Friday, July 8, 2011

Unemployment In Barack Obama's Economy - The Masters Of Disaster

President Obama addresses the need to reduce the nation’s deficit while creating jobs across the country and wishes Americans a happy Fourth of July. Image Credit: whitehouse.gov

Unemployment In Barack Obama's Economy - The Masters Of Disaster

Today, the government's reporting of the June 2011 unemployment numbers came out. As always, the mainstream media, who blatantly support our current political leadership, reports these numbers out as ... unexpected, well below economists' expectations, a continuing "soft patch", and a disappointing downturn.

The fact of the matter is that this jobs report of only 18,000 new jobs created in an economy where just to keep up with population increases needs to add 150,000 per month and to start to recover back to the levels of unemployment set to before this economic downturn (and get it back within five years) of 350,000 jobs in the private sector per month. Of course the government constantly under reports these numbers so it could be less than the 18,000. The growth of 54,000 jobs previously reported for May 2011 was revised down today to just 25,000. Using this habit of softening the ugly blow of FAILURE through under-reporting, the numbers released today may be revised even more downward to about 8,500 or so.

In the first ever Twitter Town Hall at the White House, President Obama answers your questions (of 140 characters or less) on jobs and the economy and asks for your feedback on reducing the deficit. Image Credit: whitehouse.gov

This excerpted and edited from The Los Angeles Times -

Dismal jobs report shows unemployment rising to 9.2%
July 8, 2011 | 6:19 am

The U.S. employment picture went from bad to ugly last month as employers added almost no new net jobs and the unemployment rate edged up for the third straight month, to 9.2%.

The report Friday from the Labor Department is sure to be a huge disappointment and will raise fresh questions about the sustainability of the recovery, now technically starting its third year.

Analysts had raised their job-growth forecasts for June to 100,000 or more in recent days, hopeful of a rebound after surprisingly few job gains in May, which many attributed to temporary factors such as Japan's earthquake and the spike in oil prices.
----
The unemployment rate, meanwhile, ticked up to 9.2 from 9.1% in the previous month and this year’s low of 8.8% in March. Many thousands of people in June dropped out of the labor force, some presumably because of the discouraging outlook.

Friday’s jobs report was remarkable in that there was nothing positive in it.
----
Even for those with jobs in June, there was bad news. The average weekly work hours declined by 0.1 to 34.3. And the average hourly earnings for all private-sector employees dropped by one cent to $22.99.

"It's just an across-the-board retreat," said Heidi Shierholz, a labor economist at the Economic Policy Institute. So bad was the report, she found it hard to describe it and its portent for the future. "This is two months of really scary reports."
[Reference Here]

Of course, Obama adviser David Plouffe said that two days before the June jobs report was released that economists anticipate 100,000 or 125,000 jobs to be added that month. After hearing the 18,000 number, Plouffe claimed (as quoted by Bloomberg), "The average American does not view the economy through the prism of GDP or unemployment rates or even month jobs numbers."

"People won't vote based on the unemployment rate, they're going to vote based on: 'How do I feel about my own situation? Do I believe the president makes decisions based on me and my family'," Plouffe continued.

Austan Goolsbee, chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said in a recent interview on Bloomberg TV, “We want to be for any policies that are going to help incentivize and stand up the private sector to drive the recovery.”

I have a suggestion to Masters Goolsbee, Obama, and Plouffe, why don't we get the weight of the Government to "Stand Down" so that the private sector can "Stand Up" and begin to create the recovery from the overbearing socialist agenda this 44th Presidency has implemented since taking office Jan. 20, 2009.

Barack Obama, David Plouffe, and Austin Goolsbee are just the beginning in the naming of the economic masters of disaster in this era of United States economic failure here in Carter's Second Term.


(Article first published as Unemployment In Barack Obama's Economy - The Masters Of Disaster on Technorati)

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

In Iowa, Barack Obama Ups His Game

President Barack Obama talks with patrons during a stop for lunch at Ross’ Restaurant in Bettendorf, June 28, 2011. Image Credit: Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

In Iowa, Barack Obama Ups His Game


This week saw the President of the United States travel to Iowa for a fund raiser over the same time period the loyal opposition of the Republican party were campaigning to become the choice of the American people to unseat him.

