About Me

Name: MAXINE
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Biography
Loading...

Create Your Own Blog Find Other Townhall Blogs

Comments

Blog Roll

 

Unearthed! Barack Obama's Twisted ACORN Roots

Posted by MAXINE on Sunday, September 20, 2009 9:36:09 AM
Anti-ACORN Guerrilla Art goes viral in Los Angeles. Here is an example, stencil spray painted on the side of a signal control box on a typical LA street corner. Image Credit: Publius

Unearthed! Barack Obama's Twisted ACORN Roots

Many of the citizens here in the lower 48 (otherwise known in Canada as Americans), have been treated to a fair amount of change in the political landscape over the last week or so.

It really all started with the fact that a whole lot of people showed up at, and filled the mall park that runs between the Capitol Dome building and the Washington Monument (about one mile long and 1/4 mile wide).

ABC News posted a story dated September 12, 2009 quoting a DC fire department official as estimating the crowd at 70,000 people but upon further investigation, the very first comment was logged at 1:59AM (the actual times have since been scrubbed from the log of comments), the very early morning before the gathering even got started. Maybe ABC News got confused in that the estimate of the crowd may have been for people sleeping in the mall area waiting for the gathering to begin some six hours later!

Then, at the beginning of the week, investigative tapes began to be broadcast by FOX News and Andrew Brietbat's new website "BigGovernment.Com" catching the largest names in media flat-footed. The first tape showed ACORN advisers instructing two young people, one posing as a front-man (p_mp, flagged as inappropriate), and the other, a hooker, on how to fill out the paperwork so that the house they wanted to use as a brothel would qualify for Government/Taxpayer money. This tape, combined with the successful prosecutions of ACORN on the charges of voter fraud, caused the Census Bureau to drop the organization from the list of agencies they planned to use to collect information for them from citizens.

Four more tapes were shown throughout the week and it has become apparent the ACORN suffers from a "culture of corruption", so much so that both houses of Congress decided to vote to de-fund the organization from any Federal monies it may receive and to be placed on a list to never do business with them ever again.

For The Record: The “De-fund ACORN Act” passed the House Thursday, September 17th, 2009 by an overwhelming margin of 345-75. The House vote comes just days after the Senate voted 83-7 to block ACORN from receiving federal housing grants. With these votes, 80% of the members of Congress have weighed in to block ACORN from receiving any more taxpayer dollars.

The President of the United States, Barack Obama, insists that his ties to the organization, ACORN, were minimal but here is some information that might be useful to those who would like to have a complete understanding of the ties that bind this President to an organization that has grown and thrived by building itself on a "culture of corruption".

Anti-ACORN Guerrilla Art goes viral in Los Angeles where Obama “Hope” poster artist, Shepard Fairey, studio wall was targeted with the stencil spray painted image. Image Credit: Publius

This excerpted and edited from WorldNetDaily -

While ACORN remains riddled in scandal, lawmakers have voted to cut off federal funding to the group, the U.S. Census Bureau has severed ties to the organization – and the White House has blasted its behavior as "unacceptable."

But just how extensive are President Obama's personal ties to ACORN?

The following is a timeline outlining some of the purported connections between the president and ACORN through the years:

1990s: Obama meets ACORN

ACORN, or the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, first noticed Obama when he was organizing on the far south side of the city with the Developing Communities Project. A March 2, 2008, Los Angeles Times article by Letta Tayler and Keith Herbert, titled "Obama Forged Path As Chicago Community Organizer," explored Obama's pre-law school days as a community organizer in Chicago and his efforts to build a partnership with Chicago's "Friends of the Parks."

"Obama's task was to help far South Side residents press for improvement," the Times article explained.

National Review Online noted, "Part of Obama's work, it would appear, was to organize demonstrations, much in the mold of radical groups like ACORN."

The Times article reveals that Madeleine Talbot, who at the time was a leader at Chicago ACORN, was thoroughly impressed with Obama because "he got people to vote with their feet."

"At the time, Talbot worked at the social action group ACORN and initially considered Obama a competitor," the article stated. "But she became so impressed with his work that she invited him to help train her staff."

Talbott personally led Chicago ACORN's campaign to intimidate banks into making high-risk loans to low-credit customers, Stanley Kurtz reported.

"Long the director of Chicago ACORN, Talbott is a specialist in 'direct action' – organizers' term for their militant tactics of intimidation and disruption," Kurtz writes. "Perhaps her most famous stunt was leading a group of ACORN protesters breaking into a meeting of the Chicago City Council to push for a 'living wage' law, shouting in defiance as she was arrested for mob action and disorderly conduct. But her real legacy may be her drive to push banks into making risky mortgageloans."

MORE AT SOURCE>>

I recovered the copy of the comment that was made by the original ABC News article (referenced at the top) on the attendance to the 9/12 Tea Party Rally on the Washington DC mall:

"The time stamp of the very first comment says it all - it was stamped in advance of the rally, way in advance - comment and stamp here:

obama gave his speech to congress on wednesday, not tuesday as the article states twice.
Posted by: ericgwitte 1:59 AM"
Link>>

This is beginning to become one rockin' beginning to Carter's Second Term!
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

State Run "Obama TV" Strikes Deal to Broadcast At Gas Stations!

Posted by MAXINE on Tuesday, September 01, 2009 11:32:44 PM
GSTV's installation is completely painless and all-inclusive. We take care of the management, the equipment, the network, and content, including creating your product promotions. So you and your customers can sit back and enjoy the show (it is a little like how the Obama Administration would like the American people to feel as he implements his radical political agenda). Partical Caption & Image Credit: GSTV

State Run "Obama TV" Strikes Deal to Broadcast At Gas Stations!

Gas Station TV chosen to provide NBC content to 30 million on-the-go viewers.

That's right, it is not bad enough that Chris Matthews talks about a strange feeling running up his leg on his seldom viewed show on the equally unattended cable outlet MSNBC ... now we all may be treated to the same type of incisive reflections at the gas pump as we have to stand there and fill our tanks with the politically "hated" elixir.




This excerpted and edited from NACS Online -

NBC Universal and Gas Station TV Form Partnership
NACS Online (National Association of Convenience Stores) - Posted: Sep 1, 2009

NBC Everywhere and Gas Station TV announced earlier this week that they have formed an exclusive advertising and content partnership to bring NBCU content to gas stations across the country. As of yesterday, NBCU content is available to more than 30 million viewers each month during visits to gas station pumps.
---
Gas Station TV is available in more than 100 U.S. DMAs (and more than 800 US cities), including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia.

“Gas Station TV continues to be sought out by the top advertisers due to our reach and ability to conduct both national and local campaigns,” said Gas Station TV CEO David Leider. “We chose NBC as our partner as they are the only major network truly committed to giving their loyal viewers the quality programming they enjoy — and now expect — when they are away from the home.”

Each GSTV screen features a four-and-a-half minute combination of local and national NBCU content, as well as content from ESPN and AccuWeather. Gas Station TV’s technology allows geo-targeting down to the station and daypart, appealing capabilities for advertisers.
Reference Here>>

Our Administration does not have an energy policy other than the recent appointment of a Politically-Radical Green Jobs Czar, Van Jones ... and there lies the rub. General Electric, as a company, views the green initiates put forward by the Obama Administration as THE way to save a dying company from itself.

Jeffrey R. Immelt, chairman and chief executive of General Electric leads a discussion with business leaders at an Ecomagination news conference at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California May 24, 2007. Image Credit: Fred Prouser

Ever since Jeffery Immelt became the CEO of the multinational conglomerate, General Electric, it has lost profits, and its rather large media holdings, NBC Universal, have given its viewing public a 24/7 barrage on the "greening" of America in order to pursuade and propagandize the public into supporting Barack Obama's Cap & Trade plan. If Cap & Trade were to become law it would mean hyper-large Government contracts for alternative power generating technologies of which General Electric would be first in line to benefit from ... Profit From!

Of course, this new deal now indemnifies Gas Station TV from scrutiny by the newly appointed Radically-Political FCC Diversity Czar, Mark Lloyd (officially - diversity officer of the Federal Communications Commission) ... we are sensing a theme here. Yes, this is the same Mark Lloyd who was very fond of Hugo Chaves and his political take-over and control of Venezuela. Mark Lloyd stated while participating in a 2008 conference on "media reform," what a wonderful leader Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, was, and wincing at an unpleasantness the dictator had to deal with, the uppity owners of media, people who had some objections to the outright take-over of their property in mind.

He spoke of Chavez's "incredible revolution, a democratic revolution," and of the "property owners and the folks who then controlled the media in Venezuela" who "rebelled" and who "worked to oust him." Still, said Lloyd, Chavez "came back with another revolution, and then ... began to take very seriously the media in his country."

NBC Universal media properties list in alphabetical order [ctrl-click photo to enlarge]. Image Credit: NBCU

Quid Pro Quo is the order of the day here during Carter's Second Term, and Gas Station TV just became another cog in the wheel of the state run outfit headed by the very compliant NBC Universal aka "Obama TV"!
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

Obama Slaps Fox News As Ratings Continue To Soar

Posted by MAXINE on Friday, August 14, 2009 3:10:09 AM
Normally apolitical Americans turn out in droves at town hall meetings to express their anger at the Government 'ramming through' health care reform. [ctrl-click to launch post subject video] Caption and Image Credit: nzherald.co.nz

Obama Slaps Fox News As Ratings Continue To Soar

Last night, Bill O'Reilly delivered his show starting opinion presentation, and it spoke "truth to power" in a way that few such presentations have done during this Carter's Second Term of the 44th Presidency - The Obama Administration.

The "Talking Points Memo" ended up being a tour de force about how this current leadership regime has decided to align itself against the majority of American people, who are becoming fearful of a leadership that has decided to demonize any effort to engage in debate and counterpoint to the direction they wish to take this country, politically and socially.

