Day521 Wednesday 02/01/12

ran 4.8 miles

There is a refreshing glimpse of what could be.

The WashingtonExaminer reported Gallup’s annual state-by-state presidential approval numbers yesterday in an article written by Conn Carroll.

According to Gallup:

“Overall, Obama averaged 44% job approval in his third year in office, down from 47% in his second year. His approval rating declined from 2010 to 2011 in most states, with Wyoming, Connecticut, and Maine showing a marginal increase, and Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New Jersey, Arizona, West Virginia, Michigan, and Georgia showing declines of less than a full percentage point. The greatest declines were in Hawaii, South Dakota, Nebraska, and New Mexico.”

We often hear that President Obama is a huge threat to win a second term and that only this candidate or that candidate can beat him, but then you see Gallup put out a prediction of a humiliating defeat as the map above indicates and one can’t help but wonder why there is so much contradiction in the information that constantly cascades through the minds of every one of us.

My point is, that map above is one that I hope becomes a reality in November, but it could reflect a completely opposite outcome and I would be equally indifferent to its message. Our news sources are all over the place and equally abundant are their contradictions with one another. News is good but it is up for interpretation.

The question of whether Barack Obama deserves a second term or not has little to do with all of the debatable information our eyes and ears gather sitting in front of computers, radios, computers, newspapers, and magazines. This guy has not been walking a tight rope between two political sides in which arguments can counterweigh one another to maintain a sense of balance. There is no aisle. The aisle is a wall that Barack Obama built with his decisions.

My biggest concerns are the strength of our economy and the decimating of our national debt. Everything else dovetails right into the empowerment derived from these two issues being dealt with directly. Our president is achieving nothing, regardless of unemployment numbers, gas prices, house values (none of which are anything to brag about), or anything else you can think of, as long as he keeps building all of his (arguable) successes on piling up debt that is the product of spending money by the trillions that simply does not exist.

487.0 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day156.

Day520 Tuesday 01/31/12

ran 2.8 miles
We all know the score in Florida. So, here is to keeping our eyes on the ball.

Clinton, version 2.0: “it’s not just the economy, stupid, it’s also the debt.”

From an article written by David Rogers from Politico

This will make four consecutive years that Washington faces a $1 trillion-plus deficit. And this sum of tax dollars is actually a sub-deficit of our total deficit of $15.2 trillion, which is in the process of growing to an additional overall $16.4 trillion.

Our debt at the end of 2011 surpassed GDP for the first time in America history. No household lives like this so how is it that our federal government does? It makes no sense and it will only last so long.

Nearly half of this country is convinced that Barack Obama has made progress but what I don’t understand is how that percentage of people consider his actions to be progress when everything he has done has been at the expense of inflating our national debt to a point that it will pop like a balloon in the very near future.

If you or I had a credit card with an endless spending limit and if we had no sense of obligation to pay the debts we stacked up then we could also do some convincing things to make us equally as impressive to those who so passionately support Barack Obama and his failed direction. Our current president has no desire to quell our national debt and every desire to increase it. Yet nearly half of this country does not recognize the destructive destination right in front of their faces. It’s a simple, straight highway and the exit form America as we know it is just on the horizon.

491.8 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day155.

Day519 Monday 01/30/12

17 Months!!!

ran 3.9 miles
There were a lot of good news stories today but this is the one I chose to cover tonight for the simple reason that it is just ridiculous enough to fully represent the overboard thought processes of extreme liberal groups.

From a HuffingtonPost article, written by Michael McAuliff, “A liberal super PAC is set Monday to launch what it is billing as a multimillion dollar campaign to ‘Take Down the Tea Party Ten.’”

This campaign is being run by the progressive group CREDO (a group that can receive unlimited donations) and their objective is to defeat ten members of Congress viewed by the left as the “worst of the worst”.

Before even reading deeper into this story it is my opinion that the Republican names on this liberal list ought to be flattered for being singled out and the bland, childish accusations the progressive group is assaulting them with only serve as further evidence of how out of touch some of those on the left are with all reality.

