Firme la defensa de Rosselló

Firme la defensa de Rosselló

Por Frances Rosario / El Nuevo Dia
Contestan moción de Justicia y piden que se mantenga descalificada a la jueza Sanfiorenzo.

El grupo de abogados que defiende al ex gobernador Pedro Rosselló en el caso de su pensión gubernamental solicitó que se mantenga el dictamen de que la juez Bárbara Sanfiorenzo se inhiba de atender el proceso judicial.

La razón que ofrecieron es que “la inhibición procede cuando estemos ante una sombra de parcialidad y que se tiene que velar porque la balanza en que se pesan los derechos de nuestros ciudadanos esté libre de sospechas aun cuando las mismas sean infundadas”, establece el escrito Fijando Posición. Este recurso se radicó en horas del mediodía para contestar una moción del Departamento de Justicia, que pide que se deje sin efecto una decisión del juez Carlos Dávila quien recusó a Sanfiorenzo.

Esa inhibición se debió a que el alcalde de Yauco, Abel Nazario, suscribió una declaración jurada en la que alega que cuando la juez era Comisionada de Asuntos Municipales, odiaba a Rosselló.
El escrito firmado por el abogado Harry Padilla establece que el reclamo que hace justicia para pedir que sea la jueza Sanfiorenzo quien atienda el caso “carece de validez”. Esto porque no se debe sopesar si la jueza exoneró al ex director de la Oficina de Gerencia y Presupuesto, Jorge Aponte.

“Las absoluciones no son solidarias. El prejuicio es personal, este fue el que se reclamó y el que se determinó indica la petición”.

Por otra parte, los abogados del caso solicitaron que prohíba el lenguaje soez en las mociones y escritos que realiza Justicia en el caso de Rosselló. Sus argumentos se deben a que en la petición, que hizo en el Apelativo, “tildó de tácticas bajunas los reclamos de recusación hechos por el doctor Rosselló”.

Dictator Hugo Chavez Begins 'Maximum Revolution'

Dictator Hugo Chavez Begins 'Maximum Revolution'
NewsMax.com WiresWednesday, Jan. 31, 2007

CARACAS, Venezuela -- A Congress wholly loyal to President Hugo Chavez met at a downtown plaza Wednesday to give the Venezuelan leader authority to enact sweeping measures by presidential decree.

Hundreds of Chavez supporters wearing red - the color of Venezuela's ruling party - gathered in the plaza, waving signs reading "Socialism is democracy!" as lawmakers read out the proposed bill giving the president special powers for 18 months to transform 11 broadly defined areas, including the economy, energy and defense.

"The people of Venezuela, not just the National Assembly, are giving this enabling power to the president of the republic," said congresswoman Iris Varela, addressing the crowd next to the National Assembly.

Chavez, who is beginning a fresh six-year term, says the legislation will be the start of a new era of "maximum revolution" during which he will consolidate Venezuela's transformation into a socialist society. His critics, however, are calling it a radical lurch toward authoritarianism by a leader with unchecked power.

The former paratroop commander has already said he will use the law to decree nationalizations of Venezuela's largest telecommunications company and the electricity sector, slap new taxes on the rich and impose greater state control over the oil and natural gas industries.

A final draft of the law shows Chavez will also be allowed to dictate unspecified measures to transform state institutions; reform banking, tax, insurance and financial regulations; decide on security and defense matters such as gun regulations and military organization; and "adapt" legislation to ensure "the equal distribution of wealth" as part of a new "social and economic model."

Chavez also plans to reorganize regional territories and carry out reforms aimed at bringing "power to the people" through thousands of newly formed Communal Councils, in which Venezuelans will have a say on spending an increasing flow of state money on neighborhood projects from public housing to road repaving.
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Lawmakers were scheduled to formally approve the law Wednesday in an outdoor session in Caracas' Plaza Bolivar, next to the National Assembly.

Chavez's supporters deny the law constitutes an abuse of power and argue radical steps are necessary to accelerate the creation of a more egalitarian society.

National Assembly President Cilia Flores said the special powers will enable Chavez to enact new laws that "will benefit the people, those who were excluded their whole lives. They are laws for inclusion and social justice."

Others say the enabling law is dangerously concentrating power in the hands of single man.
Historian Ines Quintero said that with the new powers, Chavez will achieve a level of "hegemony" that is unprecedented in Venezuela's nearly five decades of democratic history.
She said the effects will be "exponential" because Chavez will wield "extraordinary powers" in a context where state institutions are weakening and the division of powers is not being respected.

Chavez has requested special powers twice before.

In 1999, shortly after he was first elected, he was only able to push through two new taxes and a revision of the income tax law after facing fierce opposition in congress. In 2001, by invoking an "enabling law" for the second time, he decreed 49 laws including controversial agrarian reform measures and a law that sharply raised taxes on foreign oil companies operating in Venezuela.
This time, the law will give Chavez a free hand to bring under state control some oil and natural gas projects that are still run by private companies - the latest in a series of nationalist energy policies in Venezuela, a top oil supplier to the United States and home to South America's largest gas reserves.

Chavez has said oil companies upgrading heavy oil in the Orinoco River basin - British Petroleum PLC, Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp., ConocoPhillips Co., Total SA and Statoil ASA - must submit to state-controlled joint ventures, as companies have already done elsewhere in the country.

The law gives Chavez the authority to intervene and "regulate" the transition to joint ventures if companies do not adapt to the new framework within an unspecified "peremptory period."

Martin Luther King y su ejemplo para Puerto Rico

Martin Luther King y su ejemplo para Puerto Rico
Por: Ricky Rosselló

Desde el 1986, cuando el presidente Ronald Reagan finalmente puso su firma sobre la ley que estableció el natalicio de Martin Luther King, Jr. como día feriado nacional, celebramos cada 15 de enero la vida y ejemplo que nos legó este luchador incansable de los derechos civiles americanos.

En Puerto Rico, esta fiesta en particular se toma como otro fin de semana extendido, sin prestar mucha atención al significado de lo que se observa, pues la lucha de Martin Luther King, Jr. aparentemente no tiene tanto arraigo para nuestro pueblo como lo tiene, por ejemplo, la celebración del Día del Veterano. Nos parece que, a fin de cuentas, los logros de King tienen que ver más con la eliminación de la segregación racial y la discriminación que existía en los Estados Unidos aún hasta los años ’60, algo que, en gran medida, afortunadamente no hemos vivido en nuestra Isla, excepto tal vez durante la época colonial española.

Sin embargo, como ciudadanos americanos que somos, la lucha de Martin Luther King, Jr. a favor de los derechos civiles debe servir de ejemplo para los que creemos en la igualdad política para todos nuestros ciudadanos, todos sin excepción. Los logros de King fueron más allá de romper las barreras entre blancos y negros. Con sus marchas pacíficas y su desobediencia civil, King logró desmantelar la estructura cívica y gubernamental que justificaba la injusticia de la segregación racial, una injusticia engendrada por la insensatez de la discriminación. Hoy nos parecería horrendo e inconcebible que una tienda ponga un letrero en su vitrina indicando que no se permite la entrada a personas de la raza negra. Igualmente impensable sería tener baños separados para los blancos, o que se fabriquen ciertas escuelas donde sólo pueden asistir estudiantes de color. Peor aún, que no se le permita a los ciudadanos de cierta raza participar de lleno en el proceso electoral de nuestra democracia por el mero hecho de tener la piel de otro color.

Pero todo esto era muy real, sucedía a diario. Y esta burda discriminación existía legalmente, sancionada por el gobierno y por la sociedad en general, hasta hace escasamente cuarenta años. Aquí yace la grandeza de la vida y la lucha pacífica de King, sus seguidores y las organizaciones cívicas que lo respaldaban. Con sus palabras y sus marchas, le hizo entender a toda la Nación que en los Estados Unidos se vivía un esquema de injusticia legalizada que no podía continuar. Dejó saber que, aunque la segregación era la norma y costumbre del momento, eso no quitaba el hecho de que esa norma era una clara violación a los derechos ciudadanos de todo un grupo de personas a las que se les negaba la igualdad bajo la ley; que mientras se mantuviera vigente, la desigualdad civil continuaría manchando la reputación de toda la Nación Americana.

