The older I become the more disappointed I am with human behavior. Sure I am disappointed with the performance of our President and Congress (that is obvious to anyone who reads my blog). And I am not just disappointed in Obama; I was also disappointed in many aspects of the performance by his predecessor – GW Bush. But I am more disappointed with general human behavior – people have become shallow and narrow minded - seemingly more influenced by political jargon and talking points outlined by amateur media pundits. People, in general, have become less responsible and chose to live in the past by blaming everyone else for what is wrong with their lives – just like politicians. For instance, it is someone else’s fault when we are in debt and cannot pay the bills (this is true whether it is individual, corporate, or government debt).

I recently stopped participating on Facebook. I tried to join the narcissistic generation, but after a year the disappointment in lack of original thought and innovativeness forced me to stop participating. Remember, Facebook was created by a few social illiterates who can only communicate behind the face of technology. These people cannot communicate face to face or even over the phone, so they developed a way around their social retarded ways. Now, the globe is becoming socially retarded. Do not get me wrong, I have no issue hearing about what friends are up to (as long as it is not a constant daily update) or hearing their about their opinions. Facebook participants tend to post a link to an article that expresses their beliefs. The problem with this is that these articles are always from some opinionated news source: NY Times, Huffington Post, Fox News, MSNBC, and so forth. What disenfranchises me is that Facebook participants fail to provide their original thoughts about the article subject matter, a synopsis, or even an analysis as to why they liked the article. And what’s worse, 99% of these articles are not only highly opinionated and polarizing; they are not backed up with facts or data. In fact, very rarely are reasonable solutions proposed to solve the problem addressed in the subject matter, instead the authors of these articles like to place blame or fault. To make matters worse yet, most of the journalists and media pundits are giving opinions on topics they have absolutely no expertise: green technology, climate change, or food additives to name a few examples. But society, and my friends included, seems to think what they read or watch is gospel. And if all this is not bad enough, everyone in society thinks they are an expert on everything – the Iraq War, enhanced interrogation techniques, global warming and so on (armchair politicians). Everyone is 100% correct while adversaries are 100% wrong and there is no room to compromise.

I may agree with certain opinions of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, or Glenn Beck, but I came to those conclusions by investigating facts and data (not reading polarizing and biased articles by self-proclaimed experts). I do not watch these pundits because they are polarizing and do not back up their opinions with solid arguments based on data.  

I do not care if someone disagrees with my ideologies or philosophies, but I expect people to back it up with original thought, innovation, data, and facts – not a link to some article written by a polarized journalist, media pundit, Hollywood star, or politician. And I expect to hear innovative solutions to problems instead of living in the past by placing fault and blame. Is this too much to ask or expect? It is hard to believe we live in a society of know-it-alls, but we cannot debate or talk about problems and issues from a solution based approach instead of dwelling on past mistakes. Today, a typical debate over an issue generally includes insinuating adversaries are extremists, Nazi’s, or racists. When will this nonsense stop?

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Religion – As the 2012 election cycle begins, the Obama’s have started to attend church more regularly. This is no coincidence because the President is trying to appeal to Christians – but this is obviously nothing more than a political ploy. 

Newsweek – Newsweek’s cover article this past week was entitled “Why Are Obama’s Critics So Dumb?” And yet, Newsweek proclaims to be an unbiased media source.

Canada - The Harper government is looking to increase petroleum exports to China, but those hopes are very much pinned on the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline project currently under review by the National Energy Board. Harper will visit China next month. Harper has no choice but to find a new energy trade partner since the Obama administration will not agree to the building of the Alberta to Texas oil pipeline (Keystone Pipeline).

Congress – Congress passed 80 bills in 2011, this is the least amount in U.S. history. This is good news because less is better these days.

Obama’s Ego – Barack will conduct his 2012 Democratic nomination acceptance speech in a football stadium (home of the Carolina Panthers in the NFL – Capacity of 75,000). Obama also unveiled his first 2012 reelection TV ad touting his pro energy agenda.

School Food - A new study of nearly 20,000 middle schoolers has found that kids who attend schools that sell junk food such as soda and doughnuts do not gain more weight than students who attend schools where that type of food isn't available. The study concluded that the home environment has more impact on obesity than the school environment. This is another good example of why government interference into our daily lives is not only wrong, but it does not work.

Bain Capital - Jeffrey Zients will serve as President Obama's new acting director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), but the president's decision might undercut attacks on Republican Mitt Romney's career as a venture capitalist, because Zients and Romney are both alumni of Bain & Company.

