Not sure I totally agree because the author picks and chooses and is selectively biased but it has its humor.
A thoughtful rebuttal and the rubber begins to hit the road (See 1, 1a and 1b below.)
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Spend a few minutes and watch this: "http://www.youtube.com/embed/HjFSi1AZTq8"
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Obama's top five problems that he must address. (See 2 below.)
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Election post mortem. (See 3 below.)
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Dick
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1)With the disaster suffered by the extreme right, perhaps the following plan from the extreme left will serve us better in the future by avoiding the deadlock ahead of us:
Dear Red States:
We're ticked off at your Neanderthal attitudes and politics and we've decided we're leaving.
We in New York intend to form our own country and we're taking the other BlueStates with us.
In case you aren't aware that includes California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington,Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and the rest of the Northeast.
We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation and especially to the people of the new country of The Enlightened States of America (E.S.A).
To sum up briefly:
You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states.
We get stem cell research and the best beaches.
We get Andrew Cuomo and Elizabeth Warren. You get Bobby Jindal and Todd Akin.
We get the Statue of Liberty. You get OpryLand.
We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom.
We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss.
We get 85 percent of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs.
You get Alabama.
We get two-thirds of the tax revenue. You get to make the red states pay their fair share.
Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms.
With the Blue States in hand we will have firm control of 80% of the country's fresh water, more than 90% of the pineapple and lettuce, 92% of the nation's fresh fruit, 95% of America's quality wines (you can serve French wines at state dinners) 90% of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech industry, most of the US low sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus all the service academies, Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.
With the Red States you will have to cope with 88% of all obese Americans and their projected health care costs, 92% of all US mosquitoes, nearly 100% of the tornadoes, 90% of the hurricanes, 99% of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100% of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.
We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.
38% of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62% believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the death penalty or gun laws, 44% say that evolution is only a theory, 53% that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61% believe you are people with higher morals then we lefties.
We're taking the good weed too. You can have that crap they grow in Mexico.
Sincerely,
Citizen of the Enlightened States of America
1a) Well, as one married to a Latina, I too have a right to add some words. Indeed, as a member of the party which includes Rubio, West, Cain, Joaquin and Julian Castro, Rice, Martinez, Sandoval, Martinez, Jindal and many more, I would suggest the following:
Obama spent 4 years in self-admiration and arranging for the after-office period when he can visit any country on earth and receive a hero's welcome, while protected by Secret Service and indulged with considerable income.
Mitt Romney is incontrovertibly a decent man as well as a successful one in all truly important aspects of life - self, family, business, employees and friends. That he had trouble fighting in a Chicago style fight is no surprise.
Chicago has had since 18 minutes after the fire of 1871 the worst reputation for dishonesty in the nation. The worst. Most of their pols end up in jail. Are any of you proud of the campaign Obama ran beyond the fact he won. Are you really? And are you proud of the way he governed during his four years. And are you proud of the time he devoted to governing as opposed to play and fund-raising. Are you really? [If yes, you need a review of the results]
Let's talk after he executes most of his plans for this next 4 years, or how he handles the next "workplace violence" or "video conflict".
The St. Louis-based company said Thursday that it expects to shed about 1,500 employees. When finished, the restructuring should lead to $200 million in pretax yearly savings, Energizer said. It aims to have most of its restructuring steps finished by the end of September 2014.
• Westinghouse -
Westinghouse Anniston, the contractor responsible for shutting down Anniston’s chemical weapons incinerator, has reduced its workforce by another 50 employees.
Research in Motion Ltd., the maker of BlackBerry smartphones, laid off about 200 people at its U.S. headquarters in Irving on Wednesday, according to a source close to the company who did not want to be named.
More than one dozen employees at a Pikeville company lost their jobs this week. Officials with Lightyear Network Solutions said they are consolidating offices in Louisville and Pikeville to save money.
The Providence Journal Co. laid off 23 full-time workers Wednesday as part of a cost-cutting effort, including 16 members of the Providence Newspaper Guild and 7 non-union employees.
The company says 240 employees will lose their jobs with the closing of Hawker Beechcraft Services facilities in Little Rock, Ark.; Mesa, Ariz.; and San Antonio, Texas.
Boeing Co. said Wednesday it plans to employ 30% fewer executives at its Boeing Defense, Space & Security unit by the end of 2012 compared to 2010 levels.
CVPH Medical Center has handed pink slips to 17 employees. The layoffs — nine in management and eight hourly staffers — are part of an effort to “help bolster the hospital’s financial position in 2013 and beyond,” a press release said.
• US Cellular -
The move will result in 980 job cuts at U.S. Cellular, with 640 in the Chicago area, according to a spokeswoman. The cuts are slightly under 12 percent of the approximately 8,400 total employees U.S. Cellular had at the end of the third quarter.
