Obama Administration

In just a few weeks, the United Nations general assembly will meet. They are expected to take up the demands of the Palestinians to be recognized as an independent nation. Already, more than 100 nations or counties have pledged their support for such a measure. Since the general assembly is overwhelmingly anti-Israel, the measure is expected to pass there. A veto in the Security Council by the United States would prevent it from talking full effect, but given the recent pro-Palestinian positions taken by the Obama administration and their repeated demands on Israel for concessions in the name of peace, such a veto is not a certainty.

Dear Editor, One of my greatest irritants is someone or some group that fails to take responsibility for their own actions. The Democrats have been in charge of the legislative branch of government for more than three years, and the executive branch for one and a half years; yet, they still blame the Bush administration for all of our problems. Maybe we should go back and blame President Truman for our problems with North Korea. If he had followed MacArthur’s advice instead of firing him, we might not have these problems.

"Sunshine is the best disinfectant," a great Kentuckian, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, once said. Brandeis understood that when government operates in the open, there is less likelihood of contamination by crooks and special interests. It is only when records and meetings are open that the people can know whether a county magistrate is in the pocket of a developer or a job applicant has a criminal record. They can know if a sex offender lives on their street, how much teachers are paid, how safe their water is, whether a restaurant has a rodent problem and what plans the Army has for disposing of chemical weapons near their city.

The Obama administration has come completely unhinged in trying to sell its “jobs plan.” In the latest of a long line of embarrassing gaffes, Vice President Joe Biden put forth the ridiculous notion that if Republicans don't support Obama's “jobs plan,” they must want to see more people raped and murdered. In a speech to public sector workers, Biden said, “I wish they (Republicans) had some notion of what it was like to be on the other side of a gun, or [to have] a 200-pound man standing over you, telling you to submit.” Aside from the disgusting insensitivity of this remark, I have news for Mr. Biden; the police cannot completely prevent crime, they can only respond to it. To make his ludicrous point, Biden cited erroneous statistics about rising violent crime rates, which the Associated Press later debunked.

The Obama administration does not understand market economies, or they have no trouble lying about it for political purposes. Private equity firms play an essential role in a robust economy, even as they are maligned by people who do not understand the big picture or whose own ox has been gored by reality. The essential truth is: A firm does not come to the attention of private equity entrepreneurs unless it is in deep trouble. The trouble may be due to mismanagement or the fact it is in a declining industry.

Dear Editor, The tragic death of Michael Jackson casts attention on yet another tragic situation. While the exact number won't be known for some time, estimates are the heirs of Michael Jackson will have to pony up maybe $80 million to the federal government, and have only nine months to do it in, thanks to the death tax. Had Michael Jackson waited six more months to die, his heirs would have owed nothing. In 2010, the death tax will be eliminated thanks to the vision and sense of fairness of former President Bush, who understood there was never a good reason for any tax on death to exist.

Dear Editor, What a joke the Tea Party protests have turned out to be. How can anyone justify protesting "wasteful spending" when the protesters themselves wasted tons of perfectly good tea, either dumping it in rivers or mailing it to the White House? How is attempting to dump a million tea bags into the Potomac River a true protest against frivolous spending? Has our nation truly lost sight about what is important for our future? These same protesters have ignored the mounting problems of environmental degradation, the nearly decade-long war without a cause, the ridiculous spending sprees of previous generations, and the mounting poverty within our own communities.

Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer praised the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for delaying implementation of an enhanced feed ban rule that would have made it far more difficult and expensive for livestock producers to dispose of dead animal carcasses. "I'm grateful that the FDA listened to the people whose livelihoods will be affected by this rule," Farmer said. "This delay will provide additional time for producers, renderers and haulers to determine how we can comply with the rule and still make sure farmers have an affordable and accessible means of disposing of dead animals.