Change We Can Believe In ????

• Prescott

  Report: Nearly 80% of Obama’s Top Bundlers Given “Key Administration Posts”
  
  .......Nearly 80 percent of those who collected more than $500,000 for Obama took ‘key administration posts,’ as defined by the White House....
  
  ...The Center points out that candidate Obama suggested that big moneyed interests would not have as prominent a role in DC during his administration.....
  
  .....Tom Perrelli raised $500,000 for Obama in 2008 and is now associate attorney general. Charles Rivkin did the same and is now ambassador to France, so did Donald H. Gips, ambassador to South Africa, and John Roos, ambassador to Japan......
  
  .....“We did look at the administration of George Bush which was widely criticized for appointing donors to these kinds of posts, and they had about the same number in four years that the Obama administration has had in two years,” Schulte said......
  
  ....And according to the American Foreign Service Association, President Obama has nominated more “political” appointees for ambassadorships versus foreign service candidates than any president in at least the past 20 years.....
  
  http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2011/06/report-nearly-80-of-obamas-top-bundlers-given-key-administration-posts.html#tp
  
  It is business as usual in Washington. Not the change that was promised by Candidate Obama.This guy is who I thought he was, a pragmatic politician who would promise anything to anybody to get votes with no intention on following through on his promises.
• believer

  

  Prescott;804413 wrote:It is business as usual in Washington. Not the change that was promised by Candidate Obama.This guy is who I thought he was, a pragmatic politician who would promise anything to anybody to get votes with no intention on following through on his promises.

  You mean the guy who said he would wind down our involvement in the Middle East to get votes from the anti-war leftists - the guy who "won" a Nobel Peace Prize simply because he wasn't George W. Bush - the guy who criticized Bush foreign policy while he was voting "present" when he was a senator - the guy who expanded U.S. military action through intervention in Libya without Congressional approval - is just like any other politician?
  
  You mean he doesn't walk on water like the leftist media promised he would? You mean he's still practices patronage politics like politicians before him have done. You mean the more things change, the more they stay the same?
  
  Tell me it isn't so.
• Glory Days

  

  believer;805286 wrote:You mean the guy who said he would wind down our involvement in the Middle East to get votes from the anti-war leftists - the guy who "won" a Nobel Peace Prize simply because he wasn't George W. Bush - the guy who criticized Bush foreign policy while he was voting "present" when he was a senator - the guy who expanded U.S. military action through intervention in Libya without Congressional approval - is just like any other politician?
  
  You mean he doesn't walk on water like the leftist media promised he would? You mean he's still practices patronage politics like politicians before him have done. You mean the more things change, the more they stay the same?
  
  Tell me it isn't so.

  
  ...it isnt so?
• QuakerOats

  believer;805286 wrote:You mean the guy who said he would wind down our involvement in the Middle East to get votes from the anti-war leftists - the guy who "won" a Nobel Peace Prize simply because he wasn't George W. Bush - the guy who criticized Bush foreign policy while he was voting "present" when he was a senator - the guy who expanded U.S. military action through intervention in Libya without Congressional approval - is just like any other politician?
  
  You mean he doesn't walk on water like the leftist media promised he would? You mean he's still practices patronage politics like politicians before him have done. You mean the more things change, the more they stay the same?
  
  Tell me it isn't so.

  
  No, not that guy. It's the guy who inherited deficit spending and made it even worse - much worse; and it's the guy who inherited a national debt and made it worse - much worse; and it's the guy who inherited unemployment and made it worse - much worse. That might be the guy.
• believer

  

  QuakerOats;805533 wrote:No, not that guy. It's the guy who inherited deficit spending and made it even worse - much worse; and it's the guy who inherited a national debt and made it worse - much worse; and it's the guy who inherited unemployment and made it worse - much worse. That might be the guy.

  OK thanks for the clarification.
• stlouiedipalma

  Do you righties have contingency plans for leaving the country when Barry gets re-elected? The way you folks whine, cry and declare that the sky is falling, you would think you would get out when Barry gets four more years.
  
  Can any of you tell me honestly how Obama has hurt you financially since he took office? How he has hurt you socially? How his national security policies have affected you personally?
  
  All I've done since he took office is get richer. All the value I lost in W's great recession has returned and grown even higher. Maybe I have a good investment planner, who knows?
• Glory Days

  

  stlouiedipalma;805984 wrote:
  All I've done since he took office is get richer. All the value I lost in W's great recession has returned and grown even higher. Maybe I have a good investment planner, who knows?

