The U.S. economy lost 524,000 jobs in December, closing out the worst year for job losses since World War II, the Labor Department said Friday.

Nearly 2.6 million jobs were lost in 2008, with 1.9 million destroyed in just the past four months, according to a survey of work places. It's the biggest job loss in any calendar year since 1945, when 2.75 million jobs were lost as the wartime economy was demobilized.

The 1.5 million jobs lost in the fourth quarter were the most in any three-month period since 1945.
As a percentage of employment, job losses in 2008 totaled 1.8%, the worst since 1982 and the third largest since the war.

The numbers were released as Congresswoman Hilda Solis (D-California) began her Senate confirmation hearings as the next Secretary of Labor for President-elect Barack Obama's incoming administration.

President-elect Barack Obama's pick to become the top U.S. labor official said on Friday her priorities would be to boost job training and search assistance to fight a deepening U.S. recession.

Democratic Rep. Hilda Solis, tapped by Obama to become labor secretary, also told her Senate confirmation hearing she would fight job discrimination and ensure employees "get the pay they have earned working in safe, healthy and fair workplaces."

During the press conference, President-elect Obama praised General Shinseki's service to his country, and reinforced the importance of the sacred trust between America and her troops.

General Shinseki is the first Asian American to reach the rank of four-star general. He served two combat tours in Vietnam, where he was wounded in action.

On the anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor in 1941, President-elect Obama stressed the importance of the post General Shinseki would hold.

"We owe it to all our veterans to honor them as we honored our Greatest Generation," the President-elect said. "Not just with words, but with deeds."

General Shinseki sat down for an interview with the Transition team to talk about his commitment to military families and the critical issues facing the VA.

Acts of courage like theirs happen everywhere American troops serve. They are happening right now. I know that—so does my family. My father served in Vietnam, my brother served in the Coast Guard, my husband just returned from Operation Iraqi Freedom. We served because we believe in this great nation and the opportunities it has given us. And because our service members support us, we must always keep the faith with them.

The administration of George Bush—supported by John McCain every step of the way—has let our warriors down. Our troops are courageous, strong and fierce. This administration has re-deployed them until they are overstretched, stressed and strained.

Our warriors should fight in Afghanistan where al-Qaida and the Taliban are on the offensive.

But instead of destroying the enemies who attacked us on 9/11, we have diverted our military might to Iraq, which had nothing to do with 9/11. When our warriors come home they deserve the best VA medical care, but too often they get bureaucracy, not benefits. They find inadequate access, inferior facilities and infuriating paperwork.

And now, John McCain wants to ration care. Under his plan, the VA will serve combat injuries, but everyone else gets an insurance card. Barack Obama and the Democrats have a different idea. Barack Obama will live up to their tradition of honor and sacrifice. Barack Obama will use war not as a first choice, but a last resort. Barack Obama understands that for a commander-in-chief to support the military, he needs more than a “Mission Accomplished” banner, more than wearing a borrowed flight suit, and definitely more than four more years of the same failed foreign policy.

President Obama will restore the might of the military, invest in our troops and only send our sons and daughters to war if they have a clearly defined mission and the tools they need to succeed.

I speak from more than a gut feeling on this. I know Barack Obama. I met him when he visited me and other wounded troops at Walter Reed. He came without reporters. He wasn’t looking for credit. He just cared about how we were doing. He knew that wherever you stand on the war, you must love the warrior, and he does.

I testified before his committee; I listened to him talk, but then I watched what he did and how he voted. As a Senator, Barack Obama worked to improve the lives of all our veterans. He fought to fix our rundown hospitals. He fought to cut through the red tape. Unlike John McCain, Barack Obama fought for a new GI bill—and won—so that every veteran has the same opportunity to pursue their American dream just like his grandfather had after World War II. So I know what he’ll do as president.

An America with President Obama will have a 21st century VA. He’ll improve access to health care. He’ll speed up disability claims. He’ll increase services for nationwide post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries as we have already done in Illinois under Governor Blagojevich’s leadership.

And Barack Obama will have a simple principle for homeless veterans: zero tolerance, because we are all dishonored when those who’ve worn the uniform sleep on our streets. But here’s what he won’t do: President Obama will reject John McCain’s plan to privatize the VA system. We won’t force veterans to search for medical care with nothing but a plastic card and the promise of payment. We won’t have means testing for access to the VA. Why? Because Barack Obama knows this: no one asked us where we lived or how much money we had when we enlisted, and no one should ask us that after we’ve bled for our country.

Fellow Democrats, fellow Americans: I believe in this nation that I love more than my own life.

Today we have an opportunity to honor our military men and women by living up to that soldier’s creed. Today we have an opportunity to give our veterans the benefits they rightfully earned. Today we have the opportunity to change our relations with the world.

I believe that America will elect the leader who has always fought to keep our nation’s promise to our veterans. I believe America will elect the leader who can best keep this nation strong.

Barack Obama is right for our military. Barack Obama is right for our veterans. Barack Obama is right for our country. And that’s why Barack Obama will be our next commander-in-chief.

