Tag Archives: Economy

The Obama Campaign and the War on Women

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You can tell the campaign is getting closer, as both the Romney and Obama campaigns have been gearing up with direct mail, television ads, and merciless attacks. It is enough to make someone who has no interest in politics cringe.

(By the way, I received the above ad at my apartment over the weekend. I had to laugh, as I have voted Republican ever since I was 18.)

However, the merciless attacks have appeared to come after a different demographic of sorts. President Obama, in his re-election campaign, has used the defunding of Planned Parenthood as a ploy to garner more votes from women. While there are some women who will vote for Obama based on Planned Parenthood, there are some who feel he has taken it too far with his tactics.

Recently, President Obama’s re-election campaign has been airing numerous television ads focusing on what Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan would do to Planned Parenthood. This smacks of desperation.

How so, you ask? Not every woman has abortion as their top issue for deciding an election. For example, the economy is still in a state of decline, and more women are now unemployed, compared to when President Obama took office. What will Obama do to address the economic situation our nation is facing? So far, nothing has been addressed, rather I keep hearing ads about how women should be fearing the fact that contraceptives and abortions will be eliminated.

Right now, I feel like my lady parts are under attack. I want to hear candidates discuss how they are going to get our economy back on track. I want to hear how our Presidential candidates plan to get us out of these endless wars we are fighting over in Afghanistan and Iraq, not push us into future wars.

This election, I plan to use my lady smarts and vote President Obama out of office. We don’t another four years of an apology tour, more destruction to our personal liberties, and the constant reminder that all women care about are free contraceptives and abortions.

By the way, TokenLibertarianGirl has a great take on the recent Obama ad with Lena Dunham that has been circulating around the internet. Here’s her take:

Why Energy Matters?

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The American Petroleum Institute (API) recently launched a new initiative, Vote 4 Energy, which will focus on why energy issues should concern many voters during the 2012 elections.  According to API, this is not a partisan issue, rather energy is an issue that should concern many Americans, as it impacts the economy and job development for the future.

Below is a video featuring Tom of Virginia Right:

Energy is an important issue.  With the potential rise in fuel prices, there is no doubt that something needs to be done to utilize our own resources to help curb our reliance on foreign oil.

The Occupy Crowd Wants to Shut Down Wall Street

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Reuters reports that the Occupy crowd wants to shut down Wall Street. Didn’t they try to do this already? I know things have been busy with the election, and maybe, I have neglected a few things when it came to the Occupy crowd. Oh well, I wonder if it will be as successful as it has been in cities like Oakland and Portland, where they have been booted out.

They are probably not succeeding in Springfield.

Protect our Community Pharmacies

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Business mergers are not uncommon in today’s society.  Sometimes they are for the best, and other times they negatively impact consumers and businesses.   A proposed merger is likely to devastate community pharmacies and those who benefit from their services.   Recently, two pharmacy benefit companies, Express Scripts, Inc. and Medco Health Solutions, Inc., announced that they will be merging in July, with a final transaction closing in the first half of 2012.  This would create a company that would have excessive market power that would have the ability to squeeze the already burdened health care system for its own profits at the expense of patient choice.

Additionally, this merger would leave fewer choices for employers seeking cost savings for their health care plans.  It would also mean fewer choices for those who rely on local pharmacies to fill their prescriptions, as they would have to travel further to fill their prescriptions or be denied the opportunity to have face-to-face access with their pharmacists.  Patient choice would be severely limited under this merger, as those who relied on going to a community pharmacy to fill their prescriptions would be forced to have them filled by Express Scripts/Medco.

The Express Scripts/Medco merger will also have a significant impact on those receiving Medicare Part D benefits, as this would limit competition between pharmacies and the mail order company.  This would increase pharmaceutical prices, which would drive up the costs for those receive state aid.

Why should consumers have to pay for an increase in bad service?  Express Scripts is a mail order company, and it does not value the relationship between consumers and pharmacists.   Congress and the Federal Trade Commission should stop this merger that will be unfair to local pharmacies and health care providers.  This merger will further dilute the quality of patient care, while restricting their access to receiving medicines from the pharmacy of their choice.  You can learn more about this and sign a petition against this merger by clicking here.

Starbucks CEO: America is 'Drifting Towards Mediocrity'

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I have a confession to make: Starbucks rocks! Despite the fact that Starbucks is a liberal bastion for the most part, there are times when Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz actually makes sense. Recently, in an ABC News interview, Schultz urged people to boycott campaign contributions through his campaign, UpwardSpiral2011, and for business leaders to help get the country out of its “crisis of confidence” by creating jobs, as well as increasing consumer confidence. Schultz wants the national deficit reduced and said that businesses will not invest in America due to the debt ceiling.

Click here to watch the video.

I agree with Schultz. It’s time for business leaders to take the initiative to create jobs and not rely on the government to do this for them. In fact, Schultz made another point worth considering that both the Obama Administration and Congress doesn’t understand the urgency of addressing the debt and are forgetting that we are still in a crisis situation, especially when it comes to unemployment.

Cross posted at Bearing Drift

U.S. Economy Grows Despite the Debt Ceiling Debate

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While the debt ceiling debate continues in Washington, the U.S. Economy continued to grow at a slow rate. We should be celebrating, right? Things are looking up. Before you break out the champagne and fireworks, you might want to consider that the GDP (gross domestic product) only grew by 1.3 percent. While 1.3 percent is better than a decline, there are some factors to consider. According to The Wall Street Journal, the meager increase was caused due to a lack of consumer spending, and the reduced expenditures are only going to continue due to the rising rates of inflation and the increased prices for basic commodities, such as food and energy. The GDP will continue to experience these hardships, as many consumers have to prioritize their expenditures.

Another reason why the GDP is experiencing slow growth is due to the rise in unemployment numbers. Currently, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that unemployment is at 9.2 percent. This number is expected to increase, as many companies are cutting back their workforce to stay afloat in this economy.

In light of the meager economic growth, one has to wonder if this trend will continue. I would guess that the economic growth will tank before real growth occurs.

Cross posted at Bearing Drift

Virginia is better than Maryland…just in case, you didn't know

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For the full disclosure, I was born and raised in Maryland. In fact, there are times I miss the place due to family and friends. However, in terms of the taxes and excessive regulations brought on by years of Democratic leadership, I am glad to be a Virginian.

Recently, The Washington Times had an editorial, which cited a recent American Legislative Exchange Council study that shows Virginia ranking as one of top ten states in terms of economic outlook. Maryland ranked 21st in terms of economic outlook.

Maryland is a very expensive state to live in, as property and income tax rates are higher than some of the surrounding areas. However, Virginia has been placing more focus on bringing business into the state, thus boosting the economy. Recently, CNBC ranked Virginia as the top state for business, and the state government has been placing focus on providing more tax incentives for companies looking to relocate to the Commonwealth. Maryland was ranked 29th, as the cost of living and cost of business were higher in the rankings.

Will this news serve as a wake-up call for Maryland? Probably not. It will not change until new leadership takes over the state government.