Sequester WAS Obama's Idea!!!!

CHRIS WALLACE, "FOX NEWS SUNDAY" HOST: Bob, as the man who literally wrote the book about the budget battle, put this to rest. Whose idea was the sequester, and did you ever think that we'd actually get to this point?

BOB WOODWARD: First, it was the White House. It was Obama and Jack Lew and Rob Nabors who went to the Democratic Leader in the Senate, Harry Reid, and said, 'this is the solution.' But everyone has their fingerprints on this. (FOX News Sunday, February 17, 2013)

And now he has ownership of it!

Dog Days of Summer

The 4th of July has come and gone and now we are in the "Dog Days of Summer."  Half the country is on vacation and the other half wishes they were on vacation.

However, in this summer of our discontent it would be better to say one quarter of the country is on vacation, one quarter wishes they were on vacation, on quarter wishes they had a job to take a vacation from and one quarter is living off  those that are working and can't take a vacation.

Obama's Choices Are Revealing !

Fred Barnes outlines how President Obama's decision on the Keystone oil pipeline tells a lot about him:

Here are a dozen of the choices represented by the president’s decision to turn down a permit for the pipeline.

1) The Middle East over Canada.
2) Unfriendly countries over a close ally.
3) Troubled ties with Canada over good relations.
4) A vulnerable oil supply over a secure one.
5) Higher oil prices over lower prices.
6) Spill-prone tankers over a safer pipeline.
7) China (who will likely get the oil) over the U.S.
8) Unavailable green fuel over a plentiful fossil fuel.
9) Ideology over prudence.
10) The political left over the center and right.
11) Partisanship over bipartisanship.
12) Liberal, anti-pipeline public unions over private unions seeking jobs.

Few of Obama’s decisions have been quite so revealing. There’s little doubt anymore about how Obama is running for reelection this year—it’s from the left.

You, sir, are no Teddy Roosevelt

It upset me a few weeks ago when Barack Obama compared himself with one of my heroes. Today my candidate for President, Mitt Romney offers a rebuttal.

Mitt Romney:

Just a couple of weeks ago in Kansas, President Obama lectured us about Teddy Roosevelt’s philosophy of government. But he failed to mention the important difference between Teddy Roosevelt and Barack Obama. Roosevelt believed that government should level the playing field to create equal opportunities. President Obama believes that government should create equal outcomes.

In an entitlement society, everyone receives the same or similar rewards, regardless of education, effort, and willingness to take risk. That which is earned by some is redistributed to the others. And the only people who truly enjoy any real rewards are those who do the redistributing—the government.

Can you imagine Obama charging up San Juan Hill on a horse with bullets flying all around him. Me neither. Bully for Mitt Romney !

Obama's Speech on Jobs

"Obama is still suffering from the Speech Illusion, the idea that he can come down from the mountain, read from a Teleprompter, cast a magic spell with his words and climb back up the mountain, while we scurry around and do what he proclaimed"

Maureen Dowd, yes I am quoting Maureen Dowd !

Mr President We Need Jobs Not Another Speech !

Just do it!

The Economy: "High Anxiety"

A Fox Business News commentator said we are in a period of "High Anxiety" regrading the economy and stock market. Reminded me of a Mel Brooks comedy ..... but I fear it's more serious.

Enjoy your Vacation Mr President

Where is the Plan, Mr President ?

What is the White House plan to cut the deficit ?????????

One in five American men don't work: Where's the outrage ?

Nina Eastman of Fortune Magazine is reporting that one in five American men are unemployed. That's right 20% of American men are not working.The equivalent number in 1970, according to the McKinsey Global Institute, was was only 7%.

Click on the title for a link to read the news report.

Charles Krauthammer: Obama At His Most Sanctimonious

Charles Krauthammer on Obama's press conference after the debt limit talks broke down on Friday:

KRAUTHAMMER: This is Obama at his most sanctimonious, demagogic, self-righteous and arrogant. And given the baseline it wasn't a pretty sight. Look, he started out by summoning the leaders of Congress -- summoning them -- at 11:00. Who does he think he is? In the American system, the executive and Congress are coequal. In a banana republic, the caudillo will summon the members of the Congress. The way he demanded their appearance in the Oval Office I thought was disgraceful. The branches are coequal.

