Indiana

2012 State Convention in Fort Wayne

Support bringing the Democratic State Convention to Fort Wayne in 2012.

Help show delegates from all over Indiana what Fort Wayne has to offer.

Help encourage the state central committee to approve Fort Wayne as the next site for the State Convention in 2012.

Fort Wayne is home to the Children's Zoo, Vera Bradley bags, DeBrand Fine Chocolates, one of the largest genealogical libraries, and world-class arts and theatre.

Help Support Fort Wayne as the 2012 Host by signing the petition.

Stimulus added millions of jobs in Q2

The massive U.S. stimulus package put millions of people to work and boosted national output by hundreds of billions of dollars in the second quarter, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said on Tuesday.

CBO's latest estimate indicates that the stimulus effort, which remains a political hot potato ahead of the November congressional elections, may have prevented the sluggish U.S. economy from contracting between April and June.

CBO said President Barack Obama's stimulus boosted real GDP in the quarter by between 1.7 percent and 4.5 percent, adding at least $200 billion in economic activity.

Poll: Majority wants tax cuts eliminated for wealthy, extended for others

Fifty-one percent of adults believe that the Bush tax cuts should be allowed to expire for wealthy families, but should be extended for middle- and lower-class families.

A CNN/Opinion Research poll released Friday showed a narrow majority for one option lawmakers are considering for handling the Bush tax cuts, which are set to expire at the end of this year.

Asked which of the following statements comes closest to their view, 51 percent said "those tax cuts should continue for families that make less than 250 thousand dollars a year, but taxes should rise to the previous level for families who make more than that amount."

US: Firms must spell out workers' benefit rights

WASHINGTON — Your company just denied your disability claim. What do you do now? How long do you have to file an appeal? And with whom?

The Obama administration is planning to upgrade consumer protections for tens of millions of workers and family members covered by health, disability and pension plans, ordering companies to clearly explain decisions on claims and how employees can dispute denials.

The basic idea is to require health and other plans to spell out what a worker needs to know to safeguard his rights.

"People need to have a clear roadmap to appeal claims," Phyllis Borzi, assistant secretary for employee benefits at the Labor Department, said in an interview.

The Republican Winter Vacation Act

House Republicans are going forward with plans to introduce a resolution on Tuesday to prohibit the House of Representatives from assembling during the two-month period following the November elections.

A GOP leadership aide confirmed to the Huffington Post that the resolution, authored by Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) for the purposes of preventing Democrats from passing legislative items during the lame-duck session, would be introduced before the House passes additional Medicaid and teacher funding. The aide argued that comments on Sunday by Carol Browner, the White House's top energy and environmental adviser, suggesting that energy legislation could be considered during the so-called lame duck period, proved that the resolution was pertinent.

Reagan insider: 'GOP destroyed U.S. economy'

Get it? Not "destroying." The GOP has already "destroyed" the U.S. economy, setting up an "American Apocalypse."

Yes, Stockman is equally damning of the Democrats' Keynesian policies. But what this indictment by a party insider -- someone so close to the development of the Reaganomics ideology -- says about America, helps all of us better understand how America's toxic partisan-politics "holy war" is destroying not just the economy and capitalism, but the America dream. And unless this war stops soon, both parties will succeed in their collective death wish.

But why focus on Stockman's message? It's already lost in the 24/7 news cycle. Why? We need some introspection. Ask yourself: How did the great nation of America lose its moral compass and drift so far off course, to where our very survival is threatened?