Integrity
Accountability
Responsibility
Transparency in Government
Accountability
Responsibility
Transparency in Government
Unemployment rate:
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2010 9.7 9.7 9.7 9.9 9.7 9.5 9.5 9.6 9.6 9.6 9.8 9.4
2011 9.0 8.9 8.8 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.1 9.1
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
2010 9.7 9.7 9.7 9.9 9.7 9.5 9.5 9.6 9.6 9.6 9.8 9.4
2011 9.0 8.9 8.8 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.1 9.1
Budget Bulletin
Federal Spending by the Numbers 2010
The 2010 edition of “Federal Spending by the Numbers” shows spending and deficits continuing to grow at a pace not seen since World War II. Washington will spend $30,543 per household in 2010—$5,000 per household more than just two years ago.
Read more:
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2010/06/Federal-Spending-by-the-Numbers-2010?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email
Federal Spending by the Numbers 2010
The 2010 edition of “Federal Spending by the Numbers” shows spending and deficits continuing to grow at a pace not seen since World War II. Washington will spend $30,543 per household in 2010—$5,000 per household more than just two years ago.
Read more:
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2010/06/Federal-Spending-by-the-Numbers-2010?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email
This is your chance to help the government decide which wasteful spending programs to cut. Be sure to vote weekly.
The Link Between Economic Opportunity & Prosperity
A product of The Heritage Foundation & The Wall Street Journal
2010 Index of Economic Freedom Top 10
1. Hong Kong 6. Switzerland
2. Singapore 7. Canada
3. Australia 8. United States
4. New Zealand 9. Denmark
5. Ireland 10. Chile
A product of The Heritage Foundation & The Wall Street Journal
2010 Index of Economic Freedom Top 10
1. Hong Kong 6. Switzerland
2. Singapore 7. Canada
3. Australia 8. United States
4. New Zealand 9. Denmark
5. Ireland 10. Chile
.
This Chart Should Infuriate Taxpayers
October 21, 2010
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/250485/three-charts-will-infuriate-taxpayers-deroy-murdock?page=1
October 21, 2010
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/250485/three-charts-will-infuriate-taxpayers-deroy-murdock?page=1
GAO Gives Up on Auditing Government Over Medicare Projections, Cites 'Uncertainties'
Published December 23, 2010 | FoxNews.com
It's official. The United States' financial projections are on such shaky ground that to audit them would be an exercise in futility.
In so many words, that was the conclusion of the Government Accountability Office this week as it threw up its hands when asked to issue an opinion on the Treasury Department's government-wide financial statements for 2010. The wonky watchdog office cited several problems with the government's numbers but particularly called out its projections on Medicare in explaining its ultimate decision not to release a decision.
Read more>> http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/12/23/gao-gives-auditing-government-medicare-projections-cites-uncertainties/#
Published December 23, 2010 | FoxNews.com
It's official. The United States' financial projections are on such shaky ground that to audit them would be an exercise in futility.
In so many words, that was the conclusion of the Government Accountability Office this week as it threw up its hands when asked to issue an opinion on the Treasury Department's government-wide financial statements for 2010. The wonky watchdog office cited several problems with the government's numbers but particularly called out its projections on Medicare in explaining its ultimate decision not to release a decision.
Read more>> http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/12/23/gao-gives-auditing-government-medicare-projections-cites-uncertainties/#
Register to vote now!
Driving U.S. families into fuel poverty
Energy Crisis, Global Warming Fraud, and the Environment
01/07/2011 09:20:38In: By Niger Innis, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez and Amy Frederick
The Obama Administration still hasn’t gotten the message voters sent Washington on
November 2.
The lame duck session and 111th Congress finally ended, without the White House getting key items on its wish list. So now, the Environmental Protection Agency and Interior Department intend to impose costly, job-killing, economy-strangling new rules for power plants and refineries, and implement more land-grabs that will lock up additional millions of acres and more billions of dollars of American energy.
Their goal is to end the hydrocarbon and nuclear era in America, and force us to convert to “renewable” energy. Beginning January 2, they plan to ignore clear voter mandates and consumer needs — and use regulations and executive edicts to slash carbon dioxide emissions, impose “clean energy standards,” halt onshore and offshore drilling, and hobble the vehicles, electrical generating plants and factories that are the backbone of our nation’s economy, jobs and living standards.
