There are some that have voted in Ohio...i.e.....the student back in

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If you're lucky you'll be dead before you have to pay it off. Apparently nobody else is paying theirs back...

Didn't Michelle Obama say they were still (in their 40s) paying on theirs? Got that mansion in Illinois, but can't pay back their student loans? Wasn't this in a speech she gave in Zanesville, OH when she told people to forego college and get into the 'service sector' because the Obamas were still paying off student loans? Now her husband says we need a degree in order to work in the US? Wow! What must pillow-talk be like in that bedroom?

House OKs budget bill cutting $50 billion in aid
Medicaid, food stamps, student loans take a hit

Washington -- House Republicans, after weeks of negotiations, narrowly passed a budget bill early Friday to cut $50 billion from Medicaid, food stamps, student loans and other programs over the complaints of Democrats that Congress is squeezing students, the elderly and the poor to pay for tax cuts for the rich.

The House approved the bill 217-215, after GOP leaders agreed to demands from moderate Republicans to jettison a measure to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska and to slightly reduce proposed cuts to food stamps.

Still, the vote was so politically sensitive that House leaders didn't begin debate until 10 p.m. Thursday and didn't pass the measure until nearly 2 a.m. -- when most news reporters gone and only a few C-SPAN junkies could witness the fiery floor action. No Democrats voted for the bill, and 14 Republicans opposed it.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco said in a floor speech that cutting money for Medicaid, child support enforcement and foster care as the House prepares to vote on $70 billion in tax cuts was a sin.

Republicans are launching an attack on America's children, on America's families, Pelosi said. They are also launching an attack on America's middle class, all of this to give tax cuts to the wealthiest people in our country.

But House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., responded that the proposed cuts were needed to rein in the growth of federal spending on health care and other programs.

Medicaid is growing at a 7.3 percent growth rate per year, Hastert said. It has been growing for years. Is there a better way to do it? Is there a more efficient way to do it? Should we find some reforms to make it better? Yes, we should.

The House bill also would split the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, a goal of conservatives who have long complained the court is too liberal. But the breakup of the appellate court, which covers the country's Western region including federal cases that arise in California, is not part of the Senate budget bill. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and senior members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are seeking to strip it from the final package.

The battle over the budget reconciliation bill now moves to a joint House-Senate conference committee, where lawmakers will have to make several critical decisions, including:

-- Will the final budget bill allow oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge?

The Senate version would allow drilling, but a group of House Republican moderates has pledged to oppose any final bill that would open the Alaskan wildlife refuge for development.

-- How deeply will lawmakers cut student loans?

The House bill would cut student loan programs by $14.3 billion, while the Senate version cuts them by $8.8 billion. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated the House bill would cause a typical college student with the average of $17,000 in student loans to pay an additional $5,800 in interest and fees over the length of the loans.

-- Will some legal immigrants lose their food stamps?

The House bill would cut off 220,000 people from food stamps by allowing legal immigrants to qualify for the food aid after seven years, instead of the current five years. The Senate bill does not cut food stamps, and moderate lawmakers are urging that it be dropped from the final budget package.

-- How will the cuts affect Medicaid recipients?

The House bill calls for $11.4 billion in cuts to Medicaid, while the Senate bill trims spending by only $4.3 billion. The House bill also would allow co-payments to rise over time with inflation and would deny Medicaid nursing home benefits to people with $750,000 in home equity.

-- Will child support enforcement be cut?

The House bill would slash funding for child support enforcement by $4.9 billion. The Senate did not include any cuts to child support enforcement.

-- Will Medicare be cut?

The Senate voted to eliminate $5.4 billion in subsidies for some regional insurance companies that agreed to participate in President Bush's Medicare prescription drug program. The House bill does not cut the subsidies.

Congress watchers expect that lawmakers are likely to split the difference between the House's $50 billion in cuts over five years and the Senate's $35 billion in trims. But the negotiations will be difficult for GOP leaders. Conservatives, especially in the House, have been pushing for deeper cuts. Republican moderates plan to lobby to restore funding for some programs.

House Republicans argue the heated rhetoric over the budget bill's effects is overblown because many cuts are simply limiting the growth rate of certain federal programs. For example, the proposed cuts to Medicaid would lower the annual growth rate in spending on the program from 7.3 percent to 7 percent.

But Democrats complained the cuts hit the wrong targets, including students struggling to pay for college. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill would increase costs to students and families by $8 billion, including nearly $5.5 billion in costs when students consolidate loans.

You're hurting the students of this nation, Rep. George Miller, D-Martinez, told Republicans in an angry floor speech. You're putting their families in debt. You're piling on the interest rates. You ought to be ashamed of it.

E-mail Zachary Coile at zcoile@sfchronicle.com.

Gov. Strickland�s Plan for Ohio a Blueprint for America�s Energy Future?

With oil hovering at $40 a barrel, and the price of gasoline nose-diving from all-time highs, do you think the worst-case scenario is behind us?
We are fooling ourselves if we think we can survive under our present system. Those are short-term numbers, and they are not encouraging to any of us. OPEC has already made it clear through production cuts that it is going to do everything in its power to get the price of a barrel of oil back up again.

So you�re saying we can�t afford to sit still?
Ohio can�t. Manufacturing is a vital component of our state�s economy. As a consequence our state uses an enormous amount of energy. Like America and its dependence on foreign oil, we are a net energy importer, which is why we are moving as quickly as possible to develop alternative energies. We have to.

What sort of steps is Ohio taking?
Last year the Ohio Legislature passed an electricity restructuring bill that has some of the strictest requirements in the country for developing electrical power from alternative energy sources. That�s the sort of signal investors want and need so they can commit capital and invest in alternative energies.

