Big Dogs House

Obama Finding The Same Tough Issues Bush Had

by Big Dog on Jul 2, 2009 at 20:17 Posted in Political 2 Comments

Barack Obama addressed the issue of indefinite detentions for the enemy combatants we are holding and said that the thought “gives me huge pause.” He has already discovered how difficult it is to get rid of the ones that we have determined can be released because, like Bush, he is unable to find them homes.

According to the AP:

But the president says there are some detainees who don’t fall neatly into existing categories for criminal prosecution in the United States or under international law.

Obama says that dealing with these situations is going to be “one of the biggest challenges” of his administration. The president says he’s not comfortable imposing indefinite detentions by executive order. But he didn’t explicitly rule it out. Breitbart

Obama has discovered that some of these people do not fit into neat little categories and that bringing them to trial is a difficult issue. He said that he was not comfortable with the Executive Order but did not rule it out. In fact, recent news indicates that his administration is drafting an EO that will do just what he is uncomfortable with.

This rookie went to the White House full of bravado and ideals with plans that he just knew would get things done. He made it sound so elementary during the campaign. Bush was an evil man who just wanted to hold these innocent people who were out wandering around battlefields minding their own business when our troops captured them. Some claim that a few were turned in for reward money. They were falsely accused. If that is the case would they have ever made it to Gitmo? We have plenty of places to hold them overseas and could have easily released them. Even if true, it amounts to a small minority of those held and they have probably been cleared but don’t want to go home and no one will take them.

Obama’s biggest problem with this is that he acted without thinking in order to appease his supporters. He signed the order to close Gitmo in a year before he had all the facts and before he discussed the release with other countries. Now he has a base that expects him to close the place on time and he is having trouble getting rid of the offenders. He might end up moving them to other prisons in the war zone in order to close Gitmo but he will not really be keeping his promise. He will just be shifting the issue from Cuba to some other place. He can claim he did what he said but it would be a hollow claim.

Rushing in without thinking seems to be a pattern with this guy. He rushed on Gitmo and then he rushed the stimulus bill through so quickly that he broke promises about transparency in so doing. In addition, no one had a chance to read the thing and there have been unintended consequences. The stimulus has also not had any effect on the economy. This economic downturn would have begun a recovery by now had the government not involved itself. It is FDR and the Great Depression all over again.

Now they are rushing Cap and Trade and Health Care Reform through. No one had the chance to read Cap and Trade and it is a disaster.

This guy is rushing head first into things in order to get them passed while he has a majority and popularity. He wants to get these things done, never letting a crisis go to waste, before the public turns on him which it is beginning to do.

The natives are restless. Obama promised that unemployment rate would not go higher than 8% if the stimulus was enacted but would be higher if it was not. The stimulus was enacted and unemployment is at 9.5%, further proof they do not know what they are talking about. The report is here and the end note only states that the estimate for unemployment without action could be higher. It does not give an out for it going up if they enacted the stimulus. They believed it would work so why have an out?

(1) Forecasts of the unemployment rate without the recovery plan vary substantially. Some private forecasters anticipate unemployment rates as high as 11% in the absence of action.

Obama rushes head first into the fire without knowing what is going on. He is using the “crisis” to get the Democrats’ wish list passed before the pitchfork crowd starts surrounding DC.

His pattern from Gitmo to economy has been to rush in. He exercises “caution” when he should be a roaring voice in the world but rushes things here at home. That is no way to lead.

A rookie at the helm is a bad thing.

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They Asked Us To Conserve And Now They Need New Taxes

by Big Dog on Jul 2, 2009 at 12:15 Political 2 Comments

The Congress, particularly the Democrats, have been after auto makers to make more fuel efficient cars and they have been after us to drive less and save fuel to save the Earth and prevent global warming. We have done a pretty good job of that because now there are more cars that get better gass mileage and people are not using as much of it because they are driving less which is probably due as much to the economy as anything else.

The problem is that revenue from gas taxes is way down. The state and federal governments are not getting as much money as they did before because people are not buying as much gas. The idea of raising fuel taxes probably amounts to political suicide so they need a new plan.

A plan is under consideration to tax us based on the number of miles we drive. Vehicles would be equipped with GPS trackers that would report on the number of miles driven and we would be sent a bill for out taxes. I have some issues with this.

First of all, a GPS will also allow them to track us anywhere we go. What would stop them from deciding that they needed to track us because of an amber alert or some other crime that we might have committed? What would stop them from using the GPS to see if you told the police your where abouts on the night in question? I have a problem with them being able to track me everywhere I go in my car. They can already track cell phones and I am not happy about that.

