Tag Archives: 2012

Allen West early ballot recount ordered by St. Lucie County Canvassing Board, November 16, 2012, Series of tabulation errors, Board declined absentee ballot recount

Allen West early ballot recount ordered by St. Lucie County Canvassing Board, November 16, 2012, Series of tabulation errors, Board declined absentee ballot recount

“Late last night Congressman West maintained a district wide lead of nearly 2000 votes until the St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections “recounted” thousands of early ballots. Following that “recount” Congressman West trailed by 2,400 votes. In addition, there were numerous other disturbing irregularities reported at polls across St. Lucie County including the doors to polling places being locked when the polls closed in direct violation of Florida law, thereby preventing the public from witnessing the procedures used to tabulate results. The St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections office clearly ignored proper rules and procedures, and the scene at the Supervisor’s office last night could only be described as complete chaos. Given the hostility and demonstrated incompetence of the St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections, we believe it is critical that a full hand recount of the ballots take place in St. Lucie County. We will continue to fight to ensure every vote is counted properly and fairly, and accordingly we will pursue all legal means necessary.”…Allen West campaign

“Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984″

“It’s not who votes that counts, it’s who counts the votes”…Joseph Stalin

From News 7 November 16, 2012.

“Early ballot recount ordered in Allen West race”

“A county canvassing board on Friday ordered a recount of early-voting ballots in the race between U.S. Rep. Allen West and Democrat Patrick Murphy, hours after a judge declined to do the same.

The St. Lucie County Canvassing Board voted 2-to-1 late Friday in favor of the move in the 18th Congressional District contest, in which Murphy is the unofficial victor. A series of tabulation errors by the county has raised suspicion among West’s campaign and its supporters and appeared to motivate the board’s favorable vote.

It was a victory for West, delivered just after a defeat for the Republican congressman and conservative firebrand in the courtroom. But whether it will change the result in the race, in which Murphy has a lead of 1,907 votes, remained to be seen.

“There really wasn’t any basis in the law for the decision they made,” said Murphy attorney Sean Domnick. “It really doesn’t change anything. He is the representative for District 18 and he will continue to be.”

The canvassing board declined to order a recount of absentee ballots, which West’s campaign had sought. The recount — technically being referred to as a retabulation — was set for Saturday.

Earlier Friday, St. Lucie Circuit Judge Dan Vaughn sided with attorneys for Murphy, as well as those representing the county supervisor of elections and canvassing board. He agreed with arguments that he had no authority to order a recount and that West’s campaign could contest the election if they are unsatisfied with its results.

Murphy has a 50.3 percent share of the ballots, a margin of six-tenths of a percentage point that is just above the half-percentage point threshold to order a full recount. The Democrat is the winner in the eyes of the state and was in Washington this week attending House orientation.

“Their objective is not to ensure a fair and accurate accounting of all votes but simply to ensure that Mr. Murphy can continue pretending to be a congressman,” said West campaign manager Tim Edson.

West’s attorneys allege all kinds of possible malfeasance at the polls, including discrepancies between the number of people signed in at precincts and the ultimate number of votes counted. Should Murphy still hold the vote lead after the recount, it was unclear if West might offer a concession.

Counties must file certified election results with the state by noon Sunday. West can formally contest the election after that.

The race was one of the country’s most expensive House contests and one of the most closely watched.

West, 51, is a first-term tea party favorite who has made a string of headline-grabbing statements, from calling scores of congressional Democrats communists to saying President Barack Obama, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and others should “get the hell out of the United States.” Murphy, 29, is a political newcomer who portrayed West as an extremist who has done little else in Washington than stoke partisan fires.”

http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/politics/21009081704635/

Thanks to commenter Ladyhawke.

Allen West St. Lucie County courtroom hearing Friday, November 16, 2012, Full recount requested, Gertrude Walker Supervisor of Elections irregularities statement

Allen West St. Lucie County courtroom hearing Friday, November 16, 2012, Full recount requested, Gertrude Walker Supervisor of Elections irregularities statement

“Late last night Congressman West maintained a district wide lead of nearly 2000 votes until the St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections “recounted” thousands of early ballots. Following that “recount” Congressman West trailed by 2,400 votes. In addition, there were numerous other disturbing irregularities reported at polls across St. Lucie County including the doors to polling places being locked when the polls closed in direct violation of Florida law, thereby preventing the public from witnessing the procedures used to tabulate results. The St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections office clearly ignored proper rules and procedures, and the scene at the Supervisor’s office last night could only be described as complete chaos. Given the hostility and demonstrated incompetence of the St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections, we believe it is critical that a full hand recount of the ballots take place in St. Lucie County. We will continue to fight to ensure every vote is counted properly and fairly, and accordingly we will pursue all legal means necessary.”…Allen West campaign

