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U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C., January 20, 2015, 9:10 P.M. EST
PRESIDENT BARAK OBAMA: Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, my fellow Americans:
We are 15 years into this new century. Fifteen years that dawned with terror touching our shores; that unfolded with a new generation fighting two long and costly wars; that saw a vicious recession spread across our nation and the world. It has been, and still is, a hard time for many.
But tonight, we turn the page. Tonight, after a breakthrough year for America, our economy is growing and creating jobs at the fastest pace since 1999. (Applause.) Our unemployment rate is now lower than it was before the financial crisis. More of our kids are graduating than ever before. More of our people are insured than ever before. (Applause.) And we are as free from the grip of foreign oil as we've been in almost 30 years. (Applause.)
Tonight, for the first time since 9/11, our combat mission in Afghanistan is over. (Applause.) Six years ago, nearly 180,000 American troops served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, fewer than 15,000 remain. And we salute the courage and sacrifice of every man and woman in this 9/11 Generation who has served to keep us safe. (Applause.) We are humbled and grateful for your service.
America, for all that we have endured; for all the grit and hard work required to come back; for all the tasks that lie ahead, know this: The shadow of crisis has passed, and the State of the Union is strong. (Applause.)
At this moment — with a growing economy, shrinking deficits, bustling industry, booming energy production — we have risen from recession freer to write our own future than any other nation on Earth. It's now up to us to choose who we want to be over the next 15 years and for decades to come.
Will we accept an economy where only a few of us do spectacularly well? Or will we commit ourselves to an economy that generates rising incomes and chances for everyone who makes the effort? (Applause.)
Will we approach the world fearful and reactive, dragged into costly conflicts that strain our military and set back our standing? Or will we lead wisely, using all elements of our power to defeat new threats and protect our planet?
Will we allow ourselves to be sorted into factions and turned against one another? Or will we recapture the sense of common purpose that has always propelled America forward?
In two weeks, I will send this Congress a budget filled with ideas that are practical, not partisan. And in the months ahead, I'll crisscross the country making a case for those ideas. So tonight, I want to focus less on a checklist of proposals, and focus more on the values at stake in the choices before us.
It begins with our economy. Seven years ago, Rebekah and Ben Erler of Minneapolis were newlyweds. (Laughter.) She waited tables. He worked construction. Their first child, Jack, was on the way. They were young and in love in America. And it doesn't get much better than that. "If only we had known," Rebekah wrote to me last spring, "what was about to happen to the housing and construction market."
As the crisis worsened, Ben's business dried up, so he took what jobs he could find, even if they kept him on the road for long stretches of time. Rebekah took out student loans and enrolled in community college, and retrained for a new career. They sacrificed for each other. And slowly, it paid off. They bought their first home. They had a second son, Henry. Rebekah got a better job and then a raise. Ben is back in construction — and home for dinner every night.
"It is amazing," Rebekah wrote, "what you can bounce back from when you have to…we are a strong, tight-knit family who has made it through some very, very hard times." We are a strong, tight-knit family who has made it through some very, very hard times.
America, Rebekah and Ben's story is our story. They represent the millions who have worked hard and scrimped, and sacrificed and retooled. You are the reason that I ran for this office. You are the people I was thinking of six years ago today, in the darkest months of the crisis, when I stood on the steps of this Capitol and promised we would rebuild our economy on a new foundation. And it has been your resilience, your effort that has made it possible for our country to emerge stronger.
We believed we could reverse the tide of outsourcing and draw new jobs to our shores. And over the past five years, our businesses have created more than 11 million new jobs. (Applause.)
We believed we could reduce our dependence on foreign oil and protect our planet. And today, America is number one in oil and gas. America is number one in wind power. Every three weeks, we bring online as much solar power as we did in all of 2008. (Applause.) And thanks to lower gas prices and higher fuel standards, the typical family this year should save about $750 at the pump. (Applause.)
We believed we could prepare our kids for a more competitive world. And today, our younger students have earned the highest math and reading scores on record. Our high school graduation rate has hit an all-time high. More Americans finish college than ever before. (Applause.)
We believed that sensible regulations could prevent another crisis, shield families from ruin, and encourage fair competition. Today, we have new tools to stop taxpayer-funded bailouts, and a new consumer watchdog to protect us from predatory lending and abusive credit card practices. And in the past year alone, about 10 million uninsured Americans finally gained the security of health coverage. (Applause.)
At every step, we were told our goals were misguided or too ambitious; that we would crush jobs and explode deficits. Instead, we've seen the fastest economic growth in over a decade, our deficits cut by two-thirds, a stock market that has doubled, and health care inflation at its lowest rate in 50 years. (Applause.) This is good news, people. (Laughter and applause.)
So the verdict is clear. Middle-class economics works. Expanding opportunity works. And these policies will continue to work as long as politics don't get in the way. We can't slow down businesses or put our economy at risk with government shutdowns or fiscal showdowns. We can't put the security of families at risk by taking away their health insurance, or unraveling the new rules on Wall Street, or refighting past battles on immigration when we've got to fix a broken system. And if a bill comes to my desk that tries to do any of these things, I will veto it. It will have earned my veto. (Applause.)
Today, thanks to a growing economy, the recovery is touching more and more lives. Wages are finally starting to rise again. We know that more small business owners plan to raise their employees' pay than at any time since 2007. But here's the thing: Those of us here tonight, we need to set our sights higher than just making sure government doesn't screw things up; that government doesn't halt the progress we're making. We need to do more than just do no harm. Tonight, together, let's do more to restore the link between hard work and growing opportunity for every American. (Applause.)
Because families like Rebekah's still need our help. She and Ben are working as hard as ever, but they've had to forego vacations and a new car so that they can pay off student loans and save for retirement. Friday night pizza, that's a big splurge. Basic childcare for Jack and Henry costs more than their mortgage, and almost as much as a year at the University of Minnesota. Like millions of hardworking Americans, Rebekah isn't asking for a handout, but she is asking that we look for more ways to help families get ahead.
And in fact, at every moment of economic change throughout our history, this country has taken bold action to adapt to new circumstances and to make sure everyone gets a fair shot. We set up worker protections, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid to protect ourselves from the harshest adversity. We gave our citizens schools and colleges, infrastructure and the Internet — tools they needed to go as far as their effort and their dreams will take them.
That's what middle-class economics is — the idea that this country does best when everyone gets their fair shot, everyone does their fair share, everyone plays by the same set of rules. (Applause.) We don't just want everyone to share in America's success, we want everyone to contribute to our success. (Applause.)
So what does middle-class economics require in our time?
First, middle-class economics means helping working families feel more secure in a world of constant change. That means helping folks afford childcare, college, health care, a home, retirement. And my budget will address each of these issues, lowering the taxes of working families and putting thousands of dollars back into their pockets each year. (Applause.)
Here's one example. During World War II, when men like my grandfather went off to war, having women like my grandmother in the workforce was a national security priority — so this country provided universal childcare. In today's economy, when having both parents in the workforce is an economic necessity for many families, we need affordable, high-quality childcare more than ever. (Applause.)
It's not a nice-to-have — it's a must-have. So it's time we stop treating childcare as a side issue, or as a women's issue, and treat it like the national economic priority that it is for all of us. (Applause.) And that's why my plan will make quality childcare more available and more affordable for every middle-class and low-income family with young children in America — by creating more slots and a new tax cut of up to $3,000 per child, per year. (Applause.)
Here's another example. Today, we are the only advanced country on Earth that doesn't guarantee paid sick leave or paid maternity leave to our workers. Forty-three million workers have no paid sick leave — 43 million. Think about that. And that forces too many parents to make the gut-wrenching choice between a paycheck and a sick kid at home. So I'll be taking new action to help states adopt paid leave laws of their own. And since paid sick leave won where it was on the ballot last November, let's put it to a vote right here in Washington. (Applause.) Send me a bill that gives every worker in America the opportunity to earn seven days of paid sick leave. It's the right thing to do. It's the right thing to do. (Applause.)
