The Obama "Presidential Review"

So, it's been just over a year now and it is time for a review Mr. Obama.

We appreciate your efforts in the most trying times (since the Great Depression) this country has seen. To follow a person who created (Bush Jr.) a lot of problems (had some of the worst Presidential ratings in U.S. history) for the Middle Class is asking for some major changes, and not just ending the shady "tax cuts" for the rich.

Each area is graded between a score of 1-10.

1) International Ties- (Points 6) The big question that many had was how the U.S. would leave Iraq and how soon. Well, obviously you can't please all the people all the time. We have barely begun to leave Iraq, but we have increased the troop count in Afghanistan (not good if the economy is supposed to get any better). So we still have the major problem of a continued economic burden going abroad to the Middle East. NOTE: Of course if you don't give a lot of attention to a very aggressive country like Israel you will get your economy going by staying out of a war with Iran. Good job on this one Mr. Obama (maybe this is the reason he won the Nobel Peace Prize).

2) Economy- (Points 5) This economy has seen a lot of the same (although we saw a historic bailout for the U.S. banks). We have a public sector that has not grown enough to inspire the private sector yet. Yes, we need to leave the Middle East completely during this dark time. As we all know, wars will kill any hope of a growing economy.

3) Domestic Emergencies- (Points 7) Responding promptly is key to an emergency and no one can score brownie points without showing up to the scene fast. So We have to give Obama a 7 in the department of the BP Oil Spill.

4) U.S. Social Issues- (Points 9) This topic is one that needs to be taking into account the cultural times we live in and at this point, Obama has lived up to his expectations with his tone on Gay Marriage and Stem Cell Research.

5) Bonus Points- (5) Heck, none of us that put this review together have been alive to witness a President win the Nobel Peace Prize while they were still in office.


FINAL GRADE- 80%

Los Angeles City Council Boycotts Arizona!

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The Los Angeles city council has asked all municipal employees to boycott Arizona -- and that's the last thing the hard-hit border state needs.

The Los Angeles city council voted 13-1 on Wednesday to boycott the state of Arizona, in protest of the state's controversial new immigration law. This could mean a loss of up to $56 million worth of business that the city conducts with Arizona each year, according to Gerry Miller, chief legislative analyst of Los Angeles.


This boycott includes suspending all travel to Arizona by municipal employees, as well as $7.7 million worth of city contracts with Arizona-based companies, such as Taser International (TASR).  "It's not going to cripple the economy, but when your economy is weak, you don't want to be losing any contracts," said Jim Rounds, senior economist with Elliot D. Pollack & Co., a real estate and economic consulting firm based in Scottsdale, Ariz.

He said that in reality the city council's boycott will probably only deny Arizona about $10 million worth of business. But he said that this, combined with an existing boycott on Arizona tourism, is an extra strain on a state that has already lost 10% of its jobs since the beginning of the recession.


"This thing is coming at a time when we're already struggling," said Rounds.


Arizona lost 82,200 jobs over the course of the year ending in March, according to the most recent figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It's also the second-worst state for foreclosures; more than 163,000 properties there received foreclosure filings in 2009, according to RealtyTrac.


Gov. Janice Brewer of Arizona, who signed the immigration bill into law on April 23, called the boycott "thoughtless and harmful." "An economic boycott against innocent people just adds to the massive economic burden Arizonans have sustained for years due to the federal government's failure to secure our borders," she said. "One example alone -- the unreimbursed costs paid by Arizona taxpayers to incarcerate convicted criminal aliens -- has cost Arizona taxpayers over $750 million just since 2003."


Paul Senseman, a spokesman for the governor, said the practicality of the boycott is "questionable," since the Constitution "specifically prohibits economic blockades by a state or city against another."


The Arizona legislation requires law enforcement agents to "determine the immigration status" of anyone under "reasonable suspicion" of being an illegal alien. In other words, the law provides state police with the power and responsibility that is normally accorded only to federal immigration authorities.


The Los Angeles city council said that the bill, which goes into effect in July, will "promote racial profiling, discrimination and harassment." The cities of San Francisco and Oakland, Calif. are also boycotting Arizona.


The bill's proponents are concerned about the increasing lawlessness of the border region, where a rancher was murdered in March. Rounds said that Arizona is being unfairly punished for trying to pick up the slack for the federal government, which hasn't done enough to deal with illegal immigration.


"I'm in support that border states need to do something, [though] it's unclear if the specific language in this bill was the best way of doing it," said Pollack economist Rounds. "Whether you're opposed to it or in favor of it, there's no denying that there's going to be economic consequences for Arizona in the next year." 


Courtesy of MoneyCNN.com


www.money.cnn.com Article on the AZ boycott

We support the work San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles have done to boycott doing business with Arizona.  San Diego and Sacramento where are you?