The People’s Place

Answers Over Questions. Facts Over Opinions. Moving Forward Over Standing Still.

Grant Money Available for Your Community

Could your community make good use of grant money meant for revitalization? Many communities across America would certainly put a grant to good use. This week the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that it is making available $110 million in grants to transform public and assisted housing and to revitalize communities. The Notice of Funding [...]

The White House: State of the Union Address + Office Hours

Did you know that you can participate in an open session of “Office Hours” with President Obama’s key administrators? On Jan 24th President Obama delivers his fourth State of the Union address to the U.S. Congress, the Supreme Court and most importantly, our nation. Starting at 9 pm EST. Leading up to the address and [...]

SOPA vs. PIPA: The Internet Today and Tomorrow

Where do you stand on the SOPA and Protect IP Act? Although Congress does not return from recess until Jan 23rd, the debate over SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act, and PIPA, the Protect IP Act, has been boiling for weeks. When Congress reconvenes, tactics in Congress to push the bills may move quickly. Democratic [...]

Everyone Can Be Great Because Everyone Can Serve: The MLK Day of Service

How did you celebrate the King holiday? Hopefully you provided a service to others. And, if you did not, it is not too late. You have the rest of the year, and the rest of your life to be a part of the dream. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Life’s most persistent and [...]

Insourcing American Jobs Forum – VIDEO

What was the day all about exactly? Will Businesses Take Note? President Obama recently hosted the first Insourcing American Jobs Forum at the White House. Surrounded by business and civil leaders, the President proposed tax incentives for businesses that adapt the plan to bring jobs back to the US. President Obama talked about his hope for the [...]

Grant Money Available for Your Community

January 23rd, 2012

Administrator

Could your community make good use of grant money meant for revitalization?

Many communities across America would certainly put a grant to good use. This week the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced that it is making available $110 million in grants to transform public and assisted housing and to revitalize communities. The Notice of Funding Availability, the federal application, for the FY 2012 Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Program, has already gone live in the Federal Register.

Take a moment to read the complete funding notice. The money is available for those who reach out and grab it. It is going to someone’s community, why not yours?

Read HUD’s funding notice.

Applicants have until April 10, 2012 to apply for FY 2012 Choice Neighborhoods Implementation grants. HUD anticipates awarding four to five grants with a maximum award of $30,000,000 each in December 2012. Applicants must submit their applications electronically through www.grants.gov.

Let us know if you have any questions on the grant process, and we’ll do our best to answer them.

The White House: State of the Union Address + Office Hours

January 23rd, 2012

Administrator

Did you know that you can participate in an open session of “Office Hours” with President Obama’s key administrators?

On Jan 24th President Obama delivers his fourth State of the Union address to the U.S. Congress, the Supreme Court and most importantly, our nation. Starting at 9 pm EST. Leading up to the address and after, the White House is hoping to hear from millions of Americans on the topics that most matter to them.

The White House will be streaming an enhanced version of the speech that features graphics, data and stats that highlight the issues the President is discussing on Whitehouse.gov/sotu. They will also live stream the broadcast through the White House Live App on Facebook, YouTube and their new Google+ page. In addition, they are holding OFFICE HOURS, for those of us long out of school, think back to the days when you went to discuss issues concerning you most with your professors. Well its sort of like this.

Here’s how it works as detailed on the White House Blog:

Administration officials will spend Wednesday taking questions on the State of the Union in a day-long Office Hours marathon, an online question and answer session through Twitter. Josh Earnest, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary, will be available throughout the day, and Mark Zuckerman, White House Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council will be taking questions at 1 pm EST. Dan Pfeiffer, the White House Communications Director, will also participate.

Thursday’s Office Hours will feature community-focused discussions with policy advisors and experts and Friday will be directed towards specific issues. Review the full schedule of events below to learn how you can participate. We hope you will join us at some point next week.

Here’s how Office Hours work:

Ask your question on Twitter with the hashtag #WHChat
Administration officials respond to your questions in real-time via Twitter
Follow the Q&A through the @WHLive Twitter account
If you miss the live session, the full Q&A will be posted on WhiteHouse.gov and Storify.com/WhiteHouse

Office Hours Schedule for Thursday January 26 (times listed are EST)

10:00 a.m. Veterans: Matt Flavin, White House Director of Veterans and Wounded Warrior Policy
11:00 a.m. LGBT: Miriam Vogel, White House Senior Policy Advisor and Gautam Raghavan, White House Associate Director for Public Engagement
12:00 p.m. Women: Racquel Russell, White House Mobility and Opportunity Policy and Avra Siegel, White House Deputy Executive Director for the Council on Women and Girls
1:00 p.m. Seniors: Jeanne Lambrew, Deputy Assistant to the President for Health Policy and Nick Papas, Assistant Press Secretary
2:00 p.m. Latinos: Felicia Escobar, White House Senior Policy Advisor, Julie Rodriguez, White House Associate Director of Public Engagement and Luis Miranda, White House Director of Hispanic Media
4:00 p.m. Small Business Owners: Christine Koronides, Senior Advisor for Economic Policy, National Economic Council
5:00 p.m. African Americans: Danielle Gray, Deputy Assistant to the President for Economic Policy
6:00 p.m. Asian American Pacific Islanders: Chris Lu, Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary

Office Hours Schedule for Friday January 27 (times listed are EST)

11:00 a.m. Foreign Policy: Ben Rhodes, Deputy NSA for Strategic Communications and Speechwriting
12:00 p.m. Education: Roberto Rodriguez, Special Assistant to the President for Education Policy
1:00 p.m. Health: Jeanne Lambrew, Deputy Assistant to the President for Health Policy and Nick Papas, Assistant Press Secretary
2:00 p.m. Energy: Heather Zichal, Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy & Climate Change and Dan Utech, Deputy Director for Energy Policy
3:00 p.m. Consumer Protections: Brian Deese, Deputy Director National Economic Council
4:00 pm The Economy: Jason Furman, Principal Deputy Director National Economic Council
5:00 p.m. Job Opportunities: Portia Wu, Senior Policy Advisor for Mobility and Opportunity Policy
6:00 p.m. Urban Issues: Racquel Russell, White House Mobility and Opportunity Policy

Are you planning to watch the State of the Union address? What issues are you looking forward to hearing the President address? What issues are most pressing to you right now?

SOPA vs. PIPA: The Internet Today and Tomorrow

January 18th, 2012

Administrator

Where do you stand on the SOPA and Protect IP Act?

Although Congress does not return from recess until Jan 23rd, the debate over SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act, and PIPA, the Protect IP Act, has been boiling for weeks. When Congress reconvenes, tactics in Congress to push the bills may move quickly. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has scheduled a vote on a motion to begin debate on the Senate version, PIPA, for January 24, the day after they return from recess.

To help provide clarity on the two bills, below is a brief summary:

The Protect IP Act was first introduced to the US Senate on May 12, 2011 by Senators Patrick Leahy, Orrin Hatch, and Chuck Grassley. PIPA is a rewritten legislation, the original being the failed to pass Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA) of 2010. PIPA, if passed, will give U.S. corporations and the government the right to seek affirmative legal action with any website that they see as enabling copyright infringement whether of U.S. origin or not. The Stop Online Piracy Act, is a bill introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives by Representative Lamar Smith on October 26, 2011. In similarity with PIPA, SOPA would establish a system for taking down websites that the Justice Department determines to be dedicated to copyright infringement.

Essentially, the bills would enable the Department of Justice or the copyright owner to commence a legal action against any site they deem to have “only limited purpose or use other than infringement,” and the DoJ would be allowed to demand that search engines, social networking sites and domain name services block access to the targeted site. It would also make unauthorized web streaming of copyrighted content a felony with a possible penalty up to five years in prison. Lastly, copyright holders could send notice to the service providers of sites which they deem to be infringing on their copyright to ask that those services either be blocked or discontinued. The site under question would then have to prove that it is not in fact infringing. The copyright holders would also have the option to move the matter to the court of law.

Read the full bills here:

SOPA
PIPA

What do you think? Would you like to see PIPA or SOPA passed?

Everyone Can Be Great Because Everyone Can Serve: The MLK Day of Service

January 16th, 2012

Administrator

How did you celebrate the King holiday?

Hopefully you provided a service to others. And, if you did not, it is not too late. You have the rest of the year, and the rest of your life to be a part of the dream. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’”

Each year, Americans across the country answer that question by coming together on the King Holiday to serve their neighbors and communities. The MLK Day of Service is a part of United We Serve, the President’s national call to service initiative. It calls for Americans from all walks of life to work together to provide solutions to our most pressing national problems.

Many of the community service projects taking place on the MLK holiday continue throughout the year. To find a community service project in your area is simpler than ever. Just visit MLKDAY.GOV. On the site you can find events sponsored in your area and join hundreds of thousands of people who served on MLK Day and throughout the year. Find a project in your community or register your own project so that volunteers can find it. Or use the Action Guides to plan for next year’s Day of Service.

What did you do this year and what are your plans for next year? We want to hear about them.

Insourcing American Jobs Forum – VIDEO

January 13th, 2012

Administrator

What was the day all about exactly? Will Businesses Take Note?

President Obama recently hosted the first Insourcing American Jobs Forum at the White House. Surrounded by business and civil leaders, the President proposed tax incentives for businesses that adapt the plan to bring jobs back to the US.

