Seriously, how did anyone not see this coming? Read the original article here.
Russia Hikes Price of Rocket Rides for U.S. Astronauts to $63 Million
NASA[1], already committed to paying Russia[2] millions of dollars to hitch rides into space, had some expensive news to announce Monday: Russia plan to start charging even more.
With the United States phasing out the shuttle program, the new way for U.S. astronauts to get to the International Space Station[3] will be to catch a ride with the Russians, and NASA's existing contract for that transport priced each rocket ride at just under $56 million.
Now, Russia is hiking the price for each rocket ride to nearly $63 million in 2014. The contract extension with the Russian Space Agency totals $753 million, which covers trips for a dozen astronauts from 2014 through 2016.
Why such a price hike? NASA officials chalk it up to inflation.
NASA chief Charles Bolden[4] says it's critical for U.S. companies[5] to take over this transportation job. The space shuttles used to do that job are being retired this summer.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
References
^ NASA (www.foxnews.com)
^ Russia (www.foxnews.com)
^ International Space Station (www.foxnews.com)
^ Charles Bolden (www.foxnews.com)
^ companies (www.foxnews.com)
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/03/14/russia-hikes-price-rocket-rides-astronauts-63-million/#ixzz1GgQqOogK
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Presidential Priorities getting noticed?
Read the original article here.
Obama Urged to Seize Reins as Crises Pile Up
A conflict approaching civil war[1] in Libya[2]. An end-times tsunami in Japan. A Congress that can't reach a budget.
And ... gender inequality?
The topic of President Obama's weekend radio address has raised some eyebrows, as Obama has met mounting crises with the same restraint and cool that characterized his slow-and-steady campaign for president. To some critics, the tone set by the White House in light of recent upheaval may hurt the president's public image.
Amid chaos around the world and on Capitol Hill, Obama's Saturday radio address was devoted to Women's History Month and a call to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, a proposal meant to address the income gap between men and women. Then, the president went golfing at Andrews Air Force Base.
"I don't know if they don't realize the disconnect and maybe they don't care ... but it does matter," Dana Perino[3], former White House press secretary under George W. Bush[4], told Fox News.
Former Bush adviser Karl Rove said that he doesn't "begrudge" the president for taking time out for recreation, but Libya and the budget in particular demand more involvement on Obama's part.
Critics note that every time Congress works on a stopgap budget, it risks a government shutdown and does virtually nothing to cut spending, all the while creeping closer to a tricky -- and potentially disastrous -- vote on raising the debt ceiling; every day the administration defers to its international partners to weigh the best course of action in Libya, Muammar al-Qaddafi gains ground.
With the clock ticking, lawmakers and analysts are calling on the president to show a little more moxie on Capitol Hill[5] and the world stage.
"He seems paralyzed," said Nile Gardiner, a director[6] with the conservative Heritage Foundation[7].
On Japan, Obama has been quick to offer U.S. assistance to the nation as it struggles to recover from a catastrophic combination of earthquake, tsunami and possible nuclear meltdown. He addressed the crisis, as well as the Libyan conflict and the budget talks, during a press conference[8] Friday initially called to discuss energy policy[9].
He said the United States will "stand with" Japan and reiterated that support Monday at the top of a speech on education policy. In addition to military personnel and disaster-response teams, the United States has dispatched two nuclear experts to Japan. White House[10] Press Secretary Jay Carney said the president was briefed multiple times on the situation over the weekend.
But after the Asian ally was stricken by an earthquake Friday, the president turned some heads for using the word "unshakeable" to describe the United States' alliance with Japan.
On Libya, the issue has much less to do with image. The president on one hand has spoken forcefully about the need for Qaddafi[11] to step down. Using some colorful language, he asserted Friday that the United States and its allies were "tightening the noose" on his regime.
Yet Obama administration officials have made clear the United States will not play the lead role in resolving this conflict.
Gardiner called the U.S. position an "unusual abdication of leadership by the world's only superpower." Though the administration wants any potential intervention to have a broad base of support, Gardiner said that whenever the United States steps aside on an international crisis, it creates a "vacuum" and can become an excuse for "inaction."
John Bolton, the hawkish former ambassador[12] to the United Nations[13] under Bush, also wrote in a column Monday that Obama is "passive" as the window of opportunity in Libya narrows. Bolton warned that U.S. interests in Libya are greater than some suggest -- because a protracted civil war could make Libya another base for terrorism, and because if Qaddafi prevails he could revive his nuclear weapons program.
But if the situation already is bordering on civil war, some question whether it's prudent for the United States to intervene.
"You've got to approach Libya cautiously. We're already in two wars in that area," Democratic strategist Bob Beckel said, calling the president's low-key approach correct.
For every call for the United States to flex its muscle, there are warnings about unintended consequences. Sen. Dick Lugar[14], R-Ind., ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee[15], cautioned last week that establishing a no-fly zone could lead to expanded military[16] intervention and a prolonged U.S. presence. And he warned that U.S. involvement could serve as a rallying cry for the Qaddafi regime.
Retired Gen. Wesley Clark, who commanded NATO forces during the Kosovo war, wrote in a Washington Post column Sunday that the crisis in Libya does not merit military action by the United States.
Ongoing discussions with the United Nations and NATO could soon yield a new international plan toward Libya, especially since the Arab League just endorsed a no-fly zone.
The White House insists it is swiftly, yet diligently, responding to the violence, noting sanctions that have been imposed on the regime at several levels.
"We are moving with a great deal of haste, and in coordination with our international partners," Carney said Monday.
But while Obama's cautious approach to Libya and the broader Middle East[17] may be evolving, budget talks on Capitol Hill are indisputably at a standstill. And lawmakers say they could really use a hot-wiring from the White House.
Republicans last week complained that Vice President Biden, who was supposed to be the lead administration negotiator on the talks, traveled to Russia in the middle of it all.
At the same time, West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin[18] took to the Senate floor to claim Obama had "failed to lead" as Congress struggles to agree on a budget for the rest of 2011.
The White House rejected the claim, noting Obama was meeting last week with Senate Democratic leaders and Biden was calling congressional leaders from Moscow.
Still, the White House continued to take heat from Democrats behind closed doors while Republicans blasted Obama out in the open. Sen. Marco Rubio[19], R-Fla., wrote in a column Monday that Obama is "absent from this debate."
