By Wayne Allyn Root, Former Libertarian Vice Presidential Nominee and Author of “The Conscience of a Libertarian”
Are you aware that the number of rapes now surpasses breast cancer cases? Do you realize a woman or child is raped or molested in this country every two minutes? While politically correct politicians in D.C. wear the famous pink ribbon to acknowledge their sensitivity to the threat of breast cancer, those same men (and women) turn their backs on rape. Worse, they create bills that appear to punish rape and incest victims.
Are you aware politicians are now choosing to cut spending on abortions and medical care for rape and incest victims, instead of where the real money is spent? Are you aware that if they get their way, women will be required to pay for their rape kits and tests after being sexually assaulted? Talk about adding insult to injury. It’s occurring right now, but I’ve heard nothing in the news, or on talk radio. Nothing. The silence is deafening.
Speaker John Boehner, the man who cried through his interview on 60 minutes, has somehow lost his empathy when it comes to rape victims. His wife explained he was emotional about his new appointment as House Speaker. Really? So Mr. Speaker, where are your emotions when fast-tracking a bill on rape and abortion? Do you really want to expend political capital to cut funding for rape victims and require them to pay for their own tests and rape kits? Do you want people to believe that one of your first budget cutting decisions was to eliminate funding for little girls who have gotten pregnant through incest? Why support a bill lumping run-of-the-mill abortion with violent or criminal behavior?
Talk about being politically tone deaf!
Speaker Boehner, have you and your fellow Congresspersons taken a look at the statistics? Do you really want to make a case that this is about women trying to beat the system for a free abortion, rather than about men victimizing, brutalizing, and raping women and children? Do you really want to come across as punishing the victims? Do you really want to debate your opponents who will claim that you force women and teenage girls to have babies conceived during rape or incest? Where’s your empathy for a 12-year-old who winds up pregnant because her Step-Father, Uncle, or mother’s boyfriend decides to rape her? You lump those circumstances in with abortion, as if the teenage girl or rape victim is guilty of a crime or sinful decision? How can you be concerned with rape and violence against women and children in Libya, while men are still violating women’s rights in the Stone Age of 2011 right here in America?
Where is Sarah Palin, Hillary Clinton, or Nancy Pelosi on this issue? I must admit I’m a big fan of Sarah Palin’s position on the Second Amendment. Maybe if women watched her TV reality show they would learn to shoot a gun, defend themselves, and avoid being victims. But that doesn’t mean Sarah Palin is blameless. While Palin was mayor of Wasilla, the city billed sexual assault victims and their insurance companies for the cost of rape kits and forensic examinations. One of the legitimate functions of local government is to investigate crimes and prosecute criminals. Why bill the victims for a crime scene investigation? Are other victims of crime other than rape routinely billed for the investigation by government? Perhaps Sarah knew nothing about it then. But now that she does, it’s time she takes a stand against it.
While the GOP is fast tracking the HR-3 bill, do they realize last year only 119 abortions in the United States were covered due to rape? I don’t think cutting out the bill for 119 rape victims will help much with the national debt.
As one of America’s Libertarian/conservative and Tea Party political leaders, I’m a big supporter of cuts in spending and the size of government. We need dramatic cuts and we need them now. I’ve publicly suggested 33% across the board spending cuts over the next three years. I’m a supporter of ending Federal government funding of abortions. It is not Washington’s job to pay for abortions. I believe government has a limited role (as defined by the Constitution), and we should move back to that as quickly as possible. But why not first focus our efforts on spending cuts that most Americans can unite behind?
Combining rape and abortion on the same bill makes no sense. While we should never support the Federal government funding run-of-the-mill abortions, let’s at least be smart about this and make clear to the American public that we care about victims of rape or incest. I want to encourage fellow Americans – and that even includes a few Congressmen– to demonstrate you care for these victims by making a personal online donation to the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (www.rainn.org), or volunteering at a local rape crisis center.
