Former FBI official: the Bureau has become corrupted by ideology and ego... and there's growing discontent among the rank and file (VIDEO). Image Credit: Tucker Carlson via FB (2018)
... include the whole of the Department Of Justice (DOJ) now that they just issued their Inspector General (IG) Report and it followed the exact template that then FBI Director presented nearly 2 years ago when he, Comey, went through the laundry list of law-breaking by Hillary Rodham Clinton (HRC) then ending with the conclusion that NO PROSECUTOR would take HRC to trial.
The DOJ IG Report went through nearly 500 pages of descriptions of Political BIAS, over-reaches in power, deviance of FBI procedure, and unequal justice - then ending with the concluding ruling that NO Provable Political BIAS existed in the illegal HRC private email server investigation.
These people distort process in order to pursue their collective progressive political ego and personality. Ego and emotion rules the day as these bureaucracies pile Bias upon Bias in order to undo the fair election of a 45th President that is anybody but Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The FBI was rigging an election for President of the United States on behalf of one political party over the other.
We, at MAXINE, see Bias upon Bias along with Fix upon Fix "being placed in" to insure a Clinton Presidency using a two-tiered justice system where anybody but Hillary Clinton would be arrested for the countless felonies in the mishandling of classified information on her illegal private email server.
If the FBI will ever be trusted again, the rank and file will have to step forward and become the face of - first, justice - then proper process over ideology and ego.
TAGS: DEEP STATE, James Clapper, John Brennan, Barack Obama, James Comey, Andrew McCabe, Loretta Lynch, Hillary Clinton, #BIAS, #corruption,#ego, #BHO44, MAXINE
Clint Eastwood speaks to Barack Obama as represented by an empty chair. Image Credit: H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY
Of Clint Eastwood, Chairs, And A Job Well Done
The presentations at the Republican National Convention (RNC) were
strong with a theme that was gifted to the Republicans through an
unscripted moment in a campaign speech (are there any other kinds of
public address with Barry?) delivered by our 44th President, Barack
Obama.
Mr. Obama mocked successful business owners through the phrase
brought about when he characterized these business owners as being
smarter or gaming the system when they built there businesses and hired
people saying “You didn’t build that”, insinuating that businesses
would not exist without help from the Government.
The RNC said over, and over again – We Built This!” – and tied the
President to his failed record on job creation, the economy, the
increase in debt, and with Clint Eastwood’s help, his lack of leadership
for all Americans no matter party affiliation, ethnic background,
religion, or talent.
Clint Eastwood was a surprise headline evening podium guest and
instead of coming on stage with a tightly scripted presentation that
included background video, testimonials, and props … save one. All Clint
did was talk to the crowd and carried on a conversation with one prop,
an empty chair.
The Empty chair, as explained by Clint Eastwood, was to symbolize our current president, Barack Obama.
What a classic metaphor which played on many levels – from this
president not being in his chair while playing in one of his record
number of golf outings (well over 100 games played since he assumed
office), to being MIA (missing in action) on policies that promote as
opposed to inhibit job creation and growth, to operating the government
without a formal budget since taking office (that’s right, NO BUDGET),
an additional 6 Trillion dollars added to our debt (a sum greater than
what all other Presidents have added to the debt before Obama), and
finally, the concept of “Leading From Behind” in all things relating to
foreign affairs (and really, there is much, much more).
“So I’ve got Mr. Obama sitting here and I just was going to ask him a
couple of questions. But you know, I remember 3½ years ago when Mr.
Obama won the election and, no, I wasn’t a big supporter,” Eastwood said
as he looked at the empty stool next to his podium.
“I was watching that night when he was having that thing and they
were talking about hope and change,” he added. “‘Yes we can’ and it was
dark and outdoors and it was nice, people were lighting candles, they
were saying ‘I just thought this is great.’ Everybody’s crying, Oprah
was crying. And I was even crying.”
“I haven’t cried that hard since I found out that there’s 23 million
unemployed people in this country. Now that is something to cry for
because that is a disgrace, a national disgrace, and we haven’t done
enough; obviously, this administration hasn’t done enough to cure that,”
he said.
The actor, who officially endorsed Romney earlier this month,
continued on a winding rant in which he hit the president for failing to
keep his many 2008 promises.
“Somebody had the stupid idea of trying terrorists in downtown New
York City. … I know you were against the war in Iraq and that’s OK, but
you thought the war in Afghanistan was OK. You thought that was
something worth doing. We didn’t check with the Russians to see how they
did there for the 10 years,” Eastwood said.
“I’m not going to shut up. It’s my turn,” the actor blurted out a few
moments later, still glancing over at the make-believe Obama sitting
in the empty chair next to him. “I just wondered, all these promises,
and then I wondered about you know, … what do you want me to tell
Romney? I can’t tell him that. … Tell him yourself. You’re absolutely
crazy.”
Photo “Tweeted” by Barack H. Obama, himself. Tweet: This seat’s taken. http://OFA.BO/c2gbfi , pic.twitter.com/jgGZTb02 – The fact that this 44th President couldn’t pass the chance to respond speaks volumes.
This back and forth with the empty chair was amusing and, to the
Obama faithful, disrespectful. Clint Eastwood understood the depth of
this metaphor and I think he knew it would get under the very thin skin
of this “Child-King” executive leader who currently occupies the
office.
Eastwood went on - "I would just like to say something, ladies and gentlemen. Something that I think is very important. It is that, you, we -- we own this country.
We -- we own it. It is not you owning it, and not politicians owning it. Politicians are employees of ours."
Clint then addressed the crowd in the hall and on the camera with
this line – “Whether you are a Democrat or Republican or whether you’re
libertarian or whatever, you are the best. And we should not ever
forget that. And when somebody does not do the job, we got to let them
go.”
Clint Eastwood is right, we, as Americans living during Carter's Second Term, have to let this 44th President and his administration go come November 2012.
Mitt Romney has outlined a bold agenda to spur economic growth and create jobs. On his first day in office, he will approve the Keystone pipeline, introduce pro-growth tax reforms, and repeal Obamacare [ctrl-click HERE to launch video ad]. Credit: mittromney
“Day One” In A Romney Run Executive Branch Of Government
Today, Mitt Romney’s first commercial of the general election will be released (see video)
and it says that on “Day One” in the White House he would … Approve The
Keystone Pipeline, Introduce Tax Cuts, and Issue Orders To Begin
Replacing Obamacare. The Romney campaign’s first official ad in over a
month will air today through next Tuesday in Ohio, Iowa, Virginia and
North Carolina.
In 2008, we all had “Hope & Change” but no real understanding
what an Obama run Executive Branch of government would look like.
