Why is Charley Blaine Wrong about Unemployment?

A few weeks ago, I sent out a short e-mail to all of my readers saying, 10.2% unemployment, need I say more?” In response, one of my readers sent me an article by Charley Blaine explaining why this is not the end of the world. You can find the article at: http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/Dispatch/market-dispatches.aspx?post=1356156.

The article clearly states 10% unemployment is no big deal because unemployment usually lags the economy. By the time that number is reached, the economy has already picked up or is picking up. He uses historical numbers from the 1982 recession as his guideline. However, he is missing one big point.

His article, in its key sentence states: “Then the economy began to surge in early 1983, fueled by tax cuts and, more importantly, substantial interest-rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.”

Unfortunately, this is not the case in 2009. The Federal Reserve cannot lower interest rates anymore. We are already at a target rate of approximately 0.25%. In fact, the actual rates may be closer to 0.0%. And, there are no Reagan era tax cuts right now. Most of what Congress is doing at the present time would be considered tax increases.

Hence it is my belief the 10% unemployment number will be far exceeded in the next two quarters or so before it finally starts to come down. I believe we might see 12-13% unemployment before this recession is over.

As stated above, the Reagan era policies are not being followed. In fact, they are being scoffed at. We are increasing taxes across the board. Many of our President’s followers will deny this, but even if they just let the Bush tax cuts expire, which is all but a done deal, there will be tax increases. Further, if this disastrous health care package passes, there will be tax increases even for the lower-middle class.

Secondly, the Fed’s policy is not to lower interest rates right now; it can’t, but instead to print money with nothing backing it up. We are building up mountains of debt. This President and the Democratic Congress has done nothing but spend money over the last 11 months. And, the President has done nothing to lower the deficit. He is even saying that the current rate of spending may create a prolonged recession. Accordingly, what we should have is mounting inflation, almost to the point of hyper inflation. But, that is not happening. In fact, we are teetering on deflation which is even worse than rampant inflation.

Based upon all of this, I do not believe that Charley Blaine is correct in his analysis. What I do believe is that we will see a double dip recession similarly to the Great Depression with the second phase being worse. The only thing that will get us out of this mess is decreased spending and lower taxes. Maybe then, the deficit will start to go away. After all, jobs must be created in the private sector and tax breaks tend to have the effect regardless of whatever the lefties dictate.

© 2009 by Frank T. DeMartini. Permission to copy will be freely granted upon request.

When Christmas was the Holiday by Peter DeMartini

Here is an article that my brother wrote that expresses the sentiments of many people I know includng myself:

When Christmas was the Holiday

By

Peter DeMartini

These are the ramblings of an old man who was having trouble sleeping one night and feels he should say something about the way this Country is changing. This old man doesn’t particularly like the changes.

When did it become politically correct for big department stores, corporations, and the media to stop celebrating Christmas? I was listening to the news on television and one of the reporters was talking about a Christmas Tree and suddenly stopped herself to say Holiday Tree. Who changed the Christmas Season to the Holiday Season? Is Christmas not the holiday anymore?

I would like to know who first came out with the phrase ‘politically correct.’ Years ago, before the days of ‘politically correct,’ all the store windows were lit up with “Merry Christmas.” All the store employees cheerfully greeted everyone with a “Merry Christmas.” They were not told by corporate headquarters to say “Happy Holidays,” instead.

I remember when there was no Black Friday. Back in the olden days, as recently as the 1980s, corporations knew how to market the season. Why do they feel they have to change its name now? They want to sell everything to the public who they know are buying Christmas gifts, but because of political correctness, they don’t want to call them Christmas gifts.

When I was an adolescent growing up on Long Island, it was always, “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year” not, “Have a Nice Holiday.” Everyone you passed on the street would give a cheerful “Merry Christmas” with a hearty handshake. “Christmas Carols” were not “Holiday Carols.”

Let us not forget the reason why we celebrate the season. It is not the Holidays; it is the birth of Jesus. You don’t have to be a Christian to know this. Back as long as I have been alive, I remember families buying “Christmas Trees,” not “Holiday Trees.” Is it wrong for a tree in a public location to have religious ornaments on it? I understand the White House is calling the tree on the front lawn a Holiday Tree this year and not allowing religious ornaments on it. Well if it is not a “Christmas Tree,” what is it?

Has anybody ever turned down a Christmas bonus or worked on December 25?

I don’t want to insult or disrespect anybody’s beliefs. Whether you believe in God or a prophet or nothing at all, there is no reason to change Merry Christmas to Happy Holidays? The vast majority still want it that way. It has been that way for hundreds of years, so let’s keep it that way. What will our children or grandchildren believe in; Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas? Will they still go to sleep with happy dreams of Santa visiting them? And, yes Virginia, there still is a Santa.

The founding fathers of this great Country believed in God enough to put “In God we Trust” on our currency and on many of the buildings in Washington D.C. This Country was built on Christian beliefs and has survived because of them.

In closing I want to wish everybody a very Merry Christmas.

© 2009 by Peter DeMartini. Used by Permission. All rights reserved.

Happy Thanksgiving

Ira and I wish all of you a very happy, healthy and safe Thanksgiving.  May you all be with your family or friends.  And, if you can't be with either, may you be with them in spirit.

To all of the troops defending this great nation, our prayers are with you and may you return home safely so that you can spend next Thanksgiving with your family and friends.

Peace and Love to all.

Telegraph or The Internet by Craig Covello

A story was published November 21, 2009 on Fox news regarding memoranda hacked from a British climate research center.  At least one of these stolen emails suggested plans to hide data which could contradict current political policy for controlling carbon emissions.  It unfortunately showed a decline in temperatures which is at odds with the new global warming drumbeat.  Whether or not the e-mail was taken out of context, this incident definitely gave me pause to think about something that I find intuitively obvious.  Although some may not agree, I believe the following -

This is probably the worst possible time in all of recorded history to try to hide the truth because of....THE INTERNET

Our "information age" has gone into hyper-drive over the past few years.  We now have Twitter, Face Book, Google Sites, SMS text messaging, instant messaging, Skype, iChat and You Tube.  I personally have two cell phones, a pager and four computers (including a Mac).  Our great grandparents had:  the telegraph and carrier pigeons.  Given this remarkable advancement in technology, wouldn't it seem reasonable that it is much more difficult to tell a lie or suppress the truth these days?  This premise is based upon several assumptions -

1. We are paying attention to credible, investigative news sources (I think there are one or two left).

2. We have some common sense which the politically correct crowd probably finds neanderthal and offensive.

3. We know how to use a computer to surf the Internet.

4. We are not lazy.

5. We are not afraid to express our opinions in a public forum and respectfully disagree with others.

6. The Internet will not be shut down by the federal government.

Items one through five don't have me worried.  Item six, however, is another story.  All of us have been empowered to create, store and transport tremendous amounts of data, including pictures and even video.  We can send it to virtually anyone in the world for free.  Amazing stuff.  But this newly found communications empowerment is now at odds with the liberal agenda.  Americans are talking to each other like never before both locally and across great distances.  And the more we know about the current state of American politics, the more we are alarmed.  Free and open communication is clearly a threat to the small group of radicals currently working in the White House who want to control virtually every aspect of our lives.  Perhaps this is why Senate bill #773 was introduced by Senator John Rockefeller.  It would give the federal government legal right to shut down the Internet at its discretion under the guise of "national security".  Sounds a little like China, doesn't it?  Maybe that's why Anita Dunn finds comfort in the teachings of Chairman Mao.