Occupy DC - Someone threw a smoke bomb over the White House fence last week, according to the Secret Service. The incident took place during an Occupy DC rally outside the White House. About 1,000 protesters participated in the rally and of course, no one was arrested.

Media – Here is a recent poll conducted by the liberal PPP polling service: Fox is the most trusted TV news source for 34% of voters, followed by PBS at 17%, CNN at 12%, ABC News at 11%, CBS News at 8%, MSNBC at 5%, and Comedy Central and NBC each at 4%.

Tax – Pelosi continues to push for a tax on the wealthy; this time to pay for a national tax free holiday.

Fast and Furious - Chairman of the House Oversight Committee Darrell Issa is back on the Fast and Furious trail and announced the issuance of a new subpoena this past week to Chief of the Criminal Division in the U.S Attorney's Office for Arizona Patrick Cunningham. The subpoena was necessary after Cunningham refused to testify. When on the stand, Cunningham pleaded the fifth.

Abortion – ABC News reports from 2003 to 2008, the abortion rate per 1,000 women of childbearing age (15 to 44) changed slightly, from 29 to 28 per 1,000 women. But the proportion of unsafe abortions that took place across the world rose 44 percent in 1995 to 49 percent in 2008.

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The Obama job training program primarily consists of extending unemployment benefits to 99 weeks. Is this fair?

The Obama energy plan has been to squander taxpayer money on failing “green” energy companies while avoiding increasing oil production at home. The result is record high gas prices (for winter season) and energy costs. Is this fair?

The Obama education plan is the “Race to the Top”, which has never been passed by Congress. In fact, to implement the policy the White House has been bribing cashed strapped states to begin their educational vision (Race to the Top) in order to receive federal funding. Is this fair? What is the motivation for children to go to school if everyone is going to be granted a “fair” share of income during their lives?

Obama’s vision of “American Values” is a nation dependent on government assistance. Under Obama, American poverty rates and reliance on welfare programs has risen to record per capita levels. Is this fair?

Obama’s vision of American manufacturing and education is to promote and increase union enrollment. And what is the goal of unions? To protect bad employees with both unrealistic benefits and pay. Is this fair?

Is it fair that “green” companies receive taxpayer money while other companies receive the wrath of regulations and rules implemented by the EPA?

Is it fair that some companies and organizations are receiving a waiver from ObamaCare while others are not? In fact, every liberal law or policy is never applied equally or fairly to all corporations, organizations, and or citizens. For instance, wind farms are not fined for killing endangered birds, but oil companies are.

Is it fair that “dead beats” receive extended unemployment benefits, ObamaCare and other welfare handouts that have to be paid for by hardworking Americans?

Is it fair that people who bought a house they could not afford are getting bailed out by hardworking Americans?

Is it fair that union employees receive better benefits and pay at the expense of other hardworking Americans?

Is it fair to reward irresponsibility and punish accountability?

Is it fair to portray a class of people and corporations as evil, especially since they already pay a majority of all tax revenues?

Since when has “American Values” or the “American Dream” been to receive something that was not earned? Is this a new constitutional right?

Face it; there is nothing “fair” about the Obama economic blueprint.

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Our immigration department allows up to 65 thousand H-1B visas annually. An H-1B visa is for 3 years and can be extended to 6 years, but by that time, most H-1B visa recipients have earned their green card and or have already become citizens of the United States. There are other types of visas that foreigners can obtain to gain temporary work status in the United States that are similar to H-1B visas including L1, TN-1, E3, H-1B1, and H-2B visas. Yes, the U.S. visa system is complicated and needs to be reformed and made more simplistic.  

In 2008, 276 thousand H-1B visas and extensions where granted. In 2009, 214 thousand H-1B visas and extensions where granted. In 2010, 117 thousand H-1B visas and extensions where granted. Obviously these numbers are much more than the supposed cap of 65 thousand H-1B visas annually, but increasing the allotment of visas is necessary so companies can fill employment vacancies where U.S. citizens fail to meet the employment requirements. In 2001, a record 331 thousand H-1B visas and extensions where granted – over 5 times the capped limit.

Interestingly, the only solution that politicians on both sides of aisle can agree upon about the U.S. visa problem is to increase the cap from 65 thousand to ensure our technical companies and our medical institutions are getting the talent they need to properly conduct business and ensure Americans have the best medical treatment options available. To increase the visa cap may sound like a reasonable solution, but they are missing the point and real issue at hand. Besides, the H-1B visa cap is raised yearly without political intervention in the form of new legislation.

