He never wins on his own merits, only on the personal destruction of his opponents, or voter fraud.
Posted on 06/13/2011 4:40:49 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
President Barack Obama returned from a pomp-filled tour through Europe to bad news in Washington: Disappointing May jobs numbers stoked fears about the health of economic recovery, and a dip in his approval ratings showed his bump from the killing of Osama bin Laden was fleeting.
But on Tuesday, when the president makes a historic trip to Puerto Rico, fanfare once again awaits him.
"For us, it is really a momentous occasion that the president is making an official visit," Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuño, who is scheduled to meet with Obama, told POLITICO. "It will allow us the opportunity to discuss with the president important issues - just as the governor of Florida or Delaware would do if the president were to visit their state - and showcase what Puerto Rico is all about."
The most recent sitting president to make an official visit to the commonwealth - whose residents are U.S. citizens but can't vote in general presidential elections - was John F. Kennedy in December 1961. President Gerald Ford hosted a G-7 summit on the island in 1976, but the trip was not an official visit.
New York Demoratic Rep. Charles Rangel, whose father was a Puerto Rican immigrant, said Obama's visit to the island also will resonate with the 4 million Puerto Ricans scattered across the mainland.
"Many Puerto Ricans in my district have never been to Puerto Rico, but having said that, they love the island and really hold onto their culture," Rangel said. "They are ecstatic that the president is visiting their homeland."
Obama stumped there during his presidential campaign, as did his rival Hillary Clinton. He lost the primary to her but vowed he would return one day if he won the White House.
(Excerpt) Read more at seattlepi.com ...
Cut the public payroll
Cut spending
Do it quickly
As the Governor of Puerto Rico told John Stossel (June 10 Fox show) In the on air interview, (paraphrased) "I don't care if I'm reelected, I took this job to help." Now he's cutting personal and corporate taxes and businesses are heading his way and the job market looks good.
[excerpt] "The media spent so much time covering union protests in Wisconsin, that I mostly missed a much bigger protest over much bigger (17,000 government workers fired!) cuts in Puerto Rico.
When Luis Fortuno became governor in 2009, Puerto Rico's economy was a mess.
Or, as he told me:
"Not just a mess. We didn't have enough money to meet our first payroll."
But he avoided bankruptcy by getting an emergency loan, and immediately cutting Puerto Rico's government. For once, government shrank. Fortuno and the conservative legislature:
•Laid off 17,000 government workers
•Froze all salaries in government
•Cut government spending by 20%
The changes were more sweeping than any state's, so it's no surprise that the protests were also more ferocious. Demonstrators clashed with the police in front of the governor's mansion. Some carried signs calling him a fascist and a Nazi. One poll shows that if an election were held today, Fortuno would lose, 47 to 25%.
But the benefits of Fortuno's small government policies are only starting to be realized. It wasn't until this Janurary that Fortuno used the savings from his cuts to reduce corporate taxes from 35 to 25%. He also cut state income taxes in half (a change that will be phased in until 2014.)
600 construction permits were issued in last few months. Wal-Mart, CostCo, Coca-Cola, and pharmaceutical companies are moving to or expanding in Puerto Rico. Soon, they will provide thousands of new jobs.
Once people notice that, Fortuno may become popular again. Ronald Reagan, Gov. John Engler of Michigan, and Gov. Gary Johnson of New Mexico all suffered drops in public support when they pushed for small government - but won re-election when people realized that the cuts helped the economy.
Many of those government workers who were laid off in Puerto Rico now do productive things. In my special, Mayra Gonzalez says she's now GLAD she was laid off because it got her to start her own company. She named it "Law 7" - after the law that fired her. [end excerpt]
Yes, I saw him last night with Stossel. He was excellent.
Maybe tell him, "Look, you're making me look bad ... cut this shit out and expand your government again"
??
Too bad they don't consider themselves Americans, love America, and embrace American curlture.
