Digest for Friday, December 9, 2011 - Editions

Digest

Friday, December 9, 2011

The Foundation

"No taxes can be devised which are not more or less inconvenient and unpleasant." --George Washington

Government

A Taxing Debate

Following Obama's economic lead

Congressional Republicans and Barack Obama's merry band of class warriors spent much of the week battling over whether or how to extend the payroll tax cut before it expires at the end of this year. Republicans and even some Democrats initially opposed extending the cut, though for different reasons. The small number of opposition Democrats feared a shortfall in funding for Social Security, which is already paying out more than it takes in. Republicans pointed to the fact that the payroll tax cut has done nothing to stimulate the economy or employment, as the president claimed, since the cut is geared toward employees, not employers. Additionally, they opposed the Democrat plan to fund the extension with a 1.9 percent surtax on incomes over $1 million. This surtax would hit a large number of small business owners, and no doubt result in reducing the number of new hires.

Democrats, led by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), shamelessly accuse Republicans of protecting millionaires while allowing the middle class to receive what would essentially be a tax hike. Politically, Democrats have the upper hand, and the House GOP therefore announced a proposal that would extend the current payroll tax for one year, provide for additional unemployment benefits, and avert a significant cut in payments to doctors who treat Medicare patients. It would be funded by extending a federal payroll freeze through 2015, plus other smaller cost-cutting measures. An additional provision in the package, moving forward with the production of the Keystone XL pipeline from Canada to Texas, drew a veto threat from Obama. "Efforts to tie a whole bunch of other issues to what's something that they should be doing anyway will be rejected by me," Obama warned.

He also taunted his opposition: "However many jobs might be generated by a Keystone pipeline, they're going to be a lot fewer than the jobs that are created by extending the payroll tax cut and extending unemployment insurance." In what alternate reality does paying people not to work create more jobs than a pipeline project loaded with jobs?

Michael Steel, spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), responded, "We are working on a bill to stop a tax hike, protect Social Security, reform unemployment insurance and create jobs. If President Obama threatens to veto it over a provision that creates American jobs, that's a fight we're ready to have."

Barack Obama's public ire toward Republicans may be due in part to their interference with his holiday travel plans. The Obama family is scheduled to travel next weekend to their beachfront getaway in Hawaii for 17 days, but Barack may have to stay behind in Washington if a tax deal isn't done. Of course, if Michelle and the girls travel separately, there goes another $100,000 in taxpayer money for the extra planes and security.

Obama had lambasted Congress for not getting a deal done in time for the holiday break, and he advised them to stay in Washington until the work was completed. He originally planned to skip town regardless, but as Mitt Romney told Iowans, "I just think it's time to have a president whose idea of being 'hands on' doesn't mean getting a better grip on the golf club." Obama soon announced that he would stay in Washington until Congress presented him with a bill he could sign. As with all major decisions made in Washington, however, we must wait until the final minutes of the final hour before we learn how this gets settled.

This Week's 'Braying Jackass'

"[T]here is a certain crowd in Washington who, for the last few decades, have said, let's ... just cut more regulations and cut more taxes [and] our economy will grow stronger [and] then jobs and prosperity will eventually trickle down to everybody else. They argue, even if prosperity doesn't trickle down, well, that's the price of liberty. Now, it's a simple theory. And we have to admit, it's one that speaks to our rugged individualism and our healthy skepticism of too much government. That's in America's DNA. And that theory fits well on a bumper sticker. But here's the problem: It doesn't work. It has never worked. It didn't work when it was tried in the decade before the Great Depression. It's not what led to the incredible postwar booms of the 50s and 60s. And it didn't work when we tried it during the last decade. I mean, understand, it's not as if we haven't tried this theory." --Barack Obama, who for some reason, doesn't see that it is socialism that has failed repeatedly

The Free Enterprise Model

The Patriot Post's goal is to defeat the socialist agenda of those in Washington and fight for Essential Liberty and Rule of Law. And we're proud to say we didn't qualify for government handouts. We rely on the free market -- in other words, readers like you. What can we say? It's in our DNA.

Please, if you're able, make a secure online donation today to our 2011 Year-End Campaign. If you prefer to support us by mail, please use our printable donor form. We still must raise approximately $129,600 by year's end.

Thank you!

Nate Jackson
Managing Editor

New & Notable Legislation

The Republican-controlled House sent three more jobs-related bills to the Democrat-controlled Senate this week, including the Regulatory Accountability Act (H.R. 3010) and the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act (H.R. 10). The House has passed 25 bills directly related to fixing America's job market, and all 25 sit in limbo in the Senate. Harry Reid refuses to take action on items that would address over-regulation or attempts by unions to overrun private businesses, or to allow entrepreneurs easier access to company-building capital. Republicans should seize this opportunity to educate voters that Obama's so-called "Do Nothing" Congress resides in the Democrat Senate, not the Republican House.

Campaign Trail Tidbits

Herman Cain is out. His campaign couldn't survive the latest allegation of a 13-year affair, and Cain called it quits on Saturday. In our view, more damaging than the allegations -- which were unproven -- was Cain's shocking lack of knowledge, or even the desire to gain that knowledge, about national affairs. In particular, his stock "consult the experts" answer for anything related to foreign policy caused us to question his readiness to be the nation's commander in chief.

Newt Gingrich is rising. The former House speaker has shot to the top of national polls, thanks largely to his stellar debate performances. He is, after all, the "smartest guy in the room." Due to his rise, however, another former House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, threatened Gingrich, "One of these days we'll have a conversation about Newt Gingrich. When the time is right. ... I know a lot about him. I served on the investigative committee that investigated him, four of us locked in a room in an undisclosed location for a year. A thousand pages of his stuff."

Newt quickly thanked Nancy for the "early Christmas gift," because, he retorted, "If she's suggesting she's going to use material she developed while she was on the ethics committee, that is a fundamental violation of the rules of the House and I would hope members would immediately file charges against her the second she does it." Well played, and Pelosi quickly backtracked. And yet, there is plenty that is unsettling about Gingrich being the frontrunner. His horrendous personal history, his own flip-flops on policy and his mixed leadership in the House, including some pretty pointed criticisms from his lieutenants, certainly give us pause.

Ron Paul is rising. The Texas congressman is running second in Iowa, and a win there could propel him forward. For numerous reasons, we still don't think he will be the nominee, but he's certainly making waves and steering the conversation toward actually cutting government.

Mitt Romney is stagnant. The former governor of Massachusetts and godfather of ObamaCare can't seem to get more than 20-25 percent of the Republican electorate's support. Voters have spent the entire summer and fall looking for the Not Romney. Can he still win the nomination? One thing is certain: In his last year as governor, he spent $100,000 on new computers for his office in what Reuters called "an unprecedented effort to keep his records secret." What could that possibly be about?

Hope 'n' Change: NAACP Voting Complaint

In a potentially frightening development, the NAACP has filed a complaint with the United Nations claiming that there is a deliberate and concerted effort to restrict the vote of blacks and Hispanics in the U.S. They filed a report pointing to what they believe are examples of state and federal efforts to keep the minority voting population from expanding, and in some instances actually disenfranchising registered voters. The examples the NAACP point to include new regulations in certain states that require -- horrors! -- proper identification. The civil rights group claims that it's no coincidence that these states are considered important in next year's presidential election contest. They also have the fastest growing minority populations.

Democrats, who have long held a lock on the minority vote, have also opposed any and all voter identification measures. Of course, these rules are really meant to prevent voter fraud, i.e., the all-too-common voting by non-citizens and individuals who cast ballots in as many precincts as their Democrat bus can get them to before the polls close. Anyone in a state that enforces these regulations may obtain the necessary documentation by making the minimal effort required, and it's free. The only disenfranchisement that occurs is being perpetrated by fraudulent voters who cast one or multiple ballots. The NAACP's report doesn't include that issue, of course, nor does it make clear just what they expect the UN to do about their bellyaching. While if the UN follows its usual model -- which is that it will likely do nothing -- the NAACP didn't file this complaint for no reason. A vigilant eye should be kept on this one.

Blagojevich Sentenced

Former Illinois Democrat Governor Rod Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison Wednesday for, among other things, attempting to sell Barack Obama's former Senate seat. Oddly, though, the word "Democrat" was absent from most of the Leftmedia's coverage. As governor, Blagojevich had the power to appoint Obama's successor, but he wasn't about to do it for free. The 14-year sentence was considerably less than the 20 years prosecutors sought, but far more than the laughable three-and-a-half years desired by Blagojevich's team, his pleas about ignorance of the law notwithstanding. Still, he did say, "I caused it all, I'm not blaming anybody. I was the governor, and I should have known better, and I am just so incredibly sorry." If it's any consolation, he's not alone. He can join the gang of former Illinois governors -- Otto Kerner, Dan Walker and George Ryan -- who spent time in the big house.

Economy

Europe Facing Credit Downgrade

With the European financial system verging on collapse, Standard and Poor's this week announced that it was placing 15 European Union members, including AAA-credit-rated France and Germany, on CreditWatch for a potential downgrade. Among the reasons cited by S&P are "[h]igh levels of government and household indebtedness" and "[m]arkedly higher risk premiums on a growing number of eurozone [countries]." While unwelcome news for EU nations, it should come as no surprise, given Europe's lavish government spending on entitlements and chronic disregard for debt accumulation.

While recognition of Europe's financial crisis is widespread, consensus on a corrective course of action is more difficult to find. The Washington Post reports that French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have "reached a difficult compromise agreement ... to seek mandatory limits on budget deficits among debt-laden European governments." Yet their "fix" is hardly guaranteed to work or even be accepted. The compromise, which would amount to a renegotiated European Union treaty, is already drawing criticism on the grounds that it may encroach on national sovereignty. British Prime Minister David Cameron, for example, announced he will not "pass any powers from Britain to Brussels."

Meanwhile, in the shorter term, Sarkozy and Merkel disagree on whether the European Central Bank should bail out the European countries by buying up government bond issues. In truth, the solution is quite simple: serious reform and reduction of entitlement spending. As we have seen in our own country, however, doing so is easily proposed but rarely disposed.

