Macaca
12-13 06:23 PM
Intraparty Feuds Dog Democrats, Stall Congress (http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119750838630225395.html) By David Rogers | Wall Street Journal, Dec 13, 2007
WASHINGTON -- Democrats took control of Congress last January promising a "new direction." A year later, the image that haunts them most is one symbolizing no direction at all: gridlock.
Unfinished work is piling up -- legislation to aid borrowers affected by the housing mess, rescue millions of middle-class families from a big tax increase and put stricter gas-mileage limits on the auto industry. Two months into the new fiscal year, Democrats are still scrambling just to keep the government open.
President Bush and Republicans are contributing to the impasse, but there's another factor: Intraparty squabbling between House Democrats and Senate Democrats is sometimes almost as fierce as the partisan battling.
A fracas between Democrats this week over a proposed $522 billion spending package is the latest example. The spending would keep the government running through the current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, 2008, but it has opened party divisions over funding the Iraq war and lawmakers' home-state projects.
After enjoying an early rise, Congress's approval ratings have fallen since the spring amid the rancor. In the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, just 19% of respondents said they approved of the job Congress is doing, while 68% disapproved.
Democrats are hoping to get a boost by enacting the tougher auto- mileage standards before Christmas, but other matters, such as a farm bill to continue government price supports, are likely to wait for the new year.
Republicans suffered from the same House-Senate tensions in their 12 years of rule in Congress. But the situation is more acute now for Democrats, who must cope with both Mr. Bush's vetoes and the narrowest of margins in the Senate, leaving them vulnerable to Republican filibusters.
Democrats in the House interpret the 2006 elections as a mandate for change. They are more antiwar and more willing to shed old ways -- such as "earmarks" for legislators' pet projects -- to confront the White House. Senate Democrats, by comparison, remain more tied to tradition and institutional rules that demand consensus before taking action.
"The Senate and House are out of phase with one another," says Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. "There was a big change last year, a big change that affected the whole House and one-third of the Senate. That's the fundamental disconnect."
Rather than move to the center after 2006, President Bush has moved right to shore up his conservative base. He has also adopted a confrontational veto strategy calculated to disrupt the new Congress and reduce its effectiveness in challenging him on Iraq.
Just yesterday, the president issued his second veto of Democrat- backed legislation to expand government-provided health insurance for the children of working-class families. In his first six years as president, Mr. Bush issued only one veto. Since Democrats took over Congress, he has issued six vetoes, and threats of more hang over the budget talks now.
For Democrats, teamwork is vital to challenging the president, and it's not always forthcoming. A comment by Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat who is chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, suggests the distant relationship between the two houses. "We have a constitutional responsibility to send legislation over there," said Rep. Rangel. "Quite frankly I don't give a damn what they feel."
Adds Wisconsin Rep. David Obey, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee: "I can tell you when bills will move and you can tell me when the Senate will sell us out."
With 2008 an election year overseen by a lame-duck president, it's unlikely that Congress will be able to break out of its slump.
Sometimes the disputes resemble play-acting. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) has quietly invited House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Cal.) to blame the Senate if it suits her purpose to explain the slow pace of legislation, according to a person close to Sen. Reid.
At the same time, he can use her as his foil to fend off Republican demands in the Senate: "I can't control Speaker Pelosi," he said last week in debate on an energy bill. "She is a strong independent woman. She runs the House with an iron hand."
Still, the interchamber differences have real consequences, as seen in the fight over the budget.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd of West Virginia long argued against creating a big package that would combine all the main spending bills. He preferred to confront Mr. Bush with a series of targeted individual bills where he could gain some Republican support and maintain leverage over the president. But Mr. Byrd was undercut by his leadership's failure to allow more time for debate on the Senate floor. After Labor Day, the House began pressing for a single large package.
The $522 billion proposed bill ultimately emerged from weeks of talks that included moderate Republicans. The bill cut $10.6 billion from earlier spending proposals, moving closer to Mr. Bush, while giving him new money he wanted for the State Department as well as a border-security initiative.
No new money was provided specifically for Iraq but the bill gives the Pentagon an additional $31 billion for the war in Afghanistan and body armor for troops in the field. The goal was to provide enough money for Army accounts so its funding would be adequate into April, when a fuller debate could be held on the U.S.'s plans in Iraq.
For Senate Democrats and Mr. Byrd, the effort was a gamble that a moderate center could be found to stand up to Mr. Bush. The more combative Mr. Obey, the House appropriations chairman, was never persuaded this could happen.