Barack Obama scheduled this manufacturing plant speech for his run to get re-elected over the same time he is wanting to up the nations debt ceiling so that he, and the Democrat party can saddle the American citizenry with more Government spending and debt.

In the speech he came to Iowa to deliver, he made this statement, "You [Alcoa Davenport Works] had to up your game. And that’s what we’ve got to do as a country as a whole."

Before Barack Obama admonished the people of the United States for not playing hard enough and taking their life situations seriously enough, he showed his commitment to his wife's agenda for all Americans to eat healthier by dropping by for lunch at Ross’ Restaurant in Bettendorf.

My Plate replaces the food pyramid as the symbol of Government guidance on eating. Image Credit: choosemyplate.gov

This excerpted and edited from the Des Moines Register -

Obama makes good on promise to stop at Iowa diner
Des Moines Register - 1:47 PM, Jun 28, 2011
By Ed Tibbetts, Quad-City Times

The president then made good on a 2008 campaign promise today, making a quick stop at Ross’ Restaurant in Bettendorf. The diner is off Interstate-74 on the way to Alcoa, which is in nearby Riverdale.

Three years ago, Obama talked with an owner, Cynthia Freidhof, at a town hall meeting, in August, 2008, and pledged to come here.
----
“You are so awesome,” Cynthia told the president as they hugged.

The president explained what had happened at the town hall, and that he’d been told about the Magic Mountain.
----
The president ordered four Magic Mountains and two Volcanoes. A Magic Mountain has grilled loose meat hamburger on texas toast, covered with french frieds and cheese sauce. Topped with onions, which is called a “snowcap on the mountain.” It becomes a volcanoe by adding chili on the top.

“I think he’s a man of his word, always, and he’s doing the very best job that he can and I just can’t believe he’s here, but it’s real,” Freidhof said.

The president challenged the press with him to eat a Magic Mountain, saying he’d buy it if they ate it. (I’m not sure if anyone took him up on it). The president said the orders he placed were for people on the plane [as if!] .
[Reference Here]

So the President upped his game on eating poorly (or just feeding his staff poorly) in Iowa against the lecturing of his wife's, Michelle, My Plate Campaign upon which the USDA invested over $2,000,000 on the website alone. One has to ask themselves, why did we throw away the food pyramid in favor of a multi-million dollar USDA eat healthy campaign just to have it officially ignored by the people who choose to shove this agenda down our throats? ... all the while being admonished and told to "UP OUR GAME".

Two words:

Up Yours!

Oh! ... and stop (EPA up 125% alone since Obama took office in 2009), STOP spending our money.

(Article first published as In Iowa, Barack Obama Ups His Game on Technorati)

Thursday, June 16, 2011

The Barack Obama Economy - Greece-ing Our Skids

President Barack Obama delivers remarks during the Official Arrival Ceremony for Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany on the South Lawn of the White House, June 7, 2011. Image Credit: Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy

The Barack Obama Economy - Greece-ing Our Skids

Yesterday, the United States stock market dropped about 1.5% on fears of extreme unrest in Greece on the news that the citizens there, who have lived in an entitlement/socialist society for decades, have nearly bankrupted the country and can no longer receive the supports to their lifestyles they were accustomed to.

Greece is struggling with a nearly half a trillion dollar debt load, and is working to avoid having to restructure, or worse, default on its debt. However, the Greek public has protested deep spending cuts and austerity measures to save their economy, and plans to privatize government-held entities have fallen far short of the necessary capital requirements.

Last week, President Barack Obama met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and one of the issues they discused was this ongoing problem of the Greecian economy. Greece has already received $161 billion in European bailout assistance, largely orchestrated by Merkel. Now, European finance ministers and international lenders are working on a second round, on the order of an additional $1l7 billion to $146 billion.

