If you work and save and then invest your hard earned money and work harder to start and manage a business, it is the government who is responsible for your success. By the way, your mother gave birth to you. Isn't she the reason you are successful? My God, we really need a new President. A leader of the free world, not a community agitator and wealth destroyer.

I got news for everyone this is not about the Koch brothers conservatives or liberals this is about surviving whatis coming.

The following are 20 signs that all point to the exact same thing….

#1 The unemployment rate in the U.S. has been above 8 percent for 40 months in a row, and 42 percent of all unemployed Americans have been out of work for at least half a year. As I wrote about recently, there are never going to be enough jobs in America ever again. As bad as things are right now, they are about to get even worse. So what is our country going to look like once the unemployment rate starts shooting up rapidly once again?

#2 35 percent of all unemployed workers have had to dip into retirement savings in order to make ends meet over the past year.

#3 Since 2008, the U.S. economy has lost 1.3 million jobs while at the same time 3.6 million more Americans have been added to Social Security’s disability insurance program.

#4 A recent survey conducted by the National Association for Business Economics found that only 23 percent of all U.S. companies plan to hire more workers over the next 6 months. When the same question was asked a few months ago that number was at 39 percent.

#5 An important measure of U.S. manufacturing activity has fallen to its lowest level since June 2009.

#6 Hundreds of thousands of federal jobs at civilian agencies will likely be lost if Congress allows the automatic federal budget cuts to go into effect next year. The following is from a recent article posted on federalnewsradio.com….

A report released Tuesday suggests that several hundred thousand federal jobs at civilian agencies would be on the chopping block within the next year if Congress lets the automatic budget cutting process known as sequestration go into effect.

The study, authored by George Mason University professor Stephen Fuller, adds a new dimension to a budget debate that’s so far been centered on sequestration’s effects on the military.

#7 The teen unemployment rate in Washington D.C. right now is 51.7 percent.

#8 Gallup’s U.S. Economic Confidence Index is now the lowest that it has been since January.

• A d v e r t i s e m e n t

#9 The median net worth of U.S. households in 2007 was $126,400. By 2010, it had fallen to just $77,300.

#10 Pensions at S&P 500 companies are more under-funded than they have ever been before.

#11 According to the New York Times, state and local governments across America “shortchanged their pension plans by more than $50 billion” between 2007 and 2011.

#12 The city of Compton, California is evaluating whether or not it should declare bankruptcy. If it did, it would becomethe fourth California city to declare bankruptcy this year.

#13 The percentage of U.S. households that are spending more than half their incomes on housing is at an all-time high.

#14 For the first time in modern history, Canadian households are wealthier than American households are.

#15 One recent poll found that 42 percent of all Americans believe that China is the leading economic power in the world while only 36 percent believe that the U.S. is still the leading economic power in the world.

#16 According to the federal government, the price of food rose much faster than the general rate of inflation did during 2011. Just check out these rates of food inflation for 2011….

• Beef: +10.2%
• Pork: +8.5%
• Fish: +7.1%
• Eggs: +9.2%
• Dairy: +6.8%
• Oils and Fats: +9.3%

If that happened during a somewhat “normal year”, what will food prices look like after we are done with the drought of 2012?

#17 The price of a bushel of corn has risen by 54 percent since mid-June.

#18 According to one survey, 42 percent of all American workers are living paycheck to paycheck.

#19 A different survey found that 28 percent of all Americans have absolutely no emergency savings at all right now.

#20 Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke made the following statement to Congress on Tuesday: “At this point we don’t see a double dip recession. We see continued moderate growth.”

Do you remember that old Seinfeld episode when George Costanza decided that he would “do the opposite” of everything that his instincts were telling him to do and everything started working out great for him?

Well, when it comes to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, the key is to “believe the opposite” of everything that he says.

And since Bernanke does not believe that a double dip recession is going to happen, that probably means that we are about to hit another recession.

The truth is we are screwed if we continue down the path Obama has set.

We need a new hand on the tiller I don't like Romney but he can't do any worse than Bush or Obama.

