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Damage Control for Dummies
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Assessing a Week of Scandal
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After Obamacare
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The New Paternalism
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Please Point the C-Span Camera This Way
April 29, 2013 | 32 comments
The Obama Watch
Ten Little-Known Consequences of a Second Obama Term
From cars to tobacco to miniature horses.
We all know what the wrecking balls of a second Obama term will be: widespread unemployment, stagnant economic growth, enormous debt. But the consequences don’t stop there.
Believing in activist government means your work is never finished. You pass a new law that you think combats injustice and inefficiency. Then human nature kicks in and, with great disapprobation, you discover that injustice and inefficiency still exist. So you pass another law, then another. And with no Mitt Romney there to stop you, the Circle of Regulatory Life continues.
With Barack Obama back in power, all the laws and rules from his first term will stand. But regulations aren’t just text; they have very real (and often unintended) consequences.
How will the president’s societal tinkering affect our lives over the next four years? From the shocking to the quirky to the bizarre, here are some of the things you might have missed:
More expensive cars
The president’s new
rule on vehicle emissions standards requires automakers to increase
their fleet averages to 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016 and a
whopping 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. The National Automobile
Dealers Association calculates that this will drive up the price of
the average car or light truck by $3,000. Seven million potential
consumers will pass on buying a vehicle thanks to the added
cost.
Fewer stethoscopes
One of the deadliest heads on the Obamacare hydra is the medical
devices tax, which takes effect next year. The tax amounts to 2.3%
on the sale of every device, the equivalent of a 15% tax on
profits. It’s a sledgehammer to some of America’s most innovative
companies, and the companies are responding accordingly, laying off
workers and moving plants overseas. Research and development of new
devices, many of them life-saving, are expected to take a hit. A
recent report by Pricewaterhousecoopers found that investments in
the medical device and equipment sector are at their lowest level
since 2004.
Less access to special needs education
This one might sound like demagoguery, but bear with me. Obamacare,
for the first time, imposes a limit on Health Care Flexible
Spending Accounts (FSAs) in the amount of $2,500. FSAs allow for
pre-tax deductions into a separate account which the owner can
spend on health care throughout the year. FSAs are popular with
parents of special-needs children because the money can be used on
tuition for private schools that accommodate the disabled. But
$2,500 is nowhere near enough to pay that bill. It’s an effective
tax increase on some of the country’s most vulnerable children.
So long, free checking accounts
Back in 2010 when Chris Dodd and Barney Frank were working out how
to save the poor from villainous bank tycoons, one of the most
popular ideas was a limit on debit card transaction fees. This was
eventually codified in the Dodd-Frank law’s Durbin Amendment. Banks
had to make up the money from the fee restrictions somehow and free
checking accounts ended up on the chopping block. In 2009, 96% of
big banks offered free checking. By 2011, only 35% of them did.
More children in apartment complexes
If
you’re ever looking for a good laugh (or cry), head on over to the
Justice Department’s Civil
Rights Division website. Helmed by Eric Holder’s
hyper-litigious Savior of the Universe Thomas Perez, the CRD is
constantly crowing about their latest legal triumph over a
schoolyard bully or transgender-unfriendly bathroom.
One of their finest moments came when they settled a lawsuit against the owner of a small apartment complex in South Carolina. The landlord took out ads on Yahoo! and the Yellow Pages website touting an age-21-and-up policy. That was all Perez needed to allege discrimination and bring the full power of the federal government to bear against a sixteen-unit apartment building. For the crime of trying to create a mature living atmosphere, the owner was fined $25,000. With Obama sticking around, expect Perez to maintain vigilance against landlords trying to exercise their property rights.
More pregnant prison guards
Another gem from the Civil Rights Division came in 2009 when an
Oklahoma sheriff was caught requiring pregnant confinement officers
to do deskwork until they had the baby. The DOJ caught wind of this
and lawyers were seen parachuting into Bryan County the next day.
The complaint was quickly settled; the pregnant women back guarding
the jail.
More horses at restaurants
Federal law accommodates the use of guide dogs by the blind, but
not the use of horses. This oversight was remedied by a new Justice
Department regulation that requires shops and restaurants to admit
miniature horses. The micro-mustangs must be accompanied by a blind
or disabled person. They also must be housebroken, which many
business owners claim is impossible, presenting their soiled floors
as proof. But no matter. This is about equality, dammit.
