Pope: Condoms aren't solution to AIDS; they make it worse
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
It's time for the Catholic Church to enter the 21st century; or at least try to drag itself out of the 13th. On his first trip to Africa, Pope Benedict XVI said condoms are not a solution to the AIDS epidemic; rather, they make it worse.
Pope Benedict XVI believes condoms hinder the AIDS crisis.
In his first public comments on condom use, the pope told reporters that AIDS "is a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, and that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems." Huh?
Since becoming pope four years ago, Benedict has stressed that the church is on the front lines of the battle against AIDS; with the Vatican encouraging sexual abstinence as the way to stop the disease from spreading.
Obviously that message hasn't delivered the desired results in Africa where parts of the continent have been ravaged by AIDS. Not to mention right here in our nation's capital: a new report shows three percent of Washington D.C.'s residents have HIV or AIDS. That translates to almost 3,000 people for every 100,000 population. That figure represents a "severe epidemic." One health official says Washington's rates are higher than parts of West Africa - and "on par with Uganda and some parts of Kenya."
Here’s my question to you: The pope says condoms aren't the solution to AIDS; they make it worse. Is he right?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Your economic questions for Pres. Obama?
President Barack Obama heads to California today where he'll hold a couple of town hall-style meetings and answer questions from ordinary Americans about the economy, among other things.
President Obama will answer questions from ordinary California citizens.
Although a visit to California is usually a breeze for a Democratic president, Mr. Obama should probably prepare himself for a good grilling. California - which, on its own, is the world's eighth-largest economy - has been ravaged by the recession, a housing meltdown and double-digit unemployment. The president's trip also comes while the public is outraged over the $165 million in bonuses given to AIG executives.
Americans have plenty of worries about the economy. A new CNN-Opinion Research Corporation poll shows 63 percent of those surveyed say the economy is the most important issue facing the country.
When asked what the top economic concern is, 36 percent of Americans say unemployment, 20 percent say inflation, 16 percent say the mortgage crisis, 14 percent say the stock market, and 11 percent say taxes.
In addition to the town hall meetings, President Obama is scheduled to appear on 'The Tonight Show' with Jay Leno tomorrow night, making him the first sitting president to hit the late-night talk show circuit.
It's all part of the White House's effort to sell its economic plan to Main Street.
Here’s my question to you: What would you tell the president about the economic situation where you live?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Washington to blame for AIG bonus scandal?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
As outrage over AIG bonuses reaches a fever pitch, many are now wondering why our leaders in Washington didn't do more to prevent the situation in the first place. The Obama administration says that it didn't know until a couple of weeks ago that AIG executives were set to receive $165 million in bonuses.
Cafferty: Why didn’t our leaders in D.C. do more to prevent this situation?
They say that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner found out last Tuesday; and the president learned of all this on Thursday, just a day before the controversial retention payments went through. But Geithner was running the New York Federal Reserve Bank last fall when AIG got a high-interest loan of 85 billion dollars to help prevent collapse - along with its first installment of federal bailout money.
And none of these folks must watch CNN because in late January, Mary Snow did a story on this very program about the insurance giant paying hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses to its financial products unit.
And then there's Congress... When some lawmakers tried to prevent bonuses in the stimulus bill last month they actually made an exception for pre-existing contracts. Democrat Chris Dodd - who proposed the executive compensation provision - insists that he did not include that exemption clause. He says he doesn't know how it got there; as do several other Democratic sources.
Dodd and then candidate-Barack Obama were the top recipients of AIG political contributions in 2008 - each getting more than $100,000.
And there's more... The Senate had passed a bipartisan amendment that would have taxed bonuses on any company getting federal bailout money if the company didn't pay back the bonus money to the government; but that was stripped from the stimulus bill during closed-door meetings. This is bordering on insanity.
Here’s my question to you: How much is Washington to blame for the AIG bonus scandal?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Is Gov. Palin GOP's best fundraiser?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin may step back into the national spotlight in June when she's been invited to headline a major Republican fund-raising dinner. The 2008 vice presidential nominee has kept a pretty low profile since John McCain lost the election last November.