In 2008, then candidate Senator (Illinois) Barack Obama promised
Reducing The Deficit And Debt, Lobbyists “Won’t Find A Job In My White
House”, and Transparency In Law Making complete with a minimum 72 hour
internet posting of any proposed law before a vote by Congress.
In 2009, President Barack Obama further promised The Stimulus Will
Keep Unemployment Below 8 Percent, Stimulus Jobs Will Not Be Shipped
Overseas, the Housing Plan Will Save Millions From Foreclosure, Health
Care Negotiations Will Be Televised, ObamaCare Will Reduce Premiums, and
The Stimulus Will Create “Shovel-Ready Jobs”.
After over three years, we have a clear understanding and, sadly, the
type of Executive Branch that was promised … never materialized.
We, at MAXINE, all now have a new target to have hope for in the nature of the
change in the promises made by a replacement leader for the Executive
Branch of government.
President Barack Obama delivers remarks during the Official Arrival Ceremony for Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany on the South Lawn of the White House, June 7, 2011. Image Credit: Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy The Barack Obama Economy - Greece-ing Our Skids
Yesterday, the United States stock market dropped about 1.5% on fears of extreme unrest in Greece on the news that the citizens there, who have lived in an entitlement/socialist society for decades, have nearly bankrupted the country and can no longer receive the supports to their lifestyles they were accustomed to.
Greece is struggling with a nearly half a trillion dollar debt load, and is working to avoid having to restructure, or worse, default on its debt. However, the Greek public has protested deep spending cuts and austerity measures to save their economy, and plans to privatize government-held entities have fallen far short of the necessary capital requirements.
Last week, President Barack Obama met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and one of the issues they discused was this ongoing problem of the Greecian economy. Greece has already received $161 billion in European bailout assistance, largely orchestrated by Merkel. Now, European finance ministers and international lenders are working on a second round, on the order of an additional $1l7 billion to $146 billion.
After his meeting with Merkel, Obama said the U.S. would participate in the bailout on condition that Germany takes the lead. In a sense, as the largest contributor to the International Monetary Fund, the United States is already participating.
This excerpted and edited from CNBC's moneycontrol.com -
US is in even worse shape financially than Greece: Gross moneycontrol.com - Published on Tue, Jun 14, 2011
When adding in all of the money owed to cover future liabilities in entitlement programs the US is actually in worse financial shape than Greece and other debt-laden European countries, Pimco`s Bill Gross told CNBC Monday.
Much of the public focus is on the nation`s public debt, which is USD 14.3 trillion. But that doesn`t include money guaranteed for Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, which comes to close to USD 50 trillion, according to government figures.
The government also is on the hook for other debts such as the programs related to the bailout of the financial system following the crisis of 2008 and 2009, government figures show.
Taken together, Gross puts the total at "nearly USD 100 trillion," that while perhaps a bit on the high side, places the country in a highly unenviable fiscal position that he said won`t find a solution overnight. ---- Should the debt problem in Greece explode into a full-blown crisis-an International Monetary Fund bailout has prevented a full-scale meltdown so far-Gross predicted that German debt, not that of the US, would be the safe-haven of choice for global investors. [Reference Here]
We, at MAXINE, are compelled to ask: Why are we bailing out Greece when we should be bailing out ... ourselves?
This is not the time to approve an increase the debt ceiling as the President insists on having the Congress and the Senate agree with him to do. Our country is already way too much in debt on un-funded liabilities alone.
It's time to hit the spending brakes and stop this skid into Government entitlement oblivion.
The Obama Administration continues to pursue the implementation of a voided health care law ... breaking additional statutes of federal law. Image Credit: White House Photo Chuck Kennedy (2011) The Lawless, Soft Tyranny Of Carter's Second Term
This week saw the coming and going of some major movements on the 2,700 page health care law that was passed last year by the Democrat Party, without debate, without reading, and without transparency that went by the official name of H.R.3590 - Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ... "ObamaCare"!
On Monday, January 31, 2011, a federal district court judge in Florida ruled that a key provision in the new health care law is unconstitutional, and that the entire law must be voided.
Federal Judge Roger Vinson agreed with the 26 state-government plaintiffs that Congress exceeded its authority by passing a law penalizing individuals who do not have health insurance.
"I must reluctantly conclude that Congress exceeded the bounds of its authority in passing the Act with the individual mandate," Vinson writes. "Because the individual mandate is unconstitutional and not sever-able, the entire Act must be declared void."
On Wednesday, February 2, 2011 the United States Senate held a vote to REPEAL the 2,700 page health care law. Senate Democrats fended off a Republican effort to repeal the law overhauling the health care system, voting down the measure, 47-51, submitted as an amendment to an airports construction bill. So, Senate Democrats voted to uphold a Federal Court voided and unconstitutional ObamaCare law.
This places our government in a Constitutional crisis. For four days now, our 44th Presidency has fail to respond, and has sought to obstruct the intent of the Judges decision.
This excerpted and edited from NewsOK -
Alaska gov.: Enacting health care may violate oath By BECKY BOHRER, Oklahoman - Published: February 3, 2011
Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell is asking his attorney general to advise him on whether implementing the federal health care overhaul would put Parnell in violation of his oath of office. ---- Parnell says he took an oath to support and defend the constitutions of the United States and Alaska. While the Republican governor concedes the issue is expected to be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, he says he has a duty to uphold the law and wants the attorney general to advise him on what the duty is after the Florida ruling. Reference Here>>
This begs the question; Why doesn't this ruling have every elected official and agency head in violation to their oath of office?
It turns out that there is a federal statute which will place States ... all States in contempt of this ruling if they continue to spend federal money to set up the bureaucracy required to implement the ObamaCare law.
Radio host and former federal lawyer, Mark Lavin posits,"Now the states of Wisconsin and Florida, it appears, have decided that there's no law for them to implement any longer. And they are in fact correct, since the last position of the law as it applies to Obamacare is that there is no law.
And so the states should stop implementing this statue until there is a different ruling from a higher court. If the Obama administration wants to continue to violate the Constitution, to defy a federal judge, and play rope-a dope, then you states have no responsibility whatsoever to comply.
And you insurance companies ... there is no Obamacare law officially. It's been voided. And it is not an act of civil defiance to refuse to adhere to any aspect of it.
The act of civil defiance -- that is, the act of constitutional violation -- are occurring on the other side." said Mark Lavin Thursday.
There is a federal statute - Crimes and Criminal Procedure - 18 USC Section 641 / Public money, property, or records - which will place the Federal Government, States, and local Governments in contempt of this ruling if they continue to spend federal money to set up the bureaucracy required to implement the ObamaCare law.