Sen. Dick Durbin[20], D-Ill., countered that just because you don't see him doesn't mean he's not there.
"I think there's a perception and a frustration among members of Congress that things aren't moving to a conclusion. The president is working behind the scenes. I've met with him with leadership. I know he is reaching out to try to find some accommodation here," Durbin told CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday. "But the president's establishing priorities, the most important American priorities. And I think that should guide us in the negotiation."
References
^ civil war (www.foxnews.com)
^ Libya (www.foxnews.com)
^ Dana Perino (www.foxnews.com)
^ George W. Bush (www.foxnews.com)
^ Capitol Hill (www.foxnews.com)
^ director (www.foxnews.com)
^ Heritage Foundation (www.foxnews.com)
^ conference (www.foxnews.com)
^ energy policy (www.foxnews.com)
^ White House (www.foxnews.com)
^ Qaddafi (www.foxnews.com)
^ ambassador (www.foxnews.com)
^ United Nations (www.foxnews.com)
^ Dick Lugar (www.foxnews.com)
^ Senate Foreign Relations Committee (www.foxnews.com)
^ military (www.foxnews.com)
^ Middle East (www.foxnews.com)
^ Joe Manchin (www.foxnews.com)
^ Marco Rubio (www.foxnews.com)
^ Dick Durbin (www.foxnews.com)
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/03/14/obama-urged-seize-reins-crises-pile/#ixzz1GgOszFUm
A conflict approaching civil war[1] in Libya[2]. An end-times tsunami in Japan. A Congress that can't reach a budget.
And ... gender inequality?
The topic of President Obama's weekend radio address has raised some eyebrows, as Obama has met mounting crises with the same restraint and cool that characterized his slow-and-steady campaign for president. To some critics, the tone set by the White House in light of recent upheaval may hurt the president's public image.
Amid chaos around the world and on Capitol Hill, Obama's Saturday radio address was devoted to Women's History Month and a call to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, a proposal meant to address the income gap between men and women. Then, the president went golfing at Andrews Air Force Base.
"I don't know if they don't realize the disconnect and maybe they don't care ... but it does matter," Dana Perino[3], former White House press secretary under George W. Bush[4], told Fox News.
Former Bush adviser Karl Rove said that he doesn't "begrudge" the president for taking time out for recreation, but Libya and the budget in particular demand more involvement on Obama's part.
Critics note that every time Congress works on a stopgap budget, it risks a government shutdown and does virtually nothing to cut spending, all the while creeping closer to a tricky -- and potentially disastrous -- vote on raising the debt ceiling; every day the administration defers to its international partners to weigh the best course of action in Libya, Muammar al-Qaddafi gains ground.
With the clock ticking, lawmakers and analysts are calling on the president to show a little more moxie on Capitol Hill[5] and the world stage.
"He seems paralyzed," said Nile Gardiner, a director[6] with the conservative Heritage Foundation[7].
On Japan, Obama has been quick to offer U.S. assistance to the nation as it struggles to recover from a catastrophic combination of earthquake, tsunami and possible nuclear meltdown. He addressed the crisis, as well as the Libyan conflict and the budget talks, during a press conference[8] Friday initially called to discuss energy policy[9].
He said the United States will "stand with" Japan and reiterated that support Monday at the top of a speech on education policy. In addition to military personnel and disaster-response teams, the United States has dispatched two nuclear experts to Japan. White House[10] Press Secretary Jay Carney said the president was briefed multiple times on the situation over the weekend.
But after the Asian ally was stricken by an earthquake Friday, the president turned some heads for using the word "unshakeable" to describe the United States' alliance with Japan.
On Libya, the issue has much less to do with image. The president on one hand has spoken forcefully about the need for Qaddafi[11] to step down. Using some colorful language, he asserted Friday that the United States and its allies were "tightening the noose" on his regime.
Yet Obama administration officials have made clear the United States will not play the lead role in resolving this conflict.
Gardiner called the U.S. position an "unusual abdication of leadership by the world's only superpower." Though the administration wants any potential intervention to have a broad base of support, Gardiner said that whenever the United States steps aside on an international crisis, it creates a "vacuum" and can become an excuse for "inaction."
John Bolton, the hawkish former ambassador[12] to the United Nations[13] under Bush, also wrote in a column Monday that Obama is "passive" as the window of opportunity in Libya narrows. Bolton warned that U.S. interests in Libya are greater than some suggest -- because a protracted civil war could make Libya another base for terrorism, and because if Qaddafi prevails he could revive his nuclear weapons program.
But if the situation already is bordering on civil war, some question whether it's prudent for the United States to intervene.
"You've got to approach Libya cautiously. We're already in two wars in that area," Democratic strategist Bob Beckel said, calling the president's low-key approach correct.
For every call for the United States to flex its muscle, there are warnings about unintended consequences. Sen. Dick Lugar[14], R-Ind., ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee[15], cautioned last week that establishing a no-fly zone could lead to expanded military[16] intervention and a prolonged U.S. presence. And he warned that U.S. involvement could serve as a rallying cry for the Qaddafi regime.
Retired Gen. Wesley Clark, who commanded NATO forces during the Kosovo war, wrote in a Washington Post column Sunday that the crisis in Libya does not merit military action by the United States.
Ongoing discussions with the United Nations and NATO could soon yield a new international plan toward Libya, especially since the Arab League just endorsed a no-fly zone.
The White House insists it is swiftly, yet diligently, responding to the violence, noting sanctions that have been imposed on the regime at several levels.
"We are moving with a great deal of haste, and in coordination with our international partners," Carney said Monday.
But while Obama's cautious approach to Libya and the broader Middle East[17] may be evolving, budget talks on Capitol Hill are indisputably at a standstill. And lawmakers say they could really use a hot-wiring from the White House.
Republicans last week complained that Vice President Biden, who was supposed to be the lead administration negotiator on the talks, traveled to Russia in the middle of it all.
At the same time, West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin[18] took to the Senate floor to claim Obama had "failed to lead" as Congress struggles to agree on a budget for the rest of 2011.
The White House rejected the claim, noting Obama was meeting last week with Senate Democratic leaders and Biden was calling congressional leaders from Moscow.
Still, the White House continued to take heat from Democrats behind closed doors while Republicans blasted Obama out in the open. Sen. Marco Rubio[19], R-Fla., wrote in a column Monday that Obama is "absent from this debate."
