Another President Obama Solar Firm goes Bankrupt Fed energy loan $400 million

WASHINGTON - A Colorado-based solar panel maker that received a $400 million loan guarantee from the Obama administration said Thursday it will file for bankruptcy, the latest setback for an industry battered by the recession and stiff competition from companies in China.
Abound Solar of Loveland, Colo., said it will suspend operations next week, after talks with potential buyers broke down. The company received about $70 million from the Energy Department before officials froze its credit line last year.
Abound is the third clean-energy company to seek bankruptcy protection after receiving a loan from the Energy Department under the economic stimulus law. California solar panel maker Solyndra and Beacon Power, a Massachusetts energy-storage firm, declared bankruptcy last year. Solyndra received a $528 million federal loan, while Beacon Power got a $43 million loan guarantee.
Abound said about 125 workers will be laid off.
Abound received the federal loan guarantee in 2010 to expand a plant in Longmont, Colo., and build a new plant in Tipton, Ind., promising to create more than 1,200 jobs.
But the company ran into difficulties when the price of solar panels collapsed, leading the Energy Department to suspend its line of credit in September 2011 - the same month Solyndra declared bankruptcy.
Abound cut its workforce by about 70 percent in February, firing about 180 full-time workers and 100 part-time employees.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_20972048/solar-firm-that-got-fed-energy-loan-goes

President Obama Health-Reform 21 New Taxes For "America"

Fox Business News 6.28.12

In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court upheld the president’s signature health-care reform in a 5-4 decision. The court ruled the most controversial aspect of the law, the individual mandate, as constitutional, labeling it a tax and within lawmakers’ power.

So now that the legal uncertainty surrounding the Affordable Care Act has been eliminated, it’s time to delve into the tax implications and when they go into effect.

Refundable tax credit: This is intended to be a form of assistance with the cost of premiums paid under a qualified health plan. Eligible individual’s incomes must exceed 100% but not more than 400% of the poverty level. The Treasury Department is tasked with prescribing rules for calculating the poverty level. Dependents aren’t eligible, and if married, you must file jointly otherwise you don’t qualify. This credit takes effect after Dec. 31, 2013.

Excise tax:  This 2.3% tax on manufacturers, producers or importers on the sold price of a medical device is intended to help cover the cost of the sweeping legislation, but some experts worry it will create more paperwork and increase the costs of the goods. The tax goes into effect after Dec. 31, 2012.

Affordable choices of health benefit plans:  Employers will be required to provide at least minimal benefits via a health plan to their employees , and additional benefits will be provided to individuals. In order to pay for the requirements, the federal government will make payments to states to set up exchanges. Then the states must make payments to plans on behalf of individuals to defray the cost of the additional benefits. There will be a reporting requirement from the states to the Secretary of the Treasury. A list of all taxpayers who qualify for the premium tax credit generated by plans that don’t provide essential minimum coverage or are not affordable will be provided to the Feds. This is a fail-safe to prevent fraud under the refundable tax credit listed above.

Reduction in deductibles: Individuals with incomes between 100% and 400% of the poverty level will enjoy reductions to their out-of-pocket health-care expenses by two-thirds, one-half, or one-third, depending on their income. These tax breaks go into effect after Dec. 31, 2013.

Small business requirement:  The reform requires small business owners with more than 50 employees provide health insurance or face an “assessable payment” equal to one-twelfth of $2,000 times the number of full-time employees. Employers must also file a return documenting whether or not they have complied. Small business must be in compliance or face the fine beginning after December 31, 2013.

Patient-centered outcomes research trust fund: This organization was created to review pharmaceutical medicines to determine if they have sufficient quality and are relevant to patients’ needs.   Funding for the organization will come from a $2 fee imposed on each health insurance policy or self-insured plan whose plan year ends after Sept. 30, 2012. The fee is then multiplied by the average number of participants covered in the plan, and will extend to Sept. 30, 2019.

