Politics

The proposal opened up the president to Republican criticism that the move will not do much to lower the price of gas at the pump. hid With his re-election fate increasingly tied to the price that Americans are paying at the gas pump, President Obama on Thursday called on Congress to end $4 billion in subsidies for oil and gas companies and vowed to tackle the country's long-term energy issues while shunning "phony election-year promises about lower gas prices." Obama, in an appearance at Nashua Community College in New Hampshire, took a page out of his jobs strategy, calling on Americans to contact their representatives and demand a vote on the oil subsidies. But the president insisted that lawmakers should vote in the next few weeks to repeal the oil industry's $4 billion federal subsidies, a demand he has made several times over the past three years. Ending the "industry giv...

President Obama is treading on a very frail foreign policy which seeks to make America like Europe and weaken the last superpower in the world. Does this portend the decline of America and the rise of a European type socialistic state for America? Obama speaking in Strasbourg stated, "In America there is a failure to appreciate Europe's leading role in the world. Instead of celebrating your dynamic union and seeking to partner with you to meet common challenges, there have been times where America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive." Going on, he states, "America is changing." And he calls for unprecedented coordination in our policies with those of Europe. He concludes with two outrageous statements: "We got sidetracked by Iraq." "The social safety net that exists in almost all of Europe doesn't exist in America." Needless to say, his budget seeks to rectify that particular problem. Obama has sent a video "outrea...

In less than 200 years, America grew from a handful of colonies to become the greatest nation in history. In a few hundred years, we surpassed nations that were many times older. What makes America great? The two main elements that make America great are our people and our freedoms. Our people have a can do, nothing is impossible, spirit. Starting with the American Revolution, we have always conquered adversity, often in the face of overwhelming odds. We have more rights and freedoms than anywhere else in the world. Our freedoms are considered inalienable rights, not privileges granted by government. Our freedoms are the envy of the world. Every item in the bill of rights is a precious jewel designed to ensure the immortality of our liberty. Our founders came from societies where government controlled its citizens. They had a solid understanding of the consequences of unchecked power. Our constitution was crafted specifically to limit the scope of government to prevent its infringing o...

John Lennon once described the scene inside the Beatles during the heyday of the fan frenzy of Beatlemania in the 1960s as similar to being inside the eye of a hurricane. "We always called it the eye of the hurricane - it was calmer right in the middle," Lennon said. This might be the case inside the White House these days as President Barrack Obama sends the country into a tizzy with weekly announcements of new domestic and foreign policy initiatives that are drastically changing the political landscape. These policies are so different that critics are arguing he's ruining the country while the President's supporters say his programs are just the right ones to get the country back on track. With so many pundits and politicians commenting on President Obama's every move, it's reminiscent of the crazy chaos that surrounded the Fab Four in the early days of the British invasion. "Everybody got into the mania," Beatle George Harrison once said. As an ex...

Maybe these words won't be so well liked, as a tradition of approving something that may be wrong gives it the fake appearance of being right. Most people actually think that society or economy and government are the same. In fact, they are fundamentally opposites. Economy is produced by our desires, and government by wickedness. Economy promotes our happiness by uniting our desires, and government negatively influences it by restraining our vices. One is a patron and the other a punisher. Economy in any state is a blessing, however, even in its best state government is but a necessary evil. In its worst state an intolerable one. When we suffer the same things from our government that we might suffer in a state without government the misery is far worsened because we are required to provide the means (money) that funds such and pain causing government. We're paying for a disservice. But because we cannot all abide by our conscience to God, we find it necessary to give up part o...

During last year's presidential election, a phenomenon was born -Barack Obama bumper stickers. The popularity of Democratic candidate Barack Obama stirred the imagination of even those amongst us who rarely get so involved in politics. Perhaps it was simply the 'perfect storm'? A widely unpopular incumbent President. A failing economy, a disastrous foreign policy and an unpalatable war. So when a man named Obama came along who, let's be honest, seemed the polar opposite to President Bush, it gave hope to many that finally a national nightmare would soon be over. The one great thing about bumper stickers is that they reflect the nations zeitgeist at the time. The are a running commentary on the way we feel and wish others to feel also. For many bumper sticker manufacturers, being in the center of such an exciting election as this, was a memorable time. We have been through elections before, but nothing quite like this. There was immediately something different and iconic...

Secretary Clinton has been as busy girl. Not even six weeks into the job and she has visited major allies and potential partners and is on deck to visit more within the next two weeks. Already she has earned criticism and courted controversy in her handling of issues and her style. In her most important trip to date, meeting with Chinese officials and leaders in Beijing, she has displayed great candor and pragmatism in her public comments. When pressed to comment about how she proposed to address human rights with Chinese officials, she acknowledged that, while she would stress the need for respect of the human rights of Chinese citizens by its government, it was unlikely that the situation would change. She was immediately attacked for her comment by those who took it as a sign of a lack of commitment by Secretary Clinton to rectify human rights abuses by the Chinese government against its people. She has spent the bulk of her trip dealing with the more practical issues that face our ...

