How Obama “Honored” Fallen Soldiers on Memorial Day – By Playing His Record 70th Round of Golf

After sitting and chewing on some gum (Nicrorette?) during the Joplin Memorial service yesterday, Obama decided to honor the fallen soldiers this Memorial Day by playing a record 70th round of golf.

Mark Knoller of CBS reports on this via Twitter:

Maybe what presidents like most about golf courses, they get to drive a golf cart. (and at Camp David.)

Last Monday at about this time he was on his way to Moneygall, Ireland to raise a pint to his Irish heritage.

Pres Obama is playing 90-degree golf at Ft. Belvoir in Va. It’s his 70th golf outing as president; his 18th at Belvoir.

It may be hot. 91° the current reading in DC. But not too hot for some presidential golf.

FORE!! His golfing buddies included junior White House staffer Ben Finkenbinder, White House Trip Director Marvin Nicholson, and Energy Department staffer David Katz. What? No Reggie Love?

From:  http://www.fireandreamitchell.com/2011/05/30/how-obama-honored-the-fallen-on-memorial-day-by-playing-his-record-70th-round-of-golf/

 

Thank You, Obama! 16 Nightmarish Economic Trends Exacerbated by Obama’s Policies…

If you only watch the “economic pundits” on television, it can be very confusing to figure out exactly what is happening with the U.S. economy.

 

One pundit will pull out a couple statistics that got a little bit better over the past month and claim that we have entered a time of solid recovery. Another pundit will pull out a couple statistics that got a little worse over the past month and claim that we are headed for trouble.

 

So what is the truth? Well, if you really want to get a clear idea of what is really going on you have to look at the long-term trends. There are some economic trends which just keep getting worse year after year after year, and it is those trends that tell the real story of the decline of our economic system.

 

As you examine the long-term trends, you quickly come to realize that the U.S. is trapped in an endless spiral of debt, the middle class is being wiped out, the U.S. dollar is being destroyed and America is rapidly becoming a post-industrial wasteland.

 

Posted below are 16 nightmarish economic trends to watch carefully in 2011. It is becoming exceedingly apparent that unless something is done rapidly we are heading for an economic collapse of unprecedented magnitude….

 

#1 Do you want to see something scary? Just check out the chart above. Since the beginning of the economic downturn, the U.S. monetary base has more than doubled. But don’t worry – Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has promised us that this could never cause inflation. In fact, Bernanke says that we need to inject even more dollars into the economy. So if you are alarmed by the chart below, you are just being irrational according to Bernanke….

 

#2 Thousands of our factories, millions of our jobs and hundreds of billions of dollars of our national wealth continue to be shipped overseas. In 1985, the U.S. trade deficit with China was 6 million dollars for the entire year. In the month of August alone, the U.S. trade deficit with China was over 28 billion dollars. Nobel economist Robert W. Fogel of the University of Chicago is projecting that the Chinese economy will be three times larger than the U.S. economy by the year 2040 if current trends continue.

 

#3 The United States is rapidly becoming a post-industrial wasteland. Back in 1959, manufacturing represented 28 percent of all U.S. economic output. In 2008, it represented only 11.5 percent and it continues to fall. Sadly, the truth is that America is being deindustrialized. As of the end of 2009, less than 12 million Americans worked in manufacturing. The last time that less than 12 million Americans were employed in manufacturing was in 1941.

 

#4 The number of Americans that have been out of work for an extended period of time has absolutely exploded over the last few years. As 2007 began, there were just over 1 million Americans that had been unemployed for half a year or longer. Today, there are over 6 million Americans that have been unemployed for half a year or longer.

 

#5 The middle class continues to be squeezed out of existence. According to a poll taken in 2009, 61 percent of Americans ”always or usually” live paycheck to paycheck. That was up substantially from 49 percent in 2008 and 43 percent in 2007.

 

#6 The number of Americans living in poverty is absolutely skyrocketing. 42.9 million Americans are now on food stamps, and one out of every six Americans is now enrolled in at least one anti-poverty program run by the federal government. Unfortunately, many of those that have been hardest hit by this economic downturn have been children. According to one new study, approximately 21 percent of all children in the United States are living below the poverty line in 2010 – the highest rate in 20 years.

 

#7 Many American families have been pushed beyond the breaking point during this economic downturn. Over 1.4 million Americans filed for personal bankruptcy in 2009, which represented a 32 percent increase over 2008. The final number for 2010 is expected to be even higher.

