Tag Archives: Economy

Economy, Politics, Race Relations

Obama’s Economy, Recovery Is Worse Than The Recession

After reading about the layoffs continuing at my local newspaper, Investor’s Business Daily has some interesting, or rather disturbing, numbers on “Obama’s recovery.”

Incomes fell more in the year after Obama’s recovery started than it did during Bush’s recession itself, And household incomes have basically flat-lined ever since.

And those hurt the most? Blacks, Hispanics, female-headed families and the young — have fared far worse under Obama than everyone else.

There are a lot of historical reasons that people habitually vote Democrat. But the Obama regime has been so bad on the economic front that it is causing defections to the Libertarian and Republican parties. People look at things differently when it begins to affect their wallet.

Economy, Politics

College President Barack Obama On Tour

Hitting his usual and usually compliant constituents, 18 to 21 year olds, President Obama is on the campaign trail again. While pretending to coax colleges to lower their costs, he is out there justifying why he (or we) will be spending even more on them than we already are. It’s a continuation of the union money laundering scheme. Which explains why he doesn’t try this act on the rest of the country, that know him for who he is.

He’ll wink at continually rising tuitions, and continue financing them with student loan programs destined for eventual bailout.

Economy, Florida, Pensacola, Politics

Pensacola, Brought To You By The Letter ‘S’

As a Pensacola resident, have you grown tired of the never-ending hand-wringing over doing something that will increase tourism, prevent young people from having, and wanting, to leave town to make a living, and of the politicians catering to deep-pocketed special interests to no one’s benefit except the politician and his special interest, aka contributor? Let’s try something different.

How about we start with something that will enhance our area for everyone? Beginning with the letter “S”.

Scenic Highway is an area that has been neglected for so many years that there’s no scene anymore. Out of 11 miles of it, there’s maybe a half-mile left, measuring small patches of open view along the way. The area has been left to overgrowth of wild nuisance trees and other invasive growth that have taken the scene out of Scenic Highway. This didn’t happen overnight.

Did you know that there is a Scenic Highway Foundation? They see the problem as I do, and have received no cooperation from the City of Pensacola to fix it. As they see it . . .

One of the major problems along Scenic Highway is non-native invasive plants. These plants are a threat to the highway corridor’s natural landscapes because they can alter native ecosystems by outcompeting, shading out, and sometimes physically overwhelming, native plants. So invasive plants threaten native plant diversity, but also they provide fewer habitats for beneficial insects than natives do, and many native birds depend on these insects to feed their young. On the bluffs, invasives cause the additional problem of obscuring views of the bay, making Scenic Highway less scenic.

I’m not one to criticize without offering a solution. Get rid of the non-native vegetation. And for control of erosion, replacing where necessary with native plants like the SHF recommends. Remove the junk/wild trees that obscure the view at street level. Topping off, as in chopping off, those trees at street level that are rooted on the hillside leading down to the bay. After that, keep up the highway so that it will not be overgrown again. Then residents and tourists will be treated to the natural beauty that Pensacola has to offer. It would make Ladybird Johnson proud.

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Next on Pensacola’s to-do list, and another thing that didn’t happen overnight, is to find the source(s) of the fecal bacterial contamination that has plagued Bayou Texar for decades, causing the Health Department to close it for use and human contact several times a year. Getting the Shit out of Bayou Texar has been on my radar since November of 2007. A lot has happened since then. But nothing to fix the problem. Just more Bayou closings by the Health Department and lip service from City Hall.

I have challenged the Emerald CoastKeepers, a local group created in 1999 by Mike Papantonio (local lawyer and Lefty talk radio host), to address the issue to no avail. Their focus on environmental issues is suing corporations with deep pockets instead of advocating for clean water in Bayou Texar.

I refer you to two links here on The Lunch Counter that give a good summary of efforts made to affect positive change. All to no avail. Both posts, Cleaning Up Bayou Texar No Longer A Priority and Mayor Hayward’s Town Hall Tonight condense the issue to who said what, including a comment from Doreen Glennan, a prospective newcomer to the area.

For brevity, I urge you to follow the links provided in the posts mentioned above. A complete summary of all my research on this subject can be found HERE.

Since Mayor Hayward’s tenure, the reporting from the Health Department has been sanitized. What used to be described as fecal bacteria is now called simply “bacteria,” and the posting of signs at the boat ramps to warn the public was discontinued. There’s nothing to be gained by ignoring the nature of problem, except maybe to disguise the truth and not embarrass the new Mayor-based City government while outside advertising campaigns designed to attract tourists and industry are running. I don’t know. To quote my favorite former Secretary of State, “what difference, at this point, does it make?”