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. His heart sank as he thought of the enormous power arrayed against him, the ease with which any Party intellectual would overthrow him in debate, the subtle arguments which he would not be able to understand, much less answer. And yet he was in the right! They were wrong and he was right. The obvious, the silly, and the true had got to be defended. Truisms are true, hold on to that! The solid world exists, its laws do not change. Stones are hard, water is wet, objects unsupported fall towards the earth’s centre. With the feeling that he was speaking to O’Brien, and also that he was setting forth an important axiom, he wrote:

Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984″

“It’s not who votes that counts, it’s who counts the votes”…Joseph Stalin

From the Examiner November 15, 2012.

“Allen West – Patrick Murphy duel continues in court Friday”

“With no love lost in Florida’s District 18 Congressional race, Allen West’s lawyers will duel with Patrick Murphy’s lawyers in a St. Lucie County courtroom tomorrow fighting a recount of votes cast in the general election on November 6, 2012. What is most in contention is many early ballots were being fed into tabulating machines twice by St. Lucie Supervisor of Elections staff. A partial recount of 16,275 ballots was conducted last week which netted West a closer margin toward victory to the stated victory of Murphy. Murphy went to Washington, D.C. this week to participate in his orientation to be the next U.S. Representative for District 18. District 18 spans St. Lucie, Martin and Palm Beach County.

West lawyers are expected to argue for a full recount of votes cast in the District 18 race by the St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections because of irregularities found in different precincts. There would be 37,379 St. Lucie County ballots that would need to be recounted on or before Sunday because that is when the election results are slated to be certified to the state election’s office.

Gertrude Walker, St. Lucie County’s Supervisor of Elections, made a statement on her website regarding the irregularities, “Turnout percentages will show over 100% due to a two page ballot. the tabulation system (GEMS) provides voter turnout as equal to the total cards cast in the election divided by the number of registered voters. also note that some voters chose not to return by mail the second card containing the amendments.”

West’s legal team was in Palm Beach County court last week trying to lock up the ballots and machines used in he District 18 race in case a recount is needed, however Circuit Judge Crow shot down the argument. The main reason was that Crow felt if any action was going to be necessary, West’s hearing was occurring too soon.

Both campaign teams continue to email supporters almost daily requesting more money for an expected legal battle between the two candidates.”

http://www.examiner.com/article/allen-west-patrick-murphy-duel-continues-court-friday

Allen West Patrick Murphy race update, November 15, 2012, St. Lucie County Elections Supervisor Gertrude Walker flawed handling, Ballots counted twice, Ballots not counted

Allen West Patrick Murphy race update, November 15, 2012, St. Lucie County Elections Supervisor Gertrude Walker flawed handling, Ballots counted twice, Ballots not counted

“Late last night Congressman West maintained a district wide lead of nearly 2000 votes until the St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections “recounted” thousands of early ballots. Following that “recount” Congressman West trailed by 2,400 votes. In addition, there were numerous other disturbing irregularities reported at polls across St. Lucie County including the doors to polling places being locked when the polls closed in direct violation of Florida law, thereby preventing the public from witnessing the procedures used to tabulate results. The St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections office clearly ignored proper rules and procedures, and the scene at the Supervisor’s office last night could only be described as complete chaos. Given the hostility and demonstrated incompetence of the St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections, we believe it is critical that a full hand recount of the ballots take place in St. Lucie County. We will continue to fight to ensure every vote is counted properly and fairly, and accordingly we will pursue all legal means necessary.”…Allen West campaign

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. His heart sank as he thought of the enormous power arrayed against him, the ease with which any Party intellectual would overthrow him in debate, the subtle arguments which he would not be able to understand, much less answer. And yet he was in the right! They were wrong and he was right. The obvious, the silly, and the true had got to be defended. Truisms are true, hold on to that! The solid world exists, its laws do not change. Stones are hard, water is wet, objects unsupported fall towards the earth’s centre. With the feeling that he was speaking to O’Brien, and also that he was setting forth an important axiom, he wrote:

Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984″

“It’s not who votes that counts, it’s who counts the votes”…Joseph Stalin

From the Palm Beach Post November 15, 2012.

“Editorial: Recount early votes in Patrick Murphy-Allen West race”

““I’m not perfect,” St. Lucie County Elections Supervisor Gertrude Walker said Tuesday. “Neither is my staff.” Given the events of the past week, it’s hard to disagree. Because of her office’s flawed handling of last week’s election, uncertainty hangs needlessly over Patrick Murphy’s stunning defeat of Rep. Allen West.

