Obamination: Its all about My Job!

Obamination: Its all about My Job! I could not find a transcript on the White House Blog, then their server bogged down. I found it at Politico. Mark Levin described the speech as 'seven single spaced pages" of "pablum".  In chatting with a friend while playing a game of chess, I described it in a less polite term which I won't repeat here.

    I found the speech to be a campaign event rather than statesmanship.  I am disappointed and disgusted by the failure of the Republicans to walk out when President Obama played the class warfare card.

    Because of the length of the spew, I will flag significant chunks of feces with superscripts linked to my comments which follow the spew in an enumerated list. After reading a comment, use your Backspace key to return to your place in the spew.

    My comments could serve as an outline for the response which the Republican leadership lacks the spinal & testicular fortitude to make.  I do agree with his invocation of God to bless us and America, but that is about it. This proposal is one to reward his campaign donors, punish his enemies and waste billions of dollars we will never be able to pay back to our creditors. 

    I counted 20 demands for immediate passage of this money wasting plan. I counted 27 instances of "I" and 3 instances of my in this speech; narcissism is clearly evident along with corruption.  Obama must go. We can not wait 14 months; he must resign or be impeached. 

Tonight we meet at an urgent time for our country. We continue to face an economic crisis¹ that has left millions of our neighbors jobless, and a political crisis that’s made things worse.²

This past week, reporters have been asking, “What will this speech mean for the President? What will it mean for Congress? How will it affect their polls, and the next election?”³

But the millions of Americans who are watching right now, they don’t care about politics.⁴ They have real-life concerns. Many have spent months looking for work. Others are doing their best just to scrape by — giving up nights out with the family to save on gas or make the mortgage; postponing retirement to send a kid to college.⁵

These men and women grew up with faith in an America where hard work and responsibility paid off⁶. They believed in a country where everyone gets a fair shake and does their⁷ fair share — where if you stepped up, did your job, and were loyal to your company, that loyalty would be rewarded with a decent salary and good benefits; maybe a raise once in a while. If you did the right thing, you could make it. Anybody could make it in America.

For decades now, Americans have watched that compact erode⁸. They have seen the decks too often stacked against them. And they know that Washington has not always put their interests first.⁹

The people of this country work hard to meet their responsibilities. The question tonight is whether we’ll meet ours¹⁰. The question is whether, in the face of an ongoing national crisis, we can stop the political circus¹¹ and actually do something to help the economy. (Applause.) The question is — the question is whether we can restore some of the fairness¹² and security that has defined this nation since our beginning¹³.

Those of us here tonight can’t solve all our nation’s woes¹⁴. Ultimately, our recovery will be driven not by Washington, but by our businesses and our workers. But we can help. We can make a difference¹⁵. There are steps we can take right now to improve people’s lives.¹⁶

I am sending this Congress a plan that you should pass right away¹⁷. It’s called the American Jobs Act. There should be nothing controversial about this piece of legislation. Everything in here is the kind of proposal that’s been supported by both Democrats and Republicans¹⁸ — including many who sit here tonight. And everything in this bill will be paid for¹⁹. Everything. (Applause.)

The purpose of the American Jobs Act is simple: to put more people back to work²⁰ and more money in the pockets of those who are working. It will create more jobs for construction workers, more jobs for teachers, more jobs for veterans²¹, and more jobs for long-term unemployed. (Applause.) It will provide — it will provide a tax break for companies who hire new workers²², and it will cut payroll taxes in half²³ for every working American and every small business. (Applause.) It will provide a jolt to an economy that has stalled, and give companies confidence that if they invest and if they hire, there will be customers for their products and services²⁴. You should pass this jobs plan right away. (Applause.)

Everyone here knows that small businesses are where most new jobs begin. And you know that while corporate profits have come roaring back, smaller companies haven’t. So for everyone who speaks so passionately about making life easier for “job creators,” this plan is for you. (Applause.)

Pass this jobs bill — pass this jobs bill, and starting tomorrow, small businesses will get a tax cut if they hire new workers or if they raise workers’ wages²⁵. Pass this jobs bill, and all small business owners will also see their payroll taxes cut in half next year. (Applause.) If you have 50 employees — if you have 50 employees making an average salary, that’s an $80,000 tax cut²⁶. And all businesses will be able to continue writing off the investments they make in 2012.

It’s not just Democrats who have supported this kind of proposal. Fifty House Republicans have proposed the same payroll tax cut that’s in this plan. You should pass it right away. (Applause.)

Pass this jobs bill, and we can put people to work rebuilding America²⁷. Everyone here knows we have badly decaying roads and bridges²⁸ all over the country. Our highways are clogged with traffic. Our skies are the most congested in the world. It’s an outrage.

Building a world-class transportation system is part of what made us a economic superpower. And now we’re going to sit back and watch China build newer airports and faster railroads? At a time when millions of unemployed construction workers could build them right here in America?²⁹ (Applause.)

There are private construction companies all across America just waiting to get to work. There’s a bridge that needs repair between Ohio and Kentucky that’s on one of the busiest trucking routes in North America. A public transit project in Houston that will help clear up one of the worst areas of traffic in the country. And there are schools throughout this country that desperately need renovating. How can we expect our kids to do their best in places that are literally falling apart? ³⁰This is America. Every child deserves a great school — and we can give it to them, if we act now. (Applause.)

The American Jobs Act will repair and modernize at least 35,000 schools. It will put people to work right now fixing roofs and windows, installing science labs and high-speed Internet in classrooms all across this country. It will rehabilitate homes and businesses in communities hit hardest by foreclosures. It will jumpstart thousands of transportation projects all across the country. And to make sure the money is properly spent, we’re building on reforms we’ve already put in place. No more earmarks. No more boondoggles. No more bridges to nowhere. We’re cutting the red tape that prevents some of these projects from getting started as quickly as possible. And we’ll set up an independent fund to attract private dollars and issue loans based on two criteria: how badly a construction project is needed and how much good it will do for the economy. ³¹(Applause.)

This idea came from a bill written by a Texas Republican and a Massachusetts Democrat. The idea for a big boost in construction is supported by America’s largest business organization and America’s largest labor organization. It’s the kind of proposal that’s been supported in the past by Democrats and Republicans alike. You should pass it right away. (Applause.)

Pass this jobs bill, and thousands of teachers in every state will go back to work³². These are the men and women charged with preparing our children for a world where the competition has never been tougher. But while they’re adding teachers in places like South Korea, we’re laying them off in droves. It’s unfair to our kids. It undermines their future and ours. And it has to stop. Pass this bill, and put our teachers back in the classroom where they belong. (Applause.)

Pass this jobs bill, and companies will get extra tax credits if they hire America’s veterans. We ask these men and women to leave their careers, leave their families, risk their lives to fight for our country. The last thing they should have to do is fight for a job when they come home. (Applause.)

Pass this bill, and hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged young people will have the hope and the dignity of a summer job next year. And their parents -- (applause) -- their parents, low-income Americans who desperately want to work, will have more ladders out of poverty.

Pass this jobs bill, and companies will get a $4,000³³ tax credit if they hire anyone who has spent more than six months looking for a job. (Applause.) We have to do more to help the long-term unemployed in their search for work. This jobs plan builds on a program in Georgia that several Republican leaders have highlighted, where people who collect unemployment insurance participate in temporary work as a way to build their skills while they look for a permanent job. The plan also extends unemployment insurance for another year. (Applause.) If the millions of unemployed Americans stopped getting this insurance, and stopped using that money for basic necessities, it would be a devastating blow to this economy. Democrats and Republicans in this chamber have supported unemployment insurance plenty of times in the past. And in this time of prolonged hardship, you should pass it again -- right away. (Applause.)

Pass this jobs bill, and the typical working family will get a $1,500 tax cut next year. Fifteen hundred dollars that would have been taken out of your pocket will go into your pocket. This expands on the tax cut that Democrats and Republicans already passed for this year. If we allow that tax cut to expire -- if we refuse to act -- middle-class families will get hit with a tax increase at the worst possible time. We can’t let that happen³⁴. I know that some of you have sworn oaths to never raise any taxes on anyone for as long as you live. Now is not the time to carve out an exception and raise middle-class taxes, which is why you should pass this bill right away. (Applause.)

This is the American Jobs Act. It will lead to new jobs for construction workers, for teachers, for veterans, for first responders, young people and the long-term unemployed. It will provide tax credits to companies that hire new workers, tax relief to small business owners, and tax cuts for the middle class. And here’s the other thing I want the American people to know: The American Jobs Act will not add to the deficit. It will be paid for. And here’s how. (Applause.)

The agreement we passed in July will cut government spending by about $1 trillion over the next 10 years. It also charges this Congress to come up with an additional $1.5 trillion in savings³⁵ by Christmas. Tonight, I am asking you to increase that amount so that it covers the full cost³⁶ of the American Jobs Act. And a week from Monday, I’ll be releasing a more ambitious deficit plan -- a plan that will not only cover the cost of this jobs bill, but stabilize our debt in the long run. (Applause.)

