Tag Archives: Economy

Economy, Media, Politics, Race Relations

Reality v Pres. Obama’s Speeches

Keep in mind that Senator Obama, and now President Obama, for five years now, has been focused like a laser beam on rebuilding the economy. Really? I guess it depends on the meaning of “rebuilding.” His speech on the economy last week, was the same speech he has read since day one. More spending, more taxing the rich, infrastructure, middle class, green energy, education, investments, bla bla bla.

Five years later, here’s a progress report (minus $7 trillion in more debt) from an unlikely source. The Associated Press.

Four out of 5 U.S. adults struggle with joblessness, near-poverty or reliance on welfare for at least parts of their lives, a sign of deteriorating economic security and an elusive American dream. {emphasis added}

… the widening gap between rich and poor, and the loss of good-paying manufacturing jobs …

Faced with the reality that picking victims by race is not working, maybe trying something that would help “everyone” (as in post-racial?) is a wiser approach?

As nonwhites approach a numerical majority in the U.S., (a reality not missed by Democrats, in so many ways) one question is how public programs to lift the disadvantaged should be best focused – on the affirmative action that historically has tried to eliminate the racial barriers seen as the major impediment to economic equality, or simply on improving socioeconomic status for all, regardless of race.

Hardship is particularly growing among whites, based on several measures. Pessimism among that racial group about their families’ economic futures has climbed to the highest point since at least 1987. In the most recent AP-GfK poll, 63 percent of whites called the economy “poor.”

I’m not the only one who sees our American ship heading for the rocks. Most would think this to be bad news. But not our President. He’s getting closer to what he calls leveling the playing field. It is clear, according to the AP, that poverty and pessimism about our country’s future is shared by everyone, regardless of race, equally.

Obama is closing the gap in poverty among the races. Not by lifting those at the bottom, but by lowering those higher up.

While racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to live in poverty, race disparities in the poverty rate have narrowed substantially since the 1970s.

I don’t blame or hold President Obama solely responsible for this disaster. It is the result of something larger than himself. It is Liberalism in general, the ideology, that fails us. Just like it fails in every other country it is tried.

The consequence of spreading the wealth only results in one thing. Spreading the misery.

Link: Exclusive: Signs of declining economic security

Economy, Politics

Climb To The Moon On National Debt

Just another of those phony scandals the Republicans are pushing to cause gridlock. That must be what President Obama is thinking, since he is intent on doing, and planning on doing, nothing but increasing it.

  • The national debt is at its highest since the end of the second world war
  • The figure equates to every man, woman and child owing $55,091 each
  • Of the $5.1 trillion owned by foreign governments – nearly half is owned by China and Japan
  • The national debt has increased more than $6 trillion since President Obama took office – the largest increase under any president

The country’s national debt is now so high, over $16.7 trillion, that if the figure was converted into $5 bills it would stretch almost to the moon.

climb_to_the_moon_on_national_debt

 

Link: One giant debt for mankind: U.S. national deficit would reach almost to the moon if piled high in 5 dollar bills | Mail Online.

Economy, Energy, Florida, Gun Control, Immigration, Judiciary, Obamacare, Organized Labor, Politics, Race Relations

“Could Have Been Me 35 Years Ago”

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Two can play that game Mr. President.

If you were Trayvon 35 years ago, it would have spared the country from . . .

  • record unemployment
  • a stagnant economy
  • high energy prices
  • high food prices
  • union bailouts
  • a move towards socialism
  • Obamacare
  • the dilution of “equal justice under the law” with your inclination toward “social justice” and “racial justice”
  • your lawless administration that selectively enforces laws, especially current immigration laws
  • your Attorney General ignoring voting rights laws (New Black Panthers in Philadelphia)
  • your dozens of unaccountable Czars
  • using the Federal Govt. and its agencies to oppress (and attack, George Zimmerman) the citizens
  • abuse of voting and first amendment rights (IRS)
  • attacks on second amendment rights
  • racial tensions fueled by you not seen since the 60’s.
  • Did I mention voting rights abuse?

Economy, Egypt, Middle East, Politics, Religion, War On Terror

News Flash, alQaeda Is Not Dead

Next time you hear a politician (take your pick) say how alQaeda is “on the run,” they want you to believe that they are running away. I don’t see any evidence of that. Do you? If anything, the direction is towards us, not away.

alqaeda_not_deadAside from Allah calling for the destruction of infidels in America, the Egyptian Muslim Cleric in this interview also has a commentary of America in general. Says that “America will collapse on itself” from its “huge debt” and “spreading poverty.” Apparently he didn’t get the memo. What appears to be a collapse to him is part of the “transformation” our President had in mind.