About 150 workers at Sistersville’s Momentive Performance Materials plant will be temporarily laid off later this month, officials said this week.
• Rocketdyne -
About 100 employees at Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, most of whom work in the San Fernando Valley, were laid off Wednesday in response to dwindling government spending on space exploration, the company said. The layoffs were effective immediately, and 75 percent of them came at the facilities on Canoga and De Soto avenues, which employ about 1,100 people. The company has six sites across the Valley.
• Brake Parts -
The leader of an automotive parts plant in Lincoln County has told state officials that there are plans to lay off 75 workers starting in late December…The layoffs are expected to start Dec. 28 and continue in the first quarter of 2013
Vestas Wind Systems A/S (VWS) is seeking to sell a stake of as much as 20 percent and said it’s reducing headcount by 3,000 to raise the staff cuts by the biggest wind turbine maker to almost a third over two years.
• Husqvarna -
Husqvarna AB (HUSQB), the world’s biggest maker of powered garden tools, plans to cut about 600 jobs in a move that will save 220 million kronor ($33 million) a year by 2014.
The Center for Hospice and Palliative Care plans to temporarily lay off as many as 40 employees next year as it embarks on a major renovation of the inpatient unit at its Cheektowaga campus.
• Bristol-Meyers -
Bristol-Myers Squibb is following up its lackluster third-quarter results with almost 480 layoffs. As Pharmalot reports, the company notified the New Jersey government that it would scale back in Plainsboro, which means the cuts will hit its sales operations.
Trumbull printer- and scanning-equipment provider Oce North America, Inc. will lay off 135 workers in three Connecticut communities, including East Hartford, according to its notice with the state Labor Department.
The company, which was among those who had received an Obamacare waiver in the past, is looking to limit workers to 28 hours per week. A full time employee that is required to have health insurance (lest the employer pay a fine) works 30 hours per week, as defined by the Obamacare law.
• West Ridge Mine -
In its statement, UtahAmerican Energy blames the Obama administration for instituting policies that will close down “204 American coal-fired power plants by 2014″ and for drastically reducing the market for coal.
United Blood Services Gulf South region, the non-profit blood service provider for much of south Louisiana and Mississippi, will lay off approximately 10 percent of its workforce. It was a hard decision to make according to Susan Begnaud, Regional Center Director for the Gulf South region.
A layoff is tough enough for employees to deal with, imagine hearing the crushing news that your office is shutting down just before Thanksgiving and Christmas… Here are some of the business closings that were announced in just the past two days:
- Caterpillar Inc. will close its plant in Owatonna Minn.
- Mount Pleasant’s Albrecht Sentry Foods
- The Target store at Manassas Mall Va.
- Millennium Academy in Wake Forest NC
- Target Closing Kissimmee FL Location
- The Andover Gift Shop in Andover MA
- Grand Union Family Markets Closing Storrs Location CT
- Movie Scene Milford Location NH
- Update: TE Connectivity Closing Greensboro Plant – 620 Layoffs Expected
- Gomer’s Fried Chicken in South Kansas City
- Kmart in Homer Glen
- Fresh Market on Pine Street in Burlington
- AGC Glass North America to permanently close its Blue Ridge Plant in Kingsport Tenn.
- The Target store at Platte and Academy in Colorado Springs
- The Roses store on Reynold Road in Winston-Salem NC
- Meanders Kitchen losing its West Seattle location at 6032 California Ave
- Bost Harley-Davidson at 46th Avenue North and Delaware Ave. in West Nashville TN
- Townsend Booksellers in Oakland
- The Kmart store in Parkway Plaza off University Drive in Durham NC – 79 Jobs Lost
Now that President Obama will never face re-election again, it is time for the campaigning to end. Perpetual political rhetoric and promises do not matter any more. Action—and leadership—are sorely needed on pressing issues that threaten the United States. America’s people are under threats to their livelihoods, their protection, and their freedom. For some of these, deadlines for action have already come and gone, making them more dire than ever.
Here are the top five problems that require the President’s immediate attention.
1. Massive Tax Increases Scheduled
When the chairman of the Federal Reserve says the nation is headed over a cliff, the President should take notice. A total of nearly $500 billion in tax increases—old tax policies expiring and new ones taking effect—is scheduled to hit on January 1. This “Taxmageddon” fiscal-end-of-days scenario will hit individuals and their families, struggling small businesses and investors alike. So much for creating jobs. The Congressional Budget Office, which does not normally forecast recessions, has said that without some action to change our direction, the country is heading straight for another recession in 2013. As Heritage’s J.D. Foster wrote, “If a slowdown or even a recession unfolds as CBO predicts, the blame will lie with President Obama.”
