"Voting's the Best Revenge"

"...voting's the best revenge..."  

--Barack Hussein Obama, 2 November 2012

Link to video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShdiYQ1EHvA&feature=player_embedded

"Revenge" by Bosch Fawstin (http://fawstin.blogspot.ca/2012/11/hope-revenge.html)

Pravda: Re-elect Obama

An article from the Russian flagship propaganda publication "Pravda" is telling the American people that we would be stupid not to re-elect Obama.  If that's what Russia is telling us, and judging from Obama's past Marxist mentors (Frank Marshal Davis and Alice Palmer, to name two), who do you think we should vote for?

Constantine

http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/21-10-2012/122517-usa_decision-0/

USA: Big decision time

21.10.2012

There are times when an election is simply a choice between two parties, more or less the same, slightly left or right of centre; there are times when an election is a waste of time and it doesn't make a difference which way you vote; there are times when it is up to each and every individual to make their vote count and 2012 is one of those years.

There are those who somehow manage to get their articles printed in reputable international newspapers, claiming that a vote for Obama is a vote for "murder" or "destroying America" or "lack of freedom" [...]

[...] The "birthers" claimed that President Obama was not eligible to stand for office, despite the fact that he would have been vetted by everyone, by every newspaper and journalist, from the day they announced he was a candidate.

These same people support Mitt Romney. Who? You know, the gaffe guy, the one who opens his mouth and insults people, or accuses them of things they never did. In short, a foul-mouthed oaf, a wannabe President with no credentials beyond the Governorship level.

Peter Principle and the US elections 

Dr. Laurence Johnston Peter (1919-1990) wrote The Peter Principle in 1969, collaborating with Raymond Hull, in which he formulated the Peter Principle, namely: "in a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence." Applying this to US politics, Barack Obama has risen to the top of the political pile and he has done so competently.

Mitt Romney, without this competence, without Barack Obama's skills, wants to be there, and so do those ousted elements from the Bush regime dying to get back in. [...]

Governor Romney's position in the Peter Principle is...Governor Romney. Not President Romney. Everyone knows it, the Obama freeze in debate number one gave rise to some flights of fantasy (OK Barack Obama is better at being President than debating maybe, and so?)...and so we can conclude that he is better at handling the extremely difficult conditions bequeathed to him by the Republican Bush regime than at making an idiot of himself in televised debates getting everything wrong, as Mitt the Twit does.

Time for Responsibility

The American people are famous for a lot of things, infamous for a lot of others. [...]

The American people may be a lot of things, and being so many and with so many ethnic origins, thankfully they are, but collectively, stupid they are not.

They know how to weigh up what President Obama has done, in the face of dreadful economic problems inherited from the Republican Bush regime and they know very well that they do not want to go back there again.

See, Romney can promise the Earth, but remember Bush Senior's "Read my lips", "No more taxes"?

Right, same old, same old Grand Old Party. The same Grand Old Party which just four years ago had the United States of America synonymous with sodomy, illegal detention, rape, urination in food, sleep deprivation, murder, torture, water-boarding, concentration camps...

And on a more serious note, would YOU trust a guy who has never had a glass of beer in his life? Or says he hasn't...

Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey

Pravda.Ru

Forward No More…..

By: J Robert Giles

“Leadership is about taking responsibility, not making excuses.”  - Mitt Romney

Isn’t it amazing how often the Obama Administration / Campaign tells us to ignore something as soon as the public starts to question their stance? Are you as sick of it as I am? Isn’t it mystifying how often Obama does something “heroic” in the hours prior to a potential ass-whooping?

This week, ahead of tonight’s debate, we’re being told that the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi is only an issue because Mitt Romney is making it one. Seriously, that’s the line being taken by the President of the United States. How many of you would have gotten away with such foolishness with your parents when you were kids? How many of you would have been permitted to stand there, look your father in the eye, and spew such nonsense?

Imagine if you and your friends had burned down a significant portion of the woods behind your family homes when you decided it would be a wise idea to light firecrackers in the hollowed trunk of a dead tree. (Again…..I’m sorry, Mom!) Imagine if you had come up with some story that blamed someone other than yourself and upon being caught in your lie, you claim that the fire is only an issue because the people you blamed are making it one. I believe my parents would have spent several nights crafting a sadistically creative and life-changing punishment for me!

That’s exactly what Barack Obama is doing right now. It’s been over a month since the attacks and just this week, in the days and hours preceding a debate in which a defeat would most likely leave him in need of a new home, Obama says he is “considering” sending in Special Forces to retaliate. Take a look at the facts for a few minutes. The timeline of events, as given under sworn Congressional testimony, simply doesn’t satisfy Obama’s claims.

In April of 2011, Christopher Stevens arrived in Benghazi. His mission was simple in its underlying theory but more difficult than anyone in the administration would admit in its implementation. Stevens was sent there to forge alliances with the rebel forces battling Ghadafi. Those forces won and as we all know, Ghadafi was removed from power after 40 years of rule. A “Commander” in Chief would have understood the dangers such an event would pose to a US Ambassador in the region. A “Commander” in Chief would have secured his assets against inevitable threats. Unfortunately, we have a “Campaigner” in Chief.

In March of 2012, Eric Nordstrom, the State Department Regional Security Officer sent a cable to his superiors in Washington. In this cable, Nordstrom requested additional diplomatic security forces in Benghazi. He received NO response. In July, he repeated his actions and received the same result. First, those who say “well, why didn’t he try another method of communication” have never worked within the strict yet necessary confines of an established chain of command. Why would Nordstrom lie? What would he have to gain by speaking out against his superiors? He’s risking his career by speaking out. What is Obama risking if Nordstrom’s version is the truth? He’s risking his Presidency. Now I ask you. Who has more motive to lie? Who has more history of creating scenarios which later turn out to be “seasonally adjusted?”

On April 6, 2012 two Libyan guards who had recently been fired threw an improvised explosive device (IED) over the fence of the consulate. That’s just six months prior to the attack on 9/11. Again, a bomb was thrown over the fence of the consulate and no additional security was provided. Two requests sent, that we know of, yet no additional security provided.

On May 22, 2012 a Facebook post by Islamic extremists in the region states “now we are preparing a message for the Americans.” The message is posted just hours after an attack on the Red Cross facility in Benghazi.

On June 6^th, a hole is blown in the north gate of the embassy compound. The damage is ominously described by a witness as being “big enough for forty men to run through.” No arrests, no additional security. Later in the month, another Facebook post by increasingly bold Islamic extremists outlines the daily travel routine of US Ambassador Christopher Stevens. He was being watched and the ones performing the surveillance were so emboldened that they posted their research online. Their “street cred” was propelled, our reputation was weakened, and no additional security was provided.

