Has Obama Morphed Into Bush?

Obama ran against Bush, but now governs like him
By Steven Thomma - McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — He ran as the anti-Bush.

Silver-tongued, not tongue-tied. A team player on the world stage, not a lone cowboy. A man who'd put a stop to reckless Bush policies at home and abroad. In short, Barack Obama represented Change.

Well, that was then. Now, on one major policy after another, President Barack Obama seems to be morphing into George W. Bush.

On the nation's finances, the man who once ripped Bush as a failed leader for seeking to raise the nation's debt ceiling now wants to do it himself.

On terrorism, he criticized Bush for sending suspected terrorists to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and denying them access to U.S. civilian courts. Now he says he'll do the same.

On taxes, he called the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy wrong, and lately began calling again to end them. But in December he signed a deal with Republicans to extend them for two years, and recently he called the entire tax cut package good for the country.

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Obama Loves the Business Community

Surely Barack Obama must know how important it is to the financial system to bring to justice those executives that used derivatives and other means to bring down the system. It is one hope that we thought might bring change under the Obama administration, that is, the end of deregulation. Having read the article in CounterPunch by Mike Whitney, we can now understand what is at stake and why there will never be prosecutions of those in the financial system who used unethical means to feather their own nests. Read and weep:

The Most Business-Friendly President Ever?
by MIKE WHITNEY - CounterPunch

On Tuesday, Barack Obama made the case for easing regulations in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal. The article, titled "Toward a 21st-Century Regulatory System", was accompanied by a caricature of a scissor-wielding businessman slashing-away at red tape, a symbol that is revered among anti-regulation zealots. In the opening paragraph, the president praises free market capitalism ("the greatest force for prosperity the world has ever known") and Wall Street ("vibrant entrepreneurialism is the key to our continued global leadership") while taking aim at the "burdensome" restrictions that prevent speculators from maximizing profits. Even by the administration's abysmal standards, the article is a new low, which is why the WSJ editors mockingly critiqued Obama's op-ed as "one of the greatest policy walkbacks in American history". Here's a clip from the text:

"Sometimes, those rules have gotten out of balance, placing unreasonable burdens on business—burdens that have stifled innovation and have had a chilling effect on growth and jobs......Over the past two years, the goal of my administration has been to strike the right balance. And today, I am signing an executive order that makes clear that this is the operating principle of our government.

This order requires that federal agencies ensure that regulations protect our safety, health and environment while promoting economic growth. And it orders a government-wide review of the rules already on the books to remove outdated regulations that stifle job creation and make our economy less competitive. It's a review that will help bring order to regulations that have become a patchwork of overlapping rules, the result of tinkering by administrations and legislators of both parties and the influence of special interests in Washington over decades."

The tone of the article strongly suggests that it wasn't deregulation that triggered the financial meltdown, but all those pesky rules that inhibit innovation and growth. This is pure revisionism and Obama knows it. But he also knows who he is talking to when he takes a spot on Murdoch's editorial page; rabid right-wingers who think business can do no wrong. That's why Obama skips the liberal blather altogether and reiterates themes that read like the daily printout of GOP bullet-points. Here's how the WSJ's economics editor David Wessel summed it up:

"Mr. Obama told agencies to scour the books for obsolete rules.....Within 120 days, each agency is to devise "a preliminary plan...to periodically review its existing significant regulations" to see which should be "modified, streamlined, expanded, or repealed."

So now the onus falls on the agencies to "prove" that businesses are not in compliance. That will make it harder to stop bad behavior or to penalize offenders. Obama's remedy will also extend compliance dates, offer more exemptions, and force regulators to make their judgments on stricter cost-benefit analysis. It's just one roadblock after another. The net result will be fewer rules, more pollution, a more dangerous working place, more financial fraud, and a general watering down existing regulations. No wonder the Journal's editors are so elated over Obama's transformation. He's abandoned any pretense of serving the public's interest.

Read the full article here

The New Year Will Be Grim For Many

Recently, I had an argusation (that's a combination of a friendly argument and a conversation) with a very dear and close friend of mine. His point was that the economy is getting better (he says we are in a recovery) and many will feel the affects of this in a positive way.

My position wasjust the opposite. The real and published unemployment rate is still as high and housing prices are still falling.  Not so says my friend. Where I am, he says, real estate values have leveled, there is an increase in spending and there seems to be a recovery.

Well, that may be so where you are (West Palm Beach, Florida) but it is not the case just south of you in the greater Ft. Lauderdale and Miami areas. It is certainly not the case up here in Tampa Bay where unemployment is well over 12% and real estate values in many areas have declined well over 50% with no leveling in sight.

However, my friend did concede that nationwide, real estate values would not level until the job market improves and unemployment decreases. Exactly said I, that is what I have been saying all along. We can't have any kind of real recovery until the housing market improves, foreclosures decrease substantially and the unemployment - and underemployment - situation decreases substantially.

We have, I fear, a second economic disaster looming in the "cloud" (yes, I am not sure what a "cloud" is either but it is used daily in the IT world as a place where stuff is stored...I think).

Yes, a second wave (like in a tsunami) of financial disturbances for the average person in this country and more good deals and profits for our large (too big to exist) corporations.

Of course, all of the conversation I had with my friend was only my opinion and who am I in terms of expertise on the subject (I am just one small victim of the Great Recession which in reality was and still is a Depression). As a famous political science comedian always says after his rant..."I could be wrong".

