DEFENSE – WHAT DONALD RUMSFELD DOESN'T WANT YOU TO SEE
From THE PROGRESS REPORT
http://www.progressreport.org
What is Donald Rumsfeld hiding? Knight-Ridder reports the Secretary of Defense "has sharply limited the information he is willing to let Congress see on a controversial defense contract that is the focus of multiple investigations," a move which may provoke a rare congressional subpoena. Senators want to see information about a $23 billion proposal "for the Air Force to buy and lease 100 Boeing 767 aerial refueling tankers." The deal was fraught with controversy, especially after it was discovered that the Air Force's chief negotiator with Boeing on the deal "also had negotiated a vice president's job for herself with the aircraft manufacturer." Rumsfeld wrote yesterday that senators would not be able to see some of the contract's core documents. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said Rumsfeld's response would "eviscerate the responsibility of Congress to provide oversight in such matters."
GEORGE W. BUSH: "THE SACRIFICE IN IRAQ HAS BEEN WORTH IT." 6/28/2005
IF YOU AREN'T OUTRAGED, YOU HAVEN'T BEEN PAYING ATTENTION.
"Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind." – John F. Kennedy
Friday, June 04, 2004
THE LIMBAUGH DOUBLE STANDARD
From THE PROGRESS REPORT
http://www.progressreport.org
Every day, right-wing talk show host Rush Limbaugh's show is broadcast for an hour to the troops in Iraq over taxpayer-funded Armed Forces Radio. The station does not carry a corresponding liberal point of view to counter Limbaugh's uber-conservative commentary. Said Sen. Tom Harkin: "This sends all the wrong signals to the troops...Rush Limbaugh has a point of view. I mean, a dedicated, right wing point of view. That's fine. That's fine. But you should balance it on the other side also. Especially when it's being funded by other people's money." The Defense Department claims it's Limbaugh's ratings, not his political point of view, which earned him a slot on AFR. However, Howard Stern, who also has millions of fans nationwide, is not carried on AFR. Asked why, the Defense Department claimed it's due to the content of Stern's show. Perhaps they weren't listening the day Limbaugh compared the abuse at Abu Ghraib to a fraternity prank, saying it was nothing more than soldiers letting off a little steam. MediaMatters has sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, asking him to correct this double standard and remove Rush Limbaugh from Armed Forces Radio.
From THE PROGRESS REPORT
http://www.progressreport.org
Every day, right-wing talk show host Rush Limbaugh's show is broadcast for an hour to the troops in Iraq over taxpayer-funded Armed Forces Radio. The station does not carry a corresponding liberal point of view to counter Limbaugh's uber-conservative commentary. Said Sen. Tom Harkin: "This sends all the wrong signals to the troops...Rush Limbaugh has a point of view. I mean, a dedicated, right wing point of view. That's fine. That's fine. But you should balance it on the other side also. Especially when it's being funded by other people's money." The Defense Department claims it's Limbaugh's ratings, not his political point of view, which earned him a slot on AFR. However, Howard Stern, who also has millions of fans nationwide, is not carried on AFR. Asked why, the Defense Department claimed it's due to the content of Stern's show. Perhaps they weren't listening the day Limbaugh compared the abuse at Abu Ghraib to a fraternity prank, saying it was nothing more than soldiers letting off a little steam. MediaMatters has sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, asking him to correct this double standard and remove Rush Limbaugh from Armed Forces Radio.
ECONOMY
It's the Squeeze, Stupid
From THE PROGRESS REPORT
http://www.progressreport.org
The Bureau of Labor Statistics this morning announced that the economy added jobs in May, but that the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.6 percent. The telecommunications sector, which provides better-paying jobs, lost 5,000 jobs last month alone. The industry is particularly vulnerable to the offshoring phenomenon touted by the White House, and has shed more than 280,000 jobs since 2001. And while conservatives are sure to trumpet the overall macro numbers, Business Week reports that Americans are "increasingly concerned about President Bush's stewardship" on basic economic issues. As the story notes, "many middle-class workers, after years of stagnant wages, feel pinched by record-high gas prices, rapid inflation for grocery staples such as milk, rising health-care and tuition costs, and higher local taxes. Add to that a fear of job loss from outsourcing and uncertainty about Iraq, and there's a growing sense of doubt that the recovery is deep and durable." Read American Progress fellow Scott Lilly's analysis of the new jobs numbers.
