In October, the National Unemployment Rate rose once again, from 9.8% in September, to 10.2% in October, marking the highest Unemployment has been since 1983. While the official numbers suggests 1 in 10 Americans are currently out of work, some estimates suggest that it could be closer to 1-in-5 Americans.

From The Associated Press:

The unemployment rate has surpassed 10 percent for the first time since 1983 — and is likely to go higher.

Nearly 16 million people can’t find jobs even though the worst recession since the Great Depression has apparently ended. TheLabor Department said Friday that the economy shed a net total of 190,000 jobs in October, less than the downwardly revised 219,000 lost in September. August job losses were also revised lower, to 154,000 from 201,000.

But the loss of jobs last month exceeded economists’ estimates. It’s the 22nd straight month the U.S. economy has shed jobs, the longest on records dating back 70 years.

While the unemployment numbers are bad enough, it has much higher ramifications for the economy in general. Without jobs, Black Friday may very well turn into Red Friday, not to mention that we’re in some of the hardest economic conditions since the Great Depression. To make things even more entertaining, the Obama administration is being questioned on just how many jobs have been saved as a result of the $700+ Billion Economic Stimulus Package.

Draw your own conclusions – but many economists are saying despite the government’s excitement to say their spending programs are working, we’re in for a very, VERY long winter.

Read the AP Article Here

It has come to my understanding that you have elected to award the Nobel Peace Prize to the 44th President of the United States, the Honorable Barack H. Obama. At the risk of sounding either slanderous or treacherous (as our great and wise President has all-but-made opposing viewpoints a characteristic of treason against his high crown), I would like to question the means by which President Obama was awarded this particular honor.

The Nobel Prizes for Peace & Science were founded by the last will and testament of Alfred Nobel, declaring that his estate would go to awarding those who give Outstanding contributions in Physics, Chemistry, Literature, Physiology or Medicine, and towards World Peace. Indeed, there have been several laureates which have done amazing things to deserve such a high honor. Among them: Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Martin Luther King, Jr., and UNICEF, to name a few. However, there have been several individuals whom have done very little to receive this award, and seem to be honored more as a publicity stunt than anything else. Among them: former President Jimmy Carter, former Vice President Al Gore, and President Barack Obama.

To earn this award, one must be nominated by a qualified member of the community – which includes National Government Leaders, Professors, and former Nobel Peace Laureates. Once nominations are made, they are reviewed by their peers, who are specially selected from the community. Once the reviews are complete, the candidates are voted on, with the majority candidate receiving the Nobel Prize.

To begin my argument, in order to be nominated, President Obama would have to be nominated by a qualifying member of the community by February 1 of this year. Considering that, by that date, President Obama would only have had 11 days in office by which to make any qualifying achievement towards world peace, this award is simply unfounded. That being written, one could argue that the President could be judged, once nominated, based upon what he would complete in office between his time of nomination, and the time of awarding. By those standards, the President of the United States would have 8 months by which he would do something to qualify.

In the original will of Alfred Nobel, he states that his prize for Peace shall be awarded “..to those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.” If that is the criteria by which the award is to be presented, then allowing President Obama to be a Nobel Laureate is a grave mistake against the spirit and nature of the award. Consider his contributions to mankind in the past year:

• During his campaign, President Obama promised to end American hostilities in the nation of Iraq, and to focus less on war, and more on anti-terrorism campaigns. Since taking office, President Obama has spent an additional $156 Billion USD in the nation, and has outlined plans that would continue to leave American soldiers in the country, in addition to extending his campaign promises.
• President Obama’s current crusade, a nationalized Health Care system, has done more to divide the citizens of the United States than to unite them under one goal. Furthermore, when questions are asked, ambiguous answers are given by both members of the Congress of the United States, as well as the federal administration.
• In his time as President, Barack Obama has interfered with the Laissez-Faire marketplace the United States has had since its inception, and has facilitated the purchase of the largest motor company in America, General Motors, with taxpayer money. The Government of the United States now owns 60% of the company, with no say going to the taxpayer on how to run the new company. The result kills several lines of successful automobiles (including Pontiac and Saturn), and over 100,000 jobs have been completely lost as a result.
• Unemployment in the United States has hit record-breaking highs under the Obama Administration, topping out at 9.8% nationwide in 2009. The last time we have seen national unemployment at these levels were during the recession of 1982, with 10.8% unemployment nationwide. This has been a significant rise since the President took office (at the time of President Obama’s inauguration, unemployment was down to 7.2%).
• The rise in Unemployment figures accounts for over 2 million jobs being lost since President Obama’s inauguration. When championing for his Economic Stimulus Plan, the President estimated his plan would save or create 4 million jobs.
• Despite spending millions of dollars and making a personal visit to the International Olympic Committee meeting, President Obama failed to help Chicago champion themselves as the 2012 host Olympic city. Chicago was voted out in the first round of Olympic voting.

In this spirit, I challenge the Nobel Prize Committee to acknowledge how, in fact, President Barack Obama qualifies for this award. Aside from being the first President of minority in the United States (which is a remarkable feat in itself), President Obama has done absolutely nothing to either 1) foster international peace, or 2) foster peace in the United States. Awarding the President an award of this caliber makes a mockery of the spirit of the award, and devalues it both for those laureates previous, and those that will receive the award in the future. I am incredibly disappointed in the judgement of the committee, and find no merit in this award based on the criteria given.

I would like to congratulate the committee on another controversial decision. This one will have grave effects on the award, and its validity in the international community, for years to come.

Sincerely Yours,
-Joe Cortez

Joe Cortez is a freelance writer and video production professional in Columbus, Ohio. He serves as the Chairman of Technology for the Grandview Area Republican Club. He can be contacted via Twitter @JoeCortez.

Dispatch Politics, an online division of the Columbus Dispatch, shed a little light on Gov. Strickland’s Economic Growth Cabinet. According to the Governor, they have worked tirelessly to bring jobs back to the State of Ohio. Despite the fact that they’ve only met three times.

From the Columbus Dispatch:

Saying he has no greater priority than getting Ohio’s economy moving again, Gov. Ted Strickland created a new Economic Growth Cabinet one year ago to “focus on creating jobs and increasing economic growth opportunities.”

But the group has met only three times. And although no one denies the effects that the global recession has had on all states, Ohio continues to fare worse than most others in net job losses.

“I will concede to you that I think more can be done,” Strickland said last week after announcing a $33 million expansion of the Rolls-Royce facility in Mount Vernon. “But I am very proud, and very appreciative, of all the efforts of my cabinet members and of our Department of Development.”

Administration officials say the measure of the new cabinet is not how many times it has met but how much work has been done behind the scenes to help agencies work together daily — often in unprecedented ways — that is bearing fruit.

Still, a promised “unified economic development budget” to increase transparency in spending and a scorecard to monitor progress of development remain works in progress.

Further proof that Gov. Strickland is playing a shell game with Ohio’s economic future – saying one plan, creating larger government in order to accommodate that plan, and being completely and absolutely ineffective in that plan. The result is money – which could have gone directly to serving Ohioans, and creating jobs – are being wasted on fruitless plans that serve nothing but the governor’s own inner circle.

Take heart, Ohio – only one more year before we can call John Kasich our governor…and get rid of this perfect mess in Gov. Ted Strickland.

Read the Columbus Dispatch article here

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