Category Archives: US economy

Obama jobs speech, September 8, 2011, Joint session of Congress, More shovel ready jobs?, More Obama promises, More Obama spending

Obama jobs speech, September 8, 2011, Joint session of Congress, More shovel ready jobs?, More Obama promises, More Obama spending

***  UPDATE BELOW  ***

From the Chicago Tribune September 8, 2011.

“President Barack Obama will lay out a jobs
package worth more than $300 billon on Thursday, staking his
re-election hopes on a call for urgent bipartisan action to revive the
faltering economy.

With his poll numbers sliding to new lows amid voter frustration with
9.1 percent unemployment, Obama will make tax cuts for middle-class
households and businesses the centerpiece of the plan and will press
for new spending to repair roads, bridges and other deteriorating
infrastructure.

He will use his televised speech before a joint session of the U.S.
Congress, at 7 p.m. EDT, to urge passage of those measures by
year-end.

If congressional Republicans reject his remedies, his strategy will be
to paint them as obstructionists and blame them for the stagnating
economy.

Stubbornly high unemployment has heightened fears that the economy
could be headed for another recession. Net employment growth
registered zero in August as a budget standoff in Washington and the
European debt crisis spooked businesses and consumers.

Obama is under intense pressure to change perceptions that he has
shown weak leadership. His economic stewardship has been criticized by
both Republicans and fellow Democrats, casting a cloud over his
prospects for re-election in November 2012.”

“Republicans have derided an $800 billion economic stimulus package
that Obama pushed through Congress in 2009 as wasteful spending and
have pushed for immediate cuts in the deficit.

Democrats say that while long-term deficits must be addressed, the
economy needs a short-term fiscal boost.

Media reports have put the size of Obama’s jobs package at upward of
$300 billion. CNN quoted sources saying it could top $400 billion. The
White House would not confirm the reports.”

“Republican Senator Lamar Alexander said Obama should take
responsibility for making the economy worse.

“Unemployment is worse, housing is worse, the debt is worse, and he’s
done all that by throwing a big wet blanket over the economy with his
regulatory, tax and healthcare policies,” he said.”

Read more:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-rt-us-obama-jobstre781765-20110902,0,2398267.story

What Obama stated on March 3, 2009.
    “Two weeks ago, I signed into law the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act, the most sweeping economic recovery plan in history.
 And already, its impact is being felt across this nation.
Hardworking families can now worry a little less about next month’s
bills because of the tax cut they’ll soon find in the mail.  Renewable
energy companies that were once downsizing are now finding ways to
expand.  And transportation projects that were once on hold are now
starting up again — as part of the largest new investment in
America’s infrastructure since President Eisenhower built the
Interstate Highway System.

    Of the 3.5 million jobs that will be created and saved over the
next two years as a result of this recovery plan, 400,000 will be jobs
rebuilding our crumbling roads, bridges, and schools, repairing our
faulty levees and dams, connecting nearly every American to broadband,
and upgrading the buses and trains that commuters take every day.
Many of these projects will be coordinated by Secretary LaHood and all
of you at the Department of Transportation.  And I want you to know
that the American public is grateful to public servants like you —
men and women whose work isn’t always recognized, but whose jobs are
critical to our nation’s safety, security, and prosperity.  You have
never been more important than you are right now, and for that we are
all grateful.  (Applause.)

    Now, in the coming days and weeks, my administration will be
announcing more details about the kinds of transportation projects
that will be launched as part of the recovery plan.  But today, I want
to speak about an investment we are making in one part of our
infrastructure.  Through the Recovery Act, we will be investing $28
billion in our highways, money that every one of our 50 states can
start using immediately to put people back to work.  It’s an
investment being made at an unprecedented pace, thanks in large part
to Joe Biden, who’s leading the effort to get the money out the door
quickly.  Because of Joe, and because of all the governors and mayors,
county and city officials who are helping implement this plan, I can
say that 14 days after I signed our Recovery Act into law, we are
seeing shovels hit the ground.”