Easier miniature golf games
The worst holes on mini-golf courses are always the ones with the
steep slopes. Fortunately the Justice Department is on the case…not
to make the game easier, but to accommodate the disabled. As of
2010, at least half of all mini-golf holes must be “48 inches
minimum by 60 inches minimum with slopes not steeper than 1:48 at
the start of play.” Another non-problem solved.
Drier urinals
When you flush a urinal, you’re putting America one step closer to
a water crisis. That’s according to the Energy Conservation Program
for Consumer Products Other Than Automobiles (or ECPCPOTA for
short), which is recommending new efficiency standards for urinals,
along with faucets, showerheads, and water closets.
No more Roll Your Own tobacco
One of the smoking trends to arise in recent years was Roll Your
Own (RYO) tobacco. Customers would purchase the tobacco and insert
it into cigarettes sold in a machine in the same store. But thanks
to a provision snuck into this year’s transportation bill, RYO
tobacco is now taxed at the same steep rate as cigarettes. This
makes it impossible for most RYO stores to survive. “[The law is]
designed to put these people out of business,” Phil Acordino,
president of RYO Machines,
told the Huffington Post.
This might be an unfair addition to this list since there’s no evidence Mitt Romney would have sided with smokers either. But it shows just how cavalier the president is about destroying an entire industry with regulation.
It’s going to be a long four years. You know, a smoke would probably help right now. Especially one at a horse-free restaurant.
About the Author
Matt Purple is The American Spectator’s assistant managing editor.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (70) | Leave a comment
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Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 11.9.12 @ 6:25AM
What it all adds up to is a serious recession is coming and the Republicans should have their materials ready to go.
Von Mises Jr| 11.9.12 @ 8:14AM
We are still in a recession. The GDP growth has been between mid-1% to high-2% ranges for the most part for the last few years. Core inflation is touted at 2% that excludes food and fuel. Peter Schiff in his new book "The Real Crash" estimates real inflation at 6% or more. So it is just another lie from the government and BLS.
The increase of taxes by approximately 50% for Federal Taxes (unless Boehner screws the higher income earners and kills jobs) plus the 2% increase in Social Security (that is going broke) and other taxes will destroy any GDP growth at all. I am hearing a 3-4% decline from Wall Street and real economist on Fox Business and CNBC.
This is more likely to create a Second Great Depression.
HarringtonHere| 11.9.12 @ 9:09AM
MORE HORSES AT RESTAURANTS
Last night my wife and I dined at an upscale restaurant here in Charleston, and there were three (!) horses accompanying their disabled owners.
And to top it all off, while we were eating, a local religious-disablity social club "Cripples for Christ" entered the restuarant--the door was wide open for 10-full minutes-- and it took the waiters twenty minutes to seat them. You have never seen so many crutches, walkers, wheelchairs and canes.
What is this world coming to? Because of Obama we cannot even go out to a fine restaurant and enjoy ourselves anymore because of the precious disabled and their infernal animals.
My wife and I are thinking of moving to Australia.
Archibald Withers| 11.9.12 @ 9:30AM
A WARNING!
My attractive date and I were dining in the elegant restaurant of the Algonquin Hotel in NYC when a horse accompanying a disabled woman (morbidly obese being her disability) backed up to my table and kicked me on my right buttock.
My right hip broke on impact, and I was screaming in agony. Everyone in the restaurant leaped to their feet. Someone dialed 911, and I left the restaurant on a stretcher, writhing in agony.
I am at present slowly recuperating and suing the owner of the horse, but she is claiming that I provoked the kicking by looking at her and her horsey in a "disrespectful manner,and making disparaging remarks."
Bob Grant| 11.9.12 @ 10:07AM
I'm sorry for your troubles but inquiring minds need to know:
Your attractive date, how was she affected?
Controse| 11.9.12 @ 10:53AM
You sir are just another Republican more lecherous than compassionate.
Bob Grant| 11.9.12 @ 3:52PM
I seem to remember Bill Clinton was a master at combining the two.
Albert Constantine Jr.| 11.9.12 @ 1:37PM
AW;
While some might brand your tale a pile of horse manure, I believe it serves as a fine cautionary tale of the equine menace ahead. I expect the Withers name is being typed on the PETA hit list, and you should run (as quickly as your healing hip will permit) for cover. I am sure that Mr. Grant will see that your attractive date does not want for company or protection.
Bob Grant| 11.9.12 @ 3:53PM
Al,
Always the problem solver.
Would be open to changing your name to Winston Wolf?
Albert Constantine Jr.| 11.9.12 @ 9:37PM
If I am curt, I apologize...