After the White House announced its opposition over the weekend, Mr. Obey said Monday that the budget proposal was dead unless changes were made. The effect was to divide Democrats again, instead of putting up a united front against the White House's resistance.
Mr. Obey suggested that lawmakers should be willing to strip out home-state projects, acceding to Mr. Bush's tight line on spending, if that's what it took to make a tough stand on Iraq.
"I am perfectly willing to lose every dollar on the domestic side of the ledger in order to avoid giving them money for the war without conditions," Mr. Obey said. His suggestion met strong resistance from Senate Democrats. At a party luncheon, senators were almost comic in their anger, said one colleague who was present, loudly complaining of being reduced to being "puppets" or "slaves."
On the Senate floor yesterday, Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn said Democrats were showing signs of "attention deficit disorder." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, accused the new majority of being more interested in "finger pointing" and "headlines" than legislation. "It won't get bills signed into law," he said.
While Ms. Pelosi had personally supported Mr. Obey's approach, she instructed the House committee to preserve the projects as it began a second round of spending reductions yesterday, cutting an additional $6.9 billion from the $522 billion package.
The Senate committee's Democratic staff joined in the discussions by evening, but the White House denied reports that a deal had been reached at a spending ceiling above the president's initial request.
If agreement is not reached by the end of next week, lawmakers may have to resort again to a yearlong funding resolution that effectively freezes most agencies at their current levels. This would be a repeat of the collapse of the budget process last year under Republican rule -- not the "new direction" Democrats had hoped for.
Tied in Knots
The House and Senate are struggling to complete several matters before they head home this month.
Appropriations: Only the Pentagon budget is in place for the new fiscal year that began Oct. 1. The House and Senate are struggling to finish a bill covering the rest of the government.
Farm bill: The Senate still hopes to complete its version of a farm bill but negotiations with the House will wait until next year.
AMT relief: The House and Senate have passed legislation limiting the alternative minimum tax's hit on millions of middle-class taxpayers. But they differ about whether to offset the lost revenue.
Medicare: Doctors are set to see a cut in Medicare payments in 2008, which lawmakers want to prevent. The House acted, but Senate hasn't yet.
Housing: Several bills addressing the housing crisis have passed the House but are languishing in the Senate.
WASHINGTON -- Democrats took control of Congress last January promising a "new direction." A year later, the image that haunts them most is one symbolizing no direction at all: gridlock.
Unfinished work is piling up -- legislation to aid borrowers affected by the housing mess, rescue millions of middle-class families from a big tax increase and put stricter gas-mileage limits on the auto industry. Two months into the new fiscal year, Democrats are still scrambling just to keep the government open.
President Bush and Republicans are contributing to the impasse, but there's another factor: Intraparty squabbling between House Democrats and Senate Democrats is sometimes almost as fierce as the partisan battling.
A fracas between Democrats this week over a proposed $522 billion spending package is the latest example. The spending would keep the government running through the current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30, 2008, but it has opened party divisions over funding the Iraq war and lawmakers' home-state projects.
After enjoying an early rise, Congress's approval ratings have fallen since the spring amid the rancor. In the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, just 19% of respondents said they approved of the job Congress is doing, while 68% disapproved.
Democrats are hoping to get a boost by enacting the tougher auto- mileage standards before Christmas, but other matters, such as a farm bill to continue government price supports, are likely to wait for the new year.
Republicans suffered from the same House-Senate tensions in their 12 years of rule in Congress. But the situation is more acute now for Democrats, who must cope with both Mr. Bush's vetoes and the narrowest of margins in the Senate, leaving them vulnerable to Republican filibusters.
Democrats in the House interpret the 2006 elections as a mandate for change. They are more antiwar and more willing to shed old ways -- such as "earmarks" for legislators' pet projects -- to confront the White House. Senate Democrats, by comparison, remain more tied to tradition and institutional rules that demand consensus before taking action.
"The Senate and House are out of phase with one another," says Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. "There was a big change last year, a big change that affected the whole House and one-third of the Senate. That's the fundamental disconnect."
Rather than move to the center after 2006, President Bush has moved right to shore up his conservative base. He has also adopted a confrontational veto strategy calculated to disrupt the new Congress and reduce its effectiveness in challenging him on Iraq.
Just yesterday, the president issued his second veto of Democrat- backed legislation to expand government-provided health insurance for the children of working-class families. In his first six years as president, Mr. Bush issued only one veto. Since Democrats took over Congress, he has issued six vetoes, and threats of more hang over the budget talks now.
