In its 236-year history, America has elected Presidents who were lazy. Calvin Coolidge once took a vacation lasting nearly three months and ordered the Secret Service to not install a telephone anywhere nearby. As a result, for nearly one quarter of a year, America essentially had no President.
We've also elected Presidents who were incompetent. Jimmy Carter comes to mind immediately. His policies burdened Americans with hyper-inflation and the word, "debacle," most closely describes his foreign policy decisions.
We've also had Presidents who were arrogant and thought they could do anything because they were the leader of the free world. Richard Nixon was the epitome of arrogance, covering up a third-rate burgulary that eventually ended his Presidency.
But never before in our history have we elected a President like Barack Obama, who has displayed all three attributes -- laziness, incompetence and arrogance -- in such great abundance.
Talk about laziness. What other President has only attended a little more than one-third of his daily intelligence briefings during a year and a half period? In 2011 and the first half of 2012, President attended slightly more than 38 percent of his daily intelligence briefings, compared to his predecessor, George W. Bush, who rarely missed these important meetings. Although President Obama apparently doesn't find them important, these meetings help to ensure the security of the United States. In the week before our Libyan ambassador and three other Americans were killed in an attack on our embassy, our President did not attend a single briefing. The day after the attack, our President scheduled, then cancelled the daily intelligence briefing, opting instead to attend a fundraiser in Las Vegas. The President has found time the last four years to play well over 100 rounds of golf and over 200 fundraisers. Apparently, these activities are viewed by our President as much more important than daily intelligence briefings that help to protect America.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-bogus-defense-of-obamas-intelligence-briefing-record/2012/09/25/f5ae10de-071d-11e2-afff-d6c7f20a83bf_story.html
As for incompetence, our President clearly does not understand how the American system of capitalism works. His anti-economic growth policies have created unemployment above 8% during his entire term in office, record poverty, and record increases in food stamps. The most recent jobs report showed that for every American who found a job, four simply gave up looking for work because the prospects of finding a job were so bleak. Yet, the President is pushing more of the same policies in a second term that he tried in his first term. The definition of insanity -- or incompetence -- is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
What other President has arrogantly ignored laws passed by Congress and signed by a previous President? Through an Executive Order, President Obama directed federal and state immigation officials to ignore laws designed to protect our borders. What other President has had a kill list of suspected criminals (terrorists), that includes American citizens, from which the President, and the President alone, can determine if the suspected criminal lives or dies in a drone strike. Much like a Roman emporer, President Obama can decide if a person lives or dies, even if that person is an American citizen.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/29/world/obamas-leadership-in-war-on-al-qaeda.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Laziness. Incompetence. Arrogance. These clearly are the triumvirate of a failed Obama Presidency.
Showing posts with label unemployment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label unemployment. Show all posts
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
The Voice of Reason: Top 10 Reasons NOT to Vote for Obama
While on Twitter earlier today, I posted several tweets providing reasons why one should not vote to reelect President Barack Obama.
Once I looked at these tweets in their entirety, it became very clear. Only a complete moron, or a staunch far-left liberal, would vote to reelect our current President based on his failed record, his broken promises and his lackadaisical attitude towards the job of leading our great nation.
Unfortunately, there are morons who don't pay attention or who watch only the mainstream news media. There are also far-left liberals who wouldn't vote for anybody but a Democrat even if that Democrat had been convicted of murder or rape.
For those people who are halfway reasonable and look at the facts, here are what I believe are the top 10 reasons why our current President does not deserve our vote.
1. He hasn't made the economy better; he's made it worse.
After over three and one-half years on the job, the latest jobs report was a telling barometer of this President's effectiveness. For every American who found a job in August, four Americans simply gave up looking for work because the prospects were so bleak. The facts are that one in every six Americans is now living in poverty and that the average American household has lost $4,000 in income since the Obama "recovery" started. All of these facts paint a picture of failed Presidency.
2. He has befriended our enemies and has forsaken our friends.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked to meet with our President, but the President apparently did not have enough time to meet with him -- although Netanyahu offered to travel to Washington in order to accomodate the President. But President Obama has found time to schedule a meeting with Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, and has also pledged billions in aid to this country led by the Muslim Brotherhood, an anti-Israel party. Earlier this week, our President did have time to meet with JayZ and Beyonce, and also found a few minutes to appear on the David Letterman Show. While Israel is facing an Iran that will soon have nuclear weapons, our President has not found time to meet with the leader of one of our longest and staunchest allies.
3. He does not prioritize his duties in a way that's Presidential or even logical.
Although the President has found time to play well over 100 rounds of golf during the past three and one-half years and also to attend more fundraisers than his predecessors combined, he hasn't found time to lead such efforts as meeting with his Jobs Council or his Cabinet. According to some reports, he hasn't met with his Jobs Council since January, and he only met twice with his Cabinet from January to the July. While our Ambassador to Libya was missing, our President was sound asleep. The day after our Ambassador and three other Americans died in Libya, our President had to interrupt a fundraiser in Las Vegas in order to address the American people. According to numerous other reports, the President also has not found time to connect with key leaders of Congress in his own party in three and one-half years, or to meet regularly with the Republicans. With the Bush era tax cuts scheduled to expire at the end of the year for all Americans, the President has been busy campaigning instead of meeting with Congress. He has done nothing to prevent our economy from falling off what many are calling a fiscal cliff at the end of the year when the average American family will pay $4,000 more in taxes, unless the tax cuts are continued. Our President has also missed about two-thirds of recent intelligence briefings, probably because he's been too busy campaigning, fundraising and golfing.
4. He has developed no coherent energy policy.
President Obama likes to comment that fixing high gasoline prices can't be done overnight. So, what did he do three and one-half years ago to help prevent the doubling of gas prices we've seen since he took office? Nothing. He has not opened up federal lands or our shores for drilling, although this country has vast resources in those areas ready to tap. He also opposed the completion of the top half of the Keystone Pipeline, which would have brought millions of gallons of oil to American refineries in the Gulf of Mexico. He has done nothing to support natural gas drilling, or even the new development of vast new deposits of oil found in the Dakotas. President Obama's EPA appears to be doing its best to kill the coal industry, although America has hundreds of years of reserves and this energy source has supplied consumers with cheap, reliable electricity for decades. As the President said when he was campaigning in 2008, the cost of electricity would "necessarily skyrocket" because of the regulations he said he would impose on coal. This is one promise he intends to keep, and the increase in prices at the pump will soon be matched by increased in prices in electricity bills nationwide.
5. He's added $6 trillion to our debt.
To put this accomplishment in perspective, consider this. In 232 years, the United States of America incurred $10 trillion in debt. In three and one-half years, President Obama has added nearly $6 trillion to our national credit card bill. Early on, President Obama said that he would cut our debt in half by the end of his first term; instead, he's increased our debt by more than 50%.
6. He's wasted trillions of dollars.
Not only has President Obama added $6 trillion to our debt, he's wasted a lot of that money. He pushed for and received nearly $1 trillion for a stimulus when he was first elected, but we saw few jobs created. Later, the President said that "those shovel ready jobs weren't quite so shovel ready" and laughed about it. He also wasted billions on alternative energy projects like Solyndra, many of which were headed by people who coincidentally raised money for the President in 2008.
7. He's done nothing to address the impending insolvency of our entitlement programs.
Other than attacking Republican Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan for his proposals to slow down the growth in costs of programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicare, the President has rarely even talked about them. Unlike Congressman Ryan, President Obama certainly hasn't made any proposals to save them, although they are all heading towards bankruptcy, putting them in jeopardy for future generations of Americans.
8. His economic policies have devastated two groups that strongly supported him in 2008 -- blacks and young people.
His policies have destroyed economic opportunties for young people and blacks. Only about one-half of recent college graduates have actually found a job in their field, while the other half is relegated to not working or working at a job not in their field. As for blacks, the reported unemployment rate is nearly twice that of the total population. The reality is that the real unemployment rate for blacks, once you consider those who have given up looking for work, is probably closer to 30%. The chances of finding a job for young people who are black may be close to that of winning the lottery. It's that bleak.
9. He's taken no responsibility when things go wrong, but seemingly takes most of the credit when things go right.
Our President uses the word, "I," a lot when commenting about things that go as planned, such as the raid to kill Osama Bin Laden, but continues to blame his predecessor, George W. Bush, for the economy. Great Preidents such as Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy always credited others for success and also talked about success in terms of "we."
10. He has trampled on our Constitutional rights.
President Obama has ordered federal and state officials to not enforce immigration laws, ignoring laws passed by Congress and signed by a previous President. He has also attempted to force Catholic institutions to provide free birth control as part of their healthcare plans, ignoring the religious freedoms guaranteed in our Constitution. President Obama has also made recess appointments while Congress was still meeting, which is not Constitutional. His healthcare law was found Constitutional in what any reasonable person would consider to be quite a stretch, with Chief Justice John Roberts seemingly caving in to political pressure to find some way to allow the law to stand. Lastly, our President now has a "kill list" of suspected terrorist targets that he and he alone makes the final decision as to who lives and who dies. His list includes American citizens, who, until President Obama took office, had Constitutional rights ensuring the rights to a trial before being found guilty.
Once you put all of this together, you see an arrogant, egotistical President who has made our economy worse; trampled on our Constitutional rights; devastated economic opportunities afforded to those who supported him the strongest; added significantly to our debt; done nothing to protect entitlement programs for future generations; increased the price we pay for energy; and ignored our strongest ally in the Middle East at a time they need our steadfast support the most.
There is no way that this man should be elected to lead our country another four years. No way.
Once I looked at these tweets in their entirety, it became very clear. Only a complete moron, or a staunch far-left liberal, would vote to reelect our current President based on his failed record, his broken promises and his lackadaisical attitude towards the job of leading our great nation.
Unfortunately, there are morons who don't pay attention or who watch only the mainstream news media. There are also far-left liberals who wouldn't vote for anybody but a Democrat even if that Democrat had been convicted of murder or rape.
For those people who are halfway reasonable and look at the facts, here are what I believe are the top 10 reasons why our current President does not deserve our vote.
1. He hasn't made the economy better; he's made it worse.
After over three and one-half years on the job, the latest jobs report was a telling barometer of this President's effectiveness. For every American who found a job in August, four Americans simply gave up looking for work because the prospects were so bleak. The facts are that one in every six Americans is now living in poverty and that the average American household has lost $4,000 in income since the Obama "recovery" started. All of these facts paint a picture of failed Presidency.