“Now, we have another responsibility.  Having inherited a
trillion-dollar deficit that we’re working to cut in half, we also
need to ensure that tax dollars aren’t wasted on projects that don’t
deliver results.  And that’s why, as part of his duty, Joe will keep
an eye on how precious tax dollars are being spent.  To you, he’s Mr.
Vice President, but around the White House, we call him the Sheriff —
(laughter) — because if you’re misusing taxpayer money, you’ll have
to answer to him.”

Read more:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-and-vice-president-transportation-infrastructure

From The Blaze October 13, 2010.

“Obama: ‘No Such Thing’ as a Shovel-Ready Job”
“The president has offered a number of his own “serious proposals,” not
the least of which was the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.
The underwhelming fallout from the $787 billion investment is one of
many reasons the American public is challenging the Democratic
leadership this year.

In reflecting on his time in office, the president laments that he
looks too much like “the same old tax-and-spend Democrat,“ and
realized that ”there’s no such thing as shovel-ready projects.”

But the promise of these “shovel-ready” jobs was one of the Democrats’
main selling points in lobbying for the stimulus plan. In December
2008, the then-President-elect Obama pledged, “We’ve got shovel-ready
projects all across the country that governors and mayors are pleading
to fund.  And the minute we can get those investments to the state
level, jobs are going to be created.”  Just one day later, the
president-elect presented his ideas for a “bold agenda” of
“shovel-ready projects,” promising the creation of 2.5 million new
jobs when he took office.”
In March 2009, President Obama boasted that just “14 days after I
signed our Recovery Act into law we are seeing shovels hit the
ground.”

“At the same time, Vice President Joe Biden, the White House’s de facto
stimulus shepherd, said the stimulus act “provides a necessary jolt to
our economy to implement what we refer [to] as ‘shovel-ready’
projects, meaning projects that were on the books that were needed in
the municipalities and the states that would improve the quality of
life for our constituents, the competitiveness of our businesses, but
were unable to be funded.”

Months later when the economy hadn’t begun to turn around, Obama
continued to promise “shovel-ready” jobs.  In August he bragged that
the stimulus helped fund “almost 100 shovel-ready transportation
projects… which are beginning to create jobs.”

A year later, Biden continues to parrot the White House’s claims that
“shovel-ready” projects were putting Americans to work, despite
stagnate unemployment levels.  “Last summer… we had 1,750 highway
projects that were underway — ‘shovel-ready,’” he said this summer.”

Read more:

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/obama-no-such-thing-as-a-shovel-ready-job/

*** Update from the Guardian September 9, 2011 7:45 AM ***

“President Obama’s jobs speech to Congress – as it happened”

“9.10pm: Here’s a summary of tonight’s speech on jobs by Obama:

• Barack Obama unveiled his American Jobs Act, designed to boost employment and costing $447bn. Obama repeatedly urged Congress to “pass this jobs plan right away”

• The bulk of the plan is for $245bn in reduced payroll taxes, designed to make it cheaper for business to hire new staff, as well as spending on building infrastructure and education, including funds to retain teachers and retraining for the long-term unemployed

• Under the act, an average American family would receive a tax cut of $1,500 in 2012

• Economists said the plan, if adopted in full, could support two million new jobs and cut the unemployment rate from 9% down towards 8%

• But the plan contained little to address the crushing burden of America’s housing market, and for that reason was rejected as “inadequate” by some economists

• Republican leaders gave a tepid but civil welcome to Obama’s speech, without offering specific support, although more conservative Republicans remained staunchly opposed to any new spending

• The new spending and lower revenue would have to be offset by further cuts to the federal budget under the recent debt ceiling deal, to be identified by the congressional “super committee”, with Obama pledging to submit a revised set of budget changes”

Read more:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/richard-adams-blog/2011/sep/08/obama-jobs-speech-congress-live

Obama approval 38 percent, Gallup poll August 23, 2011

Obama approval 38 percent, Gallup poll August 23, 2011

The Obama presidential approval Gallup Poll for August 23, 2011 gives Barack Obama an approval rating of 38 percent.

