Obama's Lowlights (12/29/11)

Occupy Wall Street – The Milk Street Café in NYC, the restaurant whose business dried up in the face of the Occupy Wall Street barricades, is shutting down.

AP Poll – “We are the 99 percent” was chosen as the top quote of the year. Although I am part of the so called “99%”, Occupy Wall Street does not remotely represent my views.

Race Card – This is a quote from Eric Holder in a NY Times piece about the increased scrutiny he has received for the terrible job he has been doing as the head of the DOJ: “This is a way to get at the president because of the way I can be identified with him,” he said, “both due to the nature of our relationship and, you know, the fact that we’re both African-American.”

Obama Vacation – The price tag is in and it will cost the taxpayers 4 million dollars for his 17 day vacation in Hawaii.

Public Employees - The latest government employee numbers at the state level are down by 80,000 jobs since the recession started whereas the federal government has added 110,000 government jobs since 2009.

Joe Biden – Joe had this to say in a Newsweek interview: “Look, the Taliban per se is not our enemy.”

Crime – A report in the USA Today claims 1 in 3 youths will be arrested by the time they are 23. This is an increase from 50% over the past 50 years.

Oil – For the first time since 1949 U.S. exports of oil based products is more than its imports. The reason for this is due to technological advances that enable the U.S. to manufacture oil from tar pits using “fracking” technology.

David Axelrod - "Some folks [Republicans] over there think somehow screwing up the economy, throwing a wrench in the works, is somehow a god political strategy for them." What a surprise, more finger pointing and blaming by the Obama administration.

Syria – AP Reports “Since the revolt against Syrian president Bashir Assad began in March during the "Arab Spring," over 5,000 protesters have died at the hands of Assad's brutal regime. Looks like these protesters know which president would have been a friend to their burgeoning democratic movement (Bush instead of Obama)...”

EU - Michael O'Leary, the CEO of the Irish airline Ryanair, believes his company is being relentlessly persecuted by the European Union for the oh-so-heinous crimes of innovation, free market competition, and producing a service that people actually want to buy.

Bill Clinton – In an interview with Bill O’Reilly, Clinton admitted he felt the media was biased against Hillary in the 2008 primary against Barack Obama.

Department of Agriculture (DOA) - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, in an interview in Politico, is trying to spread the word that the USDA is a large government network involved in many different types of projects—“it's not just about farming anymore”. This is another sign that big government is once again overstepping its bounds. First, we do not need a DOA and secondly, the DOA is getting involved in things outside the realm of agriculture. This is an unwarranted power grab.

EPA - The Environmental Protection Agency announced new rules this past week that will require the oldest oil- and coal-fired power plants nationwide to cut down on their emissions of mercury and other pollutants, or else be forced to shut down--ostensibly because of the EPA's concern for the public's health.

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Obama's Lowlights 12/26/11

Medicare – Republican representative, Paul Ryan, and Democratic Senator, Ron Wyden, have put together a bipartisan plan to save Medicare. "Beginning in 2023 there will be a cap on cost growth of 1 percent over Gross Domestic Product, plus inflation. Any increase over that cap will be reflected in reduced support for the sectors most responsible for cost growth, including providers, drug companies, and means-tested premiums." Unfortunately, waiting to 2023 is too long to wait to begin cost control measures.

Native American Poverty – John Koppisch wrote a good article about the reason for Native American poverty citing “the vast majority of land on reservations is held communally.” This is a socialism model at work. Koppisch explains when people do not own their land they have no equity and they do not properly care for the property. Case in point, look how the Occupy Wall Street people are destroying park lands.

Dollar Coins – The U.S. will stop printing its one dollar presidential coins because of a lack in interest. Interestingly, it only costs the government 18 cents to manufacture dollar coin pieces and if they replaced dollar bills it would save the country 6 billion dollars over 30 years (because coins last longer than paper bills). Actually, the government should stop manufacturing pennies and nickels because the government loses money making these coin pieces. The US Treasury is like all government entities; they are wasting taxpayer money and making bad decisions.

Occupy Wall Street – Adam Carolla had a good YouTube video that went viral explaining why Americans have both envy and jealousy over the wealthy and argues most people who got wealthy worked their a%s off to get there. In other news, over 50 protestors were arrested in Times Square New York.

China – China has imposed a 21% tariff on U.S. automaker exports. This was a direct response to the tariff Obama placed on China made cars (this is good example of why protectionism policies do not work). In other news, China bought less U.S. Treasury debt in October than in past months, the Treasury Department reported this past week. China, the largest foreign holder of U.S. debt, owns $1.13 trillion in government debt.

Spending - President Obama has issued an executive order mandating that federal agencies cut unnecessary travel in an effort to promote efficient spending.

Big Government - Sixty-four percent of Americans say big government is a bigger threat to the nation’s future than big business or big labor, Gallup reports.

New Budget Bill – The omnibus budget bill suspends the ban on incandescent light bulbs; does not increase taxes on the wealthy; extends Bush tax cuts; and approves the building of the Keystone oil pipeline. This is a huge win for Republicans over Democrats.

Fannie and Freddie – The SEC has charged several executives of the mortgage giants with fraud.

Sackett v. EPA – The Supreme Court will hear arguments over a case where the EPA denied the Sackett family from building a home on property they own in a residential area. The EPA claims the .63 acre lot in Idaho is a protected wetland, which is incidentally surrounded by homes.

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Obama's Lowlights (12/21/11)

Immigration Law – The Supreme Court has announced that it will hear the case of Arizona's contentious immigration law, SB1070, in the coming year. Justice Kagan will recuse herself from the ruling.

Harry Reid – Wealthy job creators are “like unicorns, they don’t exist”. Now that is out of touch!

DOJ – Eric Holder is now filing lawsuits against individual states which have tightened voter ID requirements and have reduced the timeframe for early voting. Holder needs to realize the U.S. justice department has no jurisdiction over individual state election laws.

Pakistan – Congress has frozen 700 million dollars in aid to Pakistan as distrust between the nations continues to escalate.

Obama - "I would put our legislative and foreign policy accomplishments in our first two years against any president -- with the possible exceptions of Johnson, F.D.R., and Lincoln," Obama told Steve Kroft, "just in terms of what we've gotten done in modern history." Obama has a point, he did accomplish a lot, but it was economically harmful, not beneficial.

Planned Parenthood – Officials are on record saying they need more funding to create jobs. In other words, the economy is more important than the life of an unborn child.

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) – The NTSB is recommending a nationwide ban on all cell phone use while driving. I am not a big fan of government interference, but this is a good idea. Cell phone use while driving is out of control.

Energy Costs – According to a USA Today article, the cost for electricity has gone up over 20% the past 5 years. And it is no surprise that states with highest electric energy costs are liberally run states such as New York, New Jersey, California, and Illinois.

Taxes – The House passed a payroll tax extension, but it was dead on arrival in the Senate because it approves the building of an oil pipeline between Canada and the US. However, a deal was later struck between Parties when Democrats dropped their requirement for increased taxes on millionaires.

Obama Campaign - The Obama presidential campaign is launching an effort to collect Republican email addresses by inviting its supporters to submit information about their Republican associates to the Obama 2012 website. The president will stop at nothing to get reelected even if he violates the CAN-SPAM Act to do so.

Ethics – Dan Indiviglio reports “a pending clean energy bill on Capitol Hill certainly represents the possibility of a windfall for Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.”

Department of Labor – The U.S. Department of Labor wants to prevent kids from being exposed to “farm-related safety hazards,” and is basically barring youths from any sort of employment in the agriculture industry.

Iraq – The war is officially over. Time will tell if it was the right decision to bring home all troops.

MSNBC – They apologized for comparing Romney’s campaign slogan to the KKK slogan.

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Obama's Lowlights (12/19/11)

MF Global - Jon Corzine, testified in front of the House Agriculture Committee last week about the sudden bankruptcy of MF Global in October. He was at the helm for barely a year, but while Corzine was CEO, the financial services company made some poor bets on European debt, and about $1.2 billion simply vanished.

Iran – The U.S. finally confirmed that Iran did indeed capture a U.S. drone that was spying on their nuclear program. To complicate things, the drone is nearly 100% in tact meaning Iran can reverse engineer much of the technology. Our naïve President has asked for the Iranians to return the drone back to the U.S.

Taxes - "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says his chamber won't approve a House Republican bill extending the payroll tax cut that also clears the way for construction of a controversial oil pipeline," the AP reports.

Debt - States may face up to $3 trillion in unfunded pension liabilities for government workers, according to new Congressional reports.

NRLB – Darryl Issa, who is chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, says he has issued subpoenas to the labor relations board for documents related to its case against Boeing, which he argued was political.

OccupyEducated.org - The far Left Occupy Wall Street movement is planning to use online sources and our public classrooms to indoctrinate the masses with a socialist propaganda.

Infrastructure – According to a USA Today article the federal government spends 40 billion dollars annually on road construction projects, but they do not track how the individual states use the funds.

Wasserman-Schultz – In a Fox News interview the DNC chair denies that unemployment has gone up with Obama as President.

Obama - "I always believed that this was a long-term project," the Democratic president told "60 Minutes." He added it would "take time" to reverse "structural problems in our economy that have been building up for two decades." What Obama does not acknowledge is the average recession only lasts 15 months – only bad policies will let a recession last 6 or 8 years.

Occupy Wall Street – Boston is the latest city to evict rowdy protestors from city parks. Forty-Eight protestors were arrested making the total arrests nearly 4000 thousand nationwide. And yes, they claim to be the Party of civility. Meanwhile, some protestors are blocking access to major ports on the West Coast.

Border Security - The Obama administration, in an effort to make the border "more secure than ever," has issued a new proposal would allow people to check themselves into the United States through an electronic kiosk on the border, without a Border Patrol or I.C.E. agent physically present.

Happiness - One of the biggest reasons why conservatives are happier than liberals according a Yale sociologist profiled on PBS is because conservatives believe in equal opportunity and being rewarded for hard work. The violent anger within the Occupy movement is proof that liberals are less happy than Tea Party conservatives.

