Got 'Em

People Helping People:

What a Joke! Baucus Wasted on Senate Floor Debating Health Care

Do we really want these guys planning our health care?

The US War in Afghanistan - The Soviet Lesson That Was Not Learned

From the BBC:

This is a direct quote from the BBC:

"Obama Administration has acheived a remarkable progress towards providing a health insurance for 30 million uninsured Americans. In order to acheive this goal those without health insurance will now be penalized with higher taxes."

Umm? Something seems off there. But maybe that is just me.

"Superstitious" Manny Pacquiao Takes Blood Test With Ease Within 30 Days of the Hatton Fight

While much of the discussion on our site focuses on politics and the economy, we here at the Economises also happen to be huge boxing fans. Everyone is probably familiar with the upcoming fight on March 13, between Floyd "Money" Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. Earlier this week, as you may have heard, Pacquiao threatened to pull out of the fight because Mayweather was demanding Olympic Style drug testing for the fight to be conducted by the United States Anti Doping Agency. Pacquiao cited a superstition against having blood taken so close to the fight and a fear of needles as reasons for not wanting to do the blood test so close to the fight. Pacquiao expressed his desire to only undergo urinalysis tests or do the bloodtesting at times specified by him. Obviously, Pacquiao's reluctance coupled with his lightning fast rise in weight while maintaining all of his speed and power have people speculating. Earlier today, this video was brought to my attention. In the video, from the HBO series 24/7, Pacquiao can be seen undergoing a blood test with no problems, seemingly completely at ease. It has been verified that the test depicted in the video took place within 30 days of Pacquiao's fight with Ricky Hatton. This certainly makes you wonder what the real reason for his reluctance to undergo the Olympic style testing is.

Here is the link. Steve, if you see this, can you add the video to the front page? I am having trouble doing it from the office. Thanks.

UPDATE: The video that I linked to last week was reportedly brought to Bob Arum's attention and he now believes that he can convince Pacquiao to go through with the blood tests. Haha. Looks like someone got caught lying and is backtracking pretty fast if you ask me.You can read more about it here.

Soldier Speaks on US Occupation

If we all refused to acknowledge the illegal orders and agenda pushed by the government, they would be exposed as pitiful and weak.  Without our neighbors who are willing to enforce the "law" against us to protect the government and it's interests, they would be powerless.  The enforcers are us.  Take this away and the elitist ruling class is powerless.  We must realize we are being used as pawns against each other to no benefit of our own.

What If We Paid for Food Like We Pay for Health Care

Food is even more important to life than health care, it turns out.  Without food health care would be moot.  So obviously it must be a right to be able to have the same food opportunities as your neighbor.  So our employers could simply insure our food purchases.  Or since it is a right to have food of quality and the duty of our government to provide for the welfare, we could have a single payer government provided plan, right?  Well if your insurance company, whether employer or government provided, took care of the prices for you, how much would you buy and of what?  The can of tuna fish or a fresh lobster?   The Spam or the Steak.  The 5 oz. or the 16 oz.  Would you save the leftovers to cut costs? 

This is a great video on just this comparison, and more about health care.

"Russia and US in secret talks to fight net crime"

Read the article here.  This is scary and I believe we will see changes and censorship much sooner than people think.  Earlier this year some of what obama said was deliberate and used to establish government ownership and responsibility for the internet:

President Barack Obama identified cyber attacks as a "national security priority"..."Cyberspace is real, and so is the risk that comes with it," he said in May. "From now on, our digital infrastructure will be treated as a strategic asset."

 This is now a vita strategi asset to our country which means our government has to do everything in its power to keep it.  We will lose all privacy, but I don't think they can control the internet it is far too big.  It is a battle they should steer clear of in my opinion.(Knowledge has been made a strategic asset by the DOD as well as information).

UN Advisor says Drug Money Saved Banks in Global Crisis

The Article states that:

"$352bn in criminal proceeds was effectively laundered by financial institutions"

The drug trade has always been one of the most profitable business' for banks and it is not because they are selling the drugs, but they launder the money.  They would much rather launder a drug lords money and grab a 10-20% share for the service than take your money and pay you interest.  Those who think this is not a huge factor in Af-Pak (Poppy is lucrative) are naive. 

Read the article here.

Failed Drug War

Make of it what you will:

From 1987 to 1995 more drug arrests involved heroin or cocaine than other types of drugs. Since 1996 the number of arrests involving marijuana exceeded that for other types of drugs.
[D]

Click on the chart to view the data.
Source: FBI, Uniform Crime Reports, Crime in the United States, annually.

