What has our government done to our country? Do you trust the Repbulican and Democrat parties? People need to start looking at a third party choice otherwise our country will continue to go to hell quickly while the Dems and Repubs care only about dissing each other and winning. None of them give a shit about us. The things they do cost us billions and does little if anything. Here are some headlines (links included in the headline) just from recent events in our country regarding our illustrious do nothing but make money at our expense leaders. After the $912 billion price tag for the latest health reform bill, it is expected to only cover 2 percent of those without insurance and those on welfare will have expanded benefits, meaning more free rides by ambulance to the hospital at our expense. I am so sick of politics as usual in Washington. We need a change that both major parties cannot provide us. Please, consider voting for someone other than the status quo in the next election or we may not have a country left or maybe will have one with the flag of China flying over us. Save the stars and stripes before it’s too late.
Check our these headlines and give some serious thought to what is going on in our country today and over the last decade. I for one am tired of Washington greed.
I received this article in an email. worth a read.
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The Panic Over the ‘Pandemic’:
Is Swine Flu a Scientific Fact or Media Frenzy?
Dr. Virender Sodhi
With new alerts and warnings being issued on an almost hourly basis – with words like “pandemic” and even “plague” now being used – it’s hard not to be concerned about the swine flu outbreak. Although CDC (Center for Disease Control) is on hold issuing next warning and now toned down from the previous warnings. The WHO (World Health Organization) has decided not to raise its alert to a full pandemic, since the virus has yet to cause sustained transmission outside North America. More than 100 people have died in Mexico. But to put this in to perspective, every year more than 36,000 people die with influenza virus.
Health care authorities, politicians, and media spokespeople cite statistics, issue travel advisories, and point to maps showing the rapid worldwide spread of the virus. While authorities reassure us that a new vaccine is being developed, and anti-flu medications are being “stockpiled,” they continue to fuel the fear that we are on the brink of imminent disaster. Most of us are left wondering whether we should travel, visit public places, or send our children to school.
In the face of this growing panic, I believe a dose of healthy skepticism is good medicine. A brief look back at the history of flu outbreaks sheds new light on the current situation. The established public health response to viral outbreaks of the flu in recent years has been less than perfect. The side effects and complications associated with flu vaccines, which can be debilitating or even fatal, are never mentioned. And as usual, herbal, natural and nutritional therapies to prevent and ease the effects of viral infections are almost never mentioned. But it will certainly sell billions of dollar worth of Tamiflu, which yet to prove its effectiveness.
Although the strain of the flu virus spreading through human-to-human contact today appears to be unique, this is not the first appearance of swine flu. More than thirty years ago, in 1976, a swine flu “pandemic” was declared, and a public health effort was launched to vaccinate millions of people worldwide. As it turned out, the swine flu pandemic never materialized, but the vaccine itself claimed its own casualties. Within a few months after vaccinations began, 25 people had died, and $1.3 billion in claims had been filed by people who suffered paralysis due to the vaccine. Hundreds more developed crippling Guillain-Barré Syndrome, in which muscle paralysis can lead to respiratory failure and even death. Tragically, healthy young adults ended up as paraplegics.
As an Ayurvedic and Naturopathic practitioner, I find events such as these particularly frustrating. The complex balances involved in human health are poorly understood and inadequately addressed in the mainstream medical establishment. According to the prevailing mentality, the swine flu virus is on the loose and the only solution is a one-size-fits-all vaccine. Simple, natural therapies such as curcumin (turmeric) and garlic can reduce the viral load on the body, ease inflammation and strengthen natural immunities without the risk of injurious side effects.
The more recent history of the bird flu virus offers a strong case in point. Beginning in 2003, the avian flu virus began to appear in Asia. First in Vietnam, then in China, Hong Kong and Singapore, a massive public health effort was launched to dispense vaccinations as widely as possible and millions of birds were slaughtered. Ironically, however, it was traditional Chinese herbal medicine that provided one of the most effective therapies. Curcuma longa, widely known as turmeric, acts as a natural preventative against many flu viral strains. Turmeric’s active ingredients, called curcuminoids, have been shown in laboratory investigations to have powerful antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects.1
Like the original deadly influenza of 1918 and the original swine flu, the current viral strain appears to over stimulate the body’s natural immune system. This explains the fact that most of the deaths so far have occurred in relatively young patients with robust immune systems. The swine flu virus appears to activate a response known as the cytokine storm, in which large amounts of immune system hormones (cytokines) are produced. Left unregulated, this inflammation can lead to respiratory and organ failure. In most cases, deaths occur when excess fluids accumulate in the respiratory system. According to the CDC, like seasonal flu, symptoms of swine flu infections can include:
· fever, which is usually high
· cough
· runny nose or stuffy nose
· sore throat
· body aches
· headache
· chills
· fatigue or tiredness, which can be extreme
· Diarrhea and vomiting
The beauty of using turmeric against flu is that it’s a natural protease inhibitor. In order to affect the respiratory tract, the flu virus needs the proteasome enzyme complex. Curcuminoids inhibit the release of these enzymes, leaving the virus unable to replicate itself. Since turmeric is a natural food substance, I believe that taking it regularly can provide a safe and effective anti-flu therapy.
During my more than 30 years of medical practice, I have never used influenza vaccinations for myself or my family. In spite of exaggerated exposure to these germs, I have warded off the flu with care and natural remedies only. My best advice to my patients is to use simple, common sense measures to strengthen their natural immunities and avoid infection.