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Obama's Lowlights (12/15/11)

Spending vs. Revenue - Spending will skyrocket beyond its historical average of 20.3 percent of the U.S. economy, reaching 26.4 percent by 2021. Revenue, meanwhile, will surpass its historical average of 18 percent of GDP in the same year, according to Heritage Foundation calculations based on CBO data.

Europe - The Federal Reserve, along with the 17 euro zone national central banks, may help provide the International Monetary Fund with funds that could be used to aid debt-ridden states, a German newspaper said (Die Welt).

NFL - Hank Williams Jr. was yanked from Monday Night Football for comparing President Obama to Hitler during a Fox and Friends appearance. However, Madonna's vile words toward Sarah Palin weren't enough for the NFL to revoke her invitation to perform at the Super Bowl in February.

Standard and Poor - Standard & Poor's warned it may carry out an unprecedented mass downgrade on the credit ratings of euro zone countries if EU leaders fail to reach an agreement on how to solve the region's debt crisis in the near future.

Caitlin Halligan – Halligan was tapped last year by President Obama to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, but her nomination was defeated in a cloture vote. Moderate Democrats and Republicans voted against Halligan based on her record against gun rights and her philosophy of dealing with enemy combatants.

RNC – The Republican National Committee warned Republican candidates this past week to refrain from personal attacks against President Barack Obama. The RNC insists that while most poll numbers indicate that Obama’s approval ratings are low (job performance), most Americans still have a high opinion of the President personally.

CFPB - The new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), according to Obama administration officials simplifies credit card agreements because it would help avoid confusion and stress for those struggling to make ends meet.

The Party of Civility – Alec Baldwin was kicked off an American Airlines flight last week for being uncivil (yes, liberals favorite Hollywood star).

Fort Hood Shooting - The Obama Administration still doesn't get it, and officially classified the Ft. Hood shooting carried out by Islamist Nadal Malik Hasan that left 13 people dead and 29 others wounded as "work place violence." Call it political correctness.

Rod Blagojevich – The former Illinois Governor was sentenced to 14 years for fraud and corruption.

Registered Democrats - 825,000 Democrats in the swing states of Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina and Pennsylvania have left the Party.

EPA – The agency is considering tighter regulations of dust created by farming.

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Obama's Lowlights (12/12/11)

Vacation – Obama is in the middle of a 17 day Hawaiian vacation that will not only cost the taxpayer millions, but doing this during a time when people are suffering and the economy is sluggish only proves the President is out of touch.

ObamaCare – More bad news has surfaced about the legislation. Minnesota Public Radio reports, “A loophole in the federal health care overhaul would allow many employers to game the system by dumping their sicker employees [into] public health insurance exchanges.”

Occupy DC – This past week the group protested outside a fundraiser for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Economy – In November, the economy added 120 thousand jobs and the unemployment rate dropped to 8.6%. In a revised forecast, the number of jobs added in September and October was increased by 72 thousand jobs. This all sounds good, but it is estimated that 315 thousand people stopped looking for work.

Van Jones – The racial conspiracy theorist is trying to convince the Occupy movement to block major U.S. ports.

Kyoto Agreement - Canada, the country furthest from meeting its commitment to cut carbon emissions under the Kyoto Protocol, may save as much as $6.7 billion by exiting the global climate change agreement and not paying for offset credits.

Firearms - US firearm sales reached a record 129,166 during Black Friday weekend that kicked off the holiday shopping season, this is a 32 percent increase from the previous all-time high, officials said.

Israel - “Obviously, no ally is more important than the state of Israel,” Obama said. “This administration – I try not to pat myself too much on the back – but this administration has done more in terms of the security of the state of Israel than any previous administration,” he added. In other news, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta urged Israel on Friday to "reach out and mend fences" with Turkey, Egypt and other security partners in the Middle East, saying he is troubled by the Jewish state's growing isolation in the volatile region. This is nothing new; the Obama administration is placing the entire burden of peace in the Middle East on Israel. Meanwhile, speaking for most people here, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak called the emerging result of the first round of parliamentary voting in Egypt “very, very disturbing” and expressed concern about the fate of the landmark 1979 Egyptian Israeli peace treaty.

Welfare - A new Census Bureau report shows the number welfare recipients increased during the recession. According to Politico, participation in the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program among families with children under the age of 18 jumped from 1.4 million to 1.7 million between 2006 and 2009. 

AIDS - After criticisms that he wasn't doing enough to follow in the footsteps of George W. Bush on AIDS research, President Obama will increase AIDS funding by $50 million. 

DEA - In the latest U.S.-Mexico Obama Justice Department corruption saga, the New York Times is reporting Drug Enforcement Administration undercover agents have been laundering millions of dollars in Mexican Cartel profits in an effort to "catch the big fish," just as they tried to do by allowing thousands of guns to walk during Operation Fast and Furious.

Climate Change - Several animal species including gorillas in Rwanda and tigers in Bangladesh could risk extinction if the impact of climate change and extreme weather on their habitats is not addressed, a U.N. report showed on Sunday. Seriously? After UN reports that Polar Bears were drowning due to a rise in sea level was refuted, who believes any nonsense the UN reports?

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Obama's Lowlights (12/8/11)

Chevy Volt - Federal officials say they are investigating the safety of the lithium-ion battery in General Motors’ Chevrolet Volt after a second battery fire following crash-testing of the electric car.

Homeland Security - Starting next year, jaguars will be the target of an extensive network of remote cameras (at a cost of 771 thousand dollars) placed across Southern Arizona and southwest New Mexico by Homeland Security.

Barney Frank – The Massachusetts Democrat will retire and not seek a 17^th term. The good news for Democrats is it is very unlikely this district will elect anyone but a liberal. That being said, it is becoming apparent that Democrat pollsters do not see significant House gains in the 2012 election.

Capital Punishment - A condemned inmate, Gary Haugen, who was scheduled to be executed next month in Oregon, is now slamming Gov. John Kitzhaber for giving him a reprieve, saying the governor didn't have the guts to carry out the execution. Kitzhaber does not believe in capital punishment.  

EU Debt - President Barack Obama pressed European Union officials last week to reach a definitive solution to their sovereign debt crisis which is emerging as a major 2012 U.S. election worry. How is that for hypocrisy – Obama, who is responsible for 4 trillion dollars of debt, is preaching others about debt concerns?

2012 – ABC’s Jake Tapper points out that our “unprecedented” President is making more history by “campaigning on taxpayer dime”.

Medicare – Unless Congress acts before Jan. 1, doctors face a 27 percent cut in their fees for treating Medicare patients. That could undermine healthcare for millions of elderly and disabled beneficiaries. This may also force many doctors to stop seeing Medicare patients entirely.

NY Times – Thomas Edsall writes that Democrats have abandoned the white working class in favor of highly educated liberals and minorities.

Egypt – Islamists won a 65% majority in their national election with the rogue Muslim Brotherhood Party being the largest faction.

China - The Chinese Defense Ministry is upset with the U.S. for upgrading our military alliance with Australia.

Solar Energy – Was Solyndra the beginning of a solar market collapse? “Of the few hundred or so solar panel makers worldwide, just 20 to 40 are expected to remain standing in a few years time”, said Mark Bachman, a renewables analyst at Avian Securities.

Gallup – The polling company now ranks Obama’s approval ratings lower than any President since Eisenhower (at this juncture of their presidency).

Fitch – The rating company has downgraded U.S. treasury bonds outlook from positive to negative, although they are still rated AAA.

National Debt Donations – Over the past 50 years the United States government has received 83 million dollars in donations to pay off the debt. Unfortunately, the contributions don’t specifically go to pay off existing debt (yes, there is a federal program which accepts donations for the national debt – but I do not see any of those wealthy liberals donating to it – you know the ones that want to be taxed more). The government deposits these funds in the Treasury Department’s general fund, in essence the government’s main checking account. “The gifts go toward funding the federal government, not to pay off the debt,” said Mckayla Braden, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of the Public Debt.

Obama's Lowlights (12/5/11)

Russia – According to the Christian Science Monitor “Russia will target US anti-missile sites in Europe, deploy advanced radars to monitor all missile launches from NATO territory, and might even withdraw from the New START arms reduction treaty that came into force this year unless Washington takes dramatic steps to allay Moscow's concerns over plans to deploy major elements of an anti-missile shield in several European countries, President Dmitry Medvedev warned this week.”

Congress - Charles Gonzalez, a Texas Democrat and the head of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said this past week he will not seek an eighth term in the House of Representatives, blaming congressional gridlock for his decision.

Economy – Black Friday sales were estimated at a record 52 billion dollars (a 6.6% gain over last year). This may be a good sign for the economy.

Wildfires – A recent report cited that as many as 30 wildfires have been started by illegal aliens along the Mexican border in Arizona.

Don Berwick – The chief of Medicare has resigned. Berwick was the point man in the Obama administration for implementing ObamaCare.

Redistricting – A Texas court decided on a redistricting map, for the state of Texas, which heavily favors Democrats. Census results awarded Texas four additional congressional seats and they all could end up in the hands of Democrats with the proposed map.

China – Obama has been preaching the U.S. should be more like China when it comes to investing in infrastructure. This past week the roof blew off terminal 3 at Beijing’s airport (the 2^nd busiest in the world).

Dow – The Dow Jones posted its worst Thanksgiving week showing since the Great Depression.

Obama Gear – It is the holiday season and the White House is in the spirit offering consumers a 10% savings when they buy any Obama Gear.

Florida Prison – Lake County Judge, Donna Miller, provides non-violent offenders a chance to get out of prison early with her “lose-a-pound, gain-a-day” plan.

Religion – The military has ordered the removal of a cross from a chapel located on a U.S. base in northern Afghanistan.

Nanny State – A 200 pound Cleveland third grader was removed from his family and put in foster care.

Climate Change - A new study in the journal Science suggests that the global climate may be less sensitive to carbon dioxide fluctuations than predicted by the most extreme projections, and maybe slightly less than the best estimates of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Occupy Wall Street - The Associated Press is reporting that Occupy Wall Street is planning a benefit album, the proceeds of which will help fund the movement protesting income inequality.

GQ – MSNBC host, Ed Schultz, and President Obama made GQ’s list of the 25 least influential people in 2011.

