ELECTION DAY IS TUESDAY--BE SURE TO VOTE
In OHIO:
John Kasich & Mary Taylor--Kasich has done a great job as governor and Ohio will greatly benefit from another 4 years of his leadership.
Others who have done great jobs since ring elected four years ago are:
Auditor Dave Yost
Secretary of State Jon Husted
Attorney General Mike DeWine
Treasurer Josh Mandel
(You can read more about why they deserve reelection in the Columbus Dispatch, Sunday, Sept. 28.)
The incumbents running for Judge positions also deserve reelection for their fine work!
The incumbents running for Judge positions also deserve reelection for their fine work!
State Senator Frank LaRose deserves a strong reelection vote.
NATIONALLY:
On the national level, Columbus and Ohio are lucky to have excellent Congressional representation by Pat Tiberi and Steve Stivers. While they are favored to win, they need every vote we can get out for them, to solidify their position and support.
IN WEST VIRGINIA:
Dolph Santorine-- great guy, great candidate, good friend.
NATIONALLY:
On the national level, Columbus and Ohio are lucky to have excellent Congressional representation by Pat Tiberi and Steve Stivers. While they are favored to win, they need every vote we can get out for them, to solidify their position and support.
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Election Day is TUESDAY!
Election Day is TUESDAY!
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BE SURE TO VOTE--UNLESS YOU ALREADY HAVE--AND TAKE ALONG ANY ONE ELSE YOU KNOW THAT NEEDS A LITTLE PERSUASION TO GET OUT AND VOTE! (Adult children, relatives, neighbors, elderly who might have difficulty getting out, etc.)
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NATIONAL POLITICS ARE SIMPLER THAN YOU MIGHT THINK
FOR EVERYONE WHO LIVES IN A STATE WITH A CLOSELY CONTESTED SENATE RACE
Consider this fact" Every one of the Democratic Senatorial candidates who are so vigorously explaining why their policies are not the same as the failed policies of President Obama voted in support of Obama's policies 95-99% of the time since they have been in office. It sort of makes you wonder how they could support the Obama policy agenda so totally, UNTIL IT'S TIME TO RUN FOR RE-ELECTION… and then suddenly, they are not in agreement with Obama on so many issues.
MY ADVICE: DON'T BELIEVE THEM--VOTE FOR THEIR REPUBLICAN OPPONENT. At least you can be confident that they don't agree with Obama's misguided policies.
HERE'S WHY THE PRESIDENT SEEMS TO BE OBLIVIOUS AND/OR SURPRISED SO OFTEN (or says he is!)
Subject: Report: Obama Has Missed over Half His Second-Term Daily Intel Briefings
A new Government Accountability Institute (GAI) report reveals that President Barack Obama has attended only 42.1% of his daily intelligence briefings (known officially as the Presidential Daily Brief, or PDB) in the 2,079 days of his presidency through September 29, 2014.
The GAI report also included a breakdown of Obama’s PDB attendance record between terms; he attended 42.4% of his PDBs in his first term and 41.3% in his second.
The GAI’s alarming findings come on the heels of Obama’s 60 Minutes comments on Sunday, wherein the president laid the blame for the Islamic State’s (ISIS) rapid rise squarely at the feet of his Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.
“I think our head of the intelligence community, Jim Clapper, has acknowledged that I think they underestimated what had been taking place in Syria,” said Obama.
According to Daily Beast reporter Eli Lake, members of the Defense establishment were “flabbergasted” by Obama’s attempt to shift blame.
“Either the president doesn’t read the intelligence he’s getting or he’s bullshitting,” a former senior Pentagon official “who worked closely on the threat posed by Sunni jihadists in Syria and Iraq” told the Daily Beast.
On Monday, others in the intelligence community similarly blasted Obama and said he’s shown longstanding disinterest in receiving live, in-person PDBs that allow the Commander-in-Chief the chance for critical followup, feedback, questions, and the challenging of flawed intelligence assumptions.
“It's pretty well-known that the president hasn’t taken in-person intelligence briefings with any regularity since the early days of 2009,” an Obama national security staffer told the Daily Mail on Monday. “He gets them in writing.”
The Obama security staffer said the president’s PDBs have contained detailed threat warnings about the Islamic State dating back to before the 2012 presidential election.
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2014/09/29/Report-Obama-Has-Missed-Over-Half-His-Second-Term-Daily-Intel-Briefings
The GAI report also included a breakdown of Obama’s PDB attendance record between terms; he attended 42.4% of his PDBs in his first term and 41.3% in his second.
The GAI’s alarming findings come on the heels of Obama’s 60 Minutes comments on Sunday, wherein the president laid the blame for the Islamic State’s (ISIS) rapid rise squarely at the feet of his Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.
“I think our head of the intelligence community, Jim Clapper, has acknowledged that I think they underestimated what had been taking place in Syria,” said Obama.
According to Daily Beast reporter Eli Lake, members of the Defense establishment were “flabbergasted” by Obama’s attempt to shift blame.
