In a speech at a fundraiser in Beverly Hills last night, President Obama emphatically affirmed his policies and approach telling the friendly and exuberant audience that we have stepped back from the brink referring to the economy.  Seeming to believe that the news is better, Obama rallied the crowd by saying “you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

So, Obama is starting to claim some measure of success.  He says that things are calmer now.  The only thing that is calmer is the main stream media because they don’t have a heart attack anymore over every poor economic number because they can’t continue blaming Bush for it.  How can Obama claim success?  Consider:

• • • • • • • • - Unemployment Rate is at a 25 year high
                - More Americans are collecting unemployment than ever.
                - One out 7 mortgages in foreclosure.
                - Thousands of Auto Dealerships being shut down.
                - The Dollar is dropping (losing value) due to the skyrocketing increase of the money supply courtesy of the Bush-Obama “Bail Out Nation,”

Now, I ask:

1.    Where are the shovel-ready jobs?
2.    Where and how is the $800 billion stimulus being spent?
3.    Where is the $1 Trillion in supplemental spending being used to benefit America?
4.    What evidence is there that a single job has been created as a result of the stimulus bill?

When President Obama says “you ain’t seen nothing yet” it doesn’t give much hope for conservatives that we will be getting “limited government” as is prescribed in the US Constitution anytime soon.  It is just chilling to think what he does have in store for America.  We already know that he is pushing forward at breakneck speed on Universal Healthcare, Cap and Trade and Saving the Planet.  What else is in store for America?

However, I suggest that Obama hasn’t seen anything yet.  His policies will prove to be a disaster simply on the basis of a few simple indisputable facts:

1.    Increasing Taxes has never actually improved the economy.  When the average American sees virtually everything they buy or do go shooting higher in price, Obama will and must pay a heavy political price.

2.    Massive Spending Increases - regardless of the purpose or the intent, massive government spending, using solely borrowed money, robs the private economy of needed capital and crowds out private industry.
3.    Nationalization of major sections of our economy; the government now controls major chunks of the banking industry and automobile industry … soon the government will seek to finalize a plan that essentially boasts “Medicare for Everyone.”  There is no history that shows government control of anything, with the exception of our national defense, has proven to be an unmitigated failure.
4.    Obama claimed transparency in all areas of government, yet, there is no transparency and there is no “seat at the table” as was advertised.  Someone, probably not the mainstream media, will point this out and will get through to mainstream America.
And where are the Republicans?  Nowhere!  Where are the true conservatives who can propose and effectively communicate supply-side economics, economic and tax policy that is based on incentives and not on entitlement?  Where are the true constitutionalists that limit the power and control of government in subservience to the individual?

These are indeed difficult times.  The inevitable response (and it is inevitable), will come from the grass roots.  We have seen the tea parties.  We need to see more.  They need to be larger and louder.  We need to demand better.  We need to truly recognize what the Constitution stands for and it is ultimately up to the individual to reassert individual rights and responsibilities.  It is up to the individual to reassert himself and reverse the growth in government control of our lives.

So, tell me what you think.  What does the Constitution mean to you?  What do Obama’s policies mean to you?  Let’s air this stuff out.  It’s important!

Arthur Cooper

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All of us that use our credit cards responsibly and reasonably are going to get our just due; we will be punished.  Let’s get used to it.  Out of control government has done it again … they are changing the rules and regulations on credit card companies in the name of protecting the public.  Sure, it all sounds good.  They are requiring better communication to consumers and that is always a good thing.

Here is the good stuff:

1.    Credit Card Companies can no longer retroactively increase rates on card holders UNLESS you are 60 days late on your payments.
2.    Teaser Rates must have duration of at least 1 year.
3.    Promotional rates must last at least 6 months.
4.    Payments for accounts with multiple categories (credit, cash advance, etc) will be automatically applied to the account with the highest percentage rate.
5.    Late Fees cannot be assessed unless the card holder gets the bill at least 3 weeks before the due date.
6.    No over-limit fees unless you agree to it before hand.  In other words, when you charge something that takes you over your limit, the charge will likely be denied, unless you have previously agreed to be charged a fee for that privilege.
7.    Minors (under 21) will need parental consent for credit card issuance.

