Senate Bill Allows Obama to Declare “Cybersecurity Emergency”
Tony Romm
The Hill
February 27, 2010
The president would have the power to safeguard essential federal and private Web resources under draft Senate cybersecurity legislation.
According to an aide familiar with the proposal, the bill includes a mandate for federal agencies to prepare emergency response plans in the event of a massive, nationwide cyberattack.
The president would then have the ability to initiate those network contingency plans to ensure key federal or private services did not go offline during a cyberattack of unprecedented scope, the aide said.
Ultimately, the legislation is chiefly the brainchild of Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, respectively. Both lawmakers have long clamored for a federal cybersecurity bill, charging that current measures — including the legislation passed by the House last year — are too piecemeal to protect the country’s Web infrastructure.
URL to article: http://www.infowars.com/senate-bill-allows-obama-to-declare-cybersecurity-emergency/
Karl Rove Chased Out of UCSB 2/25/10
Watch the Criminal run!
Americans Who Know Their Rights Are The Real Target Of Napolitano’s “Domestic Terror” Warning
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Monday, February 22, 2010
Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano cited examples of Muslim extremists in her warning Sunday that domestic terrorists were now as much a focus as international terrorism, but actual training manuals being used by state and federal authorities across America reveal that the primary target of the anti-terror apparatus hits a lot closer to home.
“Americans who turn to terrorism and plot against the U.S. are now as big a concern as international terrorists, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Sunday,” reports the Associated Press.
“In the last year, Napolitano said, she’s witnessed a movement from international extremism to domestic extremism – cases in which Americans radicalized and decided to plot attacks against the country.”
However, Napolitano’s comments were clearly crafted to appeal to some on the right who claim that the Obama administration, despite its clear intensification of Bush’s “war on terror” with more raids into Pakistan and new targets in Yemen, has been “soft” on terror, with the DHS Secretary listing examples of Muslim Americans who have allegedly planned terror attacks (but not without aggressive prompting by FBI informants in almost every case).
In reality, as leaked state and federal documents illustrate, the primary focus of the war on terror is aimed at American citizens who exercise or merely show an interest in their own constitutional rights.
As President Obama’s would-be TSA head and former FBi agent Erroll Southers stated last month, white Christian “anti-government” types are now the primary target of suspicion for authorities.
In a video interview posted to You Tube, Southers outlined how the government and the TSA has to “pay attention” not to Muslim terrorists but to “anti-government, anti-abortion, survivalist types” who are “christian identity oriented.”
As we have exhaustively documented for years, even if there were cells of Muslim terrorists planning to bomb airliners, the federal government is far more concerned with what politically active conservative and libertarian Americans are up to.
This was illustrated again earlier this month with a story concerning South Carolina’s “Subversive Activities Registration Act,” a law which mandates that “Every member of a subversive organization, or an organization subject to foreign control, every foreign agent and every person who advocates, teaches, advises or practices the duty, necessity or propriety of controlling, conducting, seizing or overthrowing the government of the United States … shall register with the Secretary of State.”
Under the sweeping terms of the law, members of tax protest organizations, the Tea Party movement and the States’ Rights movement based in South Carolina are all domestic terrorists if they fail to register their dissent with the authorities. If such groups don’t obtain what amounts to a license from the government to engage in free speech, their members face a $25,000 fine and 10 years in prison.
Leaked state and federal documents produced since the early nineties have routinely labeled politically active Americans, or merely those cognizant of their constitutional rights, as the main domestic extremist threat.
An infamous leaked report distributed by the Missouri Information Analysis Center last year listed Ron Paul supporters, libertarians, people who display bumper stickers, people who own gold, or even people who fly a U.S. flag and equated them with radical race hate groups and terrorists.
The 2009 Virginia Terrorism Threat Assessment, produced by the Virginia Fusion Center, smeared anyone who is “anti-government,” “anti-abortion,” as potential terrorists, equated people who enjoy rifle shooting practice and hunting with terrorists, and demonized the use of the Internet and websites like You Tube, Fark and Slashdot as terrorist tools. The use of “e-protests” is also talked about in the context of terrorism.
The document also discusses “special interest groups” who “incorporate a political message” in its section about domestic terrorists, which could be defined as any mildly political organization whatsoever.
These are just two of a plethora of similar police and federal government reports stretching back well over a decade that identify politically active Americans as domestic terrorists and a target of domestic authorities.
The American people are clearly being prepared for more “home grown” false flag terror attacks on soft targets in order to smooth the rollout of stifling airport-style security measures onto the streets. With passengers at bus terminals already being subjected to random pat downs, baggage and sniffer dog searches, shopping malls and other public buildings are next.
The ultimate goal is to have naked body scanners attached to lamp posts that scan your naked body as you innocently walk down the street. The only way to sell this to the public will be for them to witness repeated soft target attacks similar to those seen in Israel over the past decade.
URL to article: http://www.infowars.com/americans-who-know-their-rights-are-the-real-target-of-napolitanos-domestic-terror-warning/
Globalist Funded “Progressives” Declare “1,000,000 Voices” for Obamacare
Kurt Nimmo
Infowars.com
February 22, 2010
Daily Kos, the “progressive” website operated by the millionaire Markos Moulitsas Zuniga who stands accused of working for the CIA, is calling for “1,000,000 Voices” in support of Obamacare on February 24.
“And here comes the Cavalry to seal the healthcare deal,” states a post put up on the website last Friday. “Over the last week or so, we’ve mobilized an unprecedented coalition of the largest progressive organizations in the nation, including MoveOn, HCAN, DFA, Progressive Congress and SEIU – with others expected to join imminently.”
“On February 24th, the day before the Presidential Healthcare Summit, we will deliver to Washington DC, a scream they will never, ever forget.”
This scream will be organized by the globalists and their fellow travelers. MoveOn is a wholly owned subsidiary of George Soros. Health Care for America Now is also in bed with Soros and funded with money from Joseph Pew’s Sun Oil Company. Democracy for America was created by Democrat operative Howard Dean. SEIU (Service Employees International Union) is well-known for its brownshirt activities against Tea Party activists.
“Failure,” according to Daily Kos, “is not an option.”
URL to article: http://www.infowars.com/globalist-funded-progressives-declare-1000000-voices-for-obamacare/
Infowars Reality Check: Responses to President Obama’s State of the Union Address
Complied by Devin Stone
Infowars.com
January 28, 2010
Obama: Madam Speaker, Vice President Biden, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans, our Constitution declares that from time to time the president shall give to Congress information about the state of our union. For 220 years, our leaders have fulfilled this duty. They’ve done so during periods of prosperity and tranquility, and they’ve done so in the midst of war and depression, at moments of great strife and great struggle.
It’s tempting to look back on these moments and assume that our progress was inevitable, that America was always destined to succeed.
But when the Union was turned back at Bull Run and the Allies first landed at Omaha Beach, victory was very much in doubt. When the market crashed on Black Tuesday and civil rights marchers were beaten on Bloody Sunday, the future was anything but certain.
