A new botnet infected 4MM+ PCs & is 'practically indestructible.' You thought THE CHINESE CONSPIRACY was "pure fiction?"
http://ping.fm/V3P8Q
« May 2011 | Main | July 2011 »
June 30, 2011
June 26, 2011
THE ENTERPRISE--SERIOUS STUFF
THE ENTERPRISE--SERIOUS STUFF
IMPORTANT NOTE: I JUST FINISHED POSTING A 4 PART SERIES ON FORBES BLOG SITE THE PAST 4 DAYS: America’s Demographic & Economic Destiny
IT IS A MUST READ. (I MAY JUST POST ALL FOUR AS A SPECIAL EDITION OF THE ENTERPRISE TOO) BUT FOR NOW, YOU CAN FIND THEM ON FORBES
HERE ARE THE LINKS
NOTE: ALSO LINKS TO ALL FOUR OF THEM ARE ALSO ON MY SITE http://www.mariotti.net
TONIGHT I HEARD A DEMOCRATIC SUPPORTER HOLDING FORTH ON HOW MUCH BARACK OBAMA HAS ACCOMPLISHED
What do you think? Before you answer, read on a bit, but first watch this short video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvnAE8olUxU&feature=email
HERE'S HOW AMERICA FEELS--CONFIDENCE GOING DOWN, DOWN, DOWN
AND HERE'S JUST ONE OF THE REASONS WHY--AN OLD CHART--LATEST NUMBERS ARE EVEN WORSE
AND NOW IT BEGINS TO SPREAD--WHEN WILL AMERICANS WAKE UP? THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING!
----------------------------
News+Opinion from THE WEEK, June 17, 2011
Medicare ‘as we know it’ is doomed
In short, “unless we end Medicare ‘as we know it,’ America ‘as we know it’ will end,” said Robert J. Samuelson in The Washington Post.
(Initially posted on June 9, 2011, at 1:46 PM
Robert J. Samuelson
The Washington Post)
“Ending Medicare as we know it.” By using that stock phrase to terrify retirees, said Robert J. Samuelson, Democrats are attacking Republican Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan to transform Medicare. But the reality is that the cost of the current Medicare system ($520 billion last year) is soaring out of control; if it is left alone, it will eat up over 30 percent of the federal budget by 2016. In short, “unless we end Medicare ‘as we know it,’ America ‘as we know it’ will end.”
Ryan’s proposal would provide each Medicare recipient with a fixed amount of money to buy private insurance; doctors would be rewarded for providing more-efficient care to seniors, instead of just running up the bill. President Obama, on the other hand, prefers to cut costs by putting more decision-making in the hands of government bureaucrats. “Which is realistic, and which is wishful thinking?’’ The country deserves a substantial, reasoned debate on that question—not political scare tactics. One way or another, “Medicare ‘as we know it’ is going to end.” ©The Week Magazine, June 17, 2011 p. 12
-------------------------------
OBAMA JUST WANTS TO GET REELECTED AND LEAVE THE MESS BEHIND IN 2016
Just like Medicare will never be able to keep all the promises it has made. The president wants to leave it alone--so he can be reelected by campaigning against the big, bad GOP that wants to change Medicare TO SAVE IT! Obama will be long gone when the failures he has set into motion hit the American people. HOW SAD IS THAT?
AND THAT'S NOT ALL--PUBLIC SECTOR UNIONS WANT TO HASTEN AMERICA'S DEMISE--BY SELFISHNESS--THEY WANT MORE THAN THEIR FAIR SHARE
Public sector unions are outraged about the wrong things. They should be outraged that the states and municipalities they work for will never be able to pay for all the benefits thy have negotiated.
---------------------
Post Office Suspends Retirement Contributions
Associated Press
WASHINGTON—The financially troubled Postal Service is suspending its employer contribution to the Federal Employee Retirement System.
The agency said Wednesday it is acting to conserve cash as it continues to lose money. It was $8 billion in the red last year because of the combined effects of the recession and the switch of much mail business to the Internet. It faces the possibility of running short of money by the end of this fiscal year in September.
The post office said it has informed the Office of Personnel Management that the $115 million FERS payment made every two weeks will be suspended effective Friday. The action is expected to free about $800 million in the current fiscal year. The post office's FERS account currently has a surplus of $6.9 billion, the agency said.
"We will continue to transmit to OPM employees' contributions to FERS and also will continue to transmit employer automatic and matching contributions and employee contributions to the Thrift Savings Plan," said Anthony Vegliante, chief human resources officer for the post office.
Over the last four years the Postal Service has cut its staff by 110,000 and reduced costs by $12 billion. The agency has also proposed eliminating delivery on Saturdays to save money and is working on closing small post offices and consolidating sorting and other operations.
The post office, unlike other federal agencies, is also required to make an annual payment of more than $5 billion as an advance contribution to future retiree medical costs.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
---------------------
THE FOLLOWING IS FROM MITT ROMNEY'S CAMPAIGN INFORMATION
"Worst in recorded history?" That's right. Under President Obama, long-term unemployment is the worst in recorded history. Did you think you'd live in an America where "the worst in recorded history" was possible? When President Obama took office in 2009, he told us that he "will be held accountable." He also told us that, within his first term, he would turn around a struggling American economy and put the country back on the right track. He said, "if I don't have this done in three years, then there's going to be a one-term proposition."
After 3 years under Obama, millions of Americans have felt the impact of his policies and leadership.
- 20 million Americans are out of work, underemployed, or have given up looking for a job.