Hoy por hoy, podemos decir que la discriminación racial sólo existe entre individuos o grupos extremos que aún acogen esa mentalidad arcaica. Pero lamentablemente todavía tenemos en territorio estadounidense vestigios de la desigualdad civil institucionalizada, una desigualdad civil que se manifiesta en la falta de representación política en los procesos democráticos de la Nación que sufren los 4 millones de ciudadanos americanos de Puerto Rico.Como ciudadanos de la democracia americana, debemos tener el derecho inalienable de ser representados en pleno ante el Congreso, como también deberíamos tener el mismo derecho que cualquier otro ciudadano a votar por el Presidente y Vicepresidente. Sin embargo, desde que se nos otorgó la ciudadanía americana se nos niega ese derecho, uno de los derechos más básicos en cualquier democracia. A los 4 millones de ciudadanos americanos de Puerto Rico se nos elimina del proceso democrático de la Nación y se hace de manera legal, sancionada por las ramas Ejecutiva, Legislativa y Judicial del gobierno federal. Esta es una fea mancha de la democracia americana que aún no se ha podido borrar.

En su famoso discurso "I have a Dream" ("Tengo un sueño") del 28 de agosto de 1963 en Washington, D.C. King dijo que soñaba con el día en que sus cuatro hijitos pudieran vivir en una nación donde fueran juzgados no por el color de su piel, sino por el contenido de su carácter. Ya, en gran medida, hemos visto ese sueño hecho realidad. King también dijo soñar con el día en que la Nación se levantara y viviera el verdadero significado de su credo: "Mantenemos que estas verdades son evidentes por sí mismas, que todos los hombres fueron creados iguales." En esto último, el sueño de King se ha quedado tronchado.

Pero su propio legado nos enseña que nunca debemos perder la esperanza. Esta semana, en la que celebramos el sueño de un hombre que creía en la grandeza de la democracia, y luchaba por la igualdad y la justicia de su Nación, recordemos su obra y apliquémonos su gran enseñanza. Sigamos adelante en busca de la igualdad civil y ciudadana que nos merecemos en ley. Sigamos adelante hasta lograr el sueño de que un día Puerto Rico participe íntegramente de todos los procesos cívicos de la gran Nación de la que somos parte.

Affordable, Accessible, And Flexible Health Coverage

Affordable, Accessible, And Flexible Health Coverage



2007 State of the Union Policy Initiatives In Focus: Health Care

The President's Plan Includes Two Parts: Reforming The Tax Code With A Standard Deduction For Health Insurance So All Americans Get The Same Tax Breaks For Health Insurance And Helping States Make Affordable Private Health Insurance Available To Their Citizens.
The President's Plan Will Help More Americans Afford Health Insurance By Reforming The Tax Code With A Standard Deduction For Health Insurance – Like The Standard Deduction For Dependents. The President's primary goal is to make health insurance more affordable, allowing more Americans to purchase coverage. The President's proposal levels the playing field for Americans who purchase health insurance on their own rather than through their employers, providing a substantial tax benefit for all those who now have health insurance purchased on the individual market. It also lowers taxes for all currently uninsured Americans who decide to purchase health insurance – making insurance more affordable and providing a significant incentive to all working Americans to purchase coverage, thereby reducing the number of uninsured Americans.

Under The President's Proposal, Families With Health Insurance Will Not Pay Income Or Payroll Taxes On The First $15,000 In Compensation And Singles Will Not Pay Income Or Payroll Taxes On The First $7,500.

At the same time, health insurance would be considered taxable income. This is a change for those who now have health insurance through their jobs.

The President's proposal will result in lower taxes for about 80 percent of employer-provided policies.

Those with more generous policies (20 percent) will have the option to adjust their compensation to have lower premiums and higher wages to offset the tax change.
The President's Affordable Choices Initiative Will Help States Make Basic Private Health Insurance Available And Will Provide Additional Help To Americans Who Cannot Afford Insurance Or Who Have Persistently High Medical Expenses. For States that provide their citizens with access to basic, affordable private health insurance, the President's Affordable Choices Initiative will direct Federal funding to assist States in helping their poor and hard-to-insure citizensafford private insurance. By allocating current Federal health care funding more effectively, the President's plan accomplishes this goal without creating a new Federal entitlement or new Federal spending.

These Two Policies Will Work Together To Help More Americans Afford Basic Private Coverage. The President's proposed standard deduction for health insurance will help make basic private health insurance more affordable for families and individuals – whether they have insurance through their jobs or purchase insurance on their own. For those who remain unable to afford coverage, the President's Affordable Choices Initiative will help eligible States assist their poor and hard-to-insure citizens in purchasing private health insurance.

Unfair Subsidies In The Current Tax Code Are Making It Harder For Many Americans To Afford Health Insurance

The Tax Code Now Penalizes People Who Do Not Get Health Insurance Through Their Employers. Those who buy insurance on their own pay higher taxes for insurance than those who can get it through their job. The self-employed pay no income taxes on their premiums, but because they still owe payroll taxes, they are also disadvantaged compared to those who get health insurance from their employer. No one should have to pay higher taxes just because they do not work for an employer that provides health insurance. Under the current system, those without employer-provided health insurance – including the unemployed, retirees without retiree coverage, and workers at companies that do not offer health insurance (most of which are small businesses) – may have to pay substantially more for health insurance than those with employer-provided plans, a cost which many cannot afford.

The Tax Code Now Penalizes People Who Choose Basic, Affordable Insurance Policies Over More Expensive Plans. The more expensive the health insurance plan you receive through your employer, the more tax relief you get. This encourages many workers to choose lower wages and more expensive health insurance than they would choose if the tax code were not distorting their decision. One result is that insurance premiums rise, and many Americans cannot afford the coverage they need. Each family and worker should choose the balance of wages and health insurance that is right for them, without the tax code distorting their decisions.

Reforming The Tax Code With A Standard Deduction For Health Insurance To Make Private Health Insurance More Affordable

The President's Plan Will Reform The Tax Code To Help More Americans Afford Basic Private Health Insurance. The President proposes a standard tax deduction for health insurance (from income and payroll taxes) for every family and individual who has a private health insurance policy, regardless of the policy's cost or whether the policy was purchased individually or through an employer.

The President's Proposal Would Replace The Current Tax System, Which Favors The Most Expensive Employer-Provided Plans. All families covered by a private family health insurance policy, whether purchased on their own or through their employer, will pay no income or payroll taxes on their first $15,000 of compensation. All individuals covered by any single private health insurance policy will pay no income or payroll taxes on their first $7,500 of compensation.
At the same time, health insurance would be considered taxable income. This is a change for those who now have health insurance through their jobs.

Under current law, companies deduct health insurance costs and wages as legitimate business expenses. The President's proposal would not change this.

Most Americans Who Purchase Health Insurance Through Their Employers Will See Their Tax Bills Go Down. The President's proposal will result in lower taxes for about 80 percent of employer-provided policies. More than 100 million Americans who now get health insurance through their job will see their tax bills go down, and their health insurance will therefore be more affordable. Those with more generous policies (20 percent) will have the option to adjust their compensation to have lower premiums and higher wages to offset the tax change.
The President's Proposal Will Lower Taxes For Millions Of Americans Who Now Purchase Health Insurance On Their Own, Making Their Insurance More Affordable. The President's proposal would level the playing field by giving all Americans the same standard deduction, whether they get health insurance through their job, or buy it on their own. The average tax bill will go down by more than $3,650 when the policy would be implemented in 2009for those families who now purchase health insurance on their own. This will make health insurance dramatically more affordable for the millions of Americans who do not get health insurance through their job and instead buy it on their own.

The President's Proposal Will Lower Taxes For All Uninsured Americans Who Purchase Health Insurance, Helping Millions Of Uninsured Americans Afford Coverage. This proposal will lower the average tax bill of a family without health insurance by $3,350 in 2009 – effectively reducing the average cost of health insurance by more than half for uninsured families trying to buy insurance on their own.

The President's Plan Will Help Rein In Runaway Health Care Spending. Our current system distorts people's decisions about how best to spend their income. This leads to higher health spending and lower-value care. The President's plan would lower the growth in national health care spending right away, and decrease spending even more in the long run with increased competition and the development of new cost-effective technologies.