This approach is basically the one I’ve been advocating for months. In addition to the trillion dollars of spending cuts I’ve already signed into law, it’s a balanced plan that would reduce the deficit by making additional spending cuts, by making modest adjustments to health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid, and by reforming our tax code in a way that asks the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations to pay their fair share³⁷. (Applause.) What’s more, the spending cuts wouldn’t happen so abruptly that they’d be a drag on our economy, or prevent us from helping small businesses and middle-class families get back on their feet right away.

Now, I realize there are some in my party who don’t think we should make any changes at all to Medicare and Medicaid, and I understand their concerns. But here’s the truth: Millions of Americans rely on Medicare in their retirement. And millions more will do so in the future. They pay for this benefit during their working years. They earn it. But with an aging population and rising health care costs, we are spending too fast to sustain the program. And if we don’t gradually reform the system while protecting current beneficiaries, it won’t be there when future retirees need it. We have to reform Medicare³⁸ to strengthen it. (Applause.)

I am also -- I’m also well aware that there are many Republicans who don’t believe we should raise taxes on those who are most fortunate and can best afford³⁹ it. But here is what every American knows: While most people in this country struggle to make ends meet, a few of the most affluent citizens and most profitable corporations enjoy tax breaks and loopholes that nobody else gets⁴⁰. Right now, Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary -- an outrage he has asked us to fix. (Laughter.) We need a tax code where everyone gets a fair shake and where everybody pays their fair share. (Applause.) And by the way, I believe the vast majority of wealthy Americans and CEOs are willing to do just that if it helps the economy grow and gets our fiscal house in order.

I’ll also offer ideas to reform a corporate tax code that stands as a monument to special interest influence in Washington. By eliminating pages of loopholes and deductions, we can lower one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world. (Applause.) Our tax code should not give an advantage to companies that can afford the best-connected lobbyists.⁴¹ It should give an advantage to companies that invest and create jobs right here in the United States of America. (Applause.)

So we can reduce this deficit, pay down our debt, and pay for this jobs plan in the process. But in order to do this, we have to decide what our priorities are. We have to ask ourselves, “What’s the best way to grow the economy and create jobs?”

Should we keep tax loopholes for oil companies? Or should we use that money to give small business owners a tax credit when they hire new workers? Because we can’t afford to do both. Should we keep tax breaks for millionaires and billionaires? Or should we put teachers back to work so our kids can graduate ready for college and good jobs? (Applause.) Right now, we can’t afford to do both.

This isn’t political grandstanding. This isn’t class warfare. This is simple math. (Laughter.) This is simple math. These are real choices. These are real choices that we’ve got to make. And I’m pretty sure I know what most Americans would choose. It’s not even close. And it’s time for us to do what’s right for our future. (Applause.)

Now, the American Jobs Act answers the urgent need to create jobs right away. But we can’t stop there. As I’ve argued since I ran for this office, we have to look beyond the immediate crisis and start building an economy that lasts into the future -- an economy that creates good, middle-class jobs that pay well and offer security. We now live in a world where technology has made it possible for companies to take their business anywhere. If we want them to start here and stay here and hire here, we have to be able to out-build and out-educate and out-innovate every other country on Earth. (Applause.)

And this task of making America more competitive for the long haul, that’s a job for all of us. For government and for private companies. For states and for local communities -- and for every American citizen. All of us will have to up our game. All of us will have to change the way we do business.

My administration can and will take some steps to improve our competitiveness on our own. For example, if you’re a small business owner who has a contract with the federal government, we’re going to make sure you get paid a lot faster than you do right now. (Applause.) We’re also planning to cut away the red tape that prevents too many rapidly growing startup companies from raising capital and going public. And to help responsible homeowners, we’re going to work with federal housing agencies to help more people refinance their mortgages at interest rates that are now near 4 percent. That’s a step -- (applause) -- I know you guys must be for this, because that’s a step that can put more than $2,000 a year in a family’s pocket, and give a lift to an economy still burdened by the drop in housing prices.

So, some things we can do on our own. Other steps will require congressional action. Today you passed reform that will speed up the outdated patent process, so that entrepreneurs can turn a new idea into a new business as quickly as possible. That’s the kind of action we need. Now it’s time to clear the way for a series of trade agreements that would make it easier for American companies to sell their products in Panama and Colombia and South Korea -– while also helping the workers whose jobs have been affected by global competition. (Applause.) If Americans can buy Kias and Hyundais, I want to see folks in South Korea driving Fords and Chevys and Chryslers. (Applause.) I want to see more products sold around the world stamped with the three proud words: “Made in America.” That’s what we need to get done. (Applause.)

And on all of our efforts to strengthen competitiveness, we need to look for ways to work side by side with America’s businesses. That’s why I’ve brought together a Jobs Council of leaders from different industries who are developing a wide range of new ideas to help companies grow and create jobs.

Already, we’ve mobilized business leaders to train 10,000 American engineers a year, by providing company internships and training. Other businesses are covering tuition for workers who learn new skills at community colleges. And we’re going to make sure the next generation of manufacturing takes root not in China or Europe, but right here, in the United States of America. (Applause) If we provide the right incentives, the right support -- and if we make sure our trading partners play by the rules -- we can be the ones to build everything from fuel-efficient cars to advanced biofuels to semiconductors that we sell all around the world. That’s how America can be number one again. And that’s how America will be number one again. (Applause.)

Now, I realize that some of you have a different theory on how to grow the economy. Some of you sincerely believe that the only solution to our economic challenges is to simply cut most government spending and eliminate most government regulations. (Applause.)

Well, I agree that we can’t afford wasteful spending, and I’ll work with you, with Congress, to root it out. And I agree that there are some rules and regulations that do put an unnecessary burden on businesses at a time when they can least afford it. (Applause.) That’s why I ordered a review of all government regulations. So far, we’ve identified over 500 reforms, which will save billions of dollars over the next few years. (Applause.) We should have no more regulation than the health, safety and security of the American people require. Every rule should meet that common-sense test. (Applause.)

But what we can’t do -- what I will not do -- is let this economic crisis be used as an excuse to wipe out the basic protections that Americans have counted on for decades. (Applause.) I reject the idea that we need to ask people to choose between their jobs and their safety. I reject the argument that says for the economy to grow, we have to roll back protections that ban hidden fees by credit card companies, or rules that keep our kids from being exposed to mercury, or laws that prevent the health insurance industry from shortchanging patients. I reject the idea that we have to strip away collective bargaining rights to compete in a global economy. (Applause.) We shouldn’t be in a race to the bottom, where we try to offer the cheapest labor and the worst pollution standards. America should be in a race to the top. And I believe we can win that race. (Applause.)

In fact, this larger notion that the only thing we can do to restore prosperity is just dismantle government, refund everybody’s money, and let everyone write their own rules, and tell everyone they’re on their own -- that’s not who we are. That’s not the story of America.

Yes, we are rugged individualists. Yes, we are strong and self-reliant. And it has been the drive and initiative of our workers and entrepreneurs that has made this economy the engine and the envy of the world.

But there’s always been another thread running throughout our history -- a belief that we’re all connected, and that there are some things we can only do together, as a nation.

We all remember Abraham Lincoln as the leader who saved our Union. Founder of the Republican Party. But in the middle of a civil war, he was also a leader who looked to the future -- a Republican President who mobilized government to build the Transcontinental Railroad -- (applause) -- launch the National Academy of Sciences, set up the first land grant colleges. (Applause.) And leaders of both parties have followed the example he set.

Ask yourselves -- where would we be right now if the people who sat here before us decided not to build our highways, not to build our bridges, our dams, our airports? What would this country be like if we had chosen not to spend money on public high schools, or research universities, or community colleges? Millions of returning heroes, including my grandfather, had the opportunity to go to school because of the G.I. Bill. Where would we be if they hadn’t had that chance? (Applause.)

How many jobs would it have cost us if past Congresses decided not to support the basic research that led to the Internet and the computer chip? What kind of country would this be if this chamber had voted down Social Security or Medicare just because it violated some rigid idea about what government could or could not do? (Applause.) How many Americans would have suffered as a result?

No single individual built America on their own. We built it together. We have been, and always will be, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all; a nation with responsibilities to ourselves and with responsibilities to one another. And members of Congress, it is time for us to meet our responsibilities. (Applause.)

Every proposal I’ve laid out tonight is the kind that’s been supported by Democrats and Republicans in the past. Every proposal I’ve laid out tonight will be paid for. And every proposal is designed to meet the urgent needs of our people and our communities.

Now, I know there’s been a lot of skepticism about whether the politics of the moment will allow us to pass this jobs plan -- or any jobs plan. Already, we’re seeing the same old press releases and tweets flying back and forth. Already, the media has proclaimed that it’s impossible to bridge our differences. And maybe some of you have decided that those differences are so great that we can only resolve them at the ballot box.

But know this: The next election is 14 months away. And the people who sent us here -- the people who hired us to work for them -- they don’t have the luxury of waiting 14 months.⁴² (Applause.) Some of them are living week to week, paycheck to paycheck, even day to day. They need help, and they need it now.

I don’t pretend that this plan will solve all our problems⁴³. It should not be, nor will it be, the last plan of action we propose. What’s guided us from the start of this crisis hasn’t been the search for a silver bullet. It’s been a commitment to stay at it -- to be persistent -- to keep trying every new idea that works⁴⁴, and listen to every good proposal, no matter which party comes up with it.

Regardless of the arguments we’ve had in the past, regardless of the arguments we will have in the future, this plan is the right thing to do right now. You should pass it. (Applause.) And I intend to take that message to every corner of this country. (Applause.) And I ask -- I ask every American who agrees to lift your voice: Tell the people who are gathered here tonight that you want action now. Tell Washington that doing nothing is not an option. Remind us that if we act as one nation and one people, we have it within our power to meet this challenge.

President Kennedy once said, “Our problems are man-made –- therefore they can be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants.”

These are difficult years for our country. But we are Americans. We are tougher than the times we live in, and we are bigger than our politics have been. So let’s meet the moment. Let’s get to work, and let’s show the world once again why the United States of America remains the greatest nation on Earth. (Applause.)

Thank you very much. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/63043_Page3.html#ixzz1XQa0NuDw

 

---

1. "Never let a crisis go to waste".  The economic crisis is real: our economy is buried deep in a depression.  We are up to our ears in a sea of debt which will drown us when interest rates rise again.  The economic crisis is the fruit of decades of government by and compromising with LibTurds.  We can't spend our way out of debt. Increasing tax rates and imposing regulations that stifle economic activity are counter productive; part of the problem, not part of the solution. 
2. The political crisis is imaginary, conjured up for partisan political gain. Rejecting counter productive proposals is not partisanship, it is statesmanship. When the patient is dying from poisoning by arsenic, he won't be cured by increased dosages of arsenic.
3. Discussion centers on political impact because the speech is political; a campaign speech intended to secure your grip on power, not a realistic plan for economic growth. If you had a real plan, you would present it in writing, complete with a cost-benefit analysis from the Congressional Budget Office. The fact that you are dribbling out empty platitudes in a series of campaign speeches tells us everything we need to know about your plan: it is a complete fraud.
4. Elections have consequences, as we are learning to our sorrow. The Tea Party arose spontaneously precisely because a growing segment of the electorate is aware of the consequences of electing Socialists to high office.
5. Everyone's income is someone else's expense. When we "tighten our belts", others suffer. When we lose our jobs, everyone in our chain of commerce and credit suffers with us.  We did not learn the wider lesson of the stock market crash of 1929. Income, wealth and economic activity in general must be based on reality, fantasy & fashion are not good economic foundations. We could have and should have learned from the .com bubble. Instead, we inflated the housing bubble, an artificial house of cards whose collapse was inevitable. If we  don't learn our lessons from electing you, this nation will soon land in the ash heap of history.
6. Pay offs are what your corrupt cronies receive. Hard work does not always pay off.  No matter how hard a farmer works, crop failures caused by disease, pestilence, drought or flood can cause his effort and investment to be wasted, resulting in a total loss. Everyone who has tried cold call commission sales knows that hard work is not always rewarded.  Responsibility is not guaranteed to  pay off either. If you are careful with credit and savings, not living beyond your means, you can still be brought down by the consequences of the irresponsibility of others, especially the irresponsibility of those who write the laws & regulations and control the currency.
7. "Fair" is one of those loaded words that carries a great deal of emotional impact without real substance. Try to define and quantify it.
8. This is the point at which responsible & trustworthy Republican statesmen would have risen up and walked out in protest of the class warfare card.  The previous sentence was the first clue, this is the second. The erosion actually began with the whip sawing auto strikes of the '60s & '70s. Bad fiscal policies inflated the currency, leading to a wage/price spiral. Union goons and COLA recipients advanced, everyone else suffered. Unions strangled the golden goose, building the foundation for our present situation.
9. Government should not be involved in putting any "interest" first; determining winners & losers is not the proper role of government. Obama is playing the class warfare card, Republicans should have thrown over the table and walked out.
10. You already answered this question, with your call for "civility" in political discourse, TARP, Porkulus and playing the race and class cards.  While you accuse, by innuendo, the Republicans of irresponsibility, you are the real culprit. Your overweening arrogance and narcissism are disgusting.  Your campaign speeches induce urinary incontinence.
11. In his running commentary on this speech, Mark Levin remarked that you are the lead clown. This is not a policy speech, it is a campaign speech, oriented not toward solving economic problems, but toward your re-election.  Your actions are those of a fireman throwing gasoline on a fire and sounding an extra alarm for more turnout to fight the blaze. 
12. Translation: equality of outcome; income redistribution. That sentence is intended to advance the Socialist agenda, which is entirely contra-indicated by an  understanding of economics. In the real world, outcomes are not equal, and there is no security.
13. This nation is defined by the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, which seized and secured the rights of citizens. It is not defined by trhe Socialist agenda you are promoting.
14. You have no interest in solving problems, if you did, you would propose solutions instead of more of the same idiocy that caused & exacerbated them.  You are following the Cloward-Piven strategy: rule through ruin.  You believe, that by destroying our economy, you can institute your Socialist agenda. 
15. Washington can make a difference by getting the Hell out of the way. Lift the flood gates that retard progress. Begin by repealing Obama Don't Care, which is raising costs and uncertainty. Continue by reversing and abandoning irrational and unreasonable "clean air" & "green energy" regulations that will vastly inflate energy & transportation costs. Totally drop the policies flowing from the anthropomorphic climate change fraud. For real progress, eliminate all artificial barriers to domestic petroleum exploration, production, transportation & refining.  If you really want economic growth, make Shrub's tax rate cuts permanent and eliminate the capital gains & death taxes entirely. Put a permanent end to double taxation.
16. Government does not improve lives, it protects them. Get off our backs and out of the way.
17. Haste makes waste. Instead of buying a pig in a poke, in a hurry on urgent business, Congress should  demand substantive details, examine them carefully and then tell you go go to 'rass your plans and go to Hell. If the Congress did not learn from the Obama Don't Care and TARP fiascoes, we need to replace  them. 
18. Members of both parties supported all the failed policies that dug the rut we are in. We need a ladder, not a back hoe to get out of this rut. There are corrupt politicians and Socialists in both parties. We need to get rid of them, starting with you, November 6, 2012.
19. If it ain't paid for in ready cash in hand, it ain't paid for. We have heard that lie before, and we recognize it' 'rass it and go to Hell.
20. If you want to put people to work, employ them to do something productive that will generate enough revenue to pay their wages and benefits. If you can't do that, then sit down, shut up, get out of the way and let someone who can take your office.  You can remove the artificial barriers to economic recovery & growth. You can stop the fiscal irresponsibility that is drowning us in debt. Do it or resign.
21. More jobs for unionized workers whose dues will flow into your campaign treasury. Aka. graft & corruption.  Government should never be engaged in picking favorites. When you confer special advantages on anyone, you disadvantage everyone else.
22. "Tax breaks for corporations"; you are tripping over your own tongue. "Tax breaks" significantly less than the annual cost of wages and benefits for each hire and the aggregate of new hires will not produce the desired result. Employers need some expectation of making a profit, not taking a loss. They need predictable markets and costs. Your Obama Don't Care and energy related regulations do more to prevent job development than anything else.  They are not going to hire until sales & demand are seen to increase substantially with a trend curve that indicates they will be sustained. Inadequate, short term, single shot fixes are part of the problem, not part of the solution. 
23. With OASDI rapidly approaching bankruptcy and the unemployment compensation system already in the red, that is a wonderful idea indeed.
24. Investment and hiring decisions must be based on long term trends. Your tax and regulatory policies are counter productive, killing, not creating jobs. Employers hire after need is proven, not before. You are putting the cart before the horse.  
25. Incentives built into tax laws need to be  predictable, reliable and sufficient to offset the cost of the behavior they are designed to promote. No competent manager will base hiring or pay decisions on a tax cut. Everyones income is an expense to someone else. If employers pay more, they will charge more, hurting their customers.
26. How does that tax cut compare to the total cost of one employee, wages, benefits & payroll taxes?  How many new hires will it facilitate?
27. Define your terms! You imply rebuilding infrastructure, which would not be as substantial as you imply and would vastly increase the defecit & debt. You really mean replace the Constitution with Das Kapital' 'rass it and go to Hell.
28. What happened to the loot in the Highway Trust Fund?  Why was it not used to rebuild roads & bridges on an as needed basis? What is the annual Federal Motor Fuel tax revenue, and how is it spent?
29. How much money does it cost to build an airport, and how many people does it employ? Will rough carpenters, electricians and brick layers, drywallers, finish carpenters and plumbers be put to work building bridges and highways? Do their training and skill sets transfer?  What is the cost of land acquisition, planning, zoning, etc?  How lown will this process take?  You will put millions to work overnight, yeah, right.  Show us your magic wand.
30. Leaning is not a function of the facility, it is a function of the curriculum, resources and student ability, attitude & effort. Schools are a local, not a federal issue. 
31. Promises, promises. This reminds me of an old dirty joke about starlings flying from a plow handle after feeding on manure. This is simply a proposal for pumping more borrowed money down the drain.
32. Teachers are unionized. The NEA is a major contributor to Democrat campaign chests. We have played this game before and we lost. Lets not play it again. Let those whose outrageous wage and benefit demands contributed to the bankruptcy of local governments share in the suffering they caused.
33. If you want to stimulate employment, don't piddle with nickle and dime tax cuts, quit taxing employers.
34. You were perfectly happy to let Shrub's tax cuts expire, which would have hit our pockets much harder. your hypocrisy stinks like the manure pile it is.
35. Those savings are a false promise and everybody knows it. Democrats do not cut spending! 
36. What is the full cost of your money wasting graft plan?  Why didn't you declare it in your speech?
37. Every Republican who sat through this class warfare attack should have one and only one competent, conservative, articulate, aggressive and well financed opponent in the next primary election cycle.  Failure to walk out on this is absolutely unforgivable. 
38. The first thing to do is eliminate Obama Don't Care. Then you need to put curbs on outrageous litigation abuse and fraud. 
39. Class warfare!!! The Democrats playing the class and race cards are setting us up for deadly and destructive riots. No statesman worth his salary would sit still in the face of that spew of feces. Every Republican who sat through that must be primaried!!!
40. And you just proposed new tax breaks for corporations!  Your hypocrisy is apparent, it can not be concealed. Where are the Republicans who should have jeered and walked out? Have they no shame?
41. No, it should give tax advantages to those who contribute the most to your campaign chest, like G.E.
42. True, we can't wait, we demand your immediate resignation.
43. You pretend that it will solve unemployment, education & transportation, ain't those lies enough?  Resign, liar, save us the trouble of impeaching you.
44. Which of your ideas has worked? None of them ever will. Insanity has been defined as doing the same thing repeatedly, expecting different results.

