It Is About To Get Ugly: Oil Is Crashing And So Is Greece

It Is About To Get Ugly: Oil Is Crashing And So Is Greece:
"The price of oil collapsed by more than 8 percent on Wednesday, and a decision by the European Central Bank has Greece at the precipice of a complete and total financial meltdown.  
What a difference 24 hours can make. 
On Tuesday, things really seemed like they were actually starting to get better. 
The price of oil had rallied by more than 20 percent since last Thursday, things in Europe seemed like they were settling down, and there appeared to be a good deal of optimism about how global financial markets would perform this month.
But now fear is back in a big way. 
...A stunning decision that the European Central Bank has just made has set the stage for a major showdown in Europe.
The ECB has decided that it will no longer accept Greek government bonds as collateral from Greek banks...."

Pedophilia Is Not a Crime, Says Rutgers Prof Margo Kaplan

Pedophilia Is Not a Crime, Says Rutgers Prof Margo Kaplan | News | Philadelphia Magazine
In the Monday edition of the New York Times, the Rutgers-Camden law professor, an NYU and Harvard graduate, takes to the op-ed pages to argue that we’ve got it all wrong when it comes to pedophilia. 
She writes that pedophiles don’t necessarily turn out to be child molesters and that pedophilia is not a choice, i.e. a pedophile might be born that way.
We reached her in her office in Camden to discuss.
Yes, but I have to be honest. I am getting more emails of support than I ever expected.
I’m shocked.
I expected to get maybe 95% negative emails, but I’ve gotten so many positive ones. 
The online comments, though, are pretty uniformly negative, and a lot of people haven’t even read the article.

Fox News Analyst Says Islamic State Having ‘Time of Their Lives’ Over Pilot-Burning Video — Then Adds a Gigantic Slap in Their Face | Video | TheBlaze.com

Fox News Analyst Says Islamic State Having ‘Time of Their Lives’ Over Pilot-Burning Video — Then Adds a Gigantic Slap in Their Face | Video | TheBlaze.com:

"Former U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Peters, a Fox News strategic analyst, told Sean Hannity on Tuesday night that the video purportedly of a Jordanian pilot being burned alive by the Islamic State indicates that the terror organization is “having the the time of their lives” and is not acting out of desperation.

“It was a brilliant recruiting video,” Peters told Hannity. “Those guys who burned that young man alive, they’re having the time of their lives. This kind of violence is captivating, exhilarating, thrilling to these guys. It’s never going to get better for them than this. They have power now. They can exert their will over others.”

Then Peters offered this blunt assessment:"

Thankfully, there's LOTS of extra money laying around that Kerry/Obama can give to foreign governments...right?---------John Kerry Visits Kiev, Pledges $16.4M in Aid Amid Calls to Arm Ukraine

John Kerry Visits Kiev, Pledges $16.4M in Aid Amid Calls to Arm Ukraine - NBC News.com
"KIEV, Ukraine — Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in snowbound Kiev Thursday amid calls for Washington to begin arming Ukraine in its fight against pro-Russian separatists in the east.
Kerry announced $16.4 million in aid to help Ukrainians affected by the escalating violence in the east as the rebels advance.
More than 5,000 people have already died in the conflict.
"The funding will be used to support the Ukrainian government's response to the crisis caused by Russia's aggressive actions," the State Department said in a statement.
...Washington has given its clearest signal yet that it is considering providing weapons to Ukraine. President Barack Obama's pick for defense secretary, Ashton Carter, told a Senate committee he would "very much incline" toward supplying "lethal arms" to Ukraine."

IRS commissioner admits something most taxpayers have been saying for decades

IRS commissioner admits something most taxpayers have been saying for decades | TheBlaze.com:
"IRS Commissioner John Koskinen on Tuesday admitted that the tax code is too complicated, and that it should be simplified.
“You are correct, the tax code has gotten to be extremely unwieldy,” Koskinen told the Senate Finance Committee."

