The Law of the Sea treaty will sink America’s economy.
Guest Commentary By: Senator Orrin Hatch and Senator John Cornyn
Americans despise taxes. After all, one of the key issues that paved the way for the American Revolution was the unfair taxation that King George III levied against the Colonies.
Now some in the US Senate want to say yes to an international tax. It would be the first time in history that an international organization would possess taxing authority, and it would amount to billions of American dollars being transferred out of the US Treasury.
The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, or the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) is the vehicle through which such taxes would be imposed on U.S.-based commercial enterprises.
The treaty that Reagan refused to sign in 1982 is reappearing once again in the Senate. The truth is, LOST contains numerous provisions that hurt the U.S. economy at a time when we need more jobs – not fewer.
Under the guise of being for “the good of mankind, ” LOST would obligate the United States to share information and technology in what amounts to global taxes and technology transfer requirements that are really nothing more than an attempt to redistribute U.S. wealth to the Third World.
At the center of these taxes and transfers is the International Seabed Authority (ISA), a Kingston, Jamaica based supra-national governing body established by the treaty for the purpose of redistributing cash and technology from the “developed world” to the “developing world.”
Ceding authority to the ISA would mean that the sovereignty currently held by the U.S. over the natural resources located on large parts of the continental shelf would be lost. That loss would mean lost revenue for the US government in the form of lost royalties that the U.S. government collects from the production of those resources. According to the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf Task Force, which is currently mapping the continental shelf, the resources there “may be worth billions if not trillions” of dollars.
In case proponents of LOST have not noticed, the US is over $15 trillion in debt, and we still have more than 20 million Americans who can’t find a job. The last thing we need to do redistribute funds from our country to our economic and strategic competitors.
To make matters worse, the US would have no control over how or to whom the taxes and technology would be redistributed.
Undoubtedly funds that rightfully belong to the American taxpayer would be sent to corrupt governmental regimes, make dictators wealthier, and could even be used for activities directed against the United States and our interests.
Under the treaty, the transfer of these funds does not end with nation states. These royalty revenues would even be extended to “peoples who have not attained full independence or other self-governing status.” That means groups like the Palestinian Authority and potentially other groups with terrorist ties.
Proponents of the treaty will claim that the technology transfer portion of the treaty has been significantly changed. In truth, nations with mining and resource recovery technologies like the United States will be obligated to share those technologies with Third World competitors, and that is one of the many issues, which trouble those of us opposed to the treaty.
In other words, US companies would be forced to give away the very types of innovation that historically have made our nation a world leader while fueling our economic engine.
Under the best of US economic circumstances, the Senate should say no to such an egregious breach of the trust Americans have placed in us. Our current economic struggles are all the more reason to say no to a treaty that is all cost and no benefit.
Utah Republican Senator Orrin Hatch is the ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee. Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn is a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee.
What was once considered a great way to promote journalism education, the 2012 White House Correspondents Dinner (WHCD) was turned into a joke on everyone, including Obama himself.
Jimmy Kimmel’s Introduction
Jimmy Kimmel leaped to the stage like a joker juggling balls of fire and launching them at people in the audience for 24 long minutes.
Anybody who was anybody was knocked down in a form of deprecating humor, including Obama himself with Kimmel greeting Obama with “Shalom” and continuing throughout his speech throwing one liners at Obama while encouraging him to legalize marijuana and urging people to not engage in a nuclear war with Iran and demoralizing Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netaynuhu.
In mostly bad humor, Jimmy Kimmel had a few good ones liners against Obama. “Remember, when the Country rallied around in the hopes of a better tomorrow, that was hilarious. That was your best one yet.” With Obama shaking his head up and down while mouthing the words, “I know.” and ” There’s a term for someone like Barrack Obama, not 2 terms but…’ as well as his only insightful comment of the night where he states that America “use to march but now we occupy.”
Hot Mic Alert
During a slight pause in the momentum of the evening, Jay Carney (Obama’s Press Secretary) rushes up to the stage and speaks into the microphone asking for Obama’s microphone to be turned off because it was “hot” (aka live).
Another momentary pause. Obama recently had a hot mic on him when he spoke with the Russians saying that he needs more time to succumb to their demands since it is election season.
Obviously, that was an attempt to make a difficult situation during election season into a joke. As the old saying goes, when in times of deflecting, laugh and point fingers. Obama does both exceptionally well.
“Nobody would notice.’
Tonight was no exception. Obama’s voice booms into the room before his physical arrival, singing off key and slamming celebrities attending the event with a dose of humility by bashing himself on his grayed hair with an alarming statement, “Right now, Im like a 5 on a Just for Mens scale. I think I could go to 6 and nobody would notice.”
Oddly, this is a view that many people feel Obama acts on a Presidential day to day basis with concern to domestic and foreign affairs. Case in point- Obama’s Unconstitutional invasion into Libya without Congressional approval and violating the Wars Powers Act or slipping a government mandated health insurance clause in a 2000+ bill of Obamacare.
Obama’s jokes about his public perception.
After Obama finished making fun of himself (which, come to find out will be much needed as a forerunner to his speech)- he walks onto an American flag-less stage and proceeds to be 2 faced. Literally. He openly and warmly greets the same people that, two minutes, he called out. Almost everyone laughs, as if it is hilarious.
Obama then launches into the concerns with his public image and instead of correcting or even justifying his behavior, he openly mocks the concerns by “reintroducing himself to the American People” by playing upon his poor approval rating and public perception.
Obama jokingly comments that people blame him for blaming too many of his problems on Former President Bush and then, in the next sentence, blames Former President Bush for initiating the slippery slope of blame.
The entire speech was a series of deliberate mixed matches in speech in a more than obvious display of showmanship and acting ability.
Obama’s ‘reintroducing’ himself to the White House correspondents (journalists).
While Obama was ‘reintroducing himself’ in attempts to erase a negative image with his Presidency, Obama forcefully yet flippantly claims that his mother was born in Kansas, his father was born in Kenya and that he was born in Hawaii. Obama’s deceptive smile while speaking and literal wink– left most of the audience laughing as if Obama was a stand up comedian in a past life.
