China may appeal the Tariff to the World Trade Organization according to the Wall Street Journal and according to the New York Times China denounced the new 3 year declining tariffs within hours of its announcement.  Appeals and denouncing the tariffs are probably on the horizon as it is in China’s best interest since the USA is likely the largest importer of Chinese exports.

Tariff’s will begin September 26th at 35% for one year with 30% the second year and 25% the third in the form of an Ad Valorem tax in addition to the duties and taxes in place prior to the announcement. The Ad Valorem tax, often called VAT, will only cover tires for cars, light trucks, vans, and sport utility vehicles.

The timing of Obama’s announcement is particularly suspicious as the meeting of the top 20 economic countries, known as the Group of 20,  is in 2 weeks.  This will come off to many, and me, as a political move to pay back union members for their support and financing his election and will be used as a trading card in the Pittsburgh meeting.  The opposition argument will be protectionism, like Daniel Ikenson of the Cato Institute, or international obligations. This bold and perhaps controversial move by the Obama Administration will be put on the chopping block for other political gain in the international politics marketplace.  My early prediction is that Obama’s stand for Tire Workers is short lived or best case scenario will be scaled back.

My biased opinion is we have to take care of ourselves first.  As a friend of several tire workers I have seen the impact of globalization of tire manufacturing.  With plants closing, hours cut, and jobs lost the illegal flood of Chinese made tires has impacted domestic tire workers and most importantly my family and friends. If the tariff does stand it sets a precedent for other Ad Valorem tariffs to come.  I hope it will be a Tariff on Steel Products particularly Tubular as it is cleaner than steel pipe made in China.

What do you think of First Lady Obama’s sporty new shoes?

Michelle Obama was caught sporting her new pair of casual tennis shoes with a hefty price tag of $540.  I have never heard of the French Fashion company Lanvin – but can tell you $540 for a pair of dog walking shoes is expensive.

My New Balance 574′s usually do the trick for comfort and reliability.  But if you really want a pair of shoes like First Lady Michelle Obama you can for a nice price tag.

Check out the NY Daily News article below or live on their site, here.

First Lady Michelle Obama steps out in Lanvin sneakers and they’re only $540!

BY Amy Diluna
DAILY NEWS FASHION EDITOR

Friday, May 1st 2009, 3:22 PM
They’re in poor taste. That’s way too much to spend on sneakers, especially in a recession.

Michelle Obama has taken casual to a haute new level.

While volunteering Wednesday at a D.C. food bank, the First Lady sported her usual J.Crew cardigan, a pair of utilitarian capri pants and, on her feet, a sneaky splurge: trainers that go for $540.

That’s right: These sneakers – suede, with grosgrain ribbon laces and metallic pink toe caps – are made by French design house Lanvin, one of fashion’s hottest labels. They come in denim and satin versions, and have been a brisk seller all spring.

They’re out of stock at posh Meatpacking District boutique Jeffrey, and Barneys New York boasts a limited selection of the sneaks, which are a cult favorite among fashionistas.

It’s likely Michelle got hers through Ikram, the Chicago retailer that often outfits her.

“They’re shoes,” the First Lady’s reps sniffed when curious reporters inquired about the fancy footwear.

Michelle has stepped out in Lanvin before while getting down to business. A week ago, she shoveled dirt at a tree planting while wearing the line’s chiffon tank.

Dresses and strappy pumps cost upward of $1,500, while tops go for $400 to $1,000.

Other celebrity fans of Lanvin’s costly kicks include Ellen DeGeneres and Kanye West, who has blogged about his faves.

As the family’s primary dog walker, Michelle clearly requires comfortable footwear.

“I got up at 5:15 in the morning to walk my puppy,” she joked Thursday. “That’s how my day starts. Even though the kids are supposed to do a lot of the work, I’m still up at 5:15 a.m. taking my dog out.”

