http://polfeeds.com/member/vt/ Press releases, blog posts, photos, videos, and more from the politicians and candidates you select. News en-us Wed, 26 Nov 2008 14:21:05 CST


]]> Tue, 18 Nov 2008 18:10:08 CST Overseas contractor fraud loophole formally closed after new regulations issued

Washington, DC - Rep. Peter Welch uncovered, investigated and has now officially closed a multi-billion dollar loophole proposed by the Bush administration that allowed overseas government contractors to avoid disclosing fraud.

In response to a law passed by Welch this summer, the Office of Management and Budget issued a rule late last week mandating that government contractors report any suspected instances of waste, fraud, abuse or overpayment to investigators general. The move caps a months-long effort led by Welch to restore accountability to government contracts and crack down on a misguided loophole crafted by the Bush administration.

]]> Fri, 14 Nov 2008 01:00:00 CST Fri, 14 Nov 2008 01:00:00 CST Auto Bailout Doubtful Prospects of a government rescue for the foundering American automakers dwindled Thursday as Democratic Congressional leaders conceded that they would face potentially insurmountable Republican opposition during a lame-duck session next week. Senator Bernie Sanders told Politico, "The government shouldn't help the auto industry without making sure it changes its ways." He cited "disastrous" policies that shuttered American plants and lowered wages for American workers. Detroit built too many gas guzzlers and too few cars to lower greenhouse gas emissions, he added.

Rebuild America Vermont's congressional delegation is supporting a plan to quickly rebuild the country's transportation infrastructure. "If we're serious about rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure if we're serious about putting people to work in doing that it makes no sense to delay these projects because states are running deficits now and don't have the money to put up their matching portions," Sanders told Vermont Public Radio.


]]> Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:00:00 CST Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:00:00 CST Jobless Claims Rocket to 7-Year High The number of newly laid-off individuals seeking unemployment benefits unexpectedly jumped last week to a seven-year high. The Labor Department said Thursday that jobless claims increased 32,000 to a seasonally adjusted 516,000. That is the highest total since just after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and second-highest since 1992, The Associated Press reported.

Foreclosures Mount The number of homeowners caught in the wave of foreclosures in October grew 25 percent nationally over the same month in 2007, data released Thursday showed, AP reported.

International Recession Fears Europe's stock markets opened lower Thursday after further Asian losses, following more downbeat U.S. corporate news and confirmation that Germany is officially in recession, The Associated Press reported.]]> Wed, 12 Nov 2008 01:00:00 CST coupon to help pay for the necessary converter box.  If you currently receive your TV signal through cable or satellite service you will not be impacted by this transition.  Sanders will be introducing legislation to require the availability of basic, affordable cable, satellite, or other paid television service so that everyone can still afford to receive the same broadcast channels that they had before the transition, after the transition. 


]]> Wed, 12 Nov 2008 01:00:00 CST Rx Costs Rising Elderly and disabled people in Medicare prescription drug plans with the largest enrollments will pay 43% more on average in monthly premiums next year than when the drug program began in 2006, and some enrollees will see increases of as much as 329 percent, two analyses show. The rising costs "are wreaking havoc on seniors' wallets and are simply not sustainable in the long run," says Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., who chairs the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, according to USA Today.

Lobbyists Swarm Treasury Of the initial $350 billion that Congress freed up out of the $700 billion in bailout money, the Treasury Department has committed all but $60 billion. The shrinking pie and the growing uncertainty over who qualifies has thrown Washington's legal and lobbying establishment into a mad scramble. The Treasury Department is under siege by an army of hired guns for banks, savings and loan associations and insurers, The New York Times reported.

Consumer Confidence While the panic on Wall Street eased in the last few weeks, American households fell into a defensive crouch. The numbers are pretty incredible. Sales of new vehicles have dropped 32 percent in the third quarter. Consumer spending appears likely to fall next year for the first time since 1980 and perhaps by the largest amount since 1942. With Wall Street edging back from the brink, this crisis of consumer confidence has become the No. 1 short-term issue for the economy, The New York Times reported.]]> Tue, 11 Nov 2008 01:00:00 CST Mon, 10 Nov 2008 19:55:53 CST Please click here for information regarding Presidential Inauguration tickets.