Read more >> http://blog.getliberty.org/default.asp?Display=2962
Energy Crisis, Global Warming Fraud, and the Environment
01/07/2011 09:20:38In: By Niger Innis, Rev. Samuel Rodriguez and Amy Frederick
The Obama Administration still hasn’t gotten the message voters sent Washington on
November 2.
The lame duck session and 111th Congress finally ended, without the White House getting key items on its wish list. So now, the Environmental Protection Agency and Interior Department intend to impose costly, job-killing, economy-strangling new rules for power plants and refineries, and implement more land-grabs that will lock up additional millions of acres and more billions of dollars of American energy.
Their goal is to end the hydrocarbon and nuclear era in America, and force us to convert to “renewable” energy. Beginning January 2, they plan to ignore clear voter mandates and consumer needs — and use regulations and executive edicts to slash carbon dioxide emissions, impose “clean energy standards,” halt onshore and offshore drilling, and hobble the vehicles, electrical generating plants and factories that are the backbone of our nation’s economy, jobs and living standards.
Read more >> http://blog.getliberty.org/default.asp?Display=2962
2011--A Fiscal Reckoning That Cannot Be Avoided
01/06/2011 09:19:00In: Economy By Howard Rich
While the extension of Bush-era tax cuts dominated headlines during the recently-concluded lame duck session of Congress, the coming year will bring with it a renewed focus on public debt — whether policymakers like it or not.
A fiscal reckoning is fast approaching — one that extends far beyond the $14 trillion in debt accumulated by politicians in Washington D.C. (a figure which has more than doubled over the last seven years). State and local government debt is also spiraling out of control — climbing to a record 22 percent of GDP this year.
And unlike the federal government, states and municipalities cannot simply print money to continue fueling their reckless expansion.
“We’ve been living in fantasy land,” liberal California Gov. Jerry Brown acknowledged last month in addressing California’s $19 billion deficit. “It is much worse than I thought. I’m shocked.”
Read more >>> http://blog.getliberty.org/default.asp?Display=2960
01/06/2011 09:19:00In: Economy By Howard Rich
While the extension of Bush-era tax cuts dominated headlines during the recently-concluded lame duck session of Congress, the coming year will bring with it a renewed focus on public debt — whether policymakers like it or not.
A fiscal reckoning is fast approaching — one that extends far beyond the $14 trillion in debt accumulated by politicians in Washington D.C. (a figure which has more than doubled over the last seven years). State and local government debt is also spiraling out of control — climbing to a record 22 percent of GDP this year.
And unlike the federal government, states and municipalities cannot simply print money to continue fueling their reckless expansion.
“We’ve been living in fantasy land,” liberal California Gov. Jerry Brown acknowledged last month in addressing California’s $19 billion deficit. “It is much worse than I thought. I’m shocked.”
Read more >>> http://blog.getliberty.org/default.asp?Display=2960
United States Slips on Economic Freedom Index Julie Borowski on Jan 13, 2011
Back when I was young in the 1990’s, I remember people often using the phrase “it’s a free country!” But as the years passed, that line became less commonly used. In recent years, I cannot recall one person using this old expression. This seems to be a sign that a great number of Americans are realizing that their freedoms are slipping away. So just how free is America today?
2011 Index of Economic Freedom Top 10
1. Hong Kong 6. Canada
2. Singapore 7. Ireland
3. Australia 8. Denmark
4. New Zealand 9. United States
5. Switzerland 10. Bahrain
The Index covers 10 freedoms – from property rights to entrepreneurship – in 183 countries. The website also allows you to compare countries, compare previous years with today and answer questions about economic freedom.
Back when I was young in the 1990’s, I remember people often using the phrase “it’s a free country!” But as the years passed, that line became less commonly used. In recent years, I cannot recall one person using this old expression. This seems to be a sign that a great number of Americans are realizing that their freedoms are slipping away. So just how free is America today?
