Food For Thought...

And you know I had to double check with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Factcheck.org websites to make sure that what I was posting, was in fact, true.

But yeah, as I've been saying all along, the same people who are voting for no government intervention are the same people who use more of it.

Seriously folks, we have swaths of counties surrounding our area that consist of nothing but beer-chugging, backyard partying, food stamp-whoring people who are voting against their own interests. Lol.  It's almost too funny not to laugh.
The most recent Department of Agriculture report on the general characteristics of the SNAP program’s beneficiaries says that in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2010:

• 47 percent of beneficiaries were children under age 18.
• 8 percent were age 60 or older.
• 41 percent lived in a household with earnings from a job — the so-called “working poor.”
• The average household received a monthly benefit of $287.
• 36 percent were white (non-Hispanic), 22 percent were African American (non-Hispanic) and 10 percent were Hispanic (Table A.21).

WTF Has Obama Done? - Issue No. 023 - Government Efficiency

What is government efficiency?  Well it's doing your best by finding success in reducing government operating costs when you get elected into office.  And President Barack Obama has done just that by managing to cut government expenses by the billions.  This can be done by simply using different software or hardware in different departments, reversing the Bush-era no-bid and single-bidder contracts in order to find the best contractor who can do the best work for the least amount of money, and so forth.

Today I will introduce you to a broad policy, a specific cut, and a targeted action by this President and his administration.  By providing these open government efforts it helps keep spending under control, and this is what we want in a President.

WTF-67

Established the President’s Management Advisory Board.

The President's Management Advisory Board (PMAB) was formed to provide the President and agencies advice and recommendations on bringing insight from the private and non-profit sectors to Federal Government management and operations. Topics that the board will address include customer service, human capital, innovative technology, and procurement. [Read More]

The President's Management Advisory Board is a council of 17 corporate executives from leading American companies. Its purpose is to provide the administration of the executive branch advice and recommendations on effective strategies for the implementation of the best business practices on matters related to federal government's management and operations, with focus on productivity, the implementation of innovative methods, customer service, and technology.  The board will be chaired by former Sirius/XM Satellite Radio Director Jeffrey Zients as part of the General Services Administration of the Executive Office. As of July 2010, appointments to the board have not been announced. [Read More-1, Read More-2]

WTF-68

Cut salaries of senior White House aides.

President Barack Obama is extending a freeze on the pay of senior White House officials for another year and he’s spreading the freeze to top political appointees across the federal government, Obama aides said Tuesday night. 

Obama is expected to announce the freeze during his State of the Union address Wednesday, officials said. He will also extend a ban he imposed last year on paying bonuses to political appointees, according to White House aides. 

“The president recognizes and we all recognize that the nation faces some really difficult choices,” an administration official who asked not to be named said. “Families are making tough choices, businesses are making tough choices. The president is simply asking political appointees who want to be part of government to be more careful and more responsible with taxpayers’ dollars.” [Read More-1, Read More-2]

WTF-69

Enhanced payment accuracy through a “Do Not Pay” list.

MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES

"My Administration is committed to eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in Federal programs, including reducing and recapturing erroneous payments    a commitment I reinforced in Executive Order 13520 of November 20, 2009, and in a memorandum to the heads of executive departments and agencies (agencies) of March 10, 2010.  While identifying and recapturing improper payments is important, prevention of payment errors before they occur should be the first priority in protecting taxpayer resources from waste, fraud, and abuse.  In those cases where data available to agencies clearly shows that a potential recipient of a Federal payment is ineligible for it, subsequent payment to that recipient is unacceptable.  We must ensure that such payments are not made.

Agencies maintain many databases containing information on a recipient's eligibility to receive Federal benefits payments or Federal awards, such as grants and contracts.  By checking these databases before making payments or awards, agencies can identify ineligible recipients and prevent certain improper payments from being made in the first place." - Barack Obama  [Read More]

I would like to list everything under each category, but there comes a time when even a blog gets too large. LOL. But make sure to click on the "Read More" links to read more on each WTF.

I promise to come back to this topic in another issue, until then, please feel free to read my previous issues by clicking here.