2. Cuts to the U.S. Military
Through a legislative process called sequestration, the President and his allies in Congress thought they could secure tax increases by holding America’s military hostage. So they programmed massive cuts to our defenses to take effect in January. Using the military as a political weapon is wrong, and nothing has been done to prevent these harmful cuts. While our enemies build up their weapons programs and terrorists target Americans around the globe, the U.S. is preparing to radically downsize the military—all because the President and liberals in Congress want to raise taxes.
So far, the President hasn’t achieved his tax hike goal. If the military cuts are allowed to go forward, it will devastate our defenses. Contrary to the political rhetoric, Washington leaders could fix this without raising taxes.
3. The Middle East
It’s easy in a campaign to say you’d rather focus on “nation building here at home.” But the Middle East is ablaze with conflict, and that is not going to be put on hold for the President to focus on other issues. According to some reports, Iran could be able to arm a nuclear bomb within the next few months.
Heritage’s James Carafano writes today: “Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, protests in the Gulf States, an increasingly unsteady Egypt, terrorists in the Sahel—these are all distinct problems, yet each has the potential to cascade throughout the region and beyond.”
4. Terrorism
To begin, the President needs to come clean about the intelligence regarding the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, that killed the U.S. ambassador and others.
There is more than enough evidence that the President’s counterterrorism strategy, though less than two years old, has come to the end of its life. That strategy focused on “decapitating” al-Qaeda. It didn’t work because al-Qaeda is really just a piece of a global Islamist insurgency. Unlike a drug cartel, it can’t be taken down by just taking out the leadership. Unless the President changes course soon, terrorists will have more sanctuaries by 2016 than they had in 2010.
5. Obamacare’s Mandate Threatening Religious Liberty
Just a few days ago, a second federal district court issued a preliminary injunction on behalf of a family-owned business against the Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate under Obamacare. The HHS mandate forces nearly all employers to pay for abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization, and contraceptives in their employee health coverage, regardless of religious objections. It disregards conscience and steamrolls religious freedom: Religious charities and family-owned businesses that object are forced to pay massive fines for non-compliant plans—up to $100 per day per employee. For a company like Hobby Lobby with more than 500 stores, that fine would amount to $1.3 million per day.
No wonder more than 100 plaintiffs have joined legal challenges to the mandate, which went into effect on August 1. As employers reach their health plan annual renewal date, they’ll be forced to comply. This is only one of the many obtrusive parts of Obamacare, but it is an immediate problem for employers—costly, demoralizing, and a direct attack on religious freedom.
Time to get to work, Mr. President.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------3)Renewed Angst Over Iran in Israel
By Joseph Puder
In preparation for the January 2013 elections announced by Israel’s Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu on October 9, 2012, the major parties have begun to present their platforms. What to do about Iran is once again engaging all major Israeli politicians. It seems that Netanyahu’s attempt earlier this year to tune down public talk about “action against Iran” has not worked. Instead, the Iran issue has resurfaced with renewed vigor. The arguments the various political figures present seem to echo the lines of the U.S. presidential contenders. The left-of-center parties and the far-left are employing U.S. President Barack Obama’s line of diplomacy and sanctions, while the center-right parties want the West, and the U.S. in particular, to put the military option along with sanctions and diplomacy on the table as Mitt Romney had done.
By Joseph Puder
In preparation for the January 2013 elections announced by Israel’s Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu on October 9, 2012, the major parties have begun to present their platforms. What to do about Iran is once again engaging all major Israeli politicians. It seems that Netanyahu’s attempt earlier this year to tune down public talk about “action against Iran” has not worked. Instead, the Iran issue has resurfaced with renewed vigor. The arguments the various political figures present seem to echo the lines of the U.S. presidential contenders. The left-of-center parties and the far-left are employing U.S. President Barack Obama’s line of diplomacy and sanctions, while the center-right parties want the West, and the U.S. in particular, to put the military option along with sanctions and diplomacy on the table as Mitt Romney had done.
In Jerusalem on July 29, 2012, Mitt Romney gave his backing to a unilateralIsraeli military strike against Iran, insisting he would not stand-by while the “ayatollahs in Tehran” threatened to wipe the Jewish state “off the map.” Romney went on to say that “The threat it [Iran] would pose to Israel, the region and the world is incomparable and unacceptable.”
President Obama, according to the NY Times (September 13, 2012) “rejected an appeal by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to spell out a specific ‘red line‘ that Iran could not cross in its nuclear program, deepening the divide between the allies over how to deal with Iran’s nuclear ambitions.” Obama was unwilling to agree on any specific action by the US even if Iran reaches a defined threshold on nuclear material or fails to adhere to a deadline on negotiations.