Quote of the Week

"I simply do not know where the money is." --Jon Corzine, former CEO of MF Global on the bankruptcy of the company and the whereabouts of $1.2 billion of client money

MF Global's bankruptcy is the eighth largest in history, and Corzine, former Democrat governor of New Jersey, doesn't know what happened. He did, however, advise the Obama administration on the economy. The silence of the Occupy Wall Street crowd is deafening.

As National Review's Kevin D. Williamson quipped, "Let's translate that Jon Corzine quote into Latin, engrave it in stone, and make it the official motto of Congress."

Income Redistribution: Some Governors Just Don't Get It

Working on opposite coasts, two governors have come up with nearly the same solution for their respective states' budget woes: raise taxes on the wealthy. How novel. That said, their approaches to getting this revenue are radically different.

New York Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo has leavened his tax proposal by adding a slight cut on the tax rate for middle-class earners as well as a small easing of an already existing "millionaires' tax," which was set to expire after this year. The rate that high earners, most of whom are job creators, would pay is less than it was under the current rules, but far more than it would have been had the temporary tax increase expired without replacement. Once again, the new rate will be "temporary," as it expires after 2014.

On the other coast, California Democrat Gov. Jerry "Moonbeam" Brown conceded that raising taxes would be impossible through the legislative process, as anti-tax conservatives have a large enough minority to block measures that require a two-thirds majority. So he's going to the people with a series of initiatives for the 2012 election, including acts that would increase tax rates on the highest earners by 1 to 2 percentage points and raise the state's sales tax -- already one of the highest in the nation -- a half-point to 7.75 percent. Brown claims these measures will raise $7 billion and are necessary to alleviate the state's massive deficit. That estimate, of course, erroneously assumes that people won't change their economic behavior when their taxes go up.

The alternative, both governors claim, is to make what Brown called "deeper and more damaging cuts" that, as Cuomo added, "decimate essential services [and do] real harm to the state's economy." Of course, other states have tried the "soak the rich" approach and failed to raise the taxes needed to stave off deficits. There's no reason to believe the results will be different in California or New York. Both have lost many revenue producers over the last decade while their government spending nonetheless surged, and raising taxes certainly won't make job creators return.

First-Class Mail Posts Second-Class Service

The United States Postal Service is facing a $5.5 billion default on a payment due to the federal government for retiree health benefits. To address this and certain future red ink, the USPS is proposing the closure of nearly half of its mail processing centers and thousands of local post offices, resulting in perhaps the loss of 100,000. On the revenue end, the price of a first-class stamp will go up a penny early next year, to 45 cents. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe is also contemplating other changes, such as reducing delivery to five days per week, revising labor contracts, and further increasing postage prices, but he needs congressional approval to carry out his plans.

With the closures and job losses, local deliveries of first-class mail will no longer be promised the next day; instead, the mail will arrive on the second business day after the Post Office receives it. This may not seem like a crushing blow to the public in the era of electronic mail and Internet access, but the idea of "snail mail" becoming even slower won't make the Post Office any more enticing in the face of other delivery services that have supplanted the USPS. We think they're misunderstanding the maxim that "less is more."

Security

Second Amendment: Fast & Furious Fallout

As if the dirt and skullduggery weren't thick enough in Washington, new controversy surrounds the ill-fated would-be firearms sting "Operation Fast and Furious." In addition to letting several thousand firearms walk across the border illegally, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) also helped launder and transport millions of dollars in cash into Mexico in efforts to track and disrupt drug trafficking.

That's right: the DEA is helping drug cartels make money. Of course, we all understand the need to infiltrate organizations to get to the "top guy," but two things give us pause: First, the organizations "infiltrated" are the same ones the ATF and State Department decided to arm courtesy of Uncle Sam. Second, one might expect, as we did, that after several years we would see drug cartels taken down, weapons caches recovered, and money and drugs confiscated. We're still waiting. The upshot is that not only are we arming Mexican drug gangs, but, apparently, we're directly funding them, as well. But wait, it gets better.

It turns out that a parallel "gun running" effort by communistas in the Obama administration is actually responsible for the bulk of the surge in arms supply to cartels. Specifically, under the "direct commercial sales" program approved by the U.S. government, large numbers of firearms were sold directly from manufacturers to the Mexican government. Unfortunately, however, the weapons either never arrived or were diverted by military and police personnel defecting to the cartels. The Mexican military recently claimed nearly 9,000 such weapons to be "missing."

The State Department, which oversees the program, found in a recent audit of sales from 2009, the most recent year for which publicly released data is available, that over a quarter of the roughly 19,000 guns sold that year to the region including Mexico were "diverted" or, in bureaucrat-speak, had other "unfavorable" results. For those counting, that's about 5,000 guns a year that are almost certainly winding up in criminal hands, all courtesy of Team Hope 'n' Change. And, according to Attorney General Eric Holder, those guns will be turning up at crime scenes "for years to come," and "it is going to continue to have tragic consequences."

In the wake of this additional buffoonery by the White House, it's reasonable to think that the "Fast and Furious" operation itself would have faded into oblivion. However, as long as new controversies surrounding this operation keep arising -- this week, for example, comes the revelation that ATF officials sought to leverage the operation to implement draconian reporting requirements on U.S. gun dealers -- "Fast and Furious" will remain in the headlines. After all, as Holder maintained, "I have no intention of resigning."

The BIG Lie

Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) to Eric Holder: "Tell me what's the difference between lying and misleading Congress, in this context?"

Holder's response: "Well, if you want to have this legal conversation, it all has to do with your state of mind and whether or not you had the requisite intent to come up with something that would be considered perjury or a lie."

TSA Abuses Continue Apace

"They who can give up Essential Liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither Liberty nor safety." So said one of our nation's Founders, Benjamin Franklin, in 1775. Nowhere is Franklin's keen insight better exemplified than by what the Transportation Security Administration has become. The stories of TSA oppression are legion, but it appears that this holiday travel season may be a record breaker.

Last week, crack TSA goons prevented a teenage girl from boarding her flight to Jacksonville because her handbag had a gun design on the front of it. Yes, you read that right. Agents told her, "This is a federal offense because it's in the shape of a gun." The girl asked, "But it's a design on a purse. How is it a federal offense?" Agents refused an answer, and she was delayed and missed her flight.

Meanwhile, TSA abuse of the elderly continues apace at New York's JFK airport. One woman in her 80s claimed this week that agents made her pull down her waistband to show her colostomy bag. Another 80-year-old woman said that she was forced to lower her pants and underwear in front of an agent so that her back brace could be inspected. This woman, being in a wheelchair, tried to lift a lightweight walker off her lap when the metal bars banged against her leg, causing a bleeding gash due in part to her blood thinning medication. "My sock was soaked with blood," she said. The TSA agents showed no sympathy, instead pulling down her pants and asking her to raise her arms. "Why are you doing this?" she asked the agents, who, being good, unthinking brownshirts, did not respond. The TSA later both denied the incidents and claimed that agents were just following protocol. We find the official response as cold as the agents' behavior.

Clearly, we're all guilty until proven innocent in the TSA's eyes, all for the sake of avoiding politically incorrect profiling or more targeted searches. This is nothing more than tyranny and oppression from our own government, and it must stop.

Department of Military Correctness: 'Workplace Violence'

During a joint session of the House and Senate Homeland Security Committee this week, even liberal Senate Republican Susan Collins of Maine rightly took issue with the Obama administration's depiction of the Fort Hood massacre in 2009. She referenced a letter from the Defense Department that read, in part, "The documents attached illustrate how the Department is dealing with the threat of violent Islamist extremism in the context of a broader threat of workplace violence." Workplace violence? And here we thought they would classify it as an "expression of faith" protected by the First Amendment.

On the contrary, as Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) put it, the military has become a "direct target of violent Islamist extremism." Indeed, as The Washington Times reports, jihadis are trying to infiltrate the military, likely in hopes of perpetrating another massacre. In other words, as with most things, the administration has it exactly backward. There may be workplace violence, but it will be in the context of a broader threat of Islamic extremism.

Warfront With Jihadistan: Iran and the UAV

Iran claimed on Sunday to have shot down an advanced American unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the RQ-170, in eastern Iran. The Pentagon eventually acknowledged the loss but reported that it was due to command link malfunction, not hostile action, and that it was flying over Afghanistan when the malfunction occurred. Western media speculated wildly about who might gain access to the UAV's technology (Russia and China), where the UAV had really been flying (Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan), and how it was lost (crash, anti-aircraft fire, Iran hijacking the command signal). On Thursday Iran released video footage, but aviation enthusiasts around the world immediately noted the near-total lack of airframe damage, the clumsy appearance of the connection between wing and fuselage, and numerous other oddities, all of which only muddied the picture even further.

The important issue is what happens next. For starters, China will win the bidding war with Russia to exploit any surviving technology from the UAV -- regrettable, but not terribly serious. Iran will have a new grievance with which to complain of U.S. and Western "psychological warfare." Iran's leaders will wonder how many other UAVs may be flying over their nation, and to what purpose, adding to their already high level of paranoia. And we hope and expect the U.S. and our allies will go right on using UAVs and every other tool available to keep pressure on Iran. 2011 has seen Iran make significant strides on its path to nuclear capability, and the day of reckoning grows closer. Even the Obama administration seems to realize that a charming personality and an expensive suit are not enough to change Iran's behavior and that military force may be required as the last resort. In that context, UAVs perform a valuable function in gathering information and "shaping the battlefield."

Culture

Climate Change This Week: More Emails From East Anglia

With the latest release of data massaged to suggest Himalayan glaciers are melting, previously discredited and politically motivated climate-change charlatans from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have failed to learn the Rogers Rule. Derived from singer Kenny Rogers's song "The Gambler," it says you've got to know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em. It appears that the Warmists within the IPCC are crummy gamblers.

Climategate I, which involved the leak of thousands of emails and documents from the University of East Anglia Climate Research Unit, revealed that the climate change industry is a hoax perpetrated by modern day snake oil salesmen. Their livelihoods depended upon continuing a scheme that claimed the climate would face irreparable harm unless leading industrial nations tithed hundreds of billions of tax dollars to poorer nations. To help maintain a fiction that requires far more blind faith than any religion, scientists who disputed the contaminated data were ostracized and denounced. Now these same characters are again trying to spin the same old yarns under the wildly incorrect belief that they have regained some scintilla of credibility. Unfortunately, since they weren't bright enough to fold 'em the first time, they now find themselves ensnared in Climategate II due to the recent release of another 5,300 emails from ground zero of Climategate I.