“Gallup tracks daily the percentage of Americans who approve or disapprove of the job Barack Obama is doing as president. Results are based on telephone interviews with approximately 1,500 national adults; Margin of error is ±3 percentage points.”

http://www.gallup.com

Obama bus tour spin, Everyone but Obama to blame, Spend more money, The more Obama speaks the worse the markets perform

Obama bus tour spin, Everyone but Obama to blame, Spend more money, The more Obama speaks the worse the markets perform

“And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed
–if all records told the same tale–then the lie passed into
history and became truth. “Who controls the past,” ran the
Party slogan, “controls the future: who controls the present
controls the past.”…George Orwell, “1984″

From the LA Times August 18, 2011.

“Obama’s bus tour themes: Washington (not him) really screwed up and we should spend a lot more”

“President Obama did some real good talking the last few days out there in Iowa and Minnesota and Illinois. Well, he did a lot of talking anyway.

He made it sound as if he’s been living in Peosta or Atkinson himself, the way he went on about all the misbehavior going on back there in Washington, D.C., where he has lived since January of 2005 and, since January of 2009, at taxpayer expense in the White House.

The way he described those D.C. political shenanigans, who would want to spend $745 million of someone else’s money to get there? Or $1 billion more to stay there? Or pay $37.1 million of others’ money to 464 aides to help him work there.

Here are a few things said by the Democrat who just spent weeks negotiating spending cuts. See if this sounds like a chastened spender whose credit rating just got downgraded:

When folks tell you that we’ve got a choice between jobs now or dealing with our debt crisis, they’re wrong. They’re wrong. We can’t afford to just do one or the other. We’ve got to do both….

We’ve got over $2 trillion worth of repairs that need to be made around the country, and I know there are some right here in this county and right here in this state. And we’ve got a lot of construction workers that are out of work when the housing bubble went bust, and interest rates are low, and contractors are ready to come in on time, under budget — this is a great time for us to rebuild our roads and our bridges, and locks in the Mississippi, and our seaports and our airports….

I think to myself, you know what, if folks in Washington were carrying out their responsibilities the way you’re carrying out your responsibilities, we’d be just fine. We would be just fine. (Applause.)…

Of course, those folks in Washington including him are not in Washington. Congress is on recess, the same time-off Obama will begin today on another island vacation.”

Read more:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/08/obama-bus-canada.html

Obama’s rhetoric is doing a good job of calming financial market fears.

Stock Indexes

Dow 11,046.60 -363.62 -3.19%
S&P 500 1,149.37 -44.52 -3.73%
Nasdaq 2,411.45 -100.03 -3.98%

From the US Labor Dept. today.

In the week ending August 13, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 408,000, an increase of 9,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 399,000.

Rasmussen poll 17 percent say government has consent of the governed, Dow plummets, Colin Powell challenged on Obama birth certificate

Rasmussen poll 17 percent say government has consent of the governed, Dow plummets, Colin Powell challenged on Obama birth certificate

There is much to report today, August 8, 2011. The stock market is plummeting as I write this, Colin Powell has been challenged by the Birther Summit about Obama’s birth certificate, S&P continues to downgrade entities associated with the federal government and Obama et al blame everyone else. But wait, there is more. A new Rasmussen Poll.

“New Low: 17% Say U.S. Government Has Consent of the Governed”

“Fewer voters than ever feel the federal government has the consent of the governed.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 17% of Likely U.S. Voters think the federal government today has the consent of the governed.  Sixty-nine percent (69%) believe the government does not have that consent. Fourteen percent (14%) are undecided.  (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The number of voters who feel the government has the consent of the governed – a foundational principle, contained in the Declaration of Independence – is down from 23% in early May and has fallen to its lowest level measured yet.

Perhaps it’s no surprise voters feel this way since only eight percent (8%) believe the average member of Congress listens to his or her constituents more than to their party leaders. That, too, is the lowest level measured to date.  Eighty-four percent (84%) think the average congressman listens to party leaders more than the voters they represent.

Voter approval of the job Congress is doing has fallen to a new low – for the second month in a row. Only six percent (6%) now rate Congress’ performance as good or excellent.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on August 1-2, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Democrats and voters not affiliated with either political party are more inclined to think the government does have the consent of the governed, but sizable majorities of all three groups don’t believe that to be the case.

