Thread: Obama establishes 'Promise Zones'

Obama establishes 'Promise Zones'

By Los Angeles Times January 8, 2014 12:23 pm

The White House on Wednesday will designate a swath of Los Angeles a "Promise Zone," a move intended to marshal millions of dollars in federal resources for pockets of poverty under a signature program of the Obama administration.

Marking the 50th anniversary of President Johnson's launch of the War on Poverty, the White House will name five communities across the country to be targeted. L.A.'s Promise Zone stretches through Pico-Union, Westlake, Koreatown, East Hollywood and Hollywood, what Mayor Eric Garcetti called some of the "toughest, challenged areas" in the city.

Federal money would be used to help improve education, housing and public safety. The designation gives selected cities preferential status for federal grants. Garcetti said he expected L.A. to get tens of millions of dollars. The most the city could receive is about $500 million over 10 years, according to the mayor's office.

"This will make a material difference," Garcetti said in an interview.

Garcetti will travel to the White House and meet with President Obama on the initiative Thursday.

The federal grants would come from numerous agencies, including the departments of Education, Agriculture, Justice, and Housing and Urban Development.

Garcetti said a "wraparound" approach of federal aid could help alleviate poverty. "For decades, we've put programs in silos, which might move the dial a little bit here on education, a little bit here on health, but never all together, and I think this is our best shot."

The White House said Los Angeles' funding would go toward increasing affordable housing, investing in public transit lines and bike lanes, and giving people more access to career and technical training opportunities through a partnership with the Los Angeles Community College District.

Money also would go to the L.A. Unified School District and the nonprofit Youth Policy Institute to increase the number of support services at schools. The institute has received $32 million to provide tutoring, mentoring, staff support, and after- and before-school care to 20 schools.

The city wants to use the federal grants to increase the number of schools in the program to 45, said Dixon Slingerland, executive director of the institute.

"L.A. never gets the big-picture signature presidential initiatives," Slingerland said. "People on the East Coast don't think we have our act together, don't think we can work together, think that we're too spread out.

"We've really begun to sort of change that narrative."

The four other areas being targeted are San Antonio, Philadelphia, southeastern Kentucky and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. The designation lasts for 10 years.

The plan to ultimately team with 20 of the hardest-hit towns in the U.S. was introduced by Obama during his 2013 State of the Union address.
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These are also known as Barry Zone's; individual Cities are called Obamavilles

http://www.alipac.us/f9/obamanomics-...1/#post1389397

Unemployment Rate Doublethink

January 13, 2014 by Bob Livingston

War is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength, the unemployment rate dropped to 6.7 percent so more people are working, the recovery is full bore.
It’s all doublethink. It’s the new normal. Call it cognitive dissonance.
Only a piddling 74,000 jobs were added to the workforce in December. That falls far short of even enough to keep up with population growth. Yet the Bureau of Labor Statistics says unemployment fell three-tenths of 1 percent.
BLS unemployment numbers are as phony as President Barack Obama’s birth narrative. For every job added, five people left the workforce. There are now 92 million Americans of working age outside the workforce.
But we are recovery aren’t we? After all, look at the stock market. More cognitive dissonance.
The stock market is also phony. It’s propped up by funny money: the $85 billion pumped into the banks every month.
There is no recovery. There are no jobs. There is only doublethink.

