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Jolie Rouge

01-19-2015, 05:22 PM

Obama Will Seek to Raise Taxes on Wealthy to Finance Cuts for Middle Class
By JULIE HIRSCHFELD DAVISJAN. 17, 2015

WASHINGTON — President Obama will use his State of the Union address to call on Congress to raise taxes and fees on the wealthiest taxpayers and the largest financial firms to finance an array of tax cuts for the middle class, pressing to reshape the tax code to help working families, administration officials said on Saturday.

The proposal faces long odds in the Republican-controlled Congress, led by lawmakers who have long opposed raising taxes and who argue that doing so would hamper economic growth at a time the country cannot afford it. And it was quickly dismissed by leading Republicans as a nonstarter.

But the decision to present the plan during Tuesday’s speech marks the start of a debate over taxes and the economy that will shape both Mr. Obama’s legacy and the 2016 presidential campaign.

It is also the latest indication that the president, untethered from political constraints after Democratic losses in the midterm elections, is moving aggressively to set the terms of that discussion, even as he pushes audacious moves in other areas, like immigration and relations with Cuba.

The president’s plan would raise $320 billion over the next decade, while adding new provisions cutting taxes by $175 billion over the same period. The revenue generated would also cover an initiative Mr. Obama announced this month, offering some students two years of tuition-free community college, which the White House has said would cost $60 billion over 10 years.

The centerpiece of the plan, described by administration officials on the condition of anonymity ahead of the president’s speech, would eliminate what Mr. Obama’s advisers call the “trust-fund loophole,” a provision governing inherited assets that shields hundreds of billions of dollars from taxation each year. The plan would also increase the top capital-gains tax rate, to 28 percent from 23.8 percent, for couples with incomes above $500,000 annually.

Those changes and a new fee on banks with assets over $50 billion would be used to finance a set of tax breaks for middle-income earners, including a $500 credit for families in which both spouses work; increased child care and education credits; and incentives to save for retirement.

The initiative signals a turnabout for Mr. Obama, who has spoken repeatedly about the potential for a deal with Republicans on business tax reform but little about individual taxation, an area fraught with disagreements.

“Slapping American small businesses, savers and investors with more tax hikes only negates the benefits of the tax policies that have been successful in helping to expand the economy, promote savings and create jobs,” said Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah and chairman of the Finance Committee. “The president needs to stop listening to his liberal allies who want to raise taxes at all costs and start working with Congress to fix our broken tax code.”

The proposal includes some elements that have previously drawn support from both Republicans and Democrats, including education and retirement savings proposals and the secondary earner credit. A tax on large banks was part of a plan proposed last year by former Representative Dave Camp, a Republican from Michigan who retired as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.

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Continue reading the main story

Mr. Obama’s advisers characterized the plan as the next phase in the president’s economic message, which he has been promoting over the past two weeks with trips highlighting the nation’s financial rebound. During the tour, Mr. Obama has pitched a range of initiatives to help the middle class, including free community college and paid leave. The bulk of the financing for the plan — $210 billion — would come from a capital-gains tax hike and a change in the way the tax code treats the appreciated value of inherited assets. Under the proposal, inherited assets would be taxed according to their value when they were purchased. That means the capital gains on those assets during a person’s lifetime, now shielded from taxation, would be subject to tax at the time of the bequest.

The proposal, which does not apply to charitable gifts, would fall almost entirely on the top 1 percent of taxpayers, administration officials said. It would apply to capital gains of $200,000 or more per couple, with an additional $500,000 exemption for personal residences.

The remaining $110 billion to pay for Mr. Obama’s new tax proposals would be generated by a fee imposed on the largest and most highly leveraged financial firms. That proposal, administration officials said, was designed to make “risky activity” more costly for the roughly 100 such companies in the nation with assets more than $50 billion. Those companies would be assessed a fee based on the amount of debt they hold.

White House officials estimated that the new $500 “second-earner” tax credit would benefit 24 million households. The maximum credit would go to those earning up to $120,000, and some credit would be available to those earning up to $210,000.

Mr. Obama also wants to triple the child care tax credit, now an average of $550, and make it easier for middle-income earners to qualify, offering up to $3,000 for each child under age 5. White House officials said the plan would eliminate existing tax-advantaged flexible spending accounts for child care and reinvest those resources in the tax credit.

In addition, the president is proposing to streamline a jumble of educational tax credits and give students up to $2,500 annually toward earning a college degree. Students who attend school less than half the time would also qualify for the first time, and more of the credit, $1,500, would be available regardless of whether an individual owed any taxes.

The president’s proposal would also increase access to tax-advantaged retirement savings plans by requiring most employers that do not offer such plans to automatically enroll their workers in an IRA. Mr. Obama has failed to find common ground with Republicans on fiscal matters, including during several attempts to strike a “grand bargain” on the budget. The Treasury Department proposed a detailed corporate tax overhaul in 2012 that would have lowered the rate to 28 percent from 35 percent and given multinational corporations a one-time “tax holiday” to return billions of dollars in profits parked overseas. But it went nowhere in the last Congress.

It is not clear that this effort will fare any better.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/18/us/president-obama-will-seek-to-reduce-taxes-for-middle-class.html?_r=0

Jolie Rouge

01-20-2015, 04:51 PM

Who Obama Chose As His ‘Guest Of Honor’ For SOTU Is Infuriating Conservatives – And Rightly So

By Brian Hayes on January 20, 2015

There are few things Barack Obama revels in doing more than angering conservatives.

Those conservatives believe that people who want to come live in America must do so through the legal channels for immigration, and not by sneaking into the country illegally. The rule of law must be paramount.

It hasn’t exactly worked out that way under 6 years of Obama, who has made a complete mockery of the law, and Congressional power.

In 2012, Obama signed an order granting instant amnesty for 1.2 million illegals who were “brought here as children” — even though the documentation requirements were so lax that the program has been ripe for fraud. A staggering 99.5% of applicants were approved, many using easily-faked documents like cash receipt from “landlords” that were supposed to prove prior residency — but were in fact produced by document mills in Latino areas of big cities.

We were told that we should not punish these “children” for the illegal acts of their parents.

But then, adding insult to injury, Obama rewarded those very lawbreaking parents — last December expanding that amnesty to 5 million of them — and ordering ICE and DHS not to deport them.

Angry Republican lawmakers have vowed to fight the order. And 24 Republican governors have sued in Federal court to stop him.

So how has Obama responded?

By inviting an illegal to be his guest of honor at the State of the Union speech, of course.

From CNS News: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/susan-jones/obama-invites-illegal-alien-be-guest-honor-sotu

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Ana Zamora, who came to the United States illegally, is among the 22 people selected to sit with First Lady Michelle Obama at tonight’s State of the Union address.

This is an honor bestowed on people who provide a human face for the liberal agenda that President Obama will lay out. Ana is the face of Obama’s executive amnesty, which conservative Republicans call an affront to the U.S. Constitution.

The White House describes Ana as a “letter writer, student, DREAMer.” She was bought here illegally as a child by parents who were themselves illegal aliens, and that’s exactly why she’s being honored by the White House.

Unbelievable. But pure Obama. No class. Zero respect for the rule of law. And yet another betrayal of his oath to uphold the Constitution.

Obama’s “guest of honor,” is being rewarded for violating the law, while all of the immigrants who have come here legally and work hard to make something of themselves are being completely ignored.

It’s infuriating.

And it is also a slap in the face to the millions of legal people who waited years and spent thousands on legal fees to come here legally.

One of those legal immigrants is who should be sitting with Michelle Obama at the SOTU tonight. But has as little respect for them, as he does for the Constitution.

Pro Tip for House Speaker John Boehner: you have a House Jail, and the power to arrest and detain lawbreakers. How about arresting this illegal the moment she walks in the door. That would “send a message” too.

http://toprightnews.com/?p=8036

Jolie Rouge

01-20-2015, 05:08 PM

http://o.onionstatic.com/images/28/28441/16x9/700.hq.jpg?8872

Biden Arrives Early To Set Up State Of The Union Fog Machine
THE ONION : News in Brief • Politics • politicians • joseph biden • ISSUE 51•03 • Jan 20, 2015

WASHINGTON—Speaking to reporters as he ran a tattered extension cord along the House of Representatives rostrum this afternoon, Vice President Joe Biden confirmed that he had arrived early in order to set up a fog machine for tonight’s State of the Union address. “This baby kicks out the fog like you wouldn’t believe, but you gotta give her plenty of time to warm up if you want the whole room to fill up real thick,” said Biden while carefully mixing water and glycerin according to his own homemade “fog juice” recipe, which he explained he’d been using since his brief stint as a roadie on White Lion’s Pride tour in 1987. “I wanted to do this thing up right with a whole laser rig and shit, but that would’ve set me back mucho dinero. But don’t you worry; Uncle Joe knows a few tricks with strobes that’ll get the crowd going.” At press time, Biden was reportedly double-checking the timers on a set of flash pots in order to avoid another congressional aide losing their fingers in a pyrotechnic mishap.

