Obama Clears Way for OffShore Oil Drilling

President Obama announced today that he is lifting the ban on offshore oil drilling off the Eastern Seaboard and the north slope of Alaska, but will bar any oil exploration in Bristol Bay Alaska region.

This is strange to becoming from a Democratic president whose party lambasted President Bush for eight years once he proposed his energy policy back in 2001, now this president wants to drill in almost every area that the previous administration proposed except in the Bristol Bay area.

Everyone realizes that the time has come to take America off the dependence from fossil fuels, but at the same time the technology and infrastructure is not at a level where everyone thinks it is. More investment needs to be developed in alternative fuels but for the present moment we need to develop our own domestic fuel industry. This creates jobs here; high paying jobs!

Too often e fail to heed the warning of President Eisenhower in his farewell address when he stated,” Yet, in holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite.”

Careful consideration must be taken into account of those who have alternative agenda regarding oil exploration, and realize we have to drill for oil at the same time invest in alternative fuel sources that make this nation less dependent on rogue regimes for energy needs.

The president is taking a bold stance, but I hope he is not doing this appease his Republican opposition just to get Cap & Trade passed which is stalled in the Senate.
Time will tell!

State Debt and the Fiscal Stability of America

If anyone thinks that what is going on in Greece can’t happen here they had better think again! The New York Times reported today that state debt has grown too big to camouflage with accounting tricks and other gimmicks. The states have to start getting realistic with how they budget their money and all the Enron accounting tricks they have been operating is ending.

The states want to blame the recession and financial meltdown that the country is experiencing, but the real truth is the states have been on a spending binge that was unsustainable and now the bill is coming due.

Everyday reports of how California has squandered taxpayer money. The state is facing major funding issues in regard to funding public employee benefits, without any solution on how to fix the problem.

All anyone has to do is read a paper and you find issues of misappropriation of funds or questionable spending practices. The fiscal solvency of the states will hamper any economic turnaround of the country.

How can a state with the eight largest economy in the world be broke? Their problems are our problem and the nation’s problem.

Major Miltiary Command Reports that National Debt a Threat to U.S. Security

Health Care Reform has dominated the news at the expense of other national issues. Few if anyone paid attention to the study by the Joint Forces Command which analyzed threats to America. For the first time a segment was devoted to the explosion of our national debt and its impact on the security of this country.

Never before had a major military command give any consideration to the national debt as a security threat primarily leaving it as a domestic issue; until now! Washington has repeatedly paid lip service to controlling government spending, instead would rather play partisan politics in blaming each other for the mounting federal debt.

Republicans who only recently have been sounding the alarm as fiscal stewards, but when they were in charge of the government fiscal responsibility was the last thing they spoke about. The prescription drug plan passed by the Bush Administration was fatally flawed because it gave no indication how it would be paid for and it ended up driving up the cost of the federal debt.

President Bush first veto came five and half years into is presidency and that was over stem cell research. He did nothing to stem the rising cost of the federal deficit and only exacerbated the problem.

The Obama administration came into office with every intention in controlling the federal deficit, he campaigned religiously on the topic, but campaign rhetoric is one thing, doing something about it is another. His free spending will have him make President Bush a model of fiscal responsibility.

The Congressional Budget Office analysis last week stated the president’s budget plan increases government spending and does nothing to control spending. This is not even factoring the stimulus that past last year, all the bailouts to the banks, financial institutions, and the auto industry.

The president’s signature issues Health Care Reform is supposed to reduce the deficit as he keeps wildly touting from analysis by the CBO, but this is all assumptions! Last week Caterpillar, John Deere, AT & T and others have stated that the president’s health reform measure would raise their health care costs.

Unemployment across the country has risen as twenty seven states have seen unemployment rise, all this will continue to add to the mounting debt. Right now almost all states across the nation are reeling in budget red ink, but many of these states were mired in over indulgence of free spending and now are feeling its ramifications.

The Federal Government is freely spending money that it doesn’t have leaving us beholden to nations such as China to finance our debt.

Governments at all levels need to face reality and face the hard truth that families face across America by start living within their means! The nation’s future is at stake!

Health Care Debate Rages on; While Foreign Policy Languishes

Health care has consumed Washington and the media continues to report on the implications for what this means to the nation, but little coverage has been given to U.S. foreign policy.