What other energy sources are being developed in Ohio?
I am personally a big supporter of nuclear power. Ohio was in the running and a finalist for a new nuclear plant being developed by Areva, the French nuclear power giant. We didn�t get that one, but there will be others to come. We have already taken big steps forward with clean coal technology. That�s a must for us because Ohio generates 95 percent of its electrical power from coal. I�ve also participated in several meetings with MTorres, a Spanish company, in Ohio as well as in Spain, about developing a wind farm on Lake Erie. What a great opportunity for us to make the most of such a significant natural and renewable resource. And our state is a leader in solar energy.

Ohio? Solar energy? That�s produced in the desert, not in the Midwest.
But how is harnessed? Come to Ohio and we�ll show you how. The Toledo area is one of world�s leading centers for solar research and development. To begin with I�ll tell you about First Solar, which is a publicly traded company that is one of the fastest growing manufacturers of solar modules in the world. The company is less than 10 years old and is already a leader in clean affordable energy.

Xunlight is another Toledo-area company that is a major solar panel producer. The company is a spin-off from the University of Toledo and was started by a young doctor, Xunming Deng. Xunlight manufactures microthin, three-foot wide solar panels that can be produced in sheets up to a mile long. They are completely portable and can be rolled up, transported, and easily installed.

And when investors tried to lure Dr. Deng overseas to set up production for Xunlight in a lower cost market, he said, �No. The University of Toledo took a chance on me, and now I�m going to stick by them.

From employment opportunities to increased funding in higher education and a broader tax base, that�s going to pay huge dividends.
I am convinced that renewable energies and developing the technology that powers them have the potential to be a major answer to the current economic challenges our country now faces. Anyone who needs proof can come to Ohio.

Guess we play by different rules down here. Ya'll come down and see us some time.

I don't know where you found your info, but here is info I found at this website under food stamps fact sheet: http://jfs.ohio.gov/families/food/index.stm

Doesn't say anything about being taxable or not and definitely does not specifically forbid soda.

Food stamp benefits can be used to buy most food or food products intended for human consumption. Items which

may not be purchased with food stamps include alcoholic beverages, tobacco, hot food and hot food products

that are prepared to be eaten immediately. Individuals who receive food stamp benefits may not sell or trade food

stamp benefits, buy nonfood items or use food stamp benefits to buy food for someone who is not a member of

Hackett has his work cut out for him, but I hope the vets keep running. It is a good sign of potential changes in the WH soon.

Ohio War Veteran Running for Senate

CINCINNATI -- Paul Hackett, the Democratic veteran of the Iraq war who narrowly lost a special election in a heavily Republican congressional district in August, made his official entry into a U.S. Senate race Monday.

He faces a tough Democratic primary with Rep. Sherrod Brown in the race for the nomination to challenge second-term Republican incumbent Sen. Mike DeWine next year.

Paul Hackett, the Democratic veteran of the Iraq war who narrowly lost in a special election in a heavily Republican congressional district in August, announces his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, Monday, Oct. 24, 2005, at his home in Cincinnati, Ohio. (AP Photo/Al Behrman) (Al Behrman - AP)

Hackett's only political experience is a stint as a small-city councilman.

I'm asking all the people of this great state, regardless of political affiliation, to consider my message and to consider joining me in the fight to take back our government from the career politicians and their special interest support groups who have hijacked our government, he said as he announced his campaign at his home in suburban Indian Hill.

Hackett decided to run for Congress earlier this year after completing a seven-month tour of duty in Iraq as a Marine reservist. That special election in southern Ohio's seven-county 2nd District was to replace Rep. Rob Portman, who left his seat to become the U.S. trade representative.

Hackett won the Democratic nomination, then battled Republican Jean Schmidt, a former state legislator, in a campaign in which he linked her to embattled Republican Gov. Bob Taft while sharply criticizing President Bush's handling of the war.

Schmidt won on Aug. 2 with 52 percent of the vote, though Portman had consistently won re-election in the district with more than 70 percent and Bush had carried it in 2004 with 64 percent.

Hackett's strong showing in a state that was a pivotal presidential battleground solidified the attorney as a likely 2006 candidate for Congress or statewide office.

After Hackett decided to oppose DeWine, Hackett was irked when Brown, with three decades of elective politics behind him, decided he also would run.

Brown, a former state legislator and Ohio secretary of state, is in his seventh congressional term, representing northeastern Ohio's 13th District. He's expected to officially launch his Senate race in early November.

Brown said Monday he initially didn't plan to run because of family reasons, but changed his mind with his family's encouragement. He said he wasn't expecting the race for the May 2 primary to damage his chances of defeating DeWine in the general election.

I've had primaries before, Brown said. It makes me a stronger candidate.

No doubt this is a centrist Democrat. Being Republican, I didn't even know if any centrists were left now that they've been hijacked by moveon, who has openly bragged about owning the Dems.

Incidentally, the Dems had enough votes to pass this thing day one. They know better than to do that and end up being responsible. This is why we're subjected to this dog & pony show by them now.

And to think, they are not only working on a filibuster-proof election and an Obama presidency. Can y'all afford this tax ticket? I know I can't.

No one in Washington is standing up for us. You are being pitted against each other by CNN and Fox. There is no difference between the two candidates at all. They are both wimps.

There are some that have voted in Ohio...i.e.....the student back in

House OKs budget bill cutting $50 billion in aid Medicaid, food stamps, student loans take a hit

Hackett has his work cut out for him, but I hope the vets keep running. It is a good sign of potential changes in the WH soon.

Ohio War Veteran Running for Senate

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House OKs budget bill cutting $50 billion in aid
Medicaid, food stamps, student loans take a hit