This campaign speech last night was supposed to be the “bookend” to Obama’s class warfare speech he made in Osawatomie, Kansas last year. In that speech, Obama talked about the need for “fairness” fifteen times. Last night, he paired it back to only six mentions of the need for “fairness” or millionaires to pay their “fair share.” Obammus DID managed to mention the other F-word once: freedom. Someone also snuck the word liberty – once – into the speech. Must have been a mistake No mention of personal responsibility, but only the responsibility of rich people to pay their fair share.
We also have the “I” word. Obama used that one 45 times. And some people seem to have a problem with people telling them what they “should” and “shouldn’t” do. That word showed up 28 times.
But let’s go through some of the more absurd assertions in Obama’s campaign speech:
Jobs
Obama claims: “In the last 22 months, businesses have created more than three million jobs.”
The truth: Yes, 3 million new jobs were created. But during the same period 5 million jobs were lost. Even a government school student can do this math. That means a net loss of 2 million jobs. The fact is that there are fewer Americans working today than there were when Obama took office. Our labor force has shrunk from a participation rate of 64.6% to 64% in just two years. In fact, if the same number of Americans were looking for jobs today as were in 2007, our unemployment rate would be closer to 11%. And that doesn’t even take into account the number of Americans who are underemployed at the moment.
At one time an effective line to be used on someone from the moocher class demonizing the rich was: “Well, then why don’t you go get a job from a poor person when you decide to actually start looking?” Now the response is “I don’t need to. The government is supposed to get me a job.”
Jobs Overseas
Obama says: “Right now, companies get tax breaks for moving jobs and profits overseas. Meanwhile, companies that choose to stay in America get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world. It makes no sense, and everyone knows it. So let's change it.”
The problem: Obama is absolutely right. Our corporate tax rate is the highest among industrialized nations. Notice, though, that Obama’s solution doesn’t include lowering that rate! Duhhhhhh! Instead of lowering tax rates at home to perhaps attract foreign investment in America, Obama’s solution is to punish the people who are already here. He wants to erect an economic Berlin Wall --- not as much to keep other businesses out, but to keep American businesses locked in. If you keep these jobs here you’ll have to pay our absurdly high corporate income tax rates. If you try to move your manufacturing processes overseas we’ll punish you with some more confiscatory tax rates. That’s the way to create jobs in America.
Let me make this absolutely clear: The jobs belong to the businesses .. not to Obama ... not to the workers .. not to the government. I’m sure many of them would ideally like to create jobs in America, but until we get serious about tax reform (and not just trimming around the edges with some incentives), those jobs will be created wherever the company feels is best and that is absolutely their prerogative.
Teachers
Obama says: “At a time when other countries are doubling down on education, tight budgets have forced States to lay off thousands of teachers.”
The problem: Despite what the Democrats may claim, we actually have more teachers in the classrooms than ever before. The number of teachers has increased at a faster pace compared to student enrollment. Does that really make any sense? From 1971 to 1984, the number of students in government school actually declined by 15%, while the number of teachers increased by 7%. In 1955, the number of students per teacher was at 26.9. By 2010, that figure has been lowered to 15.6 students per teacher. It seems that the higher the student-teacher ratio the worse our system works. Now I would maintain that the REAL problem is the bloated number of administrators, but that doesn’t make as sexy of an applause line as teachers getting fired.
Higher Education
Obama says: “Higher education can't be a luxury — it's an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.”
The problem: Yet another entitlement to add to the growing list of things that libs and proggies believe they should receive by virtue of the fact that they exist and they want it. Not everyone needs to go to college. Some of our most successful entrepreneurs, in fact, bailed out after high school to pursue their dreams.
Illegal Immigration
Obama claims: “I believe as strongly as ever that we should take on illegal immigration. That's why my Administration has put more boots on the border than ever before. That's why there are fewer illegal crossings than when I took office.”
The truth: Obama gets this one half right. You can read the fact checking here from Poli-fact on the number of boots on the ground at the border. But where Obama gets it wrong is that there aren’t fewer illegals coming to this country because of these agents … the illegals aren’t coming because our economy is in the crapper! The reason they were coming illegally in the first place is because of the giant magnet of American economic opportunity. Thanks to Obammus, we aren’t worried about opportunity. We are now worried on equality. Let’s see how far THAT gets us.
