From Reuters:

Employers announced 115,730 planned job cuts last month, more than double August’s total of 51,114, according to the report from consultants Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

The figure was the highest since April 2009 when 132,590 layoffs were announced.

September’s job cuts were also much higher than the same time a year ago, tripling from the 37,151 job cuts announced in September 2010. For 2011 so far, employers have announced 479,064 cuts, up 16.5 percent from the first nine months of 2010.

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In the months between George W. Bush’s first Inauguration in January of 2001 and the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Republicans in both Houses of Congress were busily patting themselves on the back for retaining control of Capitol Hill and gaining the White House.

The conservative public policy community and its health care scholars were delighted that after years of economic and practical analysis, market-based, patient-centered reforms that expand choice, increase access to care and stabilize costs would be achieved.

After 9/11, our leaders focused on keeping our nation safe – and rightfully so.   The domestic policy agenda was largely ignored and little attention paid to passing meaningful health care reform.  When Democrats re-captured majorities in the House and Senate in 2006, contributing to their success was anger and disappointment by voters who felt the GOP squandered its chance to pass health care and entitlement reform.

Democrats, however, did not make the same mistake.

From the moment Barack Obama became president, they pushed for big government health care and passed ObamaCare over the objections of the American public.  Many aspects of ObamaCare were presented dishonestly, with several line items removed after proponents claimed they weren’t there in the first place.

“Here,” said ObamaCare supporters, “is your long awaited health care reform.”

ObamaCare is not health care reform.  It is a massive tax increase of at least $500B to be paid by Americans over the next ten years. It is expected to increase federal spending by one trillion dollars in its first decade and nearly three trillion when fully implemented – adding to America’s already mind-numbing debt.  It adds a myriad of regulation and new bureaucracies to an already bloated system that will result in yet another unsustainable government entitlement program for taxpayers while limiting health care choices for patients at a personal, private and painful level.

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Attorney General Eric Holder is in trouble. The documents that strongly suggest he lied to Congress have been released to the public, and they came on the heels of the secret Fast and Furious recordings that had already blown holes in parts of his Congressional testimony.

As a result, the House GOP is calling for a Special Counsel to investigate whether Holder purjured himself before Congress.

And while it would be great to see Holder handcuffed and frog-marched off to the big house for lying to Congress (should he be found guilty), we make a serious mistake if we bypass an inquiry into the benefits that both he and President Obama were likely hoping to gain from the operation.

Consider Obama: In April 2009 he spoke alongside Mexican President Felipe Calderón about how border violence on the U.S./Mexico border was proof that the assault weapons ban needed to be re-instituted. (Ironically, at that very same time, the Obama administration was preparing to undertake Fast and Furious, which we now know increased the number of assault weapons on the border exponentially.)

Thus, with words that we can now recognize as hypocritical in light of Fast and Furious, Obama said:

“I continue to believe that we can respect and honor the Second Amendment right in our Constitution — the rights of sportsmen and hunters and homeowners that want to keep their families safe — to lawfully bear arms, while dealing with assault weapons that, as we know here in Mexico, are used to fuel violence.”

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Virtually no state is immune to the red ink found in school budgets, which is a result of routine overspending.  For too long, schools have not kept spending in check.  They’ve given raises they couldn’t afford, they maintained bloated benefit packages that far exceeded their private-sector counterparts, and they haven’t employed much business sense in managing massive, multi-million dollar operations.

Unions, of course, have felt the greatest heat.  They, along with complicit school boards and administrators, were so reckless with school finances, that a course correction was inevitable. The nation’s economy has been slipping for the past several years, forcing school districts everywhere to reacquaint themselves with reality.

Meanwhile, the unions believe they have a restraining order against reality, and have taken to what they do best: protesting.

Back in March, the American Federation of Teachers took to Alabama streets to protest the fact that the legislature there is failing to quench the union’s insatiable thirst for unchecked spending.  The Birmingham News reported at the time:

“About 80 people rallied in front of the Jefferson County Board of Education during rush hour this afternoon to protest state budget cuts in education, which they say is increasing class sizes, drying up school supply money and killing teacher morale in just about every school district.

“The American Federation of Teachers led the rally, accompanied by parents, other labor unions, the NAACP and a few students.”