- Foreclosures are at near-record levels.
- Spending has increased our national debt to almost the size of our entire economy.
- Families are buried under higher prices for food and gas.
------------------------------------------
YOUR GOVERNMENT AT WORK, "LOOKING OUT FOR YOU"--A TYPICAL CASE
FROM KIPLINGER REPORTS:Environmental rules in the slow lane: Stricter clean air regs for boilers…
industrial and commercial ones. Retrofitting or shutting down steam generators
to meet new air quality rules is sure to cost billions of dollars and put jobs at risk....
But note that most regs being held up will eventually see the light of day,
for sure, if Obama wins a second term. Scores of others…on workplace injuries,
overtime pay disclosures and truckers’ driving hours, for example…won’t be delayed.
2012 GOP PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS--THE LATEST
THE BEST
++Mitt Romney: My pick in 2008, and front runner now. Can he win against Obama? +Solid, proven competent, excellent business understanding, family man. -MA/Romneycare too much like Obamacare; old (perceived flip flops) on pro-life, and some business moves (cutting or outsourcing jobs) at Bain will be used against him in campaign. (Liberal media hates him--he's "too good to be true" so they have to tear him down.) =Mormon faith issue fading as Huntsman enters race, (and Obama's token Christianity & Muslim sympathizer behavior offsets it)
+?Rick Perry: Could be a new "front runner potential" but not even a declared candidate yet, too new to evaluate. +Good performance as TX governor (3 terms), Looks good, speaks well. Strong religious positions. -?Some "baggage in past"--unspecified--morals. +Much of Gingrich's staff who left were his in past and are now on his team.
++Michelle Bachman: More than just a "pretty face," but widely perceived as more for VP than for the top spot. +Tea Party loves her. Bright, outspoken, moderately experienced, good campaigner. -A bit further right than mainstream GOP.
??Jon Huntsman: Too new to evaluate. Looks good, speaks well. +Credible governor in UT (2 terms). -/+?Obama ambassador to China? =Moderate/conservative. (Also a Mormon, but little said about it so far.)
THE REST
--Tim Pawlenty: Long shot. Acts and seems like a serious candidate, but something is missing, and it shows. +OK as Gov. MN; Acceptable speaker. =Policy positions odd at times. -Failed in face-off opportunity with Romneycare. Bachman (and others) strength in Iowa could finish him off.
--Herman Cain: Refreshing and candid but light on experience (foreign policy). Maybe a stretch for a VP Candidate. +Solid business credentials. Good speaker. -Weak knowledge and experience on governmental and foreign affairs. Couldn't even win senate primary a few years ago. Gaining in name recognition due to candor.
--Newt Gingrich: Forget him; A campaign in shambles--but he says he's soldier on. +A great policy wonk--almost too good--strays onto tangents. Outspoken--and puts foot in mouth at times. From the old school group, experienced but.... Personal baggage in past--affair, messy divorce, sensitive about current wife.
--Ron Paul: Forget him: Narrow in ideology (constitutional libertarian), too old (75 now) and not in the mainstream GOP. +Makes some excellent points. -Then goes off on a tangent.
--Rick Santorum: Forget him; a pretty face, speaks well, but says little. Couldn't even win Senate race a few years ago...
--Gary Johnson: Forget him: Former NM governor, no notable negatives, but very low name recognition, getting no traction.
--Sarah Palin: Still hugely popular--but probably unelectable. I hope she doesn't try. Bachman success may have made her decision for her.
A WARNING FOR ALL POLITICAL CANDIDATES: THE JOBS PROBLEM IS STRUCTURAL AND WILL NOT RESPOND TO OLD FIXES
If President Obama really wants a "jobs council" to advise him on creating jobs, all he needs to do is convene a group of GOP State Governors:
Daniels, IN; Walker, WI; McDonnell, VA; Perry, TX; Kasich, OH: Christie, NJ; and ask them what's working and why. The bigger problem, however, is that these states that are doing the right things are taking jobs from other states who are not (CA, IL, etc.!) But then we know that Barack Obama would never do this, and even if he did, he'd lecture them about how smart he is and denigrate them.
THIS IS TOO MUCH SERIOUS STUFF, BUT THESE ARE SERIOUSLY TROUBLED TIMES
ARE YOU READY TO END WITH A LAUGH?
Watch this and our old friend Ronald Reagan will make you smile:
BEST, JOHN
June 23, 2011
June 19, 2011
THE ENTERPRISE--HEATING UP
THE ENTERPRISE--HEATING UP
SUMMER IS ALMOST HEAR AND THINGS ARE HEATING UP--IN ALL KINDS OF WAYS
Many have asked, so here is my latest GOP Presidential Candidate outlook:
The race is separating already, based on exposure, the recent CNN "debate" (If you can call it that) and general public opinion polls.
The ones who will NOT be the nominee:
Rick Santorum--Nice looking, articulate, but uninspiring
Ron Paul--Too old, too crochety, and to narrowly focused
Newt Gingrich--Keeps shooting himself in the foot, picking fights with the media (bad idea), and no matter how bright he is--color him gone
Herman Cain--I still like him a lot--but I see now that his experience is not right: he is clueless in foreign policy matters--and inexperienced as a politician
Gary Johnson--Where'd he go? Not that he'd get much of anywhere, but I guess he fell off the bottom of the polls.
Tim Pawlenty--Sorry, nice try TP--but you had your chance on the big stage to face off against Mitt and passed on it.
Sarah Palin--Fiesty, fun, interesting, but just got closed out by Michelle Bachman
Rudy Guiliani--c'mon Mr. Mayor--let it go!