Pakistan - As if Pakistan was not already a volatile ally, the death of 24 Pakistani soliders due to what the country says was a NATO drone attack has made the country decide to temporarily close border crossings used by NATO for their work in Afghanistan.

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Obama's Lowlights (12/1/11)

Michelle Obama – The Obama’s are already in full campaign mode. Michelle attended the NASCAR final this past week, in Miami, and was booed loudly by the crowd.

Pat Caddell and Doug Schoen – In a Wall Street Journal piece, the two Democratic Pollsters have been pushing hard for Obama to step aside in 2012 in favor of Hillary Clinton.

Intelligence – Hezbollah and Iran have captured 12 U.S. spies, which is obviously a huge blow to our intelligence system. Meanwhile, the U.S. and allies are hitting Iran with more sanctions (that will not work) over its nuclear program. In other news, the FBI declined to pursue a case against an "al-Qaida sympathizer" accused of plotting to bomb police stations and post offices in the New York area because they believed he was mentally unstable and incapable of pulling it off.

Convicts – They are using Facebook, within prison walls, to harass victims and intimidate witnesses.

HIV – People with the HIV virus hit a record high, which is blamed partly on the fact that there are drugs to treat the ailment.

Super Committee – They announced this past week its inability to agree on a deal to cut at least $1.2 trillion dollars from the U.S. debt. This should surprise no one since the 12 members on the committee have voting records which are very partisan. Both parties are now playing the blame game (led by the President) for the committees’ failure and waste of taxpayer dollars.

Dale Kildee – The 18 term Michigan Democratic congressman has been accused of child sexual abuse by a relative. The crime took place 50 years ago.

School Districts – Districts strapped for cash have started to find ways to raise revenue by advertising on school buses and even on report cards.

Mexican Border – This past week, three drug cartel tunnels were discovered between the U.S. and Mexico.

Utah – Utah has become the latest state to face a lawsuit from the DOJ challenging its immigration law. Utah is now the third state to face DOJ lawsuits for their immigration laws (Arizona and Alabama have also been charged).

NOAA – Richard Gaines, a reporter from the Gloucester Times reports about the quid pro quo crony politics within the NOAA. In his article he states “A $5 billion foundation that has spent tens of millions of dollars promoting the catch share commodification of New England's and other U.S. fisheries has chosen a firm with close ties to NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco to evaluate the nation's newest catch share programs.”

Occupy Wall Street – The LA Times Reports “City officials have offered protesters a $1-a-year lease on a 10,000-square-foot office space near City Hall.”

Tony Rezko – The former Obama fundraiser received a 10 year sentence for extortion and fraud.

Economy – Third quarter GDP has been revised from 2.5% down to 2%. However, there was some good news because October housing sales rose by 1.4%.

Post Office – They will be raising prices across the board in January including a one cent increase on a letter.

American Bar Association (ABA) – The ABA has declared that many of Obama’s judicial nominees are “not qualified” to be federal judges. In fact, the ABA says Obama non-qualified candidates already outnumber the number deemed unqualified put forth during the entire Clinton and Bush administrations.

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Obama's Lowlights (11/28/11)

Satellites – According to ABC news, U.S. satellites have been twice taken over by cyber-attacks.

Occupy Wall Street – They held a moment of silence for the man who shot out a window at the White House this past week. In New York, several police officers were injured during the riots, including one who was stabbed with a broken bottle.

Smallpox – The administration approved a 500 million dollar loan to Ciga, a manufacturer of the smallpox vaccine, even though the U.S. already has enough vaccines for every person in the country.

PETA – PETA started a campaign against the cartoon “Super Mario” because they believe it promotes the wearing of animal fur. PETA is also suing Sea World over what they call the “enslaving animals”.

Christmas Trees – Due to public outrage, the administration’s Department of Agriculture dropped its proposed tax on Christmas Trees.

Free Wall Street – A new movement, Free Wall Street, was started to counter the Occupy Wall Street movement. Free movement protestors want Occupy movement protestors to get a job.

Steven Chu – The Head of the Energy Department, Steven Chu, testified before the House Oversight Committee about the Solyndra debacle. Chu claims “Nothing is really our fault” about the failed 528 million dollar loan. Chu also testified that Steve Spinner had nothing to do with the Solyndra loan even though dozens of emails exist with Spinner providing input on the deal.

Balanced Budget Amendment – Legislation brought forth in the House fell 23 votes shy of its required two thirds majority to pass.

Occupy DC – The movement expanded to occupy the city’s rush hour. How exactly does disrupting hard working citizens from commuting home going to make the movement’s point they support the bottom 99%? Let’s see, I am no math genius, but this stunt will inconvenience 99 out of every 100 people the movement claims to represent. This is just plain stupidity.

Energy - President Obama's United States Department of Agriculture has delayed shale gas drilling in Ohio for up to six months by cancelling a mineral lease auction for Wayne National Forest (WNF). The move was taken in deference to environmentalists, on the pretext of studying the effects of hydraulic fracturing.

EU – The U.K. Telegraph reported that Brussels bureaucrats were ridiculed this past week after banning drink manufacturers from claiming that water can prevent dehydration.

Water Plant – An Illinois water plant was hit with a cyber-attack that not only confiscated information and disabled software, but also did physical damage to the plant.

Middle East – Riots and protests have started up again in Egypt as free elections approach.

Shepard Fairey – The man responsible for Obama’s Hope and Change poster during his 2008 campaign has redesigned it for OWS with the following phrase: “Mister President, we HOPE you’re on our side”.

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Obama's Lowlights (11/24/11)

SEIU – In Michigan, the union takes a portion of Medicare payments to families that support adults with disabilities – even if they do not belong to the union.

Obama – This is what Obama had to say about America when talking to CEOs in Honolulu: "But we've been a little bit lazy, I think, over the last couple of decades." "We've kind of taken for granted (that), well, people will want to come here, and we aren't out there hungry, selling America and trying to attract new business into America,"

Occupy Wall Street – According to the NY Post, the movement in New York City has cost businesses around the protests over a half million dollars. Riot police moved in to take the movement’s camps this past week in New York and Oakland. Oakland was arguably the most violent venue. Also, a New York state judge ruled against protestors and their right to camp in Zuccotti Park. Protestors are so outraged many are on tape threatening to firebomb New York City using Molotov cocktails.

Anjem Choudary – The Muslim cleric is on record saying that Christmas is the pathway to hell and Sharia law will take over America.

ObamaCare – The Supreme Court will likely begin hearing oral arguments as early as next February or March. Many want Justice Kagan to recuse herself from the case since released emails show her support of ObamaCare as Obama’s Solicitor General. In other news, states that refuse to create a healthcare exchange can block a lot of ObamaCare spending, forcing Congress' hand on the law. Obviously, this is something that the president wants to avoid. Obama’s solution is simple? Create an IRS rule that allows premium assistance for everyone, regardless of state vs. federal exchange participation.

EPA – On the agenda for the administration next year includes tracking emissions that cross state lines; setting greenhouse emissions for fossil fuel plants, petroleum refineries, and chemical plants; water discharge permits for cooling towers; new mileage standards for automotive companies; and new regulations for emissions from boilers and solid waste.

Farm Subsidies – A report by Senator Tom Coburn shows that 30 billion in farm subsidies are going to millionaires such as Ted Turner.

Fast and Furious – The Arizona Daily Star’s, Tim Stellar, is reporting the federal case file on Brian Terry’s death has gone missing.

Solyndra – The White House pressured the company to delay layoffs until after the 2010 midterm elections.

Super Committee – The debt committee basically passed on all the tough choices such as tax reform and entitlement reform.

Biden – The Vice President says “You fired the first shot!” when addressing unions in Ohio. If a conservative made this statement, the media would say they are being uncivil, partisan, and invoking violence.

National Debt – The national debt passed 15 trillion dollars this past week.

National Right to Carry Reciprocity Act – The House passed the right for every American to carry a concealed handgun this past week.

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Obama Lowlights (11/21/11)

Nancy Pelosi - 60 Minutes aired a segment exploring whether legislation passed by House minority leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) may have benefited her husband's stock investments. Pelosi also made an appearance on the Jon Stewart show and once again claimed that conservatives are against clean air, safe food, and clean water. This is nonsense; conservatives believe that private industry can provide clean air, clean water, and safe food more effectively than the federal government.

Privacy - The Supreme Court is set to hear a case on whether the government may use GPS to monitor citizens. Police have used this technique to track a suspect without gaining a warrant.

China - China is now out-producing the United States in carbon dioxide emissions. According to the Department of Energy, "China's emissions in 2010 were 8.15 billion tonnes. The US totaled 5.49 billion tonnes in 2010."

Dover Air Force Base – The Washington Post reports that soldier remains from both the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars were cremated and the ashes dumped in a Virginia landfill – disgraceful!

Occupy Wall Street – These folks say they care about our water, food, and air. What about our health? These protestors have been living in filth and unsanitary conditions polluting our parks, water, and air with their feces and stench. In Atlanta, there has been an outbreak of tuberculosis and hair lice are rampant at several other venues.

Food Stamps – Usage of the program (in terms of dollars) has doubled in the past two years from 35 billion to over 70 billion dollars.

Eric Holder – He claims to have apologized to the family of Border Agent, Brian Terry, for his death at the hands of guns used in operation Fast and Furious. The family claims they have yet to receive a letter or call. In other news, Holder is also asking the Supreme Court not to rule on the Arizona Immigration law, apparently he fears they will rule in favor of SB1070.

Van Jones – He has a new video, which incidentally uses children, to push his 10 point “Contract for the American Dream”. The dream of course includes higher taxes and Medicare for all.

ObamaCare – According to Gallup, the number of people on corporate health insurance plans has steadily decreased since the passing of ObamaCare. Since 2008 the number of Americans on corporate health plans has decreased from 48% to 44.5%. I suppose liberals can point to this statistic and claim ObamaCare is working exactly as they had hoped since they want everyone on a single payer government run system.

American Flag - U. S. District Court Judge James Ware ruled on a case involving students at Live Oak High School in Morgan Hill, CA, who were banned from wearing American flag t-shirts on the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo in 2010. The judge determined that the Morgan Hill Unified School District did not violate the First Amendment and said that concerns by school officials over possible violence justified censoring the pro-American message.

