tagged w/ state of the union
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After two days, approximately 2.7 million people have seen The Woman in Black. Approximately 37.8 million people saw The State of the Union Address. So far, the President still has more pull than Dan Radcliffe. But this is too close for my comfort.After two days, approximately 2.7 million people have seen The Woman in Black.... more
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I'm kind of wondering if more people have seen Daniel Radcliffe's new movie, The Woman in Black, than watched the State of the Union address.I'm kind of wondering if more people have seen Daniel Radcliffe's new movie,... more
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KB723
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added this
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4 months ago
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- I watched the SOTU speech- BRAVO! The President’s speech was masterful. He turned every bogus Republican talking point around and took them away from them. Pretty smart!
So, today, what were they left with? We hate rich people. Nope we don’t. People just want fairness.- I watched the SOTU speech- BRAVO! The President’s speech was masterful. He... more
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Obama's State of the Union speech sounded so amazing, that he would fight the feed-the-rich Republicans and protect the real people of America; the middle class! Wow did it sound like he was trying to grab a sound bite from Ron Paul or something... Pathetic I still remember the TARP bailouts and that his biggest 3 contributors for his campaign were Big Unions who work tirelessly to abolish the privileges of workers in Right to Works states (the real middle class).
Not to drag anything on but when Obama says "Every American should pay their fair share in taxes" doesn't he realize there's millionaires, billionaires and top 500 companies receiving huge tax breaks or how GE did not pay a single dime in taxes in his term or Mitt Romney having a 15% tax while teaches making $29,000/year are slapped with over 30% tax.
This is not the America our ancestors envisioned we must become the change we want to see.Obama's State of the Union speech sounded so amazing, that he would fight the... more
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WASHINGTON (AP) — It was a wish list, not a to-do list.
President Barack Obama laid out an array of plans in his State of the Union speech as if his hands weren't so tied by political realities. There can be little more than wishful thinking behind his call to end oil industry subsidies — something he could not get through a Democratic Congress, much less today's divided Congress, much less in this election year.
And there was more recycling, in an even more forbidding climate than when the ideas were new: He pushed for an immigration overhaul that he couldn't get past Democrats, permanent college tuition tax credits that he asked for a year ago, and familiar discouragements for companies that move overseas.
A look at Obama's rhetoric Tuesday night and how it fits with the facts and political circumstances:
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OBAMA: "We have subsidized oil companies for a century. That's long enough. It's time to end the taxpayer giveaways to an industry that's rarely been more profitable, and double-down on a clean energy industry that's never been more promising."
THE FACTS: This is at least Obama's third run at stripping subsidies from the oil industry. Back when fellow Democrats formed the House and Senate majorities, he sought $36.5 billion in tax increases on oil and gas companies over the next decade, but Congress largely ignored the request. He called again to end such tax breaks in last year's State of the Union speech. And he's now doing it again, despite facing a wall of opposition from Republicans who want to spur domestic oil and gas production and oppose tax increases generally.
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OBAMA: "Our health care law relies on a reformed private market, not a government program."
THE FACTS: That's only half true. About half of the more than 30 million uninsured Americans expected to gain coverage through the health care law will be enrolled in a government program. Medicaid, the federal-state program for low-income people, will be expanded starting in 2014 to cover childless adults living near the poverty line.
The other half will be enrolled in private health plans through new state-based insurance markets. But many of them will be receiving federal subsidies to make their premiums more affordable. And that's a government program, too.
Starting in 2014 most Americans will be required to carry health coverage, either through an employer, by buying their own plan, or through a government program.
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OBAMA, asking Congress to pay for construction projects: "Take the money we're no longer spending at war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use the rest to do some nation-building right here at home."
THE FACTS: The idea of taking war "savings" to pay for other programs is budgetary sleight of hand. For one thing, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been largely financed through borrowing, so stopping the wars doesn't create a pool of ready cash, just less debt. And the savings appear to be based at least in part on inflated war spending estimates for future years.
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OBAMA: "Through the power of our diplomacy a world that was once divided about how to deal with Iran's nuclear program now stands as one."
THE FACTS: The world is still divided over how to deal with Iran's disputed nuclear program, and even over whether the nuclear program is a problem at all.
It is true that the U.S., Europe and other nations have agreed to apply the strictest economic sanctions yet on Iran later this year. But the global sanctions net has holes, because some of Iran's large oil trading partners won't go along. China, a major purchaser of Iran's crude, isn't part of the new sanctions and, together with Russia, stopped the United Nations from applying similarly tough penalties.
