FIRST SHOT!
Report says Obama White House Pays Women Less Than Men
You ever notice how Washington, D.C., is so chock-full of hypocrites?
Back in 2008, Barck Obama was called "The Great Uniter" yet he has done more to harm racial relations and split the country along racial lines than any other person in our nation's history.
He talks about being for Americans and he talks about no drilling for American oil, of course while pitching alternative energy cars, but he seems to have not given any consideration our country's need to produce the over 6,000 products made from oil. Products that have nothing to do with alternative energy, and everything to do with oil.
Of course, Barack Obama has solid support from the women voters out there. Yes, that's true, even though 92% of all Americans who have lost their jobs under Obama have been women.
But even with the losses of jobs for women, the Hypocrite-In-Chief says he's for helping women in the workplace. What workplace? Well, figures show it's not the White House workplace - that's for certain.
Fact is that President Obama has been outspoken in his criticism of "paycheck discrimination" in that women earn less than men for the same jobs, but an article from The Washington Free Beacon says that reports show that female employees in the Obama White House make considerably less than their male counterparts.
According to the 2011 annual report on the White House staff, female employees earned a median annual salary of $60,000, which was about 18 percent less than the median salary to the male employees $71,000.
Last week the Obama campaign lashed out at Mitt Romney for his failure to immediately endorse the
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act, which is a very controversial law that was enacted in 2009 that made it easier to file discrimination lawsuits.
And yes, I'm sure you've wondered it, but for right now it is not known whether any women employed at the White House have filed lawsuits under the
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act. But honestly, if some woman has, I seriously doubt that the Pro-Obama News media would readily report it.
President Obama has frequently criticized the gender pay gap, although he has never spoken about the gender gap that exists in the Obama White House. Ironically, all of his talk about bringing CHANGE to the White House has resulted in his changing the long standing George W. Bush policy of paying all White House employees equally.
"Paycheck discrimination hurts families who lose out on badly needed income," Obama said in a July 2010 statement. "And with so many families depending on women's wages, it hurts the American economy as a whole."
My grandpa would have called that Obama statement one of the worse insults women can possible get. It confirms that he really does recognize that a problem exists and yet still refuses to act to repair the situation in the very place that he has total say on things - in this case the White House.
To add further insult to injury, he actually has the cojones to spit in their faces after he refuses to fix the problem in his own White House by actually asking for their support to do what he's doing for another four more years.
The president and his Democratic allies have accused Republicans of waging a “war on women,” and have touted themselves as champions of female equality. Obama’s rhetoric, however, has not always been supported by his actions. That's a nice way of saying that he's all talk and no action.
In a 2011 article titled "The White House Boys’ Club: President Obama Has a Woman Problem," TIME magazine’s Amy Sullivan detailed the president’s fondness for male-dominated environments.
"There’s a looseness to Obama when he’s hanging out with the boys club that doesn’t appear in co-ed gatherings," she wrote. "The president blows off steam on the golf course with male colleagues and friends. He takes to the White House basketball court with NBA stars, men’s college players, and male cabinet members and members of Congress."
As a presidential candidate in 2008, Obama was criticized for paying the women on his campaign staff much less than the men, and far less than his Republican opponent John McCain was paying his female staffers.
Adlai Stevenson, who was the Democrat presidential candidate in 1952 and 1956, once said, "A hypocrite is the kind of politician who would cut down a redwood tree, then mount the stump and make a speech for conservation."
Though Adlai Stevenson may have captured the true Barack Hussein Obama in that quote, I think Tennessee Williams is right on target when he said, "The only thing worse than a liar is a liar that's also a hypocrite!"
SECOND SHOT!
U.S. Border Agent Accused of Smuggling Guns Ordered Detained
News out of El Paso, Texas, is that a U.S. Magistrate Judge ruled on Tuesday that a U.S. Border Patrol agent, who is accused of buying guns in the United States and smuggling them into Mexico for use by Mexican Drug Cartels must remain in jail pending a detention hearing later this week.
U.S. Border Patrol agent Ricardo Montalvo, 28, and his girlfriend Carla Gonzales-Ortiz, 29, appeared in court for the first time since their arrest on Monday. They are charged with conspiracy to buy firearms and more than 20,000 rounds of ammunition and smuggle them into Mexico.
They are accused of acting as "straw" purchasers of at least nine firearms between November 2010 and January 2011. "Straw purchasers" are people who say that they are buying weapons for themselves, but in fact are concealing the real buyers.