For Democrats, teamwork is vital to challenging the president, and it's not always forthcoming. A comment by Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat who is chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, suggests the distant relationship between the two houses. "We have a constitutional responsibility to send legislation over there," said Rep. Rangel. "Quite frankly I don't give a damn what they feel."
Adds Wisconsin Rep. David Obey, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee: "I can tell you when bills will move and you can tell me when the Senate will sell us out."
With 2008 an election year overseen by a lame-duck president, it's unlikely that Congress will be able to break out of its slump.
Sometimes the disputes resemble play-acting. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) has quietly invited House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Cal.) to blame the Senate if it suits her purpose to explain the slow pace of legislation, according to a person close to Sen. Reid.
At the same time, he can use her as his foil to fend off Republican demands in the Senate: "I can't control Speaker Pelosi," he said last week in debate on an energy bill. "She is a strong independent woman. She runs the House with an iron hand."
Still, the interchamber differences have real consequences, as seen in the fight over the budget.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd of West Virginia long argued against creating a big package that would combine all the main spending bills. He preferred to confront Mr. Bush with a series of targeted individual bills where he could gain some Republican support and maintain leverage over the president. But Mr. Byrd was undercut by his leadership's failure to allow more time for debate on the Senate floor. After Labor Day, the House began pressing for a single large package.
The $522 billion proposed bill ultimately emerged from weeks of talks that included moderate Republicans. The bill cut $10.6 billion from earlier spending proposals, moving closer to Mr. Bush, while giving him new money he wanted for the State Department as well as a border-security initiative.
No new money was provided specifically for Iraq but the bill gives the Pentagon an additional $31 billion for the war in Afghanistan and body armor for troops in the field. The goal was to provide enough money for Army accounts so its funding would be adequate into April, when a fuller debate could be held on the U.S.'s plans in Iraq.
For Senate Democrats and Mr. Byrd, the effort was a gamble that a moderate center could be found to stand up to Mr. Bush. The more combative Mr. Obey, the House appropriations chairman, was never persuaded this could happen.
After the White House announced its opposition over the weekend, Mr. Obey said Monday that the budget proposal was dead unless changes were made. The effect was to divide Democrats again, instead of putting up a united front against the White House's resistance.
Mr. Obey suggested that lawmakers should be willing to strip out home-state projects, acceding to Mr. Bush's tight line on spending, if that's what it took to make a tough stand on Iraq.
"I am perfectly willing to lose every dollar on the domestic side of the ledger in order to avoid giving them money for the war without conditions," Mr. Obey said. His suggestion met strong resistance from Senate Democrats. At a party luncheon, senators were almost comic in their anger, said one colleague who was present, loudly complaining of being reduced to being "puppets" or "slaves."
On the Senate floor yesterday, Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn said Democrats were showing signs of "attention deficit disorder." Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, accused the new majority of being more interested in "finger pointing" and "headlines" than legislation. "It won't get bills signed into law," he said.
While Ms. Pelosi had personally supported Mr. Obey's approach, she instructed the House committee to preserve the projects as it began a second round of spending reductions yesterday, cutting an additional $6.9 billion from the $522 billion package.
The Senate committee's Democratic staff joined in the discussions by evening, but the White House denied reports that a deal had been reached at a spending ceiling above the president's initial request.
If agreement is not reached by the end of next week, lawmakers may have to resort again to a yearlong funding resolution that effectively freezes most agencies at their current levels. This would be a repeat of the collapse of the budget process last year under Republican rule -- not the "new direction" Democrats had hoped for.
Tied in Knots
The House and Senate are struggling to complete several matters before they head home this month.
Appropriations: Only the Pentagon budget is in place for the new fiscal year that began Oct. 1. The House and Senate are struggling to finish a bill covering the rest of the government.
Farm bill: The Senate still hopes to complete its version of a farm bill but negotiations with the House will wait until next year.
AMT relief: The House and Senate have passed legislation limiting the alternative minimum tax's hit on millions of middle-class taxpayers. But they differ about whether to offset the lost revenue.
Medicare: Doctors are set to see a cut in Medicare payments in 2008, which lawmakers want to prevent. The House acted, but Senate hasn't yet.
Housing: Several bills addressing the housing crisis have passed the House but are languishing in the Senate.
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mteguh
08-11 12:53 AM
Hi, how do I set the brightness of an object in Expression Blend / through code?
Also I am just curious, what is the best practice to bring a design in photoshop to blend?
Thank you.
Also I am just curious, what is the best practice to bring a design in photoshop to blend?
