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Obama should do his homework

Updated: Monday, July 21, 2008 6:27 AM PDT

Quote from Barrack Obama: When president ... "I'm going to call in the Joint Chiefs of Staff and give them a new mission, and that is to bring the war in Iraq to a close. We are going to get out."

It is incredible indeed that this raw rookie seeking to become our commander in chief is apparently not aware that the Joint Chiefs of Staff are not empowered to perform such a function; it is rather the United Combatant Commands called CENTCOM, which includes 26 commanders from other countries as well. Possibly, Obama should do some homework before making such a headline-seeking comment, as the present news from Iraq is good; we have routed the enemy, the surge obviously worked.

Obama's polished-sounding speeches consist of great headline material but always seem to lack substance in support of his ever-changing words. This man is obviously without a core value system. While one of his headline slogans says "Yes We Can," he says "no" to oil drilling, "no" to nuclear power, "no" to clean coal, no, no, no to everything that would enhance America and its economy; this despite the fact the industrialized world is being held hostage by oil-producing nations where every aspect of human life depends heavily on energy.

It is indeed a shame that we as a nation squander our vast God-given natural resources, which happen to dwarf any other nation's potential. Hello!

F.W. "Bill" Stamos
Lodi

Reader Feedback

citizen wrote on Jul 24, 2008 10:43 PM:

" Yea snowman I agree if you were dumb enough to take out one of these horrible ARM loans then you deserve what you got. How could anyone borrow all that money and not read the fine print. Why is this in any way the fault of this admistration. Dont give me this deregulation crap. These people made big mistakes and now they are paying for it. No ones fault but their own. "

Cogito wrote on Jul 24, 2008 10:13 PM:

" Sam, check 7/24, 9:19, "oil crisis" letter. "

sam wrote on Jul 24, 2008 7:08 PM:

" Leonard, did you listen to Obama today in Berlin? "

Leonard wrote on Jul 24, 2008 6:19 PM:

" falcon wrote on Jul 24, 2008 5:26 PM:

Do you think that Iran has the ability to block the Straits of Hormuz? The United States would start making artificial reefs out of their ships.


Again, your ignorance shows. The problem with the Strait of Hormuz has nothing to do with Iranian ships and everything to do with the land based anti ship missile batteries that dominate the 21 mile wide strait.

Could the Iranians permanently close the strait? Of course not but, given the volume of traffic in the straits and the range of their missiles they could probably sink 10 to 15 tankers in the hours it would take the US to bomb their missile batteries.

The effects on the world oil markets are hard to quantify but it is a fair guess that people would have to quickly get used to filling their Hummers with $8.00 gas. "

Snowman wrote on Jul 24, 2008 10:31 AM:

" Jeff, reread your first post to me. You attacked me personally first. Good luck with all your loans. Being debt free is powerful. "

Leonard wrote on Jul 24, 2008 9:42 AM:

" Brian wrote on Jul 24, 2008 9:35 AM:

Ivan, Your interpretation of Prager has been noted. How little you know about Prager


Indeed Ivan, I guess you have not been initiated into the Great Mysteries of the Prager Cult.

Wait until you have donned the special underwear and all will be revealed.

:) "

Brian wrote on Jul 24, 2008 9:35 AM:

" Ivan Dixon wrote on Jul 24, 2008 7:47 AM:

" I'm all for talk radio but I dated one of these Prager followers a while back and they are some weird, weird folks.

I told the lady that I already had a Church and a Savior and I wasn't in the market for a new one. "

Ivan, Your interpretation of Prager has been noted. How little you know about Prager. "

jeff wrote on Jul 24, 2008 8:30 AM:

" snowman, thank for attacking the person, rather than the message. Typical. No boat, no car loans, and a great deal on the house. some credit card debt, but that'll be taken care of soon. Hey, what can I say we like to travel; that's what happens when you're a newlywed.

So by all means, try again and speak, er I mean YELL, about stuff that you nothing about. And if the peasants keep complaining about being hungry... LET THEM EAT CAKE! "

Ivan Dixon wrote on Jul 24, 2008 7:47 AM:

" I'm all for talk radio but I dated one of these Prager followers a while back and they are some weird, weird folks.

I told the lady that I already had a Church and a Savior and I wasn't in the market for a new one. "

falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 11:18 PM:

" Just compare how many people that Reagan, Bush Sr, and Bush jr. have freed from tyranny. This vs How many people Carter and Clinton freed? The fall of the soviet union, Kuwait, Afghanistan, Iraq,.. Iraq will inspire Iranians to seek freedom. Bush understands this.