There is, however, one factor that I don't think Anita or the rest of this administration understands.  Our country was founded on the concept of individual freedom.  Freedom of association, freedom of expression, freedom of religion, freedom to own property and the freedom to make our own decisions and live with the consequences.

It was not founded to redistribute wealth, to bail out large corporations, to protect others from being offended, to enslave us in debt or to keep us in the dark.  We will not be kept in the dark.  We will not be blissfully ignorant.  We will not be afraid to ask relevant questions regarding the truth about our government's actions and motives.

Yes, I concede that:

Technical advancement in communications has made it easier to facilitate propaganda.  That's true, but the sword cuts both ways.  It is has also become much easier to root out bogus information.  We can now cross check questionable content using multiple sources in a matter of minutes.  It used to take days, weeks or months.

Private key encryption can be used to suppress information, even if "inquiring minds want to know."  Again, that's true, but all security systems have one vulnerability:  PEOPLE.  If there are one or more dissenters in the secure communication chain, they can always forward information in the clear.  It's called "copy/paste" and requires two keystrokes.  As with other forms of social networks, trust is built over time and credibility will be lost for those who disseminate misinformation.  That said, "copy/paste" is the new Gutenberg press.

I'm sure that Gutenberg never envisioned the power of video.  You may be old enough to remember some Haitian history in which occurred in 1984.  At that time, Jean-Claude "Baby-Doc" Duvalier and his wife Michele thought it was a good idea to televise a lavish May gala ball to the Haitian economically impoverished by setting up government-owned color television in the villages.  It was a big mistake.  Itentionally sharing the display of opulent wealth to starving people caused an uprising which eventually led to an overthrow of the dictatorship.  The Haitian people revolted because they knew too much.  The flames were further fanned by the arrogance of the government.

Sound familiar?  The Obama crowd has been rather arrogant themselves, but unlike the Duvalier's "in-your-face" public display, this administration has chosen to downplay government transparency.  After all, who needs a meddlesome constituency asking questions and raising objections that might get in the way of a liberal, if not communist agenda.

The trend may be shifting soon.  Thanks to the conservative Internet forums, blogs and news sources, we know too much.  Acorn, Van Jones, Mark Lloyd, Kevin Jennings and Anita Dunn are good examples.  Have you seen the US debt clock? http://www.usdebtclock.org/  The federal deficit is now more than $100,000 per taxpayer.  I did not know that a year ago.  And then there's the clips on You Tube, one of which shows manufacturing czar Ron Bloom proclaiming that the free market is "nonsense."  The list goes on and on, most recently with the administration's decision to try the 9/11 Muslim radical terrorists in New York while granting them the same legal rights afforded to U.S.citizens.

So here's the point.  This isn't Chicago in the 1920s.  The telegraph is out.  The Internet is in.  If the Obama administration believes it can stealthily operate behind the scenes ignoring the Constitution in order to bring about radical change that the majority of Americans find unacceptable, they are mistaken.  Just try shutting down the Internet and see what happens.   e.g. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8

Copyright 2009 by Craig Covello.  Used with Permission.  All rights reserved
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Who Really Has the Courage?

Last Saturday night, in what was mostly a procedural vote, the Senate approved moving forward with debate on the health care reform bill. The vote was 60-39, the barest minimum necessary for debate to start in the Chamber. To listen to Harry Reid and his cohorts after the vote, you would think the Senate had just accomplished the greatest feat since the creation of man. What they really did was nothing . . . . . yet. (I’m sorry, maybe they did do something. It appears they bought the vote of Senator Mary Landrieu from Louisiana with a staggering amount of pork.)

Sometime after Thanksgiving, true debate in the Senate will begin. The pros and cons of Mr. Reid’s bill will finally be debated in front of the American public. But, will it be a true debate at all? Or, will it just be a front in which enough pork will be put into the bill to get the votes of Joe Lieberman, Mary Landrieu, Blanche Lincoln, and Ben Nelson; the four Democrats who must be swayed into Harry Reid’s pack of wolves. The same pack of wolves whose intent is ruining America under the guise of health care reform.

Each of these four has told Mr. Reid, in no uncertain terms, they are not going to close debate now that it has opened, unless a few specific issues in the bill are dealt with to their satisfaction. Three of these mavericks come from right leaning states and are, frankly, worried about their jobs. One comes from a far left state: Lieberman, the distinguished Senator from Connecticut, who seems to be the only Democrat left in the Senate with any balls and brains.

The Republicans are ready to make their stand in the Senate. It seems they have been successful already in killing “Cap and Trade” there. Now, it is up to them and any one of these four rogue Democrats to succeed in destroying this nightmare health care legislation in the Senate. We only need one of them. Who from these four will be the savior of the country?

I am reminded of the famous book written by John F. Kennedy entitled “Profiles in Courage.” That book, written in the mid-1950’s, told the story of eight senators throughout history, who defied their party and/or public opinion, to do what was right and in the best interests of the country. Among those stories, is that of Senator Edmund G. Ross from Kansas who defied his party and voted for the acquittal of Andrew Johnson in his impeachment trial thereby preserving the integrity of the Presidency.

Who will be the Democrat that will defy the whims of a power hungry President, the Senate Majority Leader and the Speaker of the House? Who will be the man or woman that will save this country from bankruptcy? Which of these four has the courage to buck the demands of the power elite and do what is right for America?

Senator Lieberman has said that he will not vote for any bill that has a public option. On Meet the Press yesterday, Lieberman confirmed he will support such a filibuster. He also stated that the CBO has confirmed that the proposed Senate Public Option will have higher premiums than private insurance currently does. He stated that competition among the current insurance companies is the only real solution. Will he ultimately have the courage?

