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In a speech to cheering,  flag waving, and dancing  Chicago supporters and to a watching nation the President said  the American people have “picked ourselves up”in the past  and fought back during tough economic times, and added  “The Best is yet to come.”

Challenger Mitt Romney in a gracious concession speech told his supporters to “Pray for President Obama and urged the political winners on both sides of the aisle  to put partisan bickering aside and “reach across the aisle” to tackle the nation’s problems.

President Obama said that he intends to sit down with Governor Romney in the coming weeks.

Here is how we voted by the states:

President  Obama won: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Maine, Maryland Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,  New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,  Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin.

Mitt Romney won: Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky,  Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota,  Oklahoma, North Carolina, South Carolina,  South Dakota, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming.

Flordia results are still not in as of this writing.

President Obama is leading in the popular vote with near 75% of the precincts reporting  by 25,000 votes

The post President Obama Wins Re-Election first appeared on River View Observer.

What was your plans for the lottery money had you won the big game?

That seemed to be the question on everyone’s mind today after one of Mega Millions biggest jackpots was won by two lucky tickets winners. One from Idaho and the other from Washington. Washington, what Washington I began to wonder? They didn’t say Washington State did they mean Washington DC. Is that why I saw our President on the front page of the New York Daily News in flip flops and shorts. Had he purchased a lottery ticket and won the $355,000,000 million dollar jackpot. OK sir, if you did win please put it back towards our deficit and now we are only about 8 trillion shy.

What about the lucky winner in Idaho, did I know anyone in Idaho? Oh yeah, my old Sargent from the Army back in 1970 he  didn’t like me much. Did  he win? I remember him saying on many occasion- Boy, if I ever hit it rich I’m gonna come to Jersey and kick your butt for a year from Sunday to Monday. It would be my luck if he won. I better check the airlines to see if old Sergeant Jessie Wright booked a plane reservation to Jersey.

I have a question why are all the largest jackpot winners from  the midwest?Is there some kind of curse on us folks here in the Northeast. Does it have anything to do with the Soprano’s being filmed in Kearny? Or that fact that Elliot Spitzer was once the Governor of New York?

 I recall going to bingo with my wife and her sister up at Foxwood’s one year and one of the big Bingo games jackpot  paid $250,000.00 and the winner came from Idaho. Is this the same person that won last nights lottery?  Did old Sargent Wright play Bingo? Should I move to Idaho would that change my luck? Nah! I love the Sopranos.

Yesterday dreams abound with stories of good fortune and talk of “I will do this for you and I will do that for you.” Today I said to my neighbor who said to me yesterday ” If I win the big one tonight I am going to pay your mortgage on your house as a gift for being such a good neighbor all these years.” Today, I asked him if I could borrow a shovel to finish off some snow in my yard. He glared at me, with flared nostrils, eyes bugging from his head “Are you kidding me, you think shovels grow on trees, what do I look like a millionaire?” Ah, the dream of having money and what it will do to the soul.

So what would you have done with all that money? Experts on big lottery winnings tell you don’t go crazy, but if Monday afternoon you were checking the seats of your car for change to pay for a gallon of gas and Tuesday night you find out your the winner of  $355 mil wouldn’t you go a little crazy. The so called experts say take $50,000 of the money and buy every stupid thing you ever wanted to buy. Why? I am poor because I buy stupid things all the time. I bought shamo from a television commercial, I own a weed whacker but I live in the inner city. I purchased  one of those sit up machines, that make you lay down to use it,  I own every record that K-Tell records of the stars ever released and I don’t have a phonograph anymore. Get where I am going with this. No if I won all that money I wouldn’t take just $50,000 and do something stupid. I would take $60,000.000 million and do something really dumb like run for President of the United States in this day and age. Very tough job. Are their any primaries in Idaho?

What would I have really done with all that money had I won?  Well, will never know will we. Tonight someone or some people in Idaho and someone or group in Washington have to think on that question. Me I am going to rest easy tonight knowing I won’t be running for President, and I just called information in Idaho to look for old Seargent Jessie Wright- he moved to Jersey 20 years ago.

-Nolan Weeks

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This new law includes important and unprecedented protections for consumers that will end a number of deceptive and predatory practices, many of which I am proud to have had a hand in drafting. We are ending surprise and unjustified interest rate increases, changes to contracts, unreasonable penalties for consumers and opportunities for card companies to prey on unsuspecting young consumers, just to name a few. Credit card company abuses have reached a point where families feel like a trap door is going to open up beneath them every time they swipe a card. It was crucial to do everything within our reach to protect consumers from falling further into debt as a result of these practices. For years, it has been a main priority of mine to help put an end to the tricks and traps that many credit card companies use to boost interest rates and fees. I authored the Credit Card Reform Act, and was a lead co-sponsor of Senator Dodd’s legislation that eventually passed the Senate. Much of the Credit Card Reform Act is mirrored in the new law, and I was proud to also help add major provisions, including:

Protection of college students and other consumers under the age of 21 by requiring them to proactively opt in to receiving credit card solicitations rather than automatically receiving them, as is now the case
Requiring credit card companies to consider an applicant’s financial ability to pay for the credit card before giving approval or raising the limit, much like new regulations in the mortgage system
Prohibiting credit card companies from giving away free merchandise on college campuses in exchange for filling out a card application and requiring public posting of deals between credit card companies and colleges that may provide the card companies with student data
Requiring companies that charge payments but advertise “free” credit reports to disclose, “This is not the free credit report provided for by federal law”.
We sought to finally make things fair between credit card holders and credit card companies. With this bill, the trap doors are being sealed shut, the booby traps are being dismantled and the erasable ink is being poured down the drain.

The post Sen. Robert Menendez Is There When -LANDMARK CREDIT CARD REFORM SIGNED INTO LAW first appeared on River View Observer.