Liberals could care less about these people. They would rather see them suffer under the heavy hand of tyranny. This historical fact will be undeniable. "

falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 11:12 PM:

" I am sure that he will have every reason except the real one. The obvious one. This is the liberal tactic. Move the ball. Deceive, Never give credit. Bush will go down in History as one of the greatest Presidents not the worst. The liberals are always looking for someone to push Carter off of the bottom. "

falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 11:05 PM:

" Brian, Who is Prager? I have only heard his name. The funniest thing about liberals is that they always accuse conservatives of being closed minded, yet they are the ones that close their minds to basic sound reason. They work for someone else and have very little understanding of simple basic market economics. They are silent to questions they cant answer. I am still waiting for Leonard to tell me why the price of oil has dropped so much after Bush announced that he is going to lift the executive ban on offshore drilling. "

Brian wrote on Jul 23, 2008 10:22 PM:

" Falcon, I can not think of one liberal that has a radio show that has anywhere the intellect of Prager, Hewitt, Medved,
Savage.

Leonard's contention that conservatives need talk radio because they can't form their own opinion is so weak. Prager talks on many subjects. He has visited 82 countries. He is the author of several books. He is a scholar. I could go on more about the others. Savage is the author of almost twenty books, 4 alone made the NY Times best seller list as political books. "

Brian wrote on Jul 23, 2008 10:14 PM:

" Falcon, expecting anything more from a liberal is like expecting to make a silk purse out of a sows ear.

I always refer to Michael Savage's book "Liberalism Is A Mental Disorder"
when I think there may be hope for liberals. He gets me right back on track
that there is no hope. "

falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 10:02 PM:

" How can liberals not have an open mind and fail to consider all of these successful conservative voices? In the same note, how can they keep following all of these noted liberal failures? Kerry, Gore, Carter, Clinton. "

falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 9:50 PM:

" I think that Leonard's reasons for discrediting Rush Limbaugh do not hold water. Sean Hannity says about the same things as Rush.. Hannity is not a drug abuser..Ann Coulter is not a drug abuser, she is thin. Mark Levin... Not a drug abuser. Pretty much agrees with Rush. Who is more credible? Rush's audience has not dwindled. (like liberal Air America) I think the facts are in the results. Rush is more credible than ever... "

falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 9:39 PM:

" God, you have to read the laundry list of these pardons. It makes me wonder about Clinton's behavior in office. Drugs and fraud.

http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pardonchartlst.htm "

falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 9:36 PM:

" I am sure that all of those liberal lover drug abusers, whom Clinton pardoned, were wrong then. Right? "

falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 9:34 PM:

" Leonard, It is funny that you consider drug use as a dis qualifier for credibility. I guess that Obama, is disqualified for his past drug abuse. Look at all of the drug abusers that Clinton pardoned. http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pardonchartlst.htm
Talk about using political pals to get them off the hook.... "

Brian wrote on Jul 23, 2008 9:17 PM:

" Leonard wrote: Have you ever thought about discussing the actual issues instead of simply calling names? "

L-Yes, many times just on this blogg alone. The one time on this blogg I name him you have the nerve to imply that I don't want to talk about the issues. Take your blinders off. "

Leonard wrote on Jul 23, 2008 8:59 PM:

" falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 8:36 PM:
" Leonard, Where does your hatred of President Bush come from?


I am not sure that I hate Bush in a personal sense. He seems like a good husband, a loving father and, from what I've heard, he's a kick to have a beer with.

That said, as President, Bush has betrayed America at every turn. His actions have resulted in the deaths of thousands of soldiers, the destruction of our economy, the rape of our environment and subversion of our Constitution.

To sum it up, I guess I would say that I try to hate the Treason and not the Traitor. "

Leonard wrote on Jul 23, 2008 8:54 PM:

" Rush Limbaugh is a hypocrite who says one thing and does another.

Limbaugh spent years calling for harsh, even draconian prison sentences for first time drug offenders.

Then, when he himself is caught breaking the law and abusing drugs, he uses his political connections to avoid serving any jail time whatsoever.