Of course, nothing helps families make ends meet like higher wages. That's why this Congress still needs to pass a law that makes sure a woman is paid the same as a man for doing the same work. (Applause.) It's 2015. (Laughter.) It's time. We still need to make sure employees get the overtime they've earned. (Applause.) And to everyone in this Congress who still refuses to raise the minimum wage, I say this: If you truly believe you could work full-time and support a family on less than $15,000 a year, try it. If not, vote to give millions of the hardest-working people in America a raise. (Applause.)
Now, these ideas won't make everybody rich, won't relieve every hardship. That's not the job of government. To give working families a fair shot, we still need more employers to see beyond next quarter's earnings and recognize that investing in their workforce is in their company's long-term interest. We still need laws that strengthen rather than weaken unions, and give American workers a voice. (Applause.)
But you know, things like childcare and sick leave and equal pay; things like lower mortgage premiums and a higher minimum wage — these ideas will make a meaningful difference in the lives of millions of families. That's a fact. And that's what all of us, Republicans and Democrats alike, were sent here to do.
Second, to make sure folks keep earning higher wages down the road, we have to do more to help Americans upgrade their skills. (Applause.) America thrived in the 20th century because we made high school free, sent a generation of GIs to college, trained the best workforce in the world. We were ahead of the curve. But other countries caught on. And in a 21st century economy that rewards knowledge like never before, we need to up our game. We need to do more.
By the end of this decade, two in three job openings will require some higher education — two in three. And yet, we still live in a country where too many bright, striving Americans are priced out of the education they need. It's not fair to them, and it's sure not smart for our future. That's why I'm sending this Congress a bold new plan to lower the cost of community college — to zero. (Applause.)
Keep in mind 40 percent of our college students choose community college. Some are young and starting out. Some are older and looking for a better job. Some are veterans and single parents trying to transition back into the job market. Whoever you are, this plan is your chance to graduate ready for the new economy without a load of debt. Understand, you've got to earn it. You've got to keep your grades up and graduate on time.
Tennessee, a state with Republican leadership, and Chicago, a city with Democratic leadership, are showing that free community college is possible. I want to spread that idea all across America, so that two years of college becomes as free and universal in America as high school is today. (Applause.) Let's stay ahead of the curve. (Applause.) And I want to work with this Congress to make sure those already burdened with student loans can reduce their monthly payments so that student debt doesn't derail anyone's dreams. (Applause.)
Thanks to Vice President Biden's great work to update our job training system, we're connecting community colleges with local employers to train workers to fill high-paying jobs like coding, and nursing, and robotics. Tonight, I'm also asking more businesses to follow the lead of companies like CVS and UPS, and offer more educational benefits and paid apprenticeships — opportunities that give workers the chance to earn higher-paying jobs even if they don't have a higher education.
And as a new generation of veterans comes home, we owe them every opportunity to live the American Dream they helped defend. Already, we've made strides towards ensuring that every veteran has access to the highest quality care. We're slashing the backlog that had too many veterans waiting years to get the benefits they need. And we're making it easier for vets to translate their training and experience into civilian jobs. And Joining Forces, the national campaign launched by Michelle and Jill Biden — (applause) — thank you, Michelle; thank you, Jill — has helped nearly 700,000 veterans and military spouses get a new job. (Applause.) So to every CEO in America, let me repeat: If you want somebody who's going to get the job done and done right, hire a veteran. (Applause.)
Finally, as we better train our workers, we need the new economy to keep churning out high-wage jobs for our workers to fill. Since 2010, America has put more people back to work than Europe, Japan, and all advanced economies combined. (Applause.)
Our manufacturers have added almost 800,000 new jobs. Some of our bedrock sectors, like our auto industry, are booming. But there are also millions of Americans who work in jobs that didn't even exist 10 or 20 years ago — jobs at companies like Google, and eBay, and Tesla.
So no one knows for certain which industries will generate the jobs of the future. But we do know we want them here in America. We know that. (Applause.) And that's why the third part of middle-class economics is all about building the most competitive economy anywhere, the place where businesses want to locate and hire.
Twenty-first century businesses need 21st century infrastructure — modern ports, and stronger bridges, faster trains and the fastest Internet. Democrats and Republicans used to agree on this. So let's set our sights higher than a single oil pipeline. Let's pass a bipartisan infrastructure plan that could create more than 30 times as many jobs per year, and make this country stronger for decades to come. (Applause.) Let's do it. Let's get it done. Let's get it done. (Applause.)
Twenty-first century businesses, including small businesses, need to sell more American products overseas. Today, our businesses export more than ever, and exporters tend to pay their workers higher wages. But as we speak, China wants to write the rules for the world's fastest-growing region. That would put our workers and our businesses at a disadvantage. Why would we let that happen? We should write those rules. We should level the playing field. That's why I'm asking both parties to give me trade promotion authority to protect American workers, with strong new trade deals from Asia to Europe that aren't just free, but are also fair. It's the right thing to do. (Applause.)
Look, I'm the first one to admit that past trade deals haven't always lived up to the hype, and that's why we've gone after countries that break the rules at our expense. But 95 percent of the world's customers live outside our borders. We can't close ourselves off from those opportunities. More than half of manufacturing executives have said they're actively looking to bring jobs back from China. So let's give them one more reason to get it done.
Twenty-first century businesses will rely on American science and technology, research and development. I want the country that eliminated polio and mapped the human genome to lead a new era of medicine — one that delivers the right treatment at the right time. (Applause.)
In some patients with cystic fibrosis, this approach has reversed a disease once thought unstoppable. So tonight, I'm launching a new Precision Medicine Initiative to bring us closer to curing diseases like cancer and diabetes, and to give all of us access to the personalized information we need to keep ourselves and our families healthier. We can do this. (Applause.)
I intend to protect a free and open Internet, extend its reach to every classroom, and every community — (applause) — and help folks build the fastest networks so that the next generation of digital innovators and entrepreneurs have the platform to keep reshaping our world.
I want Americans to win the race for the kinds of discoveries that unleash new jobs — converting sunlight into liquid fuel; creating revolutionary prosthetics, so that a veteran who gave his arms for his country can play catch with his kids again. (Applause.) Pushing out into the solar system not just to visit, but to stay. Last month, we launched a new spacecraft as part of a reenergized space program that will send American astronauts to Mars. And in two months, to prepare us for those missions, Scott Kelly will begin a year-long stay in space. So good luck, Captain. Make sure to Instagram it. We're proud of you. (Applause.)
Now, the truth is, when it comes to issues like infrastructure and basic research, I know there's bipartisan support in this chamber. Members of both parties have told me so. Where we too often run onto the rocks is how to pay for these investments. As Americans, we don't mind paying our fair share of taxes as long as everybody else does, too. But for far too long, lobbyists have rigged the tax code with loopholes that let some corporations pay nothing while others pay full freight. They've riddled it with giveaways that the super-rich don't need, while denying a break to middle-class families who do.
This year, we have an opportunity to change that. Let's close loopholes so we stop rewarding companies that keep profits abroad, and reward those that invest here in America. (Applause.) Let's use those savings to rebuild our infrastructure and to make it more attractive for companies to bring jobs home. Let's simplify the system and let a small business owner file based on her actual bank statement, instead of the number of accountants she can afford. (Applause.) And let's close the loopholes that lead to inequality by allowing the top one percent to avoid paying taxes on their accumulated wealth. We can use that money to help more families pay for childcare and send their kids to college. We need a tax code that truly helps working Americans trying to get a leg up in the new economy, and we can achieve that together. (Applause.) We can achieve it together.
Helping hardworking families make ends meet. Giving them the tools they need for good-paying jobs in this new economy. Maintaining the conditions of growth and competitiveness. This is where America needs to go. I believe it's where the American people want to go. It will make our economy stronger a year from now, 15 years from now, and deep into the century ahead.
Of course, if there's one thing this new century has taught us, it's that we cannot separate our work here at home from challenges beyond our shores.
My first duty as Commander-in-Chief is to defend the United States of America. In doing so, the question is not whether America leads in the world, but how. When we make rash decisions, reacting to the headlines instead of using our heads; when the first response to a challenge is to send in our military — then we risk getting drawn into unnecessary conflicts, and neglect the broader strategy we need for a safer, more prosperous world. That's what our enemies want us to do.