 

#8 The U.S. real estate market continues to stagnate. During the third quarter of 2010, 67 percent of mortgages in Nevada were “underwater”, 49 percent of mortgages in Arizona were “underwater” and 46 percent of mortgages in Florida were “underwater”. So what happens if home prices go down even more?

 

#9 More elderly Americans than ever are being forced to put off retirement and continue working. In 2010, 55 percent of Americans between the ages of 60 and 64 were in the labor market. Ten years ago, that number was just 47 percent. Unfortunately, it looks like this problem will only get worse in the years ahead. In America today, approximately half of all workers have less than $2000 saved up for retirement.

 

#10 In the United States today, there are simply far too many retirees and not nearly enough workers to support them. Back in 1950 each retiree’s Social Security benefit was paid for by 16 workers. Today, each retiree’s Social Security benefit is paid for by approximately 3.3 workers. By 2025 it is projected that there will be approximately two workers for each retiree.

 

#11 Financial assets continue to become concentrated in fewer and fewer hands. For example, the “big four” U.S. banks (Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Wells Fargo) had approximately 22 percent of all deposits in FDIC-insured institutions back in 2000. As of the middle of 2009 that figure was up to 39 percent.

 

#12 The Federal Reserve has been destroying the value of the U.S. dollar for decades. Since the Federal Reserve was created in 1913, the U.S. dollar has lost over 95 percent of its purchasing power. An item that cost $20.00 in 1970 would cost you $112.35 today. An item that cost $20.00 in 1913 would cost you $440.33 today.

 

#13 Commodity prices continue to soar into the stratosphere. Ten years ago, the price of a barrel of oil hovered around 20 to 30 dollars most of the time. Today, the price of oil is rapidly closing in on 100 dollars a barrel and there are now fears that it could soon go much higher than that.

 

#14 Federal government spending is completely and totally out of control. The U.S. government budget deficit increased to a whopping $150.4 billion last month, which represented the biggest November deficit on record. But our politicians can’t seem to break their addiction to debt. In fact, Democrats are trying to ram through a 1,924 page, 1.1 trillion dollar spending bill in the final days of the lame-duck session of Congress before the Republicans take control of the House of Representatives next year.

 

#15 The U.S. national debt is rapidly closing in on 14 trillion dollars. It is more than 13 times larger than it was just 30 short years ago. According to an official U.S. Treasury Department report to Congress, the U.S. national debt is projected to climb to an estimated $19.6 trillion by 2015.

 

#16 Unfortunately, the official government numbers grossly understate the horrific nature of the crisis we are facing. John Williams of Shadow Government Statistics has calculated that if the federal government would have used GAAP accounting standards to measure the federal budget deficit for 2009, it would have been approximately 8.8 trillion dollars. Not only that, but John Williams now says that U.S. government debt is so wildly out of control that it is mathematically impossible for us to “grow” our way out of it….

 

The government’s finances not only are out of control, but the actual deficit is not containable. Put into perspective, if the government were to raise taxes so as to seize 100% of all wages, salaries and corporate profits, it still would be showing an annual deficit using GAAP accounting on a consistent basis. In like manner, given current revenues, if it stopped spending every penny (including defense and homeland security) other than for Social Security and Medicare obligations, the government still would be showing an annual deficit. Further, the U.S. has no potential way to grow out of this shortfall.

 

The more one examines the U.S. economic situation, the more depressing it becomes. The U.S. financial system is trapped inside a horrific debt spiral and we are headed straight for economic oblivion.

 

If our leaders attempt to interrupt the debt spiral it will plunge our economy into a depression. If our leaders attempt to keep the debt spiral going for several more years it will just make the eventual crash even worse. Either way, we are headed for a financial implosion that will be truly historic.

 

The debt-fueled good times that we have been enjoying for the last several decades are rapidly coming to an end. Unfortunately for the tens of millions of Americans that are already suffering, our economic problems are only going to get worse in the years ahead.

 

So what do you think? Do you agree that the U.S. economy is doomed? Please feel free to leave a comment with your opinion….

 

From:  http://www.gcnlive.com/wp/2010/12/15/16-nightmarish-economic-trends-to-watch-carefully-in-2011/

 

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

The American Dream

Dec 15, 2010

 

Thanks, Obama! Food Stamp Roles Continue to Rise; 14% of Americans Now on Food Stamps…

More people tapped food stamps to pay for groceries in September as the recession and lackluster recovery have prompted more Americans to turn to government safety net programs to make ends meet.