After his meeting with Merkel, Obama said the U.S. would participate in the bailout on condition that Germany takes the lead. In a sense, as the largest contributor to the International Monetary Fund, the United States is already participating.

This excerpted and edited from CNBC's moneycontrol.com -

US is in even worse shape financially than Greece: Gross
moneycontrol.com - Published on Tue, Jun 14, 2011

When adding in all of the money owed to cover future liabilities in entitlement programs the US is actually in worse financial shape than Greece and other debt-laden European countries, Pimco`s Bill Gross told CNBC Monday.

Much of the public focus is on the nation`s public debt, which is USD 14.3 trillion. But that doesn`t include money guaranteed for Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, which comes to close to USD 50 trillion, according to government figures.

The government also is on the hook for other debts such as the programs related to the bailout of the financial system following the crisis of 2008 and 2009, government figures show.

Taken together, Gross puts the total at "nearly USD 100 trillion," that while perhaps a bit on the high side, places the country in a highly unenviable fiscal position that he said won`t find a solution overnight.
----
Should the debt problem in Greece explode into a full-blown crisis-an International Monetary Fund bailout has prevented a full-scale meltdown so far-Gross predicted that German debt, not that of the US, would be the safe-haven of choice for global investors.
[Reference Here]

Question: Why are we bailing out Greece when we should be bailing out ... ourselves?

This is not the time to approve an increase the debt ceiling as the President insists on having the Congress and the Senate agree with him to do. Our country is already way too much in debt on un-funded liabilities alone.

It's time to hit the spending brakes, right now during Carter's Second Term, and stop this skid into Government entitlement oblivion.

Friday, June 3, 2011

Mitt Romney And The Era Of Jimmy Carter

Stagflation, the worst of both worlds (anemic economic growth and high inflation) brings back less than fond memories of the 1970's, along with the misery index, which is calculated adding the inflation rate to the unemployment rate. Until the 1960's, Keynesian economists had thought that those two economic events couldn't happen at the same time. Image Credit: Copyright Free via myfreedompost.com

Mitt Romney And The Era Of Jimmy Carter

Welcome home to the era of Jimmy Carter as experienced here in Los Angeles and the rest of the nation. Half of our population never lived through the era and presidency of Jimmy Carter - where inflation and recession existed side-by-side which, in economic theory anyway, is not supposed to happen on the "Bell Curve". Where long lines of 30 or more cars formed around the street corners of gas stations and the ODD, EVEN gas rationing plan in Los Angeles was implemented because our supplies at the pump were allowed to become constrained.

Today, the unemployment numbers were just released and we are looking at a second summer where a double dip recession is a real possibility. A 9.1% unemployment rate was just announced for this last month (May 2011) and we know that this number will be adjusted upward as virtually all numbers released during this 44th Presidency have been manipulated to the media. Meanwhile, fuel prices fluctuate, policies get implemented without warning, and this Executive Branch leads with a high level uncertainty that promotes a sense of instability further antagonizing the fragility of our economic environment.

The Obama Administration, Democrat, and Republican ruling class leadership continue tell anyone that is in earshot that our best days are behind us and ask that we sacrifice any income to devote toward additional taxation. All the while, trillion dollar spending appropriations are passed, and 100 billions of dollars takeovers of large segments of our corporate manufacturing marketplace are made, kicking investors to the back of the line on the recognition of their ownership stake (possibly against American business law statutes) and turning these enterprises over to a shared control with employee unions ... who give dues money back to these politicians to finance their re-election campaigns.

This week in New Hampshire, Mitt Romney announced his candidacy to become the 45th President of the United States and unseat this current regime. We, at Carter's Second Term, would become excited but one has to ask ... where has Mitt been over these last two and a half years, to lead the push back, when we all have had to endure leadership without debate, transparency, capitalism, and an attitude of service to the freedom-loving people who are the nation (not the ruling class that think the Government exists to serve them).

