tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45519191606871152422012-01-27T12:49:57.430-08:00Cutting Through The FogMaking sense (and, sometimes, nonsense) out of Current News, Issues, PoliticsCranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.comBlogger11691100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-47054236118693214542012-01-27T11:24:00.000-08:002012-01-27T11:31:33.131-08:002011 Economic Growth Nearly Half That Of 2010While stumping for reelection, the President likes to hype that fact that the economy has been improving under his stewardship. Unfortunately, this morning's data on economic growth throws a lot of ice cold water on his personal and politically-driven viewpoint that he has somehow turned the economy around.For the 4th quarter of 2011, the Gross Domestic Product of the United States only grew by Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-28309096131551718792012-01-25T11:41:00.000-08:002012-01-25T12:05:59.901-08:00Obama's Wish For A State Of Disunion AddressOnce again, Obama launched another divisive, class warfare speech in what was supposed to be the annual State of the Union address. He talked about fairness being higher taxes on the wealthy. He talked about teamwork. Yet, is it fair and is it teamwork when almost half of all Americans pay no taxes? Is it fair that almost half of the country's high school students fail to graduate and, as a Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-67010865779518086022012-01-22T07:58:00.000-08:002012-01-25T12:03:23.436-08:00Obama's Campaign 2012 Energy AdJust last week, Obama's 2012 campaign team released this video:Now, while there's a lot that I could take issue with in this ad, there is one thing that is simply a blatant lie.At the tail end of this video, the narrator states: "for the first time in 13 years, our dependence on foreign oil is below 50%". I guess from that statement we're supposed to "derive" two implied facts.First of all, Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-487853395414607932012-01-18T08:46:00.000-08:002012-01-18T10:08:59.424-08:00Valerie Jarrett: GOP Forcing Layoffs of Police, Teachers, and FiremenOn yesterday's "Morning Joe" show, Valerie Jarrett re-iterated her attack on the GOP for their blocking of Obama's American Jobs Act by saying that the non-passage of this bill would lead to the layoffs of teachers, police and firemen.Unfortunately, Ms. Jarrett is too ideologically stupid to understand the consequences of such an action. First and foremost, the federal government is not Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-65264228479666834602012-01-16T05:52:00.000-08:002012-01-16T06:19:28.230-08:00Newt Gingrich: Mr. BacktrackerObviously, Newt Gingrich wants to be President. But, do we want a President who constantly makes decisions or speaks out against something and, then, days or weeks later has to backtrack on his statements?This is a consistent problem with Gingrich. He did it when he made the video commercial with Nancy Pelosi on Climate Change. He also had to backtrack on his criticism of Paul Ryan's budget Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-21198705264581174062012-01-12T07:05:00.000-08:002012-01-12T15:09:51.945-08:00What A Surprise! Jobless Claims Back To Pre-Holiday LevelsWell, this morning, the number of those filing for first-time jobless claims jumped "unexpectedly" to 399,000. My guess is that the Obama Administration took a little "poetic license" (actually political license) in keeping that number just under 400,000; knowing that they can revise it upward next week when all the focus will be on the current week's number.To me, it is no surprise that we are Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-72692809423664455862012-01-09T11:13:00.000-08:002012-01-09T11:36:38.817-08:00Obama's Jobs Bill Conflicted By Better Unemployment NumbersFor months, all we've ever heard out of Obama was that Congress should pass his $447 billion jobs bill "right now". Well, it appears those calls are being silenced by better unemployment numbers. On one hand you have a President who wants to get reelected by pushing a multi-billion dollar piece of legislation that would primarily benefit his unionized voting base: teachers, police, fireman, and Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-80839995469233426312012-01-06T09:52:00.000-08:002012-01-06T15:22:47.166-08:00A Simple Tweet Says It All About Today's Unemployment ReportThis morning, a simple and concise tweet by financial columnist, James Pethokoukis, cut through all the media enthusiasm over this morning's unemployment number. His tweet was as follows: "10.9%: The unemployment rate (U-3) if the size of US workforce was the same as when Obama took office, not 8.5%". He's right. In essence, he's saying that the unemployment rate is a deceptive number because itCranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-56692650618151030502012-01-06T08:55:00.000-08:002012-01-06T09:37:03.012-08:00The Shock And Blah Of The Chevy VoltI think General Motors (GM) can be very thankful that the Chevy Volt was such such a flop in the marketplace. After all, having to recall an entire run of a particular line of vehicles could have been quite expensive. But, thanks to the intelligence of the American consumer, a little less than 8,000 of these firetraps have been sold to date -- well short of the 10,000 vehicles that GM had Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-71616361667626222652012-01-05T07:28:00.000-08:002012-01-06T09:33:38.423-08:00Newt's Anger Is ChildishGingrich called it being "Romney-boated". He blames his dramatic fall from grace in Iowa on a bunch of negative ads produced by a Romney Super PAC.Well, Mr. Gingrich ought to grow up. It was his own "bio" that gave that Super PAC all the ammunition it needed to attack him. And, believe me, what happened to Gingrich in Iowa is nothing in comparison to what would happen if he got the nomination Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-56459432672234810902012-01-03T07:23:00.000-08:002012-01-03T13:21:39.603-08:00Iowa Is More About Who LosesThe media seems focused on who will win the Iowa Caucus tonight, but Iowa is less about who wins and more about who loses. You see, Iowa's track record in picking the ultimate GOP candidate is somewhat flawed. Huckabee won the last time around but it was McCain who went on to be the GOP candidate. In the year that Reagan won the Presidency, his V.P., George H.W. Bush, actually won Iowa. So, Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-34614106553641100912012-01-02T11:32:00.000-08:002012-01-02T13:45:34.648-08:00My Take On Iran's Threat To Close The Strait Of HormuzCranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-83526594466577357362012-01-02T07:09:00.000-08:002012-01-02T07:10:40.649-08:00Raising The Minimum Wage Has ConsequencesOn January 1st, eight states and the city of San Francisco raised their minimum wage by an average of 33 cents per hour. For the minimum wage worker, this means an average annual salary increase of $686. But, for