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February 10, 2012
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David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
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Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
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Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
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Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
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Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
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Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
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Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
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John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
March 19, 2009
/ 23 Adar 5769
A Front-Page Story: President McCain's First 50 Days
By
Larry Elder
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Suppose Sen. John McCain, rather than Sen. Barack Obama, won the
presidency but made the same decisions and pursued the same goals to
turn around the economy.
The following is a hypothetical front-page story:
After more than 50 days in office, the new President, even to some of
his supporters, seems overwhelmed by the magnitude of the problems he
faces. Though he calls the economy job one, he confounds critics and
supporters alike with the most audacious, ideologically driven agenda
since the Great Depression, if not in the history of the republic.
He plans to change the role of government in virtually every aspect of
society from education to health care to job creation to research and
development to fighting "climate change" all of which call for
drastically higher taxes and spending.
Since the President took office, the Dow Jones industrial average has
plummeted, and unemployment keeps rising. Yet one of his top economic
advisers recently said, "The fundamentals (of the economy) are sound"
an assessment that drew sharp criticism during the campaign, when the
economic picture looked better.
The President expects his plans to "create or save" millions of jobs.
But by saying "create or save," he virtually protects himself against
failure. During a recent hearing, a senator asked the secretary of
Treasury, "What's a saved job?" The secretary gave a vague, meandering
response about a "rise in unemployment avoided."
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The President promised to end earmarks but signed a pork-laden stimulus
bill that he proclaimed "free of earmarks." Then days later, the
President signed a $410 billion continuing operations budget that
contains almost 9,000 earmark projects.
The President's stimulus package, the constantly changing bailout
package and this year's budget threaten to triple the annual deficit.
The President's new budget (ironically entitled "A New Era of
Responsibility") shows a total federal debt swelling more than 50
percent from 2008 to 2011 almost equaling 2011's gross domestic
product and continues rising through 2019, the last year in the
budget. Yet the President insists that he crafted the recovery plan "not
because I believe in bigger government. I don't."
During then-President George W. Bush's final weeks in office, Congress
authorized spending $700 billion to prop up banks, purportedly to buy
these troubled or toxic assets. (As chairman of the New York Fed, the
current Treasury secretary actually helped design that package.) But the
banks receiving the most money actually reduced lending, the opposite of
the intended purpose. More troubling, especially for an administration
that promised transparency, the current White House cannot or will not
definitively say how the money was spent and who received it.
Not all bankers even wanted the Troubled Asset Relief Program, with some
critics arguing that without government intervention, the financial
system could have self-corrected. The CEO of Wells Fargo complained that
the government forced his bank into the program and that its mandates
restrict his bank's ability to raise private funding. "Is this America,"
said Chairman Richard Kovacevich, "when you do what your government asks
you to do and then retroactively you also have additional conditions? If
we were not forced to take the TARP money, we would have been able to
raise private capital at that time." As for the President's plan to
"stress test" banks in order to isolate those worthy of bailout money,
Kovacevich called it "asinine."
The President promised to rein in unreasonable executive compensation,
but insurance giant AIG which received more than $170 billion in
bailout money plans to pay out $165 million in "guaranteed" bonuses.
An outraged public prompted the President to ask his Treasury secretary
to again attempt to stop or reduce bonuses that AIG's CEO acknowledged
as "distasteful" but defended as legal obligations.
The President's Treasury secretary, who received bipartisan confirmation
despite nonpayment of some taxes, seems confused, not unlike a deer
caught in the headlights. To make matters worse, the new secretary works
as a one-man band. Of the 18 important undersecretary positions, none
has been filled, with only three nominations currently under
consideration. Two highly regarded undersecretary nominees abruptly
withdrew their names, including one who many felt possessed significant
expertise necessary to help the Treasury secretary explain and implement
the administration's policies.
The failure to staff may be an unintended consequence of the President's
executive order restricting the conditions under which former lobbyists
can serve in government. The President has granted so far two
dozen waivers to this policy. Yet the head of Britain's civil service,
Sir Gus O'Donnell, tried, by phone, to contact key Treasury personnel in
preparation for the upcoming G-20 summit. The phones just rang. "There
is nobody there," said O'Donnell.
The President's supporters speak of his enormous "popularity." But his
sliding favorability numbers put him on par with former President George
W. Bush at this point in their initial terms.
Americans, more and more, find themselves saying, "There is nobody there."
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Larry Elder is the author of, most recently, "Stupid Black Men: How to Play the Race Card--and Lose."
(Proceeds from sales help fund JWR) Let him know what you think of his column by clicking here.
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