The ones who are still in contention:
Mitt Romney--the front runner, still the best of the bunch, but a big target for every liberal media, and some conservatives too.
Michelle Bachman--the new face in town, came across great on the CNN stage; could be a contender--but maybe a better VEEP pick
Jon Huntsman--a new entrant--too new to rate--more moderate even than Romney (and another Mormon!)
Rick Perry--the very successful TX Gov. & a candidate who is not even yet a candidate--but may be the best of the bunch. Time will tell.
The one I wish would sign on--but as a VEEP: Senator Marco Rubio of FL--conservative, handsome, articulate, beautiful family, Hispanic and a great "on-deck for 2016--just in case," but young enough to be waiting in line for 2020.
HACKING IS GROWING IN INTENSITY AND REACH
This is just a partial list. It grows so fast I can't keep up with it. Google, Sony Playstation & TV(2-3x), Lockheed-Martin, IMF (the International Monetary Fund), NPR (National Public Radio), Citigroup, Atlanta chapter of FBI security affiliate InfraGard, the U. S. Senate, Bethesda Softworks LLC, the European Union. Anyone who thinks what I wrote in THE CHINESE CONSPIRACY is a work of complete fiction--will realize it was a fictional story wrapped around factual circumstances. If you have not read the novel yet, I think most people will like it. Virtually all of the independent reviewers, men and women have. Here is one that just came in this week. With reviews like this, you'd think sales would be soaring, but they are not. There appears to be a disconnect between quality and market awareness and sales. Anyone who can help in this area--please do! Does anybody have an inside track to Oprah's Book Club? Much to my surprise, the women reviewers seem to like it every bit as much as the men.
ByBeth's Book Reviews (USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Chinese Conspiracy (Paperback)
The deliciously creepy, Fringe worthy story, was made all the more creepy because it could actually could happen. At times it was a bit on the technical side, language wise, but it wasn't overly distracting. The masterful writing locks you into an escalating level of suspense worthy of a John Grisham. Fans of John Grisham and Brad Meltzer will find this engrossing conspiracy tale incredibly enjoyable. I sincerely look forward to future books by the author. I highly recommend this!
FOR THOSE WHO ALREADY READ THIS ON FORBES--THANKS--FOR THOSE WHO DIDN'T, I THOUGHT YOU'D BE INTERESTED.
I have been posting on the Forbes-Prosper Now blog site since late last year. Some are business oriented, some are general interest and some are political--just like THE ENTERPRISE content. A good post will typically get 1000-2000 page views. As you can see, this headline hit a nerve with readers, and generated over 11,000 view so far. Like most blog posts, you never know if a viewer reads it, or just takes a look and moves on. The reason for posting it is that (in an unusual twist) the NYTimes discovered this same issue---as has Congress and lots of other media outlets. The President's tendency to manage outcomes regardless of the law, the rules, etc. is becoming much more prevalent. Here's the NYTimes story for those who are interested. It outlines how Obama overruled his own two top lawyers and sought out some whose opinions he liked better.
Download 2 Top Lawyers Lost to Obama in Libya War Policy Debate - NYTimes.com
A President Who Ignores the Law
Jun. 9 2011 - 7:00 pm | 11,417 views |
Posted by John Mariotti
Image via Wikipedia
If you break the law in America, there is a good chance you will be caught and punished. Isn’t it odd that the highest office-holder in the land, President Barack Obama can ignore the law and have it go largely unnoticed and unpunished?
What do I mean? I mean the law that was passed in 2003 called the Medicare Reform Act. It contains a provision that if Medicare’s trustees forecast that general revenues will be required for 45% or more of the program’s payouts within a 7-year period, then the president must propose legislation to correct the problem within 15 days of his next budget submission.
Congress is then required to give this proposal expedited consideration. This year’s annual report of the Medicare Trustees says, “the threshold was in fact breached” during the last fiscal year and “a Presidential proposal is required by law in response.”
In case you think this might have been overlooked by President Obama with all he has on his agenda, four members of the Medicare trustees serve on his cabinet.
So, the President Obama simply ignored the law, and to date has not sent Congress a plan to fix Medicare’s finances. This happened last year too, but Congress waived the requirement for the President to do his job. That was easier when Democrats controlled both Houses of Congress.
This is not new. Barack Obama is a former University of Chicago lecturer on constitutional law, so he can’t claim ignorance (it wouldn’t be a valid excuse anyway—don’t try it the next time you are picked up for speeding). He just picks and chooses which laws he wants to observe and follow and which ones he wants to ignore.
The War Powers Act requires that the President seek Congressional approval for military action that lasts more than 60 days. He’s dodging that one in the Libya situation by hiding behind the US participation in a NATO action.
There is another reason the president has no intention of observing the law about Medicare’s perilous funding. Then he can’t use it as a campaign issue—or at least not nearly was easily. If he has to propose some solution to Congress, he can’t sit in the White House and take pot shots at whatever his GOP opponent proposes. Convenient, right? But illegal as hell.
Obama said he would change America—and he has—he’s made it worse, much worse. His actions and those of his cronies in Congress have buried America is a debt so large that he hardly ever tries to blame it on his predecessor any more. He’s eclipsed George Bush’s deficit spending by a whole order of magnitude. This all happened after his campaign promise to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term. But then we know about broken campaign promises. They don’t count so much. But how about blatant violations of the law? Don’t those count?
I just have one question. When is America going to revolt over this man’s lies and actions?
