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CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, TIKRIT — As security in the Salah ad Din province continues to improve and people return to their normal way of life, boosting the economy through more job opportunities is at the top of the to-do-list for cities in the region. And that means starting and growing businesses. Joe Pinon, a member of the Salah ad Din Provincial Reconstruction Team, Lt. Col. David Hodne, battalion commander, 3rd Squadron 4th Calvary Regiment, along with key staff members of 3-4 CAV visited the Balad Canning Factory, Nov. 24, to assess the operational status and economic possibilities the factory...

The chasm between those who want President-elect Barack Obama to produce his birth certificate to verify his eligibility to hold the nation's highest office and those who simply support the Democrat is widening. "The Constitution means what we today decide it means," opined one participant on a new WND forum that offers readers an opportunity to express their opinion on the birth certificate dispute.

CHICAGO – President-elect Barack Obama pledged on Wednesday to have an economic plan ready for action on the nation's financial crisis on his first day in office. "Help is on the way," he declared. He also said his Cabinet would "combine experience with fresh thinking" and pushed back against criticism that he was recycling former Clinton administration officials as he builds his new economic team. In his third news conference on the economy in as many days, Obama announced he had chosen former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker to head a new White House panel to help create jobs and...

CHICAGO (Nov. 24) - With the economy in crisis, President-elect Barack Obama urged the new Congress to pass a quick economic stimulus bill, pledged help for the troubled auto industry and blessed the Bush administration's bailout of the financial industry. Even so, he conceded, "The economy is likely to get worse before it gets better," a downbeat forecast, delivered 57 days before he takes the oath of office and as Americans headed into the year-end holiday season. Barring swift action, "most experts now believe that we could lose millions of jobs next year," he said, urging the newly elected Congress...

US President George W. Bush speaks with Vietnam's President Nguyen Minh Triet during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit family photo in Lima. Bush's last scheduled foreign trip was a weekend summit in Peru bringing together leaders from across the Pacific rim. Wearing a traditional Peruvian poncho, President George W. Bush gestures as Japan's Prime Minister Taro Aso stands below before the official group photo of the 16th summit of the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation, APEC, in Lima, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev looks away as U.S. President George W. Bush walks by during a leaders retreat...

Affilicon Israel: Global Economic Crisis Fuels Online Business, Internet Marketing, SEO By Joel Leyden Israel News Agency Israel Marketing News Isle of Man --- November 21, 2008...... The global economic crisis which affects markets from New York, London, Paris and Tel Aviv to Los Angles, Montreal, India and China initially impacts on the Hi-Tech industry. As many Internet startup companies are cash hungry and the feasibility of raising additional funds from venture capitalists and investors remains unclear and large companies are selling products that are aimed at the next generation, many employees are steadily losing their jobs. Vendors and retailers...

Let's get to the bottom of what party is better for the economy. In the last 40 years has any economic growth legislation been inspired by Democrats ?

By Randall Mikkelsen WASHINGTON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - U.S. economic and political clout will decline over the next two decades and the world will be more dangerous, with food and water scarce and advanced weapons plentiful, U.S. spy agencies projected on Thursday. The National Intelligence Council analysis "Global Trends 2025" also said the current financial crisis on Wall Street is just the first phase of a global economic reordering. The U.S. dollar's role as the world's major currency would weaken to become a "first among equals," the report said.

US economic, military and political dominance is likely to decline over the next two decades, according to American intelligence agencies. US clout will weaken as China and India grow more powerful, the National Intelligence Council (NIC) predicts in its latest report on global trends. The US dollar will no longer be the world's major currency and food and water scarcities will fuel conflict. The NIC report comes as President-elect Barack Obama prepares to take office. It will make sombre reading for Mr Obama, says the BBC's Jonathan Beale in Washington, as it paints a bleak picture of the future of...

WASHINGTON (AFP) – With the US economy mired in its worst crisis in decades, president-elect Barack Obama is likely to chart a new direction away from the unbridled capitalism of recent years but faces a challenge in restoring confidence, analysts say. Obama is likely to be engaged on the economy even before his January inauguration, possibly working on a new stimulus plan in the lame-duck Congress and with some role in the November 15 global economic summit being hosted by outgoing President George W. Bush, say analysts. "President-elect Obama needs to fully engage in economic policymaking beginning now," said Mark...