The Proposal Is Budget Neutral Over Ten Years. The amount of the standard deduction will increase by the Consumer Price Index each year.

The Affordable Choices Initiative – Coverage For Vulnerable Americans
The President's Plan Will Support The Innovative Measures States Are Taking To Help Those Who Cannot Afford Insurance Or Who Have Persistently High Medical Expenses. Governors across the Nation have put forward plans to make basic private health insurance more accessible for their citizens. The President has directed Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Mike Leavitt to work with Governors and the Congress to make basic private health insurance available, and to help States pay private health insurance premiums for the poor and the hard to insure.

The President's Affordable Choices Initiative Provides States Incentives To Make Basic, Affordable Private Health Insurance Policies Available To Their Citizens. States that provide their citizens access to basic, private insurance at an affordable price would be eligible for funds under the Affordable Choices Initiative. The Secretary of HHS would be able to redirect Federal payments away from institutions and to needy individuals in eligible States. These grants would allow States to help low-income individuals purchase private health insurance.

The President's Proposal Would Shift Federal Funding To Help The Uninsured Buy Private Insurance And Take More Ownership Of Their Health Care. The Federal government now pays many of the health care bills of the uninsured through a complex mix of subsidies and payments to health care providers, with the result that billions of taxpayer dollars are spent inefficiently. The health care system needs to be transformed in a way that avoids costly and unnecessary medical visits and emphasizes upfront, affordable private health insurance options. Americans should "own" their own health plan, and money should follow the person rather than the institution.

The Affordable Choices Initiative Will Encourage States To Innovate. State participation would be voluntary, and States would design their own programs, subject to approval by the Secretary of HHS.

States could offer direct premium assistance to low-income or hard-to-insure populations to purchase private health insurance.

States could establish high risk pools, or expand existing high risk pools, for very sick individuals who are deemed uninsurable in the non-group market.
States could help facilitate pooling of individuals and small businesses and organize their access to private health plans.

America Is A Compassionate Nation, And We Will Continue To Take Care Of The Most Vulnerable. For the elderly, disabled, low-income pregnant mothers, and children needing protection, the Federal government provides coverage through Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP – the State Children's Health Insurance Program. Under this Administration, 2 million more children have gained coverage through SCHIP.

Indirect Benefits Of Both The Standard Deduction For Health Insurance And The Affordable

Choices Initiative

In Addition To The Direct Benefits Of These Policies, There Are Indirect Benefits Of Both The Standard Deduction For Health Insurance And The Affordable Choices Initiative That Will Lead To Cheaper Health Insurance Being Available To All Working Americans.

The standard deduction for health insurance will encourage more people to buy insurance in the individual market. As more people join the individual market, the market will become more competitive and prices will come down.

To take advantage of funds under the Affordable Choices Initiative, States must take steps to make health insurance more affordable within their States, such as reducing benefit or premium mandates.

In addition, other policies proposed by the President like Association Health Plans and the ability to buy insurance across State lines would make the individual insurance market even more competitive and drive prices down further.

The President's Policies Are Helping Make Health Care More Affordable And Accessible
The President Is Working To Help Increase The Transparency Of America's Health Care System And Empower Americans To Find Better Value And Better Care. He has directed Federal agencies to share information with beneficiaries about prices paid to health care providers for procedures and about the quality of services provided by doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers. Increased transparency about prices and quality will help bring more competition to health care, restraining its rising costs.

The President Is Working To Improve The Adoption Of Health Information Technology. Electronic health records reduce costs and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of medical treatment. In 2004, the President launched an initiative to make electronic health records available to most Americans within the next 10 years. Last year, he directed Federal agencies to use improved health IT systems to facilitate the rapid exchange of health information.
The President Has Proposed Expanding Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). HSAs allow people to save money for health care tax-free, and to take these accounts with them if they move from job to job. In December, the President signed legislation to bring HSAs within the reach of more Americans.

The President Has Proposed Strengthening The Buying Power Of America's Small Businesses By Forming Association Health Plans (AHPs). Small businesses, as well as civic and community groups, should be allowed to band together in AHPs to get the same discounts big companies receive.

The President Supports Permitting The Purchase Of Health Insurance Across State Lines. Americans should be allowed to buy the best health insurance for themselves, based on their own circumstances, instead of being limited to only the policies available in their State.
The President Has Proposed Medical Liability Reforms To Limit Costly And Frivolous Lawsuits. These lawsuits are wasting scarce resources, increasing health care costs, and driving doctors out of business.

The President Is Promoting Prevention, Wellness, And Fitness. Living a healthier life dramatically reduces illness and disease. The President encourages all Americans to lead a healthy lifestyle to prevent disease and improve their overall quality of life.

En marcha pesquisa de Gran Jurado

En marcha pesquisa de Gran Jurado

Por Omaya Sosa Pascual / El Nuevo Dia
Acevedo Vilá insiste en que la Fiscalía no lo ha citado.

El Gran Jurado que investiga presuntos donativos ilegales a la campaña federal del gobernador Aníbal Acevedo Vilá sesionó ayer en la mañana con la comparecencia de agentes y de un ejecutivo de la empresa de Filadelfia The Goldenberg Group, supo anoche El Nuevo Día.
Durante la reunión, la fiscal federal María Domínguez presuntamente hizo una exposición a los miembros del Gran Jurado, y se interrogó al ejecutivo como parte de la pesquisa que continúa, pero que aún no está al punto de acusaciones, aseguró una fuente que habló bajo anonimato porque los procedimientos del Gran Jurado son secretos.

El Negociado Federal de Investigaciones (FBI):

ha solicitado documentos al PPD
ha pedido documentos a 12 agencias del Gobierno de Puerto Rico
ha solicitado documentos a empresas de Filadelfia
ha entrevistado a más de 20 funcionarios, ex funcionarios, activistas políticos y ejecutivos
La información y posible identidad del ejecutivo no pudo ser corroborada porque las oficinas de la compañía estaban cerradas.

Entretanto, una emisora radial y varios comentaristas circularon insistentemente versiones de que el Gran Jurado había emitido seis sobres sellados que contenían acusaciones contra el Mandatario y algunos miembros de la alta plana del Partido Popular Democrático (PPD).
Pero, a la hora de cierre de la Secretaría de la Corte Federal, se confirmó que no se había emitido orden sellada alguna ayer o el jueves. Fuentes cercanas al tribunal corroboraron la versión de que el caso no estaba “maduro” y que era “prematuro” para radicar acusaciones.

Luis Fraticelli, director del Negociado Federal de Investigaciones (FBI, por sus siglas en inglés), dijo que no podía comentar sobre investigaciones en proceso. No obstante, dio a entender que no había nada pautado para el día al decir que los arrestos suelen hacerse por la mañana, que ya era cerca del mediodía y se disponía ir a almorzar.

Pero, la insistencia llegó al punto que el Gobernador habló sobre el particular durante su visita a Vieques.

“Yo sobre ese asunto no tengo ningún comentario que no sea siempre reiterar lo que he dicho: todo el mundo que se cite tiene la instrucción y la invitación de que cooperen, que den toda la información y, si alguien violó la ley, que le caiga todo el peso de la ley”, dijo inicialmente. Pero, luego aseguró que no ha recibido acercamiento de Fiscalía.

“No he sido citado, ni ningún funcionario, que yo sepa”, dijo.

La pesquisa en torno a los presuntos donativos ilegales de empresas de Filadelfia a la campaña electoral del Gobernador mientras este era Comisionado Residente y en torno a la posibilidad de que se hayan vendido influencias para contrataciones con el Gobierno de Puerto Rico está activa por lo menos desde febrero de 2006.

Para la época, el FBI comenzó a requerir información a la Administración de Seguros de Salud (ASES) sobre las aspiraciones de la compañía Doral Dental y sus afiliadas, pertenecientes al recaudador demócrata Robert Feldman y al dentista puertorriqueño Cándido Negrón, de obtener un millonario contrato con la Reforma de Salud.

