Obama's State of the Union Address 2012 : The Devil is in the Details
70Believe me, I didn't want to watch Obama's State of the Union Address last night. 2012 is Devil-rough enough, working our conservative tails off as we strive toward helping the Class Warrior in Chief fulfill his destiny as the worst one-term President in the history of the nation. In fact, when the Address aired live, the office TV set was tuned to Phineas and Ferb.
But then Mitch Daniels, the Governor of Indiana, gave a solid GOP response. His presentation revived me a bit.
By the time the SOTU was replayed later in the evening on Fox News, I was finally ready. The Canon PowerShot camera was perched on its tripod--a necessary precaution due to the low lighting level in the House Chamber, which required the camera shutter to be open a full 1/8 second for every screen shot taken.
Grueling? Yes, somewhat. I took 467 pictures, selected and cropped 21 of those for possible use in a Hub...and by then it was 2:20 a.m. Not a good time to begin writing.
It's now 5:37 p.m. Obama's still all over the tube, including at a speechifying appearance right here in Arizona. People in the audience waiting for the "big moment" present shining I-still-adore-that-man faces to the CBS news team, but they can be ignored for now.
Because now it is time to write about the State of the Union Address, and I can state with absolute certainty that the Devil is in the details.
From the beginning, it became obvious that the national news media weren't paying a whole lot of attention to the details of Obama's speech. They couldn't; there were just too many separate items on the President's laundry list. Which is where I come in.
The heck with the big picture; I'm going to talk about minutiae.
Pundits did nail a few key points, of course, such as:
1. The President never mentioned the Keystone XL pipeline once. Which figures, since he torpedoed the best job-generator we've had offered to us in quite some time.
2. His class warfare rhetoric was toned down somewhat for the night. Not absent by any means, but at least a bit muted.
3. Like all Presidents, he made the address way too freaking long.
But you can see and hear that (and more) on the alphabet network broadcasts. Let's get to the Ghost32 view.
Observation #1: Either Michelle Obama is a really tall woman or Mark Kelly is a really short man. Just saying.
Observation #2: The love Obama has for adulation is absolutely awesome. Check out the glow he has while greeting folks on his way to the campaign podium.
The President made an effort to both open and close his SOTU by heaping praise on the nation's military. But...how do American citizens in uniform really feel about their current Commander in Chief, the one who's gleefully shredding the Defense budget and calling it "streamlining"?
Observation #3: A picture is worth a thousand words, and the expression on one man's face says it all.
Obama underscored the need for America's economic recovery (which he claims is already underway) to focus on "manufacturing and high paying jobs". The return of Master Line (the company that makes Master brand padlocks) from foreign shores to full-out production in Wisconsin was touted as clear evidence of how things are booming around here.
Observation #4: He did not point out the obvious. If a padlock company is suddenly doing better, that's a pretty good indicator that more people are desperate to keep their stuff from being stolen by equally desperate men and women who can't find a freaking job and need to feed their familes.
Next, a photo popped up that needs no explanation. The captioning refers to promises and the keeping of same.
Observation #5: A promise made by Obama is a promise broken, at least when it comes to things like promising more open government, never using recess appointments to circumvent Congress, etc. Not a good idea to talk to us about promises at this stage of the game, Mr. President.
...and another one. The Obamacare Overlord declares, "Let's remember how we got here."
Observation #6: Mr President, you really don't want us to do that.
Observation #7: The closed captioning on this photo (below) just cracked me up.
Nobody in the press mentioned the most amazing statement of the night. Obama wants "every state" to pass legislation that would actually allow schools to fire bad teachers for (gasp!) mere incompetence!
If anyone else had said what he said, the SEIU would have been out there in force, hanging the perpetrator in effigy, yada yada yada. So...did that activist labor union jump all over the man?
Nah. They knew he didn't mean it. Their coverage (at their seiu.org website) is all praise for the Prez, no mention of that little faux pas.
In addition,
Observation #8: Obama knows how to make it sound good while speaking with his fingers crossed behind his back.
Observation #9: Obama thus declared war on all 50 states: Do it my way or the highway, suckers! I'm telling the states how to legislate now!
He knows they'll have a tough time getting past the unions on this one. Good luck, you mere states, you.
Apparently, Obama believes that classrooms go out to earn money. Not the students who pass through those classrooms, you understand, but the classrooms themselves...and a good teacher can make those rooms more profitable over time.