How you can respect the man after that is a mystery to me. "

falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 8:38 PM:

" Leonard, sounds like you are dealing with the falcon and the snowman. Ha Ha... "

falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 8:36 PM:

" Leonard, Where does your hatred of President Bush come from? I did not like Clinton, but I dont hate the man. I do not agree with James Carville, but I dont hate him. Were you in the war in SEA? "

falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 8:31 PM:

" Now Leonard, Please contribute something more substantive to your reasoning against Rush Limbaugh than he is a "fat drug addicted pig." Rush is a very well informed decent American icon. He has over 20 million listeners a week. Are we all a bunch of idiots? It is comical that you present such a pedantic rant against someone who has become such a mega giant in the political spectrum. It diminishes your validity. "

falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 8:22 PM:

" Leonard said, "Have you ever thought about discussing the actual issues instead of simply calling names? " This was after Leonard said, "The man is a drug addled pig not to mention an absolute hypocrite. " after Leonard said, " I got that piece of information from the 9/11 Commission Report, a much more authoritative source than some obese drug fiend on the A.M. radio. " "

Snowman wrote on Jul 23, 2008 7:30 PM:

" Leonard, no it does not. But please, you have to be smart enough to know what you can afford. You make $100,000 a year and you can afford a $2000 a month payment. You cannot afford a $400,000 home, let alone the hummer, the boat and the jet ski you decided to buy also with the same loan.

Who in their right mind would get an interest only home loan? Or an ajustable rate loan? Idiots should not be able to buy houses. "

Snowman wrote on Jul 23, 2008 7:17 PM:

" Jeff, sorry they suckered you in on one of their loans. Sorry you were stupid enough to use your home loan to buy a boat, or what ever.

Sorry you have credit card debt you cannot pay off. You blog says it all. "

Leonard wrote on Jul 23, 2008 7:15 PM:

" Snowman: It is like any con game. Does the stupidity and greed of the victim absolve the con man of his responsibility? "

Jeff wrote on Jul 23, 2008 6:41 PM:

" snowman, you don't get out much do you?

Do you actually believe that the whole sub-prime crisis and the crumbling of our mortgage lending companies is because of 'stupid people'? Do you really believe that lending corporations would allow their whole world to come down by 'stupid people'?

Perhaps you should look into the de-regulation passed several years ago (see: Former Senator Phil Gramm, sr. McCain Econ. Advisor). This de-regulation allowed mortgages to be bundled and traded on the stock market. Sign some loans, bundle a bunch together, then quickly sell them off for a profit. Mortgage companies didn't care if the payments would be made, they were going to be someone elses problem. They gave bonuses per loan written, so loan writers didn't care to check income, and some even did their best to conceal dramatic intrest/payment increases (see: predatory). And of course as more loans went bad, the stocks and markets and mortage companies lost value, some to the point of collapse.

But of course all of that is the fault of 'stupid people'. Who's being stupid here? "

snowman wrote on Jul 23, 2008 6:19 PM:

" Leonard, corrupt administration? I am not there.

Bad housing loans with stupid borrowers not reading the fine print on their loans and living on credit cards are problems I agree have done a lot of harm to our economy.

How can anyone not pay off a credit card every month? How ridiculous to make payments, even minimum payments. If you cannot pay off your debt at the end of the month, you are over spending. "

Leonard wrote on Jul 23, 2008 6:12 PM:

" WY is absolutely right. Consumer debt is at all time record highs, a trend that the Bush Administration fueled by deregulating the credit industry.

All over this country, people are losing their homes because they owe more on home equity loans than their houses are worth.

This crisis was fueled by three things.

1) An incompetent and corrupt Administration that allowed lenders to write their own rules.

2) Predatory credit companies that made bad loans knowing that the victims could never pay them back but safe in the knowledge that the loans would have been sold to another institution by the time they defaulted.

3) Greedy borrowers who were duped into taking out loans that they could never pay out on terms that they could never meet.

All three of these groups are responsible for what is happening and all three should be held strictly accountable for their actions. "

Leonard wrote on Jul 23, 2008 2:06 PM:

" Brian, you claim that liberals think Obama is the Messiah but it seems to me that you are trying to tar him as the anti-christ.

It seems to me that we have two well qualified candidates to choose between this year, either one of which would make a competent President.

Have you ever thought about discussing the actual issues instead of simply calling names? "

Brian wrote on Jul 23, 2008 1:59 PM:

" Leonard wrote on Jul 23, 2008 1:54 PM:

" If there is one thing the Bush Administration has demonstrated over and over again it is their remarkable ability to seize defeat from the jaws of victory. "

Chuckle, there could very well have been no victory at all if Messiah Obama got his way. White flags at twenty paces? "

Brian wrote on Jul 23, 2008 1:56 PM:

" Leonard wrote: The full mission is still not yet accomplished.

Yep, and had Obama got his way there would be no mission to be accomplished.

