President Barack Obama locked out of White House

President Barack Obama locked out of White House.

 

Economic Stimulus News and Video

Follow this link for an interesting little calculator to determine what your share of the $787 (now $862) BILLION stimulus package passed by congress and President Obama is.

Economic Stimulus News and Video – FOX News Topics – FOXNews.com.

 

Trade deficit narrows to $30.7B

The fourth straight rise in exports was an encouraging sign that the global economy has started to recover from a severe recession that began in the United States and quickly spread to other parts of the world. But many economists expect the deficit to rise in coming months on the back of a rebounding U.S. economy, which will start importing more foreign products.

via Trade deficit narrows to $30.7B: Rutland Herald Online.

I like economics, but I am only a novice economist.  Either way, here is my take on this bit of news:

Don’t confuse the trade deficit with the budget deficit.  The former being relatively benign and the latter being malignant.  Trade deficits are a sign of a good economy.

Just because we use the word deficit to describe levels of trade with other countries does not mean that it is a bad thing to be importing more than we export.  In fact, it is a good thing.  Our trade deficit with other nations signifies that our market is strong and desirable for the buying and selling of products.  Now, that is at least in some part because we have a reliable environment of lawfulness that ensures security for the products and the retailers.  However, it traditionally signifies that the U.S. dollar is a prize possession.

This article says that the dip in the trade deficit is a sign that the global economy is recovering and that it will likely go back up when the U.S. economy begins its recovery.  When the U.S. economy recovers, then yes, the deficit should go higher.  I would caution, however, against believing that the global economy is improving.  The reason for a drop in imports is probably a result of a weakened confidence in the U.S. markets and more specifically the value of the U.S. dollar.

The weakened confidence in our market and our dollar is likely a leading indicator of the downward direction of our economy.  Despite what Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Robert Gibbs tell us, the economy will continue to falter and sputter and even get worse until the shackles come off of the engines that drive the U.S. markets: capital, ingenuity, and risk (with a little hard work thrown in for good measure).

With the government controlling what banks can and can’t do, we have serious problem creating the capital necessary for investment and growth.  With the government prepared to raise taxes on capital gains (among many other taxes) ingenuity is stifled because people have fewer avenues for creating wealth.  And with the threat of an ever-increasing regulatory environment, risk has become all but impossible to take as a means to putting ingenuity into action.

So, not that many of you care what the trade deficit is, but don’t be fooled into thinking that it is a good thing for the immediate future of our own economy.

Recommended reading: Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell

 

Obama’s Speech to American Students

So, there is much controversy surrounding the President’s address to the students.  I confess, I don’t like it one bit, but not because of his political affiliations.  It is because of his ideology and talking directly to students without their parents foreknowledge fits his modus operandi.  Of course, the lesson plans established by the Department of Education were outrageous, but enough about that.

Here is a quote from his speech (at least the printed remarks):

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

via Raw Data: Obama Speech to American School Children – Political News – FOXNews.com.

Now, based on his words alone I am with him 100%.  In fact, this is something that we don’t hear enough about in the education world.  Personal responsibility on the part of the students is exactly what ought to be stressed by everyone from the President down to the lowest man (or woman) on the government payroll.

Matching his rhetoric to his actions is something entirely different.  Is some one who speaks so eloquently about the need for personal responsibility really going to advocate for a government-knows-best health care system?  Is someone who cherishes personal responsibility as a noble virtue going to bail out banks and auto companies with other people’s money?

Rush Limbaugh spoke about this on his radio program today.  Thomas Sowell talks about it from a slightly different angle in a recent column.  Both men are probably more qualified than I am to analyze the complex world of national politics, but I didn’t need their help in coming to similar conclusions.  This speech, while good on the surface, lacks substance from the man who uttered the words.  In other words, show me the responsibility in Obama’s agenda and maybe I’ll become a believer in the hope and change he’s peddling.

 

Lunch Time Blogging – David Axelrod as Christopher Walken

Obama’s advisers think the answer to every problem is more cowbell, if by “cowbell” you mean “Obama.” It’s like Obama guru David Axelrod is the Christopher Walken character from the Saturday Night Live skit about Blue Oyster Cult (if you don’t know the reference, Google “cowbell”).

Every time someone comes up with an alternative to throwing Obama on TV, Axelrod says, “No, no, no. Guess what? I got a fever, and the only prescription . . . is more Obama!”

via David Axelrod as Christopher Walken by Jonah Goldberg on National Review Online.

[Full disclosure: I’ve never seen this skit]

 

Critics Decry Obama’s ‘Indoctrination’ Plan for Students – Political News – FOXNews.com

A little lunch time blogging from school…

For grades 7-12, the Department of Education suggests teachers prepare by excerpting quotes from Obama’s speeches on education for their students to contemplate — and ask as questions such as “Why does President Obama want to speak with us today? How will he inspire us? How will he challenge us?”

Activities suggested for after the speech include asking students “what resonated with you from President Obama’s speech? What lines/phrase do you remember?”

via Critics Decry Obama’s ‘Indoctrination’ Plan for Students – Political News – FOXNews.com.

How will he inspire us?

What resonated with you?

