Littlestuff Weekender-2-4-2012

Well, we have survived Groundhog Day and now we focus on the Super Bowl. Bread and circuses, anyone? In the meantime we’ve had the Donald endorse Mitt in Vegas where unemployment runs near 14% which is an actual 20+%. I don’t give Las Vegas and Nevada a lot of credibility. After all, Harry Reid is one of their senators. Their judgment can’t be all that great.

Some people lie about their golf scores, others exaggerate about the size of fish they landed and government lies about economic and employment statistics…….along with everything else. This past week we found that (according to the government) a mere 264, 000 new applications were filed for unemployment benefits…..and the government cheered. Meanwhile in the past month another 1.2 million people slipped off the unemployment rolls into the netherland of “un-countable and non-existent.” This little data point went generally unnoticed. “Real unemployment” is close to 11.4-11.5% and when added to underemployment the total exceeds 21%. That’s one out of every 5 potential workers in the country that is not working or fully employed. Now comes our childish President with a plan to borrow more money and bail out homeowners. This little socialist maneuver will suck more value out of the private sector and retard whatever level of recovery may be underway. I wish that he would stop playing Monopoly with our economy, our money and wealth. Frankly if he wants to play at anything, he should pretend to be a proctologist because he already has a “head start.”

From Bill Hamm: sorry about the numbering. I’m an amateur.

When they try to convince you that the economy is getting better, ask them these questions....

1. If the economy is getting better, then why did new home sales in the United States hit a brand new all-time record low during 2011?
2.  
3. If the economy is getting better, then why are there 6 million less jobs in America today than there were before the recession started?
4.  
5. If the economy is getting better, then why is the average duration of unemployment in this country close to an all-time record high?
6.  
7. If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of homeless female veterans more than doubled?
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9. If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of Americans on food stamps increased by 3 million since this time last year and by more than 14 million since Barack Obama entered the White House?
10.  
11. If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of children living in poverty in America risen for four years in a row?
12.  
13. If the economy is getting better, then why is the percentage of Americans living in "extreme poverty" at an all-time high?
14.  
15. If the economy is getting better, then why is the Federal Housing Administration on the verge of a financial collapse?
16.  
17. If the economy is getting better, then why do only 23 percent of American companies plan to hire more employees in 2012?
18.  
19. If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of self-employed Americans fallen by more than 2 million since 2006?
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21. If the economy is getting better, then why did an all-time record low percentage of U.S. teens have a job last summer?
22.  
23. If the economy is getting better, then why does median household income keep declining? Overall, median household income in the United States has declined by a total of 6.8% since December 2007 once you account for inflation.
24.  
25. If the economy is getting better, then why has the number of Americans living below the poverty line increased by 10 million since 2006?
26.  
27. If the economy is getting better, then why is the average age of a vehicle in America now sitting at an all-time high?
28.  
29. If the economy is getting better, then why are 18 percent of all homes in the state of Florida currently sitting vacant?
30.  
31. If the economy is getting better, then why are 19 percent of all American men between the ages of 25 and 34 living with their parents?
32.  
33. If the economy is getting better, then why does the number of "long-term unemployed workers" stay so high? When Barack Obama first took office, the number of "long-term unemployed workers" in the United States was approximately 2.6 million. Today, that number is sitting at 5.6 million.

The Super Bowl is this weekend and features the New York Giants versus the New England Patriots. Normally, I cheer for patriots, but we haven’t had a decent one from Boston since Samuel Adams. There are two of my beloved Buckeyes on the Giants’ roster (Ballard @ TE, Cordle @ OL) so I’ll sort of lean for them. My main interest will be my son P.J.’s outstanding culinary creations. Sunday’s main event will be a couple of gumbo dishes. Yum yum.

Monday and Tuesday I’ll be sitting in for Brian Wilson from 3:00-6:00pm on 1370 WSPD, the Talk of Toledo. Also, I will do my regular Tuesday evening show from 6:00-7:00pm and David Macko, Libertarian congressional candidate from Solon will be my guest. www.wspd.com

On Wednesday I’ll leave for Washington, D.C. and the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), and will return by Sunday.

Have a great weekend as we lurch into February.

Comments:  cearlwriting@hotmail.com

www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

Trump Suit

As one who has played hours of euchre in my wasted youth, I am quite familiar with the term “trump suit.” In fact, it’s legendary euchre mythology that the nine of trump is always worth a “trick.” Donald Trump’s recent actions and words have prompted me to liken him to a deck of cards. He has been “clubbing” President Obama over the birth certificate issue. He has attempted to use his “spades” to dig a deeper hole for the Obama presidency. His “heart” appears to be pointedly focused on himself, and the “diamonds” represent his constant bragging about his personal wealth and success.

Amateur magicians do card tricks, and, for me, it will take much more than verbal agility and sleight of hand to win my vote. So far The Donald has not won me over. His bombast efforts to capitalize on the “birther” issue have been quite entertaining, and at times Obama’s people appear to be squirming. What is alarming, however, is that so many citizens mistake Trump’s statements as proof of his courage and candor. Donald Trump is first and foremost a showman. He has rightly discerned that his attacks on the president’s lack of birth documents would be an issue that would result in TV and radio bookings and numerous queries from perplexed members of the Main Stream Media. For many in the nation the birth place question is an intriguing one. For Trump it is a gimmick. Pure and simple. He doesn’t really care about the circumstances surrounding the president’s origins. He merely seeks to “stir the pot.”

On policy issues Trump’s answers and responses are extremely shallow. Although he claims to appreciate and honor the Constitution, many of his solutions for vexing problems are clearly outside the parameters designed by the Founders. Herbert Hoover encouraged restrictive tariffs to create an economic fortress America in an effort to thwart the recession or depression that was on the immediate horizon. Trump’s proposed 25% tariff on the Chinese will wreak similar havoc in our present fragile economic condition. In addition it will radically tick off a major holder of our national debt at a time when we have yet to devise a solution for reducing our costly indebtedness. If Donald were a farm boy, he would know that it is unwise to poke the hornets’ nest with a stick…especially when the surly hornets have bad attitudes. Although he claims to support the Tea Party movement and to be a committed conservative, Trump’s mercurial and inconsistent history would suggest that he’s merely pandering to the most energized elements of the electorate. In other words like any other momentum-grabbing populist, he’s playing to the crowd.

If you are one of those voters who are enamored with Trump’s “tell it like it is” approach, please note that in 2009 and 2010 he contributed campaign funds to Anthony Weiner, Chuck Schumer and Rahm Emanuel. Those may have been expedient and opportunistic moves for him and his business enterprises, but the underwriting of destructive lefties is not a principled stand. Certainly we want a president who can “get things done.” We should prefer someone who molds his policies and goals to fit within the Constitution, to protect and defend individual liberty, and to be anchored to enduring principles. I see no evidence of those positions in the Trump agenda…whatever it may be. Please recall that many people were won over by the Obama sizzle while many of us were warning that the underlying steak was rotten. We should not; we cannot afford to chase the sizzle again. Our situation is too fragile to allow our nation to gamble on a gambling kingpin.

Trump’s bravado and bombastic style have sucked some of the air out of Obama’s grand scheme for announcing that he’s seeking reelection. That is good. Trump’s incessant demands for a birth certificate have forced the media to acknowledge a very troubling issue. In March I addressed that issue with a column (Birth of a Nation-03-07-2011) so I believe that it’s a fruitless pursuit, but I’m pleased that someone is willing to chase his tail while the rabbit hops away. In showbiz parlance…Trump is an energetic and entertaining opening act. Now bring on the main event.

Comment:  cearlwriting@hotmail.com    or    www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com