Beyonce: "Proud to be an American"
Let's salute our natural-born 44th President and Commander-in-Chief! Well done, Sir!
Filed underPresident Barack Obama
Imported from Detroit: Chrysler 200 SuperBowl 2011 Commercial
This is the Motor City
and this is what we do.
We here in Detroit are ecstatic about the Chrysler 200 SuperBowl Commercial about Detroit starring Detroit native and
multiple-Grammy-winning
also known as
Marshall Mathers
also known as
Slim Shady!
We are very proud of our City, and we know what is special about us and our contributions to the world.
We are especially proud that our Democratic former governor, Jennifer Granholm,
Democratic President Barack Obama,
the Democratic Congresspeople from Michigan and the Democratic Party
believed in the U.S. auto companies in 2009 and approved the
necessary loans for Chrysler and GM to enable them to save and add tens of thousands
of direct and indirect jobs right here in America when the other political party
wanted to auto industry to just roll over and die.
The American auto industry is BACK, and the best cars are IMPORTED FROM DETROIT!
Detroit rules!
Best commercial of the SuperBowl (for Detroit and the world)!
Congrats to our midwest neighbors, SuperBowl Champions the Green Bay Packers.
Even the Detroit Lions won some games this season!
Detroit rocks!
This is the Motor City
and this is what we do.
Tuesday Tidbits: The White House Small Business Act HELPS Small Biz
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President Barack Obama and the Democratic House of Representatives and Senate passed several important pieces of legislation since January 2009 to help small businesses. (The majority of Republican Congresspeople voted against every law to help small businesses and told those who hire the majority of Americans: "Hell No"!)
I just thought you should know the facts before next week's election...
FACT SHEET: How Small Businesses Can Benefit From the Small Business Jobs Act
President Obama to visit Rhode Island Monday, highlight small business investments
WASHINGTON -- On Monday, President Obama will tour and make remarks at American Cord & Webbing Co. Inc, a small business in Woonsocket, RI. American Cord & Webbing is a manufacturer that makes cords, buckles and plastic and metal hardware for sporting goods, outdoor goods, and travel gear.
Though American Cord & Webbing was hit by the economic downturn and forced to lay off some workers in 2009, they invested in new product development to pursue new customers and over the course of the past year they have brought all of their former laid-off employees back. American Cord and Webbing currently has 47 employees and plans on hiring more. And last month, the company was approved for an SBA loan that will help the company expand its Woonsocket facility, going from 30,000 sq. ft. to 43,000 sq. ft. by next spring.
At the event on Monday, the President will discuss American Cord & Webbing’s success story, and highlight how businesses like this one can benefit from the Small Business Jobs Act that the President fought to pass and signed in September. Below is a list of specific ways that businesses like American Cord & Webbing can benefit.
How Small Businesses Like American Cord & Webbing Benefit from Administration Tax Cuts and Lending Initiatives
· American Cord & Webbing Is Saving More than $9,000 from SBA Loan Provisions: Thanks to fee waivers extended by the Small Business Jobs Act, American Cord & Webbing was able to get approved for a SBA 504 loan and save over $9,000 in fees. The Small Business Jobs Act allows small businesses across the country to take advantage of an extension of Recovery loan provisions that increase 7(a) guarantees and temporarily eliminate certain fees on 7(a) and 504 loans. Already, SBA has approved over 3,600 Jobs Act loans representing $1.4 billion.
· Small Businesses Like American Cord & Webbing Can Benefit from Eight New Small Business Tax Cuts Signed Into Law Just Last Month: The President signed into law a Small Business Jobs Act in September that included eight new small business tax cuts, all of which apply this year. These are on top of eight earlier small business tax cuts signed by the President, and will provide or accelerate $55 billion in tax relief through the end of 2011. For example:
o Small businesses that invest in new capital and equipment can immediately write off more of these expenses.The new law increases the amount of new investments in capital and equipment small businesses can immediately expense to $500,000, while raising the level at which the write-off phases out to $2 million. This provision means 4.5 million small businesses and individuals will be able to make new investments and earn a larger break on their taxes for this year.