2. He has befriended our enemies and has forsaken our friends.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked to meet with our President, but the President apparently did not have enough time to meet with him -- although Netanyahu offered to travel to Washington in order to accomodate the President. But President Obama has found time to schedule a meeting with Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, and has also pledged billions in aid to this country led by the Muslim Brotherhood, an anti-Israel party. Earlier this week, our President did have time to meet with JayZ and Beyonce, and also found a few minutes to appear on the David Letterman Show. While Israel is facing an Iran that will soon have nuclear weapons, our President has not found time to meet with the leader of one of our longest and staunchest allies.
3. He does not prioritize his duties in a way that's Presidential or even logical.
Although the President has found time to play well over 100 rounds of golf during the past three and one-half years and also to attend more fundraisers than his predecessors combined, he hasn't found time to lead such efforts as meeting with his Jobs Council or his Cabinet. According to some reports, he hasn't met with his Jobs Council since January, and he only met twice with his Cabinet from January to the July. While our Ambassador to Libya was missing, our President was sound asleep. The day after our Ambassador and three other Americans died in Libya, our President had to interrupt a fundraiser in Las Vegas in order to address the American people. According to numerous other reports, the President also has not found time to connect with key leaders of Congress in his own party in three and one-half years, or to meet regularly with the Republicans. With the Bush era tax cuts scheduled to expire at the end of the year for all Americans, the President has been busy campaigning instead of meeting with Congress. He has done nothing to prevent our economy from falling off what many are calling a fiscal cliff at the end of the year when the average American family will pay $4,000 more in taxes, unless the tax cuts are continued. Our President has also missed about two-thirds of recent intelligence briefings, probably because he's been too busy campaigning, fundraising and golfing.
4. He has developed no coherent energy policy.
President Obama likes to comment that fixing high gasoline prices can't be done overnight. So, what did he do three and one-half years ago to help prevent the doubling of gas prices we've seen since he took office? Nothing. He has not opened up federal lands or our shores for drilling, although this country has vast resources in those areas ready to tap. He also opposed the completion of the top half of the Keystone Pipeline, which would have brought millions of gallons of oil to American refineries in the Gulf of Mexico. He has done nothing to support natural gas drilling, or even the new development of vast new deposits of oil found in the Dakotas. President Obama's EPA appears to be doing its best to kill the coal industry, although America has hundreds of years of reserves and this energy source has supplied consumers with cheap, reliable electricity for decades. As the President said when he was campaigning in 2008, the cost of electricity would "necessarily skyrocket" because of the regulations he said he would impose on coal. This is one promise he intends to keep, and the increase in prices at the pump will soon be matched by increased in prices in electricity bills nationwide.
5. He's added $6 trillion to our debt.
To put this accomplishment in perspective, consider this. In 232 years, the United States of America incurred $10 trillion in debt. In three and one-half years, President Obama has added nearly $6 trillion to our national credit card bill. Early on, President Obama said that he would cut our debt in half by the end of his first term; instead, he's increased our debt by more than 50%.
6. He's wasted trillions of dollars.
Not only has President Obama added $6 trillion to our debt, he's wasted a lot of that money. He pushed for and received nearly $1 trillion for a stimulus when he was first elected, but we saw few jobs created. Later, the President said that "those shovel ready jobs weren't quite so shovel ready" and laughed about it. He also wasted billions on alternative energy projects like Solyndra, many of which were headed by people who coincidentally raised money for the President in 2008.
7. He's done nothing to address the impending insolvency of our entitlement programs.
Other than attacking Republican Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan for his proposals to slow down the growth in costs of programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicare, the President has rarely even talked about them. Unlike Congressman Ryan, President Obama certainly hasn't made any proposals to save them, although they are all heading towards bankruptcy, putting them in jeopardy for future generations of Americans.
8. His economic policies have devastated two groups that strongly supported him in 2008 -- blacks and young people.
His policies have destroyed economic opportunties for young people and blacks. Only about one-half of recent college graduates have actually found a job in their field, while the other half is relegated to not working or working at a job not in their field. As for blacks, the reported unemployment rate is nearly twice that of the total population. The reality is that the real unemployment rate for blacks, once you consider those who have given up looking for work, is probably closer to 30%. The chances of finding a job for young people who are black may be close to that of winning the lottery. It's that bleak.
9. He's taken no responsibility when things go wrong, but seemingly takes most of the credit when things go right.
Our President uses the word, "I," a lot when commenting about things that go as planned, such as the raid to kill Osama Bin Laden, but continues to blame his predecessor, George W. Bush, for the economy. Great Preidents such as Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy always credited others for success and also talked about success in terms of "we."
10. He has trampled on our Constitutional rights.
President Obama has ordered federal and state officials to not enforce immigration laws, ignoring laws passed by Congress and signed by a previous President. He has also attempted to force Catholic institutions to provide free birth control as part of their healthcare plans, ignoring the religious freedoms guaranteed in our Constitution. President Obama has also made recess appointments while Congress was still meeting, which is not Constitutional. His healthcare law was found Constitutional in what any reasonable person would consider to be quite a stretch, with Chief Justice John Roberts seemingly caving in to political pressure to find some way to allow the law to stand. Lastly, our President now has a "kill list" of suspected terrorist targets that he and he alone makes the final decision as to who lives and who dies. His list includes American citizens, who, until President Obama took office, had Constitutional rights ensuring the rights to a trial before being found guilty.
Once you put all of this together, you see an arrogant, egotistical President who has made our economy worse; trampled on our Constitutional rights; devastated economic opportunities afforded to those who supported him the strongest; added significantly to our debt; done nothing to protect entitlement programs for future generations; increased the price we pay for energy; and ignored our strongest ally in the Middle East at a time they need our steadfast support the most.
There is no way that this man should be elected to lead our country another four years. No way.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
The Voice of Reason: Prepping Romney for Debates
In the past couple of weeks, Republican nominee Mitt Romney has spent considerable time preparing for his upcoming debates with President Barack Obama, according to numerous reports.
Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) has played the role of President Obama in these practice sessions with Romney.
On paper, these debates should be a slam dunk for Romney, as the President is overseeing an economy that has produced record unemployment, record poverty and a record number of Americans on foodstamps. In fact, the August jobs report showed that for every American who found a job last month, four Americans simply gave up looking for work because the prospect of finding a job was so bleak.
As much as we might like to believe that the debates should produce an easy Romney win based on the economic facts of this President's record, we also know that President Obama has shown he is a formidable opponent.
With the polls essentially showing the race tied, Romney needs to not only do well in these debates; he needs to win them. He can win them easily if he simply turns every attack back on the President and his record.
Let's say that the President attacks Romney's work at Bain Capital. Romney's response should be something like this:
Mr. President, I won't apologize for being successful in America. I'm proud of this success. The fact is that we did something at Bain Capital you were unable to do with this economy -- we took companies that were struggling and helped to make them successful and create more good-paying jobs for more Americans. We were able to create tens of thousands of jobs, and although we weren't successful all of the time, the vast majority of companies we invested in and supported were successful, saving the jobs of thousands of Americans. As President, I would enact policies that would allow more Americans to start businesses and achieve the American dream. In contrast, Mr. President, you took an economy that was struggling, and you've made it worse. The August jobs report showed that for every job created in your economy, four Americans simply gave up looking for work. That's not forward, Mr. President, that's backward.
See how easy it is to turn around an attack on Romney's success back on the President? Every response by Romney needs to be an attack on the Obama economy. Let's say that the President tries to make Romney's tax returns an issue during the debates. How should Romney respond?
Mr. President, a number of people in your party have tried to make my tax returns an issue because they want to distract the American people from your record as President. I have met my legal obligations not only in terms of releasing my tax returns as a Presidential candidate, but I have also met my legal obligations in terms of paying taxes. The fact is, Mr. President, that I have been successful in business and that I will bring that same experience building businesses and creating jobs to the White House, if elected. With some 23 million people out of work, underemployed or have simply given up looking for work, we need someone in the White House who knows how to build businesses and create jobs. I know how to do this, Mr. President. My record shows this. Your record shows that you clearly don't.
Again, any attack on Romney needs to be turned into an attack on the President's record. Let's say that the President tries to deflect blame for his economy into an attack on Republican policies by saying that Romney wants to take America back to the policies that got America into financial difficulty in the first place. Romney can say something like this:
You know, Mr. President, I find it incredible that nearly four years after you took office you continue to not accept any blame whatsoever for the current economy. At some point, Mr. President, you have to quit blaming others and take responsibility for your policies that have made a bad economy worse. I'll say this to the American people. The buck will stop with me if I'm elected as your President. If I'm elected and if the economy is in the same place or worse three and one-half years after I take office, I won't blame my predecessor. It will be my fault and I will accept responsibility. In fact, if the economy is not a lot stronger and significantly more Americans are not working three and one-half years after I'm elected, I won't deserve a second term, and I pledge to the American people that I simply would not run again. That is my pledge. The President pretty much said the same thing after he was elected, that if things weren't significantly better three years later that he would be a one-term President. The fact is, he doesn't deserve a second term based on his own stated level of expectations. You aren't better off; you're worse off. This President doesn't deserve a second term; he deserves a pink slip.
Romney should also use this opportunity to connect with the American people, differentiating himself from the President, while highlighting his record:
My fellow Americans, I know that you're hurting. The last four years, you've seen our economy go from bad to worse. Many of you aren't working or are working in a part-time job when you need to work full time to support your family. As Americans, we're patient, but we're not seeing things get better. Four years ago, you may have voted for Hope and Change, but today you hope you can find a good job, and the wage you're earning is closer to pocket change than what you can raise a family on. You're paying double the price for gasoline than when this President took office, and the prices at the grocery store have gone up significantly too. I know because I do the shopping in my family You walk out of the grocery store with a couple of bags and it's $100 or more, and you fill up your gas tank and it may be another $60 or more, when it cost only $30 four years ago. How can you afford to pay these higher prices when you've lost a job or are working part-time? You can't. Are you better off than you were four years ago? Based on what I see at the gas pump, at the grocery store and in the dismal monthly jobs reports, I would say that the answer is unequivocally no. Under this President, America has faced record unemployment nad record poverty. The August jobs report showed that for every American who found a job, four other Americans simply gave up looking for work because the prospects were so bleak. That's not forward; that's backward. While you and your family have faced these challenges, your President has played over 100 rounds of golf and has attended more fundraisers than his last few predecessors combined. If I don't turn around this economy in three and one-half years, it will be my fault, not my predecessor's. My pledge to you is that if I am fortunate enough to be elected as your President, I will work hard every day for you and your family. I will put my expertise growing jobs in business to work growing jobs across this country. I will put my expertise as a governor, chief executive and head of the Olympics to work putting Americans back to work. No one will out work me as I work for you.
As you can see, Romney can turn every attack from the President back on the President, because his record has been so pathetic. If Romney can stay on offense, focusing on the President's record of economic failure, I truly believe that his debate performance can turn this close race into a rout.
