Ok, so The One told us without the stimulus pork recovery plan unemployment would exceed 9%. So, we spend billions on worthless projects and now have unemployment at 9.7%. A truly scary number is that when you count folks who have taken part time work and those who have just given up, the rate is at 17%. Well, Barry did promise us CHANGE, and we sure are getting it. Let’s HOPE he doesn’t have any other tricks up his sleeve.
Er, well. Then there’s this:
GM’s sales are down 45% from last September (when sales were already bad enough to drive the company into banrkuptcy). Chrysler is down 42%. Ford is only down 5%. Car buyers are clearly punishing the two bailout recipients brutally. Robert Farago of Truth About Cars–who has been right before–predicts that GM and Chrysler will both “go down by the end of next year” without a second, new federal bailout. The only question, he says, is whether the two manufacturers will need the cash before the 2010 midterm elections.
I’m really not all that surprised. I for one would never purchase a vehicle from GM (government motors) and although I have been a near lifelong customer of Chrysler (Dodge trucks and Jeeps) I don’t think I could bring myself to buy a Fiat (whatever the name on the car).
Sad to say, but the country might be a helleva lot better off if little Barry would confine himself to Olympic bids. At least there his failures only impact one city at a time.
God help us.
I heard a comment on the radio, the on-the-hour news recap (WIOD, AM, Miami) last week, that the US dollar buying power abroad was down 20-30% in the last quarter. I had not heard that anywhere else, and have not seen it confirmed, but if true I would not be surprised. Most informed economists agree that it’s not a matter of if, but more when……. the $$ will have some real difficulty, given all the wonton spending by the USG both during and especially post Bush.
Given the logic of what is very probably in store, I dread what is very probably to come and do not see any other possible conclusion. I actually wish I would encounter a differing opinion, but if they’re out there I haven’t seen’em. What’s the most worrying of all is how the gov’t continues on, business as usual., looking for more pork to send home………..like the health care deal that Harry Reid is trying to cut for Nevada within this health care legislation. But why am I not surprised by that? The word is that if he fails to bring it off he’s toast. Would be almost too good to be true, IMO.
Quote of the day:
Q. Mr. President (Obama) are you in favor of reparations (to descendants of slaves, e.g. AA’s).
A. No I am not. They don’t go far enough.
Unquote.
Huh?
I was listening to late night radio last week and I heard a discussion of the citizenship of Mr. Obama. It was explained that Mr. Obama had been adopted by his Indonesian step-father and had his name changed from Obama to “Soetoro” (stepfather’s full name was Lolo Soetoro). However, exhaustive research of public records has not turned up any evidence that he ever changed his name back to Obama.
So, question is, is such a thing legal? Is it legal to legally change your name from Smith to Jones, for example, then decide down-line that you don’t want to be Jones anymore so you just go back to Smith with no other formal paperwork or legal action? I suppose it’s probably done often enough, but is it legal and is such a thing what we would want in our president?
I submit that if indeed he just decided to re-use the name Obama, versus Soetoro, without taking any formal action to re-acquire the name, that he is most likely just as loose with other aspects of the law, and moreover, is dishonest as to what his name is……not what it was…..but what it is. If all this is true, which seems quite probable to me, it’s not a far jump to anticipate other important and perhaps incontinent things that are being hidden. In addition to such things as school and birth records, this might include past associations and friendships that are obviously still present and strong influencers of current thought and behavior, investments, etc. But if we just ignore it, as he seems to do quite well, it’ll probably just go away.
This absence of transparency is not what I want in my president and, as it was similarly in the case of the Clinton’s, if this is the best the country has to offer we are indeed in very serious trouble, IMV.
A mother or father may call their child what they wish without legally changing that child’s name. If the child wants to retain that name then they must ask the court to change it when they reach 18. This is usually done when the noncustodial parent has not waived his or her parental rights. Or a child can be adopted by a step-parent (where the birth parent waives parental rights) and the child does not have to assume the adopted parents last name.
I fail to see what difference it makes if he was adopted or had his name changed. We all know he was raised by his grandparents indicating some problem with the mother/maternalarrangements. How is this a reflection on him? And why is he obligated to share what is probably a painful childhood?
Ahh. More of the birther talk. Dentoku, perhaps Republican Senator Lindsey Graham from the great state of South Carolina can help you out.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid30183074001?bctid=42981023001
Graham is a guy that I am proud is from South Carolina. Lord knows we have had some dopes in the news lately. I don’t always agree with Graham’s politics but I voted for him and plan to do so again.
