Vice President Biden Announces Recipients of $450 Million of Job-Driven Training Grants | The White House

FACT SHEET: Vice President Biden Announces Recipients of $450 Million of Job-Driven Training Grants | The White House

FACT SHEET: Vice President Biden Announces Recipients of $450 Million of Job-Driven Training Grants

$450 Million in Grants to Nearly 270 Community Colleges Partnering with More than 400 Employers Nationally  

Training America’s workers with the skills they need for a good job can help middle class families and help American businesses grow our economy. While America’s businesses have created 10 million jobs over the past 54 months, the longest streak of uninterrupted job growth in our country’s history, we need to do more to train Americans with the skills they need, and connect them with businesses that are looking for skilled workers.

Today, as part of this effort, Vice President Biden, Secretary Thomas E. Perez, and Secretary Arne Duncan are announcing the winners of $450 million in job-driven training grants going to nearly 270 community colleges across the country. The funding is part of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) competitive grant program, which is co-administered by the Department of Labor and Department of Education.

The grants will provide community colleges and other eligible institutions of higher education with funds to partner with employers to expand and improve their ability to deliver education and career training programs that will help job seekers get the skills they need for in-demand jobs in industries like information technology, health care, energy, and advanced manufacturing.

Building on the strategies advanced in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, these types of job-driven training partnerships were also identified in the Vice President’s job-driven training report released in July as an important way to successfully prepare and place workers in jobs that pay a middle class wage.

Highlights About Today’s Job-Driven Training Grant Awards:

• Awarding $450 Million to Nearly 270 Community Colleges Partnering with More than 400 Employers Nationally: Today’s 71 grantees build on nearly $1.5 billion in TAACCCT grant funds that have gone over the past three years to strengthen and expand job-driven training partnerships in communities across the country.
• Partnerships with Hundreds of Employers to Train Low-Wage Workers for Middle-Class Jobs: All grantees are required to partner with employers to develop training  programs to enable workers to build skills that will help them obtain good jobs. Partnerships with local small and medium sized employers as well as larger ones such as Exxon-Mobil, IBM, Delta, Jetblue, CVS, and Habitat for Humanity, and with labor and community based organizations such as SEIU, Goodwill Industries, Urban League and the United Way, will assist in getting thousands of low-wage Americans access to more internships, apprenticeships, and job-relevant basic skills education and training in order to move up the career ladder into better-paying jobs that employers across the country are looking to fill.
• Winners Are in High Demand Fields – Including 25 Focusing on IT and Cybersecurity: 25 grantees are developing new training programs for information technology and cybersecurity jobs. In partnership with employers such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Booz Allen, and SpaceX, these programs will help alleviate the projected national shortage of IT workers.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there will be 1.4 million additional IT jobs created by 2020 and only 400,000 computer science graduates.

Building on Progress and Moving Ahead

Many of today’s grantees are building on the efforts of past TAACCCT winners, leveraging curriculum that has been developed through strong partnerships between community colleges, the workforce system, employers and industry groups to transform the way they design and deliver courses through accelerated learning strategies.

Consistent with the recommendation of the Vice President’s job-driven training report, community college grantees in this final round will work with business and industry to upskill thousands of low-wage, low-skill workers and expand competency-based accelerated training pathways to in-demand jobs in information technology, manufacturing, health care, and other fields.

The Administration will continue to take action and work with educators, businesses, labor, and other leaders across the country to train American workers, expand the middle class, and grow the economy.  The Vice President’s job-driven training report identified a job-driven “checklist” as a tool to maximize the effectiveness of over 25 competitive grant programs, to direct state and local training and employment programs to become more job-driven, to make sure all federal employment and training programs are engaging employers, and to improve information on employment results so we know what’s working well and what’s not.

We must continue to invest in these types of partnerships, which successfully train American workers. That’s why the President’s 2015 budget proposes a $6 billion Community College Job-Driven Training Fund to ensure that we are sufficiently investing in partnerships between our nation’s community colleges and employers to ensure all American have access to workplace relevant skills and training.

The President’s 2015 budget proposes investing $6 billion over four years in a Community College Job-Driven Training Fund.  This fund would support competitive grants to partnerships of community colleges, industry and employers to reform job training curricula and launch new programs to train workers for in-demand jobs and careers. This fund will also help to spur the development and adoption of common, industry-recognized credentials and skill assessments to allow employers to more easily identify and hire qualified candidates. $2 billion of these funds will be set aside to double the number of U.S. Registered Apprenticeships within five years.

Scroll down to see the list of winners.

Highlights on Today’s Job-Driven Training Grant Awards:

Creating Career Pathways to Upskill Americans for In-Demand Jobs Across the Country.

Grantees are partnering with employers to develop career pathways for individuals to build skills that will help them improve their wages and job quality. These programs will assist in getting thousands of low-wage, low-skill Americans access to internships, apprenticeships, and job-relevant basic skills education and training in order to move up the career ladder into better-paying jobs that employers across the country are looking to fill.

Ø  Scale-up Southeast Louisiana for Energy and Advanced Manufacturing Jobs at Delgado Community College ($2.5M).  Southeast Louisiana (SELA) will work with employers such as ExxonMobil, Laitram, U.S. Heritage Powersports, Lockheed Martin and Phillips6, Scale-Up SELA will fulfill the needs of business and industry in Southeastern Louisiana by offering high-skilled, high-wage, competency-based training programs that meet employer and industry needs. The project will focus on taking participants not ready for college-level academic work, including those without a high school diploma, and engage them in training that will teach them academic reading, writing and math skills in the context of real world applications in manufacturing and energy. Partner employers will contribute to program design, implementation, and continuous improvement; provide employment and work-based training opportunities; and resources such as equipment, facilities and instructors. The program expects to train 1,150 students over the next three years for jobs in welding, machining, electrical and industrial maintenance.

