Not often in American history do we find our newly elected Presidents assuming office facing a economic calamity, massive job losses and a financial meltdown along with record budget deficits and debt. In fact it has happened only twice in the last 83 years. The great depression of 1929 and the second great depression of 2008, and both happened on the republican watch.
We know how democratic President Franklin Roosevelt rallied the people with his policies and brought the country back to economic health and put the country back to work. That story has already been written in history. Now we have another democratic President, Barack Obama who has been dealing with the second great republican depression of 2008. The job of returning our country and its people to economic health is not yet complete but we do know how much has been accomplished by the Obama administration so far in his first term in office.
The President's policies, including the stimulus, opposed by the republicans in congress reversed the massive job losses that hit 700,000 a month in 2008. That was the first step in new job creation that has added over 5.2 million jobs in the past 30 straight months. Unemployment that reached 10% for one month and was predicted by economist to stay above 9% for all of 2011 and 2012 was at 7.8% at the end of September 2012.
The federal budget deficit hit a yearly record of $1.42 trillion at the end of Bush's last fiscal year and still stands as a record today. Obama's first three fiscal year budgets ended in deficits of $1.29, $1.2 and $1.1 trillion, still high but less than Bush's record and Bush inherited the greatest economy, greatest job creation and greatest balanced budgets and surpluses. President Obama's fourth fiscal year budget that will end 9/30/13 is projected to come in with a deficit of less than a trillion dollars. Progress has indeed been made on cutting the federal budget deficit on Obama's watch.
Total federal spending during Bush's first three fiscal years increased a total of 21% over the previous three fiscal year budgets. At the end of Obama's first three fiscal year budgets total spending was down 1.7% in his first year, up 4% in his second year and down 1.7% in his third year for a total increase in federal spending for Obama's first three years of 6/10th of a percent. No republican President has cut federal spending in over 52 years. So much for republicans being fiscal conservatives.
All economic indicators are positive along with job creation. The country and its people have come a long way since the second great republican depression. We still have much room for improvement and the President's policies will continue to move the country in the right direction. Republicans in congress still fefuse to do any thing that helps the President and the country. They are traitors to the people who elected them to do their job and are traitors to their country for their unAmerican behavior.
I wrote a commentary early in Obama's administration that it would be a democratic President that turned things around for the country and its people and President Obama has lived up to the challenge. Presidents Roosevelt, Clinton and Obama have all lived up to the democratic party's pledge to govern according to the needs of the country and its people and have not succumbed to an ideology that preaches division, religious intolerance and greed. And that says it all.
All budget numbers above taken from the CBO records and or Treasury Department reports.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Saturday, October 20, 2012
James Varney, The New Conservative Journalist On The Times Picayune Editorial Page
It matters not the name of so called conservative journalists, they all have so many things in common. The first words out of their mouth is, "I am a conservative" which implies they think they are elite and they and only they have the answers to everything. They all promote republican talking points like a bunch of robots and have a record of promoting misleading information. Conservative republicans today inside and out side of congress in leadership roles preach a conservative republican ideology that is unAmerican.
Mr. Varney's editorial published in the Times Picayune of October12 is so childish. He does not understand when a lie is a lie. Conservatives will take anything to the extreme. He talks about the growth in government workers but fails to mention how many jobs have been created in the private sector.
Varney talks about unemployment being over 8% for 43 months and glides over the second great republican depression under the George W. Bush administration that made that possible. Of course Varney had little good to say about unemployment dropping to 7.8%. And never would he mention that unemployment under Reagan stood above 10% for ten straight months and Reagan was not handed a depression.
Varney's editorial of October 19 was even more childish. He claims that Obama did not seek republican support and just ignored what the republican leaders in the U.S. House and Senate said soon after Obama took office. That is they would not work with the President and their goal was to make Obama a one term President. He then went on to rewrite the Clinton Presidency by saying his great success was signing on to republican initiatives. The fact of the matter is that the democratic controlled congress in 1993 passed President Clinton's deficit reduction and economic plans with out the vote of any republicans in the House or Senate. They all predicted doom and gloom and all voted no. The President's initiatives were his own.
I would much rather be an American first and foremost and have knowledge of the facts where ever that leads. As President Clinton articulated so many times, "when you operate on an ideology you have to come to a conclusion before you have the facts". Remember those WMD in Iraq that did not exist except inside Bush and Chaney's ideological mind.