Congress Must Expel Maxine Waters!

Breitbart has video of  the statement in which the dishonorable Representative Maxine Waters said   "the Tea Party can go straight to hell". When the applause subsided, she added "And I intend to help them get there".

    Did she get the memo about "civility" in political discourse?  In Detroit Monday, President Obama heard Jimmy Hoffa Jr. call us "sons of a bitch" and declare war on us. He made no protest, indicating his approval. His call for "civility" is a one way street.

    The Congress should reprimand President Obama for demagoguery and expel Rep. Waters for making a death threat. If they do not act, the electorate should take due notice and vote accordingly Nov. 6, 2012.

Michigan House Bill 4769 Bans Enforcement of Alien Laws

Having opened the bill in Adobe X, I searched it for the following terms: Islam, Muslim, Sharia, Shari'ah and Fiqh. No instances of any of those words was found in the legislation.

    An excerpt of the operative code is included below with the most significant clauses highlighted. It simply prohibits the application of any foreign law impairing the constitutional rights of litigants.

Sec. 2. A court, arbitrator, administrative agency, or other 
4  adjudicative, mediation, or enforcement authority shall not enforce 
5  a foreign law if doing so would violate a right guaranteed by the 
6  constitution of this state or of the United States. 
7  Sec. 3. (1) If any contractual provision or agreement provides 
8  for the choice of a foreign law to govern its interpretation or the 
9  resolution of any dispute between the parties and if the 
10  enforcement or interpretation of the contractual provision or 
11  agreement would result in a violation of a right guaranteed by the 
12  constitution of this state or of the United States, the contractual 
13  provision or agreement shall be applied as modified or amended to 
14  the extent necessary to preserve the constitutional rights of the 
15  parties.
16  (2) If any contractual provision or agreement provides for the 
17  choice of venue or forum outside of the states or territories of 
18  the United States, and if the enforcement or interpretation of the 
19  contractual provision or agreement applying that choice of venue or 
20  forum provision would result in a violation of any right guaranteed 
21  by the constitution of this state or of the United States, that 
22  contractual provision or agreement shall be interpreted or 
23  construed to preserve the constitutional rights of the person 
24  against whom enforcement is sought. Similarly, if a natural person 
25  subject to personal jurisdiction in this state seeks to maintain 
26  litigation, arbitration, agency, or similarly binding proceedings 
27  in this state, and if a court of this state finds that granting a 
claim of forum non conveniens or a related claim violates or would 
2  likely lead to a violation of the constitutional rights of the 
3  nonclaimant in the foreign forum with respect to the matter in 
4  dispute, the claim shall be denied. 
5  (3) Any contractual provision or agreement incapable of being 
6  modified or amended to preserve the constitutional rights of the 
7  parties pursuant to the provisions of this section is null and 
8  void.
9  (4) If a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, 
10  business association, or other legal entity contracts to subject 
11  itself to foreign law in a jurisdiction outside of any state or 
12  territory of the United States, this act does not apply to that 
13  contract.
14  Sec. 4. This act applies only to actual or foreseeable 
15  violations of the constitutional rights of a person caused by the 
16  application of the foreign law.

    An association of "moderate Muslims" has endorsed the proposed legislation in a press release, available as a pdf file.  Lets sample the document and take a closer look.

Washington, DC (September 6, 2011) – A coalition of diverse American Muslim leaders has announced support
for a  proposed bill in the Michigan State Assembly, HB 4679,  that is intended to bar Michigan courts from
enforcing any foreign law, if doing so violates any rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and/or the state of
Michigan‟s constitution.

   

•     Nine endorsers are listed. at the end of the press release.
  •  Alliance for Democracy in Iran greets the world in Persian. It has a Facebook page liked by 170.
  • Council for Democracy and Tolerance presents a six point mission statemnt. Its founder has some associations that would make Muslim's heads explode. I found neither a statement of membership nor an independent Facebook presence. 
  • Hasan Mahmahmud is listed as an advisory board member of the World Muslim Congress.  Their Facebook link is to their founder's personal page with 4999 friends. 
  • Alliance of Iranian Women has an interesting web site which begins with an enumerated list of 17 misogynistic provisions of Shari'ah as imposed in Iran. I did not find membership numbers or a Facebook listing.
  • Muslim Canadian Congress is represented by Farzana Hassan, Ed.D and Tarek Fata. They have signs of activity & organization but no statement of a number of members. They have a -Facebook page with 27 members and several others totaling 4434 sympathetic to their position.  Opposing groups, some expressly denying representation, total 1688 members.
  • Lib for All seems to be an Indonesian organization with an American address and activity.  Their Facebook group has 517 members.
  • AIFD has several Facebook pages, the largest with 464 followers, a grand total of 829. 
  • Jalal Zuberi, MD is a professor of pediatric medicine, I doubt that his endorsement involves the medical school.
• It appears that these leaders have approximately 11,000 followers; about 9 ten millionths of 1 percent of Muslims.

[...]As American Muslims, we  believe that the law should treat people of all faiths equally, while  protecting
Muslims and non-Muslims alike from extremist attempts to use the legal instrument of  shari„ah (also known as
Islamic jurisprudence, or fiqh) to incubate, within the West, a highly politicized and dangerous understanding of
Islam that is generally known as “Islamism,” or “radical Islam.”

American Muslims

    What differentiates American Muslims from African, Arabian or Asian Muslims?  What is the role of geography in their  belief system?  Do Muslims in other regions believe that the law should treat people differentially as a function of their religious affiliation?

extremist

    What is an extremist? Is it a Muslim with a non-standard belief set; a deviant from normative Islam or is it a zealot, a true believer? Exactly what differentiates American Muslims from extremists? 

dangerous understanding

    What is the meaning of "understanding" in this context? Is it anything other than interpretation?  What makes this interpretation dangerous?  Is there a standard interpretation of Islam?  Who, other than Islam's founder, is competent & authorized to interpret Islam?  Is Islam anything other than what Muhammad revealed in the Qur'an and exemplified in his Sunnah?

Islamism

    What differentiates Islam from Islamism?  Exactly what is the element that makes Islamism radical? Is Islamism anything other than Salafism: emulation of Muhammad, who combined  religious and temporal power in his own hands and those of his caliphs?

We see no evidence that statutes like HB 4769 will  adversely impact the free exercise  of our personal pietistic
observance of Islam, which is not in conflict with the U.S. or Michigan constitutions. [...]

free exercise

    The proposed law will not interfere with iman, hajj, salat, saum or zakat. Or will it? Islam requires payment of 2.5% of accumulated wealth and financial transactions. Zakat is divided into eight equal shares, one of which must be paid to those fighting in Allah's cause: terrorists. Federal law prohibits sending money to terrorists.

observance of Islam

    Do you sit on the sidelines and watch others perform Islam, or do you perform it?  How do you perform Islam without  obeying Allah and emulating Muhammad?

33:21. Indeed in the Messenger of Allâh (Muhammad ) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allâh and the Last Day and remembers Allâh much.

33:22. And when the believers saw Al­Ahzâb (the Confederates), they said: "This is what Allâh and His Messenger (Muhammad ) had promised us, and Allâh and His Messenger (Muhammad ) had spoken the truth, and it only added to their faith and to their submissiveness (to Allâh).

33:23. Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allâh [i.e. they have gone out for Jihâd (holy fighting), and showed not their backs to the disbelievers], of them some have fulfilled their obligations (i.e. have been martyred), and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed [i.e.they never proved treacherous to their covenant which they concluded with Allâh] in the least.

