So, How Do They Know?

Supposedly, Obama's "stimulus" has "saved or created" 150,000 jobs so far and he plans to "save or create" 600,000 jobs by summertime. Since the Bureau of Labor and Statistics maintains no record - nor are they able to maintain - on jobs "saved," just what metric does Obama plan to use to demonstrate the success or failure of this plan?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics;

June 09, 2009

The number of unemployed persons increased by 787,000 to 14.5 million in May, and the unemployment rate rose to 9.4 percent.

We are already down 14.5 million jobs. Going by Obama's 600,000 by summer goal, that means he should already have saved about 150,000. Yet, we're down 14.5 million, ten times more than what he has "saved" at this point?

Oh! I guess he can say, "Were it not for my initiative, our unemployment would be 14.65 million unemployed, rather than a mere 14.5 million."

But, how does he prove this? How does he prove that the 150,000 jobs wouldn't've been "saved" anyway?

Seems he's given himself quite the safety net. If the unemployed rate rockets by summer, he can always say that it would've been worse by 600,000.

So, why isn't the press picking up on this? Why isn't this chicanery by the Obama administration being examined by the media? We all know that the silly claims about the press being in Obama's hip pocket are false, so why aren't they calling him on this, instead of touting it as success?

If we were on a boat that was taking on 10 times more water than the captain was bailing out, would the captain be justified in claiming that his bail-out plan was successful?

Had Bush made this sort of claim, the press would have keel-hauled him, but Obama?

Nah...

No, No Power Grab At All

Not content to settle for control over US companies, the wonderful, change is good Obama administration has decided that the time has come for the federal government to control the entire US financial system.

Geithner to Propose Vast Expansion Of U.S. Oversight of Financial System

By Binyamin Appelbaum and David Cho
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, March 26, 2009; Page A01

Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner plans to propose today a sweeping expansion of federal authority over the financial system, breaking from an era in which the government stood back from financial markets and allowed participants to decide how much risk to take in the pursuit of profit.

The Obama administration's plan, described by several sources, would extend federal regulation for the first time to all trading in financial derivatives and to companies including large hedge funds and major insurers such as American International Group. The administration also will seek to impose uniform standards on all large financial firms, including banks, an unprecedented step that would place significant limits on the scope and risk of their activities.

"Significant limits on the scope and risk of their activities."

Not only does the federal government want the power to seize companies and break contracts, they also want the power to dictate to them what level of risk they may assume.

So, in what way will these financial companies be private companies? In what ways will they not be mere extensions of federal power?

How short will the federal leash need to be, before the People of this nation realize the great danger of this administration?

Will they wait until there is no leash at all?

Oh, Dear Lord, What Fools Have Been Placed Over Us?

China put forth a proposal to drop the dollar as the global currency and who hitches his wagon to that Chinese horse?

Why, our own tax-cheat, Geithner!

Geithner 'open' to China proposal

Geithner, at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the U.S. is "open" to a headline-grabbing proposal by the governor of the China's central bank, which was widely reported as being a call for a new global currency to replace the dollar, but which Geithner described as more modest and "evolutionary."

Even Obama has the good sense to not support China's proposal;

President Barack Obama described China's proposal as unnecessary during a prime-time news conference Tuesday.

"I don't believe that there's a need for a global currency," Obama said.

But, shall we delve a little deeper into Geithner's idiocy?

"I haven’t read the governor’s proposal. He’s a very thoughtful, very careful distinguished central banker. I generally find him sensible on every issue," Geithner said, saying that however his interpretation of the proposal was to increase the use of International Monetary Fund's special drawing rights -- shares in the body held by its members -- not creating a new currency in the literal sense.

He hasn't even read it, yet! He is making statements about what the US is "open" to, and hasn't a clue what it is. He is going entirely by his opinion of the governor of China's central bank.

Maybe this explains his tax problems; he never read the forms.

Let Them Compete Or Sink

Newspapers are finding themselves faltering in a world where electronic news is far preferable; where headlines can be read within minutes of a newsworthy event, rather than being forced to wait until the next morning.

Some newspapers are adapting by dropping their print editions and going 100% online. They see what they need to do to compete and do it.

So, what does the US government do, instead of letting the market dictate their fate?

U.S. bill seeks to rescue faltering newspapers

Tue Mar 24, 20093:05pm EDT

By Thomas Ferraro

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With many U.S. newspapers struggling to survive, a Democratic senator on Tuesday introduced a bill to help them by allowing newspaper companies to restructure as nonprofits with a variety of tax
breaks.

"This may not be the optimal choice for some major newspapers or corporate media chains but it should be an option for many newspapers that are struggling to stay afloat," said Senator Benjamin Cardin.

Well, Senator Cardin, you're not doing enough! Where's your bill to rescue Town Criers? When will you address the plight of the buggy whip industry? The daguerreotype companies need your help, Senator; why don't you aid them?