In 1994, the ratio of American born engineers to foreign born engineers working at U.S. companies was 6.2 to 1. By 2006, that ratio was cut in half to 3.1 to 1! Today, it is estimated the ratio may be as low as 2 to 1. From 1994 to 2006 this equated to nearly 800 thousand more jobs for foreign born engineers. Remember, this is just engineers and does include other H-1B visa jobs such as those in the medical profession – which incidentally is also being dominated by foreign born persons. This means millions of jobs being created by U.S. companies each decade are not going to U.S. citizens.

What is the root cause of this issue? It is obvious; our school systems are failing to develop technical professionals in the fields of math and science. Yet, instead of trying to develop advanced learners in our school systems to obtain these jobs, our solution is to make sure these jobs go to foreign born students – who incidentally get educated at U.S. universities and master their trades at U.S. corporations before moving back home to compete against U.S. companies.

We have had unemployment near 9% for the past two years and only 15% of college graduates are receiving jobs. This is a huge problem, but our politicians fail to see this as an issue. Our educational system (K-12) spends billions on education, but most of that money is spent on trying to elevate test scores of underachieving students instead of focusing on elevating overachieving students to higher learning levels. Face it; the primary emphasis or educational system is to ensure both advanced and digressed students meet the minimum proficiency requirements on standardized tests. The bottom line is bureaucrats only care if a student passes or fails the minimum requirements for reading and math and that is it! This is not education; instead this is a recipe for failure – mediocrity at best.

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Debbie Wassermann Schultz – Her latest video moment came this past week when she blamed the Tea Party for the Giffords shooting.

EPA - Power plants released 72 percent of the greenhouse gases reported to the Environmental Protection Agency for 2010, according to information released last week that was the first catalog of global warming pollution by facility. The data include more than 6,700 of the largest industrial sources of greenhouse gases, or about 80 percent of total U.S. emissions. What a waste of taxpayer money!

Economic Freedom - The Heritage Foundation, in cahoots with the WSJ, has tracked countries' progress in their Index of Economic Freedom and the U.S. is only ranked tenth.

Obama Campaign – Obama introduced his “Runway to Win” clothing line with the help of high end designers which includes t-shirts going for 50 dollars.

DOJ - “We conclude that while Congress can prevent the president from making any recess appointments by remaining continuously in session and available to receive and act on nominations, it cannot do so by conducting pro forma sessions during a recess,” the head of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel, Virginia Seitz, wrote in a 23-page opinion.

Planned Parenthood - The taxpayer funded abortion factory Planned Parenthood is making millions in profits, specifically at the expense of minorities and teenagers, seems to think a woman seeing her baby before making the ultimate decision to end her pregnancy is an “abhorrent” standard.

Mercedes - The luxury car company is using the communist mass murderer Che Guevara as inspiration to launch the company into a "green" future to sell cars with fewer emissions.

Commander in Chief – Michael Hastings, from Rolling Stone Magazine, wrote that Obama complained about the amount of pictures and autographs he had to sign when on a visit to inspect our troops in Bagdad.

Rand Paul - The Kentucky Republican Senator and tea-party favorite said Thursday he’s returning $500,000 to the U.S. Treasury — money from his operating budget that his office never spent.

Elizabeth Warren – The Massachusetts Senate wannabe hauled in an eye-popping $5.7 million the last three months of 2011 — refused to swear off Wall Street money yesterday, instead claiming that any money she gets from deep-pocketed financiers is coming from those who “want reform.” Remember, Warren claimed to have started the Occupy movement.

Green Energy Investing - CBS News' Sharyl Attkisson, who is already in hot water with the Obamites for daring to report accurately about Fast & Furious, has filed a new report detailing eleven "new Solyndras."  These companies were given billions in taxpayer subsidies, despite serious financial problems, and have subsequently (and predictably) gone bust.

Employment - In the 30 months since the recession officially ended (GDP Growth), nearly 1 million people have dropped out of the labor force — they aren't working, and they aren't looking — according to data from Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the past two months, the labor force shrank by 170,000.

S&P – The ratings company will downgrade the credit ratings of France, Spain, Austria, and Portugal.

Consolidation – Obama is seeking permission from Congress to consolidate government agencies. This is a great idea, but the power to do so should not fall on only one person.