Ø  Maryland Cyber-Technology Job Pathways Consortium ($15M).  Over 130,000 IT jobs are in Maryland--49% above the national average, with thousands of family-sustaining entry-level cyber security jobs that a job seeker can qualify for with a professional certificate or associate’s degree. Fourteen community colleges from across the state of Maryland are coming together with employer partners including IBM, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, Rockwell Collins, Booz Allen, Medstar and a number of hospitals to develop training pathways for low-income workers with minimal prior education or experience in Information Technology or Cybersecurity. To increase the likelihood of participant fit and success, participants will get upfront assessments, career planning, and job search support. Students will also accelerate through a two-year degree that is aligned with NSA guidelines for Security & Information Assurance programs. Virtual internships will also be offered to all students to increase their interaction with employers. In the next three years, the program intends to graduate nearly 2,000 students and employer partners have already committed to interviewing qualified graduates.

Ø  New Aviation Maintenance Accelerated Job Training Program at Cape Cod Community College ($2.5M).The Cape Cod Community College (CCCC) will launch new accelerated pathways for jobs in the aviation industry through unique partnerships with 15 statewide and regional employers including the US Coast Guard, Camp Edwards Army National Guard, two industry associations, and the MA Department of Workforce Development. These partnerships will make CCCC one of only six community colleges in the nation and the only community college in the eastern New England region to offer accelerated Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airframe and power plant (A&P) certification. The Massachusetts Credentials and Careers in Aviation (MCCA) program has worked with JetBlue, Delta, Cape Air, and Island Air, among others, to develop the airframe and power plant certificate modules. This approach will prepare unemployed and underemployed individuals in only 12 months instead of the traditional 24. Through hands-on learning and a guaranteed internship with an employer partner, students will be trained to become Aviation Maintenance Technicians, Avionics Technicians, Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technicians. Due to strong partnerships with employers, an industry-driven curriculum, and an urgent need for employees with the required skills, job placement is projected at 85% of those completing at least one certificate. The CCCC is working closely with the state of Massachusetts to secure employer donations of engines and aircrafts. Student scholarships will also be provided by Cape Cod Pilot Association, the State Space Grant Consortium based at MIT through NASA grants.

In addition, the Department of Education is releasing a new report on the importance of building  foundational skills in a job-specific context. 

Ø  Department of Education Report on Transform Adult Learning through Work. The Department of Education is releasing a new report with recommendations to transform adult learning in the United States. After months of public engagement with a variety of stakeholders around the country, the recommendations for public-private partnership include strategies that engage employers to support upskilling of more entry-level workers while on the job, encourage the use of assessments and innovative learning tools to improve access to targeted career guidance for youth and adults, and promote better alignment and coordination of public and private programs so that youth and adults experience seamless services. The report highlights unique opportunities for implementing these recommendations as a result of the changed legislative environment made possible by the passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act in July 2014.

Training for High-Growth Information Technology and Cybersecurity Jobs.

25 grantees are developing new training programs for information technology and cybersecurity jobs.  These jobs span all sectors of the economy, and non-IT industries currently employ two-thirds of private sector IT workers.

Ø  New Ivy Tech Computing and Informatics School in Indiana ($2.5M). Starting in fall 2014, Ivy Tech will launch a new School of Computing and Informatics, offering eight new IT degree programs with curriculum designed to meet employer needs. The statewide proposal will target all 92 counties of Indiana and will provide IT training for 13,913 participants, with at least 4,412 completing one or more credentials and 4,060 completers placed in jobs or advancing in employment during the grant period.  Ivy Tech will pilot test a competency based, accelerated approach for selected IT courses and degrees. The launch of this school will help address the over 18,000 computer related job openings recorded in 2013. Complementing this effort, local employers are committing to review and recognize curricula, place qualified graduates in jobs, provide workplace exposure and capstone projects and provide internships and cooperative work experience.

Ø  Kentucky Consortia for Information Technology Job Pathways in Computer and Medical Fields ($10M).Six Kentucky community colleges, Hazard Community and Technical College (HCTC), Big Sandy CTC, Jefferson CTC, Somerset Community College, Southeast Kentucky CTC, and West Kentucky CTC, have formed a consortium to create a next generation expansion of Kentucky’s online, personalized competency-based learning system to serve more than 700 workers. This consortium will develop five new degrees in major information technology (IT) pathways in the computer and medical fields that include eleven stackable certificates, all of which will be developed in concert with regional and national employers.  The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Foundation, a national industry association for Health Information Technology, as well as the Kentucky Workforce Development Cabinet, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, and the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, will assist the EPIC Consortium in these efforts. The consortium will also implement already proven, evidence-based models from Per Scholas and Jobs for the Future’s Jobs to Career program in training low-skill individuals for IT jobs with strong job placement and retention rates and wage gains.

Ø  Texas Manufacturing and Electronics Technology Program forVeterans ($3.2M).  The Veterans-Focused Engineering Technology Project (VFETP) will leverage Richland College’s existing programs in manufacturing and electronics technology, robust commitments from employers, and TAACCCT dollars to meet the needs of approximately veterans who need to re-skill to be competitive in the job market. The VFETO will offer certificates in supervisory control and data acquisition and electromechanical maintenance and will work with the National Institute for Metalworking Skills (NIMS) and the International Society of Certified Electronic Technicians (ISCET) to offer credentials that have been requested by Richland College’s employer partners. The VFETP will also offer veterans and spouses the option to complete most core courses and some field specific courses online, including safety and technical algebra, in their last six months of service, and finish their AAS degrees within one year after discharge. Over 15 employers including Texas Instruments, Oncor, and Raytheon have already indicated that they will hire program completers and have also committed to supporting curricula development, offering internships, providing on-the-job training, and developing applied problems for students.

