● Obama's economic team considering new stimulus package... ● Kabul Bank called on Thursday for intervention by the United States to head off a financial meltdown.... ● Health insurance tax credit likely to affect small part of small-business workforce... ● Mixed reaction to new FEC rules on candidates, interest groups working together... ● Maryland Democrat Sen. Currie indicted on charges of taking bribes... ● Summer of Economic Discontent ... ● CBO Update... ● Obama administration appeals stem cell funding decision despite US Law... ● Gloom for Democrats as they look to November... ● U.S. troop deaths in Afghan war up sharply...
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When the people fear the government, there is tyranny; When the government fears the people, there is liberty.  ~ Thomas Jefferson

 

Entries Tagged as 'Treason'

Obama’s economic team considering new stimulus package

September 2nd, 2010 · Deception, Democrats, Money Lost, Obama's Scheme, Selling Out the US, Stimulus, Tax Dollars, Taxes, Terrorism from Within, Treason

White House considering major tax breaks for businesses, sources say

By Lori Montgomery – Thursday, September 2, 2010; 5:33 PM

With the recovery faltering less than two months before the November congressional elections, President Obama’s economic team is considering another big dose of stimulus in the form of tax breaks for businesses – potentially worth hundreds of billions of dollars, according to two people familiar with the talks.

Among the options are a temporary payroll tax holiday and a permanent extension of the research and development tax credit, say people familiar with the talks who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to describe private deliberations.

Permanently extending the research credit would cost roughly $100 billion over the next decade, tax experts said. And depending on its form and duration, a payroll tax holiday could let businesses keep more than $300 billion they would otherwise owe the Treasury.

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U.S. troop deaths in Afghan war up sharply

September 1st, 2010 · Deception, Defense, Foreign Policy, Obama's Scheme, Politics, Selling Out the US, Treason, War on Terrorism

By David Nakamura Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, September 1, 2010

KABUL – Twenty-two American troops have been killed in Afghanistan over the past five days, a spike that follows record-high death tolls for U.S. forces in June and July.

Five of the troops were slain Tuesday, including four who were killed by two improvised bombs in the east and one who died in an insurgent attack in the south, according to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

The deaths brought the number of U.S. troops killed in August to 55, according a count by the Associated Press – significantly fewer than the 66 who died last month and 60 in June. Roadside bombs along military routes have been responsible for most of the deaths, as international forces penetrate deeper into areas controlled by Taliban insurgents.

Also Tuesday, gunmen opened fire on a bus in Kabul carrying employees of the Afghan Supreme Court, killing three and wounding several others, ISAF officials said.

Asked by The Washington Post about the jump in U.S. deaths in recent days, James Judge, an ISAF spokesman, responded via e-mail: “Historically, August usually yields somewhat higher numbers as it tends to be the insurgents’ last push before the winter months. With elections coming up, the numbers may remain somewhat elevated through September. Additionally, the troop surge has increased troop totals to approximately 147,000. With these additional forces, we are actively pursuing the enemy in areas traditionally held by insurgents.”

Judge noted that despite the bloodshed of the past few days, “overall for August, deaths due to IEDs are well under last year’s figures.”

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Obama speech on Iraq carries some pitfalls

September 1st, 2010 · Deception, Defense, Democrats, Ethics, Foreign Policy, Greed, Homeland Security, National Security, Non-Transparency, Obama's Scheme, Selling Out the US, Terrorism from Within, Treason

By Anne E. Kornblut Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 31, 2010

President Obama is promoting the decision to end the U.S. combat mission in Iraq on Tuesday as a fulfillment of his campaign promise to draw the war to a close. But some of the president’s detractors are using the same moment to question the wisdom of doing so – noting that Iraq is still afflicted with violence and has yet to form a government.

Obama will mark the occasion by flying to Fort Bliss, Tex., to meet with veterans. He will also deliver a prime-time Oval Office speech – only his second since taking office. On Monday, the president visited Walter Reed Army Medical Center and awarded 11 Purple Hearts to combat veterans. Vice President Biden traveled to Iraq to amplify the message.