http://personalliberty.com/2014/01/1...e-doublethink/

Obama’s ‘Promise Zones’ Picked For Their Strategic Value To Democratic Party

January 9, 2014 by Ben Bullard

President Barack Obama designated five areas Thursday as Economic Promise Zones: three in cities, one in rural Kentucky and one on the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma – and nearly all of them offer Democrats stronger political inroads with resistant local voters.
Obama described the ‘Zones as places where kids would, with the Federal government’s help, have the same opportunities to realize the American Dream as kids in more affluent parts of the country.
“They’re neighborhoods where we will help local efforts to meet one National goal: that a child’s course in life should be not by the ZIP code she’s born in, but by the strength of her work ethic and the scope of her dreams,” the President said.
The cities selected for the first zones are Los Angeles, Philadelphia and San Antonio, while the Kentucky zone covers a multicounty region in the southeastern Highlands area. Obama said the program will be expanded to 20 locations Nationwide during the next three years.
“And each of these communities is designing from the bottom up – not the top down – what it is they think they need, and we’re working with them to make that happen,” he said. “And each of these communities is prepared to do what it takes to change the odds for their kids.”
The president said the idea was born from his own experience as a community organizer on Chicago’s South Side and on the work of people like Geoffrey Canada, who formed the Harlem Children’s Zone.
As Breitbart observed Thursday, most of the five announced locations have “interesting connections” that suggest their selection wasn’t arbitrary, nor solely based on the President’s altruistic desire to end poverty:

One of the main priorities in the 2014 election for Democrats is unseating Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), so Southeastern Kentucky, where the voters are heavily GOP, is a target which may allow Democrats to make some inroads.
San Antonio’s targeted district is the home of Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro, the twin brother of San Antonio mayor Julian Castro who is marked as a future star for the Party. That district, according to the Cook Partisan Voting Index, is only scoring a D+3, so Joaquin Castro could be in trouble.
Although Philadelphia is a Democratic stronghold, there are three suburbs nearby where GOP incumbents may be replaced by Democratic opponents: the Sixth and Eighth, which are both R+1, and the Seventh which is a tossup.
Oklahoma’s Second District is one of the five Promise Zones, and it includes the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Obama has been trying to reach out to the Choctaw nation for some time; Deborah Powell, Native American Development Specialist for the Housing Authority of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, was a guest in Michelle Obama’s box for Obama’s 2010 State of the Union Address.

The “Promise Zone” program will be administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and will dangle tax incentives and grants in front of the selected communities in order to create a dependence partnership between local government, businesses and agencies and the Federal government “to create jobs, leverage private investment, increase economic activity, expand educational opportunities, and improve public safety.”

The UPI contributed to this report.

Filed Under: Liberty News, Staff Reports

http://personalliberty.com/2014/01/0...ocratic-party/

“Promise Zones” Promise to Grow More Government, Deepen Dependency, Elect More Democrats

Posted by Rodney Lee Conover on Jan 10, 2014 in Politics, Public Employee Unions


What is Rand Paul thinking? If you haven’t heard of the President’s “Promise Zones,” initiative – you will soon. Some Republicans are saying nice things about it – but don’t be fooled. It’s another boondoggle of Federal spending which sends your tax dollars to those who have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt they cannot be trusted with money – and don’t have a clue how to help people out of poverty. No doubt they did a lot to put them there in the first place.

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President Obama has launched what is sure to be the first of many programs aimed directly at taking back the House of Representatives in the 2014 elections under his new second-term strategy of conquering; “income inequality” in America. Let’s forget for a moment how much income inequality the President’s policies over the past five years has caused and focus on this bogus “Promise Zone” plan, because it’s pretty darn easy to see it for what it is: A giant Federal giveaway to States and cities to grow more government, hire more government employees, grow public unions, increase welfare and most importantly, grow Democrat voter rolls nationwide.

Obama announced he was designating the “first” promise zones in poverty-stricken neighborhoods in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and San Antonio as well as swaths of southeastern Kentucky’s coal country and the Choctaw (say that fast one time, Mr. President) Nation of Oklahoma. Kentucky, you say? Yes, this is where Rand Paul and the Republicans come in, for you see this is a gigantic Federal money-grab, as is most of Barack Obama’s initiatives (the Stimulus, ObamaCare, etc.) and you know even Republicans can’t wait to get their hands on that.

In fact, the big announcement to establish these new “promise zones”… wait. I have to stop.

You’re not supposed to let the flag touch the ground.. sir.

C’mon. “Promise” Zones? Don’t you just love that coming from Barack Obama? More like; “If you like your poverty-stricken, crime-filled, hopeless, dirty, pathetic neighborhood – you can keep it. Period.” A “promise” from Barack Obama is like getting a wedding vow from President Clinton.

