A friend of mine with liberal tendencies was nice enough to put a video, straight from the White House no less, on Facebook about the expiration of the Bush tax cuts. This propoganda is what the Democrats have put out as an attempt to mislead the public, and strangely enough, seem to position their stance as some sort of middle class tax cut. Here is the video that she put on Facebook, followed my my comments to her.

Video about the Obama Repeal of the Bush Tax Cuts

My Response to my friend about the Obama repeal of the Bush Tax Cuts

Okay. Now that you have posted the propoganda with the pretty bubbles, a few questions for you.

1) First and foremost, how do you figure that there is going to be a middle class tax cut? That is the biggest falsehood in the world. You seem to forget that George Bush (AKA the Devil) is the one who lowered all tax brackets to their current levels, ie. 28% to 25%, 31% to 28%, and 15% to 10%. So Obama isn’t “lowering” taxes at all, but only keeping them where they are. How is that “holding a middle class tax cut” hostage, or even lowering taxes in the first place?

2) I am still figuring out how people making $1,000,000 a year will save 100k, if the marginal tax rate were to increase by 4.9% on the top tax bracket? Is my math failing me, or isn’t that $49,000.

3) Okay……that is a good idea. Go ahead and tax that person $49,000 additional dollars. Did you know that they majority of people making that type of cash are business owners? You know, those same people who have employees? Gee, I wonder if the person who gets laid off because the employer gets their taxes increased will enjoy becoming an addition to the 10% unemployment pool. I bet that they will be really happy with their middle class tax bracket if they aren’t earning any money.

4) I wonder if it will help the stock market if everybody’s long term capital gains will be increasing from 15% to 20%? That will mitigate some of the upside of the market, and you will see the stock market losses over the next few weeks as a result of everybody selling their stock to save the 5% on their capital gains. So if the market drops by 10-15%, and the upside is limited, how do you think that a middle class person with 100k in retirement savings will enjoy losing $10,000 of those stock market returns. (Especially if they are one of the people who were laid off because the Small Business owner in #3 had to let them go as a result of the increased taxes).

5) I am sure that those who are middle class and have retired after working 40+ years will enjoy the tax rates on their dividends increasing. Many retirees rely on company dividends for income will see the taxes on those earnings move from 15% to ordinary income rates. I am sure that they will enjoy losing 10% of their earning power go out the window.

I could go on, but those are a few things that the colorful globes in the video from whitehouse.gov don’t seem to mention for some reason.

Reconciliation Vote on Healthcare may Open the Legislative Floodgates

Some say that we have lost the healthcare battle, but still haven’t lost the war. If that is the case, voters had better be gearing up for a litany of new potential legislation as the Democrats feel that they can now strong arm every bill that they desire through Congress. Are we being alarmists? Not at all, as we are starting to hear the drumbeat of the next shoe to drop, which in this case is Immigration Reform.

Immigration Reform Nearly as Controversial as Healthcare

I vividly recall the marches a few years back where illegal aliens took to the streets waving Mexican flags, and demanding that the government grant them permanent citizenship. Thank god the Bush administration saw fit to avoid granting undocumented workers the amnesty that was being called for at the time by the far left.

This issue polarized Americans at the time, with cries for a border fence, and harsher immigration enforcement from some, while others said that they were a vital and much needed part of the workforce, thereby needing protection. In the end, there was no legislation providing any sort of fix for the estimated 20 million illegal aliens who hide in the shadows of our society.

Is Immigration Reform Next?

Illegal Immigrants, the Democratic Party’s next voting block

So why are Democrats already ramping up this new legislation so soon after an exhausting healthcare debate that went against the majority of registered voters? The answer is that Liberals, having alienated so much of America, need to have a new voting class to help to avoid massive losses in the midterm elections, or at least having them in place for the Obama administration’s campaign for re-election. Hence the focus on immigration, as they have already deemed it necessary to provide illegal’s with healthcare benefits.

Why stop there? By simply legislating, there could be 20 million new democratic voters, offsetting the disgust felt by the 60% of Americans who hated the prospect of government run healthcare. After all, the Democrats never met a government program, or politically beneficial law that they didn’t like.

The Obama Administration’s Stance on Immigration Reform

Obama supports providing illegal immigrants with a pathway toward citizenship and has said he is committed to achieving bipartisan consensus on immigration reform this year.

But with mid-term elections of the whole of the House of Representatives and one third of the Senate coming up in November, there is unlikely to be a major push by lawmakers in the coming months.

Many voters will be angry if immigration reform fails to pass ahead of the mid-term elections. However, President Obama does not even need the approval of Congress to stop policies like mass deportations or to improve conditions for detained migrants.

