[rtpnet-tact] [Fwd: [CTC] Summary of FY 2005 Spending Package (Part I)]

[Ben Foti]

Hello everyone; it's been sometime since I've been involved with RTPNet,
but I have kept in touch through this list serve; I appreciate Judy
still allowing me to do so.

Most of the work I was doing when I was involved with the conferences
and meetings had to do with E-Communities in Vance County, specifically
dealing with our senior populations in Region K.  The time has come for
me to set up a list serve for this area including some directors and
other key players in our senior centers.  I though I would ask a
question to this group before going forth with the information I have
here.

Does anyone have any comments, best practices, or good ideas for an
easy, cheap (if not free) way to set up a list serve?  I have some
information about one through UNC, but I'm up for any brief comments on
this subject.  

Thank you kindly in advance for your cooperation and concerns.

Ben Foti
Kerr-Tar Regional Council of Governments
(252) 436-2044
bfoti at kerrtarcog.org


-----Original Message-----
From: rtpnet-tact-bounces at rtpnet.org
[mailto:rtpnet-tact-bounces at rtpnet.org] On Behalf Of Judy Hallman
Sent: Tuesday, November 30, 2004 8:46 AM
To: Triangle Area Centers for Technology (TACT)
Cc: Kavita Singh
Subject: [rtpnet-tact] [Fwd: [CTC] Summary of FY 2005 Spending Package
(Part I)]

To RTPnet TACT list:

I'm forwarding two messages from the CTCNet Members e-mail list that I 
think will be of interest to subscribers to this list who are not 
members of CTCNet. [Membership in CTCNet is a great value at only 
$100/year. See http://www.ctcnet.org/membership/index.htm ]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [CTC] Summary of FY 2005 Spending Package (Part I)
Date: Tue, 23 Nov 2004 08:34:47 -0500
From: Ryan Turner <rturner at ctcnet.org>
To: ctcmembers at ctcnet.org

CTCNet Members,

A brief overview regarding the FY 2005 spending package you have
heard about in the news as of late.

This package actually encompasses the nine remaining unfinished
spending bills (collectively called the "omnibus") Congress did
not pass before its Election Day recess. This is the fourth
omnibus bill in the last five years, the eighth since the
Republicans have controlled Congress.

The White House had signalled its desire to impose
across-the-board reductions on all non-military and homeland
security domestic (i.e. "discretionary") spending. Domestic
discretionary spending represents one-seventh of the total $2.3
trillion federal budget, compared to spending for defense,
homeland security, Social Security, Medicare and farm subsidies.

The White House had been negotiating a large volume of spending
cuts within the past few weeks, up until the day of the vote. In
the face of a $413 billion federal deficit from FY 2004, Congress
recently voted to raise the debt ceiling to $800 billion, while
imposing a 0.83% to 1% cut across agencies. While this represents
the lowest increase in discretionary spending in over a decade, a
number of programs received increases, in some cases well above
the President's request and Congress's own self-imposed spending
limits.

The reductions in the final package, moreover, took place before
at least $15 billion in earmarks (i.e. "pork barrel spending")
was added to fund specific programs in individual lawmakers'
districts.  A number of "riders" (i.e. measures tucked into an
unrelated bill in order to pass often controversial items on the
strength of a relatively innocuous bill) were also added into the
final bill. One quickly contested rider included authorization
extended to agents appointed by either the House or Senate
Appropriations Committee Chairmen to review the individual income
tax returns of any American.

In total, the bill presents some $388 billion in spending--
nearly $4 billion over FY 2004 totals-- across nearly 1700 pages,
which most lawmakers did not read in full during the roughly six
hours available to them before voting for its passage. As of this
writing, the final bill awaits the President's signature in order
to be signed into law.

A quick summary of final federal spending levels for FY 2005 for
selected items of potential interest for CTCNet members follows.


Ryan Turner
Director of Policy and Communications
Community Technology Centers' Network (CTCNet)
1436 U Street, NW #104
Washington, DC 20009
(202) 462-1200
http://www.ctcnet.org

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-- 
Judy Hallman (hallman at rtpnet.org, http://www.rtpnet.org/hallman)
Executive Director, RTPnet, NC (http://www.RTPnet.org/)


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-- 
Judy Hallman (hallman at rtpnet.org, http://www.rtpnet.org/hallman)
Executive Director, RTPnet, NC (http://www.RTPnet.org/)


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