More fees and excise taxes: According to a report generated by the Treasury Inspector General of Tax Administration (TIGTA), a whopping “40% excise tax will be imposed on high-cost, employer-sponsored coverage if the value of coverage exceeds $10,200 (self-only) or $27,500 (not self-only),” to be paid by the coverage provider. The tax on distributions from Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Archer Medical Savings Accounts for payment of unqualified medical expenses increased to 20% from 10% prior to 2011. A hospital insurance tax of 0.9% will be levied on high-income taxpayers ($250,000 married filing joint, or $125,000 single) effective after Dec. 31, 2012.

Beginning in 2013 the deduction for expenses allocable to Medicare Part D will be eliminated. Also the threshold for deducting medical expenses will increase to 10% from 7.5% of adjusted gross income. So if your medical expenses total $10,000 and your adjusted gross income is $100,000, your medical deduction will be zero. Prior to 2013 you would have enjoyed a $2,500 tax deduction.

Gay Philly Activists flipping bird at Reagan portrait as Guest of President Obama at the White House

 Two guests of the White House invited to a reception Friday to mark gay pride month were photographed giving the middle finger below Reagan's portrait.

Last Friday, an attaché of important gay people from Philadelphia made a trip to Washington D.C. as invited guests of President Barack Obama for the White House’s first-ever gay pride reception. There, they danced to the sounds of a Marine Corps band; they dined on crab cakes and canapés; they hand-delivered letters from concerned citizens like this 18-year old who has had four people close to him gunned down, and noted rhyming raconteur CA Conrad; and some of them took advantage of photo opportunities to give the late President Ronald Reagan the middle finger.

“It’s not a gesture that I would use in the White House when representing our city and our community,” opines Philadelphia Gay News publisher Mark Segal (center), who opted for a sarcastic thumbs-up pose in front of the portrait of George W. Bush over the more vulgar one demonstrated by his Reagan-loathing peers, Matthew “Matty” Hart (left), and self-taught photographer turned toast-of-the-town Zoe Strauss (right).

“I have friends who work in that building,” Segal explains. “I’m not going to do something that could embarrass them or that could somehow damage a campaign that is so important. ‘Be on your best behavior,’ my staff told me.’ I think they know me too well.”

This wasn’t Segal’s first trip to the White House, having twice visited during Bill Clinton’s gay-friendly tenure. “One of the things on my bucket list was to dance with my boyfriend at the White House,” remarks Segal.”And this is the second time I got to do it. We come up to the main foyer, and what do they play? Barbra Streisand. ‘The Way We Were.’ And I thought, Are they going to play nothing but Barbra, Bette and Lady Gaga? I was waiting for ‘Over the Rainbow.’ I mean, this is the Marine band!” Clearly, Segal, a dedicated activist but also an astute political hobnobber, wants to be invited back.

But his counterparts couldn’t seem to care less. Hart posted his photo on Facebook with the caption, “Fuck Reagan.” Strauss simply posted hers without commentary. After all, the murderous facial expression and double-barreled bird-flipping seem to speak for themselves. Comments ranged from “you forgot to add with a chainsaw” on Hart’s “Fuck Reagan” note, to my personal favorite, “star wars … up yours,” on Strauss’s.

http://blogs.phillymag.com/the_philly_post/2012/06/22/gay-activists-give-ronald-reagan-finger-white-house/

The Obama event registry 2012

A Register with Obama 2012

Got a special milestone or event coming up?

Instead of another gift card you’ll forget to use, ask your friends and family for something that will go a little further: a donation to Obama for America. Register your next celebration—whether it’s a birthday, bar or bat mitzvah, wedding, or anniversary—with the Obama campaign. It’s a great way to show your support for a cause that’s important to you on your big day.
Just log in or sign up to build and customize your page—and congratulations!

http://www.barackobama.com/obama-event-registry?source=TheObamaEventRegistry-20120622-signup-HQB&icn=20120622-TheObamaEventRegistry-signup-HQB