There is no problem with the President addressing students per se, but suggesting a lesson plan that asks how he will inspire us?  Or what “resonated” with you from his address?  That goes to the border of politicizing the event.  Even if you don’t think it’s politicizing the event, it is definitely narcissistic of the President and his team to ask how students will be inspired by his address.  Is this the model of behavior that we want our students to emulate?

 

President Praises Rep. Welch – WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-

A shout-out for Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vermont, from President Obama.

via President Praises Rep. Welch – WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-.

This reminds me of the scene from the movie Cars in which Fred, an old and rusty dilapitated car shouts, “He knows my name!” when Mario Andretti says his name (read from the old car’s license plate).

Cars was Malcolm’s favorite movie for a long time.

 

Officer Who Arrested Harvard Scholar Not Sorry – Local News | News Articles | National News | US News – FOXNews.com

[Obama] said federal officials need to continue working with local law enforcement “to improve policing techniques so that we’re eliminating potential bias.”

This is cause for concern on a couple of levels.  First, the implication that federal officers are some how above racism, or racist behavior, is ludicrous.  Second, Obama reveals that he believes in the supremacy of the federal government over the state and local government.  This is not surprising considering that he wants to take over auto companies and health insurance companies, but it’s cause for concern, nonetheless.

via Officer Who Arrested Harvard Scholar Not Sorry – Local News | News Articles | National News | US News – FOXNews.com.

 

Obama Bats Back Criticism of Health Care Effort – Roll Call

Love the headline: Obama Bats Back Criticism of Health Care Effort – Roll Call.  It conjures up images of Ted Williams effortlessly batting over .400 in the 1941 season.

This is the first paragraph of the Roll Call article:

President Barack Obama sought to turn every argument against a health care overhaul on its head Wednesday night, describing his initiative as one that would reduce the deficit, make it more likely people can keep their insurance, promote more choice of insurers, help insurers provide better coverage, and even get the government out of decisions about care.

This should be so easy for the Republicans to dismantle it almost isn’t fair.  Of course, Obama and the Left have done a very nice job of framing the debate so as to make the perceived lack of proposals from the Republicans expose Republican congressmen as being “political” or against things that matter to the average American.

Let’s see…

Reduce the deficit. How could this be possible?  Even for the government to “get in” to the health-care business (as if they weren’t already, i.e. Medicare and Medicaid) it would cost an enormous amount just to set up all of the protocols and plans.  After you’ve set all that up you’ll have to implement the protocols which will rely heavily on manpower that will cost a lot of money.  Monitoring compliance and/or fraud will be a huge expense, too.  There is no way that a government plan could possibly reduce the deficit.

Keep your own insurance. Again, logic dictates that this will not likely be the case for the average American.  Once the government is providing a health insurance plan many companies will end up dumping their own insurance plans and tell their employees to buy the government plan because it will be cheaper for them and allow them to stay in business.  The only people who get to keep their plans are those that can afford it and the members of the U.S. Congress.

Promote choice of insurers. If choice is really that important, then the Democrats should be writing a bill that promotes portability without saddling the treasury with another entitlement program.  If it doesn’t work, only then should we talk about adding a government plan.

Help insurers provide better coverage. How is this possible?  Are they going to mandate better coverage?  If so, then they will definitely chase private insurance companies right out of business.

Get the government out of decisions about care. This is the most laughable part of the whole paragraph.  The government has already meddled so much in the private medical affairs of individuals that it is not funny.  The very fact that government regulates and licenses hospitals and clinics makes them paramount in decisions about care.  I’m not suggesting a deregulation of the health care industry (although I’m not convinced it wouldn’t make things worse), but insurance companies and providers already shell out huge amount of money just to be in compliance with government regulations.  I imagine what Obama will safely say is that he himself will not personally phone in an order for your physician to follow.  Phew.

Of course, what hovers above any discussion of the government being involved in health-care is the fact that the government makes the rules.  How long will private insurance companies last against a competitor who also gets to make up the rules of the game?

 

Obama = Bush?

An article appearing in the Los Angeles Times is deliciously ironic.  The article is titled: White House declines to disclose visits by health industry executives

Here is the ironic part from the article:

As a candidate, President Obama vowed that in devising a healthcare bill he would invite in TV cameras — specifically C-SPAN — so that Americans could have a window into negotiations that normally play out behind closed doors.

Having promised transparency, the administration should be willing to disclose who it is consulting in shaping healthcare policy, said an attorney for the citizens’ group. In its letter requesting the records, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics asked about visits from Billy Tauzin, president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America; Karen Ignagni, president of America’s Health Insurance Plans; William Weldon, chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson; and J. James Rohack, president of the American Medical Assn., among others.

“It’s extremely disappointing,” said Anne Weismann, the group’s chief counsel. Obama is relying on a legal argument that “continues one of the bad, anti-transparency, pro-secrecy approaches that the Bush administration had taken. And it seems completely at odds with the president’s commitment . . . to bring a new level of transparency to his government.”

Ha!  Obama = Bush in more ways than one?  Who would have thought?

Now the question is: will people jump all over Barry the same way they smothered Dubya?