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OBAMA: "Tonight, I want to speak about how we move forward, and lay out a blueprint for an economy that's built to last - an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values."
THE FACTS: Economists do see manufacturing growth as a necessary component of any U.S. recovery. U.S. manufacturing output climbed 0.9 percent in December, the biggest gain since December 2010. Yet Obama's apparent vision of a nation once again propelled by manufacturing — a vision shared by many Republicans — may already have slipped into the past.
Over generations, the economy has become ever more driven by services; not since 1975 has the U.S. had a surplus in merchandise trade, which covers trade in goods, including manufactured and farm goods. About 90 percent of American workers are employed in the service sector, a profound shift in the nature of the workforce over many decades.
The overall trade deficit through the first 11 months of 2011 ran at an annual rate of nearly $600 billion, up almost 12 percent from the year before.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hmMd4Wbbpt4uXU36QnBNy3rmXQdg?docId=8b722f1b0bfc42768fd73804663b8955WASHINGTON (AP) — It was a wish list, not a to-do list.
President Barack... more
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confess; I expected to be bored out of my mind listening to President Obama’s campaign - I mean, State of the Union - I mean campaign, speech.
It turned out that my pre-determination proved accurate. I wonder if the members of Congress felt the same sense of same déjà vu that I did, as they were bopping up and down and applauding.
Obama's speech was a compilation of highlights from his past ones. One part optimism, two parts repetition equals one total uninspiring.
1) The cost of healthcare insurance
2) Student Loan Defaults
3) Youth unemployment
4) Big banks
5) Small banks
6) Borrowers
7) Recent regulator incompetence
8) MF Global and customer money
9) Banks hoarding
10) Obama conveyed that we dodged a bullet with getting the banking system under control. He didn’t note the rising risk in the banking system: the largest four US banks (JPM Chase, Citibank, Bank of America and Goldman Sachs) control nearly 95% of the US derivatives market, which has grown by 20% since just last year, to $235 trillion JPM Chase holds 11% of the world’s derivative exposure, Citibank, Bank of America, and Goldman comprise about 7% each. Goldman has 537 times as many (from 440 times last year) derivatives as assets and it’s still considered a bank holding company (as per Bernanke) that gets federal backing.confess; I expected to be bored out of my mind listening to President Obama’s... more
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Tuesday night, President Obama talked about the state of the country. He touched on unemployment and he talked about how he wants to change things in Washington, by making the rich pay their fair share.
The President seemed to be very focused on the numbers when it comes to Warren Buffett's secretary and the gap between rich and poor.
There are some numbers he didn't touch.
We take a look at the state of our Union, by the numbers.
It's a Reality Check you won't see anywhere else.
Copyright 2012 FOX19. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.fox19.com/story/16593670/reality-check-the-state-of-our-union-by-the-numbers?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=6671476Tuesday night, President Obama talked about the state of the country. He touched on... more
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By Eriq Gardnercurrent.com
Tonight, President Barack Obama delivers the fourth and last State of the Union in his first term. The speech is being delivered amid intense partisan bickering and an economy that might be improving, but still is a long ways off from delivering anything near equality and stability for the country’s 300-plus million citizens.
What to expect? No doubt the rhetoric will be sharp, and the pomp and grandeur high. Will it be powerful as well? Lyndon B. Johnson, who delivered the first SOTU in primetime, once complained that his speechwriters had given him “50 pages of vomit.” We’ll trust Obama’s keen sense of oratory won’t let that happen. Will it be succinct? Jimmy Carter’s last SOTU was 33,667 words long and Bill Clinton once droned on for nearly an hour-and-a-half. Unfortunately, in past SOTUs, Obama has shared the tendencies by his Democratic predecessors to go long. Will it be entertaining? Harry Truman in 1947 was the first one to give his SOTU on television, and unfortunately, the production values haven’t greatly improved since then.
But there’s still reason to tune into Obama’s big speech tonight for the chance it will be memorable.
Here are some big things to watch tonight:
By Eriq Gardnercurrent.com
Tonight, President Barack Obama delivers the... more
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This is why activism matters.
Six months ago, the Obama Administration was set to approve one of the single most environmentally disastrous fossil fuel projects imaginable.
Today, it's dead.
