As soon as the health care debate ends, which yesterday Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid estimated to be $2 Trillion, instead of the $829 Billion advertised just this past Monday, we will turn our focus to the draconian Cap & Trade debate.
I wanted to take the time and read over the Congressional Budget Offices' summary of the Cap & Trade legislation to see what the impact will be on my family and friends.
I believe it will put the US at a severe competetive disadvantage on the world stage.
Many argue that the claims of "global warming" are dubious at best, considering that the claim ignores the earth's natural cooling and heating cycles that span millions of years.
Long before the first smoke stack belched or the first car took to the road, the earth warmed & cooled.
China & India have both flatly rejected calls for them to participate which means implementing such a law in the US will have a detrimental affect on US households expenses and jobs.
While these two countries refuse to take part in this scam, Obama's Commerce Secretary, Gary Locke recently called for US consumers to pay for our own emissions, and theirs.
That caveat is not included in the CBO report, but wiould only add to our rise in costs and unemployment beyond that which is currently included in their summary.
Here is a summary from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), that addresses both of these issues.
Estimated Costs per Household
The GHG cap-and-trade program established under H.R. 2454 would impose
costs on U.S. households and provide some financial benefits, as well as the
benefits associated with any changes in the climate that would be avoided as a
result of the legislation. (This analysis addresses only those financial benefits.)
The costs would be incurred through higher prices for the goods and services that
households consumed, and the incidence of those costs would be determined
primarily by households’ consumption patterns. In the aggregate, most of those
costs would be offset by income or other benefits provided to households as a
result of the distribution of the value of the emission allowances.
The legislation would influence how much of that value was conveyed to various households by specifying how to allocate the allowances. For example, H.R. 2454 would direct some of that value to low-income households by specifying that 15 percent of the allowance value be used to provide energy rebates and tax credits for such households.
Gross Compliance Costs
Gross compliance costs would consist of the cost of emission allowances, the cost
of both domestic and international offset credits, and the resource costs incurred
in order to reduce the use of fossil fuels:
The cost of the allowances. The cost of acquiring allowances would become a
cost of doing business. In most cases, the firms required to hold the
allowances would not bear that cost; rather, they would pass it onto their
customers in the form of higher prices.
■ The cost of both domestic and international offset credits. Like the cost for
allowances, the cost of acquiring offset credits would be passed on by firms to
their customers in the form of higher prices.
■ The resource costs associated with reducing emissions. The resource costs
would include the value of the additional resources (including nonmonetized
resources, such as time) required to reduce emissions—for example, by
generating electricity from natural gas rather than from coal, by making
improvements in energy efficiency, or by changing behavior to save energy
(by carpooling, for example).
According to CBO’s estimates, the gross cost of complying with the GHG capand-
trade program delineated in H.R. 2454 would be about $110 billion in 2020
(measured in terms of 2010 levels of consumption and income), or about $890
per household (see Table 1). Of that gross cost, 96 percent would be the cost of
acquiring allowances or offset credits. The reminder would be the resource costs
associated with reducing emissions.
As noted, firms would generally pass the cost of reducing their emissions—or of
acquiring offset credits or emission allowances—on to their customers, and their
customers’ customers. (Indeed, assuming that higher costs are passed into prices
is customary in distributional analyses.) Households and governments would bear
those costs through their consumption of goods and services. Because households
account for the bulk of spending, they would bear most of the costs.
Transitional Costs
The measure of costs described above reflects the costs that would occur once the
economy had adjusted to the change in the relative prices of goods and services. It
does not include the costs that some current investors and workers in sectors of
the economy that produce energy and energy-intensive goods and services would
incur as the economy moved away from the use of fossil fuels.
To be sure, increased production of energy from non-fossil-fuel sources (such as wind or solar) and a shift to more energy-efficient production processes would create jobs and profit opportunities as well.
However, those jobs might be in different regions of the country or require different skills than the jobs being lost, and the profit opportunities might arise from different types of capital; their availability would
mute but not eliminate the costs of the transition.
Thus, investors would see the value of some stocks decline, and workers would face higher risk of unemployment as jobs in some sectors were eliminated. Stock losses would tend to be widely dispersed among investors because shareholders typically diversify their portfolios.
In contrast, the costs of unemployment would probably be
concentrated among relatively few households and, by extension, their
communities. The magnitude of those transitional costs would depend on the pace
of emission reductions, with more rapid reductions leading to larger costs.
Although large segments of the U.S. economy either do not face
significant foreign competition (for example, the electricity and transportation
sectors) or involve trade with countries that have a cap-and-trade program (the
European Union, for example), some important manufacturing industries, such as
steel, face competition from countries that do not face the costs of such a system.