]]> Mon, 10 Nov 2008 01:00:00 CST Mon, 10 Nov 2008 01:00:00 CST Banks Jack Up Credit Card Rates In recent years, banks have sharply raised interest rates and penalty fees on credit cards. Bearing the brunt are consumers for whom a jump in rates and fees can make it tougher to pay their bills at a time when household budgets already are being stretched. A key driver behind this trend: securitization. From 2003 to 2007, seven of the largest issuers of credit cards packaged an increasing amount of card debt into securities and sold them off to investors, just as banks did with mortgages, a USA Today review of banking records found.

A Quiet Windfall For U.S. Banks As Congress battled over the Bush administration's request for a $700 billion bailout of the banking industry in September, the Treasury Department issued a five-sentence notice that attracted almost no public attention. Corporate tax lawyers quickly realized the administration had given American banks a windfall of as much as $140 billion. Some congressional staff members privately concluded the notice was illegal, but worried that saying so publicly could unravel recent bank mergers and send the economy into a steeper tailspin, The Washington Post reported.

Heavy Student Loan Debt A new national survey ranks Vermont fourth in the amount of debt students pile up getting through college. The Project on Student Debt says that after four years of college, the average Vermont student graduates with $24,300 in debt. There's concern in Vermont that student debt loads may prompt young people to leave the state. Underlying college costs are cited as the cause. They jumped 6 percent at Vermont's public colleges from 2006 to 2007, The Associated Press reported.]]> Sun, 09 Nov 2008 01:00:00 CST

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]]> Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:00:00 CST Unemployment Soars The unemployment rate soared 0.4 percentage point to 6.5 percent, its highest since March 1994. It was just 5 percent as recently as April. According to the household survey, employment fell by 297,000 while unemployment rose by 603,000, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Ford to Cut Jobs Ford Motor Company, battered by the weak economy and a shift in consumer preferences, this morning reported a third-quarter loss of $129 million. Ford said it would cut another 10 percent of its salaried work force in North America, The New York Times reported.

Congress Crafts Economic Plan As the euphoria of the election gave way yesterday to more sobering evidence of decline in the global economy, Democrats moved swiftly to convert their mandate into an economic action plan that could include up to $100 billion in immediate stimulus spending and new tax cuts for the middle class early next year. In Chicago, President-elect Barack Obama laid plans to meet today with his economic brain trust and conduct his first news conference since election night. In Washington, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid huddled in separate meetings with top executives of Detroit's automakers, who appealed for additional government help to save the industry from collapse, The Washington Post reported.]]> Thu, 06 Nov 2008 01:00:00 CST Thu, 06 Nov 2008 01:00:00 CST Administration Transition Obama remained largely out of public view yesterday while his aides announced the first details of an ambitious plan for the transfer of power when he assumes office in January. Obama spent most of the day ensconced in a downtown office building in discussions with Vice President-elect Biden; John D. Podesta, President Bill Clinton's chief of staff; Rep. Rahm Emanuel; and senior advisers...The president-elect must now decide how to insert himself into the most pressing issues facing the nation over the next 75 days, particularly the global economic summit that President Bush will convene in Washington on Nov. 15 and a new economic stimulus package being pushed by Democrats when a lame-duck session of Congress begins days later, The Washington Post reported.

Sanders: Time for Big Ideas With the nation embroiled in two wars and the economy in distress, Senator Bernie Sanders said Washington will have to be bold. `This is a time for big ideas. The American people have spoken clearly. The mantra of this campaign was change. And change is what we need to bring about,'' he told Vermont Public Radio. He warned against setting expectations too high. ``If you listen closely to what Barack Obama has been saying throughout his campaign, he said it is not going to be easy."