He preferred to serve up white flags at twenty paces. "

Leonard wrote on Jul 23, 2008 1:54 PM:

" If there is one thing the Bush Administration has demonstrated over and over again it is their remarkable ability to seize defeat from the jaws of victory. "

Brian wrote on Jul 23, 2008 1:54 PM:

" McCain summed it up so well by saying he would sacrafice his political career to win the war. And he also said Obama would sacrafice winning the war to preserve his political career. "

Leonard wrote on Jul 23, 2008 1:50 PM:

" The surge will have been a success if Iraq is still enjoying increased stability a year after the last surge troops left.

That remains to be seen. The initial results look hopeful but nothing is guaranteed. Remember that we are dealing with an Administration that has already declared victory a couple of times.

The full mission is still not yet accomplished. "

Brian wrote on Jul 23, 2008 1:45 PM:

" I think it would be more appropriate for Obama to thank the brave men and women who have fought to bring some measure of security to the country. In that context, thanking the comfortable Congressmen who voted to send the troops there, most of whom are Chickenhawks like yourself, would be a little absurd. "


Leonard, I differ with you in that there were Democrats who voted for the surge too. That said, are they chickenhawks too? Had it been a democratic majority that voted for the surge I suspect you would be a little less critical of those voting.

Obama's trying really hard to take the credit away from the Republican majority that voted for the successful surge. His visit there is nothing more than a photo-op and the military are just his props. "

Leonard wrote on Jul 23, 2008 1:37 PM:

" falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 1:30 PM:

" Leonard, Come on, if Rush looses weight, and is not on drugs, how are you going to discredit him? He is the smartest man in America.. The doctor of Democracy, The great Maha Rushy. America's truth detector. Equal time


You're joking, right?

The man is a drug addled pig not to mention an absolute hypocrite. "

falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 1:30 PM:

" Leonard, Come on, if Rush looses weight, and is not on drugs, how are you going to discredit him? He is the smartest man in America.. The doctor of Democracy, The great Maha Rushy. America's truth detector. Equal time. "

Leonard wrote on Jul 23, 2008 11:37 AM:

" I got that piece of information from the 9/11 Commission Report, a much more authoritative source than some obese drug fiend on the A.M. radio. "

falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 11:29 AM:

" Leonard, I think that Talk Radio is far more credible than the Huffington Post or MoveOn.org or CBS,ABC,NBC, or CNN. Where do you get your credible information? "

falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 11:27 AM:

" Maybe if they would have had the documents that Sandy Burglar lifted from the National Archives.......????? "

Leonard wrote on Jul 23, 2008 11:18 AM:

" Falcon, the 9/11 Commission found no credible evidence that the Sudanese ever offered to hand Bin Laden over to the US.

Don't believe everything Talk Radio tells you to believe. "

Leonard wrote on Jul 23, 2008 11:16 AM:

" citizen wrote on Jul 23, 2008 10:18 AM:

" So Leonard are you advocating socialism or what?


Hardly bright eyes, I was being sarcastic. "

falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 10:20 AM:

" Leonard, Bush did not have a county offer Bin Laden to him and refuse it. Come on. You have to admit that history might have been a little different if Clinton would have killed him when he had the opportunity wouldn't it? "

citizen wrote on Jul 23, 2008 10:18 AM:

" So Leonard are you advocating socialism or what? "

Leonard wrote on Jul 23, 2008 10:17 AM:

" falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 10:05 AM:

That and letting Bin-Laden go caused the real National disaster - 9/11


And when will Bush bring Bin Laden to justice? It seems that he isn't even particularly interested in doing so anymore.

Our brave fighting men and women have done a hell of a job prosecuting the war on terror over the last 7 years but at every step they have been held back by the criminal incompetence of the Commander in Chief. Any gains we have made against terrorism have been inspite of Bush not because of him. "

falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 10:15 AM:

" Leonard, when it is done, we will compare crooks. Ha Ha Ha. "

Leonard wrote on Jul 23, 2008 10:14 AM:

" falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 10:05 AM:

Clinton was the National disaster with him pardoning all of the crooks at the end of his impeached tenure.


Hmmm... I am surprised that you would want to start down this road since the speculation is that Bush will pardon a record number of criminals before he leaves office.

He's already made a good start with Scooter Libby and he apparently has even set up a special office to greenlight requests from convicted lobbyists and other high ranking Republicans.