· American Cord & Webbing has indicated its intention to invest in new machinery and equipment. If it does so, it could become one of millions of small businesses and individuals that will benefit from this new tax cut.
o Small business owners can deduct health insurance costs from their self-employment taxes: The new law allows self-employed small business owners to deduct the cost of health insurance for themselves and their families from their self-employment taxes this year – a tax cut that could benefit 2 million self-employed.
· As a self-employed small business owner, Mark Krauss of American Cord & Webbing may be eligible for this deduction that will cut his self-employment taxes.
o Small businesses can deduct the use of cell phones without burdensome extra documentation: The new law changes tax rules so that small businesses like American Cord & Webbing can receive a tax deduction for company-provided cell phones without burdensome extra documentation, making it easier for them to get deductions that they are entitled to, beginning on their taxes for this year.
o Small businesses can benefit from other provisions that support them as they expand and create jobs: Small businesses can also benefit from other tax cuts like the elimination of capital gains taxes on key small business investments, the extension of bonus depreciation rules that allow businesses of all sizes to accelerate the rate at which they can deduct new investments, an increased deduction for start-up expenses, a “carryback” provision for general business credits, and limits on tax penalties that can disproportionately affect small businesses.
· Small Businesses Like American Cord & Webbing Are Eligible for New Tax Credits for Hiring Unemployed Workers: As a result of the HIRE Act, small businesses like American Cord & Webbing that hire unemployed workers can get tax exemptions and credits. From February to August, businesses across the country hired 8.1 million new workers who had been unemployed for 60 days or longer, making them eligible for HIRE Act tax incentives.
· Small Businesses Like American Cord & Webbing Can Now Take Out for Larger SBA Loans: Small businesses like American Cord & Webbing are now eligible to take out larger SBA loans – with the maximum 7(a) and 504 loan size more than doubled from $2 million to $5 million and the maximum 504 manufacturing related loan size increased from $4 million to $5.5 million.
· New Treasury Programs Will Help Provide Credit for Small Businesses Like American Cord & Webbing That Are Seeking to Expand: Treasury is setting up two new programs designed to support private-sector lending to small businesses like American Cord & Webbing that are seeking credit to help them expand and create new jobs:
o The Small Business Lending Fund will make available $30 billion in capital to small banks with incentives to increase small business lending, potentially supporting several multiples of that amount in new credit.
o The State Small Business Credit Initiative will support at least $15 billion in new lending by strengthening state small business programs – many of them facing budget cuts – that leverage private-sector lenders to extend additional credit.
Pssst...U.S. Troops Left Iraq
This post is cross-published at The Black Liberal Boomer Blog.
By Keith A. Owens
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It really doesn't matter what the man does, Obama will never get the full recognition and praise for what he has managed to do until long after he has left office. Perhaps not even until he's dead and buried. Just like all those nouveau nationalists and latter-day civil rights 'warriors' who were more than happy to wear the T-shirt of a dead hero, and maybe even spend a few bucks to see the movie and shed a tear. But good Lord don't you know they wouldn't have been caught dead with either when either was alive and so full of what it actually meant to be alive that they were both far more terrifying than they were revered.
