Just attended a local conference on gov't backed SBA loans for small businesses. Some 70 were in attendance....grocery stores, contractors, restraunt owners....it was a 3 hour conference....by the 2nd hour of listening to the SBA official from Washington, DC...1/2 had left. Conference was on the various FED Gov't SBA loans programs.
The lending programs that DEM congress is making for stimulus on main street are not fitting the locals banks and small business needs.
By the 3rd hour, the remaining small business owners has turned largely hostile to the SBA rep. The terms that they have to meet to qualify to meet the SBA programs are out side of their reach after the prolonged recession of the last several years. Of the 70, I doubt if more than 5 can qualify for them.
Florida unemployment is now at 10.2%. Michigan is 14.4% The country on a whole is 9.4%. Small business employ more in the US than our top major industries......but seems like Washington does not want to aid them today.
Main Street USA....where President Obama got a lot of votes....is hurting. My county just delayed $700m dollar worth of road construction.....reason....shared funding of the State of Florida and Federal funding is "unsteady". 3 years ago the county had 7- 5000 house development building, today none. 3 yeara go, the country had a area called car corners.....a junction of two major road....and 7 autos dealers had placed inventory and service centers at....today all are closed.
This is reflective around the country, I think. President Obama's TARP II funds sit in Washington.....sit......and sit.......and sit.......and sit. Only 5% have spent.
I just hope the Toyko, Soul and Pearl Harbor are not the price of President Obama's indecision on Nkorea. We will know soon enough.
President Obama ordered the USS McCain, a Navy Destoryer, to intercept the NKorean ship. Whether to board and inspect or just assist to port is unknown. But here is the deal. The NKorean ship is hugging the Chinese coastline. Would be easy for China, under the UN resolution to make the intercept and do the inspection. So why is the US doing it? And not the Chinese? Because I doubt that NKorea would push the trigger on the Chinese.
Seems like those DEMs that were in China this last week did not make much of a impression to the Chinese.....and that Chinese are less than fully part of the group of 6 that Hillary is trying to rebuild.
The Supreme Leader in Iran accused the USA and UK to being interlopers in the Iranian election unrest. Kind of like thumbing his nose at soft talking President Obama who cannot figure out...or is not getting any solid advice from his 300 foreign advisors.....on what policy and position to take here.
All Hillary did was ask Twitter not to conduct a maintance shut down during the protester, so that Iranians could use the servce. If that is interloping........ then I would like to read what the reports of that Iranian Guardian Council inspection of the questioned 646 polls. A hard read there, could tell us if Pres. A cheated and the Supreme Leader/Guardian Council is in the bag for him.
Dude? Why did the US go into Iraq? Why did it go into Afghanistan? Admit it......that concept of Democracy is why we are there. The Iranian people, just caught the bug for it.:-)
The problem is...the phone is ringing from the (far east)NKorea middle east (Iran) and the asia (Pakistan) at the same time. Could be a the calls are buzy or being placed on hold......
States are being force to raise taxes because their revenues are down from the recession. Picked that up on media the other day.
With home sales down, new construction down, property apprasial falling, cut back in driving and gas use, these all effect their revenues. So?
Raise sales and property taxes rates.
It is either that or cut back programs.
The problem is some state like CA....the sales tax is already to way high. Other like FL is bearly acceptable.
And now with Congress talking of a VAT....National Sales Tax added on top of them....CA is what 8%....say CA insreases it to 10% and then they add a 3% national VAT...13% sales tax for CA. Studies show at some point sales tax inhibits consumer spending. And you know the where that takes us again.....back to recession.
Nice going my friends, I see the catch is growing. Be sure to weight and measure....I hate to see you get caught with a illegal DEM on the line. With all the new taxes here in the US coming.....likely they are going to increase fine amounts as well.
One new tax that the DEMs are talking about in Washington...the national sales tax....to pay for the national health care system. That old VAT reappears. Driving up the prices for EVERYONE...but effecting the poor more.