HEY! HEY! Bobby J! How many citizens have you killed today. (Referring to his denial of expanded Medicare benefits to 366,000 Louisianians.)

What's the difference between al-Assad and Jindal? Assad kills his citizens quickly while Jindal does it slowly.

Now it makes sense.....Obama didn't really win the Nobel Peace Prize for doing nothing, he won it because of what somebody else did...I get it now!

We in Louisiana are praying Romney picks him so we at least have a chance at getting rid of him......

386,000 new UE claims and housing sales lowest since October obamas reelection bid is sinking fast as these are the things people are focussing on Not Bain or Tax returns LOL

It seems to clear to me that because we fought two wars while lowering taxes rather than paying for them while deregulating the financial industry so that the banks and wall street could take us down republicans nor demorats have any idea what to do and perhaps nothing can be done. They are now running campaigns about their different philosophies. Republicans believe in less government intrusion in business. They certainly do not object to government intrusion in personal lives. They think the way to grow the economy is by fewer regulations , lowering taxes and by doing away with labor unions. If that were a successful philosophy then the Great Depression never would have happened because there were no unions, no goverhnment regulations and taxes were quite low. Democrats clearly believe that you can spend other people's money without running out. Our unwise decisions over a decade melted our economy. Both parties are using that meltdown (which they caused) to make a philosophical point about government and its purpose. The biggest problem we have is that wages have not risen in real dollars in about 30 years which caused the opening of the credit markets and subsequent collapse. Neither side knows or has the slightest idea what to do about it so they just fight about how much they dislike each other. The people who run this country (both business and government) have really let down the public and society and we are just going to have to pay for it no matter who is in office. If I have to cast my vote it will be for Obama. He clearly has a better singing voice than Romney.

To: It's Simple The smartest, most enlightened and well thought-out post I have ever read on this site. I love it when people use intelligence over emotion and idealogy. Thank you

How can any Govenor espically Jindal talk about government spending this man and his state took over 200 million dollars from the federal government..what a pus

Im a 100% disable combat veteran

Please feel free to research Romney speech yesterday or you go go to Racheld Maddow Blog:

Jed Lewison flagged this clip from a Romney event in Ohio yesterday, where the Republican candidate continued to take Obama's words out of context, but proceeded to share an interesting perspective. For those who can't watch clips online, Romney said:

"There are a lot of people in government who help us and allow us to have an economy that works and allow entrepreneurs and business leaders of various kinds to start businesses and create jobs. We all recognize that. That's an important thing.... I know that you recognize that a lot of people help you in a business. Perhaps the banks, the investors. There's no question your mom and dad. Your school teachers. The people that provide roads, the fire, and the police. A lot of people help."

Romney went so far as to say yesterday Americans "couldn't have" businesses were it not for public institutions.

What's the difference between this sentiment and the Obama quote that's proof he's a radical, Kenyan, communistic Martian? That's the point: there is no difference. After Romney condemned the president's point, he proceeded to endorse it.

WTF is this guy and check his birth certificate! Probably a Dr. who makes hundreds of thousands off Medicare and Medicaid patients and then descrys government spending on entitlements! These bastardo doctors who come into this Nation and get internships with the V.A. and get their medical licenses in the US when they went to Bangarainia U. and leech off the system should be deported. Just too damned many aliens with low level training and skills milking the system. Talk about entitlement living~I'm sick to death of lousy medical care courtesy of Capitalistic foreigners who learn how to do this from cousins, uncles, aunts etc. who came here before them and instruct them on how to work the system! Go to Houston, TX if you don't think this is true and accurate. Also, many of them come to small towns in OH and foreign medicos have taken over many cities here. Then he has the gall to speak on the evils of Medicare and Medicaid. They oughta deport this bastard or audit his Tax Reports. I'll bet he is everything I said plus some!

Where are the jobs?

Is the debt cut in half?

Are illegals getting a back door into amnesty?

Is Gitmo closed?

Was there congressional approval for Libya?