“The fact is there are some schools that won’t even be able to open their doors this fall,” said Vi Parramore, president of the Jefferson County AFT.

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“It’s not class warfare, it’s simple math!”

That’s how President Obama defended the tax-the-rich foundation of his so-called American Jobs Act.  The President’s rhetoric was, of course, overreaching, as it so often is when he is in campaign mode, and none other than the Associated Press took him to task for his overzealous, inaccurate generalization that the rich are not paying their “fair share.”

Here’s the President setting up a straw man and then knocking him down with the practiced skill of a populist debater. “It is wrong that in the United States of America, a teacher or a nurse or a construction worker who earns $50,000 should pay higher tax rates than somebody pulling in $50 million… Middle-class families shouldn’t pay higher taxes than millionaires and billionaires,” Obama said. “That’s pretty straightforward. It’s hard to argue against that.”

Well, middle-income households shouldn’t be paying a higher percentage of their income in taxes than high-income households, and, of course, they aren’t.  As the AP pointed out, the rich, are (Mr. Buffett, apparently, notwithstanding), in fact, paying the highest marginal tax rates, as they should. On average, the wealthiest people in America pay a lot more taxes than the middle class or the poor, according to private and government data. They pay at a higher rate, and as a group, they contribute a much larger share of the overall taxes collected by the federal government according to AP’s Stephen Ohlemacher.  The ten percent of households with the highest incomes pay more than half of all federal taxes. They contribute over 70 percent of federal income tax revenue, says the Congressional Budget Office. (more…)

Herman Cain is surging in the polls. We’re not certain he has the staying power, but we’re happy he currently has the chance to prove us wrong.

Murder and violent crime rates were supposed to soar after the Supreme Court struck down Chicago’s and Washington, D.C.’s gun control laws. Politicians predicted disaster. “More handguns in the District of Columbia will only lead to more handgun violence,” Washington’s Mayor Adrian Fenty warned the day the court made its decision. Chicago’s Mayor Daley predicted that we would “go back to the Old West, you have a gun and I have a gun and we’ll settle it in the streets.” The New York Times even editorialized last month about the Supreme Court’s “unwise” decision that there is a right for people “to keep guns in the home.”

But Armageddon never happened. Newly released data for Chicago shows that, as in D.C., murder and gun crime rates didn’t rise after the bans were eliminated; they plummeted. They have fallen much more than the national crime rate, but the national media has been completely silent. One can only imagine the coverage if crime rates had risen.

In the first six months of this year, there were 14% fewer murders in Chicago compared to the first six months of last year– back when owning handguns was illegal. It was the largest drop in Chicago’s murder rate since the handgun ban went into effect in 1982. Meanwhile, the other four most populous cities saw a total drop at the same time of only 6 percent.

Similarly, in the year after the 2008 Heller decision, the murder rate fell 2.5 times faster in D.C. than in the rest of the country. It also fell more than three times as fast as in other cities that are close to D.C.’s size. (more…)

President Obama’s Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu, finally responded to a reporter’s question about Solyndra today, but not without the America’s Morning News reporter getting grabbed by one of the members of the secretary’s entourage.

As the Solyndra scandal continues to boil over, the energy secretary has been frequently cited as the main player who was trying to “fast-track” the $535 million loan for the now-failed solar panel manufacturer.  E-mails show serious tension between the DOE and the Office of Management and Budget at the time of the loan and in subsequent months as fears began to rise over the financial viability of the firm.

Considering he’s been at the center of the storm that is Solyndra, it’s likely he has had time to consider his responses to a reporter’s inquiry on the subject.  That’s what makes his “20/20 hindsight” statement so curious.  It’s an obvious dodge.

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Nanny of the Month turns two-years-old this October, and the busybodies who mind your own business show no signs of letting up.

Take formerly dog-friendly New York City which has banished man’s best friend from any establishment that serves food or alcohol (and that includes outdoor patios!). Then there’s Michigan Gov. Rick Snyner who’s tackling childhood obesity by introducing a statewide database to keep anonymous tabs on kiddies’ weight.

But the this very special nanny comes to us from a California city that is fighting (and fining) a couple that hosts Bible studies at home. Presenting Reason.tv’s Nanny of the Month for September 2011: San Juan Capistrano City Attorney Omar Sandoval!

