Showing posts with label world. Show all posts
Showing posts with label world. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Obama orders cuts by Cabinet





Boston Globe - ?5 hours ago? AP And Globe Staff / April 21, 2009 Convening his first Cabinet meeting yesterday, President Obama ordered his agency chiefs to join many American families in penny-pinching, but acknowledged that slicing at least $100 million in administrative costs ...

President Obama has asked his cabinet to come up with 100 million in savings over a 90 day period. This sure sounds good on the surface, until you realize our budget is running around 200 billion per month or 600 billion in 90 days. If this is broken down to be understandable to most of us, it looks like this: 600,000,000,000/100,000,000 To put it another way it amounts to one dollar in savings for every six thousand spent.
Wow, I feel better already!

President Obama promised the country a sharp knife in dealing with the budget, but it seems like he got the butter knife out instead.
"To put those numbers in perspective, imagine that the head of a household with annual spending of $100,000 called everyone in the family together to deal with a $34,000 budget shortfall," Harvard University economist N. Greg Mankiw, a Bush administration official, wrote on his blog. "How much would he or she announce that spending [be] cut? By $3 over the course of the year -- approximately the cost of one latte at Starbucks. The other $33,997? We can put that on the family credit card and worry about it next year."

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the
government from wasting the labors of the people under

the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson

Monday, March 2, 2009

ANOTHER BAILOUT FOR CITIGROUP??

Saudi Prince Is Humbled by Citigroup

Abu Dhabi, has invested around the world, buying a 75% stake in New York's iconic Chrysler Building last summer when oil prices were at their peak and helping to bail out the financial giant Citigroup with $7.5 billion at the end of 2007.

For Prince Walid, the developments at Citigroup are a stinging embarrassment. In November, he made a public splash by increasing his Citigroup stake, thus becoming its largest shareholder when the government carried out its second financial rescue.

But Prince Walid and several other investors from the Middle East and Asia, including the Abu Dhabi investment fund, are now suffering the public embarrassment of seeing their investments in Citigroup evaporate. With their ties to the royal families of their respective countries — Prince Walid is the grandson of Saudi Arabia’s founding king, Abdul-Aziz Ibn Saud, and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority invests the surplus cash of Abu Dhabi’s kingdom — these two investors are among the world’s most influential.

Citigroup is close to a pact to boost the U.S. Government's stake in the failing bank to as much as 40%; Vikram Pandit's job, however, should be safe. [WSJ, NYP]

Well thank goodness Mr. Pandit’s job is safe! But, who are we bailing out here? Citigroup or Abu Dhabi?

Bill

Thursday, February 26, 2009

CONSERVATISM vs. LIBERALISIM

History 101 (Crash course)

For those that don't know about history ... Here is a condensed version:

Humans originally existed as members of small bands of nomadic hunters/gatherers. They lived on deer in the mountains during the summer and would go to the coast and live on fish and lobster in the winter.

The two most important events in all of history were the invention of beer and the invention of the wheel. The wheel was invented to get man to the beer. These were the foundations of modern civilization and together were the catalyst for the splitting of humanity into two distinct subgroups:

1. Liberals (the gatherers)
2. Conservatives. (the hunters)

Once beer was discovered, it required grain and that was the beginning of agriculture. Neither the glass bottle nor aluminum can were invented yet, so while our early humans were sitting around waiting for them to be invented, they just stayed close to the brewery. That's how villages were formed.

Some men spent their days tracking and killing animals to B-B-Q at night while they were drinking beer. This was the beginning of what is known as the Conservative movement.

Other men who were weaker and less skilled at hunting learned to live off the Conservatives by showing up for the nightly B-B-Q's and doing the sewing, fetching, and hair dressing. This was the beginning of the Liberal movement.

Some of these liberal men eventually became known as girlie-men. Some noteworthy liberal achievements include the domestication of cats, the invention of group therapy, group hugs, and the concept of democratic voting to decide how to divide the meat and beer that conservatives provided.

Over the years Conservatives came to be symbolized by the largest, most powerful land animal on earth, the elephant. Liberals are symbolized by the jackass.

Modern liberals like imported beer (with lime added), but most prefer white wine or imported bottled water. They eat raw fish but like their beef well done. Sushi, tofu, and French food are standard liberal fare. Another interesting evolutionary side note: most of their women have higher testosterone levels than their men. Most government social workers, and employee's, personal injury lawyer's, journalists, dreamers in Hollywood and group therapists are liberals. Liberals invented the designated hitter rule because it wasn't fair to make the pitcher also bat.

Conservatives drink domestic beer, mostly Bud. They eat red meat and provide for their family & community. Conservatives are big-game hunters, rodeo cowboys, lumberjacks, construction workers, firemen, medical doctors, police officers, corporate executives, attorney’s, athletes, members of the military, airline pilots, teachers who believe in our founding fathers, and generally anyone who works productively. Conservatives who own companies hire other conservatives who want to work for a living.

Liberals produce little or nothing. They like to govern the producers and decide what to do with the production. Liberals believe Europeans are more enlightened than Americans. That is why most of the liberals remained in Europe when conservatives were coming to America . They crept in after the Wild West was tamed and created a business of trying to get something for nothing.

When a fishing boat comes to the dock, Liberals want to confiscate some of the fish to feed those who cannot fish. Conservatives want to hire people to fish and let them learn how to buy their own boat.