The American public sees the economic problems so clearly that even getting rid of bin Laden didn’t fool them into feeling good about the economic mess Obama has made. Check the results below, from American Pulse, a survey of 5000 Americans of voting age.[1]
==============================
The death of Osama bin Laden doesn’t seem to have inspired any additional confidence from consumers in May…this month, 27.9% say they are very confident/confident in chances for a strong economy, dropping more than half a point from April (28.6%) and falling below the 31.5% reading from May-10.
While consumers aren’t feeling any more assured about the economy, bin Laden’s demise seems to have had some impact on concerns for political and national security issues…in May, one-fifth (20.4%) say they’re worrying more about these matters, down two points from a month ago (22.2%) and on par with May-10 (20.5%).
==============================
IF YOU WANT TO READ ANOTHER ONE— "HOT OFF THE PRESSES"—HERE IS THE LINK FOR THIS WEEK'S—POSTED FRIDAY NIGHT.
http://blogs.forbes.com/prospernow/2011/06/17/obama-fiddles-while-the-country-suffers/
ON THE "BIG CALL" THURSDAY--VERY INTERESTING STUFF
Many readers know that I work with BIGresearch, a Worthington, OH company that does incredibly large and accurate monthly surveys of consumers. The most recent survey, finished for the month of May is being published right now. I thought I'd share a few of the conclusions from it, since it is just now out in the "public domain" by way of their VIP mailing list. I often talk about this company and use the line: "Don't you wish you could predict the future? Well now you can come as close to that as ever before." The monthly survey, cleverly called the CIA (Consumer Intentions and Actions) typically contains results from over 8000 respondents, demographically correctly distributed across the entire country. The survey contains about 100 questions--so it gets into a lot of areas. Some are the same from month to month and others deal with seasonal, or topical timeliness. Here's a brief look:
JUNE 2011 CONSUMER INTENTIONS & ACTIONS HIGHLIGHTS
Over 8,300 consumers participated in the June Consumer Intentions & Actions® Survey.Confidence remains stagnant in June as consumers continue to be uninspired in the economy, while practicality and a focus on needs reach record highs. But despite languishing confidence and increasing practicality, the 90 Day Outlook improves for most categories compared to May...do rising prices have anything to do with this?
Find out more in the June BIG Call! June BIG Call Take-Aways:
Confidence remains stagnant in June, as consumers remain uninspired in economy
More predict “more” layoffs in next 6 months
Practicality, Focus on Needs reach record highs
Future purchase plans
Consumers are worried...
about the economy
a complex job situation
and their future!
FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO HEAR THE WHOLE THING, COMPLETE WITH SLIDES, HERE'S A LINK
You simply need to "sign up" to gain access: http://www.brighttalk.com/webcast/2200/30731
WE'LL STOP THIS ONE NOW, SINCE THE NEXT POSTS WILL BE MORE DETAILED IN COMING WEEKS.
I want to explain something that is going overlooked in the economic future of America that will affect us all for two decades!
For now--HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all the Fathers out there.
Best, JOHN
---------------------------------
BUY IT NOW:
THE CHINESE CONSPIRACY
http://www.thechineseconspiracy.com
Come see me on Forbes.com: http://search.forbes.com/search/find&start=1&tab=searchtabgeneraldark&MT=JOhn+Mariotti&sort=Date Also come see me on American Express Open Forum http://www.openforum.com/search/text/?searchstring=Mariotti&x=0&y=0
John L. Mariotti, President & CEO, The Enterprise Group, Phone 614-840-0959 http://www.mariotti.net, http://mariotti.blogs.com/my_weblog/
June 14, 2011
June 11, 2011
THE ENTERPRISE--PLUSES & MINUSES, BITS AND PIECES
THE ENTERPRISE--PLUSES & MINUSES, BITS AND PIECES
IN CASE YOU AREN'T KEEPING SCORE--THE NUMBER OF SERIOUS HACKING CASES CONTINUES TO GROW
In addition to Sony Playstation (and Sony Movies, and ???, that's 2-3 times!), Lockheed Martin--headed it off--but it was considered a tenacious and vicious attack. PBS--mischief mostly on the web site, telling visitors that Tupac Shakur was still alive. Iran's nuclear plants--Stuxnet--source still unconfirmed--betting on Israel or the USA. Lately, Citigroup--a BIG time bank, with lots of private data, and the global GPS systems, which looks like it was China's doing. Like I described in my novel THE CHINESE CONSPIRACY (have you bought a copy yet?) --these hackers (China especially) know how to attack and they will do it. It's not a matter of IF, it's a matter of WHEN AND HOW BAD it will be. IF they shutdown GPS, you don't want to know everything that goes down with it--but start with most of the US military systems.
IF THIS DOESN'T GIVE YOU GOOSEBUMPS, YOU ARE NOT AN AMERICAN PATRIOT
http://nation.foxnews.com/culture/2010/06/07/watch-marine-stuns-crowd-tea-party
THIS YOUNG ATHLETE SUMS UP HOW I FEEL ABOUT JIM TRESSEL—LOSING HIM IS OHIO STATE'S GREAT LOSS
In Defense of My Coach
Guest Column by Jon Thoma
It is always sad to see a hero fall. It has happened to me a few times, and for a few different reasons. Mario Lemieux was taken from the game of hockey as he reached his prime to battle illness. Tiger Woods lived a double life and is now a shell of the man who used to make the world shake with the reverberating roars of galleries across America. Those were my sporting heroes.
Men who stood at the pinnacle of their respective professions and made a legitimate difference in people’s lives.