http://www.theonion.com/articles/biden-arrives-early-to-set-up-state-of-the-union-f,37812/

Jolie Rouge

01-20-2015, 08:30 PM

Jolie Rouge

01-20-2015, 08:42 PM

I don't care what side of the fence you are on. The Generals response is very obvious and very clear!
Fox News : WATCH: President Barack Obama announces, "It's time to close Gitmo." ‪#‎SOTU‬ http://fxn.ws/1Jaxkbk

Jolie Rouge

01-21-2015, 05:48 AM

After Republicans Tease Obama for SOTU Line, He Responds with a Humorless Hissy Fit
By Jason DeWitt on January 20, 2015

Is this the reaction of a self-assured, dignified leader? Or something else?

At his State of the Union (SOTU) Address tonight, Obama was supposed to deliver these lines:


I have no more campaigns to run. My only agenda for the next two years is the same as the one I’ve had since the day I swore an oath on the steps of this Capitol — to do what I believe is best for America.

But a handful of Republicans (barely) interrupted him with a smattering of mock applause after the first line.

Surprisingly, Obama could not just let it go, but snapped back with a reaction that did not seem particularly “presidential”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=84359240&v=jCZULPizh8w&feature=player_embedded&x-yt-ts=1421782837

Does this petty response seem like a man who confidently knows he has the support of the people? Or one still bitter after a stinging midterm loss that handed Republicans their largest Congressional majority since 1920?

Or as the ever-classy Margaret Thatcher once said: “Power is like being a lady… if you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.”

http://media3.giphy.com/media/6ipRBxHwd3LKE/giphy.gif

http://media.giphy.com/media/S25yCLKmbZOhi/giphy.gif

http://toprightnews.com/?p=8043

Jolie Rouge

01-21-2015, 05:51 AM

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Jolie Rouge

01-21-2015, 06:15 AM

Here’s the Full Text of President Obama’s 2015 State of the Union
Zeke J Miller Jan. 20, 2015

http://time.com/3675705/full-text-state-union-2015/

State of the Union 2015 Fact Check: Obama's Rhetoric vs. Reality
ABC News‎ - 8 hours ago

ABC's Ali Weinberg, Luis Martinez, Justin Fishel, Mike Levine, Alex Mallin, Katherine Faulders, Ben Siegel, Katelyn Marmon and Christopher Mudd report:

Fact Check 1 -- Economic Growth

Fact Check 2 -- Gas Prices

Fact Check 3 -- The War on ISIS

Fact Check 4 -- Education

Fact Check 5 -- Job Creation

Fact Check 6 -- Climate Change

Fact Check 7 -- Cyber Security/

Fact Check 8 -- Taxes

Fact Check 9 -- Guantanamo Bay

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/state-union-2015-fact-check-obamas-rhetoric-reality/story?id=28355350

Obama's 2015 State of the Union to-do list
CBS News‎ - 2 hours ago

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/obamas-2015-state-of-the-union-to-do-list/

Jolie Rouge

01-22-2015, 09:21 AM

Just a random ol’ American
[I]‘Struggling’ mom who got a seat next to Michelle and a star role at State of the Union is actually an ex-Democratic party organizer
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/01/21/article-2920644-24EBCBCF00000578-44_636x382.jpg

The mother of two whose letter to Obama about her family's financial woes won her a place of honor at the president's State of the Union Address on Monday also happens to be a former Democratic field organizer.

Rebekah Erler, 37, told the president of her and her husband's struggles last year. Obama then traveled to Minneapolis to spend a much publicized June'day in the life' of a typical American.

Sometime prior to the trip, Erler worked as a 'field organizer' for Democratic Senator from Washington Patty Murray.

Reuters uncovered this from Erler's LinkedIn profile back in June after the president's Minneapolis trip.

Now, with Erler back in the spotlight, people are paying attention to her not-so-typical work history after Obama used her as an example of how things have improved for America's middle class under his leadership.

'America, Rebekah and Ben's story is our story. They represent the millions who have worked hard, and scrimped, and sacrificed, and retooled. You are the reason I ran for this office,' Obama said Tuesday night.

Erler was among among 22 people whose whose stories of tragedy or triumph highlight an issue or public policy and who were invited to the State of the Union by the White House.

President Ronald Reagan was the first to do so in 1982 and acknowledge the guests during the speech. Every president since has carried on the tradition, and lawmakers increasingly are bringing guests, too. Among their guests are several Cuban activists, former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason, who is afflicted with Lou Gehrig's disease, and celebrity chef Tom Colicchio.

Gross, a former federal subcontractor, was freed from Cuba last month as part of Obama's historic announcement that the United States would restore diplomatic relations with Cuba.

Kelly, of Houston, is preparing to blast off in March on a yearlong space mission, the longest of any U.S. astronaut. His twin, retired astronaut Mark Kelly, is married to former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz. Giffords was gravely wounded during a shooting at a political event she held in Tucson four years ago. Scientists will compare medical data from the Kelly brothers to study how the human body responds to longer durations in space.

CVS Health pulled cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco products from its store shelves last year, a move that was applauded by Obama, a former smoker. The decision earned Merlo, the drugstore chain's top executive, a seat in the first lady's box for the speech.

The letter-writers, as identified by the White House, are:

— Malik Bryant, of Chicago. The 13-year-old wrote a letter to Santa over the holidays asking for safety. Instead of forwarding the letter to the North Pole, a nonprofit organization redirected it to the White House. Obama wrote back to say that security was a priority for him, too.

— Victor Fugate, of Kansas City. Fugate told Obama how he went from being an unemployed new father to getting his degree and helping low-income patients obtain medical care. Fugate says he and his wife are benefiting from an Obama program that caps monthly student loan payments. Obama met Fugate in Kansas City last year.

— Retired Army Staff Sgt. Jason Gibson, of Westerville, Ohio. Gibson wrote to thank the president for visiting him as he recovered from injuries, including the loss of both legs. Gibson surfs, skis, has completed marathons on a hand cycle and earned a pilot's license. He became a father in November.

— Katrice Mubiru, of Woodland Heights, California. Mubiru, a career-technical education teacher in Los Angeles, encouraged Obama in a letter to support K-12 adult and career technical education. She introduced Obama last year when he visited Los Angeles Trade-Technical College to promote technical skills programs.

— Astrid Muhammad, of Charlotte, North Carolina. Muhammad, a wife and mother of two, wrote to thank Obama for signing the Affordable Care Act. She obtained coverage under the law last year and had surgery to remove a potentially fatal brain tumor that was diagnosed when she had no health insurance.

— Carolyn Reed, of Denver. Reed described for Obama how she expanded her submarine sandwich shop business with a government loan. Obama dined last year with Reed and other Coloradans who wrote to him. Reed also told the president she was raising her hourly employees' wages to $10.10.

— Ana Zamora, of Dallas. A student at Northwood University, Zamora was brought to the United States illegally as a child and has benefited under Obama's program to defer deportations for eligible immigrants. Zamora wrote Obama about her experience and says her parents will also be eligible for protection under his recent executive actions on immigration.

The remaining guests are:

— Chelsey Davis, of Knoxville, Tennessee. Davis is scheduled to graduate in May from Pellissippi State Community College. She met Obama when he visited her school this month to announce a plan to pay for two years of community college for students who keep up their grades.

— LeDaya Epps, of Compton, California. The mother of three completed a union apprenticeship in construction and is on the crew building the Crenshaw/LAX light rail line. Obama has promoted apprenticeships as a way for people to get training for skilled jobs.

— Nicole Hernandez Hammer, of southeast Florida. The sea-level researcher studies how cities and other areas most vulnerable to the effects of climate change also have large Hispanic populations. She works to raise Latinos' awareness of climate change. Obama has taken steps to address climate change.

— Anthony Mendez, of New York City. The University of Hartford freshman once had to rise at 4:30 a.m. to get to school after his family was evicted and living in a homeless shelter hours away. Mendez was among students who met Mrs. Obama last year. She spearheads an initiative encouraging students to pursue education after high school.

— Kathy Pham, of Washington, D.C. Pham is a government computer scientist who works to improve health information technology, expand access to benefits for veterans and improve how government provides services.

— Capt. Phillip C. Tingirides, of Irvine, California. A husband and father of six, the veteran Los Angeles police officer heads the Community Safety Partnership program in the neighborhood of Watts, once scarred by race riots and subsequent gang violence. Police engage with residents under the program.

— Catherine Pugh, of Baltimore. Pugh is majority leader of the Maryland Senate and helped pass legislation increasing the state minimum wage to $10.10. She has also introduced legislation to provide workers with earned paid sick leave. Both are issues Obama is pushing at the federal level.

— Dr. Pranav Shetty, of Washington, D.C. Shetty is the global emergency health coordinator for International Medical Corps, a partner in the U.S.-backed effort to control the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Shetty went to Liberia in August, returned to the U.S. last month and heads back to West Africa this week.

— Prophet Walker, of Carson, California. While serving time for robbery, Walker started a prison program to help fellow inmates earn a two-year degree. After prison, he became a construction engineer and has worked to improve relations among law enforcement, community activists, parents and the children of local housing projects.

— Tiairris Woodward, of Warren, Michigan. Woodward started a second job working on Chrysler's assembly line in 2010 to help support herself and three children, including one with special needs. She eventually began working only for Chrysler and after a year had saved enough money to buy a car and rent a new apartment. The company's tuition assistance program is aiding her pursuit of a bachelor's degree in business management. The White House says her story is possible due to the comeback of Detroit and the U.S. auto industry.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2920644/Struggling-mom-letter-Obama-got-invited-SOTU-address-revealed-former-Democratic-organizer.html

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Jolie Rouge

01-22-2015, 09:56 AM

Just a random ol’ American
[I]‘Struggling’ mom who got a seat next to Michelle and a star role at State of the Union is actually an ex-Democratic party organizer
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/01/21/article-2920644-24EBCBCF00000578-44_636x382.jpg

The mother of two whose letter to Obama about her family's financial woes won her a place of honor at the president's State of the Union Address on Monday also happens to be a former Democratic field organizer.

Rebekah Erler, 37, told the president of her and her husband's struggles last year. Obama then traveled to Minneapolis to spend a much publicized June'day in the life' of a typical American.

Sometime prior to the trip, Erler worked as a 'field organizer' for Democratic Senator from Washington Patty Murray.

Reuters uncovered this from Erler's LinkedIn profile back in June after the president's Minneapolis trip.

Now, with Erler back in the spotlight, people are paying attention to her not-so-typical work history after Obama used her as an example of how things have improved for America's middle class under his leadership.

'America, Rebekah and Ben's story is our story. They represent the millions who have worked hard, and scrimped, and sacrificed, and retooled. You are the reason I ran for this office,' Obama said Tuesday night.

Erler was among among 22 people whose whose stories of tragedy or triumph highlight an issue or public policy and who were invited to the State of the Union by the White House.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2920644/Struggling-mom-letter-Obama-got-invited-SOTU-address-revealed-former-Democratic-organizer.html

SOTU so fake: Obama forgot to mention woman he showcased is former campaign staffer
Written by Allen West on January 22, 2015

Having experienced the State of the Union Address in Washington D.C. I can attest that it is quite the production. Of course the jockeying for prized seats right along the aisle entering the House chamber starts really early — you can always count on Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Tx) being right there — gotta get that camera shot.

The first SOTU address I attended was the infamous “date night” when the Democrats, who had just lost the House majority and didn’t want a solid GOP majority to appear on TV, came up with this wacky idea of sitting together. Again, it had nothing to do with bipartisanship, just the optics of having Democrats standing and clapping all over the House chamber. They didn’t want Obama to have to face a solid GOP majority.

The other thing about the SOTU was TV camera awareness – they’re all over the place, and you never know which one could be honing in on you. My secret was to find a seat all the way in the back, close to the corner — in what we call in the military, the defilade position. Yes, interesting memories of what has become nothing but a political grandstanding event — not a policy vision declaration that sets the legislative focus for the year.

Well, there’s a pretty interesting story coming out of Tuesday night’s SOTU that is a testimony to the theatrics of the evening.

As reported by the Washington Free Beacon, http://freebeacon.com/politics/woman-showcased-by-obama-in-sotu-is-a-former-democratic-campaign-staffer/

“The woman whose story of economic recovery was showcased by President Barack Obama in his State of the Union address is a former Democratic campaign staffer and has been used by Obama for political events in the past.”

“Rebekah Erler has been presented by the White House as a woman who was discovered by the president after she wrote to him last March about her economic hardships. She was showcased in the speech as proof that middle class Americans are coming forward to say that Obama’s policies are working. Unmentioned in the White House bio of Erler is that she is a former Democratic campaign operative, working as a field organizer for Sen. Patty Murray (D., Wash.).”

This also wasn’t the first time the White House used the former Democratic campaign staffer as a political prop. Obama spent a “day in the life” of Erler in June so that he could have “an opportunity to communicate directly with the people he’s working for every day.” Reuters revealed Erler’s Democratic affiliations following that June event, and the Minnesota Republican Party attacked Obama for being “so out of touch with reality that he thinks a former Democrat campaign staffer speaks for every Minnesotan.”

It all reminds me of the movie, “The Matrix” — are we living in the real world or one manufactured to deceive us — and our existence?

Now, you just have to ask, why did the Obama administration need to create yet another unnecessary suspect narrative? Did they truly think no one checks folks out and their background? Or did they just think we were dumb enough to not notice — or not care?

So. let’s ask this question of President Obama — if the economy is getting so much better, why did you need a former Democrat campaign staffer as a resizable political prop?

Many Americans – perhaps the 90 percent who didn’t watch the president’s speech — enjoy living in the “Matrix” and will never take the blue pill that will free them from the computer-generated world of complete pleasure and ecstasy. You know, the world where you’re told, “the shadow of crisis has passed and the state of the union is strong.”

So as Obama traipses across the country once again on his perpetual campaign we all must ponder — how many more gimmicks shall there be? How many more Pinocchios, deceit, lies, and optical illusions before we all decide it’s time for the blue pill?

I wholeheartedly accept that there will always be some who want to stay hooked up, and when given the choice, will take the red pill refusing to come into the real world.

But one day, those folks will be forced to realize the computer-generated euphoric facade will crash. They will personally crash when they realize their senses and ability to think has gone into a deep state of atrophy.

Those of us who have escaped the Matrix will never go back. We will not allow Mr. Smith to destroy us, nor the sentinels (the complicit media). But, we know that the truth doesn’t need a suspect narrative, optics or political props.

Sadly, President Obama and his ilk realize, just as with the deception of Catherine the Great and the Potemkin Village, they need the distraction to hide the truth.

http://allenbwest.com/2015/01/sotu-fake-obama-forgot-mention-woman-showcased-former-campaign-staffer-video/

Jolie Rouge

01-22-2015, 11:23 AM

NOW it makes more sense: John Stossel translates Obama’s #SOTU speech

Posted at 9:54 am on January 21, 2015 by Twitchy Staff

http://twitchy.com/2015/01/21/now-it-makes-more-sense-john-stossel-translates-obamas-sotu-speech/

http://twitter.com/FBNStossel/status/557725631384150016/photo/1

Jolie Rouge

01-22-2015, 01:07 PM

compare and contrast....

http://www.bigbigforums.com/news-information/666278-obamas-sotua-02-12-13-a.html

Tiairris Woodward, of Warren, Michigan. Woodward started a second job working on Chrysler's assembly line in 2010 to help support herself and three children, including one with special needs. She eventually began working only for Chrysler and after a year had saved enough money to buy a car and rent a new apartment. The company's tuition assistance program is aiding her pursuit of a bachelor's degree in business management. The White House says her story is possible due to the comeback of Detroit and the U.S. auto industry.

http://www.bigbigforums.com/news-information/668793-detriot-trouble.html

American Express to cut 4,000 jobs this year
CNBC on MSN.com · 4 hours ago
The announcement Wednesday came as American Express reported quarterly earnings that slightly beat analysts' expectations.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/american-express-to-cut-4000-jobs-over-this-year/ar-AA8rRAW?ocid=anscnbc11

EBay Job Cuts: E-Commerce Giant Announces It's Axing 2,400 positions
Jan 22, 2015 ·

Ebay announced job cuts this week of 7 percent of its staff in order to streamline its structure and boost profits

http://www.wsj.com/articles/ebay-announces-job-cuts-icahn-pact-1421875868

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but ... but ..... Obama said everything was great

http://www.bigbigforums.com/news-information/629305-stimulapalooza-3-6-million-jobs-lost-quite-positive-23.html#post96406192

Jolie Rouge

01-23-2015, 12:57 PM

Kiss of Death: Obama Mentions Company in SOTU, Then This Happens
January 22, 2015 By Jennifer Burke

During the State of the Union address on Tuesday, Barack Obama worked hard to make Americans believe that job growth is great, despite that fact that 92 million Americans are out of the workforce and no longer looking.

As part of his attempt to snow over the public, Obama cited what he said are the millions of jobs that people are working in that didn’t exist 10 to 20 years ago. One of the companies he specifically mentioned as a success story in the creation of these jobs was Ebay, the popular online auction site.

Less than 24 hours later, Ebay announced a layoff of 2,400 people, or 7% of its workforce. Response to the announced layoffs by investors was positive with the company experiencing an increase in their stock by more than 4%.

Like most of the other companies touted by Obama as success stories to brag about the economy, Ebay overwhelmingly donates to Democrats. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Ebay CEO John Donahoe has not only given $90,000 to Democrat candidates and committees, but has also contributed thousands to Obama’s 2012 presidency.

Free Beacon http://freebeacon.com/blog/ebay-lays-off-thousands-after-obama-touts-company-in-state-of-the-union-address/

Video at link http://www.tpnn.com/2015/01/22/kiss-of-death-obama-mentions-company-in-sotu-then-this-happens/

Jolie Rouge

01-23-2015, 07:32 PM

Kurtz: Obama YouTube Interview Was ‘Beneath the Dignity of the Office’

http://video.lauraingraham.com/Kurtz-Obama-YouTube-Interview-Was-Beneath-the-Dignity-of-the-Office-28417805

Chicago Blacks UNLEASH on Obama’s SOTU in Viral Video
Thursday, January 22nd, 2015

Although President Barack Obama was elected twice with an overwhelming majority of the black vote, many black Americans are finally beginning to speak up and question Obama over what he has, and hasn’t, done to help them.

When it comes to issues like jobs and the economy, and especially his amnesty for illegal immigrants, some blacks are demanding that Obama focus on them instead of foreigners http://conservativetribune.com/love-our-kids-like-illegals/ and are calling him the “worst President ever elected.” http://conservativetribune.com/black-protesters-slam-obama/

Last year, a group of black activists in Obama’s hometown of Chicago got together and put out their own rebuttal to Obama’s State of the Union address. http://conservativetribune.com/black-activists-turn-on-obama/ This year, they have done it yet again, and they are holding nothing back. (H/T Rebel Pundit http://rebelpundit.com/theyre-baaack-chicago-unchained-the-state-of-the-union-video/ )

The Chicago activists gathered together in Wallace’s Catfish Corner, a restaurant on the West Side of Chicago frequented by Obama in the past. But that is about all that these activists feel they have in common with Obama now.

“In my world, on the South Side of Chicago, on the West Side of Chicago, everything you spoke of in your speech, it doesn’t affect us. The stock market is at a record high, at 17,000. I can’t invest in the Dow Jones.”

“The country is more racially divided, you haven’t corrected that.”

“Never once since you’ve been president have you talked about the working poor. We don’t even exist in your administration. What kind of person are you?”

“Everybody needs to be on your case, about that you got on national TV talking about a middle class economy works. For who? Who it work for? Why, it’s not even working for the middle class people. They losing they houses. What middle class economy you talking about?”

“We’re not middle class here. We’re poor and very poor. We don’t even meet the median area income towards middle class, so everything you say does not include us.”

“Mr. President, I don’t feel that you are relating to us, as poor people in our communities. I think that you are just bribing us to stay in office, or however you doing what your doing. You’re doing a good job at it, but now it’s time to stop.”

“Give me some straws, something to grasp at…you are giving me nothing. Your swag is not doing anything for me right now.”

“The last mid-terms show, point blank, that a lot of people ain’t listening to what your talking about, cause they voted in the opposite direction. That means that you should’ve been listening to what the people were saying.”

“We hope that Congress defunds Obamacare. We pray that Congress do away with your amnesty executive order, giving and providing illegal aliens and immigrants work permits to make sure that black men don’t get jobs in their own community.”

“Was it all about using us? Was it all about getting all the people behind you so you could get in the White House?”

Simply put, this is awesome. It is so refreshing to here former supporters of Obama finally coming around to the realization that he is a horrible president who doesn’t care about the little people. http://conservativetribune.com/black-americans-really-think-obama/

Of course, some of us here have been saying these same things for years now, but we are certainly glad to see more people coming around to our point of view. Reality has a way of opening even the blindest of eyes.

