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Happy St. Patrick’s Day
I hope everyone was able to enjoy what I hear was a beautiful day to celebrate America’s Irish heritage in Kansas City. I was in Washington, D.C., but was able to join President Barack Obama and the Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland, Enda Kenny, for lunch in the Speakers Lobby in the U.S. Capitol.
To view a clip of the President and Taoiseach Kenny click here >>>
On a personal note, I am sorry I missed Micheal Mahoney as Grand Marshal of the 38th St. Patrick’s Day parade. For decades, Mike and I have been on opposite sides of the podium, but there are few reporters as professional and knowledgeable. A great honor to a fine Irishman.
While Kansas City was celebrating, St. Patrick’s Day was a time for a little bipartisanship in Washington. A rare commodity these days, but something we need.
While it is not quite the same as watching our own “lone piper” Jody Watson lead the way down Broadway back home, hearing the bagpipers in full dress, lining the steps of the Capitol as Taoiseach Kenny arrived was goosebump-inducing.
More Good News
Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II joins (left to right): Director of KC Parks and Recreation Mark McHenry, Councilwoman Sharon Sanders Brooks, Community Advocate Scott Wagner, Parks Board President John Fierro, Councilwoman Melba Curls and two children from the neighborhood to break ground on the new Northeast Community Center.
Contrary to the beautiful day yesterday, on Monday, with snow on the ground, I joined city officials and children in Northeast Kansas City to dream of summer fun.
The groundbreaking ceremony at the corner of Van Brunt and 9th Street signaled the beginning of site preparation for the new community center. The site will include two practice fields and one regulation competition soccer field. The proposed Northeast Community Center will provide much needed space for recreational, fitness and community outreach programs. The Northeast community is currently underserved in these areas. The Lykins Center was closed in 2004 and left a void for community recreation services and facilities in old Northeast.
The site preparation was made possible when I was able to secure $2.5 million in federal earmarks for the project. I know ‘earmark’ is a bad word these days. And there are many who think that we shouldn’t spend tax dollars on projects like this. They are entitled to their opinions. I can tell you, this is exactly what we should be investing in. I will tell you these are fields that will keep kids out of trouble, give them skills both athletic and personal, and make this neighborhood better.
Following my commitment to green and sustainable investments, the Parks Department acquired the brownfield site from Public Works at no cost. The site is served by public transit and will be ADA accessible. The new community center and surrounding site improvements will incorporate the latest sustainable and energy efficient measures. The building will be designed to achieve LEED Silver certification.
The part of this project I am most excited for is the construction of a regulation competition soccer pitch--just like the professionals use. Who knows how many professional soccer players will find their footing right here in the old Northeast neighborhood. This project and these fields are symbols. Many of the children who will play here are first generation Americans. With projects like this, we demonstrate our investment in them, in the hope that they will continue to thrive. I can think of no better way to spend our tax dollars than on our children’s dreams.
As you know ,the Northeast is ethnically and culturally diverse. Nearly 35% of the population is 19 years old or younger. The 12.4-acre site will be large enough to accommodate a new community center, outdoor recreational areas for soccer, space for community gardens and a festival plaza.
Site plan for the new Northeast Community Center at the corner of Van Brunt Blvd, and 9th Street.
More Silliness
Yesterday, the House passed another Continuing Resolution (CR), which will cut an additional $6 billion from the Fiscal Year 2011 budget. I voted “no” on the Resolution.
We have continued the budget six times instead of passing a full year of funding through the normal processes. Here is our track record:
Oct 1 – Dec 3, 2010, maintained 2010 Levels
Dec 4 – Dec 18, 2010, maintained 2010 Levels
Dec 19 – 22, 2010, 2, maintained 2010 Levels
Dec 23, 2010 – Mar 4, 2011, maintained 2010 Levels
Mar 5 – 18, 2011, $4 billion below 2010
Mar 19 – Apr 8, 2011, $6 billion below 2010
The federal fiscal year ends September 30, 2011 and we find ourselves continuing to participate in brinkmanship. As we have discussed, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have arbitrarily pledged to cut $100 billion. They are having some difficulty finding enough cuts to meet that goal. Each time we merely extend the budget by two or three weeks, we have less time in which to enact those reductions before FY 2012 begins on October 1, 2011.
