Congress may actually pass an economic stimulus bill this week, which is good news for the short-term needs of the country. There is no question the economy is tottering, and could easily tip over from recession to depression, so a bill that focuses on saving jobs and creating jobs is desperately needed. The good news is that the bill will definitely help achieve some of those aims. The bad news is that it will lay a crushing debt burden on taxpayers for the future, which can only be addressed if government becomes far more efficient in the use of tax dollars than it has in the past. That could very well force, down the road, what many of us have wanted for years, a smaller, more efficient government. But somehow, that doesn't seem likely. Because Congress hasn't figured out that the model for government is, and should be, changing. And the best example is the stimulus package. Despite billions of dollars in cuts, it still contains way too much pork. And some of the cuts (to make way for that pork) seem to make no sense, such as dropping $40 billion to help keep schools from having to fire teachers. That's counter-productive. The bill is supposed to save or create jobs, not leave them threatened. Both sides of the aisle bear the blame. The Democratic leadership rolled over on way too many pet projects among its members, losing sight of the long-term goal of the bill. And Republicans kept insisting on sticking to the same failed policies of the past, and playing the same old games where personal and party political power carried more weight than the needs of the nation. One GOP leader actually admitted his goal for the bill, and the amendments he introduced, were designed to divide the Democrats and make them look bad. So much for caring about the people of this country. Both parties should be ashamed. It is time for Congress to look up from its myopic and petty party power games, and its proclivity for pork, and look at the desperate state of the nation, focusing solely on programs that stand a good chance of meeting the goal of keeping people working. Making things work should be a bipartisan issue. This bill should be about America, not the Republican or Democratic parties. -- Kelly Everitt

'Spinning' out of control

Posted Wednesday, May 28, 2014, at 8:44 AM

Most people get better as they become more experienced in their job.

The same cannot be said for the Obama administration.

After offering so much hope for change for the better, what we're actually seeing is an increasingly incompetent, chaotic administration that's spending more time on spin control that fixing problems. In fact, the amount of spin has become dizzying.

The VA scandal follows on the IRS scandal, the NSA scandals, the Fast and Furious scandals, etc., etc., etc.

By now, heads should have rolled on any and all of those, but most of those accountable still hold their jobs.

The VA scandal just keeps getting worse and worse. It isn't as if the VA has ever had the greatest reputation in the world for serving veteran needs, but deliberately ignoring them and then faking the records to earn bonuses and promotions is something else. And let's not even get into the poor job it does dealing with the mental health issues of vets or those veterans who are homeless (part of which is the fault of Congress and the administration for not making enough money available to do more than bandaid work).

But now comes another scandal -- the accidental outing of the CIA station chief in Afghanistan.

When Dick Cheney decided to expose a CIA field agent and her network, in retaliation for her husband daring to criticize the Bush administration, the end result was the loss of several agents and the dismantling of an entire network. But at least he did it deliberately. The Obama administration exposed the Afghanistan station chief out of sheer incompetence and stupidity.

It takes a while to put a station chief in place and become effective. Years of work went out the window at a time when, because of our upcoming withdrawal from that troubled land, our need for human intelligence there is actually growing.

All administrations have problems that can be criticized. But this one is giving critics a booming business for bashing. It has, at the least, and to be polite -- failed to distinguish itself in the annals of U.S. presidencies.

Only two more years....

-- Kelly Everitt

Comments

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Kelly, do you know that there is a list of CIA Station chiefs on Wikipedia? Their names aren't that big of a secret. Do a search for CIA station chiefs. The pool reporter who discovered it didn't think it was a big deal but the White House told them that it was and they retracted the error.

Also, there is a big difference with someone from the military sending a list to a pool reporter and Dick Cheney doing it as retaliation.

So here is your sequence of events.

1. Pool reporter wants a list of who Obama is meeting.

2. The military provides this.

3. The Pool reporter realizes after sending it out to others in the press that it contains a CIA bureau chief name and mentions it to the White House who told him that it was a big deal and to retract the list and send a new one.

4. This was done.

BTW the mainstream news is reporting the incident accurately, as a mistake and Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and their kind are trying to make it into the another "scandal". I'm disappointed that MHN would describe this as Obama Administration incompetence.

the link below is a balanced description of what happened.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/26/politics/cia-white-house/

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Wed, May 28, 2014, at 11:57 AM
Patrick,

Surely you're not suggesting that Wikipedia is an accurate source for information!