The Keystone XL pipeline - designed to bring filthy tar sands oil from Canada to refineries on the Gulf Coast of Texas so that oil companies can profit by selling the oil overseas - was dealt a severe setback Wednesday when President Obama said no to an election year blackmail threat by the American Petroleum Institute and its lackeys in Congress.
But President Obama didn't reject Keystone XL because he wanted to. Or because he thought it was the right thing to do. Or because he thought it would help his reelection campaign. He rejected it because you made him do it.
It's a victory for activists. But because the President rejected the pipeline on a narrow technicality,1 in no way has he set down a clear marker against the pipeline or the carbon bomb that burning Canadian tar sands oil in China represents.
We want to thank the many groups and thousands of activists, who, following the inspiring call of Bill McKibben, joined us in putting massive public pressure on the President. In fact, CREDO waged the single largest activism campaign in our history.2
It was this pressure that forced President Obama to initially delay the decision in November. And it was this pressure, combined with the Republicans' overzealous and irresponsible demand of a 60-day deadline that forced him to reject the pipeline permit.
Our pressure overcame the lies and propaganda of Republicans and oil giants, and their threats of massive political consequences if he didn't approve it.
Rejecting this pipeline was the right thing to do. But by rejecting it purely on a technicality, there are many things President Obama did not do:
•He did not close the door to this pipeline once and for all. In fact, he specifically opened the door to the southern portion of Keystone XL, which would allow this oil to be exported overseas -- the real reason TransCanada wanted Keystone XL in the first place.
•He did not explain the imperative of stopping not just this project, but others that will expedite disastrous warming. Just the opposite -- he touted the need to expand oil and gas drilling and made no mention of clean energy.
•He did not refute the lies of Republicans and polluters, whose biggest "jobs plan" is a foreign oil pipeline whose chief purpose is to export oil overseas.
The time to lead us away from dirty fuels and prevent escalating global catastrophes from climate change is here. And President Obama still can.
Tell President Obama: It's time to lead on climate. Make the case in your State of the Union Address.
Until President Obama makes a clear and compelling case to the American people for sweeping action to reduce our dependence on any and all fossil fuels, the pace of our transition will remain slower than what is required to stem the onrushing danger of climate pollution.
Until he refutes the false choice presented by Big Oil and Republicans -- that we must choose between a clean energy future and a stable economy - he empowers and remains vulnerable to their attacks.
Until he shows his commitment to clean energy over dirty fossil fuels, the energy of progressive activists will be spent fighting individual bad decisions, instead of pushing to support needed progressive policies.
And ultimately, until President Obama takes the opportunity for a true moment of leadership that publicly raises the stakes on the fight to stabilize our climate, the State of our Union will remain deeply clouded.
More at the linkThis is why activism matters.
Six months ago, the Obama Administration was set to... more
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A number of us wishing to do more to achieve the reform of government that is being demanded, have decided to put a name to the (collective) efforts which constitute this movement. It is merely, The Reform Revolution.
We are openly asking Russ Feingold to act as an advisor on congressional reform.
We are openly asking Matt Taibbi to serve as an advisor on financial reform.
We are asking for suggestions and recommendations of others to act as advisors on these same issues, plus on the military, the budget, entitlements and all primary issues which are seriously affecting the state of the union and the people therein.
All are welcome to participate in the reclaiming and reforming of our government. All are welcome to contribute ideas and suggestions which need acting upon, in order to facilitate achieving these objectives. We particularly need the participation of those who can literally help organize and perform, actions and events which contribute to reform. Those who are unable to participate in actual events, may be able to help coordinate them.
At this time, we recommend interacting with USUncut.org to help coordinate protests of those issues and concerns which currently contribute to the corruption of government and the country. We believe that the best next step is to ramp up, and maximize the benefit of, those protests that have already begun in Wisconsin and beyond, which can best be coordinated by utilizing the US Uncut site. We ask that you expand upon those protests by introducing other relevant issues to them, and address the broader issue, and not merely a symptom of it. Since there is no central planning to US Uncut, we encourage more communication on that issue herein.
At this time, we encourage protests at every state capitol where legislative attacks on the rights, liberties and freedoms of individuals is being waged. And that battle is being waged all around the country. We believe in perpetual protests, continuing until the issue being protested is resolved in the people's favor.