First, In November of last year President Obama’s trip to China was effectively managed by the Chinese by getting him to make statements endorsing key policy areas of importance to the Chinese and then squelching any dissent on continuous issues. A potential trade war is brewing between both countries that will have devastating effects to the U.S. economy, especially the mounting national debt with China financing almost a trillion dollars worth of it.

President Obama has never stated a constructive view point on Iran’s nuclear ambition, each time he states that he would place sanctions on Iraq for its continued defiance if the world community, but consistently keeps moving the target date.

In December the president dispatched additional troops to Afghanistan as part of the surge strategy, but what has European nations contributed? The Dutch parliament voted to remove their forces from the country and France has sent only a token force.

Vice President Biden traveled to Israel this past month to try and jump start peace negotiations, and was humiliated by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who announced increased settlements in East Jerusalem.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton traveled to Russia last week and was bombarded by complaints over trade and the U.S. continued insistence to sanction Iraq. Russia is cooperating with Iran in its bid to build a nuclear power plant. How will the president get China and Russia to impose sanction on Iraq when both hold veto powers in the U.S. security council and both currently are opposed to sanction?

A couple times the president had to delay his Asia trip to stay home and take care of issues regarding health care, what does this mean to our allies; especially Australia! Australia is one of our closest allies in the Pacific who has stood by this country and is fighting alongside U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

With all the attention by the media to health care real problems our brewing our foreign policy has been left to languish and only will come back to haunt this country.

House Passes Health Care Reform

Last night the House of Representatives passed President Obama’s Health Care Reform Bill with a 219-212 vote; no Republican voted for the bill. After the president signs the broader legislation it moves over to the Senate to begin work on the House-passed legislation.

The real question to me is how will this be paid for, and will the costs that are included in this health reform package materialize as everyone expects? The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office stated last week this reform measure would reduce the deficit, but this is before the reconciliation process and is only based on assumptions.

Congress will have cut a half trillion dollars from Medicare, and raise the necessary taxes to pay for Health Care Reform. The concern I have is when has Congress ever been able to reduce spending from one of America’s most cherished entitlement programs! Right now Medicare is broke, and will these projected savings be spent right back in the health reform bill as the president’s own Medicare actuary stated.

The other aspect is raising enough revenue from increase in taxes to go along with the savings in Medicare for this health reform measure to meet its goal. The hardest part of any Congress is to raise taxes especially in an election year and to reduce Medicare without pushing the pain off until after the election.

Numerous assumptions are predicated on this I just think future Congresses will have the stomach to reduce Medicare and raise the necessary taxes to pay for Health care reform. If I am right then all we have done is saddled America with one more unfunded entitlement program that will increase the national debt substantially. If I am wrong then the president would have reduced the deficit and brought monumental change to bringing health care to all Americans.

Time will tell if I am right or wrong!

CBO states that Health Care Reform will Reduce the Deficit; or Will It?

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its preliminary findings on the Health Care Reform measure now before Congress. The CBO stated that health care reform would reduce the deficit by $138 billion over the next ten years and eventually would reduce $1.2 trillion dollars from the deficit in the preceding decade.

Before anyone gets euphoric over this report by the CBO, the analysis was studied on the current reform package and hasn’t analyzed the bill after the reconciliation process. The cost savings issued by the CBO is only an assumption that Congress will enact $500 billion dollars savings from Medicare, and will raise enough taxes from various sources that includes “Cadillac Plans” the hallmark of most union benefit packages and also taxing people who receive coverage through their employers.

All these assumptions have to materialize before reductions can be made to the federal deficit. The question that has to be asked that both sides have never answered is where will the cuts in Medicare be made, and will the savings then be spent in the same health care reform measure? Currently the presidents Medicare Actuary has stated that the president’s health care package has the savings from Medicare to be spent right back into the health care reform package.

Currently Medicare is broke and any changes that will affect millions need to be asked now! How does the current health care reform measure strengthen Medicare? How will the states fund Medicaid, as of right now numerous states are virtually bankrupt and are implementing budget cuts to various programs?