Some regions and industries would experience substantially higher rates of unemployment and job turnover as the program became increasingly stringent. That transition could be particularly difficult for
individuals employed in those industries (such as the coal industry) or living in
those regions (such as Appalachia). However, any aggregate change in
unemployment would be small compared with the normal rate of job turnover in
the economy.
http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20090620/cbowaxmanmarkey.pdf
Are Americans willing to send more of our dwindling job market overseas while facing such an permanent increase in across-the-board prices here at home?
I do support the US developing alternative energy sources, but we do not have to throw the baby out with the bath water to achieve that result.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
America's dangerously naive Foreign Policy
Our troops continue to be killed in Afghanistan as Obama dithers on whether to send his generals their requested 40,000 troops or come up with any sort of policy. To show our military that he knows their needs better than they do, he is quietly sending 13,000 more troops. He can not decide on what the final number should be.
The president continues to insist on meeting with Iran without preconditions. Despite the IAEA's warnings that Iran is close to developing nuclear weapons. During the campaign last year Hillary Clinton cautioned against such a stupid move. During the campaign, Obama, himself said a nuclear Iran was not acceptable.
This weekend, N. Korea continued to thumb their nose at Obama as they launched a volley of missiles in a show of defiance.
Chavez has announced a deal to buy Russian missiles to be staioned to our south. When the Soviets tried to put missiles in Cuba, JFK stood them down.
Not Obama. He smiles and apologises.
Hillary is returning from Russia empty-handed, having achieved nothing on her foray to Russia. Obama sent her to meet with Russia's president, and was met with a "nyet" when she brought up sanctions against Iran.
This despite Obama's gesture of abandoning our European allies missile defense shield.
How does our naive president respond to this slap down?
He grants the Russians access to our nuclear sites, knowing that Russia is looking to develop their next generation of nuclear weapons.
Tentative Inspection Program Would Allow Russia to Visit U.S. Nuclear Sites
The plan, which Fox News has learned was agreed to in principle during negotiations, would constitute the most intrusive weapons inspection program the U.S. has ever accepted.
Russia and the United States have tentatively agreed to a weapons inspection program that would allow Russians to visit nuclear sites in America to count missiles and warheads.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=asbOYPkD.ZH0
What did Obama get in return for compromising our security? Nothing!
Obama not satisfied whith the speed to which he can let our former & current adversaries access to our miltary, has also invited the Chinese into the Pentagon. He forgot how many military secrets the Chinese stole when Clinton allowed them acccess to Los Alamos, NM, nuclear facilities. So he is doomed to repeat the same naive history.
What is he getting from the Chinese for compromising our national defense? Nothing.
China's second-ranking military officer will travel to Washington later this month on a week-long visit designed to promote trust and avoid "misunderstandings," the Pentagon said Wednesday.
General Xu Caihou, vice chairman of the People's Liberation Army central military commission, will hold high-level meetings from October 24-31 and visit military commands and bases across the United States, press secretary Geoff Morrell told a news conference.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.b2e1961b55d6773018513c4bd51816bb.581&show_article=1
I hope the US can survive a reckless presidency until he gets booted to the curb in 2012.
The president continues to insist on meeting with Iran without preconditions. Despite the IAEA's warnings that Iran is close to developing nuclear weapons. During the campaign last year Hillary Clinton cautioned against such a stupid move. During the campaign, Obama, himself said a nuclear Iran was not acceptable.
This weekend, N. Korea continued to thumb their nose at Obama as they launched a volley of missiles in a show of defiance.
Chavez has announced a deal to buy Russian missiles to be staioned to our south. When the Soviets tried to put missiles in Cuba, JFK stood them down.
Not Obama. He smiles and apologises.
Hillary is returning from Russia empty-handed, having achieved nothing on her foray to Russia. Obama sent her to meet with Russia's president, and was met with a "nyet" when she brought up sanctions against Iran.
This despite Obama's gesture of abandoning our European allies missile defense shield.
How does our naive president respond to this slap down?
He grants the Russians access to our nuclear sites, knowing that Russia is looking to develop their next generation of nuclear weapons.
Tentative Inspection Program Would Allow Russia to Visit U.S. Nuclear Sites
The plan, which Fox News has learned was agreed to in principle during negotiations, would constitute the most intrusive weapons inspection program the U.S. has ever accepted.
Russia and the United States have tentatively agreed to a weapons inspection program that would allow Russians to visit nuclear sites in America to count missiles and warheads.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=asbOYPkD.ZH0
What did Obama get in return for compromising our security? Nothing!
Obama not satisfied whith the speed to which he can let our former & current adversaries access to our miltary, has also invited the Chinese into the Pentagon. He forgot how many military secrets the Chinese stole when Clinton allowed them acccess to Los Alamos, NM, nuclear facilities. So he is doomed to repeat the same naive history.
