Presidential Legacy At Risk

[From article]
He boasts a rather impressive legacy, in the negative column. How many presidents, after all, have managed to increase federal spending by one-fifth and the national debt by two-thirds? What president can compete with him on having expanded presidential power via executive action, often without legal authority? Next to him, Nixon and LBJ look like schoolgirls. And who even comes close to his electoral record? Under Mr. Obama, Democrats have lost 69 House seats, 13 Senate seats, both houses of Congress, 12 governorships, 30 state legislative chambers, and more than 900 state legislative seats. Let no one say this man was inconsequential.
[. . .]
Our 44th president is as a political albatross and increasingly reminds one of the hapless Jimmy Carter in his final, miserable days. Indeed, the parallels with 1980 are eerie: Russia on the march, Iranian mullahs chanting “Death to America,” the economy stuck in the doldrums -- and so on.
[. . .]
The list is seemingly endless
[. . .]
A Third Iraq War is no longer out of the question, and would be an ironic legacy for the 2009 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Prognosis: war.
A nuclear Iran. [. . .] Prognosis (for Israel): poor.
[. . .]
Although Democrats are celebrating the fall of headline unemployment below 5 percent, the real unemployment rate is closer to 10 percent.
[. . .]
Even if the Fed holds off for now, the deficit, which is currently $439 billion, is expected to rise to $540 billion by 2020.

 

[. . .]
If the costly new [EPA] rules aren’t stopped, U.S. coal-fired power plants, and affordable energy prices, can be expected to undergo manmade extinction.
[. . .]
This month UnitedHealthcare, the nation’s largest insurer, announced it has lost so much money on Obamacare, it will pull out of the program altogether unless it receives a multi-billion-dollar bailout. And then there’s the Cadillac Tax, a grand time bomb ticking away in the background and scheduled to go off in 2018.
[. . .]



Over the past decade, the food stamps program has nearly doubled in size from 26 million to 46 million recipients (one in seven Americans) and more than doubled in cost from $29 billion to $64 billion a year.
[. . .]



SSDI enrollment has exploded over the past twenty years from 2.8 percent of the working-age population to 5.1 percent; lax rules have morphed the program into a form of unemployment insurance. For Democrats, the only entitlement “reforms” they’ll discuss are proposals to make the programs bigger
[. . .]
in the wake of the riots in Ferguson and Baltimore -- racially charged tragedies that Mr. Obama has tried to exploit for partisan gain. [. . .] Prognosis: mayhem.
[. . .]
Freedom of speech, religious liberty, the rights of conscience, and even intelligible grammar and clear thought, must all be sacrificed to the gods of sexual liberation. Prognosis: sustained unpleasantness, with a chance of civil unrest.

http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2015/12/obamas_real_legacy_ten_ticking_time_bombs.html

December 3, 2015
Obama's Real Legacy: Ten Ticking Time Bombs
By Dean F. Clancy

White House Secret Deal Giving Away American Jobs, Businesses

[From article]

In a letter to the president, Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions expressed deep distrust that the deal is good for America, citing past free-trade deals that he said led to job cuts and didn't deliver on promises that trade deficits would be cut.
Sessions, quoting a former steel industry executive, said that U.S. free trade policy has become "unilateral trade disarmament and enablement of foreign mercantilism."
The Trans-Pacific Partnership would be one of the biggest trade deals in U.S. history, and would be among the first that could zip through Congress after it passes the controversial Trade Promotion Authority, or "fast track" legislation.
Sessions and others are worried that not enough is known about TPP. The agreement is being kept in a room only for visual review by those cleared to see it, leading Sessions and others to call it a "secret." He raised questions earlier last week.

He wrote Obama that TPP "will be kept a closely-guarded secret until after Congress agrees to yield its institutional powers and provide the administration with a guaranteed fast track to adoption."
Sessions drew special attention to a clause calling the treaty with Asian nations a "living agreement." Foes believe that those words will allow it to be changed and added to after Congress signs off. Sessions wants a promise that none of that will happen.
[What good are promises? The White House Never keeps them.]

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/article/2564101

Sessions hits 'secret' trade deal: 'Unilateral trade disarmament'
BY PAUL BEDARD

MAY 6, 2015 | 4:52 PM
* * *

[From article]
“Baltimore was once a city where tens of thousands of blue collar employees earned a good living in industries building cars, airplanes and making steel. … In 1970, about a third of the labor force in Baltimore was employed in manufacturing. By 2000, only 7 percent of city residents had manufacturing jobs.”
Put down blue-collar Baltimore alongside Motor City, Detroit, as another fatality of free-trade fanaticism.
[. . .]
And since Bill Clinton took office, the U.S. trade deficits have totaled $11.2 trillion.
An astronomical figure.
It translates not only into millions of manufacturing jobs lost and tens of thousands of factories closed, but also millions of manufacturing jobs that were never created, and tens of thousands of factories that did not open here, but did open in Mexico, China and other Asian countries.
[. . .]
Our political and corporate elites sold out working- and middle-class America — to enrich the monied class.
And they sure succeeded.
[. . .]
Though, like the alcoholic who does not realize his condition until he is lying face down in the gutter, it may be a while before we get out of the empire business and start looking out again, as our fathers did, for the American republic first. But that day is coming.

http://buchanan.org/blog/on-a-fast-track-to-national-ruin-15962

On a Fast Track to National Ruin
Friday - May 8, 2015 at 12:30 am
By Patrick J. Buchanan