The most routine way of smuggling arms, however, is the ant or "hormiga" run is basically repeated trips across the border with one or a few guns.
A legally eligible or "straw" purchaser buys a few weapons, usually cheap .22 caliber rifles, .25-caliber pistols, ".38 specials," and 9mm pistols from gun stores in El Paso and other US border towns and hands the mover to the trafficker, who sneaks them across the border.
Generally this is either done on foot or in the trunk of a car. A smuggler can repeat this process hundreds of times a year, making multiple trips to gun stores in Florida, Texas, and California, in particular.
A grand jury indictment accuses Montalvo and Gonzales-Ortiz of buying guns, which include five AK-47-type pistols, two .380-caliber pistols, and two .22-caliber rifles. The indictment specifies that the guns are favored by Mexican Drug Cartels.
The criminal indictment also says. the pair are accused of also buying more than 20,000 rounds of ammunition, 97 high-capacity magazines and four 37mm flair guns, which are sought by Mexican Cartels for conversion into Grenade Launchers.
Back in the late 1980s, I had a friend who told me that the BATF came to his home to pay him a visit. They received a red flag when he tried buying 10,000 rounds from a cataloge company.
So yes, I'm sure that a U.S. Border Patrol Agent buying five AK-47-type pistols, two .380-caliber pistols, two .22-caliber rifles, 20,000 rounds of ammunition, 97 high-capacity magazines and four 37mm flair guns is going to throw up a red flag somewhere.
The indictment does not say if the weapons were actually smuggled into Mexico.
U.S. Border Patrol Agent Montalvo, who is based in El Paso, Texas, had been on administrative desk duty since January 2011 when the investigation started.
The Obama White House wants Americans to believe that the Mexican Drug Cartels rely on purchases of firearms in the United States. And yes, the Mexican government has often complained about the smuggling across the border.
But the facts, well they do not agree with the rhetoric coming out of the Obama administration. In the last few years huge shipments of fully automatic weapons have been stopped coming into the U.S. on its way to Mexico from China. And no, fully automatic weapons are something that most Americans cannot legally buy unless they have a Class 3 Federal Firearms License.
China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO), a commercial shipping company owned by the Communist Chinese government is at issue in this respect. COSCO has been linked to gun smuggling operations of guns from China's defense-related companies. China is believed to be bringing in thousands of illegal fully automatic weapon through U.S. ports like the Port of Long Beach which they control and ports at the Panama Canal.
The arrest of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Montalvo and Gonzales-Ortiz came only days after three men pleaded guilty to charges of trafficking high-powered rifles and other guns to Mexico from Arizona under the botched "Fast and Furious" federal sting operation.
Republicans have criticized President Barack Obama's administration for allowing the Fast and Furious program - under which a government agency permitted thousands of weapons to be smuggled across the border in order to try to nab the criminals in a sting operation.
The failed operation embarrassed the administration and led to some calls for Attorney General Eric Holder to resign.
But more importantly, the Obama administration Operation Fast & Furious has put thousands of guns in the hands of those who randomly kill people on both sides of our Southern border. Those responsible for the slaughter of thousands of Mexicans yearly, and the death of one of our own Agents can thank the Obama administration for the weapons they use to do so.
The Obama administration has made the U.S. government an accessory to murder because it helped fuel violence and killing Mexican violence by allowing "straw" purchasers to buy approximately 2,000 assault-type weapons - which were actually walked into Mexico.
This is a crime that goes to the highest level of our government. And no, no one has answered for that crime as of yet.
THIRD SHOT!
Herman Cain says Rep. Alen West "An Excellent Choice" for Vice President
Former Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain thinks Representative Allen West, R-Florida, would make "an excellent choice" for Vice President.
Herman Cain’s endorsement follows similar suggestions last week by Sarah Palin and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
Cain, appearing on The Steve Gill Show, was asked by the Nashville radio host who he would suggest for Vice President, should front-runner Mitt Romney ask? Cain answered without hesitation, "Allen West out of Florida."
"He is well-spoken, he is direct, people in Florida love him, he has a huge following," Cain said. "He is from Florida. Florida is going to be one of those key states. But more importantly Colonel Allen West is a dedicated Patriot. He served in the military and he is willing to serve his country some more."
Cain went on to say, "I know that there might be some pushback on his part because he's just in his first term as a United States Congressman, but my advice to him, if he were to ask me, is you served your country well and now you have a higher calling - and I would strongly recommend that he consider it depending upon any personal consideration he might have."