Now, all of this has happened and guess what happened in July…..the stupid video everyone on the left seems to believe was the root cause of all the “bumps in the road” was posted to YouTube. That’s right. A bomb thrown over the fence. An explosion rips a gaping ENTRY into the north wall of OUR embassy. Surveillance of OUR Ambassador is brazenly posted online and all of this occurred prior to the release of the apology generating film.

On August 14^th, State Security Team led by Lieutenant Colonel Andy Wood is ordered out of Benghazi. According to sworn testimony, Ambassador Stevens begged Wood to stay. He was fearful. He felt as if he was living on “borrowed time.”Not only was no additional security provided; but the little bit that was already in place was reduced. Interestingly, Hazard Pay to those working in the region was increased. Why would they have increased hazard pay if there was no threat? Why would the State Department have acknowledged an increased level of hazard in paychecks but not in protection?

On September 8, 2012, the Libyan militia tasked with protecting the consulate warns that the security situation is “frightening.” Family members reportedly warned them of imminent attacks. No fewer than 48 hours notice given, yet nothing was done to secure the facility, the personnel, or the highly sensitive information and files kept inside the consulate. The warnings did not fit the narrative and were immediately dismissed. Any other description or account is simply false.

On September 10, 2012, al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri calls on Islamic Libyans to avenge the death of his Libyan Deputy, Abu Yahya al Libi who was killed in Pakistan in June by a US drone strike. The day before the anniversary of al Qaeda’s biggest victory over the United States a threat of this nature is made and yet we are told that there was “no actionable intelligence” to suggest that an attack was forthcoming.

HEY, UNDECIDED VOTER…..ARE YOU AS STUPID AS THEY THINK YOU ARE?

On September 11^th, after protesters in Cairo storm the embassy and replace the United States flag with the colors of al Qaeda, Mitt Romney released a response to the Obama Administration’s apology. In a quickly retracted statement, Clinton stated that the attack in Libya was the result of “inflammatory material posted on the internet.” Mitt Romney was right, folks. Now he’s being condemned for saying then what the administration is saying today.

He was right and it goes against the narrative we have all been spoon fed over the last four years. Obama has led us to believe that the spread of democracy in countries where dictators and extremist rule have been removed is spreading to adoring citizens who praise the efforts of His Barackness…..the great uniter. The fact is that Barack Obama did nothing more than set up a couple of campaign talking points in the middle east.

The United States is no stronger today than we were under Jimmy Carter. The comparisons are undeniable and the response of this administration is more political staging. They blame Romney for politicizing their mistakes as if Romney is not allowed to do so. Did they think he would just lie down and give them another four years?

Questions are going to have to be answered. For four years, Barack Hussein Obama has controlled the narrative. He has controlled the audiences to which he pitches his nonsense and he has controlled the questions that were asked of him. No more. That stops now because quite frankly, the teleprompter dependant buffoon owes it to the country he has failed to lead.

Obama’s entire Presidency has been centered on winning another one. His actions have all been aimed at future speeches in which he could take unearned credit for actions that either weren’t his idea or simply didn’t happen in the manner described. Labor numbers are consistently “erroneous.” (Last week, the day of the VP debate, labor dropped below 8% for the first time in Obama’s presidency. The next day, we learned they forgot to include unemployment numbers for CALIFORNIA!!! Does anyone believe that was a coincidence?)

No matter what is said in the debate tonight; no matter what the polls may say tomorrow…..Obama is simply not the leader this country needs. Forced control is not the same thing as leadership. Avoiding tough questions and criticism is not the same thing as strength. Popularity is not the same thing as success. Charm and celebrity friendships are not the same thing as “presidential.” A loyal media is not the same thing as freedom. 23 million people out of work is not the same thing as recovery. Weakened global reputation is not the same thing as progress.

The charm and promises fooled you in 2008. This time, there is a substantial record of failure to consider before casting your vote. There is a record of dishonesty that must be factored into voting decisions and that record falls entirely on the shoulders of the man with the little (D).

Don’t be controlled. There’s a reason it’s becoming popular to jump off the Obama ship. It’s sinking, folks! Obama, with a smug smile sprawled across his face, is literally praying that you are as dumb as he needs you to be. Resist. Educate. VOTE!!

As always, thanks for playing!

J Robert Giles

FOR OUR COUNTRY

By Findalis
Monkey in the Middle


Stolen From Texas Fred

Sent to Texas Fred (One of the finest patriots I have the pleasure to know.) this scared me.  It should scare you into action.  Feel free to pass it on.

***********************************************************************************
From: John Porter
To: Americans everywhere

I was sitting at my keyboard halfway through my writing a letter to you about how Barack Obama was fulfilling his pledge to “Transform America” by “Changing the fundamentals of America”, so that our government would become the plantation, he the owner, and we the slaves, when this article by Steve McCann appeared in my in box. After checking it for accuracy, and finding it so, I put my writing on hold and here present it to you, for I could not say it better.

…Is it already too late?

Obama’s Second Term Transformation Plans

The 2012 election has often been described as the most pivotal since 1860. This statement is not hyperbole. If Barack Obama is re-elected the United States will never be the same, nor will it be able to re-capture its once lofty status as the most dominant nation in the history of mankind.

The overwhelming majority of Americans do not understand that Obama’s first term was dedicated to putting in place executive power to enable him and the administration to fulfill the campaign promise of “transforming America ” in his second term regardless of which political party controls Congress. That is why his re-election team is virtually ignoring the plight of incumbent or prospective Democratic Party office holders.

The most significant accomplishment of Obama’s first term is to make Congress irrelevant. Under the myopic and blindly loyal leadership of Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, the Democrats have succeeded in creating an imperial and, in a second term, a potential dictatorial presidency.

During the first two years of the Obama administration when the Democrats overwhelmingly controlled both Houses of Congress and the media was in an Obama-worshiping stupor, a myriad of laws were passed and actions taken which transferred virtually unlimited power to the executive branch.

The birth of multi-thousand page laws was not an aberration. This tactic was adopted so the bureaucracy controlled by Obama appointees would have sole discretion in interpreting vaguely written laws and enforcing thousands of pages of regulations they and not Congress would subsequently write.

For example, in the 2,700 pages of ObamaCare there are more than 2,500 references to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. There are more than 700 instances when he or she is instructed that they “shall” do something and more than 200 times when they “may” take at their sole discretion some form of regulatory action. On 139 occasions, the law mentions that the “Secretary determines.” In essence one person, appointed by and reporting to the president, will be in charge of the health care of 310 million Americans once ObamaCare is fully operational in 2014.

The same is true in the 2,319 pages of the Dodd-Frank Financial Reform Act which confers nearly unlimited power on various agencies to control by fiat the nation’s financial, banking and investment sectors. The bill also creates new agencies, such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, not subject to any oversight by Congress. This overall process was repeated numerous times with other legislation all with the intent of granting unfettered power to the executive branch controlled Barack Obama and his radical associates.