Per the WhiteHouse.gov site, Other Obama stances are to:

• Strengthen Border Control-President Obama will protect the integrity of our borders by investing in additional personnel, infrastructure, and technology on the border and at our ports of entry.
• Improve Our Immigration System-President Obama will fix the dysfunctional immigration bureaucracy and enable legal immigration so that families can stay together.
• Remove Incentives to Enter Illegally-President Obama will remove incentives to enter the country illegally by preventing employers from hiring undocumented workers and enforcing the law.
• Bring People Out of the Shadows-President Obama supports a system that allows undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the back of the line for the opportunity to become citizens.
• Work with Mexico-President Obama will promote economic development in Mexico to decrease the economic desperation that leads to illegal immigration.

Stay tuned…….2010 is shaping up to be the real “Year of Change” that we have long feared.

Obama Stimulus Waste in North Carolina

Remember last year when we had to pass the stimulus package immediately, or unemployment would go to 8.5%? Well, unemployment peaked so far at over 10%, and the nearly 800 billion dollars that made up the stimulus has been used just like a typical big government spending spree.

I remember many ludicrous spending stories shortly after the stimulus plan was approved, but hadn’t heard of any recent transactions that bordered on the absurd. That is, until I happened across a blog from the John Pope Institute () that gave examples of the reckless stimulus spending in the state of North Carolina. Here is a “best of Obama Spending” list, as written by Brian Balfour of the Institute.

View this list as quasi-humorous, but please keep in mind that this type of spending is what may bring our county to its knees.

Stimulus Waste in the Great State of North Carolina

1. Study of monkeys using cocaine: $71,623
Wake Forest University was granted money to “study the effects of self-administering cocaine on the glutamate system on monkeys.” Well, at least the monkeys will be stimulated.

2. North Carolina Dance Theatre: $50,000
This grant is used to retain four professional dancers from the North Carolina Dance Theatre’s second company. Nice for them, but why are tax dollars financing what should be a privately-funded philanthropic organization?

3. Reducing hot flashes through yoga: $147,694
Funds granted to Wake Forest University to study “preliminary data on the efficacy of integral yoga for reducing menopausal hot flashes.” The President warned us that the stimulus plan was needed to avoid an economic “catastrophe.” How does this study help revive the economy?

4. Collecting, researching and reporting on the stimulus act: $115,000; $150,000; $227,940
Total: $492,940
Nearly half a million taxpayer dollars will go toward funding more propaganda selling the “benefits” of the stimulus plan. The federal government created the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, while North Carolina established the Office of Economic Recovery & Investment for these very purposes. Apparently, that’s just not enough propaganda.

5. Create interactive dance performance technology: $762,372
This grant to UNC-Charlotte will fund the development of computer technology to digitally record the dance moves of performers. The recorded movements can then be reviewed and manipulated by a computer program. Although creating virtual-reality type technology for dance movements may be interesting to those involved, how does this serve to “protect the education of our children”? At an average salary of roughly $47,000, this money could have saved 16 North Carolina teacher jobs.

6. American Dance Festival, Inc.: $50,000
A graphic designer and archivist will retain their jobs thanks to this grant. The American Dance Festival hosts dance classes, workshops and engages in other charitable activities to help support dancers. How will this help reverse a major international financial crisis, exactly?

7. Construction of a new Town Hall in Bladenboro: $200,000; $100,000
Total: $300,000
Why are taxpayers from across the country forced to finance construction of a local government office? This is a classic case of earmark pork spending.

8. North Carolina Folk Life Institute:$25,000
With the help of this grant, the Institute was able to retain its executive director. Will this help “provide relief to North Carolina’s families”?

9. Preservation of an insect collection at North Carolina State: $253,123
We were promised that the stimulus was going to “save jobs.” We were never told it would also help preserve dead bugs.

10. Greensboro Symphony Orchestra: $50,000
These funds are used to retain the GSO’s director of marketing and education manager. More bailouts of what should be a privately-funded organization.

Click here for A full list of the Obama Stimulus Expenditures

I interest of giving full credit, I heard this 1st on Hannity, and took the figures in this entry from Dick Morris’ website at www.dickmorris.com

Harry Houdini, David Copperfield, and now Barack Obama

President Barack Obama has joined the club of elite magicians this past week, with the unveiling of one of history’s most spectacular optical illusions. Somehow, he told the American Public that when he took office, the budget deficit was already 1.3 trillion under George W. Bush. My initial reaction was that of hearing some guy claim that he had dated Heidi Klum. It got my attention, but after dismissively laughing it off, I pondered what kind of drug they must be smoking, and didn’t even bother to try to figure out what the hell they were talking about.

Well tonight I heard how this illusion was pulled off. The sad thing is that most of the general public probably took it hook, line, and sinker. Here is the lowdown.