The Supreme Leader of Iran supported the election vote for Pres. A. Saying that no fraud or election tampering occurred. Ask that the protesters that are supporting Mousavi....stay home and not create more civil unrest.
Will that happen?
Hard to say at this point. My guess is not....expect more unrest.
The other point is...REP leaders here in the US are now saying that the election was rigged for Pres.A. That President Obama needs to make a clear moral statement on Democracy. McCain is one of the REP saying this.
They say that this does not mean "going to war or rattling sabers" with Iran.....but restates the US as being supportive of democracy around the world.
They also point to Iraq and Afghanistan as being democratic that just maybe those Iran are seeing democracy near them...but failing to have it.
Again hard to say what side of the issue fence President Obama will step to. If he condems the election as being rigged, he is directly opposing now both Iran's Supreme Leader and Pres. A. Which kind of kills the nuc talks. If he accepts the results, then pro democracy in Iran seems to take a hit. And political opposition in the US have a issue.
About a tricky geo political situation as one can get. And if and when Iran gets the nuc.....becomes even tricker.
Speaking of nucs......
NKorea is (according to Japan) is suppose to be reading a missile for a test flight in the direction of Haiwi Islands.
A lot of good people in Hawii......the military is placing more interceptor missiles around the Islands to respond.
With a NKorean ship in the China sea being watched for carrying nuclear materials.....President Obama has a major decision here. The UN resolution on NKorea was for 'all nations'...to stop and inspect Nkorea ships for contriband nuclear materials. This ship in the past has used for weapon smuggling to the middle east.
So?
Does President Obama surface a US sub along side this cargo ship....and ask for a inspection? Or not? NKorea says if he does, it is a act of war.
Welcome to the big leagues. Mr. President. Just remember here they play hard ball.
Animal right's group...PETA.....complained about President Obama slapping and killing the fly. Send him a bug catcher that humanely traps flies.........
No word from the White House or from President Obama on how well the bug catcher was received....or if the President was going to place it with his teleprompter for catching media types.....
No, I expect President Obama to go to Iran and apologize to whom ever is in office there. For what ever insult or mistake that he feels will make the best statement. Then sometime after hands are shook, media Q and As done, and Air Force 1 flies home.....
Iran tests its nuc. And the world have another crisis.
Remember when during the Presidential campaigns...it was made known that the GWB administration was spending $10b per month in Iraq. Everyone went OH MY that is a L O T of Money.
Well they just passed a war supplimental bill in the Senate for both Iraq and Afghanistan. Total $106b. $26b is pork.....that to e discussed in a moment. $80b is for the two war with 70% going to Iraq. 30% to Afghanistan.
But here is the deal.....the funding is only till Sept 30 of this year. Yep some 3 month. So under President Obama, we went from $10B per month to $18.6b per month for the Iraq War. At least for these three months...that the bill suppliments.
Also some pork that was tied into the bill was interestnig....
Ever here the "Cash for Clunkers" program? Well is special gov't funding program so that old cars can be turned in for new cars that are energy effeinct. Everyone run out and buy a hoopdie..... $1b for the program.
The gov't did buy some C-5A and some C-130....$2.7b there.
But John McCain said of the bill........
the bill "contains billions of unrequested spending that is unjustified and is certainly non emergency."
I will fight war that defend the country, Jvanski. I raised my hand to that a long time. 15 million other American have done the same. To bad you don't respect the sacrifices and consider them a joke.
I began to think about some. The Obama administration knew it had this $68b coming in from the banks. The banks had cleared the process to make the payments. The banks had told them several months ago that repayment was planned and gave them a ball park figure near the $68b.
The Obama administration also knew that GM was $80b in debt. So why not take the $68b add $12b to it and save the entire GM company prior to it going into bankruptcy???? So considering that only 5% of the second TARP II had been spent....they had the money for a complete GM bailout.
