The Occupy Wall Street Movement is truly fascinating. They seem to show up everywhere now. I guess they got tired of Wall Street. Newt Gingrich had his speech interrupted by some of them yesterday. I guess they’re also tired of free speech. What exactly do they want?

Well, some of them apparently aren’t all in for the cause . . . unless, of course, the cause benefits them personally. I think they still have an ally in the White House.

The cartoon above is referring to a pipeline project that will not only create jobs but will help America become more self-reliant in energy production.

So why is Obama nixing this project? I thought he was trying to create jobs. Hasn’t he said that’s his number one priority? Could it be that he’s not really serious about that? In fact, he seems to be bowing to the environmental extremists on this one, putting himself at odds with unions, another one of his key constituencies. It must be hard juggling all those interest groups all the time.

I have a novel idea. Why not just do the right thing? I know that’s kind of radical, but he might want to give it a try for a change.

All last week, the “green” scandals grew. The one getting the most press had to do with a solar energy company, Solyndra, that obtained a government-backed loan of more than half a billion dollars. The company was such a bad risk that the Bush administration refused the loan. Yet when Obama took over, it suddenly was on the table once more.

To the credit of the government officials who investigated Solyndra, they steadfastly warned the White House not to go ahead with the loan. They predicted the company would probably fail, and the taxpayers would have to eat the failed loan. Stubbornly, Obama and his inner circle dismissed the warnings.

The company went belly-up. The taxpayers are out more than half a billion dollars.

The story isn’t over. Investigations are just now ramping up. The latest accusation is that the administration reworked the loan so that one of Solyndra’s principal investors—also a big donor to Obama—would get reimbursed before any of the ordinary taxpayers. Politics, Chicago style. Corruption, Chicago style. That’s where the president cut his political teeth.

It’s not just Solyndra, however, and it’s not “merely” a half billion that has gone down the “green hole.” Ideological blindness has led this administration to spend $17 billion [so far---another $17 billion promised] for green energy programs. This stimulus was touted as a job creator. Let’s look at the results. That $17 billion created exactly 3,545 jobs, which comes to a princely sum of $4,853,000 per job. Spending nearly $5 million for each job? It’s beyond ridiculous. It truly is scandalous.

Everything President Obama has touched has turned to ashes. I don’t see how any fair observer of events can perceive anything but failure for all his programs. This is a failed presidency. What can he do to redeem himself? Well, if past actions are any indication, he will use this line of reasoning:

The only real question remaining is whether the American voter will allow this pitiful excuse for a presidency to continue.

There’s a new urgency in President Obama’s desire to create jobs. He’s certainly pushing for the passage of his new [?], improved [?] jobs bill. He keeps repeating two words over and over:

Good thing it’s a credit deal. I mean, otherwise we might actually have to pay for it sometime. Well, that seems to be how some people think—or don’t think. But here’s how it really works:

You see, that money doesn’t just appear by magic. It does have to come from somewhere:

The bill also is loaded with wonderful incentives for business:

Sounds a little difficult. So who really benefits from all this?

And why is that so important to this president?

Everything is now all about November 2012.

The details of the Obama jobs plan were unveiled yesterday. Most of the plan is warmed-over stimulus policy. The president is sold on the efficacy of the Keynesian model of economics. That’s where you spend tax money to try to promote growth. The only problem is that most of the growth is in the government sector. The private sector lags behind. Yet that’s where real jobs are grown.

We operate on a false assumption: government somehow creates prosperity. Presidents like Obama believe he and his policies are the engine whereby jobs are manufactured. That’s more “virtual reality” than anything else. He clings stubbornly to the idea that the next $400-some billion will finally do it—put us over the top economically. In the real world, all that does is put us deeper in debt.

One cartoonist explained the Obama approach this way:

Another one with the same perspective illustrated it in this manner:

They’re both right.

This foolishness needs to end before we do.

The Obama strategy for reelection is painfully obvious: blame a “do-nothing Congress” for the current economic woes. Hey, if it worked for Harry Truman, it could work again—that must be the thought process behind it. Eighteen times in his “jobs” speech, Obama said Congress had to pass his bill right away, thereby setting the stage for blaming the Republican House if his plan doesn’t pass.

Keep in mind there is no real plan yet. All we have is a speech. No bill exists to be passed by Congress.

Of course, his “plan” is nothing more than another huge stimulus package, approximately $450 billion. He claims it doesn’t add anything to the deficit, that everything is paid for . . . somehow. He’s a trifle short on specifics as to how that has been accomplished. In fact, he’s punting it to the so-called Super Committee that has to come to an agreement to offer to the Congress.

All talk, no substance. So what else is new?

And the blame game continues apace when the real problem is this administration’s policies:

He claims he is the friend of business, and that he’s doing all he can to make life easier for the business climate. There are those who might disagree—they’re called businessmen:

And when Republicans try to help business, the president becomes the greatest obstacle:

All the while blaming Republicans for the lack of economic recovery. The hypocrisy is so thick, I truly wonder how anyone with even some rational sense can miss it. Obama, during the 2008 campaign, practically declared himself the One who would lead us out of our wilderness. So how’s that alleged leadership being perceived lately?

Don’t expect a promised land anytime soon. If this man stays in office past 2012, don’t expect it before a successor can take over in 2017. I really believe this upcoming election can be considered the most significant in my lifetime, and that’s saying a lot, considering how long I’ve been around.

Yesterday’s post highlighted the lack of civility we’ve been hearing from one side of the political spectrum. One of the examples I gave was Teamster President James Hoffa. Sometimes the best cartoons show up after I comment on an issue or event. Like these:

The large unions are the greatest beneficiaries of President Obama’s largesse. Stimulus money flowed into their coffers. If he should happen to be voted out, they lose big time. In order to maintain their prominent place at the feeding trough, they will pull out all stops. Of course, they have good reason to be worried:

That’s why the president took to the airwaves last night to awe the nation with his breathtaking initiatives to turn things around:

Hmmm. Where have we heard that before? Oh, that’s right—in nearly every Obama speech for the last three years. Sure has worked wonders thus far, hasn’t it?

President Obama is going to address a joint session of Congress on Thursday evening to lay out his “new” jobs initiative. Given his approval ratings in recent polls and the skepticism that will greet him from the Republican side of the aisle, he’s got an uphill climb—a steep uphill climb—in convincing anyone of the efficacy of any of his proposed policies.

That’s understandable. Based on what he already has said in advance, there’s not going to be anything new in it. The centerpiece will be government spending for infrastructure. If that sounds familiar, it should. It’s just the same old stimulus package he pushed through before—you know, the one that didn’t work because it was founded on faulty economic concepts. Apparently, no one has been able to convince him that his policies have failed. His narrative doesn’t change. Pretty soon, he’s going to lose his audience completely. Even his staunchest supporters might lose confidence in his word:

Yet he will find support in all the usual places. One of those places will allow him to maintain some credibility with the public simply because of its influence:

Enlightenment doesn’t come easily to those who don’t wish to be enlightened.