One Term More

http://www.onetermmore.com/video_subtitles.html

Jade–And Jaded

What a jaded view! As the descendant of enslaved Africans who produced the wealth of colonial society with 8 of the 10 richest colonists in 1770 being Carolina rice planters–who never planted, tended, flooded, harvested, or husked and cleaned rice for shipping to Cowes, England, I know the Romneys don’t create value or wealth: workers do! Workers add value that is sold and traded as capital through an ownership system, but without workers the value goes away. Romney’s wealth extracted the workers’ value as capital.

Did the size of the crisis impact recovery? Or Europe, at the brink every week? It’s hard to “fix” an economy when every idea is labeled and rejected as partisan, even when confronted with empirical proof, theoretical verification, and country examples.

The US has a higher per capita GDP rate than Germany, Europe’s leading economy. US GDP growth in constant dollars has trended upward since the recession; Brasil’s GDP, whose economy is now bigger (6th in the world!) than Britain’s (and Canada’s), dropped significantly last year.

It’s hard to outpace the world! For reasons beyond political control, times are hard. As the US deleverages from the housing bubble and banking crisis, demand will not return until private debt levels (not public!) provide an impetus to spend.

By the details of benchmarks, comparing growth worldwide, by real measures on GDP, corporate profits, lower taxes, Obama has done an outstanding job in a world still recovering.

Obama’s Campaign Responds

Did Ryan Ever Hear of Grand Junction?

One almost offers a hat tip to the artful way Ryan and others purse details, collapsing issues into simple slogans and appealing promises, ignoring layers of contradicting factors and even their willingness to break down their deceits into broken parts that don’t comport with the facts!

By repetition, amplification, and counter-charges (a trend widely noted by readers!), to stop the pain, some will embrace the relief promised, as others are conveniently blamed.

Online, at politifact, is one of those arcane discussions about vouchers vs. premium support, and the necessary conditions for both. Soon, the central point is lost: that seniors will be handed a sum of money that everyone knows is inadequate for their care, but large enough to ensure profits. Do we protect people or do we protect profits?

Rising costs? Obama this year set a record for fraud reduction, $4 billion. His so-called “cut” is actually savings derived from stopping overpayments of as much as 150% to providers.

Soon doctors will get out of practicing medicine? With the provisions in the ACA to cap and deter frivolous law suits, malpractice costs should drop. But adjustments can be made–as Bush did with plan D, and with the advantage program.

Finally, communities around the country are reigning in costs. Grand Junction, CO is a model for high quality, low cost healthcare. Real savings can be achieved!

The Obama Fix

Whose accountable for the slow recovery? Did the size of the crisis–the biggest since Hoover–have something to do with the US recovery? Or the ongoing saga of Europe, at the brink every week? Canoes don’t paddle well on dry beds; even an American president, of any party (ask Bush!) finds it hard to “fix” a national economy when every idea is labeled and rejected as partisan, even when confronted with empirical proof, theoretical verification, and country examples.

Accusing someone doesn’t make them “not” guilty. Choices, players, conditions, opposing forces, and standards must be assessed. The US still has a higher per capita GDP rate than Germany, Europe’s leading economy. US GDP growth in constant dollars has trended consistently upward since the recession; Brasil’s GDP, whose economy is now bigger (6th in the world!) than Britain’s (and Canada’s), our most prosperous neighbor in the hemisphere, dropped significantly in the last year.

Both interests rates and inflation are at all-time lows. Ten year treasuries until recently had negative returns!

It’s hard to outpace the world! Sometimes, for reasons beyond political control or wish lists, times are hard. As the US deleverages from the housing bubble and banking crisis, demand will not return until private debt levels (not public!) provide an impetus to spend.

Looking at the details, benchmarks, comparing growth worldwide by actual standards and measures, on GDP, corporate profits, lower taxes, Obama has done an outstanding job in a world still recovering.

“Listening, Watching, Evaluating”

“I’m Mitt Romney. I create jobs.” The 100,000 jobs he claims to have created is a number that changes quicker than a stock car’s gears in a NASCAR race. Where’s the video? Where’s one person who comes forward to say, “I’m employed because Milt Romney created my job.” Where’s the video of Mitt working with a group his spent countless hours to help? Why do so many of the speakers at his convention have their start or wealth or power tied inextricably to government?

There are lots of videos that say Mitt Romney eliminated my job, closed my factory, cashed out my benefits, sold our equipment, shipped its pieces, including the jobs, overseas—whether it was outsourced or offshored like his his money.

His claim is laughably insufficient beside the number of jobs President Obama created in the last 29 months.

“I never apologize.” Mitt, you should. The list of those offended gets longer daily.The racism is open when Karl Rove called “Barack Obama an affirmative action President.”

“I believe in America. I have 23 offshore accounts.” Money doesn’t make up for moral bankruptcy, a commitment to honesty and decency that doesn’t reach to truth or go beyond the balance sheet.

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Trash or Treasure?

When I buy “something new,” I take my time to examine what I am going to buy. I like vintage things; so immediately I recognize Romney is offering something very old and familiar, and very chilling in its values, actions and outcomes. It’s cotton without fair labor or trade practices, it’s a promise of prosperity whose immediate benefits go the lords of the manor; it’s Marie Antoinette’s offer of cake, made with the ingredients of austerity’s empty cupboard. It’s racial animosity and stereotypes, inflaming conflict and old hostility.

It’s an instigated fight (like the prep school ploy), trumped up to cower those who oppose the standards of privilege. It’s being an American and putting millions in accounts offshore where the money supports no American jobs and cannot be lent to any American firms. It’s a foreign policy that ignores the economic benefits of soft power. It’s money for battleships when drones are more effective. It’s a hardening of lines about Cuba, an opportunity begging for a bold US approach. It’s a campaign that never raised a local issue in the primaries. (Note: Obama does this all the time!)

There’s good vintage and bad vintage; if you enjoy the past, the skills to discern the differences in value and prospects are important. If you don’t evaluate properly, you choice can be worthless.

I Know This Is Late

In the most egregious act I have witnessed in politics, in the middle of a furor that had seen Karl Rove and the Republican Senate Campaign fund withdraw their financial support and other Republicans calling for his withdrawal, as even the waffling, milquetoast Mitt Romney issued two statements calling his words “wrong,”Todd Akin posted a request for funds on twitter, saying Missouri needed a conservative senator. The post including a url link to a website where donors could make contributions. His utter lack of shame should not be seen as strength; mercy should never endorse the sin.