plus 4, Obama's Wins in Congress - YAHOO!

Obama's Wins in Congress - YAHOO!
In the horror show of state budgets, there are few happy endings in ... - Delaware Online
Corruption-plagued Iraq joins oil transparency group - Reuters
Forum to examine downturn in Wis. agriculture - WKOW-TV.com
TAX-ASSISTANCE PROGRAM BEGINS JAN. 29 - Newark Advocate

Posted: 10 Jan 2010 07:53 AM PST

President Obama set a new record last year for getting Congress to vote his way, clinching 96.7 percent of the votes on which he had clearly staked a position

That was a bit less than 4 percentage points higher than the previous record, set by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965, according to an annual study by Congressional Quarterly.

Congressional Quarterly has compiled statistics on presidential support since 1953. Editors select the votes based on clear statements by the president or authorized spokesmen before the vote.

In all, Congress took 151 votes in which Obama had taken a position ahead of time.

His wins in his first year in office included votes for creating a massive economic stimulus package, bailing out the auto industry, allowing the Food and Drug Administration regulate tobacco and confirming Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

But they also included key moves toward overhauling the health care system, regulating financial services and reducing greenhouse gases which have not yet passed both chambers of Congress.

That unfinished work will be taken up in the second session, which begins Tuesday. Obama's ultimate success will depend on how well his second year in office goes.

"If this Congress passes both health care reform and climate change legislation on top of the economic stuff, it will go down as a historic achievement," says Rich Fleisher, a political science professor at Fordham University in New York City. "But unless they continue to manage the agenda in a way that is very, very careful, that could all fall apart."

In the House, Obama won 68 votes and lost four.

Among the losses: a vote to disapprove further spending on a bank bailout and a July vote to pass a food safety overhaul. Both were temporary setbacks since Congress eventually ended up supporting the president's position.

In the Senate, Obama won 78 votes and lost one.

The Republican win there came on an amendment which would have barred spending money to transfer detainees from the Guantanamo Bay prison camp to the United States. In the end, the bill allowed the transfer under certain conditions.

To build this record, Obama relied heavily on Democratic majorities with only occasional support from the GOP. As in the health care overhaul, he also had to keep the entire Democratic caucus in the Senate in line.

"How you begin to understand his success is as a triumph of party government," says Steven Schier, a political scientist at Carleton College in Minnesota. "He's got the large and unified majorities, and those are the enabling conditions for his record high support score."

This is much different from Johnson, who achieved the previous record by overcoming a divided Democratic caucus.

Reporting and statistical analysis by Shawn Zeller, John Cranford and Rachel Bloom.

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In the horror show of state budgets, there are few happy endings in ... - Delaware Online

Posted: 10 Jan 2010 07:45 AM PST

One question keeps coming up as governors and legislators grapple with a seemingly never-ending stream of gloomy budget news that keeps getting worse: How bad can it get?

The answer, according to experts and a look through history, is probably that it could get worse than it has been in a generation -- maybe even a lifetime -- but not catastrophic.

"If revenues don't pick up, states are going to be in a pretty tough spot when we get to 2011," said Kim Rueben, a state and local tax-policy expert with the Urban Institute. "Do I think it's going to be the end of the world as we know it? No."

Bankruptcy, at least the scenario where a judge would take control of a state's finances, is off the table. Bond defaults, the cardinal sin of public finance, seem highly unlikely for states. Another federal bailout is plausible. Some state governments may even be fundamentally overhauled. But the worst for most states will sound familiar: service cuts, tax hikes, IOUs, layoffs, furloughs and political gridlock.

In other words, Rutgers University public-policy professor Carl Van Horn said, state budgets for next year will look a lot like those passed for this year -- "only worse."

In the halls of many state capitols, many others are repeating that same refrain.

California legislators spent the last year closing a $60 billion gap for the last two fiscal years. Already, though, legislative analysts predict the state will be short another $20 billion by June 2011. The bad news is expected to continue even after that, with gaps of roughly the same size persisting through at least 2015.

"The scale of the deficits is so vast that we know of no way that the Legislature, the governor and voters can avoid making additional, very difficult choices about state priorities," the report from the Legislative Analyst's Office said.

Outgoing Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, is preparing a budget plan for the state's next two years, when the state's revenues are expected to drop $3.6 billion. Kaine said he is worried about the proposal, even though his successor, Republican Bob McDonnell, will determine the budget's final form.