Where does Mary Landrieu really stand? Is she being bought by Senator Harry Reid? The allegations are coming fast. In fact, it appears that that page 463 et seq. of the Senate version of the bill is a direct 100 million dollar bribe to the state of Louisiana. Apparently, the house bill has the same thing in it as well. Regardless, I firmly believe that Ms. Landrieu is too afraid of her job to vote against her conscience. The same is also true of Ms. Lincoln from Arkansas, except for the bribery. I too feel that she will vote her conscience when push comes to shove.

That leaves Mr. Nelson from Nebraska. Where does he really stand and can the Republicans and the rest of the country depend upon him to save the day. My answer would be yes. Even if Lieberman, Landrieu and Lincoln cave, I believe that Nelson is strong enough to tell Harry Reid and the President, “No!” He has publicly stated that he will not support a single payer public option; that he will not support publically funded abortions; and, that he will not support a bill that is not revenue neutral. Fortunately, for us Republicans, the current Senate bill includes all three.

In fact, if all of these problems with the Senate Bill were resolved to the liking of Senator Nelson, then many Republicans might actually vote for the bill as well.

So, at the end of the day, which of these four will have the courage? Who will save the United States of America? My guess is that any of the four may do it, but if that idiot from Maine votes with the Democrats, maybe we really need two of these four.

I will address particular problems with the Senate Bill later.

© 2009 by Frank T. DeMartini. Permission to copy will be freely granted upon request.

If It Walks Like A Duck by Ira Schwartz

Today, it is almost impossible to go through the day without hearing the term “Politically Correct” at least a dozen times. It is a phrase we’ve taken for granted and it is a phrase that in itself is Politically Incorrect”.

The Webster’s Dictionary defines “Politically Correct” as: a term used to describe language, ideas, policies, or behavior seen as seeking to minimize offence to groups of people. So basically you’re insulting them but….doing it nicely.

Today “Politically Correct” has become the watch word in the present administrations vocabulary. According to a memo sent to senior Pentagon staff, “this administration prefers to avoid using the term Long War or Global War on Terror (Gwot) ... please pass this on to your speechwriters". Instead it is now called "overseas contingency operations". I wonder who thought that one up.

“Islamic Extremist” is now a “Violent Extremist”. Guess we wouldn’t want to upset the Islamic Extremists would we.

Individual acts of terrorism will now be referred to as “Man-caused disasters”. Like a forest fire or an oil spill. Gotcha.

But this goes way past the White House and has entrenched itself deep in the fabric of our society. With the utmost respect to George Carlin, here are seven words that are no longer “Politically Correct”

“Merry Christmas” has been replaced with “Happy Holidays”

“Christmas Tree” is out “Holiday Tree” in

Close the book on “Nursery Rhymes” it’s now “Children’s Stories”. Has anyone told Mother Goose?

Here’s a good one: “Founders” instead of “Founding Fathers”. I guess they thought it was sexist.

“Undocumented Immigrants” instead of “Illegal Aliens”. Guess that one needed to be changed because of the run on Food Stamps by the Klingon Empire.

“Physically Challenged” instead of “Handicapped”. Just think of the money it will cost to change all those signs.

And “Economically Disadvantaged Area” instead of “Ghetto”. How about we just get rid of the Ghetto’s. Oops, I mean “Economically Disadvantaged Areas”.

Here are three more to round the list to an even ten.

“Visibly Challenged” instead of “Blind”

“Alternative Sexual Lifestyle” instead of gay or lesbian. The homophobes must love that one.

And “Improvised Explosive Device” (IED) instead of “Road Side Bomb” (RSB).

Even major retailers like Target have jumped on the “Politically Correct” band wagon this “holiday” season. All Target’s flyers and ads sell Christmas lights, trees and ornaments but nowhere is the word “Christmas” mentioned. Who are they worried about offending? Next they’ll want to change “A Christmas Carol” to “A Holiday Carol”. Bahh Humbug!!!

What I want to know is who is responsible for saying what is politically correct and what is not. Like Monty Python’s “Ministry of Silly Walks” is there a “Bureau of Politically Correct” tucked away somewhere in the bowels of the capitol. Or is that “digestive tract” of the capitol. Where a Director of Vernacular, Vernacular Engineer, sits around all day and just thinks up alternate words for phrases he deems offensive.

But let’s take this one step further. When did this all begin? According to the renowned Wikipedia, “during the First World War, British Ministry of Information official (I knew there was a Ministry of something involved) Arnold Bennett used the expression politically correct in vetting language for “appropriateness”. They continue, “Widespread use of the term "politically correct" and its derivatives began when it was adopted as a pejorative term by the political right in the 1990s. “Pejorative”, now there’s a Politically Correct word if I ever heard one. And the rest is history.

It appears in today’s society you can’t open your mouth without offending someone somewhere. And that is sad. Sanitation Engineer, Educational Instructor, Administrative Assistant; the list goes on and on. When did people become so dissatisfied with what they do and who they are that they felt the need to adjust the language to make them feel better about themselves? It may sound good but doesn’t change the fact a “spade is still a spade”. Or is that a “digging implement is still a digging implement”?

BREAKING NEWS

I’m sure all of you have seen the ads by AARP in favor of the Presidents Healthcare Reform Bill now in the Senate. I always wondered why they continue to do this even though a majority of seniors are not in favor of this Bill. Now we know why. According to the administrations website, Recovery.gov, AARP was given 18 million dollars in stimulus money to create jobs for seniors. The report listed on the website(link below) clearly shows that even though 6.5 million has already been spent AARP has managed to produce “no” jobs.

According to “Politico” AARP has moved on to lobbying for passage of health care legislation, even though Democratic proposals have called for several hundred billion dollars in cuts to Medicare, a program that the group typically defends tooth and nail when Republicans propose cutting it. A recent Pew survey found that just 31 percent of those over 65 supported health care legislation being touted by AARP.

“The American Spectator” goes on to say, “AARP is also in a position to benefit financially if the health care legislation passes, because seniors losing benefits as a result of cuts to Medicare Advantage will be forced to buy Medigap policies, which is the main source of AARP revenue.”

Well now we know the truth. AARP is just another example of a large corporation flushing its members down the political drain for its own financial benefit. Several of my friends have called AARP and cancelled their membership. If money is the only thing they understand maybe a lot more members need to do this.

http://www.recovery.gov/transparency/pages/RecipientProjectSummary508.aspx?AwardIdSur=40264&AwardType=Grants

© 2009 by Ira Schwartz. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission

Obama Swinging to the Right?

This is not going to be a formal post, but I think all of you should note three things that have happened in the last 24 hours:

1.  President Obama, while being interviewed by Fox News, stated that too much government debt could fuel a double dip recession;

2.  President Obama, in the same interview, stated that closing Gitmo is a lot harder than he thought and that it would remain open longer than he expected; and,

3.  Eric Holder, in a Congressional hearing this morning started using the word "War" when describing the current state with Terrorists.  He also guaranteed convictions of the Muslim Extremists.  This is actually odd.  I don't know any prosecutor at any level that would guarantee convictions.