These messages contain dire warnings about getting caught manipulating data, such as the message from Peter Thorne of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration who wrote, "I also think the science is being manipulated to put a political spin on it which for all our sakes might not be too clever in the long run." Too clever by half, Mr. Thorne.

The hacker/leaker releasing these emails has advised that there are another 220,000 encrypted emails that may be released at some future date. Unless these hoaxers quit while they're behind, the Warmists' failure to heed the maxim "falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus" (false in one thing is false in all) may lead to Climategate III.

Village Academic Curriculum: Zero Tolerance

A North Carolina principal tendered his resignation this week, ending his 44-year career in education. He came under fire after suspending a nine-year-old boy, not for bullying or acting out in class, but for referring to a teacher as "cute." The principal was so busy overreacting that he overlooked two key issues: The first is that sexual harassment is not so much about sex, but about power. Even for those who could make the stretch to believe that a nine-year-old could intend to sexually harass someone, he certainly didn't have any power over a teacher to do so. Second, he didn't even say it directly to the teacher, but to another student. If not for a substitute teacher who overheard the remark and a principal with an overdeveloped sense of political correctness, the boy would have been like any other child, sitting in class or even engaging in -- heaven forbid -- a game of dodge ball. Instead, he was branded as some sort of sex offender in training.

That all changed, however, when the Gaston County Schools superintendent heard the story. He assured the boy's mother that the suspension would not go on her son's record and that he would get extra classroom instruction to make up for time lost. He also told the principal that he could either resign or be fired. The principal chose the former, but he also complained that the superintendent's actions were "politically motivated."

Faith and Family: Atheist Claus

It just wouldn't be the Christmas season without a bunch of atheists trying to ruin it for everyone else. This year, they set up a grotesque display on the lawn of the Loudoun County Courthouse in Virginia -- a crucified skeleton in a Santa suit. Not surprisingly, the community was outraged, and before long "Skeleton Claus" was mysteriously dismantled.

Rick Wingmore, the president of the Virginia Chapter of American Atheists, had the nerve to complain that the Loudoun County sheriff was watching while a "vandal" took down the skeleton. A spokesperson for the sheriff denied this and said they are "investigating" the matter. Of course, the list of suspects is nearly endless, as most people objected to such a display. Why the atheists' disdain for Christ has extended to Santa is unclear, but it's ironic that an organization with no respect for the beliefs and traditions of others becomes angry when the favor is returned.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama, who just found Jesus after the most recent presidential poll showed his weakest support was from church-going voters, celebrated Hanukkah at the White House this week. He lit all the candles, but did so two weeks early, saying, "we never need an excuse for a good party."

Non Compos Mentis: Time's 'Story of the Year'

Time magazine's bizarre leftist antics are well known, including their numerous controversial selections for "Person of the Year." This week, it's their choice for the top U.S. news story of the year. But before we tell you their selection, here are a few candidates: the economy, the debt ceiling crisis, the European fiscal crisis, Osama bin Laden's death or the GOP presidential race. Time chose none of those. Their top story of the year? Occupy Wall Street.

Marveling over what began as "a couple hundred protesters demonstrating against the excesses of corporate execs" in Manhattan, Time describes a movement that changed the world, became an answer to the Tea Party, and was a cry against what we should all be angry about -- "not at big government but at the big banks that gutted the world economy and took billions in bailouts from the U.S. government." Priceless. National Review's Jonah Goldberg wrote, "I'm not at all shocked by the suggestion that Time's editors want it to be the #1 news story of the year. But if you actually believe it was the most important news story of the year, it's a very good sign you live in a liberal bubble." That's putting it mildly.

And Last...

Speaking of the Occupy Movement, the Los Angeles Times reports, "Some Occupy L.A. arrestees feel traumatized, might seek therapy." They're not traumatized by participating in a ridiculous movement that frequently turned destructive or violent. No, they're very upset about how they've been treated by police when they resist removal or arrest. According to the Times, "Several [of the 300 arrestees in LA] said they felt traumatized after witnessing police use non-lethal force and being forced to wait for hours in zip-tie handcuffs. Some displayed cuts on their wrists from the handcuffs. Others complained that they were forced to urinate in bags on the bus as they were transported to jails." Sounds to us like a marked improvement over the sanitary conditions at their camp. Regardless, whatever the therapy that's involved here, we just hope it includes taking a shower.

Semper Vigilo, Fortis, Paratus et Fidelis!
Nate Jackson for The Patriot Post Editorial Team

Comments

millerized

You asked, we answered:

Ego nescio ubi sit pecunia tantum

Posted December 9, 2011 at 10:49:27 AM

Michael Donnelly

Dear Senator Menendez

When - in the name of God - will you people stop burdening our children with your unbelievable appetite for spending money you will never recoup in our lifetime. Your actions say you don't give a damn about the future of our nation - it is someone else's problem. You dream of money from trees in the future that simply won't happen and our entire nation will suffer from your spendthrift ways.

Shame upon you - I pray for your defeat - all of you who spend like there is no tomorrow - if you succeed, there will be no tomorrow for America it will be just another failed socialistic disaster.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 11:26:04 AM

Eta Marie

sending packages mainly and mailing a few bills I don't pay on-line.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 11:30:26 AM

Donald Rasher

Play financial games elsewhere. Social SECURITY IS ALREADY BROKE AND UNDERFUNED. People should pay their own SS, and not depend on some "temporary" tax surcharge on millionaires to fund SS. The temporary tax would miraculously become permanent, even if people do start paying their own SS again, the surcharge tax would remain as just another stream of income for the feds to waste! DO NOT EXTEND THE PAYROLL TAX CUT. IT DIDN'T "STIMULATE" ANYTHING ANYWAY!

Posted December 9, 2011 at 11:36:28 AM

bill

Extending the payroll taxes is nothing but another Ponzi scheme as you are getting the money from the Social Security cookie jar to pay for it. This might be good for obama vote getting but little else. You are robbing Peter to pay Paul. Obama should go to Hawaii for however long and get out of DC where he is more trouble than he is worth. Hope is golf game is better than his leadership!

Posted December 9, 2011 at 11:39:10 AM

tarymelon

Why can't we just fire him now??? They all disgust me. They are all there for their own benefit and could care less about the people who put them there.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 11:40:31 AM

William C. Smith

If recent published claims about the status of employment in this country are accurate, then approximately 91.4 percent of the total workforce, who are unaffected by the scourge of unemplyment, has not "suffered" as much as this president and his fellow-travelers depict in their daily rants.

Therefore, they should all expect to pay their "fair share" of the shortfall created by their leaders. The additional money collected can be used to fund the extended benefits being showered upon the 8.6. Support your fellow workers in their time of stress.

Extending the tax holiday for emloyees is unnecessary and inadvisable.

Instead, curtail all superfluous air traffic to Hawaii for thirteen monhths.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 11:41:15 AM

Glenn Bellamy

From your story on the sentencing of former Illinois Democrat Governor Rod Blagojevich: "If it's any consolation, he's not alone. He can join the gang of former Illinois governors -- Otto Kerner, Dan Walker and George Ryan -- who spent time in the big house."

Makes you wonder if Joliet has a "Gubernatorial Suite"!

Posted December 9, 2011 at 11:42:04 AM

Bill

In response to William C. Smith - let our liar President take a vacation in Hawaii and then curtail superfluous traffic - flights from Hawaii to the mainland.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 11:50:09 AM

Glen

Re: California's attempt at income redistribution. I have already altered my buying habits by purchasing large ticket items from out-of-state online retailers. Thus I don't pay CA state sales tax. I would rather pay for shipping than pay sales tax in this state.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 11:50:25 AM

56hornet

I find why the postal service is such a crappy service. Sent a package to grandson in CA and (my fault) failed to put the apartment number on the package. They sent it back for (IF) insufficient address. I mailed it again, costing the same as the first time. Double your money to deliver a package, not a bad idea.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 11:52:13 AM

AZRETIRED

BAD IDEA! WHEN DO WE HAVE THE GUTS IN CONGRESS TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT FOR THE FEDERAL BUDGET??

Posted December 9, 2011 at 11:54:53 AM

The Texas Cooke

This pretty much says it all:

http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=JY8LKII_MNA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Think about that one.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 11:55:33 AM

Rick

"The United States Postal Service is facing a $5.5 billion default on a payment due to the federal government for retiree health benefits"

The reason being (which has not been reported in the media), is due to Congress raiding those retirement accounts, Social Security, etc. to fund whatever they pleased over the years. Congress and the Socialists inside the Beltway are to blame and should be removed by the most expedient means available!

Posted December 9, 2011 at 11:56:52 AM

Rev. K

For the longest time, especially since the creation of on-line bill paying, I've used snail-mail as little as possible. Admittedly, there are certain types of correspondence which must be sent via snail-mail but, other than those isolated examples, I avoid assiduously sending anything via snail-mail unless it's impossible to do so.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 11:57:55 AM

Rick

"The United States Postal Service is facing a $5.5 billion default on a payment due to the federal government for retiree health benefits"

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:02:01 PM

Grant in Carlsbad, CA

“I am in favor of cutting taxes under any circumstances and for any excuse, for any reason, whenever it's possible.” . . . Milton Friedman (1912-2006)

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:02:37 PM

Paul Brockman

How does "The One" not understand that maybe he can have it both ways: Extend the Payroll Tax holiday AND create a boat-load of jobs by allowing the Keystone Pipeline project. It would do the economy some real good while at the same time almost certainly improve his polling numbers. Oh, wait a minute...he's not interested in seeing the economy improve - he's trying to wreck it. What was I thinking?

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:04:54 PM

Lin Wicklund

The planes on 9/11 were places where the crew worked. They flew into buildings that were places where others worked. Evidently 9/11 was "workplace violence".