Of course, people stop finding the humor in things when it looks like they are being ganged up on so, eventually, Obama turned the knife on himself and showed pictures of himself 4 years ago with a winning smile and a halo angelic effect and then 4 years later as a gray hair ridden downcast man (in attempts at a sympathy vote) and then in another 4 years, his looks were compared to the actor,Morgan Freeman. Which, again, resulted in laughter.
Obama jokes about the excessive and needless spending of the GSA.
Then, Obama jokes that he is a glad that the WHCD was not ran by the GSA (General Services Administrators) who was known for a lavish $830,000 price tag billed at the taxpayers expense. Wasteful spending is not a joke and is part of the reason why our Country is in the serious financial difficulties that we are currently facing.
Backhanded compliments
Obama had a way of giving out backhanded compliments, showing his ability to twist words into genuine and warm sounding compliments. For example, congratulating the Huffington Post for winning the Pulitzer…. for not having authentic news, linking to other websites and having a ‘great’ business model.
Obama admits to eating dog meat
Then, in an incredibly grotesque response that even left Michelle Obama looking incredulous, Obama slams Sarah Palin asking “Whats the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull?” with the answer being, “that pit bulls taste delicious.. with a little soy sauce” which was an obvious attempt at humor at the admittance of Obama eating dog meat in the wilderness in attempts to take on the characteristics of the poor, forsaken dog, in Obama’s book, “Dreams of My Father”.
Then in a sense at another attempt at humor on a sickening subject of Obama eating the dog with his father and in attempts to laugh at himself (thus validating, all rumors that he really did eat a dog), Obama declares, “my step father always told me that it was a boy eat dog world out there!”
It wasn’t funny the first time and its definitely not funny the second time. Where is PETA’s outcry in this horrendous act of animal cruelty?
A dash of class warfare to add to the mix
An Obama speech wouldn’t be complete without a dash of class warfare. Obama further cements Romney’s perception as a 1% thus engaging Obama in his class warfare tactics by mentioning that Romney would have bought the hotel where the dinner was being held as a ‘fixer upper’, then again when saying that due to Romney having 2 degrees from Harvard, he is classified a ‘snob’ and then again, when Obama stated that Romney went to see the newly released movie, the Hunger Games (where people brutally attack each other for corporate sponsorship) in to which Obama commented sarcastically, “I bet this was a change of pace for him” and that “I didnt see it, there was not enough class warfare (in it) for me.”
Which again, resulted in everybody rip roaring Obama-is-so-funny laughter that would pierce your heart if you heard it first hand.
Wink, wink, nudge, nudge.
Afterward, Obama mock defended himself against a false ‘Woof PAC’, attacking Obama for mandating a dogs right to ride on the roof of a car, the ‘European dog socialism’, more government handouts, more government dependency, indoctrinating our children and the left wing social agenda::: all major concerns of the American People, Obama is laughing it off with a wave of his hands, a winning smile and a wink in the eye.
Literally. Obama was winking so much at the WHCD that you would think his contact lens was dry. Obama’s leering smile and glimmer of mischief in his eye while he tells the American People exactly what he is going to do with his 2nd term while making it sound like a joke so that the White House Correspondents know how to spin it for Obama was sickening and an obvious front on the intelligence of American People.
Obama’s admittance of a “secret agenda” during his last term in office.
Laughingly, Obama states that the Republicans think that he is going to “unleash some secret agenda for the next 4 years” in to which he leans into the microphone and says very deeply, almost demonically, “you’re absolutely right” which resulted in more laughter from the audience. How is this funny? Isn’t anybody concerned with Obama’s admittance that he has a secret agenda? Remember, behind every joke there is at least an ounce in Truth.
Then Obama jokes that with his first term, he finished the war on Iraq and with his 2nd term, his war will be on Christmas. Is there anybody taking Obama on a literal basis or are they charmed like a snake in a basket?
Hook, line and sinker.
Will the people see through the fog and realize that Obama just admitted what his radical tendencies will look like in a 2nd term or will they take the bait- hook, line and sinker?
With all these jokes being flung about as if we were in a comedy club, one begs the question to be asked- “who is really the punchline?”
Have you ever had to jump over a hurdle? Have you ever jumped over a hurdle with 100 pound weights? Which jump was easier?
That is the current modus operandi of Newt Gingrich’s campaign as he implements his own ‘Lean Six Sigma’ project and, as a result, scales back 1/3 of his staffers over the last week.
Lean Six Sigma is a managerial concept of Lean and Six Sigma that results in the elimination of the 7 kinds of wastes (Defects, Overproduction, Transportation, Waiting, Inventory, Motion/Redundancy and Overprocessing) within goods and service at a rate of 3.4 defects per million opportunities.
Anybody familiar with Six Sigma, can vouch for it’s effectiveness. Newt’s campaign team will now be leaner, stronger and more efficient than before as those 100 lbs weights were prohibiting him from jumping the hurdle. Only the exceptional remain. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
While there is the downfall of working with less, that’s not entirely a new concept to Gingrich’s campaign as his campaign has utilized fiscal responsibility in deciding to run a bare bones campaign and focus on big ideas. While money is an issue as it is in every campaign- Gingrich’s campaign is equipped with creative thinkers who can use a little but get a lot in return. Look at South Carolina, North Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.
What Gingrich lacks in money, he makes up for with creative thinking within his staff and hardcore dedication and support from his volunteers with many volunteers stepping up to do what the old staffers did- without pay. Many state that they are willing to volunteer because Newt is the “only experienced, conservative Choice” and that “it’s not about personal reward- it’s about doing what’s best for America”.
While political pundits are spinning one way, the reality- once again- is entirely different. All terminations are unpleasant and unemployment is unfavorable but when you need the best, sometimes the rest have to fall away so you can rebuild your base to be more efficient and productive. That is exactly what Newt Gingrich is doing and this reorganization will propel Newt to the top of the pack by the Tampa Convention this August.