Am I missing things here, or are these major flip/flops?

Or, maybe something deeper is happening here?  Maybe Obama is beginning to realize that the Republicans are correct on certain positions?  Now, if he could actually admit it, there would be a chance at bipartisanship.

Maybe, he can actually admit it on "Health Care", "Cap and Trade", and "Iran", and "North Korea," soon too.

Or, am I dreaming?

Copyright 2009 by Frank T. DeMartini

The Last Straw by Ira Schwartz

This has been a rollercoaster of a year here in the United States. If it’s not some small North Korean with a Napoleon complex tossing around empty threats, it’s an ignorant Iranian President trying to pull a not very good sleight of hand with the world. Here at home, the missteps of OUR Government are beginning to add up and the patience of the people has now been stretched to its limit. How many straws will it take to break the camel’s back?

STRAW #1 - The continuing drone by the administrations attack dogs, Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid, regarding the Healthcare Reform Bill is mind numbing. Very few people actually believe their hysterical rhetoric anymore, including Democrats. They have embarrassed themselves and their party and still don’t realize that no one is listening anymore. 220 to 215 is not a “great” victory but an awakening call to all those that think they can vote against the peoples wishes and get away with it. 2010 will tell the tale.

STRAW #2 - Then there is Senator John Rockefeller’s Internet Bill S.773. Or as I like to call it “Now you have the internet, now you don’t” Bill. They tried to sneak this one through quietly and quickly, which should really be the watch word for this administration. This Bill would give our government the right, by law, to shut down the Internet whenever they felt it was threatened. The problem is, nowhere does the Bill define exactly what the threats would be or from who. If Fox news posts an article on their website criticizing the current administration would that constitute a threat? It could if this Bill were to pass. But the people found out about the bill and suddenly it disappeared. But don’t drop your guard because it swimming just below the surface waiting for just the right time to strike.

STRAW #3 - The war in Afghanistan rates a straw too. First we’re winning, now we’re not, but if we want to start winning again we need to send in more troops….forty thousand more troops. Weeks have passed without a decision from the Administration and Americans continue to die while the President makes up his mind. Now we hear we will be sending in four additional combat brigades. That’s pretty close to the number of men they said we needed to start winning again. So when are they to be deployed? I don’t know but the Administration said the plan will be transparent when it does happen. Well that would be a first for this Administration.

STRAW #4 - “Cash for Clunkers” Nuff said.

STRAW #5 - ACORN has also made the list. Almost every state is investigating some facet of this organization. Originally they were set up to help the residents of inner cities obtain needed housing and loans. But like a cancer, this organization has mutated and blossomed into a mob like syndicate allegedly involved in everything from ballot tampering to loan sharking. A vote on the hill removed their funding for the remainder of this year. Our esteemed California representatives, Maxine Waters, Diane Watson and Henry Waxman voted to continue the funding. I guess they’re okay with Acorn representatives teaching people how to set up prostitution rings and scam the government. 2010 is looking better and better.

Now ACORN is suing the Federal government to get the funding BACK. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. Only in America.

STRAW #6 - Barack Obama’s birth certificate. Give it a rest already. He was born here. If this is the best you can do to try and bring this man down then I suggest you get a day job. He was born in Hawaii, a place I wish I was now.

STRAW #7 - Fort Hood-Still an open wound in the side of this great country. Barely a day after the heroic victims of this terrorist attack had been laid to rest the FBI, CIA and Homeland Security began the “Blame Game”. They all knew of this man’s radical Islamic beliefs but deemed him NOT a threat. Guess they were wrong, AGAIN. And these are the people responsible for our protection. I have only three words for them, “Grow a pair”.

And to those of you out there that want to blame this on Barack Obama; remember it was on George W. Bush’s watch that America suffered its worst terrorist attack. There were signs then too but like today our great intelligent gathering organizations decided to look the other way.

STRAW #8 – North Korea. About 10 cruise missiles should do the job.

STRAW #9 – Iran. I say let Israel take out their nuclear reactor saving us all a lot of grief. With any luck they’ll take out Iran’s ignorant President too. If not….about 10 cruise missiles should do the job.

STRAW #10 – Our legislators. Since they think they know what’s best for us I think we need to return the favor. We need to cut their salaries; have them turn in their cars and gas cards; limit them to two business related trips a year, IN COACH; have them pay into Social Security and Medicare; make them pay the real cost of their Medical Insurance; remove their “golden parachute” pensions and last but certainly not least limit them to two consecutive terms. That should get their attention.

STRAW #11 – The Deficit – Can anyone even write down a number that big without running off the paper. Maybe we should just declare bankruptcy and start from scratch. That would really piss off China. The sad part is our grandchildren will still be paying this one off. Of course if we brought all our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan home we’d probably have it paid off in about 15 years. Then again we could always print more money……

STRAW #12 thru 19 - In a story released by CBS News on November 10th the U.S. Justice Department issued a Grand Jury subpoena demanding that Philadelphia based “Indymedia.us” website provide details of all reader visits on a certain day. Then they ordered them “not to disclose the existence of this request”. According to CBS News “Indymedia.us” is “a left-of-center amalgamation of journalists and advocates that – according to their principles of unity and mission statement – work toward "promoting social and economic justice" and "social change."

CBS News continued that “The subpoena from U.S. Attorney Tim Morrison demanded "all IP traffic to and from www.indymedia.us" on June 25, 2008. It instructed them to "include IP addresses, times, and any other identifying information," including e-mail addresses, physical addresses, registered accounts, and Indymedia readers' Social Security Numbers, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, and so on.”

Once Indymedia’s attorney challenged the subpoena in writing and CBS got wind of the story the subpoena was withdrawn. The government’s response…”No comment”. The KGB would be proud of Tim Morrison.

STRAW #20 – Ex Governor Sarah Palin. She wrote a book and say’s its non-fiction. The link below disputes this.

http://www.knx1070.com/Sarah-Palin-s-Book--The-Fact-Check/5685429

The Democrats hope the Republicans are stupid enough to run this woman in 2012. It would almost guarantee Barack Obama a second term. Polls indicate she would get almost no Democratic and Independent votes and only about one third of the Republicans. For a struggling political party this is not the way to go. If she does run as the RNC’s candidate in 2012 it will probably lead to a major fracture of the party that would take decades to repair if at all. While I am not a Barack Obama fan any longer I would vote for him over Palin and I am not alone. That would be a very sad day for this country. Sorry Bruce.

Well that’s my short list. I know I have left things out so please feel free to add your own favorites. I bet we could get it to 100 if we really tried.