I'm looking forward to the first debate on October 3. I have a strong feeling that Romney is also looking forward to the debates -- much more so than President Obama.
Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) has played the role of President Obama in these practice sessions with Romney.
On paper, these debates should be a slam dunk for Romney, as the President is overseeing an economy that has produced record unemployment, record poverty and a record number of Americans on foodstamps. In fact, the August jobs report showed that for every American who found a job last month, four Americans simply gave up looking for work because the prospect of finding a job was so bleak.
As much as we might like to believe that the debates should produce an easy Romney win based on the economic facts of this President's record, we also know that President Obama has shown he is a formidable opponent.
With the polls essentially showing the race tied, Romney needs to not only do well in these debates; he needs to win them. He can win them easily if he simply turns every attack back on the President and his record.
Let's say that the President attacks Romney's work at Bain Capital. Romney's response should be something like this:
Mr. President, I won't apologize for being successful in America. I'm proud of this success. The fact is that we did something at Bain Capital you were unable to do with this economy -- we took companies that were struggling and helped to make them successful and create more good-paying jobs for more Americans. We were able to create tens of thousands of jobs, and although we weren't successful all of the time, the vast majority of companies we invested in and supported were successful, saving the jobs of thousands of Americans. As President, I would enact policies that would allow more Americans to start businesses and achieve the American dream. In contrast, Mr. President, you took an economy that was struggling, and you've made it worse. The August jobs report showed that for every job created in your economy, four Americans simply gave up looking for work. That's not forward, Mr. President, that's backward.
See how easy it is to turn around an attack on Romney's success back on the President? Every response by Romney needs to be an attack on the Obama economy. Let's say that the President tries to make Romney's tax returns an issue during the debates. How should Romney respond?
Mr. President, a number of people in your party have tried to make my tax returns an issue because they want to distract the American people from your record as President. I have met my legal obligations not only in terms of releasing my tax returns as a Presidential candidate, but I have also met my legal obligations in terms of paying taxes. The fact is, Mr. President, that I have been successful in business and that I will bring that same experience building businesses and creating jobs to the White House, if elected. With some 23 million people out of work, underemployed or have simply given up looking for work, we need someone in the White House who knows how to build businesses and create jobs. I know how to do this, Mr. President. My record shows this. Your record shows that you clearly don't.
Again, any attack on Romney needs to be turned into an attack on the President's record. Let's say that the President tries to deflect blame for his economy into an attack on Republican policies by saying that Romney wants to take America back to the policies that got America into financial difficulty in the first place. Romney can say something like this:
You know, Mr. President, I find it incredible that nearly four years after you took office you continue to not accept any blame whatsoever for the current economy. At some point, Mr. President, you have to quit blaming others and take responsibility for your policies that have made a bad economy worse. I'll say this to the American people. The buck will stop with me if I'm elected as your President. If I'm elected and if the economy is in the same place or worse three and one-half years after I take office, I won't blame my predecessor. It will be my fault and I will accept responsibility. In fact, if the economy is not a lot stronger and significantly more Americans are not working three and one-half years after I'm elected, I won't deserve a second term, and I pledge to the American people that I simply would not run again. That is my pledge. The President pretty much said the same thing after he was elected, that if things weren't significantly better three years later that he would be a one-term President. The fact is, he doesn't deserve a second term based on his own stated level of expectations. You aren't better off; you're worse off. This President doesn't deserve a second term; he deserves a pink slip.
Romney should also use this opportunity to connect with the American people, differentiating himself from the President, while highlighting his record:
My fellow Americans, I know that you're hurting. The last four years, you've seen our economy go from bad to worse. Many of you aren't working or are working in a part-time job when you need to work full time to support your family. As Americans, we're patient, but we're not seeing things get better. Four years ago, you may have voted for Hope and Change, but today you hope you can find a good job, and the wage you're earning is closer to pocket change than what you can raise a family on. You're paying double the price for gasoline than when this President took office, and the prices at the grocery store have gone up significantly too. I know because I do the shopping in my family You walk out of the grocery store with a couple of bags and it's $100 or more, and you fill up your gas tank and it may be another $60 or more, when it cost only $30 four years ago. How can you afford to pay these higher prices when you've lost a job or are working part-time? You can't. Are you better off than you were four years ago? Based on what I see at the gas pump, at the grocery store and in the dismal monthly jobs reports, I would say that the answer is unequivocally no. Under this President, America has faced record unemployment nad record poverty. The August jobs report showed that for every American who found a job, four other Americans simply gave up looking for work because the prospects were so bleak. That's not forward; that's backward. While you and your family have faced these challenges, your President has played over 100 rounds of golf and has attended more fundraisers than his last few predecessors combined. If I don't turn around this economy in three and one-half years, it will be my fault, not my predecessor's. My pledge to you is that if I am fortunate enough to be elected as your President, I will work hard every day for you and your family. I will put my expertise growing jobs in business to work growing jobs across this country. I will put my expertise as a governor, chief executive and head of the Olympics to work putting Americans back to work. No one will out work me as I work for you.
As you can see, Romney can turn every attack from the President back on the President, because his record has been so pathetic. If Romney can stay on offense, focusing on the President's record of economic failure, I truly believe that his debate performance can turn this close race into a rout.
I'm looking forward to the first debate on October 3. I have a strong feeling that Romney is also looking forward to the debates -- much more so than President Obama.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
The Voice of Reason: Could These Be the Last Days of America?
The statistics are sobering.
More than 23 million Americans are unemployed, underemployed or have simply given up looking for work. The number of Americans on food stamps has increased by more than 14 million since President Barack Obama first took office, and the number on social security disability has increased 10 percent in that same time period.
Since President Obama was inaugurated, the amount of money the federal government gives to households has increased by a third, to the point that nearly one-half of all households in the country now receive a check of some kind from the government.
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/16-statistics-which-show-that-the-number-of-americans-dependent-on-the-government-is-at-an-all-time-high
Our debt is now over $16 trillion, increasing by more than 50% since our current President took the reins.
“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years.”
What Tocqueville predicted nearly two full centuries ago appears to have a good chance of coming true. With a near-majority of Americans receiving assistance from the government, will they vote for the candidate promising the most benefits, President Obama, or will they vote for Romney, a candidate who promises to control spending in order to save America from financial insolvency?
If what Tocqueville predicts comes true, our nation will collapse financially and then become a dictatorship.
Interestingly, President Obama has not proposed any plan whatsoever to rein in entitlement programs or to slow the growth of our debt that threatens to implode this country financially. He hasn't proposed anything in four years as President, and he certainly didn't propose any plan in his convention speech.
Without a change of direction, our country is racing towards a financial collapse. And yet, nearly one-half of Americans indicate that they will vote for President Obama on November 6?
With all of the campaigning during the past several months, few noticed that our President issued an executive order that directs border control agents to ignore immigration laws passed by Congress and signed by a former President. More noticed when he passed health care legislation to take over one-sixth of our economy, but very few paid attention when Health and Human Services directed Catholic institutions to provide free birth control, stomping on the religious rights of Americans. Even fewer paid attention when the New York Times reported that President Obama has a "kill list" that includes American citizens as primary targets without any judicial or Congressional review. President Obama alone decides who lives and who dies. Are these the actions of a President in a democracy or a dictator?
Tocqueville predicted that a dictatorship follows the financial collapse. Based on our current President's actions, we're already halfway there.
As I wrote in an earlier blog, this election will be the second most important one in our nation's history. The most important election was the first, when our country elected a leader, George Washington, who established the model for sharing power among the three branches of government, instead of grabbing the near-unlimited power that could have been his.
I fervently believe that this election will determine if America continues being a democracy or if it transforms into a socialist nation or worse, a dictatorship; if America will regain financial stability or drown in its debt; and if America will continue to be the land of opportunity or a country where the government determines how successful one will become.
In short, this election will determine if these will be the last days of the shining beacon of freedom. Will we become the nation they once called America, or the nation that continues to beckon those yearning to be free?
It will be up to us on November 6.
More than 23 million Americans are unemployed, underemployed or have simply given up looking for work. The number of Americans on food stamps has increased by more than 14 million since President Barack Obama first took office, and the number on social security disability has increased 10 percent in that same time period.
Since President Obama was inaugurated, the amount of money the federal government gives to households has increased by a third, to the point that nearly one-half of all households in the country now receive a check of some kind from the government.
http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/16-statistics-which-show-that-the-number-of-americans-dependent-on-the-government-is-at-an-all-time-high
Our debt is now over $16 trillion, increasing by more than 50% since our current President took the reins.
And yet, the latest polls show President Obama with a slight lead over Republican nominee Mitt Romney. Given the economic condition of our country, which has been made precipitously worse by our current President, how can this be?
I believe that this nearly 200-year-old quote from French historian Alexis de Tocqueville can perhaps provide the best explanation:
“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years.”
What Tocqueville predicted nearly two full centuries ago appears to have a good chance of coming true. With a near-majority of Americans receiving assistance from the government, will they vote for the candidate promising the most benefits, President Obama, or will they vote for Romney, a candidate who promises to control spending in order to save America from financial insolvency?
If what Tocqueville predicts comes true, our nation will collapse financially and then become a dictatorship.
Interestingly, President Obama has not proposed any plan whatsoever to rein in entitlement programs or to slow the growth of our debt that threatens to implode this country financially. He hasn't proposed anything in four years as President, and he certainly didn't propose any plan in his convention speech.
Without a change of direction, our country is racing towards a financial collapse. And yet, nearly one-half of Americans indicate that they will vote for President Obama on November 6?
With all of the campaigning during the past several months, few noticed that our President issued an executive order that directs border control agents to ignore immigration laws passed by Congress and signed by a former President. More noticed when he passed health care legislation to take over one-sixth of our economy, but very few paid attention when Health and Human Services directed Catholic institutions to provide free birth control, stomping on the religious rights of Americans. Even fewer paid attention when the New York Times reported that President Obama has a "kill list" that includes American citizens as primary targets without any judicial or Congressional review. President Obama alone decides who lives and who dies. Are these the actions of a President in a democracy or a dictator?
Tocqueville predicted that a dictatorship follows the financial collapse. Based on our current President's actions, we're already halfway there.
As I wrote in an earlier blog, this election will be the second most important one in our nation's history. The most important election was the first, when our country elected a leader, George Washington, who established the model for sharing power among the three branches of government, instead of grabbing the near-unlimited power that could have been his.
I fervently believe that this election will determine if America continues being a democracy or if it transforms into a socialist nation or worse, a dictatorship; if America will regain financial stability or drown in its debt; and if America will continue to be the land of opportunity or a country where the government determines how successful one will become.
