President Obama Tries His Hand At Comedy…what an idiot

In a moment that should have been shared with no other news our (cough) President Obama decides to do a comedy act before addressing the shootings at Fort Hood, just hours after it had happened.

At least President Bush knew how to appropriately handle a mass murder of innocent people. 

I have to ask:  Where the heck is the media’s  lambasting over this…for weeks upon end?  At the end of G.W. Bush’s term he was still being criticized for it. 

I AM APPALLED.    If he wants the limelight so much, and cannot seperate acting from running our country then he should just resign and get a job on The Late Show, he’s on it enough.

God bless our military families.  I am so sorry that our President continues to show your fighting men and women a lack of respect for what they do.  For that matter, he disrespects our police force also.  He is a mockery to the office.

And yeah, can you tell I am ANGRY?  It is his continuous lack of not knowing his place in our government, that of working for the people of this nation, not the other way around that is so outrageous.  

Luckily, the people in Virginia and New Jersey have wised up to him.  We can only hope that 2012 brings us real “hope” and real “change” and people vote his butt out of our house.

I’d apologize for the mood of this blog, but I’m not sorry.  And just in case you missed it above, here it is again.

http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/politics/A-Disconnected-President.html

 

FACT CHECK: Barack Obama Campaign Promise #8 and #9

So this is actually something that was in the works during the Bush administration and Obama is taking it on as his own now…

Politifact.com

Pursuing new trade policies

Updated: Friday, November 6th, 2009 | By Lukas Pleva

In an effort to appeal to labor unions and environmentalists during the campaign, Barack Obama promised that he would “will use trade agreements to spread good labor and environmental standards around the world.”

Obama has a chance to address the promise with pending trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea. All three were drawn up and signed under President George W. Bush, but Congress has yet to ratify any of them.

Obama and other Democrats have opposed the Colombia and South Korea trade agreements because of Colombia’s record in dealing with labor leaders and their belief that South Korea hasn’t done enough to open up its market to American cars.

The Obama administration appears to be moving toward eventually passing the pacts, but still addressing those concerns. Ron Kirk, the U.S. Trade Representative in the Obama administration, hinted in a recent speech that he and his negotiating team are close to removing the obstacles that stand in the way of passing the Panama trade agreement. Labor and environmental standards are the focus of these negotiations.

Some other examples of the administration’s focus on Obama’s promise:

*The administration’s 2009 Trade Policy Agenda, released in February, calls for a trade agenda that will “reflect our respect for … our environment … and the rights of workers.”

* Kirk has emphasized on several occasions that he and his negotiating team are waiting for labor rights reforms to become permanent in countries such as Colombia and Panama before the U.S. signs trade agreements with them.

* In late October, the U.S. ambassador to Canada, David Jacobson, said that Obama won’t open the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, for renegotiation, but the administration is still pushing for inclusion of more stringent environmental and labor standards into the treaty.

* In September, the U.S. held talks with Jordan officials about the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement. Lewis Karesh, who led the team, said “the meetings in Jordan are an important example of the United States’ increased engagement on labor issues.”

We’ll wait and see if Obama succeeds, but in the meantime, we rate this promise In The Works.

Sources:

Global Atlanta, U.S. Trade Rep: No Timeline for Votes on FTAs, October 9, 2009.

Reuters, Lawmakers see trade deal chance after healthcare, October 29, 2009.

The Canadian Press, U.S. envoy says ’side letters’ on labour and environment may benefit NAFTA, October 21, 2009.

Office of the United States Trade Representative, Press Release, September 30, 2009.

Reuters, USTR Kirk sets speech on long-delayed Korea pact, October 30, 2009.

til later,

from the mind of…

 

FACT CHECK: Barack Obama – Campaign Promise #7

Although Politifact.com rated this as “in the works”, I rate it as “compromised” since the 2010 funding has already been allocated for this program. 

 

Politifact.com

 

 

Not quite double, but a start

Updated: Friday, November 6th, 2009 | By Lukas Pleva

President Obama promised to double funding for the Hollings Manufacturing Extensions Partnership (MPE) program, and his budget for 2010 puts him closer to fulfilling that promise.

