Atlantis Online
March 29, 2024, 07:54:55 am
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
News: Giant crater may lie under Antarctic ice
http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn9268
 
  Home Help Arcade Gallery Links Staff List Calendar Login Register  

The Obama Timeline

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 [8] 9 10 11 12 13 14   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: The Obama Timeline  (Read 14989 times)
0 Members and 126 Guests are viewing this topic.
Harconen
Superhero Member
******
Posts: 2568



« Reply #105 on: July 29, 2009, 02:34:44 pm »

            While Hillary Clinton, on Obama’s behalf, plans an “aggressive” pursuit of peace in the Middle East (at Israel’s expense), Binyamin Netanyahu argues that weakening Iran is the key to ending Middle East conflict. An aide to Netanyahu says, “Iran’s growing power and intransigence give great advantage to the radical elements among Palestinians and in Lebanon,” and “Any progress in the Middle East peace talks will require Hamas’ weakening which can be achieved only if Iran is seen as weakened.” Although Israel supports peaceful international efforts to resolve the problem of Iran’s quest for a nuclear weapon, it refuses to rule out military action as a last resort if negotiations or sanctions fail. If Israel sends bombers to take out Iran’s nuclear facilities, it will have to cross Iraqi airspace to do so. (Other routes would require too much fuel, and Israel does not have the in-flight refueling capabilities of the U.S. military.) It remains to be seen whether Obama would allow Israel to fly over Iraq on its mission, or what actions he might take to prevent it from doing so. [1684]

            Although Clinton argues that none of the $900 million in aid to Gaza relief operations will end up in the hands of the terrorist group Hamas, only $300 million of the amount is designated for humanitarian aid. Money will go to the Palestinian Authority (PA), nongovernmental organizations, and the United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNWRA). Israeli critics argue that aid to Gaza necessarily helps Hamas, and that corruption will likely lead to Hamas getting some of the cash (just as Yasser Arafat was able to amass a personal fortune from funds given to the PA). The UNRWA’s reputation for corruption prompts Congressman Mark Kirk (R-IL) to warn, “To route $900 million to this area, and let’s say Hamas was only able to steal ten per cent of that, we would still become Hamas’ second-largest funder after Iran. If it goes thru UNRWA, which has not had an outside audit, then there’s going to be grave concern.” The UNRWA has used the state-owned Commercial Bank of Syria for fund-raising. The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on that bank for laundering money in the United Nations’ scandalous Iraqi oil for food program, and the bank has also handled transactions that involved terrorist financing. Clinton does not provide details as to how the $900 million would be properly protected and safely distributed. (Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government and cannot legally be given American aid.) [1502, 1508, 1516, 1584, 2675]

            While Obama is giving $900 million in aid to Gaza with few restrictions, the United States is cutting back on its financial and military aid to Israel. In an effort to push Israel toward accepting Obama’s demands to appease the Palestinians, Pentagon guidelines will now require a detailed accounting of how the Israeli Defense Forces uses every single item purchased with U.S. funds. In the meantime, unprovoked Palestinian rocket attacks against Israel have returned to levels that preceded Operation Cast Lead, and Iran and Syria have continued to supply Hamas with weapons and ammunition. [1517]

            Their ears still ringing from listening to constituent complaints about the $787 billion stimulus bill, some Democrats appear less than eager to support Obama’s $410 billion spending bill and $3.6 trillion budget. Congressman Harry E. Mitchell of Arizona states, “I don’t agree with the administration about letting all those tax cuts expire for upper-income families.” Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, also of Arizona, remarks, “A lot needs to be done to help people keep their homes. But I’m just not sure about this (mortgage bailout) bill,” and “…I could not vote for the omnibus $410 billion spending bill.” One fomenting problem is that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi allows almost no time for debate or amendments and expects all Democrats to simply fall into line and vote as she demands. Connecticut’s John B. Larson comments, “Everything’s coming at them fast and furious. The more that people get an opportunity to go back and forth… the greater the comfort level they will have.” [1500]

            ABC News reports on taxpayers who are working on ways to reduce their incomes to just under the $250,000 level to avoid the substantial tax increases in Obama’s proposed budget. “We are going to try to figure out how to make our income $249,999,” states an attorney in Lafayette, Louisiana. “We have to find a way out where we can make just what we need to (stay) just under the line so we can benefit from Obama’s tax plan. Why kill yourself working if you’re going to give it all away to people who aren’t working as hard?” Boulder, Colorado dentist Sharon Poczatek remarks, “The motivation for a lot of people like me—dentists, entrepreneurs, lawyers—is that the more you work the more money you make. But if I’m going to be working just to give it back to the government… it’s de-motivating and demoralizing.” [1503]

            Alaskan State Senator Kim Elton resigns from his seat to accept a job as Director of Alaska Affairs for the Department of the Interior. The job is considered by some a reward from Obama for Elton’s role in pushing the investigation of Governor Sarah Palin, who wanted a state trooper fired for various incidents (which included drinking on the job, hunting without a permit, and “tasering” his step-son—who happened to be Palin’s nephew). [1514]

            The New York Times prints an opinion piece by self-proclaimed political “moderate” David Brooks, in which he expresses amazement that Obama is a leftist. Brooks writes that he is “…forced to confront the reality that Barack Obama is not who we thought he was. His words are responsible; his character is inspiring. But his actions betray a transformational liberalism that should put every centrist on notice. As Obama admirer Clive Crook wrote in the Financial Times, the Obama budget ‘contains no trace of compromise. It makes no gesture, however small, however costless to its larger agenda, of a bipartisan approach to the great questions it addresses. It is a liberal’s dream of a new New Deal.’” It is unclear why Brooks is surprised by Obama’s actions, which are entirely consistent with his history and someone who is, as columnist Laura Hollis describes him, “…an ultra-left ideologue who is going to spend the country into oblivion in order to try to achieve his Marxist coup d’etat.” [1522, 1539]

            Dick Morris, political commentator and former Bill Clinton advisor, charges that Obama is engaging in a “War on Prosperity” in order to achieve his own ideological agenda of wealth redistribution. Morris states that Obama “…is the enemy of prosperity. He, literally, favors redistribution of income as being more important—and more a function of the president—than the creation of wealth.” Morris argues that with his spending and tax plans Obama is essentially telling people, “Spend a lot of money now, invest a lot now, and don’t worry about it. In two years, I’m going to cut your head off.” Morris charges that by over-taxing the top income earners—the economy’s job-creators—Obama is “…dooming his administration to worse and worse economic data.” Those who, like Obama, ridicule the concept of “trickle down” economics will be in for a rude awakening when they learn that any significant reduction in spending by the top five per cent of the nation’s taxpayers will have a devastating effect on the bottom 95 per cent. [1507]
Report Spam   Logged

Ignis Natura Renovandum Integra
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 [8] 9 10 11 12 13 14   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

Powered by EzPortal
Bookmark this site! | Upgrade This Forum
SMF For Free - Create your own Forum
Powered by SMF | SMF © 2016, Simple Machines
Privacy Policy