What is he getting from the Chinese for compromising our national defense? Nothing.
China's second-ranking military officer will travel to Washington later this month on a week-long visit designed to promote trust and avoid "misunderstandings," the Pentagon said Wednesday.
General Xu Caihou, vice chairman of the People's Liberation Army central military commission, will hold high-level meetings from October 24-31 and visit military commands and bases across the United States, press secretary Geoff Morrell told a news conference.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.b2e1961b55d6773018513c4bd51816bb.581&show_article=1
I hope the US can survive a reckless presidency until he gets booted to the curb in 2012.
Monday, October 12, 2009
The great "Climate Change" heist
I was interested when I first heard the potential impending global destruction that would result from our failing to make drastic cuts to our carbon imprint. We were told that if we do not cut our use of fossil fuels the earths temps would melt the ice caps and raise the sea level.
Twenty years ago the UN warned that we had 10 years to act in order to save the planet.
We all saw the charts showing an increase in global temps.
I can’t help but notice that the alarmists have managed to position themselves to personally benefit if the world will embrace their claims.
Al Gore comes to mind. When he was questioned at an event last week in Wisconsin about the inaccuracies of his film “An Inconvenient Truth”, the questioners microphone was cut off. Gore did not take more questions.
If Gore believed his own prophesy, would he continue to fly by private jet that leaves such a huge “carbon footprint”? Would his home use 20x the energy of the average home?
These alarmists stopped using their charts a few years ago when it became apparent that the increase in temps ceased in 1998.
These same alarmists who go around yelling “the sky is falling” ignore a basic fact.
Our earth has gone through heating & cooling cycles for millions of years. Long before there were any cars.
They do not want to discuss the earths natural cycles, because that would undermine their attempts to steal more of our money with a phony Cap & Trade ruse.
Bring up the fact of the cooler temps we have experienced the past several years and the alarmists eyes glaze over.
They go so far as to bury reports that do not support their claims.
Cap & Trade is a naked attempt to create a new scheme to get other peoples money. A lot of the money will go to poorer nations.
I do favor becoming less dependent on foreign fuel sources.
We could develop alternative fuels to get off foreign supplies. Solar, wind, hydro, and nuclear are available. So is using our own coal, natural gas, and oil deposits.
Cap & Trade will be the largest confiscatory “tax” ever imposed on Americans.
They want to start a new industry, for their profit, and they want us to fund it for them.
Climate change has many scientists that support the theory. There are also many scientists who claim it is wrong.
If we all stopped driving tomorrow would the earths natural heating & cooling cycles stop? No.
On Sunday the left-leaning BBC had this to say:
Despite a massive campaign involving the United Nations and most of the world’s industrialized nations and establishment media, the globe is not warming but in fact may actually be cooling, according to new research detailed by the BBC.
In a story published Sunday, the premiere British journalism organization said that scientists have not observed any increase in global temperatures. In fact, the warmest year recorded globally was not in 2008 or 2007, but in 1998.
“And our climate models did not forecast it, even though man-made carbon dioxide, the gas thought to be responsible for warming our planet, has continued to rise,” the article points out. http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/bbc_global_cooling/2009/10/11/270997.html
China & India have said they will not agree to these cuts. If we go forward with them, we will put the US at a competetive disadvantage. Our industries will be burdened with additional costs that these other countries will not be. Companies will simply move their production off-shore.
Commerce Secretary, Locke has publicly said that the US should pay for China’s carbon emissions. That is one of the stupidist comments uttered in this debate.
Soon the Democrats are going to attempt to impose the Cap & Trade bill on us. They want our money.
Voters will have to take a stand & speak out against this blatant heist of our remaining wealth. To allow it to get passed will cause an across the board increase in prices. Similar to the VAT that several Dems have suggested.
Americans do need to be smart on energy, but we can not afford the democrats Cap & Tax scam.
http://www.geocraft.com/WVFossils/ice_ages.html
http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/temperature/
http://hubpages.com/hub/Earths-Temperature-Brief-History-of-Recent-Change
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8299079.stm
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/article_dacf39c7-c2f8-5718-a5a0-d0cfb39f80bc.html
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=618074
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3229696&page=1
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070315101129.htm
http://newsbusters.org/node/11345
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110008220
http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.Blogs&ContentRecord_id=2158072e-802a-23ad-45f0-274616db87e6
Anyone see the amount of snow out west this weekend. Denver Rockies had their baseball game cancelled due to bad weather. Not rain, but snow.
Twenty years ago the UN warned that we had 10 years to act in order to save the planet.
We all saw the charts showing an increase in global temps.