the business owner, his/her profits (if any) will be reduced by $686 for each minimum wage earner that they employ. Some businesses will handle this wage adjustment by hiking their Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-90684336452668958852011-12-27T06:40:00.000-08:002011-12-27T06:48:17.161-08:00The EPA: The Grinch Who Stole Christmas From America and the Coal IndustryLast Wednesday, just days before Christmas, Carol Browner, Obama's radical Climate Czar, announced new EPA restrictions for mercury, arsenic, and other toxic substances being outputted into the atmosphere by coal-fired power plants. Compliance is required before 2014. Hailed as a victory by environmentalists, it is expected that it could mean the demise of nearly 60 existing coal-fired power Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-48698099394684386992011-12-23T08:05:00.000-08:002011-12-23T14:17:01.217-08:00Obama Showing RestraintDuring last week's 60 Minutes interview, President Barack Obama placed himself in fourth place against the legislative accomplishments of all other Presidents in American history. In fact, "he sees himself" just behind Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson. For an "I-me-my" narcissist like Obama, this shows amazing and, I'm quite sure, mentally torturing restraint. For sure,Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-18066711928434797792011-12-23T07:25:00.000-08:002011-12-23T14:19:55.242-08:00The $40 Per Pay Check Deception and ChicaneryFor weeks now, Obama and the Democrats have told us that 160 million workers will lose, on average, $1000 a year in their paychecks if the payroll tax cut is not extended. If you do the math, that's about $19.23 a week; or $2.75 a day. But, you see, that $1000 is actually taxable income subject to an average tax rate of approximately 25%. Therefore, at best, the average worker will see aboutCranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-86719087945484723192011-12-22T07:12:00.000-08:002011-12-22T10:43:46.861-08:00Forget the Polls: Political Website Traffic Tells A Bigger StoryReaders of the conservative website, The Daily Caller, probably enjoyed reading this morning's lead piece: "As political season heats up, Politico’s Web traffic cools down".In essence, this article uses available web traffic data to show that there has been a dramatic shift of traffic away from left-leaning political websites and an even more dramatic rise in traffic towards conservative sites. Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-69827371273781690822011-12-20T06:57:00.000-08:002011-12-20T13:06:49.461-08:00Reuters: Housing starts hit 1-1/2 year high in November?Because of this morning's Reuters headline, American home building rose to a 1-1/2 year high; most readers think that the housing market is on the rebound. Not so fast. The so-called "high" was totally due to the fact that multifamily homes were being built (i.e. condos and rental properties) at an increased rate of 32.2% in November. Single family home building only rose by 2.3% for the Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-34555197988649331802011-12-19T07:44:00.000-08:002011-12-19T12:22:13.237-08:00Stockholm Syndrome: Tears For Kim Jong ILA now-viral video shows a North Korean TV newscaster deeply and emotionally disturbed by the death of her country's dictator, Kim Jong IL In tears, it seems as if she can barely finish the story. Then, too, there are some other leaked videos that seem to show the whole country in deep mourning.If these pictures and videos are not being staged, we may be seeing an extreme example of the Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-43715326039546558462011-12-15T08:23:00.000-08:002011-12-15T08:51:49.458-08:00Obama's No Champion of the Middle ClassIn last week's Osawatomie, Kansas speech on "Income Inequality," Barack Obama attempted to channel Teddy Roosevelt by claiming that he, like Roosevelt, was a champion of the middle class against the evils and ravages of the rich, Wall Street, and big business. But, you see, that's a phoney argument. In fact, it is Obama who has done everything possible to destroy the middle class since being inCranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-47160846660280387872011-12-09T13:14:00.000-08:002011-12-09T13:14:28.927-08:00Obama Administration's Gun "Walking" to Push Gun ControlIt's no secret that Obama and most Democrats wish they could overturn the 2nd Amendment- right to bear arms. Therefore, it's also no wonder that we are now finding out that Obama's own Justice Department may have used a program called "Fast and Furious" to "walk" legally purchased assault rifles over the border of Mexico and into the hands of the drug cartels in a "staged" attempt to make a case Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-38523824438045370362011-12-08T11:31:00.000-08:002011-12-08T15:34:42.974-08:00Holiday Jobless Claims are Always LowerThis morning, the initial unemployment insurance claims report (aka the Jobless Claims Report) for the last week fell "unexpectedly" below 400,000 to 381,000. Reuters news wrote this in response: "The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits dropped to a nine-month low last week, suggesting the labor market's recovery was gaining momentum."Well, here's the thing. The Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-86760961625086590662011-12-08T06:32:00.000-08:002011-12-08T06:36:56.133-08:00The Hypocrisy Of The Year's Climate Change SummitRight now, there are about 10,000 attendees at this year's climate change summit being held in Durban, South Africa. Those showing up at this "not-so-little save-the-planet-soiree" include representatives from 194 countries, climate scientists, interested environmentalists, global warming activists, a sprinkling of protestors, and, of course, hundreds of media personnel. All there to stop Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-70729654896767265432011-12-07T06:32:00.000-08:002011-12-07T06:33:26.555-08:00The Chevy Volt: A Rolling Crematorium?Running nearly the entire length of the "hump" between the driver and passenger seats and, then, forming a "T" that runs along the back seat of the Chevy Volt is an extremely large and toxic lithium ion battery. It's the very same battery type that is used to power your laptops or cell phones. The problem with lithium ion batteries is that under certain "stress" conditions, like extreme Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-7795194164792086972011-12-05T15:18:00.000-08:002011-12-05T15:35:50.637-08:00U.S. Postal Service: Stupid Is As Stupid Does!The United States Post Office blames the Internet for its deficit woes? So, in order to solve their problem, they plan to eliminate hundreds of sorting facilities and slow down first class mail delivery by an average of one day. In essence, forcing even more of their business to the Internet. How stupid is this?Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-37293885495385199902011-12-05T13:45:00.000-08:002011-12-05T13:50:14.704-08:00Income Disparity: Social Injustice or Socialist Jealously?On a recent MSNBC "Morning Joe" program, former President Carter's National Security Adviser, Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski, claimed that the United States is one of the most socially unjust nations in the world (Click here to See the Story and The Video). To prove this, he pointed to our ranking in something called the GINI coefficient where we were clustered at the top of the most "unjust" Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-71717528389766309902011-12-02T08:31:00.000-08:002011-12-02T14:02:59.012-08:00This Morning's Jobs Report Just Screams Fraud!Most all of this morning's economic news headlines read like this one from Bloomberg news: U.S. Jobless Rate Unexpectedly Declines to 8.6%.So, supposedly, we added enough jobs to lower the unemployment rate by four-tenths of one percent from last month's rate of 9%. To put this into perspective, we currently have a labor force of about 154 million workers. To achieve a four-tenths lowering of Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-42633414730071068182011-12-01T15:08:00.000-08:002011-12-01T15:08:25.928-08:00Obama Wrestling The "Worst Ever" Crown From CarterThere's still 11 months to go to before we officially find out whether Obama has become the reigning one-term, "worst ever" President. Right now, that title still comfortably sits with the one-term wonder: Jimmy Carter.But, based on recent polling data from the Gallup organization, Obama is proving that Carter's title isn't as implacable as many would have thought. According to Gallup, Obama's Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-11747072015039947252011-11-30T11:46:00.000-08:002011-11-30T11:46:01.015-08:00Cheaper Dollars Means More InflationThis morning, it was announced that our Federal Reserve, along with the Bank of England and the Central Banks of Europe, Japan, Canada, and Switzerland would all lower their dollar interbank lending rate by 1/2 percent. In doing so, it is expected that the world economies will be stimulated.Once again, you have the monetarist, Federal Reserve Charmian Ben Bernanke, believing that he can kick Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-69168380497681750782011-11-28T14:56:00.000-08:002011-11-28T14:59:38.899-08:00Pakistan's Anger Over Air Strikes Was InevitableWhen last Saturday's NATO airstrike killed 24 Pakistani soldiers and injured 13 others, the retaliation by the Pakistani government was only to be expected. For month's, now, the U.S. and NATO have been conducting not-always-so-surgical strikes against the Taliban in that country. Unfortunately, innocent citizens -- including some children -- and the Pakistani military have been been either Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-48797244485396658302011-11-28T07:46:00.000-08:002011-11-28T07:46:00.807-08:00Michele Bachmann Will Never LearnFirst, she attacked Rick Perry over his HPV vaccination program in Texas. I guess she thought it would somehow elevate her in the race while, at the same time, dethrone Rick Perry -- the then-leader at the time. Instead, just the opposite happened: She fell further while Perry remained ahead of the pack. It wasn't until Perry did himself in that his lead evaporated. Now, with Newt Gingrich Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-22676055004259671012011-11-26T12:30:00.000-08:002011-11-26T14:55:22.985-08:00The NLRB Will Start Killing Jobs And Inflating PricesNext Wednesday, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will probably pass a ruling that allows unions to organize in as little as 10 days after notifying management. Previously, that time frame was about 38 days; thus giving management an adequate amount of time to present it's case against unionization. The NRLB ruling is sure to pass because, thanks to Obama appointees -- one a Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-26711479643845051652011-11-23T14:04:00.000-08:002011-11-23T14:04:36.727-08:00Rick Perry: Cut Their Pay...Send Them HomeLately, Governor Rick Perry has be running this TV ad:While threatening to "cut Congress' pay" and "send them home" might sound like a good, tough-guy kind of strategy to woo voters, in reality, it shows that Perry lacks a basic understanding of one of the primary tenants of our Constitution: The Separation of Powers. Apparently, Perry doesn't seem to know that only Congress can cut Congress' Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-16431652625684103432011-11-22T11:33:00.000-08:002011-11-22T11:33:57.572-08:00GDP Growth Revised Down From 2.5% To A Meager 2%This morning, the Commerce Department released its latest estimate of how much our economy grew in the 3rd quarter of this year. Back in October, they initially said that our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at 2.5%. Today, after further factors had be taken into consideration (?), the Commerce Department revised that GDP growth number down to just 2%.For me, this 20% overstatement error cameCranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-34827347307210464632011-11-21T07:34:00.000-08:002011-11-21T07:44:51.663-08:00A Little Reported Truth About Wind TechnologyThe media and many of our politicians would have you believe that the future of American electric energy is in green wind and solar technologies. But, the reality is that these technologies are quite expensive to operate without taxpayer support. In fact, a recent report by a group known as Minnesotans for Global Warming, has estimated that 14,000 wind turbines have been abandoned for a lack of Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-83714434908047373422011-11-18T11:56:00.000-08:002011-11-18T12:10:58.319-08:00Europe's Debt Crisis And An American Double Dip RecessionNo one in this country should be complacent about what's happening in Europe. If, like dominoes, the PIIGS --- Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain --- default on their individually accumulated debts, the Eurodollar could easily collapse. For America, this could spell even higher unemployment and, for sure, a second recession.40% of all American exports depend on the buying demand that Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-60536815901082021282011-11-14T07:19:00.000-08:002011-11-14T10:16:12.109-08:00Obama And Another One Of His Blame America StatementsNow, according to Obama, America has become "lazy" in attracting foreign business to our shores.This comes from the mouth of a hypocrite that, for 3 years, sat on 3 free trade agreements and the Canadian Keystone XL pipeline deal. All of these would have created jobs for Americans and should have attracted foreign investment in the U.S. This is especially true in the case of the XL pipeline; Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-16520742160220968412011-11-14T01:49:00.000-08:002011-11-14T13:49:52.903-08:00Now In Phase 5 Of the Cain ScandalIt seems like every "sexually related" scandal follows the same old course. The Cain allegations are no different.First, there's the original allegation. Then, there's the