The nuts and bolts of Obama’s magic trick

Here are the facts:

In 2008, Bush ran a deficit of $485 billion. By the time the fiscal year started on October 1, 2008, it had gone up by another $100 billion due to increased recession-related spending and depressed revenues. So it was $600 billion. That was the real Bush deficit.

But when the fiscal crisis hit, Bush had to pass TARP in the final months of his presidency which cost $700 billion. Under the federal budget rules, a loan and a grant are treated the same. So the $700 billion pushed the deficit — officially — up to $1.3 trillion. But not really. The $700 billion was a short term loan. $500 billion of it has already been repaid.

So what was the real deficit Obama inherited? The $600 billion deficit Bush was running plus the $200 billion of TARP money that probably won’t be repaid (mainly AIG and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac). That totals $800 billion. That was the real deficit Obama inherited.

Then…he added $300 billion in his stimulus package, bringing the deficit to $1.1 trillion. And falling revenues and other increased welfare spending pushed it up to $1.4 trillion.

So, effectively, Obama came close to doubling the deficit.

His program of fiscal austerity in this new budget is a joke. If he wanted to lower the deficit, here’s what he could do:

1. Cancel the remaining $500 billion of stimulus spending and

2. Cancel the $300 billion of spending in stimulus II.

Presto! The deficit is cut in half.

Those are the real numbers.

Barack Obama | Spending that we can believe in

I am sitting here 1/2 way through the state of the union speech, and it is just the same ole same ole. Obama is just like any politician during this talk, and really holds absolutely no credibility whatsoever. After all, his speech (just like any past presidents) is geared towards nothing but tag lines and idealistic dreams in order to get yet another standing ovation…..at least from one side.
In all reality, any one of these speeches sound strangely like a scene from my childhood. I can remember when Timmy, who had his sights set on the 2nd Grade presidency, promised that we would make recess 3x longer, homework outlawed, and pizza served every day of the week.

However, the things that continue to irk me include:

Government Spending, Spending, and more Spending

I can’t believe that the national debt is soaring past 12 trillion dollars. In my opinion, the only thing more ludicrous is spending moremoney on a high speed train centered somewhere in Florida. Are you serious? This is like taking out a 4th mortgage on your house to put a home theater in the basement. This is beyond irresponsible.

Banks are Horrible Institutions hellbent on taking advantage of the public

Thats right. The banks have taken the steps of paying back all of their TARP money, plus interest, so why don’t we give them smack in the face for doing so. After all, how dare they give bonuses to their executives after the fact?

Nancy Pelosi is a Whack Job

I wish that someone would put together a slideshow of the strange looks and behaviors that Speaker Pelosi exhibits during these speeches. Even Joe Biden keeps on looking at her when she jumps up at every given occasion. However, she has come a long

way……at least someone has sedated her to the point of blinking occasionally.

A Spending Freeze?

Whatever. Spending is up tremendously over the past year, with virtually every program gaining in dollar allocations. So a spending freeze is absolutely nothing more than locking in this higher level of spending for the forseeable future. As Newt Gingrich stated, “This is like my daughter showing back up from college after running up 20k in credit cards, and stating that she will guarantee that she will put no more than 20k in spending next year.”

Healthcare?

Get over it. The only way that you are going to pass healthcare would be to strong arm a lackluster bill, which no voter wants, through the house. However, to state that by not passing this bill will cause the national debt to grow is absurd. Yeah…….by not passing a 1 trillion dollar a year bureaucracy, we have somehow accelerated spending, instead of limiting it.

Finally

Do you really think that Obama was joking when he said that world peace and financial prosperity would ensue when he was elected? I wouldn’t doubt it if he really thought that was in the cards when he was appointed our savior.

Barack Obama is continuing to trample on the free market system on Monday by announcing  yet more government regulations targeting lenders and banks. Since people obviously can’t be held accountable for over extending themselves on their mortgages, the good ole government is coming to the rescue yet again. I find it discouraging that this trend continues since the Obama administration can’t continue to bail everyone out indefinitely.

1st TARP, and then HARP

The Home Affordable Refinance Programs rolled out new government refinancing options that became available to a large sector of borrowers. HARP is part of the Obama mortgage plan that helps Americans reduce their loan payments or alter their current mortgage to be able to stay in their home and avoid foreclosure.

In the latest move to bolster its $75 billion foreclosure-prevention plan, the Obama administration on Monday will outline new efforts designed to increase the number of borrowers who receive mortgage relief.

The Treasury Department on Monday will announce plans to appoint officials to monitor the actions of the largest mortgage servicing companies on a daily basis. It also will announce it is requiring mortgage companies to develop and report to the administration their plans to increase the number of completed modifications, a Treasury spokeswoman said.

The U.S. Treasury Department will step up public pressure on lenders to finish modifying more home loans to troubled borrowers under a $75 billion campaign against the record tide of foreclosures.