I believe in a smarter kind of American leadership. We lead best when we combine military power with strong diplomacy; when we leverage our power with coalition building; when we don't let our fears blind us to the opportunities that this new century presents. That's exactly what we're doing right now. And around the globe, it is making a difference.
First, we stand united with people around the world who have been targeted by terrorists — from a school in Pakistan to the streets of Paris. (Applause.) We will continue to hunt down terrorists and dismantle their networks, and we reserve the right to act unilaterally, as we have done relentlessly since I took office to take out terrorists who pose a direct threat to us and our allies. (Applause.)
At the same time, we've learned some costly lessons over the last 13 years. Instead of Americans patrolling the valleys of Afghanistan, we've trained their security forces, who have now taken the lead, and we've honored our troops' sacrifice by supporting that country's first democratic transition. Instead of sending large ground forces overseas, we're partnering with nations from South Asia to North Africa to deny safe haven to terrorists who threaten America.
In Iraq and Syria, American leadership — including our military power — is stopping ISIL's advance. Instead of getting dragged into another ground war in the Middle East, we are leading a broad coalition, including Arab nations, to degrade and ultimately destroy this terrorist group. (Applause.) We're also supporting a moderate opposition in Syria that can help us in this effort, and assisting people everywhere who stand up to the bankrupt ideology of violent extremism.
Now, this effort will take time. It will require focus. But we will succeed. And tonight, I call on this Congress to show the world that we are united in this mission by passing a resolution to authorize the use of force against ISIL. We need that authority. (Applause.)
Second, we're demonstrating the power of American strength and diplomacy. We're upholding the principle that bigger nations can't bully the small — by opposing Russian aggression, and supporting Ukraine's democracy, and reassuring our NATO allies. (Applause.)
Last year, as we were doing the hard work of imposing sanctions along with our allies, as we were reinforcing our presence with frontline states, Mr. Putin's aggression it was suggested was a masterful display of strategy and strength. That's what I heard from some folks. Well, today, it is America that stands strong and united with our allies, while Russia is isolated with its economy in tatters. That's how America leads — not with bluster, but with persistent, steady resolve. (Applause.)
In Cuba, we are ending a policy that was long past its expiration date. (Applause.) When what you're doing doesn't work for 50 years, it's time to try something new. (Applause.) And our shift in Cuba policy has the potential to end a legacy of mistrust in our hemisphere. It removes a phony excuse for restrictions in Cuba. It stands up for democratic values, and extends the hand of friendship to the Cuban people. And this year, Congress should begin the work of ending the embargo. (Applause.)
As His Holiness, Pope Francis, has said, diplomacy is the work of "small steps." These small steps have added up to new hope for the future in Cuba. And after years in prison, we are overjoyed that Alan Gross is back where he belongs. Welcome home, Alan. We're glad you're here. (Applause.)
Our diplomacy is at work with respect to Iran, where, for the first time in a decade, we've halted the progress of its nuclear program and reduced its stockpile of nuclear material. Between now and this spring, we have a chance to negotiate a comprehensive agreement that prevents a nuclear-armed Iran, secures America and our allies — including Israel, while avoiding yet another Middle East conflict. There are no guarantees that negotiations will succeed, and I keep all options on the table to prevent a nuclear Iran.
But new sanctions passed by this Congress, at this moment in time, will all but guarantee that diplomacy fails — alienating America from its allies; making it harder to maintain sanctions; and ensuring that Iran starts up its nuclear program again. It doesn't make sense. And that's why I will veto any new sanctions bill that threatens to undo this progress. (Applause.) The American people expect us only to go to war as a last resort, and I intend to stay true to that wisdom.
Third, we're looking beyond the issues that have consumed us in the past to shape the coming century. No foreign nation, no hacker, should be able to shut down our networks, steal our trade secrets, or invade the privacy of American families, especially our kids. (Applause.) So we're making sure our government integrates intelligence to combat cyber threats, just as we have done to combat terrorism.
And tonight, I urge this Congress to finally pass the legislation we need to better meet the evolving threat of cyber attacks, combat identity theft, and protect our children's information. That should be a bipartisan effort. (Applause.)
If we don't act, we'll leave our nation and our economy vulnerable. If we do, we can continue to protect the technologies that have unleashed untold opportunities for people around the globe.
In West Africa, our troops, our scientists, our doctors, our nurses, our health care workers are rolling back Ebola — saving countless lives and stopping the spread of disease. (Applause.) I could not be prouder of them, and I thank this Congress for your bipartisan support of their efforts. But the job is not yet done, and the world needs to use this lesson to build a more effective global effort to prevent the spread of future pandemics, invest in smart development, and eradicate extreme poverty.
In the Asia Pacific, we are modernizing alliances while making sure that other nations play by the rules — in how they trade, how they resolve maritime disputes, how they participate in meeting common international challenges like nonproliferation and disaster relief. And no challenge — no challenge — poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change. (Applause.)
2014 was the planet's warmest year on record. Now, one year doesn't make a trend, but this does: 14 of the 15 warmest years on record have all fallen in the first 15 years of this century.
I've heard some folks try to dodge the evidence by saying they're not scientists; that we don't have enough information to act. Well, I'm not a scientist, either. But you know what, I know a lot of really good scientists at NASA, and at NOAA, and at our major universities. And the best scientists in the world are all telling us that our activities are changing the climate, and if we don't act forcefully, we'll continue to see rising oceans, longer, hotter heat waves, dangerous droughts and floods, and massive disruptions that can trigger greater migration and conflict and hunger around the globe. The Pentagon says that climate change poses immediate risks to our national security. We should act like it. (Applause.)
And that's why, over the past six years, we've done more than ever to combat climate change, from the way we produce energy to the way we use it. That's why we've set aside more public lands and waters than any administration in history. And that's why I will not let this Congress endanger the health of our children by turning back the clock on our efforts. I am determined to make sure that American leadership drives international action. (Applause.)
In Beijing, we made a historic announcement: The United States will double the pace at which we cut carbon pollution. And China committed, for the first time, to limiting their emissions. And because the world's two largest economies came together, other nations are now stepping up, and offering hope that this year the world will finally reach an agreement to protect the one planet we've got.
And there's one last pillar of our leadership, and that's the example of our values.
As Americans, we respect human dignity, even when we're threatened, which is why I have prohibited torture, and worked to make sure our use of new technology like drones is properly constrained. (Applause.) It's why we speak out against the deplorable anti-Semitism that has resurfaced in certain parts of the world. (Applause.) It's why we continue to reject offensive stereotypes of Muslims, the vast majority of whom share our commitment to peace. That's why we defend free speech, and advocate for political prisoners, and condemn the persecution of women, or religious minorities, or people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. We do these things not only because they are the right thing to do, but because ultimately they will make us safer. (Applause.)
As Americans, we have a profound commitment to justice. So it makes no sense to spend $3 million per prisoner to keep open a prison that the world condemns and terrorists use to recruit. (Applause.) Since I've been President, we've worked responsibly to cut the population of Gitmo in half. Now it is time to finish the job. And I will not relent in my determination to shut it down. It is not who we are. It's time to close Gitmo. (Applause.)
As Americans, we cherish our civil liberties, and we need to uphold that commitment if we want maximum cooperation from other countries and industry in our fight against terrorist networks. So while some have moved on from the debates over our surveillance programs, I have not. As promised, our intelligence agencies have worked hard, with the recommendations of privacy advocates, to increase transparency and build more safeguards against potential abuse. And next month, we'll issue a report on how we're keeping our promise to keep our country safe while strengthening privacy.
Looking to the future instead of the past. Making sure we match our power with diplomacy, and use force wisely. Building coalitions to meet new challenges and opportunities. Leading — always — with the example of our values. That's what makes us exceptional. That's what keeps us strong. That's why we have to keep striving to hold ourselves to the highest of standards — our own.
You know, just over a decade ago, I gave a speech in Boston where I said there wasn't a liberal America or a conservative America; a black America or a white America — but a United States of America. I said this because I had seen it in my own life, in a nation that gave someone like me a chance; because I grew up in Hawaii, a melting pot of races and customs; because I made Illinois my home — a state of small towns, rich farmland, one of the world's great cities; a microcosm of the country where Democrats and Republicans and Independents, good people of every ethnicity and every faith, share certain bedrock values.