©2009 by Ira Schwartz. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Another 9/11 Travesty

A little more than eight years ago, a group of Muslim Terrorists attacked Americans on American soil. In the end, more than 3,000 innocent civilian Americans were dead. The attack on that day was just that: an attack. A well planned and executed military attack that murdered thousands of people.

This morning, another travesty relating to 9/11 occurred. President Obama and his loyal minion, Attorney General Eric Holder decided that the War Criminals who were responsible for 9/11 would be tried as civilians in a Federal Courtroom in lower Manhattan, a few blocks from their main and most deadly attack that day. A few blocks from Hallowed Ground.

I am angry. As all of you know from this column, I try to be fair and balanced in my arguments. I do not allow anger to rule the day. But today, I am angry. The Obama Administration has now decided that these War Criminals should have the same rights and privileges as ordinary citizens.

The ramifications of this are obvious. It is just another example of the appeasement and weakness of the Obama Administration and his policies. I want you all to remember the last time appeasement was used in the late 1930’s. After that travesty fifty million people were dead including six million innocent Jews. The last time we were weak was during the Carter Administration. The result, American held hostage for more than one year.

Having the trials of these War Criminals in civilian courtrooms will allow these hate mongers to abuse and mock the American citizens and families of those they have left tortured and depressed for eight years. The trials will be subject to public scrutiny and will be a media circus like that of Michael Jackson and OJ Simpson. National security measures will be made public and National Intelligence Techniques, not all of which are water boarding, will be made public. Relevant evidence will not be admitted because of technical issues on the rule of evidence. These War Criminals may actually be let free.

The Bush Administration, even with all of its faults, kept us safe. Just last week, another terrorist attack occurred at Ft. Hood on American soil. That left 13 Americans dead and more than 25 wounded. President Obama did not even call it a terrorist attack. He was too concerned about the feelings of the terrorists to say what it really was. And today, this travesty.

I urge all of you to go this website, click on the badge and sign the petition:  http://www.thebravest.com/

Ronald Reagan said it best, “peace through strength.” Maybe Obama should listen and learn. After all he claims to be a pragmatist.

© 2009 by Frank T. DeMartini. Permission to copy will be freely granted upon request.

Constitutional Government is Small Government by Michael Cochrane

In the past few weeks, I have had numerous discussions with my friends and colleagues regarding the powers of the Federal Government and whether the Obama Administration was stepping beyond the boundaries of the powers given the Central Government in the Constitution.  In fact, a number of people in my office had very little understanding of how American Federalism works.  Just by coincidence my friend Michael Cochrane had recently written a column that explains it pretty clearly and lays out the arguments for smaller government.  It also shows indirectly how far the Obama Administration is stretching the boundaries and destroying the Tenth Amendment.  With the permission of Mr. Cochrane, I now present his article to you for review and comment.

Constitutional Government is Small Government

by

Michael F. Cochrane

I carry around with me a little copy of the Constitution of the United States. It’s easy to do, since it’s very small document. Even with all of the amendments, a pocket-sized copy of the Constitution (along with the Declaration of Independence) is only about sixty pages in length. It is the supreme law of the land, and contains within its various articles the framework and specified powers for the Federal government of this country. The reason this document is so small is because there are actually very few powers specifically given to the national government. For example, Article I, Section 8 lays out the powers of the Congress. They are limited to: taxation, providing for the common defense (raising an Army and Navy) and declaring war, regulating commerce with foreign nations, establishing naturalization laws, coining (and borrowing) money, establishing post offices and post roads, granting patents, and other various duties such as protecting the nation from piracy and calling up the militia. The tenth amendment states in its entirety, “The 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”.

Why then, do we have a Federal government involved in every aspect of our daily life, from education, to health care, to dictating to private corporations? It’s a very long story, but we now live in a country where the unbridled power of the Federal government overshadows every aspect of government. Is this what the founders of our nation envisioned? We have become so used to the influence of Washington in our everyday lives that we take it for granted. But the Constitution does not authorize the kind of power our national government has appropriated for itself.

I’ve frequently asked myself what our country would be like if we actually had a Federal government that existed within the proscriptions of the Constitution. Would we be able to function? Wouldn’t many things just not get done? What is the role of the Federal government, the governments of the various States, local municipalities, and the private sector in providing the necessary services we need to have a functional and thriving society? I’ll try to walk through a few examples of areas where both government and the private sector are involved and do a thought experiment about what “small government” might look like.

Transportation. We have a system of Federal highways that culminated with the Interstate highway system that was essentially completed in the 1960s. Would we have been able to build such a system without Federal tax money or incentives? I suspect that such a system could have been suggested and planned at the Federal level, but the administration of its construction could clearly have been carried out with the States raising the revenue and overseeing the construction. The only real role for the Federal government (according to the Constitution) would be to regulate the commerce those roads carried between the States.

Education. We have a long history and tradition of local schools in this country; public schools financed by local taxes. The role of the Federal government in education of our nation’s youth is nowhere authorized in the Constitution. Unfortunately, the selective granting of Federal money to States and localities to support education has encouraged them to depend on the Federal government and look to it for revenue. It also makes it much easier for the Federal government to dictate to the States in areas of regulation of schools.

Social Welfare. It began with the passage of the Social Security act in the 1930s, but has grown to include Medicare, Medicaid, and Aid to Families With Dependent Children, commonly known as “welfare”. What was viewed initially as a step toward providing a minimum level of financial security to those unable to work either through old age or disability has become a huge system of Federal taxes that find their way into the general revenue fund and have not kept pace with the changing demographics of the nation. It can be argued that welfare programs have actually encouraged the breakup of families, when women are compensated by the Federal government for raising children out of wedlock. The current push to “reform” health care by setting up a so-called “public” insurance option and then mandating that all Americans purchase it or be guilty of breaking the law will only exacerbate the problem, raising Federal taxes and further limiting the ability of the States and the private sector to provide a vital marketplace for medical treatment and catastrophic medical insurance coverage.

The only constitutionally authorized Federal agency still providing services is the U.S. Postal Service. But do we even need a Federal Post Office? Why can’t FedEx, UPS, or any number of other private delivery companies bid on regional postal contracts for the delivery of mail? Could we eliminate the Department of Education? What would be the effect on our schools? I suspect it would not be negative. One might argue that there are Federal agencies, the elimination of which could be detrimental to the welfare and safety of the nation. The Federal Aviation Administration comes to mind. But I think it is a worthwhile exercise to systematically work one’s way through the Federal bureaucracy and analyze the degree to which an agency’s function is either 1) necessary, 2) could be performed by a State or municipal government, or 3) could be addressed through free market competition in the private sector. At the very least, such an analysis must be performed before rushing to the conclusion that every perceived problem must be solved through Federal legislation and the subsequent establishment of another Federal agency.

