Tag Archives: Obama

Jobless Recovery?: 25 Unemployment Statistics That Are Almost Too Depressing To Read

Guess what? Unemployment is up again! That's right – even though Wall Street is swimming in cash and the Obama administration is declaring that “the recession is over”, the U.S. unemployment rate has gone even higher. So are you enjoying the jobless recovery? The truth is that there should not be any talk of a “recovery” as long as the “official” unemployment rate remains at around 10 percent and the “real” unemployment continues to hover around 17 percent. There are millions and millions of American families that are living every day in deep pain because of the lack of jobs. Meanwhile, there are all of these economic pundits that are declaring that we are just going to have to realize that chronic unemployment is the “new normal” and that if other nations can handle high rates of unemployment then so can we. The most optimistic economists are projecting that we can perhaps get the unemployment rate down to around 8 percent by 2012. On the other hand, there are many economists that are convinced that things are going to get even worse. added by: Revelation1217

Sen. Harkin: If Obama Caves On Taxes, He Better Pray For Palin In 2012

WASHINGTON — The sense of frustration among Senate Democrats over the White House's handling of the tax cut debate has grown throughout the week, culminating in a series of articles on Thursday anticipating some form of presidential capitulation. Whether the mood is genuine or deliberate — or, perhaps, a bit of both — is worth some honest debate. Aides acknowledged that they were airing concerns about a forthcoming tax cut deal, in part, for the purpose of stiffening the White House's spine during the remaining negotiations. None would take the step of going on the record with their remarks. But others were even blunter when they went completely off the record. When leaving a Senate Democratic caucus meeting late Thursday night, most members declined to answer questions about the White House's role in the tax cut negotiations. But the few who did talk didn't exactly hide their sadness over the state of affairs. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), for one, slyly acknowledged that he'd get himself in trouble if he answered whether or not he was happy with the administration's engagement. “You want me to be the [troublemaker]?… I'm too junior around here to do that,” said the 86-year-old, five-term senator. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) did a little less dancing. “I just think, if [Obama] caves on this, then I think that he's gonna have a lot of swimming upstream [to do],” said the Iowa Democrat, a unabashed progressive who has been less reticent than most in criticizing the White House. “He campaigned on [allowing the rates for the rich to expire], was very strong on that, and sometimes there are things that are just worth fighting for.” And if he decided to compromise away from that, a reporter asked the senator. “He would then just be hoping and praying that Sarah Palin gets the nomination,” Harkin replied, insinuating that there would be few other Republicans that Obama could assuredly beat in 2012. added by: TimALoftis

Radiation scientists agree TSA naked body scanners could cause breast cancer and sperm mutations