Second, on this issue he said "We have set forth a plan." He has set forth nothing. Nor has the Democratic controlled Senate. The Republicans offered a detailed plan. The Ryan plan in the House, and they offered Cut, Cap and Balance this time around. The President has offered nothing except he says if you go in the back room now my staff will give you a tick-tock of everything I'm supposed to have given. He has never once spoken about real cuts.

And lastly, what was interesting is even at this late date where he says that the fate of the republic hangs on the debt ceiling extension, he said if given a short extension of, say, half a year I won't except it. Why? because he says I want this to go past election day. That is entirely self-serving and political, and he pretends he's the one who's not interested in politics.

Yes, the Sugar Daddy is out of sugar and he is not happy!

2nd American Revolution

The battle over increasing the deb limit is much greater than that ..... it is the battle for the soul of America.


Jay Cost of the Weekly Standard:

Thus, our deficit battle today is not simply about getting taxes and discretionary spending to sync up once again. It’s about dealing, for once and all, with the irresponsibility of the last fifty years, when time and again politicians in both parties have piled new obligations on to an unsustainable welfare state, leaving the bills to come due long after they have gone to meet their maker....

So, what we should see over time is increased partisanship – as the zero-sum policy battles over the deficit reinforce the ideological divide that separates Democrats from Republicans. The GOP has long been the party of the “full dinner pail,” beliving that mass prosperity comes from the promotion of capitalism, meaning a tax structure that facilitates wealth creators. The Democrats have long promoted a redistributionist ideology on behalf of the “humble members of society” -- from Bryan to Wilson, FDR, LBJ, and now Obama. As the deficit forces Washington D.C. either to raise taxes or cut spending, those ideological lines will only grow sharper.

The question is will the moderates find another " Missouri Compromise" ( Read McConnell Plan)which will just kick the can farther down the road or will we stand here and now and say NO MORE DEBT..... will we cut up the credit cards !

Tim Pawlenty:

If we don’t get people in Washington D.C. to take this seriously and actually make the tough decisions — they always say ‘Oh, we’re going to make the tough decisions. We’ll do it. We’ll do it’, and then they never do,”
“The only way you’re going to get people to do something tough is to put their backs up against the wall,”

"European Pub Crawl"

From Tim Pawlenty’s Twitter account:

@BarackObama sorry to interrupt the European pub crawl, but what was your Medicare plan?

Thanks Obama (sarcasm)

Standard & Poor's revised its outlook Monday on the U.S. Treasury bond rating of AAA from "stable" to "negative," meaning there is a one-in-three chance the rating will be downgraded in the next two years.

HOW CAN WE WIN THE FUTURE IF WE'RE LOSING THE PRESENT ?

Watch this ad for Tim Pawlenty. It is very powerful.

Oregon now faces a $5.1 billion shortfall going into the 2011 legislative session

Oregon State Representative Dennis Richardson's newsletter;

Spending freezes and across-the-board cuts will not fill a $5 billion hole. The state simply cannot resolve a $5 billion shortfall without major structural reforms in both what services are provided and how they are provided.

I find it incredible during a recession that government in Oregon has added 4,300 public employee jobs during a period those not working for government have lost 154,000 jobs. Who pays the bills ! I guess some are tightening their belts more than others.

Medford Oregon vs Detroit Michigan

Interesting fact: Medford Oregon and Jackson County had a 13.5 % unemployment rate in September of 2010 while Detroit Michigan had a 13% unemployment rate. I am sure happy we got all that stimulus money to put people to work. (sarcasm)

Liberals say the Darndest things

Obama: Fox News is 'destructive' to America. From CNN a competitor of FOX NEWS:

Fox News pushes "a point of view that I disagree with. It's a point of view that I think is ultimately destructive for the long-term growth of a country that has a vibrant middle class and is competitive in the world," Obama said.

CNN is quoting President Obama from a Rolling Stones interview. No, Fox news is not destructive to America just to President Obama who is doing a good job of that himself. He has completely misread his mandate to bring us together and lead from the middle. He seems to think he IS America. It's the narcissist in him. I didn't think he could beat his "They treat me like a dog" comment but this is real close.

Click on the title for a link to the CNN article

Mort Zuckerman:"home ownership has turned into a nightmare "

The death of an American dream for the middle class!

Why has housing been such a core element in the story of American civilization?

Culturally a decent house has been a symbol of middle-class family life. Practically, it has been a secure shelter for the children, along with access to a good free education. Financially it has been regarded as a safe store of value, a shield against the vagaries of the economy, and a long-term retirement asset. Indeed, for decades, a house has been the largest asset on the balance sheet of the average American family.....