Is Palin the best choice for GOP fundraiser?
She's made a handful of trips outside of Alaska, but has skipped big gatherings, like the Conservative Political Action Conference last month. But the upcoming spring gala is the main fund-raising event of the year for congressional Republicans, and the committee chairmen are confident Palin will bring the necessary star power to raise the big bucks.
They call her "one of the brightest rising stars" and "one of the most popular and recognizable faces" in the GOP. She's certainly recognizable, but for many of the wrong reasons. Of course it will probably be a challenge for anyone to raise money in this climate for the Republican Party, which is at all time low approval ratings.
So far, Governor Palin hasn't officially accepted the invitation. Polls suggest Palin remains a favorite of social conservatives; a February survey showed she is the candidate that Republicans said they will most likely support in 2012 - beating out both Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney.
However, Palin remains pretty controversial among the national electorate. A Newsweek poll taken early this month found she had a 44 percent favorable rating - and 42 percent unfavorable. And if she runs in 2012, count on the Democrats to make a whole series of commercials out of those disastrous interviews she did with Katie Couric.
Here’s my question to you: When it comes to fundraising, is Gov. Sarah Palin the best the Republicans can do?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
What should be done about AIG bonuses?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The outrage against insurance giant AIG and its bonus plan continues to mount, with one senator suggesting the company's executives should kill themselves. Republican Charles Grassley told an Iowa radio station the executives should take a Japanese approach toward accepting responsibility and "come before the American people and take that deep bow and say I'm sorry and then either do one of two things - resign, or go commit suicide."
What do you think should be done about the AIG bonuses?
Grassley later backtracked, saying he didn't really mean they should kill themselves. Grassley is only one of many angered with AIG's plan to pay its executives $165 million in bonuses after the company took more than $170 billion in taxpayer bailout money.
No wonder Grassley is hot; according to a letter from New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to Congressman Barney Frank, 11 of the people who got these retention bonuses are no longer there. The top recipient got $6.4 million; and the top ten recipients combined got $42 million.
Democratic Senator Chris Dodd has suggested possibly taxing AIG executives who got bonuses. And, House Democrats are trying to find a way for Congress to force the company to return money used for bonuses.
For its part, AIG insists it's legally required to give employees these bonuses under contracts that were negotiated before the company got bailout money.
Here’s my question to you: What should be done about the AIG bonuses?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Worried about a depression?
Life size bronze statues depict men standing in line during the Great Depression. (PHOTO CREDIT: MARK WILSON/GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
More Americans are worried that our current recession might spiral into another Great Depression. A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll shows 45 percent of those surveyed think a 1930s-style depression is likely to happen in the next year; that's up from 38 percent who felt that way last December.
The good news is Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke isn't one of those people. When asked on "60 Minutes" if the country is headed into a new depression, he said "I think we've averted that risk. I think we've gotten past that."
This poll described the Great Depression as a time when about one in four people were out of work, banks failed across the country and millions of Americans were temporarily homeless or unable to feed their families.
Depression or no depression, the survey shows 89 percent of Americans describe economic conditions today as "poor;" only 11 percent say they're "good."
When asked how long it will take for the economy to recover, 10 percent say within a year; 32 percent say between one and two years, 24 percent say between two and three years. 12 percent say between three and four years; and 22 percent think even longer than that.
As for Bernanke - he says the recession will probably end this year - and a recovery will start next year. The Fed chief says stabilizing the banking system is the key to a full recovery.
Here’s my question to you: How worried are you that the recession will become a depression?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Obama a leader who actually leads
What a welcome change to feel like someone is running the country instead of running it into the ground. President Obama has done more in eight weeks than George W. Bush did in eight years - unless you include starting a couple of wars.
Cafferty: It's almost as though our president was born to do exactly what he's doing.
While the armchair quarterbacks second guess the new president, he gets up every day and does things, lots of things.
Whether it's creating commissions for women and girls, ordering the investigation of President Bush's use of signing statements, or jamming a huge stimulus package through Congress, the man is working his tail off. And he seems to be loving every minute of it. It's almost as though our president was born to do exactly what he's doing. He's leading, and boy, is that refreshing.