When my patients ask me how they can avoid the flu, this is the advice I give them:
Do deep breathing exercises (outside if possible), and circulate more fresh air throughout your home. Exercise regularly. Walking for 45 minutes a day will increase the body’s immune defense mechanism. However, do not over-exert yourself. Exercising longer than 90 minutes per day may actually increase your risk of upper respiratory infections.
Reduce the “allergenic load” in your home. Carpets, gas heaters, wood burning fireplaces, fungi, mold and chemicals of any kind can weaken your immune system. Consider using electrostatic and charcoal filters in your house to clean the air.
Reduce your sugar and dairy intake. Eat fruits and vegetables instead. Winter is a holiday season when we tend to consume a lot of sugar. According to published studies, seven tablespoons of sugar a day retards the immune system dramatically. One can of soda contains nearly four tablespoons of sugar. Avoid foods you are allergic to.
Take antioxidants. My personal favorites are combination of Amla ( Emblica officinalis), Guduchi( Tinospora cordifolia), Tulsi( Ocimum sanctum), Vasaka( Adhatoda vasica), Bahera( Terminalia bellerica), Mulathi ( Glycyrrhiza glabra)Tikatu and Amla products made into a paste. (For more information about these herbs, please visit www.ayush.com) These are natural source of anti-oxidants and an excellent immune builder. Add to this vitamin D3 5000 IU twice a day, Ayurvedic herbs can also be taken, such as Triphla and Trikatu( one three times per day), Holy Basil standardized extract (250 mg three times per day) and Curcumin (250 mg three times per day). When you have a cold or an upper respiratory infection, drink ginger, licorice and holy basil tea. Garlic and green tea also have immune balancing properties. Drink plenty of warm fluids. Add fish oil one teaspoon three times per day.
Wash your hands frequently with soap solution. A study of day-care centers showed that people who washed their hands frequently got 50 percent fewer colds than those who didn’t. I do not like antibacterial soaps because they sometimes force the body to develop drug-resistant bacteria. Avoid frequent touching of your nose, eyes and ears.
Get at least seven to eight hours of sleep every night. Studies have shown that a lack of sleep can increase your chances of catching a cold.
Avoid and reduce stress. Mental and emotional weaknesses have an effect on the physical system and actually increase your chances of catching cold. Perform yoga or tai chi and spend quality time with your friends and family. A study published in The Journal of American Medical Association found that people, who report three or less social ties, such as with friends, family, coworkers or community groups, are more than four times at risk of catching a cold than those with six or more such ties.
Do not use antibiotics indiscriminately. Antibiotics have no benefits and can weaken your immune system. According to a study published by The Journal of American Medical Association, 50 percent of the patients suffering with colds, upper respiratory infections and bronchitis demanded antibiotic prescriptions. Most of the upper respiratory infections are caused by viruses. Antibiotics are effective against bacteria. Overuse of antibiotics can leave the body vulnerable to antibiotic-resistant bacteria which can be life threatening.
Ayurveda teaches that health is a matter of balance. Disease is the result of an underlying imbalance. Our bodies are constantly bombarded by contagions, and if these were the only cause of disease, we would be sick all the time. I believe that a balanced immune system is key in the quest for health and the conquest of disease. Learn to listen to your body and treat its imbalances in a holistic way. In the end, you are your own best physician.
References
1Siddiqui AM, Cui X, Wu R, Dong W, Zhou M, Hu M, Simms HH, Wang P. The anti-inflammatory effect of curcumin in an experimental model of sepsis is mediated by up-regulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma. Crit Care Med. 2006 Jul;34(7):1874-82.
2Ammon HPT, Wahl MA 1991 Pharmacology of Curcuma longa. Planta Medica 57(1):1
3lyengar MA, Rama Rao MP, Gurumadhva Rao S, Kamath MS 1994 Anti-inflammatory activity of volatile oil of Curcuma longa leaves. Indian Drugs 31(11):S28
4Srimal RC 1997 Turmeric: a brief review of medicinal properties. Fitoterapia 68:483
5lyengar MA, Rama Rao M, Bairy I, Kamath MS 1995 Antimicrobial activity of the essential oil of Curcuma longa leaves. Indian Drugs 32(6):249
6MulkyN,AmonkarAJ,BhideSV1987 Antimutagenicity of curcumins and related compound: the structural requirement for the antimutagenicity of curcumins. Indian Drugs 25(3):91
7Toda S, Miyase T, Arichi H, Tanizawa H, Takino Y 1985 Natural antioxidants. III. Antioxidative components isolated from rhizome of Curcuma longa. Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin 33:1725
8Selvam R, Subramanian L, Gayathri R, Angayarkanni N1995 The anti-oxidant activity of turmeric (Curcuma longa). Journal of Ethnopharmacology 7(2):59
Dr. Virender Sodhi holds an M.D. (Ayurveda) from India and a N.D. from Bastyr Univeristy, USA.
I read this article and thought the insurance companies are just so ridiculous anymore. A child that is healthy but is just small for her age refused coverage. come on. My son was a preemie, he is small for his age but he is healthy, can’t tell he was a preemie. I was small for my age and I’ve been healthy my entire life except for an apendectomy in 1976. Our country has gone to hell quick with all of the corporate greed. bastards!
Too small for insuranceWed Oct 21, 7:44 pm ET
Embattled health insurance companies are taking a page from Goldlilocks. Last week, a 4-month-old child was denied insurance for being too heavy (the company has since changed its mind). Now the Web is buzzing about a toddler who was denied coverage for being too small.