In short, this election will determine if these will be the last days of the shining beacon of freedom. Will we become the nation they once called America, or the nation that continues to beckon those yearning to be free?
It will be up to us on November 6.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
The Voice of Reason: Debunking the Biggest Lie at the Democratic Convention
As a kid growing up in the country, I remember being told by another boy that if water in a stream runs over three rocks with moss on them, the water is safe to drink. I didn't believe it at the time, and I don't believe it now.
The Democrats at the 2012 National Convention are using a similar method to try to purify their lies. If they say something three or more times, they think it is the truth -- or at least the American people will believe it is the truth. Just as three mossy rocks won't make water safe to drink, saying a statement three times doesn't make it a fact.
During this convention, you will hear a statistic repeated numerous times, like a mantra. Democrat after Democrat will say that "this administration has created 4.5 million jobs." Sometimes the speaker will quantify this statement by saying that 4.5 million "private sector" jobs were created, but typically speakers will leave out the clarification.
I don't know how to say it any other way. This statement is a damn lie. It misleads the American people into thinking that the Obama Administration is doing a better job than it really is in turning around this economy. Shame on them.
Compared to when Barack Obama took office, today there are slightly more private sector jobs (about 300,000) and significantly fewer public sector jobs. As a result, there are about 400,000 fewer total jobs today than when President Obama took office.
Let me repeat that. There are about 400,000 fewer American jobs today than when the President took office. He certainly hasn't created 4.5 million jobs during his administration.
But in stating and restating their "fact" about job creation, Democrats don't count the private jobs lost at the beginning of the Obama Administration. They conveniently compare the number of private sector jobs at the lowest point of the recession, which was in January 2010 (a year after President Obama took office), to the number of private sector jobs today in order to arrive at their 4.5 million figure. In other words, they cherrypick the best possible time points in order to show the greatest difference in jobs -- and they only look at the private sector jobs.
This is misleading, dishonest and unfair to the American people who will cast their votes in November. It also shows that this administration is willing to mislead Americans in order to try to put lipstick on their pig of an economic recovery. But no matter how much lipstick they put on this pig, it's still a pig. No matter how many times their "fact" is repeated, it is still a lie.
Even CNN and Yahoo News have called the Obama Administration out on this outright lie. These liberal news organizations even report that the vast majority of the jobs created have been lower-wage jobs, not the types of "good-paying jobs" that First Lady Michelle Obama said were created by this administration in her speech last night. Simply put, they are spreading lies on top of lies.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/fact-check-4-5-million-jobs-created-under-175621036--election.html
http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/05/politics/fact-check-obama-jobs/index.html
But even comparing the number of jobs today to the number of jobs when the President took office doesn't tell the whole story. Why? Our population grows, so in order to maintain the same percentage of people working, we must add jobs in addition to the jobs needed to offset job losses. If we don't, the unemployment percentage increases, which has occurred under this President. Since President Obama took office, we not only have fewer jobs than we did when he took office, we haven't added enough jobs to keep pace with the population growth. That's why when he took office our unemployment rate was 7.8%, but is now 8.3%, with millions more simply giving up looking for work and not counted in these statistics. In reality, the real unemployment rate could be as high as 12%. As one can see, job creation during the Obama Administration has been much worse than most people realize and the Democrats want us to believe.
So now you know the truth, not some watered down version of it, or the truth based on conveniently selected timelines. The Obama Campaign is hoping that Americans won't take the time to search out the truth.
Bloggers such as this one, and the people who take the time to read this blog won't let that happen.
The Democrats at the 2012 National Convention are using a similar method to try to purify their lies. If they say something three or more times, they think it is the truth -- or at least the American people will believe it is the truth. Just as three mossy rocks won't make water safe to drink, saying a statement three times doesn't make it a fact.
During this convention, you will hear a statistic repeated numerous times, like a mantra. Democrat after Democrat will say that "this administration has created 4.5 million jobs." Sometimes the speaker will quantify this statement by saying that 4.5 million "private sector" jobs were created, but typically speakers will leave out the clarification.
I don't know how to say it any other way. This statement is a damn lie. It misleads the American people into thinking that the Obama Administration is doing a better job than it really is in turning around this economy. Shame on them.
Compared to when Barack Obama took office, today there are slightly more private sector jobs (about 300,000) and significantly fewer public sector jobs. As a result, there are about 400,000 fewer total jobs today than when President Obama took office.
Let me repeat that. There are about 400,000 fewer American jobs today than when the President took office. He certainly hasn't created 4.5 million jobs during his administration.
But in stating and restating their "fact" about job creation, Democrats don't count the private jobs lost at the beginning of the Obama Administration. They conveniently compare the number of private sector jobs at the lowest point of the recession, which was in January 2010 (a year after President Obama took office), to the number of private sector jobs today in order to arrive at their 4.5 million figure. In other words, they cherrypick the best possible time points in order to show the greatest difference in jobs -- and they only look at the private sector jobs.
This is misleading, dishonest and unfair to the American people who will cast their votes in November. It also shows that this administration is willing to mislead Americans in order to try to put lipstick on their pig of an economic recovery. But no matter how much lipstick they put on this pig, it's still a pig. No matter how many times their "fact" is repeated, it is still a lie.
Even CNN and Yahoo News have called the Obama Administration out on this outright lie. These liberal news organizations even report that the vast majority of the jobs created have been lower-wage jobs, not the types of "good-paying jobs" that First Lady Michelle Obama said were created by this administration in her speech last night. Simply put, they are spreading lies on top of lies.
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/fact-check-4-5-million-jobs-created-under-175621036--election.html
http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/05/politics/fact-check-obama-jobs/index.html
But even comparing the number of jobs today to the number of jobs when the President took office doesn't tell the whole story. Why? Our population grows, so in order to maintain the same percentage of people working, we must add jobs in addition to the jobs needed to offset job losses. If we don't, the unemployment percentage increases, which has occurred under this President. Since President Obama took office, we not only have fewer jobs than we did when he took office, we haven't added enough jobs to keep pace with the population growth. That's why when he took office our unemployment rate was 7.8%, but is now 8.3%, with millions more simply giving up looking for work and not counted in these statistics. In reality, the real unemployment rate could be as high as 12%. As one can see, job creation during the Obama Administration has been much worse than most people realize and the Democrats want us to believe.
So now you know the truth, not some watered down version of it, or the truth based on conveniently selected timelines. The Obama Campaign is hoping that Americans won't take the time to search out the truth.
Bloggers such as this one, and the people who take the time to read this blog won't let that happen.
Please share with your family members, neighbors and co-workers.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
The Voice of Reason: Why Recent College Graduates Don't Have a Job
So, you studied hard and graduated from college. Maybe you graduated with honors and perhaps even finished among the best in your class. You did what everyone said you needed to do in order to get a good job -- you graduated from college. After graduation you've seen advertisements for very few openings in your field, and you've submitted resume after resume. Maybe you've had an interview or two, but haven't been offered a job. You've had to move back with your parents and have had to settle for a job that doesn't require a college degree. You're making minimum wage or maybe a few cents more per hour. You don't earn enough to even think about buying a house, let alone a car.
Or maybe you graduated from college a couple of years ago, lost a job during the recession and have been looking for another job. You have some experience in your field and you thought that surely you would be able to find a good job after going without work for a couple of weeks. But the weeks turned into months, and the months turned into a couple of years. You're wondering if you will ever find a job in your field that pays enough for you to buy a house or car or to support a family -- or to have any of the things normally associated with being a member of the middle class.
Do either of these scenarios describe the difficulty you've faced in finding a job -- a good job -- in your field of study?
If so, you're not alone. About one-half of recent college graduates have been unable to find a job in their field of study. The job market for recent graduates is the worst it's been since the Great Depression at the start of the last century. Tens of thousands of your classmates are also out of work, and things don't appear to be getting any better.
So, why haven't you been able to find a job? It's complicated, but let me try to explain.
The recession officially ended in June 2009. Since then, our economy has been in a "recovery." Unfortunately, this recovery has been the worst since the Great Depression.
The reason this slow recovery is that businesses -- small. medium and large -- are faced with an uncertain future. The policies of the Obama Administration have created this uncertainty in terms of environmental regulations, taxes on income and healthcare costs. This uncertainty has resulted in businesses curtailing new hiring and halting any expansion or investment in capital projects.
In short, as a result of this uncertainty created by the Obama Administration, you don't have a good job.
Let's take a look at each of the areas of uncertainty for business and industry.
President Obama's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is clearly out of control. Just as businesses invest funds to meet one new environmental regulation, another, stricter one is enacted. In some cases, the EPA seems to be more intent on closing entire industries than protecting the environment. Business and industry don't know what these new regulations will cost or even when they will be enacted, so they are leery of expanding or hiring new people when one unreasonable regulation could close their doors.
As for taxes, President Obama has made it clear he wants affluent people and businesses to pay what he describes as their "fair share." The affluent people he's talking about are mostly the small business owners, the people who create the majority of jobs in America. They don't know how much more in taxes they will pay, so they're afraid to hire new people or to expand their business because they don't know what their profit margins will be -- or even if they will be able to operate profitably when these new taxes are enacted.
The costs of healthcare seem to increase every year, but another monkey wrench has been thown into the equation -- Obamacare -- that has created even more uncertainty. Most of the new healthcare law will not be enacted until 2013 and 2014, so businesses don't know how this new law will fully impact them. In just the past year, the average cost of healthcare insurance for their employees has increased by $2,500, although the President said that Obamacare would decrease by $2,500 this year. Clearly, this new law will cost a lot more than the President said, and businesses know that the majority of those increased costs will ultimately be passed on to them in taxes and/or penalties. They're afraid to hire more employes or to expand because they simply don't know what the affect will be on their bottom lines.
This uncertainty is why so few jobs have been created. This uncertainty is also why you and so many of your classmates have been unable to find a job in their fields of study.
To put this uncertainty in terms anyone can understand, imagine that you save up just enough money for an Ipad. But as soon as you have the money saved and are ready to buy your Ipad, your car breaks down and you take it to the mechanic. Do you buy the Ipad until you know how much it will cost to fix your car? Of course not. Uncertainty causes you to move cautiously with your money. Businesses operate the same way. Until they know what things will cost, they are reluctant to spend.
Remember then-candidate Barack Obama, who promised you Hope and Change? As a result of his policies, you Hope you will be able to find a job in your field and you're essentially earning pocket Change for doing a job well below your talents and abilities. If President Obama is reelected for four more years, he will undoubtedly continue the same policies that created the uncertainty that has left millions of Americans unemployed or underemployed.