Make sure to read the next issue
Issue No. 024 - Health & Wellness

WTF Has Obama Done is an ongoing series posted daily or weekly on BLADE 7184 until Election Day, 2012!

WTF Has Obama Done? - Issue No. 021 - Transparency & Accountability

Every day individual frustration grows as concerns for our, our children and our grand-children's futures lie with the decisions of our elected representatives. We have a responsibility to let Washington know how their actions, or lack thereof, affect us before legislation is passed. We must be assured the legislation that has passed is meeting its' intended purpose. My only cause is that the voices of the people be heard.  And President Obama has done so, more than any other President in our lifetime. Imagine if George W. Bush's administration had been more transparent and accountable for their actions.

President Obama has not only released presidential records when requested, he's instructed all federal agencies to promote openness and transparency as much as possible, imposed limits on lobbyists' access to the White House, the Department of Defense has opened access to social media sites (Air Force News) and the DOD will also film all interrogations.  There are countless of other achievements President Obama has achieved in the last 3 years in regard to transparency and accountability.  Today, I'm sharing three.

WTF-61

Instructed all federal agencies to promote openness and transparency as much as possible.

My Administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in Government.  We will work together to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration. Openness will strengthen our democracy and promote efficiency and effectiveness in Government.

Government should be transparent.  Transparency promotes accountability and provides information for citizens about what their Government is doing. 

Government should be participatory. Public engagement enhances the Government's effectiveness and improves the quality of its decisions. Knowledge is widely dispersed in society, and public officials benefit from having access to that dispersed knowledge.

Government should be collaborative.  Collaboration actively engages Americans in the work of their Government. Executive departments and agencies should use innovative tools, methods, and systems to cooperateamong themselves, across all levels of Government, and with nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individuals in the private sector.  [Read More]

WTF-62

Released presidential records.

During the campaign of 2008 President Obama said this... "I will nullify the Bush attempts to make the timely release of presidential records more difficult."

On his first day in office, Obama fulfilled a promise to roll back some Bush administration restrictions on presidential records. He signed an executive order that restored a 30-day time frame for former presidents to review records before they are released. It also eliminated the right for the vice president or family members of former presidents to do the reviews.

If this sounds familiar, it may be because we covered this issue during the Democratic primary. It became a controversy because restrictions put into place under Bush potentially delayed the release of records from Hillary Clinton's time as first lady. 

Here's how the release of presidential papers generally works: When a president leaves office, the records of his administration go to the National Archives. After five years, the records are subject to public records requests under the Freedom of Information Act. Professional archivists determine which records should be publicly available, and the current and former presidents have the right to review them as well. The former president is given seven years to claim exemptions for his entire White House archive under the Presidential Records Act of 1978.

There is federal legislation that has passed the House that would codify the changes Obama made through executive order, she said, and Obama said he would support it. As of this writing, it still needed to pass in the Senate. 

"The truth is, every government bureaucracy has the potential to become secretive and cover up what it"s doing," Fuchs said. "That could happen with this administration or any other administration." 

In the meantime, Obama signed the executive order as promised. Promise Kept. [Read More]

WTF-63

Required new hires to sign a form affirming their hiring was not due to political affiliations or contributions.

In one of his first acts as president, Barack Obama kept a campaign promise to reduce political influence in his administration by signing an executive order on Jan. 21, 2009. 

The "Executive Order on Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel" requires that appointees sign forms saying that they were not hired because of political affiliations or contributions. 

Obama "requires that government hiring be based upon qualifications, competence and experience, not political connections," according to a statement issued by his press secretary. " He has ordered every one of his appointees to sign a pledge abiding by these tough new rules as a downpayment on the change he has promised to bring to Washington." 

We rate this promise as Promise Kept. [Read More-1, Read More-2]

I promise to come back to this topic in another issue, until then, please feel free to read my previous issues by clicking here.

Make sure to read the next issue
Issue No. 022 - Commerce, Trade & Technology

WTF Has Obama Done is an ongoing series posted daily or weekly on BLADE 7184 until Election Day, 2012!

Big Government

Who Increased The Debt?