God bless you, and always, God bless America.

Click here to see Senator McCain tell a woman with a disability that he would not support the bill during a town hall meeting in Denver, CO, in early July.

To listen to the remarks from the conference call, click on the link below:

http://www.democrats.org/page/-/audio/calls/072508_disabilities_confcall.mp3

The following are excerpts from the call:

Marca Bristo, former Chair of the National Council on Disabilities (3:58)

"Don't get me wrong. I am glad that Senator McCain may be following Senator Obama's lead on the Community Choice Act, and we strongly urge him to do so. But there are so many other issues facing our country and our community. We have waited for too long over the last eight years for the Administration to act on our concerns.

Bob Kafka, National Organizer for ADAPT (8:23)

"We have asked Senator Obama to support S 779 (the Community Choice Act); he is a cosponsor. We have asked Senator McCain; he has adamantly refused."

Roll Call reports:

Meanwhile, others congregated at the office of Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), blocking access to the Congressional suite, which is located in the Russell Senate Office Building.

At least 21 protesters have been arrested throughout the day, according to Capitol Police spokeswoman Sgt. Kimberly Schneider.

The protest is being led by the disability advocacy group ADAPT, and many of the protesters are in wheelchairs. The group strung up banners and yellow tape around the RNC building on First Street Southeast, urging McCain to support the Community Choice Act, which would give individuals who are eligible for nursing home services or similar care greater access to community-based health services.

Both Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama are co-sponsoring the legislation.

Assembly Republicans defeated a bill that would close the so-called "sloop hole" that allows owners of yachts and private planes to dodge a use-tax by parking the vehicles out of state for the first three months after purchase.

California loses an estimated $26 million a year because of the current law...

Currently, the state is facing a $14 billion budget deficit. To give you a sense of the misplaced priorities, while California Republicans were protecting yacht owners, hundreds of disabled and seniors rallied at the State Capitol to protest 18 percent cuts to the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS).

Local activists have bombarded the state GOP with calls. When they turned off their phones, they found other ways to voice their displeasure.

As laid out by Erik Eckholm in The Times on Monday, the backlog of applicants who are awaiting a decision after appealing an initial rejection has soared to 755,000 from 311,000 in 2000. The average wait for an appeals hearing now exceeds 500 days, twice as long as applicants had to wait in 2000.

Typically two-thirds of those who appeal eventually win their cases. But during the long wait, their conditions may worsen and their lives often fall apart. More and more people have lost their homes, declared bankruptcy or even died while awaiting an appeals hearing.
[...]
The blame for this debacle lies mostly with the Republicans. For most of this decade, the administration has held the agency’s budget requests down and Republican-dominated Congresses have appropriated less than the administration requested. Now the Democratic-led Congress wants to increase funding to the Social Security Administration, and the White House is resisting.

Follow the link for a lot more.

21 days from today, New Jersey voters will vote on if the state should spend forty-five million dollars a year for 10 years on stem cell research. The funding would go toward advancing medical treatments and attracting leading scientists and research companies to the state.

The New Jersey for Hope political committee is a group of citizen activists, medical professionals, and elected officials who have come together for the purpose of advocating the passage of the public Stem Cell Ballot Question.

Today we are asking help from all who believe in the promise of stem cell research. Support the campaign in New Jersey by contributing $21 today by visiting our website:

www.njforhope.org.

Voting YES offers the best hope we have today for treating and curing diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Stem cells also hold great promise in addressing spinal cord injuries and birth defects. Scientists are making tremendous progress. We want to do everything we can to support this research.

Please support us today so we can keep moving forward towards groundbreaking treatments and cures. Again, New Jerseyans vote for Hope in just 21 days. Please consider contributing $21 today to our campaign to fund stem cell research by visiting www.njforhope.org

Think of elections that have been lost by a narrow margin-what would we give to have a chance to change that? We don't want to look back on New Jersey , the day after the election, and say, it might have been. We almost got half a billion for research-almost? Not good enough for so many who are depending on the treatments and cures that will come from stem cell research.

There are 21 days until the vote: let us use those days. We can make sure our stem cell research supporters know what is at stake, and rouse the State to turn out and vote, this coming November 6th, and stand up for stem cells!

Also, be sure to read a profoundly moving Op-Ed authored by Carl Riccio, a longtime stem cell research advocate and a hero to New Jersey residents who favor stem cell research, that ran in last Sunday's Bergen Record. In it, Carl makes a compelling argument for Voting YES on November 6th. Read Carl Riccio's Op-Ed Here

If New Jersey wins, everybody wins-- cures have no boundaries.

But first, the New Jersey Stem Cell Research Bond Act must pass

Disaboom.com is made for the community, by the community to be the premiere destination for anyone touched by a functional limitation or disability. Disaboom.com offers everything from features on health and living to world news, classifieds and social networking. Disaboom.com is the online community designed to keep you connected and in the know.