Copyright (c) March 28, 2012. All rights reserved.
As much as the establishment and opposing candidates are pushing for Newt to drop out and are determined to convince the People that Newt should quit, Newt remains absolute and is full throttle ahead to the Tampa, FL Convention.
When he was asked on CBS’s This Morning “under what circumstances” he would end his campaign before the convention, Gingrich responded: “Probably none. I’ll be with you in Tampa. I have 176,000 donors at Newt.org. They want me to stay in the race.”
Later on Fox News’ Fox & Friends, Gingrich said voters in Illinois were telling him to stay in the race. “I think the people who are supporting me want to have sort of a Reagan-like visionary, a big ideas candidate,” he said.
But it’s not just Illinois, every state Newt stops at- he gets highly charged responses from people pleading with him to stay in the race.
Clear, Consistent, Conservative Choice
Denise Haywald, a Florida resident, agrees enthusiastically and explains why she is still involved in Newt’s campaign even though the Florida primary was Jan 31, 2012.
“Newt is the clear, consistent, conservative choice. We need a strong conservative to balance out Obama’s socialistic spiral. In a time of economic peril, we cannot afford any more on the job training. Newt is the only candidate who understands the nuts and bolts of the details of the Presidency and who has experience balancing the national budget for 4 straight years and bringing true entitlement reform. The main objective is to beat Obama and Newt is, by far, the best debater, has the most experience and the firmest backbone and voice needed to debate Obama. Besides, Newt is the only candidate who has put Obama on the defensive and that position is long overdue. No dispute, I stand with Newt!”
Santorum himself and Democrats for Santorum are encouraging Democrats to vote for Santorum in the Open Primary States.
Then there’s the whole issue of Santorum inviting Democrats via robocalls in Michigan and Ohio into the Republican Primary to vote for him knowing full well that they will vote for Obama in the general election.
In addition, there is also a campaign dubbed, ‘Operation Hilarity’ where Democrats are voting for Santorum in open primary states because they know that Obama will crush Santorum like a tin can in the debates. Watch an ad from ‘Democrats for Santorum”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9OXrnnmvdXg
United Against Romney
Let’s be real– it would help Santorum if Newt stayed in the race (which he will despite all the questionable talk) because Romney’s wall street funded Super Pac will have to spend money aggressively, attacking both Newt and Santorum (their current modus operandi) instead of just barreling Santorum with negative attack ads like Romney did to Newt during the Florida primary, where Romney spent $20 million in false, negative attack ads in efforts to blind the voters and knock Newt off message.
Newt agrees, “My view on that, is that the minute Romney has one opponent his Super PAC will drown that opponent in mud. That’s what happened to me in Iowa and Florida. It will eventually happen to Santorum and I think it is actually to our net advantage to keep Romney divided.”
Romney: No negative ad is too costly!
Meanwhile, Romney continues to spend money like he was printing it fresh off the press in attempts to cover his self proclaimed ‘progressive moderate’ record (watch here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtCuLjq_v0E) and to mischaracterize Newt with millions of dollars in false and misleading political ads (in in attempts to have people vote for him as the Anti-Newt candidate) which makes one question if Romney would continue Obama’s title as a ‘big spender’.
Newt on why he remains determined and his thoughts on the cancellation of the Georgia and Oregon Debate.
On a personal belief, Newt feels he has every need to stay in the race. “There are a lot of things I don’t agree with Romney and Santorum on. I don’t have an obligation to automatically salute as a conservative somebody who is a progressive moderate and somebody who ran up $1.7 trillion in debt. ” says the Former Speaker of the House, “Besides, if all the candidates are afraid to debate me- how can we feel confident that they are capable of debating Obama?” asks Newt referring to the cancellation of the Georgia CNN debate and the recently cancelled Oregon PBS debate.
Just like the Energizer Bunny; Newt keeps going and going and….
And so Newt and his campaign marches on, much like President George Washington and his troops on Christmas Day in 1776 (Learn more: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLUuiP5O7XA) in pursuit of the Truth, Justice and to be a prime example of God’s Grace and Glory.
Time will tell who reigns as the ultimate victor but you can place your bets on Newt being a strong influence at the Tampa, FL Convention.
Copyright (c) March 16, 2012. All rights reserved.
Approximately 20,000 portable surface-to-air missile and Russian made anti-tank missiles as well as rifle and anti aircraft ammunition have gone missing in Libya. A couple of those weapons are explained in the graphic above. (Click on to enlarge).
After a 6 month civil war that ended Qaddafi’s 42-year rule and sent him into hiding allowed the regime’s extensive armories to be fully exposed and available to looters, former rebel fighters or anyone with a truck to carry weapons away.
Weapons that could be used to knock down military planes, helicopters or drones as well as cause destruction and damage to innocent civilians.
With the US govt unsure as to who is leading the rebels in Libya and Defense Secretary Robert Gates stating that its “very possible that Al Qaeda is leading the rebellion” and the significance impact of Hamas and Hezbollah in the area makes this matter gravely serious not only for America’s security but also for Israel’s security.
Today, the White House released a press statement saying it will boost efforts to find and destroy the weapons stockpile and last week, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Libya’s new leaders to secure the chemical weapons and convention weapons supply.
Yet at the same time, visits by The Associated Press to weapons caches around Tripoli (the capital of Libya) show that many remain poorly guarded and have already been heavily looted.
AP reported that 12 rebels wandered around one site where a large hangar was strewn with the boxes of missing weapons. Rebels at another site were leaving with a load of tank shells they said they were taking to a safe place for storage. They acknowledged, however, that they’d found the site unguarded.
At one unguarded site, Bouckaert said he found 100,000 anti-tank and anti-personnel mines. Elsewhere, he found weapons caches hidden under fruit trees.
On a positive note, the U.N. chief weapons watchdog said Wednesday that Libya’s remaining chemical weapon stockpiles are believed to be secure but we must remain ever viligent.