She’ll be trodding on New York’s sidewalks Tuesday for the first time as First Lady. Michelle will meet with staff at the U.S. mission to the United Nations. Later, she headlines Time magazine’s “100 most influential people” gala.

adiluna@nydailynews.com

With Kenneth R. Bazinet

According the Federal Railroad Administration the “vision is to transform the nation’s transportation system, by rebuilding existing rail infrastructure while launching new high speed passenger rail services in 100-600 mile corridors that connect U.S. communities. Similar to how interstate highways and U.S. aviation system were developed in 20th century: partnership between public sector and private industry, including strong Federal leadership that provided a national vision”.

The proposal was released yesterday (April 17, 2009) and by no means definite. Funds have been allocated to the tune of $8 Billion initially and $1 Billion annually over the next five years. These funds are considered a down payment on what is surely to require many more Billions of dollars from state and local governments. First round Federal Grants are expected to be awarded by the end of Summer 2009.

Obama’s administration is promising a transparent approach in development and outlines what appears to be a three phase plan to implement based on merit and benefits.

• First round of applications will focus on projects that can be completed quickly and yield measurable, near-term job creation and other public benefits.
• Next round to include proposals for comprehensive high-speed programs
  covering entire corridors or sections of corridors.
• Additional funds will be available for planning to help jump-start corridors not yet ready for construction.

Ten Major Corridors have been Identified.

• California Corridor (Bay Area, Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Diego)
• Pacific Northwest Corridor (Eugene, Portland, Tacoma, Seattle, Vancouver BC)
• South Central Corridor (Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Little Rock)
• Gulf Coast Corridor (Houston, New Orleans, Mobile, Birmingham, Atlanta)
• Chicago Hub Network (Chicago, Milwaukee, Twin Cities, St. Louis, Kansas City, Detroit, Toledo, Cleavland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Louisville)
• Florida Corridor (Orlando, Tampa, Miami)
• Southeast Corridor (Washington, Richmond, Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta, Macon, Columbia, Savannah, Jacksonville)
• Keystone Corridor (Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh)
• Empire Corridor (New York City, Albany, Buffalo)
• Northern New England Corridor (Boston, Montreal, Portland, Springfield, New Haven, Albany)

Also, opportunities exist for the Northeast Corridor (Washington, Baltimore, Wilmington, Philadelphia, Newark, New York City, New Haven, Providence, Boston) to compete for funds for improvements to the nation’s only existing high-speed rail service, and for establishment and upgrades to passenger rail services in other parts of the country.

The proposed high speed rail system is intended for immediate economic relief creating new jobs, specifically in the construction and manufacturing sector.  Proposals have also been made that this system will be a green system.  A date for breaking ground on the project was not proposed in the announcement.  Planning and funding application time line goes through February of 2009.  So the immediate impact on Middle-class workers isn’t likely until years to come.

From the Federal Railroad Administration on the Gulf Coast Corridor:

Major Cities: Houston, New Orleans, Mobile, Meridian, Birmingham, Atlanta

Overview: The designated Gulf Coast Corridor would use New Orleans as its hub, with three spokes reaching (1) Houston, (2) Mobile, and (3) Birmingham and Atlanta. At Atlanta, the Gulf Coast Corridor would connect with the Southeast Corridor to Charlotte, Richmond, Washington, and Northeast Corridor points. At present, no corridor-type intercity rail service operates in this corridor, although Louisiana has been working with Amtrak and the Kansas City Southern to initiate a commuter service between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The FRA has made study grants to the Southern High-Speed Rail Commission (SHSRC, formerly known as the Southern Rapid Rail Transit Commission), which comprises appointees of the three member states (Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama).

Status: Current activity includes a Baton Rouge to New Orleans conceptual engineering study and a New Orleans gateway rail improvement project.

For Further Reading on the High Speed Rail system from the Federal Railroad Administration:

• High Speed Rail Strategic Plan to Congress
• High Speed Rail Facts
• High Speed Rail Map
• High Speed Rail System Presidential Press Release

Other News articles:

• President’s plan boosts hopes for Pittsburgh Maglev project – Times Online
• Obama unveils high-speed passenger rail plan – CNN

Pres. Obama inherits a two front war in the Middle East.  A weakened economy full of scandal and turmoil that directly effects the falling employment rates.  Many people from around the world will be  looking to the Leader of The Free World for guidance.