I can’t help but notice that the alarmists have managed to position themselves to personally benefit if the world will embrace their claims.
Al Gore comes to mind. When he was questioned at an event last week in Wisconsin about the inaccuracies of his film “An Inconvenient Truth”, the questioners microphone was cut off. Gore did not take more questions.
If Gore believed his own prophesy, would he continue to fly by private jet that leaves such a huge “carbon footprint”? Would his home use 20x the energy of the average home?
These alarmists stopped using their charts a few years ago when it became apparent that the increase in temps ceased in 1998.
These same alarmists who go around yelling “the sky is falling” ignore a basic fact.
Our earth has gone through heating & cooling cycles for millions of years. Long before there were any cars.
They do not want to discuss the earths natural cycles, because that would undermine their attempts to steal more of our money with a phony Cap & Trade ruse.
Bring up the fact of the cooler temps we have experienced the past several years and the alarmists eyes glaze over.
They go so far as to bury reports that do not support their claims.
Cap & Trade is a naked attempt to create a new scheme to get other peoples money. A lot of the money will go to poorer nations.
I do favor becoming less dependent on foreign fuel sources.
We could develop alternative fuels to get off foreign supplies. Solar, wind, hydro, and nuclear are available. So is using our own coal, natural gas, and oil deposits.
Cap & Trade will be the largest confiscatory “tax” ever imposed on Americans.
They want to start a new industry, for their profit, and they want us to fund it for them.
Climate change has many scientists that support the theory. There are also many scientists who claim it is wrong.
If we all stopped driving tomorrow would the earths natural heating & cooling cycles stop? No.
On Sunday the left-leaning BBC had this to say:
Despite a massive campaign involving the United Nations and most of the world’s industrialized nations and establishment media, the globe is not warming but in fact may actually be cooling, according to new research detailed by the BBC.
In a story published Sunday, the premiere British journalism organization said that scientists have not observed any increase in global temperatures. In fact, the warmest year recorded globally was not in 2008 or 2007, but in 1998.
“And our climate models did not forecast it, even though man-made carbon dioxide, the gas thought to be responsible for warming our planet, has continued to rise,” the article points out. http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/bbc_global_cooling/2009/10/11/270997.html
China & India have said they will not agree to these cuts. If we go forward with them, we will put the US at a competetive disadvantage. Our industries will be burdened with additional costs that these other countries will not be. Companies will simply move their production off-shore.
Commerce Secretary, Locke has publicly said that the US should pay for China’s carbon emissions. That is one of the stupidist comments uttered in this debate.
Soon the Democrats are going to attempt to impose the Cap & Trade bill on us. They want our money.
Voters will have to take a stand & speak out against this blatant heist of our remaining wealth. To allow it to get passed will cause an across the board increase in prices. Similar to the VAT that several Dems have suggested.
Americans do need to be smart on energy, but we can not afford the democrats Cap & Tax scam.
http://www.geocraft.com/WVFossils/ice_ages.html
http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/temperature/
http://hubpages.com/hub/Earths-Temperature-Brief-History-of-Recent-Change
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8299079.stm
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/article_dacf39c7-c2f8-5718-a5a0-d0cfb39f80bc.html
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Culture/Default.aspx?id=618074
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3229696&page=1
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070315101129.htm
http://newsbusters.org/node/11345
http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110008220
http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.Blogs&ContentRecord_id=2158072e-802a-23ad-45f0-274616db87e6
Anyone see the amount of snow out west this weekend. Denver Rockies had their baseball game cancelled due to bad weather. Not rain, but snow.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Obama and the cheapened Nobel Peace Prize
There was a time when winning the Nobel Peace Prize was a badge of honor that the recipient and their country could point to with pride.
That is no longer the case with the announcement Obama has won, based not on accomplishment, but on "promise".
The committee cited his promise and goals, and accepted his nomination after only 12 days in office. Submission of nominations deadline was February.
The world gasped this morning with the announcement, few believe the prize had merit.
As for the educated, it was quite a different story as disbelief circled the globe faster than the drop in the presidents poll numbers. Even the Muslim community which was mentioned by the committee believe the award undeserved and premature.
The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and opposes a peace treaty with Israel, said the award was premature at best.
"Obama has a long way to go still and lots of work to do before he can deserve a reward," said Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri. "Obama only made promises and did not contribute any substance to world peace. And he has not done anything to ensure justice for the sake of Arab and Muslim causes."
"EMBARRASSING JOKE"
Issam al-Khazraji, a day laborer in Baghdad, said: "He doesn't deserve this prize. All these problems -- Iraq, Afghanistan -- have not been solved...The man of 'change' hasn't changed anything yet."