Additionally, the Obama administration has, through its unilaterally determined rule making and regulatory powers, created laws out of whole cloth. The Environmental Protection Agency on a near daily basis issues new regulations clearly out of their purview in order to modify and change environmental laws previously passed and to impose a radical green agenda never approved by Congress. The same is true of the Energy and Interior Departments among many others.

None of these extra-constitutional actions have been challenged by Congress. The left in America knows this usurpation of power is nearly impossible to reverse unless stopped in its early stages.

It is clearly the mindset of this administration and its appointees that Congress is merely a nuisance and can be ignored after they were able to take full advantage of the useful idiots in the Democrat controlled House and Senate in 2009-2010 and the Democrat Senate in the current Congress.

Additionally, Barack Obama knows after his re-election a Republican controlled House and Senate will not be able to enact any legislation to roll back the power previously granted to the Executive Branch or usurped by them. His veto will not be overridden as there will always be at least 145 Democratic members of the House or 34 in the Senate in agreement with or intimidated by an administration more than willing to use Chicago- style political tactics.

The stalemate between the Executive and Legislative Branches will inure to the benefit of Barack Obama and his fellow leftists.

The most significant power Congress has is the control of the purse-strings as all spending must be approved by them. However, once re-elected, Barack Obama, as confirmed by his willingness to do or say anything and his unscrupulous re-election tactics, would not only threaten government shutdowns but would deliberately withhold payments to those dependent on government support as a means of intimidating and forcing a Republican controlled Congress to surrender to his demands, thus neutering their ability to control the administration through spending constraints.

Further, this administration has shown contempt for the courts by ignoring various court orders, e.g., the Gulf of Mexico oil drilling moratorium, as well as stonewalling subpoenas and requests issued by Congress. The Eric Holder Justice Department (DoJ) has become the epitome of corruption as part of the most dishonest and deceitful administration in American history. In a second term the arrogance of Barack Obama and his minions will become more blatant as he will not have to be concerned with re-election.

Who will be there to enforce the rule of law, a Supreme Court ruling or the Constitution? No one. Barack Obama and his fellow-travelers will be unchallenged as they run roughshod over the American people.

Many Republicans and conservatives dissatisfied with the prospect of Mitt Romney as the nominee for president are instead focused on re-taking the House and Senate. That goal, while worthy and necessary, is meaningless unless Barack Obama is defeated. The nation is not dealing with a person of character and integrity but someone of single-minded purpose and overwhelming narcissism. Judging by his actions, words and deeds during his first term, he does not intend to work with Congress either Republican or Democrat in his second term, but rather to force his radical agenda on the American people through the power he has usurped or been granted.

The governmental structure of the United States was set up by the Founders in the hope that over the years only those people of high moral character and integrity would assume the reins of power. However, knowing that was not always possible, they dispersed power over three distinct and independent branches as a check on each other.

What they could not imagine is the surrender and abdication of its constitutional duty by the preeminent governmental branch, the Congress, to a chief executive devoid of any character or integrity coupled with a judiciary essentially powerless to enforce the law when the chief executive ignores them.

Conservatives, Libertarians, the Republican Party and Mitt Romney must come to grips with this moment in time and their historical role in denying Barack Obama and his minions their ultimate goal. All resources must be directed at that end-game and not merely controlling Congress and the various committee chairmanships

*************************************************************************************

This election is too important to ignore, to be complacent, to "forget" to vote.  We need everyone to go out to the polls.  If you know of a person who needs a ride to the polls, give it to him or her.

Feel free to "Steal" this from me.  Pass this warning along.

Why Mitt Romney Is Unlikable

By Findalis

This just in from my friend Poppy who lives inside a tower (She and her hubby owns.) in Scotland.

A lot is being said in the media about Mitt Romney not being "likable" or that he doesn't "relate well" to people.  Frankly, we struggled to understand why.  So after much research, we have come up with a Top Ten List to explain this "unlikablility." Top Ten Reasons To Dislike Mitt Romney: 1. Drop-dead, collar-ad handsome with gracious, statesmanlike aura. Looks like every central casting's #1 choice for Commander-in-Chief. 2. Been married to ONE woman his entire life, and has been faithful to her, including through her bouts with breast cancer and MS.  3. No scandals or skeletons in his closet. (How boring is that?) 4. Can't speak in a fake, southern, "black preacher voice" when necessary. 5. Highly intelligent. Graduated cum laude from both Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School...and by the way, his academic records are NOT sealed.  6. Doesn't smoke or drink alcohol, and has never done drugs, not even in the counter-culture age when he went to college. Too square for today's America? 7. Represents an America of "yesterday", where people believed in God, went to .church, didn't screw around, worked hard, and became a SUCCESS! 8. Has a family of five great sons....and none of them have police records or are in drug rehab. But of course, they were raised by a stay-at-home mom, and that "choice" deserves America's scorn. 9. Oh yes.....he's a Mormon. We need to be very afraid of that very strange religion that teaches its members to be clean-living, patriotic, fiscally conservative, charitable, self-reliant, and honest.  10. And one more point.....pundits say because of his wealth, he can't relate to ordinary Americans. I guess that's because he made that money HIMSELF.....as opposed to marrying it or inheriting it from Dad. Apparently, he didn't understand that actually working at a job and earning your own money made you unrelatable to Americans. My goodness, it's a strange world, isn't it? ********************************************************************** Personal Information: His full Name is: Willard Mitt Romney He was Born: March 12, 1947 and is 65 years old. His Father: George W. Romney, former Governor of the State of Michigan He was raised in Bloomfield Hills , Michigan He is Married to Ann Romney since 1969; they five children. Education: B.A. from Brigham Young University, J.D. and M.B.A. from Harvard University Religion: Mormon - The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints Working Background:  After high school, he spent 30 months in France as a Mormon missionary. After going to both Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School simultaneously, he passed the Michigan bar exam, but never worked as an attorney. In 1984, he co-founded Bain Capital a private equity investment firm, one of the largest such firms in the United States. In 1994, he ran for Senator of Massachusetts and lost to Ted Kennedy. He was President and CEO of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. In 2002, he was elected Governor of the State of Massachusetts where he eliminated a 1.5 billion deficit. Some Interesting Facts about Romney: Bain Capital, starting with one small office supply store in Massachusetts, turned it into Staples; now over 2,000 stores employing 90,000 people. Bain Capital also worked to perform the same kinds of business miracles again and again, with companies like Domino's, Sealy, Brookstone, Weather Channel, Burger King, Warner Music Group, Dollarama, Home Depot Supply and many others. He was an unpaid volunteer campaign worker for his dad's gubernatorial campaign 1 year. He was an unpaid intern in his dad's governor's office for eight years. He was an unpaid bishop and state president of his church for ten years. He was an unpaid President of the Salt Lake Olympic Committee for three years. He took no salary and was the unpaid Governor of Massachusetts for four years. He gave his entire inheritance from his father to charity. Mitt Romney is one of the wealthiest self-made men in our country but has given more back to its citizens in terms of money, service and time than most men. And in 2011 Mitt Romney gave over $4 million to charity, almost 19% of his income. Just for comparison purposes, Obama gave 1% and Joe Biden gave $300 or .0013%. Mitt Romney is Trustworthy: He will show us his birth certificate. He will show us his high school and college transcripts.  He will show us his social security card.  He will show us his law degree.  He will show us his draft notice.  He will show us his medical records.  He will show us his income tax records.  He will show us he has nothing to hide. Mitt Romney's background, experience and trustworthiness show him to be a great leader and an excellent citizen for President of the United States. You may think that Romney may not be the best representative the Republicans could have selected. At least you know what religion he is, and that he won't desecrate the flag, bow down to foreign powers, or practice fiscal irresponsibility. I know he has the ability to turn this financial debacle that the current regime has gotten us into. We won't like all the things necessary to recover from this debt, but someone with Romney's background can do it. But, on the minus side, he never was a "Community Organizer", never took drugs or smoked pot, never got drunk, did not associate with communists or terrorists, nor did he attend a church whose pastor called for God to damn the United States.