Powell rebutted saying Obama's racial background had little to do with his vote, and it was the economic crisis engulfing the United States that had made up his mind, in addition to McCain's choice of Alaska Governor Palin as his vice presidential nominee, who he thought was not ready to be president of the United States. In a stinging rebuff to Republican candidate John McCain, Powell said the Republican nominee was a little unsure as to how to deal with the economic problems that the U.S is facing. Powell said Obama, in contrast, had come out of recent weeks looking...

Putting it Altogether: THE TRUTH about our ECONOMIC CRISIS Burning Down The House: What Caused Our Economic Crisis?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RZVw3no2A4&feature=related Clinton administration's "BANK AFFIRMATIVE ACTION" They forced banks to make BAD LOANS and ACORN and OBAMA’S tie to all of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivmL-lXNy64 Fannie Mae CEO calling Obama and the Dems the "Family" and "Conscience" of Fannie Mae: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usvG-s_Ssb0&feature=related Barack Obama Trained ACORN Staff In How To Intimidate Banks Into Giving Subprime Loans: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMnSp4qEXNM&feature=related Timeline shows Bush, McCain warning Dems of financial mess: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMnSp4qEXNM&feature=related

America’s Economic Disintegration—How and Why? One of the main factors in our economic demise has been the perversion of the American Dream of home ownership from a privilege to an undeniable right. Does it make sense to loan people money who cannot repay it… with no money down… or simply because of race, etc.? President Clinton used the power of the Federal government and the “Community Reinvestment Act” to pressure banks to make unsound, risky loans. The tool used to do this was the Boston Federal Reserve Board. They initiated a study in 1992 that allegedly found subtle discrimination in...

How to win the debate on the economy. In a nutshell, Obama's economic plan is a nightmare...

In this issue: Construction Lending: The Next Shoe to Drop Lehman at the Center Iceland Guarantees What? Letters of Credit: Going, Going Gone? What to Do and Where Do We Go from Here? London, Stockholm, and California I have been writing for almost a year that the next shoe to drop on US banks would be commercial construction lending. Today we look at some hard numbers. We look across the pond to sort out the problems in Europe. We look at the consequences of the losses stemming from Lehman. Then we look at one of the more serious consequences of...

The only people who pay taxes in this country are consumers who make purchases or pay rent from their own income. Those taxes are paid at the point of purchase and at the time of purchase. Since the middle class comprises the largest group of consumers, they pay the greatest share of taxes regardless of the illusion created by a progressive tax scheme. The wealthy pay more taxes only to the extent that they may consume more. The truth of these statements will become self-evident with a few simple illustrations. That box of corn flakes on your kitchen tables contains...

"Soros, in short, is a major financial backer of the Democratic Party and will be in a position to collect on these debts if Hillary or Obama wins in November. Their election may depend on further substantial erosion in the national economy. Is it possible that the financial activities of Soros could make it more likely that the economy will go into a complete tailspin?" "Any economic problems will, of course, be blamed by the Democrats and the liberal media on President Bush and the Republicans. The Republicans may not be smart enough to recognize that hedge fund managers and...

Not that long ago, a dollar was worth a half-gallon of gasoline. Just a few days ago, a dollar was worth a little less than one-quarter-gallon of gasoline. When the value of the dollar is expressed this way, the question is did the gasoline become more expensive or did the dollar become worth less? The dollar is a commodity that is bought and sold, borrowed and loaned and not exempt from economic laws. When the government tampers with the value of the money supply and the value of gasoline, we end up with high energy costs that send a shock...

Just posting a headline as we will see it little place else from the MSM.

September 29, 2008 Brian Wesbury on the Bailout Vote Andrew Roth When it comes to understanding the economy, it's always smart to find out what economist Brian Wesbury is thinking. Here's his reaction (PDF) to today's vote in the House and the subsequent market decline. I highlighted what I thought were very strong points. Since the subprime crisis first became evident, we have steadfastly believed the US would avoid a recession. And, at least so far, it has. But with today’s vote, two things have happened. First, Congress finally said enough already with the knee-jerk responses to the crisis by...