Jon Thoma
I thought that watching them lose their air of invincibility would be the hardest way to see a career end. I thought that I would never feel so hopeless again, because I would never be as young and impressionable as I was when I let these men become such a large part of my life. Then again, I thought Jim Tressel was invincible.
Let me start by saying that I will not blame my teammates for any of this. Am I mad at them? Yes. I am mad as Hell at them for some of their actions. I am furious they cast aside our symbols of brotherhood and victory for a few hundred dollars. Those rings and Gold Pants were supposed to remind us forever of what we were a part of. Those rings were supposed to clank off of each other as we shook hands at our 2010 Rose Bowl Champs 25th anniversary banquet. Those rings were a part of our legacy to be carried on to our grandchildren as they looked at us in our rocking chairs and wondered how in the world we used to be champion athletes.
But who am I to tell someone what is important? Show an 18-year-old some money and give him some power, and you have a recipe for disaster. Put yourself in their shoes and tell me you would be able to resist temptation. You can’t. Tell an 18-year-old that he is the greatest enough times, and he will believe you. It comes with the territory.
Coach Tressel made the choice to try to account for his young players’ transgressions and move forward into the season with one of his most talented teams ever. It’s a choice he now undoubtedly regrets.
In my brief time at the top level of the amateur game, I learned one thing to be true without fail: If you succeed, people will hate you. And if people hate you, they will try to bring you down. Look at Auburn. If they went 2-4 through their first six games, would jealous Mississippi State boosters have come out of the woodwork to rat out Cam Newton? Fat chance. And along those lines, there is an even fatter chance that both Gene Chizik and Cam himself knew nothing of Cecil’s plan to shop his son. Examples are abundant. Bob Stoops knew nothing about the tens of thousands of dollars Rhett Bomar took for working a no-show job? Yeah, and I’m dating Beyonce. Dig deep enough anywhere you want, you’re eventually going to hit the dirt.
The difference is that when the others got caught, there was no proof. Coach Tressel reached out to people he thought may have an influence on future decisions made by the players (the quarterback’s “mentor”), and in doing so, sealed his own fate. The nail in his own coffin came in the form of a concerned e-mail.
Do I think Coach Tress was in the dark about the alleged ongoing violations by his players? No way. I always thought that man knew everything. My freshman year he approached me, a mere walk-on back-up punter, and asked me how my parents and two sisters were doing. He referred to them all by name! We had about 120 players on the team and he knew every person in all 120 immediate families. He knew because he cared.
He made a promise to our families to take care of us and he did everything in his power to fulfill that promise. He made us read books that would help us in life, write reports about those books, and present them to the team. The first thing we did every day was reflect and pray. There were constant reminders about how lucky we were to be playing a game for a free education and a chance at a better life. He made us sit through hours of brutal meetings with the compliance office almost every week. Believe me, we all knew what was legal and what was not legal. He brought lawyers and policemen in to warn us about the dangers of drunk driving, nightlife, and hanging out with the wrong people. He put us in hospitals to interact with patients, and introduced us to the military. He taught us that there was more to being an Ohio State football player than just football.
We had a responsibility to present ourselves in a positive way, as we were representatives of so many things so much bigger than ourselves. Apparently, some of us could not handle that honor.
To some of us, there were different priorities, and becoming a man under the watchful eye of millions around the world was too much. George Dohrmann from Sports Illustrated suggested that Jim Tressel lost control of his football team. Quite the contrary. The Ohio State Football culture took over Columbus. Coach was the only reason there WAS any control on this football team. Ask the troubled former receiver. Ask the star quarterback. Our mistakes occurred away from his watchful eye.
Our mistakes had nothing to do with Jim Tressel.
Coach Tressel had one goal for each and every one of his players. He wanted to put us in the best position possible to succeed. Both on the field and off. He taught us that complacency was not an option, and that we could only be the best men that we could be if we learned every single day. He taught us everything he could, and gave us resources to learn what he could not teach us.
I want to look him in the eyes and thank him for the chance he gave me. I want to thank him for the life I live today and the doors he opened for me along the way. I want to thank him for introducing me to BuckeyeNation. I want to thank him for my rings and for my gold pants. I want to thank him for allowing me to live my dream and for the happiest moments of my young life. He always said, “On your best days be great. On your worst days, be good. Every other day, get better.” Let’s just say that today, the Ohio State community is only good. But thanks to our Coach, we will always be better. Go Bucks!
========================
I DIDN'T WRITE THIS, OR ADD THE HIGHLIGHTING. READ AT THE BOTTOM WHO DID
========================
When will Obama crack in public?
Posted: April 19, 2011
by Mychal Massie
At a time when many Americans can barely afford Burger King and a movie, Obama boasts of spending a billion dollars on his re-election campaign. Questioned at a recent appearance about the spiraling fuel costs, Obama said, "Get used to it" - and with an insouciant grin and chortle, he told another person at the event, who complained about the effect high fuel prices were having on his family, to "get a more fuel-efficient car."
The Obamas behave as if they were sharecroppers living in a trailer and hit the Powerball, but instead of getting new tires for their trailer and a new pickup truck, they moved to Washington . And instead of making possum pie, with goats and chickens in the front yard, they're spending and living large at taxpayer expense - opulent vacations, gala balls, resplendent dinners and exclusive command performances at the White House, grand date nights, golf, basketball, more golf, exclusive resorts and still more golf.