The city slapped Chuck and Stephanie Fromm with fines totalling $300 for violating a municipal code which prohibits religious, fraternal, or nonprofit organizations from meeting on residential property without a conditional use permit (CUP). The Fromm’s gatherings can attract as many as 50 people and the city says that causes parking problems, but the Fromm’s disagree saying there is plenty of parking in their semi-rural neighborhood where large homes sit on even larger lots (the Fromm’s lot includes a corral, barn, and large lawn). The Fromms have held their gatherings since 1994 and say their neighbors support them, except for one woman whose recent complaint sparked city action.

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From the Associated Press:

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke says the economic recovery “is close to faltering” and the central bank is prepared to take further steps to support it.

The economy is growing more slowly than the Federal Reserve had expected, Bernanke said Tuesday before the congressional Joint Economic Committee. He said the biggest factor depressing consumer confidence is poor job growth.

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From Politico:

Ken Vogel and I both have sources telling us that calls were made on behalf of a mystery candidate to various early states to determine presidential filing deadlines.

The calls were made by representatives of the law firm Baker Hostetler – a firm that employs lawyer Mark Braden, who represents Sarah PAC, her political action committee.

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EAGtv reports even though the Ohio law SB 5 was signed into law by the governor, it’s on hold until voters decide the matter in November. But the bill is already saving Ohio school districts, like Lordstown, money and jobs.

The stronger-than-expected ISM manufacturing-index reading for September might normally suggest that the economy, at least for now, has dodged a recession bullet. After zero jobs and zero real consumer spending in August, which put the stalled economy on the front end of recession, the ISM number is the first major September reading.

But economist Michael Darda says hold the applause: Inside the ISM, new orders and order backlogs either flat-lined or declined and remain below 50 — the DMZ recession marker on the index.

Darda believes weak data in the U.S., plus the ongoing European crisis, plus the China slowdown, plus widened corporate credit spreads and stressful financial conditions, all point to a declining economy and additional stock market drops.

Lakshman Achuthan of the Economic Cycle Research Institute (ECRI) is also on the bear side. He has a falling weekly leading index that signals recession is inevitable. “It’s either just begun, or it’s right in front of us,” he told CNN Money.

Tough stuff.

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From FoxNews:

House Republicans are calling for a special counsel to determine whether Attorney General Holder perjured himself during his testimony to the House Judiciary Committee on Operation Fast and Furious, Fox News has learned.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, was sending a letter to President Obama on Tuesday arguing that Holder cannot investigate himself, and requesting the president instruct the Department of Justice to appoint a special counsel.

The question is whether Holder committed perjury during a Judiciary Committee hearing on May 3. At the time, Holder indicated he was not familiar with with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives program known as Fast and Furious until about April 2011.

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Just the facts:

On May 3, 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder appeared before Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) and the House Oversight Committee for questioning on Fast and Furious.

During questioning, Issa asked: “When did you first know about the program…called ‘Fast and Furious?”

Holder responded: “I’m not sure of the exact date, but I probably heard about Fast and Furious for the first time over the last few weeks”

As I’ve written elsewhere, at the very moment Holder gave this answer, it was a safe bet he was being less than completely honest with the Congressional committee. But now the evidence, having become insurmountable in just the past 48 hours, makes it crystal clear that Holder lied to Issa and the House Oversight Committee.

Proof:

Reports CBS NEWS: “[Holder] was sent briefings back as far as 2010.” Briefings on Fast and Furious that is, beginning at least as early as July 2010. (In other words, Holder began receiving briefings on Fast and Furious “ten months before his May 3^rd Congressional testimony.”)

And on October 18, 2010, documents show that Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer sent communiqués to Holder warning that indictments for Fast and Furious could come soon.

In response to this growing mound of evidence against him, Holder is now saying he “misunderstood that question from Congress [on May 3^rd], that he did know about Fast and Furious, just not the details”

This is the same tired defense others under Holder have been making – that they knew about Fast and Furious but not about “the details,” i.e. about the guns being walked into Mexico. However, this just won’t fly. It’s an insult to common sense and runs counter to the facts available to the public at large.