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The biggest problems facing the education system are its emphasis on standardized testing; the focus on underachieving students; and the shift to mass educational methods. Standardized testing fails students for many reasons. First, teachers and schools focus on teaching to the test and lose focus on other academic subjects including history, geography, and specials (i.e. art, physical education, home economics, music). Secondly, most standardized tests focus only on meeting a minimum set of requirements instead of testing for maximum achievement. Thirdly, students are graded on one test that takes a few hours. Everyone is entitled to a bad day, but not in our school system. All of these reasons equate to a formula for underachievement and mediocrity.

A perfect example of the educational system focusing on underachieving students is Title I. Under Title I the federal government provides funding to school districts so they can hire special educational teachers whose emphasis is to help underachieving students. On the other hand, very few educational dollars are spent on addressing advanced students’ needs. Unfortunately, a great number of advanced students are bored in school because teachers are too busy trying to elevate the level of underachieving students. I am not saying schools should not try to help underachieving students, but equal money and time should go to advanced students. The focus of school systems to solely help underachieving students is also a formula for underachievement and mediocrity.

What is the underlying issue causing underachievement and mediocrity in our educational system? The grade system! The grade system was set up as a means to mass educate children. Unfortunately, this system makes the assumption that children within the same age group learn at the same rate and in the same manner. This is obviously not true! A better model would be to eliminate the grade system and place students in learning pods or what educators refer to as a “standards-based learning” system. For instance, a level 1 pod for reading may consist of students anywhere from age 5 to 8 whereas, a level 7 pod for reading may consist of students between the ages of 8 to 14. Students can move up a level in a few weeks, months, or years depending on when students meet the minimum proficiency requirements. In other words, student advancement is not restricted to the yearly basis per the current grade level system. Also, the “non-grade level” structure allows students to advance at different rates depending on the subject matter. For example, one particular student may be in level 3 reading, but at the same time they may be in level 8 math and science. Meanwhile, teachers can focus on a specific subject matter to teach as well as focusing on teaching groups of students that are equally challenged because they have the same ability. Under a standards-based learning system students are not frustrated with work that is too hard or bored because the subject matter is too easy. This type of learning system empowers and motivates students to move to the next level. This is an environment which fosters maximum learning because both underachieving and overachieving students obtain equal emphasis in the learning process. This is the easiest way to maximize educational dollars while at the same time maximizing test scores. After all, it is a proven fact that advanced students learn at a faster rate than underachieving students. Once educators realize that not all students are college material they will come to realization that a standards-based learning system works best coupled with a good vocational program in high school.

Of course a change to a standards based learning system will face scrutiny from bureaucrats and oblivious parents will object. Yes, the proposal has flaws, but it is better than the current system that has been ineffective and continues to fail millions of young Americans. The Adams County Colorado school district began a similar educational system three years ago. Adams County made the shift to a standards-based learning system after they were placed on the “academic watch list”. Since changing to the standards-based learning system test scores have been on the rise in Adams County.

My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)

Iran – The AP Reports “Iran has begun uranium enrichment at a new underground site well protected from possible airstrikes.”

Housing Market - New York Fed President William C. Dudley said in New Jersey yesterday that “additional housing policy interventions” can help boost growth.

The Obamas – NY Times’ Jodi Kantor’s new book about the first family (The Obamas) wrote "[staff] wondered: was the president using his wife to convey what he felt?"Also, "White House officials were so nervous about how a splashy, Hollywood-esque party would look to jobless Americans — or their representatives in Congress, who would soon vote on health care — that the event was not discussed publicly and Burton's and Depp's contributions went unacknowledged," Kantor writes.

Chuck Schumer – The NY senator has blamed a rash of pharmacy robberies and murders on pain killers and not the criminals themselves.

Pelosi – The House Minority Leader is encouraging Obama to focus his campaign on a “Do-nothing Congress”.

Solyndra - Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," this past week Wasserman Schultz said the president wasn't the CEO of Solyndra and therefore, has no responsibility for the job losses even though the administration poured over 500 million dollars into the defunct company.

Fast and Furious - ATF Deputy Director Tom Brandon has suspended ATF Assistant Director of the Office of Professional Responsibility and Security Operations Bill McMahon, ATF Acting Deputy Director Billy Hoover and ATF Assistant Director in Charge of Field Operations Mark Chait until further notice from their cushy ATF management positions as the investigation into Operation Fast and Furious, of which McMahon, Hoover and Chait were heavily involved in.

William Daley – The White House Chief of Staff is stepping down at the end of the month and being replaced by budget director Jack Lew. Daley has only been on the job for a year. And let’s not forget the pork barrel spending budget proposal submitted by Obama and Lew last year which was shot down in the Senate 98 – 0?