These were the times that tested the courage of our convictions and the strength of our union. And despite all our divisions and disagreements, our hesitations and our fears, America prevailed because we chose to move forward as one nation, as one people.
Again, we are tested. And again, we must answer history’s call.
One year ago, I took office amid two wars, an economy rocked by a severe recession, a financial system on the verge of collapse, and a government deeply in debt. Experts from across the political spectrum warned that if we did not act, we might face a second depression.
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> Obama is doing everything he can to bring in the new depression.
http://www.infowars.com/american-people-misled-about-financial-situation/
So we acted, immediately and aggressively. And one year later, the worst of the storm has passed.
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> The worst of the storm is yet to come, thanks to Mr. Obama’s actions.
http://www.infowars.com/record-number-of-young-americans-jobless/
http://www.infowars.com/us-initial-jobless-claims-rose-to-640000-last-week/
http://www.infowars.com/why-did-the-stimulus-fail-to-help-the-economy/
http://www.infowars.com/banks-already-finding-ways-around-obama-financial-reforms/
http://www.infowars.com/jobless-claims-rise-in-latest-week
But the devastation remains: One in 10 Americans still can’t find work. Many businesses have shuttered. Home values have declined. Small towns and rural communities have been hit especially hard. And for those who’d already known poverty, life has become that much harder.
This recession has also compounded the burdens that America’s families have been dealing with for decades, the burden of working harder and longer for less, of being unable to save enough to retire or help kids with college.
So I know the anxieties that are out there right now. They’re not new. These struggles are the reason I ran for president. These struggles are what I’ve witnessed for years in places like Elkhart, Indiana, Galesburg, Illinois.
I hear about them in the letters that I read each night. The toughest to read are those written by children, asking why they have to move from their home, asking when their mom or dad will be able to go back to work.
For these Americans and so many others, change has not come fast enough. Some are frustrated; some are angry. They don’t understand why it seems like bad behavior on Wall Street is rewarded, but hard work on Main Street isn’t, or why Washington has been unable or unwilling to solve any of our problems.
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> Because you work for Wall Street, Mr. Obama.
http://www.infowars.com/ron-paul-use-geithner-to-impeach-obama/
http://www.infowars.com/tim-geithner-thinks-we-cant-handle-the-truth/
They’re tired of the partisanship and the shouting and the pettiness. They know we can’t afford it, not now.
So we face big and difficult challenges. And what the American people hope — what they deserve — is for all of us, Democrats and Republicans, to work through our differences, to overcome the numbing weight of our politics, for while the people who sent us here have different backgrounds, different stories, different beliefs, the anxieties they face are the same, the aspirations they hold are shared: a job that pays the bills, a chance to get ahead, most of all, the ability to give their children a better life.
You know what else they share? They share a stubborn resilience in the face of adversity. After one of the most difficult years in our history, they remain busy building cars and teaching kids, starting businesses and going back to school. They’re coaching Little League and helping their neighbors.
One woman wrote to me and said, “We are strained but hopeful, struggling but encouraged.”
It’s because of this spirit — this great decency and great strength — that I have never been more hopeful about America’s future than I am tonight.
(APPLAUSE)
Despite — despite our hardships, our union is strong. We do not give up. We do not quit. We do not allow fear or division to break our spirit. In this new decade, it’s time the American people get a government that matches their decency, that embodies their strength.
(APPLAUSE)
And tonight — tonight, I’d like to talk about how together we can deliver on that promise.
It begins with our economy.
Our most urgent — our most urgent task upon taking office was to shore up the same banks that helped cause this crisis. It was not easy to do. And if there’s one thing that has unified Democrats and Republicans — and everybody in between — it’s that we all hated the bank bailout. I hated it.
(APPLAUSE)
I hated it. I hated it. You hated it. It was about as popular as a root canal.
(LAUGHTER)
But when I ran for president, I promised I wouldn’t just do what was popular, I would do what was necessary. And if we had allowed the meltdown of the financial system, unemployment might be double what it is today. More businesses would certainly have closed; more homes would have surely been lost.
So I supported the last administration’s efforts to create the financial rescue program. And when we took that program over, we made it more transparent and more accountable. And as a result, the markets are now stabilized,
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> Obama admits that he is continuing Bush’s policies, AND resorts to using George W’s excuses for losing popularity, “I do it because it’s right, not because it’s popular.” Why? Obama’s popularity is the lowest of any president within the first year in office. The honeymoon period is over.
http://www.infowars.com/obama-popularity-below-50-percent-for-first-time/
http://www.infowars.com/obamas-popularity-at-six-months-worse-than-bush/
http://www.infowars.com/nearly-60-percent-say-president-obamas-decisions-bad-for-america/
and we’ve recovered most of the money we spent on the banks.
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> A blatant LIE. You’ve recovered most of $24 trillion?! Can we have some of it back, please?
http://www.infowars.com/cost-of-bailout-hits-a-whopping-24-trillion-dollars/
(APPLAUSE)
Most, but not all. To recover the rest, I’ve proposed a fee on the biggest banks. Now…
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> Clearly more doublespeak, given your proven track-record of giving the banks ample loopholes to subvert the law.
http://www.infowars.com/banks-already-finding-ways-around-obama-financial-reforms/
(APPLAUSE)
Now, I know Wall Street isn’t keen on this idea, but if these firms can afford to hand out big bonuses again, they can afford a modest fee to pay back the taxpayers who rescued them in their time of need.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, as we stabilized the financial system, we also took steps to get our economy growing again, save as many jobs as possible, and help Americans who’d become unemployed.
That’s why we extended or increased unemployment benefits for more than 18 million Americans, made health insurance 65 percent cheaper for families who get their coverage through COBRA, and passed 25 different tax cuts.
Now, let me repeat: We cut taxes. We cut taxes for 95 percent of working families. We cut taxes for small businesses.
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> Get ready for massive tyranny and taxation thanks to Obama’s health plan:
http://www.infowars.com/the-devastating-truth-about-the-obama-health-plan/
http://www.infowars.com/whats-really-in-obamas-health-care-reform-bill-a-plain-english-translation/
http://www.infowars.com/government-health-care-the-next-step-on-the-road-to-tyranny-and-slavery/
http://www.infowars.com/obama-health-bill-allows-government-real-time-access-to-bank-accounts/
(APPLAUSE)
We cut taxes for first-time homebuyers. We cut taxes for parents trying to care for their children. We cut taxes for 8 million Americans paying for college.
(APPLAUSE)
I thought I’d get some applause on that one.
(LAUGHTER)
As a result…
(APPLAUSE)
As a result, millions of Americans had more to spend on gas and food and other necessities, all of which helped businesses keep more workers. And we haven’t raised income taxes by a single dime on a single person, not a single dime.
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> Get ready for massive taxation on virtually everything in the marketplace, including taxes to a world government:
http://www.infowars.com/obamas-energy-secretary-get-ready-for-carbon-taxes/
http://www.infowars.com/obama-backed-plan-volunteers-americans-to-pay-global-taxes/
(APPLAUSE)
Now, because of the steps we took, there are about 2 million Americans working right now who would otherwise be unemployed.