Liaqat Baluch, a senior leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami, a conservative religious party in Pakistan, called the award an embarrassing "joke."
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE5981JK20091009?sp=true
Comment: absurd decision on Obama makes a mockery of the Nobel peace prize
Rarely has an award had such an obvious political and partisan intent. It was clearly seen by the Norwegian Nobel committee as a way of expressing European gratitude for an end to the Bush Administration, approval for the election of America’s first black president and hope that Washington will honour its promise to re-engage with the world.
Instead, the prize risks looking preposterous in its claims, patronising in its intentions and demeaning in its attempt to build up a man who has barely begun his period in office, let alone achieved any tangible outcome for peace.
East-West relations are little better than they were six months ago, and any change is probably due largely to the global economic downturn; and America’s vaunted determination to re-engage with the Muslim world has failed to make any concrete progress towards ending the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
There is a further irony in offering a peace prize to a president whose principal preoccupation at the moment is when and how to expand the war in Afghanistan.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6867711.ece
Analysis: He won, but for what?
For one of America's youngest presidents, in office less than nine months — and only for 12 days before the Nobel nomination deadline last February — it was an enormous honor.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091009/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_nobel_analysis_1
He was nominated 12 days into his presidency!! Since then he has destroyed the morale of the troops fighting two wars, who have no clear guidance of what they are trying to accomplish nor how they are to do it.
American troops in Afghanistan losing heart, say army chaplains
“The many soldiers who come to see us have a sense of futility and anger about being here. They are really in a state of depression and despair and just want to get back to their families,” said Captain Jeff Masengale, of the 10th Mountain Division’s 2-87 Infantry Battalion.
“They feel they are risking their lives for progress that’s hard to discern,” said Captain Sam Rico, of the Division’s 4-25 Field Artillery Battalion. “They are tired, strained, confused and just want to get through.” The chaplains said that they were speaking out because the men could not.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/Afghanistan/article6865359.ece
Our disheartened troops that are dying every day while Obama dithers on an Afghan policy will certainly be uplifted that, despite no peace, their Commander-in Chief has won the Peace Prize!!
The award will never be viewed the same again. It has been cheapened beyond recognition and will never regain the status and esteem it once enjoyed.
So while the White House and American liberals on the fringe applaud the announcement, the rest of the world is aghast.
As an aside, Ghandi was nominated 5 times for his life's work......he never won.
http://washingtonroundup.blogspot.com/2009/10/obama-and-cheapened-nobel-peace-prize.html
That is no longer the case with the announcement Obama has won, based not on accomplishment, but on "promise".
The committee cited his promise and goals, and accepted his nomination after only 12 days in office. Submission of nominations deadline was February.
The world gasped this morning with the announcement, few believe the prize had merit.
As for the educated, it was quite a different story as disbelief circled the globe faster than the drop in the presidents poll numbers. Even the Muslim community which was mentioned by the committee believe the award undeserved and premature.
The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and opposes a peace treaty with Israel, said the award was premature at best.
"Obama has a long way to go still and lots of work to do before he can deserve a reward," said Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri. "Obama only made promises and did not contribute any substance to world peace. And he has not done anything to ensure justice for the sake of Arab and Muslim causes."
"EMBARRASSING JOKE"
Issam al-Khazraji, a day laborer in Baghdad, said: "He doesn't deserve this prize. All these problems -- Iraq, Afghanistan -- have not been solved...The man of 'change' hasn't changed anything yet."
Liaqat Baluch, a senior leader of the Jamaat-e-Islami, a conservative religious party in Pakistan, called the award an embarrassing "joke."
http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE5981JK20091009?sp=true
Comment: absurd decision on Obama makes a mockery of the Nobel peace prize
Rarely has an award had such an obvious political and partisan intent. It was clearly seen by the Norwegian Nobel committee as a way of expressing European gratitude for an end to the Bush Administration, approval for the election of America’s first black president and hope that Washington will honour its promise to re-engage with the world.
Instead, the prize risks looking preposterous in its claims, patronising in its intentions and demeaning in its attempt to build up a man who has barely begun his period in office, let alone achieved any tangible outcome for peace.
East-West relations are little better than they were six months ago, and any change is probably due largely to the global economic downturn; and America’s vaunted determination to re-engage with the Muslim world has failed to make any concrete progress towards ending the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
There is a further irony in offering a peace prize to a president whose principal preoccupation at the moment is when and how to expand the war in Afghanistan.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6867711.ece
Analysis: He won, but for what?
For one of America's youngest presidents, in office less than nine months — and only for 12 days before the Nobel nomination deadline last February — it was an enormous honor.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091009/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_nobel_analysis_1
He was nominated 12 days into his presidency!! Since then he has destroyed the morale of the troops fighting two wars, who have no clear guidance of what they are trying to accomplish nor how they are to do it.