Observation #10: English is not the President's strong suit.
Neither are major issues his strong suit. He never once admitted the economy was in an any trouble at all--at least not any trouble that four more years of the Narcissist in Chief couldn't fix.
Then...it got worse. Since students who graduate high school make more money and go to prison or die from drug overdose less often than their dropout counterparts, he wants....he wants...wait, I'm choking on this one.
Okay. He wants all young people to be forced to stay in school until they either graduate or turn eighteen years of age!
Now, that just went somewhere beyond ridiculous. What he's proposing would require an all-out police state to enforce, especially since the dropouts (as they exist today) are either already drug-addled, too dumb to learn, or out there earning money to help their families (Mom and younger siblings, for example).
Much of what he proposed would require ever bigger goverment with ever greater dependency on same. This (though it's never going to happen) was simply part of that overall nanny state syndrome.
Observation #11: Obama will say anything if he thinks it might sound good enough on the surface to get him a few votes--or at least distract attention from the real, pressing issues.
When the President began talking about drilling for oil and gas, my ears perked up. Not because I'd trust anything he said on the subject, but because I have a work background in that industry, a lot of job seekers using my North Dakota oil patch Hubs as a jumping off point, and mineral rights in the Bakken formation.
He talked of opening up 75% of our nation's available offshore drilling locations for development. Okay, though I immediately wondered, why not 100%? What's open now, 80%--and you're going to shut down another 5%, just tweaked your way of saying it?
Then he slipped in the zinger nobody else seemed to notice when he said he'd be signing an Executive Order requiring all oil companies drilling "on public lands" to "disclose the chemicals they're using".
FRAC ATTACK! "Disclose the chemicals", dear reader, is code for, "Push the EPA to shut down frac work anywhere possible." It may not happen hardcore until after Election Day, but if he were to (*shudder*) be reelected....
In case you don't already know, without fracking, there is no oil production.
Observation #12: Barack Hussein Obama is still, ever, and always a devoted enemy of the oil industry.
Ah, yes. This one. If ever there was a picture that sold itself....
Observation #13: Hillary really does have feelings for Barack.
Observation #14: Obama leads Hillary in a guided imagery exercise as she looks at Iran through the Power.
Feel the Force, Luke!
Observation #15: More of a question, really. Is he referring to the regime in Tehran or the regime at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?
Believe it or not, nothing the Pontificator in Chief said was able to irritate me all that much...until right near the end. He was obviously attempting to praise the military again. Open with kudos, close with kudos, chop their budget in the middle.
Unfortunately, he tried to do this by describing our warriors and the way in which they must be an absolute team, each having the other's back in times of combat.
Sorry, guys and gals. I lost it. Felt to me like Hanoi Jane Fonda was back in business, telling us how it worked for, you know, grunts. Nothing he said was technically inaccurate; there was just no heart in it. A cold fish, talking the talk but never comprehending the walk 'cause all he's got to work with are those little fishy fins.
Observation #16: Just like his professed love for Israel (yeah, he went there, too), Obama's appreciation for the U.S. military extends only so far as the next terrorist trophy on his mantel.
There was more--with Barack Hussein Obama, there's always more. But that's enough for this page...and I'm willing to bet there are a couple of nuggets here you won't find anywhere else.
Remember in November!
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I'd say the SOTU was pathetic but that would be praise. The lies and half-truths were abundant. He is a sorry excuse, and I am not going to say for what. Good hub.
I am so happy to see people speak out about this man. Yahoo comments are just thousands anti-Obama and those giving a thumbs up so surely he is out! Unless he pulls a last minute illegals vote. Surely he could not do that? I don't really think the best candidate can pull us out of what Obama has done, but at least there would be hope. I think any half educated American citizen might have better ideas than any of our government.
Again, thanks.
mljdgulley354: I'm not surprised Wayne wrote on it; I'd have expected no less.
I used to doubt that saying of your grandma's...but not lately. Obama's made a believer out of me.
Becky: Thanks. And yeah, probably best not to say "for what", at least here. :)
Jackie: Thank YOU for commenting. There will be voter fraud, and at least some illegals will be part of that--as they were in a couple of key races here in Arizona (and probably in Nevada) in 2010. But one thing I've noticed about voter fraud: It only seems to work in really CLOSE races.
So, let's just make sure this one isn't close.
Great observations!