But, but.... the industry provided SOOOO much political contributions!----- Proof that the wind industry cannot be relied upon for our electricity

Proof that the wind industry cannot be relied upon for our electricity - Telegraph:
It’s not been a good few days for the wind industry, one of the most highly subsidised parts of the UK economy.
The cold weather means that the public is, naturally enough, consuming far more energy to keep warm.
Electricity demand reached its highest level this winter on Monday, as my colleague Emily Gosden reports, and yet on that very same day wind turbines generated their lowest output of the season.
It was an embarassing moment for an over-hyped industry.
...The figures reveal that wind output fell at one point on Monday to just 0.354GW, 0.75pc of the country’s needs. 
To put this in perspective, there is roughly 12GW of wind capacity, and the windfarms operate on average at 28pc of their theoretical maximum capacity.
But those average figures have been of very little use when we actually need vast amounts of electricity. 
In fact, these numbers are a complete catastrophe and are a devastating indictment of years of UK energy policy, which has focused far too much on wind and been based on unrealistic targets and expectations.
For all the vast subsidies it has been given, the wind industry is not fit for purpose..."

Veterans Group Claims to Have Uncovered Potentially Significant Truth About Chris Kyle’s Alleged Killer | TheBlaze.com

Veterans Group Claims to Have Uncovered Potentially Significant Truth About Chris Kyle’s Alleged Killer | TheBlaze.com:

"Eddie Ray Routh, the Marine veteran accused of murdering legendary Navy SEAL Chris Kyle in cold blood, will soon stand trial for murder. Meanwhile, a veterans group is claiming to have uncovered a significant detail that — if true — could have an impact on the case."

Glenn Beck: The World Needs to See the Depravity of the Islamic State (GRAPHIC) | TheBlaze.com

Glenn Beck: The World Needs to See the Depravity of the Islamic State (GRAPHIC) | TheBlaze.com:
"WARNING: Graphic images and video below.
We as a company have aired or released many horrible images in our short tenure as a media outlet, none of which have risen to the level of depravity of the images of Lt. Muath Al-Kaseasbeh’s death.
We had chosen not to release these images out of respect for the victim, his family and his countrymen, but also because we do not wish to spread fear and the message of psychopathic killers.

This morning, I, as the owner and operator of TheBlaze, have changed my mind.
After looking at the images again, I believe it is important for the world to see them. We have been lured into a poppy field where we have fallen fast asleep as grave danger quickly approaches."
I struggled with this one.  I think Glenn is right. People must know about the evil in this ideology. Evil is evil.

IRS Cover-Up Expands to Justice Department

IRS Cover-Up Expands to Justice Department - Breitbart:
In an interview with Bill O’Reilly of Fox News about a year ago, President Obama said that President Richard Nixon was actually more liberal in his policies than Obama is.

But, while comparing their policies, Obama conveniently left out one chilling similarity:  Both presidents used the virtually unbridled power and authority of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to target their political opponents.
In fact, in many respects Obama’s IRS abuses actually have been much worse than Nixon’s.

It was in May 2013 that the Treasury Inspector for Tax Administration (TIGTA) releasedan audit report confirming that the IRS used “inappropriate” criteria to identify, hamstring, and handcuff conservative organizations that stand in opposition to the administration’s policies. In short, it violated the First Amendment rights of countless Americans just as Obama sought reelection.  If you want to know how an election is stolen in plain sight, this is how.

.....I urge you to read and widely share today’s piece entitled “ABCs of IRS mess: Justice Department is tainted, too” in the New York Post by our lead investigative reporter Micah Morrison.  Micah lays out in painstaking detail, including some never-before-revealed facts, about what is obvious to any honest American:  that the Obama Justice Department can’t be trusted to investigate the Obama Justice Department.  
...If the Senate is to confirm Ms. Lynch (and that is a big “if” – see below), it should require the appointment of a special counsel that can begin, finally, to investigate seriously the worst abuse of the IRS by a president in memory.  This is the least the Senate should do because, as I noted with Nixon, a president has resigned for less.

What could possibly go wrong?------A Marijuana First: Pot Vending Machines Dispense Weed

A Marijuana First: Pot Vending Machines Dispense Weed - NBC News.com:
"Weed history is being made in Seattle: the first vending machines to dispense marijuana flower buds debuted Tuesday.
The machines, called ZaZZZ, are being placed in medical pot dispensaries, which helps to verify customer's age and identity since medical marijuana cards are required to enter the centers, said Greg Patrick, a spokesman for the maker of ZaZZZ, American Green.
Though vending machines appeared for the first time in Colorado last year, those sold only edibles, or cannabis-infused foods, and not the plant's flower buds that are so often associated with smoking pot.
"It's historic, there's just no other way to state it.
We saw the repeal of prohibition in the early 20th century and the mark that made on our country and the companies that did it right," Patrick said.
"We're in that stage.
This will only happen once in our country's history, the repeal of this prohibition."
The machines have a touchscreen where buyers can make orders, play video games and read medical information about the products.
..."Once you swipe your ID, you can go shopping on the screen," Patrick said.
"You can be in and out — literally — in a matter of minutes."
..."That machine is like a miniature little Fort Knox," Patrick said."