Oil
Obama claims: “Right now, American oil production is the highest that it's been in eight years.”
The truth: What Obama doesn’t tell you is that this has nothing to do with his administration or his policies. In fact, oil production on federal land is DOWN by 40%. Oil production is high because of those evil, private oil companies increasing production on PRIVATE, not government lands. These private lands are not subject to the same level of government regulation as are federal lands. The lesson here is pretty easy to comprehend. More government, less production. Less government, more production. How about another duhhhhhhh.
Regulations
Obama claims: “In fact, I've approved fewer regulations in the first three years of my presidency than my Republican predecessor did in his.”
The truth: It’s not the number of regulations, it’s the regulations themselves .. the oppressiveness and affect on private business. According to the Heritage Foundation: “During its first 26 months—from taking office to mid-FY 2011—the Obama Administration has imposed 75 new major regulations with reported costs to the private sector exceeding $40 billion. During the same period, six major rulemaking proceedings reduced regulatory burdens by an estimated $1.5 billion, still leaving a net increase of more than $38 billion … No other President has burdened businesses and individuals with a higher number and larger cost of regulations in a comparable time period.”
Wall Street
Obama claims: “I will not go back to the days when Wall Street was allowed to play by its own set of rules.”
The truth: Wall Street has never been able to play by its own set of rules. This is a line that liberals use in order to divert attention from the real culprit: the federal government. And unfortunately, the Obama administration hasn’t done anything to make it better. The structural problems from 2008 have only been compounded and are now worse under Dodd-Frank. Meanwhile, don’t bother expounding on the fact that it was Democrats who blocked reforms of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the entities responsible for the housing collapse and the ensuing financial crisis.
Taxes
Obama claims: “Right now, we're poised to spend nearly $1 trillion more on what was supposed to be a temporary tax break for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans.”
The truth: Don’t you just love that liberals view the money that you’ve earned as money that THEY are spending? The official government phrase is “tax expenditures.” The concept is that you belong to the government, and therefore the money that you earn belongs to the government. Money that you earn that remains in your pocket is money “spent” by the government. Obama is tired of “spending” all this money on you.
Debt
Obama claims: “Do we want to keep these tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans? Or do we want to keep our investments in everything else — like education and medical research; a strong military and care for our veterans? Because if we're serious about paying down our debt, we can't do both.”
The truth: This is not, and never should be, an either/or scenario. The fact is that increasing taxes on the rich … or in prog-talk that’s “letting tax cuts expire for wealthy Americans … is no way to pay down our debt. Our government is spending too much, that’s the problem! The truth is that the only way for the government to solve its fiscal issues with revenue would be to confiscate every single dollar from every single American making $200,000 or more per year. Taxing the nation’s millionaires at 50% – even eliminating loopholes and deductions – would only reduce the deficit by 8% and the national debt by 1%.
The Buffett Tax
I think we’ll need another Nuze entry to tackle this one ...
THE FACTS: This is at least Obama's third run at stripping subsidies from the oil industry. Back when [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]fellow [COLOR=blue !important]Democrats[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] formed the House and Senate majorities, he sought $36.5 billion in tax increases on oil and gas companies over the next decade, but Congress largely ignored the request. He called again to end such tax breaks in last year's State of the Union speech. And he's now doing it again, despite facing a wall of opposition from Republicans who want to spur domestic oil and gas production and oppose tax increases generally.
------
OBAMA: "Our health care law relies on a reformed private market, not a government program."
THE FACTS: That's only half true. About half of the more than 30 million uninsured Americans expected to gain coverage through the health care law will be enrolled in a government program. Medicaid, the federal-state program for low-income people, will be expanded starting in 2014 to cover childless adults living near the poverty line.
The other half will be enrolled in private health plans through new state-based insurance markets. But many of them will be receiving federal subsidies to make their premiums more affordable. And that's a government program, too.
Starting in 2014 most Americans will be required to carry health coverage, either through an employer, by buying their own plan, or through a government program.
------
OBAMA: "Tonight, I want to speak about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that's built to last - an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values."
