| Senator Harkin Responds To Bush's Backward-Thinking Budget Proposal
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) today discussed the impact President Bush's budget proposal would have on Iowans and Americans. Harkin leads the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry committee as well as the appropriations subcommittee that funds health and education initiatives - both jurisdictions received major cuts in Bush's budget. “It is clear that Iowans and Americans are desperate for a new direction for our country. Regrettably, President Bush's budget proposal is more of the same, pushing our country backward as he has for the past seven years," said Harkin. “He proposes deep cuts to programs that Americans rely upon, programs that protect our seniors, educate our kids and strengthen communities of every size. While slashing programs for low and middle income families, the President insists on extending his tax giveaways to the wealthiest Americans.
Text of President Bush's News Conference
Congress has failed to pass legislation that will protect middle-class families from the burden of the alternative minimum tax. If Congress doesn't act, millions of Americans will be hit with an unexpected tax bill. And even if Congress does act by the end of the year, this action could delay the delivery of about $75 billion worth of tax refund checks. Congress expects Americans to pay their taxes on time, and the least the Congress can do is to make sure Americans get their refunds on time. Americans also expect their tax dollars to be spent wisely. Yet today 11 of the 12 annual spending bills that fund the day-to-day operations of the federal government remain unfinished. And now, congressional leaders are talking about piling these bills into one monstrous piece of legislation which they will load up with billions of dollars in earmarks and wasteful spending.
TURKEY: WORRIES MOUNT OVER GOVERNMENT’S COMMITMENT TO ...
The recent vote in the Turkish parliament ending the ban on headscarves at public universities is raising concern about the future direction of Turkey. Some political observers are voicing concern that the government may be turning away from its broad reform agenda covering domestic democratization and Turkeys European Union bid. "The perception shared by many intellectuals is that this reform [over headscarves] will come at the expense of other reforms," says veteran Turkish journalist Yavuz Baydar, a columnist for the English-language newspaper Todays Zaman. "Some intellectuals [who support the government] are starting to have second thoughts about whether the government has a well-defined strategy for change for Turkey, and what triggered this doubt is the priority that the government has put on the headscarf issue." The constitutional reform package that ended the headscarf ban zipped through parliament, after first being introduced only a few weeks ago by the liberal Islamic Justice and Development Party (AKP) government.
A Deli With Food And Sundries, Naturally
What's Selling: The Healthy Alternative offers organic and natural products. It has vegetarian and vegan options in addition to an extensive selection of organic food. There also are drinks and organic and natural toiletries and cleaning products for sale. The food choices give options to folks who are allergic to wheat and gluten, or who are challenged to find prepared foods they can eat. And because it's the holiday season, the store is offering candy canes dipped in organic chocolate. The deli menu offers something for all three meals.
Who Goes There? Customers looking for healthy alternative foods with no dairy, wheat, gluten and chemicals. Co-owner Heidi Zolanka said that many kinds of people of all ages come, including UConn students and families.
Who Works There? Heidi and Sara Zolanka, a mother and daughter team, own and operate the 2-month-old store.
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