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n a speech in Washington on Friday, Hillary Clinton repeatedly criticized economic and social conditions under President Obama, barely mentioning the accomplishments of the man who appointed her secretary of State. Clinton's address, at the New America Foundation, was a broad indictment of the country's current leadership, with exactly one -- one -- note of praise for the Democratic president Clinton has called her partner and friend. Clinton, never known for self-effacement, began by noting her lifelong desire to make the world a better place and the "driving force" toward public service instilled in her by her mother. From there,...

While the country is immersed in Obamacare headlines and a congressional tussle over delays and mandates, the Obama administration is stealthily moving toward unprecedented control over private property under a massive expansion of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water Act authority. The proposed rule, obtained by the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee in advance of EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy’s testimony at a Thursday oversight hearing, widely broadens the definition of waterways over which the federal government has jurisdiction to as little as a water ditch in a backyard. The Clean Water Act redefinition of “waters of the United States”...

Barack Obama's presidency is falling apart, as a growing number of Americans now realize his promises of prosperity and jobs were bogus and his health care law a fabric of lies. A president who promised hope and change has given us despair and a failed,1930s agenda, as a once-mighty economy continues to limp toward the end of its fifth year in "recovery" -- yet with no full, lasting recovery in sight. Twelve months ago, a majority of voters handed him a second term. This week, the Gallup Poll reported that a 54 percent majority disapprove of the job he's doing...

Just beneath the surface, the government’s latest employment report [1] shows how much damage the POR (Pelosi-Obama-Reid) economy, now well into its sixth year [2], has done to the country’s economic fabric. The impact of Obamacare, if it isn’t stopped, will only compound it.Even the relatively decent news in Uncle Sam’s October report was suspect.Employers are said to have added 204,000 seasonally adjusted jobs. But as the Associated Press noted [3], the government, thanks to the 17 percent [4] government shutdown, had an extra week to retrieve its surveys from employers, and therefore had a higher than usual response rate....

Some people are still excited about the recent “surprise” jobs report where 204,000 jobs were added to the economy. Excited, that is, until you look at the jobs added. The biggest gainer was Food Services and Drinking Places. Notoriously, low paying jobs compared to some sectors of the economy. foodservbar The biggest loser? Clothing and clothing accessories stores lost 12,500 jobs. The Federal government lost 12,000 jobs. Growing low wage jobs is one factor contributing to the abysmal “growth” in Real Average Hourly Earnings. Earnings-average-hourly-real (1) Maybe The Blues Brothers were on to something in the 1970s by singing “Hey...

The percentage of American civilians 16 or older who have a job or are actively seeking one dropped to a 35-year low in October, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In September, the labor force participation rate was 63.2 percent, but in October it dropped to 62.8 percent—the lowest it has been since February 1978, when Jimmy Carter was president. The labor force, according to BLS, is that part of the civilian noninstitutional population that either has a job or has actively sought one in the last four weeks. The civilian noninstitutional population consists of people 16 or older,

Perhaps because he wants to divert attention from the slow-motion train wreck of Obamacare, the President is signalling that he will renew his efforts to throw more people into the unemployment line. Needless to say, that’s not how the White House would describe the President’s proposal to increase the minimum wage, but that’s one of the main results when the government criminalizes certain employment contracts between consenting adults. To be blunt, if a worker happens to have poor work skills, a less-than-impressive employment record, or some other indicator of low productivity that makes them worth, say, $7.50 per hour, then...

Dish Network said on Wednesday it will close all 300 or so retail locations of the Blockbuster video rental chain by January, closing a chapter on a brand that failed to compete in the digital world. Dish plans to lay off as many as 2,800 employees. Dish, the second-largest U.S. satellite TV company, bought the failed Blockbuster LLC video rental chain in a bankruptcy auction in 2011 for $320 million, a dramatic fall for a brand that at its peak in 2002 had a market value of $5 billion.

Obamacare Restrictions Lead Brooklyn Couple To Consider Divorce 'We Would Save Thousands Of Dollars If We Got Divorced,' Woman Says November 6, 2013 5:23 PM NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — From website crashes to long holds on calls, the issues involved with the unveiling of the Affordable Care Act are well documented. But now, could it be breaking couples up? CBS 2’s Don Champion spoke to one Brooklyn couple on Wednesday who said they may be forced to get a divorce to get health insurance. Nona Willis Aronowitz and Aaron Cassara’s love affair began at a party in 2008. “We kissed...

Once all of the new ObamaCare mandates, regulations, and taxes are fully priced into the healthcare market we may all be lining up for government butter and cheese, but that’s not the story here. No, apparently the multi-million dollar ObamaCare marketing campaign signing up new Medicaid recipients by the millions will come with an unexpected bonus for fans of the entitlement state. Lots and lots of people finding out for the first time that in addition to free healthcare they are also eligible for a shiny new EBT card. Via Politico. The Obama administration has ordered a study to determine...

