Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Dems Seek $1.9T Increase in Debt Limit
These people are plunging us deeper and deeper into the abyss. They are out of control and will destroy our economy and country if we don't do something about it. Start with term limiting these clowns in November.
in reference to:"Senate Democrats proposed on Wednesday allowing the federal government to borrow an additional $1.9 trillion to pay its bills, a record increase that would permit the national debt to reach $14.3 trillion. The unpopular legislation is needed to allow the federal government to issue bonds to fund programs and prevent a first-time default on obligations. It promises to be a challenging debate for Democrats, who, as the party in power, hold the responsibility for passing the legislation. It is hardly the debate Democrats want or need in the aftermath of Sen.-elect Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts. Arguing over the debt limit provides a forum for Republicans to blame Democrats for rising deficits and spiraling debt, even though responsibility for the government's financial straits can be shared by both political parties. The measure came to the floor under rules requiring 60 votes to pass. That is an unprecedented step that could mean that every Democrat, no matter how politically endangered, may have to vote for it next week before Brown takes office and Democrats lose their 60-vote majority. Democratic leaders also are worried that Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh, who opposed the debt limit increase approved last month, might vote against the measure. The record increase in the so-called debt limit is required because the budget deficit has spiraled out of control during a recession that cut tax revenues, the Wall Street bailout and increased spending by the Democratic-controlled Congress. Last year's deficit hit a phenomenal $1.4 trillion, and the current year's deficit promises to be as high or higher. Congress never has failed to increase the borrowing limit."
- Dems Seek $1.9T Increase in Debt Limit - CBS News (view on Google Sidewiki)
Does Obama Lack a Political Identity?
Unfortunately, Obama is just another empty suit politician.
in reference to:"Princeton University's Julian Zelizer echoes a growing criticism: that Americans don't know what Mr. Obama stands for. "I don't think Obama has a message yet," Zelizer said "I think he is an elusive figure and a figure that has not defined himself politically." And that elusiveness is especially harmful in a time of economic insecurity. If Americans were asked, in Ronald Regan's famous phrase, "Are you better off than you were a year ago?" - few would answer yes. Not coincidently, nearly half of Americans think President Obama has done too much for banks; more than half say he's done too little for the middle class. Moreover, the very trait that served him well during the campaign - a cool, calm demeanor - may be cutting against him now. To put it another way: "Who's afraid of Barack Obama? "The only way for a President to move forward is to be willing to use the hammer, so to speak, to get people to vote his way," Zeziler said."
- Does Obama Lack a Political Identity? - CBS Evening News - CBS News (view on Google Sidewiki)
Boy, 5, Found Alive Under Rubble in Haiti after 8 days
CNN:
A 5-year-old boy was pulled alive from a collapsed home Wednesday, eight days after a 7.0-magnitude quake devastated Haiti.
The boy's mother was killed, and his father is missing. It was unclear whether the boy -- named Monley -- had access to food and water, but doctors attributed his survival to resilience and the strength of his young body.
The boy was taken to a hospital. Doctors said he had no broken bones but was suffering from severe dehydration.
The Haitian government said it has recovered 72,000 bodies since last week's earthquake.
However, the Pan American Health Organization, which is coordinating the health-sector response, has offered a preliminary estimate of 200,000 dead.
Group gives Obama a mixed review on human rights
How ironic.
in reference to:"President Barack Obama has stressed the challenge of restoring America's credibility on human rights in his first year in office, but the results are mixed so far, a leading research and advocacy group said Wednesday.DiscussCOMMENTS (0) In an annual report on conditions in more than 90 countries, Human Rights Watch said Obama has improved presidential rhetoric. But Kenneth Roth, executive director of the independent group, said Obama "has a long way to go to transfer that rhetoric into policy impact."While Obama insisted that the CIA abide by military rules in questioning terrorism suspects, he has refused to investigate or prosecute the people who ordered torture or provided the legal justification for it, the 612-page report said.The president also pledged to close the Navy-run detention center for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but he refuses to repudiate the use of military commissions and long-term detention without charge or trial, the group said.Still, the contrast with Human Rights Watch's appraisal of Obama's predecessor, President George W. Bush, is a sharp one. A year ago, the group accused Bush of largely withdrawing from defense of human rights after deciding to combat terrorism "abusively.""
- Group gives Obama a mixed review on human rights - Boston.com (view on Google Sidewiki)
Video: "Violence, Disorder Deepen in Haiti"
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Obama Pressing for Protections Against Lenders
What we need is a consumer bill of rights; with an agency that enforces the law.
in reference to:"President Obama on Tuesday stepped into the middle of a fierce lobbying battle by reinforcing his support for an independent agency to protect consumers against lending abuses that contributed to the financial crisis. The president’s move also signaled a tougher line and a more direct role as Congress weighs an overhaul of banking regulation."
- Obama Wades Deeper Into Banking Debate - NYTimes.com (view on Google Sidewiki)
Homeowner who maimed burglar walks free
The right thing was done here.
in reference to:"A businessman who was jailed for savagely attacking burglars who broke into his home and threatened his family was freed on Wednesday. Munir Hussain 53, had been sentenced to 30 months for grievous bodily harm with intent after he hit Walid Salem with a cricket bat in September 2008. But at the Appeal Court, Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge, and two other judges overturned the sentence, replacing it with a two-year suspended term, the Press Association reported. Hussain and his wife and children had returned from their local mosque during Ramadan to find intruders wearing balaclavas in their home. He feared for their lives as their hands were tied behind their backs and they were forced to crawl from room to room. The businessman made his escape after throwing a coffee table and enlisted his brother, Tokeer, to help chase the offenders down the street in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, bringing one of them to the ground. What followed was described at Reading Crown Court as self-defence which went too far, leaving intruder Salem with a permanent brain injury after he was struck with a cricket bat so hard that it broke into three pieces."
- Homeowner who maimed burglar walks free | Top News | Reuters (view on Google Sidewiki)
Gates Warns of Terror "Syndicate"
You just realized this?
in reference to:"A syndicate of terror groups is working to sow violence and destruction across South Asia, and India and Pakistan need to work together to combat the mutual threat, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday. Gates, who spoke during a visit to India, said no nation was immune from terror. He linked Taliban militants operating along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border with Lashkar-e-Taiba extremists accused of orchestrating the 2008 terror attack on the Indian city of Mumbai, saying both groups worked under the umbrella of al Qaeda."
- Gates Warns of Terror "Syndicate" - CBS News (view on Google Sidewiki)
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