Vermont Delegation Giddy over Barack Obama's historic victory, members of Vermont's congressional delegation say they're eager to face the future under him even though there are serious challenges ahead. U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Peter Welch said Obama's win wasn't just a repudiation by the American people of eight years of Republican rule. It was a bold statement of hope for the future, they said Wednesday, according to The Associated Press, WCAX, WPTZ and Fox 44 reported.


]]> Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:00:00 CST Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:00:00 CST Obama Sweeps to Historic Victory Barack Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States on Tuesday, sweeping away the last racial barrier in American politics with ease. "At the time when people are so demoralized, we are looking at the largest voter turnout in years," U.S. Sen. Bernard Sanders said, "but the work is not all done after tonight." Grassroots political activism needs to continue to ensure successful reform of the country's financial policies and other key issues, he said, according to the Vermont Press Bureau.

Vermont First for Obama Vermont became the first state to board the Barack Obama election express Tuesday. He captured the state's three electoral votes by landing 66 percent of the vote. "This has been an extraordinary campaign," Sanders told a group of Obama volunteers Tuesday morning as the headed to New Hampshire. "It is what almost everybody recognizes as one of the great campaigns, if not the best campaign ever run in our lifetimes," Sanders said. "He (Obama) understood he could not win this election unless there was a massive grassroots activism," The Burlington Free Press reported.]]> Tue, 04 Nov 2008 01:00:00 CST
Article I, Section 1. All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives...Article I, Section 4. The times, places and manner of holding elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof...

Article II, Section 1. The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his office during the term of four years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same term, be elected, as follows:  Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a number of electors, equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress...


]]> Tue, 04 Nov 2008 01:00:00 CST No Bernie on Ballots For the first time since 1970, Bernie Sanders is not on a Vermont ballot today, The Associated Press reported. Who would have predicted more than 35 years ago that Bernie Sanders, running on the minor party Liberty Union ballot, would become mayor of Burlington, then congressman, then senator? WCAX asked. "The views that I hold, where you try to strengthen the middle class and provide health care to all the people and protect our veterans... by now in Vermont, I think a lot of people share those views," Sanders said.

Justices Hear Label Warning Case The Supreme Court appeared likely Monday to decide an amputee's lawsuit against a drug maker based on how much federal regulators knew about an anti-nausea drug's risks in the event of a botched injection. Several justices indicated that if the Food and Drug Administration had clear information about the risks of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals' anti-nausea drug Phenergan, and approved its warning label anyway, then Wyeth probably would prevail in its court fight against Diana Levine of Marshfield, Vt., The Associated Press reported.]]> Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:00:00 CST Mon, 03 Nov 2008 01:00:00 CST Rescue Cash for Banks Treasury and banking regulators say as many as 1,800 publicly held institutions could apply for government investments in coming weeks, out of concern that failing to do so could make them losers in a banking sector reshaped by the Treasury's $700 billion rescue plan, The Wall Street Journal reported. Depending upon conditions still being crafted by Treasury, thousands more private banks could apply for government capital as well, a Treasury spokeswoman said Sunday.

More Utility Bills Go Unpaid Utilities are becoming more aggressive about collecting money from delinquent customers, leading to a surge in service shutdowns just as economic woes are pushing up the number of households falling behind on bills. The utilities say they are under pressure to clean out accounts that are weighing down their books, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Bush Team Rushes Environment Policy Changes The Bush administration is sprinting to enact environmental policy changes before leaving power. Whether it's getting wolves off the Endangered Species List, allowing power plants to operate near national parks, loosening regulations for factory farm waste or making it easier for mountaintop coal-mining operations, these proposed changes have found little favor with environmental groups. The one change most environmentalists want, a mandatory program to cut climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions, is not among these so-called "midnight regulations," Reuters reported.