Current Economic State Of US

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303561504577497442109193610.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop

September 16, 2012, 7:03 p.m. ET
The Magnitude of the Mess We're In
The next Treasury secretary will confront problems so daunting that even Alexander Hamilton would have trouble preserving the full faith and credit of the United States.
By George P. Shultz, Michael J. Boskin, John F. Cogan, Allan H. Meltzer and John B. Taylor

Will Republicans Rise To The Challenge?

http://townhall.com/columnists/patbuchanan/2012/06/01/ann_romney_asks_the_right_question

Ann Romney Asks the Right Question
Pat Buchanan
TownHall.com
June 1, 2012

Smoke and Mirrors in DC

[From article]
"And according to several analysts, the numbers say that Congress and the president have not even begun to solve the government’s overspending.
The recent federal-spending deal called for an initial $917 billion in cuts over the next decade."

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/analysts_debt_deal_not_up_to_the_N21IRtnKCiP1zhO764C2AM

Analysts: debt deal not up to the job
By GREGORY BRESIGER
New York Post
Last Updated: 3:03 AM, August 21, 2011
Posted: 10:02 PM, August 20, 2011

Ignoring Recent History?

Politician progeny Pelosi promised no deficit spending and the most ethical Congress ever. She delivered enormous deficit spending and the most lawless Congress in history. She remains in leadership of US House. Why should anyone believe Andrew Cuomo, the son of a New York Governor?

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/new_gov_opens_fire_on_albany_Fmv4W2lKqYRoJWvYOvOSpI

Cuomo vows more open, leaner, cleaner state
By BRENDAN SCOTT and FREDRIC U. DICKER Post Correspondents
New York Post
Last Updated: 1:18 PM, January 2, 2011
Posted: 2:08 AM, January 2, 2011

US Treasury in Big Trouble

[From article]
"In recent weeks US Treasury bonds have lost their status as the world's safest invest ment.[. . .]
bond buyers know that the Democrats gamed the CBO system to get a good score.
[. . .]
The bill won't lower deficits, but raise them by $562 billion over 10 years.
[. . .]
On Sunday, 219 House Democrats, soothed by their leaders' gaming of the CBO scoring process, voted in reckless disregard of what the bond market has been telling them."

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/uncle_sam_credit_risk_qJVuVgOm8iOIr9dnEC4jXO

Uncle Sam, credit risk
US headed toward insolvency
By MICHAEL BARONE
New York Post
Last Updated: 10:50 AM, March 27, 2010
Posted: 12:25 AM, March 27, 2010

Dangers of US Deficit

[From article]
"The "tipping point" we see in Greece (and the "contagion countries" on the edges of Europe) occurs when debt exceeds 100 percent of the country's GDP. That's the signal that a nation will be unable to pay its bills -- jeopardizing financial stability.
[. . .]
Pre-TARP, gross federal debt was 70 percent of GDP. It's now estimated at about 90 percent of GDP. Add in the $1.6 trillion debt liability of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and we're already at that 100 percent debt-to-GDP tipping point."

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/the_dollar_danger_luL7pTDXhM8RIKyzNXFGkN

The dollar's danger
A debt-driven collapse?
By SCOTT S. POWELL
New York Post
Last Updated: 4:35 AM, March 25, 2010
Posted: 12:27 AM, March 25, 2010

National Financial Discipline Necessary


http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=122030

Is America's financial collapse inevitable?
Pat Buchanan
January 14, 2010
World Net Daily
8:10 pm Eastern

Obama Plays Fast and Loose With the Economy


"the bond market is petrified that Washington will continue to make shameless decisions on the federal deficit that would embarrass even the strongman of a banana republic."

"'quantitative easing' -- a fancy phrase for simply printing money to pay one's bills."

"The Obama administration likes to talk about the urgency for reducing the deficit. But this can't be done just be mouthing the words; the brain has to also be involved. And continuing government subsidies for every person and company under the sun is brainless."

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/housing_stimulus_without_ballooning_EW4sUi0ISpmk0M0A8eC9aN

Housing stimulus without ballooning the deficit
John Crudele
New York Post
Last Updated: 3:26 AM, October 29, 2009
Posted: 1:05 AM, October 29, 2009

Health Care Bill Will Increase Deficits


http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/baucus_hefty_bill_NzGbmqXVS0j3yVOUfyCb6L

Baucus' hefty bill
Heavy hit on middle class
By SALLY PIPES
New York Post
Last Updated: 9:16 AM, October 9, 2009
Posted: 1:21 AM, October 9, 2009

US Money Woes Worsen


"just go down into the basement and print money."
[. . .]
"annual deficits of "just" $200 billion used to be unheard of. And that kind of spending happened mostly during major wars."
[. . .]
"our government now owes $4.41 trillion to Social Security, which -- despite all the accurately dire predictions -- is still taking in more money each year than it is paying out."
[. . .]
"the US Treasury, where money is being printed and then lent to ourselves.

That's called "quantitative easing" and this brilliant idea is the product of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's years in academia thinking about such theoretical nightmares."
[. . .]
"If you want to look at the official numbers your self, go to the Treasury's Web site: http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np The figures are right there in all their ugliness."

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/business/one_trillion_reasons_to_skip_new_ILwWVHbXUeorQXi1JjEHbO

One trillion reasons to skip a new stimulus plan
By John Crudele john.crudele (at) nypost.com
New York Post
Last Updated: 3:33 AM, October 8, 2009
Posted: 2:36 AM, October 8, 2009