With Gleeful Joy

By Findalis of Monkey in the Middle


Book of Obama
Chapter 15

It was upon the 11th day of the hot month of August in the year 2012.  Two weeks before the congregation of the Republicans were to meet and proclaim their choice for leader.  The Anointed One has accused the soon to be proclaimed of every crime that a person can commit.  The Good Romney was accused of lying, and stealing, not paying of taxes (The worst crime to The Anointed One.), and the murder of a woman by giving her cancer.  He said that The Good Romney poisoned the wells of non-Mormons and killed their children for their rituals in their temples.  He demanded that The Good Romney show all of his tax returns and open his temples.

The Good Romney shook his head and laughed.  "I will NOT give you any thing but a headache."  He proclaimed.  Then he went to Virginia (A state that both need to win.) and aboard the Battleship USS Wisconsin (Iowa-class), The Good Romney declared his choice for a Running Mate.

I bring to you my people a man who cares about the future of this nation.
A man who will help restore our dignity, our rights, our fiscal responsibility.
A man with Conservative values and honest ideals.
My choice for my running mate, your next Vice President:
Ryan the Bold.

The crowd roared with approval.  The choice was bold.  The choice was the right one.  For The Good Romney had brought the debate back to the economy.  The Good Romney has given the nation a true choice.  Freedom or Slavery.

Upon the platform Ryan the Bold appeared and the crowd burst into a roar.  He then spoke:

I come to help restore this land.
To bring it back to civility.
To bring it back to rigorousness.
To bring it back to fiscal responsibility.
We cannot keep spending The People's Money without a thought to the future.
We cannot keep spending The People's Money without a budget to curb expenses.
We must curb our entitlement programs.

Our rights come from Nature and G-d, not Government!

This is a truth that all Americans know, even if they do not wish to acknowledge it,

The Anointed One laughed with glee.  The Good Romney chose the man they wanted him to have.  Too Conservative for the nation.  A man who He believes will destroy everything The Anointed One has created.  He will destroy Ryan the Bold.  And the attacks had begun.

The pundits who worshiped The Anointed One reminded the world of how out-of-date Ryan the Bold is.  How his ideas of government would throw their Grannies over the cliff.  How he would take food and shelter from the poor.  Of how he beats his wife and kicks puppies.

But let the truth be told.  The Anointed One has no record to run on.  The economy of the land is in shambles.  The price of gas is rising.  The price of food is so high that soon the whole land will be forced to either starve or take the stamps of food.  The Anointed One has been a failure.

With two weeks to his proclamation to the Leader of the Republicans, The Good Romney has changed the direction of this election.  It is a choice between Right and Wrong, Black and White, Good and Evil.

Thus:

Monkey in the Middle is proud to endorse for the Presidency and Vice Presidency of the United States:

Willard  Mitt Romney and Paul Davis Ryan

Obama Admin Tells Voters Monthly, Ignore Jobs Reports, For 30 Months!

By Susan Duclos

Cross posted from Wake up America

 A brilliant press release by the Romney campaign over at the Obama isn't Working website, with links to 30 separate White House reports from November 2009 up until June 2012, each made after a disastrous jobs report was released by the Department of Labor.

June 2012: “Therefore, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report and it is informative to consider each report in the context of other data that are becoming available.” (LINK: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/07/06/employment-situation-june)

May 2012: “Therefore, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report and it is helpful to consider each report in the context of other data that are becoming available.” (LINK: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/06/01/employment-situation-may)

April 2012: “Therefore, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report and it is helpful to consider each report in the context of other data that are becoming available.” (LINK: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/05/04/employment-situation-april)

March 2012: “Therefore, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report, and it is helpful to consider each report in the context of other data that are becoming available.” (LINK: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/04/06/employment-situation-march)

February 2012: “Therefore, as the Administration always stresses, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report; nevertheless, the trend in job market indicators over recent months is an encouraging sign.” (LINK: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/03/09/employment-situation-february)

January 2012: “Therefore, as the Administration always stresses, it is important not to read too much into any one monthly report; nevertheless, the trend in job market indicators over recent months is an encouraging sign.” (LINK: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/02/03/employment-situation-january)

 The site has the rest going back until November 2009, but they vary little and they always include a reminder to move along, and "not read too much into any one monthly report."

Romney's site calls it a broken record which considering the amount of times Obama wants the public to ignore that unemployment has been above 8 percent for over 41 months, the term seems apt.

The point they make is that "Obama’s policies have failed to get America working again."

Obamacare Upheld- What This Means For Conservatives: Obama Owns Biggest Middle Class Tax Hike In History

By Susan Duclos

Cross posted from Wake up America


Now that the Supreme Court has upheld Obamacare by ruling the individual mandate is a tax, the update in the previous piece, in which the 193 page Supreme Court decision is embedded,  a rallying cry among Conservatives across the web has been born.

The individual mandate survived as a tax, according to the Supreme Court.


[Update] THE GOOD NEWS FOR CONSERVATIVES- It is now official and can be used in every campaign ad against Obama's reelection- Barack Obama and Democrats now own the "largest Middle-Class tax increase in history.

The Bad News: Obamacare has been upheld.

[Update] It Starts- Republican politicians are already pointing out that it is no longer an individual mandate it is a tax and Obama has increased taxes on every American.

The President said all along the individual mandate was not a tax, but it has been shown today as even more of a wolf in sheep’s clothing. We already found $500 billion in new taxes as part of Obamacare, and now that is multiplied even further. Simply put, the American people have been misled as to what the individual mandate was, and today the veil has been lifted – it is a tax on hardworking, blue collar American families. 

 [Update- 1:50pm] Romney's total topped $1 million now since the health care ruling, according to The Hill.

[Update- 6:00pm ET] Romney donations top $2 million since ruling was released from over 20,000 donors.