Mitt Romney announces he is running for president, Thursday, June 2, 2011, during a campaign event at Bittersweet Farm in Stratham, N.H.. Image Credit: FNC

This excerpted and edited from 4president.org -

Mitt Romney 2012 Presidential Campaign Announcement Speech

June 2, 2011, Stratham, New Hampshire, Remarks As Prepared For Delivery #mitt2012

Thank you for coming. And I want to thank Doug and Stella Scamman for hosting us on their beautiful farm.

You know, everyone here today can tell a different story. We have different backgrounds and we wake up in the morning and go to different jobs … or, look for different jobs. We go to different churches or maybe don't go to church so much. I bet some of you have families who go back 200 years or more in New Hampshire. And there must be some who just snuck in across the border, from Massachusetts. I hear the taxes are better over here.

But here we are on a beautiful June day coming together to begin a process that we often, quite naturally, take for granted. But it is really one of the great achievements in the history of the world. For all of our country’s wealth and influence, those are not the source of our greatness. The true strength of America is self-rule, and a government that answers to a free and independent people.

We live in the most powerful nation that ever existed. And it all goes back to a few men and women who had the courage to stand - and even die - for their belief in liberty and equality. Because of their vision, the United States of America is not ruled by a monarchy or controlled by an aristocracy. Though sometimes folks in Washington might act otherwise, we don't have a House of Lords with inherited power. And as the Red Sox like to remind the New York Yankees, there are no dynasties in America.

Who rules this great nation?

You do. Every four years you decide who will give that State of the Union address, who will set the course of the country, who will be Commander in Chief.
----
A few years ago, Americans did something that was, actually, very much the sort of thing Americans like to do: We gave someone new a chance to lead; someone we hadn't known for very long, who didn't have much of a record but promised to lead us to a better place.

At the time, we didn't know what sort of a President he would make. It was a moment of crisis for our economy, and when Barack Obama came to office, we wished him well and hoped for the best.

Now, in the third year of his four-year term, we have more than promises and slogans to go by.

Barack Obama has failed America.

When he took office, the economy was in recession. He made it worse. And he made it last longer.

Three years later, over 16 million Americans are out of work or have just quit looking. Millions more are underemployed.

Three years later, unemployment is still above 8%, a figure he said his stimulus would keep from happening.

Three years later, foreclosures are still at record levels.

Three years later the prices of homes continue to fall.

Three years later, our national debt has grown nearly as large as our entire economy.

Families are buried under higher prices for food and higher prices for gasoline.

It breaks my heart to see what’s happening in this country.

These failing hopes make up President Obama’s own misery index. It’s never been higher. And what’s his answer? He says this: “I’m just getting started.”
----
President Obama sees a different America and has taken us in a different direction.

A few months into office, he travelled around the globe to apologize for America.

At a time of historic change and great opportunity in the Arab world, he is hesitant and uncertain. He hesitated to speak out for the dissidents in Iran, but his Administration boasts that he is “leading from behind” in Libya.

He speaks with firmness and clarity, however, when it comes to Israel. He seems firmly and clearly determined to undermine our longtime friend and ally. He’s treating Israel the same way so many European countries have: with suspicion, distrust and an assumption that Israel is at fault.
----
With the economy in crisis, his answer is to borrow money we can't afford and throw it at Washington bureaucrats and politicians. Just like Europe.

Instead of encouraging entrepreneurs and employers, he raises their taxes, piles on record-breaking mounds of regulation and bureaucracy and gives more power to union bosses.

Instead of recognizing the states rightful authority to solve problems, he seizes power from them and rams through a disastrous national health care plan.

This President's first answer to every problem is to take power from you, your local government and your state so that so-called “experts" in Washington can make those choices for you. And with each of these decisions, we lose more of our freedom.
----
President Obama’s European answers are not the right solution to America’s challenges.

In the campaign to come, the American ideals of economic freedom and opportunity need a clear and unapologetic defense, and I intend to make it—because I have lived it.
----
Government under President Obama has grown to consume almost 40% of our economy. We are only inches away from ceasing to be a free market economy. I will cap federal spending at 20% or less of the GDP and finally, finally balance the budget.
----
I will insist that Washington learns to respect the Constitution, including the 10th Amendment. We will return responsibility and authority to the states for dozens of government programs – and that begins with a complete repeal of Obamacare.

