Remember That Foreclosure Prevention Aid? Well, It's Finally Arrived!

Remember when President Obama announced that foreclosure prevention program when visiting us back in January? Well, it's finally here, and we're getting $102.8 million. So what again will be happening?

The $102.8 million for Nevada is set to be used in this way:

· Nevada will create a mortgage modification program using a combination of forgiveness and forbearance with a goal of reducing principal to less than 115 percent of loan-to-value and lowering payments to 31 percent of debt-to-income.

· The state will also offer assistance to reduce/eliminate second liens with earned forgiveness over a three-year term.

· The state will provide allowances for appraisal and transaction fees, moving fees, a legal allowance for up to three months,and a combination of incentives for borrowers and servicers to facilitate short sales.

This help was long overdue, but thankfully it finally came.

But of course, since it was Harry Reid and Dina Titus that worked on making this program happen, the GOoP crowd is crying foul. Reid and Titus work on a program to help Nevadans, and when it happens they bash them and make accusations... Only for the next day to hear them say, "These Democrats don't do anything for Nevada". So which is it?

And of course, they're calling it everything from "welfare" to "socialism" to "bribery"... And calling the people about to receive this aid "lazy bums". Remember that saying, "Judge not, lest we be judged"? These people needing help to avoid foreclosure were just like us not that long ago, people who had "stable jobs" and people who thought they did everything right in investing in their homes in a "HOT, HOT, HOT HOUSING MARKET!" Hardly anyone saw The Great Recession coming, and for too many people these circumstances (losing jobs, losing other sources of income, going underwater on the mortgage) were out of their control.

So don't say "no big government", then whine about "government inaction". If everything were left to "the free market", we'd all be dead and Las Vegas would be dead. Oh wait, that's right... The GOoPers nominated that Obtuse Angle lady who makes no sense. Whatever.

Thanks to people who realize what struggling Nevada families need right now, we're getting some help. And hopefully more homeowners can save their homes.

Meanwhile, Harry Reid Actually Gets Stuff Done...

OK, so it's been hard lately for me to take my eyes off the trainwreck that Suzy Lowdown's campaign has become along with Batsh*t Crazy Sharron Angle catapulting her way to the top of her party so rich with embarrassments. But apparently today, the guy who actually is our Senator delivered some good news.

After failing yesterday to get the 60 votes they needed to bring debate on a historic financial reform bill to a close, Senate Democrats succeeded in this afternoon's cloture vote.

The final vote today was 60-40 (yesterday it was 57-42). Next up is a final vote on passage, which is expected to take place within days.

After today's vote, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said there are "a couple of amendments that are germane post-cloture, but they're the ones that we have to figure out a way to get resolved."

"We're going to try to work through this," Reid said, adding that there may be more votes this afternoon.

"Best of all worlds, we'd finish this thing and move onto other issues," Reid said. "We're gonna try to do that."

Sure, financial regulatory reform isn't perfect... But at least it looks like we'll have a chance to see votes on amendments to strengthen the bill tomorrow. Hope isn't all lost. Rather, we have a chance to finally see some kind of overhaul in our financial system to prevent any more "too big to fail" catastrophes like what we saw in 2008.

Oh, and did you hear about this?

Stimulus funds will have created or saved 5,600 construction jobs by the end of the year, according to a press release issued yesterday by the Nevada Department of Transportation.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the release says, has provided about $201 million in funding for road construction in Nevada, and 90 percent of the funds have already been contracted out to construction companies.

The release states that 32 ARRA-funded projects are currently underway in the state, and an additional six will begin by the end of May. After the rest of the projects begin over the course of summer and fall, a total of 69 road projects will have used stimulus funding.

Stimulus money has provided funding for numerous road preservation projects throughout the state, funding for landscape projects along the U.S. 95 in Las Vegas and the 395 in Carson City, and partial funding for a new interchange at the 395 and Meadowood Way in Reno. A full list of projects, last updated in January, can be found on the NDOT website.