Sen. Dick Durbin[20], D-Ill., countered that just because you don't see him doesn't mean he's not there.
"I think there's a perception and a frustration among members of Congress that things aren't moving to a conclusion. The president is working behind the scenes. I've met with him with leadership. I know he is reaching out to try to find some accommodation here," Durbin told CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday. "But the president's establishing priorities, the most important American priorities. And I think that should guide us in the negotiation."
References
^ civil war (www.foxnews.com)
^ Libya (www.foxnews.com)
^ Dana Perino (www.foxnews.com)
^ George W. Bush (www.foxnews.com)
^ Capitol Hill (www.foxnews.com)
^ director (www.foxnews.com)
^ Heritage Foundation (www.foxnews.com)
^ conference (www.foxnews.com)
^ energy policy (www.foxnews.com)
^ White House (www.foxnews.com)
^ Qaddafi (www.foxnews.com)
^ ambassador (www.foxnews.com)
^ United Nations (www.foxnews.com)
^ Dick Lugar (www.foxnews.com)
^ Senate Foreign Relations Committee (www.foxnews.com)
^ military (www.foxnews.com)
^ Middle East (www.foxnews.com)
^ Joe Manchin (www.foxnews.com)
^ Marco Rubio (www.foxnews.com)
^ Dick Durbin (www.foxnews.com)
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/03/14/obama-urged-seize-reins-crises-pile/#ixzz1GgOszFUm
Leadership Priorities
Read the original article here.
Obama “staying in background” on budget debate « Hot Air
Carrie Budoff Brown reminds us at Politico[1] that Barack Obama promised his deficit commission that he would be “standing with them” on their recommendations for cutting the nation’s massive and escalating debt. Congress has tried looking for him there, and pretty much everywhere else, and still have yet to see him standing anywhere on budgetary matters. Instead, the President has decided to focus on his “winning the future” goals:
But even if Obama wanted to actually reform education, that would still take a back seat to reforming a federal budget that borrows 40 cents on every dollar it spends. Thanks to the crisis in Japan, this is even moreurgent than ever, since Japan was the second-largest international holder of American debt (19.9%, behind China at 26.1%) before the quake. They will need to use their capital for rescue and recovery, and are more likely to dump some US Treasuries to fund those efforts than continuing to buy more. That means we will have to offer higher interest rates to sell debt, which means bigger deficits in the future than predicted.
We need to address the budget crisis now. The NCAA bracket picks should be secondary.
Ah, leadership. These days, it means not taking the lead on vital national issues, not attempting to build a consensus for one’s goals, but to sit around and let others do the heavy lifting. Well, that’s not entirely fair, as Obama isn’t just sitting around, either. Jake Tapper tweets[3]:While Obama has said he’s committed to deficit reduction, he has also has made clear it is secondary, at least for now, to his “winning the future” agenda. And that reflects a strategy driven by what his senior aides believe voters care about most — jobs, not deficits.Obama’s reluctance to join the debate in a sustained way has provoked rising frustration[2]among lawmakers from both parties, who are speaking more forcefully about what they view as his absenteeism on one of the most pressing issues before them.
But until House Republicans join their Senate GOP counterparts in appearing open to raising revenues, the administration is reluctant to weigh in too heavily, believing that a grand bargain that would inflict bipartisan pain will be difficult to attain. So, Obama has kept at arm’s length a group of six Republican and Democratic senators working on a deficit-reduction framework, not yet convinced that their efforts will be the vehicle by which a deal is struck.
“The president’s approach to the larger set of budget issues raised by his own fiscal commission is very, very cautious up to now,” said William Galston, a policy adviser to former President Bill Clinton and a senior fellow at Brookings. “He has not embraced it, not by a long shot. It is clear that whatever he wants to accomplish, he doesn’t want to accomplish it alone and he doesn’t want to step out first.”
POTUS will tape his NCAA picks today to be aired on ESPN tomorrowJim Geraghty also notes that Obama will be doing what he does best — granting interviews[4]:
“Obama will tape interviews from the Map Room with KOAT Albuquerque, KDKA Pittsburgh and WVEC Hampton Roads on education reform and the need to fix No Child Left Behind.”Education reform would be important if Obama was serious about actual reform, rather than just finding ways to repackage the same system that has delivered 40 years of flatlining mediocrity[5]. Instead, he and Arne Duncan are looking at improving schools by, er, lowering the existing standards in No Child Left Behind so fewer of them get rated as “failing.”
Japan faces an almost unparalleled crisis, Libya is in civil war, and we’re having another budget showdown after running up a $222.5 billion deficit in the 28 days of February. And after last week’s bullying summit, Obama is spending this week talking education reform.
But even if Obama wanted to actually reform education, that would still take a back seat to reforming a federal budget that borrows 40 cents on every dollar it spends. Thanks to the crisis in Japan, this is even moreurgent than ever, since Japan was the second-largest international holder of American debt (19.9%, behind China at 26.1%) before the quake. They will need to use their capital for rescue and recovery, and are more likely to dump some US Treasuries to fund those efforts than continuing to buy more. That means we will have to offer higher interest rates to sell debt, which means bigger deficits in the future than predicted.
We need to address the budget crisis now. The NCAA bracket picks should be secondary.
§
Carrie Budoff Brown reminds us at Politico[6] that Barack Obama promised his deficit commission that he would be “standing with them” on their recommendations for cutting the nation’s massive and escalating debt. Congress has tried looking for him there, and pretty much everywhere else, and still have yet to see him standing anywhere on budgetary matters. Instead, the President has decided to focus on his “winning the future” goals:
But even if Obama wanted to actually reform education, that would still take a back seat to reforming a federal budget that borrows 40 cents on every dollar it spends. Thanks to the crisis in Japan, this is even moreurgent than ever, since Japan was the second-largest international holder of American debt (19.9%, behind China at 26.1%) before the quake. They will need to use their capital for rescue and recovery, and are more likely to dump some US Treasuries to fund those efforts than continuing to buy more. That means we will have to offer higher interest rates to sell debt, which means bigger deficits in the future than predicted.
We need to address the budget crisis now. The NCAA bracket picks should be secondary.
