President Obama’s $3.77 trillion budget proposal for 2014 calls for long-term changes to Social Security and Medicare in hopes of reducing the deficit by $1.8 trillion over the next decade.

 

The budget’s blueprint, which has already drawn criticism from both the right and left, offers changes to Social Security and Medicare. The budget also includes tax increases that would hit high-income corporations and homes. 

 

The Obama budget also calls for greater spending on infrastructure, nondefense research and early childhood education programs. These investments would be funded by other measures to avoid further adding to the deficit. 

 

“Debate in Washington has raged between reducing our deficits and making investments needed to grow our economy. My budget answers this argument; we can grow our economy, and reduce our deficits,” said the President. 

 

President Obama’s budget was released with a delay, coming after the House and Senate each passed separate and different 2014 budget frameworks. 

 

While the proposal is not expected to fly on Capitol Hill, Obama’s budget sets a powerful marker for continuing debt talks with lawmakers. 

 

President Obama’s budget calls for a $50 billion investment to repair bridges, highways, airports and transit systems. The budget would also create a National Infrastructure Bank to merge public and private capital for noteworthy projects.

 

Obama has already faced heavy criticism from the left for supporting a switch to a chained CPI measure, which is a new way to track inflation to ultimately reduce federal spending by slowing the growth in federal benefits which are adjusted each year for cost of living purposes. Obama’s budget; however, calls for ways to compensate low-income veterans and recipients of Supplemental Security Income. 

 

By 2020, the use of the chained CPI measure would yield an average tax increase of $311 among the 80 percent of homes that would see a tax increase. 

 

Among the President’s new tax measures, Obama plans to place a cap on the tax-advantaged portion of a person’s savings across tax-preferred retirement accounts, such as IRAs. 

 

The President’s debt reduction proposal comes from an offer he made to House Speaker John Boehner during last year’s fiscal cliff talks. The proposal, if accepted, would replace the automatic budget cuts, which took effect last month.  

 

 

Source: whitehouse.gov

 

A recent wave of tremendous cyber-attacks has proven it is possible to bend, but not shatter the Internet. 

 

It is easy for a virus to take down a website; attack methods known as “distributed denials of service” enable cybercriminals to direct considerable amounts of traffic to a website to overwhelm its servers and render the site unreachable. Government websites, banks and financial exchanges have been commonly targeted venues for distributed denial of service attacks. 

 

However last month, European spam-prevention service Spamhaus was rocked by the largest known cyber-attack in history causing Internet speeds to slow throughout large chunks of Europe. The attackers utilized nearly 100,000 servers to transmit 300 gigabits of traffic per second during the breach. The attack was more than three times larger than the Iranian-sponsored cyber-attacks of September 2012, which impeded access to some American banks’ websites for days. 

 

Yet many experts contend that the entire Internet cannot just be flipped on or off like a simple light switch. “The infrastructure of the Internet is highly robust and designed to guarantee reliable traffic at a high quality of service,” said Dr. Schneck, chief technology officer at Intel’s Internet security division. 

 

Despite the relative ease of taking down individual websites, it would be particularly difficult to sustain a widespread level of attack for a lengthy period of time, let alone a continuous flow of traffic that would exceed the limits of Internet service providers. 

The Internet is also too widely distributed to fall victim to a widespread attack. There have numerous occasions when regional access to the Internet was disrupted, either by attacks on vital services, accidental cable cutting, or a government-run utility limiting or shutting off access. Yet the Internet continued to work for billions of people outside of those regions. 

 

In the United States, a number of redundancies are built into the Internet; if one or two avenues are disrupted from your local network to the Internet, you likely won’t even notice a hitch. 

 

Another reason why the Internet is impossible to take down: cyber attackers depend on the Internet to operate. “The Internet is what the attackers need to deliver their attack,” said Gavin Reed, the director of engineering and products for Cisco. “I suppose it is possible for an attack to be large enough to destroy large chunks of the Internet, but we have not seen that happen.” 

 

Only government bodies have the ability to grind the entire Internet to a halt for a sustained period of time. So even as cyber-attacks increase in frequency and size, cyber criminals will never be able to take down the entire Internet. 