(...maybe I should consider changing my name to curt...)
CJW| 11.9.12 @ 7:01PM
Albert
Thanks to Obama we will be able to do better at the miniature golf "Pirates" in Avalon.
It is good to see Obama working on the essential serivces such as miniature golf, miniature horses, and rolled tobacco, instead of wasting time on providing security in Libay, helping the four dead Americans, reducing the deficit, and reducing unemployment.
Albert Constantine Jr.| 11.9.12 @ 9:39PM
I'll be at the snow cone stand across the street (unless of course it isn't open, because FEMA hasn't made it that far down US 9, to help re-establish the residents and restore electrical power).
Von Mises Jr| 11.9.12 @ 10:18AM
You must be more sensitive. One of those Shetland ponies was Perp's date for the night.
Was it wearing a garder belt?
Jacob McCandles| 11.9.12 @ 9:28AM
Peter Schiff predicted the crash of 08 more than a year ahead of time. There is a youtube collections of him predicting over and over what would happen and why it would happen. The "experts" at cnbc and other shows literally laughed in his face and predicted the Dow would be a 15k within a year. Now he's predicting the dollar will not just continue to dwindle but it will be DESTROYED and soon.
WaffenSS| 11.10.12 @ 12:46AM
The dollar is already crashing.
Alej| 11.11.12 @ 11:28AM
Only sputtering, so far, compared to when the dollar loses its reserve currency status. THEN, gasoline will instantly jump to reflect America's need to exchange US dollars for whatever currency the oil-producing nations desire.
THAT will be a nose-down, engine full-power prop fine pitch auger into the rocks.
obama just shut down more US onshore drilling, by the way.
Alan Brooks | 11.10.12 @ 1:28AM
Education (whether K-12 or k-16) is of the highest priority to me: if you wont work together on it, then to Hell with all of you.
More children in apt. complexes is a whine from guys like you who live in real houses, not apts-- not "homes". You and your crocodile tears.
Alan Brooks | 11.10.12 @ 1:37AM
"No Child Left Behind"
Geesh, that worked out well, didn't it? If only... if only 9-11 didn't occur; if only the 2002 midterms had turned out differently... if only your grandfather was a woman, she'd have been your grandmother.
Coulda shoulda woulda... you guys are bigger whiners than a maternity ward.
Alej| 11.11.12 @ 11:39AM
I substituted in Dallas urban schools during the oil business crash of the 1980s, and in a single day the "students" there gave credence to the old coaches' maxim:
"You can't make chicken salad out of chicken shit."
Appleby| 11.9.12 @ 6:33AM
Be careful what you wish for.
Alan Brooks | 11.10.12 @ 1:31AM
be careful who you vote for in '16-- please, not Jeb Bush! dear God, no.
Moe Blotz| 11.10.12 @ 8:35AM
We will have George P. Bush, son of Jeb coming along and youse can take pot shots at him. Youse can also vote for barry again, since he will suspend the Constitution and run for a third term. After 2016, we will have a president for life.
Alan Brooks | 11.10.12 @ 12:33PM
Then you'll stock up on unfluoridated water and grain alcohol in your hidey-hole?
Quartermaster| 11.9.12 @ 6:39AM
So, you would discriminate against horses, eh? PETA will have your hide right after the smoking Nazis take their piece.
I agree with Hannity on this. The country is going to get what it deserves for having returned Zer0 to office. Economic destruction awaits this country and we will not be able to even defend our interests, much less engage in the Neocon's favorite activity of Wilsonian crusades to spread Democracy. The irony of that would be delicious if the effects were not so grave for us and our grandchildren.
JoeS| 11.9.12 @ 7:47AM
I live in Kentucky, a place with climate and soil perfectly suited to growing tobacco. My son and I have discussed the possibility of leased plots where people could grow their own tobacco. Oh, they could hire us to handle certain tasks, but it would be their plot from start to finish. It may be time to get serious.
nathan| 11.9.12 @ 8:50AM
Kentucky has what is called "allotments" or whatever regarding growing tobacco tied to the specific piece of land. Don't grow tobacco on that land for "X" amount of years and the allotment dies and you can never grow tobacco there again. My late uncle bought land and refused to grow tobacco or allow it to be grown. He felt as an Christian being involved in tobacco/cigarettes in any manner was contrary to his spiritual values. I agree with him.
The hazards of smoking were "known" "suspected" going back to colonial times.
Tobacco for those of you unfamiliar with it wears out the soil. While on a certain level for say one acre of ground the ROI is reasonably high, growing high value organic crops for farmers markets or local restaurants can give farmers close to the same returns maybe without the moral issues associated with growing tobacco.
MelvinNC| 11.9.12 @ 8:30AM
I was decried as whining crazy right wing heretic, when I made the comment of, "The American society is fractured."
I suppose there is no need to go into the gory details of what some of us have seen due to our years upon this earth, and the premonitions of what is going to come to pass upon all of our miserable souls.
But Socialists/Communists are running out of scapegoats to pin their failed philosophy or ideology, on.
My personal opinion, we Conservatives, Libertarians, Independents or what have you should just stand back and let them hang themselves.
To be perfectly honest there isn't a whole lot we can do in opposition anyway so we might as well watch them crash and burn and then while they're vehicle of Socialism/Communism is on fire walk past the burning wreck and throw additional gasoline on it.
Then we need to purge those responsible for this. Many of us here today won't see this purge but those that survive this Conservative vs Socialist Holocaust need to destroy the Socialists once and for all, so that they can never ever raise their ugly heads again.
delta zelda| 11.9.12 @ 11:57AM
Thank you for saying this. My country was mortally wounded on election day. Two more thing really bother me: By the end of 2016, sharia will be the law of the land for the former USAl; China will own us financially.
Stan Redmond| 11.9.12 @ 4:39PM
Socialists and communists will NEVER run out of prople to blame. They will never run out of scapegoats.
Orwell was quite precient in 1984 "Oceania will always be at war with Eastasia and Eastasia will always be at war with Oceania."
Rhoetus| 11.10.12 @ 12:46PM
We are now 28 years past 1984 with dire consequences.
Louis Jenkins| 11.9.12 @ 8:40AM
Regulations for regulations. That's what I'm hearing. Let their house of regulations fall down around their ears.
c. j. acworth| 11.9.12 @ 9:05AM
Mr. Purple;
You mention drier urinals to save water. There are already urinals on the market that are totally water-free. We have them in the Men's rooms at work. Not two hours ago, I went in at the end of my shift to wash up and found one of them filled with urine. Again. It would not drain properly. Again. The Men's Room smelled like the hallway of an inner-city high-rise. But at least we are doing our part to Save The Earth.
Darin| 11.9.12 @ 10:57AM
Right up there with the low-flow toilets which "use less water." The ones you have to flush 4 times to empty to bowl. And keep a plunger handy because it's going to clog anyway.
Alej| 11.11.12 @ 11:36AM
Years ago it was found that dry urinals cause immediate corrosion of downstream plumbing.
Petronius| 11.9.12 @ 9:48AM
To all who think it's awful now, wait until we catch up with the health and safety Nazis who run the UK. The war veterans can't even parade in the High streets of their own home towns because these weenies are afraid one of them might trip and fall. Seat belts, helmets, warnings about, for, and on everything, and calls to ban football means no end to the demands that will be made to save us from ourselves. Individual Freedom is now Officially dead due to statist pursuit of life without pain. Those who have taken power over all our institutions despise Freedom, as they are on a mission to perfect all of us who are benighted and therefor unqualified to make any personal choices. Some months back Rush said, "the sissies are going to win." Oh, so right: Again! This country is finished, as it has become too infantile to survive. The media is crowing with delight over the fact that "there aren't enough angry white guys." They will come to rue that fact when the gang bangers finally get at Them because the last of the Real American Men don't live in cities they control. 100 years hence, there won't be any White Men anywhere. Why have children when their only prospects in life are serfdom, depression, dependency, and desolation?
Next up; waiting periods for Big Macs, pizzas, and Federal food consumption monitors stationed at Golden Corral. Enjoy what little is left while you can.
Jade12| 11.10.12 @ 12:49PM
You are correct. The minority groups will be fighting each over what is left.
Bob Grant| 11.9.12 @ 10:30AM
"They will come to rue that fact when the gang bangers finally get at Them because the last of the Real American Men don't live in cities they control"
Right. And at any rate, during The Race War do we really believe Gang Bangers would have the presence of mind to distinguish "angry white men" (aka conservative men) from other white, more liberal men?
"Yo G, lookie hera, dat Rush Limbaugh, go git...Yo man, back off, dat George Stephanopoulos, he cool." ---- NOT!
Moe Blotz| 11.9.12 @ 11:21AM
Do you suppose Washington will be prohibited from having Roll Your Own Doobies shops for their recreational Cannabis consumers?
Kingofthenet| 11.9.12 @ 11:37AM
But you CAN 'Roll your own' Doobie!