The funny thing is, the more they (the Obama Administration and Congressional leadership) claim that people making an honest attempt to get educated and deliver their views to their representatives are actually a militia educated mob of unruly individuals organized by the vast deep pocket resources of the insurance industry, the more Americans turn to media outlets that attempt to give a voice to both sides of debates and issues in the news.

As a set up and perspective to last night's starting opinion memo on the O'Reilly Factor, Tuesday's Talking Points Memo presentation described the ratings numbers behind the drive for truthful information.

This excerpted and edited from Fox News -

FOX News Explodes While Liberal Media Burns
By Bill O'Reilly - Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Last Thursday was a huge victory for FOX News. "The Factor" at 8:00 p.m. beat CNN by 380 percent, MSNBC by 247 percent and Headline News by 299 percent. Total "Factor" audience for 8 and 11 was 5.4 million folks, more viewers than the "CBS Evening News" averaged last month.

Beck, Smith, Greta, and "The Factor" all won their time slots easily. In fact, last Thursday, those programs beat all four competitors combined.

So why is this happening? Well, a major reason is the health care debate. While the other network news broadcasts downplay the dissent and promote the government takeover of the health care industry, FOX News highlights the intense debate. When we cover the town hall meetings, we don't describe the protesters as loons. We don't denigrate people who disagree with President Obama. That's the big difference between FOX News and all the others.

Now, some liberals will say we intentionally glorify the protesters. That doesn't happen here. We've said there's no doubt some of the dissent is organized by people who dislike President Obama. That's a fact, and we've reported it.
----
Fair-minded Americans know our reporting is honest, while much of the other TV news media is simply in the tank for the president.

Now you'd think that liberal Americans would flock to hear their side propped up, but that's clearly not happening. For libs, conservatives and independents alike, there's really no choice. They have to watch us if they want to know what's going on. And they are in record numbers.
Reference Here>>

Last night, as an example on how vicious the news coverage has become as it relates to citizens showing up to voice their displeasure in where this leadership is taking our country, Keith Olberman of MSNBC and Anderson Cooper of CNN interviewed Mark Potok, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

This excerpted and edited from CNN AC360 transcript -

ANDERSON COOPER, AC360, CNN: According to a new report, people drawn to these groups share a hatred of paying taxes, a suspicion of anything the government does, and deep outrage over the election of an African-American man as president.

So let's dig deeper with Mark Potok, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center.

MARK POTOK, DIRECTOR, SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER: Well, I think, as you suggest in your intro, it really has a lot to do with the rise of the power of a black man.

You know, for these people, for this movement in general, the primary kind of enemy is the government, the federal government. That was true in the '90s, and it's true today. But the big difference today is that the federal -- the face of the federal government is the face of a black man.

So, you know, I'm not suggesting that all militias or all people involved in this movement or in this ideology, you know, are really Klansman secretly, but it is a far more racialized movement than what we saw in the '90s.

COOPER: And how many of these groups are just, you know, talkers? People who, you know, talk big, you know, love running around in forests dressed up in paramilitary gear, but ultimately, they don't amount to much?

POTOK: Well, I think that a lot of them are essentially just talkers, but talk is not always completely benign. I mean, I think we're seeing that right now in the town-hall meetings and so on.

And I think it is especially un-benign, if that's a word, malignant, you know, when the talk is coming from what I think are those really mainstream aiders and abettors. In other words, politicians and commentators who really reiterate and give some authority to the completely false ideas and propaganda theories of these groups.

So you know, what I'm saying is that there's a kind of poisoning of the mainstream political discourse. You know, instead of talking about health care, we're talking about death panels and that kind of thing.
Reference Here>>

Nice set-up Anderson! Thanks for insulting all Americans that may have a different view than Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and the extreme political left in this country.

I suppose, according to Mr. Potok's unchallenged interview, that since Sarah Palin used the term "Death Panels" on her Facebook page in an entry about the Government rationing healthcare ... she is now a member of a MILITIA hate group!

And this from Kieth Olberman's Countdown on MSNBC -

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

This trotting out of accusations that average American citizens are racists and are getting their information from fringe hate groups is not only the tactic of the MSM outlets but of the one-party rule represented by the Obama Administration (this includeds Barack Obama, himself) and the Democrat Political Party leadership in Congress.

In an interview given by Matt Lauer of the NBC News morning program, The Today Show, yesterday morning, Robert Gibbs, the White House Press Secretary criticized the reporting on some "cable" outlets by saying, "Well, I think we all have something to lose, Matt, if we let cable television come to town hall meetings and kill health care reform for another year and put the special interests back in charge."

Is this a good strategy - to insult and malign citizens with concerns as racists and aligned with militia organizations and then declare a media war against news outlets that try to report in an honest manner, what these citizen concerns are and why they seem to be alarmed at the legislative actions proposed?

Enter the tour de force:



This excerpted and edited from Fox News -

Has the Obama Administration Declared War on FOX News?
By Bill O'Reilly, The O'Reilly Factor Talking Points Memo - Thursday, August 13, 2009

Obviously, Mr. Gibbs is criticizing FOX News, and it sounds like he's spoiling for a fight, does it not?

So the question becomes: Is that smart? Let's look at the facts.

A new Rasmussen Poll says 53 percent of Americans now oppose ObamaCare; 42 percent support the president. In the latest Gallup poll, 49 percent disapprove of the way the president is handling the health care situation; 43 percent support him.

Those numbers tell the story, and even though FOX News has big ratings, FOX News has nothing to do with the negative numbers.

Now, we invited Robert Gibbs on the program, but once again he declined. That is foolish. He and his cohorts should be all over FNC trying to convince you that ObamaCare is a good thing, a major benefit for the country. Instead, Gibbs is living in cheap-shot alley, and the president's strategy is falling apart.

On Tuesday, Mr. Obama told the country this:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Another myth that we've been hearing about is this notion that somehow we're going to be cutting your Medicare benefits. We are not. The AARP would not be endorsing a bill if it was undermining Medicare.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

But the night before the president said that, the AARP said this on "The Factor":

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID CERTNER, AARP POLICY DIRECTOR: We have not endorsed any specific piece of legislation right now, but we really are intent on trying to fix the health care system and the pieces that concern our members.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

So the president misstated the AARP position. Obviously, that does not help his credibility, which the press challenged Wednesday:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJOR GARRETT, FOX NEWS REPORTER: Yesterday, the president said the AARP endorsed the plan. As you are aware, yesterday the AARP said it hasn't endorsed a plan. Where on the information or the disinformation scale would the president's remark fall?

GIBBS: Well, the president said well, AARP has said they are certainly supportive and have been for years on comprehensive health reform. I don't think the president meant to imply anything untoward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

The issue is not untoward; it is untrue.

And then there was this exposition:

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: What's your name?

JULIA HALL, KID AT OBAMA'S NEW HAMPSHIRE TOWN HALL: Julia Hall from Malden, Massachusetts.

OBAMA: Nice to meet you, Julia.

JULIA: I saw — as I was walking in, I saw a lot of signs outside saying mean things about reforming health care. How do kids know what is true? And why do people want a new system that can help — that help more of us?

OBAMA: Well, I've seen some of those signs.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Cute little girl, but the question was a set-up. Julia's mother is Kathleen Manning Hall, the coordinator of the Massachusetts Women for Obama organization during the election. In my opinion, Julia was fed the question.

By the way, the Boston Globe uncovered the contrivance.

Did President Obama know about the set-up?

Did Robert Gibbs?

I mean, that kind of stuff is incredibly dumb and again damages the president's credibility. You may recall Mr. Obama challenging the legitimacy of those speaking against him at the town hall meetings, and then they use a child in that way?

Hard to believe.
----
Millions of Americans are now skeptical of President Obama's leadership on health care because he has not been able to persuade them that his trillion-dollar vision will make their lives better.

One way to do that is to appear on the nation's highest-rated prime-time news program, "The Factor," and FOX News in general. Again, the Democrats should be all over this network. Most of us here want robust debate, but they don't show up. And now it looks like the Obama administration wants a war with FOX News.

Let me ask you: Who will that help? Us, that's who. Our ratings are already soaring because we do not denigrate the protesters like many other TV news organizations do. They are dying. We are on fire. If the Obama administration wants a war with FNC, they are dunderheads.

If you watch "The Factor" you know that I have been fair to the president, but there comes a time when the benefit of the doubt shifts. Misstating the AARP position, using a young girl as a set-up, attacking a news organization that actually covers the news honestly does not speak well, Mr. President. You guys need to take a deep breath and smell the angst. Your health care vision is not playing in Peoria, or most other places. You want to turn things around, stop the nonsense and present your case on a news network that really matters.

And that's "The Memo."
Reference Here>>

To all who wish to discount the television broadcast news ratings leader by referring to it a Faux News ... start watching, you just might learn something ... at the very least you will be able to see what a debate of issues, that have more than one side, looks like!

Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

The Marketing Of ObamaCare, Or ... Madoffing America

Posted by MAXINE on Tuesday, August 04, 2009 11:10:28 PM
Barack Obama - President Obama asks supporters to declare their support for his three core principles for health care reform, and to share their personal stories to help build support for the reforms that are so desperately needed. [ctrl-click to launch video] Learn more at http://my.barackobama.com/healthcare

The Marketing Of ObamaCare, Or ... Madoffing America

The atmosphere here in America is laden heavy with the feel of Caveat Emptor ... let the buyer beware.

We are being told almost daily, that the Government needs to get what the Obama Administration wants to get done in terms of (name program here) legislation immediately, otherwise (name imperative here) will befall all of us and people are suffering.

Further, the Obama Administration is responding to the information that is leaking out about some programs they are fighting for with plastered over non-truths in order to be able to give the patina of cover for the Congress as they go back to their districts during the summer recess.