Let’s pray that we find them and confiscate the weapons before they are used against us and/or our allies.
Copyright (c) September 28, 2011. All rights reserved.
Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV): “I have serious questions about the level of spending.”
Presidential Contender/Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA): “All the ideas that didn’t work with 850 billion dollars he now wants to try to get it to work with 450 billion. He has zero pay-fors. He’s got to quit being a candidate, and actually be president for awhile.”
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL): “He didn’t tell us where the money is coming from. Many of these proposals just won’t work.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY): “This isn’t a jobs plan. It’s a re-election plan. That’s why Republicans will continue to press for policies to empower job creators, not DC. Obama’s economic policies don’t work. His jobs plan is to try these same policies again, and then accuse anyone who doesn’t support them of being political or overly partisan.”
Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX): co-chairman of the “supercommittee” on deficit reduction: “The President wants us to find additional budget savings to pay for his $447 billion jobs plan. By asking the Joint Select Committee to increase the $1.5 trillion target to cover the full cost of his plan, the president is essentially tasking a committee designed to reduce the deficit to pay for yet another round of stimulus.”
Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI): Chairman, Ways and Means Committee: “We already have a difficult job trying to reduce the deficit with very little cooperation from the Democrats. Now he has given us a plan that won’t reduce the deficit by one penny. He wants us to spend more money on the same programs which have produced so few jobs.”
As reported on August 20, 2011 (read previous blog, New sub sea oil plumes found near the Deepwater Horizon oil platform) the oil sheen sitting nearly on top of the Deepwater Horizon rig (the location of the last year’s catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico) is quickly expanding.
On Wings of Care, California nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of wildlife, wild habitat, and natural ecosystems, flew over the reported oil sheen and the pilot Bonny Shumaker stated that the oil “stretched for miles with one continuous sheen stretching for nearly 10 miles.” (Pictured above. Credit: Press-Register/Jeff Dute).
To view the August 30, 2011 fly over of the oil spill (Credit: On Wings of Care) click below:
Robert Bea, an internationally prominent petroleum engineer and professor emeritus at the Berkeley campus of the University of California indicates that he feels that the primary source of the oil with the highest probability is the Macondo well/Deep Water Horizon rig.
“(It) looks suspicious. The point of surfacing about 1 mile from the well is about the point that the oil should show up, given the seafloor at 5,000 feet – natural circulation currents would cause the drift,” Bea said. “A Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) could be used to ‘back track’ the oil that is rising to the surface to determine the source. This should be a first order of business to confirm the source.”
On August 26, 2011- BP, the US Coast Guard, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, representatives from the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida as well as the GCIMT (Gulf Coast Incident Management Team) came together in New Orleans, LA to participate in a standard visual wellhead inspection via Remote Operated Vehicles of the Macondo Well (MC 252) and the relief well.
In the video- there were small, intermittent bubbles rising from cement ports at the base of the wellheads. These bubbles were determined to be nitrogen bubbles, a residual byproduct of the nitrifed foam used in setting the wells but no oil or hydrocarbons were found indicating a breach of the cement plug and/or the areas of the Macondo Well.
Yet samples of the sheen were analyzed by Louisiana State University researchers and tests showed it was a chemical match to the 4 million+ barrels of sweet Louisiana crude that gushed from BP’s exploding well.
Scientists suggest that perhaps it was trapped within the riser pipe or the rig itself which is still sitting at the bottom of the Gulf which could result in trapped oil floating out of the wreckage.
Another option is that the bacteria degraded the oil on the seafloor and the lighter fractions were released and floated to the surface although that oil would be considerably more weathered.
Now the questions are directed towards BP once again- how much oil is trapped, why has the wreckage not been salvaged and why has there not been a concentrated efforts on ways to clean up the ocean floor (and subsequently; add oxygen back into the dead zones?)
Copyright (c) August 31, 2011. All rights reserved.
While BP continues to assure Gulf Coast residents that the MacondoWell/ Deepwater Horizon oil spill that devastated our coastline less than a year and a half ago has been capped since September 2010 is no longer leaking any oil, recent reports and flyover pictures of approximately subsea oil plumes, 300 feet wide and separated from the next one by about that same distance, running roughly south to north near the Macondo Well (image left, Credit: Jonathan Henderson and Tarik Zawia) are showing otherwise.
There are several theories behind the fresh oil and, forewarning, none of them are pretty.
The 1st first theory is that the cap that was placed on the well is leaking. Although BP ignores this concern, it is still a very real possibility. Especially after Japan’s multiple severe earthquakes. It is logical to assume that considering the massive damage and the crippling of Japan’s nuclear plants- that the vibration of the earthquake could have reached the Gulf of Mexico and knocked loose the already fragile plug.
A 2nd theory, is that all of the oil BP that sunk to the seafloor due to nearly 2 million gallons of toxic Corexit 9500 & 9527A dispersant is beginning to break free and rise to the surface and blacken the coastline with fresh oil. However, according to civil engineer and petroleum expert, Marco Kaltofen, oil that has been lying on the seafloor for several months would be much significantly more weathered than the fresh oil that is currently spotted.
Along the same theory, it is also possible that the broken riser pipe and oil rig platform has trapped oil inside of it and it is slowly making its way to the surface.
A 3rd theory is that this 6 miles long and rainbow-colored oil sheen is coming from Green Canyon Block 463, which is near the Macondo well site, officials state that its “probably” silt from a subsurface shallow water pool. Records for that well indicate that it was drilled through a shallow lens of groundwater. The company is awaiting the results of tests on samples of the material and something tells me that we are going to waiting on those test results for a loooong time.
A 4th theory is that the oil sheen is contributed by BP’s Thunder Horse oil platform in the Mississippi Canyon on August 16, 2011 where a 0.000108 gallons of oil was released but, let’s be real, that is less than half a CC and would not be enough to create a 6 mile long oil sheen. BP has admitted that “a silvery oil sheen measuring 2 feet by 30 feet has been reported on the surface” there, and they have supposedly sent vessels to monitor the situation.