Here ends today's lesson in world history:

It should be noted that a Liberal may have a momentary urge to angrily respond to the above.

A Conservative will simply laugh and be so convinced of the absolute truth of this history that it will be forwarded immediately to other true believers and to more liberals just to tick them off.

And there you have it. Let your next action reveal your true self.

WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE

Thanks to Ron V.

Note: This is NOT about Republicans and Democrats. It’s a distinction as to what you believe about the Constitution, National Defense, Personal Responsibility, Fiscal Responsibility, and most importantly Freedom!
Moderates are a melding of Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, and all others that believe in the above ideas.

War was declared on the United States of America
2,724 days, 9 hours, 24 minutes and 12 seconds ago.

Conservatives want to end the war in victory for the people of Iraq, so they may also have personal and economic freedom.
Liberals choose to walk away, because it has just ‘taken too long”, AND there would be more money to spend on people in this country who want more hand-outs.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

WAR ON TERROR IS OVER!

It must be over! We are releasing prisoners, getting out of Iraq and cutting Defense Spending. So, it’s OVER!

Barney Frank is calling on President Obama to stop the ‘wasteful defense spending’ so that we will be able to spend that money on extended social programs. I guess we will need them, if we bring back all the troops and put thousands of defense contractors and defense workers out of jobs. High paying jobs I might add.

What happened to President Hopeful Obama promising to track down Osama Bin-Laden and ‘take him out’?

But the big thing is it’s over.

I hope so.

I would hate to see this again.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

DIPLOMACY Or CAPITULATION??

China expresses relief over Clinton visit:
1 hour ago

BEIJING (AFP) — Hillary Clinton's trip to Beijing has come as a relief to China after the US secretary of state steered clear of human rights and other sensitive issues to focus on cooperation between the world powers.

Just before arriving in the Chinese capital, Clinton told reporters that while she would press concerns over human rights: “Those issues can’t interfere on the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis and the security crisis.”

Hillary Clinton is redefining herself to some extent (again?). After going to Beijing in 1995 as first lady to deliver an impassioned speech on women’s rights, Mrs. Clinton has sidelined human rights on this trip, saying she does not want the topic to interfere with central issues like climate change or the economic crisis.

Here are the words of U.S. Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton in April of 2008 less than one year ago. "These events underscore why I believe the Bush administration has been wrong to downplay human rights in its policy towards China. ...

But this year we get this:

Clinton: Chinese 'human rights can't interfere' with other crises

Dissidents held during Clinton Beijing visit

Clinton focusses on selling US treasury bills to China

China still sure of US bonds: Clinton

Clinton says America and China must work together

Clinton: US to 'deepen and broaden relationship' with China


Ahhh, the Fresh Face of Diplomacy!



Thursday, February 19, 2009

TORONTO PRESS CONFERENCE

TORONTO PRESS CONFERENCE

The Associated Press - 2 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) - Barack Obama's first foreign trip as president - a down-to-business visit with an essential economic ally, Canada - is light on time but loaded with touchy matters.

Mr. President! Mr. President! “I have a question!”
“Uh, Uh, oh very well, what is your name, newspaper and your question sir?” I don’t believe you are on my posed question list!”
“Joe Schmoo from the Northern Plains Dealer, Mr. President.
In light of the following world news stories, the American people would like to know who is tracking these items in the Administration
and what the plans are to act on them?”

COLOMBO (AFP) — The United Nations humanitarian chief John Holmes held talks with leaders in Sri Lanka on Thursday over the fate of thousands of civilians trapped in the island's war zone.

CNN International - 55 minutes ago
(CNN) -- Kyrgyzstan parliament has voted to close a base the US military uses as a route for troops and supplies heading into Afghanistan, a government spokesman said Thursday.

Aljazeera.net - 44 minutes ago
The United States says it plans to press Nato allies to deploy more troops in Afghanistan for securing the troubled country. Speaking ahead of a Nato meeting in Poland starting on Thursday, Robert Gates, the US secretary of defence, said Washington was ...

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton visited a development program in a working-class Jakarta neighborhood and spoke about her decision to work for the man who defeated her for the presidential nomination, on her second day in Indonesia before flying to Seoul. Mrs. Clinton said she put aside the disappointment of the election to take Mr. Obama’s job offer because, she said, “We have so many of the same views of what we should do in the world.”

The Associated Press - 2 hours ago
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea stepped up its war rhetoric Thursday, saying its troops are "fully ready for an all-out confrontation" with South Korea ahead of a visit to Seoul by US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

GAZA, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Israeli forces on Thursday wounded and arrested a Palestinian near the border in southeast Gaza Strip, Israeli sources said.

BBC News - 1 hour ago
The leader of the far-right Israeli Yisrael Beiteinu party has said he backs Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu to form the next Israeli government.

“Joe, I appreciate your question. Of course this is being watched at all levels of this Administration. While Secretary Clinton, Speaker Pelosi, others, including myself are out of the country at the moment, we are not out of communication. All world situations are being monitored. Having said that, I have to spend the rest of this month curing the problems we have in this country. We have to act now and without hesitation. Once we have these problems solved, we will move onto the rest of the world next month. I hope that answers your question Joe.“ “Thank you!

(Robert, Let’s make sure this guy never gets inside the press room again. Now I have to change)