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> Highest unemployment in decades! See above!
(APPLAUSE)
Two-hundred-thousand work in construction and clean energy. Three-hundred-thousand are teachers and other education workers. Tens of thousands are cops, firefighters, correctional officers, first responders.
(APPLAUSE)
And we’re on track to add another 1.5 million jobs to this total by the end of the year.
The plan that has made all of this possible, from the tax cuts to the jobs, is the Recovery Act.
(APPLAUSE)
That’s right, the Recovery Act, also known as the stimulus bill.
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> The print-and-spend philosophy is destroying America:
http://www.infowars.com/smoke-and-mirrors-obama-says-recovery-act-responsible-for-improving-economy/
http://www.infowars.com/ron-paul-obamas-goal-is-economic-collapse/
(APPLAUSE)
Economists on the left and the right say this bill has helped saved jobs and avert disaster, but you don’t have to take their word for it.
Talk to the small business in Phoenix that will triple its workforce because of the Recovery Act.
Talk to the window manufacturer in Philadelphia who said he used to be skeptical about the Recovery Act, until he had to add two more work shifts just because of the business it created.
Talk to the single teacher raising two kids who was told by her principal in the last week of school that, because of the Recovery Act, she wouldn’t be laid off after all.
There are stories like this all across America. And after two years of recession, the economy is growing again. Retirement funds have started to gain back some of their value. Businesses are beginning to invest again, and slowly, some are starting to hire again.
But I realize that, for every success story, there are other stories, of men and women who wake up with the anguish of not knowing where their next paycheck will come from, who send out resumes week after week and hear nothing in response.
That is why jobs must be our No. 1 focus in 2010, and that’s why I’m calling for a new jobs bill tonight.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, the true engine of job creation in this country will always be America’s businesses…
(APPLAUSE)
… but government can create the conditions necessary for businesses to expand and hire more workers.
We should start where most new jobs do, in small businesses, companies that begin when…
(APPLAUSE)
… companies that begin when an entrepreneur — when an entrepreneur takes a chance on a dream or a worker decides it’s time she became her own boss.
Through sheer grit and determination, these companies have weathered the recession and are ready to grow. But when you talk to small-business owners in places like Allentown, Pennsylvania, or Elyria, Ohio, you find out that even though banks on Wall Street are lending again, they’re mostly lending to bigger companies. Financing remains difficult for small-business owners across the country, even though they’re making a profit.
So tonight, I’m proposing that we take $30 billion of the money Wall Street banks have repaid and use it to help community banks give small businesses the credit they need to stay afloat.
(APPLAUSE)
I’m also proposing a new small-business tax credit, one that will go to over 1 million small businesses who hire new workers or raise wages.
(APPLAUSE)
While we’re at it, let’s also eliminate all capital gains taxes on small-business investment and provide a tax incentive for all large businesses and all small businesses to invest in new plants and equipment.
(APPLAUSE)
Next, we can put Americans to work today building the infrastructure of tomorrow.
(APPLAUSE)
From — from the first railroads to the Interstate Highway System, our nation has always been built to compete. There’s no reason Europe or China should have the fastest trains or the new factories that manufacture clean-energy products.
Tomorrow, I’ll visit Tampa, Florida, where workers will soon break ground on a new high-speed railroad funded by the Recovery Act. There are projects like that all across this country that will create jobs and help move our nation’s goods, services and information.
(APPLAUSE)
We should put more Americans to work building clean-energy facilities and give…
(APPLAUSE)
… and give rebates to Americans who make their homes more energy efficient, which supports clean-energy jobs.
(APPLAUSE)
And to encourage these and other businesses to stay within our borders, it is time to finally slash the tax breaks for companies that ship our jobs overseas and give those tax breaks to companies that create jobs right here in the United States of America.
Now, the House has passed a jobs bill that includes some of these steps
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> Mr. Obama, on the campaign trail you said that “NAFTA was a mistake.” Then you did everything you could to continue the practice of exporting American jobs overseas:
http://www.infowars.com/obama-selects-free-trader-and-nafta-booster-ron-kirk-as-us-trade-rep/
(APPLAUSE)
As the first order of business this year, I urge the Senate to do the same, and I know they will. They will.
(APPLAUSE)
People are out of work. They’re hurting. They need our help. And I want a jobs bill on my desk without delay.
(APPLAUSE)
But — but the truth is, these steps won’t make up for the 7 million jobs that we’ve lost over the last two years. The only way to move to full employment is to lay a new foundation for long- term economic growth and finally address the problems that America’s families have confronted for years.
We can’t afford another so-called economic “expansion” like the one from last decade, what some call the “lost decade,” where jobs grew more slowly than during any prior expansion, where the income of the average American household declined while the cost of health care and tuition reached record highs, where prosperity was built on a housing bubble and financial speculation.
From the day I took office, I’ve been told that addressing our larger challenges is too ambitious, such effort would be too contentious. I’ve been told that our political system is too gridlocked and that we should just put things on hold for a while.
For those who make these claims, I have one simple question: How long should we wait? How long should America put its future on hold? You see…
(APPLAUSE)
You see, Washington has been telling us to wait for decades, even as the problems have grown worse. Meanwhile, China’s not waiting to revamp its economy; Germany’s not waiting; India’s not waiting.
These nations, they’re not standing still. These nations aren’t playing for second place. They’re putting more emphasis on math and science. They’re rebuilding their infrastructure. They’re making serious investments in clean energy because they want those jobs.
Well, I do not accept second place for the United States of America.
(APPLAUSE)
As hard as it may be, as uncomfortable and contentious as the debates may become, it’s time to get serious about fixing the problems that are hampering our growth.
Now, one place to start is serious financial reform. Look, I’m not interested in punishing banks. I’m interested in protecting our economy. A strong, healthy financial market makes it possible for businesses to access credit and create new jobs. It channels the savings of families into investments that raise incomes. But that can only happen if we guard against the same recklessness that nearly brought down our entire economy.
We need to make sure consumers and middle-class families have the information they need to make financial decisions. We can’t allow financial institutions, including those that take your deposits, to take risks that threaten the whole economy.
Now, the House has already passed financial reform with many of these changes. And — and the lobbyists are trying to kill it. Well, we cannot let them win this fight. And if the bill that ends up on my desk does not meet the test of real reform, I will send it back until we get it right. We’ve got to get it right.
(APPLAUSE)
Next, we need to encourage American innovation. Last year, we made the largest investment in basic research funding in history, an investment — an investment that could lead to the world’s cheapest solar cells or treatment that kills cancer cells but leaves healthy ones untouched.
And no area is more ripe for such innovation than energy. You can see the results of last year’s investments in clean energy in the North Carolina company that will create 1,200 jobs nationwide, helping to make advanced batteries, or in the California business that will put 1,000 people to work making solar panels.
But to create more of these clean-energy jobs, we need more production, more efficiency, more incentives, and that means building a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in this country.