And I want to say two things to Speaker of the House John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor and the GOP Congress:
First, Americans put you back in power to cut the budget, not to focus on your social agenda, so don’t waste this opportunity by coming across as treating rape or incest victims as criminals.
Second, remember that the majority of Tea Party activists are women. And hell hath no fury like an angry and violated Tea Party woman!
Wayne Allyn Root is a former Libertarian Vice Presidential nominee. He now serves as Chairman of the Libertarian National Congressional Committee. He is the best-selling author of "The Conscience of a Libertarian: Empowering the Citizen Revolution with God, Guns, Gold & Tax Cuts." His web site: www.ROOTforAmerica.com
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( 3 / 1309 )By Wayne Allyn Root, Former Libertarian Vice Presidential Nominee and Author of “The Conscience of a Libertarian”
The best professional poker players in the world earn millions by reading and reacting to “tells," their opponents’ verbal and nonverbal traits. They notice the way an opponent is smiling, frowning, laughing, tapping their hands, sweating, or blinking their eyes. All these “tells” can be a sign of their opponent's cards. The ability to read "tells" is the difference between living the life of your dreams versus bankruptcy and depression.
The same holds true in deciphering our economic troubles. If you’ve been paying attention to the news, several ominous signs have appeared that foretell economic disaster. After reading these “tells” or signs, I believe you’ll agree we are entering “Obamageddon” – Obama’s Great Depression.
The first sign is the fact Bill Gross, head of the world’s largest bond fund (PIMCO), has just sold all his domestic government bond holdings. Every single dollar. Do you have any idea what that means? In my opinion Bill Gross is one of the ten smartest men on this planet. He knows everything about the economy and bonds. His sell-off indicates he believes local, state and our federal government are all on the verge of disaster -- insolvency, bankruptcy, and default on bond obligations. To add insult to injury, Gross disclosed he bought emerging market bonds with the money from the sale of U.S. bonds. That means Gross has more faith in Brazil, Russia and African nations than the U.S.A. The Great Gross sell-off is a sign of economic Armageddon.
The next “tell” of economic disaster is even more ominous. Wall Street insiders are startled at how much money the Fed is pumping into the financial system. With over $500 Billion pumped in during just the past three months, the vertical line for 2011 now reaches straight to the stars -- a sign of complete financial panic. The last time such large amounts of money were pumped into the system was in the fall of 2008, when the U.S. economic system was on the verge of epic collapse. What has the Fed so scared at this moment? What is happening behind the scenes to cause such panic?
The next “tell” is that secretive Fed officials normally do not talk publicly about how bad things are. That’s why it is so frightening that, only days ago, Dallas Federal Reserve President Richard Fisher admitted in a media interview “the U.S. is on a fiscal path towards insolvency…” Expecting candor from Fed officials is like expecting an honest answer when asking O.J. whether he killed Nicole. Good luck. When a Fed official talks about “fiscal insolvency,” it’s time to get concerned, very concerned.
The next “tell” is a recent housing study proving the housing market is actually worse off now than in the depths of the Great Depression. From 1929 to 1932 new home sales in the United States declined 80%. From 2005 to today, new home sales have plunged 82%. Even more frightening, the plunge seems to be accelerating. How low can it go?
Other disastrous “tells” that financial Armageddon is upon us are new reports that the consumer confidence index just suffered the 5th largest drop in history, and inflation at the producer level just spiked up in the largest one-month rise since the dreaded inflation and economic malaise of the 1970’s. Let’s sum up the frightening news – Wall Street superstars like Bill Gross are panicking, the Fed is panicking, housing prices are headed to junk bond status, inflation is raging, and consumers are in a state of panic before reading this commentary.
The final “tell” is moronic leftist moviemaker Michael Moore recently stating that America is not broke. He thinks we have plenty of money to keep spending on entitlements, more stimulus, and obscene pensions for millions of government employees. Moore is the guy who thinks Cuba’s medical system is better than ours. He obviously thinks the answer to unsustainable debt and spending addiction is...more spending. Someone needs to make a movie about Moore’s life called “Michael Moore is a Big Fat Bloated Spending Addict.”
