Related link: White House: Obama To Pivot Back To The Economy, Will “Focus His Energies” On Economic PoliciesFoxNews: President Obama today heads to the liberal Center for American Progress to talk about ObamaCare and the economy. And while the president will certainly hit talking points about how Americans, one day freed of concerns over health insurance, can pursue their dreams of higher education and economic betterment, the basic message is likely to be the same one he has made in his other “major” economic addresses over the years: the need for more redistribution of wealth to deal with income inequality. Remember that while the redistributive properties of ObamaCare are causing mainstream Americans to recoil from the president and his health law, redistribution is its cardinal virtue to many on the left.
Totally not a socialist, right?
Obama proclaimed that "government is us"...
"But government can’t stand on the sidelines in our efforts, because government is us. It can and should reflect our deepest values and commitments. And if we refocus our energies on building an economy that grows for everybody and gives every child in this country a fair chance at success, then I remain confident that the future still looks brighter than the past — and that the best days for this country we love are still ahead. We know that’s our strength: our people, our communities, our businesses."...and said that income inequality is "the defining challenge of our time"...
However, a recent Gallup Poll shows that for the vast majority of Americans, this isn't even on their radar (unlike the very real pain of Obamacare)...AP: President Barack Obama turned his focus Wednesday to the pocketbook issues that Americans consistently rank as a top concern, arguing that the dream of upward economic mobility is breaking down and the growing income gap is a "defining challenge of our time."
"The basic bargain at the heart of our economy has frayed," the president said in remarks at a nonprofit community center a short drive from the White House in one of Washington's most impoverished neighborhoods.
The president vowed to focus the last three years of his presidency on addressing the discrepancy and a rapidly growing deficit of opportunity that he said is a bigger threat than the fiscal deficit.
Obama's remarks on the economy come as he seeks to move past the health care woes that have consumed his presidency in recent months. He acknowledged his administration's "poor execution" in rolling out the flawed website that was supposed to be an easy portal for purchasing insurance, while blaming Republicans for a "reckless" shutdown of the government.
H/t: WZ
You know, the way Obama portrays the statist vision of inequality, using class and race to pit one American against another, got me to thinking about what Reagan described as the 'fat man vs. thin man' perspective of which our current President obviously and resoundingly embraces...
"We have so many people who can't see a fat man standing beside a thin one without coming to the conclusion the fat man got that way by taking advantage of the thin one. So they're going to solve all the problems of human misery through government and government planning."
The point at the end of this clip concerning welfare -- specifically, how to eliminate poverty if that was actually the federal government's objective -- is equally brilliant.
Curious about that math today, I divided the $740B/yr spent on welfare (Source: Report: U.S. Spent $3.7 Trillion on Welfare Over Last 5 Years) by the approximate 110 Million receiving welfare benefits last year (Source: Over 100 Million Now Receiving Federal Welfare). Just outright cutting those individuals, families and households a check today, as opposed to continuing down this over half-century 'War on Poverty' rabbit hole, would amount to a $6727/ea. supplement.
However, such a singular supplement might also undermine the political stranglehold over the various narratives of rich vs. poor, income inequality, fairness and the like, so we can't have that. Thus, federal spending (i.e., your tax dollars) continues to balloon out of control, feeding the Leviathan, while more of the citizenry are sucked under. And yet, far too many of them buy the rantings of the millionaire radical egalitarian who's helping to secure their position in poverty. Go figure.
ADDENDUM: Jim Hoft at TheGatewayPundit points us to the GOP's summary of Obama's failing economic record. Peculiar thing to forget...
Yep, everything he's speaking out against are the very trends that he's presided over!“For The Second Consecutive Year, Neither The Official Poverty Rate Nor The Number Of People In Poverty At The National Level Were Statistically Different From The Previous Year’s Estimates.” (Carmen DeNavas-Walt, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica C. Smith, “Income, Poverty, And Health Insurance Coverage In The United States: 2012,” U.S. Census Bureau, 9/17/13)
As Of 2012, There Are 46.5 Million Americans Living In Poverty. (Carmen DeNavas-Walt, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica C. Smith, “Income, Poverty, And Health Insurance Coverage In The United States: 2012,” U.S. Census Bureau, 9/17/13)
Under Obama, The Poverty Rate Has Increased From 13.2 Percent To 15 Percent. (Carmen DeNavas-Walt, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica C. Smith, “Income, Poverty, And Health Insurance Coverage In The United States: 2012,” U.S. Census Bureau, 9/17/13; Carmen DeNavas-Walt, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica C. Smith, “Income, Poverty, And Health Insurance Coverage In The United States: 2008,” U.S. Census Bureau, 9/09)
Under Obama, 6.7 Million More Americans Have Fallen Into Poverty. (Carmen DeNavas-Walt, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica C. Smith, “Income, Poverty, And Health Insurance Coverage In The United States: 2012,” U.S. Census Bureau, 9/17/13; Carmen DeNavas-Walt, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica C. Smith, “Income, Poverty, And Health Insurance Coverage In The United States: 2008,” U.S. Census Bureau, 9/09)