complete denial. This is usually followed up with the accuser(s) coming forth with details that seem to refute the denial. That, then, is countered with an ever changing series of stories that the accused hopes will put the Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-8082730495654115222011-11-13T07:29:00.000-08:002011-11-13T11:10:48.215-08:00Smallpox Vaccine Deal Another Pox on ObamaWith Congressional hearings heating up over the half billion dollars of taxpayer money given away to Solyndra, a whole new cash give-away -- to a well-connected Democrat donor -- has come to light.According to a report by the LA Times, the Obama Administration has awarded a no bid, $433 million contract to buy 1.7 million doses of an experimental oral, smallpox vaccine. This is despite the fact Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-9363520850731748852011-11-12T11:21:00.000-08:002011-11-12T11:55:42.731-08:00Obama's Tactical Indecision On the Keystone XL PipelineWe've now learned that the President will put off his decision on whether or not to proceed with the Keystone XL, Canada-to-the-Gulf Coast, pipeline until after the 2012 elections. Many see this as another one of Obama's "present" votes which he had made so famous in his days with the Illinois Legislature. In reality, his indecision is the same as voting "no" without really saying it, because Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-22130092151185416152011-11-10T06:58:00.000-08:002011-11-10T11:01:06.163-08:00Perry's Brain-In-The-Headlights Debate PerformanceViewers have gotten used to Rick Perry's poor debate performances. Initially, his handlers blamed his being tired from campaigning. But, last night's performance was just horrible with Perry only being able to recall two of the three government agencies that he had been campaigning for weeks to cut.Shamed again, Perry and his people have restated that they may sit out the upcoming debates. Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-56026156204734971912011-11-09T10:20:00.000-08:002011-11-09T10:49:07.332-08:00In Ohio, The Unions Won and the People LostPro-union groups spent about $30 million dollars in Ohio to defeat changes to collective bargaining for teachers, firemen, police, and nurses. Although the GOP backed changes would not have affected bargaining for wages and working conditions, the pro-union groups managed to make it all about safety. Now, Ohioans are faced with these basic alternatives: fewer public employees and services and/Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-62507566486798935042011-11-07T09:00:00.000-08:002011-11-07T09:12:45.391-08:00Obama and the Democrats Big "Occupy" BlunderEarly on, many Democrats and liberal media personalities hooked their wagons to the "Occupy" movement; thinking that these protestors would bring them the same political success in 2012 that the TEA Party brought to the GOP in 2010. But, in typical Democrat fashion, their logic was flawed. That's because they really didn't understand the type of people they were dealing with.Now, its looking Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-64036309577319137922011-11-06T08:03:00.000-08:002011-11-06T12:08:21.781-08:00Watch "Drain The Swamp" Pelosi Dance Around Her Own Questionable ActivitiesOn Friday, poor, poor Nancy Pelosi got ambushed by a 60 Minutes reporter, Steve Kroft. Kroft went after her on a Visa Initial Public Offering (IPO) stock deal that Nancy and her husband were involved with in 2008. The deal, estimated to be between one and five million dollars, netted the Pelosi's a nice profit in three separate transactions. But, the problem lies in the fact that, at the time Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-39102635870889832192011-11-04T11:44:00.000-07:002011-11-04T12:15:30.577-07:00The Insanity Of Republicans Ignoring The Cain AllegationsThis morning, a Washington Post/ABC poll revealed that 70% of Republicans say that the Cain harassment allegations don't matter when it comes to picking him as a nominee. But, that's just plain stupidity. The Cain situation is a serious political problem and those 70% of Republicans are insane to ignore it. Voting out of spite has no place here. When it comes to getting a nominee into the Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-45775726395978392852011-11-04T07:13:00.000-07:002011-11-04T12:13:22.488-07:00Harry Reid's Teeny, Tiny Tax On The RichJust a couple of days ago, Harry Reid took to the after hours podium of the Senate floor to drum up support for what he calls a "teeny, tiny tax" on the rich. But, once again, Reid's words don't match his actions.Under the Senate Democrat's version of the Obama jobs bill, a 5.6% surtax would be levied on all incomes above one million dollars. Certainly, most Americans would see this as a Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-84301939096443277482011-11-02T12:40:00.000-07:002011-11-03T15:56:03.512-07:00Declining Graduation Rates and the Disparity Between The Rich And The PoorAmerica's political left wants us all to believe that the rich are getting richer off the backs of the poor. But, that argument simply makes no sense. Using that kind of logic is the same as saying that, if we had no rich, we would then have no poor. In reality, if we had no rich we would look more like some of the poorest, 3rd world, countries on this planet. When it comes to the rich versus Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-49149906329601463112011-11-01T10:13:00.000-07:002011-11-01T11:19:09.584-07:00The Media's Double Standard Regarding Sexual HarassmentWhen is comes to our national press corps, it really makes a difference if you're a Democrat or a Republican when reporting on supposed sexual misconduct.Take, for example, former President Bill Clinton. In his case, we had actual living, breathing accusers like Gennifer Flowers, Juanita Broaddrick, Paula Jones, Kathleen Willey, Elizabeth Ward Gracen, Sally Perdue, Dolly Kyle, and, of course, Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-32074523649689930052011-10-30T17:18:00.000-07:002011-10-30T17:23:11.400-07:00Obama Versus The CongressIn recent days, it has become quite obvious that our President has decided to "run" against Congress and no longer against George Bush as a means of getting himself reelected in 2012. In speech after speech, he's chided the them for doing nothing to create jobs and get the economy going again. Of course, the logic here is that he has a much higher approval rating than Congress and, Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-80679232839163167102011-10-29T07:25:00.000-07:002011-10-29T07:26:32.928-07:00Where Did This "GOP Are Racists" Come From, Anyway?On a recent airing of ABC's The View, Joy Behar warned Herman Cain that the GOP (Republican Party) is not "black friendly". I personally don't know where this Republican are racists idea came from. Certainly, based on historical facts, it's an absolutely bogus claim.First off, it was a Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, who helped abolish slavery and who presided over