Type 3 Lie

This week the Executive Branch of the U.S. federal government claimed the economic stimulus of February 2009 "created or saved" between 2.5 million and 3.6 million jobs and raised GDP by 2.7% to 3.2% through June 30. (The Wall Street Journal) Rather than using established, accepted, non-partisan data on jobs, the Administration created an arbitrary, non-existent scenario against which they are to be evaluated - what would have happened had the stimulus not passed. Because the scenario is fictitious, it is only a matter of conjecture how many jobs may have been saved or loss. The Administration though has set a maximum threshold of 3.6 million. Given the stimulus was $862Billion, that means our government spent a minimum of $239,445 per job saved or created! Even when choosing to make up data, our government seems unable to do a credible job.

There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.
Benjamin Disraeli, British politician (1804 - 1881)

References:
The Wall Street Journal. "Three Million Imaginary Jobs - WSJ.com." Business News & Financial News - Opinion. Dow Jones & Company, Inc., 15 July 2010. Web. 17 July 2010. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703394204575367421573463984.html.

"Quote Details: Benjamin Disraeli: There Are Three Kinds... - The Quotations Page." The Quotations Page - Michael Moncur's (Cynical) Quotations. Ed. Michael Moncur. QuotationsPage.com and Michael Moncur. Web. 17 July 2010. http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/487.html.

Post-Racial Era?

During 2008 a question often raised with a mixed-race candidate successfully campaigning for the presidency was whether the United States had evolved to a post-racial political status (Schorr). Four recent incidents clearly show such evolution has not taken place.

• U.S. Department of Justice decision to file suit against Arizona and its new immigration law. (Schnur)
• U.S. Department of Justice decision not to pursue significant voter intimidation charges against the New Black Panther Party (Crawford)
• The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) condemnation of the Tea Party movement on the basis of alleged racism (Carnevale)
• Jesse Jackson's invective against the foolish comments by Cleveland Cavaliers owner Daniel Gilbert as racist after star player LeBron James chose to play for the Miami Heat (Jones)

Interestingly, it is the so-called progressives in each of these situations who appear to have made race a central issue. Ironically, it has been almost a year since President Obama held the so-called "Beer Summit" to create a "teaching moment" following the arrest of African-American Henry Louis Gates Jr. after he was supposedly a victim of racial profiling. Remember, our President, renowned for his lengthy consideration of issues before making a decision - whether it be Afghanistan strategy, waving the Jones Act, getting a dog, or choosing a church - impulsively proclaimed the Cambridge police acted "stupidly." No, unfortunately, we are not in a post-racial era.

References:
Carnevale, Mary Lu. "Political Wisdom: NAACP vs. Tea Party, Round 2." Wall Street Journal Blogs - Washington Wire. Dow Jones & Company, Inc., 16 July 2010. Web. 17 July 2010. http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2010/07/16/political-wisdom-naacp-vs-tea-party-round-2/.

Clark, Vernon. "Charles Ogletree Tackles Henry Louis Gates’ Arrest in New Book." The Edge. Boston Herald and Herald Media, 14 July 2010. Web. 17 July 2010. http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/books/view/20100714charles_ogletree_tackles_henry_louis_gates_arrest_in_new_book/srvc=home&position=recent.

Crawford, Jan. "New Black Panther Case Spurs Civil Rights Commission to Challenge DOJ." Breaking News Headlines. CBS Interactive Inc., 14 July 2010. Web. 17 July 2010. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504564_162-20010581-504564.html.

Jones, Betsy. "Jesse Jackson Stands By LeBron - and 'Slavery' Slam of Cavs Owner." BET.com News. Black Entertainment Television LLC, 15 July 2010. Web. 17 July 2010. http://www.bet.com/News/National_Jesse_Jackson_Stands_By_LeBron_and_Slavery_Slam_of_Cavs_Owner.htm.

Schnur, Dan. "The Politics of Suing Arizona." Washington Post - Opinions. The Washington Post Company, 11 July 2010. Web. 17 July 2010. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/09/AR2010070904719.html.

Schorr, Daniel. "A New, 'Post-Racial' Political Era in America : NPR." NPR News Analysis. National Public Radio, 28 Jan. 2008. Web. 17 July 2010. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18489466.

NASA Mission

It only took a week, and even then the refutation was tepid, but the executive branch of the federal government through White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs has finally acknowledged it is not a task of NASA "to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science, math, and engineering." That is one of three things NASA administrator Charles Bolden stated he was charged to do by President Obama. The other two were to: 1) help re-inspire children to want to get into science and math; and 2) expand our international relationships. Conspicuously missing is anything directly related to aeronautics or space. Thankfully NASA's official mission statement remains straightforward and succinct: To improve life here, to extend life to there, and to find life beyond.

References:

"When I became the NASA Administrator — before I became the NASA Administrator — [Obama] charged me with three things: One was he wanted me to help re-inspire children to want to get into science and math, he wanted me to expand our international relationships, and third, and perhaps foremost, he wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science, math, and engineering."

NASA administrator Charles Bolden

York, Byron. "Obama’s New Mission for NASA: Reach out to Muslim World." Beltway Confidential. Washington Examiner, 05 July 2010. Web. 13 July 2010.

Gibbs, at his daily news briefing, was asked why Bolden had made the comment.

"It's an excellent question, and I don't think -- that was not his task, and that's not the task of NASA," Gibbs said

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs

Reuters. "White House Corrects NASA Chief on Muslim Comment | Reuters." Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com. Reuters, 12 July 2010. Web. 13 July 2010.

NASA Mission Statement

· To improve life here,

· To extend life to there,

· To find life beyond.

NASA Vision

To understand and protect our home planet, To explore the Universe and search for life, and To inspire the next generation of explorers... as only NASA can.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration. ".: NASA Mission Statement Nasa Information-Nasa Informations-Nasa Info-Nasa Images-Space Shuttle Space Station-Nasa Tv -Nasa News-Space Station Informations." . Nasa Information-Nasa Informations-Nasa Info-Nasa Images-Space Shuttle Space Station-Nasa Tv -Nasa News-Space Station Informations. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Web. 13 July 2010.