The U.S. Economy Is Back On Track

Thanks to President Obama's policies the U.S. economy is indeed kicking in gear for the long haul. The most important thing now for the President to do is stay on message and turn off any suggestions from the republicans how to create jobs since they do not have a record of doing so. The last republican administration created two recessions, an economic nightmare, record job losses, a financial bonanza for the wealthy and two tax cuts that did not produce what the republicans said they would do except help the rich get wealthier and massive deficits and debt. Trickle down economics was a failure for the third time, all under republican control.

The Federal Reserve and those cable news outlets who are predicting economic growth to be in the range of 2.50 - 2.75% for 2011 and 2012 are full of it. Economic growth will be greater than those numbers. And their predictions of unemployment still in the 9% range through 2012 is keeping with their hope of seeing the economy fail. Unemployment in 2012 will be below 9% and closer to 7%. And when 2012 is over you can boast you read it here first on politidose.

All of the actions the Obama administration took to turn the economy around are taking hold and a continued stream of positive news concerning the economy will continue to emerge. Republicans will continue to talk doom and gloom like they did when President Clinton took office. They will also continue to push tax cuts for the wealthy that do not create jobs or do anything positive for the economy. President Obama will just have to slap their little boy faces when they try too and continue his own policies. The people of America should join the President in stopping the republicans attempt to have a third recession.

Once again job creation is happening on the democratic watch like it always does and will be self sustaining with sound fiscal and economic policies. The little boy republicans would rather help the wealthy so they can collect their dividend, campaign contributions.

As noted here a few weeks ago, President Obama's first fiscal year budget ended 9/30/10 and cut federal spending by 1.6% over George W. Bush's last fiscal year budget. The republicans can't even remember when they last cut federal spending. I'll give you a hint, it has not happened in the last 50 years. Like President Clinton, it will be another democratic President, Obama who's policies will pave the way for balanced federal budgets in the future. And when it happens, you will have read that first here also on politidose.

Sarah Palin: The People Of Alaska Spoke Loud And Clear

The people who know Sarah Palin the best, the people of Alaska, rejected Palin's hand picked republican Joe Miller in Alaska's recent Senate race. Lisa Murkowski a write in candidate received by far the majority vote of the people. Joe Miller has the results of the election tied up in court, a delaying tactic by right wing conservatives that is used to delay the process.

Palin, the former governor of Alaska who resigned and quit on the people found out her star power has turned into a fizzle. Excerpts published from her recent books show the same right wing conservative ideology. Like other conservative republicans she speaks of President Kennedys remarks concerning his religion and religion in general and tries to relate that to her position, however it was the right wing conservatives who questioned President Kennedys faith and religion and the same hateful rhetoric that greeted him in Dallas. The fact is that conservatives of Palins type never supported President Kennedy because they were incapable of debating the issues with him as they are incapable of debating the issues with President Obama today.

Republicans have a history of trying to relate their ideology to democratic Presidents in order to garner votes but it won't wash. Palins latest attempt is the normal republican lies they are so use to telling. Its hell when you can not compete with the truth. And worse when you feel you have to live a phony life. The people of Alaska has Sarah Palin's number.

Korea: A Divided Country Always Spell Trouble

One country, two nations, one economically weak, the other strong, one with an excess of military capacity, one with less, both distrustful of each other and both dependent on two powerful allies, the United States and China. That describes North and South Korea.

Divided countries always spell trouble. Ask Viet Nam, Germany and the United States (during the civil war) before they became a united country. The so called experts said if Viet Nam fell the domino theory would happen and communism would be in Frisco in six months. The experts were wrong and now a united Viet Nam is a military threat to no one and the United States has close relations with that united country.

East and West Germany, both divided by the cold war and a threat to peace in Europe during that time is again one country and the threat of a war between both east and west that would have spilled over in Europe is now united and stable. The United States, united after the civil war has become a nation powerful economically and in military matters.

