politics (110)
Well, there is more violence on the border with the U.S. and Mexico this time its on lake Falcon, never heard of it till now.Evidently this lake is another crossing point for drugs and, more than likely, illegals.
I don't understand why we cannot secure our borders.I have a cell phone and with it I can google any part of the world and zoom in on roads and even houses.If I can do that how hard would it be to patrol the border with satelites?-I don't get it!, can somebody please explain this to me!
Black & Bulletproof: An African-American Warrior in the Israeli Armytells the intriguing story of one man’s journey from the terrors of“thug life” to a position of honor in the Israeli military.
Standing at a checkpoint in Israel with his assault rifle pointed over the headsof Palestinian Arabs, Marcus Hardie reminds himself, I am the good guy.Hardie was born and raised by his grandmother in a poor neighborhood onthe outskirts of Los Angeles, a black youth stuck in the urbanghetto. He survived the ghetto and graduated from college and lawschool, Marcus Hardie seemed destined for a future far from the violentsurroundings of his childhood, an upbringing filled with urban gangwarfare. He showed promise in California’s political scene, rising toan important position in the Governor’s office. No one would haveimagined, though, that he would soon become an elite anti-terroroperative in one of the most violent places in the world: The MiddleEast.
Marcus Hardie was groomed for a position of power in the Republican Party. This memoir deeply explores the inner working of a political party. This is the book you want to read this political season.
Please go to www.teapartyplanning.com and book a room via the link and you'll get a great rate. If you want to call the hotel directly that's fine just make sure you have the correct code.
Air Tran, Amtrak is offering 10% off their lowest web fare, again all this info is up on www.teapartyplanning.com
Let's GO!
Judging by President Obama's remarks and media coverage,
the No. 1 topic on Americans' minds nowadays is the awful
oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Not!
Gallup finds terrorism remains the top concern.
But it has now been joined by -- Hello, big Democratic spenders
Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid -- the exploding enormity of the
federal deficits. And here's the midterm election year political
problem for both of these Democrats: Republicans are viewed
as better at handling both of those concerns.
ABC News finds voter frustration at the boiling point.
The number of Americans approving of ...
... their local House member has dropped below 50%
for the first time since Bill Clinton's first midterm elections in 1994.
Anybody remember which party named Republican seized control
of both houses of Congress that year for the first time in four decades?
Voter approval of Congress is now at 26%, down 18 points since the
same Democrats took majority control of both houses in 2007.
As a Public Opinion Strategies memo notes here, Americans' perception
of the economy has actually weakened in the last two months.
And predictably they are turning to the federal government's top talker for
the blame; 44% of the country approves of Obama's handling of the economy
while 53% disapprove.
The even better news for Republicans is that the GOP has increased its
lead on the so-called generic congressional ballot this month.
That is, which party's candidate are you most likely to vote for on Nov. 2?
Republicans now lead Democrats by nine points, 44-35,
The Harris Poll has an interesting new survey out on how 2,503 Americans
rate 16 elements of life in their country. Large majorities give positive ratings
to America's science and technology (75%), its Constitution (70%),
quality of life (66%) and even its overpriced colleges and universities (65%).
The more education you have, the higher you rate these categories.
However, the healthcare system (33%), public schools (32%) and the
economic system (28%) don't get rated very well.
Incumbent Alert: You'll never guess which sector gets the worst rating
from Americans: Political (23%).
Some interesting wrinkles within, though. There's not much difference
among Republicans, Democrats and independents on many segments.
However, America's civil rights get better ratings from Republicans (70%)
than Democrats (53%); equality of opportunity (65% GOP, 47% Democrat)
and the environment (61% GOP, 37% Democrat). Only 19% of Republicans,
however, rate the system of government highly, while 33% of Democrats do.
The good polling news for Obama is that after 17 months of hope and change,
less than half of all Americans (47%) approve of his overall job performance in
the White House.