El contrato no se concretó, pero el diario The Philadelphia Enquirer reveló un supuesto esquema mediante el cual se dieron donativos a Acevedo Vilá a nombre de empleados de Doral que desconocían sobre el particular en un intento por burlar los límites establecidos por la ley.
El FBI ha requerido miles de documentos al PPD, a más de una decena de dependencias del Gobierno de Puerto Rico y a algunas empresas de Filadelfia.

Ha entrevistado a más de 20 funcionarios, ex funcionarios, activistas políticos y ejecutivos, incluyendo a Feldman, al ex tesorero de campaña de Acevedo Vilá, Ramón Velasco Escardille, y a su ayudante en Washington, Eneidy Coreado Salgado, quienes se entiende colaboran con la investigación.

Mientras, el Gran Jurado ha interrogado a los más cercanos colaboradores del Mandatario: el secretario de la Gobernación, Jorge Silva Puras; la directora de Comunicaciones de La Fortaleza, Juanita Colombani; dos ex directoras de la Oficina de Gerencia y Presupuesto, Ileana Fas Pacheco y Melba Acosta; el director ejecutivo del PPD, Aníbal José Torres, y el ex director de campaña de Acevedo Vilá, Carlos Dalmau.

Gran parte de los interrogatorios han girado en torno a las compañías Goldenberg, Parway y Mondre Energy, entre otras, y sus ejecutivos, así como comunicaciones con funcionarios, recaudadores activistas del PPD, y sobre la relación de Acevedo Vilá con Coreano Salgado.
A fines del cuatrienio pasado, las primeras dos empresas -referidas al Departamento de la Vivienda por Acevedo Vilá- obtuvieron el contrato del megaproyecto Ciudadela en una subasta irregular, aunque al final se retiraron por razones no divulgadas, reveló una investigación de este diario.

Mondre Energy obtuvo un contrato con la OGP.
Cynthia López Cabán y Daniel Rivera Vargas colaboraron con esta historia.

Cámara aprueba ‘voto simbólico’

Cámara aprueba ‘voto simbólico’

Por José A. Delgado / El Nuevo Dia
La medida también aplica a los delegados de los otros territorios y la capital federal


WASHINGTON - Con algunas referencias a la situación de Puerto Rico, la Cámara baja federal aprobó ayer (226-191) permitir al comisionado residente Luis Fortuño y otros cuatro delegados de territorios y esta capital votar en el hemiciclo por enmiendas a proyectos de ley.

Pero, ni Fortuño ni los otros delegados tendrán ese derecho cuando una medida sea llevada a votación final o si sus votos en torno a enmiendas de la legislación son decisivos.

Cuando los votos de los delegados de Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., Islas Vírgenes, Guam o Samoa puedan decidir la votación en torno a una enmienda legislativa, se ordenará un segundo voto sin su participación.

“Es un voto simbólico”, repitió consecuentemente el portavoz de la mayoría demócrata, Steny Hoyer (Maryland), quien rechazó que el debate sobre los procedimientos reglamentarios de la Cámara baja se vinculara al proceso de libre determinación para Puerto Rico o al proyecto de ley que busca otorgarle plenos derechos a un representante en la Cámara de Washington D.C.

Los republicanos se opusieron tenazmente a la medida, que estuvo vigente entre 1993 y 1994, y cuya constitucionalidad fue mantenida entonces en los tribunales. Sólo un republicano (Dan Burton, Indiana) votó a favor de la nueva regla. Un demócrata (Gene Taylor, Mississippi) votó en contra.

Con esta medida, a juicio de Fortuño, quien ya tenía derecho al voto en comités legislativos, se ha avivado la discusión sobre el futuro político de Puerto Rico. “Nunca se me habían acercado tantos miembros del Congreso a hablar del tema del status de Puerto Rico”, dijo.

En dos mensajes que presentó en el hemiciclo, Fortuño exhortó a la Cámara baja a que si quiere atender la falta de representación plena de Puerto Rico en el Congreso adopte un proceso de libre determinación para la Isla.

Nydia Velázquez, congresista boricua que representa un distrito de Nueva York, se expresó también a favor de la medida, a nombre de los residentes de la Isla y el casi medio centenar de soldados de origen boricua que han muerto en la guerra de Irak. “Si por mi fuera, (los territorios) tendrían representación plena”, indicó el congresista demócrata boricua (Nueva York) José Serrano.

La jefatura republicana se opuso duramente a la nueva regla, que beneficiará a cuatro demócratas y un republicano (Fortuño).

Legisladores republicanos criticaron –entre ellos Tom Price (Georgia), Patrick McHenry (Carolina del Norte) y Marsha Blackburn (Tennessee)- que se le diera voto simbólico a “no miembros” de la Cámara, a territorios en el que sus residentes no pagan la totalidad de las contribuciones federales o de poca población, como Samoa. Price dijo que Puerto Rico tiene la alternativa de la estadidad y que si sus electores la piden el Congreso se la otorgará, según Fortuño.

El republicano Tom Davis (Virginia), quien promueve una medida para otorgarle un representante con plenos derechos a Washington D.C., lamentó que se vincule el debate en torno a la capital federal con el de los territorios.

Pero, Don Young (Alaska), portavoz de la minoría republicana en el Comité de Recursos, se opuso a la medida por el mismo hecho de que es simbólica. “(Puerto Rico) se merece más que un voto simbólico, lo que se tiene que hacer es darle el derecho a votar como estado”, afirmó Young.

Vista Suspendida

State of the Union Address 2007

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. And tonight, I have a high privilege and distinct honor of my own -- as the first President to begin the State of the Union message with these words: Madam Speaker. (Applause.)

In his day, the late Congressman Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr. from Baltimore, Maryland, saw Presidents Roosevelt and Truman at this rostrum. But nothing could compare with the sight of his only daughter, Nancy, presiding tonight as Speaker of the House of Representatives. (Applause.) Congratulations, Madam Speaker. (Applause.)

Two members of the House and Senate are not with us tonight, and we pray for the recovery and speedy return of Senator Tim Johnson and Congressman Charlie Norwood. (Applause.)
Madam Speaker, Vice President Cheney, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens:

The rite of custom brings us together at a defining hour -- when decisions are hard and courage is needed. We enter the year 2007 with large endeavors underway, and others that are ours to begin. In all of this, much is asked of us. We must have the will to face difficult challenges and determined enemies -- and the wisdom to face them together.
Some in this chamber are new to the House and the Senate -- and I congratulate the Democrat majority. (Applause.) Congress has changed, but not our responsibilities. Each of us is guided by our own convictions -- and to these we must stay faithful. Yet we're all held to the same standards, and called to serve the same good purposes: To extend this nation's prosperity; to spend the people's money wisely; to solve problems, not leave them to future generations; to guard America against all evil; and to keep faith with those we have sent forth to defend us. (Applause.)
We're not the first to come here with a government divided and uncertainty in the air. Like many before us, we can work through our differences, and achieve big things for the American people. Our citizens don't much care which side of the aisle we sit on -- as long as we're willing to cross that aisle when there is work to be done. (Applause.) Our job is to make life better for our fellow Americans, and to help them to build a future of hope and opportunity -- and this is the business before us tonight.
A future of hope and opportunity begins with a growing economy -- and that is what we have. We're now in the 41st month of uninterrupted job growth, in a recovery that has created 7.2 million new jobs -- so far. Unemployment is low, inflation is low, and wages are rising. This economy is on the move, and our job is to keep it that way, not with more government, but with more enterprise. (Applause.)

Next week, I'll deliver a full report on the state of our economy. Tonight, I want to discuss three economic reforms that deserve to be priorities for this Congress.

First, we must balance the federal budget. (Applause.) We can do so without raising taxes. (Applause.) What we need is impose spending discipline in Washington, D.C. We set a goal of cutting the deficit in half by 2009, and met that goal three years ahead of schedule. (Applause.) Now let us take the next step. In the coming weeks, I will submit a budget that eliminates the federal deficit within the next five years. (Applause.) I ask you to make the same commitment. Together, we can restrain the spending appetite of the federal government, and we can balance the federal budget. (Applause.)