Moore is a symbol of the delusional thinking of Obama and his entire socialist cabal, which has wrecked the U.S. economy, spent us into insolvency, encouraged our entitlement addiction, and left us at the brink of economic Armageddon. If Moore thinks we aren’t broke, that could be "the tell" that we are already past the point of no return.
I believe these “tells” are sure signs that Obamageddon: The Great Obama Depression has arrived. We are inches from a cliff as high as the Grand Canyon. How we respond will determine if America survives, or we face the same fate as other great empires (Greek, Roman, British) that self-destructed based on mountains of debt, entitlements, welfare, corruption, too many citizens working for or dependent on government, and great armies spread throughout the globe fighting expensive wars. Forget the Great Depression of 1929. This life or death struggle to save America from Obamageddon will be the most dramatic, difficult and dangerous since 1776.
I say to my fellow patriots and freedom fighters -- Libertarians, Conservatives and Tea Partiers -- let’s lead the charge. Winston Churchill wouldn’t allow Great Britain to fall to Hitler. Through the force of his will, he saved the entire world from a dark ending. We cannot allow the greatest country in world history to fall either. The lives and freedom of our children and grandchildren depend on winning this battle. And we shall.
Wayne Allyn Root is a former Libertarian Vice Presidential nominee. He now serves as Chairman of the Libertarian National Congressional Committee. He is the best-selling author of "The Conscience of a Libertarian: Empowering the Citizen Revolution with God, Guns, Gold & Tax Cuts." His web site: www.ROOTforAmerica.com
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( 3 / 1397 )By Wayne Allyn Root, Former Libertarian Vice Presidential Nominee and Author of “The Conscience of a Libertarian”
I’ve started more than a dozen small businesses. For one, over $20 million was invested by me and investors who believed in me. I’ve paid payrolls, health insurance, payroll taxes, workers comp, and unemployment insurance for hundreds of employees.
Because of that, my employees were able to pay their mortgages, buy groceries, send their kids to college, and provide for their families. For this same small business, I spent about $50 million dollars on things like advertising, marketing, promotion, lawyers and accountants. That money enriched and employed thousands of others. And, that’s just one small business. Think of the impact that thirty million small business owners have on the U.S. economy. No wonder we create 70% or more of America’s new jobs. Small businessmen and women are a far more powerful economic force than Exxon, Microsoft, GE, or WalMart.
So why do Obama and his socialist cabal hate us? Why do small businessmen and women feel demonized and punished? Why is it Obama’s goal to drive us out of business?
Mug or rob me once? Maybe it’s ignorance or a mistake. Twice? It’s a pattern. But, coming up with ways to rob and destroy me and my businesses on a daily basis? It’s time to get the message. Without a doubt, Obama and the progressive left are the enemy of small business.
Let’s look at the facts.
For 30 years I have been able to deduct mortgage interest from my taxable income. Obama wants to end that. How many so-called "wealthy" taxpayers (i.e. small business owners) would no longer be able to pay their mortgage? How many homes would go into foreclosure? What would happen to the housing market? Overnight every home in America would lose 40% of its already decimated value. How many small businesses earn a living off of real estate? How many millions of jobs would be lost? Does this sound like a President looking to create jobs?
For 30 years FICA taxes have been based on earnings currently capped at just over $100,000 per year. Obama wants to remove the cap, thereby hitting small businessmen with the largest tax increase in history. Overnight a small business owner making $500,000 per year would see his or her FICA plus Medicare taxes go from about $15,000 per year to $75,000. That’s $75,000 before federal or state income taxes. That’s a $60,000 per year tax increase for a small business owner. That would drive hundreds of thousands of small business owners out of business. It would force layoffs. It would lower consumer spending and kill more jobs.
For 30 years I ran my business without the extra taxes to pay for Obamacare. Now we face new taxes on income, stock sales, home sales, even on tanning beds! Worse is the provision mandating we report annually to the IRS every vendor from whom we purchase more than $600 of goods and services during the year. The cost of complying with this Big Brother Gestapo mandate is unfathomable and threatens to drown millions of small businesses in paperwork.