This latest bit of folly goes into effect on March 19, 2011 and funds the government for an additional three weeks. Our new potential government shutdown date is April 8.
The $6 billion in cuts enacted in this bill are a hodge podge of cuts including rescinding some programs completely. Ironically, on the day that we hosted the Irish Prime Minister on St. Patrick’s Day, we voted as part of the CR to completely eliminate the International Fund for Ireland. And in a week when we celebrated money to rehab a brownfield site for the new Northeast Community Center, the bill also eliminated Brownfields Redevelopment funding.
More reasonably, the CR recaptures almost $2 billion in unspent funds allocated for the 2010 Census and eliminates an emergency steel loan program that hadn't made a loan since 2003. But these are the easy cuts. In fact, the majority of the cuts contained in the CR we passed yesterday, are programs that have been brought up for termination before by the Obama or Bush administrations.
We are running out of small or terminated programs to cut, but are not having the discussions we should be having. Where are the hard cuts going to come from? The Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), said this week that any more appropriations will contain a full-year appropriation for the Department of Defense. Apparently there is no waste to be found in the Department of Defense.
I think Harry Truman, who famously rooted out waste in the War Department as part of his Truman Committee, would disagree. In fact, General Marshall claimed that then Senator Truman's Committee had been “worth two divisions” to the war effort.
We all agree that there are some commonsense places to cut in order to reign in the budget, but haphazard cuts will cost American jobs. It is that simple. So how do we have a thoughtful discussion on this budget, let alone next year’s budget, when fixed positions prevent both sides from compromising?
I hope we find a path to some agreement before April 8th. I would like to be able to vote for a more reasoned long-term bill.
A Very Serious Matter
The President addressed the nation this afternoon on the events in Libya. While we have our disagreements, anytime our fellow countrymen and women in uniform are put in harm’s way, we all need to pay attention and stay informed. Please take a moment to read the President’s remarks.
Video can be found here >>>
Good afternoon, everybody. I want to take this opportunity to update the American people about the situation in Libya. Over the last several weeks, the world has watched events unfold in Libya with hope and alarm. Last month, protesters took to the streets across the country to demand their universal rights, and a government that is accountable to them and responsive to their aspirations. But they were met with an iron fist.
Within days, whole parts of the country declared their independence from a brutal regime, and members of the government serving in Libya and abroad chose to align themselves with the forces of change. Moammar Qaddafi clearly lost the confidence of his own people and the legitimacy to lead.
Instead of respecting the rights of his own people, Qaddafi chose the path of brutal suppression. Innocent civilians were beaten, imprisoned, and in some cases killed. Peaceful protests were forcefully put down. Hospitals were attacked and patients disappeared. A campaign of intimidation and repression began.
In the face of this injustice, the United States and the international community moved swiftly. Sanctions were put in place by the United States and our allies and partners. The U.N. Security Council imposed further sanctions, an arms embargo, and the specter of international accountability for Qaddafi and those around him. Humanitarian assistance was positioned on Libya’s borders, and those displaced by the violence received our help. Ample warning was given that Qaddafi needed to stop his campaign of repression, or be held accountable. The Arab League and the European Union joined us in calling for an end to violence.
Once again, Qaddafi chose to ignore the will of his people and the international community. Instead, he launched a military campaign against his own people. And there should be no doubt about his intentions, because he himself has made them clear.
For decades, he has demonstrated a willingness to use brute force through his sponsorship of terrorism against the American people as well as others, and through the killings that he has carried out within his own borders. And just yesterday, speaking of the city of Benghazi -- a city of roughly 700,000 people -- he threatened, and I quote: “We will have no mercy and no pity” -- no mercy on his own citizens.