This writer will take Americanism over conservative ideology any day. Thank goodness the Times Picayune carries E.J. Dionne's editorials to set the record straight.
Mr. Varney's editorial published in the Times Picayune of October12 is so childish. He does not understand when a lie is a lie. Conservatives will take anything to the extreme. He talks about the growth in government workers but fails to mention how many jobs have been created in the private sector.
Varney talks about unemployment being over 8% for 43 months and glides over the second great republican depression under the George W. Bush administration that made that possible. Of course Varney had little good to say about unemployment dropping to 7.8%. And never would he mention that unemployment under Reagan stood above 10% for ten straight months and Reagan was not handed a depression.
Varney's editorial of October 19 was even more childish. He claims that Obama did not seek republican support and just ignored what the republican leaders in the U.S. House and Senate said soon after Obama took office. That is they would not work with the President and their goal was to make Obama a one term President. He then went on to rewrite the Clinton Presidency by saying his great success was signing on to republican initiatives. The fact of the matter is that the democratic controlled congress in 1993 passed President Clinton's deficit reduction and economic plans with out the vote of any republicans in the House or Senate. They all predicted doom and gloom and all voted no. The President's initiatives were his own.
I would much rather be an American first and foremost and have knowledge of the facts where ever that leads. As President Clinton articulated so many times, "when you operate on an ideology you have to come to a conclusion before you have the facts". Remember those WMD in Iraq that did not exist except inside Bush and Chaney's ideological mind.
This writer will take Americanism over conservative ideology any day. Thank goodness the Times Picayune carries E.J. Dionne's editorials to set the record straight.
Friday, October 19, 2012
The Second Presidential Debate: Romney's Big Lies Concerning The Federal Budget Deficit
Make no mistake, Mitt Romney lied when he said President Obama presided over four straight budget deficits of over $1 trillion. The President has had only three fiscal budget years since he was elected President and his fourth fiscal budget year began October 1, 2012 and will end September 30, 2013. Obama's first fiscal budget year began October 1, 2009.
It was George W. Bush's record single year budget deficit of $1.42 trillion that ended September 30, 2009 that Romney is trying to pass onto Obama and was the first ever single year fiscal budget deficit over a trillion dollars. The President's record for his first three fiscal year budgets came in with the following deficits: First fiscal year ending September 30, 2010 $1.29 trillion. The second year fiscal budget ending September 30, 2011 $1.2 trillion. The third fiscal year budget ending September 30, 2012 $1.1 trillion. See Note 1 below.
The numbers show that even though Bush inherited a record economy and balanced budgets from the Clinton administration, Obama did a better job at controlling deficit spending than Bush even though Bush bequeathed to Obama the second great republican depression and the first ever single year trillion dollar budget deficit. Bush, like his father and Reagan never balanced one one federal budget on his watch.
Romney also lied when he said Obama doubled the federal deficit. The numbers above show that was a blatant lie. Romney has become a serial liar concerning many issues though out this campaign, most of which has already been exposed. Romney is a man that can not be trusted with the truth or run the nations business. He has had more than enough time to tell the American people what he would cut to pay for his $5 trillion tax cut and refused to do so until after the election. This is a man who is afraid of the truth.
The way to stop the blatant lies of Romney and other republicans is to turn them off at the ballot box. Hopefully, the people will get the message.
Note 1: The deficit number shown above for Obama's third fiscal year budget that ended 9/30/12 was taken from a report from the Treasury Department to the Associated Press. The CBO will publish the final number in its official reports when ready.
It was George W. Bush's record single year budget deficit of $1.42 trillion that ended September 30, 2009 that Romney is trying to pass onto Obama and was the first ever single year fiscal budget deficit over a trillion dollars. The President's record for his first three fiscal year budgets came in with the following deficits: First fiscal year ending September 30, 2010 $1.29 trillion. The second year fiscal budget ending September 30, 2011 $1.2 trillion. The third fiscal year budget ending September 30, 2012 $1.1 trillion. See Note 1 below.
The numbers show that even though Bush inherited a record economy and balanced budgets from the Clinton administration, Obama did a better job at controlling deficit spending than Bush even though Bush bequeathed to Obama the second great republican depression and the first ever single year trillion dollar budget deficit. Bush, like his father and Reagan never balanced one one federal budget on his watch.