Fifty-five percent (55%) of the Political Class, on the other hand,  feel the government does have the consent of the governed. Seventy-seven percent (77%)  of Mainstream voters disagree.

Most voters across the demographic board believe the average congressman listens to their party leaders more than the people they represent.

Voters also are more convinced than ever that most congressmen are crooks.

Most voters still lack confidence even in their own local Congress member. Given a choice between keeping the entire Congress or picking a new one and starting over, most voters want to dump all the incumbents.”

Read more:

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/august_2011/new_low_17_say_u_s_government_has_consent_of_the_governed

Grocery prices, Coffee prices, Gasoline oil, Oil company profits, Why you are paying more, Citizen Wells commentary

Grocery prices, Coffee prices, Gasoline oil, Oil company profits, Why you are paying more, Citizen Wells commentary

“We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times… and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK”…Barack Obama

“The (American) press, which is mostly controlled by vested
interests, has an excessive influence on public opinion.”… Albert Einstein

If you  want political correctness or lies, visit a mainstream media site. I will gladly compare my credentials to anyone “reporting” there.
I just left the grocery store. I get sticker shock every time I visit. If you are a young family, an older person on a fixed low income, someone who has lost a job, my heart goes out to you.

Recently, the coffee shop I frequent raised their prices due to the rising costs of their supplies. This coffee shop, adjacent to a large university, has a high percentage of young people and liberals as customers. I am certain they blame the big oil companies, Republicans and yes, even still George Bush for high fuel prices. This is sad and scary. Folks who are supposed to be getting an education or in possession of a higher degree and yet are brain washed and ignorant.

If you haven’t been paying attention or don’t get it, shut up and listen and take notes if necessary.

Why listen to me?

I am not running for office.

I have a math/science with concentration in computer science background.

I have a strong business background.

I am very knowledgeable in alternative energy sources. My research goes back to the seventies. I own a wind generator.

I have been paying attention.

I have done extensive research on Barack Obama.

Barack Obama is not the only problem but he is strongly tied to and is part of the problem. Obama is controlled by the far left. Obama is a narcissist and every decision he makes is about Obama.

The far left and the American public in general is the problem. The far left, the “squeaky wheel”, has been controlling our energy policy and they control Obama. The American public, that is you and me, should have stood up years ago and demanded a comprehensive energy program on par with the lunar landing. We did not. We have been too fat, lazy and complacent.

This is what we must do.

Drill baby drill.

Work with the oil companies to open a new refinery as soon as possible.

Demand that Iraq provide concessions in oil or money to pay the US back for money we spent there.

First and foremost, keep the government the hell out of the way of businesses developing wind, solar and other common sense solutions.

Keep environmental groups the hell out of wind and solar initiatives.

Harness more hydro electric power. Use smaller installations that do not require blocking water flow.

Provide more incentives for passive solar upgrades and new installs. This will save energy and put millions to work quickly.

Quit blaming the oil companies for making profits. Are you nuts? I want them to make a profit and continue producing our energy fuels. Do you want to pay higher food prices?

Are you paying attention!

Austan Goolsbee Obama chief economic adviser leaving, Citizen Wells commenters on small business problems, Obama economic failures

Austan Goolsbee Obama chief economic adviser leaving, Citizen Wells commenters on small business problems, Obama economic failures

“the Times of the nineteenth of December had published the official forecasts of the output of various classes of consumption goods in the fourth quarter of 1983, which was also the sixth quarter of the Ninth Three-Year Plan. Today’s issue contained a statement of the actual output, from which it appeared that the forecasts were in every instance grossly wrong. Winston’s job was to rectify the original figures by making them agree with the later ones.”…George Orwell, “1984″

“Another liberal economic nut ‘quits’ his job to go back to teaching, because the economy isn’t better. This is nothing more than a manager firing his advisors because he made a horrible decision, based upon his beliefs and their recommendations. Sadly, it’s not like these ‘economic advisors’ get held accountable for poor decision making process and economic policies. No, they get to go back to their ‘teaching jobs’ so they can tell students how great they are and how it was all somebody else’s fault.”…commenter pete

“It’s easy to see why some businesses hire undocumented workers to avoid the tax burden. Or worse yet they just pick up stakes and move out of the country.
And now obamacare will tax us more? Our government’s over taxation and interference has caused small businesses to be reluctant to hire more employees. Under the Obama regime we’ll see businesses leaving the country droves. It is no wonder that our country’s economy is on a downward spiral”….commenter Jonah

Reported on Citizen Wells this morning.