Ehud Barak, the current Defense Minister (DM) in Netanyahu’s government, who is unlikely to remain the Defense Minister after the January 2013 Israeli elections, revealed in an interview with the British Daily Telegraph on Tuesday, October 30, 2012, that Iran’s decision to transfer the enriched uranium for civilian purposes “delayed the moment of truth” by eight to ten months, and has avoided an immediate and critical crisis. Barak pointed out that had the Iranians not moved on the enriched uranium, the situation would have come to a boiling point even before the U.S. elections. According to Barak, the decision on whether and how to act against Iran will be made in 2013.
Asked for an explanation on the Iranian move, Barak replied that the public debate of an Israeli or American attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities was a factor. The Iranians made this diplomatic move to prevent the escalation of the debate over an attack on Iran before the U.S. elections to gain time. It was also a way for the Iranian regime to “convince” the IAEA that they are fulfilling their obligations. Barak clarified however that the sanctions against Iran and all the diplomatic activities have failed to resolve the crisis over Iran’s nuclear program. As a result, Barak said, “Israel and its allies will have to settle the issue of military action against the Iranian nuclear facilities next year.” Israel, he added, “reserves the right to operate alone if necessary.” He declared that “any action against Iran now is less dangerous than later when Iran will cross the nuclear threshold.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in Paris for an official meeting with French President Francois Hollande, on Wednesday, October 31, 2012, told reporters, “Given the history of the Jewish people, I would not sit by and write off a threat by those who say they are going to annihilate us.” He said Arab nations, too, would be “relieved” if Iran were militarily prevented from obtaining nuclear arms. “Five minutes after [an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities,] contrary to what skeptics say, I think a feeling of relief would spread across the region,” said Netanyahu in an interview with French magazine Paris Match. Netanyahu further declared that “Iran is not popular in the Arab world, far from it, and some governments in the region, as well as their citizens, have understood that a nuclear-armed Iran would be dangerous for them, not just for Israel.”
Yair Lapid, the former journalist-turned-centrist politician, whose new party Yesh Atid (There is a Future) is slated to become the second or third largest party in Israel’s Knesset (parliament), warned against a unilateral Israeli attack on Iran. Speaking at the Ariel University Center (Samaria), Lapid said, “Israel should not try to solve the Iranian problem for the world, let the world solve the Iranian problem for us.”
Tamar Zandberg, a newcomer to politics and a Knesset candidate of the far-left Meretz party, has demonstrated against a preemptive Israeli attack on Iran.
On the other side of the political spectrum, deputy Prime Minister MK Silvan Shalom, stated in an interview with the Israeli daily newspaper Maariv on October 27, 2012, that “no one can live with the thought of ballistic missilesarmed with nuclear warheads aimed at Israel.”
Former chairman of Israel’s Labor Party Binyamin Fuad Ben-Eliezer, considered one of the party’s elder statesmen, opined on an attack on Iran in an interview with Maariv on October 20, 2012:
Iran cannot be allowed to become nuclear, but there shouldn’t be any action next year. The problem with Iran is not immediate. Iran would require two years to have an operational bomb, and even then, it will be used first and foremost against the Sunni-Muslim world and the Emirates. An attack on Iran does not rise to an urgent level, it is not a hand grenade presented by Netanyahu’s diagram at the U.N. but a long process. And, as someone who has been involved in the defense establishment, I say that the real danger is not Iran but the Arab Spring. Waking up to a world that is fanatically Islamist and hateful towards Israel is a situation in which we have no control over.
The current leader of the Labor party, Shelly Yachimovich, interviewed on the Israel Channel 2 TV (May 5, 2012), backed the Obama position that there is still time to see if economic sanctions and diplomacy can stop Iran from seeking nuclear weapons before having to decide on any military steps. She called Iran’s nuclear program a “problem for the entire world, and criticized Netanyahu saying, “The fact that we take it upon ourselves to be the spearhead on Iran is an error.”
Barak, who has partnered with Netanyahu on Iran until now, has broken away and endorsed Obama’s policy on Iran. MK Moshe Ya’alon, former Israel Defense Forces Chief-of-Staff and current Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Strategic Planning, angrily criticized Barak in a speech he gave on October 13, 2012, stating that “Something happened in the Iranian story which is irregular and caused the PM Netanyahu to be furious. DM [Barak] preferred political consideration over national consideration. PM Netanyahu thought that the DM was with him all the way on the Iranian issue. In the end however, the DM pushed Israel up the tree, and in the last minute he escaped and ran off, presenting himself as a moderate.”
With Obama’s relection, the Likud and Netanyahu are no doubt somewhat unhappy. While the Israeli Left breathes easy for the moment, Iran will remain the primary issue in the January 2013 Israeli elections, and beyond.
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4)Galganov speaks...after the election
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