  [D]

The Public opinion poll on the seriousness of the Drug problem is not in line with the Government it seems as shown here:

Date of poll		Drug abuse most serious problem
May 1989		27	%
July 1990		18
March 1991		11
March 1992		8
January 1993		6
January 1994		9
January 1995		6
May 1996		10
January 1997		17
April 1998		12
May 1999		5
March 2000		5
January 2001		7
March 2002		3
February 2003		2
June 2004		1

[D]

[D]

[D]

[D]

 All of this, especially the drugs a pot seem outrageous.  Especially when you consider our president admits to smoking when he was young and made a point of telling us he had inhaled. 

Operation Angry Cobra: Yup, the military will never grow up

This article paints our soldiers in the worst light, although I am not sure it was intended that way.  You have to read it to believe it.  They sound like a bunch of 1st graders who just finished watching Cobra Commander threaten the world over the big screen.  With quotes like:

With each great blast, the marines had whooped or shouted "get some!"

and

...had not given Craig and the other members of Lima Company the fight - and the kills - they had hoped for.
"You seem disappointed?" I asked another member of the squad..."Sure we are."


and

"I will be happy to go out and kill those people."

...WOW!  Don't they sound tough.  This is a disgrace.


Read the rest about Operation Angry Cobra.

FDA, ADA, and WHO are Weapons of Big Business

The FDA, ADA and WHO, as is the case with most, if not all government beauracracies, are used as weapons of mass corruption (and destruction) big business'.  Read the following article and than do some research and ask yourself;  If this was found about your HydroxyTone diet supplement (fill in the blank with what you like), would they decide not only to let it stay on shelves, but put it into the water supply as well?  Read the following about Fluoride, aka "Devils Poison."

Contrary to popular belief, fluoride is not a natural substance; it is the byproduct of the aluminum and nuclear industries' use of fluorine gas. The Merck Index lists fluoride's primary use as rat and cockroach poison and it is a known carcinogen. It wasn't until the 1950s that the FDA was somehow convinced that the poison allegedly helped protect teeth.

And later...

Conditions caused by fluoride ingestion


Fluoride ingestion is responsible for causing thyroid dysfunction. The National Research Council (NRC) warns that ingestion of .01 - .03 mg/kg/day of fluoride, which is easily achieved by drinking fluoridated water, can severely inhibit proper thyroid function.
Other problems caused by fluoride include dental fluorosis, a disease of the teeth, weakening of bones and bone loss, bone cancer, kidney problems, and hormone disruption.

I have researched fluoride extensively and encourage others to do the same.  It is admitted to be dangerous by the FDA and the WHO in their own lengthy reports which can be found on their websites.  But, as seems to be the case when Big Business stands to benefit, the data is not conclusive and they are not sure the "costs outweigh the benefits."  "Call it a hunch," as a famous football coach of mine used to say, but most would prefer a cavity to cancer and brain defects.  Further, the consumption of Fluoride has not been shown to provide any benefit and the "science is far from conclusive" (to use their own propaganda against them) on the benefits of topical application. 

For more start with these sites:

http://www.fluoridealert.org/industry.htm
http://www.fluoridealert.org/wastenot414.htm
http://www.fluoridealert.org/suppression.htm

http://fluoridationfacts.com/


There are countless other resources at the WHO and FDA website where they do a pretty good job of proving the dangers of fluoride, but they always proceed to recommend further research before action is taking.  This is because anyone who smelts metal or makes/uses fertilizers would have to pay heavy fines for polluting the environment if they didn't have a conveniant place, our water supplies, to dump their poison.  Only in America...or was this already done in Nazi Germany and Communist Russia?  You be the judge, that part of the story is not so straight forward.

Wherever you may stand on this, the idea of forcing this into the water is wrong and a form of mass medication.  What is next, will they add vitamins and anti-biotics as well?  Where do you draw the line.  Do we live in a country where individual choice is no longer an option?

Mike H Way Out in Front of ClimateGate!

Writes Mike H. on October 15, 2009:

So I logged in to Yahoo! this morning to check my e-mail and this article was on the front page warning us that the Arctic ice cap is going to disappear within the next 20 to 30 years. Is the mainstream media telling us the truth with these kind of alarmist stories regarding global warming? Just yesterday I stumbled across this article, which was written in January of 2009 and states that the world has actually been in a period of global COOLING for the past 8 years. Doing a little more research, I found this article, which discusses a recent speech by one of the world's leading climate change scientists, Professor Mojib Latif of Germany's Leibniz Institute, where he acknowledged that the world has now entered a cooling phase and was likely to remain in that cooling phase for the next 10 to 20 years. What makes this really interesting is that Latif was formerly one of the most outspoken scientists in the world regarding the threat of global warming.