The Hollings Manufacturing Extensions Partnership is part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which in turn falls under the U.S. Department of Commerce. The partnership, which consists of federal, state, and local organizations, provides business information and resources to U.S. manufacturing firms to make them more competitive in the global markets.

The Bush administration allocated $110 million in funding for the MPE program during 2009. In 2010, MPE will receive $124.7 million, a 13.4% increase. According to the Department of Commerce, increased funds will “expand technology and business resources to help strengthen these manufacturers’ competitiveness in the global market, as well as support activities concerning energy efficient manufacturing practices.”

Though a 13.4% increase is hardly a doubling of the budget, it puts Obama closer to his original goal. We rate the promise In the Works.

 

Sources:

United States Government Printing Office, Department of Commerce FY 2010 Budget, Accessed November 4, 2009.

National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2008-2010 Appropriations Summary, Accessed November 4, 2009.

Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Organization Summary, Accessed November 4, 2009.

 

 

til later,

from the mind of…

 

FACT CHECK: Barack Obama – Campaign Promise #6

“Will create an Advanced Manufacturing Fund to identify and invest in the most compelling advanced manufacturing strategies. The Fund will have a peer-review selection and award process based on the Michigan 21st Century Jobs Fund, a state-level initiative that has awarded over $125 million to Michigan businesses with the most innovative proposals to create new products and new jobs in the state.” -Barack Obama

 

 

Politifact.com

“The Solution

• Get the economy back on track:

  President Obama signed legislation to jumpstart our economy, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, less than a month after his inauguration. The plan will save or create 3.5 million new jobs, make critical investments in our infrastructure and give 95 percent of working Americans a tax cut.

• Fight the housing and financial crises:

  A new housing program has stabilized the market, preventing more foreclosures and helping millions more re-finance at historically low mortgage rates. The Administration is also moving forward with its plans to get credit flowing again to businesses and families, and to reform our regulatory system so we have a set of 21st century rules to match 21st century financial markets.

• Rebuild our economy on a new, sustainable foundation:

  By making bold and wise investments in healthcare, energy and education, and restoring fiscal accountability to government spending, we will cut costs for American families and businesses, create good jobs that can’t be shipped overseas, give our children the education they need to be competitive in the global marketplace and leave our grandchildren a legacy they can be proud to inherit. ” http://www.barackobama.com/issues/economy/

****None of this has actually happened yet…jobs are still at a record low, the 3.5 million new jobs have yet to emerge:  http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm the number is more like a   -8.2 million now.   And the fight for our housing and financial crisis, although they will say they have done what they promised to help with foreclosures, is far from helping.  The banks did get their monies, thanks to a costly stimulus package, however, they are not releasing it to the people that it was given to them to help.  Month after month, foreclosures continue.  And as for our healthcare…well you’ve read the news.

til later,

from the mind of…

 

FACT CHECK: Barack Obama – Campaign Promise #5

Sort of, kind of, got it done,

 Politifact.com

 

Obama expands earned income tax credit for 2009 and 2010

Updated: Wednesday, February 25th, 2009 | By Angie Drobnic Holan
Expanding the earned income tax credit is a somewhat obscure point of tax law, but it’s part of President Obama’s stated goals to do more for working people.

Congress created the tax credit in 1975 to provide an incentive to work by giving a tax credit for low-wage and moderate-wage workers. But it has many rules and phase-outs. Obama’s promise was to allow people to get more money through the tax credit by changing some of those rules.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the economic stimulus bill Obama signed Feb. 17, 2009, contains two rule changes that Obama promised: It increases the credit for people with three or more children, and it increases the credit for married people so they don’t face a “marriage penalty” compared with other filers. But it does not expand the credit for workers without children.

Obama has fulfilled two of the three aspects of this promise, so it’s a substantial portion of his original pledge, but not everything he said he would do. For now, we’re going to rate it Compromise, but we’ll be watching future budgets to see if the tax credit is expanded or scaled back, in which case we might need to change our ruling.