Here is what is wrong:

1.    The credit card companies will respond to these imposed changes to counterbalance their reduced ability to protect their profit margins which allow them to employ their people and otherwise run their businesses.
2.    Interest Rates and fees will be increased as part of the counterbalance
3.    Credit cards will be revoked for those that cannot be carried by the credit card companies due to the rules.
4.    Credit limits will be imposed that will certainly include reduced credit limits.
5.    Credit cards will be less available especially for those with less than perfect credit scores.
6.    Credit will be less available.
7.    Bad for the individual and bad for the economy.

The Perspective

Remember to run away fast the next time government comes and tells you that they are here to help.  I have little doubt that those in government have better intentions.  However, few of them have ever run a business and / or understand how business or even capitalism even works.  In other words they just don’t know what they are doing.

Don’t forget what President Obama said he wants to do; specifically he said that he wants to get the flow of credit moving again.  Now reread and think about the above consequences of the actions.  I don’t think President Obama is lying.  I do think that he doesn’t understand or possibly believe in free market capitalism.  This is not the first or the last time this administration and this Congress will enact anti-capitalistic, anti-competitive measures in the false notion that they are protecting the public.

Government this year has acted to:

1.    Protect those facing foreclosure at the expense of those who pay their mortgages on time.
2.    Protect those with poor credit at the expense of those with good or excellent credit.
3.    Protect failing banks at the expense of well run banks.
4.    Protect failing auto manufacturers at the expense of performing manufacturers and all consumers.
5.    Make payments to those who never paid income taxes at the expense of those who pay income taxes.

These poor policies are grounded in the belief that capitalism is the problem.  However it is government that is the problem.  Capitalism is a natural process.  It involves risk, safety, fear and greed; all very human, very natural factors.  Over the generations, there is a natural swing between fear and greed, risk and safety.  Capitalism is a self-correcting process where fear is responded to by risk takers and greed is responded to by those who seek safety.  It’s a dynamic process that involves ebbs and flows, excesses and shortages; it is the natural process.

Government, in the name of help and protection for the common man, consistently gets it wrong by trying to control the individual and businesses (collections of individuals) because they know better how their citizens should behave and what they really need.  But what they don’t understand is that their attempts to control tend to distort the natural ebbs and flows of free market capitalism only to create new and often more challenging “unintended” issues.

Individuals need their natural rights and they need to act to reassert their natural rights in the face of an increasingly controlling government.

The credit card legislation is just another example of government losing its compass and its focus as opposed to what it really should be doing as stated in the Constitution.

Oh, one piece of good news.  This won’t take effect until 2010.

What do you think?  Should Government be more active or less active?  Should individuals be more active or less active?  Whose rights are being affected and how?  Comment on this.  Let’s have a discussion.
Arthur Cooper

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On Tuesday, California voters sent a resounding and complete rejection of new and confiscatory taxes on a whole range of Propositions. Too bad all states couldn’t do the same thing through this process of voting on specific proposed increases in spending and taxes.  California has been a very “blue” state voting for liberal and democratic politicians, particularly over the past 15 years.  Tax increases on income, sales, property, etc were all defeated on Tuesday.  These were not squeaker votes; they were all landslides with 60%+ plurality.  So Hurray for California, hurray for limited government and hurray for the individual … FINALLY!

California has sent the strongest message yet that REAL PEOPLE, though they may still like the style of President Obama, when it comes down to our daily lives and the reality of bigger government, controlling government, the country is really CONSERVATIVE on the ground.