The size of our Federal government is largely our own fault. Part of the problem is that we continue to elect representatives to Congress whom we reward with reelection when they bring Federal dollars to their home districts. This is classic “pork barrel politics”, and it does nothing except make the problem worse. Until we begin to disassociate Federal representation with Federal largesse, government will continue to grow. A Constitutional amendment limiting terms of Federal representatives and Senators would go a long way toward relocating governmental power in the United States to where it primarily belongs: to the States and the People.

© 2009 by Michael F. Cochrane. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission.

Insurance Industry Stung By Health Care Deal

This is a very interesting take on the Health Care Debate and the current bill winding its way through Congress.


Insurance Industry Stung By Health Care Deal

America's forgotten heroes

Today is Veteran's Day.  It is a day in honor of all American Veterans.  It was created by an Act of Congress in 1926 to remember the end of World War I and was originally called Armistice Day.  November 11, is the day that the treaty ending World War I was executed.  In 1954, it was changed to Veteran's Day to commemorate all US Veterans.

Today we celebrate their sacrifices and their love of country.  May God Bless them all.

Please click on the below link to see a moving article about our Heroes.

America's forgotten heroes

The Keystone Cops by Ira Schwartz

Today was a somber day at Ft. Hood Texas as the soldiers and civilians killed and wounded in the horrific shooting there were honored. It was just last week on November 5th at 1:34 pm (CST) that the mundane routine of the sprawling military base in Killeen Texas was shattered by the sound of gunfire. When the smoke cleared 11 were dead and 32 lay wounded (two of the wounded later died at the hospital). The gunman, U.S. Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Malik Hasan, was himself seriously wounded by two civilian police officers. Unconfirmed reports flew across the media and internet; was this yet another terrorist attack or a crazed gunman acting on his own? Now that a fair amount of the facts have surfaced it appears to be a little of both.

So why would an Army Major, trained to treat combat related psychological injuries, calmly walk into a readiness area and start shooting.

Military records show Nidal Malik Hasan received his appointment to the Army as a first lieutenant in June 1997 after graduating from Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia. Six years later, he graduated from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences' F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland, and was first an intern, then a resident and finally a fellow at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Soon after, signs of a growing problem within Hasan began to surface. Several colleagues reported that Hasan was consistently expressing his opposition to the Iraq and Afghan wars. Nothing was ever done.

In 2007, Hasan turned a medical presentation at Walter Reed into tirade on Islam. He said, according to the Washington Post, "It's getting harder and harder for Muslims in the service to morally justify being in a military that seems constantly engaged against fellow Muslims." Again nothing was done.

It appears our intelligence community also knew about Hasan troubles. The FBI began an “assessment” of him in December of 2008 that continued into early 2009. They deemed him not to be a threat. Does this sound familiar? If not, it should. Our intelligence community was caught napping before 911 too.

According to “The Washington Post” Federal authorities (FBI) were aware for years that suspected terrorists with ties to Osama bin Laden were receiving flight training at schools in the United States and abroad.

Cox News – reported a memo written by a Phoenix FBI agent two months before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks linked Arab flight students to a radical Islamic group in England that has ties to alleged "shoe-bomber" Richard Reid. And the list goes on.

Now 8 years later it has happened again. Let’s check and see what piqued the FBI’s curiosity with Nidal Malik Hasan.

Military officials told CNN that intelligence agencies intercepted communications from Hasan to Anwar al-Awlaki and shared them with other U.S. government agencies. Anwar al-Awlaki is a former imam at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia, a Washington suburb and is the center where Hasan went to pray. Al-Awlaki, who left the United States in 2002, was the subject of several federal investigations dating back to the late 1990s. Even with this information the federal authorities dropped the inquiry into Hasan's communications when a member of one of its Joint Terrorism Task Forces determined "that the content of those communications was consistent with research being conducted by Maj. Hasan in his position as a psychiatrist at the Walter Reed Medical Center [in Washington]."

So according to the JTTF it’s okay for a Major in the US Military, who’s feelings are known to be against the war in the Middle East, to communicate with a known terrorist collaborator not once, not twice but some twenty times. Also a search of Hasan’s computer uncovered that he had been visiting several Islamic extremist websites.

Sadly it appears we have learned nothing in the eight years since 911. Despite the creation of The Office of Homeland Security, the catch all basin for terrorist threats, important information still seems to be slipping between the cracks. Well, maybe not slipping between the cracks as much as being brushed aside. Maybe our intelligence experts aren’t all that intelligent or all that expert. Maybe it’s time our government took a long, hard look at exactly who is responsible for gathering and processing the data that concerns the welfare and security of the American people.

Thirteen people are dead and thirty are wounded. Nidal Malik Hasan may have done the shooting but our Intelligence Community certainly put the bullets in the gun.

As a post script to this story FBI Director Robert Mueller announced that his organization will be investigating itself to see if the Bureau mishandled the investigation into Hasan. Nothing like an organization investigating itself to find the truth. Now there’s a report I’d love to see.

©2009 by Ira Schwartz. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission.

If Harm Comes Our Way by Craig Covello

Craig Covello is an avid reader of this column.  He has contributed a few articles.  Here is his response to my article entitled. "Lucky Ties." 

If Harm Comes Our Way

Two days ago, I commented on Frank DeMartini's article entitled "Lucky Ties" –

"Frank: Nicely said. But I have a different take on it. I don't think the conservatives need to worry about swinging moderates their way in 2010. Obama (Barry) is going to do it for us. Every week we have seen actions by the White House and their allies which defy reason and rational thought. This year the issues centered on unemployment, spiraling federal debt, bailouts, nationalized health care, communist czars advising the president and the perceived loss of personal freedom in America. 2010 will deliver more outrageous behavior that could turn the tide. And the stakes could go higher than that. Either North Korea or Iran will have enough nuclear capability to do some real damage somewhere near us if not on our own soil. God forbid these rogue nations blow up a city somewhere in the world, but if they do, the White House will waffle instead of taking decisive military action. Barry can switch off Fox News and watch all the inauguration video he wants, but he will be blamed for enabling our enemies. If harm comes our way, this nation will scurry to the values and policies which have kept our citizens safe. Obama and his crowd will be thrown out of office."

On Thursday, a terrorist attack was launched at Fort Hood in Texas. Unless you have been under a rock, or traveling on business all day yesterday (as I was), you missed a lot of media coverage regarding an Islamic terrorist who decided to kill as many Americans as possible. This killer murdered 13 of our military while wounding another 30 on our own soil. I won't rehash the details because if you are paying attention, you have heard them already. So here is the point.