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]]> Fri, 31 Oct 2008 01:00:00 CDT Bank Bailout Lawmakers are considering new limits on executive compensation at firms that are part of the financial-rescue program. Sen. Bernie Sanders plans to introduce legislation to cap executive compensation at firms that accept federal funds. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, he expressed frustration that the plan to buy illiquid assets has morphed into direct capital injections for healthy banks to acquire weaker rivals. "The goal seems to be changing every single day," he said. "Are we comfortable that a handful of bankers are literally alone in a room deciding which banks get what?"

Consumer Spending Drops Consumer spending dropped in September by the largest amount in four years while incomes suffered because of Hurricane Ike. The Commerce Department says personal spending fell 0.3% last month, biggest decline since June 2004. That followed flat readings in both July and August, contributing to the worst quarterly performance in 28 years, The Associated Press reported.

Bonus Tempest In a sign that Wall Street is waking up to the political tempest over billions of dollars in year-end bonuses likely to be paid out at securities firms lining up for government infusions, top executives are in discussions to possibly cap their own compensation, according to people familiar with the situation, according to The Wall Street Journal.]]> Thu, 30 Oct 2008 01:00:00 CDT Bailout Bonuses Sen. Bernie Sanders plans to introduce a bill to cap executive salaries at banks receiving federal aid, ABC News.com reported. Sanders' legislation would cap the salary of bank and insurance company executives at the $400,000 salary of the president, according to the Rutland Herald and Times Argus. He called it "totally outrageous" that bailout funds should end up in the pockets of "the same people whose greed and irresponsibility helped cause the financial crisis."

NFL on TV Senators want home game NFL Network broadcasts to be available on free television for more home-city fans. Thirteen lawmakers, including Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy and Senator Bernie Sanders, said in a letter to Commissioner Roger Goodell that the NFL is too narrowly interpreting what a home city is, The Associated Press, The Washington Post, Vermont Press Bureau and WCAX reported.]]> Thu, 30 Oct 2008 01:00:00 CDT asked Treasury Secretary Paulson to ban the bonuses. He's working on legislation. He also asked for your opinion. "Please tell me this will not happen. Please tell me that all of my hard work, all of my faith, all of my trust in our government is not once again being held in such low esteem. I work so very hard," someone from Huntington, Vermont wrote to Sanders. "That these companies can take billions from Uncle Sam (or should I say Joe the Taxpayer?) and then misappropriate it to the detriment of the United States is unbelievable," a reader in Olympia, Washington added. "There should be no bonuses, and no dividends, until the money is repaid," wrote a reader in Dorset, Vermont. Not everyone agreed. "I am strongly opposed to cutting the dividends that these banks pay out," argued a writer from Woodstock, Vermont. What do you think?


]]> Wed, 29 Oct 2008 01:00:00 CDT letter to Senate colleagues, Sanders proposed capping compensation for executives of the rescued companies at no more than the salary paid to the president of the United States.]]> Wed, 29 Oct 2008 01:00:00 CDT Wed, 29 Oct 2008 01:00:00 CDT

]]> Wed, 29 Oct 2008 01:00:00 CDT Bailout Fallout "The American taxpayer, because of the greed on Wall Street...had to come up with $700 billion to bail these guys out. The theory behind the bailout is we've got loosen up credit... Now, what we're learning is that...the maajor financial institutions who have received tens of billions of dollars of taxpayer money are saying, "Oh, no, we're not going to be lending that money out. What we're going to be doing is continuing to give huge bonuses to Wall Street executives...[T]hat's certainly not the theory as to why...Wall Street got that money." Sanders said on the CNBC program "Power Lunch."

Bonuses Blasted Democratic lawmakers are joining the chorus of Americans asking how slumping banks could hand out executive bonuses during the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Following a letter from Rep. Dennis Kucinich, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Henry Waxman has opened an investigation into the matter, according to a release from his office. Sen. Bernie Sanders has also called for a ban on executive bonuses at the banks, ABC News.com reported.