33:24. That Allâh may reward the men of truth for their truth (i.e. for their patience at the accomplishment of that which they covenanted with Allâh), and punish the hypocrites if He will or accept their repentance by turning to them in Mercy. Verily, Allâh is Oft­Forgiving, Most Merciful.

33:25. And Allâh drove back those who disbelieved in their rage, they gained no advantage (booty, etc.). Allâh sufficed for the believers in the fighting (by sending against the disbelievers a severe wind and troops of angels). And Allâh is Ever All­Strong, All­Mighty.

33:26. And those of the people of the Scripture who backed them (the disbelievers) Allâh brought them down from their forts and cast terror into their hearts, (so that) a group (of them) you killed, and a group (of them) you made captives.

33:27. And He caused you to inherit their lands, and their houses, and their riches, and a land which you had not trodden (before). And Allâh is Able to do all things.

   

personal, pietistic

    So, your personal interpretation of Islam rejects Surah Al-Anfal, Surah At-Taubah, Surah Al-Ahzab, Surah Muhammad, Surah Al-Hujuraat  & Surah As-Saff.  You also reject Muhammad's Sunnah in which he testified that he was commanded to fight and implemented that command. There is one little problem with that: You condemn yourself to eternal damnation by rejecting Allah's jihad imperatives.

2:85. After this, it is you who kill one another and drive out a party of you from their homes, assist (their enemies) against them, in sin and transgression. And if they come to you as captives, you ransom them, although their expulsion was forbidden to you. Then do you believe in a part of the Scripture and reject the rest? Then what is the recompense of those who do so among you, except disgrace in the life of this world, and on the Day of Resurrection they shall be consigned to the most grievous torment. And Allâh is not unaware of what you do.

    Under the Shafi'ite school's Shari'ah, codified in Reliance of the Traveller, your rejection of Allah's jihad imperatives condemns you to death for apostasy.    

O8.1

When a person who has reached puberty and is sane voluntarily apostatizes from Islam, he deserves to be killed.

O8.2

In such a case, it is obligatory for the caliph (A: or his representive) to ask him to repent and return to Islam. If he does, it is accepted from him, but if he refuses, he is immediately killed.

 

O8.7: Acts that Entail Leaving Islam

(O: Among the things that entail apostasy from Islam (may Allah protect us from them) are: [...]

-7- to deny any verse of the Koran or anything which by scholarly consensus (def: b7) belongs to it, or to add a verse that does belong to it;

-14- to deny the obligatory character of something which by the consensus of Muslims (ijma`, def: B7) is part of Islam, when it is well known as such, like the prayer (salat) or even one rak'a from one of the five obligatory prayers, if there is no excuse (def: u2.4);

-19- to be sarcastic about any ruling of the Sacred Law;

According to AILC member C. Holland Taylor, “the Islamist agenda
threatens  not only the  well-being of the United States and its inhabitants, but also undermines and distorts the
highest principles of Islam itself.”

highest principles of Islam

    What are the "highest principles of Islam" and how does Islamism distort them?  Islamism conflates Islam and government, seeking to supplant man made laws with Shari'ah.  How does that differ from what Muhammad did? Did Muhammad distort the highest principles of the deen he founded?

    Who dictated the laws? Who judged crimes and imposed punishments?  Does the Qur'an prescribe penalties for zina, theft and alcohol consumption? Did Muhammad impose and execute them?  These quotes should settle the issue.

33:36. It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allâh and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allâh and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed in a plain error.

Malik's Muwatta Book 41, Number 41.2.12:

Malik related to me from Zayd ibn Aslam that a man confessed to fornication in the time of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, called for a whip, and he was brought a broken whip. He said, "Above this," and he was brought a new whip whose knots had not been cut yet. He said, "Below this," and he was brought a whip which had been used and made flexible. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, gave the order and he was flogged. Then he said, "People! The time has come for you to observe the limits of Allah. Whoever has had any of these ugly things befall him should cover them up with the veil of Allah. Whoever reveals to us his wrong action, we perform what is in the Book of Allah against him."

    Muhammad united in himself the offices of law giver and judge. Allah tells us that Muhammad is to be emulated.

33:21. Indeed in the Messenger of Allâh (Muhammad ) you have a good example to follow for him who hopes in (the Meeting with) Allâh and the Last Day and remembers Allâh much.

“Michigan House Bill 4769 seeks to ensure that American Muslims can live in freedom and safety, in accordance with our constitutional principles, and not be enveloped by the tentacles of medieval, man-made laws that have been falsely accorded divine status,” said the AILC.

falsely accorded divine status

    I can not argue that Shari'ah is not medieval & man made nor can I argue that its divine status is not fallacious.  But when Muslims agree with me, they commit apostasy. [Reliance of the Traveller, O8.7, items 7, 14 & 19, quoted above.]  Examine the penalty for fornication codified in Reliance.

O12.1

The legal penalty is obligatorily imposed upon anyone who fornicates or commits sodomy (A: provided it is legally established (def: n11.2 (O:) ) ) when they:

(a) have reached puberty;

(b) are sane;

(c) and commit the act voluntarily;

no matter whether the person is a Muslim, non-Muslim subject of the Islamic state, or someone who has left Islam.

O12.2

If the offender is someone with the capacity to remain chaste, then he or she is stoned to death (def: o12.6), someone with the capacity to remain chaste meaning anyone who has had sexual intercourse (A: at least once) with their spouse in a valid marriage, and is free, of age, and sane. A person is not considered to have the capacity to remain chaste if he or she has only had intercourse in a marriage that is invalid, or is prepubescent at the time of material intercourse, or is someone insane at the time of marital intercourse who subsequently regains their sanity prior to committing adultery.

If the offender is not someone with the capacity to remain chaste, then the penalty consists of being scourged (def: o12.5) one hundred stripes and banished to a distance of at least 81 km./50 mi. for one year.

    If that is not divine law, then nothing in the Qur'an is divine!

24:2. The woman and the man guilty of illegal sexual intercourse, flog each of them with a hundred stripes. Let not pity withhold you in their case, in a punishment prescribed by Allâh, if you believe in Allâh and the Last Day. And let a party of the believers witness their punishment. (This punishment is for unmarried persons guilty of the above crime but if married persons commit it, the punishment is to stone them to death, according to Allâh's Law).

racism

“To equate Bill 4769 to racism is not only dishonest, but is a poor and clumsy attempt at making ordinary Muslim Americans feel alien in their own homeland, while creating a rift between Muslims and the rest of our country,” said AILC member Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser.

    Where in HB 4769 is race or religion mentioned? What race is Islam?  Islam has enslaved Arabs, Africans, Asians and Caucasians, so, what race is it?  If we do not want our courts to enforce alien laws that impose corporal punishment, discount a woman's testimony, forbid Christians to testify and deny child custody to a Christian mother, how does that make us racists? 

The AILC statement reinforces the American Muslim community's commitment to the First Amendment‟s Establishment Clause and the separation between religion and state. Unfortunately, Islamist groups would like to compromise this separation and provide cover to medieval, misogynistic and homophobic laws that no Muslim is obligated to demand as public law.

obligated to demand

    I will quote one ayeh which is typical of  three  which impose an obligation to make Islam dominate the world.

9:33. It is He Who has sent His Messenger (Muhammad ) with guidance and the religion of truth (Islâm), to make it superior over all religions even though the Mushrikûn (polytheists, pagans, idolaters, disbelievers in the Oneness of Allâh) hate (it).

(9:33:8) liyuẓ'hirahu

to manifest it

(48:28:8) liyuẓ'hirahu

that He (may) make it prevail

(61:9:8) liyuẓ'hirahu

to make it prevail

• He it is Who has sent His Messenger, Muhammad (s), with the guidance and the religion of truth, that He may manifest it, make it prevail, over every religion, all the religions which oppose it, even though the disbelievers be averse, to this. Tafsir al-Jalalayn
• The Good News that Muslims will conquer the Known World, and ultimately the Entire World
• Sahih Bukhari Volume 4, Book 52, Number 65:

  Narrated Abu Musa:

  A man came to the Prophet and asked, "A man fights for war booty; another fights for fame and a third fights for showing off; which of them fights in Allah's Cause?" The Prophet said, "He who fights that Allah's Word (i.e. Islam) should be superior, fights in Allah's Cause."
  

• Sahih Bukhari Volume 1, Book 8, Number 387:
  Narrated Anas bin Malik:
  Allah's Apostle said, "I have been ordered to fight the people till they say: 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah.' And if they say so, pray like our prayers, face our Qibla and slaughter as we slaughter, then their blood and property will be sacred to us and we will not interfere with them except legally and their reckoning will be with Allah." Narrated Maimun ibn Siyah that he asked Anas bin Malik, "O Abu Hamza! What makes the life and property of a person sacred?" He replied, "Whoever says, 'None has the right to be worshipped but Allah', faces our Qibla during the prayers, prays like us and eats our slaughtered animal, then he is a Muslim, and has got the same rights and obligations as other Muslims have."

