FIRST SHOT!
Obama Behind The Times In His Attack On Paul Ryan's 2012 Medicare Plan
The Big Lie: the Obama campaign would like voters to believe that Paul Ryan's Medicare plan would "end Medicare as we know it" - privatizing the whole system and costing seniors more than $6,000 extra a year.
Fact-check site Politifact rated the oft-repeated claim that Republicans voted to "end Medicare" as the "Lie of the Year" for 2011.
Fact Check: Obama fighting outdated 2011 version of Paul Ryan Medicare plan - not the recent 2012 version.
Fact is that the Obama campaign, even before Paul Ryan was selected as Mitt Romney's running mate, has effectively been running against the wrong Paul Ryan Medicare plan.
The president's accusations largely refer to Ryan's 2011 plan, ignoring the fact that the House Budget Committee chairman rolled out a different version in 2012 - taking into account Democratic critiques.
Though the 2012 plan is more moderate, Obama and his surrogates have ignored the newer version as they ramp up their accusations against the Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.
Most importantly, the Obama campaign has omitted a key point.
While Ryan's 2011 plan proposes to give seniors a government payment to buy private insurance, his 2012 plan offers seniors a choice.
Under the Paul Ryan blueprint, Senior Americans could use the payment to buy private insurance or stay in traditional Medicare.
No real surprise that this distinction is conveniently lost during Obama campaign events.
Last week in Davenport, Iowa, Barack Obama again accused Romney-Ryan of wanting to "voucherize the Medicare system."
"They want to turn Medicare into a voucher system," Obama said. "That means seniors would no longer have the guarantee of Medicare - they'd get a voucher to buy private insurance. And if it doesn't keep up with costs, well, that's the seniors' problem."
Seems like President Obama like to neglect a lot, including to mention the traditional Medicare option. Under the plan, the two-tiered system would kick in a decade from now.
In what I believe is a conscious decision on the part of the Obama campaign to deceive Americans, another distinction the campaign has chosen to ignore is the average cost to seniors.
For months, Obama has cited an estimate that the Republican budget plan would cost Medicare seniors $6,400.
The Obama campaign repeats that claim in a new TV ad released Friday called "Fact."
The ad says: "And experts say his voucher plan could raise future retirees' costs more than $6,000. ... Get the facts."
But that estimate is from early 2011, and that refers to Paul Ryan's outdated plan from the same year.
Very sharp-eyed viewers would see in the latest Obama ad that there is fine print that attributes the estimate to "Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 4/8/11."
They are repeating something that is not true with the hope that someone will believe their lie.
SECOND SHOT!
EPA Must Drop Ethanol Mandate - Or Be Responsible For Driving Up Cost Of Food
With record drought destroying crops across the country, corn prices are skyrocketing, and that is causing a world-wide ripple effect - including driving up the cost of the corn-derived gasoline additive ethanol.
Christopher Hurt, a Purdue University economic professor, estimates that corn prices are up 60 percent this summer.
Now Democrat governors from Maryland, Delaware, North Carolina and Arkansas have joined ranchers, poultry farmers - and the United Nations director-general for food and agriculture - in asking the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to waive the federal requirement that gasoline contain 10 percent ethanol.
"It's universally acknowledged that ethanol is raising the price of food," Kenneth Green of the American Enterprise Institute said.
"It's not lowering the price of gas. In fact, it may be raising the price of gas, and it's having a devastating environmental effect in terms of coastal pollution."
Green says coastal "dead zones" may be increasing because of the run-off from fertilizer-intensive corn crops - but the human economic costs are potentially even more severe.
The Department of Agriculture estimates that food inflation will hit 3 percent to 3.5 percent this year, then 3 percent to 4 percent next year.
The United States is the world's largest food exporter. For the poorest countries who dependent on U.S. exports of corn and grains, the impact may cost millions of lives.
Obama doesn't act!
In fact no one in the Obama administration has acted in any way to waive the ethanol mandate.
The problem is that ethanol mandates have won favor in the corn belt - where corn prices and profits have set records in recent years.
As evidence of that, more corn now goes to the production of ethanol than to the production of food and cattle and poultry feed.
Many of those same corn belt states, including Iowa, Ohio, and Michigan, happen to be key swing states in the upcoming presidential election.
Even if there were political will to challenge the mandates, the ethanol industry has now become an entrenched player in Washington. This environmentalist scam has made many rich - and money is power no matter if food costs too much to buy.