(APPLAUSE)
It means making tough decisions about opening new offshore areas for oil and gas development.
(APPLAUSE)
It means continued investment in advanced biofuels and clean-coal technologies.
(APPLAUSE)
And, yes, it means passing a comprehensive energy and climate bill with incentives that will finally make clean energy the profitable kind of energy in America.
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> Could these ‘incentives’ be carbon taxation with cap & trade?
http://www.infowars.com/senate-to-push-carbon-tax-enslavement-bill/
(APPLAUSE)
I’m grateful to the House for passing such a bill last year.
(APPLAUSE)
And this year — this year, I’m eager to help advance the bipartisan effort in the Senate.
I know there have been questions about whether we can afford such changes in a tough economy. I know that there are those who disagree with the overwhelming scientific evidence on climate change.
But — but here’s the thing. Even if you doubt the evidence, providing incentives for energy efficiency and clean energy are the right thing to do for our future, because the nation that leads the clean-energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy, and America must be that nation.
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> Did you just say “Global Economy?” We were waiting for you to say it.
http://www.infowars.com/the-bilderberg-plan-for-2009-remaking-the-global-political-economy/
http://infowars-shop.stores.yahoo.net/faofreprofba.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACxmrNFizvQ
(APPLAUSE)
Third, we need to export more of our goods.
(APPLAUSE)
Because the more products we make and sell to other countries, the more jobs we support right here in America. So…
(APPLAUSE)
So tonight, we set a new goal: We will double our exports over the next five years, an increase that will support 2 million jobs in America.
(APPLAUSE)
To help meet this goal, we’re launching a National Export Initiative that will help farmers and small businesses increase their exports and reform export controls consistent with national security.
We have to seek new markets aggressively, just as our competitors are. If America sits on the sidelines while other nations sign trade deals, we will lose the chance to create jobs on our shores.
(APPLAUSE)
But realizing those benefits also means enforcing those agreements so our trading partners play by the rules.
(APPLAUSE)
And that’s why we’ll continue to shape a Doha trade agreement that opens global markets and why we will strengthen our trade relations in Asia and with key partners like South Korea, and Panama, and Colombia.
(APPLAUSE)
Fourth, we need to invest in the skills and education of our people. Now, this year — this year, we’ve broken through the stalemate between left and right by launching a national competition to improve our schools.
And the idea here is simple: Instead of rewarding failure, we only reward success. Instead of funding the status quo, we only invest in reform, reform that raises student achievement, inspires students to excel in math and science, and turns around failing schools that steal the future of too many young Americans, from rural communities to the inner city.
In the 21st century, the best anti-poverty program around is a world-class education.
(APPLAUSE)
And in this country, the success of our children cannot depend more on where they live than on their potential. When we renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, we will work with Congress to expand these reforms to all 50 states.
Still, in this economy, a high school diploma no longer guarantees a good job. That’s why I urge the Senate to follow the House and pass a bill that will revitalize our community colleges, which are a career pathway to the children of so many working families.
(APPLAUSE)
To make college more affordable, this bill will finally end the unwarranted taxpayer subsidies that go to banks for student loans. Instead, let’s take that money and give families a $10,000 tax credit for four years of college and increase Pell Grants.
(APPLAUSE)
And let’s tell another 1 million students that, when they graduate, they will be required to pay only 10 percent of their income on student loans, and all of their debt will be forgiven after 20 years, and forgiven after 10 years if they choose a career in public service, because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they chose to go to college.
(APPLAUSE)
And, by the way, it’s time for colleges and universities to get serious about cutting their own costs, because they, too, have a responsibility to help solve this problem.
Now, the price of college tuition is just one of the burdens facing the middle class. That’s why last year I asked Vice President Biden to chair a task force on middle-class families.
That’s why we’re nearly doubling the childcare tax credit and making it easier to save for retirement by giving access to every worker a retirement account and expanding the tax credit for those who start a nest egg. That’s why we’re working to lift the value of a family’s single largest investment, their home.
The steps we took last year to shore up the housing market have allowed millions of Americans to take out new loans and save an average of $1,500 on mortgage payments. This year, we will step up refinancing so that homeowners can move into more affordable mortgages. And…
(APPLAUSE)
And it is precisely to relieve the burden on middle-class families that we still need health insurance reform.
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> Obama Nominates Former Freddie Mac Executive As ‘Housing Commissioner’
(APPLAUSE)
We do.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, let’s clear a few things up.
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> Yes, let’s do…
(LAUGHTER)
I didn’t choose to tackle this issue to get some legislative victory under my belt. And by now, it should be fairly obvious that I didn’t take on health care because it was good politics.
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> Convenient to say now that your approval ratings are in a nose-dive.
(LAUGHTER)
I took on health care because of the stories I’ve heard, from Americans with pre-existing conditions whose lives depend on getting coverage, patients who’ve been denied coverage, families, even those with insurance, who are just one illness away from financial ruin.
After nearly a century of trying — Democratic administrations, Republican administrations — we are closer than ever to bringing more security to the lives of so many Americans.
The approach we’ve taken would protect every American from the worst practices of the insurance industry. It would give small businesses and uninsured Americans a chance to choose an affordable health care plan in a competitive market.
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> It seems you have taken great steps to protect the insurance companies from US.. taxing us to grant them a huge handout:
http://www.infowars.com/the-devastating-truth-about-the-obama-health-plan/
http://www.infowars.com/whats-really-in-obamas-health-care-reform-bill-a-plain-english-translation/
http://www.infowars.com/government-health-care-the-next-step-on-the-road-to-tyranny-and-slavery/
http://www.infowars.com/obama-health-bill-allows-government-real-time-access-to-bank-accounts/
It would require every insurance plan to cover preventive care. And by the way, I want to acknowledge our first lady, Michelle Obama, who this year is creating a national movement to tackle the epidemic of childhood obesity and make kids healthier.
Thank you, honey.
(APPLAUSE)
She gets embarrassed.
(LAUGHTER)
Our approach would preserve the right of Americans who have insurance to keep their doctor and their plan. It would reduce costs and premiums for millions of families and businesses.
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> Your approach forces Americans to pay taxes to the government if they do not have health insurance.
http://www.heritage.org/Research/HealthCAre/wm2706.cfm
And according to the Congressional Budget Office, the independent organization that both parties have cited as the official scorekeeper for Congress, our approach would bring down the deficit by as much as $1 trillion over the next two decades.
(APPLAUSE)
Still, this is a complex issue. And the longer it was debated, the more skeptical people became. I take my share of the blame for not explaining it more clearly to the American people. And I know that with all the lobbying and horse-trading, this process left most Americans wondering, “What’s in it for me?”
But I also know this problem is not going away. By the time I’m finished speaking tonight, more Americans will have lost their health insurance. Millions will lose it this year. Our deficit will grow. Premiums will go up. Patients will be denied the care they need. Small-business owners will continue to drop coverage altogether.
I will not walk away from these Americans, and neither should the people in this chamber.