Sources:

Thomas, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 , Sec. 1002, Feb. 17, 2009

Tax Policy Center, Taxation and the Family: What is the Earned Income Tax Credit? Dec. 11, 2008

 

 

 

 

http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411749_updated_candidates.pdf

 

 

FACT CHECK: Barack Obama – Campaign Promise #4

Still a work in progress…

 

Politifact.com

OBAMA KEEPS BUSH’S CHILD TAX CREDITS AND MARRIAGE PENALTY FIXES

Updated: Thursday, March 5th, 2009 | By Angie Drobnic Holan

President Obama has said he would roll back the Bush tax cuts on higher incomes, meaning $200,000 in income for singles and $250,000 for couples. But he intends to leave in place the Bush tax cuts for everyone who makes less than that.

In the case of this particular promise, the outline for Obama’s 2010 budget shows he intends to keep expansions of the child tax credit, as well as adjustments that do away with a marriage penalty for couples who file jointly. These exemptions would phase out for people at higher incomes, who will see hefty rate increases under the Obama plan.

When the tax cuts were first enacted in 2001 and again in 2003, the legislation came with “sunsets,” or scheduled expiration dates. Without further action, tax rates will go up for everyone in 2011; at the time it was considered a way to rein in future deficit projections. So new legislation is required to keep in place those current policies, and the budget outline indicates Obama intends to pursue that legislation.

Congress still needs approve Obama’s budget, and there will likely be arguments over many things in it. But little opposition is expected to retaining the child credit expansions and marriage penalty fixes. For now, though, we’re rating this promise In the Works.

Sources:

Office of Budget and Management, Budget Documents for Fiscal Year 2010 , Feb. 26, 2009 

 

 

http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/411749_updated_candidates.pdf

 

til later,

from the mind of…

 

FACT CHECK: Barack Obama – Campaign Promise #3

“Barack Obama understands that small businesses are the engines of our economy, and he will eliminate all capital gains taxes on investments in small and start-up firms.”

PolitiFact.com

STIMULUS REDUCES BUT DOES NOT ELIMINATE

Updated: Thursday, February 26th, 2009 | By Angie Drobnic Holan

Deep within the text of the humongous economic stimulus bill — more formally known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 — lies a small bit of text that changes capital gains taxes for small business.

 When you sell an asset for a profit, that profit margin is your capital gain, and the IRS taxes you on it. Capital gains taxes vary depending on the income level of the tax filer and the length of the investment.

 The stimulus bill address the case of people who make money after they’ve invested in a small business. Currently, these investors are able to exclude 50 percent of their gain from capital gains taxes when they invest in small business, as an incentive to entrepreneurship. The stimulus bill raises that exclusion to 75 percent.

 The reduction is not everything Obama said he would do, but it’s a substantial portion of what he sought, so for now we’re going to rate it Compromise. But we’ll be watching his future budgets to see if if the capital gains taxes are further reduced on small businesses, in which case we might need to change our ruling.

Sources:

Thomas, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 , Sec. 1241

Speaker of the House Web site, Joint Explanatory Statement: Section B , Feb. 12, 2009 (pdf document)

http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/taxes/Factsheet_Tax_Plan_FINAL.pdf

 

FACT CHECK: Barack Obama- Campaign Promise #2

From what I can see while investigating this on the web, this one is still:

 

CHANGES TO OIL AND GAS TAXES MAKE OBAMA’S

BUDGET

Updated: Tuesday, March 10th, 2009 | By Angie Drobnic Holan

 

President Obama proposed many changes to the U.S. tax code when

running for office, including eliminating oil and gas tax loopholes.

When he unveiled his first budget outline on Feb. 26, 2009, he

included a number of measures that would revoke tax advantages for

oil companies.

 

The budget outline calls for nine different measures under the category

“Eliminate oil and gas company preferences.” Among other things, the

outline says the Obama administration will “levy excise tax on Gulf of

Mexico oil and gas (limits excess royalty relief),” “repeal enhanced oil

recovery credit,” “repeal marginal well tax credit,” “repeal expensing

of intangible drilling costs,” and “repeal deduction for tertiary

injectants.”

 

The Obama administration estimates that over 10 years, the changes

would generate $30 billion in additional revenue. (That sounds like a

lot, but it’s a small amount compared with Obama’s $400 “Making

Work Pay” tax credit for workers, which will cost $536 billion over 10

years.)