Glad you like. :)
Me too! I like!! Here is what Rush had to say about it:
Limbaugh said, “It was chock-full of lies. It was fantasyland. No, it didn’t soar. It was boring.”
“There was nothing to set it apart, nothing about it that’s going to be memorable in a positive way. General Motors, the No. 1 car company in the world again? It just isn’t true. None of the economic news is true. He did two things. He lied. He tried to paint the economy as back. We are back, except where we’re not back, and that’s Bush’s fault.”
He didn’t talk about the 13.1 million unemployed Americans. He didn’t talk about the 5.6 million unemployed Americans who have been on unemployment longer than 27 weeks. He didn’t talk about 8.1 million involuntary part-time workers. He didn’t talk about the falling civilian labor-force participation rate was 64 percent. The number of jobs, the universe of jobs shrinking, didn’t bring that up. Didn’t talk about the national debt, $15.2 trillion, five trillion of which is his! Do you realize one-third of our entire national debt as a nation over 200 years, one-third of it is his, his alone. Of course he didn’t bring it up. He didn’t talk about the Keystone pipeline.
This speech was so filled with contradictions. Actually it wasn’t a State of the Union; it was actually a Class Warfare Rally in the House chamber on every network. To put this in perspective. So the magic, the Messiah, the hope and change, all that, it’s gone. The magic, all that stuff, it’s gone. That SOTU was deadbeat city. It really was.
Thank you, Sir Ghost, for filling me in on that I could not watch. I actually TRIED this year - see if I could pick out any obvious campaign themes. Nope. Maybe 10 minutes and I was off to the latest episode of Downton Abbey which I'd taped. (Now THAT'S something to watch!)
The Cretin in Chief is a blowhole. It did seem, to me anyway, in that bit I watched, that the fawning of the audience was less than in previous years. Even Buffett's secretary looked less than excited - and I'll betcha she makes a hell of a lot more than the average secretary in Buffalo in the first place.
Michelle's outfit was a bit bizarre to me. What's with the rhinestones? Does this mean they CAN'T afford diamonds? (Naw - they just won't show 'em off on national television. Remember - he's just a "community organizer" and she's a disbarred attorney.)
Mark IS short - but HEY - he's a true hero!! I'll bet he was embarrassed, along with the Joint Chiefs, that he had to be there in the first place.
Okay - I'm getting p.o.'d just thinking about this p.o.s.
The speech was painful and I found it to be insulting. He took credit where no credit was due, repeated that tired old lie about Buffett's secretary and had the bad taste to have her there and gave me no reason to hope for a brighter future if he is still in the White House. Great analysis, Ghost. Up and awesome and useful too!
tsadjatko, Patti, BPop: What y'all said. My favorite lines from your comments:
1. tsadjatko: "...deadbeat city."
2. Patti: "...I'm getting p.o.'d just thinking about this p.o.s."
3. BPop: "...no reason to hope for a brighter future if he is still in the White House." (And thanks for the Up & A, too,)
Fred - A bunch of us wrote on the SOTU. Different angles but like yours spot on. Obama put on quite a Show & Tell this time around.
The Frog
Frog: Exactly. I find it fascinating that so many of us did that--and that no matter WHAT angle we took, the bottom line was inevitably the same.
Well, the POTUS certainly didn't mention all the money we've all contributed to the auto industry in relation to Ford Motor Company -- as he spoke they're already in the process of building their next plant on foreign soil? Nope, didn't mention that at all. Again, you're spot on, Ghost. This guy is the pits -- but he's persuasive as hell if you don't really understand what he's saying -- thanks for making it easier to see through him (I already do but have some friends that don't) -- I've recommended your Hubs to them! Best, Sis
Wasn't it General Motors, Sis? I seem to remember Ford was the one that refused federal help....
He is obviously persuasive to some. Not to either Pam or me; we knew what he was the first instant we saw him on TV in 2008.
Let me know if any (even one) of your friends get something out of my Hubs! :)
Yes, 2008 - remember the Rick Warren interview from the campaign when Warren asked Obama at what point does a baby get human rights - remember Obama's answer ? If you don't here it is
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3F7ZkoIeNM&feature
This clip was all I needed to see to know this guy was trouble.
So tell me, how was it above his pay grade to answer that question yet it was not above his pay grade to decide when to end the life of a fetus as his voting record showed? If he can not tell us when life begins how can he tell us when it can be destroyed? His answer was an arrogant insipid LIE and demonstration that this man is not a Christian but a wolf in sheeps clothing and ever since he has lived up to that description of him.