There's are two other major factors to consider during this election: debt and entitlement programs. Under President Obama, our national debt has increased by 50% in just three and one-half years. It now stands at $16 trillion. To put this debt in perspective, the amount owed by the United States equates to over $533,000 for every household in America. Unfortunately, President Obama has not offered any serious proposal to cut this debt, which threatens the security and standard of living for every citizen, especially younger Americans. Although Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are all racing toward insolvency, President Obama not made a serious proposal to rein in their costs so that future generations of Americans -- your generation -- has access to these vital programs.
In short, President Obama is mortgaging your future for his reelection. President Obama has said that the proposals by Republican nominee Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, to cut the debt and slow the growth of entitlements are "extreme" and "radical." The truth is that not doing anything, as President Obama has done, is what is truly extreme and radical.
Fortunately, you have a choice this election. In Romney and Ryan, you have two people with unique qualifications that will allow them to tackle the serious issues facing our nation. Romney has a "stellar" business record, even according to former President Bill Clinton. Romney clearly knows what businesses require in order to expand and hire more people. He also was an effective governor, turning a debt into a surplus without raising taxes and cutting Massachusetts' unemployment rate to under 5%. Ryan, 42, is closest in age to your generation of any of the candidates, and he is considered to be the most knowledgeable budget expert in Congress. He knows that unless something is done soon to cut the debt and slow the growth of the entitlement programs, your generation and his children's generation will be faced with a standard of living below that of previous generations and without the benefit of entitlement programs that have served generation after generation of Americans.
Millions of Americans were truly inspired by then-candidate Obama in 2008 with his soaring rhetoric and his promises to unite a divided country. But four years later, the economy has not improved and our country is still divided. In fact, things have gotten much worse.
Of all Americans voting in the election of 2012, college graduates in their 20s should understand better than anyone else that President Obama's policies just haven't worked. But will they be persuaded by more the President's inspiring rhetoric, or his pathetic record creating jobs for people in their age group?
Or maybe you graduated from college a couple of years ago, lost a job during the recession and have been looking for another job. You have some experience in your field and you thought that surely you would be able to find a good job after going without work for a couple of weeks. But the weeks turned into months, and the months turned into a couple of years. You're wondering if you will ever find a job in your field that pays enough for you to buy a house or car or to support a family -- or to have any of the things normally associated with being a member of the middle class.
Do either of these scenarios describe the difficulty you've faced in finding a job -- a good job -- in your field of study?
If so, you're not alone. About one-half of recent college graduates have been unable to find a job in their field of study. The job market for recent graduates is the worst it's been since the Great Depression at the start of the last century. Tens of thousands of your classmates are also out of work, and things don't appear to be getting any better.
So, why haven't you been able to find a job? It's complicated, but let me try to explain.
The recession officially ended in June 2009. Since then, our economy has been in a "recovery." Unfortunately, this recovery has been the worst since the Great Depression.
The reason this slow recovery is that businesses -- small. medium and large -- are faced with an uncertain future. The policies of the Obama Administration have created this uncertainty in terms of environmental regulations, taxes on income and healthcare costs. This uncertainty has resulted in businesses curtailing new hiring and halting any expansion or investment in capital projects.
In short, as a result of this uncertainty created by the Obama Administration, you don't have a good job.
Let's take a look at each of the areas of uncertainty for business and industry.
President Obama's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is clearly out of control. Just as businesses invest funds to meet one new environmental regulation, another, stricter one is enacted. In some cases, the EPA seems to be more intent on closing entire industries than protecting the environment. Business and industry don't know what these new regulations will cost or even when they will be enacted, so they are leery of expanding or hiring new people when one unreasonable regulation could close their doors.
As for taxes, President Obama has made it clear he wants affluent people and businesses to pay what he describes as their "fair share." The affluent people he's talking about are mostly the small business owners, the people who create the majority of jobs in America. They don't know how much more in taxes they will pay, so they're afraid to hire new people or to expand their business because they don't know what their profit margins will be -- or even if they will be able to operate profitably when these new taxes are enacted.
The costs of healthcare seem to increase every year, but another monkey wrench has been thown into the equation -- Obamacare -- that has created even more uncertainty. Most of the new healthcare law will not be enacted until 2013 and 2014, so businesses don't know how this new law will fully impact them. In just the past year, the average cost of healthcare insurance for their employees has increased by $2,500, although the President said that Obamacare would decrease by $2,500 this year. Clearly, this new law will cost a lot more than the President said, and businesses know that the majority of those increased costs will ultimately be passed on to them in taxes and/or penalties. They're afraid to hire more employes or to expand because they simply don't know what the affect will be on their bottom lines.
This uncertainty is why so few jobs have been created. This uncertainty is also why you and so many of your classmates have been unable to find a job in their fields of study.
To put this uncertainty in terms anyone can understand, imagine that you save up just enough money for an Ipad. But as soon as you have the money saved and are ready to buy your Ipad, your car breaks down and you take it to the mechanic. Do you buy the Ipad until you know how much it will cost to fix your car? Of course not. Uncertainty causes you to move cautiously with your money. Businesses operate the same way. Until they know what things will cost, they are reluctant to spend.
Remember then-candidate Barack Obama, who promised you Hope and Change? As a result of his policies, you Hope you will be able to find a job in your field and you're essentially earning pocket Change for doing a job well below your talents and abilities. If President Obama is reelected for four more years, he will undoubtedly continue the same policies that created the uncertainty that has left millions of Americans unemployed or underemployed.
There's are two other major factors to consider during this election: debt and entitlement programs. Under President Obama, our national debt has increased by 50% in just three and one-half years. It now stands at $16 trillion. To put this debt in perspective, the amount owed by the United States equates to over $533,000 for every household in America. Unfortunately, President Obama has not offered any serious proposal to cut this debt, which threatens the security and standard of living for every citizen, especially younger Americans. Although Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are all racing toward insolvency, President Obama not made a serious proposal to rein in their costs so that future generations of Americans -- your generation -- has access to these vital programs.
In short, President Obama is mortgaging your future for his reelection. President Obama has said that the proposals by Republican nominee Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, to cut the debt and slow the growth of entitlements are "extreme" and "radical." The truth is that not doing anything, as President Obama has done, is what is truly extreme and radical.
Fortunately, you have a choice this election. In Romney and Ryan, you have two people with unique qualifications that will allow them to tackle the serious issues facing our nation. Romney has a "stellar" business record, even according to former President Bill Clinton. Romney clearly knows what businesses require in order to expand and hire more people. He also was an effective governor, turning a debt into a surplus without raising taxes and cutting Massachusetts' unemployment rate to under 5%. Ryan, 42, is closest in age to your generation of any of the candidates, and he is considered to be the most knowledgeable budget expert in Congress. He knows that unless something is done soon to cut the debt and slow the growth of the entitlement programs, your generation and his children's generation will be faced with a standard of living below that of previous generations and without the benefit of entitlement programs that have served generation after generation of Americans.
Millions of Americans were truly inspired by then-candidate Obama in 2008 with his soaring rhetoric and his promises to unite a divided country. But four years later, the economy has not improved and our country is still divided. In fact, things have gotten much worse.
Of all Americans voting in the election of 2012, college graduates in their 20s should understand better than anyone else that President Obama's policies just haven't worked. But will they be persuaded by more the President's inspiring rhetoric, or his pathetic record creating jobs for people in their age group?
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
The Voice of Reason: President Obama Interviews for Job as CEO of America
HELP WANTED
President of the United States
Searching for leader with proven experience as a chief executive officer and significant record of accomplishments. Must have experience growing revenue in the private or public sectors and promoting policies that create jobs. Must also have proven experience reaching across party lines in order to pass legislation into law. Needs to have proven experience addressing challenging budgetary issues, turning deficits into surpluses, and making tough budgetary choices. Also needs to inspire, communicate and lead a nation to prosperity. Job will be available January 2013. Must be able to start work immediately.
President of the United States
Searching for leader with proven experience as a chief executive officer and significant record of accomplishments. Must have experience growing revenue in the private or public sectors and promoting policies that create jobs. Must also have proven experience reaching across party lines in order to pass legislation into law. Needs to have proven experience addressing challenging budgetary issues, turning deficits into surpluses, and making tough budgetary choices. Also needs to inspire, communicate and lead a nation to prosperity. Job will be available January 2013. Must be able to start work immediately.
An election is nothing more than lengthy job interview, with each candidate communicating his or her experience, record of accomplishments and vision for the future to the ultimate selection committee -- the voters -- in speeches, advertisements, appearances at events and a party convention.
In the election of 2012, our incumbent President, Barack Obama, is facing a serious challenge from presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney because the President has not improved the standard of living for most Americans in his three and one-half years on the jobs. Members of the selection committee -- voters -- have essentially reopened the job because the President’s performance has not lived up to the expectations of the people who selected him for the job in 2008.
Given the current state of our country, what would an interview entail for President Obama (BO), as he explains his experience and record of accomplishments to the head of our selection Committee, a fictional person named John Q. Public (JP)? Let’s take a look at how this interview might proceed:
JP: Thank you for meeting with us today, President Obama.
BO: It’s a pleasure to be here today. I just finished a round of golf and am heading to another fundraiser, so let’s make this quick.
JP: I know that you're currently serving in this position. The selection committee has decided to repost the job, but have given you a chance to re-apply. That's why I'm interviewing you today -- to determine if you should be hired for another four years, or if we should go in another direction.
BO: I understand, but I think I've done a very good job. The private sector is doing very well under my leadership and my economic plan has worked.
JP: Your plan has worked? I'll get to that in a few minutes. You'll have the opportunity to tell me about your record, but let's move through the interview questions. Tell me about your experience as a chief executive officer.
BO: Well, I’ve been President of the United States for three and one-half years now.
JP: Prior to that, did you have CEO experience?
BO: I was a community organizer, state legislator and U.S. Senator.
JP: Had you led anything prior to becoming President, such as a major Senate Committee?
BO: No.
JP: Were you the CEO of a business or even a nonprofit organization?
BO: No.
JP: Have you even led a Cub Scout Troop?
BO: No.
JP: So, you essentially had no leadership experience prior to becoming President?
BO: In college, I was president of the Harvard Law Review, and I was kind of the leader of a group in high school. We smoked a lot of. . .but that’s another story.
JP: Well, tell me about your record of accomplishments as President.
BO: I was able to pass healthcare reform legislation and I shot Osama Bin Laden. I’ve also shot well over 100 rounds of golf and have attended more fundraisers than the last four Presidents combined at this point in their first term. As you can see, I’ve worked extremely hard and have accomplished great things. Other than a couple of Presidents, including Abraham Lincoln, I would put our legislative accomplishments up against any President.