Linda Douglass - In this video, Linda Douglass, the communications director for the White Houses Health Reform Office, addresses a story that makes it look like the President intends to eliminate private coverage, when the reality couldn't be further from the truth. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0XCl6OHgiM

The Obama healthcare agenda, ObamaCare, is rife with misrepresentations and lies that are designed to have people believe that what this Administration is proposing is not a single payer, a one-size fits all healhcare system, that will push out and eliminate free market solutions that exist today.

Just like Bernie Madoff, who induced investors to give his company money with promises of unbelievable returns, the Obama Administration, with the help of the Democrat Political Party leadership in Congress, are promising something they can not, and do not intend to deliver.

The principles, as outlined on the wbsite - http://my.barackobama.com/healthcare - claims the following so that we citizens can feel comfortable about the proposed Government take-over of one-sixth of our economy - the healthcare system.

Example:

The Principles

President Obama has announced three bedrock requirements for real health insurance reform:

* Reduce Costs — Rising health care costs are crushing the budgets of governments, businesses, individuals and families and they must be brought under control

* Guarantee Choice — Every American must have the freedom to choose their plan and doctor – including the choice of a public insurance option

* Ensure Quality Care for All — All Americans must have quality and affordable health care

All of the above principles are not only untrue ... they are impossible promises to deliver given the text of H.R 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 (currently 1,018 pages) passed through the House Energy and Commerce Committee on a 31-28 vote last Friday.


Obama to Jane Sturm: Hey, take a pill - Jane asks the President if her 100 year old mother (now 105) would have gotten a pacemaker under his plan. Well now that's a tough one ... that costs a lot and maybe we will have to say, just take a pill. Priceless. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-dQfb8WQvo

This excerpted and edited from the Charlotte Conservative Examiner and About.com -

Obamacare: death and taxes
Hailey Wilson - Charlotte Conservative Examiner - August 4, 12:13 AM

House Democrats have narrowly pushed Obama’s Healthcare bill - H.R 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 - through a key congressional committee this past Friday.
----
The official vote [by all of Congress] should be sometime in September, leaving little time for representatives and Americans to learn what the bill is really about.

Here is a start:

This new healthcare plan will take the independence you have in deciding where and how you get your healthcare and put those decisions into bureaucratic hands.

Think about it this way: going to your doctor will be like going to your DMV—long waiting lines, substandard service and inefficient care.

There is one very important difference, however: you or your loved one will be sick, hurt or dying. The inevitable delays in government-funded healthcare mean death, pain or a worsened condition. And what is worse, the government will decide what quality of healthcare is acceptable.

Here are some of the provisions in Obama’s Healthcare bill:

Page 29: Health care will be rationed.

Page 30: A government committee will decide what treatments and benefits you get (and, unlike an insurer, there will be no appeals process)

Page 42: The "Health Choices Commissioner" will decide health benefits for you. You will have no choice. None.

Page 50: All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free healthcare services.
----
About.com:
Page 57, under section 163, there is something that would give the government power to reach into benefits recipients' bank accounts. It is called "Administrative Simplification," and Subsection 1173A of this measure, "Standardize Electronic Transactions" has a provision (a)(2)(B) that ensures that this new governmental power:

"be authoritative, permitting no additions or constraints for electronic transactions ..." (C) "be comprehensive, efficient and robust, requiring minimal augmentation by paper transactions or clarification by further communications;" and, finally, (D) enable the real-time (or near real-time) determination of an individual’s financial responsibility at the point of service and, to the extent possible, prior to service, including whether the individual is eligible for a specific service with a specific physician at a specific facility, which may include utilization of a machine-readable health plan beneficiary identification card;" ... (E) "enable, where feasible, near real-time adjudication of claims ..." (Emphasis added)
----
Page 58: Every person will be issued a National ID Healthcard.

Page 72: All private healthcare plans must conform to government rules to participate in a Healthcare Exchange.

Page 84: All private healthcare plans must participate in the Healthcare Exchange (i.e., total government control of private plans)

Page 95: The Government will pay ACORN and Americorps to sign up individuals for Government-run Health Care plan.

Page 102: Those eligible for Medicaid will be automatically enrolled: you have no choice in the matter.

Page 124: No company can sue the government for price-fixing. No "judicial review" is permitted against the government monopoly. Put simply, private insurers will be crushed.

Page 127: The AMA sold doctors out: the government will set wages.

Page 145: An employer MUST auto-enroll employees into the government-run public plan. No alternatives.

Page 126: Employers MUST pay healthcare bills for part-time employees AND their families.

Page 167: Any individual who doesn’t have acceptable healthcare (according to the government) will be taxed 2.5% of income.

Page 170: Any NON-RESIDENT alien is exempt from individual taxes (Americans will pay for them).

Page 195: Officers and employees of Government Healthcare Bureaucracy will have access to ALL American financial and personal records.

Page 239: Bill will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors and the poor most affected."

Page 241: Doctors: no matter what speciality you have, you'll all be paid the same (thanks, AMA!)

Page 253: Government sets value of doctors' time, their professional judgment, etc.

Page 265: Government mandates and controls productivity for private healthcare industries.

Page 272: Cancer patients: welcome to the wonderful world of rationing!

Page 280: Hospitals will be penalized for what the government deems preventable re-admissions.

Page 298: Doctors: if you treat a patient during an initial admission that results in a readmission, you will be penalized by the government.

Page 317: Doctors: you are now prohibited for owning and investing in healthcare companies!

Page 318: Prohibition on hospital expansion. Hospitals cannot expand without government approval.

Page 335: Government mandates establishment of outcome-based measures: i.e., rationing.

Page 341: Government has authority to disqualify Medicare Advantage Plans, HMOs, etc.

Page 354: Government will restrict enrollment of SPECIAL NEEDS individuals.

Page 425: More bureaucracy: Advance Care Planning Consult: Senior Citizens, assisted suicide, euthanasia.

Page 425: Government will instruct and consult regarding living wills, durable powers of attorney, etc. Mandatory. Appears to lock in estate taxes ahead of time.
Reference Here and Here>>

There is more ... a lot more (and will be updated here from time to time) and it is not pretty.


Single Payer as articulated by now President Barack Obama at an AFL-CIO union meeting.

People are up in arms, showing up in record numbers at politician summer recess community meetings and having their voices heard. Last weekend, 10,000 people showed up at one of these gatherings in Ohio and the press reported that only 200 citizens were in attendance.

The Democrat Political Party leadership have drafted up some talking points to confront this display by condemning it as a manufactured response organized by "Big Insurance" companies, yet AARP, one of the biggest insurance marketers, is on record in supporting the Obama Administration's efforts - no matter what.

We are reminded of an anthem song produced by Bob Marley and the Wailers - "Get Up, Stand Up ... Stand Up For Your Right! [ctrl-click to launch music video] - don't give up the fight!" The time is now to not be duped by the efforts of our one-party leadership scheme and its efforts to nationalize healthcare, no matter how minimal their intrusion. Medicare and Medicaid are government programs that have failed, and all the Democrat leadership wants to do is give all of us this type of program as our only option.

Be very aware of the efforts of the one-party leadership represented by the Obama Administration and the Democrat Political Party led Congress during this Carter's Second Term to convince us to invest in their healthcare (big, bigger, biggest government control) ponzi scheme ... their Madoffing of America.
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

The Killing Of Innovation In Obamaworld

Posted by MAXINE on Saturday, August 01, 2009 6:56:21 PM
President Barack Obama (ahead), Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Sergeant James Crowley walk from the Oval Office to the Rose Garden of the White House, July 30, 2009 to join in on the President;s invitation to the "Beer Summit". Notice that it is Officer Crowley who is interested in the needs of the hobbled Professor Gates ... and not the friend and President. I thought this was especially ... telling! Wasn't Professor Gates Barack's special, special friend? Image Credit: Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

The Killing Of Innovation In Obamaworld

American exceptionalism and what the expression actually means are key to how the United States became the most powerful and successful country in the history of mankind.

Now that six full months of the one-party rule leadership regime of Carter's Second Term are in full effect, Barack Obama decided that the "Spirit of Innovation" is the key to the future and the country's economic prosperity.

To quote President Obama, "Innovation has been essential to our prosperity in the past, and it will be essential to our prosperity in the future."

Little does President Obama and the Democrat Political Party vote-locked led Congress understand that they have already snuffed the spark that ignites the flame of innovation which would be the payoff that risk offers the innovator.

Basically, by increasing the size and scope of Government in everyone's life, the mother's milk of innovation created through investment and the level of return on an investment that is judged by the risk involved ... has been turned upside down.

Increased taxes and fees, Federal takeover of major sectors of a once free enterprise business, laying waste to contract law precedents that helped to structure the confidence of the investor through business uncertainty, and the pursuit of policies that would actually kill off some of the energy producing sectors of our economy have done everything but produce an atmosphere in which innovation could grow yet survive.

Obama said he will discuss the foundation he wants when he makes a second visit to Elkhart, Ind., on Wednesday (8-5-2009). Layoffs in the recreational vehicle industry account for much of the job loss in northern Indiana, which is struggling with an unemployment rate near 17 percent.

If people do not have money to spend or invest in, bright, educated, and talented people to create and innovate, they will not have an environment that fosters creativity and return on the risk for their investment.

President Obama evokes the scepter of innovation after over 3 minutes of excuses and descriptions of how bad the economy is doing ... oh!, and did we mention that we inherited this recession? [ctrl-click to launch video address] Video Credit: whitehouse.gov

This excerpted and edited from Yahoo News! -

Obama: 'Spirit of innovation' key to the future
By DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press Writer - 8-1-2009

President Barack Obama, citing fresh evidence the recession is winding down, says the country's future economic prosperity depends on building a new, stronger foundation and recapturing the "spirit of innovation."
----
The president cited Friday's Commerce Department report showing that in the last few months the economy overall has done "measurably better than expected." He credited his $787 billion economic stimulus program for much of that progress.