Oil Pipeline - The Obama administration said last week it is delaying approval of a massive oil pipeline (1700 hundred miles from Canada to Texas) until it can study new potential routes that avoid environmentally sensitive areas in the state of Nebraska, an action that likely puts off a decision until after the 2012 election and kills 100,000 jobs.  

Occupy New York – Protestors defaced the 9/11 memorial at the World Trade Center site.

My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)

Obama's Lowlights (11/17/11)

Solyndra – The executives of the failed solar company made one last decision before going bankrupt – they awarded themselves with large bonuses. Meanwhile, the White House refuses to comply with a congressional subpoena to release Solyndra documents.

Jon Corzine - Former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine resigned as CEO of collapsed financial firm MF Holdings, which is accused of unlawfully using customer deposits to cover firm losses.

Super Committee - With the "Super Committee" at a stalemate over proposed reforms, House Republicans are pushing a balanced budget amendment. Republicans would need 290 votes in order to amend the Constitution. Thirty-three Senators signed a letter urging the Super Committee to balance the budget through spending cuts, without any net tax increases.

Egypt - American taxpayer money is being used to train Islamic political parties in Egypt. A State Department spokesman said the money is helping political parties in Egypt conduct polling, provide constituent services, and prepare for election season.  

Herman Cain – I certainly do not condone Cain’s behavior (if he is guilty), but why is this story bigger than Bill Clinton’s, John Edward’s, or Elliot Spitzer’s womanizing (who were all guilty)?

Second Amendment – MSNBC host Craig Melvin and Huffington Post writer Alex Wagner want to change or get rid of the second amendment.

Immigration – Bill Clinton has endorsed Rick Perry’s immigration plan which provides illegal immigrants the right to in state tuition for a college education.

Occupy America – ABC analyst Rick Klein suggests that Obama’s only hope for 2012 is to harness the anger of the Occupy Wall Street movement in his campaign.

Whistleblower Protection – Head of the House Oversight committee, Darrell Issa, introduced legislation to protect workers who report government fraud, waste, and corruption. Issa said the legislation was needed in the wake of the failed Fast and Furious operation where the ATF fired whistleblowers.

Poverty – The Census Bureau increased its count of Americans living in poverty from 46 to 49 million (16%) since September.

Occupy Wall Street – Poll after Poll is showing that the bottom 99%, supposedly represented by the protestors, is against the OWS movement by an average of 10 points.

G20 – Nickolas Sarkozy and Obama were overheard talking about their dislike for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when they did not realize their microphones were still on.

Chicago – New Mayor, Rahm Emanuel, will raise 220 million dollars next year by not only increasing taxes, but also by increasing fines and fees on its residents.

Eric Holder – He testified before the House Oversight committee about operation Fast and Furious and he blamed the “GOP House” for a lack of information on the program. Now there’s a surprise, he is blaming Republicans for his shortcomings.

Oil drilling – The Obama administration is ever so slightly easing up on its drilling moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico and off the Alaskan coast. Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, is proposing lease sales of 15 specific areas. However, the imposed rules and regulations may be enough to shun any company from making these purchases.

Taxes – The Obama administration has proposed a 15 cent tax on Christmas trees.

Election Results – Good news for Obama, the Democrats had a pretty good day at the polls this past week (at least much better than last year). Most notably, they won a referendum that repealed the law which would limit union collective bargaining rights in Ohio. However, in Ohio, the voters also said the federal government has no right to impose mandates on its citizens to purchase healthcare insurance.

My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)

Obama's Lowlights (11/10/11)

Obama’s Student Loan Plan – According to the NY Post “At best, it’s a band-aid solution. The real problem is that we’ve been running a higher education bubble, one that -- like the real-estate bubble -- has been pumped up by cheap government money. Since 1999, student loan debt has increased by 511%, while disposable income has increased by only 73%.”

Saudi Arabia – The Saudi Royalty has offered a 900,000 thousand dollar reward for the capture of any Israeli soldiers.

OWS – Many businesses around protest areas are being forced to lay off workers since they are losing business (customers do not want to enter the protest regions for fear of their safety). Occupy Oakland has been particularly violent.

Obama – In his weekly addresses to the nation, the President has been pandering to the Occupy Wall Street movement by vilifying the top 1%. Doesn’t Obama realize he is part of the top 1%?

ObamaCare – Nancy Pelosi came out in favor of the nearly 2000 waivers, offered by the administration, to void certain provisions of healthcare law because as she claims “they are going to very small companies”. In fact, most of the waivers have been granted to very large conglomerates such as McDonalds and Jack in the Box. Small companies simply do not have the lobbying power (or campaign contribution influence) as larger and more wealthy corporations to obtain these waivers.

NRA – The National Rifle Association has launched a campaign pushing for the resignation of DOJ head, Eric Holder, for his handling of operation Fast and Furious.

More Pharmaceutical Regulations - Obama signed an executive order that gives federal regulators more power to track drug shortages, quickly approve replacement manufacturing sites, and punish price gougers.

Transparency – The DOJ wants new regulations that would enable the government to falsely claim documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) do not exist and are therefore, never released to the public. The White House is already using this power to deny public access to Solyndra documents.

PETA – The organization compared Sea World animals to slaves.

UC Berkeley – Professor Richard Mueller issued a study last week that seemingly gave conclusive evidence that global warming is caused by CO2. However, the Daily Mail reported that a leading member of Prof Muller’s team has accused him of trying to mislead the public by hiding the fact that the research shows global warming has stopped. Later Prof Curry said, “The project’s research data show there has been no increase in world temperatures since the end of the Nineties” – a fact confirmed by a new analysis that The Daily Mail has obtained.

Libya – The country is flying the al-Qaida flag as it prepares to impose Sharia law. It is hard to believe, but the new Libya government may be worse than the old Gaddafi regime.

Blame Game – This past week Debbie Wasserman-Schultz blamed the rise of Hamas on George Bush, and Michelle Obama is now on the campaign stump blaming Republicans for her husband’s shortcomings.

DOJ – Eric Holder is now suing the state of South Carolina over its immigration policy. The DOJ is also suing Arizona and Alabama over its immigration laws.

My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)

Obama's Lowlights (11/14/11)

Harry Reid - The rich can "contribute a teeny, tiny fraction more to shore up the economic future of this great nation," said Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid on the Senate floor last week. Reid was pushing President Obama's latest jobs bill that subjects the top earners in this country to additional tax hikes. 

Taxes - A bipartisan group of 100 House members will call for the deficit “super committee” to include tax hikes along with spending cuts in its recommendations, which are due later this month. 

Debit Card Fees - The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Bank of America is calling off their plan to charge customers to use their debit cards. The bank joins Wells Fargo and J.P. Morgan Chase in retreating from the fees because of negative customer feedback. The fees were imposed after Congress imposed price controls on debit card transactions. 

Fair Sentencing Act - Changes to federal laws on crack cocaine could release as many as 12,000 inmates from prison early. The Fair Sentencing Act passed by Congress in 2010 reduces the disparity for future cases dealing with crack and powder cocaine. The U.S. Sentencing Commission decided to make the Act retroactive to inmates already serving time.

Federal Budget - By a vote of 69-30, Senators approved a $182 billion spending measure funding “seven Cabinet departments and major science agencies,” Politico reports.

Homeland Security – They started monitoring twitter communications in an attempt to head off any OWS riots or violence.

SAVE Act – Congress’s new Sensible Accounting to Value Energy Act will force mortgage lenders to take into account housing energy savings when underwriting loans. Just what the declining housing market needs – more government intrusion and regulation!

Gregory Freidman – The Energy Department’s Inspector General testified before the House Oversight committee stating the administrations green agenda in the stimulus package was “unrealistic”.

OWS Demographics – From the OWS website (OccupyWallSt.org): Mostly male (61%), mostly white (81.2%), mostly employed full time (47%), mostly college educated (60.7%). Other interesting facts: the protest is largely past school-age, with 76.5% of respondents over age 25, and a third of them (30.1%) make over $50,000 a year. Only 12.3% are unemployed.

Forbes Magazine – Named Obama the most powerful man in the world for 2011 primarily for the killing of Osama bin Laden.

Taxes – Colorado voted down tax hikes by a 2 to 1 landslide. It is interesting how most people do not want higher taxes for themselves, but think it is okay for the government to tax their neighbors more.

Freddie Mac – Executives of the government run organization received large bonuses despite the fact that the company is still being bailed out with taxpayer funds. In fact, both Freddie and Fannie combined to receive another 6 billion dollars in bailouts this past quarter.

Michael Moore – He claims that there has been “no violence” or “destruction of property” during OWS protests in Oakland. He insists it is the police that are doing the rioting. I guess all those video images of the Oakland riots are just another right wing conspiracy to paint liberals as lunatics.

My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)

Obama's Lowlights (11/7/11)

California - In Sonoma County, California, Mexican nationals can now show their Mexican identification card to law enforcement officials in lieu of a California identification card. "Accepting Mexican consulate-issued cards will reduce the number of people booked into jail for lacking ID, and ergo, will reduce deportations from Santa Rosa County Jail," the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported.

TSA - Rep. John Mica (R-FL), who chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, says a new report on the Transportation Security Administration will "absolutely knock your socks off". Citing high failure rates for body scanning equipment and botched pat downs, Mica argues that the "TSA’s role at airports could be undertaken in a more efficient and less costly manner by private companies".

The Economy – The economy added a meager 80,000 new jobs and the unemployment rate went down from 9.1% to 9%.

ObamaCare – Senate Democrats have made a motion to forbid the term “ObamaCare” to be used to describe Obama’s healthcare law on internal emails.

Homeless – Apparently many vagrants and homeless have been showing up to OWS protests just to receive a free meal. This freeloading is apparently catching the ire of many hard working protestors. Does anyone see the irony? The folks who want to freeload off the wealthy are not happy when people freeload off them.

Europe – They are in the process of setting up a 1.4 trillion dollar bailout fund to prevent the collapse of the euro.