THE FACTS: Economists do see manufacturing growth as a necessary component of any U.S. recovery. U.S. manufacturing output climbed 0.9 percent in December, the biggest gain since December 2010. Yet Obama's apparent vision of a nation once again propelled by manufacturing -- a vision shared by many Republicans -- may already have slipped into the past.
Over generations, the economy has become ever more driven by services; not since 1975 has the U.S. had a surplus in merchandise trade, which covers trade in goods, including manufactured and farm goods. About 90 percent of American workers are employed in the service sector, a profound shift in the nature of the workforce over many decades.
The overall trade deficit through the first 11 months of 2011 ran at an annual rate of nearly $600 billion, up almost 12 percent from the year before.
------
OBAMA: "The Taliban's momentum has been broken, and some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home."
THE FACTS: Obama is more sanguine about progress in Afghanistan than his own intelligence apparatus. The latest National Intelligence Estimate on Afghanistan warns that the Taliban will grow stronger, using fledgling talks with the U.S. to gain credibility and stall until U.S. troops leave, while continuing to fight for more territory. The classified assessment, described to The Associated Press by officials who have seen it, says the Afghan government hasn't been able to establish credibility with its people, and predicts the Taliban and warlords will largely control the countryside.
------
OBAMA: "On the day I took office, our auto industry was on the verge of collapse. Some even said we should let it die. With a million jobs at stake, I refused to let that happen. In exchange for help, we demanded responsibility. We got workers and automakers to settle their differences. We got the industry to retool and restructure. Today, General Motors is back on top as the world's number one automaker. Chrysler has grown faster in the U.S. than any major car company. Ford is investing billions in U.S. plants and factories. And together, the entire industry added nearly 160,000 jobs."
THE FACTS: He left out some key details. The bailout of General Motors and Chrysler began under [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]Republican [COLOR=blue !important]President[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] George W. Bush. Obama picked up the ball, earmarked more money, and finished the job. But Ford, which Obama mentions as well, never asked for a federal bailout and never got one. It's managed to get along on its own. Also, as part of its restructuring, Chrysler is not really a U.S. automaker anymore. Italian automaker Fiat now owns a 30 percent share, and it will eventually go to 51 percent under terms of the U.S. bailout and its bankruptcy restructuring.
We also have the “I” word. Obama used that one 45 times. And some people seem to have a problem with people telling them what they “should” and “shouldn’t” do. That word showed up 28 times.
But let’s go through some of the more absurd assertions in Obama’s campaign speech:
Jobs
Obama claims: “In the last 22 months, businesses have created more than three million jobs.”
The truth: Yes, 3 million new jobs were created. But during the same period 5 million jobs were lost. Even a government school student can do this math. That means a net loss of 2 million jobs. The fact is that there are fewer Americans working today than there were when Obama took office. Our labor force has shrunk from a participation rate of 64.6% to 64% in just two years. In fact, if the same number of Americans were looking for jobs today as were in 2007, our unemployment rate would be closer to 11%. And that doesn’t even take into account the number of Americans who are underemployed at the moment.
At one time an effective line to be used on someone from the moocher class demonizing the rich was: “Well, then why don’t you go get a job from a poor person when you decide to actually start looking?” Now the response is “I don’t need to. The government is supposed to get me a job.”
Jobs Overseas
Obama says: “Right now, companies get tax breaks for moving jobs and profits overseas. Meanwhile, companies that choose to stay in America get hit with one of the highest tax rates in the world. It makes no sense, and everyone knows it. So let's change it.”
The problem: Obama is absolutely right. Our corporate tax rate is the highest among industrialized nations. Notice, though, that Obama’s solution doesn’t include lowering that rate! Duhhhhhh! Instead of lowering tax rates at home to perhaps attract foreign investment in America, Obama’s solution is to punish the people who are already here. He wants to erect an economic Berlin Wall --- not as much to keep other businesses out, but to keep American businesses locked in. If you keep these jobs here you’ll have to pay our absurdly high corporate income tax rates. If you try to move your manufacturing processes overseas we’ll punish you with some more confiscatory tax rates. That’s the way to create jobs in America.
Let me make this absolutely clear: The jobs belong to the businesses .. not to Obama ... not to the workers .. not to the government. I’m sure many of them would ideally like to create jobs in America, but until we get serious about tax reform (and not just trimming around the edges with some incentives), those jobs will be created wherever the company feels is best and that is absolutely their prerogative.
