Seamless Compassion -- Its Catching On

So what do we do in this current economic environment? Hide for cover and wait for the government to bail us out? Well that's one path, but how about taking the higher path and reaching out to your fellow Americans and helping out? This is the idea behind Seamless Compassion. Seamless Compassion can help Americans get the help they need.

Seamless Compassion is an organization which helps distressed people get registered for the benefits they so desperately need. Their online, fully automated registration and application tool allows people to outreach into their communities and help get people signed up for food stamps and other critical programs. There has been a 20% increase in food stamp applications over the last 18 months as more and more Americans lose their jobs -- a jobless rate which has climbed to over 9%! Their goal is to improve access to all benefit programs through the use of technology.

Why are Food Stamps so effective? Well think about it -- it directly provides access to food for people who may be having trouble affording it. And on top of that, it pumps economic activity into the local economy. More food is consumed, which leads to producers producing it. These producers employ people and use machines and buy raw materials -- all of it increases economic activity! And if you didn't know, the "food stamps" program is now called SNAP -- the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

To find out more about Seamless Compassion and how you can participate in the process, visit Seamless Compassion online at www.seamlesscompassion.com.

Where's My 2009 Stimulus Check?

Will the $838 billion U.S. economic stimulus plan include any sort of stimulus checks being mailed to U.S. taxpayers? Well it doesn't look like it! Why not? Well it seems like the last stimulus check didn't really have an effect on the economy. Well maybe it had an effect on the Chinese economy but not the U.S. one. Instead it looks like the stimulus package will provide a tax credit to people -- one that will appear on their 2009 tax return. That's a long way off so what's the point? Well if the tax credit also helps businesses reduce their payroll tax exposure, then maybe businesses will be more inclined to hire more people.

WhiteHouse.gov

Have you visited the newly redesigned WhiteHouse.gov? Its gotten a makeover with the new administration -- it sorta has the same feel as Change.gov (then President-elect Obama's transitional site) and the Senator's Presidential campaign site before that. Its all part of the Obama branding campaign -- the presidency as a brand!

Document of the Day: President Nixon's Resignation

Check out this amazing document from America's history -- President Richard M. Nixon's August 9, 1974 letter of resignation to Secretary of State Kissinger.

Just remember -- President Nixon was not impeached -- he resigned before it could be done.

What Will Hillary Do First?

Its been a few weeks since Hillary Clinton has been the U.S. Secretary of State. Have you heard about anything she's done? Speak about the Israel / Palestine war? North Korea? I haven't heard anything out from her office so far -- have you? Well lets give he a full 100 days before we get on her case. Maybe the President is holding her back for the moment, while he works on the Stimulus package (but why?)

Don't Roberts Me, Chief!

Lets see how the after math of the oath of office at the inauguration will play out between the White House and the Supreme Court. I'm positive that Chief Justice Roberts did not try to trip up the President on purpose -- it was an honest mistake, but it did start off the relationship between the Supreme Court and President Obama on a funny foot. How many Supreme Court Justices do you think President Obama will be able to appoint in his first 4 years?

The First Trip on Air Force One for 44

A few days ago, President Obama took his first official ride on Air Force One. He got to wear his new flight jacket and even bumped his head while boarding Marine One (the helicopter). His first flight was a 31-minute jaunt from Washington, en route to a Democratic off-site meeting. Check out these two great photos from the White House about this special first trip.

Taking the Stimulus on the Road

President Obama has been taking his stimulus package plans on the road with a series of town hall style meetings about the stimulus package.

In a town hall meeting today, President Obama said that "only government" can get us out of this dire economic issue. "It is absolutely true that we can't depend on government alone to create jobs or economic growth," the President said. "But at this particular moment, with the private sector so weakened by this recession, the federal government is the only entity left with the resources to jolt our economy back into life. It is only government that can break the vicious cycle where lost jobs lead to people spending less money which leads to even more layoffs."

The matter at hand is the $838 billion stimulus package current under approval in the Senate. Let's see if it passes this week.