President Obama talked about his hope for the future:

I don’t want America to be a nation that’s primarily known for financial speculation and racking up debt buying stuff from other nations. I want us to be known for making and selling products all over the world stamped with three proud words: “Made in America.” And we can make that happen.

I don’t want the next generation of manufacturing jobs taking root in countries like China or Germany. I want them taking root in places like Michigan and Ohio and Virginia and North Carolina. And that’s a race that America can win.

Watch the video in which the President talks more about this initiative:

Read more on the President’s initiative here.

Do you believe companies will be incentivized by tax breaks? How has your community been affected by the loss of jobs in the US? Have you seen an improvement recently or have things remained the same or worse.

Continue the conversation. We look forward to hearing from you.

Message from Anita Estell: For All of You

January 1st, 2012

Administrator

The year of 2011 proved to be an extraordinary season for the participants, petitioners and protestors who fanned freedom’s flames in the U.S. and abroad. From the fall of the last Pharaoh in Egypt, Khadafi in Libya, to the prancing Tea Party and the mobilization of its antithesis, the Occupy movement, the role of citizen has emerged center stage. As we prepared to exhale and pull down the shade on the 2011 year, Molly Katchpole, an activist in Washington, DC and thousands of others provided another installment for the ever-evolving journal on constructive citizen engagement when they produced and circulated a petition provided by Change.org, forcing Verizon Wireless to retreat on its plan to charge a $2 fee for online and debit payments.

For those seeking employment, health care, housing and a higher quality of education for the nation’s children, much work remains. These issues (no doubt) will continue to top the agenda as we quickly enter the 2012 election cycle. I look forward to expanding our discussion and resources in the New Year. But, want to take a moment now to thank you for spending time with me at the People’s Place. For those of you who have experienced health challenges this year, I wish you good health in the New Year. For those who have encountered financial, housing or employment hardships, I wish you prosperity and peace of mind. For those of you who may have lost a loved one this year, I pray that you find comfort in the wings of angels. For those of you who have grown in your power and understanding of how to make a positive contribution at work, home and in your communities, I hope the New Year enlightens your vision, strengthens your resolve, and magnifies your achievement even more profoundly and indelibly. Finally, I want to thank Huriyyah Muhammad for her tireless contribution to the blog.

For all of you — may love light your path, wisdom guide your way, and compassion clarify your focus.

Anita Estell

The People’s Place: 2011 in Review

December 29th, 2011

Administrator

From the Four Part Series on the Debt Ceiling to our discussions with Karen Middleton of Emerge America and Dr. Elizabeth Clark of The National Association of Social Workers, to the Ask Anita letters from our readers, to the weekly reports on the happenings and many “non-happenings” of Capitol Hill, it has been an incredible year for The People’s Place.

Wishing all of our readers a joyous holiday season and very happy New Year!

Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite

Person of the Year: The Nonviolent Protestor

December 28th, 2011

Administrator

As the year comes to a close, Time Magazine selected its person of the year recently, “The Protestor”.

For the past eighty years, Time Magazine’s Person of the Year has been a person, group or even ideal that has undeniably changed the world around us. This year’s nonviolent protestors, those around the world who have toppled dictators 20+ years in power, and those who continue to protest crimes against their people, and crimes against humanity are continuing to change our world. They have made us all better, and along with Time Magazine, we recognize them for the indelible mark in history.

Just in Time: Nearly All of Our Nation’s Troops Home From Iraq

December 25th, 2011

Administrator

Do you have military family home for the holidays?

This week families across America were joyously reunited with their loved ones who served bravely in Iraq – and just in time for the holidays. Here are a few images of the emotional homecoming our nation’s bravest.

Thank you for your service! Welcome home from the People’s Place.

Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite

What If Women Ran the World?

December 17th, 2011

Administrator

Tiffany Dufu and Gloria Steinem on Bloomberg TV

Would the world be in better shape if more women were in charge?

Recently, Gloria Steinem and Tiffany Dufu, President of the White House Project, sat down with Bloomberg News and discussed this idea. Their talk covered women, politics, and sex and they asserted the world would in fact be in a better condition if women held more leadership positions in both boardrooms and on Capitol Hill.

To help put the discussion in context, we also found a piece that Tiffany Dufu wrote on the project’s website a few weeks earlier that helps put the state of women’s equality in the US in perspective:

The United States is currently ranked 72nd in the world in women’s political leadership and only 2% of Fortune 500 companies are run by women. In fact, The White House Project’s report, Benchmarking Women’s Leadership, shows that across all sectors of society, women are running things at only about 17%. So the people sitting around the most powerful tables in our country, making decisions that impact every single of us, aren’t very “equal” at all. And since it’s well documented that diverse groups of people solving complex problems lead to better solutions—in studies published in the Harvard Business Review, Bloomberg Business, Ernst & Young and more—it becomes clear why the advancement of women today is a good idea for all of us.