"Once it's entrenched, you have a locked-in lobby that won't let you pry it out," Green said.
"No matter that your environmental groups have walked away from it, international groups have walked away from it. Everybody has acknowledged it's bad public policy, but it's dug in like a tick."
The only way to fix this is to get the President to act. If he will not act, then he should be voted out of office - replaced with someone who will put our nation's needs ahead of his own.
THIRD SHOT!
Higher Corn, Soybean Prices Seen Monday
The CME Group corn, soybean and wheat markets traded higher on Monday.
The Early Calls for the commodities on Monday, August 20, 2012, are higher.
Corn is seen opening 5-7 cents higher, soybeans 10-12 cents higher, and wheat 3-5 cents higher.
In overnight trading, the December corn futures contract traded 7 3/4 cents higher at $8.15 per bushel.
December soybean futures traded 14 1/2 cents higher at $16.60 per bushel, and December wheat traded 2 cents higher at $8.96 1/2.
For December soybean meal futures, the contract traded $4.10 per short ton higher at $504.00. December soybean oil futures traded $0.33 higher at $54.07.
The outside markets are mostly unfavorable for Monday's grain trade. The real factors driving the calls will be the higher overnight markets.
These are the results of the blistering drought that has hurt most of the Midwest, the EPA refusal to bend on ethanol mandate, and Obama failure to act.
FOURTH SHOT!
Livestock Problem Just As Bad If Not Worse
On July 10th, Jeff Caldwell wrote an entitled: Avoid Drought's 'Ttail' In Your Herd
He is the Multimedia Editor for Agriculture.com and Successful Farming magazine, and subsequently knows what's going on in Agriculture.
His article needs a read:
The corn and soybean crops are hogging much of the spotlight when it comes to growing damage from the drought conditions around the nation this summer. But, it's the beef sector that could see the longest-lasting effects of the hot, dry weather.
In fact, producers who fail to "properly manage" their herd through the drought could be dealing with its effects for as long as 3 years, one Purdue University Extension beef specialist says.
"The tail on this can be pretty long if we don't manage things right in a drought year," says Ron Lemenager. "One thing that I think is really important for producers to consider this year is body condition. If you use condition scores of these cows as a barometer of where you're at nutritionally, we can't do much about the heat or drought, but we can make sure we don't have any nutritional deficiencies."
So, what if you do finish the year with poor body scores for your cows because of poor or altogether lacking forage stocks this summer on account of the drought? Embryo survival goes down, sperm and oocyte quality declines and overall fertilization rates go down.
"The environmental conditions we are experiencing have ratcheted stress forward into the heart of the breeding season for those that calve in the spring, meaning it's very probably we'll see more open cows than normal this fall," Lemenager says in a university report.
If you're in a droughted area and have doubts about how your herd's faring, be sure to preg-check your cows and consider marketing non-productive animals. And, consider the implications of keeping back all your pregnant cows. They may be able to calve okay, but the drought's likely been hard enough on them to make it tough to keep a young calf healthy.
"If we're short on forage we have the option of sliding by, but if cows are thin going into the fall, fewer will be bred, calves will be lighter at weaning time this year and fewer calves will be born next year," Lemenager says. "Then, if cows are thin heading into next breeding season, fewer cows will be bred and colostrum quality will be lower, meaning a lower calf survival rate which affects productivity in years 2 and 3."
Avoiding that 3-year "tail" can be best done by supplementing feed as early as you can to ensure your cows' health doesn't slide too much. And, Purdue Extension forage specialist Keith Johnson advises the following steps to help your cows manage heat and drought stress:
•Avoid overgrazing and employ rotational grazing.
•Creep-feed calves to create near normal weaning weights.
•Early-wean calves to take pressure off of both cows and pastures.
•Identify and manage poisonous plants in pastures and hay fields.
•Establish summer annuals to increase late-season forage production.
•Pregnancy-check and market cull cows earlier than normal to reduce feed needs.
•Inventory hay and other feed resources.
•Analyze feeds for nutrient profiles to help determine supplemental feed needs.
•Use alternative feeds to supplement and stretch forage supplies.
•Limit hay access time to stretch forage supplies.
•Limit-feed a high-concentrate diet to stretch forage supplies.
•Graze crop residues and stockpiled forages to reduce harvested feed needs.
•Use drought-stressed corn for grazing, green chop or silage.
•Make sure cattle have access to a clean, cool water supply.