"This and the other difficult but important steps that we have taken over the last six months have helped put the brakes on this recession," Obama said.
----
"Even as we rescue this economy, we must work to rebuild it stronger than before," he said. "We've got to build a new foundation strong enough to withstand future economic storms and support lasting prosperity.

That means having the best-educated, highest-skilled workers in the world, a health care system that fosters innovation by holding the line on costs, building a clean energy economy and investing in research and development," Obama said.

"It is only by building a new foundation that we will once again harness that incredible generative capacity of the American people," the president said. "All it takes are the policies to tap that potential — to ignite that spark of creativity and ingenuity — which has always been at the heart of who we are and how we succeed.
Reference Here>>

President Obama believes that innovation and growth are fostered through Government programs and directed Government spending. Never, in the history of man has innovation been the product of an over-reaching managed effort put forth by any Government.

This approach will only lead to a killing of innovation in an Obama led world. This was not the approach that made the rise of the United States exceptional in the first place.

We believe that this template is the opposite of what it really takes to create an environment of innovation here in Carter' Second Term. Personal freedom is the key and smaller Government in all areas of a citizens life is the only way to recapture what made America great and exceptional in the first place.

Restore the growth of personal freedoms through self-reliance and innovation will naturally follow.

Reset America by resetting what made America the land of opportunity in the first place. It is time to re-read and apply the Constitution of the United States and grow to a program of Federal Government minimalism!
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

Free-Lunch Faith Vs The Reality Of Economics

Posted by MAXINE on Thursday, June 25, 2009 11:55:50 AM
Did you play Monopoly when you were a kid? Did you play it alot? Do you remember how you felt initially about buying Boardwalk (Mayfair) and Park Place (Park Lane)? They were too expensive, right? What happens to the game when a new player enters who can set and change the rules in the middle of the game, play as many game pieces as they want, and print and issue money for any purpose in the game to their own whim? It is not good. Image Credit: allthings.tv

Free-Lunch Faith Vs The Reality Of Economics

On what is beginning to feel like a daily basis, the Obama Administration, with the unprecedented aid of the mainstream media (last night, ABC spent most of their broadcast time broadcasting directly from ... The White House), is attempting to sell the faith of a free-lunch to a hungry hoard of faithless people.

What is being sold to the American public is a cure to all process ills and an improvement in ones life if one would just let the Government take over and run everything from our Free Enterprise Manufacturing, Healthcare, and Energy systems (and this is just a start). The Obama Administration loves to cleave to the argument that with the Government becoming a "PLAYER" in an enterprise they are promoting competition by delivering an alternative approach to a marketplace but this logic is grossly flawed.

The reality of economics that derails this logic is the it is difficult for anyone to compete on a level playing field when one of the players is also the referee, and the body that makes the rules ... and prints the money upon which the game is played.

Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free "Chance" card. Image Credit: Ebay

Would anyone play a game on the board game, MONOPOLY (our cultural introduction to economics), with a person who had the ability to create game board pieces without a cost or penalty, print and issue money to himself without really having to tell anyone when he expects to use it during the game to purchase pieces and/or set up hotels and set the rules beyond what had been printed and distributed at the beginning of the game (example: this player has an unlimited supply of "Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free" cards)? The answer is NO!

In every human endeavor there is really NO Free Lunch, and the reality of economics always shows that when a corrupt and over influential force enters into the mix of a free enterprise system, the system becomes corrupted and tilted to the influence that has the ability to change the common sense rules that govern the system.

Homeschool Real World Math - Here is another fun addition of real world math. Firstly, we use and adore Math-U-See consistently throughout the year in our homeschool. There are days however, that I like to mix it up and do something a little playful to get them thinking about math in the real world. /// This morning we played a game of monopoly. We received the newest version of Monopoly: Here and Now the real World Edition for Christmas. It is a fun version that incorporates geography, world facts on the chance and community chest cards, and interesting games pieces that take the kids literally around the world in every game. /// Our youngest got to work on basic counting by moving the pieces and rolling the dice. Our middle worked on basic addition by adding everyone’s dice together and telling them how far they had to move the pieces and our oldest had to read out all of the chance and community chest cards for each player. We had a ton of fun. This particular edition, does not have money, but cards and a banker machine that you add and subtract money for each transaction made. By the end of the first game, they were working through place values in the millions, Large number addition and subtraction and how to work the key pad which is similar to a calculator and a keypad on the computer. I wont even get into the idea of money management and budgeting as more abstract ideas they begin to absorb through this game. /// All in all, I think I hid a little real world math by way of a game today. Give it a try it is easy and fun to do. /// Tomorrow, we will do a little more real world math, when they get to spend a few real dollars at the zoo to purchase a drink and choose a few animals they would like to feed. I will hand them each a zip lock bag of coins and they will have to count their way out of it. That should be a barrel full of monkeys…excuse the pun. Grace and Peace to all budding mathematicians in the real world! Caption & Image Credit: homeschool-diva.com

This excerpted and edited from Townhall.com

Tilting at Green Windmills
by George Will - Townhall.com - Thursday, June 25, 2009

The Spanish professor is puzzled. Why, Gabriel Calzada wonders, is the U.S. president recommending that America emulate the Spanish model for creating "green jobs" in "alternative energy" even though Spain's unemployment rate is 18.1 percent -- more than double the European Union average -- partly because of spending on such jobs?

Calzada, 36, an economics professor at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, has produced a report which, if true, is inconvenient for the Obama administration's green agenda, and for some budget assumptions that are dependent upon it.

Calzada says Spain's torrential spending -- no other nation has so aggressively supported production of electricity from renewable sources -- on wind farms and other forms of alternative energy has indeed created jobs. But Calzada's report concludes that they often are temporary and have received $752,000 to $800,000 each in subsidies -- wind industry jobs cost even more, $1.4 million each. And each new job entails the loss of 2.2 other jobs that are either lost or not created in other industries because of the political allocation -- sub-optimum in terms of economic efficiency -- of capital. (European media regularly report "eco-corruption" leaving a "footprint of sleaze" -- gaming the subsidy systems, profiteering from land sales for wind farms, etc.) Calzada says the creation of jobs in alternative energy has subtracted about 110,000 jobs from elsewhere in Spain's economy.
----
What matters most, however, is not that reports such as Calzada's and the Republicans' are right in every particular. It is, however, hardly counterintuitive that politically driven investments are economically counterproductive. Indeed, environmentalists with the courage of their convictions should argue that the point of such investments is to subordinate market rationality to the higher agenda of planetary salvation.

Still, one can be agnostic about both reports while being dismayed by the frequency with which such findings are ignored simply because they question policies that are so invested with righteousness that methodical economic reasoning about their costs and benefits seems unimportant. When the president speaks of "new green energy economies" creating "countless well-paying jobs," perhaps they really are countless, meaning incapable of being counted.

For fervent believers in governments' abilities to control the climate and in the urgent need for them to do so, believing is seeing: They see, through their ideological lenses, governments' green spending as always paying for itself. This is a free-lunch faith comparable to that of those few conservatives who believe that tax cuts always completely pay for themselves by stimulating compensating revenues from economic growth.

Windmills are iconic in the land of Don Quixote, whose tilting at them became emblematic of comic futility. Spain's new windmills are neither amusing nor emblematic of policies America should emulate. The cheerful and evidently unshakable confidence in such magical solutions to postulated problems is yet another manifestation -- Republicans are not immune: No Child Left Behind decrees that by 2014 all American students will be proficient in math and reading -- of what the late Sen. Pat Moynihan called "the leakage of reality from American life."
Reference Here>>

Welcome to the free-lunch faith and evangelism due to the leakage of reality from American life delivered to us from the Obama Administration, here in Carter's Second Term!
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

Obama Uses Guilt And Poor Reading In France

Posted by MAXINE on Friday, April 03, 2009 11:10:34 AM
When they arrived in Strasbourg, the president and first lady Michelle Obama were welcomed by Sarkozy and his wife, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. Image Credit: Jason Reed of Reuters

Obama Uses Guilt And Poor Reading In France

Barack Obama refers to the Marshall Plan and slams the idea of the pursuit of national sovereignty through the detention of some really bad actors in Cuba in order to gain sympathy for a shared response to the al-Qaeda threat that continues to grow in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

In a teleprompter speech delivered in Strasbourg, France that was followed by a “Town Hall” style question and answer period, the 44th President stated, as he did at his speech to open the G20 Conference of nations, the he was not there to lecture … but to listen. The problem with this phrase in the speech is that he went on to lecture the audience on the responsibility to participate in military actions (NATO) and the surrender of leadership of the United States in the areas of free trade. He lectured against the use of trade barriers going forward on the relationships between Europe and the United States, this at a time his Government is looking to pay for the extraordinary expansion of Government Spending and corporate takeovers in key financial and manufacturing industries.

The beauty of a teleprompter speech is that all words will be in front of the reader in the order that the that they are supposed to be delivered … the problem of a teleprompter speech is that there is ample opportunity to have the words scroll slower (or faster) than the reader can speak. In the case of the Strasbourg speech, Barack’s flubs added to the disingenuous nature of his remarks.

In a “you can’t make this up” moment, the first person to ask a question in this hall setting in Strasbourg, France was an American – that’s right, in a hall full of Europeans the first person to a microphone that was being carried by one of the hall’s AV staff was (I am going to call it as I see it) a plant! USA TODAY's Rich Wolf reports from the scene that there are some empty seats in the upper reaches of the arena. He estimates the building is about 80% full. Maybe this is the reason that the first questioner was an American.

"In America, there's a failure to appreciate Europe's leading role in the world," Obama said, boldly taking aim at the country that just elected him last November. "There have been times where America's showed arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive." Image Credit: AP

This example of American leadership excerpted and edited from Bloomberg –

Obama Says U.S., Europe Both Must Change to Bolster Alliance
By Edwin Chen and Hans Nichols, Bloomberg

President Barack Obama said the NATO alliance has been damaged by both past U.S. arrogance and “casual but insidious” anti-Americanism in Europe.