Ms. Walker was stating the obvious when she admitted fallibility at a news conference, as reported by TCPalm.com. But when you’re overseeing a congressional election whose margin of victory is less than 1 percent, there isn’t much room for error.

And Ms. Walker has admitted to a big error: double-counting some ballots cast during early voting and ignoring others. After partially recounting some of the early voting results on Sunday, her office discovered that it had double-counted the equivalent of 799 votes in the Murphy-West race and named the wrong winner in Fort Pierce’s mayoral race. The mayor’s race is now undergoing an automatic recount because the margin of victory was less than 0.5 percent. But the U.S. House District 18 race is in a sort of limbo, with Rep. West clamoring in court for all early votes to be recounted and Mr. Murphy calling for him to concede.

So troubling was the county’s performance that the state Division of Elections this week sent officials to inspect the results. A spokesman told TCPalm.com: “We are not aware of any counties experiencing the same issues as St. Lucie.” We endorsed Mr. Murphy, and few things would please us more than to see Rep. West’s two years in Congress fade like a bad dream. But he says he will not concede until St. Lucie County recounts all early votes, and we can see his point.

After Rep. West first raised questions about the handling of St. Lucie’s early vote, Ms. Walker and the county’s canvassing board agreed to recount all 37,000 ballots from the eight-day early voting period. But on Sunday, they changed, deciding instead to recount only about 16,000 ballots cast during the last three days. The reason: The problems that affected the West-Murphy race seemed confined only to those days. Sure enough, her office found problems. The discovery that some ballots were counted twice, and others not at all, narrowed Mr. Murphy’s lead by 535, to 1,907 — a 0.58 percent edge. Only a 0.50 percent margin can trigger an automatic recount.

After admitting such an egregious error, Ms. Walker wants the public to trust her when she says the problems were limited to those last three days of early voting. But she has given voters little reason for confidence. In an abundance of caution, St. Lucie County needs to recount all 37,000 early votes, not just the ones that Ms. Walker believes were problematic.

Although Ms. Walker is claiming in court that she can’t legally do a full recount, state law allows a county to double-check its tally if it thinks that the initial results might contain an error. Had the canvassing board gone ahead and done this Sunday for all the early voting ballots, everything might have been resolved. As it is, more than a week has passed since Election Day, and uncertainty hangs over the District 18 race. Only a full recounting of all early voting ballots can end the doubts that St. Lucie’s botched vote-tallying has raised.”

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/opinion/editorial-recount-early-votes-in-patrick-murphy-al/nS6cj/

Petraeus agrees to testify on Libya before congressional committees, November 14, 2012, Fox News

Petraeus agrees to testify on Libya before congressional committees, November 14, 2012, Fox News

“We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.”…Abraham Lincoln

“If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patroits to prevent its ruin”…Samuel Adams, 1776

“Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.”…George Washington

From Fox News November 14, 2012

“Petraeus agrees to testify on Libya before congressional committees”

“Former CIA Director David Petraeus has agreed to testify about the Libya terror attack before the House and Senate intelligence committees, Fox News has learned.

Petraeus had originally been scheduled to testify this Thursday on the burgeoning controversy over the deadly Sept. 11 attack.

That appearance was scuttled, though, after the director abruptly resigned over an extramarital affair.

Lawmakers, though, complained that the scandal was no reason they shouldn’t hear from the man at the helm of the CIA when CIA operatives came under attack alongside State Department employees in Benghazi last month.

The logistics of Petraeus’ appearance are still being worked out. But a source close to Petraeus said the former four-star general has contacted the CIA, as well as committees in both the House and Senate, to offer his testimony as the former CIA director.

Fox News has learned he is expected to speak off-site to the Senate Intelligence Committee on Friday about his Libya report.

The House side is still being worked out.

Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the Sept. 11 attack, which the administration initially blamed on a “spontaneous” mob reacting to protests over an anti-Islam film. Officials later labeled the attack terrorism.”

Read more:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/11/14/petraeus-agrees-to-testify-on-libya-before-congressional-committees/#ixzz2CCxRT7WU

Thanks to commenter bob strauss.