Ah, leadership. These days, it means not taking the lead on vital national issues, not attempting to build a consensus for one’s goals, but to sit around and let others do the heavy lifting. Well, that’s not entirely fair, as Obama isn’t just sitting around, either. Jake Tapper tweets[8]:While Obama has said he’s committed to deficit reduction, he has also has made clear it is secondary, at least for now, to his “winning the future” agenda. And that reflects a strategy driven by what his senior aides believe voters care about most — jobs, not deficits.Obama’s reluctance to join the debate in a sustained way has provoked rising frustration[7]among lawmakers from both parties, who are speaking more forcefully about what they view as his absenteeism on one of the most pressing issues before them.
But until House Republicans join their Senate GOP counterparts in appearing open to raising revenues, the administration is reluctant to weigh in too heavily, believing that a grand bargain that would inflict bipartisan pain will be difficult to attain. So, Obama has kept at arm’s length a group of six Republican and Democratic senators working on a deficit-reduction framework, not yet convinced that their efforts will be the vehicle by which a deal is struck.
“The president’s approach to the larger set of budget issues raised by his own fiscal commission is very, very cautious up to now,” said William Galston, a policy adviser to former President Bill Clinton and a senior fellow at Brookings. “He has not embraced it, not by a long shot. It is clear that whatever he wants to accomplish, he doesn’t want to accomplish it alone and he doesn’t want to step out first.”
POTUS will tape his NCAA picks today to be aired on ESPN tomorrowJim Geraghty also notes that Obama will be doing what he does best — granting interviews[9]:
“Obama will tape interviews from the Map Room with KOAT Albuquerque, KDKA Pittsburgh and WVEC Hampton Roads on education reform and the need to fix No Child Left Behind.”Education reform would be important if Obama was serious about actual reform, rather than just finding ways to repackage the same system that has delivered 40 years of flatlining mediocrity[10]. Instead, he and Arne Duncan are looking at improving schools by, er, lowering the existing standards in No Child Left Behind so fewer of them get rated as “failing.”
Japan faces an almost unparalleled crisis, Libya is in civil war, and we’re having another budget showdown after running up a $222.5 billion deficit in the 28 days of February. And after last week’s bullying summit, Obama is spending this week talking education reform.
But even if Obama wanted to actually reform education, that would still take a back seat to reforming a federal budget that borrows 40 cents on every dollar it spends. Thanks to the crisis in Japan, this is even moreurgent than ever, since Japan was the second-largest international holder of American debt (19.9%, behind China at 26.1%) before the quake. They will need to use their capital for rescue and recovery, and are more likely to dump some US Treasuries to fund those efforts than continuing to buy more. That means we will have to offer higher interest rates to sell debt, which means bigger deficits in the future than predicted.
We need to address the budget crisis now. The NCAA bracket picks should be secondary.
References
- ^ Politico (www.politico.com)
- ^ provoked rising frustration (www.politico.com)
- ^ Jake Tapper tweets (twitter.com)
- ^ granting interviews (www.nationalreview.com)
- ^ 40 years of flatlining mediocrity (hotair.com)
- ^ Politico (www.politico.com)
- ^ provoked rising frustration (www.politico.com)
- ^ Jake Tapper tweets (twitter.com)
- ^ granting interviews (www.nationalreview.com)
- ^ 40 years of flatlining mediocrity (hotair.com)
Confidence in US Govt drops to 35 year low
Hope and Change.
Read the original article here.
Most Americans take the middle ground in deficit-reduction: A substantial 64 percent say the best way to trim the deficit is with a combination of spending cuts and tax increases, rather than just cutting spending (31 percent, down 5 points from December) or only raising taxes (3 percent).
OBAMA -- Obama, in all, is holding up fairly well. His job approval rating stands at 51 percent, with 45 percent disapproving -- probably about as good as it can get in this kind of economy. The president's rating exactly matches his average in more than a dozen ABC/Post polls since December 2009, when the first bloom of his presidency faded.
In addition to his advantage over the Republicans in trust to handle the economy (12 points) and the deficit (9 points), Obama holds a 7-point edge in trust to handle "protecting the rights of working people," a potential area of differentiation given the controversy over the bargaining rights of unionized state employees.
He also leads the Republicans on two empathy measures: by 12 points in better understanding the economic problems people in the country are having, and by a scant 5 points in better representing "your own personal values."
There are still substantial negatives for the president. In addition to his 55 percent disapproval on the economy and the deficit, just 28 percent of Americans say they think the economic stimulus package actually helped the economy, the fewest to say so since June 2009. It's a central and sharp criticism of a president elected above all to turn the economy around.
CONGRESS/GOP -- Congress overall, meanwhile, is laboring under just a 27 percent approval rating; it's received less than 30 percent approval continuously since July 2008, its longest run that low in polling data since 1974.
For their part, the Republicans, as noted, are seen as having a stronger leadership role in Washington, at 46 percent to Obama's 39 percent. That compares with as essentially even split in December. It's much weaker than the leadership roles ascribed to congressional Democrats over Bush in early 2007, or to congressional Republicans over Bill Clinton in 1995; that may be because the out-party in those cases won both houses of Congress, not just one.TWO KAHUNAS -- Ultimately, the big kahuna in U.S. politics long has been the economy, and as noted, more than half of Americans, 53 percent, say it's not yet begun to recover; 46 percent think recovery has begun. While that's not great, it's better than it's been: The number who see economic improvement has risen by 12 points since October.
People who think the economy is improving are 20 points more apt than those who don't to express optimism about the country's system of government. That suggests that further perceived economic improvement would do much to ease the public's long-running snit.
But there are two clear risks: One, the pain of gas prices. And two, simmering discontent with the war in Afghanistan. The irony for Obama would be to turn the corner on the economy, just as unhappiness with the war reaches full boil.
METHODOLOGY -- This ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted by telephone March 10-13, 2011, among a random national sample of 1,005 adults, including landline and cell-phone-only respondents. Results have a margin of sampling error[5] of 3.5 points.
The survey was produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates[6] of New York, N.Y, with sampling, data collection and tabulation by TNS of Horsham, Pa.
Read the original article here.
ABC News-Washington Post Poll: Confidence in Government Falls to New Low
Confidence in the U.S. system of government has dropped to a new low in more than 35 years, with public attitudes burdened by continued economic discontent, soaring gasoline prices[1], record opposition to the war in Afghanistan[2] -- and a letdown in hopes for political progress after a bout of bipartisanship last fall.
