The President of the United States needs to " Man Up " as his failure is an embarrassment to the citizens of our great country

The tantrums coming from the White House and the non-stopping stammering are the signs that the Obama Administration is toast.

No one believes them and the markets showed that to the world.

Be a MAN Mr. President and take a lesson from HARRY TRUMAN who had a sign on the same desk you sit at each day that said " The BUCK stops here !"

Obama is unworthy to even think he should sit at that desk as he is only keeping the chair warm for the next occupant of the Oval Office. He needs to MAN UP, accept that his failing as President is his responsibility and admit it to the voters. To continue to deny what is obvious to the rest of the world is both immature and delusional.

Let us PRAY that it is someone with more sense than this embarrssing poser that was elected in 2008 who has been a national embarrassment since day one.


Ron Hart: Stop the blame. Do something!
By RON HART - Orange County Register

As they always do, our representatives in Congress raised the debt ceiling and said they were going to make cuts later. Then they fled Washington to go on a long vacation. Why not address this now? Why the suspense? Congress has not left so many things dangling in front of so many Americans since Anthony Weiner left.

They called what they did a "two-step deal." It looks like both were side steps.

Remember, Obama kept using the word "bankrupt" and threatened not to pay Social Security checks. The country was not nearly bankrupt; he just used the word as a scare tactic to get his way. Obama blames everything on someone else: the Tea Party for forcing budget cuts or Japan for having an earthquake. I guess he is blaming God, too.

Blame and threats are not a strategy.

The Democrats called those wanting to cut the spending "terrorists" who were holding the country hostage. Obama might want to be careful; being unable to negotiate the release of hostages invites even more comparisons to Jimmy Carter.

It is getting more dangerous in the Obama administration. Last week a man hopped over the White House fence and made a run for it. Then the Secret Service caught him and told Mr. Geithner he had to finish his term as Treasury Secretary. It turns out it is much easier being the problem than the solution.

After months of indicating that he might leave his post as Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner said he would stay. In the end, he decided to keep his safe government job since he determined there is no way of finding a good job in this economy.

Interestingly, last week it was also reported that Washington, D.C. has the highest use of cocaine, pot and alcohol. That explains a lot. The S&P downgrade was not a decision; it was more like an intervention.

It is like Obama and the Democrats were called into a room to find S&P, Moody's, the U.S. dollar and the stock market, who told them, "We love you, but you have a spending addiction." I don't care if they have a drug problem; it is their spending that is hurting others.

If Obama wants to borrow again soon he is going to have to get his financier buddy, George Soros, to co-sign for him.

Let's be as clear as we can. Federal spending has gone to $3.8 trillion per year and tax revenue remains at $2.1 per year. We run annual losses of $1.7 trillion – and climbing – and Geithner and Obama are blaming S&P and the Tea Party for the downgrade? Wow.

The $14 trillion dollar debt is not so much the problem; we are projected to have a $27 trillion debt in 10 years. For Obama and Geithner to blame S&P for it is like being late for two years on payments for their big screen TV and then shooting the repo man who comes to get it.

Their new stall is the "Super Committee" to be appointed to cut the budget down the road. They are just so delusional that they will call on Superman, Captain America, Green Hornet, Iron Man, Superwoman, Spiderman and Batman to cut the budget. I presume Barney Frank will be Batman; he spends his time with Robin, who spends a lot of time on the bat pole. Only those egomaniacs in Washington could call themselves "super" anything. I still snicker when they are called "The Honorable...."

Obama used his media arms, NBC, CBS and ABC, to make political points in prime time and told people to call their representatives. The "post-partisan president" was surprised that few called to support his spending on entitlements and that the vast majority favored spending cuts. Voters do not wait on hold for an hour to talk to a congressman's intern in order to leave the message "Just compromise."

The dysfunction of Washington is such a disaster that al-Qaida is claiming responsibility for it. The good news is Obama will soon be making taxpayer-funded visits to swing states in the Midwest, and he will be trying to save jobs – mainly his.

Ron Hart is a syndicated op-ed humorist, award-winning author and TV/radio commentator. Email Ron@RonaldHart.com or visit www.RonaldHart.com

What part of " conflict of interest" doesn't the VP of the UNITED STATES get ???

Headlines have been recently full of issues involving federal contracting and the waste of federal tax dollars by federal contractors and/or conflicts of interest.

These are serious issues and ones the FEDS don't take lightly because they are violations of Federal law. The law applies to all citizens equally as that is the foundation of our legal system.