Ft. Sumpter was a place people worked, and was fired upon by fellow workers. So I guess the entire Civil War was one, huge instance of "workplace violence". The new text books are being written now, I suppose.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:05:54 PM

Ed Orr

Barrack Obama has signed the death warrant of the United States of America. It will be his Chicago gangster style Administration and those who vote for him who will be carrying out that sentence. Anyone who votes for or supports this userper should be considered a traitor and someone who spits on the graves of all men and women who have given their lives to preserve and protect this nation and our way of life.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:07:24 PM

mikhail silo

"Atheist Claus"

The liberal's alternative to Santa?

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:07:29 PM

Keith White

Obama does not want the Keystone pipeline because he wants the US to be at the mercy of OPEC and he wants the price of fuel to rise in this country to make the so called green energy look better as it cost toooo much with small benifits.

We need to stop the B--- S--- and start to think about our country, jobs, economy, jobs, economy and stop all the class warfare B. S.

It would really be nice to see our president care about America and work to better her, instead of trying to take her down. JUST MY THOUGHTS

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:09:08 PM

Jim Anderson

Let's get real. The "temporary" cut in S.S. payroll taxes and unemployment benefits extension did virtually nothing to help the jobs situation. It only hurt the Social Security Trust Fund and increased the deficit.

Medicare "Doc" fix and approving the pipeline to create jobs are the only actions the clowns in Washington should act on. Good luck with the Clown-in-Chief going along with that.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:11:20 PM

Edward

What do I use the mail for? Other than Christmas, Birthday, and Condolence cards, as little as possible.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:13:00 PM

Peter

Why does this feel like the Republicans getting rolled yet again? The House of Representatives can stop the spending (Article 1, Section 7.) Starve the Beast. Call his bluff.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:13:21 PM

Jason Davis

Every time the feds do something to change federal payroll taxes, there is a cost to business to make changes to software that does payroll tax filing and that calculates payroll checks. All of these recent costs have been for temporary changes to these taxes: HIRE Act, COBRA reimbursement to employers for reducing the cost of insurance to terminated workers, and the Social Security tax reduction. I think Dems know this costs businesses time and money, and that is one reason they are so eager to push temporary measures - to harm private enterprise.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:18:00 PM

James Pogue

Send Obama and 'Dirty' Hsrry to Hawaii, so Congress can do our business.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:18:48 PM

Ted

Tax cut extension will do absolutely nothing. Long term stability in taxation i.e. Bush tax cuts to remain in place long term, serious deficit reduction, income tax reform, corporate tax reform, elimination of death tax and capital gains and last but not least ..... the unleashing of our own natural resources for energy.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:20:29 PM

Gary Chambers

Please keep comments civil and brief. Obscene, profane, abusive and off-topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked.

IN COMPLIENCE WITH THE ABOVE DIRECTIVE I WILL REFRAIN FROM COMMENTING ON THE OWS - FLEA PARTY GROUP. MY COMMENTS WOULD BE IN DIRECT CONFLICT WITH THE OBSCENE, PROFANE AND ABUSIVE SECTIONS

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:22:17 PM

Diana

With Jeff Skilling of Enron cooling his heels in prison, I certainly hope Corzine doesn't weasel his way out of jail time on what he's done.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:23:29 PM

Craig Kinard

Skip this ridiculous 2% FICA reduction--let's have across-the-board personal and business income tax rate reduction. Oh, and abolish the estate tax--that would preserve untold numbers of small businesses that close the doors for want of money to pay it.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:23:45 PM

Jim Dearborn

Workplace Violence ...makes as much sense as O'B's Fairnesssss.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:26:24 PM

David Reiter

If I was President, I wouldn't sign any bill that was too long. One page for the House; Senate, two.

Any congressman that introduces legislation which addresses two or more unrelated issues in the same bill should be required to pay all his parking tickets and bank overdraft fees on the spot.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:27:45 PM

Barbara

I use the post office to mail calendars to clients annually, Christmas cards, thank you notes, a couple bill payments monthly, and some packages. I guess I don't like the Christmas e-cards. It seems impersonal... no personal signature or handwritten notes to individuals you care about. More and more I don't have confidence the post office can dependably deliver (I have stories to back up this). They need to get back to the promise of delivering promptly and dependably. People will pay for good service. Increasing prices do not equate to good service. You have to already be providing good service to get away with a price increase.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:31:39 PM

Don

MAKE THE BUSH TAX CUTS PERMANENT!!!

The Obama regime is the ruination of this country, and i will definatly vote against him, no matter who is picked to run against him. I will hold my nose and vote, because Washington is corrupt.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:37:39 PM

James Pogue

It is simply this adminidtrations continued attemps to refuse to call a terrorist by the correct name, "TERRORIST."

An example of work place violence is a disgrunteled Postal employee firing up his work place because he is POed about not getting paid more than he is worth cause his Union told him so.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:39:06 PM

Don

I was in eastern Kentucky recently for a family member funeral, and the vehicle in front of us had a bumper sticker that said.. DON'T LIKE COAL, DON'T USE ELECTRICITY. The Chevy "boondoggle" Volt relies on electricity to charge its batteries. Imagine that.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:44:19 PM

James Pogue

Same-o-same-o

Another liberal 'work place' incident.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:46:02 PM

Marti

The Repulicans will cave again at the last minute.

The best thing that could happen is to let it happen, and let the Resident in Chief veto it, then the Republicans can shout it from the roof tops the Prez vetoed jobs, and voted for higher taxes on the middle class.

Just once I'd like to see the Republicans turn the table on him.

Get some spines in the Republican party just once!

Stop worrying about your own re-elections.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:49:41 PM

Homer Terry

Garbage!

Posted December 9, 2011 at 12:50:20 PM

Joe Dotson

I'm against any TEMPORARY change in tax rates or revenue increases for the Federal Government to spend unacceptably while increasing our national debt.

What is needed and should be the top priority for our Federal Government is a balance budget amendment and until that is achieved spending should be reduced, debt reduced and hold tax revenue unchanged.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 1:06:53 PM

RADDAD

Unemployment compensation extension

Don’t be dependent on the Federal government for your displaced compensation. Get a job !! any job. Start a service, get a positive cash flow. The causes of these current problems are NOT going away. If the administration was changed tomorrow, it would probably take three years to get an employment base that would be comparable to pre-O.

If you want the Federal government to take care of you, remember the way they have taken care of the American Indians

Posted December 9, 2011 at 1:14:07 PM

Bobby Reed

Prairie dung! This is the political bunk that is offered up as "jobs creating policy." The FICA tax cut seriously endangers the Social Security reserves that have already been raided by congresses, past and present, to buy votes from freeloaders who benefit from support programs for which they should work. But, what the hay! If they can get it free, why not?

Unemployment! Eliminate it. People should not get paid for not working. Try collecting pop bottles. In the settlement of Jamestown there was a policy "no work-no food". It worked!

Posted December 9, 2011 at 1:19:14 PM

lfodf

extend the tax cut or better yet make it permanent! Pay for it by cutting out EPA, Education, HUD, HHS, ARTS, Commerce. WE ARE SICK AND TIRED OF TAXES AND CORRUPT POLITICIANS! We will target them all in 2012.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 1:20:45 PM

Retired Veteran

The continuing degradation of the military along with the increasing violation of freedoms & rights has reached a point of criticality. This nation is ripe for a second revolution since the conditions of this country currently exceed the conditions present in 1773. We can no longer pretend to have 'political correctness' that blinds the eye to the genuine threats that face this once great nation. The atrocities constantly perpetrated by TSA on innocent, law abiding (and obviously non-threatening) citizens is beyond logic. Meanwhile, Congress continues to downsize our military while turning a blind eye away from those who advertise that they are opposed to our way of life & the continuance of the United States of America. Then, to top it off, we have numerous federal agencies, representatives, etc. hiding behind their self authorized shields to commit crimes that would take a jury all of fifteen minutes to decide the outcome - all of which further destroy the nation & inflict punishment upon her citizens. In short, I served 20 years to defend this nation but this country is no longer the one that I served & defended. Instead, it has become something that I no longer recognize. Beware Washington, if something is not done NOW to correct these atrocities, there WILL be a second revolution to regain the rights & freedoms earned by the blood of our forefathers but sold by you to feather your nests!

Posted December 9, 2011 at 1:30:46 PM

D. Burger

I use 1st Class USPS for bill paying (too many web sites being hacked and customer's ID being comprimised) and donations to charities I support. I use Priority Mail for mailing packages. I have no problem with the change in 1st Class delivery time or $0.01 increase in postage or loss of Saturday delivery. The Post Office is horribly burdened by union rules that force it to function like a 1930s business. Maybe closing down some of the existing (read inefficient) facilities will help. We get an awful lot of service for $0.43 (or $0.44).

Posted December 9, 2011 at 1:31:01 PM

RADDAD

The United States Postal Service is facing a $5.5 billion default on a payment due to the federal government for retiree health benefits

Is this possible ?!!:

1. The deficit is a mandate from Congress that replaces shortfalls in the retirement fund.

That congress previously took & spent .