This is what 18 USC Section 641 states: Crimes and Criminal Procedure - 18 USC Section 641
Legal Research Home > US Laws > Crimes and Criminal Procedure > Crimes and Criminal Procedure - 18 USC Section 641
01/19/04
Sec. 641. Public money, property or records
Whoever embezzles, steals, purloins, or knowingly converts to his use or the use of another, or without authority, sells, conveys or disposes of any record, voucher, money, or thing of value of the United States or of any department or agency thereof, or any property made or being made under contract for the United States or any department or agency thereof; or
Whoever receives, conceals, or retains the same with intent to convert it to his use or gain, knowing it to have been embezzled, stolen, purloined or converted -
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; but if the value of such property does not exceed the sum of $1,000, he shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
The word "value" means face, par, or market value, or cost price, either wholesale or retail, whichever is greater.
AMENDMENTS 1996 - Pub. L. 104-294 substituted "$1,000" for "$100" in third par. 1994 - Pub. L. 103-322, in third par., substituted "fined under this title" for "fined not more than $10,000" after "Shall be" and for "fined not more than $1,000" after "he shall be".
SHORT TITLE OF 1984 AMENDMENT Pub. L. 98-473, title II, chapter XI, part I (Secs. 1110-1115), Sec. 1110, Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2148, provided that: "This Part [enacting section 667 of this title and amending sections 2316 and 2317 of this title] may be cited as the 'Livestock Fraud Protection Act'."
Last modified: April 13, 2006
It is high time for this government of Carter's Second Term/the 44th Presidency of Barack Obama to start obeying the law and stop with their soft tyranny of ignoring the law and legal rulings handed down from our court system.
Favorite take-away quote from source article - “The government was not at liberty to impose its own will after the court struck down the policy,” Sam Giberga, Hornbeck Offshore Services general counsel, said. “The government, like any citizen, had to obey the ruling, even if it didn’t like it.”
Favorite take-away quote - "Failure of the Obama administration to stop all activity related to the law that the federal court held to be unconstitutional would create a potential constitutional showdown between the two branches rarely seen in our nation's history. When coupled with the state's refusal to submit to federal regulations implementing a law that has been stripped from the books, our nation is looking at a potentially historic fight not only between branches of government but between the states and the federal government."
Over the last two years, we have watched an out of control Congress run roughshod over the American people and our Constitution. We watched the healthcare reform bill pass the U.S. Congress, which will destroy our Healthcare system. Watching all of this insanity, we realized that we can no longer sit on the sidelines and allow our country to continue to fall short of its potential greatness. To help restore America, we created Generation America and Generation America Voice. Image Credit: Generation America Voice and the 21-12 Project
The 112th Congress in one of it's first actions of duty, voted to repeal ObamaCare by a wide margin. In fact, the repeal vote received more votes in passing than the ObamaCare bill received for its passage into law. The vote count aided by the landslide election last November of 63 new Republican Party congressmen and the help from 3 Democrat Party congressmen came in at 245 for repeal to 189 against repeal ... a good day for America and a potential step back from a Government Payer (single-payer) health care system - the eventual goal of ObamaCare.
So now it is 21 for '12 in order to have the repeal bill be seen on the floor of the Senate ... the next step toward the repeal process. There are 21 Democrat Party Senators who will be up for election in the next election cycle in the year 2012. Assuming that all Republican Senators would vote to repeal ObamaCare, it would only require 4 Democrat Party Senators to join the Republicans to move this process to the desk of the 44th President of the United States.
It is important to all of those who wish to maintain the decision-making power over the health of their lives (and this is not the only decision-making power at risk in the law that was passed by the 111th Congress we currently refer to as ObamaCare).
To help organize the efforts of the nearly 70% of all Americans who are against the present health care law passed by the 111th Congress, entitled "The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act of 2010", an alternative advocacy group that counters the efforts of AARP has been established. This group is called Generation America Voice and the effort to organize all who wish to protect their rights this ObamaCare law intends to take away is named Project 21-12!
This excerpted and edited from Generation America Voice -
Project 21-12 - OUR PLAN:
Project 21-12 is Generation America’s plan to Repeal ObamaCare.
The new Republican House of Representatives have voted to repeal ObamaCare. The repeal effort now moves to the Senate. Many political observers predict that this is where it will stall and die. To the contrary, we believe that through a simple plan of action, the Senate can be motivated to pass this bill and ObamaCare will be repealed.
There are 21 Democratic Senators who voted FOR ObamaCare and all of them are up for reelection in 2012, thus Project 21-12. The project is an outreach to these 21 Democrat Senators in an attempt to inform them about the terrible harm this bill does to older Americans and the economic catastrophe that ObamaCare will create. We believe that these Senators, as they have the opportunity to reflect on ObamaCare and the negative effects we are already seeing, will listen to reason and reconsider their original support of ObamaCare.
All of Washington, including these 21 Senators fully understands the historic exceelection this past November. They follow the public opinion polls that reflect resounding dissatisfaction with ObamaCare. Many of these Senators are worried and understand that they will have a very difficult time retaining their seats if they continue to support ObamaCare.
What excites us about this plan is its simplicity. The Republicans will control 47 Senate seats. We only need 4 Democrats to change their vote to repeal ObamaCare. This can be done. Reference Here>>
It is funny that people believe that a "Single-Payer" system is best for all. Have they ever asked themselves the following questions?:
1) Where does the money come from to pay the provider?
2) If the Government is paying the provider, who does the provider answer to - the patient or the payer?
3) If the Government payer also collects taxes on people when they die through Estate Taxes, doesn't this fact set up an additional conflict of interest?
4) Can the cost be reduced when additional people in the payer process are placed between the provider and the patient?
5) Can insurance companies really reduce additional costs if they can not compete in all 50 states (currently restricted by imposed laws)?
I am sure you and others who have pondered this issue have a few good questions for people who feel that a single-payer approach is the ideal to consider ... but this is just a start. These questions do not even address the Constitutional individual freedoms that are erased if a single-payer process were to be established.
Remember ... we Americans do have actual power over those who believe they are members of the ruling class. Get involved in the 21-12 Project and just see where this ride takes us on the path to Repeal And Replace here during Carter's Second Term.
We are nearing the second quarter of 2010, ending 17 months of a disastrous economic policy that has not delivered jobs and has increased government debt to one-trillion dollars, four times larger than at anytime in our history as a country.
The $787 Billion dollar (revised upward to $865 Billion dollars), stimulus spending package has not delivered on its promise to hold unemployment down to only 8% (currently hovering around 10%) and the "shovel ready" projects that local and state governments had in the wings and were often cited as to where the money would be spent only amounted to about 10% of the spending. Most of the spending has been absorbed by the extensive network of bureaucracies that paid for studies performed by people who were already employed in education and research organizations ... organizations that do not add to the Gross Domestic Product of goods and services that grow an economy and build an economy.
