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Subscribe to RSSElkhart four years later … State of Union stronger, but not as strong as it could be … It’s still the economy … Obama under 50% in latest polls … Dems plan to ‘win’ the sequester … Bipartisan gun deal? … Breannan pressed, but could teach Hagel a thing or two … Dempsey ‘surprised’ Clinton didn’t know about Benghazi cable.
Published 9:45 a.m. ET -- *** Elkhart (and America) four years later: Exactly four years ago tomorrow, President Barack Obama -- who had just been sworn in for his first term -- traveled to Elkhart, Ind., to sell his economic stimulus. At the time, Elkhart had a sky-high unemployment rate(19.4% as of Feb. 2009) due in large part to the city’s reliance on the manufacturing industry (especially the making of recreation vehicles). “I promised you back then [in 2008] that if elected, I'd do everything I could to help this community recover, and that's why I came back today, because I intend to keep my promise,” Obama said. Because of that promise, NBCNews.com began a series called “The Elkhart Project” chronicling the city’s recovery. Four years later, with Obama set to deliver his latest State of the Union address on Tuesday, Elkhart is pretty much the story of America: Things are better, but not back to where they were before the economy crashed in 2008. Elkhart’s unemployment rate is now 9.3%, down significantly from its peak in ’09, but below the state (8.2%) and national average (7.9%). “We’re definitely not where we want to be, but we have certainly rebounded from where we were,” said Barkley Garrett, the city’s economic development director. “All in all, considering where we were, we are doing well. But we have a long way to go.”
Aug. 5, 2009 (archival video): NBC's Chuck Todd poses questions to President Obama about the economic realities that most Americans, particularly those in economically hard-hit Elkhart, are facing during the recession. President Obama spoke at Wakarusa, Indiana announcing federal grants to support hybrid RV and pick-up manufacturers.
*** The State of the Union is stronger -- but not as strong as it could be: Speaking in Elkhart four years ago, the president acknowledged that full economic recovery would take time. “Even with this plan, the road ahead won’t be easy. This crisis has been a long time in the making; we’re not going to turn it around overnight,” he said. “Recovery will likely be measured in years, not weeks or months.” We now begin Year Five of America’s road to recovery. The state of the union -- at least economically -- is stronger than it was four years ago. But it also would be a stretch to say it’s as strong as it could be.
*** It’s still the economy: Despite the focus on guns and immigration, the economy remains the biggest story. And with analysts believing unemployment will remain in the mid-7% range into next year, the philosophical fiscal divide in Washington, mirrored across the world, will continue. There’s been no bridging the conservative view that austerity measures/spending cuts, especially in the public sector, to reduce the debt will lead to growth and the liberal view that more temporary deficit spending is necessary to provide support to a fragile economy -- and that those public-sector cuts are a big part of what's holding the economy back.
*** Not great news for Obama in latest polls: The president’s approval rating in a round of polls after his reelection showed Obama over 50%. Well, this morning the president’s approval is under 50% in both a new FOX poll (49%) and Quinnipiac poll (46%). The FOX poll also shows pessimism continues to reign.
*** Democrats plan to “win” sequester: Part of Obama’s State of the Union is going to be the sequester, Politico notes, and pushing for ending loopholes for the wealthiest, something Democrats believe they have broad support for: “Senate Democrats are digging in against Republican calls for deeper spending cuts by bringing out some of their favorite punching bags: corporate jets, Wall Street and Big Oil. With the automatic budget cuts in the sequester coming up next month, Democrats hope to vote on an alternative plan to raise taxes on some of their favorite boogeymen in hopes of shifting the blame when the GOP inevitably rejects it. … The Democratic public pressure campaign is expected to begin in earnest next week, starting with President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address on Tuesday and a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing expected Thursday at which senior administration officials will most likely sound the alarm that so-called sequestration cuts would devastate the economy. … According to sources familiar with the matter, Democrats are leaning toward a plan that would be split 50-50 between spending cuts and tax hikes, financed in large part by new taxes on corporate and wealthy taxpayers.”