A gentleman named Al Garza used to advise the city on matters like this. After talking to him though, it seems his “solution” is to do nothing. That’s not acceptable. What should be done is to contract again with a scientist or organization qualified in determining the source(s) of the fecal contamination, like Dr. Richard Snyder at UWF or some other entity. And, see it through to completion.

Mr. Garza seemed conflicted between the Shit in the water and the chemical contaminants in the sediment of the Bayou. As though the fecal contamination could not be solved without dredging the bayou. And, he said, dredging the bayou would cause more problems by stirring up the chemicals. I’m not a scientist, but seems to me that whatever “problems” would be created by removing contaminated sediment would be solved by the natural flushing and depositing of new sediment that is not contaminated. And it wouldn’t take decades for it to repair itself. Long term, it would be repaired and we won’t have to tout the new Chamber slogan . . .

Visit Pensacola, You’ll love our shit!

Economy, Politics

Dept. Of Labor, All Wrong On Minimum Wage

The DOL has the raising the minimum wage argument all wrong.

According to the Dept. of Labor . . .

While the federal minimum wage was only $3.35 per hour in 1981 and is currently $7.25 per hour in real dollars, when adjusted for inflation, the current federal minimum wage would need to be more than $8 per hour to equal its buying power of the early 1980s and more than $10 per hour to equal its buying power of the late 1960s. That’s why President Obama is urging Congress to increase the federal minimum wage and give low-wage workers a much-needed boost.

And the reason it is wrong is because the President is an economic imbecile. He is the one that has devalued the dollar. Between the Fed monetizing the debt, printing money under QE1, QE2, and QE3, and his piling on the national debt, the dollar has been devalued.

The end of the DOL’s blurb highlights their ignorance. The government doesn’t “give” low-wage workers anything. They don’t have anything to give. What they mean is to increase the payroll cost on employers. Which will result in fewer people working, or people working fewer hours. So what is it exactly that the government “gives” anyone? More misery, that’s what.

His, and the DOL’s answer is to raise the minimum wage to compensate for his irresponsible monetary policy, instead of increasing the purchasing power of the dollar through fiscal and economic sanity. His way cost jobs. Done the right way will create jobs and “give” low-wage workers more bang for their buck. It is the private sector solution which is antithetical to the spread-the-wealth (spread the misery) “solution.”

Economy, Energy, Europe, Obamacare, Politics

Mexico’s Energy Reform, Introduce Private Enterprise

The United States isn’t the only country in the hemisphere suffering from an incoherent energy policy. An effective energy policy is one that gets energy instead of one that won’t use all energy resources available.Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto listens to an attendee at the annual Allen and Co. conference at the Sun Valley

Mexico’s problem . . .

Mexico is the world’s 10th-biggest producer of crude oil, according to OPEC data, yet output has fallen by a quarter since hitting peak production of 3.4 million barrels per day in 2004. The country also is a top oil exporter to the United States but has to import nearly half of its gasoline due to a lack of domestic refining capacity.

Our problem? We haven’t built a new refinery in decades. The government limits the energy industry by restricting access to available resources to the bidding of regulatory agencies and special interests whose goals, although noble, are not ready for prime time nor economically feasible at this time. Not only that, but the oil industry has become deformed as a private enterprise, a result of growing government intervention.

Parallels abound between the role government plays in United States and that of Europe and Mexico. Economically, Europe, and toss Russia into the mix too, is introducing more capitalism, private sector business and ownership, as a way to raise them from the economic malaise that their socialist models have produced. On the energy front, Mexico is looking to change from their total government-controlled and owned energy sector to one that, for the first time, introduces private enterprise into the mix.

The teachable moment here is where we, as a country, are going wrong. Economically, we are trying to go to a place that from experience, Europe is trying to get away from. On the energy front, the political party in power is inclined to nationalizing the energy industry whether by fiat or through regulatory agencies. The opposite to what, from experience, Mexico sees as a solution.

It’s been proven it can be done. They just took the health care industry, sixteen percent of our entire economy. And just like in Mexico, there are challenges to making real reform. We should know why Europe and Mexico envy what we have accomplished under free-market capitalism. Which is why we should resist any changes that take us to a place from which they are running.