a civil war that Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-41853854095569055972011-10-28T10:30:00.000-07:002011-10-28T14:38:53.153-07:00All The Excitement Over 2.5% GDP GrowthOn Wednesday, the initial take on the third quarter 2011 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) came in at an unexpected plus 2.5%. In response, I can only imagine that those in the Obama Administration were handing out cigars on the assumption that the economy had just dodged a possible double-dip recession bullet. Then, too, the left-wing media was cheering about it because it is generally assumed a Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-12341342973183388052011-10-27T14:36:00.000-07:002011-10-27T15:10:47.827-07:00On Spending, The Democrats Talk Out Of Both Sides Of Their MouthsAccording to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and a whole slew of other Democrats, it would be disastrous to cut government spending during a recession because, in their Keynesian mindset, it would cause unemployment to rise. But, on the other hand, they don't seem to have any problem with slashing military spending by getting out of Iraq and Afghanistan and by carving out more than $400 billion aCranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-48582440479868573152011-10-26T09:34:00.000-07:002011-10-26T10:08:22.370-07:00The Hypocritical Multimillionaire, Michael MooreYesterday, appearing on a CNN, Piers Morgan special, Michael Moore, a full sponsor of the Occupy Wall Street movement, denied being in that richest "One Percent" of this country that all those protestors are hatefully demonstrating against.Here's a guy who owns an exclusive, million dollar, New York City apartment, overlooking Manhattan, and another million dollar beach-front vacation home in Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-18095849816607607502011-10-25T12:02:00.000-07:002011-10-25T12:09:41.148-07:00Obama's "Improved" Home Affordable Refinancing PlanYesterday, in Las Vegas, definitely ground zero of the mortgage disaster, President Obama unveiled what he wanted you to believe was some kind of new plan to save the housing market. Actually, its a reiteration of an already-failed program called HARP (Home Affordable Refinancing Plan). The only difference, now, from the old HARP is that that you can refinance your home; no matter how upside Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-91359935958802982832011-10-24T15:07:00.000-07:002011-10-24T15:08:08.819-07:00Where Was Obama's "We Can't Wait" Three Years AgoThe campaigning Obama unveiled his new slogan -- "We Can't Wait" -- in order to promote his jobs bill and, once again, con the America people into believing he's dedicated to fixing all the housing, jobs, and economic woes that have befallen this country since the recession began.But, where was Obama three years ago? All of his poorly thought out and poorly implemented programs have failed. HeCranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-41738511102150086502011-10-23T08:02:00.000-07:002011-10-23T08:11:47.331-07:00Obama Spent A $Billion To Lose -- Not Gain -- 1100 JobsThis week's "green jobs" scandal for the Obama Administration is all about a $529 million loan to a start-up electric car company, Fisker, who took that money and then decided to build their new Karma automobile in Finland. Prior to this, there was the Solyndra scandal who, when given a similar amount of money, spent like there was no tomorrow; first class on everything. Ultimately, they closedCranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-51683196941564429662011-10-21T09:21:00.000-07:002011-10-22T11:56:05.644-07:00The Moral Irresponsibility Of Harold CampingIn some parts of the world, it's already October 22nd or a day past the date that Harold Camping said the world would come to an end.To me, Harold Camping isn't just some flake who's wrong. Actually, he may be morally responsible for the mental deterioration of some of those who believed in his again-failed, end-of-days prediction. One of the strongest human emotions is the fear of death. And, Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-32477158831453196512011-10-20T11:20:00.000-07:002011-10-20T11:50:44.289-07:00Biden's Wrong Again: Crime Rates Are DownIn a defense of the President's jobs bill, Joe Biden claims that any GOP blockage of the bill will "continue" the "rise" in rapes and murders across this country. So, by implication, the GOP could be said to be complicit in those crimes.Unfortunately for Biden, there are some just-released FBI statistics that completely contradict his rather big lie.Nationwide, all violent crimes, as of the end Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-37586466330428081042011-10-18T08:08:00.000-07:002011-10-18T15:47:25.810-07:00Heee's Back!The last time we heard from him, the world was to end on May 21 with a calamitous worldwide earthquake. And, the him is? Well, he's that purveyor of the Apocalypse, Harold Camping. The 90-year old Christian broadcaster and founder of Family Radio. Of course, I'm writing this today because May 21 came and went without any world ending events. Then, too, every day past that date has been Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-58506765676548740722011-10-15T08:07:00.000-07:002011-10-17T17:26:30.489-07:00Occupy Washington... Not Wall StreetWith protestors sitting-in and marching against the corruption and fat-cats on Wall Street, I thought it might be appropriate to repost a March 2009 blog entry of mine. After reading it, please take the time to read my latest comments at the very end of this addition:Greedy Wall Street or a Political Bunch of Bull? As a country, we elect a President, 435 members of the House of Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-29821684453645046532011-10-14T08:51:00.000-07:002011-10-14T09:01:15.808-07:00Government Owes Postal Service $75 Billion?Recently, the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) had been running the following TV ad:Unfortunately, the claims are false. The Government Accounting Office has just concluded that the $5 billion a year that the APWU claims is being "drained" from the United State Postal Service's profits is a valid and necessary charge to fund the Civil Service Retirement Fund. (Click here to See Story: GAO Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-9093680522158966792011-10-13T08:03:00.000-07:002011-10-13T08:04:40.426-07:00More Proof That Obama's Stimulus Was A FailureAs most people know, the unemployment rate only proceeded to go higher following the passage and roll out of Obama's Stimulus Package. Now, comes some more proof that the "stimulus" was a failure.A recently released report, Household Income Trends During the Recession and Economic Recovery, has determined that the average household income fell nearly 10% since the beginning of the recession Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-72332204549891723352011-10-11T13:22:00.000-07:002011-10-11T14:26:42.246-07:00Another Associated Press DistortionThe above headline of this morning