*** Bipartisan gun deal emerging? Guns is also likely to be a topic, and AP reports that there’s a bipartisan private group that is aiming at forging a deal expanding background checks and working on mental health issues. AP: “A bipartisan quartet of senators, including two National Rifle Association members and two with ‘F’ ratings from the potent firearms lobby, are quietly trying to find a compromise on expanding the requirement for gun-sale background checks. … The senators' talks have included discussions about ways to encourage states to make more mental health records available to the national system and the types of transactions that might be exempted from background checks, such as sales among relatives or to those who have permits to carry concealed weapons, said people who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to describe the negotiations publicly.” The senators involved in the private group include Democrats’ No. 3 Chuck Schumer, Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Republicans Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Rep. Mark Kirk of Illinois. It’s significant that, once again, Schumer’s in the middle of this, positioning himself as a dealmaker. Makes us wonder if Harry Reid’s thinking about retiring before his re-elect in 2016…
*** Brennan pressed, but could show Chuck Hagel a thing or two: The confirmation hearing for John Brennan to become CIA director began with fireworks with Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Sen. Dianne Feinstein needing to shut it down and clear the room after five protests. Eight people were arrested outside. Brennan sparred with senators over drones, torture, leaks, and Benghazi. Some senators disagreed with him and pushed him, especially on interrogation. Some might not be happy with his "I don’t know what the truth is" answer, but he was ready, confident and unapologetic. He acquitted himself much better than Chuck Hagel, the president’s nominee to be Defense Secretary. It was a stark contrast. Jill Lawrence, writing under the headline “John Brennan Shows Hagel How It's Done,” called it “a startling 180-degree contrast.”
*** The debate over kill or capture: The Washington Post notes that Brennan was challenged on why “the number of drone strikes has soared while captures of terrorism suspects have dwindled to single digits” under President Obama. “I never believed it's better to kill a terrorist than to detain him,” Brennan said in an exchange with ranking member Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA). Still, the number of detainees has declined significantly, according to the Post. Is it because of better intelligence? Does it have to do with Obama wanting to avoid detainees? It’s an important question, but one no one with any knowledge is going to answer in public. (Brennan will go at it again in a closed classified hearing with the committee Tuesday.)
*** Dempsey ‘surprised’ Clinton didn’t know about Benghazi cable: Two pieces of news came out of the other hearing on the Hill yesterday before Armed Services with outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey: (1) Panetta and Dempsey said they agreed with a Hillary Clinton (State)-Gen. David Petraeus (CIA) plan to arm rebels in Syria, and (2) Dempsey said he was informed of the Benghazi cable requesting more security by the U.S. African Command, that he offered more help, but it was turned down. And then when asked how what he thought about Secretary of State Clinton testifying that she had no knowledge of the cable, he said, “I would call myself surprised that she didn’t.”
*** Obama acknowledges tension with Capitol Hill Democrats: At the House retreat yesterday, the president rallied Democrats about budget cuts and that he’s willing to fight for Democratic values in the court of public opinion with Republicans. “I have to tell you, if that's an argument that they want to have before the court of public opinion, that is an argument I'm more than willing to engage in,” he said to. But he also acknowledged tensions with Capitol Hill Democrats with this: "There will be times where you guys are mad at me, and I'll occasionally read about it." Today, Bill Clinton (10:00 am ET) and comedian Stephen Colbert (!!!) address the group.
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Obama the 6 months at a time president. His plan for the next 4 years was to tax the rich. Well he has done that so for the next 4 years he will take it it 6 months at a time and have the country sitting on the edges of there sets for that long. Anything pressured that long will break and we have just went through that at the end of the year. People are getting tired of this stuff. It will backfire on the Democrats in a big way.
Sure Smokie, that's what you said last term, the Democrats were sunk. Well, you were wrong, and Hillary Clinton is going to be President from 2016-2024. Put that in your pipe and smoke it!