“Maybe he’s entitled to the partial victory lap, but this is not the right moment for it,” said analyst Michael O’Hanlon of the Brookings Institution, who has been critical of both Democratic and Republican approaches to the war. “If I were him, I’d wait until we have an Iraqi government, and do it with the Iraqis together.”

O’Hanlon said he was “confused about the planned Oval Office speech.” It could raise unrealistic expectations among the public about the chances for calm in Iraq, he said. And the timing of the pullout of combat troops may be seen as having more to do with the president’s political needs than with real signs of progress on the ground.

White House officials said the speech, scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. and last 15 to 20 minutes, would acknowledge this week’s deadline as a “milestone” and pay tribute to the 1.5 million Americans who have served in Iraq since 2003. Obama will address shifting U.S. options now that the country is no longer technically at war in Iraq, including a greater emphasis on Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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The Folly of Subsidizing Unemployment

August 30th, 2010 · Accountability, Deception, Democrats, Federal Spending, Money Lost, Non-Transparency, Obama's Scheme, Selling Out the US, Tax Dollars, Taxes, Treason, Unemployment

My calculations suggest the jobless rate could be as low as 6.8%, instead of 9.5%, if jobless benefits hadn’t been extended to 99 weeks.

By Robert Barro

Congressman John Boehner recently suggested that President Obama replace his top economic advisers. I think he may have a point. The economic “recovery” has been disappointing, to put it mildly, and it has become increasingly clear that the blame lies with the policies of the Obama administration, not with those of its predecessor.

In general, the current administration has been too focused on expanding government, redistributing more from rich to poor, and stimulating aggregate demand. I have previously criticized the stimulus package as cost-ineffective. In particular, whatever tax reductions were in the package did not involve the cuts in marginal income tax rates that encourage investment, work effort and productivity growth.

Now the administration wants to kill the 2003 income-tax cuts, at least the parts that reduced marginal income tax rates for high-income earners and for all recipients of dividend income. This proposal is particularly disturbing because the 2003 law was George W. Bush’s main economic achievement; unlike most of Mr. Bush’s policies, this one was well-conceived and effective.

I want to focus here on another dimension of the Obama administration’s policies: the expansion of unemployment-insurance eligibility to as much as 99 weeks from the standard 26 weeks.

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Dangers of war persist for soldiers left in Iraq

August 28th, 2010 · Deception, Defense, Democrats, Foreign Policy, National Security, Non-Transparency, Obama's Scheme, Selling Out the US, Terrorism from Within, Treason, War on Terrorism

By Leila Fadel Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, August 28, 2010; 12:13 AM

FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, IRAQ – Col. Malcolm Frost knew there would be questions. The official end to the U.S. combat mission in Iraq was approaching, but his soldiers, operating in two of Iraq’s most dangerous provinces, would still be here.

He sat down and penned a letter to the soldiers’ families. “01 Sept. 2010 does not mean a light switched on or off in Iraq,” the brigade commander wrote. “. . . The weight of responsibility upon our shoulders is great, because we must follow through to the very finish.”

For the soldiers in Frost’s brigade, Sept. 1 will mark an arbitrary milestone. There are fewer troops here, just under 50,000 now, consistent with an Obama administration pledge, and the troops leave base less often. But Americans still die in Iraq, and the fight for stability is far from over.

Iraq remains a battleground, American soldiers say, even if they are no longer kicking down Iraqi doors.

Instead of carrying out combat missions, Frost’s unit has been designated an “advise and assist” brigade, like five other American brigades left behind in Iraq. Its task is to train Iraqi security forces, gather intelligence, assist Iraq’s fledgling air force, and, ultimately, close up shop and go home. The lower-profile approach under Operation New Dawn is the latest step in a transition that began more than a year ago when American soldiers were pulled back from Iraq’s urban centers and for the most part retreated into their bases.

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With their Jobs on the line, Dems want to fix the economy. Too little too late.

August 25th, 2010 · Accountability, Auto Industry, Banking Industry, Change of Power, Deception, Democrats, Ethics, Federal Spending, Government Control, Greed, Money Lost, Non-Transparency, Obama's Scheme, Reform, Selling Out the US, Tax Dollars, Taxes, Terrorism from Within, Treason, Treasury, Unemployment

As midterms loom, Democrats work to shore up faltering recovery

By Lori Montgomery – Wednesday, August 25, 2010

A rapidly weakening economy threatens to undermine President Obama’s assertion that he has set the nation on a path to prosperity and, with barely two months until congressional midterm elections, Democrats find themselves with few options for reviving the faltering recovery.