These days the American dream of home ownership has turned into a nightmare for millions of families....

Click on the title for a link to the entire article.

A GOP PLEDGE TO AMERICA

Put a check on his spending power !

Today the Republicans in Congress released their Pledge to America:

America is more than a country.

America is an idea – an idea that free people can govern themselves, that government’s powers are derived from the consent of the governed, that each of us is endowed by their Creator with the unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. America is the belief that any man or woman can – given economic, political, and religious liberty – advance themselves, their families, and the common good.

America is an inspiration to those who yearn to be free and have the ability and the dignity to determine their own destiny.
Whenever the agenda of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to institute a new governing agenda and set a different course.
These first principles were proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence, enshrined in the Constitution, and have endured through hard sacrifice and commitment by generations of Americans. In a self-governing society, the only bulwark against the power of the state is the consent of the governed, and regarding the policies of the current government, the governed do not consent.
An unchecked executive, a compliant legislature, and an overreaching judiciary have combined to thwart the will of the people and overturn their votes and their values, striking down long-standing laws and institutions and scorning the deepest beliefs of the American people.

An arrogant and out-of-touch government of self-appointed elites makes decisions, issues mandates, and enacts laws without accepting or requesting the input of the many.

Rising joblessness, crushing debt, and a polarizing political environment are fraying the bonds among our people and blurring our sense of national purpose. Like free peoples of the past, our citizens refuse to accommodate a government that believes it can replace the will of the people with its own. The American people are speaking out, demanding that we realign our country’s compass with its founding principles and apply those principles to solve our common problems for the common good. The need for urgent action to repair our economy and reclaim our government for the people cannot be overstated. With this document, we pledge to dedicate ourselves to the task of reconnecting our highest aspirations to the permanent truths of our founding by keeping faith with the values our nation was founded on, the principles we stand for, and the priorities of our people. This is our Pledge to America.

We pledge to honor the Constitution as constructed by its framers and honor the original intent of those precepts that have been consistently ignored – particularly the Tenth Amendment, which grants that all powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

We pledge to advance policies that promote greater liberty, wider opportunity, a robust defense, and national economic prosperity. We pledge to honor families, traditional marriage, life, and the private and faith-based organizations that form the core of our American values.

We pledge to make government more transparent in its actions, careful in its stewardship, and honest in its dealings.

We pledge to uphold the purpose and promise of a better America, knowing that to whom much is given, much is expected and that the blessings of our liberty buoy the hopes of mankind.

We make this pledge bearing true faith and allegiance to the people we represent, and we invite fellow citizens and patriots to join us in forming a new governing agenda for America.

FORWARD

Americans need no reminder that the challenges we face are enormous. Our economy has declined and our debt has mushroomed with the loss of millions of jobs. The social fabric that binds us as citizens, families, and communities is unraveling. Voices in and out of government whisper that our standing as the world’s leader of democracy and economic growth is ending.

The American people do not accept these counsels of timidity, failure, and despair. In town halls and on public squares, in every corner of this country, people have gathered and spoken out – in small groups and larger crowds, through phone calls and in letters, through websites and new technologies. Though these petitions come from different walks, their message is uniform: Washington has not been listening. Politicians in Washington have imposed an agenda that doesn’t reflect the priorities of the people. What’s worse, the most important decisions are made behind closed doors, where a flurry of backroom deals has supplanted the will of the people. It’s time to do away with the old politics: that much is clear. It’s not enough, however, to swap out one set of leaders for another. Structure dictates behavior, so we have drafted this blueprint on a process of listening to the American people and fielding their concerns and ideas for turning things around.

• Our plan offers a clear and clearly different approach, one in which the people have the most say and the best ideas trump the most entrenched interests.

• Our plan stands on the principles of smaller, more accountable government; economic freedom; lower taxes; fiscal responsibility; protecting life, American values, and the Constitution; and providing for a robust national defense.

• Our plan puts forth a new governing agenda that reflects the priorities of the American people – priorities that have been ignored, even mocked by the powers-that-be in Washington.

• These are focused concrete examples of the policies through which we will promote greater liberty, wider opportunity, and national economic recovery – and they can be implemented today.

To read the rest click on the title for a link. Elections have consequences we have learned that in the last two years !