Progress Report: No Blank Check

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Center for American Progress

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Tue, 29 Jun 2004 08:42:11 -0700

Progress Report: No Blank Check

" Center for American Progress "

 

 

by David Sirota, Christy Harvey, Judd Legum and Jonathan Baskin

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June 29, 2004

 

GOVERNMENT – ER, NEVERMIND: Is it political manipulation or rabid incompetence?

Dana Milbank reports in today's Washington Post, the Bush White House has an

unfortunate ritual: " disavowing the conclusions of official documents. " The

latest: White House counsel Alberto Gonzales had to admit that administration

memos which appeared to sanction the abuse of prisoners, were " unnecessary,

over-broad discussions " and " not relied upon " by policymakers. " In reality, they

do not reflect the policies that the administration ultimately adopted. " Just a

week ago, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell had to discount the erroneous State

Department report " which showed the number of terrorist incidents worldwide

falling to the lowest level in more than three decades. 'Unfortunately, the data

that is within the report, the actual numbers of incidents, is off, it's wrong,'

Powell said. 'And I am regretful that this has happened.' " Other official

studies or reports that turned out to be wrong: " a budget

memo calling for spending cuts next year, unrealistically upbeat reports about

job growth, Medicare prescription costs and minority health care, and optimistic

assumptions in a proposed regulation governing mercury emissions. "

 

ENVIRONMENT – THE TOXIC REPORT CARD: A new report card by the Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA) shows there has been a spike in toxic waste emissions by

US factories, " only the second increase in 17 years. " In fact, " nearly 5 billion

pounds of toxins were released into the environment in 2002, the EPA reports. "

And, according to the Christian Science Monitor, former EPA officials and

environmental watchdogs warn the damage is even greater than reported, since

" government regulators are seriously underreporting the actual amounts of such

dangerous pollutants as mercury, arsenic, and lead. " The Bush administration has

relaxed regulations for power plant emissions standards and mercury.

 

ECONOMY – TWO MILLION WITHOUT BENEFITS: According to a new report by the Center

on Budget and Policy Priorities, despite recent job growth, " a record two

million unemployed have gone without benefits. " Here's the problem: The federal

" Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation [TUEC] program quit providing

additional aid to individuals newly exhausting their regular benefits " last

December. It was way too soon. During past downturns in the early 1980s and

1990s, the temporary federal benefit programs in place " did not end until there

were more jobs than there were at the start of the downturns to which they

responded. By contrast, as of today, there are still 1.3 million fewer jobs than

there were at the start of the downturn. " The report concludes: " If the labor

market continues to generate jobs at a healthy clip and long-term unemployment

drops significantly, several months or so from now the absence of a temporary

federal benefits program will be appropriate. The findings here,

however — that a record two million individuals have already been denied aid

due to the end of the TEUC program and the continued pattern of monthly records

— suggest not only that the program ended too soon but also that, for the time

being, it is still needed. "

 

GOVERNMENT – REVOLVING DOOR SPINS QUICKLY: According to a report by the Project

on Government Oversight (POGO) " more than 200 former senior government officials

and members of Congress worked for the country's largest defense contractors

during the past seven years. " Further, " one-third of the 224 former government

officials had influence over procurement issues before taking a job in

industry. " According to the report, in many cases, it is " difficult to determine

where the government stops and the private sector begins. " POGO recommended

" simplification of the rules on post-government employment and more oversight of

the process. "

 

Don't Miss

DAILY TALKING POINTS: Supreme Court Rejects Administration's Handling of

Detainees.

 

GOVERNMENT: White House frequently forced to disavow conclusions in memos,

reports.

 

IRAQ: Paul Krugman writes the administration did terrorists recruiters a " very

big favor " by mismanaging Iraq.

 

POVERTY: Children's Defense Fund director says American leaders must stop

shirking responsibility by blaming the poor for poverty.

 

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Daily Grill

 

" Any effort to…interfere with the President's direction of such core matters as

the detention and interrogation of enemy combatants…would be unconstitutional. "

 

– Justice Department memo to the President, 8/1/02

 

vs.

 

" A state of war is not a blank check for the president. "

 

– Justice Sandra Day O'Conner, 6/28/04

 

Daily Outrage

The same day the transfer of power was announced in Iraq, U.S. prosecutors

ignored the decision of an Iraqi court and returned an acquitted prisoner to Abu

Ghraib prison.

 

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