The recognition of the one-way government spending track that dead-ends when the money runs out - because printing money without the goods & services to back up the amount of dollars flowing in the economy, devalues the economy and leads to inflation - even has liberal observers at Mainstream Media outlets (MSM) up in arms in frustration.
This excerpted and edited from the New York Times -
Wrong Track Distress By BOB HERBERT, Op-Ed Columnist, New York Times - Published: June 28, 2010
It’s getting harder and harder for most Americans, looking honestly at the state of the nation, to see the glass as half full. And that’s why the public opinion polls contain nothing but bad news for Barack Obama and the Democrats. ---- Mr. Obama and the Democrats have wasted the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity handed to them in the 2008 election. They did not focus on jobs, jobs, jobs as their primary mission, and they did not call on Americans to join in a bold national effort (which would have required a great deal of shared sacrifice) to solve a wide range of very serious problems, from our over-reliance on fossil fuels to the sorry state of public education to the need to rebuild the nation’s rotting infrastructure. ---- Mr. Obama had campaigned on the mantra of change, and that would have been the kind of change that working people could have gotten behind. But it never happened. Job creation was the trump card in the hand held by Mr. Obama and the Democrats, but they never played it. And now we’re paying a fearful price.
Fifteen million Americans are unemployed, according to the official count, which wildly understates the reality. Assuming no future economic setbacks and job creation at a rate of 200,000 or so a month, it would take more than a decade to get us back to where we were when the Great Recession began in December 2007. But we’re nowhere near that kind of sustained job growth. Last month, a measly 41,000 private-sector jobs were created.
We are in deep, deep gumbo.
The Obama administration feels it should get a great deal of credit for its economic stimulus efforts, its health care initiative, its financial reform legislation, its vastly increased aid to education and so forth. And maybe if we were grading papers, there would be a fair number of decent marks to be handed out. ---- There is a widespread feeling that only the rich and well-placed can count on Washington’s help, and that toxic sentiment is spreading like the oil stain in the gulf, with ominous implications for President Obama and his party. It’s in this atmosphere that support for the president and his agenda is sinking like a stone.
Employment is the No. 1 issue for most ordinary Americans. Their anxiety on this front only grows as they watch teachers, firefighters and police officers lining up to walk the unemployment plank as state and local governments wrestle with horrendous budget deficits. ---- By nearly 2 to 1, respondents to the most recent New York Times/CBS News poll believed the United States is on the wrong track. Despite the yelping and destructive machinations of the deficit hawks, employment and the economy are by far the public’s biggest concern. Mr. Obama is paying dearly for his tin ear on this topic. Fifty-four percent of respondents believed he does not have a clear plan for creating jobs. Only 45 percent approved of his overall handling of the economy, compared with 48 percent who disapproved.
It’s not too late for the president to turn things around, but there is no indication that he has any plan or strategy for doing it. And the political environment right now, with confidence in the administration waning and budgetary fears unnecessarily heightened by the deficit hawks, is not good.
It would take an extraordinary exercise in leadership to rally the country behind a full-bore jobs-creation campaign — nothing short of large-scale nation-building on the home front. Maybe that’s impossible in the current environment. But that’s what the country needs. Reference Here>>
These words above were written by an op-ed opinion columnist for the New York Times who has always been a champion of progressive politics and liberal causes and happens to be African-American ... a tough, but honest assessment.
But the track analogy does not end there ...
This excerpted and edited from the Los Angeles Times - With federal stimulus funds running out, economic worries grow Much of the $787-billion stimulus [adjusted up to $865-billion] has been spent, creating jobs and extending jobless benefits. But with lawmakers reluctant to approve more funding, concerns are rising about staving off another recession. By Alana Semuels, Los Angeles Times - June 30, 2010
With home sales sliding, employers reluctant to hire and world stock markets gyrating wildly, the U.S. economy is in danger of stalling. Now one of its only reliable sources of fuel is running out: federal stimulus spending. ---- Jitters about a global slowdown pounded world markets Tuesday after an index forecasting Chinese economic activity was revised downward and Greek workers walked off the job to protest government budget cuts. In the U.S., the Dow Jones industrial average plunged 268 points on news from the Conference Board that consumer confidence fell in June after three straight months of gains.
Economists worry that the weak labor market will spook U.S. consumers, whose spending fuels the economy. Dwindling federal stimulus funds are only heightening those fears. ---- The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has been contentious since Congress approved it in February 2009 to aid an economy mired in a deep recession. Republicans have been particularly critical of the program and its price tag. ---- But seventeen months later, those stimulus jobs, along with temporary government positions created for the 2010 census, are among the few bright spots in a dismal employment market. The nation's unemployment rate is 9.7% and companies have shown little willingness to hire. Private-sector employers added just 41,000 jobs in May, out of a total of 431,000 jobs created.
The government has few levers left to pull to produce quick growth. Interest rates are already at rock-bottom levels. Concerns about swelling U.S. deficits have many on Capitol Hill opposed to the idea of another stimulus. That has some economists worried.
"There's an uncomfortably high probability that we slip back into recession," said Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics. "If we slip back, there's no policy response. We won't have the resources to respond."
To be sure, there are still thousands of ongoing stimulus projects and billions of dollars to be spent. The Obama administration is calling this "Recovery Summer" and will spotlight dozens of stimulus projects in the coming weeks. But many important programs are losing funding. ---- Efforts to extend those provisions are stalled in Congress. The National Employment Law Project estimates that 1.63 million workers will exhaust their benefits by the end of this week, and at least 140,000 workers will lose COBRA coverage.
In California, which has the nation's third-highest unemployment rate at 12.4%, the Employment Development Department estimates that 205,000 unemployed workers will not receive further benefits without congressional action. About 2 million Californians are unemployed; nearly half of them have been out of work for 27 weeks or more.
"There's nothing out there," said Jennifer Tilt, a 52-year-old resident of Bloomington, a town in San Bernardino County, whose unemployment benefits will expire soon. Tilt, who has a bachelor's degree, said she's applied for jobs at fast-food restaurants to no avail. She's dependent on her two grown children and her mother's Social Security check to pay the bills. ---- "The human impact of requiring us to find another $1.8 billion in spending cuts to replace federal funding that was designed to help states avoid deep cuts … is both cruel and counterproductive," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote to the state congressional delegation earlier this month.
Republicans say extending benefits and other provisions of the stimulus bill will add to the country's trillion-dollar deficit. "Here's another idea Democrats should consider, one that Americans have been proposing loudly and clearly: Stop spending money you don't have," Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said last week on the Senate floor.
But Democrats — and some economists — say that spending money now to create jobs and fund unemployment benefits is the only way to stave off another recession.