(APPLAUSE)
As temperatures cool, I want everyone to take another look at the plan we’ve proposed. There’s a reason why many doctors, nurses and health care experts who know our system best consider this approach a vast improvement over the status quo.
But if anyone from either party has a better approach that will bring down premiums, bring down the deficit, cover the uninsured, strengthen Medicare for seniors, and stop insurance company abuses, let me know.
(APPLAUSE)
Let me know. Let me know.
(APPLAUSE)
I’m eager to see it.
Here’s what I ask Congress, though: Don’t walk away from reform, not now, not when we are so close. Let us find a way to come together and finish the job for the American people. Let’s get it done.
(APPLAUSE)
Let’s get it done.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, even as health care reform would reduce our deficit, it’s not enough to dig us out of a massive fiscal hole in which we find ourselves. It’s a challenge that makes all others that much harder to solve and one that’s been subject to a lot of political posturing.
So let me start the discussion of government spending by setting the record straight. At the beginning of the last decade, the year 2000, America had a budget surplus of over $200 billion.
By — by the time I took office, we had a one-year deficit of over $1 trillion and projected deficits of $8 trillion over the next decade. Most of this was the result of not paying for two wars, two tax cuts, and an expensive prescription drug program.
On top of that, the effects of the recession put a $3 trillion hole in our budget. All this was before I walked in the door.
(LAUGHTER)
Now…
(APPLAUSE)
Now — just stating the facts. Now, if we had taken office in ordinary times, I would have liked nothing more than to start bringing down the deficit. But we took office amid a crisis, and our efforts to prevent a second depression have added another $1 trillion to our national debt. That, too, is a fact.
I’m absolutely convinced that was the right thing to do, but families across the country are tightening their belts and making tough decisions. The federal government should do the same.
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> Stop printing money! Stop spending money! Stop getting us in debt! Stop crazy taxation! Please listen to Ron Paul:
http://www.infowars.com/ron-paul-stimulus-packages-will-turn-recession-into-a-depression/
(APPLAUSE)
So tonight, I’m proposing specific steps to pay for the $1 trillion that it took to rescue the economy last year.
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> Please stop ‘rescuing’ the economy Mr. Obama
http://www.infowars.com/ron-paul-predicts-15-year-depression/
Starting in 2011, we are prepared to freeze government spending for three years. Spending related to our national security, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security will not be affected, but all other discretionary government programs will.
Like any cash-strapped family, we will work within a budget to invest in what we need and sacrifice what we don’t. And if I have to enforce this discipline by veto, I will.
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> Spending freezes are a calling card for countries that are positioning themselves for an IMF bailout. Get ready for the dump of the dollar:
http://www.infowars.com/what-should-we-make-of-obamas-spending-freeze/
(APPLAUSE)
We will continue to go through the budget line by line, page by page, to eliminate programs that we can’t afford and don’t work. We’ve already identified $20 billion in savings for next year.
To help working families, we’ll extend our middle-class tax cuts. But at a time of record deficits, we will not continue tax cuts for oil companies, for investment fund managers, and for those making over $250,000 a year. We just can’t afford it.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, even after paying for what we spent on my watch, we’ll still face the massive deficit we had when I took office. More importantly, the cost of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will continue to skyrocket.
That’s why I’ve called for a bipartisan Fiscal Commission, modeled on a proposal by Republican Judd Gregg and Democrat Kent Conrad.
(APPLAUSE)
This can’t be one of those Washington gimmicks that lets us pretend we solved a problem. The commission will have to provide a specific set of solutions by a certain deadline.
Now, yesterday, the Senate blocked a bill that would have created this commission. So I’ll issue an executive order that will allow us to go forward, because I refuse to pass this problem on to another generation of Americans.
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> The Senate (elected by the people of the United States), blocked a bill, so you will pass an executive order to bypass the legal process? Mr. Obama declares himself a dictator, and continues George Bush’s practice of signing statements, which Mr. Obama decried while on the campain trail:
http://www.infowars.com/pdd-51-new-executive-order-give-obama-dictator-power/
(APPLAUSE)
And when the vote comes tomorrow, the Senate should restore the pay-as-you-go law that was a big reason for why we had record surpluses in the 1990s.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, I know that some in my own party will argue that we can’t address the deficit or freeze government spending when so many are still hurting. And I agree, which is why this freeze won’t take effect until next year, when the economy is stronger. That’s how budgeting works.
(LAUGHTER)
But understand — understand, if we don’t take meaningful steps to rein in our debt, it could damage our markets, increase the cost of borrowing, and jeopardize our recovery, all of which would have an even worse effect on our job growth and family incomes.
From some on the right, I expect we’ll hear a different argument, that if we just make fewer investments in our people, extend tax cuts, including those for the wealthier Americans, eliminate more regulations, maintain the status quo on health care, our deficits will go away.
The problem is, that’s what we did for eight years.
(APPLAUSE)
That’s what helped us into this crisis. It’s what helped lead to these deficits. We can’t do it again.
Rather than fight the same tired battles that have dominated Washington for decades, it’s time to try something new. Let’s invest in our people without leaving them a mountain of debt. Let’s meet our responsibility to the citizens who sent us here. Let’s try common sense, a novel concept.
Now, to do that, we have to recognize that we face more than a deficit of dollars right now. We face a deficit of trust, deep and corrosive doubts about how Washington works that have been growing for years.
To close that credibility gap, we have to take action on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, to end the outsized influence of lobbyists, to do our work openly, to give our people the government they deserve.
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> So you flooded your administration with lobbyists…
http://www.prisonplanet.com/obama-puts-monsanto-lobbyist-in-charge-of-food-safety.html
http://www.infowars.com/obama-breaks-new-rule-for-raytheon-lobbyist/
(APPLAUSE)
That’s what I came to Washington to do. That’s why, for the first time in history, my administration posts our White House visitors online. That’s why we’ve excluded lobbyists from policy-making jobs or seats on federal boards and commissions.
But we can’t stop there. It’s time to require lobbyists to disclose each contact they make on behalf of a client with my administration or with Congress. It’s time to put strict limits on the contributions that lobbyists give to candidates for federal office.
With all due deference to separation of powers, last week, the Supreme Court reversed a century of law that I believe will open the floodgates for special interests, including foreign corporations, to spend without limit in our elections.
(APPLAUSE)
I don’t think American elections should be bankrolled by America’s most powerful interests or, worse, by foreign entities. They should be decided by the American people. And I urge Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps correct some of these problems.
I’m also calling on Congress to continue down the path of earmark reform, Democrats and Republicans.
(APPLAUSE)
Democrats and Republicans, you’ve trimmed some of this spending. You’ve embraced some meaningful change, but restoring the public trust demands more. For example, some members of Congress post some earmark requests online.
(APPLAUSE)
Tonight, I’m calling on Congress to publish all earmark requests on a single Web site before there’s a vote so that the American people can see how their money is being spent.
(APPLAUSE)
Of course, none of these reforms will even happen if we don’t also reform how we work with one another. Now, I’m not naive. I never thought that the mere fact of my election would usher in peace and harmony and some post-partisan era.