The bad news for Obama is, despite his nationally televised professed readiness
to consult experts on whose "ass" to kick over the slick mess, way less (40%)
approve of his handling of the nation's worst environmental disaster ever,
One other piece of good news for the ex-state senator.
It is true that a significant majority of Americans disagree with him and approve
of Arizona's tough new illegal immigrant legislation and wish their state would
do the same and blame Obama's federal government for porous border security
with Mexico. All that's true.
However, the good news for the Democrat is that if the 2012 presidential election
was held today, Obama could defeat Arizona's Republican Gov. Jan Brewer.
No one's never talked about her running. And he wouldn't beat her by much (44%-39%).
But Obama would still win. So that's gotta make him feel good these days.
The nation's unemployment rate as of February 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, remains just under 10%.
This despite the promise that billions for a shovel ready jobs bill would bring it down below 8% within a year.
And they've added billions more to it while also tying every bill that comes before them as being a jobs creator.
The rhetoric and the reality do not match.
Then there was the trillion dollar purchase of mortgage backedsecurities...to save people's homes and ignite the home buying market.
For the past 12 consecutive months foreclosures have averaged over 300,000per month and sales of new homes in Feb. 2010 fell by 2.2% to an annualpace of only 308,000, the slowest rate of growth since records werefirst recorded in 1963.
The government's purchase of these securities is expected to end this month, the special $8,000 tax breakis due to end in April, mortgage rates are expected to rise, and withonly 170,000 mortgages restructured as part of this plan, they areapproimately 3.8 million restructured mortgage short of their goal.
The rhetoric and the reality do not match.
Then there's the transparency we were promised. Bloomberg News and Fox Newshad to file separate lawsuits, which a federal appeals court ruled onin their favor, to gain access to documents that show which banksreceived emergency short term lending from the the Federal Reserveafter obama's government denied their requests.
And now we have great rhetoric being hurled about on his healthcare "reform." We havethe line in the sand with Iran being continuously redrawn. We haveChina telling us no, Israel telling us no, and Russia making it looklike Carter is still President.
obama's track record leaves us with little hope.
While those that criticize him do so for the most part with remarkably little informed criticism, the rhetoric wins.
Despite what the majority of the public thinks (50.8% opposed,RealClear Politics poll average, 3/28), obama and the main stream mediaare all giddy over the passing of obamacare.
He has won the war of rhetoric and since we will not know for sure thatthis bill is a front and a fraud for another 7-10 years, obama has thewon the privilege to run about the country as egotistical as ever.
Some in the media will print what lies in the bill below obama'sguess-work rhetoric and expose what the bill really means to theaverage American.
Despite the sensibility of some of these discoveries, some exposed byfacts, obama has the advantage in knowing none of it will be actuallyproven until his presidency is dead and gone.
What a wonderful position for a sleazy politician to find himself.
obama has put off the guts of the bill for another 5 years and untilthen he and his foot soldiers will be able to cast any opposingopinions on the bill as right-wing, tea-bagging nonsense...as politicsas usual and as actions of the status quo.
He'll use pretty speeches and half-assed comedic statements on thestump to energize and indoctrinate his already blind supporters inbelieving his continued rhetoric.
Because we will not see the tragic consequences of this bill's passing until it slaps us up side the head.
obama's staff has told us that they have a mega-marketing campaignplanned to get the word out on what is in the bill. Shouldn't thishave been something they did months ago?
Actually they have, using the same rhetoric and dragging out some poorcrippled person or cancer patient to exploit for political gain.
They will not tell us what is actually in the bill or what it willactually mean to us, really, what they will tell you is how greatchange is and this is something you can believe in.
If you are not questioning why we never heard detailed specifics on howthis bill will work and its affects on the country from obama, his footsoldiers, and the media, then obama's rhetoric will fire you up sillyand you will clap your hands with glee while God blesses your ignoranceand the Constitution protects it.
We will be indoctrinated, not informed, with the message theadministration wants us to believe this bill will do and what itmeans. Unless we dig and search for the truth, obama has the advantageof hiding behind the curtain and providing us only with bright lights,pretty words, and stories of woe.