clearly shows AP's bias towards the political left. First and foremost, the Republicans are the minority party in the Senate. If the Obama jobs bill goes down in defeat, it will be a direct result of 4 or more Democrats going against Obama and not voting for it. Obviously, the AP wants the American public to associate the Republican party with not wanting to Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-63558778541003423232011-10-11T08:02:00.000-07:002011-10-11T10:34:44.041-07:00Media Claims that Occupy Wall Street Has No Message and No DemandsIf you listen to the media reports about the Occupy Wall Street protests, they say that protesters have no message and no specific demands. But, while the individual protestors might not know why they're there, the organizers and groups behind the protests sure know what they want. And, I think the liberal media is avoiding telling the public about those demands because most are extremely Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-14110498902908924792011-10-10T12:10:00.000-07:002011-10-10T12:10:54.883-07:00Corporations Sitting On Two Trillion DollarsObama and the Democrats have been making a lot of noise about the fact that corporations are sitting on an estimated $1.8 trillion in cash when they could be using that money to hire people. Some even accuse businesses of collectively not hiring because they want to make Obama look bad so he won't be reelected.But, the simple fact is that businesses aren't hiring because there is no need to. Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-61895504100270082842011-10-07T11:35:00.000-07:002011-10-07T12:49:28.377-07:00Obama's Jobs Message Is FailingFor weeks now, Obama has been on the attack against the rich, the TEA Party, and the GOP as he pushes his jobs/debt bill. But for all the dozens of near-daily speeches that he has given on the topic, the polls haven't budged the slightest in his direction. If anything, the polling has shown a deteriorating approval for this President. Today, in fact, Gallup reported another fall in Obama's Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-52071279877389208932011-10-06T10:09:00.000-07:002011-10-06T15:01:52.572-07:00Steve Jobs: A Salesman for American ExcellenceSome CEO's and their companies try to be the lowest cost provider of the stuff they make and sell. But not Steve Jobs. He created a name, Apple, that was synonymous with excellence in both quality and innovation. Apple's products weren't the cheapest. However, the demand for them was tremendous. People would wait in lines for hours just to get their hands on the newest "whatever" that Apple wasCranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-3312289272591324142011-10-04T12:34:00.000-07:002011-10-04T14:59:11.637-07:00Obama's Political Miscalculation On His Jobs BillI'm quite sure that Barack Obama thought he could simply submit his mini-stimulus/jobs bill to Congress and call for its quick passage; and, just sit back and watch the Republicans block its passage. Then, he could run around the country with trusty teleprompter in tow and claim that it is the Republicans who aren't interested in creating jobs. Thus, thinking he had a slam-dunk issue for hisCranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-31497107115395821482011-10-03T08:43:00.000-07:002011-10-03T08:43:51.104-07:00On Cain's Lack Of Government Experience.With Herman Cain moving smartly up in the polls, the naysayers about his ability to be President have popped up everywhere because he doesn't have any governmental experience. But, they are just flat wrong. Herman Cain was a fine CEO with a background of turning around some very lackluster operations in the restaurant industry. To do that, Cain couldn't have been a Lone Ranger. He had to have Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-61129891377576665922011-10-02T07:22:00.000-07:002011-10-02T07:32:20.080-07:00The Fallacy of Obama's Infrastructure PlanUnder Mr. Obama's so-called jobs plan, $140 billion would be spent on infrastructure programs such as road and bridge building and repair, rapid transit systems, and air traffic control upgrades. Now, to many, $140 billion sounds like a lot of money and it also sound as if a lot of jobs would be created to help lower the unemployment rate. But, nothing could be farther from the truth.First off, Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-15008280485429134642011-10-01T09:50:00.000-07:002011-10-01T09:52:32.267-07:00Obama's Buffett Rule Denounced By BuffettIn his tax-the-rich/debt-reduction speech a couple of weeks ago, President Obama introduced what he called the "Buffett Rule" whereby the rich could no longer avoid paying high tax rates. In Obama's own words, he said the rich would have to pay "their fair share." Then, once again, he defined the rich as being those singles making $200,000 a year and any couples making more than $250,000. In Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-43912332328741030192011-09-30T08:24:00.000-07:002011-09-30T08:24:37.183-07:00Obama's Fascination With The Number "25"It's almost laughable. It seems like every time Obama and his people quote a number regarding his policies, some variant of the number "25" is involved:As President-elect, Obama promised that his health care plan would save the average family $2500 a year in health insurance premiums.Also as President-elect, he promised that, by the year 2025, 25% of this nation's energy would come from clean, Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-90311346297174970262011-09-29T09:43:00.000-07:002011-09-29T09:50:42.729-07:00Nobel Winner Questions Global Warming As Settled ScienceWe are always being told that the science is settled regarding Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW) and Climate Change. People like Al Gore say the subject is not up for debate. It's incontrovertible; and, any deniers are simply on the take from big corporations as a means of fighting the change needed to save the planet from AGW. But, even today, Einstein's theory of relativity is being Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-35142442736934727452011-09-28T09:02:00.000-07:002011-09-28T09:04:19.383-07:00Why Arn't Gas Taxes Taking Care Of Our Crumbling Transportation SystemFor decades, each of our state and federal governments have been collecting gasoline taxes to help build new roads and bridges; and, at the same time, repair or replace those that are in disrepair. Yet, we continue to hear -- in so many recent Obama tax-the-rich speeches -- that we have hundreds of roads and bridges that are simply crumbling due to neglect. So, what gives?Obama is right. The Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-35896357498873813862011-09-27T08:42:00.000-07:002011-09-27T08:42:36.078-07:00Obama: Not Class Warfare. Its The Math.After raising the level of deficit spending by $4 trillion in just 2-1/2 years, Obama claims his "tax-the-rich" plan will reduce the deficit by $3 trillion over the next 10 years. He claims that it's not class warfare, it's the math. (Click here to See the CBS