“Most of the key economic indicators have worsened recently, the unemployment rate is back over 9 percent and there is increasing mention of the spectre of a depression.

From the Chicago Tribune June 6, 2011.

“Top Obama economic adviser, Austan Goolsbee, will quit to return to University of Chicago”

“Austan Goolsbee, President Barack Obama’s chief economic adviser, is leaving the administration and returning to the University of Chicago Booth School of Business to teach.

The announcement from the White House late Monday comes at a time when the U.S. unemployment rate is back above 9 percent, speculation is growing that the nation may be at risk of dipping back into a recession and amid intense political debate over whether to extend the nation’s debt ceiling,

Goolsbee began advising Obama before his election as president and has become the administration’s chief public spokesman on the economy. He has headed the White House Council of Economic Advisers for the past nine months. On ABC’s “This Week” program Sunday, Goolsbee emphasized that the administration had made progress on employment since the depths of the Great Recession and said “don’t make too much of any one jobs report.”

May’s unemployment rate, released last week, climbed to 9.1 percent. The stock market has been sliding recently on concerns about a slowing economy in the U.S. and globally.

Obama said in a statement, “Since I first ran for the U.S. Senate, Austan has been a close friend and one of my most trusted advisers. Over the past several years, he has helped steer our country out of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.”””

The following comments placed on that article are worthy of publishing:

Commenter pete:

CW,
Do you think that anyone has seen through the game. Another liberal economic nut ‘quits’ his job to go back to teaching, because the economy isn’t better. This is nothing more than a manager firing his advisors because he made a horrible decision, based upon his beliefs and their recommendations. Sadly, it’s not like these ‘economic advisors’ get held accountable for poor decision making process and economic policies. No, they get to go back to their ‘teaching jobs’ so they can tell students how great they are and how it was all somebody else’s fault.

From a small business perspective the problems are easy to see. Foremost, you have a bunch of idiots making the hiring of new employees and economic growth very risky. Obamacare, new regulations, unable to get loans and credit, inflation of goods costs, and bear marketplace all conspire to strike fear into employers. Second, customers are AFRAID. About 1/3 of americans see the Constitution (and rule of law) evaporating before their eyes for the first time in history, and they fear for the future. About 1/3 of Customers are oblivious to the politics, but have no jobs or real income and are underwater on their houses. About 1/3 are starting to believe that the government could default on SS and Medicare/Caid, as well as other entitlements which they are dependent upon. These factors lead to a loss of Consumer Confidence, and fewer and fewer exchanges, jobs, and tax revenue. By the way, even IF you succeed now, and make more than 250k in a year, create jobs, and help your local community, you will be saddled with 71% income tax next year. REALLY! 71%, you might as well make less and smell the roses, send some of your employees home.

What I’m trying to say, while out in the trenches of the small business world, is that Jimmy Carter II on Steroids, Barack Obama (or whatever his/her name is) is bad for small business. Small Business is the engine that runs the American Economy, and it hurting. The government bailouts…..none was targeted to growth of small business or small industry. The new regs and obamacare attack all industry , but are especially hard for small business to cope with because of limited resources.

Ronald Reagan understood america and small business contribution. His economics weren’t trickle down as much as they were designed to help the middle class businessman, the Job creator, to succeed. Obama economics are pumping trillions to the Bankers and the GM/GE of the world, which is truly a trickle down economics. Worse yet, that money just ends up overseas in the ‘global economy’ with job creation elsewhere.

Obama’s economics have struck at the heart of America by removing MIDDLE CLASS JOBS and therefore, the middle class. The liberals, whom pride themselves supposedly helping the poor and middle class, are hypocrites, as their policies actually make it worse for these people by depriving them of needed small business jobs and manufacturing. While people will start to get used to the ‘new economy’ of 8-12% unemployement, the government is going to run out of ‘other peoples money’ soon, and the other shoe is going to drop.