It’s like “Hope” … we “hope” when we spend more it will cause us to get out of debt, even though that’s never worked ever in the history of the world.. but we “hope” that this time the same behavior will cause different results. We “promise” this time it will.. I’d shoot myself, but ammo is so hard to come by these days. But I digress..

President Obama’s big proclamation – “to bolster private investment in economically distressed communities throughout the country” as was met with enthusiasm from some Republicans including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Rand Paul, both of Kentucky, who attended his White House announcement. But back to Rand later – listen to this:
“This should be a challenge that unites us all,” Obama added. “I don’t care if the ideas are Democrats or Republican. I do care that they work.”

Wow – whoever thinks Barack Obama at this point knows what works when it comes to creating jobs, getting the economy going, increasing growth or reducing poverty – raise your hand. Then slap yourself in the face with it, because that statement is classic Obama, and pure horse hockey.

When is this country going to realize that these programs have nothing to do with the economy, growth, poverty or anything else positive? Need more proof than just the past five years? Okay, let’s look at just one area to see exactly how this is going to pan out. Let’s look at Los Angeles:

According to the LA Times, federal money from the “Promise Zone” promise would be used to help improve education, housing and public safety. The designation gives preferential status for federal grants to go toward increasing affordable housing, public transit lines, bike lanes, and technical training through the LA Community College District. (Mayor Gil) Garcetti said he expected L.A. to get tens of millions of dollars and could receive $500 million over 10 years.

Will somebody read that again and tell me where the “bolstering private investment in economically distressed communities” part is? Because all I see is federal grants from all kinds of federal agencies going to all kinds of existing city and state government.

There’s nothing wrong with bike lanes and technical training, but none of it will lift these neighborhoods out of poverty and it only serves to grow city and state government. End of story, when the money runs out – the poverty will still be there and so will the new government employees, their desks, their pensions and any lives that did get touched got touched by Obama’s great goodness and so don’t you just have to vote for Democrats now?

It’s maddening.

Look – I got a booger!

Mayor Garcetti said in what I can only describe as “what the hell does that mean?” – that he believes this all-encompassing “wraparound” approach of federal aid could help alleviate poverty. Garcetti: “For decades, we’ve put programs in silos, which might move the dial a little bit here on education, a little bit here on health, but never all together, and I think this is our best shot.” What? The place is bankrupt. The city, the state.

Corrupt, bankrupt, to hell in a handbasket.

President Obama says the federal government will invest direct technical support as the communities try to revitalize languishing neighborhoods. Folks, they don’t know how. They don’t have technical support. These are the folks that ruined these cities in the first place! The problem is not money, it’s liberals. It’s Democrat policies.

But, here we are – Republicans jumping on the bandwagon, because Obama outsmarted them again by including Kentucky – where Rand Paul (who has been a thorn in his side, let’s be honest) and the Republican Minority Leader sure could use $500 million, don’t ‘ya think? But wait! Before you start screaming “There’s more – this time Barack has changed” – don’t count on it pal.

I’m just like Reagan, aren’t I? C’mon, a little, right?

Obama is also asking Congress to pass tax breaks for companies that establish businesses or hire workers in the promise zone areas, part of the program that his peeps say is “critical to the initiative working.” Oooh… sounds very Jack Kemp-ish. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan (who I bet knew who Kemp was) said; “These promise zones will work without the tax credits, but no, they won’t work to full capacity.”

This is pure Obama genius. Not only does he suck the Republicans in with free Federal money for their most impoverished areas, but he uses a Reagan-era Kemp idea (“enterprise zones” for you youngsters – Google it) to pretend he actually want tax credits for business and hiring! Does anyone remember who is the leader of the Senate? Does anyone think tax credits of any sort will be brought up for even a debate, much less a vote? Does anyone have problems making new short-term memories, because here’s what USA TODAY reported that has me wondering:

McConnell suggested Thursday that Congress consider tax incentives for promise zones in a potential deal to extend the lapse unemployment insurance. McConnell and Paul are also sponsoring broader legislation to establish “Economic Freedom Zones,” which would allow struggling areas to cut taxes to spur development. “Promise zones are something we could build on with far more comprehensive approaches,” McConnell said.