Albert Constantine Jr.| 11.9.12 @ 1:32PM
...and clearly, your majesty, you've been doing quite a lot of that...
junkyard infidel| 11.9.12 @ 2:54PM
nah, kingoftheNut sucks on the tail pipe of vtwink's algae powered moped while giving perp a reach a round ! now that's progressive !
Bob Grant| 11.9.12 @ 3:28PM
That activity might be progressive but Flo informs me it's not insurable.
Moped insurance does not cover accidents caused by "reach arounds" or any other deviant sexual behavior.
Sorry king. You guys might want to find a nearby rest stop when an 'urge' arises.
Albert Constantine Jr.| 11.9.12 @ 9:42PM
So easy, a cave man could do it (but wouldn't, once he learned to experience shame).
Bob Grant| 11.9.12 @ 11:17PM
Shameless troglodytes!
Hardcard| 11.9.12 @ 11:45AM
shit in your hat and save the planet.
Whig| 11.9.12 @ 1:12PM
If you have the stomach, keep up with the oncoming fun at regulations.gov. A heck of a lot of similar regulations are coming down the pike from our friends in government agencies. Remember, they are from the government and here to help you.
topcat52| 11.9.12 @ 1:15PM
I enjoyed the piece. I must, however, point out that Flexible Savings Accounts had limits when they first appeared. I have not had one for some time, but during the last year I did have one, 2007, there was, I believe, a $2,400 or thereabouts limit. Those limits may have disappeared more recently, but limiting them is hardly new.
loulou| 11.9.12 @ 1:37PM
I don't mind the horses in restaurants but
"Less access to special needs education" is a good thing. We ignore our bright and outstanding students and spend an inordinate amount of resources on students who bring down the IQ.
I know that sounds harsh but there must be a more efficient and effective way to educate the "special needs" students.
WaffenSS| 11.10.12 @ 12:50AM
Shoot them.
WaffenSS| 11.10.12 @ 12:50AM
Shoot them.
HyacinthClare| 11.9.12 @ 2:24PM
loulou, your remark shows you don't understand the situation. The special needs education that HSAs used to help are for people like my autistic granddaughter, who could go to a special school for learning disabled children and not get in the way of your bright and outstanding students.
Frank Drackman| 11.9.12 @ 3:08PM
All is not lost...
Maybe He'll continue to "Evolve"
Bob Grant| 11.9.12 @ 3:47PM
It's now Obama's World. We're just livin' in it.
Frank Drackman| 11.9.12 @ 3:10PM
I've seen this movie.
November 1864, Lincoln wins without carrying a single Southern State, Demokkkkrats reeling,
how'd that one turn out...
Frank
Albert Constantine Jr.| 11.9.12 @ 9:51PM
In order to win (having Sherman burn your current hometown Atlanta notwithstanding), Lincoln put a Democrat on the ticket with him (Andrew Johnson:albeit a pro-Union one). Guess who got the job a month after the second term started following an eventful night at the theater (and also set a record as the first President to be impeached).
McClellan, on the other hand, became the answer to a different trivia question (but can anyone show me where he ever sat in the balcony box at any play after April of 1865?).
Kwan| 11.10.12 @ 7:09AM
A million regulations here, a million restrictions there, pretty soon you're talking about a real totalitarian dictatorship. The left abhors freedom it's all about control, more control, much more control, and much much more control. This endless tsunami of regulations is all about nibbling away at our existing freedoms, conditioning the population to accept greater and greater government interference in people's lives, until we are living in a Borg-like collectivist-hive society, where Big Brother controls the population 24 hours a day.
gene| 11.10.12 @ 8:07AM
".......pretty soon you're talking about a real totalitarian dictatorship......"
"pretty soon".
In case you are not up on current events? That rain has already left the station (sadly).
gene| 11.10.12 @ 8:08AM
That should read Train and not rain.
Kwan| 11.10.12 @ 12:34PM
Hey Geneius what's with the retard current events remark?? I simply reworked Senator Dirksen's comment: "A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real money." Sure we have a group of people trying to convert the country into a totalitarian dictatorship, but they haven't achieved it yet. So your train already left the station comment is somewhat premature.