Video link at http://conservativetribune.com/chicago-blacks-unleash-on-obamas-sotu/

Jolie Rouge

01-25-2015, 05:50 PM

John Stossel ~ Obama translation ‪#‎SOTU‬

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/v/t1.0-9/10352277_10152510706081621_9134033123870138761_n.p ng?oh=051d24ba1bacbc5d3831de1803391477&oe=552B0E7B&__gda__=1428209412_1d7cd185afb9672da3ec8c919f5142e 7

Barack Obama hit the campaign trail this week after his State of the Union address to sell his new pet phrase "middle-class economics," a phrase he's working to ingrain in the political lexicon. According to the president, speaking at Boise State University, middle-class economics "means helping folks afford child care, and college, and paid leave at work, and health care, and retirement." But beware of statists bearing gifts.

Middle-class economics is nothing more than a cradle-to-grave welfare state paid for through wealth redistribution. It will ultimately stifle economic growth and require -- wait for it -- more government welfare spending.

Obama latched onto this middle-class economics concept as a way to set the Democrats' class warfare theme for the 2016 election. He spent much of 2014 trying to convince the public that, thanks to his policies, the economy was on the mend. Few believed him. So he came up with a clever new name for wealth redistribution and is now trying to rewrite history from the campaign trail.

Going on the road, giving speeches and lambasting Republicans as the enemies of the middle class are parlor games for Obama. This strategy guided everything that he, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid did when Democrats ran all of Washington. Now that Republicans control Congress, it's a bit more difficult to label them obstructionist -- not that Obama won't try. Republicans have the power to set the legislative agenda, but that's not going to stop this imperial president.

"I know there are Republicans who disagree with my approach," Obama told the Boise crowd. "And if they do disagree with me, then I look forward to hearing from them how they want to pay for things like R&D and infrastructure that we need to grow. They should put forward some alternative proposals."

Of course, Obama doesn't want to hear ideas that aren't in lockstep with his agenda. Indeed, he's already threatened to veto just about every Republican bill under consideration. Yet he has the audacity to declare, "Work with me. Don't just say no. You can't just say no."

Obama and his fellow statists assume the government should be involved in every aspect of the American economy. There is no debate about the constitutional role of government, only over how to pay for all the goodies. And that's where class warfare and wealth redistribution come in.

Democrats hope to regain control in 2016 by appearing to be champions of the middle class. And they want to do it with "free" gifts paid for with higher taxes on the "wealthy."

Unfortunately, this strategy often works.

The welfare state has greatly expanded over the last 50 years because people can't say "no" to "free" stuff. Political analyst George Will explains, "More than twice as many households receive 'anti-poverty' benefits than receive Social Security or Medicare. Between 1983 and 2012, the population increased by almost 83 million -- and people accepting means-tested benefits increased by 67 million. So, for every 100-person increase in the population there was an 80-person increase in the recipients of means-tested payments. Food stamp recipients increased from 19 million to 51 million -- more than the combined populations of 24 states."

This cycle of government welfare only perpetuates itself. It has become a way of life that is truly changing the American character. In the last 50 years, the number of men 25 to 34 who are neither working nor looking for work has almost quadrupled. The percentage of children born to unmarried women was nearly six times higher in 2012 than in 1964. And the percentage of people living under the poverty line hasn't budged in 30 years.

Former New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a lifelong liberal, warned, "The issue of welfare is not what it costs those who provide it, but what it costs those who receive it." Even he saw the inevitable. Today's Democrats don't care, however, as long as they can win elections.

Claude G. McNew
-- PatriotPost.us

Jolie Rouge

02-12-2015, 09:08 PM

Allen West : Yesterday at 10:19am ·
.
Today at 3:30pm ET President Obama will make a statement asking for authorization for use of military force against ISIS.

I find interesting that Obama didn't see the necessity of doing so for the ill-conceived venture into Libya -- how a hotbed of islamist activity.

As well, it was a year ago at the State of the Union address that Obama took a victory lap lauding the withdrawal of all US troops from Iraq.

My, what a difference a year makes. I wouldn't grant President Obama this authority based on his giving a "statement". Say what you wish, President George W. Bush went before a joint session of Congress to make his case and received Congressional approval. Therefore, it he can find the time, President Obama must go before a joint session of Congress and articulate his vision for defeating Islamic terrorism -- not just ISIS.

Since the topic didn't fit into his SOTU address last month, perhaps he can provide a strategy, and not on climate change, but rather the pressing issue of Islamo-fascism. Congress shouldn't grant any authorization based on a "statement" which is a dismissive disregard by the Commander-in-Chief.