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Corruption-plagued Iraq joins oil transparency group - Reuters

Posted: 10 Jan 2010 07:53 AM PST

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq joined a global transparency initiative Sunday in a bid to heal its reputation as a nation plagued by corruption and misuse of its vast oil wealth.

Ranked fifth from the bottom of Transparency International's corruption list of 180 nations, Iraq is in the process of signing deals with foreign oil companies it hopes will catapult it to major producer status.

Iraq signed on the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, which establishes a worldwide standard for transparency in oil, gas and mining by pushing companies to disclose what they pay in taxes and royalties to governments, and for governments to disclose the receipt of such payments.

"Today we announce (that Iraq is) joining the Transparency Initiative, which is dealing with oil and gas, the most important resources of Iraq," Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said in a speech to government officials, World Bank representatives, and other groups.

EITI, based in Oslo, Norway, describes itself as a coalition of civil society groups, companies, governments, international organizations and investors focused on good governance in resource-rich countries.

Torn by years of war and sanctions, Iraq relies on oil for 90 percent of government revenues and is contracting with global majors to refurbish its neglected oil infrastructure and develop some of the world's largest remaining oilfields with the hope of becoming a leading producer.

It has the world's third largest oil reserves, but is currently just the 11th-largest producer. Deals agreed in recent weeks could boost daily output from 2.5 million barrels per day to around 12 million bpd in six years.

"The Oil Ministry is managing most of the downstream works in the country and 90 percent of the budget comes from these activities, so this is one of the reasons why we are keen to join this initiative," oil minister Hussain al-Shahristani said.

As a permanent member of EITI, Iraq will be required to issue annual reports on crude production and revenue and oil companies working in the country will have to submit reports on production. Officials said they expected Iraq to become a permanent member in March.

"We want to join this institution to reform the globally damaged reputation of Iraq and the Iraqi government as a country full of corruption," Oil Ministry inspector general Alaa Muhyiddin told reporters.

Iraqis complain bitterly about government corruption which they blame for the poor state of electricity, water and other basic services. Muhyiddin said the government wanted to crack down on smuggling operations by well-organized gangs and the theft of Iraqi crude.

"We have decided to hit with an iron fist anyone caught smuggling Iraqi oil," he said.

(Editing by Jim Loney and Dan Lalor)

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Forum to examine downturn in Wis. agriculture - WKOW-TV.com

Posted: 10 Jan 2010 08:00 AM PST

Associated Press - January 10, 2010 11:05 AM ET

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - The effect of the recession on Wisconsin's agriculture community will be examined at a forum open to the public in Madison on Jan. 20.

The meeting will also look ahead at what's in store for the state's agriculture community this year.

The meeting is organized by the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Agriculture and Life Sciences as well as UW-Cooperative Extension.

The forum is scheduled to examine the outlook this year for key commodities including dairy, corn and soybeans, livestock, and fruits and vegetables, as well as the products and services that farmers purchase.

Economists and commodity specialists will be joined by an economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

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TAX-ASSISTANCE PROGRAM BEGINS JAN. 29 - Newark Advocate

Posted: 10 Jan 2010 06:27 AM PST

NEWARK -- For the fourth consecutive year, the Licking County Coalition for Housing and AmeriCorps Positive Balance are sponsoring the IRS VITA program.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance uses IRS-certified volunteers to prepare and e-file tax returns for income-eligible people for free. Most taxpayers earning $49,000 or less are eligible. Business and individuals with income from rental properties are not eligible for VITA services.

With assistance from certified tax preparers, taxpayers can take advantage of several tax credits, including the EITC and child tax credits. Direct deposit of tax refunds also is available.

Ohio Benefit Bank services also will be available on-site. With OBB, taxpayers can determine their eligibility for other assistance and services.

Anyone interested may call to schedule an appointment upon receipt of W-2s, 1099s or other income statements and tax documents after Saturday.

Tax preparation will begin Jan. 29 at three sites in Newark: Licking County Coalition for Housing, 23 South Park Place; The Warner Center Library at the Newark campus of OSU/COTC, 1179 University Drive; and Opportunity Links, 998 E. Main St. The OSU/COTC site also will be offering walk-in hours, with no appointment required.

To schedule an appointment or for more information about VITA, call the Licking County Coalition for Housing at (740) 345-1970.

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