Over the past six years, the pundits have pointed out more than once that my presidency hasn't delivered on this vision. How ironic, they say, that our politics seems more divided than ever. It's held up as proof not just of my own flaws — of which there are many — but also as proof that the vision itself is misguided, naïve, that there are too many people in this town who actually benefit from partisanship and gridlock for us to ever do anything about it.
I know how tempting such cynicism may be. But I still think the cynics are wrong. I still believe that we are one people. I still believe that together, we can do great things, even when the odds are long. (Applause.)
I believe this because over and over in my six years in office, I have seen America at its best. I've seen the hopeful faces of young graduates from New York to California, and our newest officers at West Point, Annapolis, Colorado Springs, New London. I've mourned with grieving families in Tucson and Newtown, in Boston, in West Texas, and West Virginia. I've watched Americans beat back adversity from the Gulf Coast to the Great Plains, from Midwest assembly lines to the Mid-Atlantic seaboard. I've seen something like gay marriage go from a wedge issue used to drive us apart to a story of freedom across our country, a civil right now legal in states that seven in 10 Americans call home. (Applause.)
So I know the good, and optimistic, and big-hearted generosity of the American people who every day live the idea that we are our brother's keeper and our sister's keeper. And I know they expect those of us who serve here to set a better example.
So the question for those of us here tonight is how we, all of us, can better reflect America's hopes. I've served in Congress with many of you. I know many of you well. There are a lot of good people here, on both sides of the aisle. And many of you have told me that this isn't what you signed up for — arguing past each other on cable shows, the constant fundraising, always looking over your shoulder at how the base will react to every decision.
Imagine if we broke out of these tired old patterns. Imagine if we did something different. Understand, a better politics isn't one where Democrats abandon their agenda or Republicans simply embrace mine. A better politics is one where we appeal to each other's basic decency instead of our basest fears. A better politics is one where we debate without demonizing each other; where we talk issues and values, and principles and facts, rather than "gotcha" moments, or trivial gaffes, or fake controversies that have nothing to do with people's daily lives. (Applause.)
A politics — a better politics is one where we spend less time drowning in dark money for ads that pull us into the gutter, and spend more time lifting young people up with a sense of purpose and possibility, asking them to join in the great mission of building America.
If we're going to have arguments, let's have arguments, but let's make them debates worthy of this body and worthy of this country. We still may not agree on a woman's right to choose, but surely we can agree it's a good thing that teen pregnancies and abortions are nearing all-time lows, and that every woman should have access to the health care that she needs. (Applause.)
Yes, passions still fly on immigration, but surely we can all see something of ourselves in the striving young student, and agree that no one benefits when a hardworking mom is snatched from her child, and that it's possible to shape a law that upholds our tradition as a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants. I've talked to Republicans and Democrats about that. That's something that we can share.
We may go at it in campaign season, but surely we can agree that the right to vote is sacred; that it's being denied to too many — (applause) — and that on this 50th anniversary of the great march from Selma to Montgomery and the passage of the Voting Rights Act, we can come together, Democrats and Republicans, to make voting easier for every single American. (Applause.)
We may have different takes on the events of Ferguson and New York. But surely we can understand a father who fears his son can't walk home without being harassed. And surely we can understand the wife who won't rest until the police officer she married walks through the front door at the end of his shift. (Applause.) And surely we can agree that it's a good thing that for the first time in 40 years, the crime rate and the incarceration rate have come down together, and use that as a starting point for Democrats and Republicans, community leaders and law enforcement, to reform America's criminal justice system so that it protects and serves all of us. (Applause.)
That's a better politics. That's how we start rebuilding trust. That's how we move this country forward. That's what the American people want. And that's what they deserve.
I have no more campaigns to run. (Applause.) My only agenda — (laughter) — I know because I won both of them. (Applause.) My only agenda for the next two years is the same as the one I've had since the day I swore an oath on the steps of this Capitol — to do what I believe is best for America. If you share the broad vision I outlined tonight, I ask you to join me in the work at hand. If you disagree with parts of it, I hope you'll at least work with me where you do agree. And I commit to every Republican here tonight that I will not only seek out your ideas, I will seek to work with you to make this country stronger. (Applause.)
Because I want this chamber, I want this city to reflect the truth — that for all our blind spots and shortcomings, we are a people with the strength and generosity of spirit to bridge divides, to unite in common effort, to help our neighbors, whether down the street or on the other side of the world.
I want our actions to tell every child in every neighborhood, your life matters, and we are committed to improving your life chances as committed as we are to working on behalf of our own kids. (Applause.) I want future generations to know that we are a people who see our differences as a great gift, that we're a people who value the dignity and worth of every citizen — man and woman, young and old, black and white, Latino, Asian, immigrant, Native American, gay, straight, Americans with mental illness or physical disability. Everybody matters. I want them to grow up in a country that shows the world what we still know to be true: that we are still more than a collection of red states and blue states; that we are the United States of America. (Applause.)
I want them to grow up in a country where a young mom can sit down and write a letter to her President with a story that sums up these past six years: "It's amazing what you can bounce back from when you have to…we are a strong, tight-knit family who's made it through some very, very hard times."
My fellow Americans, we, too, are a strong, tight-knit family. We, too, have made it through some hard times. Fifteen years into this new century, we have picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off, and begun again the work of remaking America. We have laid a new foundation. A brighter future is ours to write. Let's begin this new chapter together — and let's start the work right now. (Applause.)
Thank you. God bless you. God bless this country we love. Thank you. (Applause.)


text:
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Well, sit down and relax. Let me start from the beginning.
I happened upon these beauties a while back whilst browsing on West Elm's website.
No angelic light, no overflowing of emotion. But hey, whatever.
All you need is:
mediocre sewing skills {by that I mean, the ablility to "fudge it" a little and sew in a straight
Three, $3 IKEA rugs
Filler {I found bean bag filler at K-Mart for $12.99 a bag. You can use fiber fill, old car parts...whatever floats your boat, but I wanted my pouf to maintain its shape and be extra comfy for my keister. I ended up using a little over one bag}.
And maybe some extra sewing needles since I broke three during the course of the project.
I started by cutting down one rug into two pieces.
One piece should measure 23in x 23in{or close to that, the widths of the rugs vary from 22 1/2 inches to 23 1/2 inches}, and the other piece should measure around 12in x 23in {again, it's super hard to be totally exact, because each rug is just slightly different in size}.
Cut down a second rug the exact same way. You should now have 2- 23in x 23in pieces, and 2- 12in x 23in pieces.
Finally, cut your third rug down so that you have an additional 2- 12in x 23in pieces...for a grand total of 2- 23in x 23in pieces and 4- 12in x 23in pieces.
Now for the fun part...sewing. I'll let the pictures do the talking, sound okay?
piece 6 is the second, 23in x 23in piece
once all six pieces are attached, you need to sew the corners. The white arrows indicate where you should do this.
Here's what it should look like after the corners are sewed together.
Here's what it will look like after the two sides are sewn. You should have only one side left unstitched now.
That opening is where your zipper will go...if you want one. If you don't want a zipper closure, you would stitch this opening closed, leaving a small area open to allow for adding stuffing/filling. You could then, either hand stitch or machine sew the opening closed after filling.
Then I unzipped the zipper so that I could work with the other side. I did the same as before, and slid the other side of the zipper under the other side of the opening, pinned and stitched the length of the zipper.
At this point, you could turn your pouf inside out and reinforce the zipper by stitching just above the top of the zipper, and just below the bottom of the zipper. My zipper was just slightly shorter than the opening, so I had a little gap at one end that I needed to hem shut. If you run into this same problem, it's no big deal.
Here's what the final product should look like.
And here's what it should look like after getting filled.


text:
VCA All Pets Animal Hospital is a general care practice.
We look forward to welcoming you, your dog, cat, and other pets. Everyone on our staff believes the better we get to know your pets, the better we can provide the best possible health care for them. In fact, when you come in, you'll see exactly why our veterinarians are praised for their kind and thorough care. We'll give you and your pet all the time you need, and never rush through an exam. We'll also carefully track the course of your pet's care, which is so important to your pet's long-term health.