If you vote for the wrong guy, you can't blame anyone, but yourself.  Seriously.  The previous president invaded two countries, causing thousands of American lives and trillions of money for both wars, did you honestly think the surplus that Clinton left Bush would have lasted?  We have a revenue problem folks.  If we don't have revenue, we will never get out of debt.  Instead, Republicans want to cut spending by cutting medicare and social security - programs both our parents and grandparents need.  How 'bout getting rid of the Bush tax cuts, taxing people who make over $250,000 a year, and getting rid of subsidies for these huge-ass companies.  This creates revenue!  We have a revenue problem folks!

The Left vs. The Right

This has got to be one of my all-time favorite charts, simply because I love politics.  Have you ever wondered what is the difference between the Left and the Right, Democrat and Republican, Liberal and Conservative?  Well, this chart will put it in perspective for you.  Click to enlarge, and you'll be surprised at how much you already know.

click to enlarge

Remember - We Still Have The Cheapest Gas

With gas prices going up, and people complaining day in, and day out, on how President Obama and our government are screwing with us. Remember, you could be paying $8.04 a gallon, as in the U.K.  People fail to understand that the demand for gas is high; we have more people driving. Not to mention the conflicts occurring in the Middle East, this too is a contributing factor.

So instead of listening to Sarah Palin rant on the "$4-Per-Gallon President," Ben Jervey (Contributing Editor, Environment) decided to take a closer look at gasoline prices around the world. Mrs. Palin might be interested to learn, that the world already has quite a few $4-Per-Gallon Presidents. In fact, the world already has $6-Per-Gallon Parliaments, $7-Per-Gallon Prime Ministers, and $8-Per-Gallon Presidents!

American Shame?

A comparison of standards of living on several variables among the world’s wealthiest nations. Interesting presentation that encompasses both the underlying complexity of the United States but also its failures in a number of areas.

From Charles Blow, New York Times, February 20, 2011.

click to enlarge

Source: The New York Times

Government Shutdown Looming

“Closing our government would mean our men and women in uniform wouldn’t receive their paychecks and veterans would lose critical benefits. Seniors wouldn’t receive their Social Security checks and essential functions from food safety inspection to airport security could come to a halt.”  - Nancy Pelosi

Pardon my views, but the GOP has now gone on record showing just how RUTHLESS they are. They do NOT care about the American people and whats good for America. They only care about big business and keeping their wealthy friends happy. It's a sad day for us all....

These Republican­s spent four days and worked until four in the morning trying to figure out ways to make America poorer and how to take away benefits for children, the poor and the middle class. Not one idea about how to lower unemployme­nt. 

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said the bill would put people out of work and claimed the Republicans reaction to that was "so be it."

"Democrats have a different message: 'Show us the jobs,'" she said. "Congressional Republicans have spent the last six weeks ignoring jobs and refusing to offer a plan to grow our economy."

"Today, they have made matters worse — passing a spending bill that destroys jobs, weakens the middle class, hurts schools and young adults, eliminates assistance to homeless veterans, and diminishes critical investments in our future," she said.

Now when 2012 arrives the Republican­s will start off with the same old story about how President Obama and the Democratic controlled Senate have kept unemployme­nt high and the economy is still stagnant. So take this story and print it off and put it on the refrigerat­or so you won't forget what the Republican­s are all about. They want the country to go nowhere for the next year and a half and they are counting on the Democrats to stay home from the polls. Remember Wisconsin and Ohio where the working people have been steamrolle­red and how the oil companies have been allowed their Government welfare. Remember it and vote this stench out of Washington and the United States of America.

Last November, for those of you on the right who love to chant, "We won, we won, read the election results," the American voters did NOT put the deficit or national debt on the leading concerns of the day. Nor did they care a whit at the time about abortion, states' rights, health care reform or other causes the GOP/TP has wasted its time chasing over the past seven weeks.

Recent polls, released this week, re-confirm election day exit polls:

• 83% of voters named jobs and the economy their number one worry
• 73% were motivated by deep disaffection with the way Congress performs - and are certainly not being reassured by the incontinent behavior of the House Republican majority now
• While 22% said they were influenced by a Tea Party issue, 56% said they ignored the Tea Pary, and another 18% were actively opposed to TP issues and actions

So now the Tea Party is driving the GOP bus down avenues that only 22% of the voters endorse. That is a highway to hell for the Republican Party.