Bonus Blowout: GSA Gave Out $44M

Employees at the obscure General Services Administration are quietly gobbling up 10 percent of the entire federal government's bonus checks, a top Republican lawmaker revealed Wednesday, with the tab reaching a stunning $44 million last year.

The $44 million amount is far more than was previously reported. As House lawmakers convened a hearing Wednesday digging deep into alleged mismanagement and waste at the embattled agency, Transportation Committee Chairman John Mica, R-Fla, called the latest revelations "absolutely outrageous."

Disclosing the results of what he described as a preliminary investigation, Mica said bonuses totaled $44 million, with many bonuses worth $50,000 apiece and some going to workers now under investigation. One employee, he said, received a $79,000 bonus, adding up to nearly $260,000 in total compensation.

Lawmakers also said overtime payments were over the top. Mica cited one case where a worker with an $84,000 salary received $115,000 overtime.

Via: Fox News

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Flashback: Obama Promised In 2008 He Would Not Run Negative Ads...

When there is nothing left but a string of broken promises too numerous to list.  Then there's this.....

Via BuzzFeed


Posted by Conservative Happenings (c)2012

California: Political Sinkhole of the West (Part 2)

Last week Gov. Jerry Brown traveled to two different cities for the ceremonial signing of the High-speed rail bill. The only thing missing from the event was the ditch that the train is heading for if this project ever gets off the ground. The hole that will be dug to accommodate the high-speed rail project better be big enough to bury the state. The "Project" if completed will travel from SF to LA and beyond. To say this project is a waste of money is a testimony to the democrat thinking that has continued to permeate the state when common sense has been in short supply and stupidity is at the top of the list.

No one knows what the final cost will be but when you include the costs of bonds at the current rate, it cost the state about $2.25 for every dollar borrowed. It is a wonder how the state has not gone bankrupt yet. With the gimmicks and games that are being played, the arbitrary budget that was just passed makes for interesting conversation that all bets are off as to when and not if California falls into the ocean. In the past month three California cities have filed for bankruptcy protection with many more lining up to fail as well.

Obama: "Its a Step in the Right (Wrong) Direction"

What the Obama Administration is really saying is "Don't read the job numbers.  It will just tell you what we don't want you do know,  its worse than we want it to appear to be and we really don't know what we are doing;" For those of you that think that everything is fine just because the President says, "It's a step in the right direction" you are sadly mistaken.

The creation (a word that the President loves to throw around) of 80,000 jobs should be added jobs. And for the record 150,000 people entered the job market in June which means we "added" a net loss of 70,000 jobs. If this logic does not make sense to you, it's called government speak and it is used to distract and confuse even the most seasoned bureaucrat. The real truth lies (another word that can be used to describe what they are telling you) in the statistics you won't hear or see in the MSM.  You are going to see them here today.

California: Political Sinkhole of the West

Anyone who follows politics in California knows that the republicans are fighting a losing battle.  Jerry Brown is again going to the taxpayers to bail out the state.  To add insult to injury the 2012-2013 budget bill he just signed includes revenues of $8.2 billion that will come from his tax initiatives "IF" they pass.

There are many ways that we can paint this picture.  First of all, if history is any indication of the failures of the past, higher taxes do not raise revenues.  It usually has the opposite effect.  When Illinois passed a tax increase in last year, revenue went down faster than a roller coaster at Disneyland. There is only so much you can do to tax your way out of trouble.  Business's and people have moved to neighboring states where the tax burden is lower and the business environment is pro-active.  This is the exact same thing that has been happening in California for the past few years.  Business's are leaving at the rate of five a week and this is not the worst of it.  California has ranked at the bottom of the least friendly state to do business eight years running according to Chief Executive magazine.  And as the taxes and regulatory burden increases more and more people are leaving the state for friendlier pastures. You know when things are getting worse when you see other states putting up billboards in your state.

Jobless Claims on the Rise Again.

After digesting the unemployment numbers for the last few days, there is every indication that very few jobs are being created, as this administration continues to flounder.  They can boast all they want about the jobs that have been created in the past year, but the underlying consequences do not reflect the true picture of the job market.  When it is said that their are 766,000 less women working than three years ago, I have to pause and ask what's next? Veterans unemployment rates are also climbing at an alarming rate. This weeks new claims reached a four week high of 386,000 which are 6,000 more than the previous week.