50% of Americans don't pay taxes is that fair? Should they? Please explain. Also do not provide a sob story cause if you do not plan on working for yourself then how do you intend to contribute to society?

A 62% increase in the debt since coming into office? What did you get? A 300% increase is SNAP. wow now that's worth living for..

Nafta, Cafta are the reasons for the jobs leaving the USA did the unions jump on it and say no? Nope

What part of the economy has Obama taken responsibility for? Anything at all

Clinton was too busy getting a BJ in office and Ollie North warned him of Osama he tried to get him what 3 times and missed all 3 actually stating his biggest mistake was not getting him in a New York function. Actually surprised new York let him in the state. So 911 happens and the training of the pilots who took over were trained during Clinton's watch. Does that mean Clinton is responsible for 911?

You think things are bad now, re-elect Obama and see how fast you lose your so-called rights.

You realize you can be detained now for protesting in front of his Secret Service.

Damn those rights.

Still no jobs and all of the bills submitted by the Congress remember them those elected by the people and passed by Congress and sitting where? Why the Senate has them shelved.

Wait till all the Bush tax cuts get axed and you have to have health insurance, besides all the other taxes within that bogus bill signed into law, by backdoor deals. You remember the deal for Nebraska, where they got his vote to pass it and then reneged on the deal for no Medicaid increases in perpetuity. I say he should have gave his vote back.

No budget - you don't even know how your Government is going to spend your taxes. Oh yes that's right the monthly weekly budget increase due to sheer utter incompetence at the Executive level. I guess as a tax paying citizen if they can budget by the month, then we should be able to vote by the month.

How many votes did Obama's budget get? 0, zilch, nada

Not even from his own party. So much for working and being non partisan right to push the country in the right direction.

Obama has no record to run on except for what killing Osama and most of you blame Bush for the wars that Clinton had an opportunity to prevent. Oh yes he does have the 1st ever downgrade of US credit rating and borrowing more money then all presidents combined from Washington to Clinton. Oh yes and ACA is not a tax, um according to the highest law making bench in the country. It's a tax.

How much did Obama's GE buddies pay in taxes? And where did they ship jobs too? How many of them have the money sitting in off shore accounts?

Oh and lets not forget the cities filing for bankruptcy, that will continue. the banks screwed everyone over and the Feds bail them out with your tax dollars and print more as needed devaluing the USD so they can make it seem like they are going to pay you a higher wage. The Forex and the trade deficit will be the demise of the good old USA, thanks to those in the current administration.

Did your pension plan go back up? Are you upside down on your house? Did you file bankruptcy? Make sure you thank your state and federal Government employees as you watch them get a retirement that you pay for with your tax dollars and take vacations in Hawaii on your dime.

Save your pennies you will need every cent if Obama is re-elected. by the way please send me your birthday and anniversary and Christmas money as I maybe outspent. Outrageously pathetic.

Oh don't forget the class warfare and the racial divide. The haves and the have not's, the easy solution is for the rest of the working citizens s to stop working and paying taxes and join those on the dole who want everyone else or thinks everyone else owes you a living.

Anyone but Obama in 2012 would be an improvement.

A long time ago when I was a grad student and majored in Economics anybody who studied it had learned the fundamentals that the future economic system in the U.S. would cease being Capitalist, just as the Soviet system would become less Communistic and convert eventually to a money incentive and earning system. The two systems would merge and each would mirror the other more and more. That is exactly what happened and the trend is inevitable and continuing. Amerika, whether anybody likes it or not, will become Socialist just as the newly emerging Russia will become Socialist. All the uproar coming from these over-educated oligarchs won't stop the progression, simply because it is inevitable. Canada is already there, so is France, England and all of the Euro-Union Nations. The human tendency to resist change reminds me of a lecture I heard a long, long time ago~humans are the only animals that resist change~all other animals adapt and accept natural change without arguing over it! Unfortunately mankind is the only animal that fights to preserve the status quo even when all evidence points to a change as inevitable and immutable. WE may have intelligence, but the more i get to know people; the better i like dogs!