From my first day in office my number one job will be to see that America once again is number one in job creation. You know, if you want to create jobs, it helps to have had a job. I will make business taxes competitive with other nations, modernize regulations and bureaucracy and finally promote America’s trade interests. It’s time for a president who cares more about America’s workers than he does about America’s union bosses.
----
The spirit of enterprise, innovation, pioneering and can-do propelled our standard of living and economy past every other nation on earth.

I refuse to believe that America is just another place on the map with a flag. We stand for freedom and opportunity and hope.

These last two years have not been the best of times. But while we’ve lost a couple of years, we have not lost our way. The principles that made us a great nation and leader of the world have not lost their meaning. They never will.

We know we can bring this country back.

I'm Mitt Romney. I believe in America.

And I'm running for President of the United States.
[Reference Here]

The speech reads pretty good, and if one were to judge a candidate on a speech ... one would be doing themselves a disservice.

There are three problems with Mitt Romney as a decent protector of what is good about American Freedom.

First off, he is on record supporting Ethanol subsidies to farmers ... THIS is not a smaller Government perspective.

Secondly, he has not, or will not disavow his mistake in promoting Romney Care. Sure, he says that this is an issue for State Governments to decide, but again, tackling from a public sector stance is also not a smaller Government perspective.

The final and third point came today in the town hall meeting in New Hampshire when he made a statement in support of the concept that Earth climate change is a product of Human activity - "I believe the world is getting warmer, and I believe that humans have contributed to that. /// And so I think it’s important for us to reduce our emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases that may well be significant contributors to the climate change and the global warming that you’re seeing," said Mitt Romney at a New Hampshire town hall meeting, according to Reuters.

The history of mathematical fraud is clear and it all came to light around November 2009 when internal emails were exposed "Wikileaks" style and proved that the "Hockeystick" effect - that had been published and re-affirmed in subsequent studise tying human activity to Global Warming - by the University of East Anglia located in England was trumped up in order to get more grants from the United Nations and other invested resources.

So, lets say Romney replaces Obama who is in current control of a radicalized EPA which is in the process of implementing "Cap & Trade" style policies. Will Romney feel inclined to shut it down? The easy answer is NO - Mitt Romney is in favor of Government helping to control/regulate carbon emissions.

One last Carbon understanding - of all greenhouse gases that exist, Carbon Dioxide is one of the least abundant at 40 parts in 10,000 parts. To bring this fact into clear thinking, imagine a basketball stadium has 10,000 seats filled with greenhouse gas particles - how many of these seats of greenhouse gas would be filled with CO2 particles? - Answer, only 40.

Three strikes ... and Mitt Romney is out - and sitting in the bleachers with Newt Gingrich ... here, during Carter's Second Term .

Friday, May 13, 2011

MEME Busting - The Art Of Cultural Truth In Narrative


The "Arab Spring" of 2010-11 — however bitter or sweet its fruits may grow in the fullness of time — didn't just happen. Bill Whittle makes a powerful case for GWB's foreign policy as a major catalyst in his latest YouTube sensation, "Memebusters! The Osama bin Laden Edition," where he asks "Why are all these Muslims in repressive regimes suddenly rising up for freedom and the right to vote? Why now, all of a sudden? That's why," he answers, pointing to the iconic image of a triumphant Iraqi woman who had just voted for the first time in her life in the wake of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Caption Credit: SISU | Image Credit: Declaration Entertainment

MEME Busting - The Art Of Cultural Truth In Narrative

In the biological world, genes carry hereditary information, whereas, in the human communications world, MEMES carry cultural information.

If one were to rely on only getting their information from the news narratives we receive from large media broadcast and political organizations, we run the risk of living live through the lens of a distorted cultural truth versus a narrative focused on facts.

Take, for example, the MEME of "Mission Accomplished" and how it is being used to translate success and/or failure in our cultural landscape.

