Scott proposes Department of Commerce

Gov. Rick Scott proposed bringing back the Department 

of Commerce on Thursday as a hard-charging agency

 responsible for aggressively marketing Florida as 

"the place to do business."

Activists to Protest as Billionaires’ Caucus

 Plans Political Agenda 

WASHINGTON - January 27 - As a billionaires' caucus of 

conservative business executives, pundits, and campaign

 operatives huddles at a California resort this weekend 

to plot their political strategies

First Issue Tackled  GOP  Gutting the

 Health Care System

The very first issue tackled by the new House GOP

 majority was, of course, gutting the health care system,

 despite the fact that their legislation has no chance 

at passing, and despite the fact that their proposal

 would hurt job creation. 

U.S. Chamber Attacks FCIC as 

"Job-killing" Wikileakers 

In a response to the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission 

releasing its final report on the financial crisis today, 

the U.S. Chamber of Commerce pitched a hissy fit 

OSHA Partners with IBEW to 

Reduce Deaths and Injuries

WASHINGTON – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration

 today renewed a strategic partnership with the Electrical 

Transmission and Distribution Construction Contractors, 

the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, 

Big Things and the Workforce

 to Get Them Done

we don’t measure the progress of our nation simply

 by looking at the bottom line. Our progress, our prosperity, 

must also be linked to the opportunities available to us. 

Articles available at 67 East:
Unmanned Plane Patrolling Stretch of Canada-U.S. Border

Obama and Corporate America

The first ten bills of the 112th Senate

Business groups say unemployment system unfairly favors jobless

Teacher merit pay: 'What a difference a year makes'

Sea turtles will have a "voice" when it comes to development

Articles available at SCARA(Space Coast Alliance for Retired Americans)

FactChecking the GOP Response

State investments in  Florida Retirement System have bounced back

Florida lawmakers turning toward pension plan cuts

CNBC's Erin Burnett Douses Debt Hysteria: "We Don't Have A Crisis Right This Second On Debt"  

Amy Chua’s ‘Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother’  

Republican Response - Video Library

Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin gives the Republican response to President Obama's State of the Union address.

Rep. Michele Bachmann's Response - Video Library 

Representative Michele Bachmann of Minnesota provides a Tea Party response to President Obama's State of the Union address.

Obama’s Second State of the Union (Text) 

Following is the transcript for President Obama’s second State of the Union address on Tuesday, as released by the White House

Financial Crisis Was Avoidable, Inquiry Concludes 

WASHINGTON — The 2008 financial crisis was an “avoidable” disaster caused by widespread failures in government regulation, corporate mismanagement and heedless risk-taking by Wall Street

Pushing Competition and Trying to Pull America Out of a Funk 

WASHINGTON —  President Obama argued on Tuesday evening that the politics of austerity, mindlessly applied, would amount to a pre-emptive surrender 

Read Rand Paul's Plan To Slash Spending By $500 Billion Immediately 

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) will soon introduce legislation that puts just about all other spending cut plans proposed by Republicans this Congress to shame

.

Gov. Rick Scott stalls new voter-approved redistricting standards 

TALLAHASSEE — Two voter-approved constitutional amendments requiring the Legislature to draw political districts along nonpartisan standards could be jeopardized by one of Gov. Rick Scott's first acts.

Bachmann Denounces Gov't Spending, Cites Debunked Health Care Myth

DOL: Free File and Other Resources for Free Income Tax Preparation and FilingIn her Tea Party response e to President Obama's State of the Union Address t, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) offered a critique of the President and his policies,

To inform workforce system agencies and practitioners about Free File and other resources available to assist individuals in preparing and filing federal and state income tax returns for tax year 2010.

Corporations, Unions and the Value of Opposition

3

The news is full of bad news about unions these days. Unions are blamed for holding up the bailout of GM and Chrysler with foot-dragging over wages and benefits.

OPA News Release: Statement by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis on Bureau of Labor Statistics report on union members in 2010 [01/21/2011]

WASHINGTON –Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis issued the following statement regarding the Bureau of Labor Statistics' annual "Union Members – 2010" report released today:

Big Paydays Return With Big Profits at Wall Street Banks 

Talk about a raise. Citigroup’s chief executive, Vikram S. Pandit, after nearly two years of earning a mere $1 in salary while he tried put the bank back on track, has been awarded a $1.75 million salary, 

The Great Strike of 1877

2

Paul D'Amato looks at the 1877 railroad strike, which burst into the first national strike wave in the U.S. and heralded the emergence of the labor movement

The Big Obscenity: A Trillion Dollars a Year to the Richest 1% 

3

If you make less than $114,000 a year (90% of us), you've been financially damaged by the flow of income to the richest 1% of Americans over the past 30 years.

Republicans: Job, Economic Growth The Result Of GOP Victories 

Top Republicans are claiming credit for a variety of metrics showing that the economy is improving. Expect this meme to snowball, particularly as Democrats have done little, so far, to stop it.

Fearmongering on E-Verify 

Would you rather have a population of 675,000 illegal immigrants in Florida, as estimated by the Pew Hispanic Center, or 364,000?

Obama administration's revolving door

- Kenneth P. Vogel - POLITICO.com

4

Candidate Barack Obama repeatedly pledged 

on the campaign trail that working in his administration 

would not be “about serving your former employer,

 your future employer or your bank account.”
But with his administration at its midpoint, 

Obama Orders ‘Government-Wide

 Review’ of Regulations - NYTimes.com

The president has made no secret of his desire for 

détente with the business community that was so 

alienated by the agenda of his first two years, in

 particular the laws strengthening financial regulatory 

system and overhauling health care and insurance.

 Matt Reed: Fearmongering on E-Verify |

 floridatoday.com | FLORIDA TODAY

Would you rather have a population of 675,000 illegal

 immigrants in Florida, as estimated by the Pew

 Hispanic Center, or 364,000? Would you prefer 

12.2 percent official unemployment in Florida, or 9.3 percent?
Should we spend $300 million a year or more on health care, 

schools and incarceration for illegal immigrants? Or $150 million

Urge Your Representative to Defend 

Health Care Reform

Congressional Republicans—who have darned good,

 taxpayer-funded health care—plan to vote to repeal 

health care reform on Wednesday. Many parts of 

the new law, the Affordable Care Act, already are 

in effect and helping tens of millions of American 

families get quality health care. We need to give 

the Affordable Care Act time to work.