  
  Ok and I made more money under Bush than Obama, your point?
• Prescott

  Your points aren't worth addressing because the guy is a liar. It is plain and simple. He promised so much and delivered so little.
• believer

  

  stlouiedipalma;805984 wrote:Do you righties have contingency plans for leaving the country when Barry gets re-elected? The way you folks whine, cry and declare that the sky is falling, you would think you would get out when Barry gets four more years.

  Eh, I'm more concerned about controlling both houses of Congress at this point than regaining the WH. At least then BHO's policies and judicial appointments should receive appropriate scrutiny...assuming of course Barry is fortunate enough to win re-election.
  

  stlouiedipalma;805984 wrote:Can any of you tell me honestly how Obama has hurt you financially since he took office? How he has hurt you socially

  Let's see...my brother lost his job under BHO's watch and cannot find suitable employment in the county's 12.5% unemployment environment, 300 employees & friends at my plant in Pennsylvania just lost their jobs under Obamanomics due to declining sales, I now have to transfer to our Tennessee plant to keep my good paying job with decent retirement benefits while my wife & kids remain behind, and the prospects of selling my house so I can take my family with me are slim to none at 10% unemployment rates & a real estate market flooded with foreclosure properties.
  
  Of course I could just take a strategic foreclosure on the mortgage like everyone else (no big deal these days) but I'd really prefer not to contribute to the Anointed One's porkulus-driven Economic Miracle.
  

  stlouiedipalma;805984 wrote:All I've done since he took office is get richer. All the value I lost in W's great recession has returned and grown even higher. Maybe I have a good investment planner, who knows?

  BHO has owned the Dem-led Fannie Mae Meltdown Recession for almost 3 years now. While my 401k has bounced back to almost pre-meltdown levels, it's taken a moderate hit again the past few weeks.
  
  Must be Bush's fault.
• Manhattan Buckeye

  stlouiedipalma;805984 wrote:Do you righties have contingency plans for leaving the country when Barry gets re-elected? The way you folks whine, cry and declare that the sky is falling, you would think you would get out when Barry gets four more years.
  
  Can any of you tell me honestly how Obama has hurt you financially since he took office? How he has hurt you socially? How his national security policies have affected you personally?
  
  All I've done since he took office is get richer. All the value I lost in W's great recession has returned and grown even higher. Maybe I have a good investment planner, who knows?

  
  This is why anecdotal evidence is meaningless. Assuming you aren't lying you should consider yourself lucky, millions of Americans have lost their jobs since he took office and millions more have seen their housing values decrease considerably - it isn't all his fault but his anti-business stances (see dozens of threads in the last 2 years) have been absolutely toxic. The man is economically clueless. Our house has lost $200,000 in value (no shit, its been that much) since he took office, our stocks have held up ok (mainly because the market is overvalued to the fed's policies) and to keep up our income level we had to move overseas. IT IS THE ECONOMY STUPID- the job market is godawful and Barry is clueless about it. In '08 the law firm I worked at had 52 summer associates, this summer they are hiring 5 - and none of them are guaranteed jobs, there is so much uncertainty with his lack of direction. The gloves are off, he's simply an incompetent president, I don't care if you, Boatshoes, Footwedge call me a "right wing lunatic", the fact is Obama has been a disaster. Very few people are better off than they were in '08, and those that are may be living on borrowed time since our stance in the world has fallen considerably, the deficits and lack of growth is nothing short of disastrous.
• Con_Alma

  stlouiedipalma;805984 wrote:...
  
  Can any of you tell me honestly how Obama has hurt you financially since he took office? How he has hurt you socially? How his national security policies have affected you personally?
  
  ...

  There hasn't been a President in my life that has "hurt" me; but then again I don't expect them to and don't cast my vote based on that measure.
  
  This President doesn't make decisions based on the foundational views that are reflective of mine. It's really that simple.
• believer

  

  Manhattan Buckeye;806527 wrote:Our house has lost $200,000 in value (no shit, its been that much) since he took office, our stocks have held up ok (mainly because the market is overvalued to the fed's policies) and to keep up our income level we had to move overseas.

  You've lost $200,000 on your home's value? You make too much money. You are rich and need maximum taxation so we can balance the budget and provide economic prosperity for all.
  
  And how dare you take a job overseas? Don't you know that more and more good paying American jobs are being offshored due to greedy capitalist pigs like yourself? You only did that to avoid paying your fair share.
  
  When you finally return to the United States, I'm going to report you to the IRS so they can confiscate the remaining value in your home and redistribute it to drug abusing Floridian welfare recipients. After all they deserve cell phones, Internet, and cable television like you greedy wealth producers.
• Writerbuckeye

  

  Well, Louie -- I'd say Manhattan answered your request. He, along with millions of others, have struggled mightily under the policies of this administration. And what's not being said here is this: it's very likely that because there is the threat of Obama staying in office and the policies staying in place (and getting worse) the economy will continue to struggle to bounce back.
  
