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Politics : John Kerry for President Free speach thread NON-CENSORED -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: American Spirit who wrote (1300)	7/11/2006 1:51:01 PM
From: StockDung	Respond to of 1449

Bush heralds improved deficit figures Annual deficit to come in at $296 billion, below original estimates WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush touted new deficit figures Tuesday showing considerable improvement upon earlier administration predictions, saying it shows the wisdom of his tax cuts. Bush himself announced the figures -- a task that for the most part has been left to lower-ranking administration officials in the past. The new figures show the deficit for the budget year ending September 30 will be $296 billion -- much better than the $423 billion that Bush predicted in February and a slight improvement over 2005. Bush said the improvement is due to tax cuts he pushed in 2001 and 2003 and his clampdown on domestic agencies funded by Congress. "These tax cuts left nearly $1.1 trillion in the hands of American workers and families and small business owners. And they used this money to help fuel an economic resurgence that's now in its 18th quarter," Bush said. "Economic growth fueled by tax relief has sent our tax revenues soaring." (Watch Bush explain how he has 'good news for the American taxpayer' -- 2:30) Impressive profits and big income gains by the wealthy are largely responsible for the surge in revenues and, in turn, the deficit drop. Democrats: Deficit still too high However, the results are less impressive when compared to the $318 billion deficit posted last fall for fiscal 2005. Despite strong revenues, the high costs of the Iraq war and Gulf Coast hurricane relief have weighed on the deficit -- as have higher interest payments paid on the national debt. But when measured against the size of the economy -- at 2.3 percent of gross domestic product -- the 2006 deficit would be lower than the deficits of 17 of the past 25 years. And if recent patterns hold, this year's deficit figure should improve even more by the time final figures are announced in October. The deficit for next year would ease back up to $339 billion, reflecting war costs and cautious revenue projections. The White House predicts it will drop to $188 billion in 2008, but that assumes a sharp slowdown in spending on the Iraq war. "The 2006 deficit may be a bit lower, but it represents a $600 billion swing from the surplus projected in 2001. And a deficit of $296 billion is still a large deficit. In nominal terms, it's one of the four largest in history," said Rep. John Spratt Jr. of South Carolina, top Democrat on the Budget Committee. "Let's not boast about a $300 billion deficit," said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada. "Any statistic you look at recognizes the rich in America are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer and the middle class is getting squeezed." Revenues are running $115 billion greater than expected earlier this year, the White House said, reflecting particularly strong growth in taxes paid on corporate profits and income taxes paid by wealthier people and small businessmen who pay taxes quarterly instead of having them withheld by employers. Taxes paid by individuals are growing at a 15 percent rate, the White House says, while corporate taxes are rising at a 19 percent rate. "Bold pro-growth tax policies enacted by Congress and the president have sparked unprecedented economic growth," said Senate Budget Committee Chairman Judd Gregg, R-New Hampshire. But Gregg and budget experts across the spectrum say the real challenge lies ahead, when the retirement of the baby boomers threatens to swamp Social Security and the Medicare health plan for the aged. The economy is estimated to grow at a 3.5 percent rate in real terms, a slight slowdown from the 5.6 percent rate of the first quarter of the year. Diane Swonk, chief economist for Mesirow Financial, a Chicago-based financial services firm, predicted that the unexpected revenue surge would ease around the end of the year as profits peak. Estimated surplus never materialized Bush has had few opportunities to boast about the deficit over the course of his time in office. He inherited in 2001 a surplus estimated by both White House and congressional forecasters at $5.6 trillion over the subsequent decade, and it quickly dwindled. Those faulty estimates assumed the late-1990s revenue boom -- fueled by the stock market and dot.com booms -- would continue. But that bubble burst, and a recession and the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks started a flow of red ink. Several rounds of tax cuts, including Bush's signature $1.35 trillion tax cut in 2001, also contributed to the return to deficits four years ago after four years of budget surpluses. Some budget experts say the steep rise in tax receipts looks more impressive than it really is since revenues are bouncing back from a three-year decline during Bush's first term, drops not seen since the Great Depression. Still, the new figures allowed Bush to claim that he will meet his promise, made in early 2004, that he will cut the deficit in half by the end of his second term. Bush's deficit-halving promise was based on 2004 estimates projecting a $521 billion deficit for the 2004 budget year, setting the goal of $260 billion. Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

To: American Spirit who wrote (1300)	7/13/2006 10:56:24 AM
From: StockDung	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1449

Clinton Fund-Raiser Indicted In Chicago Contract Fraud BY JOSH GERSTEIN - Staff Reporter of the Sun July 13, 2006 URL: nysun.com A major fund-raiser for Senator Clinton's 2000 campaign and self-described close friend of President Clinton is under federal indictment in Chicago for minority-contracting fraud. A grand jury charged James Levin, 47, with one felony count of mail fraud for his involvement in a scheme to convince the Chicago Public Schools that his companies subcontracted fencing and snow removal work to minority-owned firms, which allegedly did no actual work. Mr. Levin, who formerly owned a Chicago strip club, Thee Dollhouse, has been cooperating with prosecutors. He is expected to enter a guilty plea, his attorney, Steven Shobat, said. The indictment was returned late Tuesday and announced yesterday by the U.S. attorney in Chicago, Patrick Fitzgerald, who also serves as the Justice Department's special prosecutor in the CIA leak investigation. The indictment also charges a former Chicago schools employee, James Picardi, 51, with conspiracy and tax evasion for allegedly accepting thousands of dollars in bribes from Mr. Levin for assistance in obtaining public contracts for his firms, Tru-Link Commercial and Tru-Link Fence and Products Co. An electrical contractor, Arthur Miller, 39, was also charged in the conspiracy for allegedly laundering payments to Mr. Picardi. Mr. Levin's legal troubles became public last year when he testified in Los Angeles against a senior fund-raising official on Mrs. Clinton's campaign, David Rosen. Mr. Rosen was charged with deliberately omitting hundreds of thousands of dollars in in-kind gifts from campaign finance reports related to a star-studded August 2000 fund-raiser for Mrs. Clinton. Mr. Levin told the jury in that case that Mr. Rosen acknowledged knowing that costs for the dinner and concert, which featured Cher, Diana Ross, and other celebrities, had far exceeded the budget. Mr. Levin testified that Mr. Rosen said "the costs of this event will never be the costs of this event ... meaning that we will never admit how much we spent on this event." Mr. Rosen denied knowing of the cost overruns and was acquitted on all charges. Mr. Levin was listed as one of the "host committee chairs" for the August 2000 gala, along with such notables as a supermarket magnate, Ron Burkle, a television producer, Norman Lear, a veteran actor, Gregory Peck, and a creator of children's entertainment, Haim Saban. Mr. Levin said he was asked to keep tabs on the hastily planned gala by Mr. Clinton, whom he first met at a birthday party in 1997. "I consider him a dear friend, and I would hope he considers me a dear friend," the Chicago business executive said at Mr. Rosen's trial. Mr. Levin and his wife, Mary, also were overnight guests in the Lincoln bedroom during the Clinton presidency, according to a list released in 2000. The Levins were included in a group described as "friends and supporters" of the Clintons. According to Federal Election Commission records, the Chicago couple gave more than $30,000 to Democratic candidates in 1998 and 1999, including $12,000 to committees supporting Mrs. Clinton's Senate bid, $14,000 to funds backing Vice President Gore, and $1,000 to Senator Schumer. In 2000, Mr. Levin served on the national finance committees for Mrs. Clinton's campaign and Mr. Gore's presidential bid. After the Chicago-Sun Times reported Mr. Levin's past ownership of the topless bar, Republicans sought to use his history to embarrass the Clintons and Mr. Gore. At the Los Angeles trial, Mr. Levin described the club as a "bikini bar" and said he owned it only for a short time. A spokesman for Mrs. Clinton, Philippe Reines, declined to comment on Mr. Levin's indictment or his role in her campaign. Mr. Clinton was traveling in Africa yesterday in connection with anti-AIDS programs run by his foundation. His spokesman, Jay Carson, had no comment. In papers released in connection with Mr. Rosen's trial, Mr. Levin admitted to giving Mr. Picardi more than $57,000 in bribes, as well as an expensive watch and tickets to Chicago Bulls and Blackhawks games. The former Tru-Link executive also admitted inflating bills submitted to the schools. Mr. Levin, who is white, said the minority-contracting fraud began without his knowledge, but he later paid owners of minority-owned firms to keep quiet about the deception. Lawyers involved in the case said they did not believe the indictment was connected to Mr. Fitzgerald's ongoing probe into patronage hiring in Chicago. However, the Sun-Times noted in a report posted on the Web yesterday that one of the defendants in the Tru-Link case, James Picardi, is the brother of Chicago's streets and sanitation commissioner, Michael Picardi. James Picardi's lawyer, Theodore Poulos, declined to be interviewed for this article. An attorney for Mr. Miller, Richard Jalovec, did not return a call seeking comment. Asked if the case was likely to go to trial, Mr. Levin's lawyer, Mr. Shobat, said, "I doubt it, but I really don't know." Mr. Levin's agreement to plead guilty in the case was first reported in May 2005 by The New York Sun. The deal calls for a sentence of between zero and six months in jail, though Mr. Levin said he was facing up to 20 years if he did not cooperate. The expected guilty plea of Mr. Levin will bring to four the number of people involved with the August 2000 gala who have felony records. A former Internet executive who bankrolled the event, Peter Paul, had three convictions at the time and later pleaded guilty to securities fraud. A key organizer of the evening, Aaron Tonken, pleaded guilty in 2004 to two felony counts of defrauding charities and donors. A New Orleans political consultant who was on the gala's host committee and also testified against Mr. Rosen, Raymond Reggie, pleaded guilty last year to two counts of bank fraud. While contradicting many of Mr. Rosen's statements about the gala, Mr. Levin attended Mr. Rosen's wedding and called the prosecution of the former aide to Mrs. Clinton "politically motivated." Justice Department officials denied that politics played any role in their decisions.

To: American Spirit who wrote (1300)	7/13/2006 2:45:25 PM
From: StockDung	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1449

PAPER: Rep. Kennedy Takes Weekly Urine Tests And Near-Daily AA Meetings Thu Jul 13 2006 08:38:04 ET A month after pleading guilty to driving under the influence, Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) now follows a strict court-ordered script that includes, among other things, weekly urine tests, twice-weekly meetings with a probation officer, near-daily Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and a weekly meeting of recovering addicts led by a Navy captain, ROLL CALL reports. Kennedy, sources say, has to report to a probation officer twice a week at the Washington, D.C., courthouse complex. And on one of those days he has to, ahem, relieve himself in a cup. And even when the Congressman isn’t checking in with the probation officers, they check in on him. One source tells ROLL CALL's Mary Ann Akers that by order of the District of Columbia Superior Court, where Kennedy was sentenced last month, a probation officer accompanied by a D.C. police officer pays random visits to Kennedy’s Capitol Hill apartment on as little as 10-minutes notice. Developing... drudgereport.com

To: American Spirit who wrote (1300)	7/14/2006 4:42:06 PM
From: StockDung	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1449

ACLU Doesn’t Want English Signs The American Civil Liberties Union has asked officials in a Detroit suburb to reject a proposal that would require businesses with foreign language signs to add English translations. "We write to strongly urge you to abandon the measure as unconstitutional, anti-immigrant and unnecessary," the ACLU wrote to the city Thursday in a letter that was also signed by officials with the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee of Michigan and Latin Americans for Social and Economic Development Inc. In May, Sterling Heights, Mich., Councilwoman Barbara Ziarko asked the city's attorney to prepare an ordinance requiring businesses with foreign language signs to have identifiers such as "bakery" included, the Detroit News reports. Fire Chief John Childs supported the move, arguing that people passing by the site of a fire or other emergency could inform dispatchers about the location more easily if they could read the signs. He maintained that the issue has nothing to do with race. "This is about response time," he said. The city issued a statement Thursday defending the proposed ordinance. "Any assertion that the city's public safety effort is intended as a restriction on the expression of cultural diversity is categorically denied," the statement said. According to the News, Michael J. Steinberg of the ACLU said the proposal is unconstitutional "because it singles out businesses with signs.”

To: American Spirit who wrote (1300)	7/15/2006 9:13:56 AM
From: StockDung	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1449

EMINEM TRYING TO GET THE YOUTH VOTING AGAIN I SEE. =========================================== Eminem Accused of Assaulting Man at Strip Club By Kimberly Craig Web produced by Seth Myers July 13, 2006 A man named Miad J. says he was punched in the face by rapper Eminem early Thursday. He says he was hit 4 or 5 times while using the men’s room at a local strip club. Witnesses say Eminem was at the Cheetah’s strip club on 8 Mile Road in Detroit Wednesday night, accompanied by an entourage. Miad J. spoke to 7 Action News Thursday afternoon and said he was hit by the celebrity rapper at about 1 a.m. Thursday. Miad says he was in the men’s room, using a urinal next to Eminem, when another man entered the men’s room and started to talk to the rapper. He says one of Eminem’s bodyguards told the man to be quiet. Miad says he then asked the bodyguard to ease up on the star struck man in the restroom. "Eminem got done and boom," Miad recounts. "He started swinging." "I wasn’t even expecting it," Miad said Thursday. "I was just minding my own business, taking a leak." Detroit police would like to hear Eminem’s side of the story and then they say they will present their case to the prosecutor’s office for possible charges. No one from Eminem’s camp or from Cheetah’s strip club would comment on the alleged incident Thursday evening. Miad insists it was Eminem who hit him and left him with a knot on the side of his face. After he was punched, Miad says Eminem left the club and Cheetah’s bouncers threw the rapper’s bodyguards out of the club. As one of the vehicles in Eminem’s entourage was pulling out from the club, witnesses tell police the rapper known as Trick Trick pulled out a gun. While Trick Trick did not point it at anyone, witnesses outside the club did see the weapon.