Burning Down The House: What Caused Our Economic Crisis? All I can say is WOW...if you find merit with this video please pass it on. It matters far more who can lead us out of a problem than who got us into the problem. However, it is difficult to know where we are going if we don’t know where we’ve been and it would seem foolish to seek relief from the very people who created the problem. This video plays at a pretty fast speed and it covers a lot of ground. Nevertheless, WATCH IT THROUGH TO THE END. It...

This is a video you should see if you want to understand what caused this crisis...post it everywhere!! Burning Down The House: What Caused Our Economic Crisis?!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5tZc8oH--o!!

This is a video you should see if you want to understand what caused this crisis...pass it on, post it everywhere! Burning Down The House: What Caused Our Economic Crisis? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5tZc8oH--o

COPYING AND CIRCULATION IS ENCOURAGED.

My fellow Americans, Your urgent attention is needed for an emergency bail-out to avoid a financial melt-down. I am here at the Casino on the Indian Reservation and I am now facing a perfect storm of credit risk and complete lack of confidence in the ability to repay a multitude of obligations. This crisis has grown quickly and with little warning and the situation is indeed dire. Who knew playing a conservative game like roulette, betting on just red, would result in such unforeseen, widespread financial catastrophe? The roulette settlement was just the final stroke following the blackjack dealer hitting...

Now, that is funny. On a more serious note, the point of the video is true. American jobs that leave do so for good reason. Corporations can find cheaper labor overseas, which causes production costs to go down and prices on goods. This is good for the American consumer, and it also forces Americans to do what they do best, innovate. Making these jobs stay home only punishes the American consumer, just like tarriffs. Tarriffs are essentially government and corporations joining together to steal from the American consumer by overpricing goods.

My career at the Arizona Department of Transportation (AzDOT) wasn't planned from the start. I had some academic training in economics, but no background or training in transportation. As a libertarian, I had an instinctual aversion to government. However, after a lengthy dose of unemployment, I broke down and took what I felt would be a temporary position with AzDOT in 1976. My suspicions about government were confirmed early on in my employment. One of my first assignments was to analyze the "need" for commuter airline service subsidies in Arizona. I went into this study with virtually no knowledge of...

It’s not an easy task to find any Obama accomplishments. But the current banking crisis, driven by bad home mortgage lending policies over the last decade, provides a close up look at Obama’s past economic decision making, which happens to have played a major role in the current collapse of the mortgage and housing industries. In short, though Obama is on the campaign trail blaming the current economic crisis on President Bush and John McCain, it is actually Obama, the Congressional Black Caucus and Democrats who are at the root of today’s financial woes. Facts don’t lie... Politicians do! While...

Here is a video from a McCain rally today, where McCain criticizes Obama for trying to take advantage of economic woes for political gain. McCain hits Obama for his connections to Fannie Mae, Freddy Mac, and Lehman Brothers:

WASHINGTON - The government said Wednesday that U.S. retail sales fell in July, the weakest performance in five months. The Commerce Department reported retail sales dipped 0.1 percent last month, as a variety of economic woes combined to blunt the impact of billions of dollars in government stimulus payments to U.S. households. It’s the first decline since sales had fallen by 0.5 percent in February. And it’s a worse showing than the flat reading economists had been expecting.

WASHINGTON, July 16, 2008 – Two U.S.-military sponsored economic reconstruction programs are helping to put thousands of Iraqi citizens into productive jobs while boosting the country’s business activity, a senior U.S. military officer posted in Iraq said today. In March 2007, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, directed his officers to find ways to provide jobs and increased opportunities for economic expansion, entrepreneurship and skills training for the people of Iraq, recalled Army Maj. Gen. Timothy McHale, director of personnel, logistics and resources for Multinational Force Iraq. The successful Iraqi First LOGCAP and Iraqi-Based Industrial Zone...

For years, the left have been building a superior online political infrastructure, cultivating a powerful online community of activists, dominating the blogosphere, and leaving conservatives at a severe disadvantage in a web 2.0 world. For conservatives tired of being left behind, we invite you to RightOnline. Join leading conservative bloggers and new media experts, America’s foremost experts in grassroots mobilization, representatives from influential conservative organizations, and hundreds of citizen activists this July 18th and 19th in Austin, Texas. RightOnline will serve as a meeting place for the free enterprise movement, focusing on how we can more effectively leverage the power...

Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama will appear at Carnegie Mellon University Thursday, hosting a round-table conversation on competitiveness and the world economy. The morning panel discussion, which will be closed to the public, includes speakers from industry, labor and the academic world.The participants are to include: Lael Brainard, vice president of the Brookings Institution; Eli Broad, founder of the Broad Foundation; Geoffrey Canada, president and CEO of Harlem Children's Zone; Steve Case, chairman and CEO of Revolution Health and former chairman and CEO of America Online; Susan Hockfield, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Federico Pe??a, former U.S....

Starting in May, the Treasury will begin sending economic stimulus payments to more than 130 million households. To receive a payment, taxpayers must have a valid Social Security number, $3,000 of income and file a 2007 federal tax return. IRS will take care of the rest. Eligible people will receive up to $600 ($1,200 for married couples), and parents will receive an additional $300 for each eligible child younger than 17. Millions of retirees, disabled veterans and low-wage workers who usually are exempt from filing a tax return must do so this year in order to receive a stimulus payment....

Are we headed toward bigger government? Senator McCain's position is that there is a role for government, and the primary thing is that you identify government's role and make sure that it does it well. The striking thing that has come out of the campaign is the degree to which the American people have lost trust in their government to pursue genuine national priorities, and there are three instances in which this gets voiced pretty clearly; probably the most vivid is the immigration debate, where people simply did not believe that the federal government [would secure the borders]...so Senator...

Italians vote as economic disaster looms By Malcolm Moore in Rome Last Updated: 2:41am BST 14/04/2008 Voting began yesterday in Italy's general election but the winner will inherit a country on the brink of disaster. A man in Sorrento was arrested after he announced 'politics makes me sick' and ate his ballot paper According to the International Monetary Fund, Italy's economic growth will not rise above 0.3 per cent this year, and could be zero. The country's growth is the slowest in Europe and Mario Draghi, the governor of the Bank of Italy, warned that "the crisis is not yet...

Soaring price of food 'leads to riots' By James Kirkup, Political Correspondent Last Updated: 2:45am BST 07/04/2008 Rising food prices threaten economic stability and could trigger riots, Gordon Brown has been warned. The World Bank said this week that the price of staple foods has risen by 80 per cent in the past three years. For consumers in wealthy nations such as Britain soaring prices are squeezing household finances and keeping inflation up. But for developing nations they can lead to malnutrition and social disruption. Food prices are being driven up by shortages of supply - often caused by bad...

Capt. Gregory Curry II, commander of Troop A, 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division signs over a micro-grant to a general store owner in the Hawr Rajab area. Curry, of Walnut Creek, Ohio, said the purpose of the micro-grants is to improve and jumpstart the local economy. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Michael Paredes. FOB KALSU — With security improving in Hawr Rajab, stores and schools are reopening and a number of programs are revitalizing a community once on the brink of chaos. In November 2007, al-Qaeda launched their last well-coordinated offensives into...

House Democrats sponsor economic forum U.S. congressional Democrats said they will have a forum with economic and financial experts looking at implications of problems in housing and credit markets. U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Financial Services Committee Chairman Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., said the economic forum will be Wednesday in the Capitol. Restoring the American dream for millions of our nation's working families has been a central priority for House Democrats, Pelosi said in a news release. Congress will continue to focus our attention and efforts on the strains Americans are feeling, especially with the...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush believes it is too early to decide whether a second economic stimulus package is needed to ward off a recession but would not rule it out, governors who met with him said on Monday. After a $152 billion package was signed into law earlier this month, U.S. governors during a White House meeting pressed Bush to back another stimulus plan that would include funding for roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects. They argued that such a program would address unemployment and put the economy on a more sustainable path of growth. "We...

CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez on Sunday threatened to cut off oil sales to the United States in an "economic war" if Exxon Mobil Corp. wins court judgments to seize billions of dollars in Venezuelan assets. Exxon Mobil has gone after the assets of state oil company Petroleos de Venezuela SA in U.S., British and Dutch courts as it challenges the nationalization of a multibillion dollar oil project by Chavez's government. A British court has issued an injunction "freezing" as much as $12 billion in assets. "If you end up freezing (Venezuelan assets) and it harms us, we're going...