Thank you.
sabgau
07-12 08:27 AM
I left my Indian consulting company and the employer owes me $14,000 which he is now refusing to pay, he says he will deduct it as a cost of H1 and GC processing fees
When I started working for him he told me that he would take care of all these costs(of course he did not give this in writing) and not at anytime was there a verbal or written agreement that I would have to repay him these costs if I left him.
What recourse do I have now?
When I started working for him he told me that he would take care of all these costs(of course he did not give this in writing) and not at anytime was there a verbal or written agreement that I would have to repay him these costs if I left him.
What recourse do I have now?
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nozerd
10-14 12:27 AM
I am an EB3 INDIA PD:August 2001 expecting long wait for greencard.
I am Canadian PR and have been offered job by my current company's Toronto office. Company will continue US GC process but till I get GC I will be in Canada on Canadian payroll so legally cant visit US on H1B visa.
My spouse is doing a professional degree in US which will last another 2 ys. She has expired H4 visa stamp on passport. She will be applying for H4 --->F1 conversion.
My question is can she return back to USA after visiting me in Canada using AVR ? She would be on F1 but with expired H1 on passport ? She will not apply for new visa in Canada and leave within 30 days.
Thanks
I am Canadian PR and have been offered job by my current company's Toronto office. Company will continue US GC process but till I get GC I will be in Canada on Canadian payroll so legally cant visit US on H1B visa.
My spouse is doing a professional degree in US which will last another 2 ys. She has expired H4 visa stamp on passport. She will be applying for H4 --->F1 conversion.
My question is can she return back to USA after visiting me in Canada using AVR ? She would be on F1 but with expired H1 on passport ? She will not apply for new visa in Canada and leave within 30 days.
Thanks
more...
ajaysri
06-08 12:43 PM
I have replied to my I-485 RFE and the case status on USCIS website has changed from "RFE sent..." to "On June 2, 2009, we received your response to our request for evidence. We will notify you by mail when we make a decision or if we need something from you...."
I am EB-3 India Oct 2004 PD. So not likely that my case status will change to "Approved" any time sooner. Do any one know if the status will change to any thing else before changing to "Approved" ? What I am trying to understand is if the case status will be updated on the website to state some thing that reflects that they accepted my answer in the RFE response.
Thanks,
AjaySri
I am EB-3 India Oct 2004 PD. So not likely that my case status will change to "Approved" any time sooner. Do any one know if the status will change to any thing else before changing to "Approved" ? What I am trying to understand is if the case status will be updated on the website to state some thing that reflects that they accepted my answer in the RFE response.
Thanks,
AjaySri
arrarrgee
12-02 03:00 PM
ImmInfo Newsletter: Just How Bad is the Backlog? (http://imminfo.com/News/Newsletter/2009-12/just_how_bad_is_the_backlog.html)
more...
kandhu
03-29 09:54 PM
The time spent in H4 does NOT count towards the 6 year H1 time. So in your case the H1 clock starts from Sep 2004.
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mmrao2007
04-10 10:13 PM
Will there be any updates on 485 LUDs when USCIS works on I-140?
I have submitted approved EB3 I140 and 485 on Aug 2nd 2007. I submitted EB2 I140 for approval on Dec 11 2007. There haven't been many LUDs on any of these files except when applied for AP and EAD. Now on Apr 7th 2009 I see new LUDs on EB2 I140 and 485(for both wife and me). There is nothing after that. I am not able to make out anything of it. Any comments, suggestions or opinions are appreciated. Thx
I have submitted approved EB3 I140 and 485 on Aug 2nd 2007. I submitted EB2 I140 for approval on Dec 11 2007. There haven't been many LUDs on any of these files except when applied for AP and EAD. Now on Apr 7th 2009 I see new LUDs on EB2 I140 and 485(for both wife and me). There is nothing after that. I am not able to make out anything of it. Any comments, suggestions or opinions are appreciated. Thx
more...
giannina68
06-19 11:09 AM
I'm looking to travel to Puerto Rico for a few days in July for my honeymoon but both my green card and passport have both expired. I have been in the US since 1988 and don't travel aboard very often so I overlooked this issue.
I have been told that I can travel to Puerto Rico with just a valid driver's license but don't want to take a chance of having them ask me for my passport and green card and then not being allowed back in the country. I would think that if they ask me if I'm a resident alien, they woudl want to see a non expired green card. I assume it is too late to go through the renewal process for both with just a few weeks left before my trip. I would love to know if I need to go through the renewal process for my passport, green card or both in order to fly to Puerto Rico or if I should just stick to US states.
thanks!