On Wednesday morning, “The Today Show” covered the story of 2-year-old Aislin Bates. Though she weighs just 22 pounds (in the third percentile range for kids her age), her doctor has described her as being perfectly healthy, never having been sick with anything more than a cold. Still, United HealthCare didn’t buy it, saying that the child didn’t meet height and weight standards. So, no insurance for Aislin.
The story has inspired a slew of searches. After the segment aired on NBC, queries on young Aislin surged from zilch into triple digits. United HealthCare is wisely responding to what could be a PR crisis. In an article from Denver’s ABC affiliate, a company spokesperson for United HealthCare said the company’s height and weight requirements “are based on several medical sources, including the Centers for Disease Control, and are well within industry standards.”
Still, Aislin’s case, as well as the previous incident of the obese 4-month-old, have highlighted the difficulties some parents face when trying to get coverage for their children. Aislin’s father Rob was quoted as saying that even though he doesn’t support universal health care, this battle over insuring his daughter has made him want insurance companies to have more “legitimate reasons for denying coverage.”
NBC medical expert Dr. Nancy Snyderman, who appeared with the Bates family, was more pointed in her criticism: “This is just so bogus. A pre-existing condition for a child this age is birth, let’s be real….. This is why things have to change.”
Is this video government propaganda or is it valuable information for the public? Watch the video and decide. Please leave comments with your opinion.
8 signs of terrorism
The fight against terrorism requires a consistent effort by private citizens to prepare for and help prevent the next terrorist attack. Action taken today by citizens, families and business owners serve to enhance the resilience of our communities tomorrow.
This video is from this website: http://www.thecell.org/
You should really pay attention. MANY of us agree 100% with this lady.
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“I’m a home grown American citizen, 53, registered Democrat all my life. Before the last presidential election I registered as a Republican because I no longer felt the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. Now I no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue the issues important to me. There must be someone. Please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me that you are there and that you’re willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written. Please stand up now. You might ask yourself what my views and issues are that I would horribly feel so disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut job am I? Will you please tell me?
Well, these are briefly my views and issues for which I seek representation:
One, illegal immigration.. I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders. Close the underground tunnels. Stop the violence and the trafficking in drugs and people. No amnesty, not again. Been there, done that, no resolution. P.S., I’m not a racist. This isn’t to be confused with legal immigration.
Two, the STIMULUS bill, I want it repealed and I want no further funding supplied to it. We told you no, but you did it anyway. I want the remaining unfunded 95% repealed. Freeze, repeal.
Three: Czars, I want the circumvention of our checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the czars. No more czars. Government officials answer to the process, not to the president. Stop trampling on our Constitution and honor it.
Four, cap and trade. The debate on global warming is not over. There is more to say.
Five, universal healthcare. I will not be rushed into another expensive decision. Don’t you dare try to pass this in the middle of the night and then go on break. Slow down!
Six, growing government control. I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more. Shrink it down. Mind your own business. You have enough to take care of with your real obligations. Why don’t you start there.
Seven, ACORN. I do not want ACORN and its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census. I want them investigated. I also do not want mandatory escrow fees contributed to them every time on every real estate deal that closes. Stop the funding to ACORN and its affiliates pending impartial audits and investigations. I do not trust them with taking the census over with our taxpayer money. I don’t trust them with our taxpayer money. Face up to the allegations against them and get it resolved before taxpayers get any more involved with them. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, hello. Stop protecting your political buddies. You work for us, the people. Investigate.
Eight, redistribution of wealth. No, no, no. I work for my money. It is mine. I have always worked for people with more money than I have because they gave me jobs. That is the only redistribution of wealth that I will support. I never got a job from a poor person. Why do you want me to hate my employers? Why — what do you have against shareholders making a profit?
Nine, charitable contributions.. Although I never got a job from a poor person, I have helped many in need. Charity belongs in our local communities, where we know our needs best and can use our local talent and our local resources. Butt out, please. We want to do it ourselves.
Ten, corporate bailouts. Knock it off. Sink or swim like the rest of us. If there are hard times ahead, we’ll be better off just getting into it and letting the strong survive. Quick and painful. Have you ever ripped off a Band-Aid? We will pull together. Great things happen in America under great hardship. Give us the chance to innovate. We cannot disappoint you more than you have disappointed us.
Eleven, transparency and accountability. How about it? No, really, how about it? Let’s have it. Let’s say we give the buzzwords a rest and have some straight honest talk. Please try — please stop manipulating and trying to appease me with clever wording. I am not the idiot you obviously take me for. Stop sneaking around and meeting in back rooms making deals with your friends. It will only be a prelude to your criminal investigation. Stop hiding things from me..
Twelve, unprecedented quick spending. Stop it now.
Take a breath. Listen to the people. Let’s just slow down and get some input from some nonpoliticians on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law. I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant or a violent person. I am a parent and a grandparent. I work. I’m busy. I’m busy. I am busy, and I am tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawn, wash our cars on the weekends and be responsible contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same all while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.
I entrusted you with upholding the Constitution. I believed in the checks and balances to keep from getting far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think I find humor in the hiring of a speed reader to unintelligently ramble all through a bill that you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not. It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face. I am not laughing at your arrogance. Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it but you should expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children. We did not want the TARP bill.. We said no. We would repeal it if we could. I am sure that we still cannot. There is such urgency and recklessness in all of the recent spending.