Debt and GDP - The amount of money the federal government owes to its creditors, combined with IOUs to government retirement and other programs, now tops $15.23 trillion. That's roughly equal to the value of all goods and services the U.S. economy produces in one year: $15.17 trillion as of September, the latest estimate. Private projections show the economy likely grew to about $15.3 trillion by December — a level the debt is likely to surpass this month.

Big Brother - Under the National Operations Center (NOC)’s Media Monitoring Initiative that came out of DHS headquarters in November, Washington has the written permission to retain data on users of social media and online networking platforms.

Fidel Castro – Nobody really cares what Castro thinks, but thought it was funny that he thought a robot would be better than Obama as president.

Domestic Policy Council – Obama appointed immigration amnesty / open borders proponent Cecilia Munoz to control domestic policy.

Van Jones – He declared Martin Luther King as the original “Occupier”. We are so fortunate to have such a great history teacher in Van Jones at our disposal.

Texas Pro Life - A federal court has upheld the requirement that doctors give women an ultrasound before performing an abortion.

My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)

• If you believe in diversity, then you should not be angry when jobs go overseas because education standards are lowered.
• If you believe in climate change, then why do you support renewable energies which are dependent on climate and stable weather patterns (renewable energy sources will obviously be rendered obsolete if weather patterns change)?
• If you believe in entitlements, then why do you support abortion (entitlements require a large taxpayer base to sustain them)?
• If you believe in expanding entitlements for more Americans, then how does the government sustain this burden if the taxpayer base to pay for entitlements is shrinking?
• If you believe in taxing the wealthy more, then what tax rate do you find acceptable for them? Keep in mind if the government taxed the top 1% at a 100% rate, it would not account for paying off one third of our national debt this year alone. Also, most analysis show that a tax rate higher than 35% (local, state, and federal combined) reduces incentives to earn more and therefore, lowers economic growth and lowers employment (Laffer Effect).
• If you believe education, food, housing, and healthcare should be free then how do you propose to pay for it (these items account for over one half of U.S. GDP)?
• If you believe everyone should be a vegan, then how do you propose to feed the global population if over half of its food supply is off limits (keep in mind that today, one third of the worlds’ population is already underfed)?
• If you believe the government is the answer to our problems, then why are they so far in debt (hint – waste, fraud, redundancy, and bureaucracy)?
• If you do not believe in food additives, chemicals, and growth hormones, then how do you propose we meet the demand of feeding 315 million people in the U.S alone (this is an economic problem based on supply and demand)?
• If you believe in gun ownership restrictions, then amend the Constitution.
• If you believe corporations are greedy and evil, then why do you use the products they produce?
• If you believe in lowering the costs of healthcare, then why are you unhealthy?
• If you believe that CO2 is causing manmade climate change, then why is your lifestyle and personal footprint emitting CO2?
• If you believe the economy is doing poorly, then why do you support cap and trade policies?
• If you choose not to work and to be unproductive, then what you gives you the right to accept income from hard working and productive Americans?
• If you do not believe in big government, then you should not accept any help from any government agencies.
• If you believe waterboarding violates civil liberties, then why do you think it is acceptable to execute enemies and innocent civilians (i.e. al Awlaki, bin Laden, drone attacks)?
• If you believe Citizens United was a poor decision because money is not free speech, then explain how burning the American Flag is free speech (money is just as much a freedom of expression as burning the American flag)?
• If you do not believe the Iraq war was necessary because they were not a threat to our national security, then why was our involvement in Libya acceptable?
• If you do not believe in God and religion, then you should not accept any charity from religious organizations.
• If you believe in something, then you should practice what you preach and if you must complain about something, then offer solutions without placing blame.  

My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)