Persception is a wonderful thing is it not, Smokie and leroy. What one perceives is not the same as another person perceives. Thus we can only express our OPINIONS. Nothing more, nothing less. The posts allow one thing.....for the posters to vent (including me).
leroy brown----Wishful think my boy. Stay tuned the people are getting tired of all of this drama stuff and the Democrats are running the ship, at least trying to. Can't blame this one on President Bush this is all on the Democrats and Obama now.
Take a look at the recent polling of favourable/unfavourable ratings for possible Presidential candidates Smokie. Or are these more liberal lies like the polls that had Obama winning re-election?
We have 4 more years of this idiot but we can send a new message in 14. Vote R all the way across.
Need to send a stronger message that we will not be re-electing anyone back to office regardless of party.
canon, Do you seriously believe that the Republicans can manage to accumulate any significant amount of votes? Hillary Clinton is polling 61% and you think the Republicans are serious contenders? The only place the GOP can muster enough votes to win an election is in the rural areas of the South, where ignorance is considered a virtue. The vast majority of Americans actually expect their elected officials to have an IQ above the single digits.
Do you know why Americans like Hillary Clinton? It's because she's smart. Which is a rarity among Republican candidates for any office. Maybe if you start giving IQ tests to your followers before you run them for office you can find one smart enough to put three or four words together without bringing up birth control, abortion or Planned Parenthood. Maybe you can find a candidate that doesn't believe social security is a form of welfare for seniors. Maybe you can find a candidate who isn't obsessed with what gay guys are doing in the privacy of their own bedrooms.
Until you can field a candidate who actually is capable of basic math and understands that the middle class is sick of corporations shipping their jobs overseas, you will not win any significant number of elections. The only reason you hung onto control of the House was because of gerrymandering. Eventually, even that won't be enough to save your sorry behinds.
No wonder your underemployed or your brain is frozen is from all that nice weather your getting up north. Hillary may have been able to win this last election by a landslide, but she missed the 3am wake up call from Libya and the truth is did the job for 8 years while Bill played around with little girls.
With that said the Republicans need to pack up and go home after lossing the election to the worse president in our lifetime and let a new party take over.
Fact is both parties are going to have a hard time finding anyone to follow the mess Obama is leaving behind.
Hitler was "smart".... so your point is?
The republicans have no one who can beat Hillary, not even that tub of lard Chris Christie. [if he even makes it to 2016 that is!]
leroy,
Your posts would be more meaningful if you would curtail the name calling. I try not to although at time I slip up and I regret it. In your case, tub of lard is really not necessary.
....By 2016, the only things Hillary will be concerned about are not breaking a hip and being first in line at Denny's all-you-can-eat Sunday breakfast buffet. Hillary reminds me of an old Shar Pei that got accidentally left in a tub at a groomers for 13-14 hours......
Now that is funny and there are not any name calling in it.
No name calling GC?? No way man...if I can't call the righties, dumbass righties, it would take all the fun out of posting!
A sixteen-year-old boy, an American citizen born in Denver, Colorado, was vaporized by an Obama drone in September without any proof that he had any connection to al-Qaeda...........please tell me how you libs see this as OK??????????????
.
Someone should be charged with murder!!!!
Your brain was vaporized by meth.
Thanks
What are the duties of the US Congress?
Answer: Congress not the President!!
The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
This article is more proof of the incompetence of NBC reporters, and it took five of them to write it. Direct quote from this nbcnews.com article:
"Elkhart's unemployment rate is now 9.3%, down significantly from its peak in ’09, but below the state (8.2%) and national average (7.9%)"
Well, I'm not a math major but last time I checked 9.3% is higher not lower than 8.2% and 7.9%.
I find it sad that our country is being led by this nations first anti-American traitor and history's most hated and failed president. Certainly a dark time in America.
Actually his favorability is higher than ever.
Do u ever get tired of being dead wrong?
