Few data points

I try to keep up with Irene. Below is an excerpt of a link she sent me.

The big mistake many people make is thinking that Mr. Obama and the spearheads of the leftist movement are operating within the same paradigm as the traditional American mind.

There exists the notion that "reality" will set in and things put on a sane track. People are giving the benefit of a doubt, though not really understanding the depth of the problems. Gene is just exaggerating.

The statists have no care, whatever, about taxes, the Constitution, the destruction of businesses or jobs, the descent of education.

I suggest we realize we are not in a normal paradigm. We are in Europe of 1930, but if you went to public school, you don't know what that means. Either we assert ourselves, or, as the book says, we are on the road to serfdom. Not me, personally, but for most of you. I know when to fold. (Thanks for all that tax money, I got a new Nissan. I will keep looking to feed off the system, as I can't stop it. My new virtue is to starve the pig as a nation of cooperative citizens is likely dead.)

Pandering to the typical American viewpoint is how the statists got power. Before Mr. Obama was elected, the left worked on "incrementalism." If you don't know what that is, you are in deeply. You are about out of time. Barney Frank recently admitted that a socialist medical system is too much to obtain now, so, he is working on it through the current plan. Essentially, he says, he will con the people because they are not paying attention. He may be right. Welcome to Barney Frank Land where we can all run a brothel from the basement.

Obama doesn't give a care about what happens, that your ERISA is being destroyed along with the value of your home, only that he changes to a leftist, European style socialist state that is easily controlled by appealing to the lower part of the the masses. He is not the typical crook, like Pelosi et al, which makes he more dangerous; he is an ideologue. Obama wants to quickly impose the vehicles of state control, like in the Muslim country he grew up, and there is a crisis to use to his advantage. His administration admits this.

He also cares about setting the record for the use of "I" by a president, along with "let me be clear about that." You know what to think when someone says, "You can trust me."

I use "lower" knowing it is always tough to categorize segments of the population. Mostly, I mean the unsophisticated, wage slaves, government drones, and the angry. Using an economic strata is possible, but not fully accurate. Basically, there are the poor of spirit who tend to be poor of the body, as well, but not always. There are also those who make a good living commiserating with the poor and down-trodden.

The angry were celebrated last election. The trick now, for those in power, is to keep the anger focused somewhere else.

The unsophisticated are clever about getting college degrees to hide their myopia and dullness. They think glibness is a sign of great leadership and intellect. The mild intellect assumes pointless blathering is a sign of intelligence, as long as it sounds good.

This is why they buy, and TOUT, overpriced hybrid cars. It is fine to buy a well engineered car, but many are driven by the PC, I-am-better-than-you religion. Don't think so? Ask people about the differences in the power system of Honda and Toyota (the use of the internal combustion engine.) Ask about the carbon impact of producing batteries and their cost to replace.

The segment called "Black" as though that has some meaning, has been diligently trained to be dependent and angry. They are treated as a sure thing come election time. Chicago, NY, and LA are just like British rotten boroughs. In a sense, America is being subjected to the results of not addressing the cultural divide for some time. The divide has been increased and fortified while most of use paid no attention. The divide is used as a weapon - go read Michele Obama's college paper. It is not good or anything, but is shows the mindset of using race.

The media is one with the leftist movement, as they imagine the media is a vehicle to help the blacks, which is racism in its most insidious form. If you don't get that, you are in deep. Journalists are honest about their working in that trade to change things, they are not journalists and their audience continues down the dumbness scale.

So, we have intellectual and moral light-weights like Jesse Jackson and that slob from NYC, whoever he is, and so on, who are appointed "black leaders" and given the podium, while the exceptional Condesa Rice and Judge Thomas are attacked. Sotomayor couldn't carry Thomas' bags.

The right wing "journalists" and activists love to invite these black leaders to the microphone, etc, because the audience will giggle at them, but the problem is the invitation provides support with their following, like talking to terrorists. Ridicule is a far more useful approach. But, I guess we have to have equal time between people and idiots.

For a balanced view, free of media pandering, get a cup of coffee and watch the video on this page.