NC voting machine errors update November 6, 2012, 2010 federal judge ruling, SBOE memo, Precincts following rules?, Explicit warning signs and procedures

NC voting machine errors update November 6, 2012, 2010 federal judge ruling, SBOE memo, Precincts following rules?, Explicit warning signs and procedures

“if you see something at the polls that just doesn’t seem right…Record it” “Call the True the Vote National Election Integrity Hotline 855-444-6100.”…True the vote

“That Gary Bartlett, Chairman Leake, and John Wallace colluded in an attempt to derail, distract, and obstruct the investigation by SBOE into the financial irregularities and illegalities of the Perdue for Gov. Campaign”….NC GOP June 25, 2010 report on SBOE

I spoke with a NC GOP official a short while ago. I asked if the federal judge ruling in NC from 2010 is still applicable. He stated that it was. He had the understanding that the local elections board was aware of the ruling. I told him of my experience that the precinct workers were unaware of the federal judge ruling. I do not recall seeing the proper sign & no poll worker brought the issue to my attention, even after I asked.

My concern elevated when I discovered that the problems are still occurring in 2012 after happening in 2008 and 2010.

Here is one of the better reports on the ruling.

From the Brad Blog October 30, 2010.
“Federal Judge Rules in Favor of NC GOP in Touch-Screen Vote Flipping Complaint
Orders ‘voter alert’ posted at polls, programming materials, records retained…”

“North Carolina counties which use touch-screen voting systems will now have to post a “Voter Alert” at precincts warning voters about potential problems with the machines following a complaint [PDF] filed in federal court by the state’s Republican Party on Friday. The lawsuit, heard today on an expedited basis, was filed after voters in several counties hadreported to party officials that their attempts to vote for straight-ticket Republican ballots were flipping on the screen to straight-ticket Democratic ballots.

Those reports of vote-flipping led to the NC GOP issuing a threat late this week to sue the State Board of Elections (BoE) if their demands were not met to order certain precautions be taken at polling places which used the 100% unverifiable Direct Recording Electronic (DRE, usually touch-screen) voting systems. After the Executive Director for the BoE sent a letter in response to the GOP’s demands, downplaying the reported incidents as “isolated” and “no different than ones that must be addressed in every election,” the Republican complaint was filed in federal court on Friday afternoon. (The sharp letters back and forth between the state GOP and BoE can be read in our previous report on the NC situation.)

Judge Malcolm Howard tonight also ordered that pollworkers must tell voters to read the printed alert, and that memory cards and other programming materials, records and audit logs from the oft-failed ES&S iVotronic touch-screen DREs must be preserved for examination after the election. Late today, the BoE Executive Director Gary O. Bartlett sent a notice [PDF] to the County Boards of Elections detailing the changes ordered by the federal judge.

The “Voter Alert” to be posted in all precincts using the touch-screen voting systems must read as follows…

See News 14’s coverage here and coverage from local NBC affiliate WITN here for more details.

The remedies sought, and gained, by the Republicans, however, fail to address the fact that no matter how “carefully” a voter reviews their on-screen ballot to ensure their “vote is accurately cast”, there is still no way to know that the voting system will record those votes as intended. Moreover, there is no way to know after the election whether the results actually reflect the will of the electorate, as we recently discussed in this article at Slate detailing some of the closest and most-watched races in the nation which will likely be determined on identical or similar 100% unverifiable DRE systems next Tuesday.

Removing systems from service once they are reported to be failing would be the safest way to deal with such problems, but long time North Carolina Election Integrity advocate Joyce McCloy, Director of NC Coalition for Verified Voting and editor of Voting News, explained to The BRAD BLOG tonight that many of the state’s counties wouldn’t have enough machines or back-up paper ballots to handle the election if failing machines were removed from service.

In past elections, most notably in both 2006 and 2008, it has been largely Democratic voters who have complained that their attempted touch-screen votes were seen flipping to Republican (or other party’s) candidates. Little action was taken on their behalf by either elections officials or the Democratic Party. Many of those who complained were tarred as being being “conspiracy theorists” or “sore losers” by Republicans, and both elections officials and voting machine company representatives generally marginalized the complaints as either non-existent or “human error” on the part of the voter.

According to the NC GOP’s attorney Tom Farr, similar arguments were made by the BoE in this morning’s proceedings. “What I heard in the argument today was, the problem with the touchscreen voting machines are the fault of the voters, not the State Board and we have to preserve the integrity of the State Board and its reputation. And that’s more important than making sure that voters had their ballots counted accurately, and that’s what I thought was outrageous,” Farr told the media after the court hearing.

Another report of votes flipping from Republican to the Green Party on a straight-ticket ballot, as caught on cellphone video, occurred last week in Texas (along with a report of another voter who saw his vote flip from Democratic to Republican in a different TX county.) In Nevada a Republican voter claimed her touch-screen vote was pre-selected on screen for Sen. Harry Reid in his tight race against Republican Sharron Angle. In both instances, local election officials downplayed the incidents by blaming the voters.