Issa pushes ahead with Holder contempt vote despite Obama intervention

ttorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday became the first Obama administration official to be held in contempt by a congressional panel. Ed O’Keefe and Sari Horwitz reported from the House Oversight and Government reform Committee hearing on Holder:
A House panel voted Wednesday to hold Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. in contempt for failing to cooperate with a congressional inquiry into Operation “Fast and Furious,” hours after President Obama asserted executive privilege over related documents.
On a party-line decision, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted 23 to 17 to hold Holder in contempt for failing to share documents related to the operation run out of the Phoenix division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives between 2009 and 2011, with the backing of the U.S. attorney in Phoenix.
The panel’s actions will be reported to the full House, where Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) and GOP leaders have A House panel voted Wednesday in favor of holding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress, a move that inflamed partisan rancor on Capitol Hill and sets up the possibility of legal action against the attorney general himself.
Holder has not yet been formally held in contempt of Congress. The full House would still need to approve the resolution in order for that to happen -- Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., afterward told Fox News that such a floor vote can still be avoided.
But the 23-17 party-line vote on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee marked a significant turn in lawmakers' 16-month investigation into the botched anti-gunrunning operation Fast and Furious. With the vote, Republicans on the committee signaled they had exhausted all other means to extract sought-after documents from the Justice Department -- though Democrats had insisted there was still an opportunity to sort out the mess without a contempt vote.
"We and the American people need answers sooner, not later," said Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the committee.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/06/20/house-republicans-tee-up-imminent-contempt-vote-against-holder/#ixzz1yYXRXbU7

Obama Proud Campaign pictures 08

The man of the hour Obama a messiah-like figure, a great soul, and some affectionately call him Mahatma Obama. Clearly, people are hungry for a change

Fast and Furious: Eric Holder held in contempt

The Washington post Reports
scheduled a floor vote for next week unless Holder hands over the documents before then. If passed by the House, the matter would then move to the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Ronald C. Machen Jr., who is an employee of the Justice Department.
After the vote, Holder called the vote a “divisive action” that “does nothing to make any of our law enforcement agents safer.”
“It’s an election-year tactic intended to distract attention -- and, as a result -- has deflected critical resources from fulfilling what remains my top priority at the Department of Justice: Protecting the American people,” Holder said.
Obama’s decision to withhold the documents — his first use of executive privilege in response to a congressional investigation — and the House panel’s vote quickly intensified a long-simmering feud between the White House and Republican lawmakers and set up a clash over the extent of presidential power that may take months to resolve.
Ahead of the vote, Holder said in a letter to Obama that sharing the Fast and Furious documents “would raise substantial separation of powers concerns and potentially create an imbalance in the relationship” between Congress and the White House.

Holder would join the ranks of previous cabinet officials held in contempt, as In the Loop’s Al Kamen reported:
He would be joining a long list of well-known officials from prior administrations who lost committee — or even full House or Senate — contempt votes, including two former attorneys general, according to a list compiled by the Congressional Research Service last month.
The list, since 1980, includes:
Former Bush White House counsel Harriet Miers, chief of staff Josh Bolten and deputy chief of staff Karl Rove over documents and testimony in the investigation into the firing of U.S. attorneys.
Former Clinton attorney general Janet Reno, for failing to turn over documents involved in an inquiry into whether Justice failed to investigate or prosecute cases involving Democratic donors.
Reagan attorney general William French Smith for refusing to produce documents on an investigation of General Dynamics Corp.

Obama explains new immigration plan, while heckled by reporter in Rose Garden

In a speech this afternoon in the Rose Garden, President Barack Obama explained his administration's decision to allow as many as 800,000 young illegal immigrants to apply for temporary legal status and work permits.

Neil Munro, a reporter from the Daily Caller, interrupted the president twice, asking him to defend his statement that the move is the "right thing" for the country. Obama talked over the reporter but later in the speech addressed him, again asserting that the immigration decision is the right one. Munroe again interrupted Obama. "I didn't ask for an argument," the president said sharply, ending the unusual exchange.

Obama went on with his speech. "They are Americans in their hearts, in their minds, in every single way but one--on paper," he said of the young illegal immigrants who will be affected by his plan. The sweeping proposal allows immigrants without criminal records who are under 30 years old, entered the country as children, have graduated from a U.S. high school and can prove they've lived in the country for five consecutive years to apply for temporary legal status and then two-year, renewable work permits. It does not provide them a path to citizenship. In his speech, Obama stressed that the move is "not amnesty," and he thinks Congress should still pass a broader legalization bill.