Have no doubt about this:  Obama, Reid, Pelosi and their ideology will be proven to be wrong, dangerous and detrimental to the country.  Many who voted for Obama thought he was bringing to us a new day of change.  However, it will become clearer and clearer, as the facts on the ground become evident, that raising taxes whether it is through income taxes, cap and trade, nationalizing health care, dictating to private industry and assuming more and more control of the individual are not in the interest of the country and the individual himself.

It was interesting and ironic that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn’t even in California on the day of decision by its citizens.  He was in Washington DC, with President Obama, taking accolades for policies, initiatives and actions that do nothing but seek to control our lives.  Specifically, Obama was praising the “governator” for California’s Auto Standards, environmental initiatives, etc.  This is what Obama seeks for the entire country, despite the fact that these kinds of standards, initiatives and plain command and control of everything that they can get their hands on, has created one of the greatest financial crises in history.  California is in deep deep trouble.  President Obama is following California’s lead.  All Americans are witness to this and are certainly beginning to see the cause and effect.  The fact is, those that have been successful in California are leaving the state in droves.  The same is also happening in all of the high tax states like New York, New Jersey, Michigan, etc.  States like Texas, Nevada, Florida are gaining new citizens as a result … they DON’T TAX INCOME and their property taxes are very low, at least by comparison.

While high tax states are the losers so will the United States be the loser as we drive CAPITAL, the lifeblood of free markets and commerce, away from our shores.  This is happening and will continue to happen as long as government continues to treat capital badly.  When you tax investment gains, corporate profits, etc, private capital seeks a better place.  The better places include Singapore, China et al that do not tax capital or corporate profits.  As capital leaves to other countries that welcome capital and just plain treat it better, each and every one of us will suffer.
However, the citizens in California have sent the first real message of rejection to policies that can only lead to failure and hardship.  This same state voted overwhelmingly for Obama just 6+ months ago.  What has changed?  One word … REALITY.  The same is destined to happen across the nation as the realities of what President Obama’s changes will mean to the lives of individuals.  When your utility bills whether it is oil, gas, electric, and hot water all skyrocket through Cap and Trade … all in the name of global warming … you will see what this all means to you.  This carbon-based tax will significantly increase the price everyone pays for everything from gasoline to food and anything that uses carbon-based energy sources in the manufacturing and distribution process.

Likewise, when you see your personal choices are limited or removed by the government in virtually every aspect of your lives including health care, automobile purchases, financial services including credit cards and loans, etc, you too will ultimately reject these assaults on your personal freedom and liberty.  Rather than change, you will come to realize that this is only the reemergence and acceleration of the long term trend of government to command and control over every aspect of your life in subservience to the state.

So, Hurray for California.  We, the People, need to take back our country and reassert our natural rights and severely limit the power, authority and control of government as was the vision and the genius of the framers of our Constitution.

Arthur Cooper

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About 2 weeks ago, live from Washington DC, Barack Obama starred in what was called his 3rd prime time news conference.  All of the major networks covered it, something they never did for his predecessor, but have and will always do for their beloved new star of the media.

Let us not take anything away from President Obama.  He is extremely intelligent, charismatic, and communicates as well as any politician in my lifetime.

No, President Obama is not the focus of today’s “The Daily Cooper.”  This is about what Bernard Goldberg would call “The Continuing Slobbering Love Affair” of the Press and the mainstream media starring Barack Obama.

Consider what the Press did NOT ask the President in this press conference:

1.    The latest GDP figures were announced today showing a huge 6.1% contraction.  Over 650,000 new workers are filing unemployment claims each week.  More than 8 million American workers are now receiving unemployment benefits.  Yet not one of the 13 questions even came close to touching on this and asking the President questions such as:

a.    When will Americans start seeing tangible benefits of the stimulus plan now that we are 100 days into your administration?
b.    Can you please give us some examples of how the stimulus plan is working so far?
c.    What should Americans be using as a clear indication of the stimulus plan actually working for Americans?

2.    President Obama made mention in response to a question that he doesn’t wish to be in the Automobile Business or the Banking Business.  However, there was no follow up question that asked:

a.    Why then is the administration not making it clear to the banks that the government will be only so happy to have them repay their TARP funds?  If the government is not interested in control, or outright nationalization, that getting the TARP funds repaid back into the Treasury wouldn’t be welcomed and actively encouraged and applauded?
b.    Why don’t you allow for the normal course of free market capitalism and the bankruptcy laws to deal with these failing business models?  What benefit is there for the country and the economy for the government to actually own large amounts of shares, in some cases controlling shares, of public or private businesses?

3.    One of President Obama’s major campaign promises was to enact policies with the absolute goal of achieving energy independence.  No one asked any questions about this, such as:

a.    What has been happening so far, beyond the stimulus package, in actual action to produce more energy in America by Americans so far?
b.    How is it possible to achieve energy independence in the next 100 years without including an all-out effort to drill for oil, gas and coal, build dozens of nuclear power plants, and adopt The Pickens Plan?  So far, you have only endorsed wind and solar; why is that?
c.    What good will it do the earth if the US adopts all green technology measures you propose and China, India and Russia do nothing as they are doing now?

4.    Once again, President Obama, in his opening remarks touted the stimulus package and the tax cut for 95% of Americans.  The Press failed to ask some obvious questions:

a.    How can you state that you cut taxes on 95% of Americans when:

i.    A large percentage of Americans are not getting any tax cut but are rather getting a check because they aren’t paying federal income tax to begin with.
ii.    Regardless, you never mention that the carbon tax (cap and trade) will raise everyone’s costs dramatically for all forms of energy that we use every day; gasoline, electricity, heat and hot water, all products produced using energy.  These are new taxes that will be reflected in higher utility bills, gasoline and virtually everything we buy.  Further this new carbon tax will last in perpetuity where the so-called tax cuts are clearly not.  Why do you not call this a tax?

5.    The President reiterated that Health Care must be “solved” if we are to have any hope of long term prosperity.  However, not a single question was asked about this such as:

a.    How exactly will this work?
b.    How does spending trillions on a national health plan actually reduce medical costs?
c.    Why have you not also emphasized Social Security and Medicare reform as equally or more important as both of these massive entitlement programs are clearly underfunded and pose a huge burden for future generations?

No, these questions were not asked.  President Obama has quite a supporting cast of people posing as a Free Press.  I maintain that this is not a Free Press; it is a corrupt Press with an ideology and tenor that dare not challenge Mr. Obama as they have challenged, and even maligned previous Presidents.  Consider some of the questions that actually were asked:

1.    One question on Abortion.
2.    One question about, and I am not kidding, what has most enchanted him in the first 100 days.
3.    A good question on Pakistan.
4.    A question about Specter.
5.    A question on Chrysler and GM.
6.    Plus 8 more questions - nothing about the economy, energy independence, or health care or education.

The Barack Obama Show

President Obama made an opening statement and then took 13 questions and took about an hour; just like the last 2 press conferences.  He uses a teleprompter for his opening statements.  The reporters are pre-selected in order and there is no apparent opportunity for follow-up questions.  Sounds like a scripted program or TV show to me.

The President is professorial in his answers.  In other words, he is still campaigning, sometimes not answering the question, even if the listener can remember what the question was in the first place.  13 questions in an hour; do the math, its more than 5 minutes per answer.  You get the feeling that if he was asked what time it is, he would tell you how to build a watch.  It’s staged, controlled, and BORING!  Much worse is that the Press just sits there, takes it all in and just gives him a pass.  By the way, do you think the Press would have given President Bush a pass in a Press Conference on the New York skyline flyover incident or the Tea Party movement?

I am CEO of Optimum7, an Internet Marketing Company.  Our clients ask real questions and want real answers on a routine basis as they should.  Why can’t we get this from our President and “Free Press?”

The Press Conference should end with credits … director, producer, written by, etc, etc.  Maybe The President should get an Emmy.

Tell me what you think.  Your comments are always welcome.

Arthur Cooper

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