 

Source: whitehouse.gov

 

 

As the battle for the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act heats up in the state of New York, two prominent members of the Trans Rights Coalition have launched powerful media campaigns to educate New York residents about discrimination on the basis of expression and gender identity. 

 

The New York State Pride Agenda movement—often known as the Empire State Pride Agenda Campaign—has been broadcasting a radio spot in a number of media markets throughout the state. These advertisements serve as a reminder to listeners that New York employees should be judged on their accomplishments and merits, and not on the basis of their expression or gender identity. The Human Rights Campaign issued a simply statement to back the initiative of the Empire State Pride Agenda campaign, by saying “nobody deserves to be fired from their job or not hired for an employment opportunity because of who they are.”

 

Housing works has issued several postcards that illustrate the struggles that transgender New Yorkers face on a day to day basis. Housing works also explains on its webpage why the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act is such a critical piece of legislation to an initiative whose mission is related to the homelessness and HIV populations. 

 

Both campaigns draw attention to the prominence of New York State passing the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act this legislative session. This piece of legislation would prohibit discrimination against transgender people in employment, education, housing, credit and public accommodations. The state of New York protects lesbian, gay, bisexual, and heterosexual people from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. 

 

The Human Rights Campaign claims that it is time for the state of New York to close the gap and guarantee that transgender individuals are afforded the same vital anti-discrimination protections that are provided to the rest of the population. Currently sixteen states, Washington D.C., and 166 cities and towns in the United States institute similar laws, including Buffalo, Albany, New York City, Suffolk County, Rochester, and Tompkins County in the state of New York.  

 

 

Source: Human Rights Campaign

 

Support for same-sex marriage is now seemingly a wide held belief among adults born after 1980 as 70 percent claim that they believe lesbian women and gay men should be able to marry.

 

These results were released today from Pew Research; the poll showed millennial support for same sex marriage far outpaces any other generation in the United States. Among those Americans born between 1928 and 1945, only 31 percent support gay marriage. Meanwhile, nearly 40 percent of Baby Boomers and roughly half of Generation X-ers say they believe gay men and lesbian women should be allowed to legally marry. 

 

The prodigious support of the millennial generation has driven a significant shift in the country’s overall attitude toward same sex marriage. Presently, roughly 50 percent of Americans are in favor of legalizing gay marriage while 44 percent are opposed to the formation. This is a dramatic reversal from just 10 years ago, when over 58 percent of Americans opposed gay marriage and just a third of Americans were in favor of gay marriage. 

 

Last Tuesday, Rhode Island became the 10th state in the U.S. to legalize gay marriage. The state Senate of Delaware is set to vote tomorrow on a measure that only narrowly passed in the state House that would also allow gay men and lesbian women to secure a legal marriage. 

 

Earlier this year, the United States Supreme Court heard a pair of cases that challenged the constitutionality of a federal law that prohibits the government from conferring benefits on gay spouses and a California state law that prohibits the formation of gay marriages. The results of these cases are expected to be rendered sometime in June. Gay rights activists and supporters are hoping that the Court will rule in a matter that will legalize gay marriage in more or all of the 50 states in the U.S. 

 

 

Source: Human Rights Campaign

 

Today, President Barack Obama welcomed President Park Guen-hye of South Korea to the White House to celebrate 60 years of bilateral partnership between the United States and South Korea. 

 

Established after the Korean War, the United States-Republic of Korean Alliance is a linchpin of security and peace on the Korean Peninsula and within the Asia Pacific Region. 

 

Today, the two leaders affirmed that they would continue building on the last sixty years of stability by adapting and strengthening the alliance to adhere to the security challenges of the 21st century. 

 

“Guided by our shared vision, we are investing in the shared technologies and capabilities and missile defense systems that allow our forces to operate and succeed with one another,” said President Obama. The President added, “we are determined to be fully prepared to meet fully any challenge or threat to our nation’s security.”

President Park and President Obama also agreed to continue implementing the historic trade agreement between South Korea and the United States, which is already yielding benefits for both of our nations, President Obama said. 

 

“The United States is selling more exports to South Korea, more services, more manufactured goods, and more agricultural products,” the President said. “And even though we have a long way to go, our automobile exports are up nearly 50 percent, and the Big Three (Ford, Chrysler, and GM) are selling more and more cars in South Korea.