From my perspective, it seems that all of you have gone insane. I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back. You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess that you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on you to bring our concerns to Washington . Our president often knows all the right buzzword is unsustainable. Well, no kidding.. How many tens of thousands of dollars did the focus group cost to come up with that word? We don’t want your overpriced words Stop treating us like we’re morons.
We want all of you to stop focusing on your reelection and do the job we want done, not the job you want done or the job your party wants done. You work for us and at this rate I guarantee you not for long because we are coming. We will be heard and we will be represented. You think we’re so busy with our lives that we will never come for you? We are the formerly silent majority, all of us who quietly work , pay taxes, obey the law, vote, save money, keep our noses to the grindstone and we are now looking up at you. You have awakened us, the patriotic freedom spirit so strong and so powerful that it had been sleeping too long.. You have pushed us too far. Our numbers are great. They may surprise you. For every one of us who will be there, there will be hundreds more that could not come. Unlike you, we have their trust. We will represent them honestly, rest assured. They will be at the polls on voting day to usher you out of office. We have cancelled vacations. We will use our last few dollars saved. We will find the representation among us and a grassroots campaign will flourish. We didn’t ask for this fight. But the gloves are coming off. We do not come in violence, but we are angry. You will represent us or you will be replaced with someone who will. There are candidates among us when he will rise like a Phoenix from the ashes that you have made of our constitution.
Democrat, Republican, independent, libertarian. Understand this. We don’t care. Political parties are meaningless to us Patriotic Americans are willing to do right by us and our Constitution and that is all that matters to us now. We are going to fire all of you who abuse power and seek more. It is not your power. It is ours and we want it back. We entrusted you with it and you abused it. You are dishonorable. You are dishonest. As Americans we are ashamed of you. You have brought shame to us. If you are not representing the wants and needs of your constituency loudly and consistently, in spite of the objections of your party, you will be fired. Did you hear? We no longer care about your political parties. You need to be loyal to us, not to them. Because we will get you fired and they will not save you. If you do or can represent me, my issues, my views, please stand up. Make your identity known. You need to make some noise about it. Speak up. I need to know who you are. If you do not speak up, you will be herded out with the rest of the sheep and we will replace the whole damn congress if need be one by one. We are coming. Are we coming for you? Who do you represent? What do you represent? Listen. Because we are coming. We the people are coming.”
A video I made using a few West Virginia photos and photos of my hometown that I took. Video to the John Denver song Country Roads. Parkersburg, WV – my hometown. Check it out please. comments welcome as always.
Bernanke says recession ‘very likely over’ – AP
Fed Chief Says Recession Is ‘Very Likely Over’ – NYT.com
Bernanke Sees Recession’s End – WSJ.com
As is so often the case, Tuesday afternoon’s headlines missed the nuance of the story. Ben Bernanke’s full statement told a much less ebullient tale: “From a technical perspective, the recession is very likely over at this point,” he said. “It’s still going to feel like a very weak economy for some time because many people will still find that their job security and their employment status is not what they wish it was.”
On Tuesday, the government said PPI rose a much stronger-than-expected 1.7% in August. Come December, the price of oil will be up 100% from a year ago, Pento notes; given energy’s major weighting, that will have huge ramifications for PPI and CPI data going forward. (Wednesday morning brought a higher-than-expected report on CPI. Both CPI and PPI remain negative on a year-over-year basis but the declines are narrowing and both are trending higher: for example, CPI is up 4.9% on a 3-month annualized basis, according to Miller Tabak.)
It appears that Obama will create 273,000 new federal jobs giving us even bigger government instead of scaling it back and inevitably at taxpayer expense. If our country doesn’t go bankrupt first, then it’s only a matter of time before he raises everyones taxes including the tax burdened middle class.
Where are the private sector jobs? Why hasn’t the stimulus money being spent on projects other than upgrading government buildings with stronger exteriors and bulletproof glass and telling everyone it is a “green” project? They were wanting to pass the stimulus bill so quickly that the majority of congress didn’t even read it so it is hard to tell what surprises they have included in it for us all. I don’t know of many projects that are using stimulus monies.
As for Obama’s health care, It needs to be across the board and should not penalize anyone that doesn’t want it like the current bill that is being considered does. This administration needs to actually find a real way to pay for the health care instead of using estimates from cuts to other programs. It never works that way and always comes back to taxpayers. I worry about the current administration starting new government programs which possibly could take away our freedoms such as his brainchild of a national security force. Hitler started the same thing called the
I also read where the market is up because they think the retailers report for August was good news. If you think about it, it isn’t. Most retailer sales in August were from school sales due to families getting ready for the new school year to start. I expect that sales for September will drop. We are not out of the woods yet as far as this recession and it may still get worse. Banks took more money from the Federal Reserve emergency program and Obama seems more concerned about the federal reserve and banks giving them more power and more money, etc. than showing concern and working for the people. Thus far, Obama has been no different than Bush and actually worse in some instances such as another record deficit. It is only a matter of time before we see the TAX part of the tax and spend that Washington loves so well. A scary outlook in my opinion.
I read this article and thought it interesting and most of it right on regarding Obama including his “shovel-ready” stimulus/pork project. I wanted to share it. I only wish that there was another recognized party in my state that I could join other than democrat or republican. I’m sick and tired of both.
What we’re seeing with President Obama’s plummeting poll numbers is a quick case of buyer’s remorse.
More broadly, Gallup reports that conservatives now outnumber liberals in all 50 states, with more Americans self-identifying themselves as conservative than at any time in the past four years.