They say that Jack Abramoff and Senator Larry Craig will both get full pardons. "

falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 10:10 AM:

" Leonard, you said that the sources for the text is not reliable. What sources did I list that you deemed unreliable? I did not list any source. "

falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 10:05 AM:

" Leonard, You mean Bush Global War on Terror. Clinton was the National disaster with him pardoning all of the crooks at the end of his impeached tenure. That and letting Bin-Laden go caused the real National disaster - 9/11. "

Leonard wrote on Jul 23, 2008 10:00 AM:

" CITIZEN: You make a strong argument against prosperity. Who needs wealth or comfort? All of us peons should just be happy we are getting three square meals a day while the rich get richer and richer and, with the help of another Bush Administration giveaway, even richer still. "

citizen wrote on Jul 23, 2008 9:21 AM:

" Yea "Wy" I agree there is way to much charging going on in this economy right now, but that doesnt explain all of what we are seeing right now when we go out. All these people packing malls etc. Yea some of it is credit but certainly not all of it. People are just spoiled they think they have it hard because they cant have what everyone else has. Is a person really considered hurting if they cant go on vacation this year? Or cant get that new car? etc. "

Leonard wrote on Jul 23, 2008 9:20 AM:

" Hmm... look at the sources on those hit pieces.

Not exactly reliable.

BTW, I googled the same phrase you did and I found plenty of reputable pages detailing the surplus under Clinton and in the first year of the Bush National Disaster. "

falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 9:04 AM:

" I find it hard to believe that Clinton would be a fiscal conservative especially knowing that he was told that if he did not pass welfare reform, he would not be re-elected. He passed welfare reform contrary to his liberal bases wishes. "

falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 8:59 AM:

" While not defending the increase of the federal debt under President Bush, it is aggravating seeing Clinton's record promoted as having generated a surplus. It never happened. There was never a surplus and the cold hard facts support that position. In fact, far from a $360 billion reduction in the national debt in FY1998-FY2000, there was an increase of $281 billion. "

falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 8:58 AM:

" Leonard, you keep saying that Bush inherited a surplus from Clinton. Not really knowing, I googled Clinton budget surplus and all I got was Clinton Budget Surplus Myth....Here is some text.. "

falcon wrote on Jul 23, 2008 8:43 AM:

" Leonard, It is mandatory spending that has increased? It looks as if Mandatory spending has increased by 6.2% and Discretionary spending (military, war on terror, etc. etc. has increased 4.9%. 59 billion. The global war on terror is 145.2 billion. I do not think that existed before Bush. Mandatory is Law, Discretionary is adjustable. Both have increased. I agree that spending is out of control, it always has been. Who can you trust there? That is one reason congress has such a low approval rating. That and their reluctance to drill for more oil while gas prices are going through the roof. "

Leonard wrote on Jul 23, 2008 5:24 AM:

" falcon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 7:31 PM:
" I do not like spending, but I think that a majority of that spending IS war spending.


No, while military spending has increased along with every other category of spending, the vast bulk of Bush' record breaking deficits is from non military spending. "

WY wrote on Jul 22, 2008 11:49 PM:

" I heard that the adverage 24 year old is 25K in debt. OMG...a 23 year old that told me she had $$$ 35,000.00 $$$ in debt JUST FROM CLOTHES SHOPPING. OMG!!!!!!! That makes me wanna puke. "

WY wrote on Jul 22, 2008 11:45 PM:

" citizen... They do it with credit. Money they don't have yet assume they will in the near future, but the money never comes so we get to bail the shop-a-holics out with their bankrup thinking.
Lets keep up with the Jones no matter what.
What ever happened to the 20% down or.. how about just qualification for a lone without creative writing. Or just telling yourself "NO, self, we can't afford it! "

citizen wrote on Jul 22, 2008 10:13 PM:

" I know its the cool thing to say this is the worst economy ever. Can someone please explain to me why no matter where I go its packed with people spending money. The movies, costo, restaurants,theme parks, Jackson Rancharia. Everywhere we go we have think, ok should we wait till the weekday when it isnt so packed. I dont think people in the depression felt the economy was bad because they couldnt afford that plasma tv or car for their 16 year old,or cell phones for every member of their family. You know what I mean? "

citizen wrote on Jul 22, 2008 10:02 PM:

" I agree falcon if we have to spend alot of cash to kill alot of islamists than I think its money well spent. Okay Leonard the depression was worse than Carters economy. You got me there. So do you think this economy is better or worse than the Carter era? "

jeff wrote on Jul 22, 2008 8:20 PM:

" Falcon, let me guess, you attended Father Guido Sarducci's 5 Minute University. Was it worth the $20?

http://videosrv6.cs.washington.edu/general/5minuteU.wmv?MSWMExt=.asf "

voter wrote on Jul 22, 2008 8:07 PM:

" You're watching too many old movies, falcon. "

falcon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 7:49 PM:

" Leonard, then there are the lady pilots flying C-130's in circles over groups of killers, cutting them to pieces with Gatling guns. I think it is worth the money for the JP5 and the ordinance. It was pay back time for how they treated their women. Can you imagine all of the women that these bad guys brutalized? "

falcon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 7:38 PM:

" BOOM "

falcon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 7:38 PM:

" Leonard, thanks for the bold lesson. "

falcon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 7:37 PM:

" Leonard, can you imagine a group of American killers walking around in the dark with lap tops in some god forsaking desert with a million in cash with them? Your hard earned tax dollars... Then they pay off some guys riding camels to take them to visit some bad guys with black turbans on their heads.. Then they make a few phone calls on the sat phone and BOOM! Turbans flying everywhere and a pink mist...Is it worth it to you? It is get even money. "

falcon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 7:31 PM:

" I do not like spending, but I think that a majority of that spending IS war spending. Believe me, I have heard some stories about spending on the war on terror. It is out of control. Amazing stories about people running around some countries with lots of cash and no receipts. Leonard, are you willing to pay that price to combat terrorism? It is a tough call. How did I do on the bold? "

Leonard wrote on Jul 22, 2008 6:46 PM:

" Falcon: I do it with HTML coding. The following link will show you how.

http://www.plus2net.com/html_tutorial/bold-tag.php

The thing you have to remember is to close your tags or you will end up bolding the whole page which is embarrassing not to mention annoying. "

Leonard wrote on Jul 22, 2008 6:43 PM:

" It really is shocking when you start look at the raw numbers related to the Bush Economic Disaster. Not only has Bush posted the largest deficits in history he has also increased the deficit by the largest percentage in post war history.

The amount of discretionary spending in the budgets Bush has sent to Congress has increased a whopping 26% during the time Bush has been in office. "

falcon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 6:40 PM:

" I agree that the sole solution is not just to drill. That is the difference between conservatives and liberals. We say do not exclude anything. Liberals say no drilling. It is amazing that people could be so self destructive. It is once again liberalism destroying American freedom. Liberal democrats are stopping us from procuring more oil, thus, are causing shorter supplies, thus, raising the price we pay at the pump. It is that simple. If Leonard would tell me how to make text bold, IS would be bold. "

Jeff wrote on Jul 22, 2008 5:33 PM:

" wow, I've been typing too long today. 'made' & 'comparisons' "

Jeff wrote on Jul 22, 2008 5:31 PM:

" Citizen, Falcon, did I make a claim about the Carter economy or his ranking on presidential caomparisons that I don't know about?

I mad no such claims. I did however bring up the fact that he was prescient enough to realize that energy conservation and reduction of dependence on foreign oil was going to be a very important concept. One that, as we should all be able to agree, is extremely important now. I don't know about you, but rather than dealing with a crisis today, I would've rather avoided it by action 30 years ago.

And no, the sole solution was not and is not just drill for more. "

falcon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 2:34 PM:

" Sorry Leonard, I dont want you to start referring to me as "F". I will go with Leonard. "

falcon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 2:32 PM:

" L, this is pretty bad now! How would you rate this economy compared to Carters? "

falcon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 2:31 PM:

" L, Maybe he meant in his lifetime. I would cut him some slack there. I knew what he meant. "

Leonard wrote on Jul 22, 2008 2:30 PM:

" citizen wrote on Jul 22, 2008 2:23 PM:

This guy brought about the worst economy in this country ever.


Your claim that the late 70's was worse than the Great Depression sort of tends to discredit the rest of what you write. "

citizen wrote on Jul 22, 2008 2:23 PM:

" Jeff you cant possibly be saying that Jimmy Carter, possibly the worst president in the history of this country was a good president are you? Who cares if he preached energy conservation and less dependence on foreign oil. This guy brought about the worst economy in this country ever. Have you forgotten. And dont forget that it was his incompetence in dealing with the Shah that led to the terrorist regime we are having to deal with in Iran today. Libs can complain all they want about Bush, but nothing compares to what Jimmy did to this country. "

Ivan Dixon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 1:50 PM:

" Better? Yes.