The rest can be found here.

Between this and the Goldman Sachs call, Mike H. is one step ahead of the Fox News talking heads.

Thanksgiving Gold Story

I wanted to get this off of my chest since the general public missed this move in gold during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Around 1030pm MST or 12:30am EST, gold started to fall off a cliff due to the “Dubai default news”. Supposedly this was a mini black swan event in which the market did not see it coming. In 2 hours, gold when from 1185 to 1135. A 50 point drop! For those who do not trade futures, gold is traded in 10 cent increments, which each 10 cent increment worth $10. So, a 10 point move in gold is 1k. You need apx 5k to trade 1 contract of gold. What is more amazing if the rally as it retraced 79% of the fall. So, if you were long gold on weds, you were down 10-15 points if you woke up on Friday and looked at the closing price.

Someone made a mini fortune on either end of this drop and rally…but on a late Thanksgiving night/ wee hours of Black Friday?

US Dollar's Orderly Decline

Link to the article.

The US dollar index dropped to a 15 month low on Weds.

"Movements in the options market were also consistent with the Fed's view on the dollar's "orderly" fall".

Timeout. If I am a freshman in college and in getting A's in the 1st semester, then B's in the second, then C's sophomore year and D's the 2nd half of sophomore year. So, the fed would be saying my fall or decline in grades is orderly??? I am on the 1 stop train to F's my junior year and failing out of college entirely by my senior year!

Why can't the fed put on the breaks, take the massive short term pain and put the US back onto the train of strong US dollar?

Joe Public does has not picked up on the falling US dollar. Ex. they had 10k cash in the bank in Jan and stayed in cash. They can not buy as much oil and gold with that 10k cash now as they could have back in Jan. They do not care since they still have 10k cash sitting in the bank and that 10k has not dropped to say 8k.

Remember When Goldman Leaked the GDP Growth as 2.7%, But Then Found Out They Were Way Off The Next Day When The Government Told Us It was Really 3.5%?

I posted about this last month. Today, the real GDP growth number came out and it was 2.8%!! I couldn't stop myself from laughing when I read about this. Of course, no one is reporting the strange coincidence that Goldman just happened to have the real number a month before the government. I think that this is pretty strong evidence pointing to the fact that everyone knew the real number all along and the government straight up lied in order to try to get the market to jump. This really isn't funny, but it's so ridiculous that it starts to be. In my original post I asked the question: "Did their buddies at the Fed tip them off?" I think we can now answer that question with a resounding YES!

Fort Hood and Changing Stories

I have been watching and listening to many of the original reports and the slow change into what we have now as the "official" story.  Listen to this guy who is on the military base and lists as one of the knowns that there was more than one shooter.  In fact, this was the story until about 8 hrs after the event.  Another part of the story we thought we knew until that time was that one of the suspects was dead.  Oh wait, actually he is alive.  Oops.  Come on, I really hope people are not so naive to believe some of these changes as honest mistakes and intense investigation for the truth.  We will never know the truth, unfortunately, but we know we are not getting anything close to it as of now.

This Global Temperature Graph from the CBO is Odd

They take the liberty of inventing a trend here, I am curious the basis here.

Paid time off for "catching" H1N1

Here is the link to the story. Hopefully this proposed bill does not pass.


If you work for a company that does not offer paid sick days, you can get 5 paid sick days if you have the swine flu.


What kinda moral hazard is this going to create?


If this were in effect today...Most people have off this coming Thurs/Fri paid time off for the Thanksgiving holiday. You will have an epidemic of people calling in on the following Monday, cough-cough I got the swine flu, see you in a week and please direct deposit my check.


Hypothetically, you have off Thurs the 26th through Sunday Dec 5th!! 11 days off in a row. All paid time off and not using any of your paid vacation days.

Is this does not make any sense to me and where is the money going to come from to fund it?

Shrink to Grow

This is a very telling:


This tells us that companies simply cut costs, largely through layoffs and inventory drawdowns to beat profit estimates.  This can not work for very long.

Once excess inventories are worked off the accounting can no longer cover up the reality of a shrinking economy.  This is happening rapidly.

(The Second Graph here amazingly added .94% to GDP, because it fell a lot, but not as much as previous.  So less bad, which is still worse than we have seen previous.)