For reference :

From the GSA (General Services Administration)

https://www.acquisition.gov/Comp/far/current/html/FARMTOC.html

Part 3—Improper Business Practices and Personal Conflicts of Interest

Subpart 3.6—Contracts with Government Employees or Organizations Owned or Controlled by Them
3.601 Policy.
(a) Except as specified in 3.602, a contracting officer shall not knowingly award a contract to a Government employee or to a business concern or other organization owned or substantially owned or controlled by one or more Government employees. This policy is intended to avoid any conflict of interest that might arise between the employees’ interests and their Government duties, and to avoid the appearance of favoritism or preferential treatment by the Government toward its employees.

(b) For purposes of this subpart, special Government employees (as defined in 18 U.S.C. 202) performing services as experts, advisers, or consultants, or as members of advisory committees, are not considered Government employees unless—

(1) The contract arises directly out of the individual’s activity as a special Government employee;
(2) In the individual’s capacity as a special Government employee, the individual is in a position to influence the award of the contract; or

(3) Another conflict of interest is determined to exist.


Subpart 3.10—Contractor Code of Business Ethics and Conduct
3.1000 Scope of subpart.
This subpart prescribes policies and procedures for the establishment of contractor codes of business ethics and conduct, and display of agency Office of Inspector General (OIG) fraud hotline posters.

3.1003 Requirements.
(a) Contractor requirements

b) Notification of possible contractor violation. If the contracting officer is notified of possible contractor violation of Federal criminal law involving fraud, conflict of interest, bribery, or gratuity violations found in Title 18 U.S.C.; or a violation of the civil False Claims Act, the contracting officer shall—

(1) Coordinate the matter with the agency Office of the Inspector General; or

(2) Take action in accordance with agency procedures.

So you might be wondering what does all this have to do with the price of Tea in China?

President Barack Obama promised to run the most transparent White House in history—disclosing donations, shunning lobbyists, and broadcasting important meetings on C-SPAN.

Well it seems that if it walks like a duck, looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is highly likely it is a duck.

VP Joe Biden is a "vendor" on a Federal Contract to rent a piece of property he owns to the Secret Service.

As the vendor on a fixed-price contract, Mr. Biden technically now is a federal contractor. In this case, we are talking about a huge conflict of interest on the part of the Vice President who cannot be " vendor" and VPOTUS at the same time as being on a government contract as that is a text book case of " Conflict of Interest ".

Any 1st year law student could see it and the fact that it was set up and put in place w/o a bid or review shows a glaring inability of the VP or the Administration to understand that violating Federal Law is NOT acceptable for the holder of the second highest office in the land.

Of course this will be dismissed by the Administration as a "non-issue" but should raise the ire of anyone who expects that the VPOTUS needs to learn that unethical means unethical and that leadership & integrity are non-negotiable. Either you are an ethical leader or you are not - there is no grey area.

In this case, the Administration and the VP are a case of "Classic Failures". And this doesn't surprise me but it should be a prime reason to send him & his buddy the "empty suit in residence" at the White House packing in 2012.


Biden charging Secret Service for cottage rental

The U.S. Secret Service does more than protect Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. — the agency also pays him rent.
By Jim McElhatton
-The Washington Times
Sunday, July 31, 2011

Since April, Mr. Biden has collected more than $13,000 from the agency charged with protecting him and his family for use of a rental cottage adjacent to the waterfront home he owns in a Wilmington, Del., suburb.

Mr. Biden, listed not as vice president in federal purchasing documents but as a “vendor,” is eligible for up to $66,000 by the time the government contract expires in the fall of 2013, the records show.

Officials say the arrangement came about when a previous tenant moved out of the cottage and the Secret Service moved in.

Edwin M. Donovan, special agent in charge at the Secret Service's Office of Government and Public Affairs in Washington, said the agency pays $2,200 in rent per-month, the same amount a previous tenant had paid before moving out.

He said the close location provides a level of security for the Biden family the agency might not have had otherwise. Asked if the Secret Service typically pays rent to the people it protects, he said, “It’s a rental property so we pay rent there.”

Taxpayer watchdogs say the Secret Service should do everything it can to protect Mr. Biden, but they wonder whether he should be collecting rent from the agency while it’s doing its job.

“He should be afforded every single protection available to him and his family, as should every vice president and president,” said Leslie Paige, spokeswoman for the Washington-based Citizens Against Government Waste.

“But this arrangement seems bizarre to me,” she added. “You’d think the vice president, who shepherded the deficit committee, would think twice about charging the Secret Service rent. Why would he need the money? I don’t get it.”

According to Mr. Biden’s office, the vice president’s mother lived in the cottage until she died in January 2010. At that time, the Secret Service had been renting properties in the Wilmington area for agents who were providing a protective presence at Mr. Biden’s personal residence.

Mr. Biden later asked the Secret Service if the agency wanted to rent the cottage property, but the Secret Service declined and Mr. Biden rented it instead to a private tenant, according to the vice president's office. But almost a year later, when that tenant moved out, the Secret Service approached Mr. Biden about renting the cottage.

“The cottage was an existing rental property at the time the Secret Service signed its lease,” said Kendra Barkoff, a spokeswoman for Mr. Biden.

Last year, Mr. Biden and his wife, Jill, reported earning $379,178, including $11,000 in income from the cottage, according to the Bidens’ tax return. The Bidens did not list any rental income for 2009.

The Secret Service was the contracting agency on the two purchase orders so far that have paid Mr. Biden $13,200 combined for use of his cottage.

The first purchase order to Mr. Biden, for $2,200, was signed April 1, and the second, for $11,000, was signed June 2. The records both list Mr. Biden by name as the vendor under a section of the purchase order called “contractor information.” The purchase order describes Mr. Biden as a sole proprietor with no employees and no annual revenue.

The Washington Times inquired about the rental arrangement after Mr. Biden’s name appeared as a vendor in federal spending records. As the vendor on a fixed-price contract, Mr. Biden technically now is a federal contractor.

He’s been outspoken in calling for greater accountability in federal contracts. When Mr. Biden and President Obama launched the “Campaign to Cut Waste” last month, Mr. Biden said, “The President and I are committed to changing the way government works and we are stepping up the hunt for misspent dollars.”

During the presidential transition, Mr. Biden and Mr. Obama pledged to end the abuse of no-bid contracting and require competitive bidding on nearly all contract orders for more than $25,000 across the federal government.

Though the overall rental contract has a total value of up to $66,000, the agreement was approved through simplified acquisition procedures that do not require bidding.

“To an outside observer who pays the taxes that help fund protective services, this might seem like an odd arrangement, but apparently there’s some law or administrative procedure that facilitates it,” said Pete Sepp, vice president of the National Taxpayers Union in Alexandria, which monitors federal spending.

Mr. Sepp also had a thought on what Mr. Biden could do with the rent money he collects from the Secret Service: “Every elected official can do the same thing average Americans can, which is to write a check to the Bureau of the Public Debt to bring down the national debt.”

The Secret Service, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security, is required by law to ensure the safety of current and former national leaders and their families, such as the president, past presidents, vice presidents and presidential candidates.

CHICOMS plagiarize footage of an alledged Chinese Jet in action.....Pictures show pics & film were lifted from Top GUN

China likes to talk a good game.....lots of PR is put out by the Chinese Government on the advancements they are making....Upcoming trips to the Moon, new Fighter Jets, etc. etc.

Well this time, it looks like the PRC was caught with it's pants down and its face as RED as their flag.....Looks like someone decided that if they wanted to brag about their Fighters, it was better to clip a piece of the footage from Top Gun than to show what actually happened.....or didn't. Again, The PRC talks a good game but it seems like the only thing they excel at is COPYING the work of others....pitiful plagiarizing.


China's military left red-faced as footage of fighter jets bears an uncanny resemblance to cult classic Top Gun
By Oliver Pickup
30th January 2011

Chinese government officials were left red-faced after a television broadcast purporting to show their crack fighter pilots gunning down another jet was accused of being faked.

The footage of a jet whistling a missile into another plane, causing it to explode in a dramatic fiery fashion, looks remarkably similar to the classic 1986 Hollywood film top Gun, which helped launch the career of 25-year-old Tom Cruise, who played lead character Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell.

State-sponsored China Central Television (CCTV) aired the video last week as part of its main evening broadcast and claimed that the film showed one of the country's new Chinese J-10 fighter jets shooting the missile at an enemy plane in a training exercise.

The training exercise by the People's Liberation Army Air Force was shown on January 23 and it didn't take long before one movie buff spied a clip where the enemy plane is blown up rather closely matched a key snippet of action from Top Gun's final fight scene.

If this is the case, it's a pretty big gaffe to make, especially when you consider that the film remains a cult classic, and has grossed over £220million at the box office.

The original footage has been pulled from CCTV in an attempt to avoid further embarrassment, but bloggers have already grabbed what they need and have heaped scorn on the China for allegedly trying to pass off the action as their own.

If the story is found to be legitimate it would not be the first time Chinese media have lifted material for a news broadcast from Hollywood without adhering to copyright laws.

Four years ago Xinhua - another state-run station - reportedly used an X-ray image of Homer Simpson's head to illustrate a story about the genetic link to multiple sclerosis.

D'oh, indeed.