Bill Maher wants Obama to be more like Bush

Bill Maher, the popular television host of HBO's Real Time With Bill Maher made some very interesting remarks about Barack Obama recently. Questioning the popularity of the president, Bill Maher asked some pretty relevant questions. The one that stood out most was, WHY IS THE PRESIDENT ON TV SO MUCH? After all, he is not a celebrity. Instead of focussing on doing his job well, Obama is on this latest PR stint. He even went so far as to say that Obama would do well in incorporating some of George Bush's traits, especially one of not trying to be an appeaser.

These comments came around the same time Barack Obama's latest approval rating showed a drop. He is now at 56%. This is still respectable, but that number is dwindling soon and Obama has barely been in office for 6 months.

Are the American public now having buyers remorse?

Obama tax proposal cripples American companies' competitiveness

Obama Economic policies results in American companies being less competitive
President Obama’s recent thought on increasing taxes on multinational American companies is a bold yet harmful one. He wants to levy a higher tax on companies that shift jobs overseas. On the face of it, it sounds like a great policy. If enacted, it will discourage companies from shifting jobs overseas and bring back more jobs to America. However, every decision has a consequence and this particular decision has a very negative consequence.
America has the second highest combined corporate tax rate amongst industrialized nations. (Japan has the highest). So, companies are forced to shift jobs overseas to countries that have much lower tax rates. That way, they pay a lower tax rate in those countries and only pay taxes in America when they transfer the money back here. As a result, many companies, including giants like Microsoft have moved jobs overseas. Since they pay lower taxes, their product prices are more competitive and they gain more market share. Increased market share means more sales and therefore more money coming back into the United States. This is a good thing. However, this too has a negative consequence. America loses jobs.
So what is wrong with President Obama’s policy of bringing those jobs back to America? Well, it is not so simple. If he increases taxes for these corporations within our borders, they are actually forced to shift more jobs overseas, as Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer recently stated. This policy won’t actually help to bring more jobs to America, instead it will just take more jobs away.
So what is the solution? It is simple really. If President Obama wants to impose this tax on Multinational American companies, he has to offset it by reducing corporate taxes within America. If companies see that they don’t gain as much benefit from moving out of the United States, fewer jobs will be exported. In fact, it may even result in them bringing over their brightest overseas employees to the United States, and god knows, we need more smart people in the country.
If Barack Obama insists on levying a tax on American Multinational companies, then he has to balance it out by reducing their taxes here or else he will just be exporting more jobs overseas. He has pledged over and over that he wants American companies to be more competitive and keep their place amongst the top companies in the world. The only way he can do that is to create an atmosphere where business can succeed. Higher taxation is not the way to go and neither is trying to fiscally scare companies into bringing jobs back to America. Companies like Microsoft and Google are too huge and too important to America to be intimidated by these tactics and if Obama wants to create an atmosphere where they, and other companies like them will grow and employ more people, he has to listen to their woes more and come up with better solutions than just higher taxes.

11 lobbyists hired by Obama since he took office

Eric Holder, attorney general nominee, was registered to lobby until 2004 on behalf of clients including Global Crossing, a bankrupt telecommunications firm.

Tom Vilsack, secretary of agriculture nominee, was registered to lobby as recently as last year on behalf of the National Education Association.

William Lynn, deputy defense secretary nominee, was registered to lobby as recently as last year for defense contractor Raytheon, where he was a top executive.

William Corr, deputy health and human services secretary nominee, was registered to lobby until last year for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a non-profit that pushes to limit tobacco use.

David Hayes, deputy interior secretary nominee, was registered to lobby until 2006 for clients, including the regional utility San Diego Gas & Electric.

Mark Patterson, chief of staff to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, was registered to lobby as recently as last year for financial giant Goldman Sachs.

Ron Klain, chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, was registered to lobby until 2005 for clients, including the Coalition for Asbestos Resolution, U.S. Airways, Airborne Express and drug-maker ImClone.

Mona Sutphen, deputy White House chief of staff, was registered to lobby for clients, including Angliss International in 2003.

Cecilia Munoz, White House director of intergovernmental affairs, was a lobbyist as recently as last year for the National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic advocacy group.

Patrick Gaspard, White House political affairs director, was a lobbyist for the Service Employees International Union.

Michael Strautmanis, chief of staff to the president’s assistant for intergovernmental relations, lobbied for the American Association of Justice from 2001 until 2005.