Gallup surveys from January 2009 — the month of Obama’s inauguration — through June 2009 show that 40 percent of respondents described themselves as conservative: 31 percent “conservative” and 9 percent “very conservative.”
Only 21 percent of respondents described themselves as liberal: 16 percent “liberal” and 5 percent “very liberal.”
That 2-to-1 margin is big news even if The New York Times doesn’t see it as newsworthy. Or to rephrase an old question, if liberalism crashes to the ground and The Times doesn’t report it, does that mean it didn’t happen?
“You know this is important polling news because the establishment media is pretending it doesn’t exist,” wrote Tom Blumer in The Wall Street Journal. “You can’t find a relevant reference to it in searches on ‘Gallup’ at The New York Times, AP.org, The Washington Post or the LA Times.”
What went wrong for Obama is everything.
It started with the almost $800 billion nonstimulating stimulus bill, overstuffed with pork by congressional Democrats. The idea was to give a fast “jolt” to the economy, speedily create millions of jobs, and quickly end the hardships of the unemployed. So important was the speed that legislators didn’t even take time to read the bill.
Now, half a year after the rushed enactment of the Democrats’ idea of “shovel-ready” stimulation, 90 percent of the money is still stuck in the political pipeline, waiting for politicians to decide which pothole to fix or which nephew to hire, and 3 million more jobs have been lost.
In the latest USA Today/Gallup survey, the majority of respondents say the stimulus package is having no impact on the economy or making it worse.
What would have worked better and faster at getting people back to work is a cut in personal income taxes — personal consumption expenditures account for most of the spending and job creation in the U.S. economy — and tax cuts for small business, the sector that has produced 60 percent to 80 percent of the new jobs per year in the American economy over the past decade.
Instead we got billions in slow-moving pork, more bailouts for bloated state governments and calls from Obama for higher taxes and more federal mandates on businesses that are already struggling to maintain their current levels of employment. Plus Obama’s push for card check: i.e., unionism without elections so a grievance chairman and victimology adviser could be assigned to watch over any entrepreneurial type who still has a semblance of self-reliance and independence in his soul.
Then came Obama’s record-smashing federal budget with a deficit now projected at $1.85 trillion — four times larger than George W. Bush’s largest deficit. Plus another trillion or so in projected costs for Obama’s cap-and-trade scheme in order to slow down the “crisis” of global warming, disregarding the fact that things have been cooling down for a decade.
Add the trillions we’re on the hook for in the Troubled Asset Relief Program and the Congressional Budget Office’s estimated price of $1 trillion-plus for Obama’s health reform plan over the next decade. It looks like we’re going to be floating on a massive flood of red ink into a full state of peonage.
Or as Investor’s Business Daily recently put it: “Eventually, the total take by government at all levels will be well over 50 percent of GDP — enough to sink the U.S. economy into a state of semi-permanent stagnation, a socialist stupor.”
And what about the kids and Grandma in this collectivist utopia? There won’t be as many.
Obama’s new science czar, John Holdren, has written that “compulsory population-control laws, even including laws requiring compulsory abortion, could be sustained under the existing Constitution.” Just put people like Sonia Sotomayor on the Supreme Court, the historic figure who couldn’t see anything wrong with throwing out employment tests when too many white guys score at the top.
As for Grandma, Obama health adviser Ezekiel Emanuel, Harvard-produced bioethicist and brother of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, explained the “shovel-ready” final solution: No medical treatments for anyone falling short in their role as “participating citizens.”
Not all police officers are good ones and a few bad apples sometimes spoil the barrel, BUT, if you had to put up with people verbally abusing you, spitting on you, resisting arrest, trying to fight you when you try to arrest them, then you wouldn’t complain. Police officers put their lives on the line everyday. The use of a taser is a non-lethal (98%) way to subdue some asshole that is breaking the law or is being disorderly. I saw someone post on AOL that cops shouldn’t be allowed to use a taser on women and some called an officer a coward. Women can be just as belligerent and difficult to restrain and arrest as a man, especially if intoxicated. I haven’t seen the latest video about the “soccer mom” being tased in front of her kids so I cannot comment on it. Just remember that video doesn’t always show the true story if there is no audio. You cannot hear what the person is saying, you cannot see if the person showed aggression in their facial gestures because most video is not that clear. If you cannot hear the person defying a law enforcement officers command to follow a procedure that most departments train for when dealing with a situation then that person is putting the officers safety at risk. A police officer has no idea who the person is, if they are armed, if they are high on drugs and getting out of your vehicle without being told to is asking for trouble. The officer just kicked into the next level of safety training and wondering what the hell this person is on or is hiding by exiting their vehicle and being verbally belligerent. And contrary to what a lot of people living in this society may believe is that, yes, even soccer moms can have drugs, sell drugs, be high on drugs. A large part of society doesn’t see the underbelly of society as most are sleeping during the times the dregs of society are usually out and about. Like I said before, not all officers are good, some are lazy, some are power hungry and some are just pricks that want nothing better than to ruin someones day when a warning would suffice. BUT, most are out there protecting our lives from scum who mean to harm us. They live in danger everytime they strap on the gun and put on a badge. So give them a break, show them support, especially in this day and age when they have to juggle what the courts tell them they can and can’t do while sometimes leaving them open to lawsuits. I’m stepping off of my soapbox now and have included a video link for you to watch if you’ve made it this far. Tasers help officers subdue idiots that may end up hurting themselves, someone else or the officer with no harm (majority of the time) to the person.