It's the Squeeze, Stupid
From THE PROGRESS REPORT
http://www.progressreport.org
The Bureau of Labor Statistics this morning announced that the economy added jobs in May, but that the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.6 percent. The telecommunications sector, which provides better-paying jobs, lost 5,000 jobs last month alone. The industry is particularly vulnerable to the offshoring phenomenon touted by the White House, and has shed more than 280,000 jobs since 2001. And while conservatives are sure to trumpet the overall macro numbers, Business Week reports that Americans are "increasingly concerned about President Bush's stewardship" on basic economic issues. As the story notes, "many middle-class workers, after years of stagnant wages, feel pinched by record-high gas prices, rapid inflation for grocery staples such as milk, rising health-care and tuition costs, and higher local taxes. Add to that a fear of job loss from outsourcing and uncertainty about Iraq, and there's a growing sense of doubt that the recovery is deep and durable." Read American Progress fellow Scott Lilly's analysis of the new jobs numbers.
CHENEY DISTORTS THE WAGE PICTURE
From THE PROGRESS REPORT
http://www.progressreport.org
Please go to above link for more details on the items below.
In five separate speeches at the end of last month, Vice President Cheney said, "Real incomes and wages are growing." While Cheney's wallet may be getting fatter from the Halliburton salary he still receives and the stock options he still holds, the numbers tell a far different story for average Americans. As the Economic Policy Institute reports, while corporate profits have risen 62.2 percent since the peak of the last recovery, private-sector wages have decreased by 0.6 percent - the worst record of any "recovery" since World War II, and well under the historical average of 7.2 percent. Nationwide, industries that are gaining jobs pay 21 percent less than industries that are slashing jobs. American Progress President John Podesta this weekend will be addressing these issues at a national conference on inequality sponsored by Demos, American Progress and other progressive organizations. Additionally, American Progress has published several papers and is holding a July 1 symposium on how economic gains are disproportionately boosting corporate profits rather than workers wages.
From THE PROGRESS REPORT
http://www.progressreport.org
Please go to above link for more details on the items below.
In five separate speeches at the end of last month, Vice President Cheney said, "Real incomes and wages are growing." While Cheney's wallet may be getting fatter from the Halliburton salary he still receives and the stock options he still holds, the numbers tell a far different story for average Americans. As the Economic Policy Institute reports, while corporate profits have risen 62.2 percent since the peak of the last recovery, private-sector wages have decreased by 0.6 percent - the worst record of any "recovery" since World War II, and well under the historical average of 7.2 percent. Nationwide, industries that are gaining jobs pay 21 percent less than industries that are slashing jobs. American Progress President John Podesta this weekend will be addressing these issues at a national conference on inequality sponsored by Demos, American Progress and other progressive organizations. Additionally, American Progress has published several papers and is holding a July 1 symposium on how economic gains are disproportionately boosting corporate profits rather than workers wages.
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
Bush Campaign Outsources Fundraising To India
Bush Campaign Ran from Noida Call Centre
By K.A. Badarinath and Prerna K. Mishra
The Hindustan Times
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_758377%2C0008.htm
Sunday 16 May 2004
The political split in the US over outsourcing notwithstanding, till very recently the fund-raising and vote-seeking campaign for the Republican Party was done partly out of India. And this was handled by two call centres located in our own friendly neighbourhood in Noida and Gurgaon.
For 14 months between May 16, 2002 and July 22, 2003, HCL BPO Services, the 100 per cent-owned subsidiary of Shiv Nadar-promoted HCL Technologies, had some 125 agents working in seven teams soliciting financial contributions for the Republican Party. US presidential elections are slated for November 2004.
The mandate for the teams was to mobilise support for President George W. Bush and solicit political contributions ranging between $5 and $3,000 from lakhs of registered Republican voters. [note: 'lakh' = 100,000] The voters database was provided by the Republican National Committee (RNC), the party's premier political organisation.
The contract for running the campaigns was originally awarded by RNC to Washington-based Capital Communications Group that provides consulting services to government and private clients for cultural and political networking. For cost and efficiencies gains, the company outsourced the work to HCL Technologies that in turn sent it offshore.
