Nation’s Mayors Support Gay Marriage But Complain About Unemployment

DC, Washington, United States (AHN) – The U.S. Conference of Mayors wrapped up its winter meeting Friday in Washington, D.C., with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel stepping into controversies on same sex marriage and education.

Emanuel joined about 80 other mayors from across the nation in endorsing laws to give legal recognition to same sex marriage, along with the tax breaks and other benefits spouses can share.

The mayors signed on to a statement that said, “Our cities derive great strength from their diversity and gay and lesbian families are a crucial part. Studies have shown what we know through our hands-on experience that cities that celebrate and cultivate diversity are the places where creativity and ideas thrive.”

Emanuel supported the Illinois Legislature’s effort last year to legalize civil unions for same-sex couples.

He said New York did “a good thing” last June when state lawmakers legalized gay marriage.

In separate comments Friday, Emanuel discussed his plan to turn Chicago’s community colleges into training institutions for the city’s employers.

Currently, Chicago’s City Colleges have a graduation rate of about 7 percent and job prospects for graduates that are “not as high,” Emanuel said.

His plan calls for each of the city’s seven community colleges to operate with specialties, such as health care, transportation, hospitality and manufacturing.

In addition, employers would be brought in to develop curricula that would train the students to become their employees.

“I want it to have economic value” to attend college, Emanuel said at the downtown Washington hotel where about 250 mayors were meeting.

Turning colleges into job training institutions is controversial among some academics, who say a well-rounded education requires liberal arts courses that include literature, history and the arts.

Nevertheless, job creation and recovery from the economic disaster of the Great Recession were dominant themes throughout the meeting this week.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors released a report that said the nation’s metropolitan areas will struggle for five more years to regain jobs lost during the recession that started in September 2008.

“The recovery is very uneven across U.S. regions, with the southeastern and southwestern metro [areas that] were the most affected by the housing bubble looking ahead to years of recovery,” the report says.

U.S. nonfarm payrolls will grow about 1.3 percent this year, which is unlikely to reduce the unemployment rate below 8 percent, according to a report by IHS Global Insight.

The report predicts the nation will regain nearly half the jobs lost during the Great Recession by the end of 2012.

The mayors used the economic report to try to prod Congress to approve legislation that would create more jobs.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, president of the Conference of Mayors, said “Congress has jumped ship” in its obligation to stimulate the economy and employment.

However, Villaraigosa acknowledged cities will have a hard time squeezing money out of Congress at a time the federal government is trying to reduce its deficit by cutting spending.

View full post on All Stories

Candidate Patricia Watkins Talks Schools, Housing, And ‘Consensus’

Unless your name is Rahm Emanuel, you may have had some trouble attracting media attention to your run for Chicago mayor. First there was the…

View full post on All Stories

Obama picks Bill Daley for White House chief of staff

Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – President Barack Obama has selected Bill Daley to serve as his White House chief of staff, filling the shoes of Rahm Emanuel who left the Oval Office to run for mayor of Chicago.

Daley has a background in law, commerce, and politics. In 1993, Daley was a special counsel to President Bill Clinton, working with the commander in chief to persuade lawmakers into passing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Later, Daley would serve as Secretary of Commerce in the second Clinton administration before becoming a chairman on Vice President Al Gore’s presidential campaign.

Recently, Daley has been serving on the executive committee of J.P. Morgan Chase.

“Few Americans can boast the breadth of experience that Bill brings to this job,” Obama said. “He served as a member of President Clinton’s Cabinet as Commerce Secretary, and took on several other important duties over the years on behalf of our country. He’s led major corporations. He possesses a deep understanding of how to create jobs and how to grow our economy. And, needless to say, Bill also has a profound awareness of how our systems of government and politics work. You might say it’s a genetic trait.”

“But most of all, I know Bill to be someone who cares deeply about this country, believes in its promise, and considers no calling higher and more important than serving the American people. He will bring his tremendous experience, his strong values and forward-looking vision to this White House. I’m convinced that he’ll help us in our mission of growing our economy and moving America forward. And I very much look forward to working with Bill in the years to come,” Obama added.

View full post on All Stories

Blunders prolong housing mess

There is an element of poetic justice in the latest mortgage mess. The banks are in a pickle because they didn’t understand their own mortgage documents. One might be inclined to enjoy a good laugh over the situation if not for its potential to inflict damage to a fragile economy. Foreclosures have been halted throughout the country as the banks attempt to sort out the situation. Despite these voluntary suspensions – to paraphrase outgoing White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel – attorneys general in every state aren’t letting this crisis go to waste.

View full post on All Stories