A 5th theory, and this is by far the most concerning, is that oil may be coming from cracks and fissures in the seafloor caused by months of high-impact work of BP failed capping attempts of the Maconda Well. If this is the case, there is a possibility of hundreds of little cracks and fissure (picture the seafloor cracks like a broken windshield) and to the extent of my knowledge, there is no known way to cap the cracks and fissures which means the oil would continually leak into the Gulf of Mexico.
Either way, there is new oil in the Gulf of Mexico and it is, coincidentally, near the Deepwater/Macondo oil platform.
Unfortunately and dishearteningly, while everyone is pointing fingers in attempt to escape responsibility for the leaked oil and no reports show that there are any intentions of cleaning it up; the Gulf of Mexico and her inhabitants are – once again- at the mercy of big oil.
Copyright (c) August 20, 2011. All rights reserved.
Like many; I awaited the Iowa Republican debate with abated breath to see which candidate fully understands our economic and financial hardship.
For the others who missed the debate; I have outlined the belief structures presented last night, rated the candidate on their debating skills and compiled a list of top winners/top losers in order of debate rating starting with the winner of the debate first.
–Please note that issues spotlighted are not the be all/end all of each candidate but rather a review of the questions they were asked. Also; ratings merely reflect their behavior in the Iowa debate, it is not a reflection on their campaign and background.–
***Newt Gingrich*** Former Speaker of the House
I was pleasantly surprised and was left feeling like he just turned a whole new page in his political career. If he keeps up speaking in the manner that he did last night , he just may convince the People that he is THE man that can turn this Country in the right direction. Ive always been impressed with his political strategy; not so much with some of his personal decisions but I would go as far as to say that he put the life back into his Presidential campaign last night.
Enacted tax cuts under the Reagan administration; 7 years of growth. Unemployment rate 4.2%. Welfare reform.
I like that he referenced his experience with negotiating the Kemp Roth tax cut during the Reagan years and how that led to 7 years of growth with an increase in jobs and federal revenue, bringing the unemployment rate down to 4.2 as well as his support for welfare reform (IMO; we need to reform welfare again– the fraud and abuse are exponentially wasting our tax dollars). [Video below].
Repeal Sarbanes Oxley, Dodd Frank and Obamacare.
While I agree with repealing Sarbanes Oxley as I have first hand experience dealing with SOX and have not found it to be effective in preventing fraud and essentially cripples small businesses with excessive regulations as does Obamacare, I do not agree with repealing the Dodd Frank bill as Wall Street needs some sort of oversight so that we dont have to bail them out with another $4.6 Trillion in tax payer’s money.
Instilling the government with Lean Six Sigma
I fully support instilling the government with Lean Six Sigma (and Im not just saying that because Im a certified Six Sigma Greenbelt)- that is exactly what needs to be done so we can identify waste and redundancy which will result in cost savings across the board.
Obama’s Super Debt Committee is a “dumb” idea; legislative committees specialize in cost savings for their own department.
I concur with Gingrich that this Super debt committee is a super waste of time and we need to refer to sub committees within the current legislative order to find % of spending cuts and not rely on 12 people to make a decision on cuts while blocking out the thoughts and concerns of the rest of Congress when it is apparent to anybody who has been involved in politics for some time that they are going to be in gridlock until right before the holiday and at the last minute; they will push for either cuts to defense or a tax increase. 2 democratic ideas that could harm our country if we allowed it too.
If we can see the end of the line from the starting point; why waste time and taxpayer money fighting a battle when we could be using our committees to find a % of cuts and direct the cutting in accordance to the experience of each committee. [Video below].
Secure the Southern border/Illegal immigration
Further, I approved of Gingrich’s idea of sending homeland security officials down to our Southern border to ensure that its truly secure.
We have 18,000 miles of border that is unmanned- we need to stop the problem of illegal immigration at its source.
I wish he would have elaborated on his idea of having a committee votes on which illegal immigrants get to stay and who has to leave- I think that could prove to be a slippery slope where special interests could easily dominate the conversation.
Signed Cap, Cut and Balance pledge
Good to know that Gingrich agrees that these 3 things need to be done in order to turn our Country back around. Added bonus points in my book.
Bringing Congress back into session
Additionally, I appreciated his comment about Congress coming back into session on Monday and Obama returning home from his 10 day vacation so that we can get our fiscal house in order. It would be wise of the Republican leadership to get back to work on Monday. I agree with Gingrich; it would show what Party is truly serious about solving our nation’s financial problems.
Debate highlight. A must watch.
There were handfuls of spotlight reels that I could have posted regarding Gingrich’s debate but for the sake of brevity; I only included my favorite.
Debate rating: 10- IMO; he is the clear winner of Iowa’s debate.
**Mitt Romney**
Former Governor of Massachusetts
Romney is a strong opponent but was not expressive enough for me in the past debates. Last night, he seemed more Presidential; more sure of himself. I think he will get more confident with each debate and I cannot wait for the time where he comes out guns ablazing. Im still waiting for that day though.
7 ways of recovery for America
Romney’s first statement which outlined 7 ways of getting our economy on track was exactly what was needed to show that Romney has an understanding of our economic woes:
1) Make corporate tax rate competitive with other nations.
2) Make regulations fair so that small businesses are not over burdened.
3) Make sure our trade policy benefits the United States and not, ahem, China.
4) Become energy dependent
5) Follow the rule of law
6) To have great institutions that build human capital.
7.) To have a government that doesn’t spend more money than it takes in.
While I wish that he would have expanded on these especially #4, #5 and #6 this sounds like a good base line to work from. I am really interested in hearing how he plans on building human capital. Does anybody know?
Pro small government and signed Cap, Cut and Balance.
I appreciate his desire to bring small government back on the table and that he signed the Cap, Cut and Balance pledge. Im glad that we agree on the 3 basic stepping stones in getting our fiscal house in order.