Not less than 24 hours after I published the comment above, we had a serious Muslim terrorist attack on American soil.

There is no amount of spin that the media can put on this to hide the fact that this guy was in our military for years, yet was a Muslim extremist and terrorist sympathizer. A lot of the news has focused on his motivation. Was he acting alone? Had he been harassed? Was he troubled? Was he crazy? To be totally honest, I don't give a flip about this guy or his psyche. Sorry. 13 of our young people are dead. Another 30 are seriously hurt.

But before we all take sides on the meaning of this event, perhaps we should consider a much more sobering thought. It is not a huge leap in logic to assume that our military may have been breached at some level by the enemy. The question is how much? Political correctness has taken its toll on the armed forces to the point where an Army psychiatrist can argue with returning veteran patients by insisting that their service to our country was wrong. I wonder how the soldier who handles nuclear weaponry feels about America. How about those handling classified documents? Our nation has become so polarized; can we be sure that ALL strategic military and intelligence personnel will do their best to defend our nation from of another attack of greater magnitude? I am not reassured by a President who has never served in the military and does not want to "rush to judgment" regarding the incident at Fort Hood. To repeat my comment for emphasis: "If harm comes our way, this nation will scurry to the values and policies which have kept our citizens safe. Obama and his crowd will be thrown out of office."

© 2009 by Craig Covello. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved.

We Did This To Ourselves by George Wolke

George Wolke has been a friend of mine since High School.  That means I've know him for more the 30 years.  We are basically on the same side of the political spectrum but we disagree on a number of issues.  He wrote me an e-mail yesterday after my e-mail and this article was the result.  George is an electrical engineer working in the civilian defense industry.

We Did This To Ourselves

As I was driving to work this morning, I received a one line email from my friend Frank DeMartini entitled, ‘The Unemployment Rate’.

It read, “It’s at 10.2%....Need I say more….”

For the past several months, Frank and I have gone back and forth about the merits of the Stimulus Package, and of Kensyean Economics in general. After considering how lucky I am to not be a member of this rather unfortunate club, I wrote the following as a response to Frank. Please take a look and let’s talk about it.

The situation we have today is the confluence of several events which have created ‘the perfect storm’. If this were a ‘normal’ recession, we’d see the unemployment rate bottom out and then return to the normal 4-5% range. Unfortunately, I think what we’re going to see is a jobless recovery and the further destruction of the middle class.

1. We no longer build things. As Frank is so apt to point out, we cannot compete against other countries whos standard of living is below ours. This makes it impossible for company’s to invest in manufacturing in America unless state or local governments sweeten the pie though incentives. Even with this, the era of American Manufacturing is over. And with it the blue collar jobs that helped to create our middle class.

2. Power is more concentrated than it ever has been before. The disparity between the top and the bottom has never been wider. And those in power are going to do everything they can to distort the message to the masses in order to stay in power.

3. As a people, we have no appetite for long term thinking. This is the single most reason we are hosed. Wall Street DEMANDS quarter by quarter financial gains at the expense of long term investment. Multi-million dollar bonuses for creating wealth though debt. The idea that housing prices will never go down. Need I say any more?

We are hosed and there is nothing in the short term that is going to make it better. But let me ask you what you think we can do to improve the situation? In the 30’s it took FDR to create the CCC to get people back to work, and then WWII to turn the economy around.

I bet if you asked the millions who just can’t find jobs, they’d jump at the chance to do anything productive at this point. But are we as a country ready to accept that there is going to need to be a dramatic reduction in the standard of living in order to create new jobs? To think otherwise seems a folly to me. It’s a fact that not everyone is capable of invention. That’s why we need to build things!!!!

Now, maybe we ought to be investing money in ways that encourages new industries to emerge. But these things take LOTS of money and lots of time to develop. What to do in the meantime?

There are no easy answers anymore. But, what needs to happen before we get this economy back on track is for people to get back to work. But, the catch-22 is that we won’t get people back to work until inventories are depleted, but….WE DON’T BUILD ANYTHING ANYMORE….plus, who can afford to buy anything anyway?

© 2009 by George Wolke. All rights reserved. Use by Permission.

Lucky Ties

Chris Christie was obviously wearing his; as was Robert McDonnell. The GOP is officially breathing again. It was a great day for Republicans yesterday. It happened exactly one year after we took our worst shellacking since the 1960’s. And, what did President Obama do while his party was getting whooped in two states which voted for him last year? He sat at home and watched a special on HBO about His election victory last year. The official statement from the White House is that he did not even bother to watch any of the results as “they just didn’t matter and didn’t reflect on him: They were locally driven.”

For the past year I have been saying the current President is one of the biggest megalomaniacs in history. And, last night, he just proved it again. While the state of New Jersey which is one of the bluest was falling and the State of Virginia was being swept by Republicans which has not happened since Reconstruction, the President was watching a TV show about His grandiose victory last year. His ego is completely out of control. I wonder if he was wearing his lucky tie last night.

However, we all know who definitely was not: Doug Hoffman. This is the man that ran on the Conservative ticket in NY-23 which is a district in Upstate New York that has been Republican since the Civil War. Well, in the immortal words of Jacques Clousseau, “Not Anymore!” Doug Hoffman was defeated yesterday garnering only 46% of the vote. The projected winner, the Democrat Bill Owens, garnered 49% and the liberal Republican who withdrew last week received 5%. She proved to be he spoiler.

I find this race in NY-23 to be very disturbing. It is a race that garnered national attention when Sarah Palin, the Queen of the Far Right, decided to support the Conservative Candidate and not the Republican. Before that, the race was hardly being looked at by anybody.

NY-23 is a district in Upstate New York which borders on Canada and Vermont. It is more than 90% white and skews Republican by a margin of more than five percentage points. The area has been Republican for as far as anyone can remember. But, last night, it elected a Democrat. Why?

The Republican Party nominated Dede Scozzafava to run in this district without a primary. Ms. Scozzafava is one of the most liberal Republicans in the history of the Party. She is not pro-life, supports same-sex marriage and has strong ties to Labor, positions which are opposed by the majority of the Party. She does support the Bush tax cuts and is against Cap-And-Trade. It was rumored during the election that she hinted she might caucus with the Democrats if elected.

Obviously the nomination of Ms. Scozzafava was a big mistake. By nominating her, the Party allowed a three way race to occur thereby guaranteeing a Democratic victory. Of course, it did not help, that upon quitting the race five days ago, Ms. Scozzafava gave her support, not to the Conservative Hoffman, but to the Democrat Owens. The Party should have run a primary before nominating Scozzafava or, at the least, seen the power of the Right movement and nominated someone more in line with the mainstream Republican platform.

