Oh, We Forgot to Tell You . . .

Victor Davis Hanson  "The second-term curse goes like this: A president (e.g., Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, etc.) wins re-election, but then his presidency implodes over the next four years — mired in scandals or disasters such as Watergate, Iran-Contra, Monica Lewinsky, the Iraqi insurgency and Hurricane Katrina."
...."Coincidentally, right after the election we heard that Iran had attacked a US drone in international waters.
"Coincidentally, we just learned that new food stamp numbers were "delayed" and that millions more became new recipients in the months before the election.
"Coincidentally, we now gather that the federal relief effort following Hurricane Sandy was not so smooth, even as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Barack Obama high-fived it. Instead, in Katrina-like fashion, tens of thousands are still without power or shelter two weeks after the storm.
"Coincidentally, we now learn that Obama's plan of letting tax rates increase for the "fat cat" 2 percent who make over $250,000 a year would not even add enough new revenue to cover 10 percent of the annual deficit. How he would get the other 90 percent in cuts, we are never told.
More "coincidentally's" at the link....."The resulting mix is toxic, and it may tax even the formidable Chicago-style survival skills of Obama and the fealty of a so far dutiful media."

usnews.com

The Best- and Worst-Run States in America

Yahoo Finance   "To determine how well the states are run, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed hundreds of data sets from dozens of sources. We looked at each state’s debt, revenue, expenditure and deficit to determine how well it is managed fiscally. We reviewed taxes, exports, and GDP growth, including a breakdown by sector, to identify how each state is managing its resources. We looked at poverty, income, unemployment, high school graduation, violent crime and foreclosure rates to measure if residents are prospering.

"The best-run states have certain characteristics in common, as do the worst run. The high-ranking states all have well-managed budgets. Each of the top ten has a perfect, or near-perfect, credit rating from Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, or both. Of the ten worst-ranked, only three received top scores from one agency, and none from both. California is currently the only state rated A- by S&P, the lowest score given to any state. These poor-ranked states have high debt relative to both income and expenditure.

"There is a strong correlation between well-educated populations and generally well-managed states. Of the ten best-scoring states on our list, nine have among the highest percentages of adults with high school diplomas."

Number one among the best-run states:  1. North Dakota  "For the first time, North Dakota ranks as the best run state in the country. In recent years, North Dakota’s oil boom has transformed its economy. Last year, crude oil production rose 35%. As of August, 2012, it was the second-largest oil producer in the country. This was due to the use of hydraulic fracturing* in the state’s Bakken shale formation. The oil and gas boom brought jobs to North Dakota, which had the nation’s lowest unemployment rate in 2011 at 3.5%, and economic growth."   *Fracking

And coming in at number 50 is...wait for it... California

"California is 24/7 Wall St.’s “Worst Run State” for the second year in a row. Due to high levels of debt, the state’s S&P credit rating is the worst of all states, while its Moody’s credit rating is the second-worst. Much of California’s fiscal woes involve the economic downturn. Home prices plunged by 33.6% between 2006 and 2011, worse than all states except for three. The state’s foreclosure rate and unemployment rate were the third- and second-highest in the country, respectively. But efforts to get finances on track are moving forward. State voters passed a ballot initiative to raise sales taxes as well as income taxes for people who make at least $250,000 a year. While median income is the 10th-highest in the country, the state also has one of the highest tax burdens on income. According to the Tax Foundation, the state also has the third-worst business tax climate in the country.

 

Hat tip to Jeff Hayden; Plano, TX

Obama will lead America to solvency

Just as Jerry Brown will lead California:

Time's "Person of the Year"

Neal Boortz  "So now we’re starting to get speculation as to who the Time Magazine “Person of the Year” is going to be. Believe it or not, but our society and our country have declined to the point that some people are suggesting Sandra Fluke. Yeah .. that’s right. A rather ordinary woman who needs $3000 a year worth of condoms as the Person of the Year? Sure! Works for me!

"My suggestion? Nobody has had a greater influence – and not for good – on this country and, therefore, on the world than the moocher; the parasite who believes that they’re owed pretty much everything by government. The reelection of this hack president of ours was a turning point – a turning point leading to an accelerated decline of freedom and liberty in America. This was all made possible by the moocher and the moocher vote. There, Time Magazine, is your “Person of the Year.” "

North Carolina Students Told They Can’t Sell “Christmas Trees” For Charity, Must Be Called “Holiday Trees”…

Weasel Zippers, which refers to this story as "mind-numbing". What on earth is happening in this country anyway when we must - MUST - honor Muslim holidays, but dare not speak the 'C' word? This nation gets less free as time goes on.

This report from Fox News Radio

A North Carolina community college has been accused of violating the First Amendment rights of students after they told a club they could not use the word “Christmas” to promote a Christmas tree sale.
“It’s ridiculous that anyone would have to think twice about using the word ‘Christmas’ as part of a Christmas tree sale,” said Matt Sharp, an attorney with Alliance Defending Freedom.
ADF sent a letter to officials at Western Piedmont Community College urging them to either reconsider their decision to censor the word “Christmas” – or else face a possible lawsuit.
College officials did not return multiple phone calls and email messages seeking comment.
The student club, called the BEST Society, was planning to sell the Christmas trees to raise money for Angel Tree, an organization that provides Christmas presents to children.
Club members followed college protocol and submitted forms to promote the sale. The proposed text read, “The BEST Society will be selling Christmas Trees…”
But when the announcement appeared on the college’s website and in other venues – it had been altered. Ever reference to “Christmas Trees” had been replaced with “holiday trees.”

American Thinker carried this back in 2009: It's that Silly, Politically Correct Holiday Season
"It happens every year at this time: the battles of political correctness. When a community puts up a Christmas tree, one of two things happens. Either there is a battle to take it down totally, or someone fights to get a Chanukkiyah (that's the real name, not Menorah), Kwanzaa candles, or a symbol of some other religion's holiday placed right next to it. Then Fox News follows by running stories about the latest battle in the "war against Christmas," and the ACLU starts suing any town whose mayor ever went to a church, mosque, and/or synagogue. Hey, ACLU: Give it up. America is a Christian country."

Pastor Dale's Blog

Empty Embrace… Hurricane Sandy Victim Upset After Being Played By Obama

Gateway Pundit  "Obama used her as a photo-op and promised to get her assistance after her business was wiped out by Hurricane Sandy. But it was all a show.

"From the White House website:"


 "Donna Vanzant still hasn’t received any help and she’s upset.

I was very excited and felt warm by the embrace thinking this is really going to happen. I’m going to get the help I need because he promised that. I’ve gotten no help. I’ve gotten nothing but ‘No, you’re not covered for this. No, you’re not covered for that.”