs were offered in 2010 or 2011, this year retirees will receive a 3.6 percent adjustment. Earlier this week, the Labor Department indicated an estimated 2013 increase will be in the range of 1.5-1.7 percent.
The Social Security Administration advises that a worker with average earnings can expect a retirement benefit equivalent to 40 percent of his/her lifetime earnings. Each worker's average index includes the 35 years in which the most earnings occurred.
Anyone planning to retire is advised to contact Social Security three months before the date desired for benefits to begin. When applying for benefits, documents such as birth and/or marriage certificates and the most recent W-2 form must be submitted to determine eligibility.
According to AARP, "Social Security is and will continue to be the main source of income for low-and moderate-wage retirees; but improvements in other programs would alleviate poverty and income insecurity among older Americans."
Charlene Crowell is a communications manager with the Center for Responsible Lending. She can be reached at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Vice President Joe Biden was the clear winner in Thursday's debate with GOP contender Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan -- and, in a sometimes heated exchange -- he did what President Barack Obama failed to do in last week's match with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.
Biden, 69, came to the table that was aggressively moderated by ABC News' Martha Raddatz, armed with plenty of heart, whereas Ryan, 42, didn't display much muster until the ending rounds of the 90-minute nationally televised debate. On the real side, Biden had a lot to say, and he was eager to say it, effectively reassuring voters that as a team, he and Obama understand what the American people deeply care about.
However, while the Biden-Ryan debate solidifies the position Obama assumed prior to the Oct. 3 square-off with Romney, the real fight won't be won until voters flock to the polls on Nov. 6.
In a feisty showdown where there were real clashes and exchanges from the start, Biden often flashed a toothy grin as if to brush off many of Ryan's non-detailed responses to a host of pointed questions by Raddatz.
Ryan who on the other hand, repeatedly harped on the Obama-Biden record of the last four years, was mostly intense and super sensitive. He expounded on the administration's policies – such as those he said have hindered economic recovery and weakened the country's standing and influence on issues that include ensuring American military forces will pull out of Afghanistan by 2014.
"[Americans] are going bankrupt," Ryan said about the future of programs like Medicare and Social Security. "Medicare was there for my grandmother and mother . . . [but in order to ensure] it for my generation, we must reform [those] programs."
He also accused the Obama administration of not having "any credible solutions [for Medicare and Social Security] on the table."
Biden, who insisted the GOP was never big on Medicare -- even from its beginning -- said the Obama administration wouldn't be part of efforts to privatize Social Security or to engage in a vouchers program.
Ryan in turn, took a shot at reviving the economy, noting that like Democrats, the promise of the Republican tax plan is to grow the economy and to create jobs.
"We want to lower tax rates across the board," Ryan said, to which Biden reasoned, "the only way we can close [any] loopholes, is to focus on efforts aimed at helping the middle class."
The U. S. unemployment rate finally dropped below 8 percent to 7.8 percent (.3 percentage points) last month, giving hope for a slowly recovering economy and a slight boost for the re-election of President Barack Obama. Unemployment in the Black community, which is now 13.4%, also showed slight improvements over the past year.
President Obama, still smarting from criticism of his first debate performance, boasted on the new jobs numbers, but said it’s just a start. He called on Congress for help.
“While there’s more work to do, America’s businesses have added 5.2 million jobs over the past 31 months and the unemployment rate is at the lowest level since the President took office,” he said at a campaign event in San Francisco this week. “To keep our country moving forward, Congress should act on the President’s plan to keep taxes low for 98 percent of the American people, rather than holding it hostage to give more budget-busting tax cuts to the wealthiest 2 percent.”
Though the Black unemployment rate remains extremely high compared to the White unemployment rate which is well below the national average, it also shows signs of recovery when measuring the decrease since last year.
The Black unemployment rate at this time last year was 15.9 percent overall, 16.6 percent for Black men, 13.2 percent for Black women, and 43.6 percent for Black teens. Currently, the rates for African-Americans are 13.4 percent overall (2.5 percent drop from last year); 14.2 percent for Black men (2.4 percent drop from last year); 10.9 percent for Black women (2.3 percent drop from last year); and 36.7 percent for Black teens (6.9 percent drop from last year).
The lowest Black unemployment rate over the past decade was 7.0 in April of 2000 during the Clinton presidential administration.
Comparatively, the White unemployment rate at this time last year was 7.9 percent overall, 7 percent now (.9 percentage point drop); 7.7 percent for White men last year, 6.6 percent now (1.1 percent drop); 7.1 percent for White women last year (.8 percentage point drop), 6.3 percent now, (.8 percentage point drop); and 21.2 percent for White teens last year, the same rate now.
The lowest White unemployment rate over the past decade was 3.4 percent in January of 2000, also during the Clinton administration.
Democrats are applauding the much-needed reduction in the unemployment rate as Republican Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney says it’s far too slow.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, in its monthly report Oct. 4, gave additional good news:
“Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 114,000,” the BLS reported on its home page at bls.gov. “For the first 8 months of the year, the rate held within a narrow range of 8.1 and 8.3 percent. The number of unemployed persons, at 12.1 million, decreased by 456,000 in September.”
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