Unemployment is increasing rapidly as well at 10.2% (so they say, we know it is much larger).

The story goes that this is the sign of the end of a recession since when the inventories run down enough they need to start producing more which needs employees.  This could very well be true, I don't believe it is what will occur,  but that is for another post.

The point is the profits we are seeing are not because of increased revenue or consumer demand.  The market is a bubble right now and  would not hold onto long positions much longer.  We will see what unfolds in the next few months.

Nutley Board of Education members want to fine parents for kid's detention (Star Ledger)

"The board members, Steven Rogers and Walter Sautter, say they are hoping to adopt a policy by next school year that would charge parents for detention, which they estimate costs the district $10,000 a year in overtime and maintenance fees." 
 Read the rest here 

I never realized they paid overtime for detentions.  This is already a strong incentive for teachers to give out detentions, and now they add to it a tax on the parents.  I wonder if the teachers will be given a quota of detentions they must give every month, similar to police and traffic tickets.  Think about it, imagine you got off from your job at 2:30-4:00 depending on district and grade you teach.  If you could get time and a half (I believe this is legal minimum for overtime pay) for and extra hour every day, and still be done by 3:30 or 5:00, would you?  Again, they already are tax eaters, they won't think twice about feeding a little more, especially close to retirement to rack up pension benefits.  I can see this becoming something that will be more common in the future.  I can also see rates of detention going through the roof.

Maricopa County Officer Swipes Paper From Defense Lawyer's File.

Video Here. Summary: Cop (Adam Stoddard) walks up to the defense lawyer's table during a hearing, swipes a letter out of the lawyer's file and pawns the letter off to an obese cop (Francisco Campillo) who waddles away with the document.

The deputy was later found to be in contempt of court. However, the fact that he felt that he could get away with something like this, especially considering how casual he acted as he walked up and just started going through the defense attorney's files, seems to indicate that this was not something new just for this instance. If the defendant had not been so alert as to catch him in the act, he probably would have gotten away with it this time too. Note the quote from Maricopa County Sheriff, and well known douchebag, Joe Arpaio: “My officer was doing his job and I will not stand by and allow him to be thrown to the wolves by the courts because they feel pressure from the media on this situation,” Arpaio said in a press release. He further said, "I decide who holds press conferences and when they are held regarding this Sheriff’s Office.” Thanks Joe. I guess the police now get to decide what evidence is admissible in trial now. Glad to hear it. I'm not sure what the Arizona Rules of Evidence are, but I am very familiar with the Federal Rules of Evidence, which have been adopted in most states, and I think it's safe to say that the Judge, and only the Judge, is the one that makes evidentiary rulings about what is admissible at trial. I'm also pretty sure that the police are not supposed to be involved in this process in any way as it would be the Prosecutor's job to challenge the contents of the swiped document. But what the hell, if Joe Arpaio says the officer was doing his job that is good enough for me.

Secret Global Copyright Agreement - Internet Privacy Will Vanish

Impossible, right?  I mean at least the transparent government of Obama would have filled us in, right?  HaHa!  Show me someone who trusts government and I will show you a fool, which is most of the people I come in contact with daily.  It is sad, but it will happen, I suggest finding a way to be untraced and soon.

Silverdome Sold for 583k (Not a Misprint)

Yes I am talking about "The Silverdome."  You know, the one where the Detroit Lions used to play.  Does Barry Sanders Ring a bell?  This was a cost of $55.7 million 35 years ago.  Adjusted for inflation you lost your ass!

Read about it here.

Standard & Poor's New Policy: Concealing the S&P 500 P/E Ratio from the General Public

Gary North

Nov. 17, 2009

Some high-level decision-maker at Standard & Poor's has decided that the public should no longer be allowed easy access to this crucial number: the Price/Earnings ratio of the S&P 500.

That number went above 140 on September 31, 2009 -- the highest ever recorded. It had continued upward all year.

I went to the old page late last week. The page has been totally redesigned. The P/E ratio was missing.

I wrote to the webmaster and asked where the figure is reported. On November 16, I received this reply.

Thank you for your inquiry. Last week our website was upgraded and so some information has moved, or has be removed. For information regarding the S&P 500 please see the below link to the website:

http://www.standardandpoors.com/indices/sp-500/en/us/?indexId=spusa-500-usduf--p-us-l--

On the left hand side of this page you will be able to see information regarding Index Data and Index Information (Including Earnings data). To see the Index data you will need to register your details. If you click on one of the spreadsheet icons, this will link you to a login page, please click the link "Register Here" and enter your details accordingly. You will then be sent an email with your password for the site. If you then go back to the original link, enter your login name and password, you will be able to open the documents.