The agreement between the two nations is expected to boost American exports by roughly $10 billion and support tens of thousands of American jobs, in addition to creating employment opportunities in Korea, President Obama said. 

 

President Obama thanked President Park, who is the Republic of South Korea’s first female President, for choosing the United States of America as her first foreign trip. The visit between the two presidents reflects South Korea’s progress over the past 60 years,” President Obama said, “from the lowly depths of war, to one of the globe’s strongest economies; from a recipient of international aid to a donor that now helps other countries develop.”  

 

 

Source: whitehouse.gov

 

The Rhode Island Senate made history this week after passing S-38, also known as the marriage equality bill, by a vote of 26 to 12. The state of Rhode Island is now poised to become the tenth state in the nation along with Washington, D.C. to formally legalize gay marriage. 

 

The Rhode Island House of Representatives unanimously passed the marriage equality bill this January, but because of an amendment passed in the Senate, the bill will return to the House for a final vote. When the House passes the amended version of the bill, the measure will be placed in front of equality supporter Governor Mr. Lincoln Chafee for his signature. 

 

The Rhode Island vote is particularly historic because earlier this week the Senate Republican Caucus declared their unanimous support for the measure. 

 

Rhode Island will be the last state in New England to enact marriage equality laws. The Human Rights Campaign had been involved for a number of years in the state of Rhode Island, working closely with marriage Equality Rhode Island and several legislative bodies to build support for relationship recognition in the state, particularly when civil unions were formally made legal in 2011. 

 

The Human Rights Campaign joined with residents of Rhode Island and Rhode Islanders United for Marriage to pass the marriage equality act. The Human Rights Campaign contributed staff and other resources to bolster the odds of the bill passing. The Human Rights Campaign sent a senior organizer to work with city councils to build support at the local level. The Human Rights Campaign also hired a local faith organizer to work with religious bodies who support equality and fairness for all residents of Rhode Island. 

 

The final vote in the state’s House of Representatives will take place next week; the state’s governor is expected to sign the bill sometime after the House approves the measure. Marriage equality in the state of Rhode Island should take effect by the 1st of August. 

 

 

Source: Human Rights Campaign

 

It’s the biggest move of Jason Collins’ career, and it occurred off the court. 

 

Jason Collins, who has played 12 years in the National Basketball Association most notably for the Washington Wizards and the Boston Celtics, has disclosed to the nation that he is a homosexual. This announcement makes Jason the first active openly gay male athlete in the four major pro team sports’ leagues. 

 

The 7-foot center, who is now a free agent, “literally and figuratively,” made the disclosure in a story appearing in the upcoming issue of Sports Illustrated. 

 

“Jason Collins has changed the face of the sports,” said the Human Rights Campaign. The prominent civil rights group that has long been fighting for gay rights likened the announcement to Jackie Robinson becoming the first African-American to play in major league baseball in the modern area. “At a time when millions of Americans are reflecting on the life and legacy of Jackie Robinson, Mr. Collins is a hero of our own times,” the HRC said. 

 

Jason Collins is a 12-year NBA veteran who has played for six NBA teams (the Wizards, New Jersey Nets, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, Boston Celtics, and Washington Wizards). Collins has averaged 3.6 points and 3.8 rebounds in 713 games. 

 

NBA Commissioner David Sterns claimed that the 34-year-old veteran is widely respected throughout the entire league. “We are proud he has assumed the role as a leader with this very important issue,” Stern said in a statement. 

 

Ernie Grunfeld, the President of the Washington Wizards, said the team is “very proud of Jason and support his decision to live openly and proudly. Jason has been a leader and an outstanding teammate throughout his career. Jason’s qualities will continue to serve him both as a role model and as a player for others of different sexual orientations.” 

 

Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers called Collins “a true pro” and one of his favorite to coach. “If we have learned anything from Jackie robins, it is that teammates are the first to accept change,” Rivers claimed. “It will be society who will be forced to learn more about tolerance.”

 

 

Source: whitehouse.gov

 

Throughout the United States, some of the most fundamental and vital work being accomplished on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender inclusion is occurring in cities and local communities. Efforts to boost the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community are being undertaken at the local level to provide greater efficacy to the cause. This localized feeling makes sense because there is no level of government with a more personal relationship with its citizen base. Cities and local communities have the power to make substantial and real change in their communities and, as the 2012 Municipal Equality Index revealed, towns and cities are bringing equality to a locality near you. 