Economy, Egypt, Media, Middle East, Politics, Race Relations, War On Terror

Obama’s Racially Divisive Administration

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If recent history is a lesson, and it ought to be, you can count on one thing from our community-organizer-turned-President. And that is, whatever he says about important issues, you better believe his true place, and desired result, is the opposite. With one, and only one exception.

Beginning with his coming out at the Democratic National Convention keynote speech in 2004, he painted himself as someone who even a Republican could embrace. But it was all false. All for show.

Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation, not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

That is the true genius of America, a faith in the simple dreams of its people, the insistence on small miracles. That we can tuck in our children at night and know they are fed and clothed and safe from harm. That we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door. That we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe or hiring somebody’s son. That we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will be counted — or at least, most of the time.

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The people I meet in small towns and big cities, in diners and office parks, they don’t expect government to solve all their problems. They know they have to work hard to get ahead and they want to. Go into the collar counties around Chicago, and people will tell you they don’t want their tax money wasted by a welfare agency or the Pentagon.

When it comes to Race Relations. This President bragged that his administration was going to be the first post-racial administration. At every turn, President Obama has not only sat on his hands when he could have helped, but he, and sometimes his Attorney General Eric Holder, have been active in festering a racial divide. Preamble to the beer summit, New Black Panther voter intimidation in Philadelphia, the personal destruction of Paula Deen, the stirring up of tension in the Martin / Zimmerman incident ultimately leading to Zimmerman being over-charged when in fact, no charges were called for. And now, same case, sitting on his behind leading from behind with the media eagerly anticipating racial unrest if/when Zimmerman gets acquitted.

This is just his racial deception. Pick any other topic from foreign policy, education, health care, THE ECONOMY, JOBS, and you will also see the results are 180 degrees from his promises.

Which brings me to the one exception to his promises, the one he has steadfastly kept. That is, to fundamentally transform this great country. That, he has done.

Nuclear proliferation gone wild, terrorism and terrorists spreading around the world (Africa, Middle East, “the right war” in Afghanistan), Pakistan, a nationalized health care system that is still leaving over 30 million people without health care, more expensive health care premiums, never before government levied fines for not buying health care, high fuel and energy prices and going higher, record food stamps, nearly a third of the entire population getting some government help, record long-term unemployment, smallest worker participation rate since Jimmy Carter. And, none of it has to do with his skin color. It has to do with his political color.

It is time for the coward to come off of the golf course, off from vacation, long enough to address the public, today. And tell the American people, especially those Black Americans who are already getting restless, that whatever the verdict in the Zimmerman show trial turns out to be, that he expects everyone to respect the decision and, that anyone breaking the law or rioting because they don’t agree with the verdict, will be punished to the fullest extent of the law. White, Black, and everywhere in between. And he should address the race industry specifically, the Jesse Sharptons, the New Black Panthers, the Farrakhans of the world, that he and his Justice Department expect them to change their tune and preach the same message to their activist followers.

And just one last thing. That we can believe him this time.

If he doesn’t use his bully pulpit to do that, then he will have shown ‘his true colors,’ and I don’t mean skin color, to all of America.

Economy, Politics

The Case Against Transparency, Accountability

A curious dichotomy in politics has arisen in the name of the Farm Bill. It is drawing out the hypocrisy in the politicians and special interest groups always harping on cutting waste and ending corporate welfare, not to be more responsible with the people’s money, but to get a larger piece of the pie for themselves.

Which is why battle lines seem to be shaping up between those wanting truth in legislation, transparency, and accountability, and the special interests and establishment Republicans  and Democrats in the House that want none of that.

Preferring the anonymity of an ambiguous slush fund, they are getting their shorts in a wad over breaking out food stamps, formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP, from the “Farm” bill.

So not only are we seeing a President that reneges on his promise to go over every line of every bill to cut government waste, we are also seeing politicians scrambling for dollars, reneging on their promise to be responsible with the people’s money.

When the rubber hits the road, the old guard wants nothing of accountability or transparency. Something to be remembered when the mid-term elections roll around. Time is now to let your representative know that you want two clean bills, not the same old same old jumbled, irresponsible mess.

Links: Proposal to Split Farm Bill Divides Congress

Economy, Organized Labor, Politics

ATU Walkout, Depriving San Francisco Of Basic Transportation

SEIU transit workers still standing on the throats of San Francisco workers who depend on public transportation. Holding out for a three-year contract with raises of 5 percent each year, plus an automatic cost-of-living increase, each year, which adds up to about a 23 percent raise over three years.

A letter from Democratic state officials said the strike has caused “widespread personal hardship and severe economic disruption,” and it noted they were disappointed “about the lack of productive proposals and counterproposals in the days leading up to the strike.”

If they really care about working people, the solution is simple. Care about them more than your big contributors and drop the union.