In every case, you'll be served by experienced, knowledgeable members of our staff. Our veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and other pet-friendly personnel are trained to the highest standards. Their knowledge of the latest veterinary medicines and procedures ensures that all our pet patients get the best in prevention and healing methods.
Offering General Medicine, Surgery, Urgent Care, Dental Specialty, and Pet Boarding.


text:
United States Patent and Trademark Office OG Notices: 21 October 2003
SPECIAL MAIL STOPS FOR PATENT MAIL Effective May 1, 2003, the United States Patent and Trademark Office has a new address for some mail. See Correspondence with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, 68 Fed. Reg. 14332 (March 25, 2003). The mail stop should generally appear as the first line in the address, but the term "Mail Stop" may be abbreviated "MS". Special mail stop designations should be used to allow forwarding of particular types of mail to the appropriate area as quickly as possible. Such mail may be forwarded to the appropriate area without being opened. Only the specified type of document should be placed in an envelope addressed to one of these special mail stops. If any documents other than the specified type identified for each special mail stop are addressed to that mail stop, they will be significantly delayed in reaching the appropriate area for which they are intended. If no mail stop is included on the list below, then no mail stop is required for the correspondence (e.g., there is no mail stop for amendments with fees). Requests for a corrected filing receipt should be faxed to (703) 746-9195. Some correspondence may only be submitted via the Office's electronic filing system (EFS). Instructions on how to file and what can be filed via EFS are posted on the Office's Internet Web site http://www.uspto.gov under the Electronic Business Center section. Please address mail to be delivered by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as follows: Mail Stop ____ Commissioner for Patents P.O. Box 1450 Alexandria, VA 22313-1450 Please address mail to be delivered by other delivery services (Federal Express (Fed Ex), UPS, DHL, Laser, Action, Purolator, etc.) as follows: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office 2011 South Clark Place Customer Window, Mail Stop ___ Crystal Plaza Two, Lobby, Room 1B03 Arlington, Virginia 22202 Mail Stop Designations Explanation Mail Stop 12 Contributions to the Examiner Education Program. Mail Stop 313(c) Petitions under 37 CFR 1.313(c) to withdraw a patent application from issue after payment of the issue fee and any papers associated with the petition, including papers necessary for a continuing application or a request for continued examination (RCE). Mail Stop AF Amendments and other responses after final rejection, other than an appeal brief. Mail Stop Appeal For appeal briefs under 37 CFR 1.192 or reply Brief-Patents briefs under 37 CFR 1.193(a). Mail Stop For fee and petitions under 37 CFR 1.182 to obtain Application date received and/or application number for patent Number applications prior to the Office's standard notification (return post card. or the official "Filing Receipt", "Notice to File Missing Parts", or "Notice of Incomplete Application"). Mail Stop Public comments regarding patent related Comments-Patents regulations and procedures. Mail Stop Conversion Requests under 37 CFR 1.53(c)(2) to convert a nonprovisional application to a provisional application and requests under 37 CFR 1.53(c)(3) to convert a provisional application to a nonprovisional application. Mail Stop CPA Requests for Continued Prosecution Applications under 37 CFR 1.53(d) for design patent applications. Note that CPAs cannot be filed in utility or plant applications. Mail Stop DD Disclosure Documents or materials related to the Disclosure Document Program. (A disclosure document is NOT an information disclosure statement.) Instead of filing a disclosure document, inventors are encouraged to file a provisional patent application. Mail Stop Design The filing of all design patent applications that do not request expedited examination under 37 CFR 1.55. Mail Stop EBC Mail for the Electronic Business Center including: Certificate Action Forms, Request for Customer Numbers, and Requests for Customer Number Data Change (USPTO Forms PTO-2042, PTO/SB/124A and 125A, respectively) and Customer Number Upload Spreadsheets and Cover Letters. Mail Stop Expedited Only to be used for the initial filing of design Design applications accompanied by a request for expedited examination under 37 CFR 1.155. (Design applicants seeking expedited examination may alternatively file a design application and corresponding request under 37 CFR 1.155 by hand-delivering the application papers and request directly to the Design Group Director's office.) Mail Stop ILS Correspondence relating to international patent classification, exchanges and standards. Mail Stop Issue Fee All communications following the receipt of a PTOL-85, "Notice of Allowance and Fee(s) Due", and prior to the issuance of a patent should be addressed to Mail Stop Issue Fee, unless advised to the contrary. Issue fee payments can also be faxed to (703)746-4000. Assignments are the exception. Assignments (with cover sheets) should be faxed to (703)306-5995 or submitted in a separate envelope and be sent to Mail Stop Assignment Recordation Services, Director - U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as shown below. Mail Stop Missing Replies to OIPE notices such as the Notice Parts of Omitted Items, Notice to File Corrected Application Papers, Notice of Incomplete Application, Notice to Comply with Nucleotide Sequence Requirements, and Notice to File Missing Parts of Application, and associated papers and fees. Note that such correspondence may also be faxed to: (703) 746-4060, unless the correspondence is required to establish the filing date of the application or includes drawings. Mail Stop MPEP Submissions concerning the Manual of Patent Examining Procedure. Mail Stop Non-Fee Non-fee amendments to patent applications. (Use Amendment Mail Stop AF for replies after final rejection.) No mail stop is required for amendments with fees. Mail Stop Patent New patent applications and associated papers and Application fees. Mail Stop Patent Ext. Applications for patent term extension and any communications relating thereto. Mail Stop Petition Petitions to be decided by the Office of Petitions including petitions to revive and petitions to accept late payment of issue fees or maintenance fees. Mail Stop PGPUB Correspondence regarding publication of patent applications not otherwise provided, including requests for early publication made after filing, rescission of non-publication request, corrected patent application publication, refund of publication fee. Mail Stop PGPUB-ABD Petitions under 37 CFR 1.138 to expressly abandon an application to avoid publication of the application. Mail Stop PGPUB Drawings to be included in a patent application Drawings publication (replacement drawings for drawings included with a patent application on filing). Mail Stop PCT Mail related to applications filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty. Mail Stop Provisional The filing of all provisional patent applications Patent Application and any communications relating thereto. Mail Stop RCE Requests for continued examination under 37 CFR 1.114. Mail Stop Correspondence pertaining to the reconstruction of Reconstruction lost patent files. Mail Stop Ex Parte Requests for Reexamination for original request Reexam papers only. Mail Stop Inter Requests for Inter Partes Reexamination for Partes Reexam original request papers and for all subsequent correspondence other than correspondence to the Office of the Solicitor (see 37 CFR 1.1(a)(3) and 1.302(c)). Mail Stop Reissue All new and continuing reissue application filings. Mail Stop Sequence Submission of diskette for applications with sequence listings. ADDRESS FOR TRADEMARK MAIL The box designations previously listed in Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure, Section 305.01 are no longer in use. See Change of Address for Mailing Trademark Correspondence, which is posted on the USPTO Internet web site at: http://www.uspto.gov/web/trademarks/tmmmailingaddressnotice.htm. Please address mail to be delivered by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as follows: Commissioner for Trademarks 2900 Crystal Drive Arlington, Virginia 22202-3514 SPECIAL MAIL STOPS APPLICABLE TO BOTH PATENT AND TRADEMARK MAIL The following special mail stop designations are applicable to both patent and trademark related mail, and the recommendations for "Special Mail Stops for Patent Mail" (above) should be followed for the types of mail listed below. Please address mail to be directed to a mail stop identified below to be delivered by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as follows (unless otherwise instructed): Mail Stop___ Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office P.O. Box 1450 Alexandria, VA 22313-1450 Mail Stop Designations Explanation Mail Stop 3 Mail for the Office of Personnel from NFC. Mail Stop 6 Mail for the Office of Procurement. Mail Stop 8 All papers for the Office of the Solicitor except communications relating to pending litigation and disciplinary proceedings; papers relating to pending litigation in court cases shall be mailed only to Office of the Solicitor, P.O. Box 15667, Arlington, VA 22215 and papers related to pending disciplinary proceedings before the Administrative Law Judge or the Director shall be mailed only to the Office of the Solicitor, P.O. Box 16116, Arlington, VA 22215. Mail Stop 11 Mail for the Electronic Ordering Service (EOS). Mail Stop 13 Mail for the Employee and Labor Relations Division. Mail Stop 16 Mail related to refund requests. Mail Stop 17 Invoices directed to the Office of Finance. Mail Stop 24 Mail for the Inventor's Assistance Program, including complaints about Invention Promoters. Mail Stop 171 Vacancy Announcement Applications. Mail Stop All assignment documents, security interests, and Assignment other documents to be recorded in the Assignment Recordation records. Note that documents with cover sheets Services faxed to (703)306-5995 are processed much more quickly than those submitted by mail. Mail Stop Mail for the Office of Congressional Relations. Congressional Relations Mail Stop All requests for certified or uncertified copies Document of patent or trademark documents. Services Mail Stop EEO Mail for the Office of Civil Rights. Mail Stop Mail for the Office of Enforcement. Enforcement Mail Stop Communications relating to interferences and Interference applications and patents involved in interference. Mail Stop Mail for the Office of International Relations. International Relations Mail Stop M Correspondence related to maintenance fees other Correspondence than payments of maintenance fees in patents. See below for the address for maintenance fee payments. Mail Stop OED Mail for the Office of Enrollment and Discipline. Maintenance Fee Payments Payments of maintenance fees in patents not submitted electronically over the Internet at www.uspto.gov should be mailed to: United States Patent and Trademark Office P.O. Box 371611 Pittsburgh, PA 15250-1611 Deposit Account Replenishments To send payment to replenish deposit accounts, send the payments to: Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office P.O. Box 70541 Chicago, IL 60673


text:
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For Teacher and Students
Further Resources
A selected bibliography of teacher resources compiled by Dr. Carson Phillips, Director, Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre
Websites by Category
Historic Sites of Special Interest to Educators
Anne Frank House
This website provides information about Anne Frank, the house in which she and her family hid, as well as the diary she kept while in hiding.
Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum
The website of the preserved, authentic memorial of Auschwitz I and II.
Educational and historical information available through the website.
The Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation
This website contains information on the Center and a brief history of the Chevra Lomdei Mishnayot Beit Midrash, the only remaining synagogue in the town of Oswiecim, Poland and located just 3km from the death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Brandenburg Memorials Foundation
This website access three historic sites in Germany – the Ravensbrůck Women's Concentration Camp Memorial, the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial and Museum and the Brandenburg Documentation Centre.
Castle Hartheim Education and Memorial Centre
A killing centre in the Nazi "euthanasia" programme (Action T4) housed in Hartheim Castle.
Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site
This website discusses the history of the Dachau concentration camp, its activities and educational programs.
House of the Wannsee Conference
This website provides historical information about Wannsee Conference and museum located in the building today.
Mauthausen Memorial
This website offers information about the history of the Mauthausen Concentration Camp located in Austria and its educational and archival activities.
State Museum at Majdanek
This website provides historical education about the German occupation in the Lublin region of Poland during World War II. It documents the history of the concentration camp at Majdanek and the death camp in Bełżec.
Terezín (Theresienstadt) Memorial
The only institution of its kind in the Czech Republic, it commemorates the victims of the Nazi political and racial persecution during the occupation of the Czech lands in World War II. The website offers information about the museum, research and educational activities.
The Topography of Terror Foundation
Between 1933 and 1945, the central institutions of Nazi persecution and terror were located on the grounds of the present-day "Topography of Terror"museum. The website provides information on the historic site, exhibitions and collections.
Of Special Interest to Students of Holocaust History
Avalon Project at Yale Law School: The Nuremberg Trials
The Nuremberg Trials website provides extensive documentation about the Nuremberg Trials.
The Holocaust Chronicle
This not for profit project website contains every word and image that appear in the print edition of The Holocaust Chronicle, published by in April 2000.
Justiz und NS-Verbrechen/Nazi Crimes on Trial
This website provides extensive information, in both English and German, about the judgments of Nazi trials.
Video Archives/Survivor Testimony
Azrieli Foundation Holocaust Survivor Memoirs Program
This website offers downloadable versions of Holocaust survivor memoirs published by the Azrieli Foundation. Available in English and French, large or regular font size.
Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies
This website offers information about the archive at Yale University that has a collection of over 3,800 videotaped interviews with witnesses and survivors of the Holocaust. Also included is a catalog and research guide to the archive and a list of edited video programs available for loan to schools and community groups.
IWitness: One Voice at a Time
Over 1,300 video testimonies from the USC Shoah Foundation's Visual History Archive are available for educators to use. Includes multimedia activities, and digital resources.
Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation
This is the website of the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, founded by Steven Spielberg. It is dedicated to interviewing and archiving the testimonies of survivors, rescuers, and liberators of the Holocaust.
"Voices of the Holocaust" page of the British Library
Listen to the testimonies of Holocaust survivors. Choose from the six topics to find out about personal experiences during the Holocaust.
Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Education
Centropa is a Jewish historical institute dedicated to preserving 20th century Jewish family stories from Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans.
European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights
This website offers an extensive collection of educational and scholarly material on human rights, antisemitism, genocide and the Holocaust.
Facing History and Ourselves
Facing History's work is based on the premise of teaching civic responsibility, tolerance, and social action to young people, as a way of fostering moral adulthood.
Jewish Foundation for the Righteous
This website offers information about the role of rescuers during the Holocaust including educational material created by the Jewish Foundation for the Righteous.
Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation
This website tells the story of Jewish partisans who fought back against the Nazis. It contains video-based interviews with Jewish partisans, study guides, and other educational materials.
Projet Aladin: Holocaust A Call to Conscience
Historical information about the Holocaust provided in English, French, Arabic Persian, and Turkish.
Holocaust Museums and Research Centres
Centre for Holocaust Education
The Centre plays a leading role in Holocaust Education and works closely with partner organisations in the field both nationally and internationally. It supports the work of other institutions through disseminating research findings, evaluating projects, and providing advice and consultancy on pedagogical approaches.
Ghetto Fighters' House: Holocaust and Jewish Resistance Heritage Museum
The Ghetto Fighters' House: Holocaust and Jewish Resistance Heritage Museum's website contains information about the museum located in Western Galilee, Israel. Along with information about the museum, there is also access to the library, archives and the Museum's education program.
Mémorial de la Shoah
Extensive information available in both English and French about the documentation centre, pedagogical activities and exhibitions of the museum.
Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre
This website offers information in English and French about the exhibitions, activities and educational programs of the museum.
Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust
The website provides access to archival collections documented online, as well as information about educational activities and exhibitions.
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
The USHMM's website provides information about the Museum's exhibits, programs and educational activities. An extensive on-line resource of Holocaust materials.
Yad Vashem
This website provides information about events at Yad Vashem including their pedagogical resources, archival collection and current activities and programs.
The Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center
This website provides information on exhibitions and programs about Holocaust and Genocide history at the Museum. It also provides educational tools to teach universal lessons about combating hatred, prejudice and indifference.
Fundamental Reading
Aly, Götz. Why the Germans? Why the Jews?: Envy, Race Hatred, and the Prehistory of the Holocaust. USA: Metropolitan Books, 2014. Print.
Bergen, Doris L. War & Genocide: A Concise History of the Holocaust. USA: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2nd edition, 2009. Print.
Dwork, Deborah (editor). Voices and Views: A History of the Holocaust. USA: University of Wisconsin Press, 2005. Print.
Friedlander, Henry. The Origins of Nazi Genocide: From Euthanasia to the Final Solution. USA: University of North Carolina Press, 3rd edition, 1997. Print.
Friedlander, Saul. Nazi Germany and the Jews, 1939–1945: The Years of Extermination. USA: Harper Perennial, reprint edition, 2008. Print.
Gross, Jan T. Golden Harvest. UK: Oxford University Press, 2011. Print.
Tec, Nechama. When Light Pierced the Darkness: Christian Rescue of Jews in Nazi-Occupied Poland. UK: Oxford University Press, reprint edition, 1984. Print.