The problem is the African-American culture, a very vague term, is finally freeing itself from the slavery to its masters. More and more "blacks" are middle class, which is not good for any socialist. Mr. Obama was put into office by a landslide of black voters, but that was because he fanned the black president gambit, as though he is an American black. Eventually, the left will lose its dependable hold of the black culture, even as the left fans the fire of anger - unemployment being caused by "them."

You still hear only the angry and poorly educated, but this is not a legitimate representation of the community.

What to do" Give illegal aliens the right to stay here, free medical coverage, free legal assistance, a drivers license, forgive past due taxes, and grant earned income credits going forward, as is now in Congress. The notion is when these "Hispanics," another useless word, finally get to vote, they will become the new angry, submissive class. The problem with that is it won't happen as they have an entirely different culture and bias, unless you dumb them down and take away their Christianity, which is being attempted.

If the Catholic schools disappear, this can happen as the worst environment for a human soul is the public school. Even the good ones, like around here, foster relativism, PC, and irresponsibility. Parents don't even get higher SAT scores as a return for abandoning their children to the state.

All that said, here are just some numbers. If you don't understand what you are reading. you are up to your nose and sinking.

July 27, 2009

Hoven's Index: Obama's First Six Months

By Randall Hoven

Provided below, in a "Harper's Index" type of format, is the progress made under President Obama so far. In some cases, data from other time periods are given to provide context.

The 2008 deficit under Bush, the largest in history at the time: $459 B. CBO's estimate of Obama's 2009 deficit: $1,845 B.

The total cumulative deficit in Bush's first seven years (2001-2007): $1.5 trillion. CBO's estimate of Obama's first seven deficits (2009-2015): $7.1 trillion.

Average federal debt held by the public from 1980 through 2000: 40.1% of GDP. In 2008: 40.8%. Predicted for 2012: 70.1%. Predicted for 2019: 82.4%.

CBO's predicted cumulative 2010-2019 deficit under laws prior to Obama's budget: $4.4 trillion. Under Obama's budget: $9.3 trillion.

CBO's estimate of federal deficit increase over the next 10 years if Obama's "Affordable Health Choices Act" is enacted: $1 trillion. Net gain in number of people covered by health insurance if enacted: 16 million (of the estimated 49 million without insurance today).

Obama's January 2009 prediction of peak unemployment if his stimulus is not passed: 9%. If it is passed: 8%. Actual unemployment rate, with stimulus passed, in June, 2009: 9.5%. Obama's June 2009 prediction of unemployment later in 2009: 10%.

Non-farm payrolls (total employees) in December 2008: 135,074,000. In June 2009: 131,692,000. Six month job loss (difference): 3.4 million.

Real GDP shrinkage in 2008, all four quarters (Q4 2007 to Q4 2008): 0.9%. Shrinkage in 2009, first quarter only: 1.4%.

Change in number of foreclosures in first half of 2009: +9%.

Number of bank failures in the first seven months (so far) of 2009: 57. Number in the last seven months of 2008: 22. Troop surge in Iraq (Oct. 2006 to Oct. 2007): 19% (from 144,000 to 171,000). Troop surge in Afghanistan (Sept. 2008 to June 2009): 65% (from 34,000 to 56,000).

Detainees held at Guantanamo as of May, 2009: 240.

Of the top 35 corporate contributors in the 2008 election cycle, the number who leaned Democrat: 21. The number who leaned Republican: 1. (That single one leaning Republican was the National Auto Dealers Association.)

Number of auto dealerships being closed by Chrysler in 2009: 789, or 25%. Being closed by GM: 42%.

Fraction of words mis-translated in a message from the US Secretary of State to the Russian Foreign Minister: 100% (one word of a one-word message). (English word: "reset". Translated meaning: "overload" or "overcharged".)

Fraction of DVDs given by President Obama to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom that cannot be played in the UK due to format differences: 100% (25 of 25).

Number of show-tunes on the iPod that President Obama gave the Queen of England: 40.

etc

I stopped. Data points to wise etc. Tell me we are not going to have inflation.