Tuesday, at a large state dinner with over 300 guests, including Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, 2 reality TV players walked into the White House and joined the gathering.
This is obviously a very dangerous situation. As much as I dislike President Obama’s policies, I strongly believe we need to keep him safe, and the Prime Minister of India.
I hope this serves as a wake up call for President Obama.
President Obama: You are over-stretched. You are fighting two wars in the middle of a major recession, while proposing new, large programs such as government run health care. We need to take care of the basics before you can jump into your idealistic dreams.
Even the fact that Vice President Biden took multiple pictures with this lady, Michaele Salahi, shows a severe threat to our security. If people can sneak into the White House and cuddle up with the Vice President, how safe are we??
For being a man who was envisioned as a uniter, both with international affairs and domestic social issues, President Obama has done quite a bit in his short stint on the national scene to isolate people.
It started, as best as I can recall, in April of 2008 when he called a female factory worker in Allentown, PA the derogatory term ‘Sweetie.’ Then again in May of 2008 he used the term ‘Sweetie’ when referring to female reporter Peggy Agar while trying to avoid her. He said to her, “Hold on one second, sweetie.” You can see the clip below:
He used this demeaning and dismissive term twice, during a time he was running against Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nominee. So as he proved that America moved beyond its racial stereotypes by being our first black President, he himself, through his words, proved that sexism still exists.
President Obama called Peggy Agars and left an apologetic voicemail.
Next, in March of 2009, he insulted the disabled community. During his interview on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” he said :
I bowled a 129 … it was like Special Olympics
You can see the video here:
After telling this “joke,” President Obama called the chairman of the Special Olympics and apologized.
On July 22nd, 2009, President Obama said the “Cambridge police acted stupidly” for arresting his friend Henry Louis Gates for disorderly conduct. The President went on to imply that race was a factor in the arrest.
These comments not only divided the country as white versus black, but he also insulted our law enforcement personnel.
President Obama once again regretted his words. He later held a press conference to say the Officer is a “good man,” and subsequent to that he created the infamous “Beer Summit,” which he said could be a teachable moment.
To continue with his apologies, President Obama has apologized for America to Arab television (January, 2009), the United Nations (September, 2009), Turkish high school and college students (April, 2009), and elsewhere. He has apologized for our “arrogance,” for defending ourselves, and our freedoms.
These apologies to other nations do nothing to unite the American people. Instead, they dishonor those who have served our country and worked hard to make it the beacon of hope that it is today.
President Obama continues to build walls within our nation, instead of bringing us together for a common purpose.
New York State will have a $1.1 billion cash flow problem in December, according to the Times Union, despite Governor Paterson predicting for months that this would happen.
In December, the State is supposed to distribute billions of dollars to schools, counties, state payroll, etc., yet it will only have about 3/4 of the money it promised on hand.
NYS must begin making cuts. It is easy, every person does this every day with their family’s budget. The State can start with the simple things. The non-essentials must be dramatically cut. If this means libraries are no longer able to purchase the newest videos to loan out for free, or that State property does not have quite as many flowers planted on them, so be it. Move on from there to tackle the larger cuts.
Since Governor Paterson is very interested in finding innovative revenue streams, I am sure we will see the $21,000 rug on eBay very soon.
Cuts must also trickle down to the municipalities as well. City’s must begin making tough decisions. Schools must consolidate to take advantage of economies of scale. People need to demand less of their government.
New York State must show the Counties, Cities, Towns and Villages how it is done. The State must model its desired behavior. Until the State cuts its fat, the municipalities will continue to keep their fat, and will keep demanding more aid from the State and Federal government.
While I believe very deeply in preserving and supporting the environment, the “Bigger Better Bottle Bill” is, quite simply, not the right answer.
Starting October 31st, retailers are required to charge an extra nickel per bottle of water sold. Bottled water is often sold in cases of 20 or 24, which could add more than a dollar to the price of water at the register.
This bill was proposed and approved for the wrong reasons – it exists because Governor Paterson wanted the extra estimated $100 million in revenues from unclaimed deposits.
In a time when the economy is tough, why should NYS be excited about people losing out on a five cent deposit that they are entitled to?
Has Governor Paterson investigated why citizens will fail to return their water bottles?
Is it because they are elderly or disabled, and it would be difficult for them to do so? You would think being disabled himself, Governor Paterson would be sympathetic to this group.
Is it because of a technicality? For example, my nephew frequently rips the label off of his water bottles. However, that is where the bar code is, and if it is missing, the person does not get his deposit back.
Is it because people are too busy to make an extra trip to the store and wait in line? Families often are running around to soccer practice or school plays, and this is just one more step the government is making them do. That family could continue to put their empty bottles out with the recyclables, but they would lose out on their deposits.
In addition, why is New York State essentially discouraging people from drinking bottled water, the healthiest thing you can do for your body. I can understand discouraging cigarettes, Twinkies, or carbonated beverages – but water?
The bottom line: While NYS is celebrating their ‘victory,’ residents are missing out on $100 million a year because they are choosing to drink a healthy choice.
Entries RSS