To read jack's full CNN.com column, click here.
Best kinds of jobs in recession?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
If you're looking for a job that's recession proof, here's one where the customers don't talk back. Newsday reports that interest in funeral careers is skyrocketing.
For the most part, the funeral business is recession proof.
The mortuary science program at one Long Island community college has seen inquiries increase by 15 percent in recent months, with enrollment for last fall doubling from the year before. One program official says 80 percent of the graduates are employed in the funeral service industry; and they earn about $50,000 a year after completing a one-year residency.
Human resource experts suggest some other careers worth pursuing during a recession include those in health care, energy, education, public safety, accounting, military and debt collection. Some companies that are actually hiring right now include: Radio Shack, AT&T, Sears, K-Mart, Kindercare Learning Centers and Interim Health Care.
And there's no question a lot of people are looking. The nation's unemployment rate hit 8.2 percent last month; and some fear the jobless rate could reach double digits this year. About 4.4 million jobs have been lost since the recession started in December of 2007.
Meanwhile a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll shows worries about unemployment have tripled over the last year - with 36 percent of those surveyed now saying unemployment is the top economic issue. A majority of people have lost confidence that they can find a good job at their current salary if they had to.
Here’s my question to you: What are the best kinds of jobs in a recession?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
FULL POST
Cheney: Obama policies raise risk of terror attack
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Former Vice President Dick Cheney suggests President Obama is endangering the American people by reversing some of the Bush administration's anti-terror policies.
Cheney says some Obama choices raise the terror attack risk.
Speaking to CNN's John King, Cheney said harsh interrogations of terror suspects and the use of warrantless electronic surveillance were "absolutely essential" to get information that prevented more 9/11 like attacks.
He says Mr. Obama "is making some choices, that, in my mind, will, in fact raise the risk to the American people of another attack."
Since taking office, President Obama has announced plans to close the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, to halt military trials of suspected terrorists there and to make CIA officers follow the Army field manual's rules on interrogations. Critics of the Bush administration have said the so-called "alternative" interrogation techniques amounted to torture; and that the warrantless wiretapping violated laws that were enacted after Watergate.
Meanwhile, a secret 2007 report by the Red Cross suggests treatment of al Qaeda captives constituted "torture." The report alleges detainees were routinely beaten, doused with cold water and slammed head-first into walls during interrogations. At other time, they were stripped of clothing, bombarded with loud music, exposed to cold temperatures, and deprived of sleep and food for days. Some captives say they were forced to stand for days with their arms shackled - wearing only diapers.
You may recall - the Bush White House repeatedly promised that the U.S. "does not torture"...
Here’s my question to you: Is former Vice President Dick Cheney right that Pres. Obama's policies "raise the risk" of a terror attack in the U.S.?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Good idea for Obama admin. to call economy sound?
In the worst recession since the Great Depression, should Obama's staff be saying the economy is sound?(PHOTO CREDIT: OFF/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The White House needs to make up its mind. Sounding a lot like John McCain during the campaign, they said the economy is fundamentally sound over the weekend.
The president's economic adviser, Christina Romer, says the fundamentals are sound "in the sense that the American workers are sound, we have a good capital stock, we have good technology." She adds that this is despite of the "mess" we're temporarily in - including huge job losses and plunging GDP.
After weeks of seeing the economic glass as more than half empty, administration officials, including President Obama himself, are out painting a more positive picture these days. The president says he's confident in the economy - that if we focus on the quote "fundamentally sound aspects of our economy" like the many outstanding companies, workers, innovation, etc. - we will make it through this rough time.
Nonetheless, just a week ago OMB director Peter Orszag said that "fundamentally, the economy is weak." And despite the optimism coming from the White House and Wall Street, there don't seem to be many signs that an end is near for the current recession. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke suggests the recovery won't start until next year.
Here’s my question to you: Is it a good idea for the Obama administration to say the economy is sound despite the worst recession since the Great Depression?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
@jackcafferty on Twitter
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