I wrote earlier today about the need for the Federal Government to get a grip on state aid. Perhaps we are seeing a dim light at the end of a tunnel. The Wall Street Journal (subscription only) is reporting that aid to states will be included in a second economic stimulus bill of at least $50 billion:

The general consensus, among people including former Clinton administration officials Lawrence Summers and Alan S. Blinder, was that checks for individuals and additional government spending would help boost the economy, stem job loss and alleviate the pain of higher prices that people are paying for food and gas.

Thankfully Congress seems to finally be coming to terms with what we all have known for a long time now; that the health of the national economy is reliant on the health of the state economies. Speaker Pelosi brings home this point in getting into the finer points of what the bill will entail:

Along with rebates and spending on infrastructure projects, Ms. Pelosi said other possible proposals under consideration are help for states with their share of costs in the Medicaid health program for the poor. Some form of state aid is likely to be included, as Democrats said they are concerned that states, to balance their budgets, will cut programs or increase taxes in ways that would further slow the economy.

Newsflash, this has been happening for the last 5 months as states attempted to balance their budgets. The legislation isn't expected in the House until September, but I am thankful that Senator Reid and the Democratic leadership took the time to make sure the stimulus package would address the right needs. The question now is whether we should be saying "better late than never" or "too little too late."

(Cross-posted at Clintonistas for Obama)

Wow! Just wow. I've been perusing the FEC filings for the 2nd Quarter today. And you know what?

Democrats rock... Especially our terrific candidates here in California!

(Proudly cross-posted at Clintonistas for Obama)

I know so many of us are excited about the Obama campaign. I know we all want to see Barack Obama become President next January. But you know what? This isn't enough for me.

OK, OK, so what the hell am I talking about? Well, why don't you follow me after the flip for more...

It would take 17 years for offshore drilling to affect gas prices  (savings of "a couple pennies per gallon")

Experts agree that offshore drilling will cause no cuts on gas prices for about another 17 years, and when it does, the savings are estimated to be "a couple of pennies" per gallon, according to an EIA expert.

Brookings Institute's David Sandalow notes, ""Drilling offshore to lower oil prices is like walking an extra 20 feet per day to lose weight,"..."It's just not going to make much difference."

The last eight years will be remembered as one of the bleakest periods in American history for lack of compliance with the constitution, abuse of executive power, virtual obliteration of the principles of separation of powers and balance among the three branches of government.

Bill Shuster has spent the last couple of days being driven around the PA-9th District talking up his "Energy Independence act".  Flashy title aside, HR 6421 is quite probably deader than fried chicken.  The Bill was introduced to the floor of Congress on June 29th without a single co-sponsor.  That means that no one in Congress, not even any republicans, would attach their name to it.  The last energy-related bill that got out of Committee had some 198 co-sponsors.

As is standard practice, HR 6421 was referred to six different Congressional Committees; Natural resources, Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, Science and Technology, Transportation and Infrastructure and House rules.  Any one of these committees can kill this bill for any reason, but that's not why this bill is deader than Julius Caesar.  

This Bill is dead on arrival for a number of reasons.

My name is Adam Sullivan. Until recently, I was just another citizen of New York's 8th Congressional District. Now I am running for Congress as a challenger to Jerrold Nadler for nomination in CD8 by the Democratic Party. And I need your help.

You may legitimately ask why I would challenge Congressman Nadler, a representative with a long liberal voting record. While this is true, Nadler has failed us all where it matters most.

The issue--Impeachment

Some months ago, I joined a pro-impeachment group with the intent of encouraging my congressman to co-sponsor the Articles of Impeachment introduced in the House by Dennis Kucinich of Ohio.

(Cross-posted at Clintonistas for Obama)

Hey, everyone! We have just over 24 hours left to make a HUGE impact in this election by making sure our Democrats have enough resources to kick some Rethug behind this fall. So what can we all do to help Obama win the White House and Democrats win more seats in Congress?

Follow me after the flip for more...