It was GM, indeed -- I need to go to bed earlier in the evening and get away from the computer -- or old age is finally dogging me! Sorry - Best, Sis
tsadjatko: I'd missed that interview; thanks for the link.
Sis: It was maybe easier for me to remember 'cause I'd been a GM guy since my senior in high school when I got my first car that survived any length of time. Old Brown was a '52 Chevy that toted me all over the mountain states and even up into Canada on the rodeo circuit, back in the day. Even today, though our "forever car" is a Subaru Outback, the "forever truck" is a '96 GMC 4wd pickup--which hasn't run for the past 18 months or more. (It's going to get some TLC pretty soon now, thankfully.)
So when my "beloved GM" suddenly became icky ol' Government Motors, the information was sort of seared into my brain cells.
Ghost32
The Dems praised the speech, they said it was the best ever.The campaign speech was about FAIRNESS and TAX the rich. Last years speech was about Civilty.If one checks out whitehouse.gov,the President spoke of all the good accomplishments of the past year.Somehow jobs always come up. Sorry for him, he is only a neigborhood organizer.
There's a lot of that praise going around,Jon, including a number of Hubs. It's amazing what we humans can do with a few mental filters.
Civility made sense last year--since the SOTU was just 17 days after the mass shootdown in Tucson where 6 were murdered and 19 injured (including Gabrielle Giffords). By the time Obama was speechifying, it had been clearly proven that madman Jared Loughner had NOTHING to do with us "right wing radicals" and that the death threats (of which I got my share) were off base to say the least.
I'm really proud of you, though, for being able to feel sorry for him. :)
Sorry for him, he will be a one term president...if not sorry for us!
Yesterday coming home from work my wife was behind a big red pickup truck with a huge sticker across the whole tailgate. In big bold letters it said
"DID YOU VOTE FOR OBAMA IN 2008?"
Below that phrase it said "THANKS A-HOLE!"
She thought for a second, "boy this guy must be really sick of all those cars that you see that still have bumper stickers for Obama from 2008, but he could be inviting a fight", then she noticed on the window of the truck was a Marine Corp sticker, an NRA sticker and an orange T (for University of Tennessee). She thought "likely this guy can take care of business"
Which is what we all have to do next election - take care of business and VOTE THE BUM (and his ilk) OUT!!!!
LOL! Likely that guy CANa take care of business!
You nailed it: Come November we get to take care of business.
One sunny day in January, 2013, an old man approached the White House from across Pennsylvania Avenue where he'd been sitting on a park bench.
He spoke to the U.S. Marine standing guard and said, "I would like to go in and meet with President Obama."
The Marine looked at the man and said, "Sir, Mr. Obama is no longer President and no longer resides here."
The old man said, "Okay," and walked away.The following day the same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, "I would like to go in and meet with President Obama."
The Marine again told the man, "Sir, as I said yesterday, Mr. Obama is no longer President and no longer resides here."
The man thanked him and again just walked away.The third day the same man approached the White House and spoke to the very same U.S. Marine, saying," I would like to go in and meet with President Obama.
"The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, "Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mr. Obama. I've told you already that Mr. Obama is no longer the President and no longer resides here. Don't you understand?"
The old man looked at the Marine and said,
"Oh, I understand. I just love hearing it."
The Marine snapped to attention, saluted, and said, "See you tomorrow, Sir.
Sounds right to me. I've been seeing that one around for a whle now, but as long as the computer doesn't ding me with a Dupicate Content flag, I'm going to approve it and leave it in place. It's that good.
Thanks.
Ghost32
President Obama and Warren Buffet are misleading the public as to the different TAX rates. Congress started taxing capital gains at a lower rate than wages following world war 1.
A leading economist, William McBride says it is UNFAIR to tax income more than once, and capital gains are taxed multiple times. I seemed to recall President Obama in the State of the Union speech say ‘’everyone needs to be treated fairly and everyone needs to be a part of the solution’’.
If you received the original investment from wages, that money was taxed at 28%-35%. For example, if the stock in a company makes a profit, profit is GOOD because the government receives money, those profits are taxed through the corporation tax. If the company issues dividends, bonuses or any other payments, the US Government again takes an additional 15% from the investor. Middle class, seniors and small business owners who receive capital gains on their investment would be impacted
Our President is campaigning on a half truth and attempting to divide the country with a class warfare campaign. The sad part is that the Mainstream Media is not exposing President Obama’s remarks so that the public will be more knowledgeable as to the truth.