"What worries me the most is this idea that austerity is going to be helpful," said Michael Reich, a professor of economics at UC Berkeley, who said that ending unemployment benefits could drive more people to file for disability and hamper long-term growth. "When you make an economy shrink, it makes it harder to pay back debt in the future."
The nation's construction industry provides a window into the tough choices facing lawmakers. Federal tax credits have helped drive home sales while stimulus spending on infrastructure has put laborers back to work. Such subsidies are unsustainable in the long run. But when to pull the plug?
New-home sales dropped 33% in May as home-buyer tax credits ended. Construction employment declined in 25 states that same month, according to the Associated General Contractors of America. Reference Here>>
Stop Spending, Stop Spending, Stop Spending money that does not exist.
It is time to implement what worked after the disastrous economy handed to us by the 39th presidency of Jimmy Carter. It is time to kill off the experiment of social engineering that caused this recession in the first place with the creation of sub-prime junk mortgages instigated through the quasi governmental organizations of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, cut taxed and regulation requirements imposed by the government which restrict businesses ability to invest and grow the goods and services they produce to meet the needs of our consumer-based economy. It is time to re-embrace American Exceptional-ism!
It is time to visualize becoming a winning team once again, here in Carter's Second Term.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, Spain's Finance Minister Elena Salgado, Bank of Korea Governor Kim Choong-soo, South Korea's Finance Minister Yoon Jeung-hyun and France's Economy Minister Christine Lagarde at the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting. Image Credit: Reuters 1st Quarter 2010 Gross Domestic Product Revised Downward 15.6% By Obama's Commerce Department
The Obama Administration was wrong in its initial estimate of the growth in our economy during the first quarter (January through March 2010) of this second year of the 44th Presidency.
The first estimates released to the public by the Commerce Department placed the growth in the GDP, which measures consumer spending, at an anemic but sustainable 3.2%. This growth would have shown some positive effect of the nearly one-trillion dollar Stimulus Government Spending legislation that was passed into law over one year ago ... if it were true, but this initial estimate was a fabrication.
Today, the Obama Administration released a second revised figure which set the level of growth downward to only 2.7%. This growth represents a negative growth because it does not keep up with the expansion in our population and shows how little Government spending can do to spur the economy in creating wealth through economic growth.
This excerpted and edited from the Wall Street Journal -
Economists React: ‘Not an Encouraging Mix’ in GDP Report By Phil Izzo, Wall Street Journal - June 25, 2010, 10:42 AM ET
Economists and others weigh in on the downwardly revised 2.7% advance in first-quarter GDP.
–The revision was a result of a downward adjustment to consumer spending and higher than originally reported imports, which were only partly offset by upward revisions to exports and inventories. ---- The biggest debate is over the path of the labor market recovery and hence the ability of consumers to help drive real growth. –Joshua Shapiro, MFR Inc.
–The economy is still vulnerable to a double dip scenario. The downward revision from 3.2% in the advanced report to 3% in first revision and now just 2.7% shows that as the Obama/Bernanke stimulus wears off so does the upward momentum in the economy. With the banking and consumer sector still struggling with weak balance sheets , exogenous events like the European Sovereign Debt crisis are more likely to have lasting negative effects on the recovery. –Steven Ricchiuto, Mizuho Securities
–The 2.7% first quarter GDP gain is below the Fed’s 2010 central tendency of 3.2% to 3.7%. Growth would have to average between 3.3% and 4.0% the rest of the year to hit the Fed’s forecast. –Jonathan Basile, Credit Suisse Reference Here>>
Do not look for any grand leadership that has our country looking to make growth our primary agenda.
This also excerpted and edited from the Wall Street Journal -
Our Agenda for the G-20 Countries should work to stabilize debt levels, enact new financial regulation, and reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. By TIMOTHY GEITHNER And LAWRENCE SUMMERS - WSJ Opinion Journal - JUNE 23, 2010
While the U.S. was the major source of demand for the world economic growth before the crisis, global demand must rest on many pillars going forward. That is why the G-20 must support Europe's reform program and the financing that Europe and the IMF will provide to countries facing acute fiscal challenges. ---- To maintain the momentum of the U.S. recovery, we need strong, balanced and sustainable global growth. Global growth will help double U.S. exports over the next five years, supporting several million American jobs, a key goal of the president's export initiative. ---- In this new era, when emerging markets account for two-thirds of global growth, concerted action by the G-20 is the only effective way to confront the challenges that lie ahead. Reference Here>>
Now ... doesn't that make one feel confident about the economic leadership and growth here in this era of Carter's Second Term!
We need a new coach - we can not play the "World's Game" with a leadership that doesn't care that the team has as a goal ... to win the league! ... every other team on the field has that as the goal.
If you're fed up with the Presidential politics, and want to get away from it with a little Xbox escapism, don't play Burnout Paradise. The racing game features VIRTUAL BILLBOARDS URGING GAMERS TO VOTE FOR OBAMA. Is the addition of political ads in console games change you can believe in? Caption & Image Credit: therawfeed.com
The Tripe With TARP & The Obama-Nation
The Troubled Asset Relief Fund (TARP) was originally created by the Bush Administration to help as a buffer for homeowners, who were in trouble of loosing their home when the flexible interest rates of the “sub-prime” mortgages they had used to initially purchase their home … increased. The idea was to be able to have the mortgages reset, or better, renegotiated to a level that the mortgages providers would not have their financial instruments be defaulted on by the people who had committed to pay the mortgages.
By having about 700 Billion dollars of TARP (read that as taxpayer money) set aside, the Federal Government felt that banks would be less inclined to foreclose on, or end the financial contract and the economy would remain relatively level and undisrupted.
This may have been effective … MAY … if the Federal Government applied the monies only where there they were needed. What has happened, however, is a massive level of “mission creep” where the Federal Government has decided to force all financial institutions to take money TARP money in exchange for specialized preferred stock, and if these banks did not participate, they would suffer additional activity brought about through audits and other Governmental investigative activity that hinders a bank from transacting a profitable business.
Further, the Federal Government unilaterally converted the Preferred Stock (non-ownership type) to Common Stock (ownership type) and now own an interest in the banks themselves … and remember, many of these institutions never participated in the issuing and selling of mortgages that are the topic of the TARP monies and/or do not have any loans in default.
The Federal Government forced a transition of ownership of privately held, once profitable businesses to be under the management control and influence of Federal Government bureaucrats who have never managed a private business for profit … in the first place.
The above description is an ugly enough scenario without looking at the additional uses of the original Troubled Asset Relief Fund (TARP).