“America is changing, but it cannot be America alone that changes,” Obama told a crowd of about 3,500 students and local residents at the Rhenus Sports Arena in Strasbourg, France, his second stop on an eight-day European trip.

“I’ve come to Europe this week to renew our partnership, one in which America listens and learns from our friends and allies, but where friends and allies bear their share of the burden,” Obama said.
----
“We are confronting the greatest economic crisis since World War II,” Obama said. “The only way to confront this unprecedented crisis is through unprecedented coordination.”

Obama said that in a speech he’s planning to give in Prague near the end of his trip he will outline his goal of a “world without nuclear weapons.”

The spread of nuclear weapons or the theft of such material “could lead to the extermination of any city on the planet,” he said.
Reference Here>>

"In recent years, we've allowed our alliance to drift," Obama said in a campaign-style town hall meeting on the France-Germany border city of Strasbourg, ahead of the 60th anniversary NATO summit. Image Credit: Google Maps

This example of American leadership excerpted and edited from Cover It Live, USAToday -

As it happened: Obama town hall in Strasbourg, France
USAToday - Obama town hall in Strasbourg - Cover It Live – 7:25 PM France, 4-3-2009

The president begins his remarks with comments on threats around the world.
----
"This weekend in Prague I will lay out an agenda that seeks a world without nuclear weapons."
----
"There have been times when America has shown arrogance ... and been dismissive," toward Europe, Obama says.

But in Europe, he adds, "there is an anti-Americanism that is at once casual and divisive."

"On both sides of the Atlantic these attitudes have become all too common," the president continues. "They are not wise and do not represent the truth."

"America is changing, but it cannot be America alone that changes."
----
"history shows us that we can do improbable, sometimes impossible things."

"Now, we must not give up on one another. We must renew this relationship for a new generation. ... Together I'm confident that we can achieve the promise of a new day."

He's now going to take questions from the audience.

"My French and German are terrible," he admits, but there are translators in the audience.

The first person Obama calls on is from the U.S.

"I did not call on the American on purpose," he jokes.

The woman asks about what he expects his legacy as president will be.

After only two months in office, Obama says, “That's a daunting question.

My first task," he says, is to get the economy moving.”
----
“The richest nations must have a strategy that recognizes it is not just charity to assist the developing world in feeding children and combating poverty,” Obama says.

"If young men are standing idle ... and feel completely detached and removed from the modern world, they are more likely" to resort to terrorism, he adds.
Reference Here>>

President Barack Obama's biggest applause lines came from his affirmation of closing the Guantanamo detention center in Cuba, but one wonders how many of these Europeans would applaud if these detainees moved in next door to them?!

American leadership has been replaced with American celebrity here in Carter's Second Term.
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

Hillary Clinton's North Korea Foreign Policy Via "Shout-Out"

Posted by MAXINE on Friday, March 27, 2009 3:31:57 PM
President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pictured with radical socialist revolutionary Che' Guevara as a backdrop. Image credit: Fr Loren Gonzales via overheardinthesacristy

Hillary Clinton's North Korea Foreign Policy Via "Shout-Out"

Last night, Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton made a plea during an interview she was having with Greta Van Sustern during Greta's program on FOXNews, On The Record.

What is striking about the interview and the plea, is that part of it took the form of a broadcast "Shout-Out" to North Korea and that nation's rumored attempt to launch a test of another intercontinental missile.

What we were treated to was an example of a foreign policy carried out in the most unorganized, sophomoric, ineffective, and unprofessional level ... a "Shout-Out"

This method of communication of our foreign policy to another nation reflects the level of disarray the 44th Presidency is in, some 67 days into the four year run.

President Barack Obama, while he campaigned for the job, at least stated a desire to sit down and talk without "per-condition" ... Secretary of State Hillary Clinton apparently really doesn't even need, or care to have, someone in the room!

This excerpted and edited from FOXNews -

Secretary of State Clinton Confronts the Problems with Mexico and North Korea
On the Record w/ Greta - FOX News - Friday, March 27, 2009

VAN SUSTEREN: Back home, headlines now about North Korea, and so I'm going to try to pry some answers out of you on North Korea. What are we going to do about North Korea?

CLINTON: Well, you and I were just talking before the cameras started rolling because you're one of the few people I know who's actually been there and who understand that it is a -- you know, it's a different environment.

You've got to figure out how to convince them to act in what we consider to be, you know, the interests of the people of North Korea but also the interests of the rest of the world.

I have been very clear, President Obama has been very clear, we would like to get back to the kind of talks that led to the initial steps in their de-nuclearization. The six-party framework that involves all of the neighbors, each of whom have a stake in what happens in North Korea -- we have offered that. I sent word that we would like to have our special envoy for North Korean policy go to Pyongyang. They didn't want him to come.

So we're working hard. And if they're watching you, I'm sure that since you were there, you made a big impression, went to a karaoke bar in Pyongyang.

(LAUGHTER)

CLINTON: They probably still remember you. If they're watching -- if anybody from North Korea is watching this program with you, Greta...

VAN SUSTEREN: I do a mean Elvis karaoke.

CLINTON: I bet. You know, we'd love for them to begin to talk about what we can do together to fulfill the framework of the six-party talks.

VAN SUSTEREN: But we've drawn a line in the sand, saying, If you launch that missile, there will be consequences. But I'm not sure what consequences because they don't have anything at this point. It's not like we can cut anything off. They're already hermetically sealed from the world. I mean, what kind of consequences short of military consequences, I guess?

CLINTON: No, I don't -- I don't -- I mean, we're certainly not talking about that. What we are saying is that we believe that a launch would violate the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1718. That would, you know, in our view, trigger certain actions by the United Nations.

They have sought help for fuel and food. It would be difficult to provide those necessities. So you know, we don't want to get there. I mean, the problem with their missile launch is that these provisions of 1718 don't distinguish between a missile with a satellite and a missile with a warhead. We think it covers any kind of missile launch.

And we would hope that the North Koreans would take a deep breath here, and you know, begin to reconnect and start working with us.
Reference Here>>

Video on North Korea "Shout-Out">>
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

First 50 Days - Report Card On Carter's Second Term

Posted by MAXINE on Tuesday, March 10, 2009 4:33:21 PM
More citizens on the WEB are against the performance of the messiah, Barack Obama, then are for. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks via MSNBC.MSN.com website (2009)

First 50 Days - Report Card On Carter's Second Term

With five opportunities at getting a grade, and three of those opportunities being a passing grade, it is amazing how many people do not believe that President Barack Obama deserves a passing grade for his performance in his first fifty (50) days.

Tale of the tape:

66% - Grade D, or lower (55% FAIL)

34% - Grade C or higher (24% "A")

The results of this grade matrix is made even more amazing, in that the place where people access the chance to assign a grade for Carter's Second Term surrogate, Barack Obama, is considered by most objective observers, the most biased and least watched cable news channel (home to Kieth Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthews, and Chuck Todd), MSNBC.

It is not known that at this moment, if MSNBC has broadcast the results of its own web poll. Heck, it may be taken down before they are even given a chance ... ala: "The Dog Ate My Homework".

This excerpted and edited from Chuck Todd, MSNBC -

Obama's growing pains
Next week can't come soon enough as administration learns early lessons
By Chuck Todd, Chief White House Correspondent and Political Director - NBC News - updated 8:05 a.m. PT, Sat., Feb. 7, 2009

By this time next week, the White House will have quite an accomplishment topping their list of early victories — passage of a massive economic stimulus package in less than a month.

And for the White House, next week can’t come soon enough.

They know they will figure out a way to pass this package. But more importantly, passing it will give them a chance at a fresh start. And it will teach them some important lessons about how to move forward when they present even tougher asks to Congress and the American people.

A couple of things have struck me while watching this White House attempt to pass this first big bill.

First, they seemed to stop using the tools that got them to the White House in the first place. President Obama gave very few direct speeches to the American people and made few attempts to go local with supporters. It’s been a top down approach to governing in these first few weeks.

Second, the Obama White House forgot a few things about what it’s like to have nothing left to lose – the exact position the Republicans found themselves in.

It not hard to find something wrong with a bill as large as this stimulus package.

But what should have the Obama administration been prepared for?

Extra Scrutiny
----
Obama never should have allowed his first major piece of legislation to be written largely by a man elected to Congress when the president was only 8 years old. I’m referring to House Appropriations Chair David Obey.

I’ve noted many times here and in “First Read” the stunning lack of change inside the leadership of the House Democratic caucus. The roster of current committee chairs is not exactly a profile of change Obama outlined during the campaign.

Some day the public might actually revolt against the undemocratic system of seniority that allows Congress to keep the old ways of Washington engrained into the culture of Congress.
----
The GOP has nothing left to lose
Obama’s efforts at bipartisanship are in many ways just what he promised throughout the campaign. If he weren’t talking bipartisanship now he’d be facing even more criticism about Republican involvement in this stimulus.

The cynical question should be what do the Republicans accomplish politically by cooperating with Obama? Will the 15 or so Republicans in the House and perhaps five in the Senate who support Obama on the stimulus get a free pass from voters? Or will the Democrats get the credit while collectively the Republicans gain nothing?

If the stimulus does not work, and the Republicans are seen as the party that offered an alternative, they stand to benefit.
----
Most elections are about the worst ideas losing, not the best ideas winning. Democrats have control of both houses of Congress and the White House because the country got fed up with the Republican rule, not necessarily because voters saw more merit in the Democrats.
----
They believed their own hype
My colleague, Andrea Mitchell, refers to this syndrome as an inauguration sugar high. Perhaps it was burnout. Perhaps they watched a little too much TV [MSNBC, CNN, and Network Nightly News programs] and forgot how they got to the White House.
----
The Obama team, starting with the president, certainly seemed a tad haughty, acting as if their lofty rhetoric was enough to cause Congress to bow and the stimulus bill to magically pass.
----
History will one day record the administration’s effort to pass the stimulus package as an amazing feat, especially given the size of the bill. In our 24/7 news cycle, everything is nit picked, something it seems the Obama White House forgot.
----
Obama will be best served if he embraces his own campaign rhetoric and remembers the sophisticated operation he built — the one which got him elected.
----
The smart White Houses put the same efforts into winning an election as they do into passing an agenda.