Playing Politics with the Weather

Playing Politics with the Weather | National Review Online:
"To this end, McCarthy repeats the claim made by NASA GISS that 2014 was the hottest year on record.
The Daily Mail was virtually the only newspaper to point out the deceitful nature of the claim. NASA’s announcement did not explain that, based on its own figures, there was only a 38 percent chance that the 2014 record was accurate. 
If it had adhered to IPCC standards on the treatment of uncertainties, the NASA press release would have had to qualify its announcement by saying,
“2014 is about as likely as not to have been the hottest year.”
One of the most damaging casualties of the climate wars is scientific integrity.
When a public scientific agency such as NASA subordinates its integrity to a political agenda and when climate scientists use their standing to criticize one side in a political debate but fail to correct the errors and exaggerations made by their partisans in the political arena, the public loses faith in science.
 Republicans expressing doubt about claims of future catastrophic climate change are condemned for being “against science,” while the media give those on the alarmist side a free pass, whatever foolish or wrongheaded things they might say.
A commonly deployed distortion is the extreme-weather gambit. 
The IPCC has formally stated that it has “low confidence” in observed changes in climate extremes (defined as extreme weather or climate event) since 1950; despite this, alarmists continually make unsubstantiated claims to the contrary, a theme of Secretary of State John Kerry’s speech at the climate conference in Lima two months ago. 
No climate scientist called out Kerry for saying a year ago that “the science is absolutely certain,” a ludicrous claim to make about a relatively new field studying a system characterized by, in the words of the IPCC, “chaotic variations on a vast range of spatial and temporal scales.”"

Listen to WH Spokesman’s Answer After Fox’s Ed Henry Asks If Obama Supports Jordan’s Terrorist Executions

Listen to WH Spokesman’s Answer After Fox’s Ed Henry Asks If Obama Supports Jordan’s Terrorist Executions | Video | TheBlaze.com:
"After the Islamic State released a graphic video of its terrorists burning a Jordanian pilot to death in a cage, Jordan executed two prisoners, including a would-be female Al Qaeda suicide bomber. On Wednesday, White House press secretary Josh Earnest refused to say whether President Barack Obama supports Jordan’s retaliatory response.

“When you said, ‘I don’t have a reaction to it’ — I mean, how can the president, yesterday, say, you know, ‘We’re here, we support Jordan, they are a key member of the coalition.’ They make this decision overnight and you can’t say whether or not your support the executions?” Fox News reporter Ed Henry asked."

Saint Louis University to erect monument honoring anti-police protest

Saint Louis University to erect monument honoring anti-police protest:
"Saint Louis University has commissioned a sculpture to be erected on campus that administrators say they hope “captures the spirit and importance” of a weeklong “Occupy SLU” protest last fall on the urban campus that decried oppression, racism, racial profiling and police tactics.
For six days in mid-October, community activists refused to leave the St. Louis campus in a protest intended as an extension of the summertime riots that had wracked nearby Ferguson over the police shooting of Michael Brown.
Three social justice groups – Tribe X, the Metro St. Louis Coalition for Inclusion and Equality, and the Black Student Alliance – took over the campus and lived in tents around its clock tower.
Flying an upside-down American flag, they gave speeches and “teach ins” on topics such as “conscious awakening, systematic oppression, white supremacy, and students’ responsibility to the community,” according to a YouTube video that documented the demonstration.
The demonstrators left only after the university agreed to all 13 of their demands, one of which was a “mutually agreed upon commissioned artwork.”
That agreement has now been dubbed the “Clock Tower Accords” by campus leaders of the private, Jesuit university, who recently announced they have “commissioned renowned African American artists and sculptors Kyle and Kelly Phelps to design a sculpture that captures the spirit and importance of the demonstration and encampment at Saint Louis University on October 13-18, 2014.”