[Update] 9:10 pm] Politico reports Romney is up to #3.2 million in donations since this morning's Obamacare ruling.

 Lyle Denniston, via SCOTUSBlog: "Don’t call it a mandate — it’s a tax."

[Update]- CBO: At Least 75% Of Obama's Mandate Tax Will Fall On Families Making Less Than $250K


Conservatives that were on the fence about Mitt Romney are now saying they are "energized" to vote for him and actively support him, in 2012 so that Obamacare can be repealed entirely.

[Update] How energized are Conservatives after the Supreme Court ruling? 

Politicker reports:

According to Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul the Supreme Court decision upholding President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform law led to a windfall for Mitt Romney. Ms. Saul told The Politicker supporters donated at least $100,000 in the 50 minutes between the immediate aftermath of the ruling, which was issued at approximately 10:10 a.m. Shortly before 11:30, Ms. Saul said the total donations had reached over $300,000.

 “Fundraising for @MittRomney ticks up to $300k since decision came down. #FullRepeal,” Ms. Saul wrote on Twitter. 

The Supreme Court is the final arbiter as I have said more than once, and with this Supreme Court, 5-4 decision, it is a fact that he only way to get rid of Obamacare is with a full repeal and the only way to to do that is to replace Barack Obama with Mitt Romney and give control of the Senate to Republicans.

Twitter is already trending the  hashtag #fullrepeal


[Update] Mitt Romney is already using this line of thought in his response to the Supreme Court ruling: Bottom line- “If we want to replace Obamacare, we have to replace Obama,” he said.

[WATCH]






Immediately after the Supreme Court ruling was handed down, the RNC had a web ad out titled "The Final Verdict" indicating that a full repeal is now in the hands of America.
 

[WATCH]






(Minor changes have been made to this post.)

Where Is The Outrage?

By Findalis


Hat Tip to Texas Fred

I read this at the above site and am passing this along to give it a wide birth.  Judge Andrew P. Napolitano has been a voice of common sense on FOX News.  I do hope that you will read this and pass it to others.

Since this particular piece didn’t get that much coverage, I hope the good Judge and FOX News will have no objections to this being used, in full, with full accreditation back to FOX News and Judge Andrew P. Napolitano. This is a piece that needs to be seen by ALL Americans.

Where is the outrage?

By Judge Andrew P. Napolitano
Published June 07, 2012

For the past few weeks, I have been writing in this column about the government’s use of drones and challenging their constitutionality on Fox News Channel where I work. I once asked on air what Thomas Jefferson would have done if — had drones existed at the time — King George III had sent drones to peer inside the bedroom windows of Monticello. I suspect that Jefferson and his household would have trained their muskets on the drones and taken them down. I offer this historical anachronism as a hypothetical only, not as one who is urging the use of violence against the government.

Nevertheless, what Jeffersonians are among us today? When drones take pictures of us on our private property and in our homes, and the government uses the photos as it wishes, what will we do about it? Jefferson understood that when the government assaults our privacy and dignity, it is the moral equivalent of violence against us. The folks who hear about this, who either laugh or groan, cannot find it humorous or boring that their every move will be monitored and photographed by the government.

Don’t believe me that this is coming? The photos that the drones will take may be retained and used or even distributed to others in the government so long as the “recipient is reasonably perceived to have a specific, lawful governmental function” in requiring them. And for the first time since the Civil War, the federal government will deploy military personnel inside the United States and publicly acknowledge that it is deploying them “to collect information about U.S. persons.”

It gets worse. If the military personnel see something of interest from a drone, they may apply to a military judge or “military commander” for permission to conduct a physical search of the private property that intrigues them. And, any “incidentally acquired information” can be retained or turned over to local law enforcement. What’s next? Prosecutions before military tribunals in the U.S.?

The quoted phrases above are extracted from a now-public 30-page memorandum issued by President Obama’s Secretary of the Air Force on April 23, 2012. The purpose of the memorandum is stated as “balancing … obtaining intelligence information … and protecting individual rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution…” Note the primacy of intelligence gathering over freedom protection, and note the peculiar use of the word “balancing.”

When liberty and safety clash, do we really expect the government to balance those values? Of course not. The government cannot be trusted to restrain itself in the face of individual choices to pursue happiness. That’s why we have a Constitution and a life-tenured judiciary: to protect the minority from the liberty-stealing impulses of the majority. And that’s why the Air Force memo has its priorities reversed — intelligence gathering first, protecting freedom second — and the mechanism of reconciling the two — balancing them — constitutionally incorrect.

Everyone who works for the government swears to uphold the Constitution. It was written to define and restrain the government. According to the Declaration of Independence, the government’s powers come from the consent of the governed. The government in America was not created by a powerful king reluctantly granting liberty to his subjects. It was created by free people willingly granting limited power to their government — and retaining that which they did not delegate.

The Declaration also defines our liberties as coming from our Creator, as integral to our humanity and as inseparable from us, unless we give them up by violating someone else’s liberties. Hence the Jeffersonian and constitutional beef with the word “balancing” when it comes to government power versus individual liberty.

The Judeo-Christian and constitutionally mandated relationship between government power and individual liberty is not balance. It is bias — a bias in favor of liberty. All presumptions should favor the natural rights of individuals, not the delegated and seized powers of the government. Individual liberty, not government power, is the default position because persons are immortal and created in God’s image, and governments are temporary and based on force.

Hence my outrage at the coming use of drones — some as small as golf balls — to watch us, to listen to us and to record us. Did you consent to the government having that power? Did you consent to the American military spying on Americans in America? I don’t know a single person who has, but I know only a few who are complaining.

If we remain silent when our popularly elected government violates the laws it has sworn to uphold and steals the freedoms we elected it to protect, we will have only ourselves to blame when Big Brother is everywhere. Somehow, I doubt my father’s generation fought the Nazis in World War II only to permit a totalitarian government to flourish here. Is President Obama prepared to defend this? Is Gov. Romney prepared to challenge it? Are you prepared for its consequences?

Source

Barack Hussein Obama can offer NO viable defense for this invasion of privacy. Mitt Romney, if he has ANY courage in him, will not only challenge it, he will vow to strike it down once he is elected POTUS.

Are *WE* prepared for the consequences?

I think a more fair question would be; is the regime of Barack Hussein Obama prepared to suffer the consequences that indeed they must if this travesty is allowed to come to fruition?

It has been reminded to us time and time again that our freedoms will be taken from us not all at once, but slowly.  All so slowly that we will not even notice their loss.  By the time we notice the loss of our freedoms it will be too late.

Take heed America!  It is time to Wake Up!

He’s No Shepherd…..