Next, there is the matter of earmarks. These special interest items are often slipped into bills at the last hour -- when not even C-SPAN is watching. (Laughter.) In 2005 alone, the number of earmarks grew to over 13,000 and totaled nearly $18 billion. Even worse, over 90 percent of earmarks never make it to the floor of the House and Senate -- they are dropped into committee reports that are not even part of the bill that arrives on my desk. You didn't vote them into law. I didn't sign them into law. Yet, they're treated as if they have the force of law. The time has come to end this practice. So let us work together to reform the budget process, expose every earmark to the light of day and to a vote in Congress, and cut the number and cost of earmarks at least in half by the end of this session. (Applause.)

And, finally, to keep this economy strong we must take on the challenge of entitlements. Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid are commitments of conscience, and so it is our duty to keep them permanently sound. Yet, we're failing in that duty. And this failure will one day leave our children with three bad options: huge tax increases, huge deficits, or huge and immediate cuts in benefits. Everyone in this chamber knows this to be true -- yet somehow we have not found it in ourselves to act. So let us work together and do it now. With enough good sense and goodwill, you and I can fix Medicare and Medicaid -- and save Social Security. (Applause.)

Spreading opportunity and hope in America also requires public schools that give children the knowledge and character they need in life. Five years ago, we rose above partisan differences to pass the No Child Left Behind Act, preserving local control, raising standards, and holding those schools accountable for results. And because we acted, students are performing better in reading and math, and minority students are closing the achievement gap.

Now the task is to build on the success, without watering down standards, without taking control from local communities, and without backsliding and calling it reform. We can lift student achievement even higher by giving local leaders flexibility to turn around failing schools, and by giving families with children stuck in failing schools the right to choose someplace better. (Applause.) We must increase funds for students who struggle -- and make sure these children get the special help they need. (Applause.) And we can make sure our children are prepared for the jobs of the future and our country is more competitive by strengthening math and science skills. The No Child Left Behind Act has worked for America's children -- and I ask Congress to reauthorize this good law. (Applause.)

A future of hope and opportunity requires that all our citizens have affordable and available health care. (Applause.) When it comes to health care, government has an obligation to care for the elderly, the disabled, and poor children. And we will meet those responsibilities. For all other Americans, private health insurance is the best way to meet their needs. (Applause.) But many Americans cannot afford a health insurance policy.

And so tonight, I propose two new initiatives to help more Americans afford their own insurance. First, I propose a standard tax deduction for health insurance that will be like the standard tax deduction for dependents. Families with health insurance will pay no income on payroll tax -- or payroll taxes on $15,000 of their income. Single Americans with health insurance will pay no income or payroll taxes on $7,500 of their income. With this reform, more than 100 million men, women, and children who are now covered by employer-provided insurance will benefit from lower tax bills. At the same time, this reform will level the playing field for those who do not get health insurance through their job. For Americans who now purchase health insurance on their own, this proposal would mean a substantial tax savings -- $4,500 for a family of four making $60,000 a year. And for the millions of other Americans who have no health insurance at all, this deduction would help put a basic private health insurance plan within their reach. Changing the tax code is a vital and necessary step to making health care affordable for more Americans. (Applause.)

My second proposal is to help the states that are coming up with innovative ways to cover the uninsured. States that make basic private health insurance available to all their citizens should receive federal funds to help them provide this coverage to the poor and the sick. I have asked the Secretary of Health and Human Services to work with Congress to take existing federal funds and use them to create "Affordable Choices" grants. These grants would give our nation's governors more money and more flexibility to get private health insurance to those most in need.

There are many other ways that Congress can help. We need to expand Health Savings Accounts. (Applause.) We need to help small businesses through Association Health Plans. (Applause.) We need to reduce costs and medical errors with better information technology. (Applause.) We will encourage price transparency. And to protect good doctors from junk lawsuits, we passing medical liability reform. (Applause.) In all we do, we must remember that the best health care decisions are made not by government and insurance companies, but by patients and their doctors. (Applause.)

Extending hope and opportunity in our country requires an immigration system worthy of America -- with laws that are fair and borders that are secure. When laws and borders are routinely violated, this harms the interests of our country. To secure our border, we're doubling the size of the Border Patrol, and funding new infrastructure and technology.

Yet even with all these steps, we cannot fully secure the border unless we take pressure off the border -- and that requires a temporary worker program. We should establish a legal and orderly path for foreign workers to enter our country to work on a temporary basis. As a result, they won't have to try to sneak in, and that will leave Border Agents free to chase down drug smugglers and criminals and terrorists. (Applause.) We'll enforce our immigration laws at the work site and give employers the tools to verify the legal status of their workers, so there's no excuse left for violating the law. (Applause.)

We need to uphold the great tradition of the melting pot that welcomes and assimilates new arrivals. (Applause.) We need to resolve the status of the illegal immigrants who are already in our country without animosity and without amnesty. (Applause.) Convictions run deep in this Capitol when it comes to immigration. Let us have a serious, civil, and conclusive debate, so that you can pass, and I can sign, comprehensive immigration reform into law. (Applause.)

Extending hope and opportunity depends on a stable supply of energy that keeps America's economy running and America's environment clean. For too long our nation has been dependent on foreign oil. And this dependence leaves us more vulnerable to hostile regimes, and to terrorists -- who could cause huge disruptions of oil shipments, and raise the price of oil, and do great harm to our economy.

It's in our vital interest to diversify America's energy supply -- the way forward is through technology. We must continue changing the way America generates electric power, by even greater use of clean coal technology, solar and wind energy, and clean, safe nuclear power. (Applause.) We need to press on with battery research for plug-in and hybrid vehicles, and expand the use of clean diesel vehicles and biodiesel fuel. (Applause.) We must continue investing in new methods of producing ethanol -- (applause) -- using everything from wood chips to grasses, to agricultural wastes.

We made a lot of progress, thanks to good policies here in Washington and the strong response of the market. And now even more dramatic advances are within reach. Tonight, I ask Congress to join me in pursuing a great goal. Let us build on the work we've done and reduce gasoline usage in the United States by 20 percent in the next 10 years. (Applause.) When we do that we will have cut our total imports by the equivalent of three-quarters of all the oil we now import from the Middle East.

To reach this goal, we must increase the supply of alternative fuels, by setting a mandatory fuels standard to require 35 billion gallons of renewable and alternative fuels in 2017 -- and that is nearly five times the current target. (Applause.) At the same time, we need to reform and modernize fuel economy standards for cars the way we did for light trucks -- and conserve up to 8.5 billion more gallons of gasoline by 2017.

Achieving these ambitious goals will dramatically reduce our dependence on foreign oil, but it's not going to eliminate it. And so as we continue to diversify our fuel supply, we must step up domestic oil production in environmentally sensitive ways. (Applause.) And to further protect America against severe disruptions to our oil supply, I ask Congress to double the current capacity of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. (Applause.)

America is on the verge of technological breakthroughs that will enable us to live our lives less dependent on oil. And these technologies will help us be better stewards of the environment, and they will help us to confront the serious challenge of global climate change. (Applause.)

A future of hope and opportunity requires a fair, impartial system of justice. The lives of our citizens across our nation are affected by the outcome of cases pending in our federal courts. We have a shared obligation to ensure that the federal courts have enough judges to hear those cases and deliver timely rulings. As President, I have a duty to nominate qualified men and women to vacancies on the federal bench. And the United States Senate has a duty, as well, to give those nominees a fair hearing, and a prompt up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. (Applause.)

For all of us in this room, there is no higher responsibility than to protect the people of this country from danger. Five years have come and gone since we saw the scenes and felt the sorrow that the terrorists can cause. We've had time to take stock of our situation. We've added many critical protections to guard the homeland. We know with certainty that the horrors of that September morning were just a glimpse of what the terrorists intend for us -- unless we stop them.

With the distance of time, we find ourselves debating the causes of conflict and the course we have followed. Such debates are essential when a great democracy faces great questions. Yet one question has surely been settled: that to win the war on terror we must take the fight to the enemy. (Applause.)

From the start, America and our allies have protected our people by staying on the offense. The enemy knows that the days of comfortable sanctuary, easy movement, steady financing, and free flowing communications are long over. For the terrorists, life since 9/11 has never been the same.

