Blue Monday for a reason: Obama sworn in for second term

The third Monday of January is often labeled “Blue Monday” to supposedly denote the most depressing day of the year. Although widely considered to be pseudoscience, Barack Obama’s inauguration to officially begin his second term as president might just give the phrase a new truthful meaning.

Why so depressing? Barack Obama’s average job approval rating during his first term as president was 49% according to Gallup, among the worst of any post-World War II president. Only Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford saw lower approval ratings through their first terms in office.

During Obama’s first term, the national debt increased by nearly $6 trillion dollars, or $50,521 per American household according to numbers published by the Census Bureau. This number exceeds the combined debt increases from George Washington through Bill Clinton. Today, the national debt sits at $16.4 trillion.

During Obama’s first term, food stamp recipients skyrocketed nearly $16 million, bringing the number of Americans who receive food stamps up to more than 47.5 million. According to the Department of Agriculture, that amounts to an additional 11,133 participants everyday.

During Obama’s first term, the number of Americans receiving disability insurance increased nearly 1.4 million, bringing the total up to 8,827,795. Today, one out of every 13 people working full-time is on disability and receiving taxpayer funded government checks.

Unemployment went nowhere during Obama’s first term – percentage-wise, it’s exactly the same (7.9%). 654 new bills were signed into law. The president spent 72 days at Camp David, went golfing 113 times and addressed the nation on 8 different occasions. The president made 22 pardons, visited 44 states and held 58 town hall meetings.

As Obamacare slowly becomes enforced during Obama’s second term, taxes for nearly all productive Americans will increase. January 1st of 2013 ushered in the first set of increases, mainly for more wealthy Americans and the healthcare industry in general (read: increasing the cost of healthcare for everybody). New taxes on medical devices and the elimination of several health-related deductions will hit companies beginning this year.

The maximum income tax rate is set to go up on Americans, bringing the new percentage to 39.6% (up from 35% in 2012). Capital gains tax rates will increase from 15% to 20% along with a new Medicare wage tax of 0.9%. A slew of other tax increases will hit all Americans during Obama’s second term, such as the payroll tax, gift tax, estate tax and GST (Generation-skipping Transfer) tax.

There is good reason to be blue.

Libertarian round-up: party expands, candidates set to increase

Posted by Steve Adcock

Over the last week (and a couple days), the Libertarian party has seen encouraging news that party members have not given up the goal of unseating the two-party system. In fact, numbers show significant grow in party members and potential political candidates.

Libertarian Adrian Wyllie to run for Florida Governor

As reported earlier, Chairman of the Florida Libertarian party officially announced his bid to unseat current Governor Rick Scott in the state of Florida. Wyllie promises his campaign will focus on issues of individual liberty and freedom from government control and intrusive state policies that infringe on state resident’s constitutional rights. ”We’ve tried Coke. We’ve tried Pepsi. It’s time for some pure spring water called liberty. That’s what I’m offering,” Wyllie said.

Libertarians gain official status in Pennsylvania

Although Libertarian Betsy Summers lost her bid to become the state’s auditor general, she – along with other Libertarian candidates – managed to pull in the required 2% of the vote in November to be officially recognized as a Pennsylvania state “minor” political party rather than simply a political” body” through the 2014 election cycle.

Libertarian party candidate requests expanding nationwide

Each year, the Libertarian party tracks the number of requests received from those who wish to run in local elections under the Libertarian party ticket. Since the November elections, the party has received 370 requests, which amounts to more than twice the number received in 2008 and 2010, according to Libertarian Party Executive Director Carla Howell. At this pace, the party may receive over 1,100 requests by year’s end. ”2012 was a great year for Libertarian Party candidates. And a great year for liberty,” remarked Howell. The Libertarian party is preparing to double the number of party candidates by the 2014 elections.