But, that is not really what disturbs me about the race in NY-23. What disturbs me the most is the ramification of what happened there to the rest of the country and to the elections in 2010. The Republican Party seems to be splintering into two halves, the conservatives and the moderates. The Conservatives are being supported by Ms. Palin and a large group of Right Wing pundits. They are represented by the Tea Party Organizations and the States’ Rights Groups. I am probably one of them.

However, without the moderates; the center of the political spectrum, the Party will not regain control of the federal government. There is simply not enough of the Far Right to support a majority anywhere in the country. The moderates and independents win elections. And, boy was that clear last night.

All of the exit polling shows that McDonnell and Christie won because there was a major swing in the independent voter to the Republicans. These swing voters stated they were against the huge government spending, the failed stimulus package and were in fear for the future of their children. The majority of these independents voted for Obama in the last election.

We need them these independents. We must do whatever is necessary to maintain their support. We cannot swing to the far right and expect to do anything in 2010. If we do, there will be a lot of Democrats that will be wearing their lucky ties. If we continue to attract the moderates and independents as happened yesterday, it will be a large group of Republicans wearing theirs.

©2009 by Frank T. DeMartini

Nothing to Write Home About by Ira Schwartz

So the first year of Barack Obama’s shepherding of the White House is quickly drawing to a close. As the Presidents public and TV appearances grow fewer the grey hairs on his head and the bags under his eyes grow more numerous. That usually happens to a President during his first year in the big chair. Along with the realization that most of the promises made during the campaign and the inaugural speech will be much tougher to keep than originally thought. So how is President Obama doing? That all depends on who you ask.

If you ask Speaker Pelosi or House Majority Leader Harry Reed he’s doing just fine thank you. But their assessment of the situation is tainted by a condition called “Party Macular Degeneration”…they see only what the party tells them to see. Good for Party rallies and ranting to the Democratic controlled congress but not much good for anything else.

If you ask ex-governor Sarah Palin or Mitt Romney they will tell you President Obama is loved as much as John Adams and is as competent as Jimmy Carter. But they too suffer from a debilitating disease called “Post Traumatic “I can’t believe we lost the whole election” Amnesia”. They have forgotten everything that happened before Barack Obama won the presidency. So let’s see if we can figure this out for ourselves.

First he promised to close down Guantanamo Bay Prison by year’s end. The year isn’t quite over yet but it doesn’t appear he will be accomplishing this one. The funds needed to close the prison were denied the Obama Administration by the Senate last May. In an interview with “All Things Considered” Attorney General Eric Holder said that closing the prison by the January 22nd deadline will be “difficult to meet”. After all it takes time to find just the right locations of the “prisons to be named later”. Anyone have any complaints with the Arctic? Let’s put this one in the “wait and see” category.

Next we have the economy. Come on out there…let’s see a show of hands. Does anyone really believe the “recession” is over? The National jobless rate in October was 9.7%. That’s a tenth of a percent lower than September but 1.7% HIGHER than the government predicted it would top out at.

Michael Williams, CEO of Fannie Mae reports that foreclosures will still climb this year, “The patient is out of intensive care, but still has a very long road ahead to a clean bill of health.” According to “The Business Insider” Septembers new housing starts missed expectations, rising 0.5% to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of just 590,000 vs. an expected 610,000. Building permits fell 1.2% also.

“Cash for Clunkers”. You knew I’d get around to this one didn’t you. According to “The Wall Street Journal” U.S. automakers reported new car sales for September, the first month since the program expired, sank 25% from a year earlier. Sales at GM (Government Motors) and Chrysler fell by 45% and 42% respectively. Ford was down 5%. 700,000 new cars were purchased under the program, cars that probably would have been purchased anyway. So all the program seems to have done is steal those sales from the future. Exactly as critics predicted. The “Journal” goes on to say, Burton Abrams and George Parsons of the University of Delaware added up the total benefits from reduced gas consumption, environmental improvements and the benefit to car buyers and companies, minus the overall cost of cash for clunkers, and found a net cost of roughly $2,000 per vehicle. Rather than stimulating the economy, the program made the nation as a whole $1.4 billion poorer.

We need to give the President the benefit of the doubt on this one. No one really expected the economy to turn around so quickly. Let’s see what happens by the end of next year.

Healthcare Reform, Health Insurance Reform whatever the flavor of the week is, is still up for grabs. There is a good possibility some form of a Bill will be passed within the next 3 months what it will look like is anyone’s guess. Chances are it will be tied up in the courts for years only to be repealed by the next GOP president.

Afghanistan…First we were winning so we pulled troops from there to fight the evil doers in Iraq. Now we’re not winning so we are “Thinking” about sending more troops back in. Meanwhile US soldiers die every day while the administration sits on the fence whining “What should I do? What should I do?” Look for General McChrystal to either resign or be replaced if the administration decides more “Boots” on the ground is not the right course of action. Also the corrupt US backed Karzai government looks as if it has dodged yet another bullet after Abdullah Abdullah decided to drop out of the runoff election scheduled for this week. Karzai wins by default. It appears anyone with a semblance of intelligence in Afghanistan wants nothing to do with a US backed government.

The Middle East…different administration…same crap. Nothing new here. The Palestinians won’t come back to the peace talks until the Israeli’s stop building settlements. The Israeli’s said how about we build a few more and see what happens. The only movement of any kind in the area is Hillary Clinton moving closer to the portable defibrillator.

Iran and North Korea….both seem to think they’re untouchable. Iran continues to make a fool out of the administration by promising to schedule talks regarding their nuclear program then constantly changing the schedule. As we wait they continue to produce fissionable material at a rate that, according to the CIA, will give them enough material to make two bombs by February. The UN has asked the Ahmadinejad government to “Respond to the accusations, pretty please.” They are still waiting for the answer.

North Korea keeps calling everyone’s bluff by defying the UN ban on missile launches by firing seven missiles out over the ocean towards Japan on July 4th. Then on Monday October 26th the North Koreans issued a demand to the United States to begin bi-lateral talks with them or else. The US has yet to respond but maybe a couple of dozen cruise missiles will light North Korea’s mood.

So in summing it up:

Gitmo will still be there but its occupancy rate will be somewhat smaller and more manageable.

The economy is getting better but it will take a lot longer than the administration thought. Go figure.

Healthcare Reform is still being shaped by the Democrats into something a little more palatable so when they ram it down our throats we won’t choke too badly.

No one is talking in the Middle East or at least saying anything worth listening to.

Afghanistan is still up in the air.

Iran is still a threat as is North Korea.

So when all is said and done it looks, to me anyway, that after 9 months in office Barack Obama doesn’t really have very much to write home about. Of course there’s always the Nobel Prize.

© 2009 by Ira Schwartz. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission.