Spanish Protests

The Spanish are beginning to feel that their government is corrupt and it doesn't have their best interests at heart:

"While we may call the protests in Spain "austerity protests" they're better characterized as being anti-corruption protests.

It's not the cuts, per se (though they don't help, when unemployment is already where it is), it's the feeling that people have no power over government, that the government favors elites, and that the country is losing sovereignty that drive people mad.

This is what should terrify the Eurozone as a whole, and Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy, who has to make the call to ask for aid."

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/why-they-protest-in-spain-2012-9#ixzz27xQ30X2W

Opportunities are not available for the people of Spain, especially the young.  "Pablo Rodriguez, a 24-year-old student doing a master’s in agricultural development in Denmark, said the austerity measures and bad economy mean most of his friends in Spain are unemployed or doing work they didn’t train for.

He plans to work abroad after graduating and doubts he will put his education to use in Spain until he is at least 35 or 40, if ever.

“I would love to work here, but there is nothing for me here,” Rodriguez said. “By the time the economy improves it will be too late. I will be settled somewhere else with a family. One of the disasters in Spain is they spent so much to educate me and so many others and they will lose us.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/spanish-anti-austerity-protesters-clash-with-riot-police-near-parliament-3rd-time-this-week/2012/09/29/faa2a568-0a98-11e2-9eea-333857f6a7bd_story.html

Unemployment rates are approaching 25% overall and 50% for people under 25.  Spain is educating it's young professionals, but they are having to leave the country so they can support themselves.  You would think that Spain is doing the right thing by investing in it's most valuable asset, it's young people, by paying for their educations so they can develop opportunities in Spain.  What are the true barriers to developing opportunities in Spain?  Why won't businesses invest in Spain?  Is the government the only place to lay blame for their problems?


The United States is quickly developing European style social programs.  Once these are fully developed, we will have the same type of citizenry and investment environment as Spain.  We can do better.  People need to feel that they are contributing something to the community or they become detached from it.  I would like to see a system developed where everyone fully understands that we all have a stake in the outcome. Without every citizen's contributions, we will end up like Spain.

Changes to Medicare

The PPACA creates new medical practice arrangements medical homes, accountable care organizations and bundled payments.  Bundled payments are also known as capitation.  Doctors are paid fixed sums of money to care for patients. Under these measures, providers are deliberately given a strong financial incentive to self-ration the services they provide. Since doctors get a fixed sum for providing services, the more money they spend on patient care, the less cash left over to flow to their bottom line.
More than 60 percent of doctors are now employees of hospitals and health systems. The new trend. 
Almost two-thirds who signed employment contracts in 2009 were hired by hospitals. This includes half of all doctors leaving residency training.  The president’s plan envisions that the institutions employing doctors will implement strict guidelines to regulate the decisions that providers can make, in order to steer doctors to more “efficient” choices.
Studies show that productivity declines as doctors enter into these staff-model arrangements. Would a salaried worker work harder than a single practitioner who is responsible for their own livelihood?  Why would the new model introduce genuine innovations in how care is delivered that change how it actually improves quality while lowering costs?  The Doc doesn't care as they become salaried workers. 
Most of the enduring innovation in how care is delivered came from start-up companies that pioneered successful new concepts that in time became mainstream.
The final tool that the president implements is an explicit cap on the amount that Medicare spending can grow each year. Obama says that Medicare’s rate of growth can’t exceed 0.5 percent of the rate of growth of gross domestic product. So if GDP grows at 2 percent, Medicare spending can’t rise by more than 2.5 percent. 
The PPACA transfers 700 billion over 10 years to Obamacare to assist in paying for Obamacare.  In it's place a 15 person panel is appointed to cut costs in Medicare.  The taxes cannot be raised to the people receiving Medicare.  The cuts will come from providers, doctors, hospitals.  How many will want to take medicare patients at a reduced cost?  What happens to the cost of the PPACA after the first 10 years?  The cost of 70 billion a year will be borne by the taxpayer.

So Obamacare is saving Medicare.  With the issues above, how does that happen? 

We have 2 physicians in the family, both successful practices.  Both are selling their practice and exiting healthcare.

3 new taxes on the middle class.

Medical Device Tax – a $20 billion tax increase.

Remember taxes are passed to the consumer.  Middle class, poor as well as the wealthy.  Guess when the finish figuring out what a Medical device is we will see a much larger list than the standard knee and hip.  This should be interesting as they determine what to tax and what to exclude.  Medical devices range from Knees to thermometers.  Will devices that are not devices that are registered as devices be taxed?

http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/DeviceRegulationandGuidance/Overview/ClassifyYourDevice/default.htm

FSA reduction from unlimited to $2,500.00.  Estimated $13 billion tax increase:  The 30-35 million Americans who use a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) at work to pay for their family’s basic medical needs will face a new government cap of $2,500 (currently the accounts are unlimited under federal law, though employers are allowed to set a cap).
There is one group of FSA owners for whom this new cap will be particularly cruel and onerous: parents of special needs children.  There are several million families with special needs children in the United States, and many of them use FSAs to pay for special needs education. Tuition rates at one leading school that teaches special needs children in Washington, D.C. (National Child Research Center) can easily exceed $14,000 per year. Under tax rules, FSA dollars can be used to pay for this type of special needs education. This Obamacare tax provision will limit the options available to these families.

Medical deductions changes.  Estimated $15.2 billion tax increase: Currently, those Americans facing high medical expenses are allowed a deduction to the extent that those expenses exceed 7.5 percent of adjusted gross income (AGI).  This tax increase imposes a threshold of 10 percent of AGI. By limiting this deduction, Obamacare widens the net of taxable income for the sickest Americans.  This tax provision will most harm near retirees and those with modest incomes but high medical bills.

The upside is that it doesn't affect everyone.  The downside is that it hurts people who are not wealthy and they promised not to raise taxes on the middle class.

Libya

Who was the rocket scientist that decided the US should try to convince its citizens that the consulate attack wasn't terrorism, just a bunch of offended Muslims that got out of control? And why did they stick with the BS story for so long? I wonder who Obama got to fall on their sword?

T'was the night before elections

T'was the night before elections,

And all thru' the town,

Tempers were flaring

Emotions ran up and down.

I, in my bathrobe

With a cat in my lap,

Had shut off the TV,

tired of political crap.

When all of a sudden,

There arose such a noise,

I peered out my window,

Saw Obama and his boys

They had come for my wallet,

They wanted my pay

To hand out to others

Who had not worked a day!

He snatched up my money,

And quick as a wink,

Jumped back on his bandwagon

As I gagged from the stink.

He then rallied his henchmen

Who were pulling his cart.

I could tell they were out

To tear my country apart!

'On Fannie, on Freddie,

On Biden and Ayers!

On Acorn, on Pelosi'

He screamed at the pairs!

They took off for his cause,

And as they flew out of sight,

I heard him laugh at a nation

Who wouldn't stand up and fight!

So I leave you to think on this one final note...

IF YOU DON'T WANT SOCIALISM GET OUT AND VOTE !!!!

Media bias, nope none here.

Posted at 08:45 AM ET, 09/25/2012

Six more weeks, a zillion more news cycles

By Jennifer Rubin

Six weeks from today the voters will go to the polls, the real ones, and we’ll know which party will control the White House, the House and Senate. Democrats and the media (pardon the repetition) are convinced that, at the very least, President Obama has this race sewn up. The media will continue to downplay or ignore altogether the burgeoning Libya scandal. (How many left-leaning pundits who wailed about Romney’s comments have been silent as the White House’s cover story has been blown to shreds? Answer: Lots.) And the Obama-liberal media team figures the voters are immune to bad economic news. So long as nothing changes, Obama is home free, right?
Well, let’s think about that. I’ll ignore the current controversies over polling samples and stipulate that Mitt Romney, at six weeks out, is behind. Is it possible he could move ahead? Let’s consider just five things that might have a significant impact on the race.
1. Obama gives a debate performance as bad as his interview on Univision or on “60 Minutes.”
2. The economy further slows (due in part to the failure to address the “fiscal cliff”), making Obama’s argument that things are getting better untenable to average voters.
3. The public comes to believe that the White House was derelict and/or dissembling with regard to the Libya attacks and the death of four Americans.
4. Gas prices continue to rise, making energy and consumer inflation top issues.
5. Another foreign policy issue arises, casting further doubt on Obama’s approach to Russia, China, North Korea, Syria and just about every other antagonistic power.
None of these is a long shot, and in some respects No. 2 and No. 4 are more likely than not to occur, although the magnitude of those developments may not be significant. More than one of these can certainly occur. Moreover, it might be that, just like every other election in recent memory, the alte-deciders break against the incumbent.
It is noteworthy that we’ve yet to see a high-profile, impressive performance from Obama in the general election. Both his convention speech and his recent interviews have been somewhere between blah and horrendous. Expectations outstrip performance, just as we’ve seen for four years.
All of these factors affect both the opinions of voters and the enthusiasm of each side’s base. In short, if you think politics is static in this political and international environment, think again.
The election is six weeks from today. Six weeks ago Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) had just been named to the ticket, neither convention had taken place, the Libya attacks had not occurred and Romney was at a huge money disadvantage in direct spending on ads. Lots can happen in six weeks, which explains why the media prefer to cover anything but actual events (economic news, terrorist attacks).

By Jennifer Rubin  |  08:45 AM ET, 09/25/2012

Why Putin Wants Obama to Win

Although President Vladimir Putin recently thanked Romney for his openness regarding the "No.1 foe" comment, he also indicated that it would be hard for the Kremlin to work with Romney as president, especially on sensitive security issues such as the missile defense system. During Putin's interview with RT state television, he also called Obama an "honest man who really wants to change much for the better." This comment was widely viewed as Putin's most direct endorsement of Obama in the presidential race.

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/opinion/article/why-putin-wants-obama-to-win/468837.html#ixzz27hxj8SNk

 

"The 2012 U.S. presidential election presents a contrast to the 2008 election in terms of their perceptions by the Russian elite.

In 2008, then-President Dmitry Medvedev expressed a desire to work with a "modern" U.S. leader rather than one "whose eyes are turned back to the past." He was referring to Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. But influential Russian elites voiced their support for the Republican candidate, John McCain, despite McCain calling President Vladimir Putin a KGB spy who has no soul and calling to expel Russia from the Group of Eight leading industrial nations.

Even though McCain was more critical of the Kremlin, some members of Putin's entourage favored McCain because they believed he was more predictable than Obama. They insisted that Russia was doing well economically, whereas the United States was losing one position in the world after another. Therefore, when confronted with the U.S. threat, Russia might only get stronger and consolidate its status as a great sovereign power. The elite's main concern is with rebuilding power and geopolitical influence. If McCain were in the White House, the thinking went, Putin would have a convenient anti-Russian bogeyman whom the Kremlin could exploit for domestic political reasons, giving it another pretext to ratchet up its anti-Americanism, increase defense expenditures and crack down on the opposition.

Yet it seems that the Kremlin's support for U.S. hawks is shifting. In March, Medvedev took issue with U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney's characterization of Russia as the "No. 1 geopolitical foe." He said the view "smelled of Hollywood stereotypes" and suggested that it was rooted in the Cold War.

But it wasn't only Medvedev and his pro-Western supporters who became critical of the Republican's views. Although President Vladimir Putin recently thanked Romney for his openness regarding the "No.1 foe" comment, he also indicated that it would be hard for the Kremlin to work with Romney as president, especially on sensitive security issues such as the missile defense system. During Putin's interview with RT state television, he also called Obama an "honest man who really wants to change much for the better." This comment was widely viewed as Putin's most direct endorsement of Obama in the presidential race.

The change in Russia's perception can be explained by the sobering effects of the global financial crisis and progress that Russia and the United States have made since 2009. The crisis ended Russia's era of 7 percent average annual growth from 1999 to 2008. Russia, which is overly dependent on energy exports, was hit particularly hard by the 2008 crisis. Its gross domestic product fell about 8.5 percent in 2009, while China and India continued to grow, albeit at a slower pace."

Twinsdads comments:

A weak President bows to dignitaries, turns his back on Israel, and courts Russia's favor in order to make the case that it's time for America to no longer be the leader on the world stage, no longer the defender of rights, just a broke country needing  a shoe shine on the corner to look good, more just  a smoke and mirror paper tiger.  The recent Arab Spring gone south now means Muslims the world over want revenge on America.

I can tell you for sure one of them has already taken his revenge and will continue to, unless we vote him out.  Hint, it ain't Putin we need to vote out.

Voter Registration ID requirements

"Hi, this is former Gov. Tim Caine calling on behalf of team for Virginia, with an important reminder about the upcoming election on November 6. Soon you'll receive a new voter registration card in the mail from the State Board of elections. This card is sufficient ID if you take it to the polls on November 6. So please save it, keep it in the safe place and take it with you when you go to vote. But it's only one of the many forms of ID, you can bring to the polls, other acceptable forms of ID included driver's license, a current utility bill or bank statement. A student ID along with a number of other options. If you don't receive your new registration card in the mail by October 5 or if you had any questions about voting, please call the State Board of elections it's a toll free call at 1-800-552-9745. Thanks and please remember to vote on November 6"
... more. Please listen to your voicemail for the remainder of this message.

1)Would you get this message if you don't have a phone or voicemail?

2)What if the State Board of Elections missed your name or address?

3)What if you have moved?

4)If you don't have a phone, and didn't get the message, how would you know to call the 800 # with questions?

5)What if you don't drive and have no driver's license?  What other picture ID could you use?

LOTS of people don't have the wherewithal to have all these things-------we got our notices in the mail last week because we registered to vote here at the DMV when we moved.

I am among those who think this is a ruse to keep poor people from voting---------and I don't like it.

Therefore, CBO has also prepared projections under an alternative fiscal scenario, which embodies the assumption that many policies that have recently been in effect will be continued

CBO has prepared—as it does under its routine procedures—baseline projections that incorporate the assumption that current laws generally remain in place; those projections are designed to serve as a benchmark that policymakers can use when considering possible changes to those laws. However, the outlook for the budget deficit, federal debt, and the economy are especially uncertain now because substantial changes to tax and spending policies are scheduled to take effect in January 2013.

Key aspects of our projections are illustrated in the figures above

What Policy Changes Are Scheduled to Take Effect in January 2013?

Among the policy changes that are due to occur in January under current law, the following will have the largest impact on the budget and the economy:

• A host of significant provisions of the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-312) are set to expire, including provisions that extended reductions in tax rates and expansions of tax credits and deductions originally enacted in 2001, 2003, or 2009. (Provisions designed to limit the reach of the alternative minimum tax, or AMT, expired on December 31, 2011.)
• Sharp reductions in Medicare’s payment rates for physicians’ services are scheduled to take effect.
• Automatic enforcement procedures established by the Budget Control Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-25) to restrain discretionary and mandatory spending are set to go into effect.
• Extensions of emergency unemployment benefits and a reduction of 2 percentage points in the payroll tax for Social Security are scheduled to expire.

http://www.cbo.gov/publication/43539

More data from Twinsdad indicating that Obama has done nothing for this country except make golf course owners rich, opened a brewery in the White House and as lost complete control of the Middle East.

Two No-Brainer Ways To Play Rising Food Prices

Submitted by Simon Black of Sovereign Man blog,

Last summer, two researchers from the New England Complex Systems Institute published a short paper examining the correlation between rising food prices and civil unrest. It was a timely analysis, to say the least. A number of food riots were occurring throughout the world, not to mention waves of revolution sparked by the high cost of food.
This is nothing new; throughout history whenever people have struggled to put food on the table for their families, social unrest has been a common consequence.
The French Revolution is a classic example; after decades of unsustainable fiscal and monetary practices that wrecked the French economy, the harvest season and subsequent winter of 1788 were particularly harsh. People went hungry, and it ultimately started the revolution.
The researchers' analysis went a step further, though; they modeled the relationship between food prices and social unrest to reach a simple conclusion-- whenever the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)'s global food price index climbs above 210, conditions ripen for social unrest.

Today, the FAO's food index is at 213... and rising. Netherlands-based Rabobank recently published its own analysis, forecasting further rises in food prices well into the 3rd quarter of 2013.
There are so many factors driving food prices higher. From a demand perspective, world population is growing at an extraordinary rate... plus the rise of billions of people from developing countries (especially in Asia) into the middle class is quickening demand for resource-intensive foods like beef.
From a supply perspective, drought, soil erosion, and reduction of available farmland all put significant pressure on global agricultural output. And finally, from a monetary perspective, the enormous amount of paper currency being printed in the world is finding its way into agricultural commodities.
I cannot envision a slowdown in any of these factors anytime soon. Central bankers will continue printing, people will continue procreating, developing countries will continue becoming wealthier, etc. So we should absolutely expect rising food prices for quite some time.

Follow the link for more info, including tips on how not to starve, so much...

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2012-09-27/guest-post-two-no-brainer-ways-play-rising-food-prices

Didn't I read somewhere that the government recently purchased millions of rounds of ammunition?
Bought your bullet proof vest yet...?

Protester outside of Romney rally explains how Obama gives all minorities free phones and that is why they should vote for him. Cleveland Ohio, September 26

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tpAOwJvTOio

Top Comments

• This is almost the perfect Romney campaign  ad.

  thesundaeman 4 minutes ago 11
• It fucking aggrieves me that people this stupid are allowed the privilege of voting.

  EternalChaosBringer 2 minutes ago 9

These are not my comments, just youtubers sounding off, however they are good comments none the less.

Got a call today from a LIVE Republican pollster------------

Usually we get the very annoying robo-calls, but today a live man called and asked if I had a few moments to answer some questions. 
I said, "Are you a Republican?"
 He said, "yes." 
I said, "I'm not, I am a Southern, Liberal, yellow-dog, Clintonian Democrat. and if you still want to talk, go right ahead." 
He says, "Why? Do you like the way this country is headed?"
I said , "No, not all of the way it's headed."
He asked, "What do you find to like?"
I said, "ACA, the Dream Act, keeping student loan rates reasonable, the programs to Make Homes Affordable and curb foreclosures, education reform."  "We should get out of those useless wars of choice too.  Obama is a lot more Centrist than I would like, but hey , in the next four years he can finish what he has started by creating jobs programs, which I believe is the key to getting the country back on track economically."
There was a brief silence--------"YOU are to the left of Obama?"
"Yes."
He said, "OH NO!"

We both started laughing, and I said, "You cast your vote and I'll cast my vote and then we will see how the country will be headed."

He ended on a big laugh----------so did I.

Ain't America great?  I love that Virginia is a swing state--------Obama will probably sweep Va. much to the chagrin of a LOT of other Virginians.

The Muslim World Is Calling For Curbs On Free Speech

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/27/world/united-nations-general-assembly.html?_r=0

Leaders from Egypt, Yemen, Pakistan, and Iran are calling for restrictions to free speech when it comes to religion or religious symbols:

“The international community must not become silent observers and should criminalize such acts that destroy the peace of the world and endanger world security by misusing freedom of expression,” he said. The United Nations should take up the issue immediately, he added.

Past United Nations attempts to address the issue, summarized in a general Human Rights Council agreement, have been deemed insufficient.

Nabil Elaraby, the secretary general of the 21-member Arab League, added his voice to the issue, saying that spiritual harm should be treated as a crime, even as he condemned the recent riots. “If the international community has criminalized bodily harm, it must just as well criminalize psychological and spiritual harm,”  Mr. Elaraby told a special session about Syria of the Security Council, saying it was a serious enough problem to warrant Council attention.

BTW - the school lunch menu fiasco epitomizes Dem Philosophy

It's a one size fits all approach. It's the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. If they had their choice, every American would earn the exact same wage. We would all live in nearly identical housing units. All obtain the exact rationed amount of health care as anyone else received.

Southern Europe is screwed.

Somehow, someone got Merkel to open up the printing presses with the promise of future austerity with the expected result that once their commitment was made, that Spain/Greece etc... would renege on their agreements. It's going to fall apart and be every man/country for themselves.

Something new for conservatives to denounce

This post by Andrew Sulivan http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/09/23/andrew-sullivan-on-the-promise-of-obama-s-second-term.html is a welcome breath of fresh air. Though I certainly lean left of center, I reject deification and reject the liberals deification of Clinton as much as I reject conservatives for their North Korea like reverence of Reagan. What I appreciate in this piece by Sulivan is that it is that rare piece of writing by a conservative that is actually objective. I cringe at the thought of Democrats potentially elevating Obama to a Reagan like worship, but otherwise, I believe Sulivan makes some very interesting comparisons between Obama and Reagan.

Something that never ceases to annoy me in listening to conservative commentary is that it never uses the same standards to judge anything. Of course, the response is to find an example of some liberal doing the same thing in order to dismiss entirely the bigger point. In advance, that's stupid bullshit. One of the biggest examples of undeserved deism is Bill Clinton. While I applaud many things that Clinton did that helped a lot of people, I readily admit he was very lucky to have been elected at a time when economic contraction had wiped out a lot of excess and a lot of suffering had been endured to pave the way for new growth. He did nothing to create the boom that exploded on his watch.