For 30 years, most small businesses could raise capital without government permission. Obama and his socialist friends in Congress want to change that. Last year Democratic Senator Dodd tried to pass financial reform that included a provision increasing the amount of money one would have to earn to be considered an “accredited investor.” That would reduce the angel investor pool by an estimated 70% and require most PRIVATE businesses get permission from the SEC to raise money. Do you know what an SEC lawyer costs? Raising capital for any new startup would suddenly cost an extra $250,000 in legal fees…and take months, or years, to wait in line for SEC approval. This would kill new business start-ups. Who could come up with this idea? Only a Marxist looking to destroy the American economy, or perhaps a cabal of extortionist lawyers looking for government to mandate obscene new legal fees. Either way, it was a “Friend of Obama.”
For 30 years I ran my businesses without the White House being in partnership with the American Bar Association. Now Obama has found a way to encourage every lawsuit junkie and disgruntled employee to make up a story and sue their boss. Every caller to the White House alleging their boss has broken the law now gets assigned a lawyer willing to work for contingency (no fees up front). Say goodbye to American business...and goodbye to jobs.
Keep in mind that all those new taxes and regulations mentioned above are aimed at people who risk their own money to start businesses. Collectively we risk trillions. Our courage and capitalism fuels the economy and creates over 70% of new jobs. Our taxes pay for government and all those government employees with their obscene pensions. Running a business often requires working sixteen-hour days and is the hardest thing you’ll ever do. If our reward for all this risk, sacrifice and work ethic is to be punished and demonized, why would we keep doing it?
This is no mistake or coincidence. This is a purposeful plan to destroy capitalism. And the best way to destroy capitalism is to destroy small business. Obama is trying to redistribute our wealth and create a jobs crisis. He can’t stand that we small business owners don’t need or want government to save us. So he’s out to ruin our businesses, and bring us to our knees begging for government to help. And as a bonus, he gets to wipe out the biggest contributors to conservative causes -- small business. In other words, killing small business wipes out Obama’s political opposition.
Yes, ladies and gentleman, we have met the enemy of small business…and he resides in the White House.
Wayne Allyn Root is a former Libertarian Vice Presidential nominee. He now serves as Chairman of the Libertarian National Congressional Committee. He is the best-selling author of "The Conscience of a Libertarian: Empowering the Citizen Revolution with God, Guns, Gold & Tax Cuts." His web site: www.ROOTforAmerica.com
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( 3 / 1477 )By Wayne Allyn Root, Former Libertarian Vice Presidential Nominee and Author of “The Conscience of a Libertarian”
The Middle East is in flames, we’re now fighting wars on three fronts, Japan has suffered a catastrophe, real unemployment is twenty percent, the housing market is in free fall, and the country is drowning in debt. Nero fiddled while Rome burned. Obama chooses to play golf, make Final FourMarch Madness picks, and party with his family in Rio.
This is madness. Did we elect the President, or “The Ultimate Sports Fanatic?” Will Obama choose the day there’s a massive earthquake in California, or a stock market crash, to honor the college Frisbee Champions?
As befuddled and detached as our President has proven to be, nothing compares to the sin of cooking up a war, and putting American soldiers’ lives at risk, to distract the masses from his disastrous reign. As everything Obama touches turns to disaster, has Obama’s cynical kitchen cabinet decided war is the perfect “Weapon of Mass Distraction?"
Wars tend to make Americans patriotic and rally behind the President. They tend to forget the economic tragedy building by the day and ignore the signs of Armageddon all around them. Mission Accomplished! Haven't we heard that before? It didn't work out too well the first time either.
Why should we risk American lives in Libya? Is Gadhafi any worse than all the other murdering, tin pot dictators we either support or do nothing about? Why not invade Darfur on George Clooney’s recommendation? Innocent people are dying there, too.