The Obama folks may be getting that now… now that they are off their inauguration sugar high.
Reference Here>>

Funny what can happen in only one month since Chuck Todd wrote this post. We all know that the Stimulus Bill passed with only three Republicans saddling the American taxpayer with an across the board spending increase of 70% [$787 Billion dollars] in all of the agencies of Government and now the Barack Obama Administration and the Democrat Party controlled Congress want to pass a new "Omnibus" spending bill that will increase the spending 8% MORE until the next budget is due in October (what? 70% increase in spending not enough?).

After reading this PAP mused by liberal political policy wonk, Chuck Todd, no wonder Obama and the 34% who gave the current Administration a passing grade might be surprised ... pure Democrats (those who voted and are in power) and the media are believing their own press.

Chuck Todd should change his assessment of what elections are about - the worst ideas losing, not the best ideas winning - to - the reality that the Democrats worst ideas are winning while the nation (and its economic and cultural success) is losing.

Welcome to the first 50 days of a failing grade (66%) Carter's Second Term.

Cheer up, we only have the balance of a four year term to witness the complete economic and social destruction of our country.
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

Obama's Empty Suit Advice To Investing In Stocks

Posted by MAXINE on Wednesday, March 04, 2009 8:00:00 AM
Later, while sitting alongside Mr Brown in the Oval Office, Mr Obama said Britain's friendship to the US in Iraq and Afghanistan would not be forgotten. He added: "Great Britain is one of our closest and strongest allies and there is a link and bond there that will not break." The president was speaking after around an hour of talks which were dominated by the economy, with both men agreeing that improvements were needed to the regulation of the global banking system. Image & Video Credit: The Telegraph [click photo to launch]

Obama's Empty Suit Advice To Investing In Stocks

Would you buy a used car from this man?

This was a question asked during the Richard M. Nixon Presidency after it was found out that members of his administration were involved with the break in of the Democrat Party offices at the Watergate office complex in Washington DC. The incident caused Richard M. Nixon to step down in disgrace from the highest office in the land.

Largely on the liberal policies talked about and then implemented by the Barack Obama Administration, personal wealth has shrunk by nearly $3 Trillion dollars, and the stock market has dropped 3,000 points since he was elected on November 3, 2008. The stock market has dropped by 25% alone since Barack Obama assumed power, passed $787 Billion dollar Government expansion and spending bill, and introduced his budget proposal that called for increases in government intrusion into our every day lives totaling about $3 Trillion dollars.

Simply stated, President Barack Obama has passed or proposed spending that surpasses all government spending (when one adds it all up) from the time the first president took office 233 years ago until President Obama was sworn in.

Yesterday, Barack Obama met with the executive leader of England, Gordon Brown. During this meeting, Obama and Brown were in front of reporters and President Barack Obama was asked about the sudden and deep declines in the stock market.

After talking down the economy all during the time he has been waiting to assume the power of the office, then in six short weeks while in office, helps to ramrod through a spending bill and introduce a budget that expands Federal Government spending while penalizing free enterprize and promotes unemployment, Barack Obama decided to dispense some stock investing advice as the markets continued to TANK!

Economy TANKS and Barack Obama looks forward to Wednesday night party nights at the White House. Image Credit: Rush Limbaugh (2009)

This excerpted and edited from a transcript at the Rush Limbaugh radio show -

Obama to Stock Market: Drop Dead
TRANSCRIPT, Rush Limbaugh Show - March 3, 2009

RUSH: I said yesterday there was a CNN commentator out there who said over the weekend that he knows somebody that said Obama's speeches, they're like sex. They're better than sex. I can see how that's true. When Obama speaks, the American people get screwed. This morning in the Oval Office, Obama talking with Gordon Brown. Here is a portion of the conversation.

OBAMA: What I'm looking at is not the day-to-day gyrations of the stock market but the long-term, uh, ability for the United States and the entire world economy, uh, to regain its footing. Uh, and, y-y-you know, the stock market is sort of like a tracking poll in politics. It bobs up and down day to day, uh, and if you spend all your time worrying about that, you're probably going to get long-term strategy wrong.

[NOTE: a tracking poll does not directly relate to the money in one's retirement account or house value]

RUSH: Did you hear that? He said it's a tracking poll! It's like a tracking poll in politics. It's going to bubble up and down; you can't pay attention to tracking polls.

If it's a tracking poll, if that's what it is, you're in the tank, Mr. President. He's not concerned! Three trillion dollars of wealth has vanished since he was elected. The Dow Jones Industrial Average down around 3,000 points. He doesn't care!

He just said we're not looking at it. Day-to-day gyrations? How-about-month-to-month declines. There are no day-to-day gyrations to speak of here. There is just a steady decline. Besides he's gotta worry about the long-term ability, the US and the world economy to regain its footing.

The stock market happens to be where people who have skin in the game are located, and they're getting out. Here's another exchange Obama had with Gordon Brown.

OBAMA: What you're now seeing is profit and -- and earning ratios are -- are starting to to get to the point where buying stocks is a potentially good deal if you've got a long-term perspective on it.

Uhhh, I think that consumer confidence, as they see the American, uh, Recovery and Reinvestment Act taking root, uh, businesses are starting to see opportunities for investment, uh, and potential hiring.

RUSH: Really?

OBAMA: It's not going to happen overnight.

RUSH: No.

OBAMA: And my main message to the American people --

RUSH: Yes?

OBAMA: -- is to just recognize that, um, we dug a very deep hole for ourselves. There were a lot of bad decisions that were made. We are cleaning up that mess. Uh, It's going to be, sort of, uh, full of fits and starts in terms of getting the mess cleaned up, but it's going to get cleaned up.

RUSH: This is Obama distancing himself from his own economy, distancing himself from the failure of his own recovery plan, and dumping it on the Bush administration. We inherited everything! He's going to get away with this for a while, with a lot of Americans.
Reference Here>>

The truth is that many of Barack Obama's economic remedy plans (TARP) are a continuation of what President George W. Bush initiated. The people that President Barack Obama has appointed to fill his administration to carry through with his vision of how we dig ourselves out of the credit crisis are many of the same people Bush relied upon to manage what plans he put into play.

Would you buy a used car from this man?

Still?

Ahhhhh, NO!
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

Let’s Talk About Failure – Honestly

Posted by MAXINE on Monday, March 02, 2009 5:07:50 PM
Rush Limbaugh speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference - Image Credit: MSNBC screen shot

Let’s Talk About Failure – Honestly

Over the weekend, there was a lot of talk about Rush Limbaugh and his stated desire for President Barack Obama to fail. Rahm Emmanual, Chuck Todd, even some recognized figures in the GOP hopped on the bandwagon, tying to make the comment out to be more than the comment really was … a defense of the constitution, free enterprise, and the personal freedom pursuit way of life that America is known for.

To be honest, the current leadership has a few wishes of failure of their own which they pursue but are not up front enough to state as clearly as Rush Limbaugh has in his proclamation.

The Democrat Political Party voted unanimously to saddle the American population to $787 Billion dollars in mostly pure government spending without reading the 1,100 page (up from 700) appropriations bill they passed (this should be unconstitutional). The final version of the bill was released at 11:00 pm ET and by 3:00 pm the very next day the Senate and House of Representatives approved the spending with only three Republican Senators joining 100% of the Congressional Democrats. The Democrats want our economy to fail. The only way to pay for this type of spending is to have the government print more money without any consideration for wealth creation. Democrats are not interested in wealth creation so as a defacto position … they want wealth creation to fail

The Democrat Political Party would want any balanced budget to fail, for with a balanced budget they would not be able to make the Government bigger and thereby, more intrusive into everyone’s life.

Last week, President Barack Obama submitted his budget plan for the next year’s budget and if all of the provisions in the budget were to pass, he would want charitable giving to fail, he would want to have the growth in the value of houses and the housing industry to fail, and he would want his plan to increase taxes on ONLY those who earn $250,000 dollars to fail because of the following:

1) Obama proposes to eliminate tax credits on money that is given by all individuals to charitable causes and churches. Effectively, this is also an increase in taxes to people who earn less than $250,000 dollars (I supposed he lied).

2) He proposes to eliminate or reduce the tax credit for interest paid on any home mortgage … in other words, one has to pay tax on interest paid on the home mortgage loan. This will have the effect of making the house worth less the moment it passes because the house costs more to own … it will basically make a four bedroom house become the value of a three bedroom house. This provision is also an increase in taxes to people who earn less than $250,000 dollars (I supposed he lied, again).

3) Lastly, Barack Obama placed a provision of raising fees and taxes on all energy producing commodities by $634 Billion dollars. So, if someone purchases gas for their car, lights their home with electricity, cooks their food with natural gas, heats their home with heating oil they will pay more for it because the Federal Government through the leadership provided by the Democrat Political Party headed by Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid will increase the cost of these goods. Effectively, this is also an increase in taxes to people who earn less than $250,000 dollars. I suppose that Barack Obama just wants our way of life to fail.

Let’s be clear, Democrats that are in office and those who vote for them want to have our stock markets (the DOW is down to 6,813.63 / -249.30 / -3.53% / today at 10:00 am PT alone, and devalued over 50% since Obama was elected), Capitalism, small business, free enterprise, and personal freedom to FAIL!

Barack Obama has passed and proposed more Federal Government spending and socialism in six weeks than has ever been put in place in the 233 years that our country has been in existence.


