Tags: Obama Administration in the News
• Sen. Schumer supports the Fairness Doctrine.
Look, I despise Hannity too, but he has a right to say it, and if he got no ratings, he wouldn’t have a show. The government should quit interfering in the media.
Why do we need this? Sure, radio is in the tank for the Republicans, but much of TV is in the tank for the Democrats. Chris Matthews just admitted as much on the air this week.
Should they pass this into law again, I would expect to see the transition to online distribution of media skyrocket. Conservative talk radio will just digitize.
• Georgia Claims on Russia War Called Into Question
I guess now that the campaigns are over and we don’t need to rally the American people around getting us into a new war with Russia, the truth can come out. This is why we need to get out of NATO. We don’t need to obligated to go to war just because a “president” of a country decides to provoke one.
• House Democrats Contemplate Abolishing 401(k) Tax Breaks
This really concerns me. I’m hopeful that it won’t come to pass, but in a society where people are saving very little, do we want to punish that? I guess that’s my personal responsibility side talking, which I know is not the way that the Democrats think about things. Sure, they’re going to offer a replacement, but it’s going to earn 3% a year, adjusted for inflation, or at least their version of inflation, which is never quite accurate.
• Day One - Obama Faces Cold War Threat
Now I’m starting to feel sorry for the guy. In a case of satire hitting too close to home, The Onion posted a story entitled: “Black Man Given Nation’s Worst Job.” Funny, but sadly true. Hope he knew what he was getting into.
• Backdoor Draft?
Rep. Rahm Emanuel’s book advocates mandatory civilian service:
It’s time for a real Patriot Act that brings out the patriot in all of us. We propose universal civilian service for every young American. Under this plan, All Americans between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five will be asked to serve their country by going through three months of basic training, civil defense preparation and community service. …
Here’s how it would work. Young people will know that between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, the nation will enlist them for three months of civilian service. They’ll be asked to report for three months of basic civil defense training in their state or community, where they will learn what to do in the event of biochemical, nuclear or conventional attack; how to assist others in an evacuation; how to respond when a levee breaks or we’re hit by a natural disaster. These young people will be available to address their communities’ most pressing needs.
In other words, just like with the draft, you need to remember that your government owns you. I know Emanuel can’t make policy, but even Obama is for requiring some sort of service out of everyone. If it’s voluntary, fine, go for it, but I quote here directly from Obama’s site:
Require 100 Hours of Service in College: Obama and Biden will establish a new American Opportunity Tax Credit that is worth $4,000 a year in exchange for 100 hours of public service a year.
After positioning himself as a peace candidate during the election, Obama slowly moved to the right (which was one of the reasons, I ended up losing my respect for him).
With rhetoric like this, maybe John Hagee should’ve endorsed Obama. War with Iran is apparently still a possibility.
Israel’s military action last year “was entirely justified,” Obama said, to knock out Syria’s “weapons of mass destruction” program. “The danger from Iran is grave, it is real, and my goal will be to eliminate this threat,” he added.
The Superman music soon returned, and the man with the Star of David on his lapel left the dais in a shower of hugs and kisses from the AIPAC officers.
I’m sure that some of my readers were pissed off at my insinuation that the new boss is just like the old boss, but just look at the people being put in place and the words and actions coming out of the Obama camp. The latest CNN poll puts support for our wars at 33%, yet our choice was between two candidates who are going to carry out a similar foreign policy.
From antiwar.com’s Forget the Honeymoon
When the House Democratic majority passed a military appropriations bill slated for Iraq, a clause that would have prohibited an attack on Iran without a vote in Congress was deleted at the instigation of Emanuel and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. When Rep. John Murtha presaged the popular rebellion against the Iraq war by coming out against it in no uncertain terms, Emanuel urged Pelosi to refrain from endorsing his call for withdrawal, arguing that it would hurt the Democrats politically.
The article ends appropriately enough with a link to The Who doing “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”
I’m not saying that McCain would’ve been any better, he just would’ve taken less of my income and retirement savings while conducting a war with Iran.
trying to follow Christ, husband of Jamie, father of Anna, a senior designer who does web and print work, an alumnus of the University of Alabama, interested in the emerging church, a Mac fan, a Camp Sumatanga junkie, a program coordinator for high school camps in the United Methodist Church, a music snob, a budding oenophile, too busy to update his resume/portfolio, debt-free*, a geek
Nov 7th 2008
Good post. Good read. Insightful as always. I would only throw out this one rebuttal …
You said:
“If it’s voluntary, fine, go for it, but I quote here directly from Obama’s site:
Require 100 Hours of Service in College: Obama and Biden will establish a new American Opportunity Tax Credit that is worth $4,000 a year in exchange for 100 hours of public service a year.”
Now, I may be mistaken about this, but it seems that it is, indeed, voluntary. The way I understand it, if you volunteer for 100 hours of community service in college, this will allow you to get the $4,000 tax break. If you don’t, you don’t get the break. Honestly, I don’t have much problem with that. I know a lot of high schools are giving school credit for community service (not sure if it’s required or voluntary). I guess the “requirement” quoted from his site is that if you want the tax break, you’re required to do the community service work.
Just my $.02.
B
Nov 7th 2008
Yeah, but that’s not what it says.. it says “Require” 100 Hours of Service in College.
They’re going to give you the tax break in return for doing so, but if it was voluntary, then why not have it say “Community Service for College Tuition.”
You’re hoping for the best, I’m assuming the worst.
Social Security would be great… if it was voluntary too. I think the voluntary part comes in this way: You voluntarily choose to go to college? Then you are required to do 100 hours of service.
Nov 8th 2008
More corroborating evidence, even if it is circumstantial:
“Charlie Rangle has authored a bill that may be dusted off after Obama enters the Oval Office. It’s called the National Service Act and calls for a universal draft with two years of “service” for virtually all persons aged 18-42, with no deferment for college. The language of Rangel’s bill states that “all persons in the United States between the ages of 18 and 42″ be required to “perform national service, either as a member of the uniformed services or in civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security.”
Also, someone out there wants to curb the criticism.. Obama’s website was changed overnight and the word “required” was removed.
Disturbing, to say the least.