 

Some 42.9 million people collected food stamps last month, up 1.2% from the prior month and 16.2% higher than the same time a year ago, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

 

Nationwide 14% of the population relied on food stamps as of September but in some states the percentage was much higher. In Washington, D.C., Mississippi and Tennessee – the states with the largest share of citizens receiving benefits – more than a fifth of the population in each was collecting food stamps.

 

By Sara Murray

 

From: http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2010/12/08/food-stamp-rolls-continue-to-rise/

Obama Losing Supporters as Joblessness Prompts Voters’ Discontent

Hope has turned to doubt and disenchantment for almost half of President Barack Obama’s supporters.

 

More than 4 of 10 likely voters who say they once considered themselves Obama backers now are either less supportive or say they no longer support him at all, according to a Bloomberg National Poll conducted Oct. 7-10.

 

Three weeks before the Nov. 2 congressional elections that Republicans are trying to make a referendum on Obama, fewer than half of likely voters approve of the president’s job performance. Likely voters are more apt to say Obama’s policies have harmed rather than helped the economy. Among those who say they are most enthusiastic about voting this year, 6 of 10 say the Democrat has damaged the economy.

 

A year after the official end of the U.S. recession, growth has slowed again without big gains in employment. Joblessness, which was 9.6 percent in September, has barely budged since reaching a 26-year high of 10.1 percent last October. Gross domestic product has slowed from a 5.0 percent annual growth rate in last year’s final quarter to 1.7 percent during the second quarter.

 

The poll shows that almost two-thirds of voters believe the country is on the wrong track and unemployment is the top concern for about half the electorate. The budget deficit, which was $1.291 trillion for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30 and $1.416 trillion for 2009, ranks as the second most pressing issue, cited by 27 percent.

 

From:  http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-12/obama-losing-supporters-in-poll-as-joblessness-prompts-voters-discontent.html

Thank you, Obama! Consumer Confidence Drops to Lowest Levels Since February

NEW YORK (AP) – Americans’ view of the economy turned grimmer in September amid escalating job worries, falling to the lowest point since February.

The downbeat report, released Tuesday, raises more fears about the tenuous U.S. economic recovery. It also further underscores the disconnect between Wall Street and Main Street; consumers’ confidence fell further even as stocks rebounded in September.

The Conference Board, based in New York, said its monthly Consumer Confidence Index now stands at 48.5, down from the revised 53.2 in August. Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters were expecting 52.5.

The reading marked the lowest point since February’s 46.4. It takes a reading of 90 to indicate a healthy economy – a level not approached since the recession began in December 2007.

From:  http://apnews.myway.com/article/20100928/D9IGVOGG0.html

Poll: Significant Majority of Americans Ready to Give Obama the Boot in 2012

A significant majority of voters are considering voting against President Barack Obama in the 2012 election, expressing sour views of his new health care law and deep skepticism about his ability to create jobs and grow the sluggish economy, according to the latest POLITICO/George Washington University Battleground Poll. 

Only 38 percent of respondents said Obama deserves to be reelected, even though a majority of voters hold a favorable view of him on a personal level. Forty-four percent said they will vote to oust him, and 13 percent said they will consider voting for someone else.

It’s Obama’s policies that are hurting him right now. By a 13-point margin, voters are down on the health care law. In an especially troubling sign, more than half of self-identified independents — 54 percent — have an unfavorable opinion of the law, compared with just 38 percent who have a favorable opinion.

And by an 11-point margin, voters trust congressional Republicans to create jobs more than Obama. His approval rating stands at 46 percent, according to the poll of 1,000 likely voters, conducted Sept. 19 to Sept. 22.

The tea party movement, which has emerged as the biggest threat to Democrats’ dominance of Washington, is viewed favorably by 43 percent of respondents, compared with 35 percent who view it unfavorably.

Perceptions of the grass-roots activists vary widely by region: In the Northeast, nearly half — 47 percent — have a negative view of the movement, suggesting it could prove to be a drag on GOP candidates in a region where the party has bottomed out in recent years.

But in the eight-state Mountain West region, more than half — 53 percent — have a favorable view of the tea party movement, which could prove helpful to prominent tea-party-backed Senate nominees in Nevada and Colorado.

 Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0910/42737.html#ixzz10ldlPfkK

‘I’m exhausted defending you’: Middle-class mother confronts Obama at Town Hall meeting

President Barack Obama was left in no doubt as to the strength of ill-feeling among his most loyal supporters last night when he was openly attacked at a town hall meeting – with one woman telling him: ‘I’m exhausted defending you’.

 

Staring intently at Mr Obama, Velma Hart told him she was ‘deeply disappointed’ and was losing patience waiting for him to deliver the change he promised.

 

In an impassioned rebuke the mother-of-two said she fears returning to the ‘hot dogs-and-beans era’ of her life because he is not helping the financially strapped middle class.

  

‘I am exhausted of defending you’: Velma Hart gives Barack Obama some home truths at a town hall meeting in Washington, DC yesterday

 

‘I’m a mother. I’m a wife. I’m an American veteran, and I’m one of your middle-class Americans.

‘And, quite frankly, I’m exhausted,’ she said.

 

‘I’m exhausted of defending you, defending your administration, defending the mantle of change that I voted for, and deeply disappointed with where we are right now.’

 

Her admonishment of the president came as new poll revealed 35% of voters would prefer to have George W Bush in the White House instead of Mr Obama, in spite of his chequered record in office.

 

Mr Obama has faced falling popularity and rising disgruntlement as his presidency stalls amid the economic crisis and what some see as indecisive leadership.

 

In a series of televised town hall meetings with voters, he is attempting to reconnect with the public but during one such event in Washington, he was ambushed by the audience.

 

Mrs Hart, who has two teenage daughters, laid into him for failing to do enough for people like her.

 

‘I have two children in private school. The financial recession has taken an enormous toll on my family,’ she said.

 

‘My husband and I have joked for years that we thought we were well beyond the hot dogs-and-beans era of our lives. But, quite frankly, it is starting to knock on our door and ring true that that might be where we are headed again.’

 

‘I’m exhausted of defending you, defending your administration, defending the mantle of change that I voted for, and deeply disappointed with where we are right now.’

 

 Mr Obama told Mrs Hart, the chief financial officer for a war veterans group, that people like her were the ‘bedrock of America’ and they should be supported.

 

‘I understand your frustration,’ he said. ‘My goal is not to convince you that everything is where it ought to be. It’s not.’

 

Mr Obama also came under attack from audience member Ted Brassfield, 30, a recent law graduate, who said the optimism of the 2008 election was ‘dying away’.

 

‘There aren’t jobs out there right now,’ he said and asked: ‘Is the American dream dead for me?’ ‘Absolutely not,’ Mr Obama replied.

 

The clashes came as former US president Bill Clinton admitted that voters were angry with Mr Obama but urged them not to give up hope.

 

‘I would say, ‘I know a lot of people are mad, and a lot of people are tired.  Apathetic.  And I respect that.  Because we’re not yet out of the hole we’ve got in,’’ he said.

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1314021/Middle-class-mother-Velma-Hart-confronts-Obama-meet-voters-event.html#ixzz10IWcgOMI

Thank You, Obama…1 in Every 6 Americans Now on Government Aid, and the Number Is Growing By Leaps and Bounds!

Close to 10 million receive unemployment insurance, nearly four times the number from 2007. Benefits have been extended by Congress eight times beyond the basic 26-week program.

By Richard Wolf, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON — Government anti-poverty programs that have grown to meet the needs of recession victims now serve a record one in six Americans and are continuing to expand.

More than 50 million Americans are on Medicaid, the federal-state program aimed principally at the poor, a survey of state data by USA TODAY shows. That’s up at least 17% since the recession began in December 2007.

“Virtually every Medicaid director in the country would say that their current enrollment is the highest on record,” says Vernon Smith of Health Management Associates, which surveys states for Kaiser Family Foundation.

The program has grown even before the new health care law adds about 16 million people, beginning in 2014. That has strained doctors. “Private physicians are already indicating that they’re at their limit,” says Dan Hawkins of the National Association of Community Health Centers.

More than 40 million people get food stamps, an increase of nearly 50% during the economic downturn, according to government data through May. The program has grown steadily for three years.

Caseloads have risen as more people become eligible. The economic stimulus law signed by President Obama last year also boosted benefits.

From:  http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-08-30-1Asafetynet30_ST_N.htm