So to spare you the obvious problems that face America lets take a look at days gone by with information from the United Steelworkers Rapid Response.  Only history will tell the legacy of Former George W. Bush today’s stats are dim and perhaps indicative of how history will be written.

The Legacy of George W. Bush

Printable format

	When Bush Took Office	Today
Unemployment Rate	4.2%	7.2%
National Debt	$5.7 trillion	$10.6 trillion
Manufacturing Jobs	17.2 million	13.0 million
Americans without Health Care Coverage	40 million	46 million
Employers Offering Some Type of Insurance Coverage	69%	63%
Annual Premium Cost for Family Coverage	$6,230	$12,680
Americans in Poverty	31.6 million	37.3 million
U.S. Trade Deficit	$362 billion	$688 billion
Cost of College6 Public Private	$3,766 $17,377	$6,585 $25,143

1. U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment, Hours, and Earnings from the Current Employment Statistics Survey, Manufacturing Employment, 2000 & 2008.
2. Kaiser Family Foundation, Employer Health Benefits, 2008 Annual Survey.
3. Kaiser Family Foundation, Employer Health Benefits Surveys.
4. U.S. Census Bureau, most recent available data is for 2007.
5. U.S. Census Bureau, data is from a 12-month period of December-November for both timeframes.
6. College Board, Trends in College Pricing, data is for tuition and fees only.

Image from Counton2.com
Statistics eblast original source for USW.org

Watch the CNN Video:

[sniplet Cnn-Obama-Citizen-Video]

What do you think?

NY Governor David Paterson has the task of appointing Clinton’s replacement.  If you remember Gov. Paterson replaced the embattled Elliot Spitzer after the prostitution scandal.

Read about Speculation about Caroline Kennedy’s appointment to the US Senate.  It isn’t so far fetched as ABC, the Boston Channel, and CNN are all buzzing about the News.

Hillary Clinton to accept Obama’s offer of secretary of state job

President-elect Barack Obama reaching out to former rivals to build a broad coalition administration

Hillary Clinton will be Barack Obama’s secretary of state. Photographs: AFP/Getty Images

Hillary Clinton plans to accept the job of secretary of state offered by Barack Obama, who is reaching out to former rivals to build a broad coalition administration, the Guardian has learned.

Obama’s advisers have begun looking into Bill Clinton’s foundation, which distributes millions of dollars to Africa to help with development, to ensure that there is no conflict of interest. But Democrats do not believe that the vetting is likely to be a problem.

Clinton would be well placed to become the country’s dominant voice in foreign affairs, replacing Condoleezza Rice. Since being elected senator for New York, she has specialised in foreign affairs and defence. Although she supported the war in Iraq, she and Obama basically agree on a withdrawal of American troops.

Clinton, who still harbours hopes of a future presidential run, had to weigh up whether she would be better placed by staying in the Senate, which offers a platform for life, or making the more uncertain career move to the secretary of state job.

As part of the coalition-building, Obama today also reached out to his defeated Republican rival, John McCain, to discuss how they could work together to roll back some of the most controversial policies of the Bush years. Putting aside the bitter words thrown about with abandon by both sides during the election campaign, McCain flew to meet Obama at his headquarters in the Kluczynski Federal Building, in downtown Chicago.

Obama, speaking before the meeting, said: “We’re going to have a good conversation about how we can do some work together to fix up the country.” He said he also wanted to thank McCain for his service to the country.

Asked by a reporter whether he would work with Obama, McCain, who has long favoured a bipartisan approach to politics, replied: “Obviously”.

Sources on both sides said Obama did not offer McCain a cabinet job, but focused on how the senator for Arizona could help to guide through Congress legislation that they both strongly favour.

Given Obama’s status as president-in-waiting, the two met in a formal setting, a room decked out with a US flag, and were accompanied by senior advisers. Obama appeared the more relaxed of the two, sitting with legs crossed, smiling broadly and waving to reporters, while McCain sat stiffly, with a seemingly fixed grin.

Although the two clashed during the election campaign over tax policy and withdrawal from Iraq, they have more in common than they have differences. They both favour the closure of the Guantánamo Bay detention centre, an increase in US troops to Afghanistan, immigration reform, stem cell research and measures to tackle climate change, and oppose torture and the widespread use of wire-tapping.

Although Democrats made gains in the Senate in the November 4 elections, they fell short of the 60 seats that would have allowed them to override Republican blocking tactics and will need Republican allies to get Obama’s plans through. This was highlighted today when the Democratic leadership in Congress announced that a broad economic stimulus package Obama sought was not likely to be passed because of Republican opposition.

Obama confirmed at the weekend that he would offer jobs to some Republicans. One of the names that crops up most often is Chuck Hagel, the former Republican senator who is a specialist in foreign affairs and a critic of the Iraq war.

Bill Clinton’s relationship with his foundation may prove to be a bump in the road during Senate Confirmation in addition to the Republican blocking tactics. CNN.com is reporting Bill maybe the biggest problem in filling Obama’s cabinet seats. None-the-less this is a fitting role for Senator Clinton.  With almost two decades of foreign policy experience the Clinton’s would be a welcome face in Embassies around the world.  Bill Clinton may have to abandoned his involvement in international business for the duration of Hilary’s Department of State administration.  Seeing how the conflict of interest is no less than Dick Cheney’s ties to the oil and gas industry all that needs to be established is a clear definite separation.  Since most of Bill’s business ventures are charity based the conflict should be genuine in nature but will still need to be abandoned.

No doubt the successful nature of Bill’s venture stems from name recognition and him being a former President since he is acting in no official US Government manner nothing can really be said.  But if he is the husband of the US Secretary of State it could prove to undermine the intentions of the US State Department.  One way to handle the conflict would be to merge organizations and release managment of all interest to another aide organization.  Or could just be like Dick Cheney and step down as CEO of the organizations and maintain a vested monetary interest which will no doubt cause as much trouble as Cheney.  The best and easiest thing to do would be to end all ties.

If you have made it this far then you probably already know your voting location.  But in case you do not Google helps provide you with your voting location on http://maps.google.com/vote.

But if you are looking for detailed information I recommend you check out Vote411.org. Vote411 is affiliated with the League of Women Voters “provides nonpartisan information to the public with both general and state-specific information.”

If you are still having trouble finding out information about voting on November 4th 2008 contact me and I will help you the best I know how.

This Austin Texas voter took things into her own hands:

[sniplet Lawn-Sign]

I wonder if she used environmentally safe spray paint?

The article “Woman paints lawn after sign is stolen“:

Woman paints lawn after sign is stolen

No Obama sign? One woman spraypainted her lawn

AUSTIN (KXAN) – After the Barack Obama sign was stolen from her front yard, Shannon Bennett painted a more permanent one with 12 cans of spray-paint and her front lawn as the canvas. “I just wanted to be able to say who I support, without being censored, which is how I felt when my sign was taken,” said Bennett.

She painted a large, red, white, and blue symbol in the front yard, using her old Obama sign as an inspiration. “The signs cost money and it’s coming into my front yard and taking away my freedom of expression,” said Bennett. She said she has not received any complaints from neighbors and the makeshift sign has been in the yard for a week. In an election year, sometimes driveways and sidewalks become battle lines, but not in Bennett’s Northwest Austin neighborhood.

“I looked out and I was surprised to see it one morning,” said neighbor Elaine Goessling. “And I am a Republican, but I was really impressed with how pretty is it.”

Bennett said the Obama signs have been stolen from the yards of her neighbors, as well. “They might think it’s extreme, but I think it’s extreme to come into my yard and take something that belongs to me, so I wanted to express myself.”

If you didn’t watch it I recommend you watch it now.  It will be the talk of the nation tomorrow and you won’t know what folks are talking about.