Transportation Stock and Bond Certificates - Chrysler Corporation, Delaware, USA, 1970: $1,000 Sinking Fund Debenture certificate featuring the famous "Chrysler" radiator cap flanked by allegorical female character and company logos. Also includes traffic scenes showing old trucks and vintage cars in the background. Walter P. Chrysler, formerly of Buick and Willys, acquired Maxwell-Chalmers in 1923 and the first car bearing his name was produced in 1924. Chrysler laid the foundations for a motor empire to rival General Motors and Ford when he took over Dodge and launch the Plymouth Four and the De Soto Six in 1928. Punch cancelled. Scarce. VF+ - Red (12" x 8") $95.00 - Image Credit: stocksearchintl.com
This item published three days before Barack Obama took office excerpted and edited from the Washington Post –
U.S. Expands Aid To Auto Industry
Chrysler Financial Gets $1.5 Billion From Treasury; Ford Credit in Talks
By David Cho and Kendra Marr - Washington Post Staff Writers - Saturday, January 17, 2009; Page D02
The government expanded its bailout of the nation's troubled auto industry yesterday, announcing a new $1.5 billion loan for Chrysler Financial while Ford Credit said it was in talks to obtain federal aid.
The money for Chrysler Financial will come from the government's $700 billion financial rescue program. Senior officials from the Treasury and Federal Reserve are hoping the assistance, combined with earlier support for General Motors' chief lender GMAC, will keep auto loans flowing until the two agencies can make more funds available for credit cards, student loans and small business loans.
The developments came on a frantic last work day at the Treasury Department, as officials pushed out the door several key deals and announcements related to the rescue program, known as the Troubled Assets Relief Program, or TARP.
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Last fall, Paulson told lawmakers that the TARP would be used to buy bad assets. But soon after the bill was approved by Congress in early October, he moved away from the idea to provide more direct aid to financial institutions.
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The moves to aid the financing arms of the nation's automakers draw the federal government more deeply into Detroit's troubles.
To date, the government has committed TARP money to provide $17.4 billion for General Motors and Chrysler, $6 billion for GMAC, and now the new loan to back Chrysler Financial.
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"We're still funding our business," said Ford Credit spokeswoman Margaret Mellott, who confirmed the talks, which have been going on for months. "We have strong liquidity . . . It's an ongoing dialogue to free up credit."
Although Ford has said it can survive without federal aid or intervention, it continues asking to be treated the same as its struggling cross-town rivals GM and Chrysler.
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The support for Chrysler Financial is structured differently than most other loans the Treasury has made from the TARP. Instead of investing money directly into Chrysler Financial, the company is creating a special entity that will receive the government loan. Chrysler Financial can then withdraw those funds to make new auto loans.
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In addition, Chrysler Financial agreed to reduce by 40 percent the pool of bonus money for its senior executives relative to the 2007 levels, among other limitations on what it can pay its top officials.
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"This will provide a great economic stimulus for car buyers across the country," Jim Press, Chrysler vice chairman and president said in a statement.
Chrysler Financial applied for TARP funds in November. In December, Chrysler's sales slid 53 percent compared with the corresponding month a year before.
"This funding will better position us to withstand the current economic challenges until funding becomes available through more traditional commercial sources," said Thomas F. Gilman, vice chairman and chief executive of Chrysler Financial in a statement.
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Yesterday was supposed to be their last day of work, but many senior Treasury officials kept their government-issued BlackBerrys rather than turn them in. They were given Federal Express envelopes to ship their devices next week, in case they had to work over the weekend.
So, just about three months down the road, Chrysler declares bankruptcy!
The company is broken up into several parts where the United Auto Workers Union becomes the majority share owner – surprise, surprise.
Oh, and the people who invested their money in good faith in the company to get a return on their investment protected by our country’s bankruptcy laws which stipulate that the primary share owners are first honored? The Obama Administration shafted their interests and moved them to the back of the line only allowing them, the investors, a chance at a loss on their investment.
MODERN TIMES: If only the UAW were such a victim as they are depicted here in this R.J. Matson cartoon. The worker caught in a web of gears waiting to crush them up - the truth is that with a 55% ownership of Chrysler, THEY ARE the gears ... they had created through negotiation and now own. Image Credit: R.J. Matson, The New York Observer
This excerpted and edited from CBS News –
Chrysler Bankruptcy Exposes Dirty Politics
Declan McCullagh: Obama Calls Creditors Who Lent Money To Chrysler "Speculators," But What About the Rule Of Law?
May 7, 2009 | by Declan McCullagh
Chrysler's sad tale that led to this week's bankruptcy hearing in New York is not only an important business and political story. It also encompasses morality, the rule of law and strong-arm tactics used by some politicians.
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During its slide, Chrysler borrowed money from lenders and in return signed a contract promising that as so-called senior creditors, they'd get paid before anyone else if the company went under.
These creditors, by the way, represent something of a cross-section of America: the University of Kentucky, Kraft Foods' retirement fund, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, pension funds, teachers' credit unions, and so on.
A normal bankruptcy filing would be straightforward. Senior creditors get paid 100 cents on the dollar. Everyone else gets in line.
But President Obama and his allies don't want that to happen. So they interfered on behalf of unions (the junior creditors) and publicly upbraided the senior creditors who were asserting their contractual rights and threatening to head to bankruptcy court.
Last week Mr. Obama lambasted them as "a small group of speculators" who "endanger Chrysler's future by refusing to sacrifice like everyone else."
Rep. John Dingell, a Michigan Democrat, sent reporters a statement calling the creditors "vultures" and "rouge hedge funds." Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm piled on, taking aim during her radio address at a "few greedy hedge funds that didn't care how much pain the company's failure would have inflicted on families and communities everywhere."
It must be a coincidence that the United Auto Workers has handed $25.4 million to federal politicians over the last two decades, with 99 percent of that cash going to Democrats. And that Mr. Obama's final campaign stop on Election Day was a UAW phone bank.
If those politicians thought about this a bit more, they'd probably realize their mistake. Creditors didn't force Chrysler's management to head to the capital markets and beg for funds: It was poor management, uncompetitive wages, and a union that opposed pay cuts.
Without those greedy "vultures" and "rogues" injecting sorely-needed cash into a business they knew was risky, Chrysler might have been forced to declare bankruptcy much earlier. (And now that lenders know they may be demonized by the president, will they be as likely to help out next time?)
One of the better critiques of this unusual situation comes from Clifford Asness, managing partner at a $20 billion hedge fund named AQR Capital Management. His essay responds to what he called "toxic demagoguery" and says "the president's attempted diktat takes money from bondholders and gives it to a labor union that delivers money and votes for him."
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A document that the non-TARP creditors filed with the bankruptcy judge about the proposed sale to Fiat says: "The sale is far from an arm's length transaction, but rather, is the result of a tainted sales process dominated by the United States government... It is a sale that was orchestrated entirely by the Treasury and foisted upon (Chrysler)... Well before the filing, (Chrysler) had ceased to function as an independent company and had become an instrumentality of the government."