The majority of the funds — $134 million – have been allocated for work on state highways. An additional $40 million was allocated to Clark County, where about 30 projects were funded by Federal stimulus money. $9 million was allocated to Washoe county, $11 million to rural areas and $6 million to numerous “enhancements.”

But wait, haven't the GOoPers been calling the Recovery Act "porkulus"? So that "pork" meant money for roads and some 5,600 much needed jobs? So Harry Reid was right in pushing to pass the Recovery Act?



The difference can't be any clearer. Whoever the GOoPers ultimately decide upon, he or she will be campaigning AGAINST the very measures that are now pulling us out of the worst recession since the 1930s and into economic recovery. Senator Reid actually worked to pass these very measures that are bringing about a turnaround.

Now why would Nevada want to settle for less? I don't think we do. :-)

NV-03: Dina Titus House Party in Henderson

On Saturday, I had the chance to see my favorite Congresswoman in action at a house party up in Anthem. Dina Titus was answering questions about health care, the Recovery Act, the economy, cooperation (or lack thereof) between the state and the feds, and a little question on immigration reform that I got in. ;-)

For a "small house party" in Sun City Anthem, you can see from my photos that we got a good crowd. As soon as Dina made it from another house party in Henderson, we got started.

On health care, Dina reassured the crowd (many were seniors, as we were right in the heart of Sun City Anthem) that the health care reform legislation passed this year would NOT HURT MEDICARE BENEFITS, but would actually strengthen the Medicare system by redirecting funds from pure insurance company profits into improving the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit and offering free preventive care.

Dina was also asked about Social Security. Someone was concerned about the recent Republican talking points being released on Social Security "going bankrupt" in six years. Dina responded by calling that talking point out as a lie and pointing out how the longer-term solvency issues of Social Security can easily be solved, starting with Congress stopping the raids into the Social Security Trust Fund to pay for things like corporate tax cuts and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (what Bush and the Republican Congress did last decade).

There were quite a few questions about the Recovery Act (stimulus) and whether Nevada is getting the money. Dina explained how we are now (FINALLY!!!) getting Recovery Act funds for schools, transportation, and more... No thanks to "Luv Giv" Gibbons. He was the source of most of the delays, as he didn't want to post signs showing these projects were paid for by the Recovery Act and he didn't want to bother with the accountability measures needed for Nevada to receive the funds. Dina Titus then said Congress is trying to get the next round of education funds directly to the schools, so that next time we won't have to worry again about idiots like Gibbons trying to block us from receiving federal funds.

I then asked a question about immigration reform and whether Congress will soon pass comprehensive reform including the Uniting American Families Act. I explained how it was unfair for LGBTQ families trying to do everything legally to still be denied entry because of who they are. As of now, LGBTQ Americans can't sponsor their spouses for legal entry into the country. Dina sympathized with what I said, but I could tell she didn't want to deal with the "hot potato" immigration issue. She talked about the the over 200 bills passed by the House that are still stalled in the Senate, and how House members do not want to see any more legislation passed by them just to hit roadblocks in the Senate. Clearly, she was repeating what Nancy Pelosi has said before, which is that they want to see action in the Senate first on immigration and other "hot button issues" before they drop anything not "directly related to economic recovery" to take them on.

I was a bit frustrated, but I could also understand. For better or for worse, immigration is now Harry Reid's issue and he'll have to get something passed in the Senate first before Pelosi will allow Dina Titus and Shelley Berkley and everyone else in the House to work on immigration issues.

Before Dina had to leave for Lake Mead (to give an award for biggest fish caught, don't ask), she took one more question on foreign affairs and specifically the Israeli-Palestinean conflict. The hostess herself asked, as she was concerned about Israel. Dina Titus responded by saying she shared those concerns about Israel and stated her thoughts on Israel's right to exist.

