April 13, 2012

SandBoxBlogs: Newsmax "WSJ: Real Unemployment Rate 11.8 Percent"

"The official unemployment rate remains at an ugly perch of 8.2 percent, despite declines in recent months. But even that lofty level understates the magnitude of the jobs problem, according to a Wall Street Journal blog by Paul Vigna.

He looks at the issue in terms of the labor force participation rate. That measures the percentage of working-age Americans, excluding those who are in jail or the military, who are “participating” in the work force. That includes both people who have a job and those looking for a job.

The rate has been dropping since January 2007, when it stood at 66.4 percent. The reading fell to 65.5 percent in July 2009, even as the Great Recession was officially ending, and currently registers an almost 30-year low of 63.8 percent.

Taking that drop into account produces a higher jobless rate. If you apply the July 2009 participation rate to today’s jobless numbers, that generates an unemployment rate of more than 10 percent. And if you utilize the 2007 participation rate, you’re left with a jobless rate of 11.8 percent....." (Read more?  Click title)

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SandBoxBlogs: Town Hall "In Battle for Young Voters, Romney Should Play it Uncool"

Jonah Goldberg:
"...Obama was different. He had that cool name. He was black. He'd never done much that was important, save give some fun speeches, but that was OK; neither had most college students, and that didn't keep them from being special either. More important, they believed his promises, they liked his style, they bought his easy answers and flattering pandering.

Four years later, Obama's in trouble, which is why he's visiting college campuses more often than a Red Bull delivery truck. He's talking louder and getting more shrill, because his campaign knows how desperately it needs to replicate -- or even come close to replicating -- his success with the youth vote in 2008. Polls and countless news stories indicate that young voters are either bored, unimpressed or disappointed with Obama, and with the state of the country.

All of the exciting reasons to vote for Obama are gone. Even his accomplishments don't excite people, never mind his failures. His "Yes, we can" rhetoric is gone because it sounds stupid after four years of "No, we didn't." Now we get cynicism and fear-mongering. His attacks on the Republicans are tawdry and desperate. He even admits the "Buffett Rule" is a gimmick. Other issues like green energy are passé now, even though gas prices continue to soar. (A troubling sign for Obama: Only a third of hybrid car owners are interested in ever getting another after they get rid of the one they have.)

Obama's approval rating among 18- to 29-year-olds hovers around 50 percent (after almost a year of bad press for the GOP). But a late 2011 Harvard survey found that only 12 percent of young people felt the country was moving in the right direction. An outfit called Generation Opportunity, which is trying to organize young voters on economic issues, finds that 77 percent of young people have had to put their lives on hold because of the economy....."  (Read more?  Click title)

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SandBoxBlogs: Red State "Elitism"

Erick Erickson:
"Move past Hilary Rosen’s remarks if you can. The amazing speed at which Democrats sought to distance themselves from her remarks suggests they know that in all the talk about Romney’s problem with women, they have their own.

After Hilary Rosen’s remarks, a number of leftwing pundits came out seemingly upset that Hilary did not go as far as they would have wanted her to. In so doing, these pundits, activists, and politicos have raised up the raw stench of elitism. Luckily, few smelled it because it was drifting in from MSNBC.

Nonetheless, there were people like Joan Walsh of the far left rag Salon. She thought it perfectly okay to pronounce on Hardball yesterday that of course working women have it harder than stay at home moms. Of course they do you women battling breast cancer and suffering from MS while raising five boys without nannies and cooks and maids contrary to what the left has been claiming is, was, and forever more shall be the case with Ann Romney. Never mind that Mitt and Ann Romney gave away their inherited fortune to build their own lives and fortune.

There there is Chris Hayes, also of MSNBC and the even further left than Salon The Nation. He said if Republicans really think that stay at home moms are workers, then they should be paid a wage. Seriously.
It went down hill from there. The most striking thing is the overwhelming presumption from so many on the left who waded into the waters who think only the wealthy can be stay at home moms. As a matter of fact, I know scores of stay at home moms and not a single one’s husband gets them into the 1%, let alone the top 10% for most.