Cutting savings from Medicare is far difficult challenge that Congress will have to make to ensure that health care reform will be paid for. Will seniors who are the largest voting bloc go along with any reduction in Medicare, if $500 billion dollars in savings could be found, why hasn’t it been done already?

The second question that has not been addressed who and where will the taxes come from to pay for health care reform? Numerous assumptions have been made by both sides, but in the end it can’t be that we have to do something with health care! Too often all I hear is that we have to do something, but the best intentions have been based on we have to do something and the American people are the ones left paying for the follies of great intentions!

Will unions primarily the recipients of “Cadillac Plans” go along with having their taxes raised? Taxes have always been the most contentious issue facing any Congress, will future members of Congress vote to raise taxes especially during election years, or will they pass the pain to future generations to pay for their mistakes, which have been done too often in the past?

Before passage all these questions must be asked, if not then we will forever be saddled with one more unfunded entitlement program that will threaten the national security of this country and cause economic calamity to America.

Whatever Happened to What was Good for America?

All through the health care debate a prevailing theme is emerging from both Democrats and Republicans is that you need to either vote for health care reform or not as it is good for our party. Whatever happened to what is good for America!

Democrats and Republicans seem hell bent on advancing their own legislation on not what is best for America but what is best for them. Too often legislation is passed or not passed that has dire consequences for the nation. The prescription drug plan passed in 2003 by Republicans was fatally flawed as it was not fully paid for and only added to the national debt.

Democrats were equally egregious by passing a stimulus package last year that only enriched Democratic power brokers. The current health care reform measure being debated is one that will have monumental consequences for this country.

The debate has only centered on what is best for both parties and not what is best for the country. No one has seriously asked what will the costs be of over time? Too often legislation is passed with the best of intentions or rammed through on straight party line votes that have unintended ramifications for the country.

This health care reform measure with all its kick backs to various members of Congress to secure its votes can’t be good for this country. When will Washington look after the interests of the people and not the interests of narrow minded special interest groups who do their bidding?

The passage of health care reform is not in the best interest of this nation and will only increase the national debt that will imperil the national security of this country by placing our economic well being in jeopardy!

Health Care Reform is Coming!

This week it looks like Congress will vote on passing health care reform using every parliamentary trick they can muster to insure its passage. The real question that has never been asked or articulated is how will health care reform going to be paid for?

The current plan is to reduce Medicare by $500 billion dollars and utilizing various tax increases to fund this massive program. The question that I have is where will the $500 billion dollars savings from Medicare be cut from? Currently the money saved from Medicare will then be spent in the same health care reform measure essentially using the same dollar twice. The president’s own Medicare actuary stated this inconsistency.

The next area is where will all these taxes come from? Currently the debate has centered on the need to pass health care reform and the ramifications if we don’t!

The real debate should be on how will we pay for it, and what happens if the assumptions made by Congress are wrong? If the savings from Medicare don’t materialize and the taxes raised are insufficient to fund this huge expansion in health care then the nation will be saddled with yet another unfunded mandate that will seriously raise the national debt to unsustainable levels.

The president rightly complains about how the Republican passed prescription drug legislation during the Bush presidency, but now they are being disingenuous in the same way.

If this legislation passes and the questions are not asked now then this nation will reap the consequence of our lack of foresight in not asking beforehand. Once it passes then we can only blame ourselves for the disaster waiting us!

Federal, State, & Local Government’s Threatening U.S. National Security

This may sound strange to many people how governments at all levels across this nation are a threat to the national security of this nation? The one area where the threat will imperil this nation and that is the constant over spending by government! Families are suffering, but government keeps spending at a record clip with no end in sight and eventually this will come to a crises point and bring the economy of this nation to its knees.

Every day reports continue to show mismanagement of the public’s money, but not for the good of the people but only to enrich their political standing. Today the LA times reported how country supervisors have a $27 million dollar fund set aside in the budget for their personnel use with no oversight or accountability on how its spent. This is at a time when government programs that have a direct benefit to the people they serve are being slashed.

At the national level, deals and kickbacks were given to different lawmakers to secure their votes in passing the Senate version of Health Care Reform. The stimulus package passed last year was give away to various politicians, groups and entities that had nothing to do with easing the financial crisis or jump starting the economy.

Every day new reports come out of Sacramento that highlights overspending, misappropriation of funding, even Columnist Dan Walters wrote of the abuse at the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CALPERS) all at the expense of the taxpayers.