2011 Index of Economic Freedom Top 10
1. Hong Kong 6. Canada
2. Singapore 7. Ireland
3. Australia 8. Denmark
4. New Zealand 9. United States
5. Switzerland 10. Bahrain
The Index covers 10 freedoms – from property rights to entrepreneurship – in 183 countries. The website also allows you to compare countries, compare previous years with today and answer questions about economic freedom.
In Billions - The President's Budget - $3,755
Government Income - $2,926
President's Message
The Budget
Terminations, Reductions, and Savings
Analytical Perspectives
Historical Tables
Supplemental Materials
Appendix
Government Income - $2,926
President's Message
The Budget
Terminations, Reductions, and Savings
Analytical Perspectives
Historical Tables
Supplemental Materials
Appendix
Budget in the Balance
The GOP gambles on entitlement reform.
Apr 11, 2011, Vol. 16, No. 29 • By STEPHEN F. HAYES
If there is one thing that political strategists, pollsters, and elected officials of both parties have agreed on for decades, it’s that entitlement reform is a sure political loser. Social Security is the “third rail”—touch it and you die. Suggest changes to Medicaid and you don’t care about the poor. Propose modest reforms to Medicare and you’re the target of a well-funded “Mediscare” campaign that ensures your defeat.
No longer.
“People are getting it that these things are unsustainable,” says Karl Rove. “For so many people, debt is no longer abstract. It’s more concrete. I don’t know if it’s seeing Greece on TV or what. It’s still tough, but it’s not the political loser it used to be.”
Other influential Republicans go further. They believe that getting serious about entitlement reform can be politically advantageous.
“I think it can be a real winner for Republicans if we handle it the right way,” says South Carolina senator Jim DeMint.
Read more>>
http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/budget-balance_556150.html?page=1
The GOP gambles on entitlement reform.
Apr 11, 2011, Vol. 16, No. 29 • By STEPHEN F. HAYES
If there is one thing that political strategists, pollsters, and elected officials of both parties have agreed on for decades, it’s that entitlement reform is a sure political loser. Social Security is the “third rail”—touch it and you die. Suggest changes to Medicaid and you don’t care about the poor. Propose modest reforms to Medicare and you’re the target of a well-funded “Mediscare” campaign that ensures your defeat.
No longer.
“People are getting it that these things are unsustainable,” says Karl Rove. “For so many people, debt is no longer abstract. It’s more concrete. I don’t know if it’s seeing Greece on TV or what. It’s still tough, but it’s not the political loser it used to be.”
Other influential Republicans go further. They believe that getting serious about entitlement reform can be politically advantageous.
“I think it can be a real winner for Republicans if we handle it the right way,” says South Carolina senator Jim DeMint.
Read more>>
http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/budget-balance_556150.html?page=1
Tax cuts vs Tax hikes
Thursday, Apr 14, 2011
Thursday, Apr 14, 2011
Nationalize your 401!
Top Obama adviser says unemployment won't be key in 2012
By Ian Swanson - 07/07/11 08:25 PM ET
President Obama’s senior political adviser David Plouffe said Wednesday that people won’t vote in 2012 based on the unemployment rate.
Plouffe should probably hope that’s the case, since dismal job figures aren’t expected to get any better for Obama and the economy on Friday.
Most economists expect a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to show that the nation added about 100,000 jobs in June. That’s not enough to keep up with population growth, let alone lower the unemployment rate or make a dent in the 9 million jobs lost during the so called Great Recession.
[UPDATED: The jobs report released on Friday showed the economy added only 18,000 jobs, much less than anticipated. The unemployment rate creeped up to 9.2 percent.]
It’s looking more and more like Obama will have to do something no president has done since Franklin Roosevelt: Win reelection with unemployment around 8 percent.
Ronald Reagan, another president Obama is sometimes compared with, was reelected in 1984 when unemployment was 7.2 percent. Obama isn’t likely to see a number that low.
Read more>> http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/170309-plouffe-says-jobs-rate-not-key-in-2012
By Ian Swanson - 07/07/11 08:25 PM ET
President Obama’s senior political adviser David Plouffe said Wednesday that people won’t vote in 2012 based on the unemployment rate.
Plouffe should probably hope that’s the case, since dismal job figures aren’t expected to get any better for Obama and the economy on Friday.