Totten, Samuel and Stephen Feinberg (editors). Teaching and Studying the Holocaust. USA: Information Age Publishing, annotated, 2013. Print.
Weinberg, Gerhard L. "The World Through Hitler's Eyes," in Germany, Hitler, and World War II: Essays in Modern German and World History. UK: Cambridge University Press, 1995, pages 30–53. Print.
PRISM: An Interdisciplinary Journal for Holocaust Educators
A peer-reviewed annual journal launched by Yeshiva University. Each issue examines a specific topic through a variety of lenses, including education, history, literature, poetry, psychology and art. May be downloaded in PDF format directly from the website.


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Mo Yan, the Chinese author, was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature this morning.
Mo Yan, the Nobel committee wrote, uses his "hallucinatory realism" to merge "folk tales, history and the contemporary."
"Through a mixture of fantasy and reality, historical and social perspectives, Mo Yan has created a world reminiscent in its complexity of those in the writings of William Faulkner and Gabriel García Márquez, at the same time finding a departure point in old Chinese literature and in oral tradition," the committee explained in its citation.
The 57-year-old writer is best known for his book Red Sorghum: A Novel Of China. The winner receives $1.2 million.
Update at 7:32 a.m. ET. Navigating The Censors:
Time Magazine has a great piece that looks at Mo Yan's life's work. Most of his literature is inspired by his hometown of Gaomi, Shandong province. And while much of it skirts the censors by taking place in the past, some of it like one of his most recent books, Frog, takes on controversial topics like China's one-child rule.
As Time explains, Mo Yan works his way around the edges of government censorship by using "the adroit subtlety of his magic-realist style."
Time reports:
"For Eric Abrahamsen, a Beijing-based translator of modern Chinese fiction, it is clear that Mo Yan engages in the complex calculus of what is and isn't permissible that faces every Chinese writer. There is nothing wrong with that: not every artist has the stomach for strident dissent and, having been banned in the past, Mo Yan has nothing to prove. But these days, says Abrahamsen, Mo Yan "knows exactly where the lines are and doesn't cross them." Discussion about the drawbacks of the one-child policy, and whether it should be rolled back, is now permissible in China, for example. "I think the reason the book got published now is because it's not controversial anymore," says Abrahamsen."
Update at 7:47 a.m. ET. Biography:
According to thebiography published on the Nobel website, Mo Yan, who's real name is Guan Moye, was born in 1955.
It goes on to say:
"As a twelve-year-old during the Cultural Revolution he left school to work, first in agriculture, later in a factory. In 1976 he joined the People's Liberation Army and during this time began to study literature and write. His first short story was published in a literary journal in 1981. His breakthrough came a few years later with the novella Touming de hong luobo (1986, published in French as Le radis de cristal1993)."
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Open to the Public
Friday, November 15, 2013
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Via teleconference
Phone #: 888-494-4032 Access Code: 1469835118
Present: Susan Keegan, Chairperson; Ginny Conlee; Thane Dykstra; Untress Quinn; Neil Posner; Inspector General Michael McCotter; Deputy Inspector General Robert Furniss; and Chris Milbrandt
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Furniss stated legislation was enacted that transferred the responsibility of conducting investigations of abuse and neglect involving people living at home to the Adult Protective Services (APS) Bureau. The five investigators involved in that had to be transferred over to handling Rule 50 investigations which include abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation investigations at DHS-funded facilities, CILAs and day-training sites. As a part of that, we had to absorb these staff and absorb them in place. We reconfigured the OIG bureaus, the most significant portion being what was formerly our Metro Bureau, which included Cook County and collar counties. This area was divided into two separate bureaus. The objective of all of this was to deploy these investigators in place. We couldn't move them to different counties or cities due to union rules. The objective was to reconfigure this based on the number of cases we were receiving per county. We were trying to bring down the number of cases to 90 - 100 cases per year. We are now in the process of evaluating this because we have encountered a few problems with our initial estimate of what was going to be happening.
The former Metro Bureau, which is now Cook Bureau (Cook and collar counties) came into this process with quite a large backlog of cases. They were down an investigator. The new Metro Bureau absorbed two of the investigators from Rule 51 so they have had relatively little experience doing these other cases. It has taken longer to get them up to speed. The other thing we had not anticipated is there are two counties we had shifted from Central to South - Madden and LaSalle counties. For some reason, it could be because of the impending closure of Murray MHC, but we have had an explosion of cases in that area. At the next bureau meeting we will determine if we need to reconfigure the bureaus or give some of the territory back.
The other assumption we made is that we thought we would have a full investigative compliment in place when we started to do this. As it turns out, we have filled two of the investigative positions. We just filled one of these positions and will fill another one next week. They will not be fully functioning investigators until at least the new year. One of the new hires is replacing an investigator that just didn't work out. We have another opening in the Central Bureau that has been open for seven months. These positions are all subject to union bidding rules. We only had one select bidder and the person selected did not want the job so we had to start all over again.
One of the problems we have had in filling these positions, despite the specific fact that we require two years of investigative experience, is when people with contract bidding rights put in for these positions, CMS determines what grade they would be given in this competitive bidding process. We are finding that CMS, in at least four cases, have been giving an "A" grade to people with no investigative experience at all. We are not getting the people that we would like. In one case we had an opening in Choate MHC and the investigator we had at Chester MHC, with four or five years of experience, was one of the bidders for the position and was rated third on the list behind people with no investigative experience.
Question: Can we talk to CMS? DIG Furniss stated that he is going to talk to CMS. We know it will take a lot of time to tighten up the job requirements in these bid packages.
What we are faced with in these situations is that if we determine that we don't want any of the people that they give us, then it starts all over again or it goes to the open competitive bidding and we don't have any guarantee that the people on that list are any better. An example is the former occupant in the position at Central left in January. We probably won't have anyone in there up and running in over a year. These are factors that have made it more difficult.
We have balanced the cases in two bureaus, four investigators who have 75 cases a piece. The people helping them out have a caseload of over 45 cases a piece. If you take people that manage their backlog to a minimum and turn cases out, their reward is they get more work to do. We have to be very careful of not presenting a negative incentive. IG McCotter has been determined to increase our headcount. I have been here eight years and our caseload has gone up every year. Our caseload has increased 75%. During that same period of time, we have gone from 28 full-time investigators to 24.
Question: Do you have a process where you prioritize cases by the most pressing or most precarious? Yes. Cases in which employees have been put on administrative leave (AL) because both of the divisions have a policy in the facilities that if someone has an allegation placed against them, they have to be either placed on AL or taken out of the count, no matter how trivial the case might seem. They do this because a number of years ago the Department of Justice came down on a couple of facilities because people had substantiated physical abuse charges against them and they were still working with clients in the interim.
We also had an informal process we had to abandon for the same reason where if our investigator began looking into something and determined early on that there wasn't anything to it, that we could tell the administrator this is a case of physical abuse, there are no witnesses to this, it seems impossible that this could have happened, we wanted to let you know so you wouldn't have to keep this person out of the count.
The other problem we have is some of the bureaus are relying on agency investigators to do this. The quality of the investigations we get from the agencies are pretty spotty. Some of the investigators are very good, very efficient. We have other agencies and situations where some of the cases can drag on for months.
Barring getting more people in addition to the headcount we currently have and getting all of the positions filled by the end of the year, the backlogs are not going to come down significantly until that time. We are going to have to triage these cases and try to get them out as quickly as we can. This will lead to other problems. You want to make sure you are still doing a thorough job as the cases continue to come in. Whenever we have an impending closure of a facility, the cases mushroom both because when people are placed out of a facility there are allegations made that the receiving institutions are not prepared for the influx of individuals. The parents of the people who are in the facility are not happy about the fact of the closing and then staff who are on the verge of losing their jobs are calling in allegations. It is happening at Murray right now.