What I written above I believe with my very core, and since it is critical of Obama and his Fascist/Elitist policies, I suppose that makes me a racist. I have sensed an increase in attacks from the left wing nuts as the reality falls upon them that the ‘annointed one’ and his cronies are a lot of hot air and not of true real life tested ideas. Just like socialism I might add, lots of ‘utopia promised’ followed by lots of misery and failure.

Keyensian ecomomics doesn’t work when you don’t have a base of production and small business. Keyensian economics doesn’t work when the Government is not a moderator, but becomes the unchecked new predator (competing for business resources) in a delicate system of customer and business. The ‘brilliant’ economists that have ‘quit’ the Obama economic team obviously not as smart as they thought they were….perhaps we should call Obama’s Economics the ‘Audacity of Arrogance with Ignorance implemented with Inexperience’.

Sorry, done ranting for the morning, I gotta go back to work to try to keep my employees with jobs and pay for other peoples mortages.

Pete”

Commenter Jonah:

“Pete,

Our family has owned a business for almost 40 years. I started paying the bills for the business about 7 years ago and I was alarmed to learn the cost to run a business.

OUR SMALL BUSINESSES PAYS:
FEDERAL INCOME TAX
STATE INCOME TAX
FEDERAL UNEMPLOYMENT TAX
STATE UNEMPLOYMENT TAX
7% SOCIAL SECURITY TAX FOR EMPLOYEES
(this is in addition to the 7% the employee gives the government)
PROPERTY TAX
PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX
UTILITY TAXES ON GAS, ELECTRIC, AND PHONE
GASOLINE TAX
SALES TAX TO THE STATE FOR EVERYTHING WE SELL
APROXIMATELY 7% SALES TAX ON EVERYTHING WE BUY

PLUS WE PAY
MEDICAL INSURANCE
AUTO INSURANCE
PROPERTY INSURANCE
LIABILITY INSURANCE
WORKMAN’S COMP
VARIOUS LICENSES AND PERMITS
I’m sure I’ve forgotten a few things.

THE GOVERNMENT GETS MORE OF OUR MONEY THAN WE DO!

It’s easy to see why some businesses hire undocumented workers to avoid the tax burden. Or worse yet they just pick up stakes and move out of the country.

And now obamacare will tax us more? Our government’s over taxation and interference has caused small businesses to be reluctant to hire more employees. Under the Obama regime we’ll see businesses leaving the country droves. It is no wonder that our country’s economy is on a downward spiral.”

Austan Goolsbee Obama chief economic adviser leaving, Unemployment rate above 9 percent, Orwellian spin continues

Austan Goolsbee Obama chief economic adviser leaving, Unemployment rate above 9 percent, Orwellian spin continues

“Winston dialed “back numbers” on the telescreen and called
for the appropriate issues of the Times, which slid out of
the pneumatic tube after only a few minutes’ delay.  The
messages he had received referred to articles or news items
which for one reason or another it was thought necessary to
alter, or, as the official phrase had it, to rectify.  For
example, it appeared from the Times of the seventeenth of
March that Big Brother, in his speech of the previous day,
had predicted that the South Indian front would remain quiet
but that a Eurasian offensive would shortly be launched in
North Africa.  As it happened, the Eurasian Higher Command
had launched its offensive in South India and left North
Africa alone.  It was therefore necessary to rewrite a
paragraph of Big Brother’s speech in such a way as to make
him predict the thing that had actually happened.”…George Orwell, “1984”