The recent war games by South Korea close to North Korean waters has sparked an artillery barrage from North Korea and retaliation by South Korea. The Korean war has been over 57 years and those kinds of actions have become routine. There is really nothing new there. The situation has proved that the United States and China's foreign policy in the area has been a failure concerning both Koreas. After over 57 years of foreign and military aid by the United States South Korea should be able to defend its own country with out any help from the United States. As far as China goes, they are not about to support North Korea in starting another war there.

A united Korea is what the country needs. One government for the Korean people. No more division of the land by the 30th parallel, no North or South, just the country of Korea. It should be the policy of the United States and foreign governments to keep their hands off the country and tell both the leaders of North and South Korea to reunite their country themselves with no outside interference. That is the only answer to solve the existing problem. The U.S. and its allies have the economic and military power to defend themselves regardless of the out come of who would lead a united Korea. Once both people are reunited with their families they would not support a new war.

One of the problems the U.S. faces concerning the recent attack by North Korea is that the military industrial complex want a war with North Korea like the chicken hawks clamored for war in Iraq, Iran and now North Korea. If you wonder why I use the word chicken hawks it is because the majority of those who want war never wore the uniform of their country during their generations war of after. But they love to see other people's children go to war even if its over WMD that did not exist.

The United States should lead by bringing home our 28,000 troops that are in South Korea. South Korea should be able to defend its own country. Dwight Eisenhower was elected President during the Korean war and brought it to a close as he said he would. He knew a continued military action would not unite the country and neither has the actions by the U.S., its allies or China done so in the last 57 years. A new Korean policy is obviously needed and sooner rather than later. Is any one listening?

The Past, The Present and The Future

I wrote a post on December 31, 2008 concerning the above subject matter about how the world's first civilization, the Sumerians believed the past was the key to the future. What is happening at the present time indicates we have failed to learn from the past which makes the future uncertain.

On November 22, just a few days ago, it was the 47th year of President Kennedy's assassination. When he arrived in Dallas that fateful day he was greeted by signs and posters that read, "Wanted for Treason" with his picture on it and other vile comments by Dallas's right wing conservatives.

The National Chamber of Commerce opposed President Kennedy's economic policies and so did Corporate America and spoke about the President in unflattering terms. U. S. Steel even lied to the President about not raising their steel prices and then went ahead and did so. The Oil and Gas industry was furious when the President suggested their 12-1/2% depletion allowance was obsolete and no longer justified. The President was also accused of allowing an image of Russia's hammer and sickle on a U.S. coin by the conservative right even though that is not what the image was about.

Now flash to the future, which is the present. President Obama is accused of being a Muslim, that he was born outside of the U.S., a racist and other insulting remarks by the conservative right including some news media outlets. The Chamber of Commerce and Corporate America are opposed to Obama's economic agenda and policies even though it reversed Bush's second recession and record job losses. He is called a socialist and the wealthy have opposed his desire to let the Bush tax cuts expire that covers them.

We the people have not learned a thing from the past and the past is being relived before our very own eyes. The conservative right and their anti American ideology is still with us and growing strong. The people should have buried them and their ideology theday President Kennedy was assassinated. There are many other examples that I am sure the people can relate to that took place in the past and are being repeated today. They need not be told here.

The peoples failure to learn from the past is directly related to the problems that we are faced with today. A fantastic opportunity has been lost and today the same past problems are with us, only this time they are enormous.

The Sumerians brought civilization to the world almost 6000 years ago and taught that man's destiny was not to fail because man's fate on earth could be changed or altered for the better. The present generation has failed to live up to its fate and has allowed a false ideology to spread its venom. Do we, the American people really want to pass at the chance to once and for all change our fate. Truly, the past is the key to the future. The very first civilization understood that well and has given us a warning.

U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu: A Very Bad Decision

Senator Landrieu's decision to put a hold on President Obama's Jack Lew as the head of the Office of Management and Budget has seared the good over all record of the Senator. The hold was in response to the complaint by the Oil Industry that it can't get clear cut explanations on what is required for them to resume drilling operations. The moratorium has been lifted over a month ago but the Senator and oil operators are still not satisfied because they think the industry should be able to do what they want.