Only 26 percent of Americans in a new ABC News/Washington Post poll say they're optimistic about "our system of government and how well it works," down 7 points since October to the fewest in surveys dating to 1974. Almost as many, 23 percent, are pessimistic, the closest these measures ever have come. The rest, a record high, are "uncertain" about the system.
The causes are many. Despite a significant advance, more than half still say the economy has not yet begun to recover. And there's trouble at the pump: Seventy-one percent in this poll, produced for ABC News byLanger Research Associates[3], report financial hardship as a result of rising gas prices. Forty-four percent call it a "serious" hardship.
Click Here for PDF With Charts and Questionnaire[4]
WAR -- On an equally critical front in terms of potential political impact, just 31 percent now say the war in Afghanistan has been worth fighting, a new low. Sixty-four percent call it not worth fighting, and 49 percent feel that way "strongly," both record highs in ABC/Post polls.
Two-to-one opposition for the first time puts public criticism of the war in Afghanistan at the level seen for the war in Iraq. Such views had a devastating impact on President George W. Bush, the least popular second-term president in polls since the Truman presidency. And there's danger ahead; fighting in Afghanistan, now in its winter lull, is expected to intensify come summer.
Indeed, with Gen. David Petraeus set to testify on Capitol Hill this week, a broad and bipartisan 73 percent of Americans say the United States should withdraw a substantial number of its combat forces from Afghanistan this summer. But just 39 percent think it will. (ABC News reported Monday that field commanders in fact are asking for more troops, and a senior official called a sizable reduction unlikely despite the administration's July 11 date for a drawdown to begin.)
The causes are many. Despite a significant advance, more than half still say the economy has not yet begun to recover. And there's trouble at the pump: Seventy-one percent in this poll, produced for ABC News byLanger Research Associates[3], report financial hardship as a result of rising gas prices. Forty-four percent call it a "serious" hardship.
Click Here for PDF With Charts and Questionnaire[4]
WAR -- On an equally critical front in terms of potential political impact, just 31 percent now say the war in Afghanistan has been worth fighting, a new low. Sixty-four percent call it not worth fighting, and 49 percent feel that way "strongly," both record highs in ABC/Post polls.
Two-to-one opposition for the first time puts public criticism of the war in Afghanistan at the level seen for the war in Iraq. Such views had a devastating impact on President George W. Bush, the least popular second-term president in polls since the Truman presidency. And there's danger ahead; fighting in Afghanistan, now in its winter lull, is expected to intensify come summer.
Indeed, with Gen. David Petraeus set to testify on Capitol Hill this week, a broad and bipartisan 73 percent of Americans say the United States should withdraw a substantial number of its combat forces from Afghanistan this summer. But just 39 percent think it will. (ABC News reported Monday that field commanders in fact are asking for more troops, and a senior official called a sizable reduction unlikely despite the administration's July 11 date for a drawdown to begin.)
§
POLITICS -- In politics, many Americans appear to regard President Obama and the Republicans in Congress as a choice between a rock and a hard place.
On one hand, 55 percent disapprove of Obama's handling of the economy and budget deficit alike. On the other, Republicans have lost ground in public trust to deal with both issues, now trailing Obama by 12- and 9-point margins, respectively.
Preference for the Republicans on both those issues has declined by 11 points since December, a comedown from the sentiment that lifted the party to its midterm success. More Americans now see the GOP as taking the stronger leadership role in Washington; the results on trust show how that position can carry a price
The drop in trust to handle the economy has occurred chiefly among independents, now drawing away from the GOP after rallying to its side.
As recently as January, 42 percent of independents preferred the Republicans in Congress over Obama to handle the economy. Today just 29 percent say the same, and there's been a rise in the number who volunteer that they don't trust either side.
BUDGET -- Perceived non-cooperation on the budget deficit is one problem for the Republicans in Congress. Seventy-one percent say the GOP is not willing enough to compromise with Obama on the deficit; that even includes 42 percent of Republicans. Fifty-two percent overall also say Obama isn't willing enough to compromise -- still a majority, but a substantially smaller one. (Indeed, 30 percent call Obama "too willing" to make peace; half as many say that about the GOP.)
It follows that on another measure, the public by a 14-point margin says it's more apt to hold the Republicans than Obama responsible if the budget impasse forces a partial government shutdown. (Then again, three in 10 also say a partial shutdown would be a good thing.)
There's a close division on another basic element of the debate: By 45-41 percent, Americans split on whether large reductions in the budget would do more to cut jobs or create them.
The public also divides essentially evenly, 43-42 percent, on another measure -- which side, Obama or the Republicans, they trust more to find the right balance between keeping government spending that is needed, and cutting spending that's not needed.
Preference for the Republicans on both those issues has declined by 11 points since December, a comedown from the sentiment that lifted the party to its midterm success. More Americans now see the GOP as taking the stronger leadership role in Washington; the results on trust show how that position can carry a price
The drop in trust to handle the economy has occurred chiefly among independents, now drawing away from the GOP after rallying to its side.
As recently as January, 42 percent of independents preferred the Republicans in Congress over Obama to handle the economy. Today just 29 percent say the same, and there's been a rise in the number who volunteer that they don't trust either side.
BUDGET -- Perceived non-cooperation on the budget deficit is one problem for the Republicans in Congress. Seventy-one percent say the GOP is not willing enough to compromise with Obama on the deficit; that even includes 42 percent of Republicans. Fifty-two percent overall also say Obama isn't willing enough to compromise -- still a majority, but a substantially smaller one. (Indeed, 30 percent call Obama "too willing" to make peace; half as many say that about the GOP.)
It follows that on another measure, the public by a 14-point margin says it's more apt to hold the Republicans than Obama responsible if the budget impasse forces a partial government shutdown. (Then again, three in 10 also say a partial shutdown would be a good thing.)
There's a close division on another basic element of the debate: By 45-41 percent, Americans split on whether large reductions in the budget would do more to cut jobs or create them.
The public also divides essentially evenly, 43-42 percent, on another measure -- which side, Obama or the Republicans, they trust more to find the right balance between keeping government spending that is needed, and cutting spending that's not needed.
§
OBAMA -- Obama, in all, is holding up fairly well. His job approval rating stands at 51 percent, with 45 percent disapproving -- probably about as good as it can get in this kind of economy. The president's rating exactly matches his average in more than a dozen ABC/Post polls since December 2009, when the first bloom of his presidency faded.