Most economists expect a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to show that the nation added about 100,000 jobs in June. That’s not enough to keep up with population growth, let alone lower the unemployment rate or make a dent in the 9 million jobs lost during the so called Great Recession.
[UPDATED: The jobs report released on Friday showed the economy added only 18,000 jobs, much less than anticipated. The unemployment rate creeped up to 9.2 percent.]
It’s looking more and more like Obama will have to do something no president has done since Franklin Roosevelt: Win reelection with unemployment around 8 percent.
Ronald Reagan, another president Obama is sometimes compared with, was reelected in 1984 when unemployment was 7.2 percent. Obama isn’t likely to see a number that low.
Read more>> http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/170309-plouffe-says-jobs-rate-not-key-in-2012
Weak Economy Poses More Budget Problems for Cash-Hungry States in New Fiscal Year
Published July 09, 2011 FoxNews.com
AP
With the economy showing no signs of a quick recovery, states are trying to figure out how to weather the financial storm as a new fiscal year begins this month for most of them.
Forty two states and the District of Columbia have closed, or are trying to close $103 billion in budget gaps for the new fiscal year and their options for tackling shortfalls are shrinking with President Obama's stimulus package starting to run dry, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07/09/weak-economy-poses-more-budget-problems-for-cash-hungry-states-in-new-fiscal/#ixzz1RilT3a8O
Published July 09, 2011 FoxNews.com
AP
With the economy showing no signs of a quick recovery, states are trying to figure out how to weather the financial storm as a new fiscal year begins this month for most of them.
Forty two states and the District of Columbia have closed, or are trying to close $103 billion in budget gaps for the new fiscal year and their options for tackling shortfalls are shrinking with President Obama's stimulus package starting to run dry, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07/09/weak-economy-poses-more-budget-problems-for-cash-hungry-states-in-new-fiscal/#ixzz1RilT3a8O
Obama's Re-Election Slush Fund -- the American Jobs Act
By Patricia Campion|Yahoo!Contributor Network Sep 13, 2011
COMMENTARY | On Thursday, Barack Obama gave his much-anticipated speech for the new American Jobs Act of 2011. Unfortunately, the new speech sounded like a bad remix of the old speech he gave in 2009 for the failed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. On Monday, the president took to his podium in the Rose Garden and reiterated his Thursday orders for Congress to "pass this bill -- pass it right away." Some new words in the same speech -- the phrase "Well, here it is!"
And there it was, in his hand, "the plan" put to paper. The smaller yet hand-picked audience of target recipients cheered dutifully. Simultaneously, the majority of American voters cringed at the sight of the new legislative plague he plans to release upon our already ailing economy.
Republicans need to shoot this down, and here's why.
"Pass this jobs bill," the president said on Thursday, "and companies will get a $4,000 tax credit if they hire anyone who has spent more than six months looking for a job."
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average direct cost for an employer to hire a new employee is $57,967.88, which probably explains why employers from companies big and small say the president's new plan will not inspire them to hire workers they cannot afford.
Read more >>
http://news.yahoo.com/obamas-election-slush-fund-american-jobs-act-203900155.html
By Patricia Campion|Yahoo!Contributor Network Sep 13, 2011
COMMENTARY | On Thursday, Barack Obama gave his much-anticipated speech for the new American Jobs Act of 2011. Unfortunately, the new speech sounded like a bad remix of the old speech he gave in 2009 for the failed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. On Monday, the president took to his podium in the Rose Garden and reiterated his Thursday orders for Congress to "pass this bill -- pass it right away." Some new words in the same speech -- the phrase "Well, here it is!"
And there it was, in his hand, "the plan" put to paper. The smaller yet hand-picked audience of target recipients cheered dutifully. Simultaneously, the majority of American voters cringed at the sight of the new legislative plague he plans to release upon our already ailing economy.
Republicans need to shoot this down, and here's why.
"Pass this jobs bill," the president said on Thursday, "and companies will get a $4,000 tax credit if they hire anyone who has spent more than six months looking for a job."
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average direct cost for an employer to hire a new employee is $57,967.88, which probably explains why employers from companies big and small say the president's new plan will not inspire them to hire workers they cannot afford.
Read more >>
http://news.yahoo.com/obamas-election-slush-fund-american-jobs-act-203900155.html