The change could have big political implications. President Obama has faced criticism from the crucial Hispanic electorate for ramping up deportations under his tenure and for failing to deliver on his campaign promise to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Advocates and advisers worried that even though Obama enjoyed a big lead over Romney among Latino voters, a lack of enthusiasm could keep many of them home in key swing states like Nevada, Colorado, and Florida on Election Day. But his announcement is likely to generate interest among many Latinos: 87 percent of

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/watch-live-obama-explains-decision-legalize-young-illegal-165949610.html


Read more on Newsmax.com: Obama Plans Backdoor Amnesty
Important: Do You Support Pres. Obama's Re-Election? Vote Here Now!

Obama explains new immigration plan, while heckled by reporter in Rose Garden

Fri, Jun 15, 2012

In a speech this afternoon in the Rose Garden, President Barack Obama explained his administration's decision to allow as many as 800,000 young illegal immigrants to apply for temporary legal status and work permits.

Neil Munro, a reporter from the Daily Caller, interrupted the president twice, asking him to defend his statement that the move is the "right thing" for the country. Obama talked over the reporter but later in the speech addressed him, again asserting that the immigration decision is the right one. Munroe again interrupted Obama. "I didn't ask for an argument," the president said sharply, ending the unusual exchange.

Obama went on with his speech. "They are Americans in their hearts, in their minds, in every single way but one--on paper," he said of the young illegal immigrants who will be affected by his plan. The sweeping proposal allows immigrants without criminal records who are under 30 years old, entered the country as children, have graduated from a U.S. high school and can prove they've lived in the country for five consecutive years to apply for temporary legal status and then two-year, renewable work permits. It does not provide them a path to citizenship. In his speech, Obama stressed that the move is "not amnesty," and he thinks Congress should still pass a broader legalization bill.

The change could have big political implications. President Obama has faced criticism from the crucial Hispanic electorate for ramping up deportations under his tenure and for failing to deliver on his campaign promise to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Advocates and advisers worried that even though Obama enjoyed a big lead over Romney among Latino voters, a lack of enthusiasm could keep many of them home in key swing states like Nevada, Colorado, and Florida on Election Day. But his announcement is likely to generate interest among many Latinos: 87 percent of

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/watch-live-obama-explains-decision-legalize-young-illegal-165949610.html

Obama Plans Backdoor Amnesty

Thursday, 02 Sep 2010 08:21 AM


Barack Obama is seeking to bypass the legislative process by way of executive policy. He does face roadblocks, though, in the form of judicial review.
Obama seeks comprehensive immigration reform with amnesty for the 12 million to 30 million foreign nationals currently residing illegally in the United States. Even with recent passage of a Southwest Border Security Law, an outright amnesty bill appears unlikely this election year. Thus, the creative Obama team is devising backdoor amnesty for illegal aliens.
One such plan announced by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) involves the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that oversees lawful immigration to the United States.
The plan is to pursue “meaningful immigration reform absent legislative action.” USCIS will extend benefits and/or protections to illegal aliens, thus reducing the threat of deportation. The concept is set forth in a memorandum entitled, “Administrative Alternatives to Comprehensive Immigration Reform.”
Deportations are being delayed indefinitely, “green cards” are being issued to illegal aliens declaring them legal permanent residents (LPRs), and “extreme hardship” is being redefined, among other bureaucratic chicanery. The consequences (intended or unintended) include legal fees for jubilant immigration lawyers.
Among these illegal aliens are an estimated 700,000 students, many of whom are staging demonstrations for comprehensive immigration reform. In July 2010, Capitol Hill Police arrested 21 illegal-alien students holding sit-ins at U.S. Senate offices; yet no immigration action was taken against them.
Democrats in Congress support the student demands, and Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., is sponsoring a bill to suspend deportation of illegal-alien students and place them on a pathway to citizenship.
Meanwhile the DHS is ordering the release of detained illegal aliens who have not had a felony arrest in the past two years. Purportedly, this will allow the department more time to deport those illegal aliens with felony arrests in the past two years. The plan might make sense, if these deported felons, many of them violent criminals, were not able to re-enter the United States at will across our open borders.