OK, I must admit this was another frustrating moment for me. The vast majority of Palestineans aren't denying Israel's right to exist... They're just asking for their right to exist on their land. Now Dina Titus did say that "the peace process has to be a two-way street", but this should mean that both sides are willing to actually talk and stop the land incursions and illegal settlements along with the terrorist attacks. Israel can't be expected not to defend itself, but neither can Palestine. There really has to be a two-state solution that all sides can agree to and live with.

OK, enough of my foreign policy preaching. Yes, I sometimes have my issues with Dina. But all in all, it was good to see her here in Henderson reaching out to us in the neighborhood. And hey, she does get quite a bit done for the community. That's why I'd rather keep her in Congress serving our district. Hey, at least she listens to me. ;-)

Economic Recovery: How Washington Sees It vs. How Nevada Sees It

The difference couldn't be any more stark. In Washington, Senators are bickering over "partisanship"... No, scratch that. They're really just in another power struggle!

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is likely to face increasing mutiny from fellow Democrats in the wake of Indiana U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh’s surprising decision to retire, political analysts say.

The announcement last week by Bayh, D-Ind., once widely favored to win re-election, has shaken the 59 members of the Democratic Caucus and threatens to create an “every senator for him- or herself” mentality that could weaken Reid’s ability to lead, political scientists predict. [...]

“I think the problem Harry Reid has now is holding his caucus together,” said Eric Herzik, chairman of the political science department at the University of Nevada, Reno and a registered Republican. “The irony is that both wings of his caucus could become more strident, with liberals demanding that he move to the left, and more moderate senators saying: ’You’re killing me in my home state. I can’t go with you on this one, Harry.’ Reid is caught in the middle.”

Now obviously, there's some hyperbole with this RGJ piece. After all, the headline warns of "rebellion!" and the story speaks of "mutiny!" OK... So we'll soon be hearing of gun fights and outbreak of (another) civil war?

Still, there has been real rancor in DC lately. And as always, it seems like a number of the folks on Capitol Hill are more concerned about their own egos than delivering any real accomplishments.

Already, Harry Reid is having to deal with this as he tries to win over whatever GOP votes are available for the jobs bill. Yes, the Republicans may even try to filibuster away job help!

Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, has been trying to round up a few Republican votes for his version of a jobs bill,after he surprised the Senate and the White House by jettisoning many elements of a bipartisan proposal that had some momentum.

Mr. Reid’s $15 billion plan includes four central elements of that proposal, including a payroll tax exemption for companies that hire unemployed workers, but he dropped billions of dollars in business tax breaks and other extraneous initiatives.

Whether Mr. Reid can prevail remains uncertain and he now needs at least two Republicans to join Democrats to overcome any Republican opposition since Senator Frank Lautenberg, the New Jersey Democrat who was taken ill last week, is not expected to be present and voting.

In a warning to those intending to block the bill, Mr. Reid’s aides have let it be known that a Republican filibuster of his jobs plan does not mean that he will then turn around and offer the earlier bipartisan version. But just exactly what he will do is not clear. [...]

With Democrats intensifying their criticism of Republicans for opposing almost all legislation and erecting procedural hurdles even to measures and nominees they ultimately support, [Senate Minority Leader] McConnell [R-Kentucky] was also a bit defensive over suggestions that Republicans are simply tying up Washington.

Even when it comes to important work on bringing about economic recovery, it's all about political gamesmanship for some in Washington.

And apparently, all the political games getting all the media attention hasn't helped in getting Nevadans to understand what last year's stimulus package has been doing to bring on economic recovery.

The stimulus gave a significant tax cut to most people; it stabilized state budgets, including Nevada’s to the tune of a $1 billion, which prevented layoffs of thousands of teachers and saved hospitals that would have cratered in the face of a steep cut in Medicaid reimbursements; it provided money for extended unemployment benefits; and, it set in motion infrastructure projects, including a recently announced $34 million for a bus rapid transit line on Sahara Avenue.

Although the job losses have largely stopped, companies haven’t begun hiring again, so most Americans aren’t feeling very good about their economic prospects. [...]

So, not surprisingly, the stimulus doesn’t poll well. A CNN poll showed 56 percent disapprove.