 

Here is a prime example of this shift to localization: while Mayor Healy has been a longtime friend to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community throughout his term as Mayor of Jersey City, he instituted a mayoral LGBT task force. As a result of his efforts, Jersey City earned an 83 on the 2012 MEI, and while that score was in the top 20 percent of scores throughout the nation, Mayor Healy demanded more. The mayor of Jersey City currently has his sights set on a perfect score in 2013, and he is appointed a full-fledged task force to help him accomplish this task. 

 

The Human Rights Campaign provided many thanks to municipal leaders like Mayor Health and their cities for implementing more inclusive policies to expand the reach of crucial city services. Most importantly, the Human Rights Campaign 

 

 

Source: Human Rights Campaign

 

Starting in October of this year, Americans without access to affordable health coverage through their jobs will be able to purchase insurance through various state-run exchanges. 

 

Today, the government announced the unveiling of the forms prospective buyers will fill out to apply for health insurance from private insurers under the Obama healthcare law. The United States Federal Government will not start accepting and processing applications for Obamacare until later this year. 

 

The form of applicants is three pages, which is a marked improvement from the 20-plus page draft version that circulated earlier this year. 

 

The revised application for benefits, which was unveiled by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, requires potential applicants to file personal information, citizenship status, employment status, income details, current health coverage, Social Security number, and other information that is subsequently verified by other federal bodies. Those applying for family coverage under the program will be asked to fill out an 11-page application that asks for additional information. Those individual who do not require financial assistance may file the three-page form that does not require applicants to disclose their income. 

 

This application will be used in the 33 states with federally managed exchanges. The application will also be made available in the other 17 states that chose to establish their own healthcare packages. 

 

The state-based insurance exchanges are a flagship of the Affordable Care Act, which is the formal name given to Obamacare. The United States Congressional Budget Office forecasts that 7 million people will receive health benefits through the exchanges in 2014; this number is expected to increase to 24 million by 2016. 

 

The U.S. Federal Government; however, has a long way to go to convince individuals to sign up for benefits under Obamacare. Roughly 42 percent of Americans do not even realize the law is in effect, including many who thought that the U.S. Congress or the Supreme Court had struck it down. In addition to these individuals, merely half do not understand how the new law will affect them or their families. 

 

 

Source:whitehouse.gov

 

In 2011, President Obama announced a challenge to the private sector to train or hire 100,000 unemployed veterans or their spouses by the end of 2013. 

 

Today, President Barack Obama, along with First Lady Michelle Obama, and Vice President Joe Biden participated in a Joining Forces Employment initiative at the White House. 

 

President Barack Obama established a goal when asking the private to train or hire 100,000 veterans and military spouses by the latter stages of 2013. Today, the First Lady announced that domestic businesses nearly tripled this goal and did so 8 months in advance of the target date. The private sector has already trained or hired over 290,000 veterans and military spouses. 

 

In addition to this fantastic news, the First Lady also announced that domestic companies have committed to train or hire an additional 435,000 veterans and military spouses over the next five years. 

 

Some of the American companies that stood out with regards to training or hiring military veterans include:

 

• The BNSF Railroad committed to hire 5,000 veterans and spouses over the next five years

 

• UPS committed to hire over 25,000 veterans and military spouses over the next five years

 

• McDonald’s committed to hire 100,000 veterans and military spouses over the next five years

 

• Home Depot promised to hire 55,000 veterans and military spouses through 2018

 

• Deloitte has promised to double its veteran hiring over the next three years

 

• AT&T promised to create an online military talent exchange to facilitate military hiring

 

• The BlackStone Group urged each of its 50,000 managers to hire at least one veteran in its affiliated businesses 

 

In addition to these announcements, the First Lady also shared stories from veterans who have successfully transitioned into second careers. With the Iraq war finished and the war in Afghanistan nearing its end, more than one million service members are expected to transition back to civilian life within the next couple of years. Respectable civilian jobs will not only help our military families manage their transition to normalcy, but will also demonstrate that our nation truly appreciates their service. 

 

 

Source: whitehouse.gov