Senate Democrats – The good news is they are urging the debt commission to find 3 trillion dollars in cuts over the next decade, but they also want them to increase tax revenues by 1 trillion over the next decade.

Alan Grayson – He’s back and is the gift that keeps on giving. He compared the “racist” and “homophobic” GOP to O.J. declaring them “as the real killers”.

Virginia Tea Party – They are seeking an 8000 dollar refund, from the city of Richmond, for being unfairly charged for rallies since Occupy Wall Street rallies have not been charged any fees and have been protesting in the same area for nearly 3 straight weeks.

Solar Energy Zones – The President is pushing for dozens of solar projects on public lands in six Western states. Can you imagine the outrage if Bush decided to open up oil drilling on public lands?

Kermit Gosnell – The Philadelphia abortion doctor pleaded guilty to the murder of seven babies and one mother when performing full term abortions in grotesque conditions.

Occupy Phoenix – The OWS movement in Phoenix has handed out pamphlets explaining justifiable cases where citizens can gun down police officers. Of course the OWS movement blamed the Tea Party for these pamphlets.

Fast and Furious – Eric Holder will testify before the House Judiciary Committee about the failed operation.

Marijuana – The city of Chicago is considering passing legislation to decriminalize the use of marijuana.

MSNBC – Commentator Karen Finney suggests that the only reason conservatives like Herman Cain is because he “knows his place”. What?

Bill Clinton – “No successful country in the world thinks government is the problem”. Interesting, since there are not many “successful” countries right now – most are loaded with debt and the prospect of default. So I guess Clinton means government is the problem when countries are unsuccessful.

Lobbyists – Kudos to the NY Times for breaking a story that uncovers how much money that Obama and Democrats not only received from Wall Street, but from lobbyists. Remember, Obama campaigned that he and the DNC not would accept ANY money from lobbyists.

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Obama's Lowlights (11/3/11)

Occupy Wall Street – The movement claims to represent the 99% of the people who do not earn more than one million dollars annually. In actuality, the threshold income for the top 1% (CNN Money Report) of earners in the U.S. is 344 thousand dollars annually (down from 424 thousand in 2007). In fact, only 14% of Wall Street workers are part of the top 1% of all earners. Medical professionals make up 16% and executives from other industries make up 30% of the top 1% of earners. And let’s not forget those lawyers who make up 8% of the top 1% of all earners. Besides, people like Alec Baldwin and Michael Moore are on record claiming they are not part of the top 1% even though they earn more than 10 million dollars per year. And if that is not enough hypocrisy, the Occupy Wall Street finance committee claims to have 1 million dollars in funding in the bank. OWS now has the backing of heavily funded organizations such as unions and ACORN and they are pouring money into the movement. Yes, OWS is backed by the same greed that they claim to be against. Protests in Oakland CA, this past week, were particularly violent with dozens of arrests. Michelle Obama – Michelle is writing a book on how the White House garden inspires Americans. Sounds like a thriller! Obama Job Grade – In a recent interview Obama gave himself a job grade of “incomplete” because “the work we started is not complete yet”. If this is Obama’s way to ask for four more years – it is not very convincing. Obama also initiated his new campaign slogan “We Can’t Wait!”. Yes, I agree, “we can’t wait” for Obama to leave the Oval Office. Joe Biden – The Vice President’s office is seeking an investigation into Jason Mattera. Mattera was the journalist who had the nerve to question Biden’s fear mongering remarks about “rape” when Biden was campaigning on behalf of the Obama jobs plan. Obama – “We have lost our ambition, our imagination, and our willingness to do the things to build the Golden Gate Bridge”. He is right, this is exactly what a welfare and nanny state fosters – a lazy nation happy with mediocrity. Obama Memoirs – The State Department has spent 70,000 dollars of taxpayer money to fill our nations’ libraries with Obama’s memoirs. The White House also plans on using many copies of Obama’s memoirs, he purchased using tax payer dollars, as Christmas presents. DOJ – They have imprisoned a border agent for being too “rough” when handcuffing a 15 year old drug trafficker. OWS – The movement has announced that Rush Limbaugh is a bigger threat to America than Al-Qaida. Maybe Obama should put a bounty on Limbaugh’s head and forget about murdering the likes of Bin Laden and Al Alwaki. Handguns – According the latest Gallup Poll a record number of Americans are in favor (73%) of citizens, other than the police and authorized people, carrying handguns. Fast and Furious – Janet Napolitano testified in front of the House Oversight committee last week but still claimed that she, Holder, and Obama knew nothing about the program that is blamed for the death of boarder agents Brian Terry and Jamie Zapata. Elizabeth Warren - Former Obama administration consumer advocate turned Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren believes she laid much of the "intellectual foundation" for the Occupy Wall Street protests. “I created much of the intellectual foundation for what they do,” the Harvard Law School professor told Samuel P. Jacobs of The Daily Beast. “I support what they do.” Obama Approval Ratings - Rasmussen reports President Obama's "strongly approve" rating has dropped to its lowest ever mark. Their poll shows that 18 percent of the nation's voters strongly approve of his job as President. Forty percent strongly disapprove. Housing Prices - Housing prices have fallen again. Bloomberg news reports, "Sales of previously owned homes fell 3 percent in September from the prior month." Experts predict that home prices could continue to fall due to the high unemployment rate and limited opportunities for mortgage financing. My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)

Obama's Lowlights (10/31/11)

Wealth - The Washington, DC area has edged out Silicon Valley as the richest metropolitan area in the country. "Federal employees whose compensation averages more than $126,000 and the nation’s greatest concentration of lawyers helped Washington edge out San Jose as the wealthiest U.S. metropolitan area, Bloomberg reports. According to recent Census figures, typical household earnings in the DC area topped $84,523 last year. The national median income for 2010 was $50,046. Steve Jobs - In an authorized posthumous biography, Steve Jobs told President Obama he was "heading towards a one-term presidency." Jobs believed the U.S. was fostering an anti-business environment and an ineffective education system, putting America at a competitive disadvantage with China. TSA - The TSA is no longer responsible for just airport pat-downs. "Agents are hitting the interstates to fight terrorism with Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR)," Nashville’s WTVF-TV reports. American Jobs Act - President Obama's jobs bill has been dealt another setback by the Senate. Liberals fell 10 short of the 60 votes needed to advance a $35 billion portion of the bill. Two Democrats and one independent joined with all 47 Republicans in sustaining a bipartisan filibuster. Obama’s Approval Ratings – According to Gallup, Obama’s approval ratings for this past quarter (his 11th since being office), were the 2nd lowest all time. Only Jimmy Carter had a lower approval rating (Gallup has been conducting presidential approval numbers since Eisenhower was president). New Education Bill – The Elementary and Secondary Education Reauthorization Act has been sent to the Senate for deliberation. The bill will eliminate the need for teacher accountability by removing mandatory evaluations. This bill is on the heels of a decision made by Obama and Education Secretary head, Arne Duncan, which waived student reading and math proficiency accountability provisions from No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Campaign Tour – This past week, Obama took his taxpayer funded campaign tour out west – to Las Vegas and California. In Las Vegas the President spoke about a new initiative he is pursuing to enable home owners to refinance their mortgages – even if they are already underwater. The President is looking for ways to circumvent Congress to approve new regulations on refinancing mortgages and student loan reform. Tunisia – The good news is that the nation held it first ever democratic “free” election. The bad news is that an exiled Islamic party won a majority of the seats. Time will tell if the new party will roll back the clock on woman’s rights and infringe on other progressive gains over archaic Islamic beliefs. Syria – The US Ambassador has left the country following death threats as the country continues to go through political unrest. Wikileaks – The organization has stopped releasing documents because a funding boycott has left the organization crippled. New York City – Violent crime has spiked by 154% because police are preoccupied with handling the Occupy Wall Street movement. In fact, OWS protests in NY have gotten so violent because protestors are fighting each other. My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)

Obama's Lowlights (10/27/11)

Joe Biden – Joe warned the American public if the Obama jobs bill is not passed there will be no protection from rapes and robberies. However, major crime has been down significantly since the recession started. When Biden was asked about the vile comments by Jason Mattera, Biden responded “Don’t screw with me!” Obama – In an interview with ABC’s Jake Tapper Obama said “All the decisions we’ve made have been the right ones”. Harry Reid – “The private sector jobs market is doing just fine”. 2012 Election – Democrats in swing states are already distancing themselves from Obama and his polices. During his bus tour through North Carolina and Virginia, North Carolina Governor Bev Purdue and Virginia Senate hopeful Tim Kaine snubbed Obama. Housing Market – Since February, the cost of homes over 1 million dollars has appreciated by 0.7% whereas home values under 1 million dollars has decreased by 1.5% - Reported by the Associated Press. Risky Investments – JP Morgan Chase, Citigroup, Bank of America, and Goldman Sachs have increased their holdings in mortgage backed security derivatives by 11% to 240 trillion dollars this past year. Yes, these are the same investments that led to the financial collapse in 2008. White House Website – The administration has launched a new website to petition new ideas or changes in government policy. The top two requests are to legalize marijuana and to improve communications with aliens. Maureen Dowd – “By any standard, Mormonism is more ridiculous than any other religion”. That is saying a lot, especially if Dowd and the New York Times considered the race baiting and conspiracy theorist church run by Jeremiah Wright. Debt – By the end of October the U.S. federal debt will officially pass our GDP. Dennis Cardoza – The 5 term Democratic congressman from California will not seek reelection in 2012. Cardoza is a self-proclaimed Blue Dog Democrat, and his retirement opens up another opportunity for a moderate Republican. Medical Marijuana – Workers in the medical marijuana business are looking into unionizing. Muammar Qaddafi – It cost the U.S. taxpayers 1.2 billion dollars to kill the genocidal leader. Time will tell if the Libyan coup will produce a democracy or another rogue Islamic government. Fisker – Two years ago the electric car startup company, Fisker, received 529 million in stimulus funding. The only problem is that the company has since moved it’s manufacturing facility to Finland - creating jobs for their economy. Economy – The “Misery Index” hit a 28 year high and the standard of living in the United States is falling at its highest rate in history. Wall Street Contributions - President Obama has managed to raise far more money this year from the financial and banking sector than Mitt Romney or any other Republican presidential candidate. My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)