Could Wipe Out His Cabinet

From the mouth of the tax-cheat who is now Secretary of the Treasury;

Geithner: Obama to crack down on tax evaders

(NECN: Washington) - Over the next several months, the president will propose a series of legislative and enforcement actions to reduce tax avoidance," this afternoon said Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner in testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee.

Can the hypocrisy be any more clear?

Obama needs to watch out, though. Cracking down on tax cheats might leave him with no cabinet.

Tom Daschle had to pay back taxes, Nancy Killefer pulled because of tax issues and now, Ron Kirk, former mayor of Dallas, owes back taxes. Oh, but Ron has agreed to pay those back taxes. Isn't that big of him? He agreed.

And, we have Mr. Big, Tim Geithner, SecTreas, who didn't pay taxes.

How many more in this misbegotten administration are - lax - on tax isues?

Well, maybe "cracking down" is subjective...

He's got, I understand, a fairly popular radio show

"He's got, I understand, a fairly popular radio show."

That's what someone said about Rush Limbaugh.

Is this person;

1. Someone living out on a desert island in the middle of the Pacific?
2. Someone living in a cave?
3. Someone living under a nicely decorated rock?
4. A homeless guy living on the street?
5. The White House press secretary?

If you guessed #5, you win a cookie*.

Yes, the press secretary for the Obama administration merely "understands" that Rush has a "fairly popular" radio show.

It would appear that we can add "clueless" to the list of criteria necessary to work in the Obama administration.

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A Meteorologist says...

Ya know, one of those guys whose job is the weather;

CNN Meteorologist: Manmade Global Warming Theory 'Arrogant'

Network's second meteorologist to challenge notion man can alter climate.

By Jeff Poor
Business & Media Institute
12/18/2008 11:02:44 PM

Unprecedented snow in Las Vegas has some scratching their heads – how can there be global warming with this unusual cold and snowy weather?

CNN Meteorologist Chad Myers had never bought into the notion that man can alter the climate and the Vegas snowstorm didn’t impact his opinion. Myers, an American Meteorological Society certified meteorologist, explained on CNN’s Dec. 18 “Lou Dobbs Tonight” that the whole idea is arrogant and mankind was in danger of dying from other natural events more so than global warming.

I guess this guy didn't get the memo from the "consensus."

I do have one problem with the article, though...

Dr. Jay Lehr, an expert on environmental policy, told “Lou Dobbs Tonight” viewers you can detect subtle patterns over recorded history, but that dates back to the 13th Century.

“If we go back really, in recorded human history, in the 13th Century, we were robably 7 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than we are now and it was a very prosperous ime for mankind,” Lehr said. “If go back to the Revolutionary War 300 years ago, it as very, very cold. We’ve been warming out of that cold spell from the Revolutionary War period and now we’re back into a cooling cycle.”

Lehr suggested the earth is presently entering a cooling cycle – a result of nature, not man.

It strikes me that, "We’ve been warming out of that cold spell from the Revolutionary War period and now we’re back into a cooling cycle." is outright saying that the earth is entering a cooling cycle, not just suggesting it.

Some may condemn Chad Meyers as not being an expert, of not having any experience in meteorology. I would remind them that he is an American Meteorological Society certified meteorologist. I think he qualifies as an expert and has experience.

The End Of The World On Wednesday!

Well, not really, but 10-Sep-08 is when the LHC is going to rev up for the first time at .45 TeV.

If the world still exists on Thursday, then they hope to ramp up to 5 Tev by the end of the year and eventually to 7 TeV.

The sad part is, the potential end of the world should have been at the SSC, not CERN.

Short-sighted Congress...

We May Want Global Warming

According to this article in Milenio, the IPCC used only mathematics and did not include the Sun in their scenarios.

Auguring brief era of ice in 2010

Researchers from the UNAM considers erroneous reports on global climate change

An expert from the National Autonomous University of Mexico predicted that in about ten years the Earth will enter a "little ice age" which will last from 60 to 80 years and may be caused by the decrease in solar activity.

Victor Manuel Velasco Herrera, a researcher at the Institute of Geophysics of the UNAM, as argued earlier during a conference that teaches at the Centre for Applied Sciences and Technological Development.

...

Velasco Herrera [Victor Manuel Velasco Herrera, a researcher at the Institute of Geophysics of the UNAM] described as erroneous predictions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), pursuant to which the planet is experiencing a gradual increase in temperature, the so-called global warming.

The models and forecasts of the IPCC "is incorrect because only are based on mathematical models and presented results at scenarios that do not include, for example, solar activity," said the specialist also in image processing and signs and prevention of natural disasters.

If Herrera is correct, then the IPCC is woefully incompetent to make any sort of predictive claims at all. To ignore the Sun's contribution to the temperature of the Earth is sheer ignorance.

It may be that we need to INCREASE our carbon footprints, rather than reduce them.