The Obama Salute - A Social Engineering Orgy ... And We ALL Lose Our Freedom Of Choice! The Government owns what once was a limitless future and has capped opportunity to those who would have benefited from it the most. Image Credit: Bucksright.com


This excerpted and edited from the International Hearld Tribune -

Obama's budget plan sweeps away Reagan ideas
By David Leonhardt - Published: February 27, 2009

The budget that President Barack Obama proposed is nothing less than an attempt to end a three-decade era of economic policy dominated by the ideas of Ronald Reagan and his supporters.

The Obama budget - a bold, even radical departure from recent history, wrapped in bureaucratic formality and statistical tables - would sharply raise taxes on the rich, beyond where Bill Clinton had raised them.
----
After Obama spent much of his first five weeks in office responding to the financial crisis, his budget effectively tried to reclaim momentum for the priorities on which he had campaigned.

His efforts would add to a budget deficit already swollen by Bush's policies and the recession, creating the largest deficit, relative to the size of the economy, since World War II. Erasing that deficit will require some tough choices - about further spending cuts and tax increases - that Obama avoided this past week.

But he nonetheless made choices.

He sought to eliminate some corporate subsidies, for health insurers, banks and agricultural companies, that economists have long criticized. He proposed putting a price on carbon, to slow global warming, and then refunding most of the revenue from that program through broad-based tax cuts. He called for roughly $100 billion a year in tax increases on the wealthy - mostly delayed until 2011, when the recession will presumably have ended.
----
"The tax code will become more progressive, with relatively higher rates on the rich and relatively lower rates on the middle class and poor," said Roberton Williams, a senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center in Washington.
----
The details remain vague, but the budget begins paying for investments that would eventually allow Medicare officials to refuse to pay for medical treatment that does not show evidence of improving health. If successful, that change would vastly reduce the government's long-term budget deficit. It is also likely to bring down private health costs, because insurers typically follow Medicare's lead.
----
There are still many outstanding questions about Obama's efforts, starting with whether Congress will pass a budget that looks anything like his. His proposals on health care are likely to meet stiff opposition from some doctors and insurers. Spending more money on financial aid - absent other changes to the education system - may not lift the graduation rate very much. And if the economy remains weak into next year, as many forecasters expect, congressional Republicans will try to blame the affluent for the looming tax increases.

Whatever happens, though, it has been a long time since any president has tried to use his budget to shape the government and the economy quite as much as Obama did on Thursday. On that score, he and Reagan have something in common.
Reference Here>>

If Barack Obama and the Democrat Political Party doesn’t want our existing economy and social structure of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to FAIL in the name of gaining even more oppressive power over our lives, they have a very funny way of showing it through their leadership.

We, at Carter's Second Term, want these folks, and their agenda to FAIL so that the markets turnaround and grow, so that people have confidence in our economic structure again, so that small businesses can hire people because the owners who file personal income taxes of over $250,000 dollars will not be taxed into oblivion, and so that we all can make decisions about where we want to give our charitable contributions without being penalized for our giving.

This is a time in our country that is far worse than the trouble created by our 39th President, Jimmy Carter.
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

Stimulate This, Jimmy Carter

Posted by MAXINE on Thursday, February 26, 2009 11:40:28 AM
President Obama after meeting with, from left, National Economic Council Director Lawrence H. Summers, Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner and Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.). Image Credit: Bill O'leary/The Washington Post

Stimulate This, Jimmy Carter

The poor economic record of the Carter years ... and in particular, the unusual combination of high inflation and high unemployment ... was an important reason for Carter's loss of popularity and his 1980 defeat.

The 39th President of the United States has nothing on the potential for economic havoc that liberal federal government spending will have once the 44th President, Barack Obama, has his proposed $3.5 to $4 trillion dollar budget approved and placed into action.

The budget proposal released today is coming on the heels of the approval of $787 Billion dollars of tax monies to stimulate our economy ... the largest spending bill ever passed by our leaders in the U.S. Congress in the history of the United States.

To try to understand how much money of our citizen supported spending the Government has approved on our behalf after hearing that the next budget President Obama wants to have approved may spend $4 Trillion dollars becomes a little inconceivable.

Example:

If one was to spend only $1,000,000 (that's one-million dollars) a day and intended to spend this money until one had spent $1,000,000,000,000 (one-trillion dollars), one would not finish until three (3) thousand years from now.

So, TIMES FOUR (4) – that’s a million dollars a day for twelve-thousand years!

There are only three-hundred million (300,000,000) men, women, ... and children who live in the United States – do the math.

The Obama Effect - This chart, showing the utter devastation Obama has wrought on the stock market, is from Investor's Business Daily.

This excerpted and edited from Commentary Magazine -

How Big Is Big?
Jennifer Rubin - 02.25.2009 - 7:07 PM

The spending numbers become meaningless after awhile. This helpful guide puts things in perspective:

$787 billion would buy 4.6 million homes here in the US at the most recent median price of $170,300 for January 2008.

$787 billion would send a check for $2,623 to every man, woman and child in the US.

$787 billion would fund 7.7 million four year scholarships to the average private university in the US at current tuition rates.

$787 billion would fund 30 million full four year scholarships to the nation’s public universities.

$787 billion would buy 27.7 million cars at the average price of an automobile sold last year in the US.

$787 billion would fund four full months of a tax holiday in the US.

This not only helps clarify how much we are spending, but how poorly we are allocating taxpayer dollars. If we actually did a couple of these things there might be broader support even among conservatives for the stimulus or the other spending projects Democrats have in mind. However, who thinks we’re going to get much value or immediate productive economic activity from the $787B?

You have the sense that, if they tried, they couldn’t spend the money in a more inefficient and less productive fashion. And you’d be right. The Democrats’ goal is to expand the public sector and pet liberal projects, not to worry about efficiency and productivity.They’re doing a fine job.
Reference Here>>

Then there is this little budget of $4 Trillion dollars and the claim that it will reduce the deficit by half.

This excerpted and edited from The Washington Post -

In President's Budget Plan, Broad Agenda and a Few Gaps
By Lori Montgomery, Washington Post Staff Writer - Thursday, February 26, 2009

President Obama's spending plan is built on the assumption that lawmakers can resolve some hugely contentious issues -- and it relies on a few well-worn budget tricks.

The request he will deliver to Congress today proposes to provide what administration officials are calling a "down payment" on a major expansion of health care coverage for the uninsured. It identifies $634 billion in tax increases and spending cuts to cover the cost of part of the program, but does not say how the administration hopes to raise the rest of the money -- hundreds of billions of dollars more. "TBD" has been penciled into categories for cost savings and benefit reductions.

Obama's budget also would make permanent a tax cut for the middle class enacted in the recent stimulus package. But to pay for it, the president counts on a big infusion of cash from a politically controversial cap-and-trade system, which would force companies to buy allowances to exceed pollution limits. Even if that plan is approved, some lawmakers have other ideas about how to spend the money.
----
"They've painted the worst-case scenario in order to make it as easy as possible to improve on," said Maya MacGuineas, president of the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, which champions deficit reduction. “But I'd like to see them go much further in terms of fiscal responsibility in actually closing that deficit gap."
----
"It's a bold plan. This is big strokes. This is not a budget about little things," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the House leadership.
----
A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the budget has not been released, said the spending proposal is just a summary of a fleshed-out plan that will be complete in April. In addition, some details were intentionally left out of the document because the president did not want to dictate policy changes to lawmakers.

The health reform proposal, for example, "is the starting point of a conversation with Congress," the official said. "We're not going to go to Congress and say, 'Here's the plan.' We're starting a conversation and saying, 'This is what we want to get done.' "
----
The deficit is perhaps the trickiest issue in Obama's spending plan. He has pledged to cut it in half by the end of his first term. Specifically, administration officials say the annual gap between federal spending and tax collections will fall from something north of $1.4 trillion this year -- the highest since World War II -- to $533 billion in 2013.

But Republicans and some budget analysts noted that this highly touted goal is not particularly ambitious: This year's budget deficit is bloated by spending on the stimulus package and various financial-sector bailouts, expenses unlikely to be repeated in future years. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office recently predicted that the deficit could be halved by 2013 merely by winding down the war in Iraq and allowing some of the tax cuts enacted during the Bush administration to expire in 2011, as Obama has proposed. That alone would cut the deficit to $715 billion, according to the CBO.

"It's easy to cut the deficit in half after you've quadrupled it," said Brian Riedl, a budget analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation. "The end of the recession, the drawdown of Iraq spending and the end of temporary stimulus spending will by itself cut the deficit in half. He should do more."
----
The official defended the administration's figures, saying they accurately represent recent war costs. "It's a change in our policy that is going to bring those costs down," the official said.

But several budget analysts criticized the speech as misleading.

"It's a hollow number," said Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), the senior Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, who recently withdrew as Obama's nominee to head the Commerce Department. "You're not getting savings if you're assuming spending that isn't actually going to occur."
Reference Here>>

Ahhhh! The benefits of Central Planning ... it took only 12 Five-Year Plans to bring down the Soviet Union. How long will it take to dismantle the freedoms we enjoy here in the United States (many say the freedom train has already left the station).

Carter's Second Term ... on STEROIDS!!!
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

Excitement On Stimulus Sends Stocks Reeling

Posted by MAXINE on Tuesday, February 17, 2009 12:32:22 PM
Government spending of taxpayers money on social engineering and pork barrel projects help the stock markets plunge toward recession. Image Credit: CFNEWS 13

Excitement On Stimulus Sends Stocks Reeling

The Dow Jones opens today down by over 250 points on the anticipated news that Barack Obama has signed into law, the new $787 billion economic-stimulus package recently passed by the Democrat Party controlled Senate.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the time-value cost of this legislation and its spending will actually top 3 Trillion dollars once the borrowed monies interest has been paid.

