Senator Barbara Boxer to Brigadier General Michael Walsh "Call Me Senator" VIDEO

BIOGRAPHY: Brigadier General Michael J. Walsh

Brigadier General Michael Walsh assumed command of the Mississippi Valley Division, Vicksburg, Miss., February 20, 2008. He also serves as President-designee of the Mississippi River Commission. General Walsh came to MVD from Baghdad, Iraq, where he was the Commander for the Corps’ Gulf Region Division.

As MVD Commander, Walsh is responsible for a $7.5 billion civil works program. In addition, he plays a vital role in managing the Corps water resources program in the Mississippi River Valley. The boundaries of the Mississippi Valley Division extend from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, include portions of 12 states, and encompass 370,000 square miles.

The programs and activities overseen by the MVD and MRC are conducted by six district offices located in St. Paul, Minn., Rock Island, Ill., St. Louis, Mo., Memphis, Tenn., Vicksburg, Miss., and New Orleans, La. He also serves as Commander of Task Force Hope. TF Hope is the designation given to the Corps’ effort in support of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s national response plan to Hurricane Katrina. Engaging more than 3,800 personnel at its peak, TF Hope was among the largest disaster recovery operations in the history of the Corps of Engineers.

Previous assignments include: Commander of the Corps’ South Atlantic Division, Atlanta, Ga., from June 2004 to September 2006, Chief of Staff at Corps headquarters, Washington, D.C., from May 2003 to June 2004, Executive Director of Civil Works at Corps headquarters, Washington, D.C., from August 2001 to May 2003, District Commander of the Corps’ Sacramento District, Sacramento, Calif., from 1998 to 2001, and District Commander of the Corps’ San Francisco District, San Francisco, Calif., from 1994 to 1996.

Brig. Gen. Walsh has held a wide variety of Army command and staff assignments, to include: project management officer for Engineer Branch, Supreme Headquarters, Allied Powers, Europe (SHAPE); Environmental Task Force Leader, Fort Stewart, Ga.; Executive Officer, 92nd Engineer Battalion, Fort Stewart, Ga., and Saudi Arabia; Project Engineer and Assistant Area Engineer, Baltimore District; Construction Officer, 18th Engineer Brigade, Darmstadt, Germany; and Commander, Company B, 94th Engineer Battalion, Darmstadt, Germany.

Brig. Gen. Walsh graduated from Polytechnic Institute of New York in 1977 with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. He also earned a master's degree in construction management from the University of Florida. His military education includes the Engineer Officers Basic and Advanced Courses, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, and the U.S. Army War College. He was born in Brooklyn, NY, and is married with two children.

President Barack Obama Weekly Address 06/20/09 PODCAST VIDEO TEXT

Remarks of President Barack Obama Weekly Address Saturday, June 20, 2009 Washington, DC PODCAST OF THIS ARTICLE Download MP3 4.16 mb

As we continue to recover from an historic economic crisis, it is clear to everyone that one of its major causes was a breakdown in oversight that led to widespread abuses in the financial system. An epidemic of irresponsibility took hold from Wall Street to Washington to Main Street. And the consequences have been disastrous. Millions of Americans have seen their life savings erode; families have been devastated by job losses; businesses large and small have closed their doors.

In response, this week, my administration proposed a set of major reforms to the rules that govern our financial system; to attack the causes of this crisis and to prevent future crises from taking place; to ensure that our markets can work fairly and freely for businesses and consumers alike.

We are going to promote markets that work for those who play by the rules. We’re going to stand up for a system in which fair dealing and honest competition are the only way to win. We’re going to level the playing field for consumers. And we’re going to have the kinds of rules that encourage innovations that make our economy stronger – not those that allow insiders to exploit its weaknesses for their own gain.

And one of the most important proposals is a new oversight agency called the Consumer Financial Protection Agency. It’s charged with just one job: looking out for the interests of ordinary Americans in the financial system. This is essential, for this crisis may have started on Wall Street. But its impacts have been felt by ordinary Americans who rely on credit cards, home loans, and other financial instruments.

It is true that this crisis was caused in part by Americans who took on too much debt and took out loans they simply could not afford. But there are also millions of Americans who signed contracts they did not always understand offered by lenders who did not always tell the truth. Today, folks signing up for a mortgage, student loan, or credit card face a bewildering array of incomprehensible options. Companies compete not by offering better products, but more complicated ones – with more fine print and hidden terms. It’s no coincidence that the lack of strong consumer protections led to abuses against consumers; the lack of rules to stop deceptive lending practices led to abuses against borrowers.

This new agency will have the responsibility to change that. It will have the power to set tough new rules so that companies compete by offering innovative products that consumers actually want – and actually understand. Those ridiculous contracts – pages of fine print that no one can figure out – will be a thing of the past. You’ll be able to compare products – with descriptions in plain language – to see what is best for you. The most unfair practices will be banned. The rules will be enforced.

Some argue that these changes – and the many others we’ve called for – go too far. And I welcome a debate about how we can make sure our regulations work for businesses and consumers. But what I will not accept – what I will vigorously oppose – are those who do not argue in good faith. Those who would defend the status quo at any cost. Those who put their narrow interests ahead of the interests of ordinary Americans. We’ve already begun to see special interests mobilizing against change.

That’s not surprising. That’s Washington.

For these are interests that have benefited from a system which allowed ordinary Americans to be exploited. These interests argue against reform even as millions of people are facing the consequences of this crisis in their own lives. These interests defend business-as-usual even though we know that it was business-as-usual that allowed this crisis to take place.

Well, the American people did not send me to Washington to give in to the special interests; the American people sent me to Washington to stand up for their interests. And while I’m not spoiling for a fight, I’m ready for one. The most important thing we can do to put this era of irresponsibility in the past is to take responsibility now. That is why my administration will accept no less than real and lasting change to the way business is done – on Wall Street and in Washington. We will do what is necessary to end this crisis – and we will do what it takes to prevent this kind of crisis from ever happening again.

Thank you.