The hold was put on Mr. Lew even though he had nothing to do with the BP spill or the moratorium. In other words those elected officials who are beholden to the oil and gas industry will use any excuse to promote the same industry who do not have the capacity to plug an offshore spill timely or remove the spilled oil from the waters of the Gulf timely before that oil reaches shore and by their own recent statements admitted they would not have the system to do so for another 18 months. The oil lobby and their money talks. In other words if another spill takes place in the Gulf before the next 18 months, another BP situation will take place.

Senator Landrieu finally lifted the hold on November 18 according to an article in the Times Picayune. The moratorium was necessary, the hold on Mr. Lew was not. The Senator used the excuse of putting Louisiana rig workers back to work but that does not wash. If that was her interest she should have fought for BP and the oil industry to take care of those workers while the moratorium was in place. Elected officials seem to have forgotten the 11 workers killed in the BP explosion which as of this writing no one has taken responsibility for. President Obama has not forgotten. Elected officials who continue to take contributions from the oil industry and continue to do the bidding of the industry have no creditability on the BP spill in particular and the oil industry in general.

Senator Landrieu's position to use 80% of the BP fines for coastal restoration is another sham. As the Senator well knows, most of the coastal erosion, loss of wetlands and marsh in Louisiana is the result of over 50 years of drilling and production in Louisiana and offshore and the oil industry in general should pay for the damage they done, not BP fines. Louisiana's elected officials, both state and in congress have been silent all the years the oil industry has wrecked havoc on the environment. Former governor Dave Treen had the answer to the problem. It was called CWEL which was the subject of several commentaries in politidose. But elected officials don't even want to mention the word CWEL. It may get the oil industry's dander up.

It takes leadership, character and courage to stand up and be counted when the need arises, President Obama showed his with the moratorium that will make future offshore drilling safer because of the new regulations. The families of the 11 rig workers who lost their lives need to know some one actually cares.

Why Congress Should Extend Only Part Of The Bush Tax Cuts

President Obama would like to see the tax extension of those tax cuts for those making $200,000-250,000.00 or less per year and let the rest expire for good reason. Since the republicans took over the House the President seems to be willing to compromise his position, but that would be unwise because of the present economic and fiscal condition of the country. The sunset provision on the tax reflected the fact that some adjustment might have to be made when the time came, and the time has come, so now is the time to have courage and face facts.

Republican Presidents and their party have been wrong for asserting that tax cuts for the wealthy create jobs. That has been proven wrong many times over and more recently on President Bush's watch when his administration ended up with the worst job creating record since the great depression. Those tax cuts are still in effect now and are not creating any jobs. Thank heaven for President Obama's stimulus package and policy that have reversed those record job losses under the Bush administration.

The tax cuts were ill advised at the time of passage because it reduced needed revenue and put the country once again on a path to record deficit spending after record surpluses. That money could have been better spent to reduce debt, to help keep Social Security and Medicare solvent and to make sure the nation continued to balance the federal budget like the Clinton administration did. If that had happened our country and its people would not be facing the economic and job problem that are still with us today. Nor would we be facing the devastating effect of the $6.1 trillion the Bush administration added to the national debt in just 8 years in office. (Treasury Report)

If the tax cuts for the wealthy are extended it will only continue to transfer wealth from the middle class to the wealthy that began with the Reagan administration. The republican party will only be satisfied when the federal government is bankrupt. Their policies, action and talk has proven that already. The 20 year rampage of deficit spending and debt by the Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 administrations have put the country and its people in a position of having to take drastic measures to get out of the hole they created.

President Obama has to stand up to congress, especially the republican House and take the country and its people on a course in the opposite direction of republican conservative ideology. To do other wise will only finish what the republicans started. It is time for the President to be counted and expose the failed republican record every time they open their lying mouths.

