Post-Gazette 2-4-11.Pmd

VOL. 115 - NO. 5 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, FEBRUARY 4, 2011 $.30 A COPY WHERE WERE YOU ... The Real State of the Union ... By the Numbers by Herman Cain During the Blizzard of ’78? Now that the mainstream are, but most of us are not. In fact, the total amount of media is hopefully done Maybe there are some pro- U.S. Treasury Securities swooning over President visions in the START Treaty held by foreign countries in- Obama’s State of the Union that regular folk like the re- creased 18.5 percent in Speech, some of us are pair man and I don’t know 2010 (Treasury.gov). That’s more concerned about the about. But it appears as if not a comforting sign. real State of the Union, by the Russians got a better Total bankruptcy filings the numbers. It’s not what deal by limiting our ability to were nearly 14 percent he said or did not say, nor is deploy missile defense sys- higher in 2010, on top of the it how he said it. It should tems in other parts of the 1.4 million fillings in 2009. be about our national secu- world, where a lot of our en- It should be no surprise that rity and our national eco- emies are located. For ex- the unemployment rate re- nomic health. ample, cancellation of the mained between 9.4 and 9.8 The day after the missile defense system be- percent throughout 2010, president’s State of the ing built in Turkey does not and that the weekly new job- Union speech, an appliance seem like a good idea. The less claims were around installation and repair man world is not safer! And we 400,000 per week nearly ev- was installing some new ap- have reduced our ability to ery week. The small num- pliances in our home. Unso- help keep it safe. ber of “new” private sector licited, he said he had a hard Many of the most compel- jobs has simply not been time sleeping last night af- ling facts about the real enough to offset that pace of ter hearing the president’s state of our economy were joblessness. speech. When I asked why, missing from the A year ago, in the he said he did not hear any- president’s speech. president’s State of the thing in the speech that Gross Domestic Product Union speech, he said that made him feel that America did grow year over year in creating jobs would be a top is safer as a nation, nor did 2010 by 2.6 percent. But priority. In early 2009, he he hear anything that would China’s economy grew by said that the nearly $1 tril- really help grow the around 10 percent, which lion in stimulus spending economy. means, at those comparable would keep unemployment No wonder the man rates, China’s economy will under 8 percent and grow News Briefs doesn’t sleep. surpass us 15 to 20 years the economy. by Sal Giarratani I told him I agreed with from now. Since China holds The unemployment rate him, and that he expressed the largest percentage of our has not been below 9 percent the feelings of probably most foreign-held debt, I consider since the stimulus bill was Consalvo Aims for of us who are not intoxicated that a national security passed, and I guess it de- More Affordable Housing by the president’s words and threat as well as a threat to Boston City Councilor Rob Consalvo has just his delivery. Many people our financial stability. (Continued on Page 13) been re-appointed to the city’s Neighborhood Housing Trust. The trust is responsible for allo- cating the city’s linkage monies to organizations and groups seeking assistance in building af- East Boston Students Preparing for Sicily fordable housing. The trust works to increase by Nicola Orichuia the supply of such housing. Consalvo has been a trust member since 2002. Said Consalvo, “In this role, I will be able to continue the working partnership with many worthy organizations as we attempt to provide more affordable housing opportunities in our City.” Since its inception, the trust fund has helped create or preserve over 6,000 affordable housing units. Housing is a priority issue for Consalvo who also was just reappointed as the chair of the City Council’s Housing Committee. As Consalvo concludes, providing safe, quality, affordable housing is one of the key issues to making our city a great city. To be able to work on that is one thing I love. Connecting Those Make-believe Dots As I read Charles Babington’s AP commentary (Tucson rampage casts light on toxic political tone, Banner, January 13) connecting non- existent or suspected dots between Sarah Palin and the Tucson shooting, I remained amazed on how many in the media shoot (pardon the gun-related metaphor) from the hip with little if any real evidence. Bottom line, the gunman’s motives are still not really known. Nor do we know if he even listened to the so-called right- wing radio. Shown in photo are East Boston High School students with Italian students from (Continued on Page 10) Sicily, Italy, who took part in the Student Exchange Program. In March students from East Boston High will be particpating in the Exchange Program by traveling to Italy. (Continued on Page 5) THE POST-GAZETTE SATELLITE OFFICE IS NOW OPEN AT 35 BENNINGTON STREET, EAST BOSTON This office is open on Tuesdays from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM and Thursdays from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PMPM, for the convenience of our East Boston and North Shore clients and contributors Call 617-227-8929 for more information Page 2 POST-GAZETTE, FEBRUARY 4, 2011 Res Publica by David Trumbull From Person to People: Presidents Reagan and Obama Compared PIUS TIBERIUS Thirty years ago tomorrow self and who, as a conserva- Tiberius Claudius Nero His first military service commander and also the President Ronald Reagan tive, instinctively thought in Ceasar, second emperor of was as a tribune of the sol- builder of the Pantheon. The opened his first major Presi- terms of the individual soul Rome, was the third of the diers (commander) wherein practice of adopting adults dential address to the nation — conceived unemployment twelve Caesars and was also he led a campaign against was not uncommon in Rome on the economy with these as a personal blow to the out- the third member of the Armenia and Parthia, and during imperial times. words: of-work man or woman. Julio-Claudian line. He was was responsible for reset- During a revolt and ensu- “I’m speaking to you tonight Even when he speaks of the born on the Palentine Hill on tling forty thousand prison- ing three year war with to give you a report on the state unemployed collectively he November 16, 42 B.C., the ers of war into new homes Illyricum, Claudius was given of our Nation’s economy. I does so with a graphic im- son of Tiberius Claudius Nero along the Rhine. He re- command of fifteen legions regret to say that we’re in the age of persons queuing up, and Livia. His mother Livia turned to Rome riding in a plus an equal number of re- worst economic mess since the much as at a 1930 Depres- later married Augustus. His chariot, honored with the serve forces. His persever- Great Depression.” sion-era soup kitchen. It is father died when Tiberius Triumphal Regalia, a new ance was amply rewarded by Last week President an image that directs the lis- was only nine years old and kind of distinction never be- a complete victory over this Barack Obama turned to the tener to the magnitude of at that young age he eulo- fore conferred upon anyone. territory which now makes economic condition and out- individual suffering and away gized his dead parent from His popularity mounted and up a part of Yugoslavia. The look in his 2011 State of the from the abstract idea of “un- the rostrum in the Forum. in time he held the offices victory took on more impor- Union Address, stating: employment.” While in his early teens he of quaestor (public prosecu- tance because of a simulta- “We are poised for progress. Now consider how Presi- and Marcellus accompanied tor), praetor (chief magis- neous defeat of three Roman Two years after the worst dent Obama addressed the the chariot of Augustus in trate), and consul (one of the legions in Germany, thus, recession most of us have ever same suffering: the triumph at Actium (the two highest magistrates). through Claudius the day known, the stock market has “We measure progress by defeat of Marc Antony and During the height of his was saved for Rome in this come roaring back. Corporate the success of our people. By Cleopatra). success Tiberius withdrew area. Because of this success profits are up. The economy is the jobs they can find and the At a later age Tiberius mar- from political life, asking for a “Triumph” or great victory growing again.” quality of life those jobs offer.” ried Agrippina, the daugh- leave of absence because of parade was held in honor By some measures Mr. Mr. Reagan’s imagery con- ter of Marcus Agrippa the weariness of office and a de- of Tiberius. He was offered Obama is correct. By some veys that he has looked into army general, statesman sire to rest. He made a hasty the surname of Pannonicus, measures the economy is the faces of these sufferers.

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