Teachers
Obama says: “At a time when other countries are doubling down on education, tight budgets have forced States to lay off thousands of teachers.”
The problem: Despite what the Democrats may claim, we actually have more teachers in the classrooms than ever before. The number of teachers has increased at a faster pace compared to student enrollment. Does that really make any sense? From 1971 to 1984, the number of students in government school actually declined by 15%, while the number of teachers increased by 7%. In 1955, the number of students per teacher was at 26.9. By 2010, that figure has been lowered to 15.6 students per teacher. It seems that the higher the student-teacher ratio the worse our system works. Now I would maintain that the REAL problem is the bloated number of administrators, but that doesn’t make as sexy of an applause line as teachers getting fired.
Higher Education
Obama says: “Higher education can't be a luxury — it's an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.”
The problem: Yet another entitlement to add to the growing list of things that libs and proggies believe they should receive by virtue of the fact that they exist and they want it. Not everyone needs to go to college. Some of our most successful entrepreneurs, in fact, bailed out after high school to pursue their dreams.
Illegal Immigration
Obama claims: “I believe as strongly as ever that we should take on illegal immigration. That's why my Administration has put more boots on the border than ever before. That's why there are fewer illegal crossings than when I took office.”
The truth: Obama gets this one half right. You can read the fact checking here from Poli-fact on the number of boots on the ground at the border. But where Obama gets it wrong is that there aren’t fewer illegals coming to this country because of these agents … the illegals aren’t coming because our economy is in the crapper! The reason they were coming illegally in the first place is because of the giant magnet of American economic opportunity. Thanks to Obammus, we aren’t worried about opportunity. We are now worried on equality. Let’s see how far THAT gets us.
Oil
Obama claims: “Right now, American oil production is the highest that it's been in eight years.”
The truth: What Obama doesn’t tell you is that this has nothing to do with his administration or his policies. In fact, oil production on federal land is DOWN by 40%. Oil production is high because of those evil, private oil companies increasing production on PRIVATE, not government lands. These private lands are not subject to the same level of government regulation as are federal lands. The lesson here is pretty easy to comprehend. More government, less production. Less government, more production. How about another duhhhhhhh.
Regulations
Obama claims: “In fact, I've approved fewer regulations in the first three years of my presidency than my Republican predecessor did in his.”
The truth: It’s not the number of regulations, it’s the regulations themselves .. the oppressiveness and affect on private business. According to the Heritage Foundation: “During its first 26 months—from taking office to mid-FY 2011—the Obama Administration has imposed 75 new major regulations with reported costs to the private sector exceeding $40 billion. During the same period, six major rulemaking proceedings reduced regulatory burdens by an estimated $1.5 billion, still leaving a net increase of more than $38 billion … No other President has burdened businesses and individuals with a higher number and larger cost of regulations in a comparable time period.”
Wall Street
Obama claims: “I will not go back to the days when Wall Street was allowed to play by its own set of rules.”
The truth: Wall Street has never been able to play by its own set of rules. This is a line that liberals use in order to divert attention from the real culprit: the federal government. And unfortunately, the Obama administration hasn’t done anything to make it better. The structural problems from 2008 have only been compounded and are now worse under Dodd-Frank. Meanwhile, don’t bother expounding on the fact that it was Democrats who blocked reforms of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the entities responsible for the housing collapse and the ensuing financial crisis.
Taxes
Obama claims: “Right now, we're poised to spend nearly $1 trillion more on what was supposed to be a temporary tax break for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans.”
The truth: Don’t you just love that liberals view the money that you’ve earned as money that THEY are spending? The official government phrase is “tax expenditures.” The concept is that you belong to the government, and therefore the money that you earn belongs to the government. Money that you earn that remains in your pocket is money “spent” by the government. Obama is tired of “spending” all this money on you.
Debt
Obama claims: “Do we want to keep these tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans? Or do we want to keep our investments in everything else — like education and medical research; a strong military and care for our veterans? Because if we're serious about paying down our debt, we can't do both.”