• If you believe in science and the theory of evolution, then why can’t you believe evolution is God’s plan?
• If you believe in evolution and survival of the fittest, then why do you believe in welfare and helping the poor?
• If you believe in evolution and survival of the fittest, then why do you believe in rewarding irresponsible behavior and penalize responsible behavior?
• If you believe in evolution, then what makes you think we can alter climate change?
• If you believe that painting the roofs of our homes white will cool the planet, then why do you think CO2 is causing hotter climates (roof painting does nothing to reduce CO2 concentrations in the air)?
• If you believe ocean levels are rising due to climate change, then why rebuild New Orleans (a city that resides -10 feet below sea level) and why are coastal areas the fastest growing areas not only in the U.S., but around the globe?
• If you believe CO2 is causing global warming, then why are most studies focused on Arctic regions where climate change effects should be minimal based on environmentalists’ claims? Remember, Artic CO2 concentrations are very low (earth’s gravitation pull is less), artic snow and ice reflect heat, and there is a lack of population and infrastructure to absorb heat.
• If you believe in protecting endangered species, then you may consider allowing humans to eat them (most animals eaten by humans are plentiful – cattle, deer, chickens, turkeys, etc.).
• If you do not believe hunting is necessary, then you probably never realized that a large portion of Americans count on hunting to feed their families.
• If you believe in the fairness doctrine, then you cannot truly believe in free speech.
• If you believe in the fairness doctrine, then why are you against applying the doctrine to other media outlets such as the internet, TV, and even our schools?
• If you must protest something, then do it a lawful and respectful manner.
• If you believe in separation of Church and State (which, incidentally is not in the Constitution), then why don’t you believe in separation of State with ANY organization or company – this too is a conflict of interest and welcomes lobbyists and quid pro quo crony politics?
• If you believe in multiculturalism, then why don’t agree with assimilation - remember language in the biggest barrier for cultures to integrate?
• If you believe in diversity policies, then why do you agree with entitlement policies, which promote the segregation of minorities and the poor in our inner cities (and the segregation of Native-Americans on reservations)?
• If you believe in green energy and everyone should own a home, then you should not be angry when these economic bubbles burst and cause a recession.
• If you believe in the economic stability of our nation, then you should never elect anyone to any government post that does not have business experience. 
• If you believe in diversity policies, then why do you believe in the evolution theory survival of the fittest?
• If you believe in climate change, then you must have seen and understand the complex scientific and mathematical models used to predict future outcomes (a picture of a Polar Bear on a melting ice float is not science)?
• If you are wealthy and believe the government should raise your taxes then why don’t you donate money to the government to pay off our debt (there is a government program for this) and or eliminate your tax write offs?
• If you believe in unions, then you should not be angry when jobs go overseas and education standards are lowered.
• If you believe in mining lithium and cobalt to make car batteries, then why are against drilling for oil (much smaller footprint)?
• If you believe that corporate CEOs are greedy and evil, then why don’t believe Washington politicians are the same? Most Washington politicians exit the profession as multi-millionaires on modest salaries because they are exempt from insider trading laws and they sell political intelligence.

My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)

Marion Barry - Marion Barry, former four-term DC mayor is running for office again. DC residents may remember some of the highlights of his career, including tax evasion, smoking crack on video, and improperly awarding a contract to his girlfriend (and later stalking her). Now he is running to represent Ward 8 on the DC Council.

Credit Cards - "Rates currently are the highest since we've been tracking them," says Ben Woolsey, director of marketing for CreditCards.com, which has tracked card rates every week for the past four years. The average rate nationally right now, based on new card offers by 100 of the most popular issuers in the U.S., stands at 15.14 percent, up from 14.75 percent six months ago. I am so glad Congress passed the Credit Card legislation 3 years ago!

Military - The Obama administration last week unveiled a new military strategy that shifts the Pentagon’s focus towards Asia and says the country’s dire budget problems necessitate a more restrained use of military force and more modest foreign policy goals (a smaller military).

Green Hypocrisy - The federal government is proposing to grant a first-of-its-kind permit that would allow the developer of a central Oregon wind-power project to legally kill golden eagles, a regulatory move being closely watched by conservationists.

Recess Appointments? - We're not going to use signing statements to make an end-run around Congress!" - President Obama, May 20, 2008. That's not all; President Obama appropriated his authority as a constitutional law professor to denounce President Bush's use of signing statements as unconstitutional. So now, the question is: Was he wrong then, or is he acting against the Constitution now, in his post as Chief Executive? Technically, Congress was in session when Obama made these appointments.

Federal Pay - The White House will propose a 0.5 percent pay increase for civilian federal employees as part of its 2013 budget proposal.

ObamaCare – The final waiver count was 1,231, which covers about 4 million people across the country.

EPA - For the first time, the federal government is regulating big-rigs, RV's, and tractor-trailers in much the same way it's held car makers to rigorous fuel efficiency standards for decades.

Massachusetts - Another Kennedy is set to run for office. Joseph P. Kennedy III a prosecutor from Massachusetts, aims to replace retiring Democratic Rep. Barney Frank.

Fast and Furious - The Department of Justice has released documents suggesting the Bureau of Alcohol, Fire, Tobacco, and Explosives was fully aware of "gun-walking" in Mexico. 