When contacted by Hindustan Times, sources close to the deal within HCL BPO Services said, "We work under a non-disclosure clause with most of our clients (barring British Telecom) and hence would not be in a position to comment on any such deal."
According to the deal details, at any point in time, 75 agents worked on a $9.25 per hour per person billing rate, and contacted at least 20,000 voters through an automatic dialer. Sources confirmed that on a conservative estimate at least 80 lakh registered republican voters have been contacted.
During the period, HCL ran nearly six to seven campaigns on various issues, some in the form of simple 'yes or no' polls on issues like 'Pro Choice Pro Life' that tried to capture the sentiment in the US audiences about abortion.
There were other campaigns that were of the fund raising nature where the voter would pledge an amount to the party. The RNC would do the follow up in the US for fund retrieval.
The target for the team was to get a pledge of $400 per day. Going by conservative estimates, at least funds worth $10 million were committed for President Bush through the BPO centres in India.
But the million-dollar question is why was the contract called off? Insiders say the growing resentment in the US audiences against outsourcing to India and strong reactions from Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry were at the root of capping the contract. The anti-outsourcing lobby within the Republicans also had a hand in ending the contract, insiders divulged. But according to HCL sources one consideration was non-viability in the last few months after having covered most voters from the RNC database.
Maybe the Indian political establishment can take a lesson from or two from Republicans in US and outsource its fund raising campaign during next general elections.
Bush Campaign Ran from Noida Call Centre
By K.A. Badarinath and Prerna K. Mishra
The Hindustan Times
http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_758377%2C0008.htm
Sunday 16 May 2004
The political split in the US over outsourcing notwithstanding, till very recently the fund-raising and vote-seeking campaign for the Republican Party was done partly out of India. And this was handled by two call centres located in our own friendly neighbourhood in Noida and Gurgaon.
For 14 months between May 16, 2002 and July 22, 2003, HCL BPO Services, the 100 per cent-owned subsidiary of Shiv Nadar-promoted HCL Technologies, had some 125 agents working in seven teams soliciting financial contributions for the Republican Party. US presidential elections are slated for November 2004.
The mandate for the teams was to mobilise support for President George W. Bush and solicit political contributions ranging between $5 and $3,000 from lakhs of registered Republican voters. [note: 'lakh' = 100,000] The voters database was provided by the Republican National Committee (RNC), the party's premier political organisation.
The contract for running the campaigns was originally awarded by RNC to Washington-based Capital Communications Group that provides consulting services to government and private clients for cultural and political networking. For cost and efficiencies gains, the company outsourced the work to HCL Technologies that in turn sent it offshore.
When contacted by Hindustan Times, sources close to the deal within HCL BPO Services said, "We work under a non-disclosure clause with most of our clients (barring British Telecom) and hence would not be in a position to comment on any such deal."
According to the deal details, at any point in time, 75 agents worked on a $9.25 per hour per person billing rate, and contacted at least 20,000 voters through an automatic dialer. Sources confirmed that on a conservative estimate at least 80 lakh registered republican voters have been contacted.
During the period, HCL ran nearly six to seven campaigns on various issues, some in the form of simple 'yes or no' polls on issues like 'Pro Choice Pro Life' that tried to capture the sentiment in the US audiences about abortion.
There were other campaigns that were of the fund raising nature where the voter would pledge an amount to the party. The RNC would do the follow up in the US for fund retrieval.
The target for the team was to get a pledge of $400 per day. Going by conservative estimates, at least funds worth $10 million were committed for President Bush through the BPO centres in India.
But the million-dollar question is why was the contract called off? Insiders say the growing resentment in the US audiences against outsourcing to India and strong reactions from Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry were at the root of capping the contract. The anti-outsourcing lobby within the Republicans also had a hand in ending the contract, insiders divulged. But according to HCL sources one consideration was non-viability in the last few months after having covered most voters from the RNC database.
Maybe the Indian political establishment can take a lesson from or two from Republicans in US and outsource its fund raising campaign during next general elections.
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
Halliburton - Cheney Lied
From THE PROGRESS REPORT
http://www.progressreport.org
Please go to above link for more details on the items below.