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Hopefully, it is not an ominous sign of things to come.

Last week, the Senate confirmed former Kentucky insurance regulator S. Roy Woodall for the one voting position on the federal Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) reserved for someone with insurance expertise. The term is for six years.  The FSOC is in charge of monitoring the financial system to guard against the failure of the largest bank holding companies and non-bank financial institutions.

For the past year, Republicans in the House and Senate have worked together to prevent the approval of numerous president appointments both through regular order and through the use of recess appointment authority.  By keeping the House from adjourning when vacation and breaks come, the president has been unable to exercise his power thus sparing the nation from another round of liberal appointments that can do great damage to the country.

Because the confirmation process is often one of compromise and deal making, some worry about the possibility of a deal involving Richard Cordray and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Especially in light of the fact that the Senate Banking Committee has called a vote on the Cordray confirmation itself this Thursday, October 6.   Sources in the nation’s Capitol have told Big Government that liberal Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is pressuring Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) to break the logjam, as Cordray is from Ohio.

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On today’s edition of Coffee and Markets, Brad Jackson and Ben Domenech are joined by Lachlan Markay, investigative reporter for the Heritage Foundation to discuss the ever evolving Solyndra scandal, the President’s insistence that is was a good investment of taxpayer money, and which green-energy company may be the next Solyndra.

We’re brought to you as always by BigGovernment and Stephen Clouse and Associates. If you’d like to email us, you can do so at coffee[at]newledger.com. We hope you enjoy the show.

Related Links:

White House Knew Solyndra Was In Trouble, Emails Indicate
Obama: No regrets over Solyndra
Emails Show White House Officials Said “Oblivious” Department of Energy Meant “Bad Days Are Coming”
Is Harry Reid-Backed Nevada Geothermal the Next Solyndra?
Lachlan Markay at Heritage Foundation

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Obama has now suggested that hindsight is 20/20 when it comes to issues like Solyndra. Perhaps, but then, what is hindsight, or, more to the point, where was the foresight within his administration? If it was present, it didn’t seem to have much of a vote.

President Obama told George Stephanopoulos Monday that he didn’t regret his administration’s investment of $535 million in failed clean energy company Solyndra. “People felt it was a good bet,” the president said. But new e-mails revealed today indicate there were plenty of folks within the administration who had serious questions about Solyndra, with the president’s chief economic adviser at the time, Larry Summers, suggesting that the government was “crappy” at picking sound investments.

It’s difficult to see Obama surviving another national election, if numbers like these continue to hold up.

A new CBS News poll finds that nearly seven in 10 Americans believe President Obama has not made real progress in fixing the economy.

Indeed, Republicans are feeling optimistic. However, it requires more than optimism to win elections.

Republicans are overwhelmingly confident about taking back the White House in 2012, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Democrats are less sure that their guy has another big win in him.

Raising Cain?

After a quick rise in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has experienced an almost equally dramatic decline, losing about half of his support over the past month, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Meanwhile, Michele Bachmann’s pollster, veteran Ed Goes, is leaving her campaign. Bachmann is now staking her whole campaign on the Iowa Caucuses.

Chris Christie has scheduled a press conference for 1pm EDT. Reports are swirling that he will not run for president in 2012.

And the hits on Perry just keep coming. Whatever your thoughts on the Texas Governor, it’s clear the press has a full force feeding frenzy going on, now. One has to  wonder about what would have happened with Obama, if half this sort of effort had been directed at him in 2007 and 2008.

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Eleven years ago, when the NAACP stepped up a campaign to remove the Confederate battle flag from statehouses and other government buildings across the South, it found an opponent in Rick Perry.

Just the same, we may not see this item coming across the wires anytime soon.

New Black Panther Malik Shabazz: Obama Evoked Tenets of Black Liberation Theology in Selma

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From the Associated Press:

A person close to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says he is not running for president, despite pressure from donors and others in the Republican Party establishment.

The person, with direct knowledge of the decision, spoke on grounds of anonymity Tuesday to avoid pre-empting the governor’s early afternoon announcement.

Christie had spent the past week reconsidering his long-time refusal to run for the White House as GOP leaders clamored for another option in the search for a Republican to take on President Barack Obama next fall.

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