JP: Let’s take a look at these accomplishments one at a time. Part of the job description is being able to work across party lines in order to pass legislation. How many Republican members of Congress voted for your healthcare plan?
BO: None.
JP: None?
BO: Zero.
JP: So not one member of the opposition party voted to support your landmark legislation?
BO: Not a one.
JP: And isn’t it true that the majority of the American public wants this law repealed?
BO: They just haven’t had time to read it. Even I haven’t had time to read it. We're just learning what all Nancy Pelosi and the lobbyists put into the law.
JP: You also mentioned that you shot Osama Bin Laden?
BO: I didn’t actually shoot him as in pulling the trigger, but I made the decision to have him killed after obtaining intelligence where he was hiding. I did the tough part, making the decision. I thought about this decision for months. Valerie Jarrett told me that I should hold off, but after a few months of thinking about it, I decided to move forward. That was a tough decision.
JP: You did the tough part? Given Bin Laden's atrocities against the U.S., wouldn’t any President have made that decision?
BO: I don’t know. I don’t think that any Republican would have made that decision.
JP: Any President would have made that decision. Even Jimmy Carter would have ordered that raid on Bin Laden’s compound. Let’s talk about your other accomplishments. You’ve played golf and attended fundraisers?
BO: Yes, I’ve worked very hard. Some days I play a round of golf and then attend two fundraisers. It’s arduous work, but I love it.
JP: Have you met with your Jobs Council or Cabinet in the past six months?
BO: There hasn’t been a lot of time for that. I’ve had a lot on my plate with the golf and fundraisers. I think I've met with my Cabinet once, and my Jobs Council? No so much.
JP: I’m sure you've been very busy. You mentioned that your legislative accomplishments have been among the most impressive in American history. What other legislative accomplishments have you and your administration achieved?
BO: I can't think of anything right now, but I'll get back to you later if I think of something.
JP: Let's move on to another topic. Tell me about your experience growing revenues and adding jobs.
JP: I’m sure you've been very busy. You mentioned that your legislative accomplishments have been among the most impressive in American history. What other legislative accomplishments have you and your administration achieved?
BO: I can't think of anything right now, but I'll get back to you later if I think of something.
JP: Let's move on to another topic. Tell me about your experience growing revenues and adding jobs.
BO: In my first term, 4.5 million jobs have been created.
JP: But aren’t there fewer Americans working than when you were elected?
BO: Yes, but you have to look at how many jobs we’ve created. After all, George Bush. . .
JP: President Obama, this interview is about you. You’ve been on the job nearly four years now and have had enough time to show us what you can do. Hasn't the unemployment rate increased since you took office?
BO: Yes, it has, but 4.5 million jobs have been created.
JP: But how many jobs have been lost and how many new people have entered the workforce? You do know that America needs to add up to 200,000 jobs a month just to break even, don't you?
BO: Yes, but we've created 4.5 million jobs.
JP: I heard that the first time you said it, but that statistic doesn't tell whether we're gaining ground, treading water or losing ground. If my numbers are correct, we have nearly 500,000 fewer jobs than the day you were inaugurated. The recent jobs report was also a downer. Only 96,000 jobs were created and nearly 375,000 people stopped looking for work, but let's move on. Let’s talk about the budget. Have you been able to balance the budget or at least slow down the growing debt?
BO: Yes, it has, but 4.5 million jobs have been created.
JP: But how many jobs have been lost and how many new people have entered the workforce? You do know that America needs to add up to 200,000 jobs a month just to break even, don't you?
BO: Yes, but we've created 4.5 million jobs.
JP: I heard that the first time you said it, but that statistic doesn't tell whether we're gaining ground, treading water or losing ground. If my numbers are correct, we have nearly 500,000 fewer jobs than the day you were inaugurated. The recent jobs report was also a downer. Only 96,000 jobs were created and nearly 375,000 people stopped looking for work, but let's move on. Let’s talk about the budget. Have you been able to balance the budget or at least slow down the growing debt?
BO. No. The debt has increased by 50%.
JP: Fifty percent? Are you kidding? Did I hear you correctly?
BO: The debt has increased by 50% since I took office. It's now at $16 trillion. But we had to spend a lot of money to get the economy going. That's the job of government. We would have made more progress on jobs but the shovel ready projects we thought we were paying for weren't quite shovel ready. After all, government, not entrepreneurs, build businesses.
JP: What? I don't believe what I'm hearing.
BO: Those business owners, they didn't build those businesses.
JP: So who built them?
BO: They got a lot of help from the government.
JP: Let's get back to the stimulus. So, essentially, nearly a trillion dollars in stimulus dollars was wasted? Is that what you're saying?
BO: It wasn't all wasted.
JP: What about the debt? So you haven't cut the debt even one cent?
BO: Those business owners, they didn't build those businesses.
JP: So who built them?
BO: They got a lot of help from the government.
JP: Let's get back to the stimulus. So, essentially, nearly a trillion dollars in stimulus dollars was wasted? Is that what you're saying?
BO: It wasn't all wasted.
JP: What about the debt? So you haven't cut the debt even one cent?
BO: Well, George Bush. . .
JP: Again, Mr. President, this interview is about you. Every President faces issues left over from his predecessor when he takes office. You didn’t hear George Bush complain that he had to face the terrorist attacks on 9/11 because Bill Clinton didn’t have Bin Laden killed when he had the chance. But let’s move on. Tell me about your last two budgets.
BO: I really haven’t had one. But it's the responsibility of Congress to. . .
JP: What do you mean you haven’t had one?
BO: Well, Congress never got around to passing mine or one of their own.
JP: Didn’t you propose budgets in 2011 and 2012?
BO: Yes.
JP: Well, what happened? Why didn’t Congress pass your budgets?
BO: The Senate voted them down.
JP: They voted them down in the Senate? What was the tally of the votes?
BO: 97-0 and 99-0.
JP: But didn’t your party control the Senate both of those years?
BO: That’s right, but the Republicans. . .
JP: So, you couldn’t get a single vote for your proposed budgets even though your own party controlled the Senate?
BO: That’s right.
JP: Doesn’t that seem to indicate that even your own party won’t follow you? Doesn’t that also show a lack of leadership on your part as a CEO, not pressing Congress to actually do its job? This is basic stuff. No organization should operate without a budget.
BO: Well, the Republicans. . .
JP: But your party controlled the Senate. So, you’re operating without a budget passed by Congress?
BO: That’s right.
JP: Well, let’s get to the last part of the job. Are you an inspiring person, President Obama?
BO: Yes, I am. MSNBC's Chris Matthews even said that he gets tingles up his leg when I speak.
JP: Chris Matthews is an absolute idiot. I think he just has a bladder problem. He probably meant he tingles down his own leg.
BO: In 2008 people were fainting when I spoke and I inspired thousands of young people to vote for the first time. Hope and Change. Hope and Change.
JP: That’s great, but inspiration is one thing, and slogans are another. Actually getting something accomplished is the role of the President. What is the level of excitement for you now among the American people?
BO: It's kind of waning. I don't understand.
JP: Let’s review to make sure I have this information right. Other than your experience as President, you have zero CEO experience. You made the deficit worse, and you've been unable to get Americans back to work. You've been unable to reach across party lines to get legislation passed, even a budget when your party controlled the Senate. You were able to pass healthcare legislation, but the majority of Americans don't want it. Under your watch, Navy Seals were able to kill Osama Bin Laden, and you’re a great speaker who makes Chris Matthews all tingly. Does that pretty much sum it up?
BO: I think you’ve covered it.
JP: President Obama, I have to say that I’m disappointed in your performance.
BO: Well, the Republicans, and George Bush. . .
JP: Mr. President, a true leader inspires and cajoles the other party to move to his side of the fence, or he meets them somewhere in the middle. You haven't done either.
BO: But I promise I’ll compromise more if I’m just given another chance. I need more time.
JP: About that other chance. I’m not so sure you will be given another chance.
BO: When will I find out if I’ve got the job again? Michelle is planning a few vacations for us and the kids in 2013. We're planning to travel to all 57 states, as well as Australia, New Zealand, Russia, China, South Korea, England, Ireland. . .
JP: November 6, Mr. President. We'll make our decision on that day. That day can’t come fast enough, as far as I’m concerned. Thanks for interviewing again for the job. But, please, please, don’t call us, we’ll call you.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
The Voice of Reason: Headlines We'll See if Obama is Reelected
If you're a news junkie like I am, you read newspapers, watch television, listen to radio and browse the internet trying to keep up with what's going on in our country and the world.
During the past three and a half years, we've seen thousands of headlines in the newspaper about the current administration. But I wonder, what would the headlines in American newspapers be like if President Obama is given another four years? Here are a few headlines I strongly believe we'll see, given the radical political views of our current President and the current direction of our country:
The sad part is that not even one of these headlines is out of the realm of possibility. In fact, given the direction this country is headed and our President's policies, I believe that the vast majority of these headlines have a high probability of being seen in our newspapers in the coming four years.
Do I see the unemployment rate remaining above 8%? Yes. Do I see the unemployment rate heading above even 10%. Yes, I do, especially if the President continues his anti-business, anti-growth policies, which he'll do if he's reelected.
Do I truly see coal being phased out as an energy source? Absolutely. Millions of Americas employed by coal directly and indirectly will be out of jobs.
Do I foresee America's power grid in grave danger? Yes, I do. With so many coal plants being shut down and even tougher EPA regulations on the drawing board -- with politics now driving America's energy policy -- our nation's reliable supply of electricity is at risk.
Do I see the EPA turning its attention to natural gas and oil after it has destroyed coal? Absolutely. The Obama Administration is against all fossil fuels that are extracted from the earth. The Obama Administration wouldn't even approve the Keystone Pipeline, which would have provided millions of barrels of oil from our neighbor to the north, Canada.
Do I see gasoline at over $8 a gallon? Any conflict in the Middle East, coupled with our President's "head in the sand" energy policy, could cause gas prices to top $10 a gallon.
Do I think that the President and Congress will raise taxes on all working Americans to fund their social programs? Absolutely. Raising taxes on only the wealthiest Americans won't raise enough revenue. The math just doesn't add up.
Do I see mass protests and a standard of living for Americans close to what we faced during the Great Depression? Without a doubt. We are heading towards a financial cliff with soaring debt, economic stagnation and millions more on various government programs. Again, the math just doesn't add up.
Some may think I'm being an alarmist. I happen to think that I'm being a realist. Knowing that he won't have to run again, our President will be free to do what he wants in a second term, which will result in an expansion of the policies he enacted in his first term.
We have a choice this election, and I believe that choice is crystal clear.