If I take your money, then hand it out to everyone on the block I will have a great approval rating on the block. Of course you would think it was outrageously unfair and downright criminal.
Same thing works on a larger scale. If I take the minorities money and hand it to the majority I am VERY popular. Approval ratings only show the majority is in on the scamming and pillaging etc.
Slavery worked that way. The majority benefitted from it so politicians who were pro-slavery had high approval ratings. It really simply says the majority is happy screwing the minority.
No little Johnny num nuts...as usual you come to the party with no facts ...here I will bitch slap you again with facts ...
2008-he started his Presidency with 68 percent favorbility
2009 he was down to 53 per cent
he is now at 51 percent ......
Johnny how many times do i have to keep correcting you little boy
everybody..please excuse Johnny its time for beddy bye time...Good night Johnny..again ..Loser!
The American Voting Public made a HUGE mistake on 11/6/2012! We had the opportunity to change course! This Economy was the main issue they all said, but in the exit polling they all said they still blamed Bush, so the pulled the lever for another huge failure! The Media is part of the reason for this as they want another "Camelot" in Washington! Well it's far from Camelot, and If JFK were still alive, he would have some harsh words for the President ant the direction of a once great political party! Just Pathetic!
You Right Wing Nuts have become humorous at this point.
Absolutely no clue what you are talking about or the real issues.
Typical
Get us into a jam then blame the next guy.
par for the course
Hope,
That sixteen year old boy was the son of an al Quaida leader and he was living in a terrorist camp. Do you really believe he was an innocent child? Or, more likely, that he was being groomed as an American terrorist who could slip by security and wreak havoc on innocent US citizens?
Dont bother Hope is a flat out idiot.
He just twists facts around to suit his needs.
Typical Republican
Do you really believe federal government "reporting"..... I got some land on the moon for you
Little sniveling Johny...didn't I tell you to get off this blog and go wait by the mailbox for your handout and Obama phone...and come back and kiss everybody's ass who paid for it with their tax dollars? Now get moving...LOSER!
They have to continue to try and make narcissist Barry look good..after all,they are already looking to transition into the Hillary Clinton irrelevance tour, leading to 2016..
The republicans call of duty...not me i don't do a damn thing in office
It's time to drain the DC cesspool swamp. Nothing but scourge and evil, all of it. Start completely over, nothing worth saving. DDT the big Skeeter and his cronies.
You hit the nail on the head. These people waving pom pom's for their "second" most corrupt party in global history make me sick. My party are saints and your party is evil.
There is only one party.... the federal spending and debt creation party. There are two types of voters... federal dependents and those paying for them.
The minds of the tea party...they cry about socialism...but live off socialism..dumb azezz
lets cut medicare..medicaid...SS....but not mind because i work for the government..tea tea nut bull sh-it
How about we cut EVERYTHING across the board? Oh.... but your deficit spending is "special". It is for "the people". Well all the unfair federal spending is for "some people" and not for others. That is why it is ALL unfair.
It is simply one group voting itself money from another group using the federal government as the vehicle of extortion.
no dumb azz...your party works for the government..and curses it at the same time while they receive a check dumb azz..from tax payers who they say pay all the bills
now can you see your a dumb azz
have you people listen to the socialism party..they cry...the government is bad..but work there...lets privatize the tea party in 2014
the tea party..cry of liberal living off of socialism...why they live off socialism..lets privatize them in 2014 where they belong...out of the government
As a proud libertarian and member of the Tea Party- I have been and continue to call for the elimination of SS & Medicare
unlike you Elvis- I don't believe in retirement- that's for lazy people
larry your a business man..remember...like Romney..now tell me how can a working man...lose a job..and go on vacation at Disney..almost became THE PRESIDENT..
???????????? waiting??????????????
Now 83% of the Treasuries are taken down by the Fed. We are monetizing debt while decreasing the notational value of currency by 14% this year. Today, Chavez ordered a devaluation of their currency by 46%, for the same reason, except our GDP to debt ratio is worse than Venezuela. Imagine waking up tomorrow and all the money you had was worth 46% less!