The myopic view of not just stay at home mothers as rich socialites with nannies, but of women in general too, highlights the problem for the Democrats. They talk about the GOP as the party of the rich when they are increasingly a party of the elite. Many of them look on stay at home moms as inferior or second class.

Consider Christy Hayes of MSNBC and the Nation who openly wonders if it can really be considered work if they are not getting a salary....."  (Read more?  Click title)

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SandBoxBlogs: Right Scoop "Israeli ambassador reprimands New York Times: Netanyahu does not interfere in U.S. elections"

Barak Ravid:
"The duel between the New York Times and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his advisers continues. Israeli ambassador to Washington Michael Oren submitted a letter to the editor to the New York Times' editorial board, with a complaint regarding an article which was published several days ago about the close ties between Netanyahu and the likely Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

In the letter, which was published on Thursday, Oren rejected the allegations that Netanyahu is intervening in the presidential race in the United States....."  (Read more?  Click title)

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SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Times "Colorado House approves $7.4 billion spending plan"

How about that Governor John Hickenlooper (D) ?  He is doing a pretty darn good job, isn't he?

Now, liberals shouldn't let that go to their heads, it has got to be a fluke that one very good man and excellent leader rolled in at the right time.

Congratulations to Colorado legislators on this historic compromise.  

Ivan Moreno:
"DENVER — The Colorado House approved a $7.4 billion spending plan Thursday, turning what many believed would be an acrimonious process into an unusually jovial time as they kept funding for schoolchildren at the same level as last year and returned a property tax break for seniors.

The Republican-controlled House approved the bill on a nearly unanimous vote, with only one lawmaker out of 65 opposing. In past years, it would not be surprising to have a couple of dozen lawmakers voting no on the budget.

The plan now heads to the Senate, which could debate it next week.

After the vote, Republican Rep. Mark Waller, the party's third-ranking lawmaker in the House, walked over to Democratic Rep. Claire Levy and gave her a fist bump. "I just want to say congratulations on the budget," he said, adding that he'd work with her on executing the knuckle-to-knuckle handshake in his style...."
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SandBoxBlogs: Town Hall "What Goes Around"

Oliver North:
"This week's "cease-fire," brokered by former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, hasn't stopped Syrian refugees from trekking through the Syrian Desert and across the border into Qaim. Deterred by harsh conditions, lack of fuel and inadequate food and water and banned by the Iraqi government of Nouri al-Maliki from going any farther, they have become unwelcome squatters in the border town that once served as a refuge for terrorists.

The brutal irony in all this is that many of those who once passed through Qaim to threaten the government in Baghdad are now among the armed rebels menacing the regime in Damascus. For six years, Bashar Assad was deaf to U.S. pleas to cut the terror ratlines from Syria into Iraq. Instead, he did the opposite -- facilitating the movement of thousands of Islamist fighters into Anbar province to kill and maim.

Now those same Islamists have turned on him, and he is learning one of the harsh realities of war: What goes around comes around....." (Read more?  Click title)

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SandBoxBlogs: Dept of Defense "Special Tactics Officer Receives Air Force Cross"

Thank you so much for your service,  Captain Crawford.  A special thank you for your family and loved ones that wait for you at home for their patriotism and generosity.

Air Force Capt. Kristen D. Duncan:"Captain Crawford repeatedly and conspicuously disregarded his own safety to assist his United States and Afghan teammates," Schwartz said at today’s ceremony. "It is not hard to be utterly impressed by his bravery and inspired by his selflessness."

"Crawford braved effective enemy fire and consciously placed himself at grave risk on four occasions while controlling over 33 aircraft and more than 40 airstrikes on a well-trained and well-prepared enemy force,” his award citation reads. “His selfless actions and expert airpower employment neutralized a numerically superior enemy force and enabled friendly elements to exfiltrate the area without massive casualties."

The team of about 100 personnel flew into the steep mountains of Laghman province early May 4, 2010. As soon as they were on the ground, they heard enemy chatter on the radios. Within 30 minutes, they found a substantial weapons cache inside the village. The enemy force apparently was dug in to defensive positions, waiting for the sun to rise before beginning their assault on the coalition force.