American troops in Afghanistan losing heart, say army chaplains
“The many soldiers who come to see us have a sense of futility and anger about being here. They are really in a state of depression and despair and just want to get back to their families,” said Captain Jeff Masengale, of the 10th Mountain Division’s 2-87 Infantry Battalion.
“They feel they are risking their lives for progress that’s hard to discern,” said Captain Sam Rico, of the Division’s 4-25 Field Artillery Battalion. “They are tired, strained, confused and just want to get through.” The chaplains said that they were speaking out because the men could not.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/Afghanistan/article6865359.ece
Our disheartened troops that are dying every day while Obama dithers on an Afghan policy will certainly be uplifted that, despite no peace, their Commander-in Chief has won the Peace Prize!!
The award will never be viewed the same again. It has been cheapened beyond recognition and will never regain the status and esteem it once enjoyed.
So while the White House and American liberals on the fringe applaud the announcement, the rest of the world is aghast.
As an aside, Ghandi was nominated 5 times for his life's work......he never won.
http://washingtonroundup.blogspot.com/2009/10/obama-and-cheapened-nobel-peace-prize.html
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Mr. President, while you were in Copenhagen.......
While our president was in Copenhagen last week, tending to the high priority matter of securing the Olympics for Chicago, another issue was playing out in other parts of the world. The other event did not even register as a blip on the administrations radar screen.
OPEC and other nations are in discussions on use of the dollar for oil trade, I see a key player missing from the talks regarding the US’ economic fate.
In the most profound financial change in recent Middle East history, Gulf Arabs are planning – along with China, Russia, Japan and France – to end dollar dealings for oil, moving instead to a basket of currencies including the Japanese yen and Chinese yuan, the euro, gold and a new, unified currency planned for nations in the Gulf Co-operation Council, including Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Qatar.
Secret meetings have already been held by finance ministers and central bank governors in Russia, China, Japan and Brazil to work on the scheme, which will mean that oil will no longer be priced in dollars.
The plans, confirmed to The Independent by both Gulf Arab and Chinese banking sources in Hong Kong, may help to explain the sudden rise in gold prices, but it also augurs an extraordinary transition from dollar markets within nine years.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/the-demise-of-the-dollar-1798175.html
Our president & administration are not taking part in these talks that will have a huge impact on our future.
Certainly this is something Obama should be involved in. This is some of the heavy lifting we expect our president to involve himself in.
It may not be as exciting as jet-setting off to Copenhagen in a failed Olympic bid, but it will have more relevance & impact on the voters.
Obama is missing in action on this important issue.
Where is the leadership, Mr. President?
The United Nations called on Tuesday for a new global reserve currency to end dollar supremacy which has allowed the United States the “privilege” of building a huge trade deficit.
“Important progress in managing imbalances can be made by reducing the reserve currency country?s ‘privilege’ to run external deficits in order to provide international liquidity,“ UN undersecretary-general for economic and social affairs, Sha Zukang, said.
Speaking at the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Istanbul, he said: “It is timely to emphasise that such a system also creates a more equitable method of sharing the seigniorage derived from providing global liquidity.“
He said: “Greater use of a truly global reserve currency, such as the IMF?s special drawing rights (SDRs), enables the seigniorage gained to be deployed for development purposes,“ he said.
The SDRs are the asset used in IMF transactions and are based on a basket of four currencies—the dollar, euro, yen and pound—which is calculated daily.
China had called in March for a new dominant world reserve currency instead of the dollar, in a system within the framework of the Washington-based IMF.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.e272eaa74dccc30f21c6ff7638b0f37b.461&show_article=1
I work with organizational development, identifying opportunities for performance improvement and showing my employer how to strategically align OD with the organizational mission & strategy. I am also involved with designing training programs to support these efforts.
One of the things I find is that my organization loses focus on what is important if not actively kept on track. We sometimes get confused in prioritizing.
This is what I see with this administration.
Who sets this agenda and prioritizes the initiatives?
It appears they are more interested in only the "low hanging fruit", getting the photo-ops and hoping the more arduous topics disappear.
Flying off to Copenhagen while Rome burns is a character trait of Obama that I do not find very endearing.
In fact it is dangerous.
OPEC and other nations are in discussions on use of the dollar for oil trade, I see a key player missing from the talks regarding the US’ economic fate.
In the most profound financial change in recent Middle East history, Gulf Arabs are planning – along with China, Russia, Japan and France – to end dollar dealings for oil, moving instead to a basket of currencies including the Japanese yen and Chinese yuan, the euro, gold and a new, unified currency planned for nations in the Gulf Co-operation Council, including Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Qatar.