Paul said Obama’s motives are good, but the program should put more emphasis on tax cuts than on government grants. He said “dramatic” reductions of taxes across the board would enable communities to keep more of their own money and invest in themselves. Way to go guys.

There will be the federal giveaways (spending + growing government), but the tax credits will not be forthcoming. Count on it, Obama will get his Promise Zones and Harry Reid will stop the tax credits. Way to go guys.

The only people left in the ghetto are the ones being paid to stay there.

– Rodney Lee Conover

-30-

Rodney Lee Conover is running for Congress in California’s 8th District:

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http://joeforamerica.com/2014/01/pro...w3T0gdMSJ7p.99

Obama’s promise zones violate both the intent and letter of law!

Posted by johnwk on January 18, 2014 at 9:05am in General, Town Hall

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We are told that Obama’s “promise zones” do not violate our Constitution. But no evidence is offered to substantiate that claim. So, let us look at some historical facts which indicate there is a long standing rule which applies to federal spending and it establishes Obama’s “promise zones” are absolutely contrary to the legislative intent and letter of our Constitution.

Under Obama’s “promise zones” a number of cities would receive “comprehensive federal assistance” and receive preferential treatment to deal with the financial effects cause by the recession ___ a recession which has cause economic pain in each of the various United States. In fact, under Obama’s proposal taxpayers in every city across the United States will be tax to lessen the economic misery felt in cities chosen by Obama.

How does this violate the legislative intent and letter of our Constitution? Well, let us start by refreshing our memory by reading part of the New England Confederation of 1643 ___ an agreement among a number of the first English Colonies on America soil.

It is by these Confederates agreed that the charge of all just wars, whether offensive or defensive, upon what part or member of this Confederation soever they fall, shall both in men, provisions and all other disbursements be borne by all the parts of this Confederation in different proportions according to their different ability in the manner following, namely, that the Commissioners for each Jurisdiction from time to time, as there shall be occasion, bring a true account and number of all their males in every Plantation, or any way belonging to or under their several Jurisdictions, of what quality or condition soever they be, from sixteen years old to threescore, being inhabitants there. And that according to the different numbers which from time to time shall be found in each Jurisdiction upon a true and just account, the service of men and all charges of the war be borne by the poll: each Jurisdiction or Plantation being left to their own just course and custom of rating themselves and people according to their different estates with due respects to their qualities and exemptions amongst themselves though the Confederation take no notice of any such privilege: and that according to their different charge of each Jurisdiction and Plantation the whole advantage of the war (if it please God so to bless their endeavors) whether it be in lands, goods, or persons, shall be proportionately divided among the said Confederates.


Please note a specific rule is established among the members of the Confederacy under which a common treasury is filled by each member supplying “men, provisions and all other disbursements“. There is no allowance for the financial burden being selectively placed upon one member at the expense of the others.

Now, let us review the Articles of Confederation: March 1, 1781

VIII.

All charges of war, and all other expenses that shall be incurred for the common defense or general welfare, and allowed by the United States in Congress assembled, shall be defrayed out of a common treasury, which shall be supplied by the several States in proportion to the value of all land within each State, granted or surveyed for any person, as such land and the buildings and improvements thereon shall be estimated according to such mode as the United States in Congress assembled, shall from time to time direct and appoint.

The taxes for paying that proportion shall be laid and levied by the authority and direction of the legislatures of the several States within the time agreed upon by the United States in Congress assembled.

Again we find a specific rule by which the member States each agree to contribute into a common treasury, by the same rule and without exemption or preference.

Now, looking at the Northwest Ordinance; July 13, 1787

Art. 4. .

The inhabitants and settlers in the said territory shall be subject to pay a part of the federal debts contracted or to be contracted, and a proportional part of the expenses of government, to be apportioned on them by Congress according to the same common rule and measure by which apportionments thereof shall be made on the other States;

Again we see a specific rule for financial contributions being applied equally within the territory as is applied to all other States and without exception or preference!

And now we get to our existing Constitution and we find a specific rule by which each member state agrees to carry an apportioned share of any financial burden which is levied among the States.