More Snow Coming High winds and snow from this season's first winter storm are to blame for power outages in Vermont's Chittenden and Franklin counties and slippery traveling across parts of the state. The National Weather Service has posted a winter storm warning for heavy snow in Orleans and eastern Franklin counties through Wednesday night, with 3 to 9 inches accumulation. The northern central and eastern parts of the state also are expected to see more snow Wednesday, with 2 to 6 inches expected. So far by Wednesday morning, North Underhill has reported 4 inches, Stannard had 3 inches, Jay Peak 2 inches and Hinesburg 3 inches.]]> Tue, 28 Oct 2008 01:00:00 CDT Bailout Bonuses The first big chunk of bailout money is being wired to banks this week, and at least one senator wants to put the brakes on proposed bonuses and shareholder dividends. Sen. Bernie Sanders wrote Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson late Friday, asking him to ban bonuses for employees of the country's nine largest banks and freeze shareholder dividends, as the federal government began doling out $125 billion Monday as part of the larger $700 billion bailout, Politico/CBS News.com reported.

Middle Class "The first job of the next administration state and federal will be to look after the middle class. Why? Because the middle class is the economic power of the country...Our congressional delegation gets high marks for acting on behalf of the middle class according to at least one group. Middleclass.org grades all three Vermont representatives as A-plus in watching out for the economic and social well-being of average citizens," the Rutland Herald declared in an editorial.]]> Tue, 28 Oct 2008 01:00:00 CDT asked Treasury Secretary Paulson to ban bonuses at firms that take taxpayer dollars.  What do you think?  We're posting excerpts.


]]> Mon, 27 Oct 2008 01:00:00 CDT letter sent to Paulson. What do you think?  Send us a note and we will post excerpts of  comments (identified by your hometown) .]]> Mon, 27 Oct 2008 01:00:00 CDT Sanders: No Banker Bonuses Senator Bernie Sanders wants no bonuses at banks taxpayers are bailing out, AP, The Burlington Free Press, CNN, CBS, Fox 44, and New England Cable News reported. "Sanders...is talking about getting the government to pressure the banks to kill the bonuses and cut dividend payments to shareholders," NBC Nightly News reported. "We're going to do everything that we can to make sure that these guys who...helped cause this problem...are not going to get one...taxpayer dollar for another bonus," Sanders told WCAX.

Global Markets Shudder Stock markets shuddered Monday in Europe and Asia, with Japanese stocks falling to their lowest level since 1982, as the sell-off that has erased more than 51 percent of the value of global stock markets this year showed no signs of abating. Currency market traders were keeping nervous watch for central bank intervention, after Group of 7 finance and monetary officials expressed concern about the recent excessive volatility in the yen's exchange rates, The New York Times reported.]]> Sun, 26 Oct 2008 01:00:00 CDT

]]> Sat, 25 Oct 2008 01:00:00 CDT Fri, 24 Oct 2008 01:00:00 CDT Fri, 24 Oct 2008 01:00:00 CDT Greenspan Admits Errors Alan Greenspan conceded under harsh questioning from lawmakers that he had made mistakes during his long tenure as Federal Reserve chairman that may have worsened the current slump. "After years of confrontation about the role of government regulation, I'm glad to see he now recognizes that his ideas are flawed," Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent from Vermont and frequent Greenspan sparring partner, said in a statement picked up by the St. Paul, Minn., Pioneer-Press and other McClatchy newspapers.

Greenspan Legacy Greenspan's profound influence dominated a whole economic era. The rich got steadily richer, stock markets soared, and deserved or not, Greenspan was given credit for economic blessings. Bernie Sanders was one of the very few who challenged the oracle, the Canadian Broadcasting Company program The National reported. "You had trillions of dollars being played with, which have led us to the brink of an international financial collapse...How could it be a good thing that we don't know who owns these things, we don't know who's trading these things, we don't know the impact it has on the world economy?"

Wall Street Bailout John Nichols, a correspondent for The Nation, told Democracy Now radio that "very few people...have the consistency of a Bernie Sanders or a Marcy Kaptur on this issue...The fact of the matter is, that bailout is still a very muscular issue, and taking a stronger stand than either McCain or Obama did on it seems to have paid benefits. McCain, he added, "would be leading in the polls today if he had opposed it."