[sniplet Barack-Obama-Show]

What did you think of the AD?  Do you belive it was the knock out blow to the McCain Palin bid for the White House

The UK Associated Press article -

Obama ad to delay baseball final

Barack Obama is to become the first presidential candidate in 16 years to air a 30-minute primetime ‘infomercial’ on US television networks.

The rare and expensive move, thought to have cost his campaign about £1.9 million, will even cause the baseball World Series final to be delayed by 15 minutes so NBC, CBS and Fox can air the spot simultaneously.

Mr Obama will highlight his “closing argument” in the infomercial, which underscores his campaign’s financial dominance over Republican rival John McCain with less than a week left in the race for the White House.

Mr McCain, who trails in national polls, mocked the move on the campaign trail, saying: “No-one will delay the World Series game with an infomercial when I’m president.”

ABC will be the only major US network not to run Mr Obama’s message at 8pm ET (midnight GMT), preventing a so-called “roadblock” on the broadcast networks.

Neither network officials nor Obama campaign aides would discuss the cost of the television time, but estimates by the Associated Press put it at about £1.9m. CNN suggested it could reach the £3.1m mark.

The estimates are less than the US TV networks would otherwise get for the 10 or 11 advert “units” they run during that half-hour, but Mr Obama will be charged the “lowest unit cost”, in compliance with federal law.

The Obama campaign, which rose in the polls due to Mr McCain’s mishandling of the economic crisis, is running the infomercial on the 79th anniversary of Black Tuesday, the start of the Great Depression.

Mr Obama is following in the steps of John F Kennedy, who presented a half-hour commercial that featured parts of his speech in Houston about his religion, and Richard M Nixon, who bought two hours of time on the eve of the 1968 election.

The last candidate to use the format was Ross Perot, in 1992, when he detailed his plan to cut the deficit before an audience of 16.5 million people.

DON’T FORGET TO VOTE.  Or go vote absentee now to avoid the hassle of going to the poll or the risk something happens that prevents you from voting on Election Day.

Joe Wurzelbacher of Holland, Ohio

Below is a video of the Infamous Joe Plumber

[sniplet joe-plumber-youtube]

If you know me it is no mystery I have been an Obama supporter for sometime now.  I like to call myself an informed open minded voter but the fact is America is ready for a change.  No coincidence that the Campaign for Change is the battle cry for the Barack Obama camp.

Start playing “Hail to the Chief”  President Barack Obama is about to enter the White House.

Thanks to my new Twitter Friend SEOAly I saw the SNL Parody Live.  Alysson is also the owner/operator of Jacksonville, FL based Search Engine Optimization company SEOaly.com.  Because so much of politics is serious business it is nice to have a comic relief segment.  So if you haven’t seen the parody check it out.  If you haven’t seen the debate this is almost everything you need to know.

[sniplet SNL-VP-DEBATE-Parody]

Today Sarah Palin ran out of campaign material when she accused Senator Barack Obama of “Palling Around with Terroist“.  Palin’s speech from a airplane hanger in Denver Colorado was full of political mud slinging in what is sure not to be the last poltical banter going into the last month of presidential election banter.  In what appears to be preparation in a last ditch effort to save the ailing McCain Palin camp is rallying around negative attacks on Barack Obama, read more.

In the world of campaign poltics this is a clear ploy to play on American Fears.  When you are failing in a bid for president you have to through all of your plans out the window and go for your base.  It is clear that McCain campaign has nothing left is appealing to their base.  Sarah Palin was brought into to be vice president to appeal to younger conservative women voters.  When that doesn’t work try a different angel as apparently the Bush/McCain advisors are recommending.  These are the same tactics the Bush re-election team ran with against John Kerry in 2004.  These tactics are old and used up.  America recognizes political rethoric and probably dismisses.  Rhetoric like this will likely persuade many voters and only gets the anti-obama voters energized, a section of the vote the McCain Palin Camp already won.