story: "Obama: Plan not class warfare, it's math")Well, to me, the President's math really stinks. Over the next 10 years, we'll be Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-33881201223697132432011-09-26T09:24:00.000-07:002011-09-26T09:30:20.088-07:00Simple, Legal Ways The Rich (or Anyone Else) Pay Lower TaxesAmid all the current "tax the rich" debates, most Americans don't seem to understand how the rich are able to pay lower tax rates. They are able to do so because our tax laws are written to "encourage" them to do so. Here's some of the simple ways they lower their tax burden and how many middle class Americans can save money on their own tax bills:1. Tax Free Municipal Bonds and Bond Funds. WhenCranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-84486971177931968442011-09-22T13:30:00.000-07:002011-09-22T13:36:30.686-07:00Obama's Bridge Too FarToday, Obama took his "jobs" bill to Ohio. Standing in front of the Brent Spence Bridge, the President, once again, pleaded for America's support of his infrastructure jobs plan to repair our nation's crumbling infrastructure. Unfortunately for the President, the Brent Spence Bridge isn't in need of repairs. It might be well overused due to under-design; but it is a solid structure that won't Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-76607368061190726922011-09-22T09:16:00.000-07:002011-09-22T15:16:46.178-07:00Elizabeth Warren's Socialist BlatherElizabeth Warren, an attorney and law professor who has worked, primarily, for the Obama Administration over the last 2-1/2 years, is running to unseat Senator Scott Brown in Massachusetts. In a town hall-style event yesterday, she made these remarks:"There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own — nobody... You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear. You Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-20090705672573361042011-09-21T13:17:00.000-07:002011-09-21T13:20:21.881-07:00Obama Signals Trouble With His BaseOver the past two weeks, Obama has made it publicly clear that he knows he's in trouble with his political base of once-fellow Democrats.On September 12, in an obvious attempt to win back lost Hispanic votes, he announced that his Administration will no longer deport any illegal aliens unless they have committed a felony; probably saving 300,000 from deportation. Then, there was the jobs bill toCranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-43147514799351197452011-09-16T07:51:00.000-07:002011-09-16T07:56:27.954-07:00The Stimulus Package Job-Creation DeceptionI must have heard this said a hundred times: The Stimulus Package has saved or created 2.5 million jobs. In fact, the President and Vice President have staked this claim in numerous speeches. But, there's a couple of big problems with that claim.First, the number of unemployed Americans in this country has gone from 11.1 million, when Obama took office in January of 2009, to today's 14 millionCranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-55090973148268771172011-09-15T11:30:00.000-07:002011-09-15T11:31:30.480-07:00Mega Greenbacks for So Few Green JobsToday, the Washington Post noted that Obama's $38.6 billion program in loan guarantees to help create 65,000 green jobs has actually only created 3,545 total jobs. On the heels of the Solyndra solar panel bankruptcy scandal, this fact just proves that, once again, green tech is not where the jobs are. Yet, Obama continues to press for even more billions of dollars in his latest "boondoggle" Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-72325480026354074382011-09-14T13:14:00.000-07:002011-09-14T13:14:40.952-07:00Obama Loses Big In The NY-9 Special ElectionLast night's New York Congressional District 9 (NY-9) win by Republican, Bob Turner, must have the Democrats and Obama shaking in their political boots. That's because, in so many ways, a Republican should never have won.First and foremost, NY-9 is almost totally owned by the Democrats with registered Democrats outnumbering Republicans by a factor of 3 to 1. Secondly, the district is heavily Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-18241083511131439882011-09-13T11:28:00.000-07:002011-09-13T11:29:04.859-07:00Perry's Bachmann/HPV-Gardisil ProblemIf you watched the debate on CNN last night, you would have heard Bachmann incessantly go after Gov. Perry for his executive order mandating that young teenage girls be vaccinated against the Human papilloma virus (HPV) with a product called Gardisil. Bachmann's attack seemed to be falsely based on the fact that Gardisil is supposedly a dangerous vaccine and that, somehow, Perry had put young Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-2131551773225469122011-09-12T12:37:00.000-07:002011-09-12T12:45:10.932-07:00Paul Krugman's Shameful Political Attack And Rewrite of HistoryBy now, most of the readers of yesterday's Drudge Report are aware that a columnist for the New York Times, Paul Krugman, wrote the following blog entry and published it just prior to the time of day when the first World Trade Center tower was attacked on 9/11/2011:The Years of ShameIs it just me, or are the 9/11 commemorations oddly subdued?Actually, I don’t think it’s me, and it’s not really Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-25256414258852006342011-09-11T07:36:00.000-07:002011-09-11T09:47:54.730-07:00Bin Laden's Failed 9/11 PlotOn this day, ten years ago, 19 hijackers killed nearly 3000 Americans in what, I am quite sure, Osama Bin Laden thought to be his crowning victory for Al Qaeda. But, did the United States cower as a result of that attack? Did we crumble as an economy? No. We strengthened against Al Qaeda and for that reason Bin Laden's 911 attack was a tactical failure.Osama Bin Laden's attack on America has Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-73060555113110109512011-09-09T12:15:00.000-07:002011-09-13T13:55:48.656-07:00Obama Continues His "Free Trade Agreement" LieIn his jobs speech of last night, Obama, once again, flat out lied about the free trade agreements with Columbia, South Korea and Panama. As he had, time and time, again, he "urged Congress to pass the free trade agreements"; as if it was Congress that was sitting on them.The fact is that all those agreements were buttoned up and ready for a ratification vote at the end of the Bush Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-27763599519949255502011-09-09T10:22:00.000-07:002011-09-09T10:23:28.047-07:00Obama's Call to Pass This (Jobs) Bill NowIn last night's speech on jobs, Obama repeatedly demanded: "Pass this bill now!" The only problem is that no such bill exists for the "now" to even happen. When you think about it, Obama's original Stimulus bill was 1096 pages in length. Therefore, it's only logical that this new jobs bill (a mini-me of the original stimulus) should be about 548 pages. So, I ask this question: "Has anyone Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-16952283684767412272011-09-08T13:47:00.000-07:002011-09-08T13:47:00.716-07:00Two Great Internet Ads That Say A Lot About Obama's