By: J Robert Giles

@JRobertGiles

“Democrats are not interested in free enterprise. They only care about free stuff.” - Herman Cain

What is private equity? It’s a term that all the left leaning politicians seem to have received in some sort of weekly memo. They’ve been spewing the term all over the airwaves lately despite the fact that most have absolutely no clue whatsoever as to what they are saying. The level of ignorance is simply astonishing when compared to the recent disdain demanded of them by their fearless leader, His Barackness. Obama has smugly attacked Mitt Romney in recent weeks over his “questionable involvement” in private equity endeavors. It’s the same, tired rhetoric we’ve seen in the past, just dressed in different clothing. It’s the same tired rhetoric that served as a temporary distraction in the early days of the primary season, it’s just coming directly from Obama rather than from the mouths of his minions. Ask any liberal what “private equity” is and they will look at you like a dog trying to read. They have no clue, yet they know it’s bad because it has been painted as bad via every single information source they know to check. We know that such lunacy will fire up Obama’s base. Of course it will get the Occupy Wall Street types all fired up, but they’re all big bags of vinegar and water. Their opinions were formed long ago and without the aid of logic. The one’s being targeting with this mantra are the ones he believes too foolish to research, understand, or question such claims. In other words…..every, single, living, American. He views you all as sheep and himself as your shepherd.

Obama is insinuating that private equity is inherently evil. He’s attempting to paint Mitt Romney as one of those evil fat-cats that liberals love to hate so much. He’ll point to the people that were fired when Romney took over the reins at Bain. He’ll paint Romney as a greedy, heartless man who came in and fired everyone just to save a buck, but I beg of you to dig a little deeper into the story. First of all, private equity, in the most general definition I can summon, means a bunch of people putting their money together so that a targeted company can expand. They “invest” in a company they believe will return them a profit. They do this outside of the traditional stock exchanges not because they are sneaky or greedy or doing something behind the backs of those who oppose capitalism. Bain Capital, the company founded by Mitt Romney in 1984 and the central focus of Obama’s reelection campaign has aided the growth and expansion of more companies than Obama can probably name. AMC Entertainment, Brookstone, Burlington Coat Factory, Burger King, Clear Channel Communications, Domino’s Pizza, Dunkin Donuts, Guitar Center, The Sports Authority, Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), Sealy, Staples, Toys ‘R’ Us, Warner Music Group, The Weather Channel, and many other companies would no longer be in business or would be operating in a greatly reduced capacity without the investment capital provided by Bain. Think about the jobs those investments created. Think about the opportunity those investments have provided to the employees of those companies. Do you think the Obama loving, minimum wage satisfied, curmudgeon at Burger King in the shirt that may have fit in new employee orientation but is now stretched to its max has any idea that his job and all of those free French fries were made possible by the man Obama hopes to defeat? Such logic is exactly what allowed Obama to be elected in the first place. Such lack of logic is why polls show him in a dead heat with Romney now. Bleat bleat little sheep.

It’s not that hard to understand why Obama would come out against such notions as free enterprise. It goes against everything he and his catastrophic administration have stood for in the last four years. It goes against everything he has stood for since he was a confused child, unsure of which race to cling to. What is proving beyond difficult to understand is why Obama feels he has the right to paint Romney’s experience with a negative brush. America is hurting. Many of us are out of work, underemployed, or just generally unhappy about the financial future Obama has insured for us with his failed investments and extremist ideology. While Romney has proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that he knows how to create jobs, expand markets, and guide a budget, Obama has done NONE of those things. He has done none of those things but he expects you to believe that given another four years, he’ll turn it all around. He preys on your weakness. He preys on your inability to resist his charm. Those willing to charge straight at his incongruous assertions know perfectly well that Romney’s business experience is precisely what this country’s economy needs right now.

Private equity would have prevented such lunacy as Solyndra, Ener1, A123 Systems, the Chevy Volt, ObamaCare, and while we’re at it…..Jay Cutler. Not sure how Cutler fits in but he’s popular in Chicago; Obama loves Chicago; therefore I’m against it. In all seriousness, Obama’s adherence to a failed ideology is spreading decay to parts of this country where decay has no business. If private equity is viewed as anything but evil, then Obama’s crown loses a significant amount of luster. Private equity provides an efficient, proven alternative to Obama’s ideological, government knows best, investment style. Private equity means people are thinking for themselves instead of relying on government for their opinions. Private equity means a product is conceived, designed, and presented to a scrutinizing public who, if they believe the product to be worthy of investment, will support it with their money. They will do so of their own free will and they will accept the profits or losses generated from that decision but the decision will be theirs and theirs alone. Obama’s dreams are possible, but not under his leadership. In other words, we will one day drive cars that don’t require an ounce of gasoline but such innovation cannot be forced. It has to be run through the full gamut of public scrutiny.

Something tells me that Obama will realize on November 6, 2012 that he is the only sheep in a crowd of wolves. The supposed shepherd is about to realize he’s the one being herded. It’s up to you, America. Investing money is not a bad thing. It’s the very thing that has sustained America for many, many years. Investing becomes a bad thing only when it’s done with your money, behind your back. That is NOT private equity! So, are you going to be the sheep he thinks you are, or are you going to stand up as a wolf and take this country back? Are you going to follow the raised staff of the media and those loyal to His Barackness, or are you going to gather alongside the rest of the pack and attack with skilled precision?

As always, thanks for playing.

J Robert Giles

Delusions of Incumbency…..

By: J Robert Giles
@JRobertGiles

“Hence that general is skillful in attack whose opponent does not know what to defend; and he is skillful in defense whose opponent does not know what to attack.”   - Sun Tzu

 

Yesterday, I read an article by Jana Neweley on her website. Jana writes from a perspective that is unfortunately quite unique but growing rapidly. In the article titled Note to Republicans: Pay No Attention to That Democrat Behind the Curtain; Jana does a fantastic job of explaining the democrat’s campaign strategy. D-D-D (Deflect Distract Deny)

(Excerpt from Jana’s Article)

In regards to the War on Religious Freedom, this is how it went on the Democrat’s side:

Phase One is DEFLECT = “This has nothing to do with religious freedom or the First Amendment. Republicans don’t want women to be healthy. They want women to suffer. They want women to die.”

Phase Two is DISTRACT = “Have you met Susan?” Introduction of a female college student, who uses birth control, in order to make their argument more convincing. “See, we told you so.”

Phase Three is DENY = Pay no attention to the “Democrat” behind the curtain. The continued denial that states the new HHS mandate has nothing to do with religious freedom. Nothing to do with the First Amendment. But then the Democrats, like Pelosi, go on to make it a national debate by declaring there’s a WAR ON WOMEN and it’s the Republicans who are to blame.

 
Jana goes on to explain the importance of honesty in defending ourselves against this type of attack. Everybody knows that “the truth will always find its way to the surface eventually.” That’s why it’s a cliché. Not only must we “tell” the truth, but we have to remind each other of what the truth is from time to time. Reality is going to be distorted over the coming months in ways none of us can currently imagine. His Barackness is going to manipulate facts, numbers, emotions, and opinions in his effort to obtain incumbency. It’s up to us to remain focused on the truth. His record will soon leave him unsure of what to defend and what to attack.  

