Defense Department Agency Changer Conclusions to Suit Contractors, GAO Found

GAO Says Much Still Needs to be Done

Letters from Vermont "Sanders got letters from working people who have been reduced to eating cereal and toast for dinner, from a 71-year-old man who has been forced to go back to work to pay for heating oil and property taxes, from a worker in an oncology department of a hospital who reports that clinically ill patients are foregoing cancer treatments because the cost of gas makes it too expensive to reach the hospital. The recurring theme is that employment, even dual employment, is no longer any kind of barrier against poverty," Matt Taibbi wrote in an article adapted by AlterNet.

Rich Get Richer In a new sign of increasing inequality in the U.S., the richest 1 percent of Americans in 2006 garnered the highest share of the nation's adjusted gross income for two decades, and possibly the highest since 1929, according to Internal Revenue Service data. Meanwhile, the average tax rate of the wealthiest 1 percent fell to its lowest level in at least 18 years. The group's share of the tax burden has risen, though not as quickly as its share of income. The figures are from the IRS's income-statistics division and were posted on the agency's Web site, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Bush: 'Wall Street Got Drunk' When he talks about why the economy is ailing, President Bush often turns to euphemism, citing "challenges in the housing and financial markets." He offered a far blunter assessment last week at a closed Republican fund-raiser in Houston: "Wall Street got drunk that's one reason I asked you to turn off your TV cameras," the president said at the fund-raiser. "It got drunk, and now it's got a hangover. The question is: How long will it sober up and not try to do all these fancy financial instruments?", wrote The New York Times.

As prepared for delivery

Lt. Col. John C. Boyd, deputy chief of staff for personnel for the Vermont Army National Guard, testified on Wednesday before a Senate panel on a model Vermont veterans outreach program. Senator Bernie Sanders, a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, invited Boyd, who lives in Huntington, Vt., to appear before the panel. "In Vermont," Sanders said, "we take the approach that one of the most important ways we can take care of these veterans and their families is by going out and actually trying to contact each of them in their own homes."

Here's Another Reason to Love Bernie Sanders "We can provide primary healthcare to every American in need of it through an expansion of the successful Federally Qualified Health Center program," the senator wrote in an op-ed published in The Hill. "On a budget of only $2 billion a year, this program provides primary healthcare, dental care, mental health counseling, and low-cost prescription drugs to 17 million people through 1,100 health center organizations in every region of the country." Way to go Bernie!" effused the National Association of Community Health Centers.

Women Are Now Equal as Victims of Poor Economy They had piled into jobs in growing numbers since the 1960s. But that stopped happening this decade, and as the nearly seven-year-old recovery gives way to hard times, the retreat is likely to accelerate. Indeed, for the first time since the women's movement came to life, an economic recovery has come and gone, and the percentage of women at work has fallen, not risen, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, according to The New York Times.

Nuclear Board Convenes Yankee Hearings A federal panel Monday started to tackle nagging questions about the safety of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant and whether it can operate safely for another 20 years. The Atomic Safety Licensing Board, a quasi-judicial arm of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, started hearing evidence Monday on key safety issues raised by the New England Coalition, which were formally seconded by the Vermont Department of Public Service, according to the Rutland Herald.

The Senate voted Tuesday to take up a plan to curb oil-market speculation, which economist blame for up to half of the recent run-up in prices. The legislation would require the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to set limits on trading in oil markets by investors and speculators. Senator Bernie Sanders wants to curb speculation, tax windfall profits, help people struggling with high energy bills and develop renewable sources of energy.

Here's Another Reason to Love Bernie Sanders "We can provide primary healthcare to every American in need of it through an expansion of the successful Federally Qualified Health Center program," the senator wrote in an op-ed published in The Hill. "On a budget of only $2 billion a year, this program provides primary healthcare, dental care, mental health counseling, and low-cost prescription drugs to 17 million people through 1,100 health center organizations in every region of the country." Way to go Bernie!" effused the National Association of Community Health Centers.

Women Are Now Equal as Victims of Poor Economy They had piled into jobs in growing numbers since the 1960s. But that stopped happening this decade, and as the nearly seven-year-old recovery gives way to hard times, the retreat is likely to accelerate. Indeed, for the first time since the women's movement came to life, an economic recovery has come and gone, and the percentage of women at work has fallen, not risen, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, according to The New York Times.

Nuclear Board Convenes Yankee Hearings A federal panel Monday started to tackle nagging questions about the safety of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant and whether it can operate safely for another 20 years. The Atomic Safety Licensing Board, a quasi-judicial arm of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, started hearing evidence Monday on key safety issues raised by the New England Coalition, which were formally seconded by the Vermont Department of Public Service, according to the Rutland Herald.