All levels of government use public funding for their own gain and to satisfy various constituents. The continuation of this unabated spending will imperil the economic security of this nation, and will continue to keep the nation from rebounding and improving the nation’s economy.

We have to hole elected officials at all levels accountable for their actions and stop blaming each other and get our nation’s financial health in order otherwise it will threaten the nations national security for generations.

Secretary of Defense Visits Afghanistan

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates made a surprise visit to Afghanistan to assess the current counterinsurgency strategy articulated by General Stanley McChrystal and see firsthand the troop surge into Afghanistan.

The situation in Afghanistan has improved but we still have a long way to go to ensure stability in this war torn nation, but we can’t be over confident that everything will go smoothly for us; there will be challenges in bringing stability to Afghanistan.

Having served there early in the war I know all too well the vast complexities that face the U.S. military, but we have to be patient and not expect too much too soon.

Pakistan is the wild card in all this, recently they have been arresting Taliban leaders and actively engaging the Taliban, but unfortunately know one knows why now they are assisting us. It could be in their best interests as thousands of Pakistani civilians have been killed by Taliban forces. We should not be lured in into any false pretense that this will continue forever; what was turned on can easily be turned off!

For now we have let the counterinsurgency strategy in place continue and allow Gen. McChrystal to move forward with operational planning. We are moving in the right direction and we will have to see when all the surge forces are in place and operating to reevaluate the success of this strategy.

Health Care Reform and National Security

You find it strange that you will find the current health care debate in the same sentence as national security, but both are intertwined in this debate. The reason for this is health care reform whatever form materializes will effect America’s national security, because presently a convincing argument hasn’t been made on how it will be funded as not adding to the growing national debt.

Currently the national debt has exploded and is now affecting the economic viability of this nation. Yesterday the president held a rally in Pennsylvania to gather support for his health care reform plan, but conspicuously missing was how the nation will pay for it.

Currently the plan is to have over $500 billion dollars reduced from Medicare and taxes raised on various Cadillac Health Insurance plans and with other revenue streams. The question then becomes what areas will be cut from Medicare and will the necessary taxes be raised from the various revenues needed to pay for health reform?

Too many times in the past Congress has devised spending and revenue options to pay for a particular proposal or reform legislation that has never meet its intended purpose and come far over budget. Each time Congress has been overly optimistic in its finance proposals. The stimulus is a great example, as Congress appropriated a certain amount only to find out it cost another $75 billion more than intended.

This time Congress and the president can’t be wrong! If they are, if their numbers don’t add up, if they don’t cut $500 billion from Medicare, and if the tax increases don’t materialize as advertised then we will be stuck with another unfunded entitlement program like Social Security and Medicare that is essentially broke and this will increase the national debt and threaten the economic security of this nation.

Let’ make sure Congress and the president tell us how they will pay for it, if we don’t then the consequences will be on us!

The Results of hte Iraqi Election

Over the weekend Iraq concluded its national elections in which every ethnic group took part and had over sixty percent turnout of its people. Now this election is truly significant as a stable Iraq will enable American forces to return home, but there is much to be concerned about.

First an election doesn’t solve all a nations problems only when its leaders address the concerns of its population, not just some of them, but all of them!

The elections have to show that that corruption was not part of the election process and that transparency with the results can be trusted by ordinary Iraqi’s. Iraqi leaders now must reconcile with the various ethnic groups namely Sunni’s and Kurdish to legitimize the government that is free from internal and external forces namely coming from Iran.

To effectively govern the new government has to provide economic stability and industrial growth that will reverberate across the country that benefit all Iraqis not only a select few. Security needs to be established to protect the nation from sectarian forces and against external threats as American forces begin the final pullout in 2011.

The Iraqi government needs to begin passing oil, investment, and tax laws that are needed to bring economic growth to the nation. It has to stabilize the security apparatus that is independent of the United States as it departs the country and that it can act on its own.

The United States has spent much treasure in Iraq not only in monetary contributions but in the lives of its service personnel, it must not abandon Iraq too quickly, but mentor along the process to ensure a stable Iraq.