Note: See my commentary on job creation for the past 80 years in a recent post.

Louisiana's David Vitter and Steve Scalise: The Problem When You are A Nobody

They both fit President Truman's description to a tee when he said the republicans stand for nothing. The President was right then and fifty years later his words still ring true for the republican party, Vitter and Scalise. They have no positive accomplishments to offer the American people or the country even when their party controls the White House and congress.

Vitter and Scalise like to talk about controlling federal spending and federal deficits, but their party holds the record for both. Ditto creating debt, ditto record job losses, ditto failed economy and it all happened on their watch. Like Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43, Vitter and Scalise would like nothing better than to bankrupt the federal government. They have never seen a republican deficit they did not love.

When you belong to the party of no, it is a reflection of not being able to compete with your peers. And when you want to see your Presidents policy and the country fail like Vitter and Scalise do it is a sign of weakness, lack of character and courage. Its hell when you have to attack some one else in order to get attention. And hell is even worse when you have no record to run on. That says it all.

The Louisiana Department of Revenue's Tax Exemption Budget

Is a 400 plus page budget that lists over $7 billion of tax exemptions and tax breaks for individuals and companies each year. This writer made several commentaries in the past that deal with the subject matter. Jindal and the legislature has kept their hands off this give away of the tax payers money while at the same time cutting the budget concerning higher education and health care in order to balance the state past several budgets that were supposed to be balanced.

The Times Picayune of 11/7 gave two examples of the above waste. (1) $660,000.00 last year for tax reductions to liquor and wine dealers because they paid their taxes accurately and timely. How about that, I wonder how the average tax payer feels about this $660,000.00 give away just because liquor and wine dealers paid their taxes on time. Does that mean they were delinquent before they received this special treatment. And what does the average tax payer receive for paying his taxes on time. The Shaft.

(2) $170 million in investment tax credits and other breaks annually for insurers that are tracked by the Department of Insurance. This waste of tax payers money is the height of obscenity. Insurers raise their rates at will and make tons of money and they get these kinds of tax breaks at the expense of taxpayers who are always faced with premium increases from their insurers.

Jindal and the legislature have not found the courage or back bone to eliminate this $7 billion give away to the people who least need it and really do something for the average Louisiana citizen. As I have commented many time here in "politidose", conservative republicans get into the average citizens pocket a hundred different kind of ways. Their slogan, no new taxes is part of their con game. Unfortunately too many voters fall for this game they play. They are ignorant of the facts and do not take the time to really absorb what is really going on in government. What a shame.

The Congressional Elections: No Mandate For The GOP

The republicans recaptured the House in the November 2nd. election but there was no mandate as the republicans and Fox News claimed. It also was not a rejection of President Obama's policies to move the country forward. The same voters who put the republicans back in power in the House, voted to keep the democrats in power in the Senate. Checkmate, but no mandate.

Since the election the republican leadership has made many public statements about not compromising with the President, scuttle health care legislation and letting the President know their sole goal is to make him a one term President. Of course that is the same position the republicans took after the President's first day in office.

President Obama set up a meeting later this month with the republican leadership but should now cancel that meeting since they can not show him any respect. The President should show leadership on the subject and tell the republican leaders he will meet with them when they publicly refute their own statements and stop acting like a bunch of asses. The President should also make sure the republicans know he does not take the elections as a mandate. That will come in 2012 when he runs for reelection.

The President should take advantage of the fact that the republicans have no record of accomplishments on balancing the federal budget, creating jobs or creating a sound economy. They also have no record of a sustained low unemployment rate. It is the democratic Presidents that excel in those area's and President Obama should remind the people every day.

The republicans see that the economy is picking up speed and soon hiring will bring down the unemployment rate. They hate that and will be trying to avoid anything good happening for the people and the country. The President is in a position to tell the republicans to shove it when they try to reduce taxes again for the wealthy. Bush and the republicans had their chance with two tax cuts that gave the country record deficits, debt, a devastated economy and record job losses.