Article 1, Section 2 Clause 3.

Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the Several States…

OUR CONSTITUTION’S FAIR SHARE FORMULAS MAY BE EXPRESSED AS FOLLOWS:


State`s Pop.
___________ X size of Congress (435) = State`s number of Representatives
Pop. of U.S.


State`s Pop.
-------------------- X SUM TO BE RAISED = STATE`S SHARE OF BURDEN
U.S. Pop.


In addition to the above formulas, we also find in our Constitution a specific intention expressed to forbid federal force being used to create unequal burdens by any “Regulation of Commerce”:

Article 1, Section 9, Clause 6

No Preference shall be given by any Regulation of Commerce or Revenue to the Ports of one State over those of another: nor shall Vessels bound to, or from, one State, be obliged to enter, clear or pay Duties in another.
And so, it is an irrefutable fact that the rule of apportionment was adopted to insure federal power could not be used to place a disproportionate burden upon one state or several states to the advantage of another state or states, which is exactly what would happen under Obama’s “promise zones”.

The Founder’s intentions for tax equality were eloquently stated by Representative John Page on February 7th 1792 while speaking before the House of Representatives:

"The framers of the Constitution guarded so much against a possibility of such partial preferences as might be given, if Congress had the right to grant them, that, even to encourage learning and useful arts, the granting of patents is the extent of their power. And surely nothing could be less dangerous to the sovereignty or interest of the individual States than the encouragement which might be given to ingenious inventors or promoters of valuable inventions in the arts and sciences. The encouragement which the General Government might give to the fine arts, to commerce, to manufactures, and agriculture, might, if judiciously applied, redound to the honor of Congress, and the splendor, magnificence, and real advantage of the United States; but the wise framers of our Constitution saw that, if Congress had the power of exerting what has been called a royal munificence for these purposes, Congress might, like many royal benefactors, misplace their munificence; might elevate sycophants, and be inattentive to men unfriendly to the views of Government; might reward the ingenuity of the citizens of one State, and neglect a much greater genius of another. A citizen of a powerful State it might be said, was attended to, whilst that of one of less weight in the Federal scale was totally neglected. It is not sufficient, to remove these objections, to say, as some gentlemen have said, that Congress in incapable of partiality or absurdities, and that they are as far from committing them as my colleagues or myself. I tell them the Constitution was formed on a supposition of human frailty, and to restrain abuses of mistaken powers.” Annals of Congress Feb 7th,1792 Representative John Page

It should also be noted our Founders applied the same rule of apportionment in the disbursement of federal revenue from the treasury to the States, and is documented in an Act of Congress passed in June of 1836when all surplus revenue in excess of $ 5,000,000 was decided to be distributed among the states, and the rule of apportionment was strictly applied.

And what has the Supreme Court stated in regard to this rule of apportionment?
The founders anticipated that the expenditures of the states, their counties, cities, and towns, would chiefly be met by direct taxation on accumulated property, while they expected that those of the federal government would be for the most part met by indirect taxes. And in order that the power of direct taxation by the general government should not be exercised except on necessity, and, when the necessity arose, should be so exercised as to leave the states at liberty to discharge their respective obligations, and should not be so exercised unfairly and discriminatingly, as to particular states or otherwise, by a mere majority vote, possibly of those whose constituents were intentionally not subjected to any part of the burden, the qualified grant was made___ POLLOCK v. FARMERS' LOAN & TRUST CO., 158 U.S. 601

The irrefutable fact is, Obama’s “promise zones” violate the rule of apportionment, and both the intent and letter of law, and would create a number of privileged communities who would receive preferential treatment, rather than equal treatment because of the recession, a recession which is felt in each and every one of the United States

JWK

"To lay with one hand the power of the government on the property of the citizen [a working person’s earned wage] and with the other to bestow upon favored individuals, to aid private enterprises and build up private fortunes [Obama’s Solyndra, Chevy Volt, Fisker, Exelon swindling deals, and now his “promise zones”] is none the less a robbery because it is done under forms of law and called taxation."____ Savings and Loan Assc. v. Topeka,(1875).

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