Go to Disaboom.com to check out or post events in your area, read up on the latest medical news, write a review on the accessibility of businesses and restaurants or participate in a forum. Your interest and involvement are important to us. Disaboom.com is building this community for you and by you. So log on towww.disaboom.com and join today!

Live Forward.

In 1977, he helped direct a nationwide sit-in that pushed legislators to implement Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act, the world's first civil-rights provision for the disabled. Section 504 was the forerunner of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Section 504 reads:

No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States, as defined in section 7(20), shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance or under any program or activity conducted by any Executive agency or by the United States Postal Service.

Bowe, who became deaf at age 3, never stopped fighting for people with disabilities. He assisted in drafting the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and continued to train both teachers and students in disability-related issues until his death. During the 1977 sit-in, he said, "Disabled people are first-class citizens and expect to be treated that way."

(Chris Kellerman is an intern in the DNC Internet Department)

Radio Iowa reports:

Harkin says in recent years court rulings have ignored the intent of Congress over who should be protected by the bill and narrowed the definition of who qualifies as an individual with a disability. "As a consequence, millions of people we intended to be protected by the A-D-A, including people with epilepsy diabetes and cancer, are not protected anymore," Harkin says. Harkin says the law has been weakened too much.

Harkin says when laws are written, they don't put in every little detail, that is done in the "report language." But he says the courts have ignored the report language, and Harkin says that's why there is bipartisan support to fix the bill.

At the same time the Iowa Senator has begun talking up these changes, a nationwide bus tour touting the Act has started visiting in the Senator's home state. It's being called the "Road to Freedom" Tour, and it has already visited 32 states since November.

These are good signs, and show a much-needed increased awareness for these issues.

Leading Members of the House and Senate will unveil bills at a press conference tomorrow, the 17th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), to restore the full promise of that landmark civil rights legislation. Recent Supreme Court decisions have narrowly interpreted the definition of "disability" under the ADA - thus making it more difficult for people to avail themselves of the law's protections - even though Congress intentionally chose a definition of "disability" that was broad. The bills being introduced by leading Members of the House and Senate, including Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD), Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI), and Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), will ensure that the ADA is interpreted as broadly as originally intended by Congress. Who: Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (MD) Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) Representative Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI) Representative Jerry Nadler (D-NY) Representative Jim Langevin (D-RI) Other Members of Congress John Lancaster, Executive Director, National Council on Independent Living Elizabeth Goldberg, Chair of Epilepsy Foundation Youth Council What: Press Conference to Unveil Legislation to Restore the Americans with Disabilities Act Where: West Front of the U.S. Capitol [Rain Site: Senate Agriculture Committee Room - Room 328A in the Russell Senate Office Building] When: 10:15 a.m. Thursday, July 26th Please note: for questions regarding accessibility for the West Front, please contact Katie Grant in the Office of the Majority Leader at 225-3130. For questions regarding accessibility for the Senate Agriculture Room, please contact Lee Perselay in the Office of Senator Tom Harkin at 224-6201.

Source: Office of the U.S. House of Representatives

“Today marks the 17th anniversary of a truly great day in American history, a day when leaders from both sides of the aisle came together around a commitment to protecting the rights of all Americans. The Americans with Disabilities Act was a milestone in the fight for equal opportunity, full participation in society, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for millions of Americans with disabilities. We are still a long way from making that ideal a reality, but Democrats remain committed to the cause.

“I am proud that strong Democratic leaders like Congressman Steny Hoyer and Senator Tom Harkin have chosen today to commemorate the enactment of the ADA by introducing bipartisan legislation, the ADA Restoration Act of 2007, to restore rights that have been taken away by President Bush’s radical court appointees and by the President’s reckless budget cuts that gut key programs. Now, with thousands of wounded and disabled veterans returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan, a new generation of Americans with disabilities demands a renewed commitment to the ADA. Republicans need to follow the lead of Republicans like Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner and Senator Arlen Specter by supporting the ADA Restoration Act of 2007. Together, we can send a clear message that we will not rest until the original promise of the Americans with Disabilities Act is realized and the fundamental rights of all Americans are protected.”

All of this is in the context of a growing debate about a bill that recently cleared a California Senate committee, after being vetoed by Schwarzenegger last year, would double workers compensation permanent disability benefits over three years. Democrats on the committee favored the legislation, while the Republicans voted against it. Business Insurance quotes the sponsor of the bill, Democratic Sen. Don Perata, stating, "We already have enough data showing that permanently disabled workers are not getting their fair share of workers compensation benefits.”

According to California Progress Report:

Insurer profits now exceed workers’ benefits according to a study released on April 30, 2007 by an industry rate setting organization, the Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB). Since enactment of Schwarzenegger’s SB 899 in 2004, insurer profits have totaled $27.7 billion and benefits to workers (including medical treatment, temporary disability payments and permanent disability benefits for diminished earning capacity) have totaled $19.8 billion.

Also according to the report, "Weekly benefits for permanently disabled workers in California are now 4th lowest in the nation."