“We’re talking about some of the most odious members of Congress. Even for Republicans these guys are low...We're going to empower local activists to organize their friends and neighbors to lay out the truth about their representatives in the most basic terms. They are anti-woman. They are anti-science. They are hypocritical, bigoted, and have said and done things that are downright crazy. They've done more to embarrass their constituents than they have to govern or work toward solutions. They are unfit for Congress, and we're going to help their constituents hold them accountable."

Campaign Manager Matthew “Mudcat” Arnold

Only six Representatives have been selected as targets so far. They are Representatives Sean Duffy (R-Wis.), Steve King (R-Iowa), Allen West (R-Fla.), Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), Frank Guinta (R-N.H.), and Chip Cravaack (R-Minn.)

The CREDO super PAC will be opening offices in each of the targeted members’ districts to network with individuals in the areas who already oppose these members of Congress.

Anti-woman? Anti-science? Hypocritical and bigoted? Downright crazy?

These accusations are more meaninglessly general and unfounded than the grade-school level message our president’s State of the Union Address achieved on Tuesday night.

Good luck, CREDO, and here is a recent quote from “downright crazy”Allen West:

“We need to let President Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, and my dear friend the chairman of the Democrat National Committee, we need to let them know that Florida ain’t on the table. Take your message of equality of achievement, take your message of economic dependency, take your message of enslaving the entrepreneurial will and spirit of the American people somewhere else. You can take it to Europe, you can take it to the bottom of the sea, you can take it to the North Pole, but get the hell out of the United States of America.”

494.6 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day154.

Day518 Sunday 01/29/12

ran 1.8 miles
Today ends week seventy-four of running against Obama. I ran 21.7 miles this week, averaging 3.10 miles per day.

The “RIAA” shown over and over again in the video above stands for Recording Industry Association of America. Last year President Obama appointed former RIAA lawyer Donald Verrilli, Jr. to the position of America’s solicitor general. This is the position that was left vacant by Elena Kagan when she ascended to the Supreme Court. Verrilli is one of five former RIAA lawyers appointed to Barack Obama’s administration.

Is it any surprise that legislation like SOPA. PIPA, and ACTA are such hot topics right now?

American tax dollars bail out the banks after their actions victimize and jeopardize the entire American economy and Barack Obama and his lawyers make sweeping legislation on copyright infringement a top priority.

498.5 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day153.

Day517 Saturday 01/28/12

ran 3.1 miles
Milton Friedman (July 31, 1912-November 16, 2006) was an American economist who ranked next to John Maynard Keynes. But, he was the antithesis of Keynes who, coincidentally, is the man who theorized the model Barack Obama’s early economic team followed when they stimulated our economy. Friedman thought otherwise, as the video above depicts.

Here are some quotes from Milton Friedman:

“Concentrated power is not rendered harmless by the good intentions of those who create it.”

“Governments never learn. Only people learn.”

“If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there'd be a shortage of sand.”

“Most economic fallacies derive from the tendency to assume that there is a fixed pie, that one party can gain only at the expense of another.”

“The greatest advances of civilization, whether in architecture or painting, in science and literature, in industry or agriculture, have never come from centralized government.”

“The most important single central fact about a free market is that no exchange takes place unless both parties benefit.”

“The only way that has ever been discovered to have a lot of people cooperate together voluntarily is through the free market. And that's why it's so essential to preserving individual freedom.”



500.3 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day152.

Day516 Friday 01/27/12

image

ran 4.6 miles

Another Obama-backed green company stimulated by our tax dollars back in 2009 has gone belly-up. Ener1, a company that manufactures electric car batteries, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection yesterday after failing to repay stacking debt.

This list will get bigger but here is what we are looking at so far. Solyndra, a solar panel manufacturer out of California devoured $535 million of our money and filed for bankruptcy. Beacon Power, an energy storage firm out of Massachusetts filed for bankruptcy compromising $43 million of our money. And the latest entry, Ener1, ate $118 million of the dollars that you and I work hard for every day.

It is understandable that things like this happen far too often and it is not my intention to exploit these few incidents to completely characterize the performance of our president. Three green companies that Barack Obama endorsed with our tax dollars going bankrupt is only a thread from the fabric of reasons why he does not deserve a second term, but these companies going bankrupt while he passes up opportunities like not signing the Keystone pipeline, which would have created tens of thousands of jobs, tax revenue, and furthered energy independence---that is a slap in the face.