In addition to his advantage over the Republicans in trust to handle the economy (12 points) and the deficit (9 points), Obama holds a 7-point edge in trust to handle "protecting the rights of working people," a potential area of differentiation given the controversy over the bargaining rights of unionized state employees.
He also leads the Republicans on two empathy measures: by 12 points in better understanding the economic problems people in the country are having, and by a scant 5 points in better representing "your own personal values."
There are still substantial negatives for the president. In addition to his 55 percent disapproval on the economy and the deficit, just 28 percent of Americans say they think the economic stimulus package actually helped the economy, the fewest to say so since June 2009. It's a central and sharp criticism of a president elected above all to turn the economy around.
CONGRESS/GOP -- Congress overall, meanwhile, is laboring under just a 27 percent approval rating; it's received less than 30 percent approval continuously since July 2008, its longest run that low in polling data since 1974.
For their part, the Republicans, as noted, are seen as having a stronger leadership role in Washington, at 46 percent to Obama's 39 percent. That compares with as essentially even split in December. It's much weaker than the leadership roles ascribed to congressional Democrats over Bush in early 2007, or to congressional Republicans over Bill Clinton in 1995; that may be because the out-party in those cases won both houses of Congress, not just one.
§
People who think the economy is improving are 20 points more apt than those who don't to express optimism about the country's system of government. That suggests that further perceived economic improvement would do much to ease the public's long-running snit.
But there are two clear risks: One, the pain of gas prices. And two, simmering discontent with the war in Afghanistan. The irony for Obama would be to turn the corner on the economy, just as unhappiness with the war reaches full boil.
METHODOLOGY -- This ABC News/Washington Post poll was conducted by telephone March 10-13, 2011, among a random national sample of 1,005 adults, including landline and cell-phone-only respondents. Results have a margin of sampling error[5] of 3.5 points.
The survey was produced for ABC News by Langer Research Associates[6] of New York, N.Y, with sampling, data collection and tabulation by TNS of Horsham, Pa.
References
- ^ gasoline prices (abcnews.go.com)
- ^ war in Afghanistan (blogs.abcnews.com)
- ^ Langer Research Associates (www.langerresearch.com)
- ^ Click Here for PDF With Charts and Questionnaire (www.langerresearch.com)
- ^ sampling error (abcnews.go.com)
- ^ Langer Research Associates (www.langerresearch.com)
Where'd your Medicare Tax money go?
Read the original article here.
Medicare Illegally Paid for Seniors’ Viagra, U.S. Audit Says
The U.S. Medicare program improperly spent more than $3 million in 2007 and 2008 to buy Pfizer Inc. (PFE)[1]’s Viagra and other erectile dysfunction drugs for senior citizens, government investigators said.
The purchases violated a 2005 ban on covering the drugs under the U.S. health program for the elderly and disabled. Medicare administrators blamed the spending on a software error and said they would try to recover payments to private insurers who administer the program’s drug plans.
Medicare “should not have covered these drugs,” George Reeb, acting deputy inspector general for audit services at the U.S. Department of Health[2] and Human Services, wrote in a report[3] released today. He recommended that Medicare work with the Food and Drug Administration[4] to maintain a list of prohibited drugs. Medicare administrators, in a response to the report, rejected the suggestion as unnecessary.
Medicare paid a total of $3.1 million for erectile dysfunction drugs in the period examined, more than $3 million of which was for Viagra, which had 2010 sales of $1.9 billion based on data compiled by Bloomberg. Other drugs purchased included Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY)[5]’s Cialis, the report said.
The purchases were a fraction of Medicare’s drug spending in 2007 and 2008, which totaled $133 billion, according to the report
Medicare’s administrators told the inspector general that they would fix the flaw by updating computer databases with codes for the prohibited drugs. Medicare also paid for an undetermined amount for erectile dysfunction drugs in 2009 and 2010, Reeb said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Wayne in Washington[6] at awayne3@bloomberg.net[7].
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Adriel Bettelheim at abettelheim@bloomberg.net[8].
The purchases violated a 2005 ban on covering the drugs under the U.S. health program for the elderly and disabled. Medicare administrators blamed the spending on a software error and said they would try to recover payments to private insurers who administer the program’s drug plans.
Medicare “should not have covered these drugs,” George Reeb, acting deputy inspector general for audit services at the U.S. Department of Health[2] and Human Services, wrote in a report[3] released today. He recommended that Medicare work with the Food and Drug Administration[4] to maintain a list of prohibited drugs. Medicare administrators, in a response to the report, rejected the suggestion as unnecessary.
Medicare paid a total of $3.1 million for erectile dysfunction drugs in the period examined, more than $3 million of which was for Viagra, which had 2010 sales of $1.9 billion based on data compiled by Bloomberg. Other drugs purchased included Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY)[5]’s Cialis, the report said.
The purchases were a fraction of Medicare’s drug spending in 2007 and 2008, which totaled $133 billion, according to the report
Medicare’s administrators told the inspector general that they would fix the flaw by updating computer databases with codes for the prohibited drugs. Medicare also paid for an undetermined amount for erectile dysfunction drugs in 2009 and 2010, Reeb said.
To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Wayne in Washington[6] at awayne3@bloomberg.net[7].
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Adriel Bettelheim at abettelheim@bloomberg.net[8].
References
- ^ Get Quote (www.bloomberg.com)
- ^ U.S. Department of Health (topics.bloomberg.com)
- ^ Open Web Site (www.oig.hhs.gov)
- ^ Food and Drug Administration (topics.bloomberg.com)
- ^ Get Quote (www.bloomberg.com)
- ^ Washington (topics.bloomberg.com)
- ^ Send E-mail (www.bloomberg.com)
- ^ Send E-mail (www.bloomberg.com)
Gadhafi presses Libyan Rebels
Read the original article here.
TOBRUK, Libya (AP) -- Outnumbered and outgunned, Libyan rebels lost control of their last town west of Tripoli on Tuesday and struggled to stall or outrun Moammar Gadhafi's forces as they raced eastward. With a punishing blockade, airstrikes and long-range missiles, Gadhafi's forces neared opposition strongholds, apparently hoping either for outright victory or to force residents to turn against the rebels.
With the victory in Zwara, a seaside town about 30 miles (50 kilometers) from the Tunisian border, and the west largely consolidated under Gadhafi, government troops and warplane raced eastward, outpacing French and British efforts to build support for a no-fly zone over Libya.