Romney also lied when he said Obama doubled the federal deficit. The numbers above show that was a blatant lie. Romney has become a serial liar concerning many issues though out this campaign, most of which has already been exposed. Romney is a man that can not be trusted with the truth or run the nations business. He has had more than enough time to tell the American people what he would cut to pay for his $5 trillion tax cut and refused to do so until after the election. This is a man who is afraid of the truth.
The way to stop the blatant lies of Romney and other republicans is to turn them off at the ballot box. Hopefully, the people will get the message.
Note 1: The deficit number shown above for Obama's third fiscal year budget that ended 9/30/12 was taken from a report from the Treasury Department to the Associated Press. The CBO will publish the final number in its official reports when ready.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
The Vice Presidential Debate Of October 11, 2012
Vice President Joe Biden won the debate with U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan hands down and big time. He won because he is one of only a few in public service who has devoted his life to the profession and was knowledgeable about the subject matter in the debate. Paul Ryan was not knowledgeable about the subject matter and gave the standard republican talking points as answers.
The Vice President is and was well informed on domestic and foreign matters and blew Ryan away on the abortion, Afghanistan, the stimulus, Romney's tax plan and the economy. Ryan's comment on the economy actually described what happened under the Bush's second great republican depression. Journalists failed to pick that up. Ryan smiled a lot but was uncomfortable with his talking point answers and lack of knowledge.
Joe Biden's performance confirmed why the President picked him to be his running mate in 2008. He is more than qualified to be V.P. and is just a heart beat away from the Presidency and could step up if that ever became necessary. Ryan's performance confirmed he is a long way from being qualified to serve as the V.P. much less President.
Knowledge, substance and facts was on display for the President and Vice President in both their debates and was absent from Romney and Ryan. Being agressive in debates with out substance does not qualify Romney to be President, it only gives the news media a reason to fill up air time. Joe Biden appeared to be agressive because he had command and answers to the subject matter that Ryan could not answer or answered falsely, therefore the V.P. won the debate because of his knowledge.
Understanding the past is still the key to the future and without knowledge, substance and facts past failures will be repeated. President Obama and Vice President Biden are the clear choice for the next four years, have learned from the failed policy of trickle down economics which was tried in the past. The President's economic policies are working and moving the country in the right direction for full employment. The President's reelection will assure the country and its people of a better future.
The Vice President is and was well informed on domestic and foreign matters and blew Ryan away on the abortion, Afghanistan, the stimulus, Romney's tax plan and the economy. Ryan's comment on the economy actually described what happened under the Bush's second great republican depression. Journalists failed to pick that up. Ryan smiled a lot but was uncomfortable with his talking point answers and lack of knowledge.
Joe Biden's performance confirmed why the President picked him to be his running mate in 2008. He is more than qualified to be V.P. and is just a heart beat away from the Presidency and could step up if that ever became necessary. Ryan's performance confirmed he is a long way from being qualified to serve as the V.P. much less President.
Knowledge, substance and facts was on display for the President and Vice President in both their debates and was absent from Romney and Ryan. Being agressive in debates with out substance does not qualify Romney to be President, it only gives the news media a reason to fill up air time. Joe Biden appeared to be agressive because he had command and answers to the subject matter that Ryan could not answer or answered falsely, therefore the V.P. won the debate because of his knowledge.
Understanding the past is still the key to the future and without knowledge, substance and facts past failures will be repeated. President Obama and Vice President Biden are the clear choice for the next four years, have learned from the failed policy of trickle down economics which was tried in the past. The President's economic policies are working and moving the country in the right direction for full employment. The President's reelection will assure the country and its people of a better future.
Monday, October 8, 2012
September's Unemployment Rate Comes In At 7.8%: Another First For Politidose
"Politidose" your daily dose of political commentary had another first concerning the latest unemployment number. The U.S. Labor Department had more good news for the economy and unemployment. 114,000 new jobs were created in September making it 31 straight months of positive job growth. The unemployment rate fell from 8.1% in August to 7.8% last month. The numbers continue to confirm that the President's policies are working and that the second great republican depression was met with sound economic policies.