Expensive, ill-fitting and ill-chosen wigs and fashions hardly befit the first lady of the United States . The Obamas have behaved in every way but presidential - which is why it's so offensive when we hear Obama say, in order "to restore fiscal responsibility, we all need to share in the sacrifice - but we don't have to sacrifice the America we believe in."
The American people have been sacrificing; it is he and his family who are behaving as if they've never had two nickels to rub together - and now, having hit the mother lode, they're going to spend away their feelings of inadequacy at the taxpayers' expense.
Obama continues to exhibit behavior that, at best, can be described as mobocratic and, at worst, reveals a deeply damaged individual. In a February 2010 column, I asked, "Is Obama unraveling?" I wrote that it was beginning to appear the growing mistrust of him and contempt for his policies was beginning to have a destabilizing effect on him.
At that time, I wrote that not having things go one's way can be a bitter pill, but reasonable people don't behave as he was behaving. He had insulted Republicans at their luncheon, where he had been an invited guest. I had speculated that was, in part, what had led him to falsely accuse Supreme Court justices before Congress, the nation and the world, during the 2010 State of the Union address.
It appeared, at that time, as if he were "fraying around the emotional edges." That behavior has not abated - it has become more pronounced. While addressing the nation, after being forced to explain the validity of his unilateral aggression with Libya , America witnessed a petulant individual scowling and scolding the public for daring to insist he explain his actions.
But during an afternoon speech to address the budget/debt, he took his scornful, unstable despotic behavior to depths that should give the nation cause for concern. Displaying a dark psychopathy more representative of an episode of "The Tudors" television series, he invited Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., to sit in the front row during his speech and then proceeded to berate both Ryan and Ryan's budget-cutting plan. Even liberal Democrats were put off by the act. MSNBC's Joe Scarborough questioned the sanity of Obama's actions.
Today, criticism is coming from all sides. A senior Democrat lawmaker said, "I have been very disappointed in [Obama], to the point where I'm embarrassed that I endorsed him. It's so bad that some of us are thinking, is there some way we can replace him? How do you get rid of this guy?" ("Democrats' Disgust with Obama," The Daily Beast, April 15, 2011)
Steve McCann wrote: Obama's speech "was chock full of lies, deceit and crass fear-mongering. It must be said that [he] is the most dishonest, deceitful and mendacious person in a position of power I have ever witnessed" ("The Mendacity of Barack Obama," AmericanThinker.com, April 15, 2011).
McCann continued: "[His] performance was the culmination of four years of outright lies and narcissism that have been largely ignored by the media, including some in the conservative press and political class who are loath to call [him] what he is in the bluntest of terms: a liar and a fraud. That he relies on his skin color to intimidate, either outright or by insinuation [against] those who oppose his radical agenda only add to his audacity. It is apparent that he has gotten away with his character flaws his entire life, aided and abetted by sycophants around him."
With these being among the kinder rebukes being directed at Obama, and with people becoming less intimidated by his willingness to use race as a bludgeon, with falling poll numbers in every meaningful category and an increasingly aggressive tea-party opposition - how much longer before he cracks completely?
The coming months of political life are not going to be pleasant for Obama. Possessed by a self-perceived palatine mindset, that in his mind places him above criticism, how long before he cracks in public? Can America risk a man with a documented track record of lying and misrepresenting truth as a basic way of life, who is becoming increasingly more contumelious?
-------------------
Mychal Massie is chairman of the National Leadership Network of Black Conservatives-Project 21 - a conservative black think tank located in Washington, D.C. He was recognized as the 2008 Conservative Man of the Year by the Conservative Party of Suffolk County , N.Y. He is a nationally recognized political activist, pundit and columnist. He has appeared on Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, C-SPAN, NBC, Comcast Cable and talk radio programming nationwide. A former self-employed business owner of more than 30 years, Massie can be followed at mychal-massie.com.
=================
MICHELLE BACHMANN--PRESIDENTIAL MATERIAL? I DIDN'T THINK SO, BUT THIS INTERVIEW IS IMPRESSIVE
Note: Herman Cain really blew it on his brief stint with Bill O'Reilly. O'Reilly peppered him with tough questions (as he is prone to do) and Cain fumbled too many of them. Makes me worry about his qualifications in the heat of a campaign.
THE WSJ WEEKEND INTERVIEW--JUNE 11, 2011
'On the Beach, I Bring von Mises'
The tea party favorite on her start in politics, where she learned her economics, and why she disagrees with Reagan on the War Powers Resolution.
By STEPHEN MOORE
"If I'm in, I'll be all in," says Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, artfully dodging my question of whether she's running for president. Given that she just hired campaign strategist Ed Rollins, whose past clients include Ross Perot and Mike Huckabee, rumors abound. "We're getting close," she says, "and if I do run, like all my races, I will work like a maniac."
That's pretty much how she does everything, and it helps explain how the relatively junior congresswoman has become a tea party superstar—and uniquely adept at driving liberals bonkers.
After spending a good part of two days with her in Washington as she scurries from one appointment to another, I have no doubt that Ms. Bachmann will announce her presidential bid soon. And it would be a mistake to count her out: She's defied the prognosticators in nearly every race she's run since thrashing an 18-year incumbent in the Minnesota Senate by 20 points in 2000. Says Iowa Congressman Steve King, "No one has electrified Iowa crowds like Michelle has."
Ms. Bachmann is best known for her conservative activism on issues like abortion, but what I want to talk about today is economics. When I ask who she reads on the subject, she responds that she admires the late Milton Friedman as well as Thomas Sowell and Walter Williams. "I'm also an Art Laffer fiend—we're very close," she adds. "And [Ludwig] von Mises. I love von Mises," getting excited and rattling off some of his classics like "Human Action" and "Bureaucracy." "When I go on vacation and I lay on the beach, I bring von Mises."