Now there, I have a little more thinking. Because the Obama Administration does not want those gas guzzling GM SUVs and big PUs.....and surely not that crude absorbing HUMMER being made and sold in the US. But China is a good place to build them, considering we have a Chinese BOP and T-Bill accounts so high they cannot see over the top of them at Mount Rushmore.
President Obama needs to find some guys that can plan cash flows into his administration. If he does not, mistakes like this are going his legacy.
Sometime you don't get a choice of your puppet leader. You are either stuck with what is there. Or stuck with the one that is the most brutal/corrupt/lucky(?) to be next in line.
Look at what is happening today in Iran. If Mousavi does get the office, now that Pres. A has said the "the US is meddling in our election", 1/2 (Pres. A supporters) of the country are going to think that he was aided by the US. And is some kind of puppet leader.
The rest of the world is going to look at Washington....with the question marks.....can they do that here? would they do that here?
Surely there are Iranian politicians that are even more pro western than Mousavi. If the US was puppeting a leader there, would we not find the guy.....that wants to have Iran go nuclear free, wants Iran to step away from revolutionary Islam? want Iran to be hands off in Iraq?
When I think of puppeting a leader, that is what I think of. A guy that is going give the major country carde blanche.....
So now we are to ignore heads of state. Dude? To ignore them when they make outrageous comments? Ignore them when they say Isreal should be destroeyed? You means like the 'no talk policy' of every Administration since the Iran take over of the US Embassy?
That is the policy we have for some 30 years. It is President Obama that wants to change it. Not sure if we now ignore Pres. A, Pres Obama is going to get his talks on nucs with him.
Pres. A just became even more specific on his accussation. Says that the US is mingling in the present post election events in Iran.
With the death toll growing....he will point this internal violence of Iran more and more at President Obama to discredit him....in the Muslim world.
With Pres. Obama is going to be the target for Pres. He was already was a target for AlQeada spokespersons prior to the Cairo speech.
Interesting that prior to the second Iraq war. Saddam Hussien had made GWB his target and was having run ins with the US. And bin Laden made GWB and the US, his target as well. Agreed GWB did some provoking with the Iraqi overflights.
How is the fishing going, my friend? Sometime when going after DEMs, you got to switch baits and technique. Use a gig instead of line and reel. Use a sliver spoon instead of a worm and hook. Work the weeds instead of the deep holes.
Some the best DEM fishing I know of is early morning. When the light is bad. They cannot see anything and will bite on anything.
Looks like the toll is beginning to mount. Iran's REVOLUTIONARY GUARD.....told international media to stay inside their offices, limited travel, and not to report on the protests.
Hey according to Pres. A...the US has mingled in the Iranian Election.
Now would President Obama use the nasty old CIA to cause disruption of a election?
Or would that nasty old GWB do such a nasty thing?
One or the other....or maybe both. Obama saw a good CIA program began under the GWB administration and continued it.
But really I don't think that we had much to do with the Iranian election. Here is why. We have no embassy in the country. Everyone that has seen our CIA operate....know they are most often connected to our embassy in a country. So Pres. A is just blowing smoke and trying to involve the US in his problems.
But President Obama opened himself up for Pres. A accusations. With his mea culpa tour. If 'mistakes were made' and the apoligizer does not give a specific list of them....remains general and non specific ....then he opens the door to accusations of all types.
President Obama is a nice guy.....but he just learned one of international political tough lessons....words do count. When you generalize.....some one will use your words against you.
Sorry Dude....to give you a headache....typo...Revolutionary Guard. Republican Guard was one of Saddam's military elite forces.
But hey by the time the TYPO get twisted and flip flobbed around around....it will be GWB's Elite Republican Guard that was employed to to suppress and oppress freedom loving DEMs and IND in the US........
So to you a man is frank when he is stone dunk in public? Funny way to determine honesty, Jet.
I am not sure what you are saying the first parapgraph....that those that hate Isreal...because they are envious of Isreal or? Because they want power? Power comes the people, Jet. At least in a democracy. They place it a man that they trust, when they elect him.