Under Obama, The Gini Coefficient – Used To Measure The Degree Of Income Inequality – Has Increased From .466 To .477. (Carmen DeNavas-Walt, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica C. Smith, “Income, Poverty, And Health Insurance Coverage In The United States: 2012,” U.S. Census Bureau, 9/17/13; Carmen DeNavas-Walt, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica C. Smith, “Income, Poverty, And Health Insurance Coverage In The United States: 2008,” U.S. Census Bureau, 9/09)
From 2011 To 2012, Median Income Declined From $51,100 To $51,017. (Carmen DeNavas-Walt, Bernadette D. Proctor, and Jessica C. Smith, “Income, Poverty, And Health Insurance Coverage In The United States: 2012,” U.S. Census Bureau, 9/17/13)
Since Obama Took Office, The Average Duration Of Unemployment Has Nearly Doubled From 19.8 Weeks To 36.1 Weeks. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 12/4/13)
The Unemployment Rate Has Fallen “Almost Entirely” Because Fewer People Are Looking For Jobs, Rather Than Due To People Actually Finding Jobs. “The unemployment rate has dropped almost entirely because of this decline in labor force participation. In other words, it has not fallen because people are finding jobs. It has fallen because fewer people are looking for jobs.” (Binyamin Appelbaum, “Labor Force Participation Is Not Coming Back,” The New York Times‘ Economix Blog, 7/18/13)
21.6 Million Americans Are Unemployed, Underemployed Or Have Given Up Looking For Work. (Bureau Of Labor Statistics, Accessed 12/4/13)
“Nearly Two-Thirds Of Jobs Lost During The Recession Paid Middle-Class Wages, According To The National Employment Law Project. Yet Only 22 Percent Of Jobs Created Under Obama Are Mid-Wage Occupations.” “Nearly two-thirds of jobs lost during the recession paid middle-class wages, according to the National Employment Law Project. Yet only 22 percent of jobs created under Obama are mid-wage occupations. That disparity is what Obama had in mind when he declared in his Inaugural Address, ‘We know that America thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work, when the wages of honest labor liberate families from the brink of hardship.’” (Ron Fournier, “Middle Class Falls, Wall Street Rises…And Washington Dithers,” National Journal, 5/31/13)
Daniel Alpert, Managing Partner Of New York Investment Bank Westwood Capital, Says “We Have Become A Nation Of Hamburger Flippers, Wal-Mart Sales Associates, Barmaids, Checkout People And Other People Working At Very Low Wages.” “The majority of the jobs that have been created during the recovery have been low-paying jobs, worsening income inequality and keeping the economy sluggish. ‘Really we have become a nation of hamburger flippers, Wal-Mart sales associates, barmaids, checkout people and other people working at very low wages,’ Daniel Alpert, managing partner of New York investment bank Westwood Capital, told Yahoo Finance’s Daily Ticker. That’s why job growth is ‘not increasing consumption or the ability to go out and buy stuff.’” (Mark Gongloff, “July Jobs Report Masks Real Problems In U.S. Labor Market,” The Huffington Post, 8/2/13)
There’s more….
According To A July Chamber Of Commerce Poll, ObamaCare Now “Surpasses Economic Uncertainty As The Top Worry For Small Business Owners.” “Small business owners’ concern about the economy remained steady this quarter; however, their concern about the 2010 health care bill rose significantly in the past quarter and for the third quarter in a row (from 42% in January to 49% in June). Since June 2011, anxiety about the requirements of the law has increased by 10-points since and now surpasses economic uncertainty as the top worry for small business owners.” ( Harris Interactive/U.S. Chamber Of Commerce , 1304 Small Business Executives, MoE 2.5 %, 6/21/13-7/8/13)
A Separate IFA Poll Shows That “Sixty-Four (64) Percent Of Business Decision-Makers In Franchise-Owned Businesses And 53 Percent Of Non-Franchisee-Owned Businesses Believe The ACA Will Have A Negative Impact On Their Businesses.” ( IFA/U.S. Chamber Of Commerce/Public Opinion Strategies , 414 Franchise-Owned And Non-Franchised Owned Businesses With 40 To 500 Employees, 11/13/13)
“Twenty-Nine (29) Percent Of Franchise And 41 Percent Of Non-Franchise Businesses Are Already Seeing Health Care Costs Increase Due To The Law.” ( IFA/U.S. Chamber Of Commerce/Public Opinion Strategies , 414 Franchise-Owned And Non-Franchised Owned Businesses With 40 To 500 Employees, 11/13/13)
The IFA Poll Shows That “The Employer Mandate Will Almost Double The Percentage Of Franchise-Owned Businesses And More Than Triple The Percentage Of Non-Franchise Businesses That Will Not Offer Health Care.” “Twenty-eight (28) percent of franchise and non-franchise businesses surveyed report that the employer mandate will mean they will drop coverage for their employees. In effect, among this segment of businesses, the employer mandate will almost double the percentage of franchise-owned businesses and more than triple the percentage of non-franchise businesses that will not offer health care.” ( IFA/U.S. Chamber Of Commerce/Public Opinion Strategies , 414 Franchise-Owned And Non-Franchised Owned Businesses With 40 To 500 Employees, 11/13/13)
“Employers Around The Country Are Reducing Employee Hours Because They Can’t Afford ObamaCare. “Employers around the country, from fast-food franchises to colleges, have told NBC News that they will be cutting workers’ hours below 30 a week because they can’t afford to offer the health insurance mandated by the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare.” (Lisa Myers and Carroll Ann Mears, “Businesses Claim ObamaCare Has Forced Them To Cut Employee Hours,” NBC News, 8/13/13)
On another note, if the GOP can push this through their website, there's no excuse as to why every single one of them aren't articulately coalesced around such a message.