Doc, I couldn't agree more. Especially about the dogs.

JINDAL ASS, is out for HIMSELF just like the TEA-SHYSTERS and REPUKES all are. What has he done for the PEOPLE OF HIS STATE?? Made them slip more into POVERTY and HE JINDAL BIGASS gets RICHER. How by making everyone more poor!!!!

They are all RADICALS and are stripping the LIFE of AMERICA to a waste land of HAVE NOT'S. But they have created all the LAWS that will PROTECT their ASSES and SECURE ELECTIONS If WE THE PEOPLE DO NOT STOP THESE RUNAWAY SHYSTERS !!!!!

To deny, ignore or excuse that there is a real concentrated effort going on to con the people, manipulate and control public opinion and to just take advantage for personal gain, is to be ridiculous, possibly totally naive and actually part of the problem. $100s of millions are being spent to get the propaganda in front of the people and to appeal to fears, biases, prejudices, emotions and loyalties in order to manipulate people’s thinking. Reality is found in past actions and there is where the contradiction, the deception becomes obvious.

Bush-Cheney proved beyond any doubt that the “trickle down” theory is a complete fraud just making the wealthy wealthier and soliciting political support. Boehner, McConnell, Cantor, Ryan, Bachmann and several others have made it clear that they put their political ambitions before all else, no matter what the costs to the people, as they arrogantly fault and stubbornly block all efforts, obnoxiously withholding bipartisan cooperation and compromise, as they support only the interests of “the money”. The Republican / Tea Party candidates offered, for both houses as well as president, have consistently been “puppets” bought and controlled by “the money” and always ready to perform as their “strings are pulled”. Norquist, Cheney, Rove, SuperPacs, the Koch brothers and others use the mega-millions to first, coerce and intimidate their own, including forcing out “moderates”, to squelch individual consciences and assure unity behind “the money’s” interests, second, to present and sell their “puppet” candidates, and last, to push their propaganda. Their aggressive efforts are simply aimed to con the people and manipulate public opinion and they have become emboldened by past successes: like with the manipulation of the “conservative” Christian, the Swift-boat propaganda and the Tea Party movement, all being designed, funded and directed to excite, control and to keep people focused in the one direction. To call those actions “conservative” is fully deceptive as they consistently benefit only “the few”.

Are the Democrats perfect? Of course not, not even close but because of the difference in philosophies they are not owned by “the money” and they do strive to represent the people, which is their source of support and power. To be excited and manipulated by the actions mentioned above and swayed to concentrate on the Democrat’s shortfalls, is to accept the deception and the control that is fully designed and intended to benefit only “the few”. We have seen this country consistently pushed to be a two-class society with “the few” (1%) competing in having it all while the majority (99%) keeps loosing more - why would the average American ever want to support that, to return to “more of the same”, Bush-Cheney style? We can’t have perfection but to be conned into supporting “the money” and their continued aggressive exploitation at substantial costs to the majority, is ludicrous. Maybe it just says that some Americans are preoccupied with the “more for me for nothing” mentality and, as any con man knows, that really makes them vulnerable to the con.

I always hear from you righties that the rich pay all of the taxes. So, why doesn't RMoney release his taxes to show us how much the rich actually pay?

The Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005

Sen. Obama, the 2nd largest recipient of campaign money from Freddie Mac, joined fellow Democrats in filibustering a bill that was to prevent the sub-prime mortgage crisis.

And yet, it was all President Bush's fault.

Mr. Clinton signed the repeal of the Glass-Steagal Act, deregulating investment banking.

And yet, it was all President Bush's fault.

I'm not saying the Republicans are saints, I'm just trying to find what the heck really happened.

I have a another news flash or actually it should not be news. With the leadership, competence and alternatives we have been provided with from the right and left we are all toast, have been toast for some time and will be toast for the forseeable future. At least Obama will have over 300MM people as company. The really remarkable thing to me is that both parties are in this problem up to their necks and are still arguing about who caused it. Bush and Carter were the two worst presidents in my lifetime (and I am pretty oild). It is more than true that they did not cause all the problems. However, they did nothing to solve them either. At least they were personablly likeable which is more than we get now.