Our success in this war is often measured by the things that did not happen. We cannot know the full extent of the attacks that we and our allies have prevented, but here is some of what we do know: We stopped an al Qaeda plot to fly a hijacked airplane into the tallest building on the West Coast. We broke up a Southeast Asian terror cell grooming operatives for attacks inside the United States. We uncovered an al Qaeda cell developing anthrax to be used in attacks against America. And just last August, British authorities uncovered a plot to blow up passenger planes bound for America over the Atlantic Ocean. For each life saved, we owe a debt of gratitude to the brave public servants who devote their lives to finding the terrorists and stopping them. (Applause.)

Every success against the terrorists is a reminder of the shoreless ambitions of this enemy. The evil that inspired and rejoiced in 9/11 is still at work in the world. And so long as that's the case, America is still a nation at war.

In the mind of the terrorist, this war began well before September the 11th, and will not end until their radical vision is fulfilled. And these past five years have given us a much clearer view of the nature of this enemy. Al Qaeda and its followers are Sunni extremists, possessed by hatred and commanded by a harsh and narrow ideology. Take almost any principle of civilization, and their goal is the opposite. They preach with threats, instruct with bullets and bombs, and promise paradise for the murder of the innocent.

Our enemies are quite explicit about their intentions. They want to overthrow moderate governments, and establish safe havens from which to plan and carry out new attacks on our country. By killing and terrorizing Americans, they want to force our country to retreat from the world and abandon the cause of liberty. They would then be free to impose their will and spread their totalitarian ideology. Listen to this warning from the late terrorist Zarqawi: "We will sacrifice our blood and bodies to put an end to your dreams, and what is coming is even worse." Osama bin Laden declared: "Death is better than living on this Earth with the unbelievers among us."

These men are not given to idle words, and they are just one camp in the Islamist radical movement. In recent times, it has also become clear that we face an escalating danger from Shia extremists who are just as hostile to America, and are also determined to dominate the Middle East. Many are known to take direction from the regime in Iran, which is funding and arming terrorists like Hezbollah -- a group second only to al Qaeda in the American lives it has taken.
The Shia and Sunni extremists are different faces of the same totalitarian threat. Whatever slogans they chant, when they slaughter the innocent they have the same wicked purposes. They want to kill Americans, kill democracy in the Middle East, and gain the weapons to kill on an even more horrific scale.

In the sixth year since our nation was attacked, I wish I could report to you that the dangers had ended. They have not. And so it remains the policy of this government to use every lawful and proper tool of intelligence, diplomacy, law enforcement, and military action to do our duty, to find these enemies, and to protect the American people. (Applause.)

This war is more than a clash of arms -- it is a decisive ideological struggle, and the security of our nation is in the balance. To prevail, we must remove the conditions that inspire blind hatred, and drove 19 men to get onto airplanes and to come and kill us. What every terrorist fears most is human freedom

-- societies where men and women make their own choices, answer to their own conscience, and live by their hopes instead of their resentments. Free people are not drawn to violent and malignant ideologies -- and most will choose a better way when they're given a chance. So we advance our own security interests by helping moderates and reformers and brave voices for democracy. The great question of our day is whether America will help men and women in the Middle East to build free societies and share in the rights of all humanity. And I say, for the sake of our own security, we must. (Applause.)

In the last two years, we've seen the desire for liberty in the broader Middle East -- and we have been sobered by the enemy's fierce reaction. In 2005, the world watched as the citizens of Lebanon raised the banner of the Cedar Revolution, they drove out the Syrian occupiers and chose new leaders in free elections. In 2005, the people of Afghanistan defied the terrorists and elected a democratic legislature. And in 2005, the Iraqi people held three national elections, choosing a transitional government, adopting the most progressive, democratic constitution in the Arab world, and then electing a government under that constitution. Despite endless threats from the killers in their midst, nearly 12 million Iraqi citizens came out to vote in a show of hope and solidarity that we should never forget. (Applause.)

A thinking enemy watched all of these scenes, adjusted their tactics, and in 2006 they struck back. In Lebanon, assassins took the life of Pierre Gemayel, a prominent participant in the Cedar Revolution. Hezbollah terrorists, with support from Syria and Iran, sowed conflict in the region and are seeking to undermine Lebanon's legitimately elected government. In Afghanistan, Taliban and al Qaeda fighters tried to regain power by regrouping and engaging Afghan and NATO forces. In Iraq, al Qaeda and other Sunni extremists blew up one of the most sacred places in Shia Islam -- the Golden Mosque of Samarra. This atrocity, directed at a Muslim house of prayer, was designed to provoke retaliation from Iraqi Shia -- and it succeeded. Radical Shia elements, some of whom receive support from Iran, formed death squads. The result was a tragic escalation of sectarian rage and reprisal that continues to this day.
This is not the fight we entered in Iraq, but it is the fight we're in. Every one of us wishes this war were over and won. Yet it would not be like us to leave our promises unkept, our friends abandoned, and our own security at risk. (Applause.) Ladies and gentlemen: On this day, at this hour, it is still within our power to shape the outcome of this battle. Let us find our resolve, and turn events toward victory. (Applause.)

We're carrying out a new strategy in Iraq -- a plan that demands more from Iraq's elected government, and gives our forces in Iraq the reinforcements they need to complete their mission. Our goal is a democratic Iraq that upholds the rule of law, respects the rights of its people, provides them security, and is an ally in the war on terror.

In order to make progress toward this goal, the Iraqi government must stop the sectarian violence in its capital. But the Iraqis are not yet ready to do this on their own. So we're deploying reinforcements of more than 20,000 additional soldiers and Marines to Iraq. The vast majority will go to Baghdad, where they will help Iraqi forces to clear and secure neighborhoods, and serve as advisers embedded in Iraqi Army units. With Iraqis in the lead, our forces will help secure the city by chasing down the terrorists, insurgents, and the roaming death squads. And in Anbar Province, where al Qaeda terrorists have gathered and local forces have begun showing a willingness to fight them, we're sending an additional 4,000 United States Marines, with orders to find the terrorists and clear them out. (Applause.) We didn't drive al Qaeda out of their safe haven in Afghanistan only to let them set up a new safe haven in a free Iraq.

The people of Iraq want to live in peace, and now it's time for their government to act. Iraq's leaders know that our commitment is not open-ended. They have promised to deploy more of their own troops to secure Baghdad -- and they must do so. They pledged that they will confront violent radicals of any faction or political party -- and they need to follow through, and lift needless restrictions on Iraqi and coalition forces, so these troops can achieve their mission of bringing security to all of the people of Baghdad. Iraq's leaders have committed themselves to a series of benchmarks -- to achieve reconciliation, to share oil revenues among all of Iraq's citizens, to put the wealth of Iraq into the rebuilding of Iraq, to allow more Iraqis to re-enter their nation's civic life, to hold local elections, and to take responsibility for security in every Iraqi province. But for all of this to happen, Baghdad must be secure. And our plan will help the Iraqi government take back its capital and make good on its commitments.

My fellow citizens, our military commanders and I have carefully weighed the options. We discussed every possible approach. In the end, I chose this course of action because it provides the best chance for success. Many in this chamber understand that America must not fail in Iraq, because you understand that the consequences of failure would be grievous and far-reaching.

If American forces step back before Baghdad is secure, the Iraqi government would be overrun by extremists on all sides. We could expect an epic battle between Shia extremists backed by Iran, and Sunni extremists aided by al Qaeda and supporters of the old regime. A contagion of violence could spill out across the country -- and in time, the entire region could be drawn into the conflict.

For America, this is a nightmare scenario. For the enemy, this is the objective. Chaos is the greatest ally -- their greatest ally in this struggle. And out of chaos in Iraq would emerge an emboldened enemy with new safe havens, new recruits, new resources, and an even greater determination to harm America. To allow this to happen would be to ignore the lessons of September the 11th and invite tragedy. Ladies and gentlemen, nothing is more important at this moment in our history than for America to succeed in the Middle East, to succeed in Iraq and to spare the American people from this danger. (Applause.)

This is where matters stand tonight, in the here and now. I have spoken with many of you in person. I respect you and the arguments you've made. We went into this largely united, in our assumptions and in our convictions. And whatever you voted for, you did not vote for failure. Our country is pursuing a new strategy in Iraq, and I ask you to give it a chance to work. And I ask you to support our troops in the field, and those on their way. (Applause.)