In a dictatorship, power is assumed by man or party that will oppress or supress a people's will. Think of any country today that fits the discription? Could be all those protesters in Iran see it that way.
If you statement on the US being the only country in world was to profit off war is accurate....then how do you explain the US economic condition of today? Two war in the last 9 years, but according to President Obama, the US is broke and in deep deficit.
Some 15 war after WWI, the US was in the great depression. Not exactly a profitable time.
After WWII, the US economy and its agr industry kept much of Europe and far east from starving with the Marshall Plan and MacAuthor Plans. But the war itself cost the country blood and treasure.
After Vet Nam, the US was in a economic slump till Reagon took office.
I have had Jewish friends, I don't hate them because of decisions the gov't of Isreal makes. Most here in the US take that position. But seems that around your neck of the world such inciting words of hatred are easy to spew.
Some of the failout banks are ready to 'repay' some $68b to the FED. That sounds great, whenever a party can repay such sums.
But it brings a question.
If 'repay' is the term being used here....then the TARP stimulus package was:
a) a gift
b) a stock purchase by the FED gov't
c) a loan by the FED gov't
d) all of the above
e) none of the above
f) some of the above, but so confusing none knows.
Here is what I hope is happening. The FED whan it gave the stimulus money took bank stock....and became shareholder in the banks. That would be "b". Now that banks are repaying the stimulus funds, it a repurchase of the stocks that the FED hold. Meaning the Fed gov't is going to get out of the banking business.
What I suspect happening is...that the stimulus funds were handed out with a loan provision, meaning that the banks could repay them as they so fit. But that does not mean that they get their stock back.
But the real question here is.....with only 150,000 job of the 4m that Barack Obama said the stimulus funds would create....why is coming back to the FED gov't? $68b is lot of local SBA loans, alot of commercial contracts approval, a lot of house mortages... why are these banks.....giving back money needed for the stimulus of the American economy?
To make this work...everyone has to be one the same side.....but with money coming back to the FED.....who knows where it goes next? Maybe to support the life style of GITMO detainees in Tahiti and Bali.
The question is why are the banks not lending this to local main street businesses/home owners to improve the economic condition here? Maybe that should be one of the 13 questions of a future media Q and A.
Limbaugh and Beck have been getting disenfranchised DEMs to call to their talk shows.
Beck talked to woman from AZ for a long time today.....said she had been a DEM all her life. Began to become disenfrachised in the Hillary and Barack tug of war last fall. But could not vote for McCain...so stayed DEM.
Said she was changing parties and was writing a letter to Congress in complaint of the TARPS I and II. Beck was so impressed with her letter he has it his web site and is starting a online petition to support it.
Basically she wants to kick them all (both DEMs and REPs) out of DC. Which is a hole lot of kicking to be done. Humm that to Elvis...'hole lot of shakin going on'.
Limbaugh talked with a young male DEM.....on the economic recovery. The young DEM.... a plant worker....said things had not changed where he was working. Still laying off people and benefits were down. Limbaugh explained how the stimulus packages were never meant to reach main street. The young DEM had a eye opener of a phone call.
In Flint MI, City council is talking of bulldozing 40% of the city. That is right 40%. Seems that 40% of Flint is vacant. They cannot see FED or State assistance coming time soon to aid them. Now the FED has the Urban Renewal Act...that it could pore some of the TARP II stimulus funds into. But don't hold your breath hoping for this to happen any time soon.
It was not by error that President Obama and none of his administration failed to show at the annual conference of American urban cities this last week. They did not want to field questions from the cities mayors on why the TARP II was not making its way to them via the Urban Renewal Act.
Jimmy Carter admitted he had 'long time friends within Hamas' a few months ago. So maybe Jimmy C is bias in his assessment of the Israeli offer? Or maybe he just likes to see the middle east in constant crisis.......another problem for the Obama Administration to solve.