But here’s the paradox: By wide margins, as high as 80 percent, Americans favor the provisions of the bill, including money for the unemployed, infrastructure spending and tax cuts.

As [Rep. Dina] Titus [D-Henderson] noted, however, the marketing of the bill has been less than stellar.

“No, we did not do a good job,” she said.

“People have forgotten it included the big tax break, they have forgotten the $250 check if you’re on Social Security or a veteran. Those aspects were not played up enough. And then money for the state — look where the state would be without it. Then there’s the continuation of unemployment benefits at a time when Nevada is second to Michigan” in unemployment.

Then Titus reiterated her point: “No, we didn’t do a good job selling it.”

And I'd add that it's become difficult to even "sell it" when talk of the stimulus often deteriorates to complete lies and distortions.

She noted many Americans mistakenly think the stimulus package and the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) — the bank bailout — are the same thing.

Titus is right. More than half of Americans think stimulus money went to help “bankers and investors,” according to the CNN poll. Which, aside from tax cuts that nearly all Americans received, is untrue.

For Titus, that’s doubly cruel: She wasn’t even in Congress when the first round of TARP money was approved, and then she voted against the second round.

For the Republicans, it makes perfect sense to "pass the buck" on TARP (which remember, was proposed by George Bush before he left office in 2008) onto President Obama and confuse the stimulus with TARP so that it's easier to just rail against "bailouts" and enrage the teabagger "masses" (more like a few small conspiracy kook crowds, but the media prefer big stories of "controversy" and "epic conflict" to real facts).

One of my all-time favorite bloggers, Desert Beacon, tackled the whole "stimulus issue" on Friday and looked through the spin to discover the facts.

The Republicans are certainly trying to drum in the message: "The Stimulus Bill hasn't created a single job." [TP] As has been that Party's practice, the message is phrased in highly generalized terms, as a blanket indictment of federal spending, without noting the specifics. One small specific from the Nevada State Health Division is instructive.

The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (Stimulus Bill) paid for a $46, 232 supplement to the " Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) original $76,743 allotted in the FFY10 budget for ambulatory center surgery inspections bringing the total to $ 109,991. The additional ARRA funding will support the inspection of 13 ambulatory surgical centers, with a new CMS survey process that uses an infection control tool developed in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)." [NSHD pdf]

If memory serves Nevada experienced a Hepatitis C outbreak in 2008 related to inspection issues? In May 2008, the Sparks Tribune reported: "Of the 50 ambulatory surgery centers now being inspected for unsafe practices by the state Bureau of Licensure and Certification, 22 haven’t had recertification surveys within a six-year time frame. In one case, the gap was 15 years. Twenty-one others haven’t been open long enough to have had a six-year inspection." With the cut backs in agency budgets currently under consideration, is it really rational to lash out at funding that supported someone inspecting another 13 ambulatory surgical centers?

There are larger pieces that receive wider public support, like spending on infrastructure. The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act included $144 billion for public infrastructure projects, and the level of public support was significant. USNWR reported: "A national poll released today (Jan. '09) shows that 94 percent of Americans support a national effort to build up the country's infrastructure. Meanwhile, 81 percent of Americans say they are prepared to pay 1 percent more in federal taxes to support infrastructure projects." There was another important item in the polling just cited.

"One caveat in the support for infrastructure spending, however, is how the projects are developed. More than half of Americans in the poll say that either the accountability or the transparency of the projects is their most important consideration in public works spending. That's three times more than those who say that achieving "measurable results" is their top priority." So, people placed "accountability and transparency" at a much level of concern than "measurable results," and they got it. However, one can't have it both ways; either the money gets spent quickly with less accounting or the money gets spent more slowly with more accounting. Fast or slowly, Nevada is getting $ 270,010,945 for infrastructure and public transit funding under the Stimulus Bill. [CBS] Are the Republicans really opposed to cash-strapped Nevada getting $270 million in public transportation and infrastructure funding? There are construction jobs to be paid for and the state budget isn't where those are going to be found.