Such occurrences have marred virtually every election since the proliferation of unverifiable touch-screen voting was enabled by the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002. While many jurisdictions have decertified the systems in favor of paper ballot-based optical-scan systems, some 20 to 30% of the nation’s voters still use DREs at the polling place.

McCloy told The BRAD BLOG this evening that the state had been set to ban DRE systems all together some time ago, until the legislation was scotched after apparent lobbying by election officials in counties who use, and very much like, the systems. Afterwords, the legislation was reportedly modified to allow the touch-screen systems to stay in place.

ES&S voting systems have a storied history of failure. In 2006, the iVotronics were found to have inexplicably failed to record some 18,000 votes in a special election for the U.S. House in Florida (in which the Republican candidate was declared the “winner” by just 369 votes). That incident led to the state getting rid of virtually all of their touch-screen systems. ES&S iVotronics were also used at the polling place for South Carolina’s primary where Alvin Greene, the unemployed South Carolina veteran who failed to campaign or even have a campaign web site, inexplicably defeated four-term state Senator and former Circuit Court Judge Vic Rawl for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination.”

Read more:

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=8162

After the federal judge ruling in 2010, Gary O. Bartlett, Executive Director of the SBOE, State Board of Elections, issued the following memo on October 30, 2010.

http://content.news14.com/pdf/memo%202010-11.pdf

I do not recall seeing either of those signs.

From the voting machine errors in Guilford County NC. Notice the signs at minute 2:54. They do not match the ones from the memo.

The attitude of boards of elections in NC seem to best be summed up by the following quote:

“What I heard in the argument today was, the problem with the touchscreen voting machines are the fault of the voters, not the State Board and we have to preserve the integrity of the State Board and its reputation. And that’s more important than making sure that voters had their ballots counted accurately, and that’s what I thought was outrageous,” said Tom Farr NC GOP attorney.

http://triangle.news14.com/content/top_stories/632096/judge-rules-in-favor-of-gop-over-touchscreen-voting

More on Gary Bartlett and NC State corruption from Citizen Wells June 29, 2010.

https://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2010/06/29/november-2010-elections-not-the-end-end-of-beginning-winston-churchill-change-congress-clean-up-justice-dept-courts-state-government/

 

 

Election day November 6, 2012, Report voting problems irregularities fraud, True The Vote, TTV, 855-444-6100, Nonpartisan preserving election integrity

Election day November 6, 2012, Report voting problems irregularities fraud, True The Vote, TTV, 855-444-6100, Nonpartisan preserving election integrity

“if you see something at the polls that just doesn’t seem right…Record it” “Call the True the Vote National Election Integrity Hotline 855-444-6100.”…True the vote

“I watched the two uniformed men confront voters and attempt to intimidate voters. They were positioned in a location that forced every voter to pass in close proximity to them. The weapon was openly displayed and brandished in plain sight of voters.” “you are about to be ruled by the black man, cracker.”…Bartle Bull, civil rights lawyer
“We control life, Winston, at all its levels. You are imagining that there is something called human nature which will be outraged by what we do and will turn against us. But we create human nature. Men are infinitely malleable.”…George Orwell, “1984″

From True the Vote November 5, 2012.

“TRUE THE VOTE ANNOUNCES NATIONAL ELECTION INTEGRITY HOTLINE

Citizens encouraged to report illegal activity at the voting polls by phone, email and video

HOUSTON, TX. November 5, 2012? True the Vote (TTV), the nonpartisan election integrity organization, today announced the availability of its Election Integrity Hotline, to help document illegal activity inside or outside of America’s polling places.

“If you want to make a difference on November 6th, True the Vote has a job for you,” True the Vote President Catherine Engelbrecht said. “Election integrity captured the American conscience with a rough cell phone video of New Black Panthers intimidating voters in Pennsylvania in 2008. Intimidation and electioneering is illegal inside and outside of polls. You have the power to be America’s eyes and ears.”

Concerned citizens are encouraged to report any incidents outside of polling locations with True the Vote’s official Election Integrity Hotline(http://www.truethevote.org/incident-report/). Citizens may submit incidents over the phone by dialing 855-444-6100. Descriptions and photos should be directed to freeandfair@truethevote.org. True the Vote will verify credible reports and submit those appropriate local authorities.

