In a must-read editorial yesterday, The Wall Street Journal writes, “President Obama keeps pushing the (Warren) Buffett rule that nobody making more than $1 million a year should pay less than 30% in taxes. He’d do better by the economy if he adopted a Solyndra Rule, in which no company touting unproven and expensive technology should receive millions in taxpayer subsidies. After the demise of Solyndra (with its $535 million loan guarantee) and Beacon Power ($43 million loan guarantee), last week saw the bankruptcy of Indiana-based lithium-ion battery maker Ener1. In 2009 an Ener1 subsidiary was awarded a grant worth up to $118 billion from the Energy Department, with Vice President Joe Biden touring and touting its factory a year ago. Like Solyndra, Ener1 was a foolhardy bet for taxpayer cash. Founded in 2002, Ener1 had not turned a profit by the time of its grant and has proceeded to hemorrhage the $55 million of the DOE money it has received to date. Its losses in fiscal 2010 were $165 million.”
Yet Ener1 isn’t even the latest problem for a so-called “green energy” company that received millions in taxpayer dollars from the Obama administration. The Las Vegas Sun reported last week, “Just seven months after California-based solar power company Amonix Inc. opened its largest manufacturing plant, in North Las Vegas, the company’s contractor has laid off nearly two-thirds of its workforce. Flextronics Industrial, the Singapore solar panel manufacturer that partnered with Amonix to staff the new $18 million, 214,000-square-foot plant, laid off about 200 of its 300-plus employees Tuesday. . . . Amonix received a $5.9 million investment tax credit through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act in 2010, and another $12 million in private capital helped finance the plant.”
The WSJ adds, “Mr. Obama is undeterred. In last week’s speech, he defended his taxpayer ‘investments’ in private commercial companies, noting that ‘some technologies don’t pan out, some companies fail.’” He would know. Though perhaps if Mr. Obama weren’t throwing hundreds of millions down the green sinkhole, he wouldn’t have to target the nation’s real job creators for higher taxes to foot his losses.”
At a press conference last Wednesday, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), a key member of Senate Democrats’ leadership, took to the podium to criticize something Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN) said in his Republican Address the night before. Gov. Daniels said, “On these evenings, Presidents naturally seek to find the sunny side of our national condition. But when President Obama claims that the state of our union is anything but grave, he must know in his heart that this is not true.” In response, Schumer said, “The Republican speaker last night, Mitch Daniels, talked about Americans must talk about the state of the union as grave. So, we think we are in great shape. We are in good shape.”
Senate Democrats think “we are in great shape”?
Currently, over 13 million Americans are unemployed. There are fewer jobs in America than when President Obama took office in 2009, and the unemployment rate is still more than 8%. And Sen. Schumer thinks “we are in great shape”?
On Thursday, the AP reported, “Fewer people bought new homes in December. The decline made 2011 the worst year for new -homes sales on records dating back nearly half a century. The Commerce Department said Thursday new-home sales fell 2.2 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 307,000. The pace is less than half the 700,000 that economists say must be sold in a healthy economy. About 302,000 new homes were sold last year. That’s less than the 323,000 sold in 2010, making last year’s sales the worst on records dating back to 1963. And it coincides with a report last week that said 2011 was the weakest year for single-family home construction on record.” In December, Standard & Poor’s announced, “The Fourth Quarter Starts with Broad-based Declines in Home Prices”. And there have been 7.7 million foreclosure filings since President Obama took office. But Sen. Schumer thinks “we are in great shape”?
Today, National Journal writes, “Real Gross Domestic Product rose by just 1.7 percent in 2011, the Commerce Department reported on Friday. That’s not great news for President Obama, who oversaw 3 percent GDP growth in 2010 and cannot use the latest GDP data to support a narrative of economic turnaround.” The AP notes, “The Commerce Department said Friday that the economy grew just 1.7 percent last year, roughly half of the growth in 2010 and the worst since the recession.” And University of Pennsylvania economist Justin Wolfers tells The New York Times, “At this rate, we’ll never reduce unemployment. . . . The recovery has been postponed, again.”But Sen. Schumer says “we are in great shape”?
One thing you can say for sure, Mr. Dooley sure is loyal (to a fault) to his cronies. Instead of firing these cronies from their plum patronage jobs, he’d rather throw hardworking county employees out into the street who actually do meaningful work for the county.
Post Dispatch:
County Executive Charlie A. Dooley said Wednesday that he was laying off 20 full-time employees in the parks department and six in public works. “It’s unfortunate and disappointing but it’s what we had to do with the budget costraints,” Dooley said Wednesday. He said the cuts would save the county about $4 million. Of that amount, $3.6 million comes out of the parks budget.