So we are getting money. Just remember that it took so damned long because "Luv-Guv Gibbons" wanted to start a fight over who would have ultimate control over the stimulus funds. And obviously, that was much more important to him than actually setting up the needed tracking tools (to meet the transparency and accountability requirements) to receive those stimulus funds.

But hey, at least we're getting the money now. And we're seeing results. It's just that the Republicans don't want us to know that it's stimulus funds at work while the Democrats are busy trying to push the jobs bill in DC to bring back some more needed help and apply it directly to the unemployment crisis we're still facing.

So I can understand why a number of our neighbors are confused over what was done last year to promote economic recovery and what's being done this year to create more jobs. When all the media attention is on partisan and inter-party flame wars and ego stroking, it's hard to see how our government is doing us any good. But when we look beyond the petty politics and look at how the policy is being put to use here in Nevada and elsewhere throughout the country, we can start to get a better picture of how it's really working.

And in further economy news...

The House just voted to extend unemployment benefits in Nevada and 25 other states with 8.5% or higher unemployment rates for 13 more weeks.

Some 5 million people, about one-third of those on the unemployment list, have been without a job for six months or more, a record since data started being recorded in 1948, according to the research and advocacy group National Employment Law Project.

“It smashes any other figure we have ever seen. It is an unthinkable number,” said Andrew Stettner, NELP’s deputy director. He said there are currently about six jobless people for every job opening, so it’s unlikely people are purposefully living off unemployment insurance while waiting for something better to come along.

The current state unemployment check is about $300 a month, supplemented by $25 included in the stimulus act.

That doesn’t go very far when a loaf of bread can cost $2.79 and a gallon of milk $2.72, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., said at a hearing last week on the unemployment insurance issue.

Yep, this is why we need it. Hopefully, things will eventually turn around. Still, things won't turn around until people have money in their bank accounts. I'm glad we'll see another extension.

Another Winning Move by Reid

Wow. Harry Reid just gave me another sweet surprise. Let's hope he can get this good program extended so more working families can afford to buy that first home... And stimulate our economy a little more.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said today he expects Congress by year’s end to extend the $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers.

The program was launched as part of the economic recovery act, and is set to expire Dec. 1. Those eligible are first-time homebuyers in primary residences.

Reid said the program has support from both Democrats and Republicans, and continuing it would be on the agenda before Congress adjourns in December.

“We are going to extend that,” Reid said during a conference call with Nevada reporters.

“It’s something we can get done,” he said. “We have to do it by the end of the year.”

The sharp downturn in home sales, especially in hard hit Nevada, has continued to be a drag on the economy. Home buying is one of the best ways to stimulate economic activity, as new homeowners seek other goods and services, he said.

Finally, Some Real Leadership!

They did it. They really did it!

Democratic lawmakers on Monday took unprecedented steps to control the role of the executive branch, according to lawmakers from both parties. During a meeting of the Interim Finance Committee — which exists so changes in the budget can be made when the Legislature is not in session — lawmakers rejected a plan by Gov. Jim Gibbons’ administration for how to spend some of the federal stimulus money and stripped from his office a newly created position to oversee spending of Nevada’s $1.5 billion allotment.

The Legislature was assertive during its regular session, which ended June 1, making wholesale changes in the budget and overriding Gibbons’ veto of lawmakers’ spending and tax plans. Gibbons was a rare presence in the Legislative Building and had little communication even with Republican leaders.

This week’s actions made it clear that just because the part-time Legislature is out of session, it won’t grant Gibbons carte blanche. [...]

“Unfortunately, there are a lot of distractions in the governor’s office,” said Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas. “Whether it’s the transiency of staff, or the personal matters that distract the governor. What the public needs is leadership.”

And really, it's about damn time. Democrats in Carson City need to keep growing that spine and stand up for what's right and what's necessary. It's too bad they didn't do more of this when the full Legislature was in session, but at least we're finally getting some grown-up leadership now.