http://www.newsmax.com/JamesWalsh/amnestyimmigrationDepartment-of-Homeland-Security/2010/09/02/id/369034

Obama's Solyndra scandal reeks of the Chicago Way

The Solyndra scandal cost at least a half-billion public dollars. It is plaguing President Barack Obama. And it's being billed as a Washington story.
 But back in Obama's political hometown, those of us familiar with the Chicago Way can see something else in Solyndra — something that the Washington crowd calls "optics." In fact, it's not just a Washington saga — it has all the elements of a Chicago City Hall story, except with more zeros.

The FBI is investigating what happened with Solyndra, a solar panel company that got a $535 million government-backed loan with the help of the Obama White House over the objections of federal budget analysts.
Obama and Vice President Joe Biden got a nice photo op. They got to make speeches about being "green." But then Solyndra went bankrupt. Americans lost jobs. Taxpayers got stuck with the bill. And members of Congress are now in high dudgeon and making speeches.
Federal investigators want to know what role political fundraising played in the guarantee of the questionable loan. Washington bureaucrats warned the deal was lousy. And White House spokesmen flail desperately, like weakened victims in a cheesy vampire movie.
So forget optics. What about smell? It smells bad, and it's going to smell worse.
Or, did you really believe it when the White House mouthpieces — who are also Chicago City Hall mouthpieces — promised they were bringing a new kind of politics to Washington?
This is not a new kind of politics. It's the old kind. The Chicago kind.
And now the Tribune Washington Bureau has reported that the U.S. Department of Energy employee who helped monitor the Solyndra loan guarantee was one of Obama's top fundraisers.
Fundraising? Contracts? Imagine that.
Steve Spinner was the Obama administration official in charge of handing out billions and billions of tax dollars to "green" energy deals. According to the Tribune story, Spinner the other day invited Obama's national political finance committee to a meeting in Chicago.
The name of the Obama fundraising initiative?
"Technology for Obama."
The idea of the Obama fundraisers getting together, talking "green," and perhaps offering taxpayer loan guarantees to insider businesses in the interest of helping the environment — it all seems rather fresh.
Like a mountain meadow.
Until you realize it's the same old politics, the same kind practiced in Washington and Chicago and anywhere else where appetites are satisfied by politicians. When the government picks winners and losers, who's the loser? Just look in the mirror, hold that thought, and tell me later.
Republicans are hoping to hang this around Obama's political neck, and they're doing a good job of it now because his approval ratings are low and the jobless numbers are abysmal and the Democrats are in full killer-rabbit panic. But there have been Republican national scandals, too, and they're always ridiculously and depressingly similar.
At least in Illinois our scandals are quite ecumenical, with Republicans eager to help Democrats steal whatever they can grab.
In Solyndra, like any proper City Hall political scandal, there are similar archetypes.
There are the guys who count. The guys who bring the cash. They count because they do the counting. They have leverage. They're always there at the fundraisers. And so they're the ones who are allowed to gorge at the public trough.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-09-18/news/ct-met-kass-0918-20110918_1_solyndra-loan-guarantee-obama-fundraisers-obama-white-house

Views shift little after Obama backs gay marriage

WASHINGTON –  President Barack Obama's endorsement of gay marriage appears to have made Americans on both sides of the issue even more entrenched in their positions, firing up his young, liberal backers and intensifying opposition from Republicans and conservatives, according to a new poll.

Overall, his announcement last month that he supported gay marriage did little to shift the nation's views on the subject, with the country remaining evenly divided on it, the Associated Press-GfK survey found. And people still seem to favor him over Republican presidential rival Mitt Romney when it comes to handling social issues.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/06/22/views-shift-little-after-obama-backs-gay-marriage/#ixzz1yYJ7gEkb