In the days of Reagan, as Sulivan points out, the world was a vastly different place. Unions still existed and workers still made good money and we still had a manufacturing base. Interest rates we much higher, as were taxes. In simple terms, the country was living in austerity and misery and Reagan had multiple bullets to fire to create an environment where growth could occur. He did not, however, create the growth and as Sulivan also points out, he went back on his word several times regarding taxes. Something that no conservative will accept is that Reagan paved the way for massive deficit spending, so I won't bother taking pot shots at the mythical being that conservatives believe he was. In simple terms, Sulivan does that job himself.

As a group, Americans have metaphorically become obsessed with the lint in their navel. Anyone who mentions that any given point in time is a compilation of decades of trends is soundly dismissed. Republicans has six full years of control of all three houses. Yet, they sell us the bullshit that Obama had two years of control of all three houses and is therefore a failure for not solving every problem we face. This article, of course, will not change anyone's mind. It would be nice though, if it could pull some people back from the fringe of reality.

Planned Parenthood: Embrace your inner slut.

Just in case you were wondering whether Planned Parenthood supports sexual promiscuity, they’ve elucidated their position: “slut” is a positive word. Their Facebook page for teenagers carries a video from MTV Voices with Francisco Ramirez, subtly titled “Sextra Credit 2.” In it, Ramirez, a gay activist, says, “A lot of people define slut as someone who has too much sex or too many partners – but according to who? The slut fairy?” Ramirez wasn’t done yet: “Did you know that some people use slut in a positive way? They use it to define a woman who is confident in her sexuality and being the sexual being that she is. I personally think there’s a little bit of slut in all of us. So embrace it!” ---- The Komen Foundation really screwed up and donations are WAY down. The sacrificial lamb they put forward to atone for their sins was not enough. President Liz Thompson announced plans to leave Komen in September. The same insider said Thompson was leaving the organization out of frustration, worried about the role that Brinker would still play at the beleaguered organization. Komen spokeswoman Andrea Rader said Thompson “had been considering leaving for several months. She had accomplished what she wanted to do and it was time to move on.” Rader said Brinker would move out of the day-to-day management but “clearly, she’s going to continue to have a role.” Two Komen board members, Brenda Lauderback and Linda Law, announced they would leave the organization at the same time. Thompson said Wednesday that the organization was “on an excellent path to recovery,” adding that “no other breast cancer organization does as much to help women and men through this disease.” Both Brinker and Thompson came under heavy criticism in January, when the Komen Foundation revised its grant criteria in a way that would exclude Planned Parenthood from participating. Online petitions circulated demanding that Brinker step down from her leadership position. After a public outcry over the decision — and protests alongside pushback from its own affiliates — the Komen foundation reversed the decision. It has so far continued to provide funding for the women’s health organization’s preventive services. The leadership shake-up follows the February resignation of Karen Handel, Komen’s vice president for public policy. Several former Komen employees have said that Handel was a driving force behind the decision to stop funding Planned Parenthood. Multiple state officials also stepped down from their roles in March, citing a disagreement over the initial decision to cut off Planned Parenthood’s funds. Since the controversy, some Komen affiliates have reported lackluster fundraising with Race for the Cure, the organization’s signature fundraising event. Brinker told the Wall Street Journal that the reorganization had nothing to do with the Planned Parenthood maelstrom.

Muslim Brotherhood now plans for overthrow of Jordan

Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood has given King Abdullah II notice that he has until October to bow to their demand to transform the Hashemite Kingdom into a constitutional monarchy or face Arab Spring street pressure for his abdication. Saudi Arabia, already threatened by Iranian aggression, fears the oil kingdom may be next in line if its northern neighbor is crushed under the marching feet of the “Arab Spring.”

The failed recovery.

 

A new report by the Progressive Policy Institute—run by Democrats—finds that if business investment had tracked the normal trend rate during this recovery, investment would be $1.4 trillion higher. The report fingers regulation on business and American investors finding better returns abroad. Yet Mr. Obama's solution is to raise the capital gains and dividend tax rates.
In this policy environment, the miracle is that the U.S. economy is still growing as much as it is. That is a tribute to the natural desire of Americans to better themselves, to create the next Apple, or to discover the next technique for pulling natural gas out of shale rock.
Added to the record of the last four years, the 1.5% second quarter should solidify in the public mind that President Obama has failed on the economy. The challenge for Mitt Romney and the Republicans is to explain how we got to this pass—going back to the mistakes of the Bush years—why Mr. Obama's policies failed, and why their ideas can restore a prosperity that we once took for granted.


From the Bureau of Economic analysis.

Why would anyone vote for Obama again?????