Exactly, Jon. Plus, I never have much cared for Warren Buffett anyway. Not that I've met the man or anything, but I did have a friend (years back) who ended making a career of being a Buffett gofer. A decade of service to WB had turned him into a fellow I didn't much care to know any more...and I figure s**t rolls downhill, so....
The government, as the President would say, invested $500 million in a green job project, result of which produced 8,000 jobs. Will the press report how bad the investment and the return on investment was? Investments made by President Obama, after spending $1 trillion of taxpayer borrowed money, have not in 3 years returned a profit or a dividend to the taxpayers.
Since 2009 the size of the US Government has grow 20% under the OBAMA ADMINISTRATION. The government is the largest employer in the country. Unemployment in government is only 3%, unemployment in the private sector is 8.5% plus depending on which part of the country you are discussing. Senator Coburn’s report is what the mainstream media should be reporting, has anyone seen a expose of Congress lately. Oh I just remembered that Congress is made up of the House and the Senate.
The Republican controlled House ( 2011 TO PRESENT ) has passed a 2012 budget and have sent 24 jobs bills to the Senate for debate, amend and/or approve. The Democrat controlled (2007- to present ) Senate leadership refuse to put the bills on the floor. Next time President Obama blames Congress, consider that he NEVER mentions the ’’ DELAY THE VOTE ’’ Democrat Senate.
The Senator Coburn report '' WASTE IN GOVERNMENT'' http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/rightnow
WASTE IN GOVERNMENT ALL IN THE RED
‘’ Back In Black’’
Great links, Jon; thanks.
There is at least one state where unemployment in the private sector competes favorably with that in government. The oil drilling boom in North Dakota is still thirsting for people to hire.
But the Obama administration made one serious backdoor effort to shut even that down in 2010. The attempt was thwarted only because somebody blew the whistle. But you can bet the "oilpatch smackdown" will be on the front burner once more if the Prez gets reelected.
One of you guys should run...at least there would be hope....
There's ALWAYS hope, Jackie. Romney, Gingrich, OR Santorum would/will be a huge improvement over Obama. Plus, there are the House and Senate to consider; it's not all just about the Presidency. If we can "convert" to a Republican majority in the Senate, maintain (and hopefully improve) our majority in the House, AND oust the Campaigner in Chief, good things will happen.
Not EVERYTHING we need to restore our Constitutional Republic to its rightful strength, but a lot of good "first steps". THEN, we simply need to keep on building. It can be done. We (on the right) simply need to realize (and I think we ARE realizing) that we can no longer afford to assume "the job is done". It's NEVER done.
Freedom is not free, and the job is never done. Not a bad thing, just reality.
The people need to make themselves heard too, that we are sick of leaving it in the government's hands and go back to "we the people"
Exactly. And we've started doing that in a big way. The freshmen Representatives in the House who hold to conservative values have helped pass a BUNCH of good legislation already, for example--it's not their fault Harry Reid & Crew logjam the stuff when it gets to the Senate.
At our local Palominas Tea Party meeting last night, a candidate for Congress--John Lervold--came to talk to us and (among other things) promised truly personal representation of we elect him. If he makes it, I believe he can and will honor that process.
In other words, we're working on us. At least, some of us are. We just need to keep "waking up" more and more of our brethren.
Amen.
Ghost32, voted up and interesting. Thanks for summarizing the most salient points. I didn't have the stomach to watch Barky's extended self-back-patting session.
Larry, I didn't have the stomach for it the first time i ran (live), either. Glad the Hub was of some use to you, and thanks for the vote up.
Ghost32
Caught a glimpse of a news clip on Fox News today, 2/2/12, of President Obama signing a document with Congresswoman Waters and other Democrats standing behind Obama.What caught my eye was just after the President signed the document, he raised his hand high with a drawn fist. I thought who is this President and what does he represent? Check out this site to get an idea who Obama apparently represents.
http://www.docspopuli.org/articles/Fist.html
Excerpts:
It showed up almost immediately within the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS, which used it in flier for the 1968 Chicago National Democratic Convention protest)[5].
One of the groups involved in the 2011 popular uprisings that toppled the Egyptian government recycled OTPOR's fist (see #13) [15].