The truth: This is not, and never should be, an either/or scenario. The fact is that increasing taxes on the rich … or in prog-talk that’s “letting tax cuts expire for wealthy Americans … is no way to pay down our debt. Our government is spending too much, that’s the problem! The truth is that the only way for the government to solve its fiscal issues with revenue would be to confiscate every single dollar from every single American making $200,000 or more per year. Taxing the nation’s millionaires at 50% – even eliminating loopholes and deductions – would only reduce the deficit by 8% and the national debt by 1%.
The Buffett Tax
I think we’ll need another Nuze entry to tackle this one ...
THE FACTS: This is at least Obama's third run at stripping subsidies from the oil industry. Back when [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]fellow [COLOR=blue !important]Democrats[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] formed the House and Senate majorities, he sought $36.5 billion in tax increases on oil and gas companies over the next decade, but Congress largely ignored the request. He called again to end such tax breaks in last year's State of the Union speech. And he's now doing it again, despite facing a wall of opposition from Republicans who want to spur domestic oil and gas production and oppose tax increases generally.
------
OBAMA: "Our health care law relies on a reformed private market, not a government program."
THE FACTS: That's only half true. About half of the more than 30 million uninsured Americans expected to gain coverage through the health care law will be enrolled in a government program. Medicaid, the federal-state program for low-income people, will be expanded starting in 2014 to cover childless adults living near the poverty line.
The other half will be enrolled in private health plans through new state-based insurance markets. But many of them will be receiving federal subsidies to make their premiums more affordable. And that's a government program, too.
Starting in 2014 most Americans will be required to carry health coverage, either through an employer, by buying their own plan, or through a government program.
------
OBAMA: "Tonight, I want to speak about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that's built to last - an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values."
THE FACTS: Economists do see manufacturing growth as a necessary component of any U.S. recovery. U.S. manufacturing output climbed 0.9 percent in December, the biggest gain since December 2010. Yet Obama's apparent vision of a nation once again propelled by manufacturing -- a vision shared by many Republicans -- may already have slipped into the past.
Over generations, the economy has become ever more driven by services; not since 1975 has the U.S. had a surplus in merchandise trade, which covers trade in goods, including manufactured and farm goods. About 90 percent of American workers are employed in the service sector, a profound shift in the nature of the workforce over many decades.
The overall trade deficit through the first 11 months of 2011 ran at an annual rate of nearly $600 billion, up almost 12 percent from the year before.
------
OBAMA: "The Taliban's momentum has been broken, and some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home."
THE FACTS: Obama is more sanguine about progress in Afghanistan than his own intelligence apparatus. The latest National Intelligence Estimate on Afghanistan warns that the Taliban will grow stronger, using fledgling talks with the U.S. to gain credibility and stall until U.S. troops leave, while continuing to fight for more territory. The classified assessment, described to The Associated Press by officials who have seen it, says the Afghan government hasn't been able to establish credibility with its people, and predicts the Taliban and warlords will largely control the countryside.
------
OBAMA: "On the day I took office, our auto industry was on the verge of collapse. Some even said we should let it die. With a million jobs at stake, I refused to let that happen. In exchange for help, we demanded responsibility. We got workers and automakers to settle their differences. We got the industry to retool and restructure. Today, General Motors is back on top as the world's number one automaker. Chrysler has grown faster in the U.S. than any major car company. Ford is investing billions in U.S. plants and factories. And together, the entire industry added nearly 160,000 jobs."
THE FACTS: He left out some key details. The bailout of General Motors and Chrysler began under [COLOR=blue !important][COLOR=blue !important]Republican [COLOR=blue !important]President[/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR] George W. Bush. Obama picked up the ball, earmarked more money, and finished the job. But Ford, which Obama mentions as well, never asked for a federal bailout and never got one. It's managed to get along on its own. Also, as part of its restructuring, Chrysler is not really a U.S. automaker anymore. Italian automaker Fiat now owns a 30 percent share, and it will eventually go to 51 percent under terms of the U.S. bailout and its bankruptcy restructuring.
you have facts??
not worth my time
Sit back and grade from the message boards and Blackboard platform.
The only thing Newt douchebag is gonna win is that blonde bimbo wife he's got now, and she must be pretty damn air headed to climb up and fuk that fat piece of greasy rich republican shit!