2. The Fed gives the money to the USPS so they won't default on a payment

3. O'Admin pulls money out of the fund for their projects and cronies.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 1:35:48 PM

lfodf

the postoffice workers have been rude surley lazy and inefficient for the past several decades. Let the post office fail and the bumbs working there polish up their resumes like the rest of us have to do. McDonalds wouldn't even hire most of these lazy jerks to flip fries.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 1:36:48 PM

Jim Sublett

How is workplace violence different from any violennce. If your intent is to bodily harm to people it is all the same. So you should be treated as a murderer in all instances. Call it what you will if you do bodily harm to people you should be punshed the same. We have out civilized ourselves and the perpertrators mostly are the lawyers and liberal judges that have allowed this to happen.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 1:37:38 PM

sandy miles

Firstly, with as much profits as businesses are making today a 1.9% tax hike isn't going to kill anyone. Secondly, anyone who making 1 million in profits yearly isn't a small business. Let's not cut anyone's taxes until we get our financial house in order. Pay down our deficit and get government to stop spending like drunken sailors. We need to get mfg. jobs back into this country. Germany has done a good job of keeping jobs in their country by making great quality cars. Is their a reason we can't do that anymore. lET'S GET OUR PEOPLE AWAY FROM CHINA AND INDIA BY GETTING THEM USED TO QAULITY AGAIN. THAT'LL PUT LOTS OF SELF EMPLOYED REPAIR PEOPLE BACK TO WORK AGAIN. WHY DOES EVERYONE NEED TO BE RICH...WHY CAN'T WE JUST BE SATISFIED BY MAKING A DECENT LIVING? tHAT'S WHAT IT WAS LIKE IN THE 50S & 60S UNTIL EVERYONE QUIT OWNING THINGS AND BIG CORPORATIONS PUT SMALL ONES OUT OF BUSINESS. SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO GET BACK TO AGAIN. GOV. INCENTIVES FOR EVERYTHING IN THIS COUNTRY GO TO THE BIGS AND TOO OFTEN THEY'RE INTERNATIONALS. ONLY FOLKS MAKING MONEY ARE THAT 1%AT THE TOP. THEY'RE MAKING SO MUCH THAT THEY SHOULD BE ASHAMED. HOW MUCH MONEY DOES ANYONE PERSON AND OR FAMILY REALLY NEED TO BE HAPPY. ENOUGH WITH THIS TRYING TO PROTECT THAT 1% IN THIS COUNTRY. THEY TAKE CARE OF THEMSELVES VERY WELL THANK YOU. I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE THE SAME TAX RATES FOR LARGE CORP'S AS EUROPEANS. AMERICANS NEED TO STOP BUYING CRAP FROM CHINA AND INDIA AND START PRODUCING GOOD QUALITY STUFF HERE. THAT WOULD CERTAINLY SOLVE MANY OF OUR OWN PROBLEMS.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 1:38:06 PM

Jim

When Herman Cain makes an innocent comment, it's sexual harassment. When the TSA pulls down your pants, they're just following protocol. Hmm, how many times in history has that excuse been used for atrocities? I wonder where TSA agents draw the line.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 1:39:24 PM

lfodf

if it happens at the white house...........

Posted December 9, 2011 at 1:43:04 PM

Carol Wolney

After seven (almost eight) decades of life, to me the "Story of the Year" is the total idiocy of President Barak Obama. It boggles my mind that he actually still functions as our Commander in Chief. It puts the 'lie' to "on the job training"!

Posted December 9, 2011 at 1:44:58 PM

RADDAD

Best news story of the year ---

Top O’Administration members are diagnosed with Dymentia and are forced to take immediate early retirements.

Apparently, a blue color dye in the O”CoolAid was causal in triggering a deep seated reactive agent in their DNA.

Just as suspected, their lack of logic and common sense was not caused by being irrational, but by their biological deficiencies.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 1:49:09 PM

ggreen

Is Harry Reed and the rest of the thugs going to pay their share of the taxes?

What is good for the goose is good for the gander.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 1:53:55 PM

Bill

Look, social security tax receipts have been raided for years by congress and spent elsewhere, so to help end the subterfuge, conservatives should call for making the reduction permanent. That makes it clear that it really is a general revenue tax reduction, and provides a target for a matching personnel expenditure reduction in HHS and IRS, since there's less money to be handled.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 1:54:20 PM

Larry Elliott

Obama knows less about job creation than my dog does. About all that can be said about most of his comments on the subject is, "HUH?"

Posted December 9, 2011 at 1:54:22 PM

ART MILLER

Pay bills that need to be there the next day.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 1:57:21 PM

Granite

I'll ask everyone again: What are you doing, concretely, to save America? You know there is no satisfaction, no change, no catalyst in pouring out your anger into a website, any website, alone; no matter how proud you are of your words, your prose and your essays.

If you are not working to get conservative voters (voters who have stopped voting) registered and to the polls; if you are not financially and physically helping get rid of your RINO senator and congressman, if you are not boycotting all that directly and indirectly supports the cabal in Washington, if you not straight-up refusing to buy UAW cars and trucks and all things union; then, all the typing of words into this and similar sites will not change a thing in a million years, except allow our losses to continue to pile up.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 1:58:26 PM

MikeEcho

I use the USPS for all my bill paying and business. I try not to use the computer for any financial transactions. The mail is safe and certanly more secure than the internet. My wife just purchased the "forever" stamps at Cosco, but I really don't mind the stamps. 44 cents is very cheap for the service. Where the post office loses money is with mass advertising. That mail still needs to be handled just as if it was first class. Nobody should be exempt from paying the first class rate, that includes not profits and Congress.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 1:59:26 PM

Buzzkill

Qua Viaticus Non Sapiamus

Gaius Gluteus Maximus, Sage of the Empire

Posted December 9, 2011 at 2:03:32 PM

akaangrywhiteman

Governments true mission, usurp Gods position.

http://lewrockwell.com/napolitano/napolitano32.1.html

Posted December 9, 2011 at 2:05:12 PM

Holly

Your information about Newt is naive at best. I encourage you and your wonderful staff to take a look at Newt.org and watch the 25 minute video from the Republican Jewish Coalition done just this week, and it will answer much about his "past" answered, plus some. Also, on the website and from other video interviews, if you will see what he has learned in his years in private as well as public life, there has been reconciliation with past wives.He has a strong marriage with Callista and a good relationship with his girls and their husbands and he is a grandfather now.

You can clearly see a layout of his strong immigration stands, which are strong and have always been--Take off your judgment glasses and listen to what he is saying----people take more time to judge than to listen. Newt is completely steeped in American History and American exceptionalism. He understands how the constitution works.

And Romney is the true global warming fellow and NOT a conservative at all. As far as flip-flops, there is NO real evidence his statements are flipping anything. There is difference at listening to sound wisdom and accommodating and another to flip to another view. Which is what Romey does.

Please be wise and don't judge someone without viewing all the facts yourselves.

I thought Patriot Post would be wiser.view the 25 minute video from the Jewish Republican Coalition -he comments on the ethics issue from a question answer at the end from a student. My God, man, it is Nancy Pelosi we are talking about here!!She doesn't want someone strong s Newt to lead-please tell me you are not siding with Nancy P. As I said, if you will take time to listen to the videos --try the Value Voter's Summit 2011, and many others --especially his intensive interview with Sean Hannity this last week. He is a STRONG leader.

Do your homework guys, --I will be watching to see if your site adds to the help for America and the conversation is healthy, or if it is accusing and acting like the GOP Rhinos or Democrats. You really disappoint me as I thought you all were better than that. There is NO perfect candidate--but Newt would really help us. Debating Obama. He could do it. Focus on his strong good points and forget the past! It is irrelevant in so many ways! We are talking life and death for our country.. The man learned from the past and is moving on. Lets get back to the business of building America.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 2:06:26 PM

Jiggs

I want that dysfuntional bunch of ninnies we call a Congress to do something besides dither and bray at each other. I wnat "The Cowboy Poet" of Nevada to stop being a horse's ass and start acting like a Senatorial leader should. They need to remember, that we voted them in and we can sure as hell vote 'em out. Speaking of ninnies, Obama is the leader of the pack. Also, if he stays in town, Michelle and the girls need to stay in town too. Another big, costly trip is not my idea of a Christmas gift for the American people.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 2:12:02 PM

greg

Extend the cut WITH XL Pipeline package but only extend it till the election-- NOT Christmas/New Year. Otherwise, EMPHASIZE how much the supposed TEMPORARY Obama payroll holiday is hurting the SSA "lockbox" and therefore how Dems are taking from the elderly to give to the unemployed who have been unemployed now for almost his entire administration.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 2:20:16 PM

Bill DeFelice

The temporary tax cuts,should be made permanate.

We should be cutting the number of gov.personell.I hope bamer's address,gets a change,in Jan,2013.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 2:29:22 PM

Fred

I am so sick and tired of BHO's rhetoric! All lies and innuendo geared to those not involved in the politics. Harry Reid labeling Repubs as against tax cuts is a joke all by itself. Until either party starts cutting spending (forget tax cuts) all this rhetoric is just that. The time is coming when a stand must be taken on spending and downsizing the federal bureaucracy. That will be a real show. Right now neither side as the political will to tackle this root problem.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 2:35:33 PM

Alton

Holly, I agree. The Democrats will be slinging stuff at Newt because they can't win on their own merits. Sometimes however, our own dyfunctional GOP leaderhip fails us. November their cronyism cost us the Senate. Newt forgot more than the rest of the GOP field will ever learn. We need someone who can debate with Obama. The San Diego Zoo has an AFrican Lion and we have a lyin African and he's good at it and Newt can pick him apart and when the debating is over, we still have a knowledgeable well prepared statesman who is not a Marxist and won't have people in his inner circle who have ties with the Communist Party. And as Obama might put it, some with a small "c" and some with a large "C",

but does it really matter. Now back to the election, we need to win, even if he or she isn't pretty I would vote for my neighbor's obnoxious dog or as Hannity put it, a potted plant. Folks it's that important unfortunately. We have to save the Republic.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 2:35:50 PM

billy396

I only use the United States Postal Service for things that can't be done any other way. This gov't leech has steadily sucked taxpayer dollars out of the system while at the same time providing worse and worse service every year and raising prices whenever possible. The U.S. government desperately needs to get out of the way of private enterprise, period. This includes the postal service, the auto industry, and every other gov't infringement on what should be private enterprise. We have a Constitution that gives the federal gov't certain enumerated jobs to do. That is the very end of the federal government's domain and responsibilities. The Tenth Amendment is very clear. The attempts by the current administration to lard up every possible government UNION job and to grow government at every turn is corrupt, unconstitutional, and ultimately treasonous. This nation will be bankrupt in short order if we don't get behind someone to STOP Obama. He has already spent so much and lied so much as to rise to the level of the high crimes and misdemeanors necessary to merit impeachment. Unfortunately this will never happen due to the media/union/democrat money machine at work. Patriotic American citizens, now is the time to unite. If Obama is given a second term, our nation will NEVER recover from the damage that he will inflict.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 2:36:33 PM

Bill DeFelice

I use the U.S.Mail,to pay my bills.Not much else.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 2:37:55 PM

Karen

"Time describes a movement that changed the world, became an answer to the Tea Party"

If Occupy Wall Street is the answer, what was the question?