    Tafsir Ibn Kathir spreads the "good news" "that Islam will conquer"  based on 48:28. If any doubt remains, read 61:9 to the end of the surah, the context of the succeeding ayat leaves no room for doubt.  The mission of Islam is global conquest, participation in which is your get out of Hell free card.

spreading the plague

“Shari„ah law, wherever it has been applied in the public domain, be it in Iran, Saudi Arabia or Pakistan, has resulted in untold misery and oppression of Muslims, in particular Muslim women, by Islamists and dictators who invoke shari„ah law to justify their rule,” said AILC member Manda Ervin. “Many of us fled the Muslim world to escape shari„ah law and to practice Islam in our personal lives, by moving to the USA and other western countries. We do not wish these laws to follow us here,” she concluded.

    It is impossible to dispute the facts raised by Manda Ervin. Unfortunately, those who flee the plague carry it with them.  Immunity requires apostasy.  None of us will be fully safe until everyone is immunized against Shari'ah.

CAIR    

    CAIR issued an action alert, claiming that "The bill does nothing to protect our legal institutions but only contributes to the growing climate of fear mongering against the American Muslim community which marginalizes and cast suspicion upon loyal Americans.".  They provide scripts with some interesting talking points. [Emphasis added.]

• "authored by the anti-black racist David Yerushalmi"
• "contributes to the growing climate of fear mongering"
• "potentially stifle business development by creating unnecessary legal hurdles for international business investors"
• " Anti-Muslim, Anti-Business bill"

    Of course there could not possibly be any rational basis for the proposed legislation, because Shari'ah is a non issue in Michigan courts. Yeah, right.

Shariah Law and American State Courts: An Assessment of State Appellate Court Cases  lists one Michigan case
http://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=4294001533062003586&q=Islamic+OR+Sharia+OR+Muslim+OR+Islam&hl=en&as_sdt=4,23

In April 2008, defendant traveled to India and pronounced the following written triple talaq:
Now this deed witnesses that I the said Bade Pinjari, do hereby divorce Saida Tarikonda, daughter
of T. Babu Khan, by pronouncing upon her Divorce/Talaq three times irrevocably and by
severing all connections of husband and wife with her forever and for good.
1. I Divorce thee Saida Tarikonda
2. I Divorce thee Saida Tarikonda
3. I Divorce thee Saida Tarikonda . . . .

The parties disagree regarding whether plaintiff was notified of this triple talaq. However, in
May 2008, plaintiff filed a complaint for divorce in Michigan. Defendant filed a motion to dismiss
the complaint pursuant to MCR 2.116(C)(7) because of the existing Indian divorce. To
prove the divorce occurred, he offered a divorce certificate from a Wakf Board in Andhra
Pradesh, India. The trial court granted his motion. It instructed plaintiff to register the Indian divorce
in Michigan and file a separate complaint for custody and child support.

That ruling was overturned on appeal, but some litigants may lack the money and patience to pursue appeals. We should not take that risk. Go to
http://www.congress.org/,  create a free account,  enter your zip code and send emails to your  Michigan  Representative & Senator asking them to  co-sponsor and vote for this legislation.

Obamination: Labor Day

Obamination: Labor Day

Remarks by the President at Detroit Labor Day Event

GM Plant Parking Lot

Detroit, Michigan

1:30 P.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, Detroit!  (Applause.)  Thank you, Michigan!  (Applause.)  Oh, this is a --

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Thank you, everybody.  It is --

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you, everybody.  Thank you.

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT:  Thank you.  Thank you, everybody.  I can tell Ghana got you fired up.  (Applause.)  Thank you, Ghana, for that introduction.  Thank you all for having me.  It is good to be back in Detroit.  (Applause.)  I'm glad I was able to bring a friend -- a proud daughter of the Teamsters, your Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis, in the house.  (Applause.)  

We’re thrilled to be joined by so many other friends.  I want to acknowledge, first of all, two of the finest senators in the country -- Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow are in the house. (Applause.)   Outstanding members of the congressional delegation -- John Bingham, John Conyers, Sandy Levin, Gary Peters, and Hansen Clarke.  (Applause.)

The president of the Metropolitan Detroit Central Labor Council, our host, Saundra Williams.  (Applause.)  AFL-CIO president, Rich Trumka.  (Applause.)  President of the Michigan AFL-CIO, Mark Gaffney.  (Applause.)  And some proud sons and daughters of Michigan representing working people here and across the country -- SEIU President Mary Kay Henry, Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa, UAW President Bob King, Utility Workers President Mike Langford.  (Applause.)  We are proud of them and we're proud of your congressional delegation who are working every single day with your state and local elected officials to create jobs and economic growth and prosperity here in Michigan and all across the country¹.

I am honored, we are honored, to spend this day with you and your families -- the working men and women of America.  This day belongs to you.  You deserve a little R&R, a little barbecue -- (laughter) -- little grilling -- because you’ve been working hard.  (Applause.)  You’ve been working hard to make ends meet.  You’ve been working hard to build a better life for your kids.  You’ve been working hard² to build a better Detroit.  (Applause.) But that’s not all I’m going to talk to you about.

I also want to talk about the work you’ve been doing for decades:  Work to make sure that folks get an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work³.  (Applause.)  Work to make sure that families get a fair⁴ shake.  The work you've done that helped build the greatest middle class the world has ever known.  (Applause.)  I’m talking about the work that got us a 40-hour workweek and weekends, and paid leave and pensions, and the minimum wage5 and health insurance, and Social Security and  Medicare⁶ -- (applause) -- the cornerstones of middle-class security.  That's because of your work.  (Applause.)

If you want to know who helped lay these cornerstones of an American middle class you just have to look for the union label. (Applause.)

That’s the bedrock this country is built on.  Hard work.  Responsibility.  Sacrifice.  Looking out for one another.  Giving everybody a shot, everybody a chance to share in America’s prosperity⁷, from the factory floor to the boardroom.  That’s what unions are all about.  (Applause.)

And that’s something that’s worth keeping in mind today.  We’ve come through a difficult decade in which those values were all too often given short shrift.  We’ve gone through a decade where wealth was valued over work⁸, and greed was valued over responsibility⁹.  And the decks were too often stacked against ordinary folks¹⁰ in favor of the special interests¹¹.  And everywhere I went while I was running for this office, I met folks who felt their economic security¹² slipping away, men and women who were fighting harder and harder just to stay afloat.  And that was even before the economic crisis hit, and that just made things even harder.

So these are tough times for working Americans¹³.  They’re even tougher for Americans who are looking for work –- and a lot of them have been looking for work for a long time¹⁴.  A lot of folks have been looking for work for a long time here in Detroit, and all across Michigan, and all across the Midwest, and all across the country.  So we’ve got a lot more work to do to recover fully from this recession.

But I’m not satisfied just to get back to where we were before the recession; we’ve got to fully restore the middle class in America.  (Applause.)  And America cannot have a strong, growing economy without a strong, growing middle class and without a strong labor movement¹⁵.  (Applause.)

That’s the central challenge that we face in our country today.  That’s at the core of why I ran for President.  That’s what I’ve been fighting for since I’ve been President.  (Applause.)  Everything we’ve done, it’s been thinking about you. We said working folks deserved a break -- so within one month of me taking office, we signed into law the biggest middle-class tax cut in history¹⁶, putting more money into your pockets.  (Applause.)

We said working folks shouldn’t be taken advantage of -- so we passed tough financial reform that ended the days of taxpayer bailouts¹⁷, and stopped credit card companies from gouging you with hidden fees and unfair rate hikes, and set up a new consumer protection agency with one responsibility:  sticking up for you. (Applause.)

We said that if you’re going to work hard all day to provide a better life for your kids, then we’re going to make sure that those kids get the best education possible.  So we helped keep teachers on the job¹⁸.  (Applause.)  We’re reforming our public schools, and we’re investing in community colleges and job-training programs.  (Applause.)  And we ended wasteful giveaways that went to the big banks and used the savings to make college more affordable for millions of your kids¹⁹.  (Applause.)

We said that every family in America should have affordable, accessible health care²⁰.  (Applause.)  We said you shouldn’t be discriminated against because you’ve got a preexisting condition²¹. We said young adults without insurance should be able to stay on their parents’ plans.  We got that done -- for you.  (Applause.)

And here’s what else we said, Detroit.  We said that American autoworkers could once again build the best cars in the world.  (Applause.)  So we stood by the auto industry²².  And we made some tough choices that were necessary to make it succeed.  And now, the Big Three are turning a profit and hiring new workers, and building the best cars in the world right here in Detroit, right here in the Midwest, right here in the United States of America.  (Applause.)

I know it.  I’ve seen it.  I’ve been to GM’s Hamtramck plant.  (Applause.)  I’ve been to Chrysler’s Jefferson North Plant.  (Applause.)   I’ve seen Detroit prove the cynics and the naysayers wrong.

We didn’t just stop there.  We said American workers could manufacture the best products in the world.  So we invested in high-tech manufacturing and we invested in clean energy²³.  And right now, there’s an advanced battery industry taking root here in Michigan that barely existed before.  (Applause.)  Half of the workers at one plant in Detroit were unemployed before a new battery company came to town.  And we’re growing our exports so that more of the world buys products that are stamped with three simple words:  “Made in America.”  (Applause.)