In addition, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released a report to the President outlining recommendations to expand opportunity for middle-skill workers through STEM education, job training and matching enabled by IT.

Ø  PCAST Recommendations to Use Technology for Targeting Job-Skills Training and Matching Talent to Jobs. Today, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released a report to the President outlining three recommendations to expand opportunity for middle-skill workers—people whose jobs require some postsecondary training but not a conventional college degree. PCAST identifies opportunities to provide faster, more effective tech-enabled training, to match workers to jobs and training based on their abilities, and to foster stronger connections between employers and training providers so that that curricula keep up with employers’ needs. PCAST recommends the federal government facilitate private sector leadership by: (1) bringing industry together with government to encourage activities such as standards-setting and approaches to facilitate information exchange across employers, workers, and training providers, (2) continuing to support the research and development of IT to facilitate assessment of skills and training needs, counseling about training and career options, and delivery of training that culminates in credentials that can be validated, and (3)  for the Federal Government to lead by example as a major employer itself.

Pathways to Careers for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities

The Department of Labor is also releasing $2 million in grants through the Pathways to Careers: Community College for Youth and Young Adults with Disabilities Project. These grants will be awarded to two prior TAACCCT grantees to develop, test, and evaluate new integrated education and career training strategies to help ensure that youth and young adults with disabilities acquire the skills, degrees, and credentials needed for high wage, high skill employment.

Ø  The Pellissippi State Community College (PSCC) Universal Pathways to Employment Project (UPEP) will expand its capacity and, ultimately that of other institutions to deliver integrated education and career training to students with disabilities by implementing model and research-based practices. The PSCC UPEP project will build upon the Guideposts for Success best practices and improve access to training for students with disabilities by braiding funding from three previous TAACCCT grants currently in place at PSCC: 1) RxTN, an online nursing and health care career focused program funded in Round II of TAACCCT; 2) Multi-State Advanced Manufacturing Consortium (M-SAMC), a program focused on the competencies needed for manufacturing line jobs funded in Round III of TAACCCT and 3) Southeastern Economic and Education Leadership Consortium (SEELC), a program which utilizes virtual training equipment funded in Round IV of TAACCCT.

Ø  The Onondaga Pathways to Careers (OPC) project will increase access and enrollment amount youth and young adults with disabilities in Career and Technical programs aligned with high-growth industries and occupations.  The project will leverage the State University of New York T.E.A.M. Educational Pathways grant funded in Round II of TAACCCT, which offers employer-validated curriculum, fast-track developmental education, prior learning assessments, and work-based learning partnerships, to expand opportunities for students with disabilities. They will also strengthen the continuum of education and training with multiple "on- and off-ramps" by leveraging the networks, resources, and programs developed through the TAACCCT Advanced Manufacturing project, including the new Advanced Manufacturing Certificate, which was completed with active participation of employers and approved by New York State Education Department for launch in fall 2014.

Additional Information About Today’s Grant Award Winners:

State	City	Recipient	Funding Amount
AK	Fairbanks	University of Alaska Fairbanks	$8,075,351.00
AL	Birmingham	Lawson State Community College	$10,000,000.00
AR	West Memphis	Mid-South Community College	$9,814,818.00
AZ	Coolidge	Central Arizona College/Pinal County Community College Dist.	$10,000,000.00
AZ	Tucson	Pima County Community College District	$2,499,997.00
CA	Rancho Cucamonga	Chaffey Community College	$14,980,284.00
CT	Manchester	Manchester Community College	$15,000,000.00
FL	Miami	Miami Dade College Kendall Campus	$9,977,296.00
FL	Orlando	Valencia College	$2,499,902.00
GA	Thomasville	Southwest Georgia Technical College	$2,322,718.00
HI	Honolulu	University of Hawaii	$9,999,870.00
IA	Waterloo	Hawkeye Community College	$15,000,000.00
ID	Coeur d Alene	North Idaho College	$6,438,050.00
IL	Edwardsville	Southern Illinois University Edwardsville	$9,956,011.00
IN	Indianapolis	Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana	$2,496,003.00
KS	Overland Park	Johnson County Community College	$2,496,764.00
KS	Topeka	Washburn University of Topeka	$11,997,957.00
KY	Hazard	Hazard Community and Technical College	$10,000,000.00
LA	Bossier City	Bossier Parish Community College	$2,499,325.00
LA	New Orleans	Delgado Community College	$2,498,457.00
MA	West Barnstable	Cape Cod Community College	$2,471,478.00
MA	Brockton	Massasoit Community College	$20,000,000.00
MD	Rockville	Montgomery College	$14,957,899.00
ME	Fairfield	Kennebec Valley Community College	$2,499,977.00
MI	Alpena	Alpena Community College	$2,500,000.00
MI	Detroit	Wayne County Community College District	$2,499,758.00
MN	Fergus Falls	Minnesota State Community and Technical College	$2,473,227.00
MN	North Mankato	South Central College	$14,999,982.00
MO	Kansas City	The Junior College District of Metropolitan Kansas City  MO	$19,724,404.00
MS	Decatur	East Central Community College	$2,499,950.00
MT	Missoula	Missoula College University of Montana	$14,998,597.00
NC	Charlotte	Central Piedmont Community College	$2,499,378.00
ND	Bismarck	Bismarck State College	$9,926,410.00
NE	Grand Island	Central Community College	$2,499,779.00
NE	Omaha	Metropolitan Community College	$2,491,960.00
NH	Concord	NHTI-Concord`s Community College	$2,500,000.00
NJ	Paramus	Bergen Community College	$15,000,000.00
NM	SANTA FE	SANTA FE COMMUNITY COLLEGE	$14,999,863.00
NV	Carson City	Board of Regents  NSHE - Western Nevada College	$9,921,831.00
NY	Syracuse	Onondaga Community College	$2,499,477.00
OH	Cincinnati	Cincinnati State Technical and Community College	$2,498,888.00
OH	Springfield	Clark State Community College	$2,497,885.00
OH	Steubenville	Eastern Gateway Community College	$2,493,616.00
OH	Elyria	Lorain County Community College	$15,000,000.00
OH	Archbold	Northwest State Community College	$2,499,588.00
OK	Oklahoma City	Oklahoma City Community College	$2,497,340.00
PA	Bethlehem	Northampton County Area Community College	$10,000,000.00
PR	San Juan	Universidad Metropolitana	$2,499,638.00
RI	East Greenwich	New England Institute of Technology	$2,500,000.00
SC	Graniteville	Aiken Technical College	$2,455,839.00
SD	Watertown	Lake Area Technical Institute	$2,500,000.00
SD	Mitchell	Mitchell Technical Institute	$2,478,232.00
TN	Memphis	Southwest Tennessee Community College	$2,387,247.00
TX	Dallas	Richland College	$3,250,000.00
TX	Waco	Texas State Technical College - Waco	$2,378,924.00
UT	Salt Lake City	Salt Lake Community College	$2,500,000.00
VA	Danville	Danville Community College	$2,500,000.00
VA	Middletown	Lord Fairfax Community College	$3,250,000.00
VA	Cedar Bluff	Southwest Virginia Community College	$2,500,000.00
VA	Hampton	Thomas Nelson Community College	$2,476,840.00
VA	Petersburg	Virginia State University	$3,249,817.00
WA	Centralia	Centralia College	$9,994,854.00
WA	Lakewood	Clover Park Technical College	$2,499,973.00
WI	Eau Claire	Chippewa Valley Technical College	$19,999,991.00
WV	Huntington	Mountwest Community & Technical College	$9,461,288.00
WY	Casper	Casper College	$2,499,917.00

Volcano Eruption in Japan! 御嶽山 大噴火！ 2014/09/27

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Buy the book! Buy the book Eighteen Months and Short Stories, Real Life today!

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YOU AIN'T GOT THE ANSWERS! Kanye West gets real with Sway in the morning

Kanye West gets real with Sway in the morning  I GET KANYE BUT WE AIN'T GOT THE ANSWERS. I understand what he is saying and he is correct. However, he has to pray as a Christian, to find his way. Sway is telling him to do things from scratch and Kanye is saying he shouldn't have to come up the rough side of the mountain at his current level and status. What he should do is collaborate and form a collective of people in his peer group, and go from there. However, this action will take enormous levels of cooperation within the collaboration. He has to create his own platform to control the means of production in his fashion arena. And then he should write songs about his struggles. People need to catch this, what he is saying, because we all face these barriers as we expand and make and achieve our highest goals.
Kanye West is a genius.

Study Says Men Are More Satisfied With Marriage When They Have An Attractive Wife

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This 11 minute video shows us everything we need to know about Fukushima | The AntiMedia.Org

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Seoul Times: Chinese Eat Baby Soup For Sexual Power

Chinese Eat Baby Soup For Sex | DeafCube

According to DeafCube, the Seoul Times reports that eating human babies is at an all time high. Poor people in the country are reportedly selling their fetuses for an artful dining experience and for "sexual power" and health reasons.

"An email report received by the Seoul Times confirmed that news with several vivid and appalling pictures of human embryos and fetuses being made into a soup for human consumption," DecafCube reports.

The babies are boiled with expensive herbs and chicken for about eight hours. It is considered a delicacy that may be purchased from a restaurant for about $4,000 US. Taiwanese babies are sold to restaurants that provide this dish for $70 US, the Seoul Times newspaper reports.

The Seoul Times reports the story under "letters to the editor" section of the online newspaper. It is unclear whether or not the newspaper verified and vetted the information published in the letter-to-the-editor section before publication.

EXPOSED! The High Priestess Of Hell!!! (start at 20:11)

The Beverly Hillbillies Season 5 Episode 8 - Jed In Politics/Granny Makes Soap!

Cashing Out: What happens to your 401K during the debt ceiling crisis and other pertinent matters

Besides Social Security benefits being delayed Baby Boomers are wondering whether or not to get out of the market all together. Although anyone involved would hate to see a run on banks and the resulting disaster many retirees, 60 and older feel as if they would not recover financially if their nest eggs took yet another hit like in 2008. One even timetabled his cash out at the 14th or 15th of October.

According to Market Watch of the Wall Street Journal:
The government is expected to hit the current federal debt limit on Oct. 17.  If the debt ceiling IS NOT increased, the government will be limited to spending only cash on hand and coming in the door.  The Treasury Department will have to decide who gets paid and who gets left in the lurch. (It's looking like the poorest, most defenseless are targeted).

Interest payments on the existing federal debt will get top priority. According to the site, a Social Security spokesman said that the agency will began issuing its warning to retirees and other inquiring parties after consulting with Treasury officials.

Similar warnings could be issued to recipients of just about any kind of federal benefit, of course. But the roughly 46 million people who receive Social Security retirement and spousal benefits represent a large, often vulnerable and particularly politically active slice of the citizenry.

Stop fighting the president and Obamacare through the pocketbooks and wallets of the poor. We do not have the financial cushion of the rich. They can afford to take the hit, we cannot. But, while we fight this good fight, apparently another good fight awaits.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations are considered controversial in that no one can be told the details of said agreements and negotiations because they are deemed classified. In the past, member nations who tried to get similar trade agreements together would publish a draft of what they are working on but the TPP decided not to do so because, again, when a draft of a work-in-progress is published the people who are affected by the agreements complain or want input. So goes the decision to keep the TPP secret. Because of the current government shutdown, Pres. Obama could not attend the latest rounds of negotiations and discussions in Asia this month.

“We very much view stakeholder input, whether through our cleared advisers or other stakeholders, as absolutely critical. We’re at a stage in TPP where we’re going to have to make difficult decisions. I imagine that not everyone will be 100 percent pleased with every decision, but we can guarantee that we will seek your input, we will consult with you. We won’t make these decisions in isolation. And we will be proactive about getting your participation in this process," said Michael Froman, a U.S trade representative.

I understand that inclusiveness can be viewed as bogging down a fluid process in that we all have different learning speeds and some people intend to push their agenda using deception and lies. The biggest problem with the TPP outside of the secrecy of it is that it allows global corporations to sue the federal government if it does not stick to the TPP agreement. Furthermore, there are said to be enforceable rules and laws against the American People lest they decide to exercise their right to free speech—that these people may be detained indefinitely without trial.

So far there are 12 (and growing?) nations involved in the international trade agreement and in order to ratify this agreement all parties must be in agreement. I hear some of the leaked portions of the agreements will force the employees of global corporations to accept the rule of the corporation (do what massa say do) and will have the force of an international court and U.S. government on the side of the corporation. Currently, if a big corporation impedes on the rights of the little people, the U.S. government could be called upon to intervene and make a decision whether or not rights were trampled or if laws are being broken in the form of a U.S. Attorney's Office or another regulatory agency inquiry.

The country's other trade agreement partnership, the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is "a proposed bilateral free trade and investment agreement between the United States and the European Union," according to the website fairworldproject.org.

Because trade between the U.S. and E.U. has already been liberalized over the years and accounts for one third of global trade and nearly half of the world’s GDP, many of the contentious debates of TTIP will revolve around the non-tariff barriers (sometimes called “trade irritants” by big corporations). Non-tariff barriers include many laws and public safety measures designed to protect a country’s citizens but which make trade between countries more complicated. Negotiations on TTIP or (Trans-Atlantic Free Trade Agreement) TAFTA began in July 2013.

A comment by "Chuck" on October 7 sums up the issue of controlling U.S. laws.

"I have read bits here and there about the TPP. From what I gather it's far more about control than trade. Other nations will have say on laws here in the USA that they do not like, like 2nd ammendment/cap&tax, mining/drilling rights. Corporations will have the ability to make laws( like they are doing with this corporate boondoggle called tpp) It involves internet controls, ending free speech the corporations and Gov don't approve of and to a point eliminating borders including free travel for just about any person or terrorist out there. That is a "small" part of it."

The whole agreement is unclear to me and others because it is a secret to but a few and they are sworn to secrecy. This secret trade agreement  is upsetting to congressional committee members. I will provide links so that you can think this matter through for yourself. If it seems one-sided against the TPP, it is because the TPP has yet to bring its details to light for public debate so I am limited in what information I provide. I found an old Democracy Now! video from last June and a very suspect and crazy website (in my opinion) that may shed some light on the debate at hand.

The Pale Horse has a rider - the Koch Bros. AND THEIR GOP ROBOT SLAVES (they are the reason we don't have)

Veterans, seniors, orphans and widows, face service disruptions due to the government shut down. And, it will worsen if debt ceiling legislation isn't very soon passed. President Barack Obama during a speech Thursday morning at a Rockville, Maryland construction company, said an "economic shutdown will delay" benefit checks in November.

Now get this: benefit checks are not welfare. They are the social security dollars pulled from your earnings each time you get a check. The government takes that money and saves and invests it in the Social Security Fund. My late ex-husband earned each one of those dollars. AND I KNOW THAT HE DID BECAUSE I WAS THERE. I suffered there right along with him as we raised our disabled daughter. We were hospital parents because she was a hospital baby. It's a tough road, ask someone about it. Apparently this means nothing to the Koch Brothers and the Tea Party they fund. They want to kill me and my kids because they don't like President Obama's politics. Really?

Anyway, President Obama said a government shutdown is different that economic shutdown in that, the economic shut down is worse. A budget must be passed by October 17 or benefit checks will be delayed in November. Call your congressmen and women and bank now.

"I want to spend a little time on this- raising the debt ceiling...it is paying for things we've already bought. This time they are forcing the United States to default on their obligations. If the shutdown doesn't work we will put a laundry list of consessions (forward) and if we don't get it well let the country default. As reckless as a government shutdown is, an economic shutdown that results from default is worse. Social Security checks go out on time (this month) but in an economic shut down, they don't go out on time. The same for disability payments. Everybody faces real economic hardships. It will affect companies and workers. Every economists out there is saying the same thing. We've never done it before. People outside of congress are saying do not do this," Pres. Obama said.

The longer the government is shut down the worse economically it will be for the People of America. Without money to spend on everyday items, stores will lose business. Think about where you shop. You won't have money to go there. If that big box chain doesn't get your dollar as it always has, then it will cut its budget as well. Budget cuts go deep.

 First, hours are cut, then people, then positions. Middle management is next. District and regional managers will feel the cut—that is about $60 to $80,000 or more per year. They won't go shopping. Then, the advertising budget will get slashed for these stores we can't patronize anymore. Television and radio stations will cut the the cost of their airtime in order to stay afloat or they may cut personnel or both. All media outlets get money to fufill personnel contracts from ADVERTISEMENT BUDGETS. When that budget goes America will be in horrible shape.

The whole bottom wrung of society will begin with the upper middle class. Any one below that rung would have become homeless long ago. And we all know homeless people aren't cable television viewers who count. They watch at the library where they sit all day before going back to their spot on the sidewalk, alleyway or other dark corner.

So what though, huh? The old and disabled and the orphan and the widow can go jump in the lake for all we care. We work for a living.

Again, where you work depends on operating costs. A company has to cover daily, weekly, monthly operating costs—like payroll and insurance premiums for employees. These costs are covered by extended bank credit and loan usually. Like before, if the banks say no to loans to cover operating costs, your employer will close shop. Why should he take a financial hit. Good luck finding work at the big box chain because they aren't hiring anymore because we didn't get our benefit checks on time and had to pay a lot of fees et cetera. We do not live linear lives People. We live circular lives in that one thing depends on another. If too many of us fall way we will destroy society as we have come to know it.

The president said the longer we have the government shut down the worse it will become economically. On Thursday, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew released a report stating that the economy is dangerously close to the debt ceiling and action must be taken.

"I want you to understand what is happening: I passed a budget that cuts deep but we will take the Republican budget level as proposed, The Senate passed it no strings. Democrats were unhappy with it but we went along. There are enough Republicans and Democrats today to pass the bill on an up or down vote. The shutdown will end today. The only thing that is keeping the government shut is U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R), won't allow a yes or no vote as to not anger extremists," Pres. Obama said.

According to news reports, House Republicans recently changed a House rule disallowing a motion for a vote on the budget.

Relaying what he heard with his own ears, President Obama said, "one House Republican said, 'We're not gonna be disrespected! We have to get something out of this— and I dont even know what that even is!'"

Pres. Obama continued by saying the current government shutdown is unlike the ones past in that it has nothing to do with deficits, spending or budgets only the Obamacare healthcare law.

Okay, now back to the dubious Koch Brothers. Here is what I found on Wikipedia about their political activities:

The brothers contribute to a variety of conservative, libertarian, and free-market individuals and organizations. They have donated more than $196 million to dozens of free-market and advocacy organizations. Tax records indicate that, in 2008, the three main Koch family foundations contributed to 34 political and policy organizations, three of which they founded, and several of which they direct.

David H. Koch was a Libertarian Vice-Presidential candidate in 1980. He advocated the abolition of Social Security, the FBI, the CIA, and public schools.

Citizens for a Sound Economy was co-founded by David Koch in the 1980s. According to the Center for Public Integrity, the Koch Brothers donated a total amount of $7.9 million between 1986 and 1993. In 1990, the brothers created the spinoff group Citizens for the Environment.

 In 2004, Citizens for a Sound Economy was renamed FreedomWorks, while its affiliated Citizens for a Sound Economy Foundation became Americans for Prosperity (AFP). Since then the Koch brothers have given more than one million dollars to AFP.

At an AFP rally in 2009, David Koch said "Five years ago, my brother Charles and I provided the funds to start the Americans for Prosperity, and it's beyond my wildest dreams how AFP has grown into this enormous organization."

 AFP is the political arm of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation, for which David Koch serves as chairman of the Board of Trustees. Americans for Prosperity created Patients United Now, which advocated against a single-payer health care system during the 2009-2010 healthcare reform debate. Both FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity have provided support for the Tea Party movement.

An organization with ties to the Koch Brothers, Freedom Partners, gave grants worth a total of $236 million to conservative organizations, including Tea Party groups like the Tea Party Patriots and organizations which opposed The Affordable Care Act prior to the 2012 election. A majority of Freedom Partners board of directors is made up of long-time employees of the Koch brothers, and has been called "the Koch brothers' secret bank" for its function as a vehicle to provide large donations to external organizations that advance causes supported by the Kochs.

Koch Industries describes itself as being committed to free societies and free market principles and as supporting those who champion these things. As of 2011, Koch Industries' political action committee has donated more than $2.6 million to candidates.

BUT WHERE DO THESE GUYS GET THEIR MONEY? YOU AND ME. LOOK AT WHAT THEY OWN:
Koch Industries, Inc. /ˈkoʊk/ is an American multinational corporation based in Wichita, Kansas, United States, with subsidiaries involved in manufacturing, trading and investments. Koch also owns Invista, Georgia-Pacific, Flint Hills Resources, Koch Pipeline, Koch Fertilizer, Koch Minerals and Matador Cattle Company. Koch companies are involved in core industries such as the manufacturing, refining and distribution of petroleum, chemicals, energy, fiber, intermediates and polymers, minerals, fertilizers, pulp and paper, chemical technology equipment, ranching, finance commodities trading, as well as other ventures and investments. The firm employs 50,000 people in the United States and another 20,000 in 59 other countries.

The Koch brothers support primarily Republican candidates, who received over 80% of their political donations from 2005-2009, and in 2010 they supported California Proposition 23 (2010). The brothers pledged to donate $60 million in the 2012 election season to defeat President Barack Obama.

And they are still chasing, fighting the President of the United States and no one has explored arresting these gentlemen for acts of treason and sedition against the U.S. government. But I have to suffer, become homeless and starve. Me and my kids. Really?

Want to help me help you? Call these 15 robots controlled by the Koch Brothers—of which I am sure they are afraid:

CALL THEM!

October 17 is Day of Destruction | Call these Congressmen and women

 If there is no budget passed by October 17, Orphans and Widows will be homeless and starving, seniors will go without. Anyone who gets any kind of government benefit will go wanting. 

What? You don't care because you work for a living? Do your elderly parents work? What about grandma and big ma? I'm glad you work cause they will be at your house - all of them!

What happens to your employer if the government is still shut down? You get laid off or fired. Your owner can't get operating costs to fund payroll—he's not taking the hit financially and you wouldn't either if you had to decide.  He or she will close where you work. You won't get any unemployment benefits. No money means no money. There are children right now on the picket line in Washington D.C. because their daycare is closed. (I wonder how mommy and daddy dealt with that if they had to work?) There are pregnant working women who receive Women Infants and Children vouchers for milk, cereal, juice and formula who are under threat that they won't get those vouchers anymore. An article quoted said infant formula in Wisconsin is $15 and last three days (no you cannot water down formula).

Still don't want to march on the faction of garbage or raise your voice in your own defense? Okay. Well.  Guess what your life will be like when you are not able to escape it everyday by running off to work. Think about it. Relatives have been living with you for several weeks now. Things are getting crowded and tense and everybody is worried.

If you have anything of value, you will have to fight to protect it. Violence will visit your household. Scarcity drives people to do desperate things. What about people managing habits? No strip clubs, chick on the side, basketball, live or televised sports events, gym, childcare, food, video games, electricity, running indoor water, ability to flush one's toilet etcetera on top of no cigarettes, beer or whiskey (we know the other hard drugs exist but shall remain nameless. Detox is ugly). Imagine living in a household with a person going through withdrawal, fits and shakes. 

Oh, and to get Obamacare, you still have to pay insurance premiums. If you cannot afford it, then there is state-based insurance, maybe. Each state gets federal dollars to defray the cost of state-based health insurance. Every aspect of our life is touched by the federal government— even the indigent who visit the hospital emergency room in lieu of a regular doctor visit. So, good luck with the shakes and all and diabetic comas and convulsions. Some of us are chronically ill and need on-going medical attention.

These people will touch your lives. Get it? Bad times may not see you but bad times will see someone you have to be around, so this tomfoolery with the government will affect you.

If you live in any of these states, please reach out and call these congressmen and women and tell them enough already. Stop asking about Obamacare Law - that horse has left the gate. It cannot be defunded unless you take the money out of the hands of the People who need it—like the garbage faction is now doing. Restore our government to us and raise the debt ceiling. You can google any of these people to get phone numbers and other contact information.

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How Obamacare works | October 2013

HHS reveals Obamacare coverage prices for federal exchanges - Brett Norman and Jason Millman - POLITICO.com



More on Affordable Care Act  (Obamacare)

Obama, Holder & Comey - photo op

President Barack Obama receives an update on the Washington Navy Yard shootings investigation from FBI Director James Comey, left, and Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Jr. in the Oval Office, Sept. 17, 2013. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, far left, and Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, also attended the meeting. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT ON THE CONFIRMATION OF RICHARD CORDRAY AS DIRECTOR OF THE CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU

State Dining Room THE PRESIDENT: Well, for decades, the middle class in this country was the engine that powered the economy, and that allowed us to all grow together. Hard work paid off. Responsibility was rewarded. It was that basic bargain that made this country great -- that no matter who you are or where you came from, you could make it if you put in enough blood, sweat and tears. But over time, a winner-take-all philosophy began to take hold and it delivered huge rewards to those at the very top, but left everybody else working harder and harder just to stay afloat. A lot of families took on more debt just to keep up. Mortgages were sold that people really didn’t understand and, in some cases, couldn't afford. The financial sector was able to make huge bets with other people’s money. And that strain of irresponsibility eventually came crashing down on all of us. Now, I ran for President to restore that basic bargain. I ran because I believed that our economy works best not from the top down, but from the middle out and from the bottom up, where you’ve got a rising, thriving middle class and ladders of opportunity for everybody. So four years ago, even as we were working on restoring the economy and dealing with the immediate crisis, we also wanted to figure out how do we set new rules for the road to make sure that a few bad apples in the financial sector couldn't break the law, or cheat consumers, or put the entire economy at risk. And I was fortunate even when I was running for President to have some friends like Elizabeth Warren, who had already done a lot of academic work on this and had a whole series of ideas about how we might start making sure that consumers were treated better, and as a consequence, take some of the risk out of the system. And because of those conversations and that work, and because of some terrific efforts by other members in Congress, we were able, for the time in history, to get a consumer watchdog on the job -- to look out for the interests of everyday Americans. And I am very proud to say that last night, Rich Cordray was finally confirmed -- (laughter) -- by the United States Senate to keep serving as America’s consumer watchdog and as the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. So we’re very pleased about that. (Applause.) I first nominated Rich for this position two years ago this week. (Laughter.) He was eminently qualified. He had the support of Democrats and Republicans from across the country. A majority of state attorneys general from both parties -- Rich’s former colleagues -- called on him to be confirmed. And for two years, Republicans in the Senate refused to give Rich a simple yes-or-no vote -- not because they didn’t think he was the right person for the job, but because they didn’t like the law that set up the consumer watchdog in the first place. But without a director in place, the CFPB would have been severely hampered. And the CFPB wasn’t able to give consumers the information they needed to make good, informed decisions. Folks in the financial system who were doing the right thing didn’t have much certainty or clear rules of the road. And the CFPB didn’t have all the tools it needed to protect consumers against mortgage brokers, or credit reporting agencies, or debt collectors who were taking advantage of ordinary Americans. As a consequence, last year, I took steps on my own to temporarily appoint Richard so he could get to work on their behalf. And Americans everywhere are better off because he did. And thanks to not only Rich, but his terrific team -- I know many are represented here -- we’ve made real strides, even despite the fact that the agency was hampered by the confirmation process. And I would argue that part of the reason we were able to finally get Rich confirmed today is because he’s shown through his leadership and because of the very hard work that everybody at the CFPB has already done that this is making a difference in the lives of the American people -- a positive difference day in, day out. It’s hard to argue with success. So, yesterday, Richard was officially confirmed. I want to thank Senators from both parties, including Senator Reid, Senator McConnell, Senator McCain, for coming together to help get Rich confirmed. And obviously, Elizabeth, who wasn’t a senator when she thought this up, but is now a senator -- she was poking and prodding people for a long time -- (laughter) -- to help make it happen. Senator Reid’s leadership, in particular, was obviously instrumental in getting this done, and I couldn’t be more grateful to him. And together, we’re giving Americans a guarantee that the protections they enjoy today will still be around next year, and the year after that, and the year after that, and for years to come. While we’re on the topic of nominations, I also want to thank the Senate for agreeing to give my other nominees who’ve waited far too long the votes that they deserve. These are all highly qualified men and women who are just ready to go to work for the American people -- for students and for seniors, for veterans, for middle-class families. Special interests, they’ll always have their lobbyists. They’ll always have the capacity to tilt the system in their favor. But middle-class folks deserve leaders who are going to stand up for them as well on a day-to-day basis, in the trenches. So let me use this opportunity to remind people of what the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau under Rich’s leadership can do and has done already, even in some difficult circumstances. Today, if you want to take out a mortgage or a student loan or a payday loan, or you’ve got a credit reporting agency or debt collector who’s causing you problems -- maybe they're not playing by the rules, maybe they're taking advantage of you -- you have somewhere to go. The CFPB has already addressed more than 175,000 complaints from all across the nation, giving people an advocate who is working with them when they're dealing with these financial institutions that may not always be thinking about consumers first. Today, as part of the CFPB’s “Know Before You Owe” efforts, students and their parents can get a simple report with the information they need before taking out student loans. And more than 700 colleges have joined to make this information clear and transparent. It’s making a difference. And by the way, if you’ve noticed that some credit card forms are becoming easier to understand than they used to be, that’s because of the work of Rich’s team and other folks across this administration have done to make sure that people understand the kinds of debts that they're taking on through their credit cards. Today, veterans have access to tools that they need to defend against dishonest lenders and mortgage brokers who try to prey on them when they come home from serving their country. Today seniors are better protected from someone who sees their homes or their retirement savings as an easy target for get-rich-quick schemes. And thanks to the hard work of folks at the CFPB, so far 6 million Americans have gotten more than $400 million in refunds from companies that engaged in unscrupulous practices. So this is not just some abstract, theoretical exercise. Families, many of them hard-pressed, have money in their pockets, maybe, in some cases, saved a home or were able to send their kids to college, because of the work that Rich and his team is doing right now. And that’s money that oftentimes families didn’t have the power to recover before. So Americans are better off because of what Rich has done as our consumer watchdog and his outstanding team is doing each and every day. And, by the way, that’s just the tangible benefits that we know of, that $400 million in refunds. But part of what happens is when you've got a watchdog, people don’t try as many things. And everybody starts tightening up their practices because they know somebody is watching. And so that has ripple effects throughout our economy. So Americans everywhere are better off because of the work that these folks have done. And now that Rich has gotten the yes-or-no vote he deserved, businesses and consumers have more certainty than they did before that this will continue. So we've come a long way over the last four and a half years. Our economy is growing. Our businesses have created 7.2 million new jobs over the past 40 months. We've locked in new safeguards to protect against another crisis, and we are making sure that we are doing everything we can to change the incentives inside the financial system and try to end tax-funded -- taxpayer-funded bailouts for good. And even though more work remains, our system is fairer and it's more sound than it was when the crisis hit. Of course, we've still got a long way to go to restore that basic bargain, to restore that sense of security that too many middle-class families still are fighting to rebuild. But if we just keep letting people like Rich do their jobs, if we let all these incredible young people know that you're going to keep on going for a long time, you're building something that will last beyond our government's service and we'll be providing protections for generations to come -- and if we keep focused on that North Star -- a rising, thriving middle class, an economy where prosperity is broad-based -- then I'm confident that we're ultimately going to get to where we need to go. So I want to thank everybody. And I just want to give Rich a quick chance to say something. (Applause.) MR. CORDRAY: Thank you. I want to thank the President -- this President, in particular, who has believed in us from the beginning. I want to thank the Senate and the senators for the chance to persevere and be confirmed as the director of this Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. All I ever asked for, all I ever worked for was to have a chance to have an up-or-down vote on the merits, and I thank them for that. For nearly two years, as the President indicated, we have been focused on making consumer finance markets work better for the American people. Today's action -- the action -- I was sworn in by the Vice President this morning, and the Senate confirmation -- means that there will be certainty for those markets and for the industries we oversee. For me, it also reaffirms that our central responsibility is to stand on the side of consumers and see that they’re treated fairly, just as the President described it. It’s something that people deserve. It’s something that they want and need. And we’re there to try to provide it. We will continue that essential work and each one of us -- those of us here and those of us in Washington and around the country who work for this new Consumer Bureau, including most especially myself -- we’re grateful for the opportunity that you’ve given us to serve our country in this important way.

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