True the Vote produced a brief training video explaining best practices and procedures encouraging citizens to film any wrongdoing, available on YouTube.View the video, here:”

http://www.truethevote.org/news/election-integrity-hotline-announced

Rezko for Radicals press release Prweb November 5, 2012, Kenneth J. Conner whistleblower book about Obama Rezko lot purchase, Mutual Bank loan to Rezkos

Rezko for Radicals press release Prweb November 5, 2012, Kenneth J. Conner whistleblower book about Obama Rezko lot purchase, Mutual Bank loan to Rezkos

“Why did Mutual Bank fire whistleblower Kenneth J Connor after he
challenged the appraisal on the land purchased by Rita Rezko, just
prior to the land sale to Obama?”…Citizen Wells

“Why did the Rezkos enter into an agreement to purchase the lot next to the Obama house and pay the asking price of $ 625,000 at a time when they were broke and heavily in debt?”…Citizen Wells

“I believe I’m more pristine on Rezko than him.”…Rod Blagojevich

I just spoke to Kenneth J. Conner the whistleblower in the Obama Rezko lot purchase and the loan from Mutual Bank of Harvey to Rita Rezko. The press release for his new book “Rezko for Radicals” is live.

From PRweb November 5, 2012.

“Rezko for Radicals Book Highlights Obama Calling the Purchase of his Mansion a ‘Fire Sale’

Rezko for Radicals includes a Tony Rezko prison letter in which Rezko informs his trial judge that feds wanted him to cooperate against Barack Obama

Rezko for Radicals is available on Amazon

Quote startAgents and I talked about payoff, bribe, kickback for a long timeQuote end

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) November 05, 2012

In his new book Rezko for Radicals, author Kenneth J. Conner, formerly a real estate analyst at Tony Rezko’s bank in Chicago, presents a carefully researched and insider accounting of Rezko’s real estate transactions involving Barack Obama. Conner details a meeting with the FBI in October 2007 in which he advised agents that the Rezko lot next door to the Obama Mansion was worth a maximum of $500,000. Rezko paid $625,000. Later it became known that another appraisal valued the Rezko lot at $490,860. (Cook County court case # 2008L011470) abcnews.go.com/images/Politics/doc1%20-%20Copy.pdf

As reported by the Washington Times (p3, November 4, 2008) and online at”

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/11/prweb10086337.htm

Obama job facts November 5, 2012, Millions more unemployed or working part time, Average weeks unemployed doubled, Million more can only find part time work

Obama job facts November 5, 2012, Millions more unemployed or working part time, Average weeks unemployed doubled, Million more can only find part time work

“With a 63.7% labor force participation, “conditions in the labor market are considerably worse than indicated” in July’s report”…economist Joshua Shapiro, WSJ August 3, 2012

“We tried our plan—and it worked. That’s the difference. That’s the choice in this election. That’s why I’m running for a second term.”…Barack Obama

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. His heart sank as he thought of the enormous power arrayed against him, the ease with which any Party intellectual would overthrow him in debate, the subtle arguments which he would not be able to understand, much less answer. And yet he was in the right! They were wrong and he was right. The obvious, the silly, and the true had got to be defended. Truisms are true, hold on to that! The solid world exists, its laws do not change. Stones are hard, water is wet, objects unsupported fall towards the earth’s centre. With the feeling that he was speaking to O’Brien, and also that he was setting forth an important axiom, he wrote:

Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.”…George Orwell, “1984”

You won’t find this in the Mainstream Media or hear it from Obama.

The truth from Citizen Wells.

I am going to keep this real simple for the Obama supporters and not include the data from when the Democrats took control of both houses of Congress in January of 2007. The results would be much worse if I did so. Don’t take my word for it, look it up. Especially if you are a college student.

Employment-population ratio

2009 60.6

Oct 2012 58.8

That is almost 2 percent of the workforce not working since Obama took office. That is much worse than the stated unemployment rate of 7.9 percent.

Not in labor force: Want a job now

2009 5,682,000

Oct 2012 6,587,000

Number Unemployed for 15 Weeks & over

2009 4,771,000

Oct 2012 6,839,000

Number Unemployed for 27 Weeks & over

2009 2,696,000

Oct 2012 5,002,000

The number of people unemployed for 27 weeks or longer almost doubled under Obama!

Average Weeks Unemployed

2009 19.8

Oct 2012 40.2

The average weeks unemployed more than doubled!

Employment Level – Part-Time for Economic Reasons, Could Only Find Part-Time Work

2009 1,679,000

Oct 2012 2,614,000

Almost 1 million more people could only get part time work than when Obama took office!

Don’t take my word for it, look it up.

http://www.bls.gov/webapps/legacy/cpsatab1.htm

Obama jobs data, November 3, 2012, 7.9 percent unemployment record high, 14.6 percent actual, Jobs gained jobs lost net far below needed, Obama layoff bomb

Obama jobs data, November 3, 2012, 7.9 percent unemployment record high, 14.6 percent actual, Jobs gained jobs lost net far below needed, Obama layoff bomb

“With a 63.7% labor force participation, “conditions in the labor market are considerably worse than indicated” in July’s report”…economist Joshua Shapiro, WSJ August 3, 2012

“We tried our plan—and it worked. That’s the difference. That’s the choice in this election. That’s why I’m running for a second term.”…Barack Obama

“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”

US employers added 171,000 jobs in October. Whoopie!