Handling Of JobsCranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-24443441957350761402011-09-08T12:34:00.000-07:002011-09-08T13:13:41.708-07:00Weekly Jobless Claims Still Above 400,000This morning's jobless claims number of 414,000 was, once again, above the "mystical" level of 400,000 that liberals seem to be eagerly waiting for but, which, has only happened a handful to times since this President took office; as if, somehow, a jobless claims number of 399,999 would be something to really cheer about.But, this week there was no bogeyman for the left-wing media to blame for Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-3262431587722330772011-09-07T09:55:00.000-07:002011-09-07T10:05:51.089-07:00The Wind-Down Of Iraq/Afghanistan Wars Will Hurt and Help The EconomyNot that I am any fan of war but, Americans should be made aware of the economic consequences of winding down our involvement in the two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2012. In a nutshell, we will lose jobs. That's because the military industrial complex, in support of any war effort, is a real job creator. It's what most economists call a "war-time economy" and, for those spendthrift Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-77659091092175303902011-09-06T08:29:00.000-07:002011-09-06T10:55:03.932-07:00Obama Ignoring Hoffa's Remarks Reflects His Lack of LeadershipSure, it wasn't President Obama that said "we're going to take these son-of-a-bitches out" when talking about the TEA Party and the GOP at the labor union rally yesterday. They were the words of Jimmy Hoffa Jr., the leader of the Teamsters Union. (Click to See the Hoffa Video)However, in not condemning those words in his appearance on the same stage, just after Hoffa said them, Obama certifiedCranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-60787148811404046152011-09-06T07:47:00.000-07:002011-09-28T12:25:47.014-07:00Five Reasons Why Our Economy Won't Recover Any Time SoonAs I have stated before, our economy is 70% driven by consumer spending; and, if in any way, the consumer is forced to spend less of their income on discretionary items, the economy will suffer. To that, I present five reasons why I think the consumer is significantly absent from our economy and why our economy will continue to falter.1. Unabated Declines in Home Values and a Resulting Higher Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-5840057748161831892011-09-05T12:59:00.000-07:002011-09-05T14:52:56.089-07:00Obama's New "Put Country Before Party" SloganThinking that he can continue his incessant drumbeat of divisive rhetoric, Obama has unveiled a new slogan: "Put Country Before Party".Of course, this is aimed at turning Americans "against" the GOP and the TEA Party as a preemptive strike against any objections to his upcoming jobs plan. However, if you really analyze what he's saying, he's telling the GOP/TEA Party to put "his plan" and "his Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-35823189113262582812011-09-05T09:13:00.000-07:002011-09-05T09:13:24.525-07:00The United States Post Office Is Near DefaultIf I were to create a business that primarily existed to benefit a labor union, the United States Postal Service (USPS) would be that business. Through its pricing structure for low-cost junk mail, pre-sorted mass mailings, and flyers, the USPS has guaranteed that a mail carrier makes a delivery to nearly every household on a daily basis and does that 6 days a week. That. to me, makes the USPS Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-79193326832297263562011-09-03T07:50:00.000-07:002011-09-05T08:36:01.125-07:00The Ink Runs Red For Obama-Backed Solar CompaniesIn just the last couple of weeks, four solar companies have fallen into bankruptcy: SprectraWatt, Solyndra, Evergreen Solar, and Solon Energy.In the case of all of these companies, Obama has hailed them as the future of job creation in America; when, instead, their bankruptcies just sent jobs to the unemployment lines. What's worse, two of these companies, Evergreen Solar and Solyndra, Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-86118302825296156722011-09-02T10:26:00.000-07:002011-09-03T06:07:18.133-07:00Striking Verizon Workers Were Counted As Unemployed???According to the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) at the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) own website, workers involved in an "industrial dispute" -- a strike -- are counted as being employed and should never appear in any section of the Monthly Unemployment Report as being unemployed. Here's the actual text from the pertinent BLS FAQ:
"Who is counted as employed?
Not all of the wide range Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-87738825971384233352011-09-02T08:17:00.000-07:002011-09-02T12:25:28.752-07:00The White House Predicts Its Own, Failed Reelection Bid?This morning's Employment Report was just horrible. The job growth for last month was "zero" and you have to go all the way back to 1945 to match that kind of a nearly impossible statistic. Additionally, the unemployment rate held steady at 9.1%.
Even worse than today's horrible report, yesterday, the White House budget office dropped an "unemployment projection" bombshell that hardly bodes Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-43829664686666274062011-09-01T09:55:00.000-07:002011-09-01T10:18:23.598-07:00Obama's Job Plan: Just More Union JobsNext week, President Obama will unveil his painfully long-awaited jobs plan. But, my guess is that the only jobs to be created under the plan will be more union jobs. That's because the bulk of Obama's plan will call for federally-funded infrastructure projects; and, based on his "February 2009" executive order #13502, his agencies are "asked" to "seriously consider" union personnel for all Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-29383727301865426542011-08-31T13:42:00.000-07:002011-09-01T07:09:23.081-07:00Once Again, Obama Puts Politics Above JobsFor the President to enter the House chambers to give a major address to a joint session of Congress, it is normal protocol for the President and the Speaker of the House to negotiate, behind the scenes, the appropriate date and time. Only then is the date and time of the address to be announced.
Not the case with this president. Instead, he announces to the world that he will be giving his Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551919160687115242.post-51684239524573433002011-08-31T10:12:00.000-07:002011-08-31T10:20:05.355-07:00No! Not Another Academic Economist In the Obama AdministrationOn Monday, Obama announced his choice to lead his Economic Council: Princeton Professor, Alan Krueger. While doing so, Obama claimed he was some kind of "superhuman" labor economist.
But, Krueger, like a lot of appointments in the Obama's Administration, has some pretty quirky, academic beliefs that don't hold water when scrutinized.
First, there was Krueger's supposedly famed and ground Cranky Georgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12205395095457052070noreply@blogger.com0