The last time we were audited, the average caseload was 44 days, the best it has ever been. We told the auditors at that time that we didn't think we could do better than this ever again. We were still cited for timeliness. We asked them when we can have that finding removed. At what point is that going to be good enough? Since that time, we have had more vacancies than we have ever had, and more cases. Also, under the old structure, we had two office associates who were doing administrative and clerical work, but we did not have anyone in those positions for the Metro, Cook and Northern Bureaus (the busiest bureaus) for a period of five months. They now have one person doing the work that requires three people. We have just gotten approval for an emergency approval. Question: Is it a hiring or budgetary issue? A budgetary issue. We have faced a dwindling headcount for years. We always worried when someone would leave that they would cut a position.
Question: Do you have a summary of this that we could review? There is a lot more reporting because people are more aware of what they need to call in. The documents that Chris sent you reflect a big jump relating to domestic cases that we no longer have. Stems from the negative publicity we got a little over a year ago. DHS decided to publish our hotline number in big numbers on the website and we had an explosion of calls for the next nine or ten months. This year we are looking at a substantiation rate in these cases, it is the lowest rate we have ever had. It is 10%. Question: But you still have to do the work? Yes. We don't want people to try to determine in their own minds if it is abuse/neglect or screen these calls. This last year has been the biggest jump since I have been here. Question: Do you have a written document that details what you have just said? IG McCotter stated that we did a review of all cases about a month ago. Due to the shortage of staff and explosion of reports, 43% of our cases are 60 days and older. At 2:30 p.m. today I am meeting with the Secretary regarding getting additional clerical staff, a clinical nurse, training leaders, and ten more investigators. Our headcount is 57. I am asking to increase this by 15. Secretary Saddler has been incredibly supportive of our efforts throughout the reorganization. We can't do any better. We have a tendency to keep working our better people. We have a technical person who handles our database. I am asking for an additional person for him as well.
Ginny stated that CMS is the key problem. Even if you get more headcount, you will never get ahead of the game. CMS is the issue here for you.
IG McCotter stated that there are some basic skills out there, we need to be able to grab them and we just aren't able to do it.
DIG Furniss stated we know of at least one investigator in our group that is going to retire and about four or five others that have periodically tested the waters in that area. I am anticipating in the next 1 1/2 years we may lose 1/5 of our staff. This is a very worrisome situation. We were able to get a retired investigator back on a 60-day contract. It was enormously helpful.
We have clinical coordinators who are registered nurses. One was a contract person, the contract was put out for bid, another person got the contract, the incumbent objected to it, they gave it to her, the person who got it the first time complained, so they threw the whole thing out and started over. In response to that, we have a clinical coordinator who retired and she came back on a 60-day and we will probably extend that and it has been extremely helpful. They are all on contract.
Question: Is this a personnel issue? Clearly there are people in our group who are not as productive as others. In a situation like this, if you are faced with a situation of having that person vacating that job, it could be six to eight months waiting for a person to fill the position.
IG McCotter stated that we need more personnel. If we don't get the personnel and deal with CMS and get people hired that can do the job, we are heading down the path we were on a year ago. Ginny stated that one of the better things that might happen to you is that the auditors do come in. IG McCotter stated that if we can get the right personnel in the right key spots there wouldn't be a problem. Ginny stated all I am looking at are ways to get people to put the pressure on to point out how unattainable the whole thing is. They can't keep beating you up and not do anything to fix the problem.
DIG Furniss stated that one of the other issues of the legislation that transferred the DAP over to APS is to set up a centralized hotline that would be for us, HFS, IDPH, and APS. It would be one number that everyone would call. We have some issues with that approach because initially it appeared that what they had in mind was a single hotline and we pointed out to them that our hotline people are investigators and it may take longer to develop an intake because they have to ask a lot of questions. Hopefully our hotline will continue to exist and operate in the state facilities and CILAs. The only thing a centralized hotline will do is, for example, if a person at a bowling alley sees people there at an outing and someone shoves a person and they call us from a central number. Most of them would be non-reportable. I can't see more than five to eight percent of our reportable cases coming from that. They were going to take the hotline function away from us. I told them not only do the hotline investigators evaluate these cases, but they also develop intakes and send them to the respective bureau chief. It is not a centralized hotline where all of the intakes will go to the central bureau chief, who is also trying to run an investigative unit. That bureau chief will be deluged with all of the intakes and will have to distribute them to the other bureau chiefs. The state of Texas has 370 full-time people on their hotline. I think they are talking about a fraction of that staff. It is essential that our hotline remain in place and act as the gateway for those calls that come from them and we continue to accept calls from DHS facilities and programs.
Question: Isn't there federal money for senior hotlines? I think here in Chicago they get money for hotlining. I am just wondering if we are missing out on some of that. We can always use more people. We think the hotline can hold its own because we are no longer taking domestic calls. That was close to 1500 cases that came in, not including non-reportables. Total is probably close to 2,000 calls that they are no longer getting. At one time the hotline was eight days behind. Question: Could we use more people? Absolutely. This is one area where this legislation has held us. IG McCotter stated that we are up to date and current. Our concern lies in the investigative and clerical areas.
Chairperson Keegan asked if we thought the Board should be writing anything to the Governor that we need more funding to do an adequate job? IG McCotter responded yes and that we may request to have more bodies. DIG Furniss stated the fallout from the article 1 1/2 years ago sparked a lot of legislation. We need the best people and resources to do our job. It is a much more difficult job now than it was ten years ago. The good news is that two investigators just started and we think they are going to be really good. One is a former facility investigator who won't need any training. The other person is a former DCFS investigator, who we don't think will require much training.
Chairperson Keegan stated this has been covered. We just need to get the report. This is the kind of thing we need to be looking at to be effective. Trying to get some attention and help you with CMS and increasing your budget. I would like to take a crack at writing a letter if someone else on the Board would like to volunteer. Neil will help. Neil stated it may also be helpful with the perspective of knowing what the ask would be. I heard the plea of all of the issues. I am struggling to hear what the solution would look like. IG McCotter stated I have a draft report now. What I am asking for is two investigative team leaders - we have five bureaus and three investigative team leaders - they assist the bureau chiefs and handle a caseload on their own; an office associate in the northern bureau; one database support person; one clinical coordinator (nurse); and ten investigators.
Chairperson Keegan asked why don't you send a letter to Neil and I and we will reiterate it? IG McCotter stated he will tweak and give it to the Secretary. He will then send it to you. Neil stated the Secretary is the decision maker, but she may have to reallocate funds in order to turn her agreement with you into reality. Who are the influencers? Who gives her the support so she can do that? IG McCotter responded this is the time when they increase headcount.
DIG Furniss stated one of the other problems we are encountering on getting office support staff is that these positions are low paying. Few people apply for them. There is a title called office coordinator. It is a higher paying job, and more accurately reflects what these people are doing. It is much more entailed than your typical office associate position. Potentially the other four office associates could file a grievance and we could promote them as well. IG McCotter stated that once again CMS comes into play.
DIG Furniss stated a couple years ago we had an additional investigative team leader and database position. The ITL was on military leave for over a decade and never came back. When he retired, they eliminated that position. The database person retired and they eliminated that position. If you go back ten years, our headcount at that time was 64 or 65. What Mike is requesting exceeds that number, but not by much. In those days we had 27 investigators, we now have 24. IG McCotter stated if we can get staff hired and working, and allow for attrition, we can handle the two or three retirements we are expecting.
Motion to approve the minutes - Ginny
Motion seconded - Untress
All in favor - Minutes approved as written
Chairperson Keegan reminded IG McCotter to send them their report and they will get their letter out and it will help them on their oversight. IG McCotter stated they will be sent the same report he is giving to Secretary Saddler. Chairperson Keegan stated we have to have our own letter. We will run it past you to make sure we don't have any errors. IG McCotter stated we appreciate your support.
Chairperson Keegan stated the next meeting is January 9th at 2:00 p.m. If that date is not a good date it would be good to know right away. Let's get the date firm. In the next week or so, confirm that you are going to be able to attend with Chris.
The Annual Report for FY13 is nearly complete. It's due by the first of the year. Chairperson Keegan asked that it be sent to them as soon as possible so they have a chance to review it.
Next Quality Care Board meeting is January 9, 2014 at 2:00 p.m. by teleconference.
Motion to adjourn the meeting by Neil. Motion seconded by Ginny. Meeting adjourned at 11:00 a.m.
- Next meeting is January 9, 2014 at 2:00 p.m.
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