Dr. Manning talking about white people rioting because they are sick of being kicked in the face because Obama (long-legged macDaddy) keeps lying to them, pushed around, being called racist, taking their tax dollars, etc.
I read this on google news. I figured it was only a matter of time. I only hope the government gives us ky before they screw us. We’ve been screwed the past eight years and it looks to get worse now. I strongly dislike the Washington Elite. Piss on the President and all of Congress. Do away with Repubs and Dems and start over again. No political parties, no exhorbitant election costs, just straight forward elections. I do not care for Obama’s kind of change with his lies he spewed to us all because he isn’t doing what he said he would. I like Pelosi and company even less. Just for the record, I am a registered Democrat and am ashamed of my party. I hate the Repubs as well. It is all about winning and greed to them all and little or nothing about the good of the country and the taxpayers. Just another “screwing” we’re about to receive.
2 Obama officials: No guarantee taxes won’t go up
By PHILIP ELLIOTT (AP) – 1 hour ago
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s treasury secretary said Sunday he cannot rule out higher taxes to help tame an exploding budget deficit, and his chief economic adviser would not dismiss raising them on middle-class Americans as part of a health care overhaul.
As the White House sought to balance campaign rhetoric with governing, officials appeared willing to extend unemployment benefits. With former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan saying he is “pretty sure we’ve already seen the bottom” of the recession, Obama aides sought to defend the economic stimulus and calm a jittery public.
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and National Economic Council Director Larry Summers both sidestepped questions on Obama’s intentions about taxes. Geithner said the White House was not ready to rule out a tax hike to lower the federal deficit; Summers said Obama’s proposed health care overhaul needs funding from somewhere.
“There is a lot that can happen over time,” Summers said, adding that the administration believes “it is never a good idea to absolutely rule things out, no matter what.”
During his presidential campaign, Obama repeatedly vowed “you will not see any of your taxes increase one single dime.” But the simple reality remains that his ambitious overhaul of how Americans receive health care — promised without increasing the federal deficit — must be paid for.
“If we want an economy that’s going to grow in the future, people have to understand we have to bring those deficits down. And it’s going to be difficult, hard for us to do. And the path to that is through health care reform,” Geithner said. “We’re not at the point yet where we’re going to make a judgment about what it’s going to take.”
Selling that proposal, however, has proved tricky.
On Friday, the government released a report that suggested the worst recession in the United States since World War II appears on the verge of ending. The economy dipped only slightly in the second quarter of this year — falling at a 1 percent annual pace, better than expected.
The president cautioned against instant turnaround, though.
“Well, as I’ve said, I think we maybe are beginning to see the end of the recession, but it’s still going to be some time before we are seeing companies hiring again. That’s usually the last thing that happens,” Obama said in an interview with Univision that aired on Sunday.
“So I think we are still going to have a tough remainder of the year — probably until next year — but, you know, at least what we are seeing — we’ve pulled back from the possibility of a depression. That’s not the danger.”
Many analysts think the economy is starting to grow again in the current quarter, setting up a long-awaited recovery.
“Most private forecasters — and let’s use their judgment — suggest you’re going to see unemployment start to come down maybe beginning in the second half of next year,” Geithner said, adding those same economists predict positive growth during the second half of this year.
At the same time, Geithner and other administration officials are contemplating how to ask Congress to extend — again — unemployment benefits for the millions of Americans who have lost their jobs in recent months. The proposal drew measured support from Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., as long as the benefits are drawn from the already approved economic stimulus package.
“We need to take care of those who are unemployed, but we also need to make sure they get jobs,” he said.
Those jobs, though, are still elusive. Greenspan said the economy is slowly coming back.
“Collapse, I think, is now off the table. We were teetering for a while,” he said.
Greenspan said he doesn’t think the Federal Reserve should be considering raising interest rates to ward off inflation, although he added that the Fed will have to rein in credit and raise rates at some point.
Obama’s opponent for the presidency, Sen. John McCain, questioned whether the administration’s actions will prove beneficial for the country.
“I think it’s pretty clear, if you pump trillions of dollars into the economy, you will see some recovery,” the Arizona Republican said while giving Obama credit for the improvement. “But the long-term consequences, I think, are going to be, unfortunately, devastating unless we do something about it.”
Geithner and Greenspan appeared on ABC’s “This Week.” Summers appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and CBS’s “Face the Nation.” DeMint was interviewed on “Fox News Sunday.” McCain spoke with CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Below is an article on Obama and his dropping approval rating. Is the honeymoon over? Obama, stuck in a health-care reform quagmire and doing little to address a deficit ballooning at a record pace, appears to be falling out of favor with Americans.
As a registered democrat, I probably would have cast my vote for McCain had Palin not been on the ticket. I was hoping for a running mate with experience in something other than hunting, fishing and creating ethics questions, but we got Palin instead. Yes, to me, McCain’s age was a big factor and that is why I wanted a running mate with experience, someone who could take over easily and handle the pressure of the position. We got Palin instead.
To me, a gut feeling, but something didn’t seem quite right with Obama. I fear that his true color is way, way, way left and his stimulus to jump start the economy will do nothing but increase the taxpayer burden. I feel that he is a racist at heart after hearing him speak out against the Gates arrest without knowing or caring about the circumstances surrounding this arrest. Regardless of what transpired, the incident should not have warranted the attention of a President. The President should be working on things that matter such as the budget deficit, the economy, foreign policy and many more issues facing our nation. I fear that government will continue to get bigger, the tax burden will increase and the middle class / working class will have to pay for it all. Hope has faded with Obama. I hope our country can be saved soon before we reach the end of our march toward bankruptcy.