Actually all I am really saying is they (both parties) are part of it, Jvaski.
For the last 6 months, the DEMs have been acting like none of this had any of their finger prints on it. The hope and change that President Obama brought, gave them the ability to divest themselves of the recent past. Being my age and still with memory, I remember when those finger prints were made.
Many DEMs jumped in there to proclaim....we are that hope and change, a new day is here...when in reality...they have been a pretty big part of the broken Washington over the last decade.
Grinrich just proposed a different level and way to fund Medicaid and Medicare, he still needed support of both parties to make it happen. After the DEM negative campaigning on him and it....he got support from neither party. DEMs negative campaign killed a solid proposal to cut gov't waste.
But if ones looks back on it today......Newt G had it right back then. Is Medicare and Medicaid bloated? Yes. $313b worth of bloat? I don't know. But also that just one year's bloat. Grinrich was talking this problem in the Clinton Administration.
Think that today....if much of that decade old bloat had not occurred the REP would be resisting the $1.6 trillion Obama plan as stiffly? REP know that once a gov't program gets rolling....it rolls....and ...rolls......and rolls.
What REP see is Obama's $1.6 trillion plan becoming bloated as well. When tacked on with the other debts being rung up on the Chinese abacus.....er.....cash register.....er......computer, pretty hard for future Americans to pay the debt.
Things that DEMs have done right....sure......born in a great country. Live in a great country. Most support democracy and the Constitution and Bill of Rights. In general are good people. I would sit down and light fireworks with most DEMs on the 4th of July.
Now if they stop only stop calling me a Neocon......
Presently there are some 1300 medical insurance companies in the US.
Now President Obama health care program is to give gov't health care to the 40% of the country that don't ave it. Give...either by gov't voucher, or credits, or the tax as you use program. Every American will qualify for the program, even the 60% that do have health insurance.
Now none of the 1300 companies providing health insurance can complete with the FED government. The base of users for this Gov't program is larger than any of theirs. The costs....even if it the tax program that is being discussed....will be cheaper than the rates of these 1300 firms.
This very competitive Medical insurance industry will soon going have many companies folding up. A lot of unemployment will result.
Free enterprise, Fallingman. People spent their career lives building this industry in the country. Now Government can force them out of business.
Gov't should regulate insurance for quality and performance, yes. But not compete in it.
Gov't ineffeincy in Washington, that broken bit of America...is going to drive up the cost. It always does. The projected cost of the gov't program is $1 trillion over 10 years. Where does President find the money? Not sure the Chinese want to pay for our health care. Suspect they are going to want us to pay for their social security in the next five years with those T-Bills.
Money either comes from the tax payer or the printing press. Health care in this country employs 1 in 5. If President Obama messes it ....we are being scammed....and we got it wrong.... massive lay offs, hospitals closing, DR. shutting down.
Actually it is really simple. To get health insurance for these 40%. It is at the state level. State already use these 1300 companies to insure their workers, teachers, etc. Just start state program with the exiting firms. Grow thier business...and keep the FED out of it.
Wish to know who first attempted to rein in MedCaide and MediCare, Jvaski?
You will like this one.
Newt Grinrich, when he was speaker in the house.
Then the DEMs put out a vicious negative ad campaign on him.....that he was trying to 'hurt the senior' health care.....that he 'keeping medical care' from the American people.
What Grinrich proposed then....was to have a slow growth program in the two (e.g legislated growth). But DEM twisted his position in the negative ad campaign. Guess who voted over the years for the massive spending in the two programs?
Now President Obama is finding these billions that the DEM voted into Medicaide and Medicare....calling it waste. If it is now waste. Why was it not waste when Grinrich was speaker in the house?
But the net effect is the same...Hospital will cut back in staff and services. Dr. will cut back in staff and services. Drug firms will limit their lines of drugs....
ttom500 Forum Posts (10,523)
RE: Obama crying that he is being picked on by Fox News
LOL.....they would likely be a African scammer, Stress......