  The best businesses are smart: they look down the road and evaluate what is likely to happen given the policies already implemented by an administration, and those that could be implemented if the administration stays in office. All of that becomes part of the confidence factor we read about -- and which is extremely low right now. Businesses don't hire or expand when they aren't confident about the economic prospects.
• stlouiedipalma

  Manhattan, are you considered an expatriate? If not, you might want to check into it, as I've met a few during some of my consulting gigs and the tax breaks can be rather good.
  
  I'd like to thank those who responded to my question. I understand that some have been hurt more than others during this recession and its somewhat balking recovery. I've been fortunate that I have done well, but 34 years in the steel business, working for an employee-owned company helped as well.
  
  I'm not naive enough to think that Obama has the answers to this economy, if indeed he has any of the answers. The one thing I do believe in is that, had his opponent won the election, things would definitely been worse before it got better, if it could survive the traditional Republican solutions. Just imagine if John McCain had allowed the auto industry to fail. Not only would most of the autoworkers be out of work, the blow to those businesses which support the industry would surely be catastrophic.
  
  The problem is, I don't see anyone out there who has concrete ideas which will change anything for the better. Even Boehner's ideas of leadership only pertain to the social agenda he seems to be hell-bent on passing. We're nearly six months into his reign as Speaker and we haven't seen one single bill which addresses unemployment or jobs. I understand he only has control of one house, but even a token effort would be better than the empty promises he has made. Sadly, there's no one who looks like he/she is even trying, and that is completely unacceptable.
• believer

  

  stlouiedipalma;807061 wrote:The problem is, I don't see anyone out there who has concrete ideas which will change anything for the better. Even Boehner's ideas of leadership only pertain to the social agenda he seems to be hell-bent on passing. We're nearly six months into his reign as Speaker and we haven't seen one single bill which addresses unemployment or jobs. I understand he only has control of one house, but even a token effort would be better than the empty promises he has made. Sadly, there's no one who looks like he/she is even trying, and that is completely unacceptable.

  Paul Ryan...Oh wait a minute....He's not a liberal Democrat so his ideas don't matter.
• QuakerOats

  believer;807068 wrote:Paul Ryan...Oh wait a minute....He's not a liberal Democrat so his ideas don't matter.

  
  Plus he wants to eliminate medicare in order to kill old people.
  
  
  
• believer

  

  QuakerOats;807361 wrote:Plus he wants to eliminate medicare in order to kill old people.
  
  
  

  And conduct welfare reform so we can starve poor children.
• Belly35

  

  Manhattan Buckeye;806527 wrote:This is why anecdotal evidence is meaningless. Assuming you aren't lying you should consider yourself lucky, millions of Americans have lost their jobs since he took office and millions more have seen their housing values decrease considerably - it isn't all his fault but his anti-business stances (see dozens of threads in the last 2 years) have been absolutely toxic. The man is economically clueless. Our house has lost $200,000 in value (no shit, its been that much) since he took office, our stocks have held up ok (mainly because the market is overvalued to the fed's policies) and to keep up our income level we had to move overseas. IT IS THE ECONOMY STUPID- the job market is godawful and Barry is clueless about it. In '08 the law firm I worked at had 52 summer associates, this summer they are hiring 5 - and none of them are guaranteed jobs, there is so much uncertainty with his lack of direction. The gloves are off, he's simply an incompetent president, I don't care if you, Boatshoes, Footwedge call me a "right wing lunatic", the fact is Obama has been a disaster. Very few people are better off than they were in '08, and those that are may be living on borrowed time since our stance in the world has fallen considerably, the deficits and lack of growth is nothing short of disastrous.

  Say it ... Belly was right
• Manhattan Buckeye

  "Manhattan, are you considered an expatriate? If not, you might want to check into it, as I've met a few during some of my consulting gigs and the tax breaks can be rather good."
  
  Yes, we had over 20 hours of conversation with Deloitte re our tax differences before we accepted the assignments. The tax situation (for us) is better, but it isn't a break. We still have to pay taxes in our current jurisdiction, and the tax "break" isn't as great as it used to be. Likely many Americans working in the U.K. or Germany get royally screwed, fortunately our jurisdiction has a very light, and very simple tax burden. But we're still on the hook for tens of thousands of US dollars in taxes, all for the benefit of voting, maintaining citizenship and hoping something is left when (if) we move back.