The war on terror we fight today is a generational struggle that will continue long after you and I have turned our duties over to others. And that's why it's important to work together so our nation can see this great effort through. Both parties and both branches should work in close consultation. It's why I propose to establish a special advisory council on the war on terror, made up of leaders in Congress from both political parties. We will share ideas for how to position America to meet every challenge that confronts us. We'll show our enemies abroad that we are united in the goal of victory.

And one of the first steps we can take together is to add to the ranks of our military so that the American Armed Forces are ready for all the challenges ahead. (Applause.) Tonight I ask the Congress to authorize an increase in the size of our active Army and Marine Corps by 92,000 in the next five years. (Applause.) A second task we can take on together is to design and establish a volunteer Civilian Reserve Corps. Such a corps would function much like our military reserve. It would ease the burden on the Armed Forces by allowing us to hire civilians with critical skills to serve on missions abroad when America needs them. It would give people across America who do not wear the uniform a chance to serve in the defining struggle of our time.

Americans can have confidence in the outcome of this struggle because we're not in this struggle alone. We have a diplomatic strategy that is rallying the world to join in the fight against extremism. In Iraq, multinational forces are operating under a mandate from the United Nations. We're working with Jordan and Saudi Arabia and Egypt and the Gulf States to increase support for Iraq's government.

The United Nations has imposed sanctions on Iran, and made it clear that the world will not allow the regime in Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons. (Applause.) With the other members of the Quartet -- the U.N., the European Union, and Russia -- we're pursuing diplomacy to help bring peace to the Holy Land, and pursuing the establishment of a democratic Palestinian state living side-by-side with Israel in peace and security. (Applause.) In Afghanistan, NATO has taken the lead in turning back the Taliban and al Qaeda offensive -- the first time the Alliance has deployed forces outside the North Atlantic area. Together with our partners in China, Japan, Russia, and South Korea, we're pursuing intensive diplomacy to achieve a Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons. (Applause.)

We will continue to speak out for the cause of freedom in places like Cuba, Belarus, and Burma -- and continue to awaken the conscience of the world to save the people of Darfur. (Applause.)
American foreign policy is more than a matter of war and diplomacy. Our work in the world is also based on a timeless truth: To whom much is given, much is required. We hear the call to take on the challenges of hunger and poverty and disease -- and that is precisely what America is doing. We must continue to fight HIV/AIDS, especially on the continent of Africa. (Applause.) Because you funded our Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the number of people receiving life-saving drugs has grown from 50,000 to more than 800,000 in three short years. I ask you to continue funding our efforts to fight HIV/AIDS. I ask you to provide $1.2 billion over five years so we can combat malaria in 15 African countries. (Applause.)

I ask that you fund the Millennium Challenge Account, so that American aid reaches the people who need it, in nations where democracy is on the rise and corruption is in retreat. And let us continue to support the expanded trade and debt relief that are the best hope for lifting lives and eliminating poverty. (Applause.)

When America serves others in this way, we show the strength and generosity of our country. These deeds reflect the character of our people. The greatest strength we have is the heroic kindness, courage, and self-sacrifice of the American people. You see this spirit often if you know where to look -- and tonight we need only look above to the gallery.

Dikembe Mutombo grew up in Africa, amid great poverty and disease. He came to Georgetown University on a scholarship to study medicine -- but Coach John Thompson got a look at Dikembe and had a different idea. (Laughter.) Dikembe became a star in the NBA, and a citizen of the United States. But he never forgot the land of his birth, or the duty to share his blessings with others. He built a brand new hospital in his old hometown. A friend has said of this good-hearted man: "Mutombo believes that God has given him this opportunity to do great things." And we are proud to call this son of the Congo a citizen of the United States of America. (Applause.)

After her daughter was born, Julie Aigner-Clark searched for ways to share her love of music and art with her child. So she borrowed some equipment, and began filming children's videos in her basement. The Baby Einstein Company was born, and in just five years her business grew to more than $20 million in sales. In November 2001, Julie sold Baby Einstein to the Walt Disney Company, and with her help Baby Einstein has grown into a $200 million business. Julie represents the great enterprising spirit of America. And she is using her success to help others -- producing child safety videos with John Walsh of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Julie says of her new project: "I believe it's the most important thing that I have ever done. I believe that children have the right to live in a world that is safe." And so tonight, we are pleased to welcome this talented business entrepreneur and generous social entrepreneur -- Julie Aigner-Clark. (Applause.)

Three weeks ago, Wesley Autrey was waiting at a Harlem subway station with his two little girls, when he saw a man fall into the path of a train. With seconds to act, Wesley jumped onto the tracks, pulled the man into the space between the rails, and held him as the train passed right above their heads. He insists he's not a hero. He says: "We got guys and girls overseas dying for us to have our freedoms. We have got to show each other some love." There is something wonderful about a country that produces a brave and humble man like Wesley Autrey. (Applause.)

Tommy Rieman was a teenager pumping gas in Independence, Kentucky, when he enlisted in the United States Army. In December 2003, he was on a reconnaissance mission in Iraq when his team came under heavy enemy fire. From his Humvee, Sergeant Rieman returned fire; he used his body as a shield to protect his gunner. He was shot in the chest and arm, and received shrapnel wounds to his legs -- yet he refused medical attention, and stayed in the fight. He helped to repel a second attack, firing grenades at the enemy's position. For his exceptional courage, Sergeant Rieman was awarded the Silver Star. And like so many other Americans who have volunteered to defend us, he has earned the respect and the gratitude of our entire country. (Applause.)

In such courage and compassion, ladies and gentlemen, we see the spirit and character of America -- and these qualities are not in short supply. This is a decent and honorable country -- and resilient, too. We've been through a lot together. We've met challenges and faced dangers, and we know that more lie ahead. Yet we can go forward with confidence -- because the State of our Union is strong, our cause in the world is right, and tonight that cause goes on. God bless. (Applause.)

See you next year. Thank you for your prayers.

Descalifican a la jueza Sanfiorenzo

Descalifican a la jueza Sanfiorenzo

Por Servicios Combinados

Juez declara con lugar la moción de inhibición que presentó la defensa del senador Pedro Rosselló.

El juez superior de San Juan, Carlos Dávila Vélez, subadministrador del Centro Judicial de Hato Rey, declaró esta tarde “con lugar” la recusación de la juez Bárbara Sanfiorenzo que solicitó en la víspera la defensa del ex gobernador Pedro Rosselló.

Ahora el caso de la polémica pensión tendrá que pasar a manos de otro juez o jueza.

“Examinada la moción de recusación y sus anejos, muy en particular la declaración jurada del alcalde Abel Nazario... y consciente de la discusión pública del asunto, por nosotros no subsistir en una cámara de oxígeno, determinamos que existe una sombra de parcialidad que puede poner en entredicho y causar grave daño a la imagen de la justicia en nuestra jurisdicción. Por tanto, procede declarar la moción de recusación de la jueza Bárbara Sanfiorenzo, con lugar”, dijo Dávila Vélez en su resolución de tres páginas.

Dávila Vélez tuvo que resolver la moción de la recusación luego que la magistrada determinó no inhibirse de la vista de causa para arresto en alzada contra Rosselló, quien encara denuncias por la manera irregular en que obtuvo su pensión.

Los abogados del ex gobernador Rosselló solicitaron el lunes la inhibición de la jueza Sanfiorenzo amparándose en una declaración jurada que firmó el alcalde de Yauco, en la que asegura que la jueza le dijo en una ocasión que odia al senador y presidente del Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP).

Los abogados Thomas Rivera Schatz, Harry Padilla y Antonio Sagardía acompañaron la solicitud de inhibición de la jueza con una determinación del 2001 de la Junta de Apelaciones del Sistema de Personal en la que se le señaló a Sanfiorenzo el tomar decisiones político-partidistas cuando fue Comisionada de Asuntos Municipales.