Romney and the republicans have been saying for over a year they wanted to see unemployment under 8% so what was their reaction when the Labor Department announced that it was 7.8%? They accused the Obama administration of cooking the books. Romney and friends can not bring themselves to say anything positive about the economy because the middle class is being put back to work and they can not relate to the 47% and the middle class. Romney and his party are really a pittiful bunch.
I wrote a previous commentary dated November 30, 2010, almost two years ago, titled, "The U.S. Economy Is Back On Track" and pointed out that the Federal Reserve and the cable news channels were predicting an unemployment rate staying over 9% for all of 2011 and 2012. I pointed out in that same post that unemployment would be below 9% and closer to 7% for 2012. How did I know that would happen? I knew because democratic administrations have set a precedent in handling the economy and job creation much better than republican administrations. That is a fact that can easily be checked out by those in doubt.
If President Obama is reelected and the democrats can controll both houses of congress the President's job bill that has been before the republican house for almost a year will be passed by the democrats and the country and its people will have full employment within 18 months. That jobs bill has passed the democratic controlled Senate and is fully paid for.
That is another prediction I will stand by. Keep up the good work Mr. President.
Romney and the republicans have been saying for over a year they wanted to see unemployment under 8% so what was their reaction when the Labor Department announced that it was 7.8%? They accused the Obama administration of cooking the books. Romney and friends can not bring themselves to say anything positive about the economy because the middle class is being put back to work and they can not relate to the 47% and the middle class. Romney and his party are really a pittiful bunch.
I wrote a previous commentary dated November 30, 2010, almost two years ago, titled, "The U.S. Economy Is Back On Track" and pointed out that the Federal Reserve and the cable news channels were predicting an unemployment rate staying over 9% for all of 2011 and 2012. I pointed out in that same post that unemployment would be below 9% and closer to 7% for 2012. How did I know that would happen? I knew because democratic administrations have set a precedent in handling the economy and job creation much better than republican administrations. That is a fact that can easily be checked out by those in doubt.
If President Obama is reelected and the democrats can controll both houses of congress the President's job bill that has been before the republican house for almost a year will be passed by the democrats and the country and its people will have full employment within 18 months. That jobs bill has passed the democratic controlled Senate and is fully paid for.
That is another prediction I will stand by. Keep up the good work Mr. President.
Friday, October 5, 2012
Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu Is No Friend Of America
BiBi, Israel's prime minister is once again trying to undermine the foreign policy of President Obama concerning Iran and the middle east. In previous commentary I pointed out how Israel's leaders in the past have tried to undermine the peace process in the middle east and if any one starts a war in that part of the world it will be Israel with its nuclear weapons.
Now comes BiBi who wants President Obama to draw a line in the sand concerning Iran. He is trying to control and make foreign policy for the U.S. and Obma should reject his right wing extreme policies. Israel has a stock pile of nuclear weapons and a system to deliver those weapons. What BiBi and Israel want is the ability to use their military power in the middle east with impunity. It should be remembered that the leaders of Israel supported a war with Iraq over WMD that did not exist and they knew that those weapons did not exist.
President Obama needs to keep BiBI at arms length and tell him and Israel to stay out of the foreign policy of the U.S. Our leaders should not be willing to stoop so low as the leaders of Israel have done over the years.
Now comes BiBi who wants President Obama to draw a line in the sand concerning Iran. He is trying to control and make foreign policy for the U.S. and Obma should reject his right wing extreme policies. Israel has a stock pile of nuclear weapons and a system to deliver those weapons. What BiBi and Israel want is the ability to use their military power in the middle east with impunity. It should be remembered that the leaders of Israel supported a war with Iraq over WMD that did not exist and they knew that those weapons did not exist.
President Obama needs to keep BiBI at arms length and tell him and Israel to stay out of the foreign policy of the U.S. Our leaders should not be willing to stoop so low as the leaders of Israel have done over the years.
A Revised Job Report and Count For The U.S. Economy
The U.S. Labor Department announced on Sept. 28 that the economy created 386,000 more net jobs than it originally reported for the year ending in March. Total new jobs added was 453,000 new jobs and a loss of 67,000 government jobs for a net gain of 386,000 new jobs.