-- Posted by TundraRat on Wed, May 28, 2014, at 12:02 PM
I provided a link to balanced reporting of the facts Cool Breeze. You provided simpering comments with no back up. As usual. What's the matter? Couldn't find an extreme right wing person to plagiarize from?

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Wed, May 28, 2014, at 11:17 PM
Kelly

You better be careful Lamont might cancel his subscription.

-- Posted by gmoney on Wed, May 28, 2014, at 11:27 PM
Facts, not exaggerations, will always win over hysterical adversaries, with an axe to grind.

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Thu, May 29, 2014, at 8:39 AM
CNN is your fact source....wow a liberal news media defending a liberal. Now that is news....NOT

-- Posted by Trouble2011 on Thu, May 29, 2014, at 9:27 AM
Only an ultra right-wing crazy would mistake CNN for a liberal news source. Trouble, try doing some research before you write.

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Thu, May 29, 2014, at 10:38 AM
Trouble Where should we read the news? Please give us a recommendation. I read many different news sites, the ones that are non-fiction not the fiction ones most Republicans get their news from.

I'm waiting for your recommendation (smile)

-- Posted by MsMarylin on Thu, May 29, 2014, at 10:52 AM
See Sam you can't have a normal conversation if someone disagree's with you. You don't have an argument so you quickly start calling me names.

In your first 6 words you label me with "right-wing crazy" and you don't even know me.

Who owns CNN? A ultra Liberal, CNN has been proven to slant toward the left. Just like many believe FOX slants toward the right.

I never called you names I only referred about CNN

Try and get some therapy before you jump of the handle again. Nobody attacked you personally so I would appriciate it if you restrain your attacks on me and everyone else.

Please stick to the facts and not the name calling, it isn't very becoming of anyone.

-- Posted by Trouble2011 on Thu, May 29, 2014, at 2:22 PM
Trouble2011, you inferred that I was calling you a right wing crazy but I didn't. I just said that only a right wing crazy would think that CNN was a liberal news agency.

I did suggest that you should do more research.

I posted information and a link related to the CIA chief, at around 11:00 am yesterday and nobody else has stayed on topic since then. How about everyone get back on topic or just not comment?

For those interested in the topic, here is the Washington Times take on the subject, reporting that Obama made a speech about protecting the nation's secrets but also the need for more transparency. The CIA used to be one of the reasons why the term "the ugly American" came up.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/may/28/obama-us-protect-sources-abroad-...

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Thu, May 29, 2014, at 3:16 PM
You are confusing a conclusion from the blog writer from the subject of the blog, CoolBreeze.

The subject seems to be the problems and errors of the administration whether real or hyped for political benefit. My comment stands, and the link from the Washington Times stands. They are on topic.

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Thu, May 29, 2014, at 7:05 PM
Then don't read my comments CoolBreeze. It's a very simple solution.

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Thu, May 29, 2014, at 8:16 PM
I've been watching the president's news conference on the VA question. After investigation by the head of the VA, the head of the VA is firing people and cancelling bonuses for wrong doing at the VA. He also offered the president his resignation, which the president says that he accepted.

That seems to me to be the way things should probably work, with an investigation first and then action.

On the other question about the CIA name that was sent out. Didn't an error occur and it was corrected when discovered? Isn't that the way things should work to?

So where is the incompetence, unless we are expecting that no wrong doing or errors are made? We have a pretty big government doing lots of things with every problem being scrutinized by the opposition (Republican) party. It seems to me that people are getting swept up in the hype from the Republican party/Tea Party hard-liners.

-- Posted by Soc7 on Fri, May 30, 2014, at 9:41 AM
He wasn't fired so therefore he gets his retirement..

-- Posted by MsMarylin on Fri, May 30, 2014, at 3:35 PM
Marylin is right. Shinseki wasn't fired. He resigned and the heads of some departments in the VA are getting fired where they have been found to have done wrong.

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Fri, May 30, 2014, at 5:45 PM
Kelley

You knew of this incompetence two years ago but had your shades on and kept your head turned to the left thru the election.

I believe the President said all the troops would be out of Afghanistan during his Memorial day speech.

Now during his speech at West Point, 10k troops are staying. Which one is true? This CIA leak will cost American lives now.

All the VA managers who submitted phony data should be jailed and fined substantially.

-- Posted by gmoney on Fri, May 30, 2014, at 6:04 PM
I agree Coolbreeze, I am sure Obama gave him a choice, which is why I like our President. Shinseki had been working for the Government for 50 years and to get fired and not receive his retirement would of been heart wrenching for him. Obama did the right thing by not firing him.

