Timothy Giethner (Treasury Secretary)

Why did he get the job?
1. He joined the Department of Treasury in 1988 and worked in three administrations for five Secretaries of the Treasury.
2. He served as the ninth president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, where he began on November 17, 2003. In that capacity, he served as the vice chairman and a permanent member of the Federal Open Market Committee, the group responsible for formulating the nation's monetary policy.
3. He has a master’s in International Economics and East Asian Studiesfrom John's Hopkins University. He has studied Japanese and Chinese and has lived in East Africa, India, Thailand, China, and Japan.

Headlines:
1. Secretary Geithner Meets with India’s Leading Financial
Entreprenuers: Secratery Giethner met with a group of India's leading financial entrepenuers along with representatives from American financial institutions to launch a partnership to guide economic cooperation. They discussed new policy and technology to expand banking access to the ever expanding Indian population. This included cell-phone banking which is becoming more popular in India.
2. Secretary Geithner's Meeting with Vice Premier Wang Qishan: The two sides exchanged views on U.S.-China economic relations, the global economic situation and issues relating to the upcoming economic track dialogue of the second U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, to be held in Beijing in late May.

Hilda Solis (Secratery of Labor)

Why did she get the job?
1. She was a member of the California State Assembly from 1992-1994
2. She was the 1st Latino elected to the State Sentate in California and served from 1994-2000. As the chairwoman of the California Senate Industrial Relations Committee, she led the battle to increase the state's minimum wage from $4.25 to $5.75 an hour in 1996.
3. As a US representative from California she represented the 32nd district of California from 2001-2009. In June 2007, Solis was elected Vice Chair of the Helsinki Commission's General Committee on Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Questions. She was the only U.S. elected official to serve on this Committee.

Headlines:
1. US Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis on the death of 25 miners at Upper Big Branch South Mine: The Department of Labor is investigating the deaths of these 25 miners. The Upper Big Branch South Mine has been shut down upon investigation of safety standards. The Upper Big Branch mine has had a pattern of violating the safety status of their mines.
2. US Labor Secretary Hilda L. Solis encouraging Senate passage of legislation extending unemployment and health care benefits for unemployed workers: She praised the Senate for moving this legistlation foward that will soon, hopefully allow for the passage of short term extensions of unemployment payment and healthcare benefits for unemployed American workers.

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Mitch McConnell (R, KY)

US Senator: Kentucky (Republican)

He is the Senate Minority leader and voted against the Senate Health Care bill along with every other Republican in the Senate. He believes that the Democrats are attempting to push through a monumental bill without any bipartisan efforts and that they are not listening to the American people.

"Americans don't want the one-party bill the Democrats are trying to force on them, or any variation of it. And they certainly don't want Democrats to pushit through with even more backroom deals... using reconcilliation to jam this health care plan through would make the Cornhusker Kickback look like an exercise in goood government."

McConnell won reelection in 2008 by a 53-47 percent vote vs Democratic opponent Bruce Lunsford.

Jason Altmire (D, PA)

US House of Representatives: Pennsylvania (Democrat)

He was one of the only House Democrats to vote against the bill. He believes that we need more common sense reform that will lower cost for everyone while preserving what works in our current system.

"I voted against the House's health care reform bill in the Education and Labor Committee because it failed to effectively reign in rising health care costs; it was punitive toward small businesses; and it paid for reform by raising taxes, rather than by squeezing the inefficiencies out of and modernizing our health care system."

Altmire's opponent in the upcoming election will be former US Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan most early predictions are that he is as close to a lock as the Democrats have this November. He is a conservative to moderate democrat who should have no problem winning reelection.

George Washington

State: Virginia

Age at Convention: 55

Year of Death: 1799

Schooling: Private Tutoring, Honorary L.L.D. from Harvard 1776

Occupation: Surveyor, Planter and Slave Holder, General of the Continental Army, Lending and Investments, Real Estate Land Speculations, Public Security Interests

3 Most significant political experiences prior to convention: Virginia House of Burgesses 1759-1774, Continental Congress 1774-1775, Commander in Chief of Continental Army 1775-1783

Convention Contributions: President of the Convention, present at the Conventino through the signing.

Did he sign? Yes.

What did he do after the convention: He was unanimously elected as President of the United States (1788-1796).

Most interesting thing about George Washington: He had no children of his own. He married, widow, Martha Custis who had two children which Washington raised as his own but he had no offspring.

Quote: "having conducted these States to independence and peace, he now appears to assist in framing a Government to make the People happy. Like Gustavus Vasa, he made be said to be the deliverer of his Country." -William Pierce, speaking of Washington at the Convention.

Edward Rutledge (South Carolina)

1. How well did the character in the film portray the historical figure?

For the most part, he was portrayed well in the film. He was young and charasmatic and was adament that the colonies should explore every opportunity for reconcilliation with Great Britian.

2. What did the film get right? In other words, what was accurate?

The film accurately portrayed his youth and charisma and his weariness to break away from England. He was very young compared to the other members of the Continental Congress and was somewhat overwhelmed with such a monumental decision and that was portrayed well in the film.

3. What was dramatized? Distorted? or Exaggerated?

His brashness and bold defiance of the sepratists was most likely an exaggeration becuase in reality he was very much a proponent of colonial rights and simply wished to explore all options for reconcilliation with England as not to upset the the basic social structure of life in the South.

4. What was the figure's role in signing the Declaration of Independence?

He was the youngest of 56 delegates to sign the Declaration of Independence and was important in leading a successful effort to remove wording in the Declaration that codemned slavery.

5. Anything interesting you found out about the person?

Rutledge was a main character in the Musical play 1776 in which he sings the song "Molasses to Rum" about slavery and the Triangle Trade. He is said to have died from apoplexy (a word referring to extreme rage or excitement) upon reading about the death of George Washington.