I have been told that I can travel to Puerto Rico with just a valid driver's license but don't want to take a chance of having them ask me for my passport and green card and then not being allowed back in the country. I would think that if they ask me if I'm a resident alien, they woudl want to see a non expired green card. I assume it is too late to go through the renewal process for both with just a few weeks left before my trip. I would love to know if I need to go through the renewal process for my passport, green card or both in order to fly to Puerto Rico or if I should just stick to US states.
thanks!
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easygoer
08-17 03:53 PM
Lawyers please help,
I am on my 7th year of H-1B (not stamped) and H-1B is due to expire in 2011. I am with the same employer since beginning of H-1B. My AOS is pending and have received AP and EAD.
I am planning to visit Canada next month and want to enter USA with the help of AP. My question is Can I continue my salary using H-1B with the same employer? I read somewhere that I can use my H-1B for salary processing in such circumstances provided I am working for same employer.
I am on my 7th year of H-1B (not stamped) and H-1B is due to expire in 2011. I am with the same employer since beginning of H-1B. My AOS is pending and have received AP and EAD.
I am planning to visit Canada next month and want to enter USA with the help of AP. My question is Can I continue my salary using H-1B with the same employer? I read somewhere that I can use my H-1B for salary processing in such circumstances provided I am working for same employer.
more...
mp.Designs
11-03 10:05 PM
I can vouch for Jeremy here. He has some pretty nice skills, and wont run away with the money or anything. If u want proof of his AS skills, ask for his Isometric 3d engine. its amazing :)
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team trim
05-26 10:24 AM
I�m eb3 all other countries. My nationality is Canadian. Since a GC is not available shouldn�t the EAD I received be good for 2 years?
more...
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yuvarajc
09-14 08:31 AM
Thank you for the link.
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stormrider0610
February 3rd, 2009, 02:05 AM
Hi all, anyone have this lens with the Sony mount? Did you have any back focus issues with this lens? Thanks.
more...
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nixstor
08-17 02:59 PM
Live Telephone Assistance
Call 1-800-829-1040 . For further information
Call them and tell your status and ask him/her your specific questions.
They will give the correct and upto date information. They are very helpful and fully knowledgable of the tax law. You can even get the ID number of the person whom you spoke with for your reference.
Call 1-800-829-1040 . For further information
Call them and tell your status and ask him/her your specific questions.
They will give the correct and upto date information. They are very helpful and fully knowledgable of the tax law. You can even get the ID number of the person whom you spoke with for your reference.
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ranand00
04-08 08:30 PM
My H1B was approved for location A (MICHIGAN),ONE MONTH AGO.Now my employer wants me to work in location B(PA).My question-
Do I have to wait until labor is approved for location B or can I start working from monday and labor(for location B) can come in 10-15 days thereafter.I am a PT.
Thanks
Anand
Do I have to wait until labor is approved for location B or can I start working from monday and labor(for location B) can come in 10-15 days thereafter.I am a PT.
Thanks
Anand
more...
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johnshoemaker
03-16 10:46 PM
If I were going to spend over a year in a country which required a visa to visit (such as Nigeria), in order to study the local culture, which kind of visa would I need to obtain before hand? Business, work, study, visitor, etc?
Thanks!
Thanks!
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ImmigrationAnswerMan
03-03 10:19 PM
The child of an H-1B is eligible for an H-4 (as long as parent remains an H-1B) up until their 21st birthday as long as they remain unmarried.
*This information is for educational purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal advice. This information should not be relied upon without first consulting with an experienced immigration law attorney. This information is not intended to create an attorney client relationship.
*This information is for educational purposes only and should not be relied upon as legal advice. This information should not be relied upon without first consulting with an experienced immigration law attorney. This information is not intended to create an attorney client relationship.
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ranand00
02-20 09:31 AM
sorry i put the wrong no in status check
smartboy75
11-09 06:02 PM
You can file I-485 only when your PD is current. There is no connection between filing for I-485 and I-140 approval.
ishwarmahajan@yahoo.com
01-22 01:02 PM
How funny is this? My PERM was filed for Tech lead position and I am getting enquiries for PM position and I can not take it whereas you are trying togo in reverse direction. Anyways... you can not come in reverse direction now. The SOC code for Tech Lead is '"15-1031 Software Applications Engineer" which is definitely different than Computer Systems Manager and I believe logically management stream is altogether different than technical stream. Be very careful and refer to attorney at law before you make the decision.
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