Great? Where were you? "

falcon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 1:44 PM:

" L, How do you make your text bold? "

falcon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 1:42 PM:

" L, Bush will go down as one of the greatest presidents in history. Right next to Ronald Reagan. Reagan won the cold war without firing a shot, and Bush defeated terrorism and installed a democracy right in the heart of the middle east. That democracy will shine as a light of freedom for the other countries in that region like Iran. I dont think that he will be next to Carter and Clinton at the bottom. Ha Ha Ha...... "

falcon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 1:35 PM:

" L, What is funny is that you attribute the balanced budget to liberal democrats. I cant stop laughing at that. The only reason that the budget was balanced, was that spending was not out pacing income. Spending controlled by the house of representatives. At the time the Republicans controlled it. They then got greedy and started to spend too much and they were removed from power. They deserved it. Also, I am sure that Reagan's proposed budgets were far less in the red than the liberal democrats at the time. It would be interesting to go back and look. "

falcon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 1:29 PM:

" ID, Were the hell were you? Carter had us in double digit interest rates running around 20% telling us we just had to deal with it. The economy was in shambles. Reagan lowered taxes, got the fed to lower interest rates and the economy started working again. Reagan's philosophy of lowering taxes spurred on economic growth. The economy grew. "

Ivan Dixon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 12:42 PM:

" I love Ronald Reagan as much as the next patriotic American but to say that the economy was great in the 80s seems like a bit of a stretch. "

Leonard wrote on Jul 22, 2008 11:10 AM:

" falcon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 10:35 AM:

" L, How was it that when Reagan was president, he had a liberal congress that ran deficits, and the economy was great


How many balanced budgets did Reagan send to Congress? "

Leonard wrote on Jul 22, 2008 11:09 AM:

" falcon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 10:29 AM:

" Also, the budget deficit has been reduced from 3.5% of GDP in 2003 to 1.9% GDP in 2006


Bush, who started with a surplus, ran an enormous deficit in 2006. If that is what you Repugs call sound finance it might go along way towards explaining the current state of the country.

In any case, estimates are showing that the deficit for the current fiscal year will break all records, for the most part due to run away executive funding requests and diminished revenues.

Spin all you want there is no way you will turn this sows ear into a silk purse. George W. Bush has been a disaster for the economy, just as he has been for every other aspect of the national well being. He has failed on every front and he will certainly go down as The Worst President in History "

falcon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 10:35 AM:

" L, How was it that when Reagan was president, he had a liberal congress that ran deficits, and the economy was great? "

falcon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 10:33 AM:

" L, you need to stick around after Obama gets elected, so we can see the results of liberal economics. If he gets in with a liberal congress, 2 years to flip, just like Clinton. Another failed socialist attempt. "

falcon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 10:29 AM:

" Also, the budget deficit has been reduced from 3.5% of GDP in 2003 to 1.9% GDP in 2006, all well reducing taxes on the rich. Why would you change that result by increasing taxes on the rich? That is liberal economics. Backwards and incorrect. Economics is not liberal democrats strong point. "

falcon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 10:27 AM:

" L, Ha ha ha ha... Bush has been wanting to drill for more oil since day one. Who has hindered oil exploration in the past 7 years? Who wants to repeal the Bush tax cuts? Who wants to repeal the inheritance tax? Who wants to increase regulation? Who wants to increase taxes on the oil companies? If you think that the democrats would balance the budget... there is no way. The only reason that Clinton had a balanced Budget was because the republicans in congress did it. "

Leonard wrote on Jul 22, 2008 10:00 AM:

" falcon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 9:32 AM:

" L, Can you imagine if we had not lowered taxes


Yes I can. The rich would be slightly less rich and the country would be considerably less in debt.

What a horrible nightmare....

Do you have any understanding of the role of deficit spending in the economy? Among other things, deficits drive down the value of the dollar which results in inflationary spirals like the one we are seeing across the board and most specifically in the energy market. When combined with negligible economic growth (ala W) this results in chronic stagflation and economic hardship for the American people.

If you had any sense, you would hang your head in shame and beg the American people's forgiveness for your small part in causing this National Disaster. "

Leonard wrote on Jul 22, 2008 9:53 AM:

" Give me a break Falcon. Under Clinton, the country moved from a enormous deficit to a surplus. The minute the check of the Democrat President was removed the Republicans launched themselves on a spree of spending that broke the record books.

No matter how you cut it, reducing income while increasing spending is a recipe for bankruptcy.

This is the legacy of the Bush Economic Catastrophe and it is one that our great grandchildren will still be paying for a hundred years from now. "

falcon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 9:32 AM:

" L, Can you imagine if we had not lowered taxes? Can you imagine if spending was greater? That is the liberal recipe. Higher taxes, more regulation, bigger government. I will agree that the Republicans did not contain spending like they should have, but Democrats increase taxes as well. If Obama increases taxes, increases the size of government, increases regulation, restricts oil exploration, it will be a Carter like depression. "

Jeff wrote on Jul 22, 2008 9:01 AM:

" Carter...wasn't he the one who emphasized energy conservation and a reduction in dependence on foreign oil? What a quack!