“Romneycare”- State ran healthcare with an individuate mandate.
Romney’s response that this was a plan made for Massachusetts and Obama tried to make it a one size fits all plan was genius. Im still a little concerned about his support for an individual mandate in his health care plan. I dont support the government telling me what type of health care to have; thats a personal decision and would allow the govt to set the price and quality of healthcare. No thank you.
Troop withdrawal in Afghanistan; troop withdrawal no earlier than 2012.
I was excited to hear that after Romney’s trip to the middle east; he was left with the impression that the Afghani army needs be responsible for policing its own sovereignty within 2 years and that he did not support Obama’s “election talking point” in speeding the withdrawal up, so Obama could say “he sent our troops home”. I agree with Romney, we cannot jeopardize our mission for votes. If we did that; the troops that have died for the mission would die in vain. Instead of Obama catering to the polls, he needs to rely on our eyes and ears on the Generals on the ground. If they do not feel comfortable pulling back until 2012- then we should heed their advice.
Marriage is on the federal level; not a state right.
I found it interesting that Romney feels that marriage should be on a federal level; not a state level. He did raise a good point about if people moved and had children, how would the child be recognized? Additionally, how would divorce proceedings take place if the couple moved to a state that did not recognize gay marriage?
Marriage to be recognize between man and woman.
Romney also signed a pledge that stated that marriage is between a man and a women only. Personally, I think that the term “marriage” can be for heterosexual couples but that “civil unions” can be presented to homosexual couples so that they can get the same tax breaks and hospital rights as a heterosexual couple. I dont get why there is so much hang up on the word itself when we can just create a new category and make everyone happy but I digress…
Unemployment personal savings accounts; denied unemployment extensions
I liked the idea of Romney’s personal accounts for unemployment so that the unemployment doesnt continually drain our tax dollars. It is imperative that we audit the unemployment (& welfare system); so that our government can go back to providing “hand ups” rather than a “hand outs”. Romney also would not support unemployment extensions.
Debate highlight video.
Debate rating: 8 although I know he’s capable of doing better.
**Rick Santorum**
Former Senator of Pennsylvania
Bonus points for demanding attention and establishing a presence for himself on the stage.
Focus on manufacturing jobs, welfare reform and imposed sanctions on Iran as Senator.
I was ecstatic to hear his position on the importance of bringing manufacturing jobs home, welfare reform and imposing sanctions on Iran. I agree 100%.
Does not believe that an abortion should be performed even in the case of rape or incest
I completely disagree with him on his opposition to abortion if the mother was raped or was the victim of incest– I dont think the mother should be forced to carry a child that is a constant reminder of these horrific acts but thats another post. I wonder if he would feel different if he was a woman.
100% Pro life; no adoption center plan?
Santorum appears to be incredibly pro life which is fine but if we are going to have all of these children in adoption centers- we better make sure they are cleaned up and better equipped to provide nurturing to the surge of foster children that would be created as a result.
Supports military tribunals and strong manufacturing background.
Im glad to see him approving of military tribunals and his strong manufacturing background. We should not allow terrorists to be tried in a civilian court where they would receive civilian rights. We need to judge them with our military tribunals as it is a military matter and not a civil violation.
Does not support the Gold standard
I dont understand why he does not support going back to the Gold Standard. I wish he would suggest what we should do with our monetary policy because paper money is quickly losing its value.
Supports dropping the corporate tax to 0%
Santorum supports dropping the corporate tax to 0% but while it would bring in jobs- the government would not receive any money from these businesses. The govt needs some way of bringing in revenue to pay our foreign debtors and entitlement programs that have been long since depleted.
Besides; corporations are protected by the government against personal liability, it would be unfair to expect the government to pay for that; how would they pay out claims if we eliminated the corporate tax rate to 0%?
Instead; reduce the Corporate Tax rate to 13-15% so it competes with Switzerland for job growth
Wouldnt it be better to bring the Corporate Tax rate which currently stands at 35% down to 15%; that way we make America competitive with Switzerland which will give businesses an incentive to work in America, essentially spurring our economy- contributing to job growth and revenue increases?
Supports auditing the Federal Government As do I but Santorum was not clear as to what type of audits he would support.
Signed Cap, Cut and Balance pledge.
Good to know that he understands the general idea behind what needs to be done to turn our Country back around.
Feels the 10th amendment does not take place of federal law Santorum stated that people are using the 10th amendment, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people,” too loosely and would essentially overrun the federal government.
As Santorum stated, “No, our country is based on moral laws, ladies and gentlemen. There are things the states can’t do. Abraham Lincoln said the states do not have the right to do wrong. I respect the 10th Amendment, but we are a nation that has values. We are a nation that was built on a moral enterprise, and states don’t have the right to tramp over those because of the 10th Amendment.””
Debate highlight video.
Please watch 2:41-3:37 as this was my favorite clip of Santorum’s defense of the Iran Freedom Support Act and imposing sanctions on Iran. “Iran is not Iceland, Ron”. Priceless. I agree with Santorum; a nuclear Iran is not only a threat to the US but to Israel as well and must be avoided at all costs.
Debate rating: 7
**Jon Huntsman Jr**
Former Ambassador to China
Tonight was the beta test of Huntsmans campaign and I was hoping he would come out swinging but he left me feeling empty. He kept talking about his track record as Gov of Utah but never truly elaborated on what that was. Ive heard enough generalities from Obama for the past 2 years.
No economic plan
When a comment was made towards Huntsman that there is no economic plan on his website and that he is waiting on a team of economic advisers; Huntsman replied that he has only been in the race for 1.5 month insinuating to give him time to get his campaign up and running. Likewise throughout the debate; he never unveiled an economic plan only played back his catch phrase of his “track record in Utah”.
Supporter of Flat Tax- tax reform
While tax reform is needed, a flat tax would not be the solution. If everyone had a flat tax- how would we compensate in the loss of collected revenue? At this point, I would be more supportive of the fair tax.