Expose the republicans for what they are Mr. President, liars and a fraud.

An Uninformed Electorate: Emotions Over Facts

A case can be made that voters in the November congressional election voted their emotions rather than checking a candidate and his party's record. One can even say that the constant personal and political attacks on a daily basis by the republican party in general and their leaders inside and outside of congress in particular against President Obama and democrats played a major role for emotions to take over at the voting booth. The conservative news media and the wealth lobby also played a major role to inflame those same emotions.

One can also understand how emotions can run high when the economy is not in full swing and jobs are hard to find. That is no excuse however for not being an informed voter. If jobs and the economy are really what was behind returning republicans to a majority in the House, the voters forgot history and the republicans past record, especially their record under President Bush which still should be fresh in their minds.

The Bush Presidency and the republican party who rubber stamped his failed economic and fiscal policies created economic devastation that takes the country back to the Hoover administration and the great depression. It is ironic that many of those republicans who rubber stamped Bush's failed policy will be leading the House once again.

The people's emotions also over shadowed the fact that the Obama administrations policies reversed the massive job losses under Bush, ended the recession and a negative GDP for the economy. No one can question the slowness of the recovery but should understand it is related to the severity of what happened to the economy. Emotions will not hasten the recovery and the Obama administration has never stood pat on trying to create more jobs for the people. What was lacking was help from the republicans in congress and their desire to see the economy fail on Obama's watch.

After the election Tuesday the republican leadership said they would not compromise with the President. So what is new? Is that what the voters voted for? Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell told the Heritage Foundation President Obama would have to come to him. Like conservatives in general, McConnell thinks he is elite and better than anyone else. The President should tell McConnell to go play with himself. (This writer would be a little more nasty)

The President needs to take another page out of President Truman's book on how to deal with the republican party. President Truman said, "To Hell with them, when history is written, they will be the sons of bitches, not I." Give the republicans hell President Obama, you have the power to do so.

Job Creation For Presidential Terms: 1929-2008

This writer has commented in the past how Republican administrations have no record of balancing the federal budget since Eisenhower in 1960 and no record of creating jobs to sustain the economy on their watch. Republicans like to say they are better at creating jobs but the record and facts say otherwise. Republicans also say tax cuts create jobs but Bush's two tax cuts did no such thing and he left office with the lowest job creation record since the great depression with only 1.1 millions jobs created in eight years.

Below gives the reader the job creation record of those Presidents who served from 1929 to 2008, a period of 80 years. Both Democrats and Republicans served 40 years each during that time period.


Herbert Hoover 1929-1933 Four Years Jobs Lost 6.4 million

Franklin Roosevelt 1933-1945 Twelve Years Jobs Created 16.2 million

Roosevelt-Truman 1945-1953 Eight Years Jobs Created 8.2 million

Dwight Eisenhower 1953-1961 Eight Years Jobs Created 3.5 million

Kennedy-Johnson 1961-1969 Eight Years Jobs Created 15.4 million

Nixon-Ford 1969-1977 Eight Years Jobs Created 11.2 million

Jimmy Carter 1977-1981 Four Years Jobs Created 10.3 million

Ronald Reagan 1981-1989 Eight Years Jobs Created 16.1 million

George H.W. Bush 1989-1993 Four Years Jobs Created 2.5 million

Bill Clinton 1993-2001 Eight Years Jobs Created 22.7 million

George W. Bush 2001-2008 Eight Years Jobs Created 1.1 million

The numbers reveal that Democratic administrations out performed Republican administrations by a wide margin 72.8 million jobs to the Republicans 28 million jobs. In other words job creation under Democratic administrations can be described as robust and under Republican administrations as anemic at best. (So much for tax cuts.)

It should be noted that job creation under President Clinton's eight years in office exceeded the combined total of jobs created under Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 in the 20 years they served. Also noted is the fact that the Clinton and Carter administrations (12 years) created more jobs than all the above Republican administrations in the 40 years they served.