Cain added, "I think he would be an excellent choice."
Following suggestions by Haley and Palin that he would be good for the No. 2 spot on the Republican ticket, West told CNN that he was humbled and would almost certainly "step up to the plate" if asked.
West said, if asked, he would have to discuss the matter with his family but noted his family has a long tradition of service. West’s father served in World War II. West spent 22 years in the Army before retiring as a lieutenant colonel, including tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and he currently has a nephew in the Army.
Asked whether he would be able to work with Mitt Romney? Rep. West told CNN, he was confident they could work out any differences.
"We would be able to come together as a team and turn this ship of state around for the United States of America," he said.
Representative Allen West has my support for Vice President. He is a man who speaks his mind intelligently, and not like Joe Biden who can't seem keep his foot out of his mouth.
FOURTH SHOT!
Oklahoma Governor says Democrats View U.S. Energy as Hazardous Waste
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin issued a scathing indictment of President Barack Obama's energy policies in the Republican Party’s weekly radio address over the weekend. Those policies, not a lack of domestic energy supply, are causing the surge in gasoline prices, she said.
"Our [Republican] pro-energy policies stand in stark contrast to the policies supported by President Obama and the Washington Democrats, who seem to view American-made energy as a hazardous waste rather than a resource" Governor Fallin said.
The real issue is a lack of leadership from the president, as illustrated by his delay in allowing completion of the Keystone XL Oil Pipeline. Meanwhile gas prices average $3.93 in some states while others like here in California pays well over $4.20 a gallon on the average.
“Millions of Americans remain out of work, but President Obama continues to propose job-killing tax hikes and obstruct the basic energy infrastructure projects that would lead to the creation of thousands of new jobs, not to mention more revenue in state budgets," Governor Fallin said.
“We recognize that the energy industry is a valuable ally as we seek to create jobs and stimulate the economy, and that's why Oklahoma Republicans continue to support the production of all kinds of energy resources."
What she is saying goes to the heart of the difference between Liberal and Conservative conservators of our nation. Liberals see no hope for the future and an Energy Industry that is a plague upon the earth. Conservatives see endless opportunity and the resources that we can harness and use while we look for other solutions the problems.
Liberals point out problems but never have solutions. Conservatives address problems by coming up with solutions, then wait for the Liberals to say that it won't work and that we're evil.
FIFTH SHOT!
Italian Councilwoman says European Political System Ignores the People
Since Americans on the Left, Liberals and Democrats, MSNBC, the New York Times, the Obama Administration, and are always trying to compare America with Europe, here's an article for you.
Since you always want to point out how America should be more like Europe, read on - and educate yourself to reality in Europe.
The economic crisis in Europe has been spurred by a self-serving political system that rewards itself and its friends while ignoring the people, says Italian politician Lillia D'Ottavi in an exclusive interview to Newsmax.com.
Lillia D'Ottavi is a pharmacist, business owner, and member of the Regional Council of Lazio, Italy. She says that the solution to the economic crisis in Europe goes beyond the massive rescue fund set up to handle the debt run up by countries on the Euro.
She said, money distributed from the rescue fund "are not real loans. They are really grants that actually we know will never be repaid."
"We are starting to do this reform by cutting down the costs of the political system, including the number of Congressmen and Senators and the privileges that they are accustomed to," she said when asked what the solution would be.
"So we're cutting down their salaries and the whole setup of politics itself. The next thing we're going to work on is bureaucracy within the government.
I’ve been doing politics for many, many years and I believe that even though it's very different from the United States, to a certain extent, like you, one of the problems is the political system. The way the parties are actually creating programs that cost Billions and they are only to serve certain special interests while the real politics - you know the one with a capital ‘P’ - the word people - is not actually being served too much.
I think that the first thing we have to do is to follow the rules. In America, that would be Constitutional rules."
Wait a minute! Are you Liberals listening? Lillia D'Ottavi, a European politicians, recognizes that the Constitution is not just an outdated piece of paper and that it has rules that need to be followed. Imagine the disbelief this will cause at Starbucks when Communist radical Bill Ayers goes to get his Capitalist coffee.
Lillia D'Ottavi has been active in Italian politics since the late 1970s. She has also travelled extensively in the United States and was recently in Florida to explore the possibility of a "sister province" project between her province, Latina, and Palm Beach County. She notes there are a lot of similarities between the people of the United States and the people of Italy.