Drugs – ABC reports roughly 200 million people worldwide use illicit drugs such as marijuana, amphetamines, cocaine and opioids each year, according to a new study. The figure represents about one in 20 people between the ages of 15 and 64.

California – They are now trying to regulate when people get oil changes for their cars.

Eugene Robinson – The liberal columnist criticized how the Santorum’s handled the death of their still born child – what a classy guy.

My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)

It is a slow day in the small Saskatchewan town of Pumphandle, and streets are deserted. Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and everybody is living on credit.  A tourist visiting the area drives through town, stops at the motel, and lays a $100 bill on the desk saying he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs to pick one for the night.  
 
As soon as he walks upstairs, the motel owner grabs the bill and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher.
The butcher takes the $100 and runs down the street to retire his debt to the pig farmer.
The pig farmer takes the $100 and heads off to pay his bill to his supplier, the Co-op.
The guy at the Co-op takes the $100 and runs to pay his debt to the local prostitute, who has also been facing hard times and has had to offer her "services" on credit.
The hooker rushes to the hotel and pays off her room bill with the hotel owner.
The hotel proprietor then places the $100 back on the counter so the traveler will not suspect anything.
 
At that moment the traveler comes down the stairs, states that the rooms are not satisfactory, picks up the $100 bill and leaves.
 
No one produced anything. No one earned anything... However, the whole town is now out of debt and now looks to the future with a lot more optimism.
 
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how a Stimulus package works!

My Book: Is America Dying? (Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble)

Iran – According Reuters: Iran claimed this past week it had successfully test-fired what it described as two long-range missiles, flexing its military muscle in the face of mounting Western pressure over its nuclear program. In other news, “The daughter of influential former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was sentenced to jail and banned from political activities for "anti-state propaganda" dating back to the 2009 disputed presidential election, Iranian media reported.” Also, the European Union has agreed to ban Iranian crude oil imports. While the embargo date has not been established, the agreement comes on the heels of new financial sanctions imposed by United States. 

Wasserman-Schultz – The DNC head claims Obama will win in 2012 “because of his policies”. In reality, if Obama wins it will be because the Republican candidate is too weak. The DNC head also believes Obama has kept all his campaign promises including shutting down Gitmo.

Political Ideology – From Charles Lane in the Washington Post “Gallup recently asked Americans to rate their ideology on a liberal-to-conservative scale of 1 to 5. The average result was a right-of-center 3.3. More alarming for Obama, voters scored him at 2.3, to the left of center — and put Mitt Romney at 3.5. Every other GOP contender was to the right of the mean, except Jon Huntsman, who hit the ideological bull’s-eye. But even Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann came closer to the middle than Obama did.”

Campaign Strategy – The NY Times did a story outlining the Obama reelection strategy which includes demonizing Congress. I guess Obama still does not realize that Democrats hold the majority in the Senate.

Teacher Merit Based Pay – The NY Times reports “In the nation’s capital, the country’s most successful merit pay system is creating incentives for exceptional young teachers and other educators who might otherwise leave the field.” Now there is novel concept: pay the best performing teachers more. Unions certainly cannot be happy with the DC educational system’s decision to enforce this policy. After all, unions like to reward and protect seniority – even if the teacher is failing its students.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) - President Obama appointed Richard Cordray to head the controversial agency without Congressional approval. The CFPB was created under the Dodd – Frank financial reform legislation. The CFPB is chartered to regulate student loan providers, debt collectors, payday lenders and check cashers.

National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) - Obama appointed (recess appointments) three new members to the National Labor Relations Board, in a move that will empower unions and put businesses on the defensive. According to the Washington Post, the new members are Sharon Block, Terence Flynn, and Richard Grifin.

Boeing – From the AP: The Boeing Co. has told its employees that it plans to close its massive defense plant in Wichita Kansas by the end of 2013 in a bid to cut costs in a tight market for defense spending.

ObamaCare - Colorado Christian University is taking ObamaCare to federal court. The university claims the contraceptive mandate in ObamaCare violates the school's religious beliefs. 

Al Sharpton – His new catch phrase: “White wing extremism”. Does the race baiting ever end with Al?

Iraq – Violence and causalities continue to escalate since U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq.