The latest report on consumer spending for the balance of 2012 is up and so is the consumer confidence index concerning the economy. Part time hiring for the holiday season will be robust as reported by the retail sales industry. The profound effect of the second great republican depression still demands a slower recovery than normal, but the President's policies are working, having a positive effect on the economy and job creation and slowly moving the country and its people to a full and lasting economic recovery and job creation. And like in the past the republican party has nothing to offer the country or its people and have been a traitor to the people they represent by refusing to do any thing to help the President's policies move the country and its people forward.
Yes, November 6 will be a very important election. The American people need to step up to the plate and reject the policies that produced the second great republican depression.
The latest report on consumer spending for the balance of 2012 is up and so is the consumer confidence index concerning the economy. Part time hiring for the holiday season will be robust as reported by the retail sales industry. The profound effect of the second great republican depression still demands a slower recovery than normal, but the President's policies are working, having a positive effect on the economy and job creation and slowly moving the country and its people to a full and lasting economic recovery and job creation. And like in the past the republican party has nothing to offer the country or its people and have been a traitor to the people they represent by refusing to do any thing to help the President's policies move the country and its people forward.
Yes, November 6 will be a very important election. The American people need to step up to the plate and reject the policies that produced the second great republican depression.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
The First Presidential Debate of 2012 In Denver
The Presidential debate of October 3 between President Obama and Mitt Romney is over and the post comments have begun by the news media, the public and other pundits. Those who take the view that being aggresive is what decides the debate believe Romney won the debate. Those who take the view that susbstance and facts is what decides debates believe the President won the debate. There are also post debate comments that President Obama should have hit Romney on his comments about the 47% and false comments on other issues made by Romney.
There is no question Romney lied about Obama's health care plan when he said it cuts $760 billion in medicare benefits. There is no question that Romney lied when he said he presented no plans of a $5 trillion tax cut that will benefit the wealthy. Both of those lies have been exposed during the last several months of the campaign.
Obama's health care plan cuts $760 billion not in medicare benefits but in payments to doctors and providers who have been over charging medicare which he mentioned in the debate. Romney's planned $5 trillion tax cuts was given to the news media by Romney many months ago with no details of how the cuts would be paid for. Andrea Mitchell with NBC put that up on the T.V. screen after the debate and confirmed that Romney indeed promoted that plan.
Did it occur to anyone that maybe President Obama did not want to expose the viewers to a tit for tac debate that would serve no purpose other than to confuse the public. The 47% comment, the $760 billion comment and the $5 trillion comment came out of Romney's own mouth and has been discussed during the campaign many times over. Romney convicted himself at the debate with his own lies. He must have mentioned the $760 billion and the $5 trillion 10 times. Just think of how the debate would have gone if Obama had to reject Romney's lies 10 times with tit for tac.
Jim Lehrer who moderated the debate let the viewers down with his selection of questions and with letting Romney push him around the rules he set up for the debate. I believe after the American people have time to absorb and separate the substance and facts of the debate from the sad story of falsehoods, they will give President Obama " A Rocky Mountain High".
There is no question Romney lied about Obama's health care plan when he said it cuts $760 billion in medicare benefits. There is no question that Romney lied when he said he presented no plans of a $5 trillion tax cut that will benefit the wealthy. Both of those lies have been exposed during the last several months of the campaign.
Obama's health care plan cuts $760 billion not in medicare benefits but in payments to doctors and providers who have been over charging medicare which he mentioned in the debate. Romney's planned $5 trillion tax cuts was given to the news media by Romney many months ago with no details of how the cuts would be paid for. Andrea Mitchell with NBC put that up on the T.V. screen after the debate and confirmed that Romney indeed promoted that plan.
Did it occur to anyone that maybe President Obama did not want to expose the viewers to a tit for tac debate that would serve no purpose other than to confuse the public. The 47% comment, the $760 billion comment and the $5 trillion comment came out of Romney's own mouth and has been discussed during the campaign many times over. Romney convicted himself at the debate with his own lies. He must have mentioned the $760 billion and the $5 trillion 10 times. Just think of how the debate would have gone if Obama had to reject Romney's lies 10 times with tit for tac.
Jim Lehrer who moderated the debate let the viewers down with his selection of questions and with letting Romney push him around the rules he set up for the debate. I believe after the American people have time to absorb and separate the substance and facts of the debate from the sad story of falsehoods, they will give President Obama " A Rocky Mountain High".
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