I knew that both parties have fed divisions that are deeply entrenched. And on some issues, there are simply philosophical differences that will always cause us to part ways. These disagreements, about the role of government in our lives, about our national priorities and our national security, they’ve been taking place for over 200 years. They’re the very essence of our democracy.
But what frustrates the American people is a Washington where every day is Election Day. We can’t wage a perpetual campaign where the only goal is to see who can get the most embarrassing headlines about the other side, a belief that if you lose, I win. Neither party should delay or obstruct every single bill just because they can.
The confirmation of…
(APPLAUSE)
I’m speaking of both parties now. The confirmation of well-qualified public servants shouldn’t be held hostage to the pet projects or grudges of a few individual senators.
(APPLAUSE)
Washington may think that saying anything about the other side, no matter how false, no matter how malicious, is just part of the game. But it’s precisely such politics that has stopped either party from helping the American people. Worse yet — worse yet, it’s sowing further division among our citizens, further distrust in our government.
So, no, I will not give up on trying to change the tone of our politics. I know it’s an election year. And after last week, it’s clear that campaign fever has come even earlier than usual. But we still need to govern.
To Democrats, I would remind you that we still have the largest majority in decades and the people expect us to solve problems, not run for the hills.
(APPLAUSE)
And if the Republican leadership is going to insist that 60 votes in the Senate are required to do any business at all in this town, a supermajority, then the responsibility to govern is now yours, as well. Just saying no to everything may be good short-term politics, but it’s not leadership. We were sent here to serve our citizens, not our ambitions.
(APPLAUSE)
So let’s show the American people that we can do it together.
(APPLAUSE)
This week — this week, I’ll be addressing a meeting of the House Republicans. I’d like to begin monthly meetings with both Democratic and Republican leadership. I know you can’t wait.
(LAUGHTER)
Now, throughout our history, no issue has united this country more than our security. Sadly, some of the unity we felt after 9/11 has dissipated. And we can argue all we want about who’s to blame for this, but I’m not interested in re-litigating the past.
I know that all of us love this country. All of us are committed to its defense. So let’s put aside the schoolyard taunts about who’s tough. Let’s reject the false choice between protecting our people and upholding our values. Let’s leave behind the fear and division and do what it takes to defend our nation and forge a more hopeful future, for America and for the world.
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> So, in other words, turn a blind eye to the dismantling of the constitution in favor of ‘national security.’ Freedom = Slavery. And don’t bother me with all this 9/11 ‘re-litigating’ stuff.
http://www.rumormillnews.com/cgi-bin/archive.cgi?noframes;read=158975
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W9Xq_rJcZg
(APPLAUSE)
That’s the work we began last year. Since the day I took office, we renewed our focus on the terrorists who threaten our nation. We’ve made substantial investments in our homeland security and disrupted plots that threatened to take American lives.
We are filling unacceptable gaps revealed by the failed Christmas attack with better airline security and swifter action on our intelligence. We’ve prohibited torture and strengthened partnerships from the Pacific to South Asia to the Arabian Peninsula.
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> Obama’s ‘disbanding of Guantanamo Bay’ contains provisions for torture in foreign countries.
And in the last year, hundreds of Al Qaeda’s fighters and affiliates, including many senior leaders, have been captured or killed, far more than in 2008.
And in Afghanistan, we’re increasing our troops and training Afghan security forces so they can begin to take the lead in July of 2011 and our troops can begin to come home.
(APPLAUSE)
We will reward good governance, work to reduce corruption, and support the rights of all Afghans, men and women alike. We’re joined by allies and partners who have increased their own commitment and who’ll come together tomorrow in London to reaffirm our common purpose. There will be difficult days ahead, but I am absolutely confident we will succeed.
As we take the fight to Al Qaeda, we are responsibly leaving Iraq to its people. As a candidate, I promised that I would end this war, and that is what I am doing as president.
We will have all of our combat troops out of Iraq by the end of this August.
(APPLAUSE)
We will support — we will support the Iraqi government — we will support the Iraqi government as they hold elections, and we will continue to partner with the Iraqi people to promote regional peace and prosperity.
But make no mistake: This war is ending, and all of our troops are coming home.
(APPLAUSE)
Tonight, all of our men and women in uniform — in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and around the world — they have to know that we — that they have our respect, our gratitude, our full support. And just as they must have the resources they need in war, we all have a responsibility to support them when they come home.
(APPLAUSE)
That’s why we made the largest increase in investments for veterans in decades last year.
(APPLAUSE)
That’s why we’re building a 21st-century [Veterans Affairs]. And that’s why Michelle has joined with Jill Biden to forge a national commitment to support military families.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, even as we prosecute two wars, we’re also confronting perhaps the greatest danger to the American people, the threat of nuclear weapons. I’ve embraced the vision of John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan through a strategy that reverses the spread of these weapons and seeks a world without them.
To reduce our stockpiles and launchers, while ensuring our deterrent, the United States and Russia are completing negotiations on the farthest-reaching arms control treaty in nearly two decades.
(APPLAUSE)
And at April’s Nuclear Security Summit, we will bring 44 nations together here in Washington, D.C., behind a clear goal: securing all vulnerable nuclear materials around the world in four years so that they never fall into the hands of terrorists.
(APPLAUSE)
Now, these diplomatic efforts have also strengthened our hand in dealing with those nations that insist on violating international agreements in pursuit of nuclear weapons. That’s why North Korea now faces increased isolation and stronger sanctions, sanctions that are being vigorously enforced.
That’s why the international community is more united and the Islamic Republic of Iran is more isolated. And as Iran’s leaders continue to ignore their obligations, there should be no doubt: They, too, will face growing consequences. That is a promise.
(APPLAUSE)
That’s the leadership we are providing: engagement that advances the common security and prosperity of all people. We’re working through the G-20 to sustain a lasting global recovery. We’re working with Muslim communities around the world to promote science and education and innovation.
We have gone from a bystander to a leader in the fight against climate change. We’re helping developing countries to feed themselves and continuing the fight against HIV/AIDS.
And we are launching a new initiative that will give us the capacity to respond faster and more effectively to bioterrorism or an infectious disease, a plan that will counter threats at home and strengthen public health abroad.
As we have for over 60 years, America takes these actions because our destiny is connected to those beyond our shores. But we also do it because it is right.
That’s why, as we meet here tonight, over 10,000 Americans are working with many nations to help the people of Haiti recover and rebuild.
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK>
Haiti is being forcibly occupied by the armies of the UN and US, and they don’t seem to care much about the natives…
http://www.infowars.com/blue-helmets-pepper-spray-hungry-haitians/
http://www.infowars.com/un-troops-fire-on-starving-haitians/
http://www.infowars.com/cia-flying-drone-over-haiti/
http://www.infowars.com/whats-really-going-on-in-haiti/
(APPLAUSE)
That’s why we stand with the girl who yearns to go to school in Afghanistan, why we support the human rights of the women marching through the streets of Iran, why we advocate for the young man denied a job by corruption in Guinea, for America must always stand on the side of freedom and human dignity, always.