]]> Fri, 24 Oct 2008 01:00:00 CDT Thu, 23 Oct 2008 01:00:00 CDT Thu, 23 Oct 2008 01:00:00 CDT Rebuild America "When Congress reconvenes, it is clear to me that it must pass a massive 'Rebuild America' program in order to address the looming economic crisis. If we can put up $700 billion to rescue bankers from their irresponsible decisions, we must make a major investment putting millions of Americans to work rebuilding our country," wrote Sen. Bernie Sanders on The Huffington Post, BuzzFlash.com, OpEdNews, and The Hill's Congress Blog. LINK

Digital TV The analog-digital conversion of over-the-air television broadcasts on Feb. 17 might leave many antenna-dependent households with blank screens. Federal Communications Commission Commissioner Michael Copps, in Vermont for a town meeting with Sen. Bernie Sanders, said difficult terrain and inadequate preparation could derail many of Vermont's estimated 38,000 viewers whose televisions receive signals only via "rabbit ears" or roof-top antennae, The Burlington Free Press, WPTZ, Fox 44 and WCAX reported.


]]> Wed, 22 Oct 2008 01:00:00 CDT TV Switch Sen. Bernie Sanders and FCC Commissioner Michael Copps will hold a town meeting tonight at Burlington City Hall to explain the fast-approaching switch to all-digital television, The Associated Press, Vermont Public Radio, The Burlington Free Press, Bennington Banner, Times Argus and Fox 44 reported. "The reality is that...there will be Vermonters who may no longer get television reception...[I]f you currently get your TV over the air with an antenna or rabbit ears, you need to act now to ensure that you will still be able get TV in your home." Sanders said on WCAX.

Vermont Unemployment Worst in 15 Years The Vermont Department of Labor says the state's unemployment rate jumped to 5.2 percent in September. That's up three-tenths of a percentage point from August and 1.3 percent from a year ago. Labor Commissioner Patricia Moulton Powden said Tuesday that the nation's housing and financial services crisis continues to affect Vermont's labor market, according to The Associated Press.

Veterans Housing Proposed Housing Vermont and the Committee on Temporary Shelter are proposing transitional housing in Winooski for military veterans who are homeless or in danger of becoming so. Representatives of the two organizations Monday night asked for, and received, permission from the Winooski City Council to apply for a $600,000 Vermont Community Development grant to help finance the $5.8 million project, according to The Burlington Free Press.]]> Wed, 22 Oct 2008 01:00:00 CDT Wed, 22 Oct 2008 01:00:00 CDT

]]> Wed, 22 Oct 2008 01:00:00 CDT TV Switch Sen. Bernie Sanders and FCC Commissioner Michael Copps will hold a town meeting tonight at Burlington City Hall to explain the fast-approaching switch to all-digital television, The Associated Press, Vermont Public Radio, The Burlington Free Press, Bennington Banner, Times Argus and Fox 44 reported. "The reality is that...there will be Vermonters who may no longer get television reception...[I]f you currently get your TV over the air with an antenna or rabbit ears, you need to act now to ensure that you will still be able get TV in your home." Sanders said on WCAX.

Vermont Unemployment Worst in 15 Years The Vermont Department of Labor says the state's unemployment rate jumped to 5.2 percent in September. That's up three-tenths of a percentage point from August and 1.3 percent from a year ago. Labor Commissioner Patricia Moulton Powden said Tuesday that the nation's housing and financial services crisis continues to affect Vermont's labor market, according to The Associated Press.

Veterans Housing Proposed Housing Vermont and the Committee on Temporary Shelter are proposing transitional housing in Winooski for military veterans who are homeless or in danger of becoming so. Representatives of the two organizations Monday night asked for, and received, permission from the Winooski City Council to apply for a $600,000 Vermont Community Development grant to help finance the $5.8 million project, according to The Burlington Free Press.]]>