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The Heartland Institute did a study where they ranked each state in its ability to tackle poverty and welfare from 1996 to 2006. Louisiana ranked first in its ability to tackle poverty – which included an 85% reduction in the number of people on welfare. However, Louisiana received a failing grade (ranked 48^th) for its welfare reform policies. Thus, Louisiana was successful in reducing the number of people reliant on welfare, but its welfare reform policies were bad. How can this happen? Katrina is a big reason. State and city welfare dependent blacks and whites fled their Katrina ravished neighborhoods and resettled in other regions around the country.

New Orleans offered residents, who needed work, job opportunities to rebuild the city after Katrina hit in 2005. Based on Census statistics, this did not happen. Instead, hardworking Hispanics (legal and illegal) moved into the city to take those construction jobs to rebuild the city. Even Mayor Ray Nagin has been outspoken about the influx of both legal and illegal Hispanics moving into the city. Nagin has been controversial by citing the city’s new multicultural mix may cause racial tensions.  

Hence, it is easy to conclude that many of those government dependent inner city folks that were desperately trying to be rescued following Katrina, have turned down work in New Orleans in favor of showing up on the welfare payrolls in other states. Yes, this is also proof that illegal aliens will take jobs that lazy welfare dependent whites and blacks will not do at any cost. Thus, Louisiana and New Orleans are excellent examples of what happens when we create a welfare state. We create a population of people that not only refuses to work, but this mind set and philosophy is passed down to future generations. Hence, the number of people living in poverty dependent on government handouts increases annually. And more entitlements and freebies proposed by liberal politicians are not going to solve the problem of our growing welfare dependence. Meanwhile, the number of job opportunities for illegal aliens is increasing making border security issues more complex. For these reasons welfare is not only an economic problem bankrupting our nation, but a national security problem.     

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This data tells us that the population in New Orleans decreased by 30% over the decade with the black population decreasing by nearly 100 thousand people and the white population decreasing by 14 thousand people, but the Hispanic population grew by 5 thousand people. The Hispanic population does not include illegal aliens, which is estimated to be somewhere between 12 and 17 thousand people. This is a substantial increase of illegal aliens by 6 to 10 thousand people over the past decade. The next table shows how much the state of Louisiana pays out in welfare benefits – keep in mind that New Orleans residents receive a very high percentage of the states’ welfare handouts (numbers are in millions of people and billions of dollars):

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Law Enforcement – 173 police officers were killed in the line of duty in 2011, which was a 13% increase over 2010. However, it is interesting to note that overall violent crime was down in 2011.

Hugo Chavez - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez hinted that the U.S. may be behind a “very strange” bout of cancer affecting several leaders aligned with him in South America (including himself).

California – Here are few new laws being enforced on businesses in the liberal state of California for 2012: Mandatory bereavement leave for employees and an injunction against employers being able to look at a potential employee's credit report before hiring -- as well as the requirement on local officials that union labor agreements must be used for publicly funded construction projects.

Taxes - A new report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development shows that in the middle of the last decade -- i.e., after the Bush tax cuts were introduced -- the U.S. income tax was about as strongly redistributive as income taxes in Canada, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden. You might have noticed that the CBO report on top incomes was widely quoted, but one finding got less attention: Between 1979 and 2007, “the federal individual income tax became slightly more progressive.” The main reason for this is mainly because the U.S. does not have a Value Added Tax (VAT), which affects the rich and poor equally.

Progressivism / Liberalism / Socialism – Why do socialists and liberals prefer to be called progressives? In a Pew poll Americans have a 67% favorable view of Progressives, but the favorability of Liberals drops to 50% and Socialists drops to 31%.

National Security - The Obama administration is considering transferring to Afghan custody a senior Taliban official (Mohammed Fazl) suspected of major human rights abuses as part of a long-shot bid to improve the prospects of a peace deal in Afghanistan, Reuters has learned.

Markets – The Dow Jones ended the year up 5.5%, but the S&P was flat.

EPA - A U.S. federal appeals court last week issued a last-minute order to delay the January 1 implementation of stricter federal limits on pollution from coal-fired plants, providing a temporary win for utilities worried about the cost of implementation.

Weaponry – The U.S. has agreed to sell 3.4 billion dollars of military weaponry to the United Arab Empire.

Planned Parenthood - Its annual report indicates that Planned Parenthood had assets of over 1 billion dollars and generated a profit of more than $18 million in 2010 and 2011. 

The Occupy Movement – The Occupy Charlotte movement has been showing its displeasure by burning American Flags. Meanwhile, 68 protestors were arrested in New York during the New Year’s Eve party. Even more protestors were arrested outside of Michelle Bachmann’s Iowa campaign office.

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