(APPLAUSE)
Abroad, America’s greatest source of strength has always been our ideals. The same is true at home. We find unity in our incredible diversity, drawing on the promise enshrined in our Constitution, the notion that we’re all created equal, that no matter who you are or what you look like, if you abide by the law, you should be protected by it, if you adhere to our common values, you should be treated no different than anyone else.
We must continually renew this promise. My administration has a Civil Rights Division that is once again prosecuting civil rights violations and employment discrimination. We finally strengthened…
(APPLAUSE)
We finally strengthened our laws to protect against crimes driven by hate.
(APPLAUSE)
This year — this year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. It’s the right thing to do.
(APPLAUSE)
We’re going to crack down on violations of equal pay laws, so that women get equal pay for an equal day’s work.
(APPLAUSE)
And we should continue the work of fixing our broken immigration system, to secure our borders, and enforce our laws, and ensure that everyone who plays by the rules can contribute to our economy and enrich our nations.
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK> Does furthering the North American Union help to enforce or dismantle our borders?
http://www.infowars.com/obama-north-america-union-needs-aggressive-action/
http://www.prisonplanet.com/obama-to-attend-north-american-union-meeting.html
(APPLAUSE)
In the end, it’s our ideals, our values that built America, values that allowed us to forge a nation made up of immigrants from every corner of the globe, values that drive our citizens still.
Every day, Americans meet their responsibilities to their families and their employers. Time and again, they lend a hand to their neighbors and give back to their country. They take pride in their labor and are generous in spirit.
These aren’t Republican values or Democratic values that they’re living by, business values or labor values. They’re American values.
Unfortunately, too many of our citizens have lost faith that our biggest institutions — our corporations, our media, and, yes, our government — still reflect these same values.
Each of these institutions are full of honorable men and women doing important work that helps our country prosper. But each time a CEO rewards himself for failure or a banker puts the rest of us at risk for his own selfish gain, people’s doubts grow. Each time lobbyists game the system or politicians tear each other down instead of lifting this country up, we lose faith.
The more that TV pundits reduce serious debates to silly arguments, big issues into sound bites, our citizens turn away.
No wonder there’s so much cynicism out there. No wonder there’s so much disappointment.
I campaigned on the promise of change, change we can believe in, the slogan went. And right now, I know there are many Americans who aren’t sure if they still believe we can change, or that I can deliver it.
But remember this: I never suggested that change would be easy or that I could do it alone. Democracy in a nation of 300 million people can be noisy and messy and complicated. And when you try to do big things and make big changes, it stirs passions and controversy. That’s just how it is.
Those of us in public office can respond to this reality by playing it safe and avoid telling hard truths and pointing fingers. We can do what’s necessary to keep our poll numbers high and get through the next election instead of doing what’s best for the next generation.
But I also know this: If people had made that decision 50 years ago or 100 years ago or 200 years ago, we wouldn’t be here tonight. The only reason we are here is because generations of Americans were unafraid to do what was hard, to do what was needed even when success was uncertain, to do what it took to keep the dream of this nation alive for their children and their grandchildren.
Our administration has had some political setbacks this year, and some of them were deserved. But I wake up every day knowing that they are nothing compared to the setbacks that families all across this country have faced this year.
And what keeps me going, what keeps me fighting, is that despite all these setbacks, that spirit of determination and optimism, that fundamental decency that has always been at the core of the American people, that lives on.
It lives on in the struggling small-business owner who wrote to me of his company, “None of us,” he said, “are willing to consider, even slightly, that we might fail.”
It lives on in the woman who said that, even though she and her neighbors have felt the pain of recession, “We are strong, we are resilient, we are American.”
It lives on in the 8-year-old boy in Louisiana who just sent me his allowance and asked if I would give it to the people of Haiti.
And it lives on in all the Americans who’ve dropped everything to go someplace they’ve never been and pull people they’ve never known from the rubble, prompting chants of “USA! USA! USA!” when another life was saved.
The spirit that has sustained this nation for more than two centuries lives on in you, its people.
We have finished a difficult year. We have come through a difficult decade. But a new year has come. A new decade stretches before us.
We don’t quit. I don’t quit. Let’s seize this moment, to start anew, to carry the dream forward, and to strengthen our union once more.
(APPLAUSE)
<INFOWARS REALITY CHECK>
‘So This Is How Liberty Dies…With Thunderous Applause’
-Padme Amidala, Star Wars, Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith
Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.
Research related links
- Obama State of the Union Defers to Popular TV Show
- Georgia: A Reality Check for the Left
- Why You Shouldn’t Spend that ‘Stimulus’ Check
- Zombie Government Reality Check
- Obama to Pitch Middle Class Tax Cuts Ahead of State of the Union
- Bank Requires Fingerprint to Cash Check
- Obama Forced To Address Climate Skepticism In Bad Tempered Tantrum
- Oklahoma Senator calls President Obama’s Address to the Nation’s School Children ‘one step too far’
- Obama Promises to Spend Billions to Address Bogus H1N1 Pandemic
- Obama To Attend North American Union Meeting
- Bush’s State of the Union: Mandate for Iran Attack
- Obama: North America Union needs ‘aggressive action’
Obama: The People Do Not Understand
Walter Scott Hudson
Figthin’ Words
January 28, 2010
Skimming the State of the Union address from last night, these tidbits stood out:
This recession has also compounded the burdens that America’s families have been dealing with for decades, the burden of working harder and longer for less, of being unable to save enough to retire or help kids with college.
…
For these Americans and so many others, change has not come fast enough. Some are frustrated; some are angry. They don’t understand why it seems like bad behavior on Wall Street is rewarded, but hard work on Main Street isn’t, or why Washington has been unable or unwilling to solve any of our problems.
Actually, many people are angry because they do understand why Wall Street gets bailed out while Main Street is bowled over. Many people are angry because they do understand why they work harder and longer for less. Many people have woken up to the hidden tax of inflation perpetuated by the Federal Reserve System and enabled by Congress. Many people are wise to the good cop / bad cop routine bankers and politicians have played with the purchasing power of their dollar. Many people get that printing fiat currency ad infinitum and racking up the national debt is unsustainable and tantamount to a regressive tax against the poor and middle class. Many people understand, as President Ronald Reagan famously said, “Government is not the solution to our problem. Government is the problem.”
—
Tomorrow, I’ll visit Tampa, Florida, where workers will soon break ground on a new high-speed railroad funded by the Recovery Act. There are projects like that all across this country that will create jobs and help move our nation’s goods, services and information.
- A d v e r t i s e m e n t
Fortunately, many people understand such job-creation is illusory. Who is left to cover the cost of maintenance once these projects are complete? Where will these jobs go after completion? By touting this “accomplishment,” President Obama counts on people not differentiating production from subsidization and not understanding the fact they pay for the Recovery Act with the reduced purchasing power of their dollar.