The Occupy Wall Street movement of 2011 that spread throughout the US proved fertile ground for more street graphics - some new [22][23], some recycling the iconic "hand" of Frank Cieciorka [24, 25].
The President supports radical groups and other activist groups. Visitors to the white house includes Andy Stern (president of SEIU), Trumpka ( president of CIO-AFL) and George Soros, They All represent special interest ,who apparently have advised the President at one time or another. Really, how can Obama be trusted to govern our country in these troubled times?
Great link, Jon; thanks. I remember the clenched fist symbol from the SDS days, all right. There's no question that Obama is radical to the core of his being and remains closely connected to others of the same ilk. I don't go into it much in my writings for one simple reason: I'm more effective when I pick a "softer target"--though I much appreciate contributions like yours.
What do I mean by "softer targets"? Hm...a bit of backstory might help.
In the early 1970's, I was employed as a Commercial Casualty Underwriter for Aetna Life & Casualty in Spokane, Washington. On occasion, a potentially dangerous application would cross my desk. One such was asking to insure a local pharmacy for both slip-and-fall type claims and professional liability.
The ownership was strongly suspected of being owned by or at least deeply connected to the Mafia.
But no one thought it was a good idea to write the agent back saying, "Application denied--your client is with the Mob." There's definitely such a thing as too much honesty.
So I dug, and dug, and dug, and came up with "other reasons" to avoid issuing a policy for this outfit. I don't even remember what those "reasons" were, and I'm sure the agent knew full well I was blowing smoke, but he "got it". Didn't argue, just looked for another company to provide coverage.
Now...it's like that with Obama. We know he's bad news. We know he's not Constitutionally qualified to serve. We know he's a flaming radical with a capital F.
BUT pitching those truths to The Folks out there doesn't (in my opinion) convert enough people to vote against him in November. What DOES gain converts? The simple stuff that hits the voter in his or her gut:
--Joblessness
--The individual mandate
--Fast and Furious (dead neighbors)
--Close-to-home crime
Etc., etc.
So, I mostly leave it to you and other solid researchers to "point out the obvious"...while I seek to attack the soft underbelly of the dragon....
Ghost32
''The simple stuff that hits the voter in his or her gut:''
If you really want an eye opener, just check out the propaganda on whitehouse.gov.They are very very good at telling the world how Obama did this and that. Much of the information is screwed dishonesly like all of his speeches.
America, wake up!
Yeah, I've been there a time or three, but--well, I just get BORED too easily over there. You're right, of course; it is slick stuff for the spin-informed. But I still fall asleep reading it.
Ghost32
Today the President chided Congress not to derail the recovery. Not once did Obama refer to the Democrats in the Senate holding up 23 jobs bills passed by the House. The House is only one half of the Congress, to people in the know that understand that the other half, the Senate, aren’t getting the job done. Senator Reid should compromise and at least allow the Senators to debate, amend or approve/reject the House jobs bills. That’s the way Congress is suppose to work. The Guy in the Whitehouse should be kicking butts, Harry’s to be exact. Funny how Obama blames the minority, 1/3 of government, rather than the 2/3s who have been in majority control since 2007. To be continued.
Keep it up, Jon. Who knows--we might even help a reader or two find an "AHA!" light-bulb moment between now and November, what with all the excellent material you've been posting.
Ghost32
THANK YOU for the compliment!
You're welcome, Jon. You've more than earned it. And we're getting Google traffic here--just a few so far, but this page is definitely "not entirely invisible" to the search engines.
Ghost32
Obama was taking credit for the good news that unemployment went down to 8.3%. All sounded good until later in the day it was announced by the news media that from Jan. 2009 to Jan. 2012, his administration has lost 2 million jobs. If the government added the 2 million who stopped looking for work ,the unemployment number would be closer to 10%.Those receiving about $250.00 a week for up to 99 weeks ( Obama's living wage for the private sector ) would rather have a job. Obama has no clue on how to correct the situation.
No, he most certainly doesn't. I can relate on a personal level, too, being one of those 2 million who stopped looking for work. In my case, that happened in June of '09.
I also quit looking. I decided to ride this out by going to college. Maybe by the time I graduate, it will be over. Even if it is not, they are still advertising for medical coding and billing. With an Associates degree, it should be better than trade school training.
Sounds right to me. And that field looks like a "growth industry" for as long as our current societal structure continues.
