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    links for 2010-07-02

    July 2, 2010 /
    • Charlie Cook – Hurricane GOP On The Way
      The numbers were from the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, conducted June 17-21 among 1,000 adults by pollsters Peter Hart (a Democrat) and Bill McInturff (a Republican). Among the registered voters in the survey, Republicans led by 2 points on the generic congressional ballot test, 45 percent to 43 percent. This may not sound like a lot, given that Democrats now hold 59 percent of House seats. When this same poll was taken in June 2008, however, Democrats led by 19 points, 52 percent to 33 percent.

      That drop-off should be enough to sober Democrats up, but the next set of data was even more chilling. First, keep in mind that all registered voters don't vote even in presidential years, and that in midterm elections the turnout is about one-third less. In an attempt to ascertain who really is most likely to vote, pollsters asked registered voters, on a scale of 1 to 10, how interested they were in the November elections.
      ++++++
      How quickly GOP fortunes change

      (tags: charlie_cook GOP democrats)
    • Obamanomics: Putting Lipstick on a Bad Jobs Number
      JOBS: The White House is girding itself for the release of June employment figures, which will show a relative paucity of private sector jobs created. In a way, the impact of this number has been blunted by expectation-setting and headlines that suggest the recovery might be fizzling. There will be a vigorous presidential response designed to show how engaged the president is. Reporters have been given a 12:01 a.m. embargo regarding its contents, but suffice it to say, it's a little like putting lipstick on a … bad jobs number.
      +++++++
      No amount of spin will ameliorate the bad feelings america is experiencing under Obamanomics
      (tags: Obamanomics barack_obama economics)
    • Double Dip Recession: Weak economic data suggest recovery is fizzling
      Fears that the economic recovery is fizzling grew Thursday after the government and private sector issued weak reports on a number of fronts.

      Unemployment claims are up, home sales are plunging without government incentives and manufacturing growth is slowing.

      Meanwhile, 1.3 million people are without federal jobless benefits now that Congress adjourned for a weeklong Independence Day recess without passing an extension. That number could grow to 3.3 million by the end of the month if lawmakers can't resolve the issue when they return.

      All of this worries economists. As jobless claims grow and benefits shrink, Americans have less money to spend and the economy can't grow fast enough to create new jobs. Some are revising their forecasts for growth in the third quarter. Others are afraid the country is on the verge of falling back into a recession.
      ++++++
      Obama had his chance and blew it with PORKULUS and more government spending.

      Cut taxes NOW

      (tags: barack_obama economics)
    • June Job Losses at 125,000 But Jobless Rate Falls to 9.5%
      U.S. employment fell for the first this year in June as thousands of temporary census jobs ended and private hiring grew less than expected, dealing a blow to President Barack Obama who has identified job creation as a key priority.

      Nonfarm payrolls dropped 125,000, the largest decline since October, as temporary census jobs fell 225,000, the Labor Department said on Friday.

      However the unemployment rate fell to 9.5 percent, the lowest level since July, as people left the labor force.

      The report will add to worries the recovery from the longest and deepest recession since the 1930s could be faltering. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected employment to fall 110,000 last month, with the jobless rate edging up to 9.8 percent from 9.7 percent in May.
      ++++++
      Not a good sign for the economy as the federal debt soars

      (tags: barack_obama economics)
  • Barack Obama,  BP Oil Spill,  Day By Day

    Day By Day July 2, 2010 – WaterWorld

    July 2, 2010 /


    Day By Day by Chris Muir

    I thought one of the mantras of Obama’s Hope and Change charade was cooperation around the world – unlike the demonized George W. Bush?

    Guess not as the BP Oil Spill continues with the Obama Administration NOW apparently reconsidering their initial decision to turn down help from the Dutch.

    The U.S. Government has apparently reconsidered a Dutch offer to supply 4 oil skimmers. These are large arms that are attached to oil tankers that pump oil and water from the surface of the ocean into the tanker. Water pumped into the tanker will settle to the bottom of the tanker and is then pumped back into the ocean to make room for more oil. Each system will collect 5,000 tons of oil each day.

    One ton of oil is about 7.3 barrels. 5,000 tons per day is 36,500 barrels per day. 4 skimmers have a capacity of 146,000 barrels per day. That is much greater than the high end estimate of the leak. The skimmers work best in calm water, which is the usual condition this time of year in the gulf.

    These systems were developed by the Dutch as a safety system in case of oil spills from either wells or tankers. The Dutch have off shore oil development and also import oil in tankers. Their economy, just like ours, runs on oil. They understand that the production and use of oil has dangers and they wanted to be ready to cope with problems like spills. The Dutch system has been used successfully in Europe.

    The Dutch offered to fly their skimmer arm systems to the Gulf 3 days after the oil spill started. The offer was apparently turned down because EPA regulations do not allow water with oil to be pumped back into the ocean. If all the oily water was retained in the tanker, the capacity of the system would be greatly diminished because most of what is pumped into the tanker is sea water.

    As of June 8th, BP reported that they have collected 64,650 barrels of oil in the Gulf. That is only a fraction of the amount of oil spilled from the well. That is less than one day’s rated capacity of the Dutch oil skimmers.

    Turning down the Dutch skimmers just shows a total lack of leadership in the oil spill. To just leave the oil in the water because regulations do not allow you to pump slightly polluted oil back into the ocean is just plain stupid. The small amount of oil pumped back into the ocean with the Dutch system is tiny droplets of suspended oil that will be quickly broken down by naturally occurring bacteria.

    PLUS CA CHANGE

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    @Flap Twitter Updates for 2010-07-02

    July 2, 2010 /

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