Before we start a third war, shouldn’t we all ask a few questions? Has Libya attacked us or any American interests of late? I know of no such attacks. And, by the way, who is Obama to tell Gadhafi to step down because he’s "lost the confidence of his people?" Sounds like Obama has been looking in the mirror again. Maybe the French should demand Obama step down?
Last I checked, Gadhafi is a bad guy -- a murdering thug. But he’s been a bad guy for forty years. Why now? Worse, the rebels fighting Gadhafi are supported by al Qaeda. So now we’re fighting on the same side as al Qaeda -- the terrorist murderers of American soldiers, women, children, and the elderly.
What’s our goal? Does anyone have any idea? Clearly our President doesn’t. Who takes over after Gadhafi? I assume radical Muslim friends of al Queda. Is that why we’re risking American soldiers’ lives?
Who is in charge? The French. Are you kidding? It’s rumored that Patton once said “I’d rather have a German division in front of me, than a French division behind me.” And, have you heard about the rules of engagement? No ground troops allowed. Funny, but I’ve never heard of a war won by only bombers from the air. What happens when Gadhafi digs in? He’s now arming a million citizens to defend him. The Arab League is condemning our bombing. What now? Mr. Obama, you’ve just created another fine mess.
Do we get dragged into a third ground war? What defines winning? Charlie Sheen? And other than the French, who is in charge -- the United Nations, a bunch of lawyers, and a President whose major concern is his golf game? Are you kidding? I’ve been a patriot my entire life, but you won’t find me supporting this war.
It’s past time to get out of Iraq and Afghanistan, and Obama is adding a third war? Is he mentally unstable, or just totally incompetent? And by the way, who declared war? Congress? Doesn’t that pesky document, the U.S. Constitution, say that only Congress can declare war?
There’s one more little problem with a third war. We’re broke. The USA can no longer afford to be the world’s policeman. We have a $14 trillionnational debt and unfunded liabilities of $60 to $80 trillion more. Cities, counties and states are insolvent and Obama is starting a third war where we don’t belong, in the hope it will help him get re-elected by distracting the masses from the financial disaster destroying the country.
Look at Obama’s record. Two wars he promised to end, but never did. Guantanamo he promised to close, but never did. The Patriot Act he criticized, but then extended. How about the torture Obama condemned? Yet now under President Obama we torture a U.S. soldier named Bradley Manning (of Wikileaks fame), even though he’s been convicted of nothing. Twenty-three hours a day of sitting shackled, naked and freezing in his cell…and this is how we treat an American soldier who is innocent until proven guilty under Obama?
Mr. Obama, you’ve already won a Nobel Peace Prize for doing nothing. Are you now trying to win an Oscar for impersonating George W. Bush? Your hypocrisy knows no bounds.
Obama is deliberately trying to ruin this great country (and doing a good job of it), is completely and utterly incompetent, or is having a nervous breakdown in reaction to the nonstop crises exploding under his leadership (or lack thereof).
Now he’s got us in a war in which we don’t belong, based on no threat to America, with no clear definition of victory, spending billions more we do not have. It is time to ask an important question -- Can this nation survive until 2012?
Wayne Allyn Root is a former Libertarian Vice Presidential nominee. He now serves as Chairman of the Libertarian National Congressional Committee. He is the best-selling author of "The Conscience of a Libertarian: Empowering the Citizen Revolution with God, Guns, Gold & Tax Cuts." His web site: www.ROOTforAmerica.com
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( 3 / 1567 )By Wayne Allyn Root, Former Libertarian Vice Presidential Nominee and Author of “The Conscience of a Libertarian”
One has to wonder if congratulations are in order for President Obama? The U.S. economy is in ruins, the country in crisis, the world in chaos. Was this all a purposeful plan, or is Obama simply an inexperienced, incompetent, bumbling Inspector Clouseau in the White House?
From the day of Obama's election, many concerned patriots have warned about Obama’s goals. Obama is a follower of radical Marxist strategy, like Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals and Cloward and Piven’s strategy of overwhelming the system to create economic crisis and chaos.