Posted December 9, 2011 at 2:38:22 PM

Jiggs

On-line, bill pay hasn't quite come to my home yet, so I still utilize the USPS. I mail much of my local monetary support for the food pantry, Friends of the Cemetery, as well as my monthly rent via the PO. A lot of stuff that I purchase, I buy on-line, and when the credit card bills come, I pay them via the PO. The USPS may have all the modern technology for processing mail known to man, BUT the way they propose to save money makes no sense at all. For example, one of the proposals is to close the Augusta, GA, regional processing center and send all the mail to either Macon or Columbia, SC, to be processed. Once processed, all the mail for the Augusta region has to be trucked back to Augusta for distribution. Both Macon and Columbia are at least fifty miles, maybe more, from Augusta. Judging by the cost of fuel to haul that mail there and back, what is the savings in that? If the USPS would just cut the salaries of the top level people and bust the unions contracts to something more realistic, they could save a few billion more. Anything the government has anything to do with is broken as well as dysfunctional. Common sense to these people is unheard of or beyond their comprehension.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 2:38:48 PM

Jim III

Article in the Flint Journal, Flint, MI., Page A-10 , column 5:

Minorities sue over Republican Redistricting.

I am not going to retype the whole article, but the main point was that the democrats were upset that some of the black incumbents would have to run against other black incumbents. That the redistricting process was in violation of the Constitution and therefore illegal.

They have filed a lawsuit to have the redistricting results thrown out.

They apparently want to draw the districts for themselves.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 2:48:13 PM

Raymond Bradley

Referencing the 25 House-passed job-building bills languishing in the Senate you suggest, "Republicans should seize this opportunity to educate voters that Obama's so-called 'Do Nothing' Congress resides in the Democrat Senate, not the Republican House." Unfortunately, the voters to be educated do not read the Patriot Post or other conservative publications. Their source of information is the MSM and Democrat politicians, both of which lie and distort the truth. Until the Republicans take off their kid gloves and learn to fight effectively, the Progressive forces will continue to control the minds of most voters.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 2:48:17 PM

Bill DeFelice

I don't waist time,reading that rag,Time.It is time for Time,to time out.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 2:49:41 PM

SeekerW

How is Blagojevich's 14 year sentence where essentially no one got hurt justified when compared to the sentence that Michael Jackson's "doctor" got for manslaughter where someone died? This is "justice" ??

Posted December 9, 2011 at 3:02:14 PM

Mike Warren

The only real use I have for the USPS is to send personal cards and letters. Almost everything else is done electronically via email or web or sending packages with UPS/FedEx. I believe one of the main reason for the lack of sustainable income for the USPS is the blight of unsolicited junk mail and the discounted rates given to customers who send their advertising through the US mail.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 3:03:15 PM

Jiggs

Yes, Gingritch has some baggage; but his life is much more stable now then when he was Speaker of the House. He has become a Roman Catholic and stabilized his life. As the saying goes, we want the best man to run for President, but he never does. We are not going to find someone who is squeaky clean anymore, because they just don't exist. I note in the news today that Mr. Romny is now going to take some pot shots at Newt. Well, fine, if he does, he might show some emotion. Mr. Romny reminds me of a card board cut out of himself, because there is no change of expression when talking. He's just there, and so what? If there were a debate tomorrow between Obama a Republican candidate, I would want it to be with Newt, because Gingritch would win hands down, teleprompter or no teleprompter. He knows what he is talking about and can deliver it all without notes or help. I want someone who says what he means and means what he says. Romny ain't it.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 3:04:44 PM

Dr. Roger Price

The most important news story is the liberal gutting of our constitution for personal benefit.

By the way, Time should not wonder why its business is in the toilet when they cannot find anything better to rate #1.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 3:10:04 PM

billy396

In this case, as in so many others, we're dealing with code words. Of course, 'workplace violence' can be stretched and mangled to mean any kind of violence. School shootings are merely 'workplace violence' for the teachers present. Gabrielle Giffords' shooting was merely workplace violence for her since she was visiting her constituents. This administration will mangle and corrupt the english language just as quickly and as badly as they mangle and corrupt our Constitution which has, up to this point, protected American citizens from the kind of leftist, unamerican activities that are all too commonplace for the leftists in power.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 3:25:50 PM

RK Sprau

Tax breaks: I've been harping on this for the last 10 week. Middle class pays more the Rich, hey let's give them another break. An astounding 73-86% are behind shared sacrifice, a dirty word. The Conservatives never cared about how to pay for the tax breaks before, now they want to pay for it by laying off 200.000 people. GRINCH. they want to cut u nemployment by 50%, truly a christian mandate, lets slash food-stamps for after all no one needs to eat.

1. Cut jobs

2. Cut benefits

3. This will create an additional domino effect which means more people laid off

4. This will end up with a higher crime per ratio for desperate people will do desperate thing.

Now add to it the the 99% cantor is there noe poster child for the Tea Party hate groups. He blocked the Congressional Insiders treading act. illigle for me to act on insider information but not for Congress or the super rich.

This is how t6he world views it

I love the braying jackass award section. I this qualifies.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 3:31:35 PM

billy396

The ONE AND ONLY reason that Obama won't allow the Keystone pipeline is because he can't lard it up with government union employees. The ONLY jobs that Obama cares about are union jobs which, of course, perpetuate his union/democrat/media money pump. The ONLY jobs that Obama will EVER care about are union jobs, even though unions only represent 7% of the private workforce. He absolutely doesn't care one bit about the rest of the jobs in this country. His goal is to bankrupt the U.S. in order to increase his power. It's his ultimate "emergency" that he can take advantage of to seize ultimate power and declare martial law. THAT is his big pipe dream, and one more reason that Obama MUST be defeated. This will be the most important presidential election in the history of this country, because if Obama is let off the chain, he will destroy this country as a Constitutional Republic.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 3:37:12 PM

Free

Obama's comments about liberty not working are astounding. Demonstably false statements glibly presented as truth. It didn't work in the decade before the great depression (has he never heard of the roaring 20s?); it didn't work in the 50's and 60's (I don't recall reading about any extended recessions during those decades).

Is he really that ignorant or is he that evil? Maybe both. There are no other alternatives.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 3:41:20 PM

Major Stu

They should have left the Skeleton Claus up.

It's protected free speech. A better icon for the atheist movement could not be invented.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 3:54:24 PM

maj

FYI:

Time Inc. Corporate Headquarters

Time Inc.

1271 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10020

212.522.1212

It's not headquartered in Peoria. Is it not a billion dollar NY corporation? Is that not what the OWS people were protesting? Maybe, who knows what some of them were protesting. But Time, Inc. is as much an establishment corporation, propping up the fat cat bureaucrats and the excesses of Washington, Wall Street traders, and big corporate banks as any single entity out there. Pot, meet kettle.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 3:58:41 PM

Mike

I don't use snail mail. If it truely is important and time sensitive I fax.

For all other needs I use the internet. Banking, pay my bills, purchases that I can't find locally (I live in a small town).

If only I could delete the idiots in Congress as easily as I delete their stupid messages to me, life would be good.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 3:59:30 PM

B.Bass

I mail as many of my bills as I can. I don't use the internet to pay my bills. I think they should do away with Saturday delivery to save some money, but they need to leave the post office open on Saturdays. I also try to use the USPS instead of UPS or FEDEX.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 4:07:18 PM

My wife pays her bills by USPS to avoid internet fraud. Valid reason or not it is how she insists on doing it. On-line banking scares us both.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 4:08:20 PM

David Ulm

The Payroll Tax cut was supposed to be temporary and expire at the end of 2011. Not extending it is NOT a tax increase. This is not a time to be playing with money earmarked for social security and medicare. Congress has already raded the funds to the tune of over a $trillion (which now sits in borrowed treasuries). Money's collected for a specific purpose should not be used for other purposes period! I am against the extension of the payroll tax cuts AND the extension of unemployment benefits. The negative incentive of getting 'free' money for not working has kept the unemployment rate higher than is would be, if people knew they couldn't get the handout.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 4:10:29 PM

BERNARD BRESLIN

It makes no sense to have more people gainfully employed, now does it? More people to pay taxes on their labor, contributing to Social Security? Nah. Are you kidding? America, wake up! You have a clown occupying the White House!

Posted December 9, 2011 at 4:21:17 PM

Hawkfan

Might as well extend it. I used the extra money last year to max out my retirement fund. Would do the same next year. Probably won't see and social security anyhow as I am sure by the time I qualify, it will be means tested. I'd like to do away with the whole damn social security system. There is so much abuse, especially by the 'disabled', (ie. back pain, fibromyalgia (aka fibro my ass) etc.).

Posted December 9, 2011 at 4:29:50 PM

formergrunt

It appears that this politically correct administration not only has their collective heads in the sand, but also is suffering from rectal/cranial inversion syndrome, about Islamic terrorism.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 4:31:21 PM

RK Sprau

David Ulm: Tax increase is a tax increase. Now a question, why sell your soul to Norquist who is a lobbyist? I'm only stating what he said about it a few months ago. Now it's politically expedient not to extend. Keep your word or not and quit paying homage to a lobbyist and do the peoples business.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 4:37:31 PM

Don

A terrorist attack by a muslim radical like the case with Maj. Nidal Hassan is what it is... a terrorist attack. To try to say that that is workplace violence is wrong. This regime protects muslims at all fronts. Wake up America.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 4:41:59 PM

NamVet46

Since three thousand people were either at work or going to work, 9/11 was 'workplace violence'. Give this country a break! I am surprised we haven't been hit since. Until we start dealing with these loons as we should, our safety is is dire question. The next attack could make 9/11 look like a walk in the proverbial park. We must stop holding hands and begin rooting these people out. Profile everyone everywhere. Those who think this awful can stay home.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 4:44:37 PM

Fred

My story of the year? BHO still having legions of people who think he is a good President.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 4:52:29 PM

Donald McKeighen

If it were TRULY a tax cut, it wouldn't need 'extended', it would just be a permanent lowering of the rate, only the Occupodos and the rest of the lunatic left believe that, meanwhile, here in Ohio the flopeared kenyan Keynsian's EPA wants to throttle the remaining life out of the economy of Ohio by threatening to stifle the growing 'fracking' industry that would mean thousands of jobs throughout Ohio, I honestly DO NOT understand how anyone can be a 'Democrat', it requires too much denial of reality.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 4:52:55 PM

Joe Jordan

.....that we survived yet another year of the Obamas...