503.4 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day151.

Day515 Thursday 01/26/12

ran 1.3 miles
Informative Alex Jones video above and here are some stats and polls from Rasmussen Reports:

• Barack Obama’s presidential index rating shows that 25% of American voters strongly approve of his performance while 38% strongly disapprove, giving Obama a presidential index rating of –13.

That is Obama’s best presidential index rating in a month and the number of those who agree the country is moving in the right direction has reached its highest level in the past seven months at 26%.

• Overall, 46% of voters at least somewhat approve of Obama’s performance while 52% at least somewhat disapprove.

• In a potential 2012 match-up: Obama 46%, Romney 43% and Obama 48%, Gingrich 41%

• Florida GOP Primary: Romney 39%, Gingrich 31%, Santorum 12%, Paul 9%

• Among American voters, 59% say creating new jobs is more important than protecting environment.

• A large percent (71%) see government censorship of internet as bigger threat than illegal downloading.

508.0 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day150.

Day514 Wednesday 01/25/12

ran 3.3 miles
A picture is worth a thousand words? This one is worth 15.2 trillion.

This is how Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona greeted President Obama today as he stepped off Air Force One. There are many valuable experiences I would almost trade from my own life in exchange for the opportunity to wave me finger in front of Barack Obama's face to tell him what is on my mind. Jan Brewer was given that opportunity and she seized it.

The envelope President Obama is holding in his left hand is a hand-written letter from Governor Brewer imploring the president to sit down with her to discuss what she describes as the "Arizona Comeback". This led into a bitter exchange of words regarding Brewer's book "Scorpion's for Breakfast", in which Obama felt he was not treated "cordially". And within moments an argument broke out.

Apparently, Governor Brewer has been requesting President Obama to visit the Arizona border with her to review the progress her state has made and he has refused. That may have something to do with the finger pointed at his face in the picture above.

This story is from the DrudgeReport and it is still developing so it is unclear what exactly is behind the emotion exhibited in the picture, but this is known: Barack Obama walked away from Brewer while she was mid-sentence.

I saw a ten-year-old do the same thing a couple days ago in a grocery store when his mom got in his face and told him to behave.

Just look at that picture! What caption would you put on that?

509.3 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day149.

Day513 Tuesday 01/24/12

ran 3.7 miles
President Obama’s first three State of the Union Addresses were enough for me. He has been deemed. He had three years and based on his performance there is nothing he can say or do to remove the dye he has cast in that time.

Our president and his Democrat-led Senate have not passed a budget in over 1,000 days. There is a great amount of necessity for individual Americans to have budgets. There is even more necessity for households to have budgets. But a government representing 300-something million people has not had need for a budget in over 1,000 days?

We have over $15 trillion in debt. Our government spends over $7 million dollars per minute. That is more than $420 million per hour and over $10 billion per day.

What about that Mr. President?

What significance does any other word that comes out of his mouth have if we keep spending the way we do---without a budget! It is pure irresponsibility. Our president has a lot of expensive ideas but mentions little about entitlement reform are slashing spending. He paves a path that inspires millions of people but costs trillions of dollars to unborn Americans who will be born owing a debt they had nothing to do with. Our president only seems to see what is right before him and not the perils his actions place on the horizon beyond his sight.

512.6 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day148.

Day512 Monday 01/23/12

ran 3.9 miles
According to a December 2008 internal memo from Lawrence Summers, at that time an incoming senior economic adviser to president-elect Obama, he and other advisers rejected the idea of a giant stimulus package.

The 2009 stimulus package, known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which totaled $787 billion, was passed regardless of Summers’ warning that “it would be hard to spend more than $300 billion on government investment and anything above that would have to come from transfers to the states and tax cuts”. He also said that a giant stimulus of more than $1 trillion aimed at rapidly reducing the unemployment rate “would likely not accomplish the goal because of the impact it would have on markets”.

The memo lays out four different stimulus approaches ranging from $550 billion to $890 billion. In an article from FinancialTimes, written by Robin Harding, Harding points out that Obama’s advisers “made a serious political misjudgment, believing that if they asked for too small of a stimulus, it would be easy to go back to Congress and ask for more”.