Secret meetings have already been held by finance ministers and central bank governors in Russia, China, Japan and Brazil to work on the scheme, which will mean that oil will no longer be priced in dollars.
The plans, confirmed to The Independent by both Gulf Arab and Chinese banking sources in Hong Kong, may help to explain the sudden rise in gold prices, but it also augurs an extraordinary transition from dollar markets within nine years.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/the-demise-of-the-dollar-1798175.html
Our president & administration are not taking part in these talks that will have a huge impact on our future.
Certainly this is something Obama should be involved in. This is some of the heavy lifting we expect our president to involve himself in.
It may not be as exciting as jet-setting off to Copenhagen in a failed Olympic bid, but it will have more relevance & impact on the voters.
Obama is missing in action on this important issue.
Where is the leadership, Mr. President?
The United Nations called on Tuesday for a new global reserve currency to end dollar supremacy which has allowed the United States the “privilege” of building a huge trade deficit.
“Important progress in managing imbalances can be made by reducing the reserve currency country?s ‘privilege’ to run external deficits in order to provide international liquidity,“ UN undersecretary-general for economic and social affairs, Sha Zukang, said.
Speaking at the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Istanbul, he said: “It is timely to emphasise that such a system also creates a more equitable method of sharing the seigniorage derived from providing global liquidity.“
He said: “Greater use of a truly global reserve currency, such as the IMF?s special drawing rights (SDRs), enables the seigniorage gained to be deployed for development purposes,“ he said.
The SDRs are the asset used in IMF transactions and are based on a basket of four currencies—the dollar, euro, yen and pound—which is calculated daily.
China had called in March for a new dominant world reserve currency instead of the dollar, in a system within the framework of the Washington-based IMF.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.e272eaa74dccc30f21c6ff7638b0f37b.461&show_article=1
I work with organizational development, identifying opportunities for performance improvement and showing my employer how to strategically align OD with the organizational mission & strategy. I am also involved with designing training programs to support these efforts.
One of the things I find is that my organization loses focus on what is important if not actively kept on track. We sometimes get confused in prioritizing.
This is what I see with this administration.
Who sets this agenda and prioritizes the initiatives?
It appears they are more interested in only the "low hanging fruit", getting the photo-ops and hoping the more arduous topics disappear.
Flying off to Copenhagen while Rome burns is a character trait of Obama that I do not find very endearing.
In fact it is dangerous.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Obama & the Wimp Factor
The emerging picture of Obama and his foreign policy should come as no surprise to Americans familiar with a Democratic presidency.
In the past it has been termed the "Wimp Factor".
I was reading a more contemporary version of this phenomenon called the 'Beta Male'.
The analogy was used in comparing dogs behavior. It discussed how Alpha dogs are dominant and Beta dogs are submissive.
Obama is assigned the role of 'Beta dog' on the world stage.
In the analogy, the beta dog greets alpha dogs by bowing and exposing his neck to the worlds alpha dogs. This lets the alpha dog know that the beta dog has no intention of challenging him. In this case Obama is exposing Americas collective neck.
Obama gave a beta response to the disclosure of Iran's nuclear ambitions recently. After stating in the campaign that a nuclear Iran would be unacceptable, how did he respond?
His response was to go against conventional wisdom, and agree to our State Dept.to meet with Iran face-to-face without preconditions. We can all remember Hillary Clinton advising against such a move.
Saturday Night Live did a skit on this last year in which Obama was shown calling Hillary late at night seeking advice. He was in a predictament and did not know what to do. Hillary calmly talked him through the crisis.
Beta's are at a loss when the call comes for firm resolve.
Obama lacks the ability to confront those that need confronting. Beta's back down in the face of adversity.
He has repeatedly shown his inability to work with our allies Sarkozy & Merkel. He can not cooperate with them for fear he might be called upon to exercise alpha behaviors that are foreign to him.
The beta male is concerned with avoiding aggression of the alphas'. Around the world we have a lineup of alpha males, although in the case of Merkel, she is an aplha female.
The despots such as Chavez, Ortega, Jong Il, Ahmadinejad et al., are all salivating at the prospects of spanking Obama on the world stage.
Chavez is now buying missiles and weaponry from Russia. What was Obama's response to this announcement? Nothing, nada!!
In Afghanistan, Obama promised to rely on the recommendations of his Generals. These Generals prepared a report that calls for an additional 40,000 troops.
Obama has chastised General McChrystal for putting him in a bind. During a speech in London, McChrystal did not support Obama's plan for Afghanistan.
Insiders say that the Obama plan offers no winnable solution and leaves allied forces short changed.
While Obama dithers on such a commitment, more & more of our kids are being slaughtered by his indecisiveness.