Posted December 9, 2011 at 5:15:47 PM

judiSpears

Social Security is going broke, so in an example of best elected thought & problem solving, they think putting less money into an insolvent program is a good idea. What planet do these people live on?t

Posted December 9, 2011 at 5:20:33 PM

JTatum

I use the USPS for all of my business and personal mail. It's the only option in a small remote area w/limited internet access. I must admit however, that even if we did have DSL, I would not do any type of monetary transactions online. Nothing is hacker proof.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 5:32:52 PM

Jill

The story of the year?? The fact that a lot of Americans still haven't awakened to the fact that our country is in a dire situation due to Obozo's lack of leadership, and that he and his gang of corrupt appointees are still in power.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 5:44:28 PM

Old Soldier

Too many Senior Officers, who were once leaders, have turned into politicians (There was always an element of this.) who are sucking up to the Social Engineers we have repeatedly allowed to be elected to the Presidency of this once great country. As the Military services shrink and top spots are even more competitive, we can only expect worse examples than the PC of "work place violence".

Posted December 9, 2011 at 5:50:05 PM

greg myers

THE leading candidate in the Republican Presidential Primary race, Herman Cain, wsa driven out of the race on the basis of unfounded, unsubstantiated accusations from 3 women with no proof. One of the three, coincidentally, lived in the same building with David Axelrod, an Obama hatchet man. Did it ever occur to anyone that the single most dangerous opponent Obama could face would be another black man, of infinitely greater experience, wisdom, and humility, who would absolutely decimate the Democrat's heretofore absolute stranglehold on the black vote in America. The loss of that vote to the Republicans, particularly if Cain won, would destroy their stranglhold on that voting block going forward. Since that voting block has frequently delivered the winning margin, they could not risk losing it.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 6:26:55 PM

Larry

The only reason I have is to pay bills and send

Christmas and birthday cards. Period!

Posted December 9, 2011 at 7:01:39 PM

Robert E8 USN, Ret

"Story of the Year" question; what do I think that should be? "Barack Hussein Obama, aka Barry Sotero, and Eric Holder, Current US President and Attorney General are still at large and still holding the office they ascended to in 2009. Both men have demonstrated an astonishing lack of respect for the positions they hold, compliments of an apparently ignorant electorate. That the Congress of the United States of America has not (House of Representatives) instituted a action against these two men must be the story of the year! It fails credibility that they are, each, not confined in a Federal Prison."

Posted December 9, 2011 at 7:06:27 PM

GordAuch

Story Of The Year: The survival of Time magazine despite its irrelevance. This story might include reference to the ignorance that is our strength.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 7:07:34 PM

Morning Glory

Too many good things to comment on tonight!

1) GEEZ! I'm SOOO sorry that our pretender and family may NOT get to travel together on their 17 day vacation!!! NOT....well, actually I am as we can't really afford the extra $100,000 it will cost if they fly separately. At least the girls can take Bo with them, and HE doesn't have to take a separate flight (this time).

2) I would like to see what proof the NAACP has that substantiates their thinking that blacks and Latinos are being discriminated against simply because they are asked for ID when voting! Apparently these people do not go to banks, shop at stores, or apply for ANYthing ANYwhere! What a crock.....so much for pretender 'uniting' our country.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 7:36:13 PM

Shoot

I dont use the mail much I pay most of my bills automayicaly through my bank or online I would rather not use my hard earned money to pay some fat a ssed union cry baby. they need to look into these fat laden union contracts to get things under control, I live in a gated community with a central mail area and after a lock on my mail box door would not open because the clerk pushed my perscription mail order drugs against the door when I called the main postal unit I was told by the manager I should have ordered my diabetes meds a day sooner I would not have run out and told me he could not get anyone there till the next day I blew my top wrote everyone I could with no help so the post office can kiss my half breed rump as can thier over paid union thugs!!

Posted December 9, 2011 at 8:44:19 PM

Robert E8 USN, Ret

Retired Veteran; Absolutely! The Republic I (and you) defended along side millions of others is not recognizable today from what it was at the end of WWII. Korea set the stage for RVN. The military did not lose that conflict, the politicians did. And they are continuing to lose in the current conflicts. Not much value in saying it, I suppose. We must rid the Republic of an out of control government, or we will lose this Republic forever. Semper FI---is becoming difficult.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 8:54:49 PM

NIFTYTAX

I have to disagree with "George" The tax reform concept at http://NoTaxUntilDeath.com is NOT inconvenient or unpleasent!

Posted December 9, 2011 at 9:24:43 PM

Nancy

I use the postal service very seldom. This year all I have used the USPS for is mailing birthday cards to my family in another state and mailing my Christmas cards. I keep in touch with family by telephone, facebook, and email.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 9:30:14 PM

Dewey E. Du Bose

Sending mail and packages to our Son-in-Law in Afganistan. Ditto to our Grandsons in the Far East. Maybe if they raise the price of postage high enough, I'll stop getting so many bills;-)

Posted December 9, 2011 at 9:48:07 PM

Michael Brown

Order your:

Ego nescio ubi sit pecunia tantum

bumper sticker.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 9:56:31 PM

Jim Johnson

I stopped taking Time Magazine in the early 1970's. Eventually I started thinking. Why Time exists is beyond me as they have no sense of importance. The one big story is that the Constitution is being trampled upon by Progressives and others seeking power.

Redistribution of achievement or monies: Given this socialist philosophy, how did Obama get an undergraduate degree when all his GPA went to counter the "F"s from the underachievers? Does he redistruibute his golf score? Did not Hitler redistribute through murder and confisgation? (Millions of people got redistrubyted by Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, Mao)

To: Robert E8 USN Ret. S/F to your oath (remember the part about domestic enemies) and to the Constitution. We the people will prevail--eventually we will turn this boat back into a ship.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 10:27:09 PM

Tom West

The whole idea of income tax is massive deception and fraud against the American worker as the IRS tax code was NEVER ratified by 3/4 majority of the states, as required under the constitution.Read our constitution,people. There were provisions clearly made for taxation of goods, but NEVER on personal income! So the government allows me to keep more of MY money, and that is a tax break? What a load of male bovine excrement! And we as gullible American sheeples swallow this! May the chains of slavery rest lightly upon thee!

Posted December 9, 2011 at 10:43:15 PM

jksisco

I'm real glad ol' obama is inconvenienced, he vacations like there's no economic issues going on. Nancy is an enforcer of left wing ideology and should never be taken seriously by the press, though they tend to hang on ever word out of her pie-hole. Some old same old, lies, rhetoric bs, liberal illusions.

Posted December 9, 2011 at 11:10:08 PM

Irving L

This might not be the story of the year, but I find it interesting that the occupy group in San Diego observed a moment of silence for the White House driveby shooter. How special!

Posted December 9, 2011 at 11:40:59 PM

Rick_in_VA

Time is in the same league as the Washington

(com)Post, the Atlanta Urinal-Constipation, the New York Times (i.e. the senile old gray lady). They are good for wrapping fish or covering the bottom of bird cages.

Posted December 10, 2011 at 1:35:01 AM

Glen Schumann

The payroll tax cut is a VERY bad idea which amounts to a transfer from senior citizens (many of whom are on fixed income)to out of control federal spending. Republicans should be proposing a targeted income tax cut to those earning less than the top limit for the payroll tax to replace it.

Posted December 10, 2011 at 6:32:15 AM

Rik in OR

I have to vote for Holder's DOJ failure, 'Fast and Furious' arming Mexican drug cartels and money laundering as the story of the year. No other story has such a combination of misplaced arrogance, stupidity, official ineptness, corruption and contempt. Not to mention the tax waste and the sideways jab at the Second Amendment by instigating gun violence in the bargain.

Posted December 10, 2011 at 10:06:13 AM

lawrenceofbatavia

Granite,

Well said. Probably the most intelligent and most poignant comment here.

Posted December 10, 2011 at 10:29:25 AM

tm11999

the 47% of americans that don't pay any income tax will be allowed to collect social security even though they never pay in, that's the redistributionist reperationist communists plan to destroy capitalism, everyone should be preparing as somethings got to give.

Posted December 10, 2011 at 11:16:12 AM

Wendell

It is a very good move for the Republicans, wondered why they had not thought of that before in other cases.

Posted December 10, 2011 at 1:03:00 PM

Bob from California

First, one must realize the reason why the economic collapse happened at the end of the Bush era was not because of Bush polices but because Barney Frank and other Democrats intentionally forced Freddie Mac and Fanny Mae to deliver mortgages to unqualified and irresponsible parties solely for the purpose to obtain Democratic votes. The Democrats got the votes and the mortgages were sold and the credit default swap losses were a result of banks and Nations being dragged down into this mess. The truth is the Democrats are specifically to blame for the current economic failure of the system and as usual they blame Bush and Republicans for not stopping them. So, what do Democrats do now, they steal your future with tremendous debt, spend borrowed money like a drunkard free of accountability, and blame Bush as always.

Now Obama has done everything that he can do to blame Bush for the economic mess Democrats created, issues thousands of executive orders that strangle business and establish over bearing regulations, which destroy business growth, and then, Obama makes false claims that these new rules somehow will benefit the American people. The only people these new regulations and new business police agencies protect are the new gang of government thugs that are employed within them, and in most cases, these people are so incompetent that they could not find a real job in the private sector no matter how hard they tried. For Obama, it is always someone else’s fault.

The truth is Obama is jealous of real Americans who love the Lord, work hard, save their money and invest in their business for their individual success. Obama believes that the hard workingman that creates and produces from his own efforts is the enemy of the poor and the underemployed. Obama attacks this group of hard working Americans and claims because they have worked hard and saved and reinvested their hard earned money the government should take that success from them and give it to someone who has not earned it. This has always been Obama’s vision for America. “Be empowered politically by the majority of those who have not earned substantial property to take property from those how have”. This is the difference between a Democracy and a Republic. The United States is a Republic, defined by the Bill of Rights, and our principals are built upon the foundation that the rights of the individual check the powers of government and the majority, and these principals form the foundation of our free society and generate prosperity to all those individuals who are willing to work hard and be accountable. These individual rights are what irritates Obama, Muslims and most Democrats and they work endlessly to undermine these rights and destroy them immediately after they take an oath to protect them. How hypocritical.