Obama's Lowlights (10/24/11)

Transparency – The White House is now refusing to release any additional internal documents on the Solyndra issue. And what’s worse, the White House is appealing a decision by a judge that ruled White House Visitor Logs are subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The Buffet Rule – Senator John Thune introduced legislation that will allow taxpayers to pay more taxes than they owe – since many rich folks are asking to be taxed more. Occupy Denver – I watched some of the live footage of about 2000 protestors in Denver. The city of Denver had to employ full body guard riot police to stop the protestors from unlawfully blocking downtown traffic and there were several dozen arrests. This small group has certainly gotten more media coverage than Tea Party protests in Denver because of their rowdy disposition and lack of respect for authority and other citizens. I simply have a hard time taking this movement seriously – they hate greed, but they expect government handouts – this is hypocrisy at its best. Besides, as I have said before, I do not support people that protest in a disrespectful manner. Iraq – All U.S. troops will be removed from Iraq by the end of the year. Time will tell if this decision is a good one. Nazi Party of America – They issued a statement endorsing the Occupy Wall Street movement along with the Communist Party and the Counsel on American Islamic Relations. Obama – He claimed Martin Luther King (a man of reason and peace) would have supported the Occupy Wall Street movement, a movement of indecision and thousands of arrests. Wasserman Shultz – The DNC head is at it again claiming Republicans want to block Obama’s policies so he fails to correct the economy before the 2012 election. Sean Penn – He called the Tea Party the “get the n%$#@* out of the White House Party” and they want to lynch Obama. How is this for reasonable thought, rationale, and problem solving skills? Campaigning – Where was our Commander-in-Chief this past week? He was campaigning in the swing states of North Carolina and Virginia. The White House claimed the trip was not a campaign tour so taxpayers can pay for the trip instead of Obama using his campaign contributions. Obama had this to say about Republicans: “And then you got their plan, which is, let's have dirtier air, dirtier water, less people with health insurance.” Elizabeth Warren – Warren is running against Scott Brown next year for Kennedy’s old Senate Seat in Massachusetts. During one stop Warren had this to say: “I’m going for the hick vote here, I just want you to know. Maybe we could start wearing stickers that say ‘Hicks for Elizabeth’ – could we do that?” Carolyn Kirk – The Democratic Mayor of Gloucester Massachusetts has pleaded with Obama to stop the regulations that are driving small businesses out of business. Gender Change - A lesbian couple in California is giving hormone blockers to their 11-year-old son Tommy, who wants to be a girl named Tammy. The parents argue that Tommy has identified as a girl since the age of 3 and want to give the child more time to decide if he wants to change his gender. My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)

Obama's Lowlights (10/20/11)

China – The Senate voted to place sanctions on trade with China. This type of protectionism will continue to work against our economy. Post Office – The House oversight committee has released a video detailing how the taxpayers will continue to bailout the failing government entity. Palestine – A survey by Palestine Center for Public Opinion found that only 30% of Arabs living in East Jerusalem want the city to be controlled by a Palestine State instead of Israel. Wasserman-Schultz – In an interview on Fox, the DNC chair claims “Americans didn’t elect Democrats to create jobs”. Bill Clinton – In an address Clinton said that now is not the time (during a recession) to raise taxes on any Americans. Green Companies – Investigators are looking into 5 billion dollars in loans to a plethora of green companies from the Energy Department this past week. After all, government subsidies cannot create a market where one does not exist. A few million or billion dollars cannot create demand and lower costs significantly. Trade Deals – Democrats have finally gotten on board to end a decade of partisanship over trade agreements. Congress has passed trade deals with Panama, Columbia, and South Korea. Finally, this is some actual federal policy that may work to create jobs instead of killing jobs. Bill Maher – The offensive liberal talk show host has made the suggestion that the Occupy Wall Street movement should start to use violence. Iranian Plot – Some are suggesting that the Iranian plot to kill the Saudi Arabia Ambassador to the U.S. was fabricated by the DOJ to deflect attention from Fast and Furious. Traitors – Senators Lieberman and Brown introduced legislation to strip traitors of their U.S. citizenship in the wake of the al-Awlaki assignation. Pelosi – The House minority leader claims that Republicans “Want women to die on the floor” if they do not agree to federal abortion funding. Fast and Furious – Apparently, president Obama knew about the operation before Holder – how is that possible? This is more proof that Holder perjured himself. Federal Budget – It has been 900 days since the Senate passed a fiscal budget. Uganda – President Obama has ordered about 100 US troops to the African hotspot to train citizens to fight the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). I personally do not have a problem with this, but White House policy towards global genocide is inconsistent at best. Friday Dump – This is some of the unflattering information dumped by the White House last Friday – They killed a long-term care insurance program, which was part of ObamaCare due to financial solvency concerns; the government finished the fiscal year 1.3 trillion dollars in debt (2nd worse all-time, only Obama’s 1.4 trillion dollar debt in 2009 was worse); George Kaiser, a billionaire that backed Obama and Solyndra paid no taxes last year; and off course sending ground troops into Uganda. My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)

Obama's Lowlights (10/17/11)

Joe Biden – When Biden was addressing a class of 5th graders he told them that all of our nations’ problems are due to former President Bush. Solyndra – Jonathon Silver, the head of the energy department loan program has resigned in the wake of the Solyndra scandal. Bernie Sanders – The Vermont independent (socialist) Senator says America works when “productive Americans give to unproductive Americans”. Occupy Wall Street – It is becoming evident that the people in these protests have no clue why they are protesting. Some cannot even answer the question while others are demanding free college education and healthcare. This is realistic, right – everything for free? Do these people understand there is no such thing as free; somebody has to pay for it. In fact, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow claims the incoherent and unfocused message is “genius”. And what is worse, most of the people in protests are hypocrites because they have on their possession phones, cameras, video cameras, IPods, signs, clothes, accessories, hair dye, glasses, makeup, and other items made by the corporations they detest. Other reports have surfaced that many of the protestors have been paid to protest against capitalism. How is that for irony? At an Atlanta rally, the demonstrators refused to let Georgia Representative, Jon Lewis, a civil rights leader speak. One protest manifesto defines a laborer pay scale that shows a doctor making 500 dollars more a year than laborer and engineers a mere 5 thousand dollars more than laborers. This makes little sense, why would anyone want to fall hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt (education loans) only to make a few pennies more than a high school dropout. A doctor would not have enough money to even open a practice. This would lead to a shortage of technical workers and doctors and it will doom the United States economy. Boston’s Occupy protest was over accused terrorist, Tarek Mehanna, whom they claim is a victim of Islamophobia. There were at least 50 arrests at the Boston event. The media has also gotten on board praising the protests. Diane Sawyer said the Occupy movement has spread to 1000 countries (there are not even 200 nations around the globe). And let’s make something clear: no politician in history has received more money from Wall Street firms than Obama; Pelosi has gotten more money from Wall Street than any House member in history; and the DNC receives 50% more money in campaign contributions from Wall Street than the RNC. Lawrence O’Donnell – The smug MSNBC host tried to smear Herman Cain’s military service during an interview saying it was not worthy of being Commander-in-Chief. First, O’Donnell never served in the military, nor did Barack Obama who incidentally never faced a similar onslaught of questions by O’Donnell or by any liberal media commentator. George Soros – The billionaire, who wants to pay more in taxes, is still trying to clear his name from a 2002 conviction in France for insider trading. Fast and Furious – Ten Arizona Sheriffs are on record wanting a special counsel to investigate Eric Holder. One hundred guns from the operation were recovered at the home of Torres Marrufo, a ruthless drug leader. Al Sharpton – On his MSNBC program Sharpton said it was Democrats who pushed for the Civil Rights passage in 1964 when in fact, more Republicans (by a 20% margin) supported the legislation than Democrats. Without 80% of the Republican vote the measure would have never gotten its two-thirds majority for passage. Iran – U.S. authorities have foiled an Iranian plot to kill the Saudi Arabia Ambassador to the United States. The plot was to take place on U.S. soil and target the Saudi Arabia embassy with explosives. The plan was to bring the explosives into the United States via our unprotected Southern border using Mexican drug cartels. My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)

Obama's Lowlights (10/13/11)

Obama’s Press Conference – If you missed it last week, you did not miss much – here was his message: Pass his jobs bill that Democrats won’t vote for; Occupy Wall Street expresses the people’s frustration; he is sticking with Eric Holder despite his perjured testimony on Fast and Furious; Solyndra was Bush’s fault; and he side stepped questions about Pakistan and their role in terrorist attacks against the U.S. in Afghanistan. Fast and Furious – Documents indicate that Eric Holder was briefed regularly on operation Fast and Furious as early as July 5, 2010 despite claims he knew nothing about the operation until the middle of this year. There is little question that Holder committed perjury, but I seriously doubt any charges will be filed. In fact, Holder sent a letter to Congress this past week reiterating his testimony was accurate and truthful despite documents that say the opposite. Holder has officially been subpoenaed by Congress to testify about the operation. Unions – Former NFL quarterback and Hall of Famer, Fran Tarkenton, came out against unions after witnessing the NFL strike earlier this year and the Wisconsin teacher labor dispute. Trade Agreements – I do not know what took so long, but the National Review is reporting that the White House is now pressuring Congress to pass a few trade agreements with foreign countries. You know those agreements (especially NAFTA) that Obama blasted on the campaign trail by misinforming the American people when he claimed trade agreements force jobs to go overseas. ESPN – The media company made a political statement when it refused to air Hank Williams Jr. pregame song on Monday Night Football because of critical comments he made about the president. Williams’ comments were over the top, but this is arguably a breach of his first amendment rights. TSA – There are reports that they are forcing breast cancer survivors to remove their prosthetic breasts during airport screenings. Gun Laws – A Washington DC circuit court upheld the ban on certain weaponry, declaring Washington DC’s gun law ban is constitutional. Bank of America (BoA) – Democrats are taking shots at BoA for their new 5 dollar fee for using debit cards. Remember, it was the Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation that has forced banks to find new methods to recover lost revenue. The American Jobs Act – Obama has expressed anger that House Republicans are blocking his jobs plan, but our partisan president did not express any anger towards Senate Democrats for blocking his jobs plan (McConnell pushed for a vote, but Reid declined). In fact, Reid passed a nuclear motion, 51-49, to make it harder (changed Senate rules) for the minority group in the Senate to force the majority party into “uncomfortable” votes on legislation. Finally, the Democrat lead Senate voted and rejected the proposal (Got 50 votes, needed 60). Central Falls, Rhode Island – The small city has filed for chapter 9 bankruptcy because it cannot afford to pay city workers over 20 million dollars in unfunded liabilities. Michelle Obama – Her trip to Africa cost the taxpayer’s 424,000 dollars and she listed her two children as senior staffers so the taxpayers can pay for them too. Black Panther Party – Andrew Brietbart has released pictures of Senator Obama marching with the Black Panther Party in 2007. Italy – Moody’s has downgraded Italy bonds by 3 credit levels. Welfare – During the 3rd quarter of 2010, 44% of all Americans received some form of welfare, that number was 48.5% for the 1st quarter of 2010. My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)