LA Times – June 11, 2011: Democrats losing favor with some Latinos [excerpt] "The Republicans, by electing three national Latino leaders, have really challenged the Democratic Party," said former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, until recently one of the highest-ranking Latino Democrats in the country. [end excerpt]
Orlando Sentinel – June 12, 2011: Obama courting Puerto Ricans at home and abroad [excerpt] Democrats see the Puerto Ricans in Florida as a potential counterbalance to the larger, traditionally Republican Cuban-American community in a state Obama needs badly to win a second term.
That's where this trip comes in. [end excerpt]
That’s Charlie Rangel garbage talking.
Under Obama "our federal tax dollars can now be used to fund abortion all over the world. With the stroke of a pen, abortion essentially became a U.S. foreign export," Perry said.
[snip]
California Assemblyman Dan Logue, a Republican, has been urging Perry to enter the race and is behind a draft-Perry website. "We like to see him do what he's doing for Texas for the country," Logue said.
Several people in the crowd said they were mostly unaware of Perry but were willing to consider his candidacy, especially given his outspoken opposition to abortion.
"I look for any leader who has strong moral fiber," said Ricardo Brambila, 37, a paper company sales manager from Orange. A Democrat, Brambila said he's uncomfortable with Obama's direction on abortion and stem cells.
Perry is pushing tougher immigration laws in Texas. Brambila said he supports a secure border "but you can't step on people's rights once they are here."
Jose Rodas, 42, who manufactures signs in Los Angeles, said he knew only that Perry opposed abortion. "He has good principles," he added. [end excerpt]
Houston Chronicle – June 12, 2011: Other states leaving Secure Communities (TX expands ICE program] [excerpt] As Texas moves toward expanding Secure Communities, several northern states are dropping out of the program that matches the fingerprints of those arrested against a U.S. [ICE] database.
Last week, before Gov. Rick Perry's announcement that the expansion of Secure Communities would be on the agenda for the Legislature's special session, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick announced his state will not take part in the program.
Massachusetts joins New York and Illinois in ditching Secure Communities amid concerns that the program, which ICE says is intended to identify the illegal immigrants who have committed serious crimes and ensure they're removed from the country, instead has resulted in people who have minor convictions or no criminal records being removed from the country.
In Texas, all 254 counties and some municipalities - including Houston - participate in Secure Communities, checking the fingerprints of everyone booked at jails and detention centers against ICE's database. If the person being booked has a record with ICE, the agency will be alerted. [end excerpt]
I do not want to hear anything from obama about Puerto Rican statehood.
I expect Puerto Rico doesn’t want to be burdened with statehood and all that debt, since they’ve turned their economy around.
“I do not want to hear anything from obama about Puerto Rican statehood.”
Neither do I, but expect it.
If the PR governor says anything to upstage the won, when he gets back to DC he will issue some edict which they cannot live with...bullies never confront their adversary, they wait till they are safe in their own mob or removed from the frey. Our pissadent is a classic example of a bully.
Report: U.S. pressuring Israel on talks [excerpt] JERUSALEM, June 13 (UPI) -- Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is being pressured to accept the U.S. Middle East peace proposal and resume negotiations, sources told Haaretz.
U.S. officials are frustrated with Netanyahu and think he is blocking American efforts to prevent Palestinian leaders from unilaterally seeking U.N. recognition of a state in September, Israeli sources told Haaretz in an article published Monday.
[snip]
One U.S. official told Haaretz Netanyahu has asked the United States "to protect him in September" when the United Nations meets "but he isn't giving us any tools with which to help him."
A European diplomat said European officials want to hear Netanyahu say he's willing to negotiate on the basis of Obama's speech, Haaretz said. [end excerpt]
There are lots of Puerto Ricans who aren’t interested in Statehood, either.
I suspect that(statehood) is the real reason he is going there.
He’s fishing but who will be hooked?
I think so, too.
Right.
“There are lots of Puerto Ricans who aren’t interested in Statehood, either.”
Why would they? They get all the benefits of being US citizens with none of the cost. No income taxes! What a deal.
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