For so long, the United States lived with the idea that they were completely safe in their country in the New World. We weren't going to be attacked and we were able to do whatever it was that we wanted. We could run any business we wanted and believe in anything. Religiously, economically, and politically, we were free people. What if I told you that while you were living with the belief that you were free, in actuality, you were lining yourself up to live under a tyranny? I can imagine the people replying to me saying that this is absolutely ridiculous. We live in a great, free Democracy that protects her people no matter what. Even if some liberties are taken, the United States is free! Compared to a lot of totalitarian governments, our nation is tremendously free. However, times have changed and through acts of fear, the government of the United States has, in part, taken some liberties from the American people and, in turn, this has created a situation where we are potentially...

When Jimmy Carter was elected in 1976, he promised that he would see the public learned the truth about UFOs. He was convinced he had seen an unidentified flying object, but never confirmed whether he thought it was an alien spacecraft. UFOlogists call the particular sighting "The Jimmy Carter UFO incident." It happened one evening in 1969, two years before he became the governor of Georgia. He was giving a speech at the Lion's club when a guest called his attention to an object in the sky. The object was reported to be 30 degrees above the horizon and Carter described it as being "bright white" and being as bright as the moon. It was said to have appeared to have closed in on where he was standing but to have stopped beyond a stand of pine trees some distance from him. The object is then said to have changed color, first to blue, then to red, then back to white, before appearing to recede into the distance. One of the things President Obama did on Day One is op...

It seems that our politicians in Washington are a bit confused. They say things, repeat them a thousand times, and then they start all over again and say the same thing over and over. Republicans such as John Boehner from Ohio, John McCain, and Mr. McConnell from Kentucky can't seem to get past "earmarks" and "Oh My God" when it comes to the staggering amount of the budget. Maybe, just maybe, they just couldn't find the words to express themselves when Mr. Bush was President for eight years, and just now, with Mr. Bush hiding in the hills because of all the chaos, the disaster of the economy, and the two wars that were never included in the budget, their voices are coming back, but only in mono-syllables. There is something very strange in Washington and seasoned lawmakers just can't put their finger on it. This strange cloud over Washington is known to the citizens of the U.S. and to the world as "Truth." Truth has not been around very much in...

Since I am a retired military member perhaps my loyalties lie more with my country then someone who was raised in some foreign nation that is notably unfriendly to the US. With Obama's recent idea to appease the liberal elements within our society as well as the Muslim fraction it did not take him long to close the gates to Cuba's Guantanamo Bay detention facility. He was quick to issue orders to close this jail area down however he failed to consider where he would place the 250 terrorist suspects after he does so. More then likely the ultimate location will be either upon American soil or even worse by letting them go. If he so chooses the later we can be assured of continued damage as they further develop their anti American activities which are meant to harm our servicemen and perhaps our fellow countrymen. Granted that this was Obama's efforts to capture the American voters eyes and have them applaud his compliance of a campaign promise but I certainly feel that prior ...

Barack Obama's victory as the next president of the United States has led many to conclude that a lot of areas will soon be facing significant change. The challenge to keep to what already works well and to transform those that need improvement could be a staple within the new administration, especially since we are facing troubled times. They key factor is proper management, of course, and with Obama's entry, everyone's eyes are focused on how his goals would mesh with the realm of project management. Let's have a look at five priority areas. Here is my take on how they might influence project and program management: 1. Health care reform. Reform in health care is aimed at controlling costs and making health care more available and more affordable to many more people in the United States. On the cost control side, it would seem that we can expect companies and organizations of all sorts will put an increasing emphasis on accelerating cost-containment in their organizat...

After countless months of super-exposure, the US presidential elections pretty much became a way of life. Every newsreel and every periodical was bursting to tell us more, fueling plot lines that had become almost soap opera-like. But now it is all over; now the 4th of November has finally been and gone and the world has exhausted the headlines revolving around the words 'historic', 'momentous' and 'the start of a new era'; what happens next? What is building up on the to-do list of Barrack Obama, the new President of the United States of America who will be sworn into office on 20 January 2009? The general expectation is that the new presidency will be the start of a whole new beginning. So what does this entail? Firstly Mr Obama will need to appoint his team. This includes key personnel such as Secretaries of Defense, the Treasury and State. Top priority on the agenda is dealing with the economic crisis. With the American economy facing its worst position sinc...

America you have elected Barack Obama to be your next President. The ultimate question is, where do we go from here? My focus is on your wallet and how will President Elect Obama lead us out of the financial crisis we are in? As of today the answer is, we will not know until he assembles his cabinet and they begin tackling the awesome financial challenges American is currently facing. Will taxes increase? No one knows the answer to this question because no polices have been proposed because President Obama has to be sworn in before he can make decisions for America. What about capital gains? Again once President Obama and his cabinet put proposals on the table, we will not know how this will affect us. Will America become a socialist country? Absolutely not, President Obama will lead from the center and will not be a left wing leader as many speculated during the campaigning phase of the election. Again, the question is where do we go from here? We have to wait until President Bush lea...