I don't agree with you that our President is a liar, I think he wants the best for our Country and the people in it. Sometimes we say something were going to do and then not do it. Hasn't that ever happened to you coolbreeze. I can remember times I even promised things to my kids when they were young and sometimes I had to break that promise. Example once I said were going camping tomorrow and when tomorrow came the weather turned ugly and it wouldn't of been fun camping, so I broke that promise. Did I lie?

Our President isn't a warmonger, he is a peaceful one, for which I am grateful for. I don't want to see our young people dying over something we shouldn't of gotten involved in in the first place. President Obama has kept us out of war!

-- Posted by MsMarylin on Sat, May 31, 2014, at 10:17 AM
Guess what coolbreeze we still have our same insurance. I bet you don't even know why some people couldn't keep their insurance?

-- Posted by MsMarylin on Sat, May 31, 2014, at 12:01 PM
I'm sure that CoolBreeze hasn't a clue. He just copies what he reads from ultra-conservative sites and they won't tell him that.

Quite often they weren't able to keep their insurance because it was substandard insurance that didn't meet the requirements.

President's have throughout history made statements that turned out to later be incorrect or appeared out of touch.

CoolBreeze why don't you just admit that you just have an axe to grind?

George Bush #1 - "Read my lips. No new taxes."

John McCain shortly after the 2008 bankruptcies - "The fundamentals of the economy are strong."

Richard Nixon - "I am not a crook."

Lyndon Johnson - "We will seek no wider war."

Herbert Hoover - "The fundamental business of the country, that is, production and distribution of commodities, is on a sound and prosperous basis."

http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1859513_1859526_1...

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Sat, May 31, 2014, at 12:31 PM
The Obama Administration has made a trade and Bowe Berdahl has been released.

http://time.com/2803616/bowe-bergdahl-american-afghanistan-returned/

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Sat, May 31, 2014, at 12:41 PM
That is the best news I have heard for a very long time. Free at last BOWE BERDAHL is free at last. Brings tears to my eyes. Just another reason why I love our President and so thankful he won both elections.

Thank You Mr President!! Well Done!! I'm doing the Happy Dance............ My heart goes out to Bowe and his family and friends.........

-- Posted by MsMarylin on Sat, May 31, 2014, at 1:51 PM
I just talked to someone who knows this guy and they did not talk highly of him.Said he was going AWOL that is why he was outside the compound.Matters not we got him back.I hope not to stand a courts martial.

-- Posted by lamont on Sat, May 31, 2014, at 2:13 PM
Me too. He has suffered enough. Lamont I may be there a little after 8:00. My sister wants to come too and she may be a little delayed.

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Sat, May 31, 2014, at 2:25 PM
It probably is very upsetting to you Cool Breeze that Obama has been able to get Bowe Bergdahl released. It kind of reminds me when he was able to eliminate Osama Bin Ladin. Keep working on it. Maybe you can work up some selective umbrage on this too.

The "you can keep your insurance" was not a lie. It failed to take into account exceptions. "I am not a crook" was a lie. You seem, in your hysteria, to have lost your perspective on reality.

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Sat, May 31, 2014, at 11:51 PM
Hey lamont! We enjoyed the music and the talk. Thank you.

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Sat, May 31, 2014, at 11:57 PM
Coolbreeze instead of speculating if Bowe was awol when he was captured, why not wait until he is interrogated and we have facts. My son was over there and during his time spend there he was outside the perimeter almost everyday. 2 miles out and 2 miles back, he wasn't captured and he is still in the Army National Guard.

And as far as what his father had said, we don't even know if that was actually him who said it and if he did maybe there was a reason for saying it. If it was me, as a Mother I would of done whatever it took to get my son free.

-- Posted by MsMarylin on Sun, Jun 1, 2014, at 10:48 AM
I'm wondering why there is the apparent need to judge Bergdahl based on his father's actions, if those are indeed his father's actions?

An American soldier who has been held captive for years has been released. Yes, let's do the "happy dance" for that. Cool Breeze has his own axe to grind so he is hoping that the ultra conservatives can dig up some more, because that's the way he rolls.

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Sun, Jun 1, 2014, at 11:49 AM
I think Bowe thought the grass would be greener on the other side.

He stayed "captive" until his muslin brothers decide it was time for him to go.

