China's Military Power

On March 25, 2009 the Department of Defense (DOD) released its annual report about the current and future military capability of the People's Republic of China. The Military Power of the People's Republic of China 2009 discusses their grand, security, and military strategies through the next 20 years.

Previous annual reports from 2002-2008 about the military capability of the People's Republic of China are also available.

Economic Stimulus Plan Web Sites

If you are seeking information about the stimulus plans, in addition to the Obama Administration's Recovery.gov which helps Americans track spending from the $787 Billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, several federal and independent agencies have pertinent web sites:


IRS Information Related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 highlights the following topics:

• COBRA: Health Insurance Continuation Subsidy


• Tax credit of up to $8,000 for first-time home buyers


• Tax credit of $400 or $800 for many taxpayers


• $250 payment to Social Security Recipients, Veterans and Railroad Retirees


• Deductions for state and local sales taxes for purchasing certain new 2009 vehicles


• Tips to avoid Recovery Rebate Credit confusion

FinancialStability.gov from the U.S. Department of the Treasury contains links about making housing affordable, the Consumer and Business Lending Initiative (TALF), the Capital Assistance Program (CAP), the Financial Stability Plan, fact sheets, and press releases and statements.

The fiscal year 2010 budget overview from the Office of Management and Budget describes the Obama Administration's fiscal policies and major budgetary initiatives.

State Economic Stimulus Plans from the National Conference of State Legislatures provides details about state-level stimulus plans for 16 states.

Stimulus Watch describes projects that are candidates for funding by federal grant programs once the stimulus bill passes. This site allows people with local knowledge about the proposed projects in their cities to find, discuss, and rate the projects.

Consumer and Business Loans

According to a March 3, 2009 press release, the Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Board rolled out the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF), part of the Consumer and Business Lending Initiative. The TALF potentially makes $1 trillion available for loans to businesses and households.

The press release explains:

The TALF is designed to catalyze the securitization markets by providing financing to investors to support their purchases of certain AAA-rated asset-backed securities (ABS). These markets have historically been a critical component of lending in our financial system, but they have been virtually shuttered since the worsening of the financial crisis in October. By reopening these markets, the TALF will assist lenders in meeting the borrowing needs of consumers and small businesses, helping to stimulate the broader economy.

Obama's Proposed Budget

President Obama's proposed fiscal year 2010 budget entitled A New Era of Responsibility: Renewing America’s Promise is now available. The document provides an overview of the full fiscal year 2010 budget that will be released later in the spring. It describes the Obama Administration’s fiscal policies and major budgetary initiatives.

Track Spending from the Economic Stimulus Package

To enable Americans to track spending from the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed into law on Tuesday, Feb. 17, the Obama Administration has created Recovery.gov. The site includes a video introduction by President Obama, graphs that chart spending by major categories, timelines of major milestones, a place to share how the Recovery Act is affecting you, and a link to the complete bill.

Reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan

Quarterly Inspector General reports about reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan are now available.

SIGAR's (Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction) second quarterly report to Congress (Jan. 2009) about Afghanistan summarizes oversight reports on reconstruction since 2002, discusses observations about challenges to reconstruction, and outlines SIGAR's methodology for oversight.

SIGIR's (Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction) Jan. 2009 quarterly report about Iraq "examines the obligation and expenditure of the four major U.S. reconstruction accounts, updates progress on significant projects in the provinces, and reviews key political, economic, and security developments that will affect the U.S. program in Iraq during 2009." It also makes the following recommendations:

• Expeditiously appoint new leadership and clearly articulate policy and budget direction.
  
• Re-evaluate and re-shape the reconstruction management structure to fit the new era in Iraq.
  
• More efficiently integrate civil and military management structures.
  
• Effectively manage the security situation in accord with the terms of the new Security Agreement.
  
• Urge the Government of Iraq to embrace and sustain its primary role in reconstruction.

Response to Nuclear Detonation

Unfortunately in today's world United States public and private institutions must think about what to do in the event of a nuclear detonation. To address this topic the Homeland Security Council has just released its Planning Guide for Response to a Nuclear Detonation: First Edition targeted to emergency response planners and their leadership. The guide "addresses the unique effects and impacts of a nuclear detonation such as scale of destruction, shelter and evacuation strategies, unparalleled medical demands, management of nuclear casualties, and radiation dose management concepts." It focuses on what to do the first few days before Federal resources could be put in place.