•Moisten the soil around ground rods of electric fences.
This is all smart advice from a man who knows what is taking place today. It is getting bad out there, and to me, any information to help our producers is well worth passing on.
FIFTH SHOT!
Virginia bakery owner turns down Biden visit over Obama's "You didn't build that" remark
The owner of a Virginia bakery gave Vice President Biden's advance team an answer they probably don't hear too often: No.
Chris McMurray, owner of "Crumb and Get It" bakery in southwestern Virginia, reportedly refused to let Joe Biden stop by his store Wednesday because of concerns he had about President Obama's "you didn't build that" remark.
The president made the controversial comment last month in Roanoke, Virginia, just miles from McMurray's bakery.
"This is an opportunity of a lifetime, but essentially I said, 'No offense to you or the campaign but I just decline you guys coming in here,'" McMurray told WDBJ7.
He said the Biden staffer asked if he was sure, since there would be lots of press and activity. Biden was wrapping up a tour of southern Virginia Wednesday.
But McMurray reportedly said he objected to the "you didn't build that" line.
"Speaking of small businesses and entrepreneurs all across this country, and actually last night my wife was up all night. No sleep, she's worked a full 24 hours," he said.
He and his wife Kelly run the shop.
Democrats have tried to deflect Obama's comment as merely saying small businesses didn't build our infrastructure, but the American people aren't buying it. They know exactly what he said and what he meant by it.
Americans across the nation are angry that the President of the United States would say such a thing - nevertheless think it. It goes against everything American.
SIXTH SHOT!
Racist Liberal Name Caller!
In July of this year, I published an article that talked about the news that President Obama's books were getting another look. Obama's Book Faces New Scrutiny
Barack Obama: The Story, was the trigger for my article. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and Washington Post editor David Maraniss did a great deal of research to produce the 600-page study of the president's ancestry and early life.
In my article, I wrote about my impression, my take, my understanding of Obama's life through his own words in his book - and that of the new revelations about Obama's life.
I state what others have to say about Obama's life story, most notably David Maraniss and David Remnick.
Bottom line: I do not believe that Barack Obama's life story is one of a lost under-privileged black man in America.
I really believe that President Obama's life story is one of smoking pot, doing drugs, and living the life of a spoiled rich kid - privileged beyond his imagination.
On August 18, 2012, 6:29 AM, I received a comment about my article from Anonymous.
Anonymous wrote:
"Wow, redneck shit-for-brains like yourself can barely hide their contempt for the lives and experiences from people of different backgrounds than your own white-bread, god-fearing, cousin-marrying, gun-shooting, country-boy roots, huh?"
Well, yesterday I posted my reply - which was a little harsh. Last night, I resubmitted my reply to Anonymous the jerkweed.
Here it is:
"A racist liberal name caller? That's the best that you can do? It is no great surprise that you're too cowardly to put your name to your comment. It is no great surprise that some coward would write me such a racist hate filled comment.
Whoever you are, you are typical of liberals and Democrats who support and cover up for Barack Obama. You are extremely common. Yes, there is nothing special or smart about you. You have your head up your ass and there is no possibility that you will find a way to pull it out and see another side of things.
Calling me "cousin-marrying" is a stereo-type of Conservatives that is worn out. Next time, be more creative.
You should write and let me know how it feels to be enslaved by lies and ruled by those who tell you how to think. Write to me, and please explain to me why you're so afraid to get off your knees and find out the truth about your idol?
Ask yourself, since in his book he admitted to doing drugs frequently, how does Obama qualify for a Classified or Top Secret Clearance with the U.S. Government? Clearances are void and not handed out to people with prior drug use.
At least that's the way it is for the rest of the country! He must be "special" like he says in his book.
Ask yourself, why doesn't he release his college transcripts to show his grade point average, who paid for his education, or if he indeed registered as a Foreign born student?
Ask yourself, why is there no record of Barack Hussein Obama's doctoral thesis? What qualifies him to "teach" Constitutional Law?
Fact is, that beyond being a racist liberal name caller, besides being nothing but a coward who would call a person like me with a Latin ancestry "white-bread", you've proven yourself to be just another dumbass jerkweed!"
I think the problem that Obama has is that he has never had to lead a regular life as a regular everyday American. He has always had things handed to him on a silver platter.
LAST SHOT!
Great Cartoons!
Story by Tom Correa
These are really nice cartoons and also those are educating.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.medicaremaryland.com/