Jade12| 11.10.12 @ 12:57PM
Agreed Kwan and the only ones who will be surprised will be the ones who voted for him.
gene| 11.10.12 @ 8:05AM
I am six and a half years between cigarettes. I haven't stopped, I am just trying not to smoke today, and have been successful at it since 2005. At $5 or $10 dollars a pack, I wonder why people do not just but a $20 packet of seeds. Plant 30 or 40 plants in their garden each year. Dry and cure the leaves, put them in a blender and start rolling. For a $20 dollar investment, you will never need to buy cigarettes ever again. If they are Non-Hybrid seeds, your great-great- grandchildren can harvest and use the descendant seeds. As long as you grow this for yourself and do not sell it, you are not breaking any laws. At least not until they pass laws to stop you. During Prohibition, it was not illegal to make your own alcoholic beverages, only to sell them. Plus most cigerettes sold have a tremendous amount of junk for "fillers". It is not a healthy habit. But "Grow your own" would be "healthier" also.
Bob Grant| 11.10.12 @ 9:40AM
Gene,
Your plan will not last long in Obamaland because as soon as ObamaYouth notices your enterprise while on patrol, he/she will torch your crop, beat you mercilessly with a pink baton (euphemistically called a YesWeCan Stick) and send you to a FEMA camp. There, you will be forced to watch endless re-runs of The View, Oprah, PoliticsNation, Chris Mathews, and Rachael Maddow until you "get it"
Got it?
It's Obama's World now, we're only livin' it!
Albert Constantine Jr.| 11.10.12 @ 9:54AM
Ironically, as the Left moves to criminalize tobacco, the more psychoactive substance frequently ingested through smoking (marijuana) is being decriminalized. Perhaps those outlaws put out of business through legalization will do a little crop rotation, and switch to tobacco from marijuana.
Bob Grant| 11.10.12 @ 3:56PM
I like a good cartel war.
Who's up for a little Los Zetas Vs Phillip Morris action?
No?
Perhaps RJ Reynolds Vs Knights Templar?
Albert Constantine Jr.| 11.11.12 @ 11:15AM
Ironically, I can imagine that were such a dispute to materialize, when the first van load of beheaded Brown & Richardson soldier executives is discovered as a result of conflict with, say, the Sinaloa Cartel, the anti-smoking types will be kicking themselves in the behind saying "Why didn't we think of that?".
gene| 11.10.12 @ 9:13PM
" Sure we have a group of people trying to convert the country into a totalitarian dictatorship, but they haven't achieved it yet" . Kwan
"....Your plan will not last long in Obamaland because as soon as ObamaYouth notices your enterprise while on patrol, he/she will torch your crop, beat you mercilessly with a pink baton (euphemistically called a YesWeCan Stick) and send you to a FEMA camp.... Bob Grant.
We either is or we ain't a totalitarian dictatorship.
Someone needs to make up their mind.
Rhoetus| 11.10.12 @ 12:52PM
Obama is here because he lied and continues to lie about who his is and what he has done. He has a media of propagandists that are in bed with him. Those that are unaware are unaware that they are unaware. It's not demographics or race, gender or ancestry. It is ignorance and envy victimized by insincere politicians. Time for a new strategy with new tactics. Calling David Horowitz. . .
Rosebud| 11.10.12 @ 10:26PM
It was under George H.W. Bush's term that the disabilities act went through. Now I am conservative and have voted Republican 99.9% of time, but I blame Bush 41 for that one. I really think that President Reagan's biggest mistake was choosing Bush as his running mate. Now the Bushes are great people, but they compromised too much. But I guess we don't live in a perfect world.
MasterOfSparks| 11.11.12 @ 10:23AM
As Governor Romney and the legislature relied heavily on fee increases to help balance the budgets. Massachusetts raised $500 million in new revenue during Romney’s first year in office from fees, more than any other state surveyed. Romney proposed 33 new fees along with increases in 57 existing fees, resulting in higher costs for birth certificates, new car purchases, driver’s learning permits, firearms permits, professional licenses, and billboards advertising, as well as for many state services. He also increased a state gasoline fee originally intended for cleanup of contamination around underground fuel storage tanks. Opponents said many of the fees posed a hardship on those who could least afford them, such as fees for the state to provide certification of blindness and a photo identification card for the blind. The proposal also called for a $50 fee for tuberculosis tests and a $400 fee for those who tested positive. The Romney administration even sought an exemption to avoid having to comply with a federal law passed in 2004 that mandated that states like Massachusetts lower their corporate tax rates. Romney left office with an approval rating of 39% and disapproval rating of
59%.
Hardcard| 11.11.12 @ 12:21PM
horses in restaurants they will be prepared without transfats in NY. I'll have salt-free hoof soup please. No soup for you come back three weeks. can moslems eat horse?