Libertarians lead fight to ease gun restrictions in Kansas

Several cities in Kansas implemented more stringent gun control measures than those enforced by the state with severe “open carry” restrictions. However, thanks to efforts lead by the Libertarian party within the state, cities have begun modifying their open carry laws so they fall in line with that of the state, which currently allows residents to carry openly. The Libertarian party will begin discussions with three more cities next week and has filed a lawsuit against three other cities that have refused to modify their open carry laws. ”People are identifying the Libertarian Party as one of the authorities when it comes to Second Amendment issues in Kansas,” said Al Terwelp, Kansas Libertarian party chair.

Libertarian party started a petition to end dangerous “gun-free zones”

Available at libertarianpetition.com, the Libertarian party has started an online petition to elicit support to end all so-called gun-free zones in the United States, citing several examples of where gun crimes were halted due to law-abiding citizens who carry firearms.

Libertarian officially enters Florida Governor’s race

Posted by Steve Adcock

Florida Libertarian Party Chairman Adrian Wyllie officially announced his bid to unseat current Florida Governor Rick Scott and challenge presumptive Democratic contender Charlie Crist last week in a campaign that the chairman promises will be focused on freedom, liberty and the Constitution.

“I promise that, if elected, I will defend all Floridians from any unconstitutional Congressional act, executive order or United Nations mandate,” said Wyllie. Although he admits his candidacy is a long shot, Wyllie believes Floridians are growing tired of the two-party system and are looking for a change.

“Our debt is unsustainable, our currency is becoming worth less every day. The Tea Party says the government is to blame. The occupy movement says the bankers are to blame.” Wyllie thinks they are both right. ”We’ve tried Coke. We’ve tried Pepsi. It’s time for some pure spring water called liberty. That’s what I’m offering.”

The 42-year-old Florida native was elected Chairman of the Florida Libertarian party in 2011 after serving as the media director in 2010 for Libertarian Senate candidate Alexander Snitker. Wyllie and Snitker partnered in 2010 in the formation of the “1787 Network”, a radio program that airs on several AM radio stations in eight states, including Florida.

Wyllie is also well-known for encouraging Florida law enforcement to arrest any TSA agent that violates either the United States or Florida Constitutions in their screening of passengers in airports.

Visit Wyllie’s Facebook page to follow his candidacy.

D.C. prosecutor: Gun bans increase violence, create false security

Posted by Steve Adcock

Author and attorney Jeffrey Shapiro wrote an eye-opening piece in the Wall Street Journal this week about the effect that strict gun control legislation had on our nation’s capital. Numbers clearly show an increase in gun violence when gun controls are in effect and a decrease when law-abiding citizens can protect themselves with firearms.

“As a former prosecutor in Washington, D.C., who enforced firearms and ammunition cases while a severe local gun ban was still in effect, I am skeptical of the benefits that many imagine will result from additional gun-control efforts.”

Although Shapiro admits to personally disliking guns, the city numbers do not lie, and they paint a picture that does not bode well for the nation as regulations on guns become more restrictive.

A 1976 law in Washington D.C. banned firearms from everyone except police officers. This ban included residents of D.C. keeping firearms in their homes, although some were allowed to keep their firearms under the condition that they remain disassembled or trigger-locked. According to the city, broken guns were sufficient for private, law-abiding citizens to protect themselves.

Over the years since the ban took effect, gun violence rose. ”It emboldened criminals because they knew that law-abiding District residents were unarmed and powerless to defend themselves. Violent crime increased after the law was enacted, with homicides rising to 369 in 1988, from 188 in 1976 when the ban started. By 1993, annual homicides had reached 454.”

Gun violence nearly tripled during the ban, and people’s constitutional right to keep and bear arms was clearly trampled on. In 2007, a D.C. appeals court ruled the ban unconstitutional and subsequently repealed the law, allowing people in D.C. to once again take advantage of their 2nd amendment right. Gun violence decreased sharply since the law’s repeal. In fact, less than 100 murders took place in the city in 2012, a far cry from the number of murders during the gun ban.