I note that you fail to see an awfully lot of things, Ms, and no offense intended, it often seems to be a direct correlation to your gender (in this case motherhood, childhood trauma, difficulty with mother/maternal arrangements ((sic)) – your words not mine and your outlook on issues and ability to see or not see a given point.
Mr. O might have had lots of unusual and even ugly things happen to him in his life, but that was then, this is now. He is a fully grown man now and as such it would seem to be time to, in addition to stepping up to full disclosure, to take fully on the mantle of the high office he aspired to and now holds – enough subterfuge, conjecture, rumor and yes, lies…….. just clear the air and tell the truth. It’s not all that complex, STM. Sadly, once a person starts down that road it is more difficult to take very much of what they say seriously and this, if no other, would seem to compel such simple honesty from the beginning.
So, I believe the core issue is honesty and sadly I think we saw something revealed in this past general election that was probably always there but now seems to really trouble me…….. and that is, based on the vote, either most people are not getting fully informed prior to voting and/or they just don’t care and opt to go with their ‘feelings’ versus their brains. Again, the primary issue is honesty, as I thought I had made in the point earlier. And the second issue is transparency, which this occupant of the WH has been anything but, and a third issue is – is this the best we can do………out of allllll the people in this very large country….. all the learned minds and vast intellects……….. all the educators, statesmen, and just simple good and decent people, et al…….is this really the best we can do? If it is I believe our system is in trouble. Conversely, if it is not it doesn’t speak well for the process we use to select people for such high positions. I tend to think it’s probably some of both with perhaps more of the fault in the protracted, money intensive and ugly national campaign, nomination and general election process.
Fortuneate,
You say how it is as though that’s just it……………. that’s all there is to it. But isn’t this something that would perhaps vary from state to state?
Example: I was divorced when my son was 4 years old. My ex-wife remarried so fast it would make your head swim, actually even before our divorce was final, due to a glitch in the process. Her new husband expressed interest in adopting my son and my response was…………absolutely not……… primarily because I don’t know you and what and who you are and until I see your track record I won’t even consider it. He never asked again, but interestingly a couple years later when my son started school he was registered under his step-father’s name, not his legal name. The school system caught the error and very sternly admonished my ex-wife that she was not at liberty to arbitrarily change my son’s name for the purposes of school registration without due process, and whe was required to register him with his legal name.
I learned this from my former mother-in-law, her mother, who was both irritated by what had been attempted and in full agreement with action of the Ohio school system. As an aside and as it relates to Mr Obama, this same circumstance might have properly affected Mr Obama in his own school registrations, but doesn’t seem to have done so (where, Hawaii and/or Kansas?)
So, this experience in Ohio would not seem to agree with the point you made. I guess in less formal circumstances, yes, the custodial parent would be able to call the child whatever they desired, but that doesn’t make it legal or right either for that matter.
Yeah Fortuneate, if you weren’t a woman you would understand that it makes perfect sense to still DEMAND more info on where and even IF Obama was born.
Letting women vote may be the biggest mistake this country ever made. Now they go around acting like they are capable of having a legitimate opinion.
Q: Why do women have small feet?
A: So they can stand closer to the stove.
Kevin, If you have a point make it. Otherwise “Let it be”.
Frank, while I admit I used blatant sarcasm, I think I clearly made the point I think it is dopey to question ones opinion based on gender, age or race.
I know context can be tricky on a blog or email. It is easy for things to get lost in translation. For example, I hope I’m wrong and Dentoku isn’t really a sexist and Dennis who, according to a previous post, thinks busing black kids to school is a bad idea and only leads to white kids being brought down by said black kids, isn’t a racist.
At least I can honestly say I am trying to be funny.
I know I am one of the only left leaning folks on LTG but I do enjoy the discussion. And thanks for getting the Beatles stuck in my head. 🙂
A better idea would probably be to only allow people who have served their country to vote, without regard to race, age or gender or even sexual orientation, huh? That rule alone would weed out most of the idiots most probably. It never ceases to amaze me how so very often people who’ve never done a damn thing to serve their country manage to have all the answers about how to fix it and simultaneously try to shout down and demean others who have been down that road.
Seems to me, it is entirely reasonable for American citizens to demand to know the backgrounds and see the evidence thereof of their presidents – my goodness…….is that even a question? So whatever the certifiable is after, Frank, Lord only knows.
Lindsey Graham has been, by and large, a likeable guy with some reasonable views over the past, I’ve always thought. But with some recent outspoken opinions he’s been a real douche. So things always seem to fit together don’t they?