The primaries seem to be all but over. Mitt Romney may or may not be the candidate you would have chosen on your own, but he’s most likely going to be the candidate facing off against Obama in November and the narrative has already begun. We must seize that narrative and maintain our ownership until we see Obama driving his brand new Chevy Volt off the White House parapet. It’s time to unite. It’s time to stop arguing about who would be a better candidate. That decision was made yesterday as Santorum dropped out of the race. Gingrich has terrific ideas and an even better passion, but he has no realistic shot at the nomination. Paul’s chances are even less likely, so put your personal differences aside and focus on the mission.

While defeating Barack Obama is certainly at the top of the priority list, I believe it is equally important to deliver a crushing blow to the ideology that has supported his Immaculate Ascension. We must systematically dismantle the very core of Obama’s belief system. The way to do that is to take the fight to them. Nothing is more demoralizing than to be beaten with your own weaponry. For example: Who doesn’t believe that Mark Sanchez will get hurt just before the inevitable Jets – Broncos playoff game next season? Tebow will step in, win the game dramatically…..give a sincere thanks to God, and then move on. Nothing against Peyton Manning but this story pretty much writes itself. We must use the weapons His Barackness is giving us. We must use those weapons to kick him and all of his little minions right in their Obamacles!

• S.L.A.P. – Stop Laugh Address Proceed
  · Stop – Don’t react immediately to accusations and lies.
• · Laugh – Take a moment to enjoy the humor in their fallacies.
• · Address – Distribute legitimate, easily proven facts; dismiss twisted version of reality quickly, efficiently, and convincingly.
• · Proceed –Direct the narrative immediately back to Obama’s record and the reality HE has created for this country. No more hope and change. He’s been reading us a children’s bedtime story but the kids fell asleep over three years ago. It’s time to read something a little more mature and nonfictional.

 

Predict what they’re going to throw at us. We’ve seen plenty of “film” of their “game plan.” Obama’s going to try to increase the level of pessimism in our country. He’ll fan the flames of the opinion that “nobody could do a good job with what’s left of our country so we might as well just leave it alone.” Jobs were lost because of natural disasters in Japan, not ineptitude…..”we’re drilling more than ever”…..”Bush raised the debt too”…..as Dick Morris so eloquently said yesterday in his daily message: By creating an atmosphere of pessimism, Obama “concedes the field of optimism to Romney.” We must seize that advantage and defend it with everything we’ve got. After all, it was optimism that put Obama in office. It was false optimism supported by fairy tales and pixie dust, held up by the efforts of other people, and constructed by outsourced labor, but it was optimism nonetheless. Optimism is the essential element of the American spirit and Obama has consistently ignored it. Optimism is what fuels free market innovation, entrepreneurial ambition, and success. Pessimism is the enemy of such things. Pessimism has never won a presidential election and we simply cannot allow Obama to take back the optimistic platform once he realizes pessimism is getting him nowhere.

He will skillfully insure that racism is manufactured in instances where it simply wasn’t an original motive. His media legions will make sure that those unwilling to look beyond the sound-byte see Obama as the only one capable of ending the sudden outburst of racially motivated hate in this country. Knock that one out of the air, folks! The color of Obama’s skin has absolutely NOTHING to do with his record. There is no “pigmentation” column…..it’s just wins and losses. It’s not a skin color that I’m voting against; it’s the horrendous track record of an appallingly inept President.

His Barackness will release the likes of Jay Carney and Joe Biden, his two most trusted little handbag Chihuahuas, to spread his scent wherever he is personally unavailable. They will appear in front of union supported crowds, trying to convince us all that the mistakes we think he’s made were actually the fault of his predecessor. He will appear in front of throngs of swooning liberal women. (Yes, that image is what the doctor shows you if you’ve had an erection for more than four hours! Cures that problem IMMEDIATELY!) He’ll tell us that voting against him is the same as punching your own mother, sister, wife, or daughter in the face. Again, we must S.L.A.P. this nonsense right in its ugly little face. There is NO War on Women…..that’s a distraction. There is a War on The Constitution and that’s the war to which we must allocate our ‘troops.’

He will continue to try to paint himself as sympathetic yet powerless in our fight against absurdly high gas prices. He and his drones will recite heavily manipulated statistics and figures to imply that these too are somehow the fault of another president. Nope! We’re not buying it, you walking psych study.
He will do his best to convince us that ObamaCare, even if ruled unconstitutional by the one branch with the authority and duty to do so, is exactly what we all need. He will paint the Supreme Court, who was gloriously capable when dismissing claims against his Birth Certificate, as inept and “unelected.” We know they’re “unelected.” They’re appointed by Presidents. They’re appointed to uphold the ideology of the President who appoints them. If the majority was liberal, he’d be praising their efficiency, I assure you.

He will inflate his accomplishments just as he has done with the auto bailout. He claims victories in a process that actually was designed by his predecessor. The parts of the bailout that failed were the parts that Barack Hussein Obama added to the original plan. Bush didn’t agree to sell Chrysler to Italy. Bush didn’t agree to the exclusive creation of union jobs. Bush didn’t suggest government ownership. Tell the truth.
Obama will use his media legions to convince us that he’s winning a race in which we can find no genuine evidence of his advantage. They will tell us that he’s so far ahead we might as well stay home on November 6^th. I don’t plan to follow that advice…..do you?

Tell the truth. Tell it often and tell it loudly. Do not be afraid for you have much more support and backing than you can possibly imagine. Do not be swayed by clever wordplay or narcissistic charm. Do not be persuaded by manufactured commonalities and adjusted reality. Tell the truth. Remind yourself of the truth and compare it to what you are being told in the news, or from the mouth of your country’s elected leader President. Let the anger that follows fuel you until you cast your vote.

As always, thanks for playing!

J. Robert Giles
 

Gov. Romney's Climate Protection Plan

I published this piece on March 22, 2012, after discovering that Governor Mitt Romney openly supported a Climate Protection Plan for the State of Massachusetts.  This is significant as many of the Governor's policies bear significant similarities to the policies of the current Administration.  I believe that the "Anybody but Obama" philosophy is by its very nature fallacious, and that every candidate must be properly vetted so we nominate a true conservative who believes in the Constitution and acknowledges that we as humans cannot create a utopia for the American people.  --AAE

While governor of the State of Massachusetts in 2004, Mitt Romney enacted the “Massachusetts Climate Protection Plan.”  Within the document, he did not commit to a position on global warming, climate change, or the human impact on it. Instead, he believed that regardless of whether or not climate change is really occurring, the Climate Protection Plan makes sense for the economy, quality of life and quality of the environment in the State of Massachusetts (see page 3 of the Plan). So Mitt Romney supports green actions not because they help protect the environment, but because they make good economic sense.  Would he still feel the same way if he were President of the United States...that all these climate change initiatives (like funding renewable energy technologies—e.g. solar panels) make sense for the economy of America as a whole?