Reminds me of a TV show I watched.

Sam/Sara I think you left out a few Lies:

Clinton:

I did not have sex with that woman...Miss Lewinski

Obama:

I will have the most transparent administration in history.

The stimulus will fund shovel-ready jobs.

The IRS is not targeting anyone.

It was a spontaneous riot about a movie.

I will put an end to the type of politics that "breeds division, conflict and cynicism".

I will restore trust in Government.

The public will have 5 days to look at every bill that lands on my desk It's not my red line - it is the world's red line.

ObamaCare will be good for America

You can keep your family doctor. PERIOD!

Premiums will be lowered by $2500.

If you like it, you can keep your current healthcare plan. PERIOD!

I knew nothing about "Fast and Furious" gunrunning to Mexican drug cartels.

I knew nothing about IRS targeting conservative groups.

I knew nothing about what happened in Benghazi.

Just to wanted to add a few lies to the record.

-- Posted by gmoney on Sun, Jun 1, 2014, at 12:56 PM
Aw Coolbreeze I see that happening all the time on facebook. It's a possibility........... Im not judging him until we learn more. I have read all kinds of story's including one that said Bowe was a loner kept to himself, read books accept he made one friend and that friend was killed. Now I don't know if that is truth or fiction and until more information comes out I will not judge.

gmoney not every thing on your list is a lie.

I still have my same insurance and I still have my same Doctor and I am happy people that couldn't get insurance before can now get insurance.

-- Posted by MsMarylin on Sun, Jun 1, 2014, at 7:21 PM
"As usual, Samtroll, your post is further evidence of psychological projection, immature rhetoric, and suppositions you base on absolutely nothing except what you can concoct in that diseased receptacle you call a brain. As such, no response is warranted or necessary."

-- Posted by CoolBreeze83647 on Sun, Jun 1, 2014, at 6:59 PM

Here is an example of how CoolBreeze handles difficult questions along with, of course, his obligatory name calling.

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Sun, Jun 1, 2014, at 9:15 PM
You seem to have drifted off the topic again CoolBreeze. I think that we were discussing the various issues of the Obama Administration and successes, failures, and hype over failures.

Recovering a prisoner of war was a good thing that we should all be thankful for. The problem of not being able to release the Guantanamo Bay prisoners, is also a serious issue that ties the hands of the president. Luckily, the constitution, as the overriding law, allows Obama to do his job, despite minor laws that get in the way of progress.

Again, I have to ask, do you have anything to add to the discussion other than name calling and insults? Others would like to discuss the issues of the day.

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Sun, Jun 1, 2014, at 11:53 PM
M M your link is nothing but garbage! It's stories like that, that get everyone all riled up over something the story teller doesn't know anything about. Story teller is just like the rest of us. The facts aren't in yet!

-- Posted by MsMarylin on Mon, Jun 2, 2014, at 11:20 AM
Your already wrong M M it was 6 men killed while looking for him. What happened to your link?

-- Posted by MsMarylin on Mon, Jun 2, 2014, at 12:18 PM
Try to follow along with this CoolBreeze.

1. Our soldiers are coming home from war in this administration.

2. This administration has kept us out of new wars, using negotiation.

3. The economy has improved from the disaster that it was in 2008.

4. Millions of people who didn't have insurance now have insurance.

5. Obama was able to have Bin Laden killed.

6. Obama brought home a soldier who had been a prisoner for 5 years.

All of this has happened despite Republican Senators and Representatives trying to stop all progress just to negate this presidency.

So once again CoolBreeze, stop fearing that guy in the White House. He means you no harm and intends on doing a good job for the country. He isn't perfect, but on the other hand G.W. Bush, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan didn't set the bar too high.

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Mon, Jun 2, 2014, at 6:38 PM
Yes, your stupidity has no limits. That was an incredible regurgitation of the most ignorant comments, that are not backed up with fact that I've seen in a long time.

1. Our soldiers are coming home. One of my nephews is back and the Afghanistan soldiers are supposed to be coming home by the end of this year.

2. That was a bunch of bull.

3. You wish the economy wasn't getting better because you hate Obama. What you wish isn't going to occur.

4. Getting insurance to millions of people is a good thing and not a bad thing.

5. Obama did have Bin Laden found and killed. G. W. said it wasn't a priority.

6. The law was believed to be unconstitutional. Let's let the courts decide on that. Also, as the people in Hailey, Idaho say. Don't judge their boy but wait for due process. Whether something is impeachable is clearly not up for discussion by you CoolBreeze. You are just a blog troll. Congress doesn't seem to feel that it rises to that level. Remember what G.W. did and what everybody remembers about that?