Council Chairman Mike O’Mara, who played a key role in ending the impasse in December, reacted angrily Wednesday to news of the layoffs. “Charlie and I had an agreement that there would not be any layoffs this year, and he broke it,” O’Mara, D-Florissant, said Wednesday. “His promise was part of my sell (of the budget compromise) to my fellow council members. I don’t know what happened since last month, but now I’ve lost my trust with my council members.” Dooley denied making such a promise. Read more…
We know of at least two positions in county government Mr. Dooley could cut that would save taxpayers $200,000 a year in salary and benefits:
The Democratically controlled United States Senate passed a dubious milestone the other day. Incredibly, 1,000 days has passes since the senate passed a budget. One thousand days folks! That’s almost three years! Can you believe that one of the president’s campaign themes this year will be a “do nothing Congress?” Right there supporting this irresponsibility – along with President Obama – is ‘moderate’ Claire McCaskill. The same Claire McCaskill who was recently named as one of Washington’s worst porkers because of her reckless spending.
According to this CBS news report from last summer, “The latest posting by the Treasury Department shows the national debt has now increased $4 trillion on President Obama’s watch. The debt was $10.626 trillion on the day Mr. Obama took office. The latest calculation from Treasury shows the debt has now hit $14.639 trillion. It’s the most rapid increase in the debt under any U.S. president.”
Here’s what Claire’s buddy said about the deficit when he was a senator:
“Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that ‘the buck stops here.’ Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership.”(Sen. Obama, Congressional Record, S.2237-8, 3/16/06)
The Martin for Congress campaign announced this morning that Mr. Martin is switching gears. Instead of running against former Ambassador Ann Wagner for the second congressional Republican nomination, Martin will set his sights on attorney general Chris Koster. One could say that this race will be contest of one ambitious opportunist against another ambitious opportunist. Koster is deeply flawed and if he didn’t have a lap dog press protecting him, would be very vulnerable to defeat this year in an increasingly red state.
With this decision to switch races, Martin’s ardent supporters will claim his switcheroo was orchestrated by the ‘party establishment’ to clear the path to Washington for Ambassador Wagner. We posted his trial balloon late last year that he was running for lt. governor and we were castigated by his supporters and accused of ‘being tools of the establishment.’ We’re sure Mr. Martin factored all this in his decision, but what do you do when you get an offer from powerful forces that you can’t refuse?
Here’s a partial list of heavy hitter endorsements from today’s announcement:
David Cole, Chairman of the Missouri Republican Party: “As he has demonstrated throughout his career in public service, including his near-defeat of an entrenchedDemocrat incumbent in 2010, Ed Martin is a respected attorney, a staunch conservative, a tireless campaigner, and he will make an outstanding Attorney General. At a time when the federal government is out-of-control, Chris Koster refuses to aggressively stand up for Missourians. Ed will fight against job-killing federal mandates such as Obamacare, and he will vigorously defend laws passed by the Missouri General Assembly.”
Matt Blunt, former Missouri Governor: “Missourians need an Attorney General who will respect our state’s constitution, ensure that politics never overshadow the rule of law and stand up for our shared Missouri values. Ed Martin will bring these qualities combined with tremendous integrity and an unmatched work ethic to the Attorney General’s office. It is a pleasure to support Ed Martin and to endorse his campaign to be Missouri’s next Attorney General.”
US Senator Roy Blunt: “I’ve had the chance to work with Ed over the course of many years, and during that time, I’ve always been impressed by his unwavering commitment to smaller government and fiscal responsibility. Those values are especially important today, as our state and our nation continue to struggle to jumpstart private sector job creation and rein in out-of-control government spending. I believe Ed Martin represents the kind of fiscally conservative leader who we need in Missouri, and that’s why I’m proud to endorse his candidacy for Attorney General.”
Jim Talent, former US Senator: “Ed Martin will be a superb Attorney General for Missouri. Ed has the integrity, energy and judgment to serve our state well as its chief legal officer. I enthusiastically support Ed Martin’s campaign and am encouraging Missourians to join me in helping elect an Attorney General who will serve their interests, not the political interests.”
Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson: “Ed Martin will be a great Attorney General for our state. He is smart, energetic and relentless — all great qualities to have in an AG. I wish him all the best of luck as he aspires to serve Missourians.”
Gene McNary, former President of Missouri Prosecutors Association and St. Louis County Prosecutor: “Ed is an excellent lawyer, a hard worker, and knows how to run an office. He would be an excellent Attorney General.”
Bill Hennessy, President of the St. Louis Tea Party “Ed Martin Jr. of St. Louis has redirected his fire to the Attorney General race, and this is great news for everyone except Chris Koster.”