Opposition fighters were left without a major foothold in the country's west, where the Libyan leader's strength is greatest, and teetering control of some of the eastern cities that have been their support base and refuge.
Gadhafi's forces reached the outskirts of the rebel-stronghold of Ajdabiya on Tuesday afternoon, pounding the city entrance with long-range missiles, tank fire and airstrikes. One bomb destroyed a rebel camp, a panicked local activist told The Associated Press, and another wrecked a key rebel supply road.
"This isn't one or two planes. They are like a flock!" he said, as explosions went off in the background.
He said Gadhafi's forces had also pounded the crucial eastern road that linked the city to other rebel strongholds.
Residents were fleeing to nearby villages, he said. But he noted that so far, the planes were not hitting civilian targets. The activist said he saw one dead fighter, but did not know of other casualties.
Rebel spokesman Ahmed al-Zwei, at Ajdabiya's western edge, said his comrades were hoping to try stall the government advance: "God willing, no, no, no, they will not reach Ajdabiya. God willing we can push them back."
In Paris, efforts for a no-fly zone had stalled and French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe suggested in a radio interview that events on the ground in Libya have already outpaced diplomatic efforts.
"If we had used military force last week to neutralize some airstrips and the several dozen planes that they have, perhaps the reversal taking place to the detriment of the opposition wouldn't have happened," Juppe told Europe-1 radio. "But that's the past."
The victory in Zwara reversed the early rebel gains in the uprising against his rule that began on Feb. 15. Government troops had surrounded the town of 45,000 on Monday and bombarded it with tanks and artillery for hours, killing at least four rebel fighters, several residents said.
Even as Zwara fell, the Obama administration on Monday held its first high-level talks with the Libyan opposition and introduced a liaison to deal full time with their ranks. It remained undecided about exactly how much support to lend a group it still knows little about while turmoil and uncertainty increase across the Arab world.
Government troops have scored victories using overpowering bombardments with artillery, tanks, warplanes and warships. They have blockaded Misrata, Libya's third-largest city, 125 miles (200 kilometers) southeast of Tripoli.
"We are short on antibiotics and surgery supplies and disposable equipment," said a doctor in the city. "We feel so, so, isolated here. We are pleading with the international community to help us in this very difficult time."
The doctor said naval ships in the Mediterranean port were blocking aid ships. Another resident said townspeople were relying on poor quality home-dug water wells normally used to irrigate their gardens. He said in many parts of town, the water network was cut, and water tankers that traditionally supply drinking water to rooftop tanks weren't able to enter Misrata.
Government troops have scored victories using overpowering bombardments with artillery, tanks, warplanes and warships. Such an assault drove rebel fighters out of the western city of Zawiya last week.
---
Hadid reported from Cairo.
Bob Barker donates $2 million to Semper Fi Fund
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LOS ANGELES — Former TV game show host Bob Barker is donating $2 million to a charity that helps injured members of the military and their families.
The former host of "The Price is Right" will donate to the Semper Fi Fund, which assists Marines, soldiers, sailors, and Air Force and Coast Guard members who are injured during service.
A press statement says the donation will be made Wednesday at a ceremony in Hollywood.
Barker is a former World War II fighter pilot. He's also an animal rights activist and last year donated $2.5 million to help People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals open a new location in Los Angeles.
Attorney General Bill Schuette: EMU's student's religious beliefs against homosexuality violated
Read the original story here.
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette has waded into a closely watched federal appeals case, siding with an Eastern Michigan University student who claims her dismissal from the university for refusing to counsel gay and lesbian patients violated her religious belief against homosexuality.
Schuette is the latest entrant in a case that has drawn conservative and religious groups, public universities and civil liberties organizations.
"This case really is at the intersection of a lot of values," said Christopher Lund, an assistant law professor at Wayne State University who specializes in religious liberty issues.
"There's gay rights versus religious liberty and the rights of individuals versus the rights of the universities to set curriculum. Whenever all those cross, you've got a lot of people and organizations that are interested."
The suit also shows Schuette's willingness to weigh in on social issues.
"This case signals he will act on questions of constitutionality, such as the case of President Obama's health care law," said AG spokesman John Sellek. "This case is also a constitutional issue, where no one should lose their religious freedoms as they work to get an education."
A case study of religious versus university rights
Eastern Michigan University discriminated against former student Julea Ward when it dismissed her from its counseling program after she said her Christian beliefs prohibited her from counseling a gay client, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said in a court filing.
That's not the case at all, EMU said. Ward was dismissed because her refusal to counsel the patient didn't follow the assigned curriculum and professional ethics guidelines set up the American Counseling Association, the school said.
EMU's position has been upheld by a federal judge. Now Ward, with briefs of support from Schuette and a number of religious rights organizations, has appealed that ruling. Oral arguments are expected to begin later this year.
It's a case that's being closely watched, not only by religious organizations, but by other universities. Nine Michigan public universities have filed a brief supporting EMU, saying the case is about who controls curriculum -- the university or the students.
"Fundamentally, this case raises the question of whether universities have the freedom to determine their own curricula or whether they must fashion their curricular requirements around the religious, political, social, philosophical and ideological beliefs and expressions of each and every students," said the brief submitted by the University of Michigan, Central Michigan, Grand Valley State, Michigan State, and five other schools.
It was written by Debra Kowich of U-M's general counsel office, who wrote that a ruling for Ward "could require universities to dilute their curricular requirements to the point that they would not possibly offend any student of any faith" or political view.
But that's not how Ward sees it. She and her attorneys at the Alliance Defense Fund say the case is about religious discrimination.
Ward sued the university after it dismissed her from its graduate counseling program in 2009 after she refused to work on a gay client's relationship issues in a clinical program. She said she believes homosexuality is immoral and being gay or lesbian is a choice and thus she could not in good conscience counsel the client.
EMU said it dismissed her because she didn't follow a code of ethics that requires counselors to set aside their own personal beliefs in order to work with clients.
Judge George Steeh of the U.S. District Court in Detroit ruled for EMU last July, saying the school was within its rights to dismiss Ward for failing to follow its curriculum. The judge wrote that Ward "has distorted the facts in this case to support her position that defendants dismissed her due to her religious beliefs."
Ward and her attorneys, a legal group that works to uphold the rights of religious college students and faculty, have asked the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals to step in. They did not return calls seeking comment on Monday.