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Tue, Jun 3, 2014, at 12:14 AM
So our troops are coming home/ yes they are and being replace by new ones. I actually live here in Mountain Home and the base sends out troops monthly to bases in that area.

Yes you are correct millions did get insurance, but I guess we just forget about all the people that had to take the penalty because they couldn't afford the affordable Obamacare. And how about all those that got dropped from their insurance. http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/stories/2013/october/21/cancellation-notices-hea... Oh wait I guess as long as a few million got insurance the program is a good thing. Who cares about all those it left hanging out to dry.

So I guess a 70% increase in people on food stamps is an improvement on our economy. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/28/food-stamp-president-enrollment-...

-- Posted by Tinman65 on Tue, Jun 3, 2014, at 2:33 AM
Yes our troups are coming home.

1. Iraq - down to 40k+ from 166k+

2. Afghanistan by the end of this year down to 10k from a high of 80k.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/06/22/world/asia/american-forces-in-afgh...

As has been mentioned before people with substandard insurance had to get this fixed. That doesn't take away from the fact that 7+ million additional people now are able to have insurance.

Obama is trying to get the minimum wage increased which will reduce the number of people on food stamps. The Republicans in Congress are fighting him on this. That doesn't take away from the fact that the economy is better.

Tinman you seem to be trying to refute good things by finding a negative where you can. All that means is that perfection hasn't been achieved.

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Tue, Jun 3, 2014, at 8:09 AM
I suggest that you read the Kaiser Health News that Tinman posted the link to, CoolBreeze. It explains the requirements for insurance under the Affordable Care Act.

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Tue, Jun 3, 2014, at 8:24 AM
Do you have anything to add to the conversation other than heckling CoolBreeze?

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Tue, Jun 3, 2014, at 9:15 AM
Here's another link to read. Those substandard insurance policy's got a reprieve from President Obama. They now have 2 more years to work on their policy's

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/another-reprieve-substandard-health-plans

-- Posted by MsMarylin on Tue, Jun 3, 2014, at 10:53 AM
That sounds very reasonable Marylin.

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Tue, Jun 3, 2014, at 12:27 PM
When the ACA was put in place those insurance policy's that didn't meet the expectations of how insurance company's handle preexisting conditions they became substandard because they didn't comply with the new regulations of insurance policies.

President Obama has given them more time to make their policy's legal according to the new regulations.

-- Posted by MsMarylin on Tue, Jun 3, 2014, at 5:00 PM
You are exactly right, Marilyn.

"Substandard insurance policy" was defined a long time before the ACA was created.

It is a policy that for some reason doesn't have a standard rate or terms. A pre-existing condition is one example of what would cause some people to have a substandard insurance policy because before the ACA it was too great of a risk for insurers to provide good insurance to the person.

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Tue, Jun 3, 2014, at 6:34 PM
Yes, the Heritage Foundation is an extreme right "think tank" whose hot air defends big businesses that are polluting the environment and other right wing causes. They put intelligent sounding words together for extremists to cut and paste into blogs in an attempt to make these opinions seem logical.

When you cut and pasted the foundations words, CoolBreeze, the right thing to do would be to put quotes around it so as not to give the impression that they were your own words. However, they weren't words to be proud of.

Clearly this is just another Heritage anti-Obama bunch of double-talk, beginning with their definition of substandard insurance.

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Tue, Jun 3, 2014, at 9:51 PM
The main problem with the logic of your cut and paste, Cool Breeze, is that substandard insurance policies existed long before the Affordable Care Act so obviously the ACA did not cause them to become substandard.

I don't know how this could be made any simpler for you.

-- Posted by Sam_1776 on Wed, Jun 4, 2014, at 7:41 AM
FUNNY THING WE DONT SCREAM WHEN A NEWER MODEL CAR MAKES THE OLDER MODEL OBSOLETE........GO FIGURE...........

-- Posted by lamont on Wed, Jun 4, 2014, at 8:52 AM
That's your opinion........

-- Posted by lamont on Wed, Jun 4, 2014, at 10:23 AM
had a friend attend the state republican convention.......he came back madder than a wet hen.......there is quite the article in the statesman about it, worth the read.

-- Posted by lamont on Sun, Jun 15, 2014, at 1:14 PM

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