And I agree about Obama on economics. He needs an adviser like McCain's top economic advisor, former Senator Phil Gramm. That guys great! He helped lobby for the de-regulation that led to the sub-prime mortgage crisis AND the impact of oil speculation driving the oil market. Wow, that's a spectacular feat. Anyone who disagrees... any idea of a bad economy, it's just in your head, and stop whining. Bunch of whiners... Phil Gramm's not whining. Heck he's still lobbying for mortgage companies. He doesn't have ecomonic problems. "

Leonard wrote on Jul 22, 2008 7:33 AM:

" It seems to me that, if you are making a list of economically inept Presidents, George W. Bush ought to be right up there towards the top.

Moving the Federal Government from a surplus to the largest deficit in HISTORY is an accomplishment that deserves notice, particularly when it was done with your own party controlling Congress. "

falcon wrote on Jul 22, 2008 7:25 AM:

" Regardless, Obama seems to be following in the liberal socialist footsteps of those who have been on the wrong side of history, so many times. That coupled with his total ineptitude of basic economic priciples, slides him into the same catagory as Carter. "

Leonard wrote on Jul 22, 2008 5:40 AM:

" Brian wrote on Jul 22, 2008 12:18 AM:

Will those who had the courage to vote for the surge be thanked by Obama by making it possible for him to visit Iraq under these good conditions?


I think it would be more appropriate for Obama to thank the brave men and women who have fought to bring some measure of security to the country. In that context, thanking the comfortable Congressmen who voted to send the troops there, most of whom are Chickenhawks like yourself, would be a little absurd. "

Brian wrote on Jul 22, 2008 12:22 AM:

" Obama's slogan should be: YES YES YES
TO NO NO NOES. This seems fitting. "

Brian wrote on Jul 22, 2008 12:18 AM:

" Iraq would not be so safe and I doubt Obama would be visiting there if the surge had not worked. He did vote against the surge. Will those who had the courage to vote for the surge be thanked by Obama by making it possible for him to visit Iraq under these good conditions? I suspect not. "

Bob Hussein Loblaw wrote on Jul 21, 2008 8:18 PM:

" I think it's an Uno deck. "

Ivan Dixon wrote on Jul 21, 2008 6:07 PM:

" I'm really fed up with these Bush haters saying that just because someone is unfit for command they shouldn't be President.

I'd say that our Commander in Chief has done a pretty good job over the last eight years, considering the deck he's playing with. "

Cogito wrote on Jul 21, 2008 12:47 PM:

" Yeah Bill, I'll have to go with Leonard on this one too. The reasons that Obama is unfit for the office of president are vast and boundless, but this isn't one of them. "

T & C wrote on Jul 21, 2008 8:54 AM:

" The oil companies have BILLIONS AND BILLIONS in PROFITS! Building an Envoromentally safe Refinery on the midwest, east and west coasts would refines more gas and more supply means a lower price per gallon! But the oil companies do NOT want MORE PRODUCTION! THey love things just the way they are! "

nextel wrote on Jul 21, 2008 7:32 AM:

" Bill, looks like F.W. in your case means "Facts wrong." Leo and Voter just killed this letter with facts and reason. Nice try Billy. "

voter wrote on Jul 21, 2008 7:05 AM:

" Here's my favorite sentence: "It is indeed a shame that we as a nation squander our vast God-given natural resources, which happen to dwarf any other nation's potential."

Squander??? Get a dictionary out, Bill. Mr. Obama's policies would promote the opposite--conservation of nonrenewable resources and a steady shift to cleaner, more renewable options. "

Leonard wrote on Jul 21, 2008 3:57 AM:

" Stamos should do his homework

Well, it looks like Wild Bill Stamos has gone off half-cocked yet again. Bill, before you wasted your time scribbling this nonsense you might have bothered to look up the phrase Chain of Command. Fox News, your favorite source of information, describes the American Chain of Command as follows.

Running from the president to the secretary of defense to the commander of the combatant command, the chain of command for the United States military is spelled out by the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986. The secretaries of the military departments assign all forces under their jurisdiction to the unified and specific combatant commands to perform missions assigned by those commands.

Under the Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1958, the Departments of Army, Navy and Air Force were eliminated from the chain of "operational" command. Commanders of unified and specified commands now respond to the president and the secretary of defense through the joint chief of staff.


See Bill, a little simple homework with your favorite sources could have saved you all the embarrassment this letter will inevitably bring. "

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