HALLIBURTON
Cheney Lied
Vice President Dick Cheney, appearing last September on Meet the Press, told a national TV audience, "I have absolutely no influence of, involvement of, knowledge of in any way, shape or form of contracts led by the [Army] Corps of Engineers or anybody else in the Federal Government." But an internal Pentagon e-mail obtained by Time magazine reveals that Cheney's office had specific influence, involvement and knowledge of a multibillion-dollar Halliburton contract. The email, sent by an Army Corps of Engineers official, said the contract was approved contingent on informing the White House, but that the Corps "anticipate no issues since the action has been coordinated with the VP's [Vice President's] office."
CHENEY STILL HAS FINANCIAL TIES TO HALLIBURTON: Cheney has also repeatedly denied any financial connection to Halliburton. On 9/14/04 Cheney said, " I've severed all my ties with the company, gotten rid of all my financial interest. I have no financial interest in Halliburton of any kind and haven't had, now, for over three years." In fact, Cheney eceives more than $150,000 in deferred compensation each year from Halliburton and holds 433,000 stock options, which increase in value when the company's stock rises. Time Magazine reports that Cheney's "recently filed 2003 financial-disclosure form reveals that Halliburton last year invoked an insurance policy to indemnify Cheney for what could be steep legal bills 'arising from his service' at the company."
http://www.progressreport.org
Please go to above link for more details on the items below.
HALLIBURTON
Cheney Lied
Vice President Dick Cheney, appearing last September on Meet the Press, told a national TV audience, "I have absolutely no influence of, involvement of, knowledge of in any way, shape or form of contracts led by the [Army] Corps of Engineers or anybody else in the Federal Government." But an internal Pentagon e-mail obtained by Time magazine reveals that Cheney's office had specific influence, involvement and knowledge of a multibillion-dollar Halliburton contract. The email, sent by an Army Corps of Engineers official, said the contract was approved contingent on informing the White House, but that the Corps "anticipate no issues since the action has been coordinated with the VP's [Vice President's] office."
CHENEY STILL HAS FINANCIAL TIES TO HALLIBURTON: Cheney has also repeatedly denied any financial connection to Halliburton. On 9/14/04 Cheney said, " I've severed all my ties with the company, gotten rid of all my financial interest. I have no financial interest in Halliburton of any kind and haven't had, now, for over three years." In fact, Cheney eceives more than $150,000 in deferred compensation each year from Halliburton and holds 433,000 stock options, which increase in value when the company's stock rises. Time Magazine reports that Cheney's "recently filed 2003 financial-disclosure form reveals that Halliburton last year invoked an insurance policy to indemnify Cheney for what could be steep legal bills 'arising from his service' at the company."
Overlooking Fraud Record
From THE PROGRESS REPORT
http://www.progressreport.org
Please go to above link for more details on the items below.
Overlooking Fraud Record
As seniors fear being bilked by the confusing new Medicare discount drug card program that starts today, the Center for American Progress released a new report showing that 20 of the 73 companies the White House approved to participate in the program have been charged at the federal and/or state level with fraud. The report, entitled " Paying to Play," shows those 20 companies gave more than $3 million to the president and conservatives in Congress since the 2000 election cycle. That represents more than 60% of the total contributions given to the president and conservatives from all 73 approved card companies. Additionally, seven of the president's "Pioneers" (those who raised $100,000 or more for him) are linked to companies approved for the program. Three of those companies have been accused of fraud. See more on Medicare at American Progress's special Medicare site.
http://www.progressreport.org
Please go to above link for more details on the items below.
Overlooking Fraud Record
As seniors fear being bilked by the confusing new Medicare discount drug card program that starts today, the Center for American Progress released a new report showing that 20 of the 73 companies the White House approved to participate in the program have been charged at the federal and/or state level with fraud. The report, entitled " Paying to Play," shows those 20 companies gave more than $3 million to the president and conservatives in Congress since the 2000 election cycle. That represents more than 60% of the total contributions given to the president and conservatives from all 73 approved card companies. Additionally, seven of the president's "Pioneers" (those who raised $100,000 or more for him) are linked to companies approved for the program. Three of those companies have been accused of fraud. See more on Medicare at American Progress's special Medicare site.