"I feel very, very close to the people, the middle class, the people that work, the people that pay taxes and in this sense both the people of the United States and in Italy, they face the same desires, they have the same desires: security both on the job and in their families, and a certainty, a stability in the government that’s supposed to represent them," she said.
Like the United States, Italy has an illegal immigration problem.
"I live the problem of illegal immigration very closely," she said. "Italy, it's a relatively new country as such and especially in the First World War, we had to fight with blood for every inch of our territory. And now it’s just being taken over and not only but because of its position. It’s the gate from where most of the North African and Arab illegal immigration is coming through. It’s hurting directly and very closely a great majority of the Italian people. We are very friendly. We love to have people but we want respect of our laws.”
She said that Italy, a country about the same size as Florida, must face up to the problem because in 2030 as many as 30 million illegal immigrants are going to be in the country in a population of about 60 million.
"One of the reasons it is so large is also because a lot of them receive work," she said. "They work, of course illegal only, but they do work. They’ve been given shelters and many times even the government itself gives them - free education, free health, and a lot of services that actually they are denied to Italians and retirees.
So what we have to do is first of all respect the laws that already are there. If somebody is illegal, he should not work, he should not get all the things that they are getting. If we just stick up for these simple things, then our Christian values and our Christian principles are going to lead us to the right solution.”
On other issues, Lillia D'Ottavi said:
— The way to combat Islamic fundamentalism is to "use security measures, you know, like we use against any other criminals."
— That Italians favor sanctions against Iran, adding, "We have to support Israel because Israel is not only one of the greatest allies of the United States but also one of the greatest friends of Italy, especially because of our Judeo-Christian traditions."
— That there are "two different faces of the Obama administration. In internal affairs within the United States, the Obama administration has taken an extreme leftist position in all kind of social issues. In foreign affairs, they have been trying to be very diplomatic and middle of the road without swinging too much one way or the other."
She is both wise and intelligent. Too bad our politicians can't learn from her.
SIXTH SHOT!
Texas Bosses Gripe About Lack of Skilled Workers
OK, here we go!
Employers and Workforce experts told Texas lawmakers this week that businesses are having difficulty filling
thousands of vacant positions across the state because of a shortage of skilled workers, according to the Austin American Statesman.
"Our state leaders are fond of the expression 'Texas is wide open for business,' but I fear there's an increasing risk that the help-wanted signs may go unanswered for many employers," said Joe Arnold, workforce chairman for the Texas Association of Manufacturers.
The State of Texas Senate Committee on Business and Commerce heard from witnesses who provided national statistics and anecdotal information about workforce conditions in Texas.
Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Tom Pauken cited studies saying skilled workers are scarce nationwide and that four out of five employers surveyed report a moderate or severe shortage of production workers. "I hear these same concerns echoed by employers in Texas," Pauken said.
Jane Hanna, president of the Construction Education Foundation, said despite a healthy migration of people into Texas, skilled workers aren’t always among them. Noting that the average age of a skilled craftsman is 49 years of age, she said, "We’re not seeing this migration of skilled workers moving across the country."
"This is a critical, critical impasse we are reaching," Hanna added.
Other committee witnesses blamed the suspected shortage of skilled workers on everything from the recession to drugs, aging baby boomers, and a state education policy that has a bias toward four-year college degrees and doesn’t meet the real needs of today’s employers.
And there's the problem, it's the same old story about college educated type people who simply don't understand the need for vocational training. They have no idea how anything is made or even where milk comes from.
If they are working in state government in among the policy makers than no doubt that they went to a four-year or more college, and they usually have a bias against blue collar workers who they see as uneducated and low class. They do not know how to address the problem because they can't understand the problem.
They simply can't compute the idea that America is lacking in skilled vocational workers, tradesmen, journeymen, who build everything we use.
SEVENTH SHOT!
US Debt Exceeds Euro Zone, UK Combined
In the last few days, it was reported the U.S. government debt now exceeds the combined debt of all of the countries in the crisis-riddled Eurozone - plus Great Britain. Great Britain is not part of the Eurozone but is part of the European Union.
The United States debt at the end of 2011 was at $15.1 trillion, while European debt was at $12.7 trillion according to a chart released by the Senate Budget Committee.
The Eurozone is made up of 17 countries, including France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, and other smaller nations that, among other things, use the euro as their currency. Many of the countries, such as Greece, have recently faced a severe economic crisis brought on by heavy governmental debt that required financial bailouts.
On a small scale version, you and I know how it is if we have more bills than we have money. We know something has to be cut. If not, than we will face financial problems and go into default on our loan obligations and so on.