So that’s what we’re fighting for, Michigan.  We’re fighting for good jobs with good wages.  We’re fighting for health care when you get sick.  We’re fighting for a secure retirement even if you’re not rich.  We’re fighting for the chance to give our kids a better life than we had.  That’s what we’re doing to restore middle-class security and rebuild this economy the American way -- based on balance and fairness and the same set of rules for everybody from Wall Street to Main Street.  (Applause.) An economy where hard work pays off and gaming the system doesn’t pay off, and everybody has got a shot at the American Dream.  That’s what we’re fighting for.  (Applause.)

On Thursday, we’re going to lay out a new way forward on jobs to grow the economy and put more Americans back to work right now.  I don’t want to give everything away right here, because I want you all to tune in on Thursday -- (applause) -- but I'll give you just a little bit.  (Applause.)

We’ve got roads and bridges²⁴ across this country that need rebuilding.  We’ve got private companies with the equipment and the manpower to do the building.  We’ve got more than 1 million unemployed construction workers²⁵ ready to get dirty right now.  There is work to be done and there are workers ready to do it.  Labor is on board.  Business is on board.  We just need Congress to get on board.  Let’s put America back to work²⁶.  (Applause.)

Last year, we worked together, Republicans and Democrats, to pass a payroll tax cut²⁷.  And because of that, this year the average family has an extra $1,000 in their pocket because of it.

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Thank you!

THE PRESIDENT:  But that’s going to expire in a few months if we don’t come together to extend it.  And I think putting money back in the pockets of working families is the best way to get demand rising, because that then means business is hiring, and that means the government²⁸ -- that means that the economy is growing.  (Applause.)

So I’m going to propose ways to put America back to work²⁹ that both parties can agree to, because I still believe both parties can work together to solve our problems.  And given the urgency of this moment, given the hardship that many people are facing, folks have got to get together³⁰.

But we’re not going to wait for them.  (Applause.)  We’re going to see if we’ve got some straight shooters³¹ in Congress.  We’re going to see if congressional Republicans will put country before party³².  (Applause.)  We’ll give them a plan³³, and then we’ll say, do you want to create jobs³⁴?  Then put our construction workers back to work rebuilding America³⁵.  (Applause.)  Do you want to help our companies succeed³⁶?  Open up new markets for them to sell their products³⁷.  You want -- you say you’re the party of tax cuts?  Well then, prove you’ll fight just as hard for tax cuts for middle-class families as you do for oil companies and the most affluent Americans³⁸.  (Applause.)  Show us what you got.  (Applause.)

The time for Washington games is over³⁹.  (Applause.)  The time for action is now.  No more manufactured crises⁴⁰.  No more games.  Now is not the time for the people you sent to Washington to worry about their jobs⁴¹; now is the time for them to worry about your jobs.  (Applause.)

Now, let me say a word about labor in particular.  Now, I know this is not going to be an easy time.  I know it’s not easy when there's some folks who have their sights trained⁴² on you.  After all that unions have done to build and protect the middle class, you’ve got people trying to claim that you’re responsible for the problems middle-class folks are facing.

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  You’ve got Republicans saying you’re the ones exploiting working families.  Imagine that.

Now, the fact is, our economy is stronger when workers are getting paid good wages and good benefits.  (Applause.)  Our economy is stronger when we've got broad-based growth and broad-based prosperity.  That’s what unions have always been about -- shared prosperity.

You know, I was on the plane flying over here, and Carl Levin was with me, and he showed me a speech that Harry Truman had given on Labor Day 63 years ago, right here in Detroit -- 63 years ago.  And just to show that things haven't changed much, he talked about how Americans had voted in some folks into Congress who weren’t very friendly to labor.  And he pointed out that some working folks and even some union members voted these folks in.  And now they were learning their lesson.  And he pointed out that -- and I'm quoting here -- “the gains of labor were not accomplished at the expense of the rest of the nation.  Labor’s gains contributed to the nation’s general prosperity.”  (Applause.)

What was true back in 1948 is true in 2011.  When working families are doing well, when they're getting a decent wage and they're getting decent benefits, that means they're good customers for businesses.  (Applause.)  That means they can buy the cars that you build.  (Applause.)  That means that you can buy the food from the farmers.  That means you can buy from Silicon Valley.  You are creating prosperity when you share in prosperity.  (Applause.)

So when I hear some of these folks trying to take collective bargaining rights away, trying to pass so-called “right to work”⁴³ laws for private sector workers --

AUDIENCE:  Booo --

THE PRESIDENT:  -- that really mean the right to work for less and less and less -- when I hear some of this talk I know this is not about economics.  This is about politics.

And I want everybody here to know, as long as I’m in the White House I’m going to stand up for collective bargaining.  (Applause.)

AUDIENCE:  Four more years!  Four more years!  Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT:  That’s why we’ve reversed harmful decisions that were designed to undermine those rights.  That's why we passed the Fair Pay Act to stop pay discrimination.  (Applause.) That's why we appointed people who are actually fulfilling their responsibilities to make sure that the offices and factories and mines workers that clock in each day, that they're actually safe on the job.

And we’re going to keep at it.  Because having a voice on the job and a chance to organize and a chance to negotiate for a fair day’s pay after a hard day’s work, that is the right of every man and woman in America -- not just the CEO in the corner office, but also the janitor who cleans that office after the CEO goes home.  (Applause.) Everybody has got the same right.  (Applause.)

And that’s true for public employees as well.  Look, the recession had a terrible effect on state and local budgets -- we all understand that.  Unions have recognized that; they’ve already made tough concessions.  In the private sector, we live in a more competitive global economy⁴⁴ -- so unions like the UAW understand that workers have to work with management to revamp business models, to innovate so we can sell our products around the world.  We understand that the world is changing; unions understand that the world is changing.  Unions understand they need to help drive the change, whether it’s on the factory floor, or in the classroom, or in the government office.  (Applause.)

But what unions also know is that the values at the core of the union movement, those don’t change.  Those are the values that have made this country great.  (Applause.)  That’s what the folks trying to undermine your rights don’t understand.  When union workers agree to pay freezes and pay cuts -- they’re not doing it just to keep their jobs.  They’re doing it so that their fellow workers -– their fellow Americans -- can keep their jobs. (Applause.)

When teachers agree to reforms in how schools are run at the same time as they’re digging into their pockets to buy school supplies for those kids, they do so because they believe every child can learn.  (Applause.)  They do it because they know something that those who seek to divide us⁴⁵ don’t understand:  We are all in this together.  That’s why those crowds came out to support you in Madison and in Columbus.  We are one nation.  We are one people.  We will rise and we will fall together.  (Applause.)

Anyone who doesn’t believe it should come here to Detroit.  It’s like the commercial says:  This is a city that’s been to heck and back.  (Applause.)  And while there are still a lot of challenges here, I see a city that’s coming back.  (Applause.)
You ask somebody here if times are tough, they’ll say, yeah, it’s tough, but we’re tougher.  (Applause.)  Look at what we’re doing to overcome.  Look at what we’re doing to rebuild and reinvent and redefine what it means to live in this great city.  Look at our parents who catch the first bus to work, and our students who stay up late to earn a degree.  Look at our workers on the line at Hamtramck and Jefferson North who are building the best cars in the world.  Look at our artists who are revamping our city, and our young people who are thinking up new ways to make a difference that we never dreamed of.  Look how we look out for one another.  (Applause.)  

That’s why we chose Detroit as one of the cities that we’re helping revitalize in our “Strong Cities, Strong Communities” initiative.  (Applause.)  We’re teaming up with everybody -- mayors, local officials, you name it -- boosting economic development, rebuilding your communities the best way, which is a way that involves you.  Because despite all that’s changed here, and all the work that lies ahead, this is still a city where men clocked into factories.  This is the city that built the greatest middle class the world has ever known.  (Applause.)  This is the city where women rolled up their sleeves and helped build an arsenal for democracy to free the world.  (Applause.)  This is a city where the great American industry has come back to life and the industries of tomorrow are taking root.  This is a city where people, brave and bold, courageous and clever, are dreaming up ways to prove the skeptics wrong and write the next proud chapter in our history.  (Applause.)

That’s why I wanted to be here with you today.  Because for every cynic and every naysayer running around talking about how our best days are behind us -- for everybody who keeps going around saying, “No, we can’t" --

AUDIENCE:  Yes, we can!

THE PRESIDENT:  -- for everybody who can always find a reason why we can’t rebuild America, I meet Americans every day who, in the face of impossible odds they’ve got a different belief.  They believe we can.  You believe we can.  (Applause.)

Yes, times are tough.  But we’ve been through tough times before. I don’t know about you, but I’m not scared⁴⁶ of tough times.  (Applause.)  I’m not scared of tough times because I know we’re going to be all marching together and walking together and working together and rebuilding together.  And I know we don’t quit.  (Applause.)  I know we don’t give up our dreams and settle for something less.  We roll up our sleeves -- and we remember a fundamental truth of our history:  We are strong when we are united.  (Applause.)  We’re firing all cylinders.

