Day: January 18, 2013

Chris Christie Vs Rand Paul: The Knives Are Coming Out!

Ronald 1 Comment

It was inevitable that there would be “combat” between New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, and the knives are coming out early!

Christie has distinguished himself by his criticism of his own Republican Party in the House of Representatives, and specifically Speaker of the House John Boehner, for their dragging on relief funds for Hurricane Sandy.

He has also condemned the National Rifle Association for using an ad against President Barack Obama, in which his two daughters are mentioned. Christie said, correctly, that NEVER should children of public figures be used as part of an attack ad.

But of course, Rand Paul, a true whacko, loony, nutty Senator, who has never been a Governor, and is an eye doctor without official recognition by the traditional professional organization because he chose instead to form his own organization to give him legitimacy, went on the attack against Christie in an interview with right wing talk show host Laura Ingraham, denouncing Christie as looking only to appeal to Democrats and “liberal” Republicans, and having his hand out for federal largesse. And Paul was critical of Christie attacking the NRA.

Remember that Rand Paul, and his dad, former Texas Congressman Ron Paul, are libertarians, who do not believe in federal disaster aid, hate government, and have a viewpoint that will never be accepted by the American people at large!

Neither Christie nor Rand Paul have any real chance of being the next President, but at least Christie has the ability to appeal to other than right wing Republicans, while Paul will not even be able to unite conservatives, since his isolationist foreign policy will turn off many right wing Republicans, and he also comes across as weird and whacky!

But this means the battle for the Presidential nomination of 2016 in the Republican Party is in full swing even before President Obama takes his second oath of office as President on Monday!

National Centennial Commission On World War I Signed Into Law By President Obama

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America is in the midst of the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, and now President Obama has signed legislation creating a National Centennial Commission to commemorate American involvement in World War I, as well as marking the major events of the war before America entered in 1917, making the war more relevant to Americans. The centennial will occur between 2014 and 2018.

The commission is working in tandem with the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri, developing programs, projects, and activities to commemorate the “Great War”, and will also engage in fund raising as no tax money will be used to promote study and analysis of the war and its effects on America and the world.

Having personally visited the National World War I Museum last summer, this author can testify as to its magnificent exhibits and displays, and would highly recommend a visit by tourists, with the extra advantage of being able to visit the Harry Truman Presidential Library, Museum, and Home nearby in Independence, Missouri, as an added treat!

Stock Market Hits Five Year High As Obama Is To Be Inaugurated For Second Term As President!

Ronald 2 Comments

After four tough years for the economy, Barack Obama is about to be inaugurated for his second term as President, and the stock market Dow Jones Industrial Average and S & P 500 have hit their highest point since December 2007, when the Great Recession was beginning.

Housing starts are up, and unemployment is staying below 8 percent, and many economists predict a good recovery becoming clear during 2013, as long as budget deals and debt ceilings controversies are resolved. But the debt ceiling issue is a troublesome one.

Obama has asked for a lifting of the debt ceiling only three times, while George W. Bush asked for it seven times, Bill Clinton a total of four times, George H. W. Bush four times, and Ronald Reagan a grand total of SEVENTEEN times!

In percentages, Obama has had the debt limit go up only 26 percent; Bush II 90 percent, Clinton 44 percent, Bush I 48 percent, and Reagan nearly 300 percent!

But now, it is suddenly a massive issue, when Republicans assert that, somehow, Obama has been more reckless than anyone else, when in fact, he has been far more responsible than any recent President, and particularly Reagan, who ranks at the bottom on this list of the past four Presidents and Barack Obama!

So Obama has a lot to be thankful for, relating to the stock market revival, but there are still many issues and problems that he will face in the next four years!

The Net Worth Of America’s Presidents, According To Time Magazine Estimates

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As we come to the 57th Inauguration Day of the President of the United States, it is interesting to assess the net worth of our 43 Presidents who have held that office.

Time Magazine did a detailed study of this issue, and the details are quite fascinating and revealing.

Apparently, John F. Kennedy would be worth a billion dollars in 2010 US Dollars, making him the wealthiest President we have ever had, although the Christian Science Monitor estimate is much lower, $125 million, which would make Kennedy tied for third with Theodore Roosevelt.

If one accepts the Christian Science Monitor figure, then George Washington is number one in wealth with $525 million, followed by Thomas Jefferson with $212 million, and then Kennedy and TR with $125 million. Then comes Andrew Jackson with $119 million, and James Madison with $101 million. Notice that the wealthiest Presidents are early one with Southern plantations, plus the wealthy families of Kennedy and Roosevelt, our two youngest Presidents.

Lyndon B. Johnson follows with $98 million; Herbert Hoover with $75 million; Franklin D. Roosevelt with $60 million; John Tyler with $51 million; Bill Clinton with $38 million; James Monroe with $27 million; Martin Van Buren with $26 million; Grover Cleveland with $25 million; George H. W. Bush with $23 million; John Quincy Adams with $21 million; George W. Bush with $20 million; John Adams with $19 million; Richard Nixon with $15 million; Ronald Reagan with $13 million; James K. Polk with $10 million; Dwight D. Eisenhower with $8 million; Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, each with $7 million; Zachary Taylor with $6 million; William Henry Harrison and Benjamin Harrison (his grandson), each $5 million; Barack Obama, also $5 million; Millard Fillmore with $4 million; Rutherford B. Hayes and William Howard Taft, each with $3 million; Franklin Pierce with $2 million; and William McKinley and Warren G. Harding, each with $1 million.

The remaining nine Presidents have assets worth less than one million, in the following order: James Buchanan, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, James Garfield, Chester Alan Arthur, Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, and Harry Truman.

So, the early Presidents and some 20th century Presidents are near the top of the list, while mid to late 19th century are not. Also, Lincoln, Wilson, and Truman, who all had a major impact in office, were quite poor on the scale of comparison to other Presidents. But at the same time, FDR, JFK, LBJ and Clinton, all Democrats, are four of the wealthiest eleven of all time! And Barack Obama is 28th out of 43 Presidents in net worth, with growing potential for him in the future!