Link: Mexico energy reform due this week, debate over contracts

2014 Election, 2016 Election, Economy, Immigration, Politics, Race Relations

“One Spin, One Win,” The 2014 Election

You could say that politics in 2013 and leading up to the 2014 election is not unlike the wheel games on the boardwalk. A big win for either party is not certain. It’s not even certain that one party will win. The balance of power could stay as it is, which isn’t enough to stop America’s decline.spinning_wheel2

Some say, like this article, that the Tea Party (which isn’t an actual party, but a group of political conservatives) has lost its power due in part to its low profile compared to a few years ago when it took the House in the 2010 election. And also point to some of their “candidates” beginning to change color and lose favor. Sen. Marco Rubio for example, was against immigration reform without border security first, before he was for it. Who the Tea Party gets behind in 2014 and 2016 remains to be seen. They have had enough of politicians that lack the backbone to stand up for conservative principles, ALL the time.

Then there are the democrats that have had enough of the “Hope and Change” vapors. Who instead want to see the promises (any of them) come to fruition. Too bad it took five years for them to see that the man they elected hasn’t a clue about solving why they still don’t have a job, why their health care is getting more expensive, and why their dollar is worth less and less every day. While they all won’t switch their political party, they might sit the next election out. A phenomenon that cost Romney his election win when, compared to 2008, over 3 million republicans stayed home and didn’t vote. On top of buyer’s remorse, you have Democrats like Louisianans Elbert Guillary and Ralph Washington switching to the Republican Party.

Both parties have reason for concern. If Democrats keep the Senate and take the House back, it’s game over for America as we know it. High unemployment the new norm. Overbearing government control of our lives, despite the Constitution, the new norm. And the so-called “lame duck” will be anything but lame. The stakes couldn’t be higher for Republicans to get behind the conservatism that got them elected in 2010, if they ever intend to get control of the Senate, keep the House, and turn this ship around. They actually can make Obama’s promises come to fruition. Being Democrat-lite is a loser.

Links: Tea Party Plans to Abandon GOP Stars | Two Black Democrats Become Republicans in Louisiana

Economy, Energy, Organized Labor, Politics

Only The Names Have Changed In Dept. of Labor

Labor Secretary Perez is hitting the ground running with a new and improved Department of Labor 2014-2018 Strategic Plan Outreach. I think it would be a mistake to think that President Obama picked Thomas E. Perez for Labor Secretary for the purposes of helping to turn this sorry economic situation around.

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On the contrary, through the smoke and mirrors of his bullet points, the message is clear. The government has no intention of taking its boot off business’s throat. “Ensuring” access to opportunities that are already there means more government intervention.

Ensure access to opportunity . . .

  • to earn a fair day’s pay
  • for workers and employers to compete on a level playing field
  • to retire with dignity and peace of mind
  • opportunity for people to work in a safe and healthy environment
  • and with the full protection of our anti-discrimination laws.

The names have changed, but the agenda? Not so much. A higher federally mandated minimum wage that won’t be a minimum wage, but a “living wage.” Undermining the employer/employee relationship through government intervention. Increasing labor union membership, bailing out labor union underfunded pensions. And other than putting more pressure on the coal industry, working in a safe and healthy environment isn’t an opportunity. It’s not only to the employer’s benefit to have a safe work environment, but is required. The antidiscrimination issue is code for lowering or eliminating job qualification standards, forcing employers to hire more people to make up for the loss in productivity.

To his credit though, Sec. Perez says he will allow you to take part in a live web chat starting Monday Aug. 5 at 2 pm. Make sure you are heard. And let’s see how sincere he really is in his method of finding common ground via “collaboration, consensus-building and pragmatic problem-solving.”

Link: Department of Labor 2014-2018 Strategic Plan Outreach

Economy, Media, Politics

No Significant Hiring This Year, Or Next

President Barack Obama gave a major economic policy speech last week. We’ve heard it all before, and before. Here’s what he didn’t say, and probably won’t ever say: Businesses will not begin new, significant hiring this year or in 2014.

Real unemployment will get worse and, the 7.6% unemployment rate from the BLS is bogus, manipulated math. The real unemployment rate is more like 17.2%.

The closely followed, single BLS unemployment metric, now 7.6%, fails to reflect the actual state of things: Unemployment and underemployment is, according to Gallup, 17.2%. That means more than 20 million Americans are unemployed or grossly underemployed. And here’s a much more significant metric: only 44.7% of adults 18 years and older in the U.S. are in a full-time job, according to Gallup’s Payroll to Population (P2P) metric.

Link: Jim Clifton, Gallup Chairman and CEO