“The urge to drastically restrict firearms after mass murders like those at Sandy Hook Elementary School last month and in Aurora, Colo., in July, is understandable. In effect, many people would like to apply the District’s legal philosophy on firearms to the entire nation. Based on what happened in Washington, I think that would be a mistake. Any sense of safety and security would be a false one,” Shapiro wrote.

Obama declares himself king of the gun grabbers

Posted by Selwyn Duke

In his usual theatrical style, on Wednesday on live television, President Barack Obama revealed his plans to implement his administration’s agenda for a new gun control policy that includes assault weapons bans, more thorough background checks of gun buyers, limited ammunition magazines, and government access to mental health records of potential gun buyers.

“In just one afternoon, the man who is suspected of okaying the smuggling of guns into the hands of the Mexican drug cartels — known as Fast and Furious — has ‘outed’ himself as the king of the gun grabbers. He’s also implementing the strategy of his former chief of staff, Rahm Emanual, by not allowing ‘a good crisis to go to waste,’” said police detective Jose Santos.

Obama’s proposal are allegedly the result of a rushed review process spearheaded by Vice President Joe Biden, that addressed law enforcement, dangerous firearms and ammunition, school and campus security, and keeping firearms out of the hands of the mentally ill.

Surrounded by children and their parents who support Obama’s gun-control agenda, the president recommended requiring criminal background checks for all gun sales; a tougher and more far-reaching assault weapons ban; limiting ammo magazines to 10-rounds; eliminating armor-piercing bullets, also known as cop-killer bullets; hiring more police officers; and instituting a federal gun trafficking statute.

The cost of the package, senior officials estimated, would be roughly $500 million, some of which could come from already budgeted funds.

“Ironically, the price tag for Obama’s gun crime agenda is the same amount lost in the Solyndra scandal by the Obama administration,” said Mike Baker, a political strategist.

“I intend to use whatever weight this office holds to make them a reality,” said the president. “If there’s even one life that can be saved, then we’ve got an obligation to try.”

The National Rifle Association, anticipating Obama’s overreach and disregard for the U.S. Constitution, released a television advertisement accusing the president of hypocrisy. In the commercial, viewers are reminded that Obama’s daughters are protected by a detail of armed bodyguards when they attend school, but Obama denies that same right to American parents and children by his opposition to arming individuals who work in government schools.

“It is unfortunate that this administration continues to insist on pushing failed solutions to our nation’s most pressing problems,” the NRA said after meeting with Biden last week. “We will not allow law-abiding gun owners to be blamed for the acts of criminals and madmen.”

As part of its policy recommendations, the White House called on Congress to act on an old administration proposal to spend $4 billion to keep 15,000 cops on the streets. In addition, the president is proposing a new initiative that would incentivize police departments to hire more school resource officers and encourage schools to hire more mental health professionals. The president’s plan also calls on Congress to allocate resources to help schools, other educational institutions and houses of worship develop emergency management plans.

The White House proposals, even officials there admit, are not a cure-all for mass shootings. Among the suggested recommendations on the gun-policy front, only the ban on high-capacity magazines could have had a tangible impact on the shooting in Newtown, and it’s unclear what, exactly, the effect would have been.

Moreover, the administration claims it is pointedly not going after those weapons and ammunition clips that are currently and lawfully owned. The proposal would instead affect the future production and sale of military-style weapons or high-capacity magazines.

“We are not going to go after existing stock of weapons or magazines,” said a senior administration official. “We are going to limit it to the manufacturing of assault weapons and clips going forward.”

The White House nevertheless insists that its package of proposals has teeth. It would provide law enforcement with the mechanisms needed to go after the illegal transfer of weapons and help prevent those weapons from falling into the wrong hands. It would also stem the use of military-style weapons — the White House says its proposal would improve on the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, which was riddled with loopholes — and give schools and communities resources to address violence when it occurs.

“Gun-grabbing media, political and business interests are bad news. They use murderous acts of a few to generate opposition to the rights of the many. They mislead public opinion against the civil right to keep and bear arms,” stated John Snyder, an advisory board member of the National Association of Chiefs of Police.