“As soon as all the corrections which happened to be necessary in any partiucular number of the Times had been assembled and collated, that number would be reprinted, the original copy destroyed, and the corrected copy placed on the files in it’s stead. This process of continuation alteration was applied not only to newspapers, but to books, periodicals, pamphlets, posters, leaflets, films, sound tracks, cartoons, photographs–to every kind of literature or documentation which might conceivably hold any political or ideological significance. Day by day and almost minute by minute the past was brought up to date. In this way every prediction made by the Party could be shown by documentary evidence to be correct; nor was any item of news, or expression of opinion, which conflicted with the needs of the moment, ever allowed to be on record.”…George Orwell, “1984″
“the Times of the nineteenth of December had published the official forecasts of the output of various classes of consumption goods in the fourth quarter of 1983, which was also the sixth quarter of the Ninth Three-Year Plan. Today’s issue contained a statement of the actual output, from which it appeared that the forecasts were in every instance grossly wrong. Winston’s job was to rectify the original figures by making them agree with the later ones.”…George Orwell, “1984”

Most of the key economic indicators have worsened recently, the unemployment rate is back over 9 percent and there is increasing mention of the spectre of a depression.

From the Chicago Tribune June 6, 2011.

“Top Obama economic adviser, Austan Goolsbee, will quit to return to University of Chicago”

“Austan Goolsbee, President Barack Obama’s chief economic adviser, is leaving the administration and returning to the University of Chicago Booth School of Business to teach.

The announcement from the White House late Monday comes at a time when the U.S. unemployment rate is back above 9 percent, speculation is growing that the nation may be at risk of dipping back into a recession and amid intense political debate over whether to extend the nation’s debt ceiling,

Goolsbee began advising Obama before his election as president and has become the administration’s chief public spokesman on the economy. He has headed the White House Council of Economic Advisers for the past nine months. On ABC’s “This Week” program Sunday, Goolsbee emphasized that the administration had made progress on employment since the depths of the Great Recession and said “don’t make too much of any one jobs report.”

May’s unemployment rate, released last week, climbed to 9.1 percent. The stock market has been sliding recently on concerns about a slowing economy in the U.S. and globally.

Obama said in a statement, “Since I first ran for the U.S. Senate, Austan has been a close friend and one of my most trusted advisers. Over the past several years, he has helped steer our country out of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.””

Read more:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-goolsbee-quits-20110606,0,7903522.story

Republicans vow to cut spending repeal health care bill, John Boehner, New Speaker of the House, Citizen Wells open thread, November 5, 2010

Republicans vow to cut spending repeal health care bill, John Boehner, New Speaker of the House

From the Chicago Tribune November 5, 2010.

“Victorious at the polls, congressional Republicans asserted their newfound political strength on Thursday, vowing to seek a quick $100 billion in federal spending cuts and force repeated votes on the repeal of President Barack Obama’s prized health care overhaul.

At the White Houses, Obama said his administration was ready to work across party lines in a fresh attempt to “focus on the economy and jobs” as well as attack waste in government. In a show of bipartisanship, he invited top lawmakers to the White House at mid-month, and the nation’s newly elected governors two weeks later.

Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, in line to become the new speaker of the House, brushed aside talk that the No. 1 GOP goal was to make sure Obama is defeated at the polls in 2012. “That’s Senator McConnell’s statement and his opinion,” he told ABC, referring to the party’s leader in the Senate and adding that his own goals included cutting spending and creating jobs.”

“Many House Republicans campaigned on a platform of cutting government spending to levels in effect in 2008, before enactment of an economic stimulus bill and other increases that Democrats passed. Rep. Jerry Lewis of California, the senior Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, notified Democrats during the day that GOP lawmakers will try and implement the cuts when Congress considers the spending bill needed to keep most agencies running for the next eight months. The estimated savings total $100 billion.

“The unmistakable message sent by the American people on Tuesday is that they are justifiably angry at Washington. They want Congress to cut spending,” wrote Lewis, who faces an internal challenge in his attempt to become chairman of the panel next year.

At a news conference on Wednesday, the president signaled he was ready to jettison his campaign-long insistence that tax cuts be extended for earners at incomes up to $250,000 but be allowed to expire for higher-income people.”

Read more:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/sns-ap-us-washington-new-reality,0,4954825.story

Citizen News, October 26, 2010, Voter fraud, White House insider on Obama behaviour, 99 weeks of unemployment

Citizen News, October 26, 2010, Voter fraud, White House insider on Obama behaviour, 99 weeks of unemployment

From Citizen News

Arizona, Colorado voter fraud

“On Friday it was reported that the Yuma Recorder’s office was checking the 3,000 last minute voter registration forms turned in by the far left Mi Familia Vota organization. The recorder’s office found that already more than 65% of the registrations were invalid due to the registrant not being a citizen, wrong/invalid address, false signature, etc.