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Big Labor, the boil on Democrats’ ass.

via Weary commuters face 3rd day of transit strike | Nation & World | The Seattle Times.

Economy, Organized Labor, Politics

ATU Local 1555 Holds Up San Francisco Taxpayers

Making the case for ending public sector labor unions is the strike by the transportation union in San Francisco.

The strike will derail the more than 400,000 riders who use the nation’s fifth-largest rail system and affect every mode of transportation. Transportation officials said another 60,000 vehicles could be on the road, clogging highways and bridges throughout the Bay Area. Not to mention the environmental impact from more vehicles on the road. All of a sudden, the SEIU isn’t so green.

The unions, which represent nearly 2,400 train operators, station agents, mechanics, maintenance workers and professional staff, were asking for a 5 percent raise each year over the next three years. BART said that train operators and station agents in the unions average about $71,000 in base salary and $11,000 in overtime annually. The workers also pay a flat $92 monthly fee for health insurance.

antonette_bryantAntonette Bryant, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1555 says “Our members aren’t interested in disrupting the Bay Area, but management has put us in a position where we have no choice.” After all, they are really being put upon.

Who in the private sector got a 5 percent raise last year, and the year before that, and the year before that? That’s what they are on strike for. They are demanding a 5 percent raise each year for the next three years. It’s not like they’re making $40,000 a year for operating a train or selling tickets. No. They’re making $71,000 a year, not including an average of $11,000 of overtime. Are you paying $92 a month for your health insurance policy like they are? $82,000 a year for operating a train and selling tickets, and they have the nerve to strike and demand that taxpayers pay them more?

Why does the SEIU think that they deserve to be paid better, and have better benefits, than the people forced to pay their exorbitant cost? More to the point, isn’t it time to put an end to the use of organized labor in city and state government?

Link: SF Bay Area traffic picking up with transit strike

2008 Election, 2012 Election, Economy, Energy, Immigration, Media, Obamacare, Organized Labor, Politics, Race Relations

So You Think Republicans Are Racist?

That anyone who opposed anything Barack Obama would do would be labeled a racist came as no surprise. This was obvious long before his 2008 election. Playing the race card is what democrats do. It’s their way to dismiss the issues because of skin color, rather than debate them. That republicans don’t stand up against the hateful attacks is another subject. Basically, and to their detriment, their moral standards prevent them from going there. But this is what needs to be said.

Here’s what people would have to believe of republicans if they fall for the classless playing of the race card.

  • We would be more than willing to welcome cap-and-trade with open arms, even if we paid a thousand dollars or more extra every year for our energy use, if Barack Obama were only white.
  • We would be dancing in the streets celebrating the dawning of government control of our health care if only Barack Obama were white.
  • It would be just dandy if government bureaucrats rationed health care for our parents, as long as the president is white.
  • We would jump at the chance of the government owning ALL of the auto manufacturing companies .. not just General Motors … if the president just didn’t have dark skin.
  • We would applaud those ACORN workers giving tax avoidance advice to a pimp and his prostitute if the workers hadn’t been black.
  • Most Americans – even ones that don’t pay income taxes now – would be more than willing to give 70% of everything they earn to the federal government when asked … so long as they are asked by a white president.
  • We would have been thrilled, I tell you … THRILLED to have all of those Islamic goons being held at Guantanamo be not only released, but sent to be school resource officers at our local government schools, if only a white president put that plan in motion.
  • It would be OK if a white president stood back and allowed Iran to build its coveted nukes … we’re only unhappy about that because a black president is doing it.
  • Deficits? We don’t care about deficits! Make our children and grand children and great grand children pay through the nose for our president’s spending habits … just so long as the president isn’t black.
  • Government pork? Like we actually care? Look … you folks in Washington can spend all the money you want – how about more studies of the mating habits of Polish Zlotnika pigs? – just make sure it’s not a black president who signs the spending bill into law.
  • We wouldn’t care if all illegal aliens were counted twice in the next Census … just so long as the president isn’t black.
  • Those Black Panther thugs who threatened voters in Philly? The ONLY reason we’re upset that they were given a pass is because Barack Obama is black.
  • Every single member of the president’s cabinet could be a tax cheat as far as we’re concerned … just so long as the president is white.
  • Forced unionization? Bring it on! We love card check! We love the idea of union goons threatening and intimidating workers to sign a card saying they want to belong to a union! What we don’t like is that a black president is pushing this idea.
  • Single-party talks with that Gargoyle that runs North Korea? It’s about time we legitimized that little pipsqueak. We’re only mildly upset here because the person who is doing that happens to be black.
  • More regulation of the finance sector? We could care less! For all we care you can nationalize the banks and decree that only the government can make home loans .. .and you can even apportion those home loans on the basis of race if you want to … just so long as the president is white!
  • Minimum wage? Like we care about that? Raise it to $15 an hour if you want! Just give us our white president back.

