Tuesday, February 4, 2014

President Obama "State of the Union", Immigration Reform, "Meet The Candidates" Hispanic Labor Dinner, Utility Fair, St. Anthony Hospital "American Heart Month", Movie Review, Abraham Lincoln's Birthday


          HERE’S WHAT PRESIDENT Obama said about immigrant reform in his “State of the Union” address Tuesday, January 28, 2014:
President Obama
           OBAMA SAID:Finally, if we are serious about economic growth, it is time to heed the call of business leaders, labor leaders, faith leaders, and law enforcement – and fix our broken immigration system.  Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have acted.  I know that members of both parties in the House want to do the same.  Independent economists say immigration reform will grow our economy and shrink our deficits by almost $1 trillion in the next two decades.  And for good reason: when people come here to fulfill their dreams – to study, invent, and contribute to our culture – they make our country a more attractive place for businesses to locate and create jobs for everyone.  So let’s get immigration reform done this year.
           ONE COULDN’T help but notice the frown on the face of House Speaker John Boehner [R-Ohio] sitting behind President Obama, when he [Obama] spoke about immigration.  It is Speaker Boehner and members of the Republican Party who are blocking immigration reform. Without the Republicans in Congress supporting comprehensive immigration reform, President Obama will never be able to keep his promise or “fix” the immigration problem in America. Criticizing and blaming Obama is unfair because he wants immigration reform now.
          REPUBLICANS want the borders to be secured 100% before they will agree to do anything to help undocumented immigrants; securing the borders is impossible. There will be a lot of taxpayer’s money and government [political] time wasted in attempting to solve the immigration problem piecemeal. We, Mexican-Americans and Latinos must work politically and vote for candidates of the Democratic Party to fix our immigration policy. It is the Democrats who support immigration reform.
           HISPANIC LABOR: “Meet the Candidates” dinner meeting sponsored by the Hispanic American Labor Council will be Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2014 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Mi Tierra Restaurant, 2528 S. Kedzie Ave. Democratic candidates in the Tuesday, March 18, 2014 are invited to attend the dinner meeting by Hispanic labor leaders. Ticket donation: $40. For tickets or more information call 312/286-3405.
       UTILITY FAIR: Peoples Gas is hosting a “Utility Assistance & Resource Fair” at Rauner Family YMCA, 2700 S. Western Ave., from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 22, 2014. At the fair, representatives from Peoples Gas, CEDA [Community Economic Development Association] and ComEd, with city, state and human services agencies, will be on site to provide residents with information on energy assistance programs and resources that are available to assist residents.
           CEDA will be accepting applicants from customers who are eligible to apply for LIHEAP and the People Gas Share the Warmth matching grant. Customers may be eligible for LIHEAP if their income is 150% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
          FOR MORE information, contact Community and Economic Development Association [CEDA] at 800-571-2332.
St. Anthony
           SAINT ANTHONY Hospital is celebrating American Heart Month. February is American Heart Month and Valentine’s Day is a great time to start taking steps to be heart-healthy. With the slogan “Show Your Heart A Little Love” the hospital is encouraging everyone to:

  • Halt the salt and eat a healthy diet
  • Maintain a healthy weight
  •  Get moving and excise more
  •  Quit Smoking
  • Take your medicine
  •  Know your numbers—have your blood pressure and cholesterol checked
           STAY HEALTHY. Every Wednesday and Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. during the month of February, St. Anthony Hospital is offering a cardiac screening for $25. The offer includes an EKG, blood pressure check, glucose and cholesterol screening.
            YOU WILL be required to fast, consuming no food or liquids other than water, for a minimum of 10 hours before the test. Limited spots are available.  Help can be given if you qualify for financial assistance or charity care.  Coupon expires: 2/28/14. Call today at 773/484-4777 for a screening.
             MOVIE REVIEW: The “Wolf of Wall Street” is a raunchy movie. Sex, drugs and expletives flow throughout the entire movie, mostly the “F” word. Nothing is left for the imagination.  Rookie stock broker Jordan Belfort [Leonardo DiCaprio] organizes a bunch of money hungry salesmen and women to sell penny stocks to become millionaires, at the same time doing drugs and having wild sex parties. This three [3] hour black comedy was directed by Martin Scorsese and is rated “R”.  The movie was too long and definitely not a family movie.  I give it 1 star. 
             
President Lincoln
          IN MEMORY: Abraham Lincoln’s
birthday is Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014. He was the 16th President of the United States.  Historians consider Lincoln one of our greatest U.S. Presidents. Lincoln was self-educated, a lawyer in Illinois, politician, elected President in 1860, led the U.S. in its Civil War, opposed the war with Mexico in 1846, outlawed slavery and gave his Gettysburg address in 1863. Lincoln was assassinated in April of 1865 at the age of 56. Lincoln and Mexico’s President Benito Juarez were good friends, but never met. Lincoln is my favorite president.