Mi Familia Vota is a SEIU sub-organization. It is just as “non-partisan” as ACORN was before documented fraudulent behaviors finally killed it.”

Read more

NC voting machines malfunction in favor of Democrats

“A Craven County voter says he had a near miss at the polls on Thursday when an electronic voting machine completed his straight-party ticket for the opposite of what he intended.

Sam Laughinghouse of New Bern said he pushed the button to vote Republican in all races, but the voting machine screen displayed a ballot with all Democrats checked. He cleared the screen and tried again with the same result, he said. Then he asked for and received help from election staff.

“They pushed it twice and the same thing happened,” Laughinghouse said. “That was four times in a row. The fifth time they pushed it and the Republicans came up and I voted.””

Read more

White House Insider, Obama behaviour shocking.

“I’ll give you an example of why President Obama is not right for America.  He sure as hell has not been right for the party.  Not long ago, the president took a meeting.  He’s late, which apparently is becoming more and more common with him.  The meeting was almost cancelled.  In strolls the president, joking with an aide.  He plops down on a sofa, leans over and claps another guy on the back asking how he’s been.  Apologizes for being late, says he was “held up”.  He laughs some more.  The meeting begins.  After just ten minutes, during which time the president appears to almost totally withdraw into himself,  an aide walks in and whispers something to the president, who then nods and quickly stands up, shakes a few hands and tells another aide to update him later on the rest of the meeting.  As the president is walking out he is laughing at something yet again.  He asked no questions of those at the meeting – not one.  He left after just ten minutes, coming in laughing and leaving laughing.  His behavior during that brief time he was there was described as “borderline manic”.”

Read more

99 weeks of unemployment, Recession worse than depression.

“The economic jam we’re in has topped even the Great Depression in one respect: never have we had a recession this deep with a recovery this flat. Unemployment has been at nine and a half percent or above for 14 months.

Congress did something that it has never done before – it extended unemployment benefits to 99 weeks. That cost more than $100 billion, a huge expense for a government in debt.

But now, for many Americans 99 weeks have passed and there’s still no job in sight. Some have taken to calling themselves the “99ers.””

Read more

Obama Myth Busters, Long form birth certificate?, Country of birth?, Natural born citizen?, College records?

Obama Myth Busters, Long form birth certificate?, Country of birth?, Natural born citizen?, College records?

“Why has Obama, for over 2 years, employed numerous private and government attorneys to avoid presenting a legitimate birth certificate and college records?”…Citizen Wells and millions of concerned Americans

Life is so full of irony. Barack Obama will appear on “Myth Busters” on Dedcember 8, 2010.

From the Chicago Tribune.

“Barack Obama said Monday he will appear on “MythBusters,” a television series that uses science to separate fact from fiction.

Obama’s appearance on the popular Discovery Channel show is part of a White House effort to highlight the importance of science, math and engineering as experts warn that low interest in those subjects among U.S. students could hurt the economy.”

“The Obama episode, to air Dec. 8, reprises an earlier debunking of the 2,000-year-old story that Greek mathematician and engineer Archimedes set fire to an invading Roman fleet using a system of mirrors to focus the sun’s rays.

“I can announce today that I taped a special guest appearance for their show, although I didn’t get to blow anything up,” Obama said at a White House science fair event. “I was a little frustrated with that.””

Read more:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/obama/ct-talk-obama-mythbusters-1019-20101018,0,6331545.story

Obama, I beg to differ, you blew up the economy, jobs and faith in checks and balances.

Here are the myths that we need Obama to address:

That Obama is eligible to be president.

That Obama presented a legitimate birth certificate.

That Obama is a natural born citizen.

That Obama is less pristine on Tony Rezko corruption than Rod Blagojevich.

That Obama was born in Hawaii.

That Obama is not hiding anything in his college records.