The Daily Dose: July 13, 2011

It's time once again for The Daily Dose!

In an update to a previously run story...

NBC Apologizes for Pledge Video Omitting 'Under God'

NBC has issued a formal apology to the 107 congressmen who signed a letter to NBC complaining about its decision to omit the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance. NBC says that the decision was not an ideological decision by the company, but that it was instead an error in judgment made by a small group of people who have since been reprimanded. While I hope that NBC is telling the truth, I find it hard to believe that no "senior level official" would review a video that was to be played before the final day's coverage of one of the largest golf events of the year. You can read more here.

And showing once again that you can prove anything with statistics...

Obama Claims Job Losses Prove Stimulus Worked

In a shocking statement yesterday, President Obama claimed that the increase in unemployment (up .1% this month) proves that the stimulus plan worked. His reasoning is that as the stimulus plan is phased out, unemployment is increasing. However, he fails to mention that the unemployment rate did not drop as the stimulus was phased in, a move that one would expect if the stimulus was actually working. You can read more here.

In education news...

Union Head Says US Can Learn From Foreign Schools

Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers, has reportedly stated that the US educational system should take lessons from other successful school systems around the globe. However, one of the main "lessons to be learned" from other countries is the almost 100% unionized teachers in Finland. I agree with the first statement: the US educational system is failing and we should be learning from countries with more successful school systems. However, teachers unions do not educate students, so claiming that the unions are responsible for Finland's success is ridiculous. Perhaps Ms. Weingarten should examine what is being done in the classroom to discover why other countries have successful school systems. You can read more here.

Finally...

I must apologize for the lack of articles this week. My schedule has been very busy the past few weeks, and I have not been able to work ahead on articles as I would have liked. I will post an article this Friday, and I should be back to the regular Tuesday/Friday schedule for articles next week. Thank you for your patience.

The Daily Dose: July 12, 2011

It's time once again for The Daily Dose, a daily update of all the news affecting your freedom.

Starting with the debt ceiling debate...

Obama Begins Process of Blackmailing on Debt Ceiling

With Republicans and Democrats making no progress on a debt ceiling agreement, Obama stated that he cannot guarantee that Americans receiving Social Security and other government payments will receive their money. If the Republicans are smart, they will use this against him, because this shows where the President's priorities are. If we do not raise the debt ceiling, the administration will have to prioritize spending in order to keep spending under receipts. If the administration fails to send people their checks, it is because the administration decided that was not as important as other spending. You can read more here.

Moving to New York...

Don't Forget the Government's Share

When the ball from Derek Jeter's 3000th hit fell to Christian Lopez last Saturday, he probably never envisioned that the IRS would soon be after him. However, that could be the case soon. Stating that he felt that the ball belonged to Jeter, Lopez gave the ball back to the Yankees organization, saying that he would only like "a couple signed balls, some jerseys and bats." The team gave him that and much more: four front-row legends seats for the following day's game (which sell for up to $1358.90 each) and four luxury box seats for the remaining 32 home games. The total value of the gifts will likely be at least $50,000, and the tax bill could be as much as $15,000. You can read more here.

And in New Jersey...

City to Mandate Armed Guards for Small Restaurants

Restaurants in Newark, New Jersey, serving fewer than 15 people must hire an armed security guard if they plan to stay open after 10 pm. Small business owners in Newark are alarmed, saying that the cost to hire a security guard would put them out of business. While restaurants should take security seriously, the decision of whether or not an armed guard is necessary should be left up to the business owner and not required. You can read more here.

That's all for The Daily Dose tonight. Be sure to check back tomorrow for the latest news affecting your freedom!

The Daily Dose: July 11, 2011

Welcome to The Daily Dose, a daily update of the news affecting your freedom.

Starting in Australia...

Carbon Taxes To Cost Australian Airlines Over $100 Million

Australia's new tax on excessive carbon emissions is hitting the airlines particularly hard, and many airlines are announcing planned rate hikes in order to pay for it. The airline Quantas believes that it will have to pay more than $100 million in new taxes due to the plan. This is significant because the plan in Australia is similar to some proposed plans for the United States. Americans are already hesitant to fly because of the TSA, and increased ticket prices will not help the airlines either. You can read more about this story here.

Moving to Washington...

Obama Insults American Citizens

Apparently, if you are not a politician, you cannot understand the debt limit issue. When asked about a recent poll that showed 69% of Americans oppose raising the debt ceiling, the President stated that the public does not pay enough attention to the system to understand it, but that politicians are paid to understand it. The American public has created an economic system that went from nothing to the best in the world in less than 200 years, but that public is too ignorant to understand whether or not we should raise the debt ceiling. You can watch the video here.

In other news from the White House...

Administration Asks Agencies to Cut Regulations

By executive order, the Obama administration has asked several regulatory agencies to change or eliminate rules that are outdated and ineffective. Cass Sunstein stated, "The process of rethinking rules that could be streamlined — or eliminated, in some cases — frees up money and allows businesses, and particularly small businesses, to do what they do best, which is to grow, promote economic development and hire people..." While this sounds great, it will only be successful if the agencies actually eliminate restrictive regulations. You can read more here.

That's all for The Daily Dose tonight. Be sure to check back tomorrow for all the latest news and information affecting your freedom.