Obama had numerous promises, high expectations, hope and change but all we’ve had is a continued “business as usual” in Washington. I know the President has to have help from Congress to be effective but when you have dems vs repubs fighting constantly and trying to push their own agenda (Pelosi) regardless of what is good for the nation or what the nation needs then you have ineffective government. We have had ineffective government for the past decade and it always seems to get worse. Maybe it’s time for a strong third party to offer a candidate that will address the problems we face instead of promises, out of control spending and continued partisan politics.
———————————————————————————– Barack Obama ratings fall as polls show honeymoon may be over
Barack Obama’s honeymoon period appears to be coming to an end in America as polls have shown his ratings have fallen to their lowest point yet.
By Alex Spillius in Washington
Published: 7:02PM BST 21 Jul 2009
A USA Today/Gallup survey suggested that six months into his presidency, his popularity was lower than George W Bush’s at the same stage of his tenure.
Amid rising unemployment and falling confidence in his economic plans, Mr Obama’s job approval rating has dropped by nine points since January to 55 per cent, a point below his predecessor in mid-2001.
Other polls by ABC News and the Washington Post also showed Mr Obama’s job approval falling below 60 per cent for the first time since he was sworn in as the nation’s first black president, with a marked drop in the last month.
The president is facing criticism about how he is going to pay for $1 trillion plans to reform the US health care system. Half of respondents in one poll disapproved of his health care policy compared with just 44 per cent who approved.
Mr Obama admitted there was work to do and said he would not sign any of the bills currently being considered in Congress.
“Right now, they’re not where they need to be,” he told NBC. He has already admitted that his August deadline for draft legislation could “spill over” into the autumn.
Mr Obama is due to hold a prime time televised press conference on Wednsday designed to restate his case to an increasingly sceptical nation.
Whit Ayres, a pollster, said: “His ratings have certainly come back down to Earth in a very short time period.”
Mr Obama is said to be losing the most support among independent voters and moderate Democrats, whose votes were crucial in winning him swing states in November’s election. In those states, where congressmen face re-election next year, Democrats are already concerned.
Steve Glorioso, a Democratic strategist in Missouri, said devout Democrats were as enthusiastic as ever for Mr Obama but that the less committed were feeling disappointed.
“People are scared,” he said. “This is the worst economic time anyone under the age of 80 has ever experienced, and you can’t discount people being afraid.
“Now that we are in July, the fear is turning to disappointment that the president hasn’t fixed everything yet. I don’t know why they thought he could change everything by now, but some did.”
Although Mr Obama inherited immense economic troubles from Mr Bush, the economy is now seen as almost solely his responsibility.
Experts say that White House reassurances about “the green shoots” of economic recovery are sounding hollow as unemployment has now risen to more than ten per cent in 15 states,
Chris Redfern, the Ohio Democratic Party chairman, said: “When it’s the president’s economy, it’s the president’s trouble. Americans are eager for the change that they voted into office. They support him, they just want to see results sooner rather than later.”
Even Democrats have privately criticised the president for not taking firm control of health care reform. Congress is now working on three different bills but has been stuck on who to tax to pay for expanded coverage.
Eager to avoid the mistake made by the Clintons in 1993, who handed a vast health care bill to congress with little consultation, Mr Obama has been accused of straying too far in the other direction.
This week he has delivered a tough message on health care on a daily basis, reminding Congress that 47 million uninsured Americans cannot wait for reform.
John McHenry, a Republican strategist, said: “At some point he needs to decide if he is taking ownership of this or contracting it all to the Democratic congress.
“This autumn will tell if his honeymoon is well and truly over. He has been more popular personally than many of his proposals were, but there is only so long you can continue that.”
I read this article on Yahoo. I have a feeling this is going to come back and bite these states in the rear. I can foresee lawsuits against these states when 911 centers start having equipment failures causing someone to die in the process. They need to make cuts in their budget and quit dipping into other funds not meant to pay state bills.
————————————————————————————————-
Taking money from 911
AP IMPACT: Cash-strapped states raid 911 funds By PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Writer Peter Svensson, Ap Technology Writer – 49 mins ago
NEW YORK – More than $200 million collected from cell phone users for upgrades to the 911 system has been diverted in the last two years to plug state budget holes, keep campaign promises and, in at least one case, buy police uniforms, an Associated Press analysis has found.
Dispatchers say the diversion of money comes at the expense of improvements that would give crime and accident victims more opportunities to reach responders. Someone who has been kidnapped, for instance, may not be able to talk but might be able to quietly send a text message or a photo.
Cell phone subscribers in nearly every state pay anywhere from 20 cents to $1.50 a month for what is described in their bills as 911 improvements. In some states, the AP analysis found, less than half that money is actually going to help emergency dispatchers keep pace with the features of smart phones.
As states hammered by the recession look around for new ways to balance their budgets, the 911 money is tempting:
• In New York, only 19 cents of the $1.20 the state collects from each subscriber each month goes to emergency calling services. The rest pays for uniforms for the state police, a wireless network for emergency responders and the state’s general expenditures.
• In Wisconsin, a new 75-cent monthly fee was supposed to pay for ongoing 911 operations and improvements. When the state’s deficit grew, the state decided to divert $100 million in the next two years to local governments to reduce pressure to raise property taxes.