Most presidents will seek support from the public before a bill ispassed, obama has changed this method by first passing the bill nomatter what the public thinks.
Why?
Because he is well aware of how infatuated the public can be overpretty speeches and clever denouncements of the opposition's silly, offfocus antics; especially when supported by a biased and unprofessionalmedia.
With that infatuation, that indoctrination, obama can claim a hugevictory for change and thus an even bigger 'I told you so' at electiontime...yet, like his election, a claim based solely on style andlacking substantive substance.
It could have been different. Republicans in Congress should have donetheir job and reported to their constituencies the more egregiouselements of this bill. Similarly, the voting public could have donetheir research and added a little thought to imagine what couldactually happen under this bill and its affect on further legislation.
Republicans instead stuck by the "scrap it and start over" plan whichwas not a crowd pleaser and which was heavily criticized by the media.Not a good plan.
They played into obama's play on the obstructionist angle and they paid for it.
Then when they did offer 29 amendments to change the bill, obama's foot soldiers gleefully rejected the whole lot.
Yet it did not matter, obama has won the war of rhetoric.
obama could sleep with eldrick's leftovers now and it wouldn't matter for health care...he has won the war of rhetoric.
How has your small business been doing under obama’s administration?....
A recent USA TODAY/Manta.com survey askeda similar question of small business owners.....
11% of respondents said things were good.....
13% of respondents said things haven’t changed (“change you can believe in!”).....
77% of small business respondents said that obama’s small business policies have negatively affected their small businesses.....
This can’t be!....
As part of the non-spurring stimulus bill left to obama’s administration toimplement, $200 BILLION was to be used to assist small business owners.....
It was to be Main St. over Wall St.....
However, the owner of your favorite coffee shop down the street sat with his other smallbusiness buds and watched as obama’s great economic minds handed out TARP cashto banks and large corporations.....
Things were not going as obama’s treasury secretary Timmy Geitner had originallyplanned.....
So, in March 0f 2009, obama had another plan.....
Give them more money (since the money was notcoming directly from the Treasury, no Congressional approval would benecessary.)....
obama goes for political points as he makes a tiger woods-like public announcementthat $15 BILLION more would beallocated from TARP monies to help out small business guys.....
“This will unlock our frozen credit markets which is essential for economicrecovery,” obama assured us.....
obama’s chosen SBA chief, Karen Mills, said that small businesses “create 70%” of newjobs each quarter.....
The plan was to use tax-payer monies to back 100% of SBA loans. The thinking was that this would loosen upcapital, create jobs and give small business owners “change they can believein.”....
How’s that unemployment rate working out for ya?....
We’re not investment bankers, but we play them in D.C.....
To spur interest, obama signed off on removing the restrictions on executivecompensation for those receiving TALF (small business bailout plan) funds.....
Did it work?....
Between June 2008 and June 2009, 6 months after obama’s small business plan, small business bankruptcies were up81%.....
For the first 3 quarters of 2009 (latest for which figures are available), smallbusiness bankruptcies were up 13%.....
In October 2009, Democratic Senator Mark Warner of Virginia said, woa, we needmore cash for this thing. He proposes thatanother$50 BILLION be made available for this most excellent plan.....
Oh, it worked in some places.....
Back in Maine, where obama’s chosen SBA chief Karen Mills hails from in her pastlife as a venture capitalist; aluminum trailer maker Alcom, Inc easily receiveda $1.1 million dollar loan from obama’s government.....
But down in Fort Lee, New Jersey, small business owner James Daigle said that hewas “laughed off” when he attempted to get a loan for his business.....
They are cheering in Oman and Bahrain however.....
obama’s SBA announced in February of 2010 that they had just entered into a partnershipwith Middle East and African countries to provide access to capitol and tostrengthen small enterprise in those regions.....
Greaaaat; Oman, Bahrain. Those aren’t cities inSouth Dakota.....