Por esta razón, en la moción de recusación cuestionaron los “criterios de equidad y justicia” a la jueza, quien fue renominada por Rosselló en febrero de 2000, pero su nombramiento se quedó varado en la Comisión de Nombramientos del Senado. Sanfiorenzo fue el tercer juez asignado para ver el caso en alzada, toda vez que dos magistrados asignados anteriormente, Kalil Baco y Aldo González Quesada, se inhibieron de ver el proceso.

Rosselló enfrenta denuncias de apropiación ilegal agravada de fondos públicos, falsificación de documentos y aprovechamiento del cargo público por agenciarse una pensión mayor a la que le correspondía.

El 28 de diciembre, la jueza Ada López Santiago, nombrada por Rosselló, no encontró causa para arrestar al ex mandatario.

Bush Prepares State of the Union Address

Bush Prepares State of the Union Address
President's Speech to Showcase Domestic Agenda
By JENNIFER LOVEN
AP

WASHINGTON (Jan. 23) - Delivering his first State of the Union address to a Democratic-controlled Congress , President Bush hopes to balance a rebuke of his Iraq policy already promised by lawmakers with a high-profile invitation to cooperate on vexing domestic problems.

In Tuesday night's speech before a joint session of Congress, Bush plans to dangle ideas - some new, some recycled - on reducing America's oil dependence and making health care more available, among others. Aware that 2008 presidential contenders and new Democratic leaders present fierce competition for headlines, the president has a much-abbreviated topic list in an attempt to capture the public's attention.

In the days ahead of the 9 p.m. EST speech, the White House took great pains to detail its health care portions. The cold reception they received on Capitol Hill offered a striking reminder of the difficulty the president faces in the new political climate. Bush is proposing to change to how the tax code treats health insurance, by counting employer contributions toward health insurance as taxable income while establishing a standard deduction for anyone with insurance. The White House says it would introduce increased market forces to the health care industry and make coverage more affordable for the uninsured. Aides estimated the plan would represent a tax increase for only about 20 percent of employer-covered workers.

Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., chairman of a key health subcommittee in the House, said he would not even consider holding hearings on the proposal. He dismissed it as a dead-on-arrival attempt to encourage employers to stop offering health insurance.

"You can assume a lot of people are going to do the old 'it's dead on arrival,' " White House press secretary Tony Snow said on CBS' "The Early Show." "It's not," he said.

"This is a proposal that's going to make health care cheaper for 100 million Americans or more." With his job approval rating hovering in the mid-30 percent range, Bush's overall agenda for the speech was twofold: present himself to the public as a leader with a sincere desire to work across party lines on practical solutions, and place pressure onto Democratic leaders to either go along or offer alternatives.

"The presidential season is already upon us. I am personally very skeptical that they will make major progress," said Peter Robinson, a former White House speechwriter for Ronald Reagan who now is a research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. "But they must make the attempt; they must make a good-faith effort." A new AP-AOL News poll found that six in 10 Americans are not convinced the Bush administration and Democrats in Congress can work together to solve the nation's problems. Americans rated health care, the economy and the situation in Iraq as the issues they care about most. Bush was not expected to rehash the speech he gave less than two weeks ago laying out his revamped plan for Iraq, the centerpiece of which is a 21,500-troop increase in the U.S. military presence. Instead, he was to broadly defend his stand that Iraq is part of a war on terror that will make Americans safer. On Capitol Hill, the pushback from congressional Republicans to the troop increase grew even on the eve of the president's speech.

Three GOP senators and one moderate Democrat unveiled nonbinding legislation on Monday expressing disagreement with Bush's plan and urging him to consider "all options and alternatives." "We've had four other surges since we first went into Iraq," said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, one of the sponsors. "None of them produced a long-lasting change in the situation on the ground." In the House, members of the GOP leadership drafted a series of what they called "strategic benchmarks" and said the White House should submit monthly reports to Congress measuring the Iraqi government's progress in meeting them. Meanwhile, majority Democrats intend to hold votes within days in the House and Senate on tougher bills declaring that the troop increase is "not in the national interest."

Bush returned to the White House on Monday from a long weekend at the Camp David presidential retreat, flashing a thumbs-up and a big grin to reporters before going inside for more practice sessions. The White House has promised the president will be bold. But the broad themes - energy, education, health care, immigration - were familiar and there were no hints of dramatic new initiatives, particularly as war costs and huge federal deficits preclude anything too costly. The president is expected to address:

-Health care. Bush will propose a tax deduction of $7,500 for individuals and $15,000 for families regardless of whether they buy their own health insurance or receive medical coverage at work. He also would subject employer-sponsored health care benefits to taxation, meaning those with more policies worth more than the deduction would see a tax hike. But those who get policies at work worth less than the deduction, the preponderance of workers with employer-provided insurance, would get a tax break. Another proposal would give some federal money now going to hospitals and other facilities to states for programs to reduce the number of uninsured.

-Energy. Bush is expected to call for a sharp escalation in the federal mandate on use of ethanol as a renewable fuel alternative, a goal that may prove difficult to meet. He also may seek the power to raise fuel economy standards for passenger cars, authority he also asked for last year. Some Democrats worried the plan would give transportation officials overly broad authority to change the system.

-Education. Bush will push for Congress to renew his education accountability law, No Child Left Behind, which expires this year. Democrats will expect him to go along with increases in spending to help schools make the required progress under the law. Associated Press writers Ben Feller, Kevin Freking and David Espo contributed to this report.

Al tribunal este miercoles 24

Antonio Velázquez, Administrador de Perspectiva Estadista les invita a acompañar al Presidente del Partido Nuevo Progresista, el Dr. Pedro Rosselló este miercoles 24 de enero del 2007 a la vista que se celebrará en su contra, acompañalo al tribunal de San Juan. Hoy es el Presidente del Partido Nuevo Progresista mañana puedes ser tú.

Quotable Quotes - Martin Luther King, Jr.

"He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it" - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968), US civil rights leader

Martinez apoyaria la estadidad si PR la pide

Compromiso de Martínez con el proyecto de status

Volverá a presentar la medida en la actual sesión legislativa

WASHINGTON - El senador Mel Martínez, elegido nuevo presidente “general” del Partido Republicano, dijo ayer que continuará abogando por una consulta que permita determinar si los electores de Puerto Rico desean cambiar su actual status político.

En momentos en que asume la jefatura del Partido Republicano, Martínez -natural de Cuba y elegido por Florida- sostuvo que su posición “sigue siendo representada” por el proyecto de ley que sometió en 2006, el cual se propone impulsar nuevamente en esta sesión.

“El Partido Republicano aboga por un mecanismo para que los puertorriqueños puedan expresar su posición de status. En una línea aparte indica que apoyarían la estadidad, si Puerto Rico la pide. Martínez ha sido consecuente con el programa de gobierno”

Pese a que se enfrentó a alguna oposición -un puñado de miembros del Comité Nacional Republicano se expresó en contra de su elección-, Martínez fue proclamado ayer como presidente general de la colectividad estadounidense.

Es el primer hispano en ocupar la jefatura de uno de los partidos principales de Estados Unidos. “Entiendo que personalmente apoya la estadidad (para Puerto Rico)”, dijo la delegada de Puerto Rico ante el Partido Republicano, Zoraida Fonalledas.

Su elección, por abrumadora mayoría, se dio después de una semana en que delegados de Texas, Dakota del Norte y Arizona criticaron su asunción a la jefatura del Grand Old Party (GOP), por su defensa de una reforma de inmigración abarcadora que incluiría encaminar hacia el otorgamiento de la ciudadanía estadounidense a millones de indocumentados; y tras de la derrota republicana en las elecciones legislativas de noviembre.

Para ser elegido en su puesto, los republicanos tuvieron que enmendar su reglamento. Un delegado de Dakota del Norte se opuso a la enmienda, pues dijo haber escuchado al presidente George W. Bush recomendar que Martínez fuese un presidente ‘honorario’”, no general.

Según la enmienda, Martínez será el portavoz nacional del Partido Republicano, y se centrará en recaudar fondos y el fortalecer la base de la colectividad. Mike Duncan será el presidente y responsable de las operaciones diarias.

Como presidente general, Martínez dijo que va “a llevar el mensaje general del partido” en torno a la reforma de inmigración. “Mantengo los puntos de vista míos, pero llevaré un mensaje general para todos los “americanos”.