Its hard to get excited when only 69,000 jobs were created in May. The revised job numbers for March and April show that 49,000 fewer jobs were created than originally  reported.  It just keeps getting worse and with no end in sight for an already floundering economy the only good news is it will spell doom for the re-election efforts of Obama. On June 14, 2012 House Speaker John Boehner released the following video showing the jobs bills that have been passed by the House but  still sit languishing in the Senate. Harry Reid has virtually put a halt to all legislation that would put people to work and jump start the economy.

                                     

ANOTHER UNEMPLOYMENT STATISTICAL LIE HITS JUNE 1, 2012

As one month ends and another begins one can only wonder what kind of magic the Obama Administration will cook up with the release of the May 2012 unemployment results. Any sane person will look at these numbers with disdain and anger while the left will do their best to spin the results as a positive look at how the economy is "IMPROVING".  Using the word improving with any connection to this administration is a tough undertaking but it must be said. They have lived in a fantasy world for the last 41 months and new data suggests that the remainder of this presidency (7 months) will be more of the same.  

A closer analysis of April's job numbers is not very encouraging as there were 1,388 mass layoffs affecting 136,500 people.  The average new unemployment claims for the last four weeks is still hovering around 375,000 with no indication that this number will fall in the immediate future.  

APRIL HIRING PITIFUL 115,000 YET RATE DROPS!!!

Numbers released from the Labor Department shows April unemployment dropped to 8.1% as non-farm payrolls increased only by 115,000. As earnings fell flat less business's are hiring as the economy continues to sputter along toward the November elections.  This is not good news for the Obama Administration as they were hoping for a pickup of +160,000 jobs.  Last months jobs report was adjusted upward to +154,000. 

The telling signs of this jobs report is the drop in the number of people that fell off the unemployment rolls as there benefits expire and they stop looking for jobs. The participation rate dropped to 63.6% from last months 63.8%,  the lowest since 1981 as the change in civilian labor force dropped 364,000.   The unemployed and underemployed is now at 14.5% 

What’s in the Cards for April’s Unemployment Numbers?

It will not be good news as the economy continues to  sputters along at an anemic rate.  A more detailed look at March tells us that layoff’s continue across the board as employers took 1, 273 layoff actions involving 121,310 workers across all categories. The number of new unemployment claims in April rose to a 4 week moving average of 381,750, up 6,250 from the previous week.

It was also widely reported this week that half the people with bachelor’s degrees cannot find work.  An analysis shows that over 53% are jobless or underemployed which does not give us any indication that the job market is improving.  The labor force participation rate which is still below 64% is at its lowest rate in more than 10 years. 

Next Stop for Democrats, Comedy Central

For the past few days there has been a cornucopia of good material coming out the democrat party. There is no way to explain why the left (which includes both the politicians and the liberal media) has chosen to entertain instead of inform us with their condescending rants day after day with no clear message. It certainly does not give us a warm and fuzzy feeling that these are the people that have been chosen to run our country. It only goes to solidify what most of us already know, we are surrounded by comedians who are masquerading as politicians. I have only had to travel back a few days in time to get material for this routine. 

No Good Path to Re-election for Obama

The number of negative events that have hit President Obama this week is not unprecedented but the quality of the bad news (9 on a scale of 1 to 10) should make one think that he is not electable. That’s the good news. The bad news is don't count him out yet.

In the past week we have seen a serious mic gaffe at the nuclear summit and while he was trying to walk back his comments that no one was buying, his top legal minds were getting beaten up in front of the Supreme Court. It was so bad that Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, had to be thrown a lifetime by the liberal justices (I think they truly felt sorry for him). Gas prices continue to rise to unprecedented levels. A recent poll shows 68% of Americans are angry at the president, his approval rating is hovering around 41%, and we won't even mention his comments about Trayvon Martin which has taken us in so many directions it's hard to keep track. The former DNC chairman Howard Dean predicted that the individual mandate would be declared unconstitutional. Current DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz in staying true to her fantasy thinking says that Obama's base is “pretty darn excited” as they were in 2008. I think not. All of this leaves Obama in a very precarious position. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.