More than 650,994 loan revisions had been started through the Obama administration’s Home Affordable Modification Program as of last month, from about 487,081 as of September, according to the Treasury. None of the trial modifications through October had been converted to permanent repayment plans, the Treasury data showed. That failure is getting the administration’s attention.

The Mortgage Bankers Association, the industry’s largest trade group, predicts foreclosures won’t peak until after unemployment rates crest, some time in the second half of next year.

Cash Incentive

The administration’s initiative provides a cash incentive of $1,000 to the mortgage servicer once a loan is converted from a trial to a permanent modification plus annual payments of $1,000 for as long as three years provided the loan remains in good standing.

Eligible Loans

Eligible loans under the program are at least 60 days past due, in foreclosure or bankruptcy, and originated before 2009. The underlying property must be owner-occupied and conform to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loan limits, which can be as high as $729,750 in some areas. The data excludes Federal Housing Administration and Veterans Affairs loans. A borrower’s mortgage payment must be 31 percent or more of their gross monthly income to qualify.

I know that this may be news that is a little bit stale, but I am amazed at the lengths that Obama has gone to expand the government and its massive reach. List taken from http://blogspot.americandaughter.com/

To me a Czar was always a Russian term for leader, which meant:

• a male monarch or emperor (especially of Russia prior to 1917)
• a person having great power
  wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
• Tsar or czar (Bulgarian ???, , ???, in Serbian: ??? / car, in scientific transliteration respectively car’ and car), occasionally spelled …
  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czar
• A Slavic emperor (not necessarily a Russian emperor); A high-rank political official of the executive branch: “drug czar”
  en.wiktionary.org/wiki/czar

A List of Obama’s Czars…..So far….

1. Herbert Allison Jr., bailout czar, [replaced Bush bailout czar Neel Kashkari, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Stabilityconfirmed by Senate]

2. Alan Bersin, border czar

3. Dennis Blair, intelligence czar [Director of National Intelligence, a Senate confirmed position]

4. John Brennan, counterterrorism czar

5. Carol Browner, energy czar

6. Adolfo Carrion, urban affairs czar

7. Ashton Carter, weapons czar [actually Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics and so subject to Senate confirmation]

8. Aneesh Chopra, technology czar

9. Jeffrey Crowley, [openly gay white man] AIDS czar

10. Cameron Davis, Great Lakes czar

11. Nancy-Ann DeParle, health czar

12. Earl Devaney, stimulus oversight czar

13. Joshua DuBois, religion czar, aka God czar

14. Arne Duncan, education czar

15. Kenneth Feinberg, pay czar

16. Daniel Fried, Guantanamo closure czar

17. J. Scott Gration, Sudan czar

18. Melissa Hathaway, [soon to be] cybersecurity czar

19. David J. Hayes, water czar [a Deputy Interior Secretary and therefore subject to Senate oversight]

20. Richard Holbrooke, Afghanistan-Pakistan (Af-Pak) czar

21. John Holdren, science czar

22. Kevin Jennings, safe schools czar [nominated to be Assistant Deputy Secretary of Education, Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, a newly created post; openly gay founder of an organization dedicated to promoting pro-homosexual clubs and curricula in public schools]

23. Van Jones, green jobs czar

24. Gil Kerlikowske, drug czar

25. Ron Kirk, trade czar

26. Vivek Kundra, infotech czar [Shoplifted four shirts, worth $33.50 each, from J.C. Penney in 1996 (source)]

27. Douglas Lute, war czar [retained from Bush administration, married to Jane Holl Lute, currently a Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security]

28. George Mitchell, Mideast peace czar

29. Ed Montgomery, car czar [replacing Steve Rattner, who stepped down amid controversy over his former firm’s role in a possible kickback scandal]

30. Lynn Rosenthal, domestic violence czar

31. Dennis Ross, Mideast policy czar

32. Gary Samore, weapons of mass destruction czar

33. Todd Stern, climate change czar

34. Cass Sunstein, regulatory czar

35. Larry Summers, economic czar

36. Michael Taylor, food czar

37. Arturo Valenzuela, Latin-American czar (nominee) [although this post is referred to as a czar, he is nominated to be Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs and so is subject to Senate confirmation]

38. Paul Volcker, economic czar number two

39. Elizabeth Warren, TARP czar [chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel for the Trouble Assets Relief Program; note that Herb Allison is more frequently called the TARP czar]

40. Jeffrey Zients, government performance czar [replaced original nominee Nancy Killefer who withdrew her name after issues with her personal income tax filings surfaced]

Positions established but not yet filled:

41. behavioral science czar

42. copyright czar

Positions being planned:

1. income redistribution czar
2. land-use czar
3. consumer financial protection czar, aka mortgage czar
4. radio-internet fairness czar
5. student loan czar, to oversee a program of mandatory service in return for college money
6. voter list czar
7. zoning czar