But in their legal brief for Ward, the lawyers wrote that "EMU violated Ms. Ward's right to the free exercise of religion by acting as arbiters of her religious beliefs."
Schuette agrees with them.
"There is a striking difference between EMU's written standards and EMU's application of those rules to Julea Ward," the brief by Schuette's office said. "Indeed, the evidence suggests that Ward was punished and ultimately dismissed from the program solely for her attempt to exercise disfavored religious beliefs, not for a violation of the code.
The attorney general's brief, filed Friday, also suggests political correctness was at work, suggesting "that EMU 'weeded out' Ward solely because of her religious views to ensure that only candidates with the 'right' beliefs are admitted to the counseling profession."
A number of gay rights groups have weighed in as well, including a brief filed jointly by the Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays; Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, Affirmations and the Ruth Ellis Center in support of EMU, which says counselors, especially school counselors (which Ward wanted to be), must be supportive of students, whatever their own views.
"A school counselor who is unwilling to assist such students, or worse, a counselor who expresses disapproval of a student's status as LGBT -- is both incapable of doing her job and likely to cause significant harm," the groups' brief said.
EMU says the case is about its curriculum, and nothing else. "This case has never been about religion or religious discrimination," EMU spokesman Walter Kraft said in a statement last week. "It is not about homosexuality or sexual orientation. This case is about what is in the best interest of a client who is in need of counseling, and following the curricular requirements of our highly respected and nationally accredited counseling program."
Monday, March 14, 2011
Robert Bobb's new plan for DPS: Turn 41 struggling schools into charters
Read the original story here.
Detroit Public Schools emergency financial manager Robert Bobb announced a radical restructuring plan for the struggling school system Saturday that he says would save the district millions of dollars by converting 41 poorly performing schools into DPS-authorized charter schools.
Based on a similar plan in post-Katrina New Orleans, the Renaissance Plan 2012 would lease the buildings and equipment to charter operators, who would run the buildings as public school academies in the fall.
The proposal was among four models Bobb presented to the school board at a workshop Saturday. It will require board approval. Under his Renaissance Plan, the estimated immediate savings would be between $75 million and $99 million, said district spokesman Steve Wasko. The district is facing a $327-million deficit.
About 16,000 students currently enrolled in 41 failing Detroit public schools could find themselves attending charter schools next fall, without even changing school buildings.
Under a proposal presented Saturday by Detroit Public Schools emergency financial manager Robert Bobb and first reported on freep.com, the district would send out requests for proposals as early as this week to charter school operators. Those selected would lease buildings from DPS, generating about $22 million for the district.
The district would see up to $99 million in immediate savings by not having to pay to operate those buildings, Bobb said.The charters would be authorized by DPS, and the students currently attending those schools would receive priority enrollment.
In addition, the teachers, should they decide to stay, would still be part of the bargaining unit.
"Rather than simply closing schools, this plan seeks to transform DPS into one of the nation's premier urban school districts by recruiting some of the best, proven school operators to serve Detroit's children and remake schools that have been failing them for years," Bobb said.
Though Bobb and the school board have often been at odds over management of the district -- even taking their battles to court -- board President Anthony Adams said their independent research came to similar conclusions about the value of a charter-heavy district. The board would have to approve Bobb's plan. But if legislation expanding powers to emergency financial managers passes, that would change.
"Our first goal is to preserve the integrity of DPS as a system," Adams said of keeping the charters under DPS watch. "Our second goal is to eliminate the legacy of debt."
In August, the state Department of Education issued a list of failing public schools. Among Detroit schools, 41 were listed as being in danger of a state takeover. District officials said those schools aren't necessarily the same schools being eyed for charter conversion.
Steve Wasko, spokesman for DPS, said schools with recent remodeling, building projects or personnel overhauls would be largely exempt from the conversion. The district has 142 schools, including nine charters, and is accepting applications for a residential charter school to start in the fall.
But if charter school operators don't step forward, the schools will close, adding to the ranks of shuttered buildings in the district, where enrollment has dropped by more than half since 2000 and district projections put enrollment in the 50,000 range by 2016.
The Renaissance Plan 2012 is one of several models Bobb presented Saturday. Under another model, DPS's revenue would be used to pay off all outstanding debts; the existing school system would be closed and a brand new district would be established with new contracts and staffing levels. Under a second model, a system of charter schools and traditional public schools would be created to replace the existing DPS.
For education experts, the Bobb's announcement represents a do-or-die moment in fixing schools.
"We don't know what kind of results will come from this," said Sharif Shakrani, professor and senior scholar at the Education Policy Center at Michigan State University. "If we continue in the same direction, down the same road, you are not likely to see a significant change. Mr. Bobb basically has no choice but to go that way."
Adams called for public input through a series of meetings citywide.
More details, including the list of schools that could be affected and the call for proposals for charter organizations, will be released this week, school officials said.
Teachers could stay at the schools of their choice and remain under the collective bargaining agreement, said Detroit Federation of Teachers President Keith Johnson.
Johnson is expected to meet with school officials Monday to discuss the plan.
"I don't have an initial reaction," he told the Free Press on Saturday, but he said that 41 independent charters would be out of the question.
"By law, if they are DPS charters, they have to be under the collective bargaining agreement."
But Jose Afonso, director of U.S. business development for SABIS Educational Systems, which runs nine charter schools in six states, including two in Michigan, says he would not want to run a Detroit school that was governed by a teacher contract. None of the SABIS schools are unionized.
"We would need complete flexibility over staffing," Afonso said.
Yet as Mayor Dave Bing moves to reshape the city, the identity and future of these schools could change some of Bing's boundaries, said Dan Lijana, Bing's spokesman. DPS and the city have worked together in the past when schools closed, he said.
"A strong school is one of those factors that comes into the equation," he said of deciding what areas to consolidate.
"DPS understands (that) what they're doing has to fit in with how the city is going to restructure," Lijana said.
Doug Ross, CEO of New Urban Learning, a nonprofit that runs University Preparatory Schools, said Bobb's plan fits in perfectly with the Excellent Schools Detroit initiative, a plan announced last year to open 70 new high-performing schools in Detroit while closing low-performing schools.
"It could not be more consistent," said Ross.
DPS ranks third in the nation in the percentage of its students attending charter schools, at 36%. The New Orleans and Washington, D.C. districts are Nos. 1 and 2. DPS likely would see its percentage rise to 47% if all 41 schools becomes charters.
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