—
[Healthcare] is a complex issue. And the longer it was debated, the more skeptical people became. I take my share of the blame for not explaining it more clearly to the American people. And I know that with all the lobbying and horse-trading, this process left most Americans wondering, “What’s in it for me?”
This is an amazingly arrogant sentiment. Obama here presumes the only reason people are skeptical of his proposed health care reform is because they do not understand it. Aside from demeaning the intellectual capacity of the electorate, Obama’s presumption precludes the possibility people do understand his proposed reform and simply disagree with it on principle. Equally disturbing is his implication Americans only care “what’s in it for them,” precluding the possibility people are concerned how expanding their own entitlement might result in effects beyond today and themselves. Does it not stand to reason, if Americans were truly fixated on narrow self interest, they would overwhelmingly support their own entitlement? Does it not stand to reason opposition to such entitlement reflects concern over long-term sustainability?
Put another way, Obama’s sentiment might read, “I know it’s hard for you folks to comprehend, but I’m trying to take care of you.” Such an attitude is unbecoming a public servant. The burden is not on President Obama to explain his plan, and on We the People to listen, but on him to listen to us.
Research related links
- Ron Paul: Clinton ‘doesn’t understand the presidency’
- Obama Prepares to Loot Social Security, Medicare
- The people vs Wall Street
- Robert Reich On Health Care: Old People Have to Die
- More Young People Lining Up for Government Jobs
- Obama Paving Way for Health Care Rationing, Say Budget Committee Republicans
- Obama Unveils Proposal on Bank Taxes
- Who is to Blame for the Tent People?
- Populist Rage at Government
- Open Carry N.H. Patriot Mentioned in Obama Death Threat Story
- White House Asks People to Spy on Health Care Dissidents
- Obama Breaks Promise, Embraces Healthcare Tax
URL to article: http://www.infowars.com/obama-the-people-do-not-understand/
Obama’s top CZAR wants to ban CONSPIRACY THEORIST & THEORIES
http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=121884
watch the full show at
http://www.jessewoodrow.com
John Yoo: Obama Is A Continuation Of Bush On Executive Powers
Sam Stein
Huffington Post
January 31, 2009
- A d v e r t i s e m e n t
In his new book, former Bush administration attorney and infamous torture memo collaborator John Yoo favorably argues that President Barack Obama is wielding executive powers in the same manner as his White House predecessor.
Titled “Crisis and Command,” Yoo’s 500-plus-page work looks at the evolution of presidential powers from Washington to Bush, but with an afterword added for the current White House occupant. Few people have theorized as much about the limits of the powers granted to the presidency under the constitution (though, in Yoo’s case, much of that theorizing went into figuring out how to stretch or defy those limits). And, in his writing, the current U.C. Berkeley law professor insists that Obama has — due to the challenges of elected office — shunned the anti-Bush posture he struck as a presidential candidate.
“President Obama has come to have more in common with the ends of the Bush administration’s terrorism policies than did Candidate Obama,” Yoo writes. “It should be clear, further, that this would not be possible were it not for a broad view of presidential power.”
Research related links
- Clinton Outlines Continuation of Bush Policies Under Obama at CFR
- Bush Claims Executive Privilege on Subpoenas
- Constitutional Scholar: Bush Claims More Powers Than King George III
- Bush SEC Holdovers Cite Executive Privilege, Refuse to Answer Questions at Madoff Hearing
- Bush plans to host world powers at economic summit
- Obama Orders Continuation Of Illegal CIA Renditions
- Obama says legal team will review executive orders that ‘trample on liberty’
- Dozens of secret Bush surveillance, executive power memos found
- George Bush Calls Clinton “Brother,” Babs Bush Calls Him “Son”
- McCain Tells Obama to Issue Executive Order to Block Torture Photos
- Obama Pardons Bush
- Kristol: Bush might attack Iran if he thinks Obama will win
Under ObamaCare, Prepare To Wait 18 Months To See A Doctor
Paul Joseph Watson
Prison Planet.com
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Eye surgeon and senatorial candidate Rand Paul warns that under ObamaCare, Americans could be forced to wait a year and a half merely to see a doctor due to Canadian-style rationing of health care being imposed.
As an eye surgeon with his own private practice, Paul warned that senior citizens could be forced to endure debilitating conditions as a result of health care rationing under the system being readied for passage, and be forced to wait as long as 18 months just to see a doctor as happens in Canada and Britain.
“There are 1 million people waiting for any kind of elective surgery in Canada at any one time,” he told Newsmax.TV’s Ashley Martella.
“Canada’s so bad that they have a lottery, there are some little towns that have one family doctor, they do a lottery and you can sometimes wait a year and a half to see the doctor,” said Paul. “I have friends who are eye surgeons in Canada, they’ve finished their surgery by September, they’re allotment, they’re given a number of surgeries they can do, when they’re finished in September some of them come to the U.S. and do elective cosmetic eye surgery in the U.S. because they’re not allowed to operate any more in Canada.”
In his article, There’s No Such Thing as Free Health Care, Journalist John Stossel highlights how even people with life-threatening conditions are told to wait. A woman with a blocked artery that prevented her from digesting food was told by doctors in British Columbia that she had only weeks to live, but that the surgery was still “elective.”
“The only thing elective about this surgery was I elected to live,” said the woman, who traveled to the United States to receive treatment.
It’s true that America’s partly profit-driven, partly bureaucratic system is expensive, and sometimes wasteful, but the pursuit of profit reduces waste and costs and gives the world the improvements in medicine that ease pain and save lives.
“[America] is the country of medical innovation. This is where people come when they need treatment,” Dr. Gratzer says.
“Literally we’re surrounded by medical miracles. Death by cardiovascular disease has dropped by two-thirds in the last 50 years. You’ve got to pay a price for that type of advancement.”
Canada and England don’t pay the price because they freeload off American innovation. If America adopted their systems, we could worry less about paying for health care, but we’d get 2009-level care—forever. Government monopolies don’t innovate. Profit seekers do.
On this note, Paul stressed that problems in health care were created by too much government interference, and that the only way to fix the system was to increase competition, not restrict it.
The Republican candidate for Senate highlighted FEMA’s botched efforts to distribute water bottles at the superdome after Hurricane Katrina as an example of the failings of government-run health care.
“They can’t even distribute water, there’s no way they can distribute health care,” said Paul.
The Senatorial candidate also said that with 46 million new people on government assistance, the new system could bankrupt medicare and lead to rationing for everyone. Doctors who have already tolerated shrinking wages for the last fifteen years would also leave the U.S. warned Paul, creating a vacuum.
“It’s intellectually dishonest for Democrats to say it’s going to cost $874 billion, but it’s really not going to add anything to the deficit. I don’t think the American public believes that,” added Paul.
Paul pointed out that the longer the debate raged about health care, the more people opposed the government’s proposals, emphasizing why the Obama administration is hell-bent on ramming through the legislation later this week on Christmas Eve.
Watch the video below.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid14599856001?bctid=57943911001
URL to article: http://www.infowars.com/under-obamacare-prepare-to-wait-18-months-to-see-a-doctor/
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