However, someone at the New York Times feels much the way I do and the New York Times itself feels it newsworthy to publish this opinion.

When people say that the recovery does not feel like a recovery, they are describing reality. The economy is growing, but for many Americans life is not getting better. Unemployment remains high. Home values are depressed. And state budgets are in deep trouble, presaging more layoffs, service cuts and tax increases.

The Times editorial echoes much of my conversation with my friend which also echoes much of my opinion - if not all of it.

So, my friend (I hope you still follow my blogs), do you really think things (the economy and people's lives) are going to be better in 2011?  To view another opinion please read The Economy in 2011 in the New York Times on line...click here.

One last word of advice to those of you who represent us in the House of Representatives and the Senate (notice that the House is the House of REPRESENTATIVES).  Begin your new term by truly representing the people not your own agendas be they Democrat or Republican.  Leave your personal agendas and partisan politics at the front steps of the building you work in 9you know, the one with the large dome on top).  This is no time to commit yourselves to defeating the other party at all costs.  All Costs - in this case - means all the people of this country, especially those in the middle and lower classes you commonly refer to as the 'MAJORITY".

Of course this is just my opinion again.  I could be wrong.

Barack Obama: The Federal Reserve is Laundering Money

 Well done, amusing and informative in an easy to understand way.  Why printing more money, now called "quantitative easing" is really a way of laundering money.  Watch and listen.

New York State Foreclsoures Grind To A Halt...Barack Obams, It's Time For Your Attorney General To Act On Behalf of Americans

In the three weeks-plus since New York State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman put the foreclosure lawyers on notice that any fraud in foreclosure paperwork would be met with severe penalties -- he is making lawyers sign affirmations promising they took "reasonable" steps to make sure the legal papers are true -- practically no new foreclosure cases have been filed, The Post has learned.

Read morein the New York Post...click here

This action speaks loudly and should speak loudly to Chief Justices in all 50 states.  The banks and their lawyers have been and are still committing fraud which last I saw is against the law.  Even the Bar Associations of every state seems to condone this fraud as they themselves – as the watchdog over lawyers – do nothing given all the evidence that has been made public.

Editor's Note:  This article was written for our sister site - TheForeclsoureDetonatorFORUM.

What is causing this in New York?  The fact that the chief judge in New York – Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman – told all attorneys that any fraud found in any of their foreclosure filings would be met with severe measures.  The New York Post reports that

he is making lawyers sign affirmations promising they took “reasonable” steps to make sure the legal papers are true.

This affirmation has caused not only no new foreclosure actions being filed but existing cases are in a holding pattern.  Lawyers in New York, I believe,  know that the paperwork they have is shoddy at best and that there may be fraud existing in the files they receive from the banks.  At the very least, in order to prevail, they would have to create fraudulent paperwork – ala David Stearns old paper creating firm Weforgem and More, LLC (not really the name of the company he created to forge docs but I just could not resist)  New York lawyers – seems like all of them handling foreclosures for banks – are afraid to lose their license and they should be.
This action speaks loudly and should speak loudly to Chief Justices in all 50 states.  The banks and their lawyers have been and are still committing fraud which last I saw is against the law.  Even the Bar Associations of every state seems to condone this fraud as they themselves – as the watchdog over lawyers – do nothing given all the evidence that has been made public.
I believe that anyone is innocent until proven guilty- but in this case – the evidence is conclusive.  It is out in the open for all to see and there are plenty of credible admissions to this fraud.  What more do we need to begin prosecuting?  I, for one, would give rob – signers immunity in exchange for their testimony.  They, after all, were just doing what the boss was telling them to do so they could get their measly paycheck at the end of the week.  The boss, on the other hand (all CEO’s), were giving out instructions for this fraud so they could continue to get their hundreds of millions in paychecks.  Yes, I am making the assumption here that the CEO’s are or were aware of the fraud and therefore should be held accountable.  Again, innocent until proven guilty but in this case if one goes back to investigate all the fraud that has taken place one would find, I believe, that the CEO’s were very much aware of the fraud and probably gave instructions themselves.  You see, some of this fraud could only have been committed with instructions from very high levels.  Just like the case with Bernie Madoff.  If anyone still believes he acted alone then I would like to sell you the Skyline Bridge here in Tampa Bay. (It is a better value then buying the traditional Brooklyn bridge because of the weather)  Any takers?  I have an even better idea for the sale of this bridge – I will securitize it and each of you non believers in the extent of this fraud can buy a share of it.  Now, any suckers, I mean takers?

Yes, folks, I along with dozens of other bloggers have been trying to expose this fraud for months and in my case for years.  Problem is, we have but somehow the law and those responsible for uholding the law – judges, prosecuters, Bar Associations, lawyers, Attorney General’s (Federal and State) don’t seem to care to uphold the law for some.  A selective process which eventually will bring down our entire legal system and the democracy within what used to be a Republic will disappear.  The “elite” few will rule and function outside of the law while the rest of us peasants will be overly subjected to these same laws losing our lives, our liberties and our ability for our pursuit of happiness.

WAKE UP AMERICA.  Only “we” can bring justice back.  Only our combined, unified voices can make our lawmakers and police enforce the law against everyone.  No one is Too Big to Fail nor Too Big Not To Go To Jail.

Read the entire N.Y. Post article…click here