We also encourage the protest of every corporation, their subsidiaries and products, that are socially parasitic, destructive of the environment or are aggressively antisocial. Please post the corporations, products and services which you identify as such, herein.
We will continue to use this forum to communicate for now. However, this particular thread is meant more for action related communication, as opposed to pure philosophical expression. Thank you, from each of us who are committing ourselves to reclaiming the legacy that was bequeathed to us by our founding fathers, for any and all effort that you can contribute to our common cause.A number of us wishing to do more to achieve the reform of government that is being... more
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With so many people vying for employment these days, there was no way we could get around to all the video resumes out there. Check out a few of the moments that didn't make Viral Video Film School's "Video Resumes" segment.
Viral Video Film School is a recurring segment on the weekly television show infoMania. In each episode of VVFS, Professor Brett Erlich teaches you valuable skills in the discipline of Viral Video making. So sit down, take notes, and try not to piss him off. For more Brett visit http://current.com/viral-video-film-school-im/ and Current TV.
infoMania is a weekly half-hour satirical show that puts a comedic spin on the 24/7 media overload. Picture the ultimate office water-cooler, only with funnier co-workers who willingly stay up late imbibing all forms of media so you don't have to. Hosted by Brett Erlich and co-starring Sergio Cilli, Erin Gibson, Ben Hoffman and Bryan Safi, infoMania airs on Thursdays at 11/10c on Current TV.
Go to http://current.com/infomania for more, and make sure to check out our Facebook profile for special features at http://facebook.com/infomania.With so many people vying for employment these days, there was no way we could get... more
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I'm With Stupid should be the new Tea Party slogan.
Don’t you love people who shoot themselves in the foot? I sure do. It makes me very happy and few things make me very happy. Like a Percocet and a cup of coffee first thing in the morning. Or watching the snow fall from my bedroom window, which overlooks downtown Manhattan. Red Carpet arrivals always make me happy, too. But in the case of Michele Bachmann and Sarah Palin, their perfunctory need to yattle off at the mouth–spewing Tea Party nonsense–well, it makes me very happy. Sure, my work is cut out for me, in my zeal and commitment to render them useless. But thankfully, they help me along the way because every time they say something, it is as though they shoot themselves in the foot.
Michele Bachmann’s rebuttal to President Barack Obama’s speech on Tuesday proved how desperate she is to be the key voice of the Republican Party. And Sarah Palin is by no means willing to give up her place in the spotlight for Bachmann, who doesn’t have as good a head of hair. My suggestion is that we do a special episode of MTV’s Celebrity Death Match with these two broads and “May the best woman win”, as per Ru Paul. Oh and ny the way Michele, next time you make a grand weeping statement to the United States, talk into the camera. You looked retarded. And Sarah, figures you would have a comment about Sputnik, since you can see Russia from your backyard. To quote Bugs Bunny, “What a bunch of maroons.”
Read more: http://imeanwhat.com/youcallthisfashion/sarah-palin-and-michele-bachmann-as-in-turner-overdrive#ixzz1CLsC6MPmI'm With Stupid should be the new Tea Party slogan.
Don’t you love... more
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A must watch if you like to see power hungry morons confronted on indefensible claims.
Chris Matthews does a nice job parsing the rhetoric of Michelle Bachmann's state of the union "balloonheaded" response and putting it to Tea Party founder Sal Russo. Finally, a morsel of sanity and interjected into revisionist history and political catch phrase-ism. Russo, definitely wasn't ready.A must watch if you like to see power hungry morons confronted on indefensible claims.... more
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Clip is from last night...
Ron Paul joins Wolf Blitzer on CNN's Situation Room to discuss the Republican responses to the State of the Union address, corporatism, the size of government, balanced budgets, congressional seating arrangements, and temporarily sharing D.C. living quarters with son, Senator Rand Paul.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=govRpIg_EOI&feature=player_embeddedClip is from last night...
Ron Paul joins Wolf Blitzer on CNN's Situation Room... more
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Chief Justice John Roberts will lead a contingent of six Supreme Court justices at the State of the Union address Tuesday night. That word from the Supreme Court, ending speculation that he would skip the event.Chief Justice John Roberts will lead a contingent of six Supreme Court justices at the... more
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Tonight at 9pm (Eastern, 6pm Pacific) millions of people will sit down in front of their television and watch the President deliver the 2011 State of the Union.Tonight at 9pm (Eastern, 6pm Pacific) millions of people will sit down in front of... more
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