Did they mention the planned almost almost 48,000 job cuts. Or the other job losses or the average work week?

The stated unemployment rate of 7.9 percent is nothing to write home about either. Especially since the U6 rate, which includes those still seeking employment, is 14.6 percent.

From One News Now November 2, 2012.

“Unemployment rate number labeled ‘deceptive'”
“The October unemployment rate inched up to 7.9 percent from 7.8 percent in September. But Dan Celia of Financial Issues Stewardship Ministries continues to insist this final pre-election look at the job figures is fictitious.

At the same time, U.S. employers added 171,000 jobs in October and hiring was stronger over the previous two months than first thought.

The Labor Department’s last look at hiring before Tuesday’s election sketched a picture of a job market that is gradually gaining momentum after nearly stalling in the spring. However, it is the highest unemployment rate of any incumbent president since Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Meanwhile, Mitt Romney says the one-tenth-of-a-point increase in the unemployment rate to 7.9 percent is, quote, “a sad reminder that the economy is at a virtual standstill.””

“Dan Celia of Financial Issues Stewardship Ministries continues to insist this final pre-election look at the job figures is fictitious.

“I will remain in the camp — until I can have proven to me mathematically otherwise — that a 7.9-percent unemployment rate is a ridiculously fabricated, deceptive number about the unemployment rate,” he says. “We still have nowhere near those in the labor participation rate that we had in January of 2009, nothing close to it. It did go up, as would stand to reason; it went up two-tenths of one percent. That only means that it must have gone up a lot more than that …. I’m really being cynical here, but [they] couldn’t control it or spin it, so they had to add at least two-tenths of one percent, [which is] one of the reasons why unemployment went up to 7.9 percent.”

CeliaLong-term unemployment, according to Celia, still remains high.

“The U6 unemployment rate, that is the number of unemployment [plus] those still looking for jobs, is 14.6 percent,” he explains. “It did go down one-tenth of one percent. [But] there are still 23 million people struggling to find a job. There’s an 8-million job gap … between what the president said we would have at this time, compared to what we really have …. [That’s a] gap that I’m sure you’re not going to hear anyone talk about.”

He also predicts another aspect of the unemployment picture that likely will not be talked about very much.

“One of the big numbers here this week, today, was that hours worked per week did not change [dramatically]. It went down a tick [to] 34.4 hours per week,” he notes. “That is not a good forward-looking number, and that is some cause for concern.”

And what about the number of new jobs reported Friday?

“We are still staying on track of consistently adding close to 150,000 private sector jobs per month, which by the way this year is consistent with a do-nothing, just under two-percent GDP growth. That’s consistent. That’s about where it ought to be,” he offers.

“[But] just so you know, we need about 350,000 [new private sector jobs] average per month to really have any kind of a growing economy — which, by the way, is impossible to have in a two-percent GDP growth.””

http://onenewsnow.com//ap/politics/unemployment-rate-inches-up-again

From Market Watch November 1, 2012.

“Planned layoffs jump up in October: Challenger”

“Led by the automotive sector, planned job cuts jumped up 41% in October to almost 48,000, the highest level since May, outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas said Thursday. “The final three months of the year tend to see heavier downsizing activity as companies make year-end adjustments to meet earnings goals and to prepare for the new year,” said John Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas. “Certainly, the deluge of weak third-quarter earnings reports that resulted from declining sales here and abroad does not bode well for workers as 2013 approaches.” Job cuts in October were up 12% from last year.”

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/planned-layoffs-jump-up-in-october-challenger-2012-11-01

From GOPUSA October 31, 2012.

“Malkin: The Obama Layoff Bomb”

“In June, a diffident and self-deluded President Obama claimed that “the private sector is doing fine.” Last week, the private sector responded: Speak for yourself, buster. Who needs an “October Surprise” when the business headlines are broadcasting the imminent layoff bomb in neon lights?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported last Tuesday that employers issued 1,316 “mass layoff actions” (affecting 50 workers or more) in September; more than 122,000 workers were affected overall. USA Today financial reporter Matt Krantz wrote that “(m)uch of the recent layoff activity is connected to what’s been the slowest period of earnings growth since the third quarter of 2009.” Some necessary restructuring is underway in response to the stagnant European economy. But more and more U.S. businesses are putting the blame — bravely and squarely — right where it belongs: on the obstructionist policies and regulatory schemes of the blame-shifter-in-chief.