A Fairness Quiz for the President
By STEPHEN MOORE
President Obama has frequently justified his policies—and judged their outcomes—in terms of equity, justice and fairness. That raises an obvious question: How does our existing system—and his own policy record—stack up according to those criteria?
Is it fair that the richest 1% of Americans pay nearly 40% of all federal income taxes, and the richest 10% pay two-thirds of the tax?
Is it fair that the richest 10% of Americans shoulder a higher share of their country's income-tax burden than do the richest 10% in every other industrialized nation, including socialist Sweden?
Is it fair that American corporations pay the highest statutory corporate tax rate of all other industrialized nations but Japan, which cuts its rate on April 1?
Is it fair that President Obama sends his two daughters to elite private schools that are safer, better-run, and produce higher test scores than public schools in Washington, D.C.—but millions of other families across America are denied that free choice and forced to send their kids to rotten schools?
Is it fair that Americans who build a family business, hire workers, reinvest and save their money—paying a lifetime of federal, state and local taxes often climbing into the millions of dollars—must then pay an additional estate tax of 35% (and as much as 55% when the law changes next year) when they die, rather than passing that money onto their loved ones?
Is it fair that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, former Democratic Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, former Ways and Means Chairman Charlie Rangel and other leading Democrats who preach tax fairness underpaid their own taxes?
Is it fair that after the first three years of Obamanomics, the poor are poorer, the poverty rate is rising, the middle class is losing income, and some 5.5 million fewer Americans have jobs today than in 2007?
Is it fair that roughly 88% of political contributions from supposedly impartial network television reporters, producers and other employees in 2008 went to Democrats?
Is it fair that the three counties with America's highest median family income just happen to be located in the Washington, D.C., metro area?
Is it fair that wind, solar and ethanol producers get billions of dollars of subsidies each year and pay virtually no taxes, while the oil and gas industry—which provides at least 10 times as much energy—pays tens of billions of dollars of taxes while the president complains that it is "subsidized"?
Is it fair that those who work full-time jobs (and sometimes more) to make ends meet have to pay taxes to support up to 99 weeks of unemployment benefits for those who don't work?
Is it fair that those who took out responsible mortgages and pay them each month have to see their tax dollars used to subsidize those who acted recklessly, greedily and sometimes deceitfully in taking out mortgages they now can't afford to repay?
Is it fair that thousands of workers won't have jobs because the president sided with environmentalists and blocked the shovel-ready Keystone XL oil pipeline?
Is it fair that some of Mr. Obama's largest campaign contributors received federal loan guarantees on their investments in renewable energy projects that went bust?
Is it fair that federal employees receive benefits that are nearly 50% higher than those of private-sector workers whose taxes pay their salaries, according to the Congressional Budget Office?
Is it fair that soon almost half the federal budget will take income from young working people and redistribute it to old non-working people, even though those over age 65 are already among the wealthiest Americans?
Is it fair that in 27 states workers can be compelled to join a union in order to keep their jobs?
Is it fair that nearly four out of 10 American households now pay no federal income tax at all—a number that has risen every year under Mr. Obama?
Is it fair that Boeing, a private company, was threatened by a federal agency when it sought to add jobs in a right-to-work state rather than in a forced-union state?
Is it fair that our kids and grandkids and great-grandkids—who never voted for Mr. Obama—will have to pay off the $5 trillion of debt accumulated over the past four years, without any benefits to them?
Mr. Moore is a member of the Journal's editorial board.
tsadjatko: Whew! I love that Fairness Quiz, but I'm sure glad it didn't get posted any earlier on this page. There's so much there, my Hub might have gotten tagged for Duplicate Content!
Hasn't happened yet, though, so it probably won't. Thanks for pasting that puppy in there; I'd not seen it (at least not in full) till now.
Ghost32
Is it FAIR?
WASTE IN GOVERNMENT ALL IN THE RED
‘’ Back In Black’’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tVJ2gqqKWs
The Senator Coburn report '' WASTE IN GOVERNMENT'' http://coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/rightnow
Thanks, Jon. My satellite Internet connection limits me to so little bandwidth that I couldn't watch all of the videos (computer started freezing up). Got enough, though, to see that they're valuable.
mljdgulley354 Level 7 Commenter 3 months ago
Wayne Brown wrote on the State of the Union Address. You both hit on the same subject. Actions speak a lot louder than words, my grandma would say.