BREAKING NEWS: House of Representatives overwhelmingly passes economic-stimulus measure; Senate takes up bill next. Full story to follow shortly.

Its package may spend more for food stamps and unemployment benefits. Some fear the House-crafted compromise could be unraveled ...Greg Valliere, chief political strategist for the financial services firm Stanford Group Co., said he expected a plan to clear Congress, even if the Senate fiddled with it: "The Senate is notoriously independent and unwilling to be stampeded; this will be no exception." Still, he expected a package to become law within the next few weeks. "In the final analysis, most lawmakers are aghast to see their public approval ratings at all-time lows. This gives them an opportunity to show they...

1/4/2008 - LAGHMAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan (AFPN) -- A recently-approved $300,000 construction contract promises economic growth for Afghans here, according to the Airman leading engineering efforts for the Mehtar Lam Provincial Reconstruction Team. The contract for the construction of four new agricultural buildings in the Mehtar Lam agricultural compound was signed Dec. 30, according to PRT engineer, Capt. Peter Joo. One of the agricultural buildings will be for farm equipment storage and maintenance, the second building will be for general purpose storage (to include feed and fertilizer) and the third and fourth, smaller buildings will be used for cool storage. "The...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — The road to economic prosperity south of Baghdad is being paved by Soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. With assistance from the 2nd BCT embedded provincial reconstruction team, local government councils and Iraqi contractors, the task of restoring roads and improving roads damaged by war is in full swing. “It’s all about … helping the agricultural market in our area,” said Capt. Brian Love, ePRT military liason. The area, comprised of Arab Jabour, Hawr Rajab, Al Buaytha and Adwaniyah, is mainly agriculturally-based. The improvements, which began in October,...

Top White House economic adviser Allan Hubbard is expected to leave his post at the end of this year, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday in its on-line edition. The resignation, the latest in a spate of White House departures as President George W Bush's term winds down, could be announced later in the day, the Journal said. Hubbard, 60, joined the White House as director of the National Economic Council after Bush's re-election in 2004. His departure would come as the Bush administration is facing a crisis in the mortgage industry that has caused rising housing foreclosures and...

Citizens in Baghdad’s Doura district go into a corner market to buy food. Neighborhoods in the district have shown a recent economic revival after years of fighting. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Robert Timmons, 1st Infantry Division, Public Affairs. BAGHDAD — Bullet holes attest to the battleground that was this two-block portion of the Doura neighborhood. Just a few months ago, residents were afraid to step outside, leaving their neighborhood filled with garbage, without power and with most of its shops closed. That was until members of 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division,...

BAGHDAD, Nov. 14, 2007 – Bullet holes attest to the battleground that was this two-block portion of the Doura neighborhood. Just a few months ago, residents were afraid to step outside, leaving their neighborhood filled with garbage, without power and with most of its shops closed. Citizens in Baghdad’s Doura district go into a corner market to buy food. Neighborhoods in the district have shown a recent economic revival after years of fighting. Photo by Sgt. 1st Class Robert Timmons, USA  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. That was until members of 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2007 – Security in Iraq has made tremendous gains, and now is the time to cement that security in place with economic gains, coalition officials said in Baghdad today. The U.S. Defense Department is spending money in Iraq to get basic services working and to prime the pump for private businesses, said Paul A. Brinkley, deputy undersecretary of defense for business transformation. Brinkley was joined at the news conference by Air Force Maj. Gen. Darryl Scott, commander of Joint Contracting Command Iraq, and Navy Rear Adm. Gregory Smith, chief of Multinational Force Iraq Communications Division. Coalition...

Bin Laden never thought he could destroy the United States with bombs. In an interview shortly after 9/11 he said he expected the US to bankrupt itself. It seems that is well on our way to fullfilling his expectation. Of course the war in Iraq is costly but even more costly has been the effect of the war against terror has had on business. Seven hour border crossing cut trade not only directly but indirectly..those that never even try because its not worth it..and as the economic gloom increases other markets seem more attractive anyway. The constant drumbeat to increase...