GI Bill Doubles Tuition Benefits Despite billions spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, veterans have come back to a welcome that, in terms of college tuition assistance at least, has not kept up with inflation. That is why an update of the G.I. Bill recently signed into law by President George Bush is so important, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders told the Vermont Press Bureau.

Energy Emergency "We must make sure vulnerable Americans are protected. Many seniors, disabled persons, and low- and moderate-income families face the prospect of going cold this winter. Yet the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is funded at 23 percent less than just two years ago, even though energy prices have doubled. To address this crisis, I introduced the Warm in Winter and Cool in Summer Act to double funding for the program," Sanders wrote in an op-ed published by the Brattleboro Reformer.

Going Green In the audience last week for a speech by Al Gore on global warming was Senator Bernie Sanders, who spoke with Gore backstage about his new bill, the 10 Million Solar Roofs Act of 2008. A truly independent voice in the Senate, Sanders has been a leader in pushing the Democratic Congress in a progressive direction - and energy policy is no exception," wrote The Nation editor Katrina vanden Heuvel.

Senator Bernie Sanders met Monday with the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs. The association is holding its annual meeting in Burlington. A member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Sanders cosponsored the recently-enacted G.I. Bill to significantly boost education benefits. He also was an early supporter of a pioneering outreach program implemented by the Vermont National Guard. Last month, Sanders hosted U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary James Peake at meetings with veterans in Vermont.

GI Bill Doubles Tuition Benefits Despite billions spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, veterans have come back to a welcome that, in terms of college tuition assistance at least, has not kept up with inflation. That is why an update of the G.I. Bill recently signed into law by President George Bush is so important, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders told the Vermont Press Bureau.

Energy Emergency "We must make sure vulnerable Americans are protected. Many seniors, disabled persons, and low- and moderate-income families face the prospect of going cold this winter. Yet the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is funded at 23 percent less than just two years ago, even though energy prices have doubled. To address this crisis, I introduced the Warm in Winter and Cool in Summer Act to double funding for the program," Sanders wrote in an op-ed published by the Brattleboro Reformer.

Going Green In the audience last week for a speech by Al Gore on global warming was Senator Bernie Sanders, who spoke with Gore backstage about his new bill, the 10 Million Solar Roofs Act of 2008. A truly independent voice in the Senate, Sanders has been a leader in pushing the Democratic Congress in a progressive direction - and energy policy is no exception," wrote The Nation editor Katrina vanden Heuvel.

Washington Post Op-Ed

Support mounted for a bill by Senator Bernie Sanders to double assistance for people struggling to pay home energy bills. As senators headed out of D.C. on Friday, 46 cosponsors had signed onto Sanders' measure that the Senate majority leader said he hoped to bring to the floor soon. Also last week, Al Gore laid out an ambitious goal on global warming, the problem-plagued Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor drew scrutiny during a Senate hearing, and Congress overrode a Bush veto of a bill to help community health centers and support Medicare.

Global Warming Senator Bernie Sanders says Al Gore should be applauded for setting a goal of weaning the United States off of fossil fuels in a decade, reported Vermont Public Radio and a Burlington Free Press blog. "We have the technology today to transform our energy system away from foreign oil and fossil fuels, and within ten years produce 100 percent of our electricity from cost effective sustainable energy," Sanders said on WCAX News. The former vice president and Nobel laureate addressed several thousand people in the packed DAR Constitution Hall, including Sanders, according to Politico. Roll Call said Gore recognized Sanders in the audience. CNN carried the speech live.

Health Care for All "At a time when the middle class is in rapid decline, the United States must guarantee health care for all. A major expansion of the community health care program would be an important step forward," Sanders wrote on the Huffington Post. "There you go again, Mr. S. -- making sense. Can we clone you?" asked one of 46 commenters.

Home Heating "Given the escalating cost of home heating fuels, if we don't dramatically increase funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, senior citizens on fixed incomes, the disabled and low-income families with children will go cold this winter," Sanders said, according to Congressional Quarterly. The Albany, N.Y., Times Union said Senator Charles Schumer is cosponsoring a measure by Sanders that would double the amount of money available to the program. The Herald of Randolph led a story on fuel prices by citing the troubles of a 71-year-old man who wrote to Sanders.

Housing The mortgage bailout bill passed by the Senate included a provision backed by Sanders to create an Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Another provision added by Sanders and Leahy would steet $20 million to Vermont communities. A Sander proposal to help disabled veterans retrofit their homes also is part of the package, according to The Burlington Free Press.

Health Care "We can provide primary healthcare to every American in need of it through an expansion of the successful Federally Qualified Health Center program. On a budget of only $2 billion a year, this program provides primary healthcare, dental care, mental health counseling, and low-cost prescription drugs to 17 million people through 1,100 health center organizations in every region of the country," Sanders wrote in an op-ed published by The Hill.