Also in February of 2010, obama said an additional $30 BILLION should besent to little community banks around the country…I think he meant thiscountry, not sure. ....
It appears that too many banks that received the original funds for this most awesome plan were just hoarding the cash andnot lending it and the little guys were getting screwed…or so the storygoes. ....
Who’s ordering dusty daiquiris in Bahrain right now?....
Toyota wasn’t doing to bad with the plan.....
$750 million of the original plan funds were to go to World Omni Financial Corp, thecompany that makes loans through Toyota Motor Corp. And a great American company it is.....
Massive amounts of tax-payer money paid out in stimulus funds by the obamaadministration and we watch as large banking executives continue to awardthemselves billions in bonuses.....
Massive amounts of tax-payer money paid out by the obama administration for a jobsstimulus and unemployment rises; then billions more are asked for.....
Massive amounts of tax-payer money paid out by the obama administration for the homemortgage industry and still we see increases in mortgage bankruptcy filings.....
Massive amounts of tax-payer money paid out by the obama administration for a failedsmall business bailout; and still more money is allocated.....
I’ve got another plan. Let’s stop givinganything incorporated any of our money, and start giving the billions out toindividual tax-payers. We will spend,we’re good at that. We’ll savebusinesses, help the economy, and then travel to Bahrain to buy a Toyota.....
obama’s elitist persona has been the subject of many insightful articles since he realized that he, in his words, “had game” andcould play at the federal political level.
obama’s body language has revealed signs of arrogance, egoism, and deception.
Aside from his silly obama-isms (and you thought Bush was the only one could whip out a zinger), his words have only strengthened theseimages while also revealing his attitude toward the average citizen.
The common working man has been a jocular target of obama’s.
During the 2008 campaign he spoke of the people of Pennsylvania and “small towns” throughout the Midwest as “clinging to their guns andreligion,” about their being “bitter” and using “anti-immigrant…antipathetic” sentiments to excuse their own failures.
obama traveled to Massachusetts to lend his over-hyped, over-estimated clout to the senate election campaign of Martha Coakley andwhile there he publicly mocked opponent Scott Brown’s use of a pickup truck totravel between campaign stops…
…sort of like al gore mocking owners of SUVs for their gas guzzling, energy burning ways while he himself traveled by private jet or a with a parade of non-greenfriendly vehicles.
While criticizing the executives of the bailed out banks, he implied that it is common for Americans to run to Vegas and blow the rent ortuition money while imagining we were Phil Ivey.
According to obama before he came along Americans feared the coming end of America.
During his inaugural address, obama said we had no “confidence” in America, and we believed that “America’s decline wasinevitable.”
We were a lost people within a lost country and only obama saved us from ourselves.
During the 2009 State of the Union speech, obama said that anyone who was against obama-care, which was a majority of the populationoutside the Democratic Caucus, was stupid.
He said that he hadn’t explained it well enough for us to understand the plan.
In other words, we do not know what we know unless obama has had an opportunity to tell us what we know.
obama also used his annual message to the nation to take cheap, classless, political, potshots at the Supreme Court and thus atdemocracy itself.
As a supposed former community agitator, or organizer, obama hypocritically mocked the “teabaggers” for their grass-roots efforts, sayingthey were merely “playing games…waving their little tea bags around.”
The word “little” is such a condescending little word.
Again, this type of democratic activity roils the elitism in obama.
obama admittedly stands before a black audience and belittles, insults them for what he sees as a their cultural ignorance.
He said that he “often speaks a language that is foreign to them,” thus, he has to change his speaking style, his diction, to suit theblack audiences he faces.
He also pigeon holes whites as he recounted how he felt that his mother “was like most white people” who feel uneasy when they encounterblack strangers.
obama has made light of the mentally handicapped while on Jay Leno and has said that doctors are more interested in making money thancuring the patient .
obama told us that “words matter.”
Thus, his words matter.
His words show that to him the average American matters little.