EPA Orders All Remaining Coal Plants to Close
Unemployment Tops 8% for 60th Straight Month
National Debt Increases to $22 Trillion
Unemployment Tops 10% for 10th Straight Month
Unemployment for Blacks Tops 30%
More Americans Now on Disability, Unemployment than Working
Average American Sees 75% Increase in Electricity
Power Grid at Breaking Point: Not Enough Power Plants to Power America
Half of America Dark During Week-long Blackout
Americans Turn Violent without Jobs, Power
EPA Turns Attention to Natural Gas, Oil
Americans Paying $8.25 for Gasoline; Prices Headed Higher
Obamacare Produces Three Month Wait for Office Visit
President, Congress Raise Taxes on All Americans to Pay for Programs
Millions Take to Streets to Protest President's Policies
Standard of Living for Americans Lowest Since Great Depression
Saturday, August 4, 2012
The Voice of Reason: So Do You REALLY Want to Vote for Obama?
I was thinking today about all of the reasons why I won't vote to reelect Barack Obama in November. And then I looked at the polls and saw that he has a slight lead in the average of all polls on realclearpolitics.com
How can this be? Are there people out there who will blindly vote for him because he's a Democrat or because he's black? Are there that many voters in America who aren't paying attention to what has happened to our country in three and one-half short years?
After looking at his record, no one should vote to reelect President Obama. No one.
Today's jobs report showed an up uptick in unemployment to 8.3%. Let's put this number in perspective. In EVERY ONE of the 42 months that Obama has been in office, unemployment has been above 8%, the longest record of 8%+ unemployment in the history of our country. In contrast, in 96 months with George W. Bush as President, we did not have a single month of unemployment at 8% or above. Not one. Why would any person hoping to find a job vote for President Obama in 2012?
The "real" unemployment number is over 15%, when you count those who have given up work and those who are stuck working part-time jobs although they want to work full-time. For those 18-29 years old and African-Americans, the numbers are even worse. Why would any young person or African-American vote for someone whose economic policies have made winning at roulette a much more likely proposition than actually finding a job?
Let's look at a few more good reasons to not reelect President Obama.
In three and a half years, he has increased our national debt by 50%. If President Bush spent money like the proverbial drunken sailor, which he did, President Obama has spent our tax dollars like a drunken sailor on crack. Why would any taxpayer vote to reelect President Obama?
For a President who promised transparency when he was elected, he has been one of our least transparent Presidents. He passed the healthcare law without giving Congress time to actually read it. His administration is full of lobbyists. His Attorney General, Eric Holder, has claimed "Executive Privilege" rather than releasing documents to a House investigation. We learned this week that members of his administration have been meeting lobbyists away from the White House so that their visits would not show up on the official White House log. We also learned this week that members of his staff have been using private e mail addresses to conduct official business. Transparency? Yeah right. Why would anyone who expects transparency in government vote to give Barack Obama a second term?
What major promise has he actually kept? He promised to close Gitmo. It didn't happen. He promised to cut our debt in half by the end of his first term. It's gotten worse. The Obama Administration also predicted that our unemployment rate would be about 6% now if only taxpayers wrote a check for his $800 billion stimulus to pay for shovel ready jobs that we later learned from the President himself "weren't quite shovel ready." And yet, our unemployment rate is 8.3% if you don't count all of the people who have given up looking for work or are working part-time at McDonalds after their unemployment ran out -- instead of working full-time at IBM or Microsoft. Why would anyone who believed Barack Obama when he was running in 2008 vote for him again in 2012?
So, what else hasn't he been doing?
Well, at at time that millions of Americans desperately need jobs, his Jobs and Competitiveness Council hasn't met in over six months, and his Cabinet didn't meet between the end of January and the end of July. Imagine the CEO of any major organization not having a staff meeting in nearly six months. This clearly shows a lack of leadership. Why would anyone expecting leadership from a President vote for someone who has displayed little or none?
Now, let's look at a few of the more underhanded things he's done.
I bet you hadn't heard that his campaign has now filed a lawsuit attempting to limit the number of service members who will be able to vote. Presently, Ohio allows the general public to cast a ballot in-person up until the Friday before the election, but members of the military are given an additional three days to vote. The Obama Campaign has filed a suit to eliminate this extra time given to those service men and women who just might happen to be fighting on the front lines and need the extra time to vote. Why would any active member of the military vote for a President who doesn't want to make it easy for him or her to vote, even when they're valiantly serving our country?
Or how about when his chief campaign advisor, David Axelrod, suggested that presumptive Republican nominee had committed a felony? Instead of backing away from this outrageous statement, the President insinuated that Romney should be investigated. Although some of his staunchest supporters were interviewed in the news media saying that these allegations were ridiculous, the President continued to fan the flames with insinuations. Why would anyone who demands the truth from his or her leader vote for Barack Obama again?
Another recent revelation is that the Obama Administration is telling our border control agents to let any illegal immigrant go free who says that he or she has graduated from high school or has a GED. No proof or verification is required, and even those who have attacked and injured our border control agents are being let go. The latest is that a border control agent was suspended for arresting an illegal immigrant who had a number of traffic tickets. He was told to let the person go free, but the agent refused. Funny him, he actually thought it was his job to protect our borders. You can't make this stuff up. Why would anyone who expects our borders to be secure vote for a President who has essentially opened our borders to anyone and everyone willing to say that he or she has a high school diploma?
Of course, part of this equation was the Executive Order signed by the President that essentially directed border control agents to ignore immigration law passed by Congress and signed by a previous President as long as the illegal aliens met certain conditions. This wasn't the first time the President has trampled on our Constitution. An order from his administration to force religious organizations to provide free birth control as part of their healthcare plans is yet another example of how President Obama has looked at our Constitution as a "suggestion" for how this country should be run. Why would anyone who believes in the Constitution written by our Founding Fathers vote to give President Obama another chance?
And then you have all of his statements that clearly show he is out of touch. He said that the "private sector is doing fine." He said that his economic plan has worked. The President has also said that he sometimes forgets how bad the economy is. Maybe he doesn't realize what's going on in the lives of ordinary Americans because he hasn't met with his Cabinet or his Jobs Council in six months? Of course his Press Secretary, Jay Carney, gave a perfectly reasonable explanation for the President's lack of attention on jobs, saying that the President "has a lot on his plate." Why would anyone vote for a President who has more important things to do than strive to help millions of Americans get back to work?
He's found enough space on his plate to play over 100 rounds of golf and attend more fundraisers than any of his predecessors. But who are we to judge a President whose administration has experienced 42 straight months of unemployment over 8%? But then again, why would anyone who expects our President to actually work for the American people vote for Barack Obama in 2012?
On top of all of this, you have an EPA that is clearly out of control and a General Services Administration that seems to be doing more partying than working. The EPA has been slapped down by courts several times in the past few months for overstepping its bounds. Policy is now based on whim, not science, and even an EPA official said that he was attempting to "crucify" certain industries. As for the GSA, more was recently revealed about this bloated agency that spends taxpayer dollars on lavish conferences and huge bonuses for employees at a time the country is going broke and millions are out of work. Why would anyone who expects "government by the people and for the people" vote to reelect Barack Obama in 2012?
And then you have the President's statement to business owners that "you didn't build that." He clearly doesn't understand the sacrifices required in terms of time, money and sweat to build a successful business in America. Why would any business owner vote to reelect our current President after he belittled their hard work, courage and intelligence?
Speaking of business, what about our domestic energy industry? President Obama and his EPA are trying their best to kill the entire coal industry, from mines to the coal-fired power stations. As a candidate, he boasted that his policies would cause electric rates to "necessarily skyrocket." This is one promise he's kept. He's wasted billions on alternative energy companies like Solyndra, but has done little to encourage drilling in our domestic oil and natural gas reserves. Even when he had the opportunity to create tens of thousands of jobs and bring millions of barrels of Canadian oil to our refineries through the Keystone Pipeline, he balked. As a result of his energy policy, or lack thereof, Americans are now paying close to $4 per gallon of gasoline at the pump, electric rates are increasing dramatically, dozens of power stations are being retired prematurely and hundreds of miners and employees at coal-fired power stations are losing their jobs. Why would anyone who uses electricity, natural gas or gasoline, or anyone who works in the energy industry for that matter, vote to allow President Obama to expand upon his job-killing, price-hiking policies in a second term?
Lastly, in three and a half years in office, our President has done nothing to address the skyrocketing costs of our entitlement programs, putting them in jeopardy for future generations of Americans. He's made no proposals to save Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare. Our President has focused his attention on playing golf and raising money for his reelection, instead of leading our country and making tough decisions. Why would any senior citizen, or anyone who expects to receive Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare for that matter, vote for a President who has "kicked the can down the road" instead of trying to save these programs for future generations?
Once you put all of this information together in one blog, it's frightening to see what's gone on in this country the past three and one-half years. It's pretty clear: No one in his or her right mind should vote to reelect Barack Obama. No one.
How can this be? Are there people out there who will blindly vote for him because he's a Democrat or because he's black? Are there that many voters in America who aren't paying attention to what has happened to our country in three and one-half short years?
After looking at his record, no one should vote to reelect President Obama. No one.
Today's jobs report showed an up uptick in unemployment to 8.3%. Let's put this number in perspective. In EVERY ONE of the 42 months that Obama has been in office, unemployment has been above 8%, the longest record of 8%+ unemployment in the history of our country. In contrast, in 96 months with George W. Bush as President, we did not have a single month of unemployment at 8% or above. Not one. Why would any person hoping to find a job vote for President Obama in 2012?
The "real" unemployment number is over 15%, when you count those who have given up work and those who are stuck working part-time jobs although they want to work full-time. For those 18-29 years old and African-Americans, the numbers are even worse. Why would any young person or African-American vote for someone whose economic policies have made winning at roulette a much more likely proposition than actually finding a job?
Let's look at a few more good reasons to not reelect President Obama.
In three and a half years, he has increased our national debt by 50%. If President Bush spent money like the proverbial drunken sailor, which he did, President Obama has spent our tax dollars like a drunken sailor on crack. Why would any taxpayer vote to reelect President Obama?
For a President who promised transparency when he was elected, he has been one of our least transparent Presidents. He passed the healthcare law without giving Congress time to actually read it. His administration is full of lobbyists. His Attorney General, Eric Holder, has claimed "Executive Privilege" rather than releasing documents to a House investigation. We learned this week that members of his administration have been meeting lobbyists away from the White House so that their visits would not show up on the official White House log. We also learned this week that members of his staff have been using private e mail addresses to conduct official business. Transparency? Yeah right. Why would anyone who expects transparency in government vote to give Barack Obama a second term?