Obama's Lowlights (10/10/11)

Economy – The economy added 103 thousand jobs in September, but the unemployment rate stays at 9.1%. PETA - Prompted by reports that a man was bitten by a shark on Saturday while spearfishing in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Anna Maria Island, PETA plans to run an outdoor advertising campaign on benches and billboards near the island that makes the point that the deadliest killers in the water aren't sharks—they're humans. The ad shows a human "drumstick" hanging out of a shark's mouth next to the words "Payback Is Hell. Go Vegan." California – The Los Angeles Times reports many state employees are allowed to collect both a pay check and pension benefits. Janeane Garafalo – On Olbermann, Garafalo made the claim that anyone who supports Herman Cain is a racist. Frivolous Lawsuits – Obama has suggested that unemployed people should sue companies for discrimination if they refuse to hire them. Obama – According to Obama, America has gone “soft”. I have to agree with Obama, but what causes American citizens to go soft? People becoming dependent on government subsidies causes American citizens to become soft – Obamacare and extended unemployment are two examples under Obama’s watch. Bless You – A California teacher is on record saying he is deducting points off students’ grades for saying “Bless You” after a person sneezes. Valarie Jarrett – The senior White House aide says the purpose of government “is to lift people out of poverty”. The poverty level has increased by 2.5% under Obama – in 2010, over 15% of Americans lived below the poverty line. ObamaCare - A new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation underlines that many of the promises surrounding President Obama’s health care legislation remain unfulfilled. Anwar Al-Awlaki – The U.S. born terrorist was killed in Yemen last week by a drone attack. The White House put a death bounty on Al-Awlaki in 2009. Ironically, the Obama administration has called out the Bush administration for human rights injustices for using enhanced interrogation techniques. Where is the liberal outrage over Obama ordering the execution of a U.S. born citizen? How is this not a violation of Al-Awlaki civil rights according to liberal philosophies? Let’s at least be consistent in our views! Colorado – Tax hikes are on the November election cycle. The state wants to increase the sales tax from 2.9 to 3 percent and the state income tax from 4.63 to 5 percent. Fast and Furious – A White House document was uncovered (a map) that specifically illustrates ATF gun trafficking from the U.S. to Mexico, but Obama and Holder still claim to have known nothing about the operation. Occupy Wall Street – Over 700 liberal protestors were arrested on the Brooklyn Bridge. The group was protesting Wall Street greed, but where is the outrage over the greed of all those green companies that are costing the taxpayers billions of dollars each year in loans. I wonder what the media coverage would have been like had 700 Tea Partiers were arrested when they protested on the Capital Building. Robert Johnson – The founder of Black Entertainment Television disagrees with Obama’s willingness to raise taxes on the wealthy. Obama – In a recent interview Obama admitted that Americans are no better off than 4 years ago (in fact, they are worse off – higher unemployment etc.) and he also said he had no regrets over giving Solyndra 535 million taxpayer funded loans. At least he is not blaming Bush. My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)

Obama's Lowlights (10/6/11)

Fast and Furious – Fox News revealed documents that not only link the ATF to buying guns and selling them directly to drug cartels, but they, not surprisingly, used taxpayer money to buy the guns. Obama Campaign – Obama is in full campaign mode and called out Republican audiences (at GOP debates) for “booing gay soldiers” and “cheering death”. He also criticized Perry’s position on climate change because the state of Texas has out of control wildfires. These are flat out lies and Obama is not a climatologist. ObamaCare – The DOJ failed to appeal the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals decision striking down the “mandate” to purchase health insurance. This means the decision will go to the Supreme Court and the administration must be confident the court will side with the legislation. Homosexuality – A Fort Worth Texas student was suspended for saying he felt “homosexuality was wrong”. The student was merely stating an opinion that contained no ill will towards homosexuality (he did not use derogatory terminology or use strong language such as hate) and the student has history of violence. Colorado – The White House issued a press release, including a map highlighting states Obama visited on last weeks’ campaign trip. The only problem is that they confused Wyoming and Colorado. It seems the president can use a geography refresher course (remember when he insisted there were 57 states in the United States – he was including territories such as Guan, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, District of Columbia and so forth as states). Ford – The automotive company ended a TV commercial that criticized its competitors (GM and Chrysler) for accepting bailouts because of pressure from the White House. Greece – In an attempt to reduce their debt and qualify for an 11 billion dollar loan, the Greece government has passed a property tax. Global Warming – The White House clarified its view on global warming (after blaming the Texas fires on global warming) as changes in weather patterns and trends (unpredictability). If that is true, why then do liberals support renewable energies that are dependent on weather patterns? And why do liberals trust climate change models that would be rendered obsolete if trends do not hold true? Once again, progressive logic is severely lacking sound judgment because it fails to analyze facts and data. Pakistan – Evidence has revealed that the Pakistan government was behind the attack on the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan. Illegal Immigration – A federal judge ruled in favor of the newly passed Alabama legislation stating “Federal law doesn't prohibit the law's provisions on students or suspects pulled over by police.” Terrorism - A 26-year-old Massachusetts man was arrested and charged last week in connection with a plot to attack the Pentagon and the Capitol, the Justice Department announced. Rezwan Ferdaus, a U.S. citizen, is accused of planning to use a remote-controlled aircraft filled with explosives to attack the buildings. ObamaCare – Health insurance premiums rose in 2011 by 9%. The cost per individual rose from 5049 dollars to 5429 dollars and the cost per family rose from 13770 to 15073 dollars. Taxes – Jordan Burroughs just won 50 thousand dollars for winning the 163 pound wrestling weight class at the world championships freestyle. Burroughs, who is African-American, just graduated from Nebraska and found out what taxes are like in the real world. He tweeted “I hate taxes” after he lost nearly half his purse. Beverly Purdue – The North Carolina governor discussed how democracy gets in the way of protecting people in need. American Jobs Plan – Even if the Obama Jobs Plan works as it is designated, it will cost the taxpayers 1.6 million dollars for every job created or saved. My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)

Obama's Lowlights

3.4 Million Jobs – That is the amount of jobs the economy lost due to five Obama White House regulations: Utility Plant Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT), Cement MACT, Coal Ash, Greenhouse Emissions, and the Boiler MACT. Taxes – More Hollywood liberals (Ron Howard, Jane Lynch) have come forth wanting to be taxed more. Once again, there is nothing stopping these folks from paying higher taxes. They can refuse to itemize all their deductions, but they do not do this. Ahmadinejad – The U.S. delegation walked out during a crazed rant by the Iranian leader while he was addressing the UN general assembly – kudos. Another Stop Gap Budget – By a largely party-line vote of 219 to 203, the Republican-controlled House approved a bill that would keep the government running through November 18 and provide $3.65 billion for disaster relief. The Senate passed an updated version of the House plan, which House Republicans will not block. Palestine – They submitted a bid to the UN for statehood recognition, which of course was against the wishes of both the U.S. and Israel. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) – The Obama administration has granted waivers to states so they can opt out of some provisions in the NCLB legislation. Hence, states will NOT have to show children are proficient in Math and Reading by 2014 – the ultimate goal of NCLB. Obama Missouri Fundraiser – A wealthy business owner, Tom Carnahan, held an expensive fundraiser for Obama. After all, Carnahan’s business accepted 107 million in stimulus funding for his business Wind Capital. EPA – The Environmental Protection Agency plans to shut down 20% of U.S. coal power plants in 2012. This misguided act will have one effect – it will make the energy bills for every American much more expensive. Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) – Obama addressed the CBC last week and told them to “stop complaining” and “crying” about his administration’s failure to create enough jobs, especially in black communities. New York Times – One editorial called the Solyndra story a hoax created by desperate conservatives. Marketing the American Jobs Act – I really do not know whether to laugh or cry when our see our president attempting to market his jobs plan by sitting in front of bridge that is not scheduled for maintenance until 2015. It is a sad day when the leader of the free world has to stoop to this type of ineffective pandering to the American public. Any jobs plan should appeal to our creativity, vision, ingenuity, innovation, and it should be strategic – not a simple construction job. My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)

Obama's Lowlights (9/29/11)