I think some here are missing the point. Obama needs to release his applications to Colleges and any financial aid requests he may have made. I could care less about any transcripts or grades and birth certificates. He must have passed his classes somehow or he wouldn't have gotten a degree. What if, these applications show that he stated that he was a foreign student and he got admitted and or recieved financial aid by stating so. Would that be a problem for anybody on this blog? Honestly, would any Democrat stand up here and say that would bother you that he lied or actually told the truth to get admitted and or recieved aid dollars fraduently? If he has nothing to hide, why not release these records. The IRS has each and every return Mitt has ever filed. It would seem they don't have a problem with any of his returns. Yet, Obama wants more. Fair play says let's see your college application forms and how you filled them out that he has now sealed up. Not required, you say? So is tax returns not required. I think a trade would be great. Two more years of Mitt's returns and all of Obama applications to colleges and financial aid paperwork. Funny to hear Reid and Peloise say they don't disclose their tax returns because it is not required of them to do so. Neither is it for a Pres. Candidate.

I know this is kind of immature, but I always thought his name sounds like something child molesters might do. Example in context, "Jerry Sandusky was found to have Jindaled at least three victims". No disrespect to any victims of abuse, it's just what it sounds like to me.

I am totaly spent on the Left vs Right crap. I can't stand to watch or listen to the news anymore. I get it. One half the country hates the other half and that half in return hates just as much. I've never seen a president who is so skillful at pushing the exact right buttons to keep driving the wedge so deep that hell will eventually spring a leak.

Obama's point: The nations opportunities to succeed by superior infrastructure and interdependence have produced an exceptional context to facilitate business success.

Republicans retort: Saying an entrepreneur has advantages in America is saying the businessman didn't build his business himself. (Try doing it without electricity, transportation, communications, loans, buildings, employees, education, customers, and legal protection, and you will have the Republican concept that each entrepreneur built the nation all alone.)

Obama was being encouraging and patriotic, as well as practical. Republicans reassembled and terminated Obama's comments in a deliberate and contemptible lie. There is nothing new about that. They honestly have nothing to offer but dishonesty - ever.

Ray W. on page one says Dems don't have nothing good to say just name call. But I have something to say without name calling but the truth!!! It seems to me that the GOP is waiting and hoping, and wishing that the President goes down in flames, and they'll do anything to make this happen. My reason for saying it, "On July 12th 2012 the President introduced a Bill that would have cut taxes on small business's that make up to 500,000 in profit. THe CBO scored the bill to bring in over 1,000,000 jobs if enacted. Guess what Mr. Orrin Hatch introduces an amendent that blocks the legislation to bring up the full implementation of the Bush tax cuts for all Americans. TO me this tells me that the Republicans are taking advantage of the filibuster again and showing how two-faced they really are, because this is something that's needed right now to get the economy going again and they turn it down. This is why that statement that the President hates entrepeuners, and business's is so flawed when he's trying to make good legislation to help get people back to work again. I don't know why he made the statement he did VIrginia but looking at the way he legislates I think he might take back what he said if he could and just put all the things he's tried to implement where government can be of a big assistance to private business's and lay out all the proposal's he's done to make it happen.

I don't think Obama is trying to cause a major distraction with the Romney tax issue. Willard is causing the distraction himself. Just release 4 or 5 years returns and get it over with. His own party is calling for it. So if he only paid 15% or 20% there is a lot of time between now and november for the people to get over it.

This is NOT going to happen!!!! Write it down! There is something so rotten/disgusting to be unvieled or it would have been done by now. My guess is that the worst of it would show up in the "09" returns. Remember back in "08" when most of us took a bath on our investments. Well my guess is that Willard paid closer to "0%" that year. There is something so disgusting on these returns or it would have been done,period!! It is not going to happen!!!

The Word!!