So if you're keeping score, you have a bankrupt company depending on the government for money negotiating with some TARP-funded creditors depending on the government for money and still more creditors who may hold insurance policies with AIG, which depends on the government for money. And we're already hearing similar allegations about General Motors and political interference.
One disturbing report came from a well-respected attorney representing the dissident Chrysler creditors. Thomas Lauria, the head of White & Case's bankruptcy practice, says that he was threatened by Steven Rattner, the White House's auto task force chief. (A White House spokesman denies making any threats.)
"I represent one less investor today than I represented yesterday," Lauria said on a Detroit radio show. "One of my clients was directly threatened by the White House and in essence compelled to withdraw its opposition to the deal under threat that the full force of the White House press corps would destroy its reputation if it continued to fight. That's how hard it is to stand on this side of the fence." Lauria said that his clients were willing to compromise on 50 cents on the dollar, but the government offered them only 29 cents.
In the Federalist Papers in 1788, James Madison wrote that "laws impairing the obligation of contracts are contrary to the first principles of the social compact, and to every principle of sound legislation." Unfortunately, Washington politicians seem to pay little attention to history, morality, or the rule of law.
All of this economic upheaval and Federal Government takeover of private enterprises are only the beginning of the misuse of tax money and the trust of the American people.
Within the first six weeks, a "Stimulus" appropriations bill was passed that increased the budgets of all Federal Government entities by an average of nearly 80% followed by the "Omnibus" appropriations bill that increased the budgets of all Federal Government entities by an additional 8%. Some agencies in six weeks saw a 100% increase in the amount of tax money they could spend ... this at a time of under 4% inflation.
We, at MAXINE hope you are enjoying these first four months of Carter's Second Term!
Leaders of the White House economic team and the Senate's top Republican bellowed about bonuses at a bailed-out insurance giant and pledged to prevent such payments in the future.From one Sunday talk show to the next, they tore into the contracts that American International Group asserted had to be honored, to the tune of about $165 million and payable to executives by Sunday, even as the company has benefited from more than $170 billion in a federal rescue. Image Credit: KOMO News
Circular Logic Defines Obama’s Turn At President
Here we are only about 57 days into the 44th Presidency of the United States and what we find doesn’t match up with what was promised.
Barack Obama ran on an overriding theme of ushering a new era of responsibility, yet all this administration can do is put forward and hire people, Timothy Geithner, to oversee our economy and its pursuit of increased taxes, that cheat on their responsibility to actually pay taxes.
Case in point:
The Obama administration blames this economy and the Government solutions put in place to correct its downturn on the previous executive administration of George W. Bush, yet this administration fights to keep most of the same people, policies, and level of oversight in place from the previous administration.
This administration decided to give a third round of additional TARP fund billions of dollars to its largest troubled financial institution, AIG, without pre-condition (again) while upping the Government’s ownership (80%) in the company … then becomes outraged (only after the disclosure of the bonus plan) when the company honors its employment contracts with many of its top executives by issuing $165 million dollars in bonuses – averaging $500,000 to each.
Obama economic chief Larry Summers: AIG bonuses 'outrageous' but government can't stop them. Image Credit: Associated Press via KDRV-TV
This excerpted and edited from NationlJournal.com – Hotline After Dark -- Resident Evil? March 17, 2009 8:50 AM
"World News" led with AIG bonuses. "Evening News" led with AIG bonuses and featured a taped interview with special inspector gen. for Iraq Stuart Bowen Jr. "Nightly News" led with AIG bonuses.
Last night's TV coverage was dominated by Pres. Obama's announcement that he asked Treas. Sec. Tim Geithner to use all legal tools to block the AIG exec bonuses. Among the reaction: ---- Weekly Standard's Ham: "There's nothing that brings people in Washington together from both sides of the aisle faster than the need to get on the right side of a populist backlash" ("O'Reilly Factor," FNC, 3/16).
Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ): "None of this should have surprised any of us. ... And it was actually out there also for Secretary Geithner to understand coming into this, as well. ... So it's only now that it's making headlines that the president is coming back and basically second-guessing his own treasury secretary on this. Why Secretary Geithner didn't raise this when he first understood it is beyond me" ("NewsHour," PBS, 3/16).
Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), asked if he's satisfied with the responses from the WH: "I'm not satisfied. ... They have to renegotiate their contracts. There is no reason why when the federal government is poised to do another $30 billion that, in fact, we can't insist that those contracts get renegotiated, and renegotiated in such a way in which those bonuses simply don't take place." ("1600," MSNBC, 3/16). ---- FNC's Hume: "... it is a big problem for the president. He has already added substantially to the bailout money previously provided to AIG and to others and will almost certainly need to add more, much more to address the continuing credit crisis. ("Special Report," 3/16). ---- Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA): "The boneheads are the people in the previous administration and this administration who gave out over $170 billion of our money and did not, in fact, do what anyone else giving money does, which is ensure that the money is not a conduit for simply paying out bonuses" ("Hardball," MSNBC, 3/16).
Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer: "This is not so much an economic issue as a psychological and a political issue. Economically, if you add up all the bonuses, it's less than 1/10 of one percent of the bailout to AIG alone, so it's lunch money. Psychologically, it's important because there's outrage in the country, and ... unless there's an appeasement in the anger in the population who are going to have to support the next bailout, which is going to be a trillion dollars, the money won't be made available, Congress will deny it. So that's why you get the president heaping opprobrium on these miscreants who made the bad deals and now are getting the bonuses."
More Krauthammer: "I'm all in favor of keeping this heaping opprobrium. I would deny them the bonuses if possible. I would be for an exemplary hanging or two. Have it in Times Square, invite Madame Defarge. You borrow a guillotine from the French and we could have a party. If that's what it takes to maintain popular support, let's do it. But it's not going to change anything economically" ("Special Report," FNC, 3/16).
CNN's Dobbs: "I'm calling for Liddy to be fired. I'm calling for the Board of AIG to be fired here tonight, and looking forward ... we can't afford in this country any longer to tolerate corporate leaders who don't understand the basic values of this country ... ("Lou Dobbs Tonight," 3/16). Reference Here>>
Why is anyone surprised? Barack Obama never was an executive in charge of anything throughout his entire career.
He became educated, earned a law degree, edited a law review publication, worked as a foot soldier for ACORN (an organization that is funded, in part, by the federal government to support socialism projects to people who look for handouts as opposed to a hand up on which one can become self-sustaining), became friends with a group of radical educators and priests, taught constitutional law at a college, ran for and secured a state senate office in Illinois, then waged an uncontested campaign to become a Senator from the state of Illinois to the federal government, where he served 144 days before he declared and ran for President of the country full time until he became elected.
