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Stimulus Report Card

Stimulus Report Card

Performance ReportNine months ago, Congress passed and President Obama signed an economic stimulus package totalling $1.8 trillion. Hastily designed and implemented, the legislation was highly criticized because it was virtually impossible for anyone to have actually read the bill (much less understand it) prior to implementation. The President himself told us that it was imperative we pass these bills in order to restore economic stability. Conservatives, especially fiscal conservatives, howled, claiming the bill was inappropriately designed, that the money being spent could not possibly generate economic growth because it would take too long to move through the system, with the added concern of driving up an already astronomical deficit. The Administration insisted that the spending was necessary to keep unemployment from exceeding 10%. We were being deceived, and we knew it. It generally takes about six months for changes in fiscal or monetary policy to be felt throughout the broader economy, so after nine months we should be seeing some signs of economic improvement. That is, the weekly economic statistics [...]
Stimulus Report Card

President Obama, Day #…..

july2009Ah, who cares? As disappointed as I was about the outcome of the last general election, I thought I'd take a few months off from writing and spend it observing this new global (dare I say, Intergalactic?) phenomenon that is our new President. Today is July 6, and I fear that he is almost exactly what I thought he would be last summer, that is to say, pathetic. Having said this, I have to confess that the reason I took some time from writing was that I wanted to be objective in my assessment of this man (as opposed to self-styled Deity). So many conservatives have been lambasted precisely because they wouldn't give President Obama a chance. Not that he needed one, but we DO have to be fair. And I was secretly praying that his rhetoric was merely that and he was pandering to his ultra-liberal base and that, being a man of reason and logic, he was a closet conservative and would instinctively do the right thing. No such luck! I've waited five and a half months for him to do something, anything, good for the country. So far, here's what President Obama has accomplished:
  • He's spent $1.2 trillion (that's $1,200,000,000,000) of succeeding generations' money on absolutely nothing of any consequence
  • He's flown around the world numerous times at taxpayer's expense, all the while chiding the taxpayers to tighten up their belts and pay for his largesse
  • He's been on television almost every day whining about the failed policies of "the last eight years" and gathering support for his socialist agenda.
That's it. He's talked, and talked and talked some more. One gets the sense that talking is all the man knows how to do, and, after reading his resume, that's all he's ever done. At least he's consistent. Meanwhile, here in middle America, our country is suffering [...]
Stimulus Report Card

Big Brother is Watching..New Bill to Give Obama Control over Internet

Just when you thought it wouldn't get worse, it does. A pair of bills (Sen 773 & 778) have been introduced by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (W-WV) that would be a part what's being called the "Cybersecurity Act of 2009". These bills would grant the White House sweeping new powers to access private data online, regulate the cybersecurity industry, and shut down portions of internet traffic if it deems there is an "emergency". A new office called the Office of the National Cybersecurity Advisor would be created and would report directly to the President. Hmmm....wonder how I apply for that position. Do I have to pay taxes to be considered? For your enjoyment, here is a working draft of the bill: http://cdt.org/security/CYBERSEC4.pdf This new Act raises privacy concerns on many fronts, not the least of which is it grants the White House the authority to disconnect "critical infrastructure" networks from the internet. These would include banking, utilities, health/medical, etc. Sounds all well and good right? If there were a massive cyberwarfare attack on our infrastructure, this is just another way to protect critical elements. However, we know that this power can [...]
Stimulus Report Card

Obamanomics

Somehow, I managed to stay awake for last night's Presidential press conference. Say what you will about President Obama's communication skills--and they are considerable--he is no macro economist. Which is a shame, because he has access to two of the brightest macro-economists of our generation: Ben Bernanke and Larry Summers. He should listen to them; learn from them. They have much to teach him. My reaction to watching the President last night is that he is clueless as to how the economy really works, and his recent historical perspective is revisionist. First, kudos to the media. As opposed to the first press conference, they asked him some hard, direct questions. Unfortunately, President Obama is incapable of answering these questions in a transparent, straightforward manner, but the questions were direct even if the answers weren't. Now to the revisionist Obamanomics. First, President Obama claims he inherited a $1.2 trillion budget deficit. According to the [...]
Stimulus Report Card

Observations on a New Year

Here we are! 2009! What can we say? 2008 is gone and I think we're all grateful for that. Republicans had their hats handed to them, although Conservatives fared pretty well. And there's the difference. Moderate Republicanism is indistinguishable from the Democrats. If Republicans want to regain their stature in Washington and the state houses across America, they need to do it at the grass roots level and they need to return to Conservative values. Barack Obama is the President-elect not because of his microscopic resume, or because of the political cesspool he climbed out of, or the message of change and hope, because he represents neither. He won the national election because the Republican candidate was a moderate with a poorly-crafted message, and so since the two were indistinguishable, people chose the candidate that was younger, better-looking, and articulate. We can't do that again. After 18 months of the media (and Obama) telling us [...]
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