• In Arizona, lawmakers funneled $25 million from its emergency telecommunications fund, halving its size, and cut its monthly 911 cell phone fee to 20 cents. As a result, the fund could be out of money within three years.
“The issue of (fund) raiding has been a trickle for a few years, and now we’re seeing the faucet on full blast,” said Dane Snowden, vice president of external and state affairs at wireless industry group CTIA.
A highly publicized round of call center upgrades is nearly complete, allowing 911 dispatchers to automatically pinpoint cell phone callers. But emergency officials say that’s no reason to raid funds set aside for future upgrades. After all, voice calls are just one of many things phones can do.
Dispatchers would like the capability to receive photos, videos and text messages from cell phone users in danger. Photos shot by witnesses with camera phones have already proved useful in catching bank robbers and flashers, for instance. Getting those photos to 911 centers — which could get them to police faster — could help solve crimes.
In several cases in recent years, kidnapping victims have summoned help by surreptitiously sending text messages. But because they can’t send directly to 911, they’ve had to use intermediaries.
When David Deganian and a friend were abducted at gunpoint on an Atlanta street early one morning in 2007, Deganian managed to sneak a text message to his brother Arman: “We have been kidnapped. Please call the police and help us.”
Later, the friend tried calling 911. The gunmen heard him, interrupted the call and took the phones away. Luckily, Arman Deganian was awake to notice the text message. He got the police on the case, and they rescued his brother and his friend that afternoon.
In a more famous case, a 14-year-old girl in Kershaw County, S.C., was held in an underground bunker for more than a week before she managed to send a text message to her mother from the captor’s phone.
Upgrading call centers to handle text and video messaging would require new computer systems, communications lines and staff training, costing tens of millions of dollars per state, according to the National Emergency Number Association.
A complete accounting of how 911 money is spent in all states is not available, partly because most of the money dispatch centers get is funneled to them by counties. The Federal Communications Commission has been collecting information from the states at the request of Congress, and is expected to report its findings soon.
Oregon, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Wisconsin and Tennessee are among the states that have dipped into their 911 money recently. New York and Rhode Island have been diverting their funds for at least five years. States started collecting the funds in the 1990s.
In the fiscal year that ended in June 2008, Rhode Island collected $19.4 million in 911 fees and used $5.8 million for 911. The rest went to the state’s general fund.
Raiding the funds could reduce the money available for 911 upgrades even further, by reducing federal grants. After a round of 911 fund raiding during the previous recession, at the beginning of the decade, the federal government tightened its grant rules to discourage the practice.
To elude the federal government’s wagging finger, New York is changing the name of its “Enhanced 911″ fee to “Public Safety Communications Surcharge,” to make it clearer that 911 is just one of its purposes.
Other states seem to ignore the grants issue.
Oregon collects 75 cents per cell phone per month. Although its attorney general’s office concluded that federal laws on 911 grants prohibit using money from wireless bills for purposes other than 911 services, the state took $3 million from an $80 million fund that mingles wireless and landline fees.
“When people pay their bills, they see that they are paying 75 cents per telephone line to fund the 911 system. For the Legislature to turn around and divert some of the money to other purposes is disingenuous. It’s just wrong,” said Hasina Squires, a lobbyist who represents emergency communications officers in Oregon.
Gov. Ted Kulongoski’s office and legislative budget officials defended the decision, citing Oregon’s “extraordinary” budget shortfall. They said they took money from various accounts if they determined that doing so wouldn’t disrupt core functions of those programs.
Tennessee believes it got around the federal restrictions by leaving the principal in its 911 fund intact and taking out $11 million in accrued interest in the fiscal year that ended June 2008. The fund had $54 million left.
“It begs the question: If you have that much money in holding, why is it still being collected from consumers? It doesn’t make any sense,” CTIA’s Snowden said. “The E911 fund is appearing to be an ATM.”
___
Associated Press Writers Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix; Bradford Cain in Salem, Ore.; Scott Bauer in Madison, Wis.; Lucas Johnson in Nashville, Tenn.; Randall Chase in Dover, Del.; Michael Hill in Albany, N.Y.; and Eric Tucker in Providence, R.I., contributed to this story.
AP - A chaplain exhorted hundreds of mourners gathered at a candlelight vigil to not give up hope as Fort Hood and its surrounding community looked to each other for comfort after an Army psychiatrist allegedly went on a deadly shooting spree at the military base.
AP - As word spread that a gunman had opened fire at Fort Hood leaving a trail of carnage, a chilling realization swept across the U.S. Muslim community: He has an Islamic name.
AP - President Barack Obama is traveling to Capitol Hill on Saturday to try to close the sale on his signature health care overhaul, facing a make-or-break vote in the House certain to be seen as a test of his presidency.
AP - Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry said Saturday that the top U.N. official in the country overstepped his authority by giving instructions on how to rid the government of corruption and warlords.
To describe one Minnesota teenager as “one in a million” is an understatement – by half. The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) announces that Anthony Thomas, has been named the 2 millionth Eagle Scout since the first Eagle badge was awarded in 1912.
As a part of what has been dubbed the largest food drive in America, 30,000 Scouts collect 1.3 million bags of food. "It really is a time when people are coming together … they know they’re doing something good for the community and it just makes everyone feel really good."
Eagle Scout, Ben Pearce, received the 2008 Hero of Conservation Award from Field and Stream, in addition to the BSA's William T. Hornaday Award for conservation and environmental ethic. "Giving back to the community everything that it has done for him."