Debt mountains spark fears of another crisis

Debt mountains spark fears of another crisis - FT.com
The world is awash with more debt than before the global financial crisis erupted in 2007, with China’s debt relative to its economic size now exceeding US levels, according to a report.
Global debt has increased by $57tn since 2007 to almost $200tn — far outpacing economic growth, calculates McKinsey & Co, the consultancy.
As a share of gross domestic product, debt has risen from 270 per cent to 286 per cent.
FirstFT is our new essential daily email briefing of the best stories from across the web
McKinsey’s survey of debt across 47 countries — illustrated in an FT interactive graphic — highlights how hopes that the turmoil of the past eight years would spur widespread “deleveraging” to safer levels of indebtedness were misplaced.
The report calls for “fresh approaches” to preventing future debt crises.
“Overall debt relative to gross domestic product is now higher in most nations than it was before the crisis,” McKinsey reports. “Higher levels of debt pose questions about financial stability.”
Overall, almost half of the increase in global debt since 2007 was in developing economies, but a third was the result of higher government debt levels in advanced economies.
Households have also increased debt levels across economies — the most notable exceptions being crisis-hit countries such as Ireland and the US.

History for February 5

History for February 5 - On-This-Day.com
Belle Starr 1848, William Burroughs 1914, Red Buttons (Aaron Chwatt) 1919 


Henry "Hank" Aaron 1934, Roger Staubach 1942, Christopher Guest 1948 


1861 - Samuel Goodale patented the moving picture peep show machine. 


1885 - Congo State was established under Leopold II of Belgium, as a personal possession. 


1917 - The U.S. Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1917 (Asiatic Barred Zone Act) with an overwhelming majority. The action overrode President Woodrow Wilson's December 14, 1916 veto. 


1994 - White separatist Byron De La Beckwith was convicted in Jackson, MS, of the 1963 murder of civil rights leader Medgar Evers. 


1997 - Investment bank Morgan Stanley announced a $10 billion merger with Dean Witter. 


2001 - Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman announced their separation. 

LIBERTY REVIEW

LIBERTY REVIEW:

http://www.libertyreview76.blogspot.com/2015/02/unilateral-rulers-by-tammy-derouin.html

Unilateral Rulers

By Tammy Derouin

The loyalty of the executive, the Pres-a-king, is no longer in question.  He openly defies our law, the law of the land which he swore to uphold and protect.  He gets a twinkle in his eyes as nothing short of giddiness takes over his demeanor, as he enthusiastically proclaims he will do what he feels is best for the country, meaning he will do whatever he wants.  You can place a pretty safe bet that if it will harm America, he will embrace it.  If it will help America, he will destroy it.  Oh, and if you question or protest his actions, you become a target of the federal government. 

It isn’t his job to impose his will by creating laws.  It’s his job to faithfully execute the laws of the land and defend our country.  I am convinced, more and more with each passing day, that he studied the Constitution in order to dismantle it. 

Rulers, such as kings and dictators have unilateral power to use their pen and their phone to act on a whim.  They surround themselves with Yes Men, which serves two purposes.  First, just in case the ruler should have any doubt about his actions or lack thereof, the Yes Men are within reach for a collective “nod” to the ruler.  Second, should anything happen which would not look favorably on the ruler, the Yes Men are readily available to be thrown under the bus.  The ruler will never be at fault.

Reps DeSantis and Gowdy Propose Controversial New Legislation: “End Pensions in Congress Act”

Reps DeSantis and Gowdy Propose Controversial New Legislation: “End Pensions in Congress Act”:

"Sponsor DeSantis wrote:

“The Founding Fathers envisioned elected officials as part of a servant class, yet Washington, DC has evolved into a ruling class culture. Pensions for members of Congress represent an inappropriate use of taxpayer money,…
…especially when the idea of a pension in the private sector is fast becoming a relic from a bygone era.  How can Congress make private-sector employees pony up taxes to fund pensions for members of Congress when few of these taxpayers enjoy such benefits?  As we begin this new Congress, we must focus on restoring accountability in Washington and this includes ending pensions for members of Congress.”

Who'd of thunk?-----Road plan costs taxpayers $410M in lost deductions

Road plan costs taxpayers $410M in lost deductions

Lansing — The $1.2 billion road-funding plan endorsed by Gov. Rick Snyder may leave a $102 million pothole in the pockets of as many as 1.2 million Michigan taxpayers who deduct vehicle registration fees on their federal income taxes.

Economist Patrick Anderson's East Lansing-based firm says the "far reaching and complicated" road funding package lawmakers slapped together on the last day of December's lame-duck session will likely cause federal income tax bills to rise.