As we rush from her first-floor digs in the Cannon House Office Building to the House floor so she can vote, I ask for her explanation of the 2008 financial meltdown. "There were a lot of bad actors involved, but it started with the Community Reinvestment Act under Jimmy Carter and then the enhanced amendments that Bill Clinton made to force, in effect, banks to make loans to people who lacked creditworthiness. If you want to come down to a bottom line of 'How did we get in the mess?' I think it was a reduction in standards."
She continues: "Nobody wanted to say, 'No.' The implicit and then the explicit guarantees of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were sopping up the losses. Being on the Financial Services Committee, I can assure you, all roads lead to Freddie and Fannie."
Ms. Bachmann voted against the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) "both times," she boasts, and she has no regrets since Congress "just gave the Treasury a $700 billion blank check." She complains that no one bothered to ask about the constitutionality of these extraordinary interventions into the financial markets. "During a recent hearing I asked Secretary [Timothy] Geithner three times where the constitution authorized the Treasury's actions, and his response was, 'Well, Congress passed the law.'"
Insufficient focus on constitutional limits to federal power is a Bachmann pet peeve. "It's like when you come up to a stop sign and you're driving. Some people have it in their mind that the stop sign is optional. The Constitution is government's stop sign. It says, you—the three branches of government—can go so far and no farther. With TARP, the government blew through the Constitutional stop sign and decided 'Whatever it takes, that's what we're going to do.'"
Does this mean she would have favored allowing the banks to fail? "I would have. People think when you have a, quote, 'bank failure,' that that is the end of the bank. And it isn't necessarily. A normal way that the American free market system has worked is that we have a process of unwinding. It's called bankruptcy. It doesn't mean, necessarily, that the industry is eclipsed or that it's gone. Often times, the phoenix rises out of the ashes."
She also bristles at the idea, pushed of late by the White House, that the auto bailouts were a big success for workers and taxpayers. "We'll probably be out $15 billion. What was galling to so many investors was that Chrysler's secured creditors were supposed to receive 100% payout of the first money. We essentially watched over 100 years of bankruptcy law thrown out the window and President Obama eviscerated the private property interests of the secured creditors. He called them 'greedy' for enforcing their own legal rights."
So what would she have done? "For one, I believe my policies prior to '08 would have been much different from [President Bush's]. I wouldn't have spent so much money," she says, pointing in particular at the Department of Education and the Medicare prescription drug bill. "I would have advocated for greater reductions in the corporate tax rate and reductions in the capital gains rate—even more so than what the president did." Mr. Bush cut the capital gains rate to 15% from 20% in 2003.
She's also no fan of the Federal Reserve's decade-long policy of flooding the U.S. economy with cheap money. "I love a lowered interest rate like anyone else. But clearly the Fed has had competing goals and objectives. One is the soundness of money and then the other is jobs. The two different objectives are hard to reconcile. What has gotten us into deep trouble and has people so perturbed is the debasing of the currency."
That's why, if she were president, she wouldn't renominate Ben Bernanke as Fed chairman: "I think that it's very important to demonstrate to the American people that the Federal Reserve will have a new sheriff" to keep the dollar strong and stable.
As for foreign policy, she joined 86 other House Republicans last week in voting for the resolution sponsored by antiwar Democrat Dennis Kucinich to stop U.S. military action in Libya within 15 days. Is she a Midwestern isolationist? "I was opposed to the U.S. involvement in Libya from the very start," she says. "President Obama has never made a compelling national security case on Libya."
Even more striking, she says the 1973 War Powers Resolution, requiring congressional approval for military action after 60 days, is "the law of the land" and must be obeyed. That's a notable difference from every recent president of either party, including Ronald Reagan.
Ms. Bachmann attributes many of her views, especially on economics, to her middle-class upbringing in 1960s Iowa and Minnesota. She talks with almost religious fervor about the virtues of living frugally, working hard and long hours, and avoiding debt. When she was growing up, she recalls admiringly, Iowa dairy farmers worked from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Her political opponents on the left portray her as a "she-devil," in her words, a caricature at odds with her life accomplishments. She's a mother of five, and she and her husband helped raise 23 teenage foster children in their home, as many as four at a time. They succeeded in getting all 23 through high school and later founded a charter school.
She got started in politics after seeing the failures in public schooling. "The kids were coloring posters in 11th grade algebra class," she says. "I decided to do my duty, go to the Republican convention. I had on jeans, a sweatshirt with a hole in it, white moccasins, and I showed up in this auditorium and everyone said, 'Why are we nominating this guy [Gary] Laidig every four years?'"
"I thought, 'I'm nobody from nowhere but maybe if I challenge the guy, he'll shape up a little bit.' So I gave a five-minute speech on freedom, economic liberty and all the rest. And no one could believe it, but I won a supermajority on the first ballot and he was out on his keister."
She ran for Congress in 2006, the worst year for Republicans in two decades. "Nancy Pelosi and all her horses spent $9.6 million to defeat me in that race"—almost three times what Ms. Bachmann had raised. She won 50% to 42%. In 2010, the Democrats and their union allies raised more than $10 million to try to defeat her. "My adversaries have certainly been highly motivated," she says.