Last week, Ohio-based auto parts manufacturer Dana Holding Corp. warned employees of potential layoffs amid “looming concern” about the economy. President and CEO Roger Wood specifically mentioned the walloping burden of “increasing taxes on small businesses” and the need to “offset increased costs that are placed on us through new laws and regulations.”

Case in point: Obamacare. The mandate will cost Dana Holding Corp., which employs some 24,500 workers, “approximately $24 million over the next six years in additional U.S. health care expenses.” As Ohio Watchdog blogger Maggie Thurber reported, the firm’s Toledo area corporate offices laid off seven white-collar employees last Friday; company insiders told her more were on the way. They are not alone.

On Tuesday, Consol Energy issued a federally mandated layoff disclosure announcing its “intent to idle its Miller Creek surface operations near Naugatuck, W.Va.” The move will affect the company’s Wiley Surface Mine, Wiley Creek Surface Mine, Minway Surface Mine, Minway Preparation Plant and Miller Creek Administration Group, all in Mingo County, W.Va. Despite state approval, cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and myriad other agencies, and a stellar safety record, Obama’s EPA dragged its feet on the permit approval process. The impasse has forced layoffs of 145 Consol Energy employees that will hit at the end of the year. They are not alone.

In August, Robert E. Murray, founder and CEO of Murray Energy Corporation in Ohio, blasted the White House anti-coal agenda for the layoffs and closure of his company’s mine. He told Obama water-carrying CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien that “the many regulations that (Obama) and his radical appointees and the U.S. EPA have put on the use of coal, there are dozens of them and collectively by his own energy administration, have closed 175 power plants.” As O’Brien barked at her guest about purported environmental objections, Murray explained that “we cannot get permits for these mines. They are delaying the issuance of permits. If you can’t get the permit, you can’t have the mine. … I created those jobs, and I put the investment in that mine. And when it came time to lay the people off, I went up personally and talked to every one of them myself to lay them off. It’s a human issue.”

And it’s an innovation issue, too. As I reported in February, Obamacare’s impending 2.3 percent medical device excise tax has already wrought havoc on the industry:

Stryker, a maker of artificial hips and knees based in Kalamazoo, Mich., is slashing 5 percent of its global workforce (an estimated 1,000 workers) this coming year to reduce costs related to Obamacare’s taxes and mandates.

Covidien, a N.Y.-based surgical supplies manufacturer, recently announced layoffs of 200 American workers and plans to move some of its plant work to Mexico and Costa Rica, in part because of the coming tax hit.

Mass.-based Zoll Medical Corp., which makes defibrillators and employs some 1,800 workers in the U.S. and around the world, says the medical device tax will cost the company between $5 million and $10 million a year.

This July, Indiana’s Cook Medical Inc. shelved plans to open five new plants because of the imminent medical device tax hit. They are not alone.

The heads of Koch Industries, Westgate Resorts and ASG Software Solutions have all separately informed their employees of prosperity-undermining Obama economic politics. Left-wing groups have lambasted the executives for exercising their political free speech.

But they have remained silent while the White House corruptocrats bribed federal defense contractors into delaying federally mandated layoff disclosures before the election. In a memo now being investigated on Capitol Hill, Obama promised to cover the legal fees of Lockheed Martin and other defense contractors if they ignored legal requirements to inform workers in advance about so-called sequestration cuts to the military’s budget scheduled to kick in next year.

Truth suppression is a time-honored Obama tactic, of course. Remember: The administration and its Democratic allies on Capitol Hill attempted to punish Deere, Caterpillar, Verizon and ATT in 2010 for disclosing how the costs of Obamacare taxes were hitting their bottom lines — even though they were simply following SEC disclosure requirements. The White House also tried to silence insurers who dared to inform their customers about how Obamacare was driving up premiums. Not this time.

The administration’s bully boys don’t have enough whitewash and duct tape to cover up the past, present and future devastation of the president and his economic demolition team.”

http://www.gopusa.com/commentary/2012/10/31/malkin-the-obama-layoff-bomb/?subscriber=1

Donald Trump Obama $ 5 million offer press release, November 1, 2012

Donald Trump Obama $ 5 million offer press release, November 1, 2012

“Why has Obama, since taking the White House, used Justice Department Attorneys, at taxpayer expense,  to avoid presenting a legitimate birth certificate and college records?”…Citizen Wells

The Donald Trump offer to Barack Obama of $ 5 million for the charity of Obama’s choice has expired. Obama continues to keep his college, passport and other records hidden.

Here is the Donald Trump press release November 1, 2012.