“Either the president doesn’t read the intelligence he’s getting or he’s bullshitting,” a former senior Pentagon official “who worked closely on the threat posed by Sunni jihadists in Syria and Iraq” told the Daily Beast.
On Monday, others in the intelligence community similarly blasted Obama and said he’s shown longstanding disinterest in receiving live, in-person PDBs that allow the Commander-in-Chief the chance for critical followup, feedback, questions, and the challenging of flawed intelligence assumptions.
“It's pretty well-known that the president hasn’t taken in-person intelligence briefings with any regularity since the early days of 2009,” an Obama national security staffer told the Daily Mail on Monday. “He gets them in writing.”
The Obama security staffer said the president’s PDBs have contained detailed threat warnings about the Islamic State dating back to before the 2012 presidential election.
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2014/09/29/Report-Obama-Has-Missed-Over-Half-His-Second-Term-Daily-Intel-Briefings
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IS THERE ANY GOOD NEWS?
Maybe. Republican candidates are narrowly favored to win enough seats to re-take the Senate control…but just barely. It won't be enough to stop Obama's imperial presidency from legislating from the Oval Office. It could slow or derail his judicial nominees, and even force a more reasonable replacement for Obama's hatchet man, attorney general Eric Holder. A GOP controlled Congress would force Obama to show his true colors by vetoing much needed legislation. Some 300 House originated bills are piled up ahead of the Senate--stopped by Harry Reid so Senators seeking reelection wouldn't need to explain their actions honestly. Nor would Obama be forced to show his true beliefs.
HERE'S WHY AMERICA NEEDS SECURE VOTER ID CARDS WITH PICTURES
Want to vote illegally in NC? Come on in . . . no problem! The more the merrier. (NC is one of 20 states that requires no voter ID.)
This kind of thing was rampant during the last Presidential campaign. Right here in Columbus, Somalians were brought to early voting by the van load, with interpreters and the flimsiest of IDs (e.g., Utility bills with their address on them.)
Maybe in addition to securing our borders, we should secure our VOTING BOOTHS!
The Democrats have been filing one lawsuit after another to block voter ID laws that have been passed by numerous states. Even U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has used the full power of the Justice Department to protect his boss’s plans to steal re-election by legally challenging any voter law that would stop voter fraud.But has anyone ever taken a close look at the whole issue of voter ID and what other things in life already require an ID?
- DMV – You are required to have some form of identification to obtain a driver’s license in most states.
- Airports – Try boarding a commercial flight these days without a photo ID.
- Hospitals – Most hospitals require some form of ID for any out-patient or in-patient procedure. The last time I ended up at the emergency room, they were still asking me for my ID.
- Pharmacy – We have to show our driver’s license just to purchase over-the-counter sinus medication like Co-Advil, let alone a prescription.
- Blood Donation – Everyone I know that has donated blood has had to present their ID before being accepted.
- Banks – Many banks require some form of ID to carry out any transaction except perhaps making a deposit.
- Writing a Check – Most stores want a driver’s license or some other photo ID in order to cash a check or even pay for a purchase with a check.
- Using Credit Cards – I have been in some stores that have asked to see a driver’s license or some other form of ID before they would accept my credit card.
- Gun Shop – Right! Try buying a gun or ammunition without a driver’s license or any other form of ID.
- Social Security Office – They require ID to verify who you are before they will even entertain paying you any benefits. To obtain SSI Disability requires ID plus a ton of documentation, yet many poor and minority people manage to obtain SSI Disability coverage.
- Pawn Shop – Laws have tightened up so much on pawn shops to prevent them from purchasing stole property that pawn shops require a form of ID, preferably a photo.
- Jail – Most cities, counties, and states require some form of ID before they book someone into jail.
- Courts – Most courts require an ID in order for you conduct any form of business with them.
- Unemployment – Most unemployment offices require an ID before paying benefits.
- Public Schools – Many schools require any non-student to present an ID at the office before being allowed to visit the school for any reason. I use to be a meter reader for an electric company and always had to go to the office first and show my ID before being allowed to OUR electric boxes.
- Adoption Agency – It is almost impossible to adopt a child without an ID and a stack of other information.
- Parole & Probation – Most people placed on parole or probation are required to have an ID when they check in with their court appointed handlers.
- Auto Insurance – You are required to have an ID in order to obtain auto insurance.
- Traffic Stop – In most states you are required to present your driver’s license, proof of insurance and vehicle registration if you are pulled for by a police officer.
- Passport – You have to produce an original birth certificate and photo in order to obtain a U.S. passport. (Makes you wonder how Barack Obama obtained a valid passport.)
- Post Office – I’ve had to show a photo ID to pick up packages at the Post Office.