The latest sign that the economy is losing steam: Home sales fell 27 percent in July, the steepest one-month drop since figures were first compiled in 1968, according to a report released Tuesday. Analysts had expected sales to decline following the expiration of a federal tax credit for homebuyers this spring, but the drop was nearly twice as large as forecast.

The housing report punctuated a wave of bad news that has been building all summer. The number of jobless claims has risen in each of the past four weeks and last week hit its highest point in nine months. Private-sector job creation is trending well below the level needed to keep up with population growth. Retail sales have also been disappointing.

Economists generally do not expect a dip back into recession, although many say the risk has grown with each new piece of disheartening data.

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CIA sees increased threat from al-Qaeda in Yemen

August 24th, 2010 · Defense, Democrats, National Security, News Alert, Selling Out the US, Terrorism from Within, Treason, War on Terrorism

By Greg Miller Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, August 24, 2010; 9:41 PM

For the first time since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, CIA analysts see one of al-Qaeda’s off-shoots – rather than the core group now based in Pakistan – as the most urgent threat to U.S. security, officials said.

The sober new assessment of al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Yemen has helped prompt senior Obama administration officials to call for an escalation of U.S. operations there – including a proposal to add armed CIA drones to a clandestine campaign of U.S. military strikes, the officials said.

“We are looking to draw on all of the capabilities at our disposal,” said a senior Obama administration official, who described plans for “a ramp-up over a period of months.”

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, stressed that that analysts continue to see al-Qaeda and its allies in the tribal areas of Pakistan as supremely dangerous adversaries. The officials insisted there would be no letup in their pursuit of Osama bin Laden and other senior figures thought to be hiding in Pakistan.

Indeed, officials said it was largely because al-Qaeda has been decimated by Predator strikes in Pakistan that the franchise in Yemen has emerged as a more potent threat. A CIA strike killed a group of al-Qaeda operatives in Yemen in 2002, but officials said the agency has not had that capability on the peninsula for several years.

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Billions of aid dollars buy U.S. little goodwill in Pakistan: Believed to be harboring Bin Laden

August 24th, 2010 · Democrats, Federal Spending, Foreign Policy, Homeland Security, Money Lost, National Security, Non-Transparency, Obama's Scheme, Selling Out the US, Tax Dollars, Taxes, Terrorism from Within, Treason, War on Terrorism

By Griff Witte – Tuesday, August 24, 2010

TARBELA, PAKISTAN — Everyone here remembers the Americans.

They came with their blueprints, their engineering know-how and their money. By the time they left in the early 1970s, they had helped build a world-class dam that kept parts of Pakistan dry this month while vast stretches of the country drowned.

“This dam gives great benefit to the nation, and if not for the Americans it would never have been constructed,” said Syed Naimat Shah, a local contractor.

But Shah hasn’t seen any new assistance from the Americans in decades, and apparently many Pakistanis haven’t, either. The U.S. government has provided about $18 billion in civilian and military aid to Pakistan since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks made this country America’s most essential, and vexing, ally. Yet according to a Pew Research Center survey released last month, half of Pakistanis believe the United States gives little to no assistance here.

For Obama administration officials, that’s a source of deep anxiety — and frustration. Pakistan is at the center of U.S. hopes to turn around the flagging Afghan war, but persistent anti-American feelings limit the extent of Pakistani cooperation. On her visit to Pakistan last month, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton mused that Americans must wonder “why we’re sending money to a country that doesn’t want it.”

Pakistanis insist they are not ungrateful. They just don’t see any tangible impact from the massive sums the United States spends. Unlike assistance from decades ago, the money from the post-Sept. 11 era, Pakistanis say, tends to vanish without a trace.

“Everyone here hates the American government,” said Shah, a spirited 71-year-old with a stark white beard and a sharp tongue. “I haven’t seen a penny of this U.S. assistance.”