Secure Southern border/ Amnesty- illegal immigration
Huntsman Jr raised a great point regarding Obama’s immigration policy and the lack of a Southern border wall which runs for 18,000 miles, leaving all that area opened for illegal immigrants to cross without worrying about customs. Huntsman stated that it is a waste of time to have a tough immigration policy yet completely open borders. Its comparable to fixing the symptom and not the source of the problem. He also stated that there “has to be an alternate in sending them back” but did not elaborate which makes me wonder if all the amnesty allegations against him are true.
State controlled education
I applaud Huntsman for wanting to bring education to the state level, impose school choice, vouchers and make the schools more technologically involved. I agree 100%.
Pro life- Pro 2nd amendment
Excellent I am as well but wish we had a better plan for adoption centers; they are underfunded and overcrowded.
Supporter of civil unions
I agree. Why cant we allow heterosexuals to get married in accordance to their customs and allow homosexual couples to enter a civil union which allows the same tax breaks and hospital benefits?
Cap & Trade– Global warming
This issue is something that Huntsman and myself differ on within our Party. I believe that global warming is a threat and it is imperative that we put safe guards in place to protect our Environment. Research the heat indexes in the past few weeks in the South East of the US that broke records; our Earth is getting progressively hotter and the ozone layer is getting progressively thinner. We need to take the Environment into mind when analyzing the emissions output of companies.
Supporter of raising the debt ceiling
Huntsman stated that the debt ceiling must be raised; that we had an obligation to pay our debts that the US holds 25% of the world’s GDP (gross domestic product) and would cause massive ripples throughout the world if we default on our debts.
Debate highlight video.
Debate rating: 6 but I feel he is capable of doing much better.
**Herman Cain**
CEO of Godfathers Pizza
A Tea Party favorite; Cain has made a strong splash in the pond of Republican candidates. However, his lack of political experience and detailed planning leaves members of the Republican Party with doubts.
Pro Israel/ No Shariah Law
One of the main things that I like about him is his vocal supporter of Israel and his vocal opposition to introducing Shariah Law into our court system.
No Afghanistan plan
It really bothers me that he doesnt have a plan for Afghanistan; I understand he wants to talk to the Generals on the ground but he should at least have a basic idea of what needs to be done. We have been there for 10 years now.
What we need to do is pull out after 2012 like the Generals suggested and instead of paying for a war that was utterly useless (as Bin Laden was living in Pakistan and not Afghanistan and that was the primary reason for the Afghan war).
While I understand the importance of keeping Al Qaeda in check; we need to draw the line in the sand at some point or we will be over there forever.
Did not want to raise the debt ceiling; did not feel we were at risk for default, wanted to prioritize payments
I dont agree with him in his reasoning of not raising the debt ceiling and prioritizing our debt. Essentially, he would have given Obama the prime authority to influence who gets paid and who doesnt. That’s very risky as Obama has clear favorites and a socialistic agenda. Obama could essentially starve whatever programs he did not fundamentally agree with.
Strong businessman w ho has a record of turning around struggling companies
He appears to be a strong businessman with his experience turning around struggling chains of Burger Kings and Godfathers Pizza. That experience could come in handy with turning our struggling economy around.
Annoying catch phrases; all fluff no substance
I heard Cain talk about the “economic engine and train” at least 3 times during the debate — I get his point but he deflects some of the questions with empty rhetoric and I have to wonder if that is because he is trying to run out the stop clock.
Supports dropping the corporate tax to 0%
Cain supports dropping the corporate tax to 0% but while it would bring in jobs- the government would not receive any money from these businesses. The govt needs some way of bringing in revenue to pay our foreign debtors and entitlement programs that have been long since depleted.
Besides; corporations are protected by the government against personal liability, it would be unfair to expect the government to pay for that; how would they pay out claims if we eliminated the corporate tax rate to 0%?
Debate highlight video.
Debate rating: 5 but I feel he is capable of doing much better.
**Tim Pawlenty**
Former Governor of Minnesota
Plan to get the economy to reach 5% growth/yr for 10 years
I dont understand how Pawlenty expects us to reach 5% growth/yr for 10 years with tax cuts and spending caps. I think thats a little optimistic as we have never had a 5% growth/yr for 10 straight years and we have less than 1% growth currently. I appreciate the high growth target but we need to have realistic projections.
Strong opposition to Syria
I agree with Pawlenty’s stance on Syria; however, we should not fan the flames unless we get out of Libya as we simply cannot afford to fight all of these wars (and the Libya invasion was unconstitutional but thats another post).
Pro Israel
I appreciate his pro Israel stance and his acknowledgement of the importance of keeping Israel safe.
Reform of entitlement programs
Wants to reform medicare, medicaid and social security but did not elaborate on specific details.
Overabundance of Negative campaigning
His attacks against Bachmann were getting old and it started taking away time from the other contenders.
Out of all the candidates, I think Pawlenty came off looking weaker than previous debates.
Debate highlight video.
Debate rating: 4
**Michele Bachmann** US Congresswoman/Chair of the Tea Party Caucus
Repeal Obamacare and opposes health insurance individual mandate
I was pulling for her in the beginning but it is becoming more and more apparent to me that she is an extremist (which is apparent, let’s be real here, by her tying the debt ceiling vote to a complete repeal of Obamacare).
Bachmann also supports removing the individual mandate in Obamacare which would require every American to purchase health insurance, something in which, I fully agree with.
Signed Cap, Cut and Balance pledge. After much hemming and hawing; Bachmann signed the Cap, Cut and Balance pledge. I dont feel that Bachmann is truly on board with this plan but merely signed it at the last minute for election credentials.
Vehemently opposes Cap and Trade
Does not recognize that pollutants are negatively impacting our environment. While we should not regulate our companies to death, we must take care of our Environment. Bachmann does not seem to have a problem with current emission standards.
Approved raising taxes on cigarettes
For someone who is so anti-tax; she sure was quick to raise the taxes on cigarettes.