Maybe it’s something in the water down in So. Caro. Yeah, that’s probably it. Would explain a lot of things we seen opined on this blog, huh?
Well Lindsey Graham has is in the military and just last year he served in KABUL, Afghanistan. He
has been serving in the military since 1973. Is this not enough service to speak out against people who continue to question if our president was born in the U.S. and to call out Glenn Beck for being someone that may not be helping the conservative cause? This makes him an outspoken douche’?
More on Graham’s service here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/14/lindsey-graham-serves-mil_n_150865.html
While you are restricting who can vote in our democratic free elections I guess you should clarify that ONLY those who have served the country (do teachers, fire fighters, road workers, etc. count? Or just military?) can vote and they CAN’T be from South Carolina.
Just want to make sure we are clear.
Kev, Hey I got the humor. That’s the reason for the Beatle comment. But, the reference to gender only scratchted the surface to what was really implied. Oh well sometimes we only (me especialy) see what we think we see. BTW John took down an article (link) I had posted due to some formatting error. The weekend you guys were blowing it out at Lake Marion a 17 year old girl caught (dispatched) a 10ft aligator there. You just never know what lurks in the shadows…lol Actually it is very rare that a gator will go into the open water. They prefer the swamps, smaller streams ect…. But, you just never know…ha ha
What, Frank……….no kumbaya……???
Nothin like gettin the humor, huh??
So how do we define service to the country? Military people obviously. Government workers? Policemen? Firemen? Doctors and nurses who keep our country healthy? School personnel that educate? Military wives -well mothers as a whole-who devote themselves to raising the next generation? Inventors and Wall Street Capitalist who produce goods and fund the production that keeps are economy going? All of these people serve our country. They just do it in different ways.
You know Obama’s background. Knowing if his name was changed by his mother is really getting into the weeds. This has nothing to do with honesty. And evidence of what? Get over it! The guy is an American citizen. Name changes does not affect citizenship. You are grasping at straws.
Obama has a country to run. What is important is what he is doing now not what his mother did to him as a child. Transparency applies to what he is doing now not to what his mother did to him as a child. I don’t want the man or any other President to spend all their time discussing their childhood/past rather than focusing on the issues facing us in the present.
Dennis sorry if I over simplified. A child must be registered for school under their legal name but they may use whatever name they wish after that. It is possible for different school administrations to handle that issue in different ways. Obviously they must track the child’s progress and school records would have to reflect the legal name.
Some of those would appear to be good points, Fortune.
Obviously a little hyperbole in my comment but, yes, that would need to be sorted out. Government employees surely would be candidates, as would cops and others, no doubt – but obviously not a solution that could ever come to pass in this country – no danger of that.
Yeah, Mr. O has a country to run, wish he would get to it versus practice his teleprompter speeches and look for more air time. The main difference between your position and more conservative ones is that you think he is legitimate whereas many conservatives recognize him to be completely illegitimate (in core truth vs parentage). A fact that will soon enough be more widely recognized, very probably, as he continues to pile up more and more narcissistic commentary all the while devoting his attention to dubious interests while he ignores so many pressing ones – leading to frustration with him and the inevitability of those who recognize they erred in voting for him.
I’m with you. I don’t want my president to spend all of his time discussing his childhood, parentage and legality either. I just want him to open the vault one time and tell the truth. Simple as that. One time. I’m sure you must be able to understand that, though you seem to ignore the points made earlier about honesty and transparency.
She didn’t ingore it Smackdab you just missed it. The point is Obama’s past is just as transparent as any other president but aparently that isn’t good enough for a very small and vocal and crazy minority of which you appear to be a part of. Even Fox News has moved on from this talking point.
Dennis: No Kumbaya. As stated, I read far more into the comment than gender. “I note that you fail to see an awfully lot of things, Ms, and no offense intended, it often seems to be a direct correlation to your gender (in this case motherhood, childhood trauma, difficulty with mother/maternal arrangements ((sic)) – your words not mine and your outlook on issues and ability to see or not see a given point.” Knowing you are retired military, specifically pysch-ops, maybe all you meant was gender after all. But, as Kevin has noted with John, no reason not to have fun even if you disagree. I happen to be of the opinion that electing Obama was a terrible mistake. The G-20 summit is an example. Debtor nations increased their voting share from 43% to 48%. Soon the European Union and the IMF will dictate to the US finacial policy. Good bye Declaration of Independence hello socialism.
Some people on this board should be less concerned with people who have differing views from them and with attacking them and constantly starting trouble, and more concerned about the great sucking sound off in the distance as the country continues the slide down into the hole of disaster.
