June 18, 2013

Posts Comments

You are here: Home / Archives for Barack Obama

National Guard Mission Along Southern Border Extended

June 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Border control in the United States (U.S. Cust...

Image via Wikipedia

The Department of Defense is paying $35 million to extend the National Guard mission along the U.S. – Mexican border for another three months. That will allow the National Guard to continue to support border control along the border through the end of the federal government’s fiscal year, which means it’s likely that the program will be funded in next year’s budget and the extension of funds just means that there won’t be an interruption in their service.

President Barack Obama authorized the National Guard’s mission to provide up to 1200 active duty troops to support to Customs and Border Protection agents and officers since August 2010. However, no more than 560 National Guard members have ever served during the mission and less than 560 are currently serving at the border. According to Department of Homeland Security spokesman Matt Chandler, the National Guard has been a “critical bridge” to bringing more people, technology and barriers to the border. They have also been effective, helping to catch more than 7,000 illegal immigrants and make seizures of more than 14,000 pounds of marijuana as they serve in their observation posts throughout the Arizona desert.

Providing an extra set of eyes and ears to assist Customs and Border Protection agents is part of the administration’s border security plan, along with the president’s call for Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform. However, some critics – namely both of Arizona’s senators, Republicans John McCain and Jon Kyl – have criticized the program, saying that Obama isn’t providing enough security at the border. They’ve repeatedly called for 6,000 troops on the U.S. – Mexican border.

Filed Under: Economics, Natural Disasters Tagged With: , ,

Living Above our Means-Tax Cuts in America

January 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

A crisis in America that citizens are growing more passionate about is the Bush-era tax cuts that are set to expire this year. Obama wants to extend 80 percent of the tax cuts set in place by the previous Bush administration but with one major difference: raising the taxes on wealthier Americans. The Bush plan lowered the tax rates to 3 percent and created a lower 10 percent bracket. It also made it easier for the rich to stay rich by lowering tax rates on estates, even though personal exemptions and limited itemized deductions.

Obama plans to raise the estate taxes on the rich to 55 percent and increasing taxes on all families who earn over the $250,000 income bracket. His stance is there should be a better distribution of wealth among Americans. Those families under that income bracket won’t see a rise in taxes and less will be taken out of their checks also. One middle class woman interviewed was delighted to see the increase in her check simply because less money was taken out.

Fox Business news reported one negative some people are stating is a tax raise will hurt consumer spending and business owners will lose faith in the government. It is the company owners who feel the major squeeze as they have to release more cash they’ve been hoarding since the recession. On the plus side, only 3 percent of small business owners would see an increase. Then again, small businesses collectively earn about $400 billion.

Wall Street Journal says advisors to Democrats are unsure whether now is the right time to renew the tax cuts since the economy comeback seems to be slowing. Many believe it would hurt U.S citizens more than heal them. As decision time gets closer, the debate continues to rage across the nation.

Filed Under: Debt, Economics Tagged With: , ,

The New Tax Bill: Who Loses?

December 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

All is never fair when it comes to the games played in Washington and the new tax bill is no exception to that rule. There most definitely are some people on the losing end of the new tax bill. In fact, those on the losing end of the tax bill are plentiful. Let’s examine further who the tax bill hurts the most.

The one thing that we all know right now is that it is hard to get a job in current economy. The new tax bill guarantees unemployed workers in every state 99 weeks of unemployment benefits. While this may seem like welcome news, it hardly is considering the fact that long-term unemployment is at an all time high. In fact, right now about 10 percent of the people who are unemployed have been out of work and seeking employment for close to two years.

Another loser of the new tax bill, our national deficit. Extending the tax cuts only serves to increase our countries growing national deficit. President Obama has also taken a lashing from the new tax bill. The new tax bill has led many to view the President as weak for not sticking to his campaign promises regarding tax cuts for the wealthy. In addition to this, the democratic left now also appears as weak in the eyes of many for the same reasons.

Just who the really loses out when it comes to the new tax bill truly is a matter of opinion. One could argue the opposite of many of these points, but one things for sure the extension of the Bush tax cuts and the new tax bill have got everyone talking. Whether or not the tax cuts are a detriment to our economy, our president, our deficit or the masses of unemployed; only time will tell.

Filed Under: Economics, Government & Military Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Black Friday and the Economic Recession

November 19, 2010 By Leave a Comment
A Turkey.
Image via Wikipedia

In a creative way to cope with the recession, some shoppers decided to nab their Black Friday sales by logging onto each company’s website rather than standing in line at a physical store. Although previous years have seen the Monday following Thanksgiving (also known as “Cyber Monday) as more responsible for online sales, several merchants including Kohl’s, Old Navy, Aeropostale and New York and Company offered their Black Friday deals online as well as in stores. Target even elected to have special “online only” deals beginning on Thanksgiving that were as enticing as a digital camera and memory card package for just $99.

Stores that do not have a physical presence at all, such as Overstock.com and OnlineShoes.com got into the fun as well, by offering special Black Friday e-mail alerts, and often using the perk of free shipping. Kohl’s even offered an online shopping list function that enabled users to both sift through the online deals to find those that were most relevant, as well as print out a paper list that would help them find the most appropriate deals in the store itself.