Signed pledge honoring marriage between a man and a woman
Bachmann signed a pledge that stated that marriage is between a man and a women only. Personally, I think that the term “marriage” can be for heterosexual couples but that “civil unions” can be presented to homosexual couples so that they can get the same tax breaks and hospital rights as a heterosexual couple. I dont get why there is so much hang up on the word itself when we can just create a new category and make everyone happy but I digress…
Majority of discussion, Bachmann opposed raising the debt ceiling, reasoning incorrect on S&P downgrade
Bachmann tried to defend her reasoning that the US would not be on the verge of default if the debt ceiling was raised by referencing the recent S&P downgrade to AA.
Bachmann stated that the reason for the downgrade was because “we couldnt pay our debts, so I was essentially proven right”. Except, that is not the reason why S&P downgraded. If that was the case, we would have downgraded all 74 times that the Congress has raised the debt ceiling in the past.
Rather, the reason for the downgrade is because Congress showed that they could not identify the problem of excessive spending and work together to form a compromised solution in cutting some of our extravagant and wasteful/redundant spending and the only offer the Democrats were offering, raising taxes, would further hinder our recessive economic period.
Combine that with Obama’s crazed spending binge and his belief that we can spend our way out of a recession, thats why our Country was downgraded.
If we hit our debt ceiling, we would have to default- one way or the other- whether it be to our foreign debtors or cashing in on our entitlement programs; we would lose the ability to pay for them.
Annoying catchphrases; avoids answering the question
It is very irritating when she uses the same catch phrase over and over (we get that Obama will be a 1 term President- give it a rest! Its not that clever).
Bachmann also tends to avoid answering the question being asked (all politicians do this to an extent but it is apparently obvious with Bachmann) by referencing back to the over cycled catch phrases.
***Bachmann is expected to win the Iowa poll on Saturday due to the Tea Party’s strong influence in getting out to the polls**
Debate highlight video.
Debate rating: 3
**Ron Paul**
US Congressman
Monetary Policy/Audit the Fed
I respect his monetary policy knowledge and his willingness to audit the Fed. I agree with his stance on liquidating the debt, reform the tax structure, lowering taxes and providing less regulations to businesses.
Does not recognize the danger of a nuclear Iran; anti-military
It bothers me deeply that Paul sees nothing wrong with a nuclear capable Iran. Iran has already stated that they want to wipe Israel off the map. If Israel goes; America will be next in line as their target. If Paul had his way; he would withdrawal all of our troops from their foreign locations and insist on massive defense spending cuts.
Does not feel that companies should verify immigration status of employees
Paul does not feel that it is the companies role to “police” their workers and we should not blame the employers who hire illegal immigrants. I couldnt disagree more.
Opposes GITMO (Guantanamo Bay)
This would be dangerous as if we closed GITMO; we would have to hold terrorists on US soil as they await trial. What state is going to volunteer to hold these incredibly dangerous terrorists with the knowing that they could escape and impose destruction within their state? Further, if they are tried on US soil- they would receive American rights that they are not entitled.
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The Heart of America 
GUEST COMMENTARY: The Law of the Sea treaty will sink America’s economy.
Guest Commentary By: Senator Orrin Hatch and Senator John Cornyn
Americans despise taxes. After all, one of the key issues that paved the way for the American Revolution was the unfair taxation that King George III levied against the Colonies.
Now some in the US Senate want to say yes to an international tax. It would be the first time in history that an international organization would possess taxing authority, and it would amount to billions of American dollars being transferred out of the US Treasury.
The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, or the Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) is the vehicle through which such taxes would be imposed on U.S.-based commercial enterprises.
The treaty that Reagan refused to sign in 1982 is reappearing once again in the Senate. The truth is, LOST contains numerous provisions that hurt the U.S. economy at a time when we need more jobs – not fewer.
Under the guise of being for “the good of mankind, ” LOST would obligate the United States to share information and technology in what amounts to global taxes and technology transfer requirements that are really nothing more than an attempt to redistribute U.S. wealth to the Third World.
At the center of these taxes and transfers is the International Seabed Authority (ISA), a Kingston, Jamaica based supra-national governing body established by the treaty for the purpose of redistributing cash and technology from the “developed world” to the “developing world.”
Ceding authority to the ISA would mean that the sovereignty currently held by the U.S. over the natural resources located on large parts of the continental shelf would be lost. That loss would mean lost revenue for the US government in the form of lost royalties that the U.S. government collects from the production of those resources. According to the U.S. Extended Continental Shelf Task Force, which is currently mapping the continental shelf, the resources there “may be worth billions if not trillions” of dollars.
In case proponents of LOST have not noticed, the US is over $15 trillion in debt, and we still have more than 20 million Americans who can’t find a job. The last thing we need to do redistribute funds from our country to our economic and strategic competitors.
To make matters worse, the US would have no control over how or to whom the taxes and technology would be redistributed.
Undoubtedly funds that rightfully belong to the American taxpayer would be sent to corrupt governmental regimes, make dictators wealthier, and could even be used for activities directed against the United States and our interests.
Under the treaty, the transfer of these funds does not end with nation states. These royalty revenues would even be extended to “peoples who have not attained full independence or other self-governing status.” That means groups like the Palestinian Authority and potentially other groups with terrorist ties.
Proponents of the treaty will claim that the technology transfer portion of the treaty has been significantly changed. In truth, nations with mining and resource recovery technologies like the United States will be obligated to share those technologies with Third World competitors, and that is one of the many issues, which trouble those of us opposed to the treaty.
In other words, US companies would be forced to give away the very types of innovation that historically have made our nation a world leader while fueling our economic engine.
Under the best of US economic circumstances, the Senate should say no to such an egregious breach of the trust Americans have placed in us. Our current economic struggles are all the more reason to say no to a treaty that is all cost and no benefit.
Utah Republican Senator Orrin Hatch is the ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee. Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn is a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee.
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on May 24, 2012 at 12:50 pm Leave a CommentTags: environment, government, lost, politics, sea, senate, senator john cornyn, treaty