Putin already has stared down Obama. He demanded the abandonment of our allies in Poland & Czech Republic, and Obama submissively complied to the Putin demands.
As reward for suppressing American & NATO interests, Putin is now working closely with Hugo Chavez, which I will address shortly.
When Obama approached Merkel & Sarkozy and invited them to join the US in deficit producing stimulus spending, both leaders gave a resounding "no".
Both countries are now enjoying their respective countries economic recovery while America's economy continues to shed jobs.
On the question of Climate Change, Obama is willing to commit the US to a competetive disadvantage by cutting our greenhouse gases, while China & India go unabated.
In short, US companies will have to comply with these punitive greenhouse measures, thus cutting our ability to compete with countries who do not abide with them.
At the UN, Obama put the world on notice that he is willing to give up our nuclear arsenal adavntage. Obama proposed slashing our arsenal without securing a firm commitment from Russia.
Putin did agree to talks on the subject without making such declarations.
So folks, as long as we have a Beta Male in the White House, we will have to pray that Hillary keeps her ringer volume set on 'high' when she goes to bed at night.
The world does not question her testosterone levels.
Obama on the other hand..............
As for closing the alpha/beta analogy.
The worlds alpha's will continue to look for ways to exploit Obama and make him their female dog.
In the past it has been termed the "Wimp Factor".
I was reading a more contemporary version of this phenomenon called the 'Beta Male'.
The analogy was used in comparing dogs behavior. It discussed how Alpha dogs are dominant and Beta dogs are submissive.
Obama is assigned the role of 'Beta dog' on the world stage.
In the analogy, the beta dog greets alpha dogs by bowing and exposing his neck to the worlds alpha dogs. This lets the alpha dog know that the beta dog has no intention of challenging him. In this case Obama is exposing Americas collective neck.
Obama gave a beta response to the disclosure of Iran's nuclear ambitions recently. After stating in the campaign that a nuclear Iran would be unacceptable, how did he respond?
His response was to go against conventional wisdom, and agree to our State Dept.to meet with Iran face-to-face without preconditions. We can all remember Hillary Clinton advising against such a move.
Saturday Night Live did a skit on this last year in which Obama was shown calling Hillary late at night seeking advice. He was in a predictament and did not know what to do. Hillary calmly talked him through the crisis.
Beta's are at a loss when the call comes for firm resolve.
Obama lacks the ability to confront those that need confronting. Beta's back down in the face of adversity.
He has repeatedly shown his inability to work with our allies Sarkozy & Merkel. He can not cooperate with them for fear he might be called upon to exercise alpha behaviors that are foreign to him.
The beta male is concerned with avoiding aggression of the alphas'. Around the world we have a lineup of alpha males, although in the case of Merkel, she is an aplha female.
The despots such as Chavez, Ortega, Jong Il, Ahmadinejad et al., are all salivating at the prospects of spanking Obama on the world stage.
Chavez is now buying missiles and weaponry from Russia. What was Obama's response to this announcement? Nothing, nada!!
In Afghanistan, Obama promised to rely on the recommendations of his Generals. These Generals prepared a report that calls for an additional 40,000 troops.
Obama has chastised General McChrystal for putting him in a bind. During a speech in London, McChrystal did not support Obama's plan for Afghanistan.
Insiders say that the Obama plan offers no winnable solution and leaves allied forces short changed.
While Obama dithers on such a commitment, more & more of our kids are being slaughtered by his indecisiveness.
Putin already has stared down Obama. He demanded the abandonment of our allies in Poland & Czech Republic, and Obama submissively complied to the Putin demands.
As reward for suppressing American & NATO interests, Putin is now working closely with Hugo Chavez, which I will address shortly.
When Obama approached Merkel & Sarkozy and invited them to join the US in deficit producing stimulus spending, both leaders gave a resounding "no".
Both countries are now enjoying their respective countries economic recovery while America's economy continues to shed jobs.
On the question of Climate Change, Obama is willing to commit the US to a competetive disadvantage by cutting our greenhouse gases, while China & India go unabated.
In short, US companies will have to comply with these punitive greenhouse measures, thus cutting our ability to compete with countries who do not abide with them.
At the UN, Obama put the world on notice that he is willing to give up our nuclear arsenal adavntage. Obama proposed slashing our arsenal without securing a firm commitment from Russia.
Putin did agree to talks on the subject without making such declarations.
So folks, as long as we have a Beta Male in the White House, we will have to pray that Hillary keeps her ringer volume set on 'high' when she goes to bed at night.
The world does not question her testosterone levels.
Obama on the other hand..............
As for closing the alpha/beta analogy.
The worlds alpha's will continue to look for ways to exploit Obama and make him their female dog.
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