So the next time you hear the racist accusations pour from the lips of the likes of Chris Matthews, Nancy Pelosi, Al Sharpton, Bill Maher, Joe Scarborough, Whoopie Goldberg, Colin Powell, Janine Garofolo, Mike Papantonio, Larry Flint, Chuck Todd, Joy Behar, Ed Schultz, Bill Cosby, Patrick L. Cooney, Karen Finney, Cher, Maxine Waters, Barbara Lee, Julian Bond, Lawrence O’Donnell, Candy Crowley, David Shuster, Rev. William Barber, Jesse Jackson, Charles Rangel, Morgan Freeman, and Mike Malloy, just realize what an imbecile they are.

Economy, Immigration, Organized Labor, Politics, War On Terror

Immigration Reform, The Scam

No offense to the CBO, but their numbers are not based in reality. It’s not their fault, it’s because of the way they must compute the numbers with the assumptions they are given. Flashback to the selling of Obamacare, we were told, by the President and the CBO, how premiums would go down. Not to belabor the point, but every other prediction of Obamacare turned out to be the exact opposite. The Gang of Eight’s S.744 is no exception. It’s deja-vu all over again. Skipping the cost issue for a moment, the bill does not stop the flow of illegals. According to the CBO assessment, the bill . . .The Gang of Nine

  • WILL NOT stop illegal immigration – Despite promises of a secure border, the bill would slow future illegal immigration by only 25 percent. In the next couple of decades, that means 7.5 million new illegal immigrants.
  • WILL drive down wages – For legal American workers, the bill would drive down their average wages. And the outfit that says they’re looking out for working people, driving down their average wages is not a concern of the SEIU. Their priority lies in increasing dues-paying membership from the illegals. Which explains why they are heavily ($2 Million in grants) involved in the Obamacare Health Care Exchange enrollment process. LA County AFL-CIO, $1 Million grant. Their annual budget, with 15 employees is $3 Million. Quid pro quo and community organizing in one sweet package.

Cool, ya with me so far? The cost issue is just as bad. The bill will burden taxpayers with trillions of dollars in welfare and entitlement costs for the newly legalized immigrants under amnesty.  Heritage’s Robert Rector explains:

S.744 provides only a temporary delay in eligibility to welfare and entitlements. Over time, S.744 makes all 18.5 million eligible for nearly every government program, including: Obamacare, 80 different welfare programs, Social Security and Medicare. When this occurs, spending will explode, but nearly all the real costs do not appear in the CBO score.

Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, explained how the Gang of Eight purposefully hid the true costs of the bill:

The bill’s drafters relied on the same scoring gimmicks used by the Obamacare drafters to conceal its true cost from taxpayers and to manipulate the CBO score. There is a reason why eligibility for the most expensive federal benefits was largely delayed outside the 10-year scoring window: to mislead the public. As Ranking Member of the Budget Committee, I asked CBO to provide a long-term estimate. Sadly, CBO did not provide the long-term estimate as requested. As a result, the score effectively conceals some of the biggest long-term costs to taxpayers contained in this legislation, including providing illegal immigrants with Medicaid, food stamps, and cash welfare. Some members of Congress are already pushing efforts to expedite this eligibility.

The assumptions that these illegals will boost the economy are flawed when you consider their education level and that of the chain migration that follows. Their education level is a far cry from those under STEM (sciences, technology, engineering, mathematics), which the Democrat controlled Senate rejected.

According to Sen. Sessions . . .

CBO did not provide enough information to assess the assumptions it made about the educational background of illegal immigrants and thus their methodology may be substantially flawed. An accurate analysis would acknowledge that half of that population does not have high school degrees, and is therefore more likely to receive far more in government support than they will pay in the form of taxes. For every dollar a low-income illegal immigrant might pay in either taxes or payroll contributions, he or she could easily receive two dollars back from the government in the form of public assistance for their household. It defies logic and common sense for anyone to suggest there is not an enormous cost in choosing to provide welfare to those who are currently not eligible for these benefits.

As in Obamacare, when you rush into a major piece of legislation, you don’t get what you expect. The very fact that a “Gang of Eight” is ostensibly running the show should be the red flag right there. I’m for a gang of a hundred. ALL our Senators, working in the open on the floor of the Senate chamber, debating and hammering out every step of whatever ‘comprehensive’ immigration reform means. Doing what can be done, one step at a time. Starting with securing the borders, and turning back illegals.

As it is now, Sen. Sessions says “this bill guarantees three things: amnesty, increased welfare costs, and lower wages for the U.S. workforce. It would be the biggest setback for poor and middle-class Americans of any legislation Congress has considered in decades.”