What major promise has he actually kept? He promised to close Gitmo. It didn't happen. He promised to cut our debt in half by the end of his first term. It's gotten worse. The Obama Administration also predicted that our unemployment rate would be about 6% now if only taxpayers wrote a check for his $800 billion stimulus to pay for shovel ready jobs that we later learned from the President himself "weren't quite shovel ready." And yet, our unemployment rate is 8.3% if you don't count all of the people who have given up looking for work or are working part-time at McDonalds after their unemployment ran out -- instead of working full-time at IBM or Microsoft. Why would anyone who believed Barack Obama when he was running in 2008 vote for him again in 2012?
So, what else hasn't he been doing?
Well, at at time that millions of Americans desperately need jobs, his Jobs and Competitiveness Council hasn't met in over six months, and his Cabinet didn't meet between the end of January and the end of July. Imagine the CEO of any major organization not having a staff meeting in nearly six months. This clearly shows a lack of leadership. Why would anyone expecting leadership from a President vote for someone who has displayed little or none?
Now, let's look at a few of the more underhanded things he's done.
I bet you hadn't heard that his campaign has now filed a lawsuit attempting to limit the number of service members who will be able to vote. Presently, Ohio allows the general public to cast a ballot in-person up until the Friday before the election, but members of the military are given an additional three days to vote. The Obama Campaign has filed a suit to eliminate this extra time given to those service men and women who just might happen to be fighting on the front lines and need the extra time to vote. Why would any active member of the military vote for a President who doesn't want to make it easy for him or her to vote, even when they're valiantly serving our country?
Or how about when his chief campaign advisor, David Axelrod, suggested that presumptive Republican nominee had committed a felony? Instead of backing away from this outrageous statement, the President insinuated that Romney should be investigated. Although some of his staunchest supporters were interviewed in the news media saying that these allegations were ridiculous, the President continued to fan the flames with insinuations. Why would anyone who demands the truth from his or her leader vote for Barack Obama again?
Another recent revelation is that the Obama Administration is telling our border control agents to let any illegal immigrant go free who says that he or she has graduated from high school or has a GED. No proof or verification is required, and even those who have attacked and injured our border control agents are being let go. The latest is that a border control agent was suspended for arresting an illegal immigrant who had a number of traffic tickets. He was told to let the person go free, but the agent refused. Funny him, he actually thought it was his job to protect our borders. You can't make this stuff up. Why would anyone who expects our borders to be secure vote for a President who has essentially opened our borders to anyone and everyone willing to say that he or she has a high school diploma?
Of course, part of this equation was the Executive Order signed by the President that essentially directed border control agents to ignore immigration law passed by Congress and signed by a previous President as long as the illegal aliens met certain conditions. This wasn't the first time the President has trampled on our Constitution. An order from his administration to force religious organizations to provide free birth control as part of their healthcare plans is yet another example of how President Obama has looked at our Constitution as a "suggestion" for how this country should be run. Why would anyone who believes in the Constitution written by our Founding Fathers vote to give President Obama another chance?
And then you have all of his statements that clearly show he is out of touch. He said that the "private sector is doing fine." He said that his economic plan has worked. The President has also said that he sometimes forgets how bad the economy is. Maybe he doesn't realize what's going on in the lives of ordinary Americans because he hasn't met with his Cabinet or his Jobs Council in six months? Of course his Press Secretary, Jay Carney, gave a perfectly reasonable explanation for the President's lack of attention on jobs, saying that the President "has a lot on his plate." Why would anyone vote for a President who has more important things to do than strive to help millions of Americans get back to work?
He's found enough space on his plate to play over 100 rounds of golf and attend more fundraisers than any of his predecessors. But who are we to judge a President whose administration has experienced 42 straight months of unemployment over 8%? But then again, why would anyone who expects our President to actually work for the American people vote for Barack Obama in 2012?
On top of all of this, you have an EPA that is clearly out of control and a General Services Administration that seems to be doing more partying than working. The EPA has been slapped down by courts several times in the past few months for overstepping its bounds. Policy is now based on whim, not science, and even an EPA official said that he was attempting to "crucify" certain industries. As for the GSA, more was recently revealed about this bloated agency that spends taxpayer dollars on lavish conferences and huge bonuses for employees at a time the country is going broke and millions are out of work. Why would anyone who expects "government by the people and for the people" vote to reelect Barack Obama in 2012?
And then you have the President's statement to business owners that "you didn't build that." He clearly doesn't understand the sacrifices required in terms of time, money and sweat to build a successful business in America. Why would any business owner vote to reelect our current President after he belittled their hard work, courage and intelligence?
Speaking of business, what about our domestic energy industry? President Obama and his EPA are trying their best to kill the entire coal industry, from mines to the coal-fired power stations. As a candidate, he boasted that his policies would cause electric rates to "necessarily skyrocket." This is one promise he's kept. He's wasted billions on alternative energy companies like Solyndra, but has done little to encourage drilling in our domestic oil and natural gas reserves. Even when he had the opportunity to create tens of thousands of jobs and bring millions of barrels of Canadian oil to our refineries through the Keystone Pipeline, he balked. As a result of his energy policy, or lack thereof, Americans are now paying close to $4 per gallon of gasoline at the pump, electric rates are increasing dramatically, dozens of power stations are being retired prematurely and hundreds of miners and employees at coal-fired power stations are losing their jobs. Why would anyone who uses electricity, natural gas or gasoline, or anyone who works in the energy industry for that matter, vote to allow President Obama to expand upon his job-killing, price-hiking policies in a second term?
Lastly, in three and a half years in office, our President has done nothing to address the skyrocketing costs of our entitlement programs, putting them in jeopardy for future generations of Americans. He's made no proposals to save Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare. Our President has focused his attention on playing golf and raising money for his reelection, instead of leading our country and making tough decisions. Why would any senior citizen, or anyone who expects to receive Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare for that matter, vote for a President who has "kicked the can down the road" instead of trying to save these programs for future generations?
Once you put all of this information together in one blog, it's frightening to see what's gone on in this country the past three and one-half years. It's pretty clear: No one in his or her right mind should vote to reelect Barack Obama. No one.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
The Voice of Reason: What Has Happened to the America I Love?
The change had been gradual over several decades until 2009, when President Barack Obama took office and promised to "fundamentally transform" America.
He's changed it all right. America has changed from a nation of achievers to a country of whiners with their hands out, expecting the government to support them. It's not all his fault, of course, but he quickened the pace of change from a slow crawl to warp speed, all in just three and a half years.
One doesn't have to look any further than the June jobs report. In June, more people were added to the rolls of disability than got jobs.
Want another example? Under Obama's leadership our food stamps budget has increased by 110%. In other words, the budget has more than doubled.
But that's not good enough for the Obama Administration. They've spent $3 million on radio advertising to encourage even more people to sign up for food stamps. This week, we also learned that the Obama Administration has been working with the Mexican government to increase participation among Mexicans who are living or working in the United States.
How about another example? Under our President's leadership and the leadership of a Democratically-controlled Congress, unemployment benefits were extended to 99 weeks, just five weeks short of two full years. And if you haven't received unemployment benefits for a few decades, you would be suprised to learn how easy it is to continue receiving benefits. Gone are the days of proving that you actually applied for jobs in order to continue receiving benefits.
As of 2010, nearly one out of every two Americans received some sort of assistance or support from the federal goverment, compared to one in four in 2008.
http://lonelyconservative.com/2011/10/great-news-nearly-half-of-americans-receive-some-form-of-government-assistance/
http://money.cnn.com/2012/02/07/news/economy/government_assistance/index.htm
As one see, it's almost as if our federal government has done everything possible to encourage people not to work.
Want another example of this backward thinking? Take a single mother with two kids and earning $29,000 per year. Let's say that the mother is offered a job earning $69,000 per year, but the job is more demanding. Surely, she would want to take the higher-paying job, wouldn't she, as she would more than double her salary?
Actually, she might want to stay where she is. As the example in the link shows, the single mother has a financial disincentive to take the better-paying job, because she would lose benefits from the federal government that would not be made up with the higher salary.
http://www.aei-ideas.org/2012/07/julias-mother-why-a-single-mom-is-better-off-on-welfare-than-taking-a-69000-a-year-job/
If the President's goal were to create a society of Americans who rely on the federal government, he's succeeded like no other President before him.
The problem is that pretty soon there will be more people receiving government assistance than those working and paying taxes to support them. At that point, America will become a socialist state of mediocrity and the country we love will be long gone.
The election in November can't come soon enough.
He's changed it all right. America has changed from a nation of achievers to a country of whiners with their hands out, expecting the government to support them. It's not all his fault, of course, but he quickened the pace of change from a slow crawl to warp speed, all in just three and a half years.
One doesn't have to look any further than the June jobs report. In June, more people were added to the rolls of disability than got jobs.
Want another example? Under Obama's leadership our food stamps budget has increased by 110%. In other words, the budget has more than doubled.
But that's not good enough for the Obama Administration. They've spent $3 million on radio advertising to encourage even more people to sign up for food stamps. This week, we also learned that the Obama Administration has been working with the Mexican government to increase participation among Mexicans who are living or working in the United States.
How about another example? Under our President's leadership and the leadership of a Democratically-controlled Congress, unemployment benefits were extended to 99 weeks, just five weeks short of two full years. And if you haven't received unemployment benefits for a few decades, you would be suprised to learn how easy it is to continue receiving benefits. Gone are the days of proving that you actually applied for jobs in order to continue receiving benefits.
As of 2010, nearly one out of every two Americans received some sort of assistance or support from the federal goverment, compared to one in four in 2008.
http://lonelyconservative.com/2011/10/great-news-nearly-half-of-americans-receive-some-form-of-government-assistance/
http://money.cnn.com/2012/02/07/news/economy/government_assistance/index.htm
As one see, it's almost as if our federal government has done everything possible to encourage people not to work.
Want another example of this backward thinking? Take a single mother with two kids and earning $29,000 per year. Let's say that the mother is offered a job earning $69,000 per year, but the job is more demanding. Surely, she would want to take the higher-paying job, wouldn't she, as she would more than double her salary?
Actually, she might want to stay where she is. As the example in the link shows, the single mother has a financial disincentive to take the better-paying job, because she would lose benefits from the federal government that would not be made up with the higher salary.
http://www.aei-ideas.org/2012/07/julias-mother-why-a-single-mom-is-better-off-on-welfare-than-taking-a-69000-a-year-job/
If the President's goal were to create a society of Americans who rely on the federal government, he's succeeded like no other President before him.
The problem is that pretty soon there will be more people receiving government assistance than those working and paying taxes to support them. At that point, America will become a socialist state of mediocrity and the country we love will be long gone.
The election in November can't come soon enough.
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