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Imam Rauf: Mosque planner has been mostly silent during noisy debate

August 23rd, 2010 · Defense, Democrats, Homeland Security, Immigration, National Security, Non-Transparency, Obama's Scheme, Selling Out the US, Treason, War on Terrorism

Remember:  Those who carried out 9/11 learned how to fly in the US; Nidal M. Hasan – Shooter at Fort Hood:  Simple Muslims Protected under the very freedom they wish to distroy.

By Michelle Boorstein – Monday, August 23, 2010

To pundits skeptical of Feisal Abdul Rauf, the New York imam is a wolf in sheep’s clothing who claims to be building a monument to tolerance near Ground Zero but is actually an apologist for radical, anti-American Muslims.

To people who have worked with him in the interfaith community, the white-bearded Sufi is a visionary for peace and progressive Islam, an American patriot who has toiled for decades to build bridges between this country and like-minded Muslims around the world.

Unquestionably, the 61-year-old Rauf (pronounced rah-oof) is the product of some strange circumstances.

Rocketed to prominence after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by government and interfaith leaders interested in promoting the voices of moderate Muslims, the former industrial filter salesman won a book contract and gigs representing the State Department in the Muslim world and teaching FBI agents about Islam. He was asked to become a member of the World Economic Forum and invited to speak with the likes of Antonin Scalia and Karen Hughes. In just a few years, he went from an ambitious, well-liked leader of a small TriBeCa prayer group to a world player.

“After September 11, when we were all afraid, Imam Feisal was one of the people who stood up for American Muslims who totally rejected terrorism. He built a significant network of Christian and Jewish supporters,” said D. Randall Benn, a D.C. lawyer and interfaith activist who has worked as Rauf’s Washington adviser for about two years. “It was where he was, and the power of his ideas, that made him big.”

Ironically, the same symbolic power of Ground Zero that elevated Rauf now threatens to take him down.

At the center of a global firestorm of debate, Rauf is absent, sticking to his commitment to lecture for the State Department in Bahrain about, of all things, “how we emphasize religious tolerance in our society,” department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters last week. Rauf’s wife said he would not be available for an interview until next month — though he told a gathering at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Bahrain on Sunday that the attention generated was a “sign of success” and could bring about greater understanding.

Though now largely invisible, Rauf seems to have become a proxy for Americans’ anxiety about Islam and its legal system, sharia. The intense reaction against Rauf’s proposed project and some of his political views have laid bare Americans’ fragile acceptance of its Muslim minority.

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Budget analysts see 2010 deficit at $1.3 trillion

August 19th, 2010 · Auto Industry, Banking Industry, Deception, Democrats, Federal Spending, Government, Greed, Money Lost, Non-Transparency, Obama's Scheme, Reform, Selling Out the US, Tax Dollars, Taxes, Terrorism from Within, Treason, Unemployment

The Associated Press
Thursday, August 19, 2010; 12:22 PM

WASHINGTON — This year’s federal deficit will exceed $1.3 trillion, Congress’ official budget analysts projected Thursday in a report underscoring election year perils both parties face as they struggle to balance conflicting demands to trim budget shortfalls, spark the economy and cut taxes.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said this year’s budget gap would be $71 billion less than last year’s red ink, thanks to a reversal of recent trends that have seen years of steadily rising government spending and falling federal revenues.

Even so, that would leave this year’s deficit as the second largest ever in dollars, trailing only last year’s $1.4 trillion. To put those numbers in perspective, the shortfalls for 2009 and 2010 are each three times as big as the government’s annual deficit had ever been previously.

The report immediately became fodder for partisan finger-pointing over the deficit, a concern of voters in the shadow of this fall’s elections, which will determine control of Congress.

Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, said the report highlighted that a “spending spree” by Congress, including enactment of President Barack Obama‘s health care overhaul, was driving annual deficits and the cumulative federal debt skyward.

“Today’s CBO outlook only underscores what we already know – the current pace of U.S. spending is unaffordable and unsustainable, and without a change in direction, this country is headed for fiscal calamity,” Gregg said.

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad, D-N.D., said helping the economy recover must be the top priority. But he said to address long-term budget pressures like the retirement of baby boomers, “we must start now to enact deficit reduction policies that will kick in after the economy has more fully recovered.”

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