That's because lawmakers changed the tax on vehicle registrations from an ad valorem property tax to a "straightforward excise tax," the Anderson Economic Group said in a report published Wednesday.

But the federal tax code only allows taxpayers to deduct vehicle registration taxes if it was property tax, meaning taxable income of Michiganians will likely rise if voters approve the road funding package in May, Anderson said.

The economist said the change in law could result in $410 million in fewer deductions for up to 1.2 million Michigan taxpayers, increasing federal income tax bills in the state by $102 million annually. The change will likely hit two-income families the hardest, he said.

"If you drive your car home and park it in your garage, this almost certainly affects you," Anderson told The Detroit News on Wednesday. "If you own two cars in your household, this probably affects you. The property tax deduction is more popular than the mortgage interest deduction."

....A package of bills designed to generate $1.2 billion more annually for roads by 2017 hinges on voters approving an increase in the sales tax from 6 percent to 7 percent on May 5.

Passage of Proposal 1 will trigger a series of new laws to go into effect, including House Bill 4630, which eliminated the depreciation schedule for new vehicles and changed the registration fee to an excise tax....

Gallup CEO Calls This Stat Touted by Obama ‘The Big Lie’

Gallup CEO Calls This Stat Touted by Obama ‘The Big Lie’:

There are three kinds of lies, Mark Twain used to say. “Lies, damned lies and statistics.” If Twain were around today, Twain might rephrase the famous phrase to say, “There are three kinds of lies — lies, damned lies, and government  statistics.” 

"From the “If you like your policy” to Obama saying he learns of his scandals in the newspapers, to Obama declaring his administration the “most transparent in history,” to the almost trillion-dollar stimulus creating “shovel-ready” jobs, to Obama saying over 20 times he didn’t have the power to implement amnesty, then declares unconstitutional amnesty anyway, the Obama Regime lies with such ease that’s it’s virtually impossible to keep up.

But when a major polling firm, a respected one at that, declares that one of the regime’s most highly touted economic statistics is a “big lie” — that’s news."

Greed. Simply greed-------Illinois teacher pension system eating up nearly ten percent of state's budget

Illinois teacher pension system eating up nearly ten percent of state's budget « Watchdog.org:
"In FY 2015, Illinois taxpayers will pay $3.4 billion of its $35 billion budget to the state’s Teachers Retirement System (TRS).
Setting aside nearly ten percent of a state’s budget to pay into only one of several public employee pension funds minimizes discretionary funds available for other services, and is forcing a conversation about reform.
...He says....The state is paying for pensions they have no part in negotiating, and that’s created an unsustainable financial expectation for taxpayers."

WHOA! Ashley Judd Compared Hillary Clinton to Whom?

WHOA! Ashley Judd Compared Hillary Clinton to Whom?:

"Leftist Hollywood actress Ashley Judd, whose weird views crushed a potential political career, is comparing a corrupt potential 2016 Democrat presidential candidate to America’s wise and principled Founding Fathers."

LIBERALS SURPRISED BELOVED BOOKSTORE CLOSES DUE TO MINIMUM WAGE HIKES

Bookstore Forced to Close Due to Minimum Wage Hike: 

• • • 
      

      
      
• • −

  

  Tuco75 • 13 hours ago

  “It’s not something that I thought would affect certain specific small businesses. 

  
  

  
  

  I feel sad.” 

  This quote is telling of all liberals who vote for laws like this. 

  He is pretty much saying he didn't think it was going to affect him so he voted for it. Idiots.

  
  

Hateful Democrat Congressman Calls Entire State of Texas ‘Crazy’

Hateful Democrat Congressman Calls Entire State of Texas ‘Crazy’:
"Communist Democrat Congressman Alcee Hastings (D-FL), who while a U.S. District Judge solicited a $150,000 bribe in exchange for issuing a lenient sentence to mobsters charged with racketeering, yet somehow continues to be elected to U.S. Congress by Floridians from the state’s 20th congressional district, broke with House decorum and civility rules on Monday, labeling the entire State of Texas as “crazy.”

Debt Tsunami: Interest Payments to Eclipse Defense Spending by 2021

Debt Tsunami: Interest Payments to Eclipse Defense Spending by 2021 - Breitbart:
".....Yet the budgetary impact of the debt that’s been accumulated–$18 trillion in total, $13 trillion of that owed to the public–will reassert itself.
Currently, the government’s interest costs are around $200 billion a year, a sum that’s low due to the era of low interest rates.
Forecasters at the White House and Congressional Budget Office believe interest rates will gradually rise, and when that happens, the interest costs of the U.S. government are set to soar, from just over $200 billion to nearly $800 billion a year by decade’s end.
By 2021, the government will be spending more on interest than on all national defense, according to White House forecasts."