Have you ever ask yourself why Obama goes on public parade in a DC Church and wraps himself in the robe of the Cross, but eludes in his book “that I will stand with the Muslims”? This church appearance is to fool uneducated and uninformed Christian voters, who don’t understand who Obama really is. How can a person wrap himself in the cross, smile at the camera and then produce written statements that he will stand with an evil ideology of terror and murder that defiles and rejects the very Constitutional rights set forth in our Bill of Rights? What is that all about? Obama and many democrats truly believe Christianity, that teaches hard work and honesty is a man’s duty under God, is a fundamental National impairment, because people who are not dependent upon government rightfully reject the efforts of government to take control of the fruits of their labor. Obama really believes that Jesus Christ and all Christians are his obstacle to his communistic principals because the tenements of Christianity call for all people to be free, as set forth in the Bill of Rights, and these freedoms undermine his ability to force government control of your life and to run rough shot over you when you object. In truth, Omama hates the words of Jesus Christ because Jesus calls for all people to be honest in their dealings and be accountable for their actions and only do to others what you would have others do to you. Opposite of our founding fathers, Obama, and most of the Democratic party, will do anything, break any law, lie, cheat, connive, produce false documents and steal an election solely because they reject the personal requirements of honesty and accountability Jesus Christ preaches. They know they are evil people bent on destroying the work of others so they can steal a peace of your property for themselves. This is what class warfare is all about. These kinds of people, like Obama, will never be Americans, they will never achieve the American dream because they are unable to lift themselves up from this great evil mindset and acknowledge that their beliefs are a threat to our National heritage and violate the very essence of freedom under which America stands.

So, with a mindset as describe is it not expected that Obama will fill his cabinet and employee a staff of like kind people? Is it not expected that a Nation receives the leadership it employees?

Americans need to understand that their most important and solemn duty is to protect themselves and their nation from destruction from evil people like Obama. Before you vote, every citizen must fully understand and thoroughly vet the people they vote for or appoint to the courts otherwise it is like President Reagan said, in less than a generation a nation can be lost because of the peoples failure to guard and fight to defend their freedoms. Think about it.

Posted December 10, 2011 at 2:53:24 PM

mary dean

NO NEW TAXES - JUST ONE MORE THING TO RAISE TAXES - THEN ANOTHER - THEN ANOTHER ETC JUST WHAT THE DEMOS WANT NO NEW TAXES

Posted December 10, 2011 at 3:50:56 PM

Don

I only mail one payment per month - for my water bill, which goes to a government operation which does not accept online payments. Demand is down for the mail, so what does the PO do? They raise prices, just the opposite of what a business would do when demand drops. The Post Office is a typical government operation. It should trim it's cost, get control of labor costs, make more timely delivery, and reduce the cost of postage. This can only be done by turning over the entire outfit to UPS or FedEx. Then a letter might only cost 25 cents. I bet they would still make a profit. I know a place in a city where two mail routes run together. One mailbox is on what I will call route A, but it is right next to boxes which are on route B. The carrier has to go an extra mile in his car to to service that one box, instead of letting that box be serviced by route B. This is a small example of poor government operation.

Posted December 10, 2011 at 6:40:17 PM

C.E.Cole

This is the most duplicious "issue" I've seen the Dems raise in a long time! The Social Security Trust Fund is already extinct and for the first time ever, disbursements to Social Security recipients now exceed annual revenues into Social Security. And they want to continue starving that fund whilst wasting hundreds of billions of dollars on nonsense! The Republicans need to tell the nation the truth on this issue before it becomes another urban legend.

Posted December 10, 2011 at 6:56:48 PM

Jacqueline Allen

I use the mail for letters to many elderly citizens who do not have access to a computer for email. I also use regular mail for some bills and for all greeting cards.

Posted December 10, 2011 at 7:05:11 PM

denise dashnaw

Obama's refusal to sign the extension with the add on of the pipeline is meant just to create another senario showing congress is do nothing and it is all on the republicans. Additional if jobs were created with the approval of the pipeline it would be credited to the republicans and not him. Who looses out in all of this is us...americans. Where has our fighting spirit gone?

Posted December 11, 2011 at 9:03:46 AM

EarsToHear.net

A Massachusetts voter sharing these Romney pieces: "The Romney as viewed by a Massachusetts conservative.

By WES VERNON (http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/vernon/111208). More here: http://massresistance.org/romney/.

Posted December 11, 2011 at 4:57:31 PM

Richard Dowis

I see no reason why mail delivery can't be cut to 3 days a week. About 95 percent of the mail I get is either junk or bills. I a particular mailing MUST get there within a day or two, the sender can either mail it ealier, use special delivery, or use UPS. Daily mail service is a luxury we can no longer afford. It is an anachcronism. I can foresee a time when mail service as we know it will no longer exist in this country.

Posted December 11, 2011 at 5:06:04 PM

Clifford Ebel

I do not, for the life of me, understand how the President can: 1. say that paying someone unemployment insurance creates jobs, 2. Say that giving workers a year long (now 2 years) holiday from paying their fair share of FICA payments is going to give employers an incentive to hire more. Give the break to the employer, and 3. how the Keystone pipeline will create fewer jobs than the payroll holiday.

Our president needs to take a course in basic economics, taught by someone who truly understands how Supply Side economics works.

Thank You all for your work.

Posted December 11, 2011 at 6:43:40 PM

Dan

Along with slowing of First Class service, delivery should go to 3 days per week. You would get mail either M-W-F or Tu-Th-Sa. Do you really need to get mail every day? If people need/want it on the off day, it could be made available for pickup at the post office. Maybe routes would have to be re-designed for the increased load, so it might not cut things in half, but this would seemingly cut the fuel, maintenance, personnel, # of vehicles, etc. nearly in half. As far as closing of post offices, let the underused ones be open three days a week and on the days when mail is not delivered, so that it can be picked up, or open 1/2 day. The same staff could cover two post offices. I haven't looked at the numbers, but I'm sure this would save more than enough. Maybe we could lower rates. We need to think a little outside the box.

Posted December 11, 2011 at 10:52:31 PM

Matt S

If Congress and the President agree to extend the payroll tax cut, Social Security will go broke faster than expected. When that happens I hope everyine will remember that it was the Obama administration that hastened the end of Social Security.

I am not planning on seeing one dime of my taxes that went to fund Social Security. I am suing my "tax holdiay" to add to my privagte retirement accounts. (Don't tell this President I have my own retirement plan beyond Social Security.)

Posted December 12, 2011 at 1:19:02 AM

Matt

Does it REALLY surprise you that the MSM fails to mention the political party of a convicted and sentenced Democrat? Anytime you read a news report about a convicted and sentenced politican and no political party is mentioned, you can guarantee that the poilitician is a Demcorat. When a Republican is convcited, the headlines mention the political party.

Posted December 12, 2011 at 1:29:52 AM

Luciano Muniz, Jr.

When is Congress going to start paying up? I mean, if the rich volunteer to pay more taxes, why aren't the folks in Congress following suit? Answer: That would be way over the top in Patriotism...

Posted December 12, 2011 at 7:00:07 PM

Patriot Headline Report

The Right Opinion

More Opinion

Grassroots Commentary

More Commentary

Policy and Analysis

Our Mission

To Support and Defend -- Read The Patriot Post -- It's Right. It's Free. -- www.patriotpost.us

"The Patriot's mission is to advocate for Essential Liberty, the restoration of constitutional limits on government and the judiciary, and to promote free enterprise, national defense and traditional American values. Our objective is to provide Patriots across our nation with a touchstone of First Principles through brief, informative and entertaining analyses of relevant news, policy and opinion from reputable research, advocacy and media organizations, so they may better support and defend those Principles, and enlist others to join our ranks." —Mark Alexander, Publisher

The Patriot Post is not sustained by any political, special interest or parent organization, and we accept no advertising. Our mission and operations are funded entirely by the voluntary financial support of Patriots like you!

Support The 2012 Patriot Fund

Name	(required, displayed)
Email	(required, not displayed)
Comments

Navigation

Options

Digest

The Foundation

Government

A Taxing Debate

This Week's 'Braying Jackass'

The Free Enterprise Model

New & Notable Legislation

Campaign Trail Tidbits

Hope 'n' Change: NAACP Voting Complaint

Blagojevich Sentenced

Economy

Europe Facing Credit Downgrade

Quote of the Week

Income Redistribution: Some Governors Just Don't Get It

First-Class Mail Posts Second-Class Service

Security

Second Amendment: Fast & Furious Fallout

The BIG Lie

TSA Abuses Continue Apace

Department of Military Correctness: 'Workplace Violence'

Warfront With Jihadistan: Iran and the UAV

Culture

Climate Change This Week: More Emails From East Anglia

Village Academic Curriculum: Zero Tolerance

Faith and Family: Atheist Claus

Non Compos Mentis: Time's 'Story of the Year'

And Last...

Options

Comments

Navigation

Patriot Headline Report

The Right Opinion

Navigation

Grassroots Commentary

Policy and Analysis

Our Mission

Navigation

Options

Digest

The Foundation

Government

A Taxing Debate

This Week's 'Braying Jackass'

The Free Enterprise Model

New & Notable Legislation

Campaign Trail Tidbits

Hope 'n' Change: NAACP Voting Complaint

Blagojevich Sentenced

Economy

Europe Facing Credit Downgrade

Quote of the Week

Income Redistribution: Some Governors Just Don't Get It

First-Class Mail Posts Second-Class Service

Security

Second Amendment: Fast & Furious Fallout

The BIG Lie

TSA Abuses Continue Apace

Department of Military Correctness: 'Workplace Violence'

Warfront With Jihadistan: Iran and the UAV

Culture

Climate Change This Week: More Emails From East Anglia

Village Academic Curriculum: Zero Tolerance

Faith and Family: Atheist Claus

Non Compos Mentis: Time's 'Story of the Year'

And Last...

Options

Comments

Navigation

Subscribe

Patriot Headline Report

The Right Opinion

Navigation

Grassroots Commentary

Policy and Analysis

Our Mission