According to the Associated Press, online shopping brought a 16 percent revenue increase to those merchants who decided to offer it beginning on Thanksgiving Day. The spending hike was part of an overall 33 percent rise in online shopping for the holiday, which complemented larger than usual crowds seen in stores as well.

The spending data collected over the weekend so far seems to be a promising sign for beleaguered retailers who’ve been hit hard because of the economic recession. Indeed, President Barack Obama has been doing his best to encourage consumers to find confidence in spending again, but the healthy Black Friday sales figures are one of the first clear indicators that the American public is beginning to take his words to heart.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Government & Military Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Effect Of The Recession On Disposable Income And America’s Youth

November 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment
With his family by his side, Barack Obama is s...
Image via Wikipedia

Suddenly, the desire to adopt frugal spending habits is becoming more and more prevalent, being mentioned everywhere from consumer spending blogs to morning talk shows. Some high end brands are even listening to the trends by offering coupons to further encourage their target audience to spend their disposable income on specific products. Clipping paper coupons is no longer required, since there are several companies that allow users to download scanner-friendly coupons straight to their mobile phones.

Certainly the employment outlook plays a large role in the amount of consumer spending, too. Studies have shown that the economic recession has not only meant fewer job openings, but also fewer people quitting a current job to switch to a new one. Commonly the attitude to “tough it out” in regards to an undesirable job is seen as much better than not having a job at all. These two realities make the job market even harder to navigate for recent college graduates. Whenever a job opening is discovered, a recent graduate will often have a harder time convincing the hiring manager that they are suitable for the job simply because they cannot always prove that they have the motivation and experience needed to succeed against other more experienced applicants

Finally, since people are having to settle for increasingly lower wages, this makes it much more difficult for people to begin building a retirement fund, since they often have to put every bit of income they have into just paying the bills. Although many people are hopeful that current president Barack Obama can turn things around and get the economy back on the right track during the rest of his time in office, there is still a long way to go.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Government & Military Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Current State Of The Nation

November 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of th...
Image via Wikipedia

With the midterm elections just barely in the past, this has been somewhat of a tumultuous few months for many Americans.

Many retailers remain hopeful that the economy is starting to recover, as consumer spending has begun to slightly increase recently. Although, a more reliable indicator will be the upcoming holiday season, even if retail sales are strong, there is no mistaking that the American economy still has a long recovery process ahead. Unemployment still remains high, and when jobs are at risk, spending drops because of the need to consider financial self-preservation measures.

Although the war outlook seems to be brightening thanks to troop withdrawals, there are new and existing threats on the global front that cause doubts to linger in the hearts of soldiers and in America overall.

Government approval rates are constantly fluctuating, and especially so with the recent elections. Many Republicans won back positions of power that had been previously lost, leading to an overall shake up within Congress. Such shifts in power are cyclical though, and will not likely result in any major issues until the next presidential election in 2012. President Obama and his administration have done much to inspire the American youth to get involved in the broad grassroots movement of inspiring change within the American people. However, it remains to see if the momentum of the movement can linger through until it is time to elect new leadership.

Although Obama has taken steps to encourage the recovery process, it is a long and hard road, and he is meeting the resistance of many who expected him to work miracles the moment he stepped into office. The United States is a nation that has seen itself through many challenging times, and with time and effort, will be able to emerge from these current difficulties, too.

Enhanced by Zemanta
Filed Under: Government & Military Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

How Americans Are Using Creativity To Withstand The Economic Recession

November 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Official presidential portrait of Barack Obama...
Image via Wikipedia

The economic recession in America has forced individuals and families alike to restrict their spending habits, as well as find creative ways to save money and make their dollars stretch further than before.

Merchants are becoming increasingly sensitive to these realities as they work towards creating spending incentives that are attractive to consumers, as well as kind to the merchant’s bottom line.

Coupons are being used by everyone from mothers to college students to middle class families. The days of laboriously clipping coupons are in the past though. Although such coupons can still be found in Sunday morning newspapers and through direct mail, there are several companies that allow consumers to log onto specific websites and choose only those coupons that are most relevant to them, and then choose to have the coupon sent directly to their mobile phone in a scan-friendly format.

Even concert promoters are adjusting their offers to make them more attractive to those hit by the economic recession. Concert giant Live Nation recently introduced certain days that enable users to purchase concert tickets without the addition of pesky service fees. Since such fees have risen greatly in the past few years, this benefit can often mean that users have the ability to save ten dollars or more with each ticket purchase. This perk works well for those who are interested in saving a bit of money but are not willing to completely sacrifice the pleasure afforded by having a social life.

In a recent speech in support of a congressional candidate, President Obama cautioned that change can take a long time to occur fully. The American public seems well aware of this fact, but seemingly content to go about exercising their ingenuity and resourcefulness to weather the economic recession in the best way that they know how.

Filed Under: Government & Military Tagged With: , , , , , , ,