McCain Palin’s camp is clearly struggling to win the swing vote and trying to associate Terroism with someone that has clearly won the heart and vote of most Americans isn’t going to help.  If they stand a chance to win, what seems to be an unlikely election, they need to craft their message and stratgey around the problems of everyday Americans.

Read more about Palin’s accusation of Obama being a Terroist on:

• New York Times
• CNN.com
• Jerusalem Post
• UK Telegraph

It seems that McCain camp is cutting its loses and regrouping one more time in its last 30 days before the election.  The McCain Palin election team is going dispurse it’s resources to tougher races in Wyoming, Colorado, and Florida.  Thoose three states are “must win states” for him to have a chance in winning what I begining to see as an unlikely bid for president.  John McCain’s Campaign also announced that they were going to cut all media advertisments, mail campaigns, and voter contact stratgey.

Is this an indication that he will likely be conceeding defeate on November 4th?  Possibly, but I myself never viewed Michigan as a true battleground state.  In a state that is riddled with job layoffs and hard hit by the failing economy.  This was never McCain territory because of thousands of layoffs and exporting of jobs during the now lame duck Bush Administration.  McCain’s close ties with the sitting adminstration will likely be the biggest reason for defeat nationwide as I belive the majority of American’s are looking for change.  Change is a message the McCain camp has ineffectively conveyed.

Conceding defeat in Michigan a month early is an indication that the McCain Palin ticket is in serious trouble and they are waking up.  The election is far from over.  It is still anyone’s ball game.  Barack Obama isn’t getting a free ticket to the White House.  It is getting easier…

Stay tuned for more political commentary as the political races are just now heating up.

Third Party candidates have been trying to get in the presidential debates forever.  If they were allowed to debate what else would they have to complain about?

If I get into trouble and go to jail its called bail-out if my buddies come to get me its called a resuce.  In my humble opinion this $700 billion dollar plan is a rescue

When your buddy’s come rushing in to save you, it is a RESCUE.  I call it like I see it.  When I am in need not many would rush in, especially if I am deserving.

Maybe we should treat this more like a bail-out.  Require the ones in the virtual Jail of bankruptcy to pay everything back plus 10% just like a bail bondsman.  If they don’t pay us back we send Dog the Bounty Hunter.

You can form your own opinion when you read the ticker and the following fall-out from another Sarah Palin controversy.  It just goes to show you that e-mail is certainly not secure.  Even the mega secure Yahoo! can be cracked.  Scary, Eh?

McCain camp seeks investigation over reported e-mail hack

(CNN) — John McCain’s campaign said Wednesday it has contacted “appropriate authorities” over a report that Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin’s personal e-mail had been hacked.

“This is a shocking invasion of the Governor’s privacy and a violation of law,” campaign manager Rick Davis said in a statement. “The matter has been turned over to the appropriate authorities and we hope that anyone in possession of these emails will destroy them. We will have no further comment.”

The statement came hours after a user on the Web site WikiLeaks said he had gained access to Palin’s Yahoo e-mail account and gained access.  Screenshots of the e-mail messages and photos of the Alaska governor’s family were published on that Web site and later on gossip Web site gawker.com.

FBI Spokesman Eric Gonzalez in Anchorage, Alaska confirms to CNN an investigation is underway.

“We are aware of the allegations and we are coordinating with Secret Service as far as the allegation that someone has hacked into Governor Palin’s personal e-mail account,” he said. “We are going to be working a joint investigation with Secret Service on this.”

Brian Hale, an FBI spokesman in Washington, also confirms the FBI has been contacted about the incident. Two federal law enforcement sources say the FBI and Secret Service would have concurrent jurisdiction normally on a matter such as this, but it remains to be seen if the Secret Service will take the lead on the investigation because Palin is a protectee.

The e-mails shown include one from July between Palin and Alaska Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell and another dated earlier this week from Amy McCorkell, the woman Palin appointed to the Governor’s Advisory Board on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse in 2007.

Palin has faced criticism for using a private e-mail account to conduct some state business — prompting critics to allege she was attempting to hide information from the public record.