The above job creation numbers prove with out a doubt how Republicans are willing to lie over and over again to the American people and the nation. It is their M.O. and extends to almost all of their rhetoric including deficit spending and debt.

Case closed.


Job Creation information above taken from Wikipedia.

The Economy Is Indeed Improving

There has been some good news lately concerning the economy but the people don't hear much about it because of the congressional elections. The news media's attention is the hype that go with elections and of course those candidates who are running against the President do not want to talk about any economic good news.

Unemployment claims are down across the nation as a whole. The auto industry just announced they will be opening up some closed assembly lines and hire back workers. Overall retail sales have been up and it is anticipated that department stores across the nation will be hiring more people for the holiday season. Many of those jobs will be part time but things are looking up for retail sales. Analysis for the oil and gas industry just announced that offshore operators were getting ready to jump back into the Gulf of Mexico deep water drilling big time. U.S. manufacturing out put has increased for the past 15 straight months. A sure sign that the economy is growing.

General Electric's CEO Jeffrey Immelt said his company will soon place the largest order in history for electric vehicles. "Tens of thousands" of the vehicles in about a week. He said half of GE's sales force of 45,000 will drive electric vehicles. This will fit in with GE's plan to expand its clean energy technology. That spending will create jobs and fall in line with the Obama's administration policy of switching to clean energy and creating an industry that will take the country into the future.

The negative voices about the economy, the stimulus and the President's policies have been proven wrong. It may be too late to save some political jobs in today's election but once again it will be a democratic administration who turned things around for the country and its people.

If the republican party takes control of one of the Houses of Congress they will keep up their attacks and try to continue to kill any legislation proposed by Obama. The President will need to deal with the republican party like President Truman did and call them out for what they are. Liars and creators of debt.

The Rosetta Stone To Bill O'Reilly Etal

Etal is used at the end of a name to indicate "and others." In this case I am referring to the likes of Sean Hannity, Neil Cavuto and Rush Limbaugh who fit O'Reilly's right wing ideology. I was once encouraged to listen to those folks over a period of time to understand where they were coming from but a few minutes was enough for me.

When people in their profession devote their whole show to personal attacks and negativity it is easy to understand their lack of character and courage. One does not need to be educated to constantly be engaged in their kind of journalism. That speaks load and clear about their problem. They feel inadequate. Lets just look at one area where their expressions always show their feelings of being inadequate. Many democrats who have been their target of personal attacks and negative comments wore the uniform of their country during their generations war. O'Reilly etal cut and ran during their generations war and never wore the uniform of their country. Their motive is to try and destroy the character of those they attack because they feel so inadequate when they compare their personal lives to those liberals that did the patriotic thing and served their country.

Bill O'Reilly even said on his show a few years ago to Bill Maher. "The reason I did not join the military during the Viet Nam war was because I had a buddy who came back from Viet Nam and told me not to join. What a pitiful excuse to cut and run. It fits O'Reilly's character.

O'Reilly etal can not debate the issues. That is another reason for their personal attacks and negative reporting. They also mislead their viewing audience with inaccurate statements that have been pointed out on many occasions. Another indication of their inadequate feelings. That is also why the whole time ( 8 years) Bush ran the country they spent their time attacking democrats. They could not articulate what the Bush administration stood for or accomplished. They dare not touch upon the record deficit spending and debt Bush left the country to dangle in and the record recession and job losses Bush presided over.

It must be hell to feel so inadequate and hide behind a phony ideology of personal attacks and negative reporting. But the real telling story behind their feeling of being inadequate is they want badly to see the United States fail on the democratic watch. They care nothing about the country and its people. What a sad bunch they are. The economy and job creation is coming back on the democratic watch and they are scared to death because it will remind the people once again what party has a record of economic accomplishments.

O'Reilly etal news media ratings may be high but that only reflects the fact that most of their audience are followers and not leaders, in other words ditto heads who can not think for themselves. Its really hell when you have no self esteem.