Secondly, How will this work for people who are driving on private roads? How about people who drive into Canada or Mexico? A private road is not repaired with public funds so people should not have to pay taxes when they are driving on them. People should not have to pay taxes if they drive on roads in Canada or Mexico (though those governments might like to get a cut).

Also, will they END the gas tax? Will they completely remove the taxes from the cost of a gallon of gas? If they add mileage tax on top of gas tax then they might as well just raise the taxes on gas. My bet is they would not remove the tax. Government has a hard time cutting the tax umbilical cord.

I also want to know how this will apply to currently owned vehicles. I own both of my vehicles and do not plan on replacing them for a while. Will I be required to put a GPS on them? Who will pay for it and what right do they have to tell me that I have to install that on a vehicle I own?

I also see a huge potential for the theft of personally identifying information when people hack into the database and get personal information. I imagine some of the smart techie people will find a way to beat the GPS system.

This is a real bad idea if for no other reason than the invasion of privacy involved in government being able to track us when we drive.

Source:
McClatchy
The article says that this will replace the fuel tax but how can they do that if currently owned cars are not equipped? They could deduct what a person has paid at the gas pump from the monthly bill but this will lead to even bigger problems. What will happen if people drive even less because of this? We pay both taxes…

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Tags: Democrats ♦ fuel mileage ♦ gas taxes ♦ mileage tax

Is Inouye Unethical?

by Big Dog on Jul 2, 2009 at 06:16 Political 3 Comments

Democratic Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii owns shares of Central Pacific bank worth between $350,000 and $700,000 which is about two thirds of his reported assets. The bank was in trouble and had applied for government assistance. The bank was not a likely candidate for assistance.

Inouye had an aide make a phone call to inquire about the bank’s application and bam, it is now set to receive $135 million dollars.

It is not uncommon for politicians to try to help the banks in their states. Even though there are rules they routinely break them or make exceptions in order to assist banks from their states. Hell, it isn’t their money.

It is also true that even if Inouye asked for the application to be approved that he did not break ethics laws the Senate establishes for itself. Of course, the rules they have are designed to allow them to be unethical.

But the fact that he has money invested in the bank gives the appearance that he used his political position and influence in order to personally benefit from an action that would not be available to the average citizen. Even if he only inquired, the fact that he personally benefits from the action is suspect.

It gives the appearance of impropriety and appearance is often the truth.

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Tags: bank ♦ ethics ♦ inouye

Is The Honeymoon Ending?

by Big Dog on Jul 2, 2009 at 03:01 Political 14 Comments

The press has been easy on Obama since he decided to run for the White House. They treated him like royalty and protected him. They, in effect, became the media wing of his campaign and they remained his media after he was elected. Last week during his press conference he was grilled pretty good and he was on the defense. He was taken to task more than he had ever been. The thought at that time was that his numbers were dropping and the public is awakening to the fiasco that is his policies.

Today Press Secretary Gibbs was grilled over the Obama Town Hall meeting where the questions and the people are preselected or screened. Helen Thomas, of all people, was like a shark in the water. She stated:

“The point is the control from here. We have never had that in the White House. And we have had some control but not this control. I mean I’m amazed, I’m amazed at you people who call for openness and transparency and you have controlled…” veteran White House reporter Helen Thomas said Wednesday.

I am amazed that she would even say that the Obama White House is more controlling than the Bush White House. She said it when she said “…NEVER had that in the White House.”

It seems the media are beginning to go after him and are finally starting to do their jobs rather than be toadies who follow their master at the lectern. It is about time.

It was inevitable because the media eventually get around to being tough. They finally did it with Bill Clinton and they will do it with Obama. It seems that his failed policies and the lack of progress in the economy are beginning to take their toll.

It seems that maybe the media are also waking up to the idea that they helped elect a rookie who know not what he is doing.

Watch the video at Breitbart

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Tags: Gibbs ♦ helen thomas ♦ media ♦ press ♦ white house

Rep Waxman Taken To The Hospital

by Big Dog on Jul 1, 2009 at 20:30 Political 16 Comments

Representative Henry Waxman was taken to the hospital after he fainted in his office. The nearly 70 year old California politician is at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for testing. One can bet the farm that he will be receiving the best care around and that taxpayers will foot the part of the bill not covered by his government provided insurance. They will spare no expense to take care of him.

If he were under Obama care he might be told that fainting 70 year old men do not warrant a battery of tests to figure out what is wrong.

I think someone told him he forgot to make sure he got rich off the cap and tax bill he authored and he fainted from the shock.

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Tags: cap and trade ♦ fainting ♦ government health care ♦ henry waxman