But since those people are liberals and liberalism is a mental disorder there is most likely no way they can get it together and wake up. It’s a damned shame but just one of those sorry facts of life, apparently. I find my self wondering what tune they will sing with they can no longer deny reality and it’s right in their faces?
Probably come running back to their daddies to beg for help and to try to be rescued.
Earlier post by SMACKDAB:
“S’bag, you would do well to learn from his example. But you most likely won’t……. surely not until you have your own wake up call, at least. I wish I could be there, just for a moment, to watch and and if it happened I’d surely have a good chuckle.
But then, being a democrat and being a liberal is not necessarily the same thing, as Pat Caddell eloquently demonstrates. And since liberalism is a mental disorder the perhaps hoped for wake-up call, I’m afraid, ain’t gonna happen.
Hey, we all have mental illness in our families somewhere – no show-stopper, but still, in many ways such a burden to carry. But I’m sure John has found way’s to cope,- like maybe moving to the RoK, Korean-girl watching, dart-leagues and good cold draft beer. Cures alot of ills, I’m sure. A man could damned near put up with the IL’s up north for such a life.”
*****************************************
Oh, but yes,I am the one attacking those that have a differnt view and causing problems. Riiight.
Well said, Frank. Thanks.
I agree, as usual, completely. If I may attempt to clarify, I speak to what I see, and quotes show the words, simple as that. I can’t and won’t go down that PC path, at least not consciously, and I ask that you view my words if you haven’t, with that in mind,please.
In truth, I believe without question that one of the more insidious maladies exerting very destructive influence on our nation (and indeed, beyond) is the overriding PC perspective which stops otherwise good men and women from speaking the truth to one another and truly communicating. It, of course, is up to you to decide where you fit on this continuum. I harbor zero recognized grudge or bias against the gender of Fortuneate but I do recognize her tendency to opine with her ovaries, that said. Maybe it’s something I see that you and perhaps others don’t or can’t, who knows? But if it is true and is recognized, does that make it off limits? Are we to handicap ourselves from speaking such truth? I would be opposed, personally, from communicating with her without full honesty, and thus allowing her to see how she presents to the world, at least from my perspective. But maybe indeed, I am wrong. In any case, no offense intended is simply to say, no offense intended, while still pointing out the truth of it in words that our PC world won’t allow, without qualification, nothing more. That’s as I see it, anyway.
I respect your commentary always and am thankful for the sanity you bring to the discussion, Kumbaya, or none.
By the way, Lindsey Graham and Bill O’Rielly just kissed and made-up. Lindsey can’t be all bad (and I never said he was), his accent is too cool.
(and Obama dis’d the Dahli Lama, no questions asked. But our liberal brethren won’t be bothered by that, will they?……… we’ve got more Chinese junk to buy.)
Do I detect a whimper in here anywhere?
As to,
“the one attacking those that have a different view and causing problems. Riiight………”
Do we see a defensive crouch here?
Still a S’bag, IMV. Clean it up and you won’t be a S’bag. Pretty simple really.
Hard to imagine that you’ve been getting away with your trash-talk for so long.
You need to go back and snort some more jocks, dude. Man up, so ur guys say.
No problem. Thanks for driving my point home.
Oh, and none of my guys say “Man up”, that is usually said by dorky white guys that are trying to act hip. But I am sure that isn’t the case with you. Nice work with the gross generalizations and the cliché’s though. Your intellect and wit never cease to amaze.
For example, calling someone an S’bag while accusing them of talking trash…Genius! You point out that someone shouldn’t attack others and talk trash….WHILE you are attacking others and talking trash.
You are called out and…YOU attack others and talk more trash. Brilliant!
I love it. Will you call my show. Please? I can make a whole kooky character out of you. It will be great. I will be happy to give you a gift certificate to Western Sizzler (seems like a place you would eat) for your trouble.
And the hits keep coming.
I am so happy LTG is here.
Yeah, sizzler, ur probably happy but I’m sure the blog host is not…….. ur apparently so used to arguing with people and trying to prove yer questioned reasoning you don’t know how or when to cut it off.
Time to MAN-UP, Gay-Mac, and get a real job – how’s that, K-tard….
If you know as much about sports as you do politics and international affairs you’re an ideal example of the sad and probably impossible task our country has ahead of it.
I think the blog host can speak for himself.
Again, take a breath and go back and read this thread and you will see that everyone other than you had a normal discussion and and then you devolved into your usual slew of insults and childish pot shots.
I suppose I have to take some of the blame for rattling your cage. It is just too easy.