Based on those strategies, one would be foolish not to at least wonder whether Obama's goal from the start was to wreck capitalism; redistribute wealth by punishing, penalizing and demonizing the wealthy; force Americans to their knees to beg for help from big government; and then in response to those pleas, put government in control over every aspect of our lives.
Examine the state of the union and the world under President Obama. Judge for yourselves whether we are in a state of Obamageddon.
The United States is broke. Bankrupt. Insolvent. We’ve spent more and increased the debt more dramatically during the past two years than any anytime in history. Alarm bells are ringing with the news that our deficit for February was the highest in history ($223 billion). The U.S. government now borrows 42 cents of every dollar it spends and has run a deficit 29 months in a row -- a modern record. The debt is now so immense that if the IRS taxed every U.S. citizen 100%, we still could not achieve a balanced budget. If we add in unfunded liabilities, we couldn’t balance the budget if we all paid 100% taxes FOREVER. Obamageddon?
States, counties and cities are more broke and insolvent than the federal government. California is so broke, illegal immigrants are being caught sneaking into Mexico. Bill Gross, CEO of the biggest bond fund in the world, just sold all his U.S. municipal bond holdings and invested the proceeds in emerging bond funds. So Bill Gross now trusts African nations and Brazil more than U.S. bonds.
Real unemployment is close to 20%, a number not seen since the first Great Depression. Small business -- which creates around 80% of all new jobs -- continues to struggle. Only days ago Robb & Stucky, an upscale national furniture chain in business for 95 years, filed bankruptcy and announced it was closing all stores immediately. The famous Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas also announced it’s closing its doors after a 59 year run. Even a combined 154 years of success is no match for Mr. Obama's economic gameplan. Unless one starts to think that perhaps failure and crisis are the gameplan.
We have a union crisis in this country with Obama’s best friends and biggest campaign contributors -- government employee unions -- pitted against private sector taxpayers. In Wisconsin, this crisis has led to protests, work stoppages, and threats on the lives of union opponents.
The housing market is in dreaded “Double Dip” territory, with declines actually accelerating across the country. Commercial real estate is so bad, landlords are begging the banks to take their keys and take back the properties. The banks are saying, "No, thanks. You keep it."
Real inflation -- including food and energy prices -- is skyrocketing. The Fed is printing hundreds of billions of dollars to buy America’s own bonds, which even China now refuses to buy. If the Fed continues to debase the currency, bond holders will demand higher interest rates to compensate for higher inflation. Since America owes a $14 trillion debt compounded with an annual $2 trillion deficit, any rise in interest rates would increase payments on the debt to the breaking point. Interest payments would crowd out all other forms of government spending.
Under Obama, we are more energy dependent on the Middle East- a region in flames. Oil has skyrocketed to over $100 per barrel, yet Obama refuses to allow any new drilling, exploration, or construction of new refineries on U.S. soil. Does this seem like a reasonable man with America’s best interests in mind? Or someone bringing about a crisis to purposely bring the U.S. economy to its knees?
Our southern border is in crisis with drug wars, violence, and murders spilling out into the United States. Border agents are out-gunned and out-manned. Obama's reaction? Sue the state of Arizona for defending its own border. Is this a reasonable reaction, or a man looking for a crisis?
In the meantime, we have become a nation on the dole. A record 45 million Americans are on food stamps. One-sixth of all personal income in the USA is now provided by government. Are we building a future for our children to be productive and competitive in this world? Obama’s own Education Secretary announced days ago that 82% of all public schools are failing. What would you expect from a President owned by the teacher unions?
Can it get worse? Sure, the NFL could go on strike and we wouldn’t even have football as a distraction anymore. Uh oh.
The country formerly known as the United States of America is now the Crisis States of America. All we can say to Obama is congratulations -- "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED."
It really doesn't matter if Obama is doing this on purpose or not. With friends like this, who needs enemies?
Welcome to Obamageddon.
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