This excerpted and edited from Declaration Entertainment -

FIREWALL: Memebusters! The Osama Bin Laden Edition
By Bill Whittle

We used to have an immune system -- called the "press" -- that caught errors. Now the "press" generates most of the falsehoods themselves.

Memes are cultural beliefs that were not taught in school or in religion but that take on a life of their own because large numbers of people have emotional reasons for wanting them to be true …
----
My joy about hearing about the death of Osama bin Laden lasted for about 20 seconds until I turned on the TV to see Andrea Mitchell crowing about how this really was "Mission Accomplished," not the premature "Mission Accomplished" that Cowboy George Bush claimed during his speech on that aircraft carrier, which happened, coincidentally, eight years earlier to the day …
----
Only George Bush didn't claim "Mission Accomplished." In fact he said just the opposite.

So, where did this meme come from?

Well, the press made it up out of whole cloth. They not only distorted, they actually reversed everything that George Bush said on the deck of that aircraft carrier …


The Middle East before the 9/11 terror attacks. At this time, UBL was building a palace in Afghanistan from which he would be able to rule the Islamic caliphate he was working to establish. Image Credit: Declaration Entertainment

The Middle East after Bush's actions taken in response to the 9/11 terror attacks. Image Credit: Declaration Entertainment
----
Now that day on the carrier, President Bush didn't say "Mission Accomplished," but he did say this:

"The advance of freedom is the surest strategy to undermine the appeal of terror in the world … Where freedom takes hold, hatred gives way to hope … When freedom takes hold, men and women turn to the peaceful pursuit of a better life … American values and American interests lead in the same direction: We stand for human liberty."

[Reference Here]

Where does all of this leave our current administration, the 44th Presidency of the United States? It is left to try and dismantle the good work previous generations had put in place in the name of Liberty with the allies in the United States press ... while reaping some of the benefits. UBL is dead, and is still dead, because of the larger strategy the 43rd Presidency had the foresight to put into play. Iraqi's can vote and express their human liberty our military and its strategy left behind.

The uprisings in Egypt, Yemen, Syria, and even Libya are actions that have been brought about because people can see what one country, with a similar demographic can do. The biggest problem with these developments lay in the fact there remains the risk that the desires of the people in the streets will be hijacked through jihad control freaks and, of course, the MEME agenda of the press ... led by Al Jazeera, and aided by our own administration through the lack of strategy used by the 44th Presidency ... Carter's Second Term!

Google's Blogger Down For Over 24 Hours!


Blogger Logo - Image Credit: Blogger.com

Google's Blogger Down For Over 24 Hours!

Blogger ... Google's web log hosting portal, has been down for a full 24 hours at the time of this posting.

This seems like a modern era record for this usually very reliable communications service and personal publishing arm of the giant search powerhouse, Google.

With all of the push Google has been putting in on Chrome, one has to ask - Is Blogger now becoming just an ugly stepchild to the array of focused services that Google has to offer? What - isn't Blogger sexy enough for Google to keep outages down to a minimum?

If this is the case, Google's shine is losing its luster.

This excerpted from Blogger's Status Link:

Blogger Status

Friday, May 13, 2011

We’ve started restoring the posts that were temporarily removed and expect Blogger to be back to normal soon.

Posted by at 06:07 PDT

To get Blogger back to normal, all posts since 7:37am PDT on Weds, 5/11 have been temporarily removed. We expect everything to be back to normal soon. Sorry for the delay.

Posted by at 04:25 PDT

----

UPDATE May 13, 2011 - 9:50am PT:

Blogger back online after nearly 30 hours of non-service.

Thanks, Google ... but we will be keeping an eye on you.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

One Week Later ... UBL Is Still Dead!

Last known image of UBL just after Seal team #6 visits his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Image Credit Edmund Jenks (2011)

One Week Later ... UBL Is Still Dead!

... but the information he left behind lives on.

Also, the Obama Administration believes it is O.K. to Kill bin Laden ... just don’t Waterboard him as discovered by Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday.

UBL is still dead but the President still insists on broadcasting every small detail of HIS involvement (why, is HE this insecure?) ... while HE should be dealing with all of this.Link