"As soon as the sun came up, we started taking extremely heavy enemy fire," Crawford said in an interview. "Our placement in the middle of the village, and the enemy's superior fighting positions, required us to 'run the gauntlet' of enemy fire no matter where we were in the valley."

Enemy fighters were expertly using sniper and medium machine-gun fire to target the force as insurgents were closing in on their location from all sides. Five commandos were wounded in the assault.

"Recognizing that the wounded Afghan soldiers would die without evacuation to definitive care, Captain Crawford took decisive action and ran out into the open in an effort to guide the [medical evacuation] helicopter to the landing zone," according to the citation. "Once the pilot had eyes on his position, Crawford remained exposed, despite having one of his radio antennas shot off mere inches from his face.

"Acting without hesitation,” the citation continues, “Crawford then bounded across open terrain, engaging enemy positions with his assault rifle and called in AH-64 strafe attacks to defeat the ambush."

When the weather cleared, the team moved along the steep terrain. To allow his team to freely move in the open and prevent further casualties, Crawford coordinated the delivery of danger-close AH-64 Apache Hellfire missiles, and 500- and 2,000-pound joint direct attack munition bombs from F-15E Strike Eagles.

"Everyone there was on task and wanted to crush the enemy," Crawford said. "My teammates went above and beyond, and everyone's efforts really re-energized the entire assault force's morale."

As the U.S. and Afghan commandos left the burned-out village, Crawford's team once again came under attack. Stuck in an open, narrow valley with 300- to 500-foot sheer mountain cliffs around them, the team was forced to hold their position in poor weather conditions.

With the enemy merely 150 meters away, Crawford repeatedly called for danger-close 30 mm strafing, and rocket attacks from AH-64 Apaches overhead. To mark the enemy locations, Crawford ran into the open to engage the enemy while continuing to direct Apache airstrikes.

"The Apaches were our lifeline," Crawford said. "They were consistently engaging. It was a battle of survival for us, and they unleashed hell on the enemy."

The original mission was to collect intelligence from a remote village sympathetic to the Taliban. However, the village had been burned prior to their arrival. Their mission quickly turned into a battle for survival, which was remarkably successful. The special operations team suffered two Afghan commando casualties, but more than 80 insurgents were killed during the engagement, including three high-ranking enemy commanders...."  (Read more?  Click title)

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SandBoxBlogs: Citizen Telegram "McKibbin to take reins as editor for The Citizen Telegram"

Heather McGregor:
"RIFLE, Colorado — The Citizen Telegram is pleased to announce the appointment of Mike McKibbin of Rifle as the new editor of the weekly community newspaper and its website, citizentelegram.com.

McKibbin will start in the post on Monday, April 16..."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Grand Junction Daily Sentinel "Story of canyon’s flume is a real cliffhanger"

Gretel Daugherty:
"Several hundred feet above the San Miguel River, a steady wind whipped red sand and dirt across the cactus-studded canyon rim with a sandstone overhang. As the wind made the sparse tufts of high-desert grass dance, project manager Ron Anthony carefully peered over the lip of the overhang.

He watched a crew 100 feet below nudge a wooden frame, suspended with ropes and the first of 13 such frames that will be installed, over the rock edge of the cliff, then stop.

His radio crackled. A voice said the frame had gotten hung up on a juniper branch beneath the canyon rim, but it finally was free after the branch broke off and dropped into the San Miguel River below. Amid laughter on both ends of the transmission, Anthony replied, “Kent, I’ll need that juniper branch back when you’re all done with your work.”

“Ron, that’s easy. I already sent it toward Gateway,” the voice on the other end said.

Despite the gusty breeze and clouds of dust, the mood of the team was jovial and excited.

“We call it ‘Flume Fever,’” Anthony said....."  (Read more?  Click title)

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SandBoxBlogs: Summit County Citizens Voice "Morning photo: Pine Cove"

All credit:  Bob Berwyn