If you require further assistance regarding this issue, please refer to your inquiry number in this email.

Thank you for contacting S&P INDICES Client Services.

We value your opinion, please feel free to provide us with Feedback on our service:

http://event.standardandpoors.com/content/US_IN_Email_Client_Service_Feedback

This is a polite way of saying, "This site is not for the sake of the general public. It is for the sake of the retail brokerage industry. So, please go away."

My guess is that the company came under pressure from the brokerage industry to stop publishing what has to be a frightening statistic for brokers, a statistic that says "Sell!"

Because the company has solicited feedback, I suggest that you provide it. Ask that the P/E ratio be restored. Here is what the page looked like two weeks ago:

I suggest that you forward this article to anyone you know who would like to have the P/E ratio available just as it was a month ago. You know: visible.

Latest Executive Order to Employ Returning Vets in the Federal Government

For what exactly, we shall see.

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary
___________________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release                                                                              November 9, 2009

Executive Order

- - - - -

Employment of Veterans in the Federal Government

By the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 301 of title 3 of the United States Code, I hereby order as follows:

Section 1. Policy. Veterans have served and sacrificed in defense of our Nation. When they complete their service, we must do everything in our power to assist them in re-entering civilian life and finding employment. Government as well as private employers should play a prominent role in helping veterans who may be struggling to find jobs. As one of the Nation's leading employers, the Federal Government is in need of highly skilled individuals to meet agency staffing needs and to support mission objectives. Our veterans, who have benefited from training and development during their military service, possess a wide variety of skills and experiences, as well as the motivation for public service, that will help fulfill Federal agencies' staffing needs. It is therefore the policy of my Administration to enhance recruitment of and promote employment opportunities for veterans within the executive branch, consistent with merit system principles and veterans' preferences prescribed by law. The Federal Government will thereby help lead by example in promoting veterans' employment.

Sec. 2. Council on Veterans Employment. There is hereby established an interagency Council on Veterans Employment (Council), to be co-chaired by the Secretaries of Labor and Veterans Affairs. The Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) shall serve as Vice Chair of the Council.

   (a) Mission and Function of the Council. The Council shall:

      (i) advise and assist the President and the Director of OPM in establishing a coordinated Government-wide effort to increase the number of veterans employed by the Federal Government by enhancing recruitment and training;

      (ii) serve as a national forum for promoting veterans' employment opportunities in the executive branch; and

      (iii) establish performance measures to assess the effectiveness of, and submit an annual report to the President on the status of, the Veterans Employment Initiative described in section 3 of this order.

   (b) Membership of the Council. The Council shall consist of the heads of the following agencies and such other executive branch agencies as the President may designate:

      (i) the Department of State;

      (ii) the Department of the Treasury;

      (iii) the Department of Defense;

      (iv) the Department of Justice;

      (v) the Department of the Interior;

      (vi) the Department of Agriculture;

      (vii) the Department of Commerce;

      (viii) the Department of Labor;

      (ix) the Department of Health and Human Services;

      (x) the Department of Housing and Urban Development;

      (xi) the Department of Transportation;

      (xii) the Department of Energy;

      (xiii) the Department of Education;

      (xiv) the Department of Veterans Affairs;

      (xv) the Department of Homeland Security;

      (xvi) the Environmental Protection Agency;

      (xvii) the National Aeronautics and Space Administration;

      (xviii) the Agency for International Development;

      (xix) the General Services Administration;

      (xx) the National Science Foundation;

      (xxi) the Nuclear Regulatory Commission;

      (xxii) the Office of Personnel Management;

      (xxiii) the Small Business Administration; and

      (xxiv) the Social Security Administration. A member of the Council may designate, to perform the Council functions of the member, a senior official who is part of the member's agency, and who is a full-time officer or employee of the Federal Government.

   (c) Administration of the Council. The Co-Chairs shall convene meetings of the Council, determine its agenda, and direct its work. At the direction of the Co-Chairs, the Council more 3 may establish subgroups consisting exclusively of Council members or their designees, as appropriate. The Vice Chair shall designate an Executive Director for the Council to support the Vice Chair in managing the Council's activities. The OPM shall provide administrative support for the Council to the extent permitted by law and within existing appropriations.