The news about the potential health dangers of the TSA's naked body scanners just keeps getting worse. An increasing number of doctors and scientists are going public with their warnings about the health implications of subjecting yourself to naked body scanners. These include Dr Russell Blaylock (see below) as well as several professors from the University of California who are experts in X-ray imaging. At the same time, some internet bloggers are insisting that the TSA's naked body scanners pose no health risks because air travelers are subjected to higher levels of radiation by simply enduring high-altitude flights where cosmic radiation isn't filtered out by the full thickness of the Earth's atmosphere. This comparison, however, is inaccurate: The TSA's body scanners focus radiation on the skin and organs near the skin whereas cosmic radiation during high-altitude flights is distributed across the entire mass of your body. Comparing the total radiation exposure across your entire body to machine-emitted radiation exposure that focuses its ionizing radiation primarily on your skin is like comparing apples and oranges. You'll see this explained further, below, in the words of these scientists. As Dr Russell Blaylock ( www.BlaylockReport.com ) recently reported: “The growing outrage over the Transportation Security Administration's new policy of backscatter scanning of airline passengers and enhanced pat-downs brings to mind these wise words from President Ronald Reagan: The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help you. So, what is all the concern really about – will these radiation scanners increase your risk of cancer or other diseases? A group of scientists and professors from the University of California at San Francisco voiced their concern to Obama's science and technology adviser John Holdren in a well-stated letter back in April.” The letter Dr Blaylock is referring to is from the Faculty of the University of California, San Francisco and is signed by Doctors John Sedat Ph.D., David Agard, Ph.D., Marc Shuman, M.D., Robert Stroud, Ph.D. You can download or view the full letter from NaturalNews here (PDF): http://www.NaturalNews.com/files/TS.. . Even though it was written in April of this year, this letter has received increased publicity lately due to the TSA's sudden expansion of naked body scanners in airports as well as the agency's arrogant insistence that such machines will soon be used at bus stations, railway stations and other entrance points for mass transportation…. …Ten big concerns voiced by the scientists Here are ten additional concerns raised by these scientists in their letter: (the bolded titles are my subheads, the subsequent explanation test is quoted straight out the scientists' letter) #1) Cancer in senior citizens – The large population of older travelers, greater than 65 years of age, is particularly at risk from the mutagenic effects of the X-rays based on the known biology of melanocyte aging. #2) Breast cancer – A fraction of the female population is especially sensitive to mutagenesis-provoking radiation leading to breast cancer. Notably, because these women, who have defects in DNA repair mechanisms, are particularly prone to cancer, X-ray mammograms are not performed on them. The dose to breast tissue beneath the skin represents a similar risk. #3) White blood cells being irradiated – Blood (white blood cells) perfusing the skin is also at risk. #4) HIV and cancer patients – The population of immunocompromised individuals — HIV and cancer patients (see above) is likely to be at risk for cancer induction by the high skin dose. #5) Radiation risk to children – The risk of radiation emission to children and adolescents does not appear to have been fully evaluated. #6) Pregnant women – The policy towards pregnant women needs to be defined once the theoretical risks to the fetus are determined. #7 Sperm mutations – Because of the proximity of the testicles to skin, this tissue is at risk for sperm mutagenesis. #8 Radiation effects on cornea and thymus – Have the effects of the radiation on the cornea and thymus been determined? #9 Problems with the machine – There are a number of 'red flags' related to the hardware itself. Because this device can scan a human in a few seconds, the X-ray beam is very intense. Any glitch in power at any point in the hardware (or more importantly in software) that stops the device could cause an intense radiation dose to a single spot on the skin. Translation: This machine does not emit a “flood light” of radiation like you might get from a dental X-ray machine. Rather, this machine emits a thin, narrow beam of radiation that is quickly “scanned” across your body, back and forth, in much the same way that an inkjet printer prints a page (but a lot faster). Because the angle of the X-ray beam is controlled by the scanner software, a glitch in the software could turn the naked body scanner into a high-energy weapon if the beam gets “stuck” in one location for more than a fraction of a second. #10 Higher radiation for the groin? – Given the recent incident (on December 25th, 2009), how do we know whether the manufacturer or TSA, seeking higher resolution, will scan the groin area more slowly leading to a much higher total dose? Continued at: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Bq5v8T4ediQ/TOyk6Kcd9tI/AAAAAAAAA04/ZCSL9_LA0ME/s400/c… http://www.naturalnews.com/030607_naked_body_scanners_radiation.html added by: Dagum

U.S. Needs to Boost Spending for Energy R&D, Panel Tells Obama

Photo: Wikipedia , CC Huge Issue With Small Resources The President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology has released a report that is critical of the U.S. for not investing enough into energy R&D, recommending that spending more than triple from $5 billion to $16 billion (not that much when you compare it to the cost of other big expenditures). The U.S. lags many other country in energy R&D investments (see the chart below), and considering how much it spends on fossil fuels, any investments that reduce that consumption w… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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U.S. Needs to Boost Spending for Energy R&D, Panel Tells Obama

