• "One massive potential American energy resources is known as oil shale. In fact, no other nation in the world is as rich in oil shale as the U.S. The largest deposits of American oil shale are located in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Wyoming. And though extraction poses some technical challenges, US oil shale in-place resources contain the energy equivalent of over 2 trillion barrels of oil.

• To put this figure in perspective, the world has used 1 trillion barrels of oil since the first oil well was successfully drilled in Pennsylvania in 1859. As such, the United States's 2 trillion barrels of oil shale is a potentially huge new source of oil, and must be central to any discussion of our continental energy security. Shale and other new sources of oil, like oil sands currently being developed in Canada, offer important new North American energy supply options."

He is using a definition called "proven reserves", which is a number useful only to those who benefit from the idea of scarcity. Want proof? In 1944 proven oil reserves were 20 billion barrels, but between 1945 and 2010 the US produced 167 billion barrels of oil, 8 times the proven reserve!(also from the IER)

• "Since President Obama took office, America's dependence on foreign oil has decreased every year. In 2010, the United States imported less than half of all oil consumed,a first in 13 years. In fact, net imports as a share of total consumption declined from 57 percent in 2008 to 45 percent in 2011, the lowest level in 16 years. In the last year alone, we have cut net oil imports by 10 percent, a million barrels per day."

• This so-called 'Professor of constitutional law' has announced that the Supreme Court should not declare Obamacare unconstitutional because it would be socially 'wrong', while at the same time complaining about social activism in the courts. WHAT? Better yet, he says the Court should not be able to review laws passed by elected officials! It appears that he is not qualified to be constitutional law professor either.
  

• There is some suspicion that his people 'leaked' top secret info about an Israeli plan to destroy Iran's bomb making facilities.
  

• US debt is beyond comprehension (over $14 trillion) with more and more spend now and pay maybe programs;

• the credit rating of the US has been lowered for the first time in history;

• US poverty levels have increased every year for the past 3 years, and are now above levels in 1993;

• Unemployment was above 9% every month for over two years (which helps explain the poverty data);

• The Department of Justice is suing, or supporting suits against, States and business on all sides: border security, immigration law, health care, trying to prevent Boeing from expanding in a 'Right-to-Work' State, and even raiding a pro-Republican business on false grounds of illegally importing a certain wood (Gibson Guitar);
  

• He has insulted Israel, America's strongest ally in the mid-East, while allowing Iran to move closer to developing atomic weapons, and, in the process, giving in to the Russians on missile defense - in return for absolutely nothing;

• He has spent billions and billions of dollars in a failed attempt to stimulate the economy and now wants to do even more - note that the programs are aimed only at saving or creating union jobs;

• One of his most visible attempts to direct private sector investment in 'green jobs' (with an over 500 million loan to a solar panel manufacturer) has failed - the company is bankrupt and taxpayer money is gone;

• Loan guarantee of $1.5 billion to a company to increase production of solar energy which created 15 jobs;

• Loan guarantee of about $500 million to an electric car manufacturer - in Finland - and guess who is a major investor in that company -- AL GORE, (democratic-ex-vice president).
  

• Thousands of anti-business, anti-growth regulations have been imposed and more are on the way.

• First President in history not to attend a Christmas service.
  

• He blames the Republican-controlled House for not taking action, yet there are (as of September, 2011) 420 bills passed by the House that the Democrat-controlled has failed to consider, including budgets for the federal government. IT HAS NOW BEEN OVER 1000 DAYS SINCE THE LAST FEDERAL BUDGET WAS PASSED BY THE SENATE! How can we hope to ever get control of the deficit if we have no idea of how we will spend taxpayer money?

• Obama calls for more and more government. He announced the creation of several new "units" to monitor investor, banking and market activity. You can be sure that these "units" will create more rules and regulations. Don't we already have enough bureaus and regulations?

• He wants to increase taxes (set a minimum) on higher income earners, which is equivalent to increasing the capital gains tax because much of the income of higher income earners is from investment. In other words, discourage investment and reduce employment. He wants to tax American companies that produce overseas and give it to those who are in the U.S. He even mentioned using that money to pay for moving expenses of those who return jobs to the U.S. Whose expenses? Something like the loan for his buddies at Solyndra.
  

• He insists that he is helping make America energy independent, while blocking the Keystone XL pipeline on grounds that there was not enough time to review the project because Republicans forced him to make a decision (a project that has been studied for years). He will continue to push clean energy (read -- continue to waste taxpayer money supporting his friends). Want proof? See this article for some interesting relationships between Obama, his people and Solyndra.
  

• Under Obama the federal debt has increased from $10 trillion (end fiscal year 2008) to $15.5 trillion (end fiscal year 2011) and he wants to increase the debt by more than $1 trillion this year. The debt is now above the total value of all U.S. production of goods and services. Does this sound like a person who would reduce government? Not a chance!
  

• The number of federal employees increased from 2,772,000 persons on January 2009 to 2,840,000 on December 2011, and Obama care (if it is not repealed) would increase just the IRS by thousands of compliance investigators. Does this sound like a person who would reduce government? Not a chance!

How about passing a federal budget, which is a responsibility for both the House and the Senate. The House passed a budget for 2012 but the Senate refused to even debate a budget. It is now over two years since the Democrat controlled Senate has passed a budget. Will we see a budget this year? NEVER because it would force the Democrats to show exactly how they would face the debt problem before the 2012 elections.

So the joke is on us: A President whose only interest is in getting re-elected and a Senate that is afraid to move.

• Force banks to refinance government backed mortgages for homeowners who are in trouble (and who are current on their payments and who meet some strict standards). The facts are that few will qualify, that the savings to homeowners will be minimal, total loan costs will increase, and that this would potentially transfer billions in losses to the government without addressing the real housing problem.

• Beginning 2012, lower interest rates on student loans, limit payments to 10% of income and forgive the loans after 20 years (currently is 15% and 25 years and was to begin in 2014 -- but 2012 is an election year!). Better yet, the forgiveness period would be dropped to 10 yeas for those who go into the public sector (gift to public sector unions)! The interest rate would be reduced by about one-half percent, so on the average loan of $19,000 a student would save $95/year or about $8 per month. Outstanding federal student loans currently total $605 billion (private $168 billion) so the plan's new interest rate will shift $3 billion from students to taxpayers. The cost of the change in the forgiveness period is difficult to calculate without a lot of data. But, the 5 years would be equal to about s 20% loss, so the minimum on 600 billion would be around $120 billion, and in reality much, much higher. Who pays? We pay!

• $1 billion in grants to medical groups to increase employment in the health sector (must do so in the next 6 months). This sector is one of the few that has grown employment over the past few years and is expected to show significant grow in the future. Will it change anything? Not a chance. Organizations currently training workers will take the money, people who would have entered to system anyway will show up as new employees, and Obama gets to claim his plan had an immediate impact. Give me a break, $1 billion in smoke and mirrors so Obama can claim success.