The business markets know that this action will lead to inflation and recession at the same time, similiar to the conditions set up by the economic policies pursued by the 39th president of the United States, Jimmy Carter.

Welcome to the second coming of "Stagflation"!

This excerpted and edited from CNN/Money -

Recession fears slam Wall Street
Stocks slump Tuesday morning as investors worry the stimulus plan won't go far enough. Financials lead the way lower.
By CNNMoney.com staff - Last Updated: February 17, 2009: 9:44 AM ET

Stocks slumped Tuesday morning as financial shares sold off amid worries that the recession is worsening, even as President Obama prepares to sign into law the $787 billion economic stimulus plan.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) fell 210 points, or about 2.7% in the early going [and got worse].

The Standard & Poor's 500 (SPX) index lost 28 points, or about 3.4%. The Nasdaq composite (COMP) lost 47 points, or about 3.1%.
----
Peter Cardillo, chief market economist for Avalon Partners, said uneasiness over the stimulus package is the prime suspect.

"I guess there's a lot of second thoughts about the stimulus package from the public," said Cardillo before the markets opened. "Obviously, there's a lot of fear out there, and that fear factor continue to weigh [on the markets.]"
----
Enthusiasm over the stimulus plan and bank bailout have been tempered by an ongoing barrage of bad corporate and economic news. Last week, the Dow shed 5.2%, the S&P 500 fell 4.8% and the Nasdaq stumbled 3.6%.

Looking forward, the president on Wednesday is expected to unveil his long-awaited foreclosure prevention plan.
Reference Here>>

Gold will be up.

Welcome to Carter's Second Term!
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

Social Web Meets The Financial Fed

Posted by MAXINE on Thursday, February 05, 2009 11:09:30 AM

Republican lawmakers are raising concerns that ACORN, the low-income advocacy group under investigation for voter registration fraud, could be eligible for billions in aid from the economic stimulus proposal working its way through the House. House Republican Leader John Boehner issued a statement over the weekend noting that the stimulus bill wending its way through Congress provides $4.19 billion for "neighborhood stabilization activities." He said the money was previously limited to state and local governments, but that Democrats now want part of it to be available to non-profit entities. That means groups like ACORN would be eligible for a portion of the funds. Image Credit: FOX News

Social Web Meets The Financial Fed

In Carter’s Second Term (Barack Obama’s 44th Presidency), the citizens of the United States are faced with a very fast moving Federal Government that is being directed by the Barack Obama Administration to spend out our tax money at a record rate.

The sweeping spending and economic stimulus plan recently passed by the House of Representatives on a one-party vote (the Democrat Party) proposes massive spending transfers to recognized money wasting, non job producing, “”shovel-ready” pet projects rooted in liberal socialist political philosophy – that is, to pay people for votes and political allegiance.

Examples of the type of projects this Executive Branch and Democrat controlled Congress believes will stimulate the American economy includes $4.19 billion for "neighborhood stabilization activities." (read that ACORN), $1 billion for Amtrak, the federal railroad that hasn't turned a profit in 40 years, $2 billion for child-care subsidies, $50 million for that great engine of job creation, the National Endowment for the Arts, $400 million for global-warming research, $2.4 billion for carbon-capture demonstration projects, $650 million on top of the billions already doled out to pay for digital TV conversion coupons, $150 million for Honey Bee Insurance, and there is more … much more.

So, how does one find out what is being discussed and potentially placed into law as it relates to ones tax dollars being spent and be a part of a social web process at the same time?

Enter the Daylight Network, on Monday, daylightnetwork.com, launched with a $5,000 Obama Prediction Market, and a suite of tools designed to help citizens (you and me) audit the federal government.

That’s right, just register and vote on what projects listed will pass, get bigger, fail, and possibly make money along the way through your prediction.

Home Page of Daylight Network - The more and more Americans learn about the stimulus package, the less they like it. Today, according to the Rasmussen poll, less than 37% of Americans are now in favor in the plan that now nears $1 trillion. We have dissected every major provision of the bill made it available for everyone to vote on every single line item. We are updating our results every few hours and blogging, phoning, faxing, e-mailing, and tweeting the results across the country. With enough momentum we can influence the Senate and cut the pork! Caption & Image Credit: Daylight Network

This excerpted and edited from MHT (Mass High Tech – the journal of New England technology) -

Federal gov’t audit website Daylight Networks launches
By Galen Moore, MHT - Monday, February 2, 2009

Amateur political pundits: Aaron Day has got $100 cash for you.

The CEO of Tangerine Wellness Inc., a Boston company that provides corporate weight management programs online, has co-founded Daylight Network. Its site, daylightnetwork.com, launches today with a $5,000 Obama Prediction Market, and a suite of tools designed to help citizens audit the federal government.

The Obama Prediction Market treats predictions about President Barack Obama’s first 100 days like publicly traded stocks. Each member gets $5,000 in online “currency” to invest in – or short sell against – predictions. Stocks rise in value as more people buy in, and at the end of the president’s first 100 days, the top 50 traders split a $5,000 pot.

The site is free.
----
“I’ve always been strongly interested in politics,” said Day. He came up with the idea for Daylight Network about two years ago, but left it alone because he didn’t think anyone would be interested. “Now, we’re in extremely difficult times and people are looking for answers.”

In addition to the prediction market, the site provides calculators that show how federal dollars are spent.

An individual taxpayer can find out exactly how the government is spending each dollar of his or her tax money. Home pages for each government organization give an overview, a news feed and a list of non-government alternatives.

“What I wanted to do is provide some transparency so that people can appreciate what the government does and audit the government independently,” he said.

His hope is that an online community will grow up around discussions of possible solutions.

To solve the country’s financial problems, “It is going to take not just government,” Day said. “It’s going to take the private sector, non-government organizations, everything is going to have to be motivated.”
Reference Here>>

SOURCE:
http://tinyurl.com/bz2mt2
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive

GLObama Historyia Turns To Buzz Kill

Posted by MAXINE on Wednesday, January 21, 2009 11:37:25 AM
President Barack Obama, his wife Michelle, and his daughters Sasha (L) and Malia wave after Obama is sworn in as the 44th President of the United States on the West Front of the Capitol as his wife Michelle looks on January 20, 2009 in Washington. Obama becomes the first African-American to be elected to the office of President in the history of the United States. (view BBC video image slideshow - click photo) Caption Credit: UPI - Image Credit: UPI Photo/Mark Wilson/Pool

GLObama Historyia Turns To Buzz Kill

The media coverage of the inauguration of our first elected African-American man as President of the United States, as they presented it, was all about the GLOW … did you feel it?

It brink-ed upon a form of hysteria about the history - Historyia - that was being made with the tradition of a smooth transition of power we have come to assume here in the United States.

Days before this day it was roundly touted the attendance would be estimated in millions and swell upwards to as much as six million people. Yesterday, news readers toned it down a bit by stating a figure of over a million to as much as four million … then later, that the attendance could be as much as two million. This morning, soon after President Barack Obama gave his inauguration speech the report stated the he gave his speech in front of “Hundreds Of Thousands” of well-wishers lining the mall in Washington DC.

Reality has a way of sneaking up on media hype and BUZZ … and killing it.

Take for example his inauguration speech – We, here at Carter's Second Term, wish we had a line by line veto on some of what he said … and were able to curtail the poem … and update the invocation prayer delivered by 87 year old Rev. Lowery - he didn’t have to continue to call out and marginalize the majority of voters (the white race) that helped Barack Obama arrive to take the oath of office. After all, wasn’t a black man just sworn in as the leader of the most powerful and free nation on Earth?

Barack Obama delivers Inaugural Day speech to hundreds of thousands massed on the mall in Washington D.C. (Speech video - click photo). Image Credit: BBC

President Barack Obama’s inauguration speech – The Good (not vetoed)

My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
----
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
----
We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished.
----
The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.
----
And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
----
We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth.
----
But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths.

President Barack Obama’s inauguration speech – The Buzz Kill (vetoed)

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
----
The state of the economy calls for [Governmental] action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.
----
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
----
What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
Reference Here>>

Hold on to your wallets for it is the taxpayer that will foot the bill and pay the price of this new era of responsibility.

The ultimate buzz kill came from Reverend Lowery when he decided to rise up an old sixties tome that had little relevance to the importance of the day and an insult to most of the people who brought this day about.

After Obama's inspirational speech, the Rev. Joseph Lowery, a civil rights icon and a pastor known to speak his mind to power, opened his benediction with the first words of the Negro National Anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing (YouTube video - click photo). Image Credit: Ron Edmonds/AP

Text excerpted from the benediction delivered by Rev. Joseph Lowery –

Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day:

when black will not be asked to get in back,

… when brown can stick around,

... when yellow will be mellow,

... when the red man can get ahead, man;

and when white will embrace what is right.
Reference Here>>

Today, a black man was just asked to “get in back” … of a one-of-a-kind, custom built, attack proof Presidential Cadillac limousine by a majority of voters that happened to be white and driven to live with his family for at least the next four years … in the residence of the First Family, The White House.

All hail to President Barack Obama. He is our President and may he be blessed with the special wisdom to lead ALL of the people of this special and great nation of ours.

And finally, the stock markets closed with a major downturn in its vote of confidence for the new and decidedly lopsided tax and spend power structure that came to pass this Inauguration Day.

The blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average yesterday fell 4 percent, a dive of 332.13 points to 7,949.09, the biggest Inauguration Day drop in the Dow's 112-year history.

The broader Standard & Poor's 500 dropped 5.28 percent, closing at 805.22 Tuesday.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq plunged 5.78 percent, or 88.47 points, to close at 1,440.86.

This is a grand beginning to a Carter’s Second Term … let the ramped up government meddling begin and kiss good-bye free market Capitalism as a social system based on individual rights. Inflation and recession will live together again, as it did when Jimmy Carter was President, during the term of this 44th presidency.
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (0) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive
« Previous1234Next »