Most of us understand that hard choices need to be made in those times. Many times those choices are very unpopular and it will not get you "The Greatest Person Award" any time soon. But the consequences are worse! And that is what people need to understand.
At our house, we had to cut our DirectTV package, cut down on frivolous trips to town which meant saving money on gas, less eating out and more eating at home, going to see a movie stopped for awhile, new clothes or shoes or boots, all had to take a back seat to things that we needed to get done that were a heck of a lot more important.
The transmission in my Chevy Tahoe when out and the engine needed work. This is a big priority right now. We looked at buying a new car but found the prices absolutely insane.
So for the last month or so, we've worked on figuring how to get it fixed and we did it without us overspending to do it. All of you who are reading this understand this sort of priority. You and I know real well what it means to go without - just so we can make ends meet.
I think the basic problem with President Obama and both sides of Congress is that most of those Jerkweeds are Millionaires who have no idea how it is to go without to make ends meet. We need more Housewives in Congress. We need more Dads who are paying Child Support and working two jobs to keep a roof over his new family, we need someone who has had to look at his or her son or daughter and knows what it is to say - we just don't have the money to help you buy a new car - nevertheless help you go to College.
Maybe when the rich folks who are running this country finally can get their heads out of their asses and finally look around and see that there are priorities and then then aren't - then we might have a chance to fix things.
We don't need to cut Social Security or Medicare, but we can't keep them around if we spend Trillions of dollars that Obama Care will cost Americans.
We can't afford to feed orphan children in the Sudan or Kenya or Haiti, research the life of a beetle in the Amazon Rain Forrest, build nests for eagles, build bridges to nowhere, or spend Billions of dollars in lawsuits which government creates to right some supposed injustice.
Politicians should learn that not every injustice in the world, whether its natural or man-made can be solved by throwing more money at it. Especially when we don't have the money to throw because we have spent the incomes of our grandchildren on things that made a lot of political points - but made no sense.
LAST SHOT!
Secret Service Agents covering President Obama sent home from Colombia for Misconduct, Prostitution Involved
Hot off the wire, April 14, 2012, at least a dozen U.S. Secret Service Agents who were assigned to protect the President were sent home from Colombia for misconduct - and there may have been prostitution involved.
It is hard to believe that a dozen Secret Service Agents covering President Obama in Colombia, there for a leaders summit, could have actually been sent back to the United States because of allegations involving prostitution - but Fox News confirmed this story through a senior law enforcement official.
The source says that the situation got serious enough that diplomats were brought in to mediate and the Secret Service Agents were expelled from the country of Colombia. After which a whole new crew of Secret Service Agents were rushed to Colombia to cover President Obama, but officials are saying that President Obama was not in any danger at any time.
So I can't help but ask, if Obama's Secret Service detail was "expelled" and sent home - who was doing security for the President of the United States?
Of those sent home, it was not immediately clear if all of the agents were involved in prostitution or just associated with incidents surrounding it.
And wait, that's not all, word is now coming out that Secret Service Agents have supposedly gotten in big trouble on Presidential trips in the past - but just not so many at one time. That's right, just not so many at one time. Imagine that!
Now I don't know if it's just more Washington spin to make something look better than it appears or if it's really the truth, but according to a Secret Service spokesman, "The behavior in question happened prior to the president’s arrival Friday for the Summit of the Americas."
According to the report, the Secret Service did not specify the misconduct or the exact number of people involved - but they did confirm there were "allegations" and that they were sent home.
To me, I would think there must be more than "allegations" if diplomats were brought in to mediate and the Secret Service Agents were immediately "expelled" from their country.
"The Secret Service takes all allegations of misconduct seriously. This entire matter has been turned over to our Office of Professional Responsibility, which serves as the agency's internal affairs component," agency spokesman Edwin Donovan said.
The alleged misconduct is an embarrassing headline as Obama kicks off meeting with 33 Western hemisphere leaders where issues of trade and economy are intended to be the focus.
On a foreign trip of this size, there’s a sizable fleet of Agents sent in to cover all aspects of the president’s trip and security – from driving official vehicles, to scouting locations over multiple shifts and several days. This "advance party" of Agents typically arrives several days ahead of the president’s arrival.
Prostitution is legal in Colombia in the so-called "tolerance zones."
But since Obama is slated to be in Colombia through Sunday and will attend several working sessions and meetings with other leaders, one can't help but wonder if the new detail of Secret Service Agents will have time to take in the local color - so to speak.
Story by Tom Correa