The list probably goes on for page after page, but I hope you get the idea. However the Democrats say that requiring an ID for voting is unconstitutional and discriminating. The ironic part of this is that most unions are Democratic supporters and they require an ID for all union voting, but they are against requiring an ID to vote in local, state and federal elections.If requiring an ID to vote is discriminatory and unconstitutional, they why is it legal to require an ID for all of these other things in life?Read more at http://godfatherpolitics.com/7374/why-is-photo-id-required-for-everything-except-to-vote/#fP0fGYyjv5WXwAX7.99
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THERE ARE A NUMBER OF STRANGE ECONOMIC PARADOXES RIGHT NOW
The stock market corrected downward in the past couple of weeks, and is now coming back up. Why? Because there is nowhere better to put your money. The best advice is to not panic-sell during downturns. Do your homework; get good financial advice; then hang on. The market almost always comes back up after such corrections. It might take months or even years, but many ill-advised Americans sold their holdings during the big downturn in 2007-8 and then couldn't or didn't have the good sense to go right back in and enjoy the recovery.
Sound advice: Buy low; sell high. Do NOT Sell low; and buy high! If you make sound investment decisions, with the best advice you can find or get, then hang in there.
IS A "HUMBUG" CHRISTMAS COMING? MAYBE & MAYBE NOT!
THE ECONOMY GROWS, BUT FLAT SALES AFFLICT AMERICA'S LEADING COMPANIES
If you haven’t been tracking the news closely, growth in the US for the 3Q was 3.5%, but you might not realize that four of the largest and most iconic American companies have stalled with multiple quarters of flat revenues. That’s right. Walmart, IBM, McDonald’s, and Coke have stopped growing! Depending on the company, the flat sales have endured for well over a year, in fact, up to ten quarters in a row for IBM. An exhaustive search of other large and well-known companies would extend this list to about 1/3 of the Fortune 500!
P & G, an American icon, grew at a puny 1%. It is preparing to divest 100 brands from ititss company, leaving the 75-80 strongest. While this is a great idea for P & G, it is another warning. Lack of revenue growth bad for the companies’ shareholders, many of which are pension funds. It’s bad for America. Moreover, it signals a sea change in the issue of whether “bigger is better.”
Being big is not all it’s cracked up to be. For huge companies like Walmart or McDonald's to show significant growth means their must quarterly sales gains that are as large as smaller competitors entire annual revenues. Those sales have to come from somewhere, and consumers are still anxious, cautious and downright concerned.
The average income of American households has plummeted in the past 6 years. (see chart below) It is inevitable that when incomes drop, and people are worried, they spend less. The largest companies suffer. Add to that the woes of a recession in Europe, and slowing growth in China, and the problem rapidly becomes a global one.
I know you have probably seen the chart before, but it tells a lot of stories. People whose incomes drop must spend less to make ends meet. That means they buy less or buy lower priced goods, which in turn lowers the revenue of major companies. When those companies are revenue constrained, they also spend less to preserve their earnings, which means their suppliers get less revenue. This is Barack Obama's legacy, and the legacy of all his Democratic allies (and in fact, his constituents).
Ironically, this "flat, low growth economy" hurts Obama's biggest supporters the most--the lower and low-middle income Americans. The more tax money he takes from all Americans to support his deficit-funded welfare state, the less there is to spend wisely, and at their own discretion or to invest in wealth-producing alternatives. IF this lower income third (which is heavily minorities) of American society continues to support Obama's policies (and the many Congressional candidates who have supported his policies in recent years) America will continue to languish, and the suffering will get worse, not better. What a sad situation.
There are only two solutions: the first opportunity comes next Tuesday. Elect people who oppose Obama's policies. Reject candidates who have been supporting the Obama policy agenda (Every Democratic Senate candidate in closely contested races voted 95-99% with Obama's wishes). Leopards do not change their spots, and liberals do not turn conservative except during election time.
The second opportunity is two years away--the 2016 presidential elections. Do not be fooled by Hillary Clinton! She will not make things better, because she is, at heart, still a Democrat. Her policies and actions may be different, but any improvement will be minuscule. (The same applies if she loses to another liberal Democrat in the primaries.) In the next two years, much more will be revealed about Hillary's failings, her mistakes, her many character flaws.
Meanwhile, the US economy struggles to exceed 2% growth Only after consumers scrimp and save for 2-3 quarters, can they spend at Christmas time (can I even call it that, or are the liberal-secularists going to ban that very word?). Even Amazon, the huge on-line retailer is not tripping over its own spending policy. It is spending so much, so far ahead of revenues that it is still losing money--at a higher rate than expected. You can only "buy market share" for so long. Eventually you must "pay the piper" for what you have chosen to spend. This admonition applies equally to Jeff Bezos of amazon, and for Barack Obama and his Democratic allies.
CHRISTMAS CAN STILL BE OK…NOT A BLOCKBUSTER, BUT OK.
Consumers will spend. They always do. Lower gas prices have put more money in their pockets. Perhaps this Christmas coming on the heels of an election outcome that provides hope for better Congressional action, will turn the tide. I sure hope so.
FOR NOW…LET'S ALL FOCUS ON WINNING THE ELECTIONS ON TUESDAY.
Then we can go about beginning the work of "fixing America."
JOHN
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John Mariotti
Go see my latest articles and commentary at http://www.brennerbrief.com/author/johnmariotti/ and at
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