   (d) Steering Committee. There is established within the Council a Steering Committee consisting of the Secretaries of Defense, Labor, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security, the Director of OPM, and any other Council member designated by the Co-Chairs. The Steering Committee shall be responsible for providing leadership, accountability, and strategic direction to the Council.

Sec. 3. Veterans Employment Initiative. The agencies represented on the Council shall participate in a Veterans Employment Initiative (Initiative). Under the Initiative, each participating agency shall, to the extent permitted by law:

   (a) develop an agency-specific Operational Plan for promoting employment opportunities for veterans, consistent with the Government-wide Veterans Recruitment and Employment Strategic Plan described in section 4 of this order, merit system principles, the agency's strategic human capital plan, and other applicable workforce planning strategies and initiatives;

   (b) within 120 days of the date of this order, establish a Veterans Employment Program Office, or designate an agency officer or employee with full-time responsibility for its Veterans Employment Program, to be responsible for enhancing employment opportunities for veterans within the agency, consistent with law and merit system principles, including developing and implementing the agency's Operational Plan, veterans recruitment programs, and training programs for veterans with disabilities, and for coordinating employment counseling to help match the career aspirations of veterans to the needs of the agency;

   (c) provide mandatory annual training to agency human resources personnel and hiring managers concerning veterans' employment, including training on veterans' preferences and special authorities for the hiring of veterans;

   (d) identify key occupations for which the agency will provide job counseling and training to better enable veterans to meet agency staffing needs associated with those occupations; and

   (e) coordinate with the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to promote further development and application of technology designed to assist transitioning service members and veterans with disabilities.

Sec. 4. Additional Responsibilities of the Director of the Office of Personnel Management. The Director of OPM shall, in consultation with the Council and to the extent permitted by law:

   (a) develop a Government-wide Veterans Recruitment and Employment Strategic Plan, to be updated at least every 3 years, addressing barriers to the employment of veterans in the executive branch and focusing on:

      (i) identifying actions that agency leaders should take to improve employment opportunities for veterans;

      (ii) developing the skills of transitioning military service members and veterans;

      (iii) marketing the Federal Government as an employer of choice to transitioning service members and veterans;

      (iv) marketing the talent, experience, and dedication of transitioning service members and veterans to Federal agencies; and

      (v) disseminating Federal employment information to veterans and hiring officials;

   (b) provide Government-wide leadership in recruitment and employment of veterans in the executive branch;

   (c) identify key occupations, focusing on positions in high-demand occupations where talent is needed to meet Government-wide staffing needs, for which the Federal Government will provide job counseling and training under section 5(a) of this order to veterans and transitioning military service personnel;

   (d) develop mandatory training for both human resources personnel and hiring managers on veterans' employment, including veterans' preference and special hiring authorities;

   (e) compile and post on the OPM website Government-wide statistics on the hiring of veterans; and

   (f) within 1 year of the date of this order and with the advice of the Council, provide recommendations to the President on improving the ability of veterans' preference laws to meet the needs of the new generation of veterans, especially those transitioning from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the needs of Federal hiring officials.

Sec. 5. Responsibilities of the Secretaries of Defense, Labor, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security. The Secretaries of Defense, Labor, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security shall take the following actions, to the extent permitted by law:

   (a) The Secretaries of Defense, Labor, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security shall, in consultation with OPM, develop and implement counseling and training programs to align veterans' and transitioning service members' skills and career aspirations to Federal employment opportunities, targeting Federal occupations that are projected to have heavy recruitment needs.

   (b) The Secretary of Labor shall conduct employment workshops for veterans and transitioning military service personnel as part of the Transition Assistance Program (TAP), more 5 and integrate in those workshops information about the Federal hiring process, veterans' preference laws, special hiring authorities, and Federal job opportunities.

   (c) The Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Homeland Security (with respect to the Coast Guard) shall:

      (i) reinforce military leadership's commitment and support of the service members' transition process; and

      (ii) institute policies that encourage every eligible service member to take the opportunity to enroll in any or all of the four components of the TAP.

      (d) The Secretaries of Labor and Veterans Affairs shall:

      (i) assist veterans and transitioning service members in translating military skills, training, and education to Federal occupations through programs developed under subsection (a) of this section; and

      (ii) provide training to employment and rehabilitation counselors on the Federal hiring process, veterans' preferences, special hiring authorities, and identifying Federal employment opportunities for veterans. Sec. 6. General Provisions.

   (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

      (i) authority granted by law to a department or agency or the head thereof; or

      (ii) functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

   (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

   (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

BARACK OBAMA
THE WHITE HOUSE,
November 9, 2009.