Now, here is why this matters to us. Left unchecked, we have every reason to believe that Qaddafi would commit atrocities against his people. Many thousands could die. A humanitarian crisis would ensue. The entire region could be destabilized, endangering many of our allies and partners. The calls of the Libyan people for help would go unanswered. The democratic values that we stand for would be overrun. Moreover, the words of the international community would be rendered hollow.
And that’s why the United States has worked with our allies and partners to shape a strong international response at the United Nations. Our focus has been clear: protecting innocent civilians within Libya, and holding the Qaddafi regime accountable.
Yesterday, in response to a call for action by the Libyan people and the Arab League, the U.N. Security Council passed a strong resolution that demands an end to the violence against citizens. It authorizes the use of force with an explicit commitment to pursue all necessary measures to stop the killing, to include the enforcement of a no-fly zone over Libya. It also strengthens our sanctions and the enforcement of an arms embargo against the Qaddafi regime.
Now, once more, Moammar Qaddafi has a choice. The resolution that passed lays out very clear conditions that must be met. The United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Arab states agree that a cease-fire must be implemented immediately. That means all attacks against civilians must stop. Qaddafi must stop his troops from advancing on Benghazi, pull them back from Ajdabiya, Misrata, and Zawiya, and establish water, electricity and gas supplies to all areas. Humanitarian assistance must be allowed to reach the people of Libya.
Let me be clear, these terms are not negotiable. These terms are not subject to negotiation. If Qaddafi does not comply with the resolution, the international community will impose consequences, and the resolution will be enforced through military action.
In this effort, the United States is prepared to act as part of an international coalition. American leadership is essential, but that does not mean acting alone -– it means shaping the conditions for the international community to act together.
That’s why I have directed Secretary Gates and our military to coordinate their planning, and tomorrow Secretary Clinton will travel to Paris for a meeting with our European allies and Arab partners about the enforcement of Resolution 1973. We will provide the unique capabilities that we can bring to bear to stop the violence against civilians, including enabling our European allies and Arab partners to effectively enforce a no fly zone. I have no doubt that the men and women of our military are capable of carrying out this mission. Once more, they have the thanks of a grateful nation and the admiration of the world.
I also want to be clear about what we will not be doing. The United States is not going to deploy ground troops into Libya. And we are not going to use force to go beyond a well-defined goal -- specifically, the protection of civilians in Libya. In the coming weeks, we will continue to help the Libyan people with humanitarian and economic assistance so that they can fulfill their aspirations peacefully.
Now, the United States did not seek this outcome. Our decisions have been driven by Qaddafi’s refusal to respect the rights of his people, and the potential for mass murder of innocent civilians. It is not an action that we will pursue alone. Indeed, our British and French allies, and members of the Arab League, have already committed to take a leadership role in the enforcement of this resolution, just as they were instrumental in pursuing it. We are coordinating closely with them. And this is precisely how the international community should work, as more nations bear both the responsibility and the cost of enforcing international law.
This is just one more chapter in the change that is unfolding across the Middle East and North Africa. From the beginning of these protests, we have made it clear that we are opposed to violence. We have made clear our support for a set of universal values, and our support for the political and economic change that the people of the region deserve. But I want to be clear: the change in the region will not and cannot be imposed by the United States or any foreign power; ultimately, it will be driven by the people of the Arab World. It is their right and their responsibility to determine their own destiny.
Let me close by saying that there is no decision I face as your Commander in Chief that I consider as carefully as the decision to ask our men and women to use military force. Particularly at a time when our military is fighting in Afghanistan and winding down our activities in Iraq, that decision is only made more difficult. But the United States of America will not stand idly by in the face of actions that undermine global peace and security. So I have taken this decision with the confidence that action is necessary, and that we will not be acting alone. Our goal is focused, our cause is just, and our coalition is strong. Thank you very much.
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Emanuel Cleaver, II
Member of Congress
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