And now, as President, with the help of a Democrat political party lead congress and three Republican political party Senators, he has been successful at committing each and every household to an additional $18,500+ in spending debt. He has defined his presidency by throwing taxpayer money at continuing, and historically, self-correcting economic problems while re-labeling our effort to stop islamofascism created violence that continues to kill thousands of innocent citizens … from an act of ongoing war to a police action.
The economy has lost over 40% of its value since he was voted into office (over 15% in these last two months), South Korea and Iran threaten to launch rockets and make nuclear bombs, Russia is moving to control the flow of oil out of their region of the world while President Barack Obama reverses the opening up of off-shore drilling activity in our own country, Riots are breaking out in Pakistan, and Barack Obama pledges $900,000,000 (nine-hundred million dollars) of United States taxpayer money to rebuild infrastructure in Hamas (a recognized islamofascism ideology based terrorist organization) controlled Gaza.
All of this chaos and we have only witnessed this President’s first two months in the office of executive leadership.
Barack Obama administration - This map of Barack Obama administration relationships is interactive. Ctrl-Click to activate (new window), once at the mapsite, click on names to explore and expand. (Requires Java.) - Image Credit: muckety.com
In the first fifty days of this once promising run of this nation's "First Elected Black President", we are set back on our heels as to how incompetent a government administration and its parts can be.
Where is the "Card Check" process for competence in Government when we need it?
I suppose this is what we can assume to be the norm going forward when we keep voting into office ACORN promoting, Tax increase loving (now with Omnibus $18,584 per household - soon to be upped to $80,000 with the Obama budget proposal), Freedom reducing, Organized Labor supporting, Social Engineering addicted, Government enlarging, Free Enterprise punishing, Judicial Branch lawmaking, Lawyer Class zealots from primarily the Democrat Political Party, with appropriating class Republicans!
Truth is, we have only ourselves to blame ... and boy, are we stupid.
The Government is only a reflection of ourselves and what we are willing to put up with when we set in motion a steady reliance on a central power assistance in our lives without an adherence of standards.
We, at MAXINE, believe this is what we can expect to happen when we see a mission creep of ""Corporate" (both private and public) selfishness.
An assistant shows the mock 'reset' button that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton handed over to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov during a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, Friday, March 6, 2009. Clinton handed Lavrov the block with a red button marked "reset" in English and "overload" in Russian, a reference to a speech by new US Vice-President Joe Biden in January signalling that the Obama administration wanted vastly improved ties with Russia. Image Credit: Fabrice Coffrini
This excerpted and edited from Pajamas Media -
A Presidential Crisis of Competence They (mostly) know not what they’re doing. March 11, 2009 - by Tom Blumer - BizzyBlog.com via Pajamas Media
Less than two months into this administration, three things are clear.
First, its agenda is every bit as radical as many of us expected and feared. ---- That some Obama supporters are surprised is a “tribute” to a media elite that treated decade-plus relationships with radicals Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayers, and others as “distractions from the real issues,” and to a McCain campaign that refused to treat Obama’s candidacy as the threat that it was, and now is.
Second, despite strong signals that he is guiding the ship of state in the wrong direction, Obama and his administration have largely refused to bow to reality. ---- While the markets continue to beg to differ, Obama has been essentially indifferent.
The third clear thing is the one that has apparently blindsided Obama fans the most, but should have been the least unexpected: He and his administration seem not to know what they’re doing. Pick almost any area and you’ll find a trail of incompetence that goes well beyond benign rookie mistakes.
The administration’s nominee vetting record has become a national joke that could take up this entire column.
Then take the economy (please). We knew before the election that Obama doesn’t understand the difference between net worth and income. His statement about “profit-to-earnings ratios” comes from that same well of ignorance. ---- Barack Obama has surrounded himself with the likes of tax cheat Tim Geithner, who scares the markets almost every time he opens his mouth. Meanwhile, the new Treasury secretary has somehow managed not to hire 14 key people he needs. Could it be that there is a shortage of qualified people standing in line to be participants in what is shaping up to be the mother of all train wrecks?
Obama, as president-elect, cheered as General Motors and Chrysler received taxpayer bailouts. Apparently neither the incoming nor outgoing administration considered the obvious problem that fewer consumers would buy from the two bailed-out companies either for philosophical or practical reasons (or both). ---- Meanwhile, in a laugh-so-you-won’t-cry story, Geithner is heading an administration delegation that will “visit GM’s technical center in Warren, Michigan, to see car and truck models and learn about the technology being developed.” Uh, don’t lenders usually see what’s going on at the borrower’s place before they cut the loan check? Even staunch Democrat Jim Cramer has been forced to conclude that “it’s amateur hour at our darkest moment.”
The administration’s foreign policy crackups may not be as obvious just yet. ---- Start with the Russia-Iran missile defense saga. Step one was the overture: “Obama ‘ready to drop shield plans for Russian help on Iran.’” Step two, the backhanded dismissal, followed shortly: “Medvedev rejects Obama missile defense deal.” Step three was the blowback, as noted by Charles Krauthammer: “The Russians have dismissed it. We end up being humiliated. We look weak in front of the Iranians, and we have left the Poles and Czechs out to dry in return for nothing.”
While supposedly making a point that this administration will “reset” relationships throughout the world, the secretary of state’s entourage botched a Russian translation. (Those who cite the alleged decline in goodwill towards the U.S. have yet to explain why France, Canada, Germany, and other countries moved significantly to the right under Bush’s watch.)
Obama recently told the New York Times that the U.S. is not winning the war in Afghanistan and was considering (in the Times’ paraphrase) “reach[ing] out to moderate elements of the Taliban.” ---- Obama infuriated the UK last week in more ways than can be counted here. Now we’re supposed to believe that the UK snubs occurred because the poor guy was “too tired,” the same lame excuse that was used to explain away his 10,000-died-in-Kansas gaffe during the presidential campaign. ---- Obama, with no previous executive experience, appears to be falling into the same trap as Democrats Clinton and Carter before him: too obsessed with detail and failing to sufficiently delegate.
Incompetents often try to cover up their failures by attacking others and denying the obvious. This explanation would be consistent with the White House’s thin-skinned blasts at CNBC’s Cramer and Rick Santelli, and the president’s stubborn refusal to characterize his “spread the wealth” policies as what they are: socialist. ---- One thing we do know: Obama and his peeps [heads should roll] want to be totally in charge of health care. Feeling better now? Reference Here>>
With the passage of the "Omnibus" spending bill yesterday and the soon to be considered and passed Obama Administration $3.6 Trillion dollar budget proposal ... we may have created a one-party Government that has become - "To Big To Succeed!"