The president must take the lead on this and not place it to the back burner to focus on domestic priorities, only recently as last week has he spoken on Iraq. He has to take the lead or face its repercussions of the failure of Iraq reverting back to sectarian infighting and external pressure from Iran.

National Debt Higher than White House Forcast

On Friday the Congressional Budget Office stated that President Obama’s proposed budget would add more than $9.7 trillion dollars to the national debt over the next ten years.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office produced much gloomier projections than reported by the White house and analyzed that the president’s budget request would add almost ten trillion to the national debt.

The time has come for this president and this congress has to stop blaming others for their fiscal irresponsibility’s and face reality that they are seriously impeding economic growth for the nation and saddling future generations with enormous debt.

We all know that the previous administration behaved recklessly in regard to the national debt, but this administration make the Bush Administration look saints in regard to fiscal responsibility. President Obama campaigned on bringing fiscal sanity to Washington, but all he brought was tax and spend mentality philosophy of governing.

The times has come for all agencies and departments to have a gut check and stop wasting the people’s money and bring rational spending back, unfortunately Washington knows only one way and that is to spend money!

One only has to look at the massive spending by Washington that has no rational for spending priorities, the only rational is to enrich Washington power brokers and there surrogates. Unit Washington gets a handle on wasteful government spending and prioritize spending it will impede the growth and the economy of this nation.

Both parties are complete in the fiscal meltdown of this nation and if left unchecked will bankrupt this country; one only has to look at California!!

The Academy Award Nominated Film “The Hurt Locker” Inaccurately portrays Military Life in Iraq

The Academy Award Nominated Film “The Hurt Locker” which is up for an Oscar on Sunday has been receiving a chorus of negative press from veterans that it inaccurately portrays military life in Iraq and gives the impression to viewer’s t6hat this is what military operations in Iraq are like.

Having served Iraq, I decided to view the film for myself and see if the controversy was warranted. Upon viewing the film, it gives great atmospherics of actually being in Iraq, as the film was filmed in Jordan and many of the extras were Iraqis themselves. Unfortunately the rest of the film failed to capture the true nature of military operations in Iraq.

The film went back to Hollywood’s ideal conception of military life of the John Wayne image of military personnel. They had to throw in for added touch a soldier with post traumatic stress, as the viewer will believe that all military personnel coming back from Iraq or Afghanistan have some type of mental condition related to their service. Hollywood’s belief that all military personnel returning from Iraq or Afghanistan have mental issues, even the TV series “Law in Oder” has depicted this in different episodes.

Many scenes that were depicted were pure fantasy or taken extremely out of context. Various segments depicted in the film would never have occurred as it would be against military procedure to act in agaisnt putting the lives of soldiers in danger.

The film was predicated of following an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team around its tour in Iraq. The John Wayne image of one of the soldiers depicted would have seriously endangered the unit. The constant actions of lone wolf soldier as he defuses various Individual Explosive Device’s (IED). The methods employed are laughable at best a gives the impression that this is how operations are conducted.

No where am I saying don’t go and view this film, but just treat it as Hollywood’s version of film making and doesn’t represent what truly represent military operations in Iraq or the military service of our brave men an d women serving.

Senator Holds up Extension of Jobless Benefits

One lone Senator holds up passage of extension of jobless benefits for the nations unemployed over opposition to continued federal spending without any rational of how to pay for it. Last month Congress passed and the President Obama signed legislation a “pay-as-you-go” rule that requires expenditures to be paid for before passage.

Senator Jim Bunning, Republican of Kentucky has halted passage of extension of jobless benefits to the nation’s unemployed until funding is allocated to pay for it. He criticizes both parties for failure to heed the call for fiscal responsibilities after last month they passed a bill designed implement a “pay-as-you-go” system. Unfortunately Congress violated the language of that bill.

It’s time for government at all levels to start getting our fiscal house in order, as we can’t keep on the track we are heading. The continuation of current reckless spending will have the nation in a train wreck where it will not recover from and hamper economic growth.

The states are facing the same train wreck as California is literally bankrupt and all Sacramento continues to do is more smoke and mirror accounting. All politicians are engaging in Enron style accounting, but they harshly criticize corporate America unsavory business practices that they themselves pursue for the nation.

The longer the irresponsible fiscal train is left on the track the nation’s economic well being will be imperil!