The Republicans are hoarding gold...bad for the world
98% of the gold not used in jewelry is held in central banks, such as our Fed, ECB, FRC, etc. Less than 1% of all Americans own gold, it has not caught on fire, yet.
yes im talking about wall street
The government is the big bad wolf...they work there and cry wolf...so lets do them a favor...and privatize the whole tea party in 2014
lets do the tea party a favor...vote them all out in 2014...from the big bad wolf government
The "Tea Party" is not a party, as it did not appear on any ballot. If you are referring to conservatives, there are blue dog democrats and independents that are conservative. They usually know math.
sorry those days are over now..the tea party are the owners of the republican party now..yes the crazy ones
Nonsense Elvis- I'm a Tea Party member and I left the Republican party in 1970
told you
The move to make part-time employees out of former full-time employees has gone exponential and has even hit management levels. Workman's compensation insurance and paid unemployment insurance is radically dropping since 2012 4Q. It's just the result of moving staff from full-time, they are no longer required to be insured. Obama care is down forcing full-time employment and also forcing companies to drop health care by getting to less than 50 full-time employees.
The smoke has cleared the mirrors are broken and the hang over has begun.
Obama is an abject failure.
Obama do an executive order..
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"Hoarding Gold" Was Prohibited by President Roosevelt in 1933
Did Holding Gold Stall an Economic Recovery During the Great Depression?
From Donna Rodgers, former About.com Guide
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Executive Order 6102 sought to limit an individual's right to own gold and precious metals.
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As the price of gold,silver, and other precious metals continue to rise, previous presidential mandates concerning private ownership of gold has caused some financial advisors to discuss Executive Order 6102 with clients.
On April 5, 1933, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed an executive order to prohibit the "hoarding of gold coin, gold bullion, and gold certificates" in the continental United States. During the Great Depression, individuals seeking the gold as a hedge against financial uncertainty lived under the threat of the Executive Order.
According to The New York Times the following day, the government thought that gold ownership stalled potential financial recovery. A month earlier, President Roosevelt used a statute on the books from World War I (part of the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917) that prohibited "hoarding" gold and silver assets. Individuals owning gold or silver (coins, currency, or bullion) could be fined $10,000 (or about $167,000 in current U.S. dollars) or imprisoned for 10 years, or both.
Under the terms of Executive Order 6102, United States Citizens were required to sell gold to the Federal Reserve by May 1, 1933 for a fixed price of $20.67 an ounce. Professionals using gold or silver in art, dentistry, or sign-making were exempted from the Executive Order. Individuals were also allowed to own up to $100 (about five troy ounces in 1933) in face value of gold coins (less than $10,000 in current value). Collectors of rare gold coins were exempt from delivery of collections to the Federal Reserve.
The price of gold was later raised to $35 an ounce for transactions on the international gold market. The U.S. government profited from the price rise and created the Exchange Stabilization Fund (under the Gold Reserve Act of 1934).
Executive Order 6111 modified Executive Order 6102. Executive Order 6260 and 6261, signed by President Roosevelt in August 1933, further modified the original orders.
Urban legend and the Internet report that the executive orders allowed the search of private bank security boxes for gold. A review of the executive order documents show this wasn't the case. The Gold Reserve Act, passed in 1934, fixed the price of gold at $35 per ounce. This fixed price remained in place until President Richard Nixon declared that the price of gold would float against other financial assets in 1971.
My own company struggled with the idea of a 28% increase YoY in insurance premiums. Raising our deductibles, adding co-pay, and dropping dental and eye care were required. But, to their credit, they saved 14 out of 35 jobs slated to be terminated. Now receivables is growing, especially from government contracts that now go 90 % 120 days to pay. Credit lines and LOC's are non-existent. Four more years of this and the owners probably have to go overseas, or just close. There are NO ideas coming from Washington, except appointing a hotel heiress as commerce secretary.