By Dr. ROBERT OWENS

Stating the obvious passes for folk wisdom in remote tribal areas such as the Southside of Chicago and since we now live in the Chicago-on- the-Potomac, perhaps we should start to take some of this obvious wisdom into account.  Take statistics; here is a science that’s used to make judgments and to justify actions.  And what’s statistics? Just numbers, and what’s in a number?  And as the Chicagoism goes, “Figures don’t lie but liars figure.”  How does this help us understand our new Omerica?

Contrary to popular belief as nurtured by the Mainstream Media, President Obama is not the most popular president in history.  His poll numbers are now lower than President Bush’s were at the same place in his first term.  He’s even tracking lower than the almost universally repudiated President Carter was at the same point in his first term.  The media’s initial announcement that “Voter turnout in 2008 shattered all records,” and “2008 Could Mark Highest Voter Turnout Rate Since 1968”was trumpeted on the all-liberal-all-the-time news networks, making Obama’s victory appear a sweeping mandate for change.  However, the follow-up reporting which found “That huge voter turnout?  Didn’t happen” and “Voter Turnout in 2008 Lowest in 12 Years” didn’t receive the same 24/7 wall-to-wall coverage.

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By ROBERT STARK

President Obama recently re-nominated Ben Bernanke to another four year term as Chairman of the Powerful and Secretive Federal Reserve. Bernanke was appointed by President Bush in 2006 to replace Alan Greenspan. Bernanke has greatly expanded the powers of the Federal Reserve and orchestrated the bailouts of private financial institutions by the Fed. Bernanke has asked the President for even greater powers to regulate the economy. Under the president’s plan the Fed will be granted a greater role as a moneylender to private banks.

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