from the Associated Press

Gov. Mike Easley said Thursday that he's disappointed in the state Labor Department's response to reports of mistreatment of immigrants who work in the poultry industry.

"I think the Department of Labor has to be more aggressive," said Easley, a Democrat. " I didn't see the level of concern that needs to be there."

In a 40-minute interview with The Charlotte Observer, Easley discussed the newspaper's series in February that said a North Carolina poultry company disguised the number of injuries that its workers suffered on the job. He said he didn't speak out right away in order to give state agencies time to fashion their own response to workplace safety issues.

Jennifer Loven, Associated Press

President Bush vetoed legislation Wednesday that would have expanded government-provided health insurance for children, his second slap-down of a bipartisan effort in Congress to dramatically increase funding for the popular program.

It was Bush's seventh veto in seven years - all but one coming since Democrats took control of Congress in January. Wednesday was the deadline for Bush to act or let the bill become law. The president also vetoed an earlier, similar bill expanding the health insurance program.

Bush vetoed the bill in private.

In a statement notifying Congress of his decision, Bush said the bill was unacceptable because - like the first one - it allows adults into the program, would cover people in families with incomes above the U.S. median and raises taxes.

(Washington, DC)- The House Judiciary Committee will consider a substitute version of the Miller-Sánchez "Emergency Homeownership and Mortgage Equity Protection Act of 2007" during a markup TOMORROW, December 12, at 10:15 a.m. in room 2141 of the Rayburn House Office Building. The substitute reflects a compromise made with Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH) that will help hundreds of thousands of homeowners save their homes from foreclosure while seeking bankruptcy to reorganize their debts.

"This is a major step toward providing substantive relief to combat the mortgage crisis that is occurring in communities across our nation," Conyers said. "This bipartisan compromise assists a broad category of homeowners who would not otherwise benefit from the Administration's proposal, namely those homeowners who most need assistance and are facing foreclosure."

Elizabeth Dole's inaction on a key housing bill is worsening skyrocketing homelessness problem.

Today, victims of Hurricane Katrina and local advocates held a press conference at Sen. Elizabeth Dole's office in Raleigh calling on the Senator to take action to save homes in the still-devastated Gulf Coast region.

Homelessness in New Orleans has doubled since Katrina struck in August 2005, according to recent reports, and thousands of families still live in temporary FEMA housing. Yet despite a housing shortage, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development has authorized the demolition of more than 4,000 units of public housing in New Orleans – most of it barely damaged by Katrina. The homes are slated to be razed this week, without provisions for replacing them with affordable units.

Speaker Joe Hackney of the North Carolina House of Representatives will lead a delegation of Democratic state lawmakers visiting the nation's capital Wednesday to meet with Congressional leaders.

The group is scheduled to meet with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, both Democrats. They are expected to discuss the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP; the severe ongoing drought in parts of the nation, including North Carolina; transportation and other federal budget matters.

"State and federal leaders must work together and have good cooperation if we are to overcome the challenges we face in this nation and in our states," said Hackney, president-elect of the National Conference of State Legislatures. "Meetings such as these allow for important exchanges of ideas and help all of us do better jobs for our constituents."

President Bush has a spending problem.

While proposing another $196 billion for an unpopular war, Bush wants to strip $8.4 million from North Carolina classrooms.

Bush threatened to veto the Labor-HHS-Education bill that the Senate approved last week.

Sign this petition to tell Bush you continue to stand with our children.

Bush and his Republican enablers Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr favor a draconian budget that would cut education funding for North Carolina and 43 other states.

These misguided cuts could force local communities to find local tax dollars to meet those needs or shortchange their schools.

500 Members Participate In Service Projects To Celebrate National 2007 “Make A Difference Day”

Gov. Mike Easley announced today that about 500 North Carolina AmeriCorps members across the state participated in service projects throughout October to observe national 2007 “Make A Difference Day.” The projects brought together charitable organizations, corporations and citizens to improve communities and help neighbors in need.

“Make A Difference Day is a tremendous opportunity for N.C. AmeriCorps members and others to participate in community service projects together,” said Easley. “These events inspire all citizens to continue helping others throughout the year.”

Make A Difference Day is the largest community service effort in the nation. According to USA Weekend Magazine, creator of the event, three million people across the country participated in last year’s day of service, helping an estimated 20 million people.

The 10 AmeriCorps programs in North Carolina sponsored events for Make A Difference Day.

Some of this year’s projects included:

On any given playground in North Carolina, 13 out of 100 children don’t have health insurance.

That makes it harder to see a pediatrician if asthma makes it harder for them to play on the school soccer team or treat other illnesses like juvenile diabetes.

Today, Republican Robin Hayes and the rest of North Carolina’s Republican delegation made sure that it stays that way.

They voted against overriding President Bush’s veto of the State Children Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

By pushing the red, “no” button, Hayes just denied 116,000 North Carolina children health care.

Republicans try to downplay that ugly reality by distorting the facts, smearing a 12-year-old boy and his family, and accusing Democrats of weaving a gauzy haze of sob stories to confuse the public.

By standing with President Bush and against American families, Republicans refuse to face the cold, hard reality is that even in this land of abundant prosperity real, working families have a hard time making ends meet.

By Jonathan E. Kaplan and Mike Soraghan, The Hill
October 17, 2007

Emboldened by new polling data, Democrats will press on in criticizing Republicans who support President Bush’s veto of a bill to expand a children’s health insurance program.

Some centrist Republicans could pay a political price for voting on Thursday to sustain Bush’s veto of a five-year, $35 billion expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), according to new polling conducted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and obtained by The Hill.

One poll found that 42 percent of voters are “very convinced” to vote against their Midwestern centrist Republican congressman, Rep. Kenny Hulshof (Mo.) when told that he “voted to keep 10 million kids from getting health insurance, including 100,000 from his own state” while keeping his “government health insurance.”

Nineteen percent found the argument “somewhat convincing.”

Another survey of a congressional district in a Southern state found that opposing the SCHIP reauthorization “raised doubts” about the GOP incumbent lawmaker, Rep. Thelma Drake (Va.), for 66 percent of voters.

U.S. Representative Mike McIntyre voted for and the U.S. House has passed legislation to expand affordable housing.

Congressman McIntyre, who is a co-sponsor of the bill, stated, “Owning a home is the American dream, and we must do more to help everyone achieve this. Passage of this bill is a critical leap forward in helping address the home ownership challenge. This is a great day for the citizens of our nation and the future of home ownership!”

The National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act will establish a national affordable housing trust fund to build or preserve 1.5 million homes or apartments over the next 10 years without increasing government spending or the federal deficit. The bill will initially allocate between $800 million and $1 billion annually directly to states and local communities. The Trust fund targets funds more for the construction of affordable housing and more for lower income families facing the greatest needs.