There has been plenty of news about health insurance premium and deductible increases. The focus has been on the impact to the individual households. What hasn't been mentioned is the impact on the economy as a whole. If the average family sees their disposable income reduced by 10 to 30%, the negative impact on the nation's economy will be huge. The greatest impact would be in the first 4 months of the year, as disposable income gets redirected to pay deductibles.

The $1 trillion farm bill will serve as the first test of how deeply the shutdown fight has damaged relations in Washington. Congress has made the legislation its first order of business as it pivots away from the battles over government funding and the debt ceiling. The leaders of the agriculture committees in Congress and K Street lobbyists are eager to put the finishing touches on the bill, which could get wrapped into a year-end budget deal that replaces automatic sequestration cuts. But some fear Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), who has vowed to complete the legislation, might be too wounded...

According to The Federal Reserve G.19 Report for August, consumer debt topped $3 trillion! Of course, Federal government debt has topped $16 trillion, over 5 times the amount of consumer debt. Note that pickup in Federal debt growth compared to consumer debt growth after Q2 2008 (red box). feddebtconsumer Here is a chart of revolving consumer credit versus non-revolving credit. Non-revolving debt (e.g., auto loans) have effectively replaced revolving debt. revnonrev Business loans have finally grown past the prior peak in 2008. frbusloasn On the government side, current expenditures (purple line) continue to grow, but the rate of growth flattened...

The president’s health care law is driving down employment in his home state, according to a recent report. Employers in Illinois are cutting worker hours to avoid costly penalties from Obamacare’s employer mandate, where employees in the lowest wage sectors are the hardest hit. The Illinois Policy Institute studied the three employment sectors — retail, food, and merchandise– whose average hours were closest to 30 hours per week prior to the Affordable Care Act. The institute found that all three have now dipped below 30 hours per week, the threshold for a full-time worker under the law. Average hours for...

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama, in an interview broadcast on Sunday, blamed conservative Republicans for a stalemate on the budget and insisted that while he is willing to haggle over taxes and government spending, he will not make a deal would that would impose conditions on increasing the nation's debt limit. With a possible government shutdown looming in two weeks, and the threat of a U.S. debt default as early as mid-October, Obama said on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" that it is up to lawmakers to work out a budget. He insisted the budget should contain enough spending...

The president has powers to fight income inequality, President Obama argued in an interview broadcast Sunday, adding that Republicans in Congress have hobbled his efforts to do it. Appearing on ABC´s "This Week" program, Obama acknowledged that the wealthiest Americans have benefited disproportionately from the economic recovery of recent years. But he was quick to add that much of that trend is due to globalization, technology and, not least, the GOP´s opposition to his economic agenda – all factors he suggested are beyond his control. "I think the president can stop it," Obama said, when asked about the growing income

Many children grow up looking up to their mothers. But one woman in Missouri is setting the wrong example for her kids. She allegedly took them along for a jewelry store heist. Surveillance video captures her going into a store with her two young kids, a boy and girl. The store owner says that the woman distracted him, while her kids filled up her purse with thousands of dollars in jewels. Police did recover $10,000 worth of merchandise and identified the woman in the surveillance video. However, thieving family is on the run tonight.

The number of new U.S. jobless claims fell sharply last week but much of the decline appeared due to technical problems in claims processing, clouding the last major reading of labor market health before a Federal Reserve meeting. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits slipped 31,000 to a seasonally adjusted 292,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. That was the lowest level of claims since 2006, confounding analysts' expectations for a mild increase. But a department analyst said the majority of the decline appeared to be because two states were upgrading their computer systems and did not process all the...

You better at least get ready. There’s a buzz being fed. Warren gave a speech to the AFL-CIO today, and the “draft Warren” talk is starting. Elizabeth Warren is totally wowing @AFLCIO convention, Wonder if she'll enter the race if Hillary, for some reason, doesn't run. #AFLCIO13— Steven Greenhouse (@greenhousenyt) September 8, 2013 @greenhousenyt Outstanding speech. I would not be surprised at all if Draft Warren groups sprung up in Iowa, New Hampshire. — Mike Conrad (@mikeconrad1) September 8, 2013 @greenhousenyt @AFLCIO DEAR GOD YES, PLEASE, YES, OMG, THAT'S WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN #DRAFTSENWARREN (sorry for the caps!) — Organize...

resident Obama, speaking at the G-20 meeting in St. Petersburg on Friday, reminded me of an investment banker trying to sell a deal he doesn't believe in. And the customer knows it. Halting. Hesitant. Uncertain. Uncomfortable. That's what Obama's statement and body language had to say. On the verge of a potentially huge defeat on the Syrian question in Congress, President Obama is in a box. He's looking for a way out, but he can't find one. He's losing supporters in the legislature at home, and he didn't gain any at the G-20 summit abroad. When Obama speaks to the...