  

Here are some of the provisions of the Massachusetts Climate Protection Plan:

1. Reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to 1990 levels by 2010, 10% below 1990 levels by 2020, and by 75-85% below current levels in the long term (year not specified). (page 8)  (By the way, their definition of GHG includes carbon dioxide, which is considered to be the chief GHG.  Humans are therefore technically polluters.)
2. Massachusetts committed $17 million to purchase renewable energy. (page 8)
3. Acquire clean, fuel-efficient vehicles for the state govt fleet. (page 9)
4. Stimulate the market for environmentally preferable products. (9)
5. Encourage municipalities to purchase renewable energy. (9)
6. Guide municipalities to think and act regionally. (9)  (If taken to the national level, then the US would have to think globally which would be in line with the UN’s Agenda 21 thinking.)
7. Urge communities to join the Cities for Climate Protection campaign. (9) (This is a United Nations program run by the UNFCCC supporting Agenda 21 goals.)
8. Create a carbon dioxide registry with other states. (9)  This creates a system compelling organizations to report their GHG emissions and for the government to then enforce compliance based on the information.  “A carbon registry would help to address that concern by crediting companies for their measurable greenhouse gas reductions, and converting those reductions into credits that can be traded on a market, or saved for later.” (27)
9. Create an emissions banking and trading program. (9) In my analysis, this is basically a fine on those organizations that do not meet government standards for GHG emissions.  They use creative language to say that they are “buying credits” instead of paying a fine.  See page 27 of the Plan to see a full description of the program. One particularly disturbing statement indicates that we may eventually have to comply with an international system for controlling GHG: “Many corporate leaders have come to believe that CO2 and other greenhouse emissions will ultimately be regulated, capped, and potentially taxed – probably through an international system.”  Also: “Tradable credits could be generated in a variety of ways, including energy conservation initiatives, generation of solar or wind power, landfill methane recovery, composting, new recycling programs, forestry management, or new tree plantings.” (27)
10.  Implement a program to reduce the emissions of highly warming specialty gases. (10)
11.  Promote renewable energy through the implementation of the statewide Renewable Portfolio Standard. (10)  This directs a certain percentage of retail electricity to be produced from renewable resources--4% in 2009, to rise 1% per year until told otherwise.
12.  Participate in and support the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. (10)  Directs the power sector to reduce GHG by 10% by 2018.
13.  Bring new renewable energy technologies and systems to the market through the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative’s Renewable Energy Trust (“the Trust”) (10) This comprises five areas: Green Power, Green Buildings and Infrastructure, Industry Support, Education and Public Awareness, and Policy.  See page 30 for more detail.
14. Launch a partnership between the Office for Commonwealth Development and the Trust to fund climate change initiatives. (10)
15.  Work with utilities to promote residential energy efficiency.  (10) Raise prices to reduce demand?
16.  Implement new appliance energy-efficiency standards.  (10) Can suppliers support the new standards?  What is the resultant increase in cost of the item for the people?
17.  Reducing the energy demanded by homes, offices, and industries.  (10) Throughout this portion of the Plan it refers to “sustainable” designs, using language similar to that of the United Nations for their Agenda 21 and sustainable development.
18.  Consistent with the Romney administration’s Fix It First policy, the state is committed to aligning spending decisions with policies that encourage sustainable development by investing in areas where infrastructure already exists, focusing resources on the state’s existing roads and bridges, and encouraging people to travel in more climate friendly ways, especially via mass transit.  (11) Using the term “sustainable development” puts the Plan in alignment with the UN’s Agenda 21 language.
19.  Encourage the demand for and sale of hybrid cars and other efficient clean vehicles. (11)  This includesincentives to purchase fuel-efficient vehicles (who pays for the incentives?) and to implement stronger vehicle emissions standards.
20.  Help citizens working in tourism, agriculture, commercial fishing, aquaculture, the wood products industry, water supply protection, and other natural resource-based enterprises, to adapt to the growing impacts of climate change. (11)  It also describes the role of forests thusly: “Forests act as beneficial “carbon sinks” by temporarily removing and storing carbon dioxide. This keeps CO2 out of the atmosphere where it causes warming, which in turn threatens the long-term survival of the forest.”  (11)
    These next four points seem very in line with the UN’s Agenda 21.
21.  Promote a new forest vision that integrates carbon resource management with other natural resource goals. (12) The amount of carbon stored or sequestered by these activities will be measured and monitored over time to ensure that real carbon benefits accrue, and to better understand the long-term benefits of such programs. The state will focus on measures including:
1. Tree selection that will both increase carbon storage and shepherd adaptation to climate change over time.
2. Continued support for urban tree planting programs. Additional shade in certain urban areas mitigates the “heat island effect,” and an urban tree-planting program can help lower energy demandby diminishing the need for air-conditioning. Reducing the size of the heat island has the additional benefit of reducing the formation of ground-level ozone smog in our cities.
3. Including carbon resource management as one criterion in the management plan of state forests and other public lands. The state will encourage similar practices on private lands affected by conservation restrictions.
4. Renewed research on the role of controlled and uncontrolled forest fires in returning carbon to the soil rather than emitting it into the atmosphere. (46-47)
22.  Promote municipal strategies that preserve trees. (12) Encourage land and building development practices that preserve existing trees during construction, encourage the planting of native replacement trees, and emphasize reforestation of cleared land in and around developments. (48)
23. Continue aggressive open space protection efforts. (12) Open space preservation can help discourage sprawl, reducing transportation emissions and acting as an important greenhouse gas sink. Massachusetts will continue its efforts to acquire and protect open space.  This is the scariest point of all.  Can eminent domain play into this—taking people’s property for the sake of protecting the planet?  Can humans no longer expand (“sprawl”)?  Has the government decided that humans have expanded enough?  Is private ownership of land coming to an end?
24.  Make our farms full partners in climate protection and mitigation. (12)  More locally grown food to reduce CO2 produced by transportation to market; use nitrogen fertilizers only when necessary; alter agricultural practices to reduce CO2, methane, and nitrous oxide; site wind turbines on farm land; convert marginally useful farmland to forest. (49)

Throughout his campaign, Mitt Romney has highlighted his experience as a businessman and has claimed it will help him make better economic decisions for the United States as President.  I am not a businessman, so I will have to let the businessmen of America judge for themselves whether or not his Climate Protection Plan makes sound economic sense.  I only have one question though: if his Plan truly made good economic sense, why does Massachusetts have to force agencies, businesses, and individual citizens to comply with its provisions?  Wouldn’t the free market naturally embrace it if it made good economic sense?

I wonder if he also felt that his universal health care plan for the State of Massachusetts made good economic sense.

Disclaimer: These opinions are solely my own, and do not reflect the opinion or official position of any US Government Agency.