 

Obama’s budget still needs to get through Congress. We also weren’t

able to tell from the outline whether these measures would affect

foreign tax credit benefits for oil companies, though it does specifically

mention repealing the manufacturing tax deduction and expensing

rules. The Obama administration plans to release more budget details in

April 2009.

 

For now, we rate this promise In the Works.

Sources:

Office of Budget and Management, Budget Documents for Fiscal Year

2010 , Feb. 26, 2009

Office of Budget and Management, Summary Tables , Table S-6, page

122, Feb. 26, 2009

 

Fact Check: Barack Obama – Campaign Promise #1

Promise Number 1:

 

 

PolitiFact.com

 

 

 

 

 

OBAMA BUDGET ASKS FOR CAPITAL GAINS AND

DIVIDENDS TAX INCREASES

Updated: Thursday, February 26th, 2009 | By Angie Drobnic Holan

 

President Obama’s Office of Management and Budget unveiled a

broad outline of its plans for the 2010 budget on Feb. 26, 2009,

highlighting investments in health, energy and education.

 

To pay for some of those items, Obama proposed allowing the Bush

tax cuts to expire as scheduled on people who make more than

$200,000 and couples who make more than $250,000. For those

same income levels, he also plans to raise capital gains and dividends

taxes to 20 percent from their current level of 15 percent.

 

It’s not clear from the budget documents released whether the tax

Increases would go into effect in 2010 or 2011. We’ll be looking for

more detail in the weeks ahead.

 

But tax increases for capital gains are clearly part of Obama’s budget

proposal, which still must be approved by Congress. And Republicans

are likely to oppose any effort to let any of the Bush tax cuts expire. So

for now, we rate this promise In the Works.

 

Sources:

 

Office of Budget and Management, Budget Documents for Fiscal Year

2010, accessed Feb. 26, 2009

 

Office of Budget and Management, Summary Tables , Table S-6, page

123, accessed Feb. 26, 2009

 

CSPAN, Peter Orszag briefs reporters on the 2010 budget plan , accessed

Feb. 26, 2009

 

I thought this was interesting and wanted to share it with you.

 

til later,

from the mind of…

 

It’s The Blame Game

Why is it always someone elses fault when it comes to the White House?

FoxNew.com

A senior Republican who has supported President Obama’s goal of closing the Guantanamo Bay prison by January now says the president has botched the plan.

With less than two weeks before the Obama administration announces where the conspirators of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks will be prosecuted, Sen. Lindsey Graham told Fox News that there is a war within the White House on what to do.

“And let me just say, the president, quite frankly, has screwed this up,” he said. “You know, he announces on the first day of his being inaugurated that he’s going to close Guantanamo Bay and he didn’t do the hard stuff. Graham added that he’s been talking with Obama for months about the plan, telling him he has to think it through.

While not responding directly to the senator’s criticism, a White House aide said progress is being made. The aide also suggested their work is handicapped by chaotic records left by the previous administration.

“The previous administration succeeded in prosecuting only three detainees in more than seven years,” the aide said. “This administration is committed to pursuing swift and certain justice wherever possible for those at Guantanamo who have killed Americans, committed acts of terrorism or enabled others to do so.”

The Obama administration is scrambling to meet its self-imposed deadline of closing the prison by January as it tries to sort out the cases of the more than 200 inmates remaining at the facility.

The Obama administration has pledged to maintain the facility’s controversial military tribunal system to try at least some Guantanamo detainees. Several detainees are facing charges, including five men accused of organizing the Sept. 11 attacks.

In 12 days, the Obama administration is promising a decision on where the self-described architect of the Sept. 11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his four co-conspirators will be tried.

Graham supports military trials for the case and is proposing an amendment to keep the men out of federal court because he says criminalizing the Sept. 11 attacks will make the country less safe.

The White House has recently insisted no decision has been made.

A Pentagon spokesman said Defense Secretary Robert Gates is working to resolve the issue.

“We are very much in the midst of this discussion, hoping to come to a conclusion to it shortly and it is not helpful to that process in the estimation of the attorney general and the secretary of Defense for the Congress to be limiting our options there,” Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said.

Fox News’ Catherine Herridge and Mike Emanuel contributed to this report.