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WATCH: President Calls Meeting with
Party of No " Productive "

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Unemployment Benefits Expire
TODAY for MILLIONS !

Unemployment benefits will expire November 30, 2010 for 2,000,000 American workers, according to Unemployment Extensions.org. These are workers who have exhausted their state unemployment benefits. It is uncertain whether the Democrats and Republicans will reach an agreement on the unemployment benefits extension. History indicates that the Democrats would pass the benefits extension without hesitation. The Republicans are currently demanding cuts in other programs to pay for the unemployment benefits extension and may not pass it without the cuts. The Republicans are feeling pressure from the newly elected tea party members, whose mantra is no new spending and lower taxes plus a balanced budget. These terms are contradictory. It is impossible to lower taxes and balance the budget at the same time. There are so many governmental expenses that are of a fixed nature and cannot be reduced enough to balance the budget, especially when you cut taxes at the same time. The Teabaggers are living in a fantasy world.

The Republicans won control of the House of Representatives in the recent election, but the new members will not be seated until January. The Democrats still have a comfortable majority in the house, so they should have no difficulty passing the extension. The senate is a different story. (read rest of article)

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President Proposes 2-Year
Pay Freeze for Federal Workers

WashPost
Bowing to growing budget concerns and months of Republican political pressure on federal pay and benefits, President Obama today announced he would stop pay increases for most of the two million people who work for the federal government.

The freeze applies to all Executive Branch workers -- including civilian employees of the Defense Department, but does not apply to military personnel, government contractors, postal workers, members of Congress, Congressional staffers, or federal court judges and workers.

"Getting this deficit under control is going to require some broad sacrifices and that sacrifice must be shared by the employees of the federal government," Obama said in a speech Monday afternoon explaining the decision. He added, "I did not reach this decision easily, this is not a line item on a federal ledger, these are people's lives."(read rest of article)

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