That was obviously not the case after looking back at how furious Americans were when they voted out so many House and Senate democrats during the mid-term elections of 2010.

516.3 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day147.

Day511 Sunday 01/22/12

ran 3.1 miles
Today ends week seventy-three of running against Obama. I ran 24.0 miles this week, averaging 3.43 miles per day.



They say the typical American voter has a political memory span of two years. I don’t know who “they “are but I think that is an acceptable average. So, as Barack Obama begins unloading his millions upon millions of campaign dollars on fresh, new plans for the next four years, here are some videos to remind you of where his fresh, new plans in 2008 got us.



It’s not that we forget about what once frustrated us two years before, but that we tend to slowly accept it, make the best of it, and move on.



It’s like an anthill getting kicked over. Hundreds of ants come rushing out ready to bite anything that threatens what is left of their hill. But five minutes later they are all gone. They’ve gone back into their hill to repair what they can and to move on with their short lives. The ants’ five minutes of fury is like our two-year political memory. And that proverbial foot that keeps kicking the anthill is the federal government.

520.2 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day146.

Day510 Saturday 01/21/12

ran 2.8 miles

After Chuck Norris’ endorsement of Newt Gingrich yesterday the state of South Carolina had little choice in Gingrich’s primary win today. What Chuck wants, Chuck gets.

On a serious note, I posted about Chuck Norris and his beard-fisted authority yesterday and discovered that Mike Huckabee’s biggest fundraising day in 2008 was the day that Chuck Norris endorsed him. That is a fact and Chuck Norris’ endorsement is one of the most coveted approvals available for Republicans during presidential election cycles.

Florida is the next primary and it will serve as an ample barometer to measure a state with a large and diverse population. Florida is also an unpredictable swing state with a critical twenty-seven electoral votes, which makes it one of the most important states to win.

So far Santorum won Iowa, Romney won New Hampshire, Gingrich won South Carolina, and Paul is trailing just behind.

Meanwhile, Barack Obama will be delivering his State of the Union address on Tuesday and he will be in full campaign mode. More than likely, it will be filled with blaming others, raising taxes, giving everyone as many “fair shots” as they would like at the expense of others who have already seized their own “fair shot”, and defending the middle class (which is odd because I believe I am a member of the middle class and I'm not buying what he's selling).

523.3 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day145.

Day509 Friday 01/20/12

ran 3.7 miles
Well, we can all sleep a little easier now. Chuck Norris, best known for feats like counting to infinity twice and knowing the whereabouts of Carmen Sandiego, has officially made his presidential candidate endorsement. Newt Gingrich is the candidate he endorses and Chuck Norris gets what Chuck Norris wants.

“We need a veteran of political war who has already fought Goliath.”

In 2008, Chuck Norris endorsed Mike Huckabee and the former Arkansas governor had his best fund raising day of his campaign. I know that sounds like another Chuck Norris joke but it is actually true.

“I’m tired of watching our country being torn to shreds by those who think the answer is more government debt and control. I’m tired of being in bondage to a tax system that robs U.S. citizens like the King of England did before the Revolution. I’m tired of watching our sovereignty being sold by foreign loans and loose borders. And I will not sit back and merely watch this decay and degradation of the U.S. and then hand it over to my children and grandchildren to deal with.”

The South Carolina primary is tomorrow so we’ll see how powerful Chuck Norris’ roundhouse endorsement is.

526.1 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day144.

Day508 Thursday 01/19/12

ran 2.2 miles
President Barack Obama seems to have run out of people and organizations to blame his problems on. He has actually sunk to the level of blaming the press for forging an image of him that was “aloof and disconnected” from the rest of Washington. Who will this guy not blame? Here is the story.

Isn’t this the same press that painted a messianic picture of him in 2008? That’s no way to thank the people who control the information and decide what is and what is not printed---especially when they have served his needs for so long.

I think this is what people are talking about when they say someone is “spineless”, or refuses to take responsibility for their own actions. I wonder if our president has ever genuinely asked himself if maybe he was “aloof and disconnected”, not only from Washington but from America, too.

On that note, here is a great ad to kick off the 2012 presidential election cycle:



529.8 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day143.