Liberal attempt to grab power fails when summer arrives-----The Coming Ice Age - 1978

Business case for diversity training: Better decision-making, profits

Business case for diversity training: Better decision-making, profits | Crain's Detroit Business
The idea that diverse teams make better decisions than homogenous groups is a guiding principle behind many executive education programs. But few topics in the business world can be as polarizing as workplace diversity.

That shouldn’t be the case, said researcher Scott Page, who directs the Center for the Study of Complex Systems at the University of Michigan.

“When I walk into the business world and say ‘It’s valuable to have somebody with a different background because they have a different perspective,’ that somehow sounds like a political statement,” Page said. “The point is, it’s really not. There’s a sort of mathematical truth or logic behind it.”

Diversity has power because people with different experiences are likely to categorize the world in different ways, Page explained. Making decisions based on the combination of those perceptions gives better results than relying on a single perspective. 

Recent research supports that notion. In one study, a pair of UM professors analyzed more than 4,300 Wikipedia articles and found that bigger crowds led to better performance when the crowd was more diverse. In another, economists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and George Washington University found that switching from a single-gender office to an evenly split environment would increase revenue as much as 41 percent.

Pro-Gun Group: ‘This Is the Ad the NFL Did Not Want You to See’

Pro-Gun Group: ‘This Is the Ad the NFL Did Not Want You to See’ | Video | TheBlaze.com:
"The U.S. Concealed Carry Association is claiming that its repeated attempts to place a paid print advertisement in the official Super Bowl program were rejected by the NFL.

Kevin Michalowski, editor of Concealed Carry Magazine, says the pro-gun group’s ad was ultimately rejected “without comment.” Here’s the ad:"

The Big Lie: 5.6% Unemployment

The Big Lie: 5.6% Unemployment:
Here's something that many Americans -- including some of the smartest and most educated among us -- don't know: The official unemployment rate, as reported by the U.S. Department of Labor, is extremely misleading.

Right now, we're hearing much celebrating from the media, the White House and Wall Street about how unemployment is "down" to 5.6%. The cheerleading for this number is deafening. The media loves a comeback story, the White House wants to score political points and Wall Street would like you to stay in the market.

None of them will tell you this: If you, a family member or anyone is unemployed and has subsequently given up on finding a job -- if you are so hopelessly out of work that you've stopped looking over the past four weeks -- the Department of Labor doesn't count you as unemployed. That's right. While you are as unemployed as one can possibly be, and tragically may never find work again, you are not counted in the figure we see relentlessly in the news -- currently 5.6%. Right now, as many as 30 million Americans are either out of work or severely underemployed. Trust me, the vast majority of them aren't throwing parties to toast "falling" unemployment.

There's another reason why the official rate is misleading. Say you're an out-of-work engineer or healthcare worker or construction worker or retail manager: If you perform a minimum of one hour of work in a week and are paid at least $20 -- maybe someone pays you to mow their lawn -- you're not officially counted as unemployed in the much-reported 5.6%. Few Americans know this.

Yet another figure of importance that doesn't get much press: those working part time but wanting full-time work. If you have a degree in chemistry or math and are working 10 hours part time because it is all you can find -- in other words, you are severely underemployed -- the government doesn't count you in the 5.6%. Few Americans know this.

There's no other way to say this. The official unemployment rate, which cruelly overlooks the suffering of the long-term and often permanently unemployed as well as the depressingly underemployed, amounts to a Big Lie.

And it's a lie that has consequences, because the great American dream is to have a good job, and in recent years, America has failed to deliver that dream more than it has at any time in recent memory. A good job is an individual's primary identity, their very self-worth, their dignity -- it establishes the relationship they have with their friends, community and country. When we fail to deliver a good job that fits a citizen's talents, training and experience, we are failing the great American dream.

Gallup defines a good job as 30+ hours per week for an organization that provides a regular paycheck. Right now, the U.S. is delivering at a staggeringly low rate of 44%, which is the number of full-time jobs as a percent of the adult population, 18 years and older. We need that to be 50% and a bare minimum of 10 million new, good jobs to replenish America's middle class.