The union movement is going to be at the center of it.  And if all of you are committed to making sure that the person standing next to you, and their kids and their grandkids -- that everybody in this city and everybody in this country can unleash his or her potential, if you work hard and play by the rules, you will get a fair shake and get a fair shot.  That’s the country I want for my kids⁴⁷.  (Applause.)  That’s the country you want for your kids.  That’s the country we’re going to build together.  (Applause.)

Thank you very much, Detroit.  God bless you.  And God bless the United States of America.  (Applause.)

1. So the President takes pride in the government officials who work every day to create jobs and economic growth--what a great job they have done!  Gov. Jennifer  Granholm told us we would be "blown away" after her second term. She was so right.
2. They've been working hard to build a better Detroit? They've been working hard to destroy Detroit, and they are succeeding.
3. Try to define an "honest day's pay" or an "honest day's work"; how do you measure those terms?  Like "fair", those are loaded expressions with no real meaning.
4. Define "fair", what does it mean? How do you measure and evaluate it? 
5. The minimum wage is a drag on the economy, raising prices and keeping many people unemployed.  Health insurance as an employee benefit came about because of government wage-price controls, an unjust and foolish interference in the free market. Health and pension costs are major factors in legacy costs which are bankrupting corporations and local governments across the nation.
6. Social Security & Medicare are Ponzi schemes, designed, maintained and expanded for the purpose of buying votes. They are major contributors to the federal government's money woes. 
7. Prosperity is not America's, it belongs to those who produce goods and services in high volumes, at low cost and make a profit. Prosperity is not something to be shared, it is something to be earned. Unions are all about extorting the maximum possible wages & benefits for the least possible work. They strangulated the golden goose, raising prices and killing opportunity for the rest of us.
8. Wealth is the result of work; accumulated surplus.  Without accumulated surplus, there is nothing to invest in growth, innovation and productivity.
9. Union & partisan political greed was valued over responsibility, making major contributions to the ruination of the economy
10. Decks were stacked against ordinary folks in the '70s, when escalating union demands pushed prices beyond the reach of ordinary folks.
11. Special interests: UAW, AFL, CIO, SIEU & Democrat Party.
12. "Economic security:' a phrase used only by liars. Security does not and can not exist in the real world.
13. Prices are up, wages are down, hours are down; all because union goons strangled the golden goose and government inflated the currency.
14. I have been looking for work since the government and a large corporation screwed me out of business in '80. I was gainfully employed for about three of those years. Unions and government policies drove the jobs out of Michigan. You made things tougher for us, and you promise more of the same. No thanks!
15. I found 12 instances of "class" in this spew of malicious malarkey. Middle class, my ass!  Barack & Michele  have been living like  jetset, beautiful people; limousine liberals in the lap of luxury for the last two years, on our dimes.  We do not need classes, we need productivity; we need opportunity. We need to get the government out of the way and tear down the blockades it has erected in the path of progress. And we need to stop the inflationary spiral generated by union goons and their whipsawing strikes. Instead of uniting the nation, Obama is dividing us with class warfare. Its time to wise up and tell him to shut up; tell him to do the best thing he can for the country: to resign.
16. Brag about signing a tax cut into law, while bitterly bitching about tax cuts "for the rich".  Its called class warfare, and there is no place for it in an honest society. That kind of demagoguery  is for tin horn dictators, not Presidents. Obama wanted Shrub's tax cuts to sunset; he demands tax increases. With his forked tongue, he speaks out of both sides of his mouth.
17. So you ended tax payer bailouts?  Tell us about that... while you brag about saving a few jobs at Chrysler & G.M. How about the automobile dealers and their employees who are now unemployed because they contributed to the wrong party? 
18. You tried to keep a few teachers on the job so that their union dues would keep flowing into your campaign treasury. We are the losers in your game of circle jerk. You are going to be the pivot man November 6, 2012 if we have any say in the matter. 
19. You ended "wasteful giveaways", Like TARP?  Which was bigger, the subsidy to student loans or TARP?  Is it easier or harder to obtain and pay back a student loan now?
20. "Accessible, affordable health care",  but every promise you made was a damned lie, and more of your lies are being exposed every month. You can not possibly keep any of those promises you made, and blessed near everybody knows it.  Your entire program is conter productive, in the worst possible way. 
21. "Preexisting condition": got cancer, get insurance. Died already, get life insurance just before your funeral; buy flood insurance after the hurricane hits. Same principle, different applications; all of them impossible in the real world.
22. To make the industry succeed, you need to get rid of the legacy costs. That means exorbitant wages & benefits and work rules. You also need to eliminate idiotic regulations and impossible fuel economy demands. 
23. You "invested" in "clean energy"; how many windmill firms did you invest in?  How many of them went bankrupt? How many of them shipped jobs to China?  Aren't you a great investment broker; so successful! Why don't you take over for Warren Buffet?
24. :"Roads and bridges", yeah, right. You have been singing the same tune since you took office. "Shovel ready jobs", how did that turn out for everybody?  With forty million people out of work, you will solve the problem with road building projects that will employ a few thousand. Of course those few thousand will be union members whose dues will blow right into your campaign chest.
25. Construction workers are out of work because government policies and human greed built a construction bubble, which burst. The game of musical chairs is over, the housing market is bust. Carpenters & brick layers are going to build reads & bridges. Yeah, right.
26. Public works projects are not the solution to the unemployment problem. The interest on the federal debt is mounting rapidly. When interest rates rise, we are going to be in deep excrement. Putting America back to work requires the prospect of making a profit and predictable risks. Those require eliminating your health care plan, energy and environmental plans and taxes. They also require eliminating artificial barriers todomestic oil & gas exploration, production and refining.     Eliminating Obama Don't Care. Cap & Trade, fuel economy & emissions standards and the drilling ban ain't enough. You must also remove the threat of tax increases. That means permanently ditching the death tax and permanently extending Shrub's tax rate cuts. if you won't do those things, resign and clear the way for someone who will.
27. Only those currently employed are directly benefiting from that temporary tax cut. Does that $1000 offset the increased cost of gasoline, food, clothing and electricity for those directly benefiting from it?
28. Growing government does not equate to a growing economy. Resources wasted by government can not be productively invested. Money borrowed by profligate government can not be invested in productive enterprises.  If you want to grow the economy, put the government on a strict diet.
29. To put us back to work, you must be put out of work, along with the left wing Congressmen and Senators who vote for your destructive policies.
30. Hardship has nothing to do with it. Rational and honest statesmen must resist your counter productive policies with all the force they can muster. They must learn to say "HELL NO!!!". If the Republicans do not tell you to go to Hell, we will tell them in the next election. There will be a RINO hunt. 
31. Those RINOs who accede to your unreasonable demands shoot themselves in the foot and the nation in the back. We will see to it that they have Conservative, competent, articulate and well financed primary opponents.
32. Putting the country's welfare before party is up to the Democrats. Republicans, with the exception of the RINOs, already do that.
33. It is obvious that your plan is more of the same poison that is killing us.
34. Republicans want to see job creation, that is why they reject your job destroying, counter productive idiotic schemes.
35. "Rebuilding America" is a code phrase for destroying the Constitution, replacing it with Communism. We are not stupid enough to accept that.
36. "Help our companies succeed" is a code phrase for crony capitalism, also known as National Socialism. How did that work out for Germany?
37. "Open up new markets" means one of two things: foreign trade or legislation to mandate purchasing those products. Trade requires balance, meaning that when we export, we also import. It works both ways, so in the long term, there will be no real gain. The other meaning translates to fascism. No thanks!
38. Your class warfare tactic sticks out like a sore thumb. Time to cut it off.  It is high time for you to resign in disgrace. "Show us what you got": We call your bluff: show us your entire jobs plan, put it out on the table, in the open  immediately, instead of dribbling it out in a series of campaign tours.
39. "Washington games"?? The arrogance of that statement is astounding. The gamesman in chief says the time for game playing is over.
40. Excuses?? "Inherited from Bush"! "Earthquake". "Tsunami". "Arab spring". The arrogance of this narcissist can not be topped. It is time for him to go!!!
41. How in Hell can you say that while you are campaigning for re-election? You are worried about your sinecure, not our jobs. Your counter productive policies are destroying jobs and wrecking the country. Obama is the new synonym for hypocrisy.
42. "Sights trained on you"? Whatever happened to the new emphasis on "civility"?  We have  been told to "go straight to Hell" and had war declared upon us  by your surrogates,. without condemnation from you.
43. The right to work means not being coerced into feeding fat cat union thugs and your campaign treasury as a minimum requirement for employment.  God blessed right, I am all for it. We want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
44. The golden goose is dead; no more golden eggs. Unions played a primary role in the death of the goose. Does anyone remember why Jimmy Carter was a one term President? 
45. Who seeks to divide us? "The wealthy:,,,"private jet owners"... "billionaires"; you have been busy telling your congregants whom to hate. Obama: the great divider.
46. You do not fear tough times because you desire them. Creating economic chaos is part of the Cloward-Piven strategy for the Communist takeover.
47. You want for your kids a country so deep in debt that it can never get out, perpetually refinancing at ever higher rates of interest so that all the tax revenue will go to debt service. That may be your only success.