But her adversaries—or, at least, rivals—aren't limited to the left. There's Sarah Palin, with whom journalists are convinced she has frosty relations, and fellow Minnesotan Tim Pawlenty, now running for president. About Ms. Palin the congresswoman shrugs, "People want to see a mud-wrestling fight. They won't get it from me because I like Sarah Palin and I respect her." As for whether Mr. Pawlenty was a good governor, "I really don't want to comment."
Ever ready to cite stories from American history, Ms. Bachmann notes with a grin that the last House member to be elected president was James Garfield in 1880. If she were to take her shot, she'd run on an economic package reminiscent of Jack Kemp, the late congressman who championed supply-side economics and was the GOP vice presidential nominee in 1996. "In my perfect world," she explains, "we'd take the 35% corporate tax rate down to nine so that we're the most competitive in the industrialized world. Zero out capital gains. Zero out the alternative minimum tax. Zero out the death tax."
The 3.8 million-word U.S. tax code may be irreparable, she says, a view she's held since working as a tax attorney at the IRS 20 years ago. "I love the FAIR tax. If we were starting over from scratch, I would favor a national sales tax." But she's not a sponsor of the FAIR tax bill because she fears that enacting it won't end the income tax, and "we would end up with a dual tax, a national sales tax and an income tax."
Her main goal is to get tax rates down with a broad-based income tax that everyone pays and that "gets rid of all the deductions." A system in which 47% of Americans don't pay any tax is ruinous for a democracy, she says, "because there is no tie to the government benefits that people demand. I think everyone should have to pay something."
On the stump she emphasizes an "America-centered energy policy" based on "drilling and mining for our rich resources here." And she believes that repealing ObamaCare is a precondition to restoring a prosperous economy. "You cannot have a pro-growth economy and advise, simultaneously, socialized medicine."
Her big challenge is whether the country is ready to support deep spending cuts. On this issue, she carries a sharper blade than everyone except Ron Paul. She voted for the Paul Ryan budget—but "with an asterisk." Why? "The asterisk is that we've got a huge messaging problem [on Medicare]. It needs to be called the 55-and-Under Plan. I can't tell you the number of 78-year-old women who think we're going to pull the rug out from under them."
Ms. Bachmann also voted for the Republican Study Committee budget that cuts deeper and faster than even Mr. Ryan would. "We do have an obligation with Social Security and Medicare, and we have to recognize that" for those who are already retired, she says. But after that, it's Katy bar the door: "Everything else is expendable to bring spending down," and she'd ax "whole departments" including the Department of Education.
"I think people realize the crisis we face isn't in 25 years or even 10 years off. It is right now. And people want it solved now—especially Republican primary voters."
Mr. Moore is a member of The Journal's editorial board. Copyright 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
=============================
I SURE HOPE THIS NOTE FROM A WISE FRIEND IS PROPHETIC AND ACCURATE--IT IS THE HOPE FOR AMERICA'S FUTURE
The author of this futuristic article is one of many who see doomsday in the future for America. http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2010/12/06/america_collapse_2025
I do not agree--if we can remove Obama. He is all about wealth distribution and that does not now and will not work in the future.
The first step to get rid of Obama who is no doubt the single most destructive person in the history of the United States. A Republican will win in 2012 and the Senate will be Republican. The recent ABC poll shows Romney ahead of Obama by 3 points. I do think someone else will emerge other than Romney and that person will win the 2012 election.
The first thing that the GOP will do is to lower taxes for corporation who will use those $ to expand and to deliver new jobs.
The second thing will be to revise the tax code eliminating all deductions and there will be a flat tax.
The current health bill will be thrown out replaced by one that is user friendly.
There will be no more bail outs of companies that are in trouble.
There will be no more unemployment insurance.
There will be no more amnesty and more and more companies and people who hire illegal's will be fined heavily and perhaps go to jail.
The non energy policy which is now in effect will be replaced by huge investments into natural gas so much so that we will be a net exporter of energy
The retraining of those unemployed will be a huge effort by the new administration.
More states will be right to work states as we have in Texas and the unions will steadily disappear.
The budgets will be thoroughly studied to be sure that we are on the road to fiscal conservatism.
States will also make the hard choices of budget cutting so as to be on the same path as the Federal budgets. and so and so on
I HOPE HE'S RIGHT
IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T HEARD, THE ECONOMY IS NOT RECOVERING WELL AT ALL OBAMA'S FAILURES ARE SHOWING
Jobs are not coming back. No surprise with taxes high, anti-business antics all over DC, new regulations growing by the day, and deficits as far as the eye can see. The exception: Texas where job growth is outstripping every other state by a wider margin than its population would indicate. (Since 2009, Texas has added 265,300 net jobs out of 722,200 in the whole USA; NY was 2nd with 98,200, PA was 3rd with 93,000.) Why?
Let's list some of the reasons:
1. A right to work state--unions must earn their way in or stay out, and not require workers to join.
2. Reform of Tort system reducing liability claims dramatically, lowers risk and cost
3. Smaller government, lower taxes, less interference, less cost
4. Regulatory climate contained and flexible, fewer restrictions, lower cost and less complexity
5. No state income tax, more favorable to recruit and retain people
6. Limits mortgage borrowing to 80% of appraised value, reduces the incidence of stupid lending/borrowing and bad credit
7. Open to global trade and competition, ports and border both.
DO THESE SOUND LIKE OBAMA POLICIES? HELL, NO! JUST THE OPPOSITE
Any wonder that jobs are not being created in places like CA which follows most of Obama's policies?
Enough for one week, right?
Stay cool, and let's figure out who can beat Obama in 2012 and lead a re-taking of the Senate
Best, JOHN
Recent Comments