GOP Campaign gold mine

[Glenn W]

If I were a GOP political candidate, I think I know where I'd focus considerable effort:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Record...&asset=&ccode=

[canyongear]

By HOPE YEN, LIZ SIDOTI

updated 9/11/2010 8:10:45 PM ET

WASHINGTON — The number of people in the U.S. who are in poverty is on track for a record increase on President Barack Obama's watch, with the ranks of working-age poor approaching 1960s levels that led to the national war on poverty.



Census figures for 2009 — the recession-ravaged first year of the Democrat's presidency — are to be released in the coming week, and demographers expect grim findings.
It's unfortunate timing for Obama and his party just seven weeks before important elections when control of Congress is at stake. The anticipated poverty rate increase — from 13.2 percent to about 15 percent — would be another blow to Democrats struggling to persuade voters to keep them in power.


"The most important anti-poverty effort is growing the economy and making sure there are enough jobs out there," Obama said Friday at a White House news conference. He stressed his commitment to helping the poor achieve middle-class status and said, "If we can grow the economy faster and create more jobs, then everybody is swept up into that virtuous cycle."
Interviews with six demographers who closely track poverty trends found wide consensus that 2009 figures are likely to show a significant rate increase to the range of 14.7 percent to 15 percent.


Should those estimates hold true, some 45 million people in this country, or more than 1 in 7, were poor last year. It would be the highest single-year increase since the government began calculating poverty figures in 1959. The previous high was in 1980 when the rate jumped 1.3 percentage points to 13 percent during the energy crisis.


Among the 18-64 working-age population, the demographers expect a rise beyond 12.4 percent, up from 11.7 percent. That would make it the highest since at least 1965, when another Democratic president, Lyndon B. Johnson, launched the war on poverty that expanded the federal government's role in social welfare programs from education to health care.

[canyongear]

Just a thought...

If you just took over as the Captain of a cruise ship, with one engine out of two engines with major mechanical problems, and 400 (4 years) miles to go to reach the port and safe harbor with a hurricane brewing surrounding the entry to that port, what would you do?

Knowing, it is your responsibility to protect your passengers at all costs and in order to change course and seek another safe harbor the change has to be made immediately, but reachable with reduced power taking more time but saving the sick engine.

You know you only have enough fuel to make the change in course, the day you take over as Captain. By doing so, that will cost you your job, as the cruise line owner has told you, "YOU MUST TAKE THE SHORTEST ROUTE TO YOUR ORIGINAL PORT" to ensure the success of our business and complete the scheduled trip so as not inconvenience any paying passengers.

A. Put the throttles to MAX POWER to reach your port and risk all safety knowing the weak engine could blow and never make it in time and you could run out of fuel in doing so and be adrift in a hurricane.

Instruct the staff to start giving away free food and beverage to win the passengers over to your decision to put them at risk, to ease the tension of your decision, but by doing so you could run out of food and beverage before you reach port.

If you make it you will keep your job and get a big raise and a new contract to run the ship for 4 more years.


B. Change course immediately, run to the secondary safe port and REDUCE POWER to conserve fuel, protect the weak engine and protect your passengers.

Start a happy hour with free beer and wine and explain the inconvenience and apologize with the message it is the best safety option for all concerned. This will ensure you have enough food and beverage to make the trip over the additional time required.

However, you will loose your job by disobeying your orders from the cruise line owner.

It certainly appears "OUR CAPTAIN" has chosen choice "A".