Islam – A new poll found that 63% of Americans are in favor of Representative Peter King’s hearings on the radicalization of Islam in America. Fast and Furious – The DOJ, FBI, and ATF have failed to issue a criminal report on the killing of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry (almost a year). Meanwhile, CBS has uncovered a recording suggesting that 3 guns from the Fast and Furious program were used in the killing, not two. All testimony to date from the DOJ, FBI, and ATF assert only two Fast and Furious guns were used in Terry’s death. In a second recording obtained by CBS, Terry’s death was described as collateral damage. And if this conflicting information about Terry’s death is not bad enough, the Mexican Attorney General is on record indicating that more than 200 deaths can be linked to operation Fast and Furious. Work Environment – A new book, by Ron Suskind, which interviewed over 200 White House staffers, claims that the Obama White House work environment has been hostile towards women. The book also called the White House west wing dysfunctional. Planned Parenthood – An internal document revealed Planned Parenthood affiliates performed 332,278 abortions in 2009. Crime – Violent crime was down 12% in 2010. This data refutes liberal claims that there is more violent right wing extremist activity. Liberals continually argue that extremists are angry because the U.S. now has an African-American president. Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) - "Unhappy members of the Congressional Black Caucus probably would be marching on the White House” if Obama were not president, according to CBC Chairman Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. Libya – Obama was touting the international effort in Libya as a success at the UN last week. Can the president actually assert Libya is a success without knowing how the opposition government is going to rule? If Libya fails to create a stable democracy, then the effort has to be ruled a failure. Time will tell. Taxes – Obama has been campaigning for the passage of his American Jobs Act. Time after time he has made a statement proclaiming that middle class folks pay more in taxes than millionaires because of loopholes. This is completely untrue and anyone can attest to this fact by reviewing IRS records. According to the IRS, in 2010, the top 10% of income earners pay nearly 90% of all income taxes in the U.S. Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT) – The controversial military policy, DADT (military policy on how to handle gay personal), has officially ended this past week. Stimulus 2.0 – Moderate Democrats (both House and Senate) are on record of being against the proposed tax hikes in the plan; recent polls show that independents are against the proposed plan by a 20% margin; and liberal media outlets such as ABC and MSM disagree with Obama’s fiscal assessment of the Buffet Rule in his proposed legislation. DOJ – An audit of the Department of Justice (DOJ) concluded that the office spent 121 million dollars in 2008 and 2009 on internal conferences (far over budget). What’s worse is that the audit specified the spending was extravagant and wasteful - including spending 16 dollars apiece for a muffin, cookie, or soft drink. Ground Zero Mosque – The new Islamic Center opened the first floor of its complex this past week. My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)

Obama's Lowlights (9/26/11)

National Security - The Pentagon has been raising concerns about a new wireless project by a satellite broadband company in Virginia called LightSquared, whose majority owner is an investment fund run by Democratic donor Philip Falcone. Gen. Shelton was originally scheduled to testify Aug. 3 to a House committee that the project would interfere with the military’s sensitive Global Positioning Satellite capabilities, which control automated driving directions and missile targeting, among other things. Sheldon’s testimony was delayed because the White House was urging Shelton to alter his testimony.

Border Security - U. S. Border Patrol agents seized six assault rifles, one rocket launcher, a grenade launcher, and three packages of what appeared to be C-4 explosives last week near the Rio Grande.

Green Companies – Several green companies, other than Solyndra, which received government stimulus money also went bankrupt including Evergreen Solar and SpectraWatt. Despite this, the Department of Energy (DOE) is handing out loans to clean energy companies at a rate of more than 1 per week. The DOE still has 9.3 billion in taxpayer funds in its treasure chest to loan out this fiscal year.

Immigration - President Obama told a Hispanic group in Washington last week that when it comes to the issue of immigration, "I'd like to work my way around Congress." "As I mentioned when I was at La Raza a few weeks back, I wish I had a magic wand and could make this all happen on my own," Obama told a meeting of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. "There are times where -- until Nancy Pelosi is speaker again -- I'd like to work my way around Congress."

Ford – A new commercial by Ford criticizes its U.S. automaker competitors, GM and Chrysler, for accepting government bailouts.

Pentagon – Leon Panetta warns Congress that 400 billion dollars in cuts (over a decade) of Pentagon spending would increase the national unemployment rate by 1%.

Frivolous Lawsuit – Two young adults are suing their mother for being a “bad parent” and blaming her for all their problems. They are being represented by their vindictive father, who just so happens to be a lawyer. One complaint charges irreparable harm over having a different last name than their mom.

Tax Reform – Thirty-Six Senators, from both parties, want the Deficit Super Commission to propose tax reform, which will lower taxes for ALL Americans.

Polls – Obama has hit a new personal approval low, in a NY Times / CBS poll, which generally gives him higher ratings than other polls (50% disapprove / 43% approve). While many may not approve of Obama’s handling of the economy or his job in general, it should be even more alarming that his personal approval numbers are also underwater. Until recently, most Americans had a favorable view of President (it terms of personality).

Wall Street – Protestors were out in large numbers this past week displaying their anger over the “greed” of Wall Street companies. Meanwhile, these same protestors have absolutely no issue with Obama lying in bed with GE (paid no taxes), Whirlpool (paid no taxes), and green companies that are wasting billions of dollars in taxpayer money. Shouldn’t liberals take exception to all these corporations equally?

NY Times – Maureen Dowd’s column last week was entitled “The Right Wing is the Stupid Party”. I see the Left is once again displaying its tolerance and civility.

American Jobs Act – Obama revealed his plans to pay for the bill by raising taxes on individuals making more than 250 thousand dollars (the Buffet Rule) and by increasing taxes on oil and gas companies. This will certainly have a trickledown effect on our economy - these increased corporate taxes will be passed onto the middle class. And let’s not forget that Warren Buffet has sheltered his income from the IRS better than most billionaires.

My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)

Obama's Lowlights (9/22/11)

Civility – Union workers have been protesting outside GOP debates with some outrageous signs claiming conservatives and Tea Partiers hate workers and homosexuals.

David Axelrod – This is his stance on the Obama jobs plan: “Hell no, we will not compromise with Republicans on the jobs plan”. The White House has since clarified these remarks. Maybe someone should report Axelrod to AttackWatch.com.

Andrew Sullivan – In his latest article he states the U.S. will go into a Civil War if Obama is defeated in 2012.

Fast and Furious – FBI leaders and Janet Napolitano sidestepped questions and were uncooperative when they addressed the Congressional Ethics Committee.

Economy – The number of people living in poverty grew to 15.1% (up from 14.3% last year). Nearly 90 million Americans did not work at all last year and the median U.S. income fell to 1997 levels.

9/11 Ceremonies – Northern Arizona University administrators thwarted a student sponsored 9/11 10 year anniversary ceremony.

Frivolous Lawsuits – A first year lawyer filed a 77 million dollar suit against the firm that fired him for burning bridges. Lawyers, what would we do without them?

Big Brother – The White House wants citizens to report any smear attacks against the President. The social media czar, Jesse Lee, is leading the charge and created the website AttackWatch.com. This website will provide the White House a fast way to respond to any attacks – true or false.

Jobs Bill – Obama is desperate for support for his second stimulus he is directing African-American Journalists to “pump up” his plan. In one speech our narcissistic Commander-in-Chief proclaimed “If you love me, you gotta help me pass this bill”.

Solyndra – Solyndra is the now defunct solar company that was the Obama poster child for up and coming green energy corporations. Solyndra burned 535 million dollars in stimulus and the FBI uncovered emails that detail how the White House political team supported Solyndra even though both Bush and Obama economic advisors were adamantly against funding the poorly run company. The Inspector General is also looking into the government loan, particularly the low interest rate Solyndra received (1 to 2%) even though their corporate rating was only B+. Solyndra executives plan on “pleading the 5th Amendment” when they are called to testify in front of Congress.

Pennsylvania – The state legislator is trying to pass a law changing how their electoral votes are counted, similar to Maine and Nebraska, where the winner does not earn all the electoral votes. In other words, a candidate can earn electoral votes for districts they won, even if they lost the state popular vote.

Campaigns – In August, the RNC raised 3 million more dollars than the DNC. Historically, the DNC usually raises much more money than the RNC. This can be another troubling trend for Democrats.

ObamaCare – Some damning internal emails have surfaced about the Class Act (a federally funded long-term care program) provision in ObamaCare. Richard Foster, head of the forecast team for Medicare, repeatedly explained to the White House that the program will go “belly up” and the proposal “does not look workable”. Still, the administration included the program in the legislation and when Class Act, the latest government Ponzi scheme, fails, the taxpayers will face the burden of yet another bankrupt entitlement.

My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)

Obama's Lowlights (9/19/11)

New Online Game – Try your luck at a new online game to see how many Tea Party Zombies you can kill.

Mexican Drug Cartels – According to the Wall Street Journal, the DOJ released an Arizona man who confessed to supplying Mexican drug cartels with grenades and other weaponry.

Oil Industry – The American Petroleum Institute issued a report saying the industry can create one million new jobs if a Canada to Texas pipeline is constructed; if natural gas exploration is expanded in New York and other states; and if proposals to expand offshore drilling are allowed.

Michigan – Michigan enacted a law that will place a 4 year limit on welfare. It was only a matter of time before this type of reform was put in place. States and the federal government simply cannot afford to issue individuals a lifetime of welfare benefits.

Unions – Hundreds of unionized longshoremen stormed a Washington State port – they destroyed goods and took hostages over a labor dispute. Miraculously, no one was hurt or arrested. I wonder what the media coverage would have looked like had Tea Party members done something similar.

Patents – Congress passed Patent reform legislation for the first time in 60 years. I do not know enough about the new law to know if it will work or if it will fail to stop U.S. corporate ideas from being infringed upon by global competitors.

Civility – Several liberals were arrested at a Paul Ryan town hall meeting.

Richard Trumka – Richard Trumka was one of Obama’s honored guests at his Jobs Speech. He authored an editorial on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 by honoring AFL-CIO union members. You have to read it to believe it – the article was nothing more than repulsive hate speech.

MSNBC – The network got a boost to its ratings when it covered the GOP debate held at the Reagan Library in California.

Paul Krugman – The classy NY Times columnist is calling Giuliani and Bush “Fake Heroes” who cashed in on 9-11. There is no question that Krugman is a divisive and polarizing figure, but he should try to put politics aside and attempt to unite citizens when our country faces such turbulent times.

Europe – The Euro crisis has flared up again over continued concerns about the Greece default situation. As a result, the Euro hit a 10 year low versus the Yen. Italy has also passed austerity measures to correct massive government shortfalls.

Campaign – The DNC has begun running TV ads in swing states to support the Presidents 477 billion dollar jobs plan. Good luck with that.

Obama’s Economic Plan – The plan sets aside 25 billion to fix “run-down” schools. This sounds noble, but nicer classrooms does not necessarily equate to a better education.

Afghanistan – The U.S. embassy in Kabul was attacked killing 10 people and wounding dozens more. This tragedy is a stark reminder that the situation in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate despite the troop surge.

My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)