CBS News Poll: Most Oppose GOP Tax Plan

Republicans have argued that the midterm elections have given them a mandate on what they are calling one of the most important issues facing America, the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts. “The American people want us to stop all the looming tax hikes and to cut spending, and that should be the priority of the remaining days that we have in this Congress,” incoming House Speaker Rep. John Boehner said Thursday. Boehner added that a House vote Thursday to extend the cuts for all but the highest-earning Americans amounted to “chicken crap.” According to a new CBS News poll, however, Boehner is off-base in his claim that Americans “want us to stop all the looming tax hikes.” The poll finds that 53 percent of Americans want the Bush-era tax cuts extended only for households earning less than $250,000 per year. That roughly matches the proposal put forth by the White House, which wants to extend the cuts only for incomes less than $250,000 for families and $200,000 for individuals. Just 26 percent of Americans say they support extending the cuts for all Americans, even those earning above the $250,000 level, which is the GOP proposal. Another 14 percent of Americans say the cuts should expire for all Americans. The Treasury Department says the cost of making the cuts permanent for everyone is $3.7 trillion over a decade. The White House plan which would not extend the cuts on high earners would cost an estimated $3 trillion over ten years. (By point of contrast, the controversial deficit commission proposal released this week would save about $4 trillion in that time.) Seventy percent of Democrats want to extend the cuts only on incomes below $250,000, according to the CBS News poll. Forty-seven percent of independents and 41 percent of Republicans agree. Only ten percent of Democrats and one in four independents back the GOP proposal to extend the tax cuts for all. Even among Republicans, support for extending all the cuts is less than half at 46 percent. The Bush-era tax cuts are set to expire for all Americans by the end of the year, and lawmakers are working feverishly to reach compromise on the issue during the lame duck session. The Democrat-led House voted Thursday to extend them for those below then $200,000/$250,000 threshold, but the bill is unlikely to get the 60 votes it needs to break a GOP filibuster in the Senate. Following the House vote, Republican Rep. Darrell Issa of California released a statement saying Democrats “just don't get it.” “Clearly, Congressional Democrats learned nothing from the lessons of November 2nd,” he said. “The American people had a clear choice between those that want to cut taxes for all Americans and those that want to raise them and they chose decisively. Instead of living up to the mandate set by the American people, Congressional Democrats have defied the will of the American people.” President Obama dispatched Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Jack Lew, to oversee negotiations on finding common ground on the issue earlier this week following a meeting with congressional leaders from both parties. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday that “[t]he talks are ongoing and productive, but any reports that we are near a deal in the tax cuts negotiations are inaccurate and premature.” Republicans have suggested they are unwilling to compromise on the issue, and most political observers expect Democrats to agree to extend all the cuts temporarily. In exchange, Republicans could give ground on other Democratic priorities, such as ratification of the START arms treaty with Russia or an extension of unemployment benefits, which expired on Tuesday. added by: TimALoftis

Al Gore’s Gonna Be Pissed

US President Barack Obama’s Republican foes in the House of Representatives said Wednesday they were disbanding the chamber’s committee on battling global warming, calling it a waste of money. added by: joeeddy

Obama rejects drilling in eastern Gulf of Mexico

Pointing to the BP blowout and risks of a new environmental disaster, the Obama administration reversed itself Wednesday and promised not to pursue offshore drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico or anywhere else along the nation's East Coast. LINK : http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101202/ap_on_bi_ge/us_gulf_oil_spill_drilling;_ylt =Att0DSoXetUuBrFU7rI_9Pis0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTFoaXBqZnM5BHBvcwMxMgRzZWMDYWNjb3JkaW9uX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNvYmFtYXJlamVjdHM- added by: GoldenHeart

Prisonplanet.com Censored By President Obama?

Latest News Updates PrisonPlanet.com Censored by President Mr Obama? – Looks to it that the viral upload in Youtube of one of the most popular feature presentations of Mr Alex Jones. According to their website, PrisonPlanet.com has been censored by Google and Homeland Security. added by: fuziimran

Facebook co-founder launches social network Jumo for social good

Today, users can start connecting with all their favorite social causes in one online sphere, as Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes has launched his much-buzzed-about social network, Jumo.Hughes, who left Facebook in 2007 to become the Obama campaign's director of online organizing, soft-launched Jumo last March. LINK : http://edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/social.media/11/30/jumo.network.mashable/index…. added by: GoldenHeart

Anderson Cooper Shellacks Texas Birther With Torrent Of Facts

CNN's Anderson Cooper took Texas birther and state Rep. Leo Berman (R) down a whole bunch of pegs last night over Berman's birther bill. “You're basing legislation on stuff that's just rumors and stuff that's been proven to be false,” Cooper told him. Earlier this month, Berman introduced a bill in the Texas House that would “require any candidate for president or vice president of the United States to show his or her birth certificate to the Texas secretary of state,” because, as Berman put it, “we have a president whom the American people don't know whether he was born in Kenya or some other place.” Berman, who has also called President Obama “God's punishment on us today,” went on AC360 to talk about his bill, but ended up fumbling through his notes when Cooper hit him with, you know, facts. One representative exchange came after Berman asked why no one has access to any of the President's school records. “Why don't we know anything about a president who has such a radical agenda?” he said. Cooper asked him: “Have you seen George W. Bush's transcripts from college?” Berman replied: “I can see anything I want from George W. Bush.” “Actually sir, you couldn't,” Cooper fired back. “Under federal law the schools cant release that information.” Berman, unable to respond to this, soon moved on: “Where are the president's passports and his travel records that got him to Pakistan in the early 90s, when no U.S. citizen could get to Pakistan at all?” Cooper replied: “What you just said is factually incorrect,” adding that Obama traveled to Pakistan in 1981 when Americans could still go there. “That's just an internet rumor that you're spreading,” Cooper said. added by: TimALoftis