And that, by the way, was how their followers viewed them. Because that's how most of us (yes, I'm including myself because I'm honest) view those rare few among us who walk through paralyzing fear like most of us walk through a brisk morning rain.So no matter how cool the brother appears, 24/7 room temperature no matter what the occasion, you've got to know Obama is well acquainted with fear by now. Maybe he could convince himself that all those death threats he got during the campaign didn't make him fear for his own life, but what about the lives of his wife and two young daughters? No husband, no father, no breathing, conscious human being could escape the grip of fear in circumstances like that.But just like Martin, and just like Malcolm, he keeps walking through. He keeps pushing past. Because it is no longer only him that is doing the pushing. He has help; the same Help that came to the rescue of those before him. The same Help that gave them the push they needed when they swore they didn't have it in them to push a grain of sand up an anthill.Last week, the last U.S. troops left Iraq. Obama got them out ahead of schedule. No doubt there will be all kinds of criticism about how the war isn't really over, and what about those 50,000 he left behind to assist doesn't that mean he didn't really..? No it doesn't. Read the fine print. Obama did what he said he was going to do.Not to mention what he did by saving the auto companies. Or the miracle he pulled off by pulling the economy back from the cliff just as it was about to scream 'fuck it' and jump. Or health care reform, which I've already been notified will put $100 right back in my checking account each month beginning October 1 because it will no longer be deducted. Or what he's done straightening out the crooked credit card companies (that's going to save me money too). Or the housing ownership rescue programs he's got out there (got some experience with that as well).Me? I'm not waiting until the polls get better and I damn sure am not waiting until he's dead. For one thing, I'll probably be dead before he will. So let me put it on record now, because I do believe in getting your props while they can still prop you up;[[posterous-content:xggvejHFpsBlwgnbFFnE]]
YES HE CAN. BECAUSE HE ALREADY DID.Redeux News: President Obama Visits Detroit Auto Plants
President Barack Obama will be visiting two Detroit auto plants today, touting the huge success of the loans and corporate makeovers of 2009. Over 55,000 direct jobs were saved; along with tens of thousands of indirect jobs with suppliers, OEMs, nearby businesses. People could save their homes and of course there was an economic stimulus when all of those people have jobs and businesses large and small become more viable. The President of the United States of America will visit the Jefferson Chrysler Plant were a new Jeep Cherokee will be built; and the Detroit-Hamtramck GM plant where the new Chevy Volt will be built.
Tom Walsh, automotive writer for the Detroit Free Press, published a great article today on why President Obama's work with the auto companies is one of his greatest accomplishments to date and nothing short of a miracle. Although many may not agree, I agree with Tom that the Prez should definitely be given his props for keeping the USA out of a depression and literally saving the U.S. auto industry. Read Tom's article here.
Monday Milestone: President Obama at Kalamazoo Central H.S.
Kalamazoo (MI) Central High School was the winner out of over 1,000 U.S. high schools to have President Barack Obama as 2010 Commencement Speaker. The commencement is tonight (June 7 2010) at 7 p.m. at Western Michigan University, also located in Kalamazoo.
Below is Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announcing Kalamazoo Central High School as the winner. All of Michigan is excited and proud of Kalamazoo Central High School.
We will post the video of the commencement speech tomorrow.
Redeux News: Congrats to Kalamazoo H.S. Winners of White House Challenge!
Last week, we posted about the White House Challenge to American high schools to win President Obama as their commencement speaker: Kalamazoo (Michigan) High School won the Challenge! Here is the video that Kalamazoo High School submitted with its application.
Here, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announces the EXCITING news for Kalamazoo and the entire State of Michigan:
Help Kalamazoo Central H.S. Bring President Obama for Commencement!
Calling all Michiganders! Kalamazoo Central High School is one of only six semi-finalists out of over 1,000 schools who entered the "Commencement Challenge" by the White House to "win" President Barack Obama as the commencement speaker!
Each school submitted a video to the White House; here is the one from Kalamazoo Central High School.
The online voting is open to everyone in the country. We know that Kalamazoo Central High School has worked very hard on its improvement over the past several years--they DESERVE to win! We also know that Kalamazoo is a relatively small city, so they need the votes of every Michigander! Here is what Kalamazoo Central High School told the White House:
Kalamazoo Central High School
Kalamazoo, MIKalamazoo Central is a diverse, dynamic and dedicated community of students and staff committed to our district’s mission: Every Child, Every Opportunity, Every Time. We challenge ourselves to take more AP classes (an increase of 221% in 4 years); we involve ourselves in our community through activism such as PeaceJam; and we take classes such as aviation technology and construction trades that prepare us for careers and college. Our relationships with teachers and staff empower us all to form a united bond and a belief in our end goal: changing the world through education. Since 2006, 91% of all Kalamazoo Central graduates have attended college, affirming a college going culture in a vibrant community of 1700. The Kalamazoo Promise—free college tuition for all—gives us the opportunity to achieve our college dreams. Our superintendent phrased it best:“If you’re looking for a community where going to college is a birthright, then Kalamazoo Public Schools isn’t it; but, if you’re looking for a community trying to send a whole host of students to college, then Kalamazoo Central is a model of that success.”We no longer merely hope for a future; we are confident that we are the future.
Vote here right now while you have a minute....
