Northwest Indiana Discussion

The longer-term increase in Obama's approval rating parallels five months of increases in several survey-based indexes of consumer confidence. Specifically:
•Gallup reported that its index of consumer confidence has risen for five consecutive months to its highest point since May 2011. The pollster also reports that 22 percent of Americans now say they are satisfied with the way things are going, "higher than at any point since last spring."
•The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index rose to its highest level in a year this week.
•The Thompson Reuters University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment was up in December for the fifth straight month. A preliminary estimate for January, based on a smaller sample, is slightly down, but confidence remained higher than in previous months.
•The Rasmussen Consumer Index stands at its highest level in over a year, although it's down slightly from a peak earlier in the week.
•The Consumer Confidence Index of the Conference Board showed a slight decline in January, but its December and January measurements were still significantly higher than those of the three previous months.

But will the company re-fill the job count back to around 300? That’s not for certain. Amonix promises to re-hire more people starting in the second half of this year. The number of new hires will depend on sales and shipment demand from customers, but Pihowich declined to give an estimate on how many.
For those who felt fortunate to have lined up work at the factory, the layoff announcement was crushing. As Las Vegas Sun reported, some workers felt blindsided by how short-term their employment turned out to be. A local official told the paper that workers were brought on to handle a major project, so the positions were supposed to be temporary.

Amonix will need many more large orders to keep its factory going for the long run. The company declined to talk about the status of other projects and contracts, however. It’s worth noting that the company opened the factory during a year when the solar market experienced a glut of conventional solar panels and saw wholesale prices for them falling by 40-50 percent. That affected the sales of other types of solar technologies as well.

Here Is A List Of Other Failed Obama Investments....

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

In 2008, Obama Promised As President To Put “One Million 150 Mile-Per-Gallon Plug-In Hybrid Cars On Our Roads Within Six Years.”OBAMA: “First, we'll commit ourselves to getting one million 150 mile-per-gallon plug-in hybrid cars on our roads within six years. And we'll make sure these cars are built not in Japan, not in China, but right here in the United States of America.” (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks At A Town Hall, Youngstown, OH, 8/5/08)
•The Washington Post: “Evidence Is Mounting That President Obama Was Overly Optimistic To Pledge That There Would Be 1 Million EVs On The Road By 2015.” (Editorial, “Overcharged,” The Washington Post, 1/1/12)
•Taxpayers May Not See A Return On The $5 Billion In Taxpayer Funds Obama Poured Into The Electric-Car Industry. “The Obama administration has poured roughly $5 billion in taxpayer funds into the electric-car industry, offering incentives to manufacturers, their suppliers and even car buyers who might want to go green. But analysts say the risk is rising that taxpayers in many cases will not see a return on their money soon, if ever. Instead, they warn that some federally subsidized companies could be forced to shut down in coming months.” (Carol D. Leonnig, and Joe Stephens, “For Obama’s Green-Car Revolution, Fits And Starts,” The Washington Post, 12/7/11)

A123 SYSTEMS

Obama Predicted That A123 Systems, A Michigan-Based Battery Maker That Received $380 Million, Would Create 3,000 Jobs, But It Only Has 690 Employees And Has Announced Forced Layoffs. “A123 Systems, a battery maker that received $380 million in government support, announced recently that declining orders had forced layoffs. Instead of up to 3,000 new Michigan jobs as Obama and the company had predicted, it now has 690 employees.” (Carol D. Leonnig, and Joe Stephens, “For Obama’s Green-Car Revolution, Fits And Starts,” The Washington Post, 12/7/11)

TESLA MOTORS

Obama’s Department Of Energy Loaned Tesla Motors $465 Million In June 2009. “The Obama Administration will lend Tesla Motors $465 million to build an electric sedan and the battery packs needed to propel it. It’s one of three loans totaling almost $8 billion that the Department of Energy awarded Tuesday to spur the development of fuel-efficient vehicles.” (Chuck Squatriglia, “Feds Lend Tesla $465 Million To Build Electric Car,” CNN, 6/23/09)
•Despite Federal Funding, Tesla Has Lost Money Every Quarter. “Tesla’s SEC filings reveal the start-up has lost money every quarter. And while its federal funding is intended to help it mass produce a new $57,400 Model S sedan, the company has no experience in a project so vast.” (Matthew Mosk and Brian Ross, “Car Company Gets U.S. Loan, Builds Cars In Finland,” ABCNews, 10/20/11)
•As Of June 30, 2011, Tesla Had Lost $522.8 Million. “Tesla has yet to turn a profit and suffered net losses in each quarter. ‘Since inception and through the three and six months ended June 30, 2011, we had accumulated net losses of $522.8 million,’ its most recent 10-K form shows.” (Matthew Mosk and Brian Ross, “Car Company Gets U.S. Loan, Builds Cars In Finland,” ABCNews, 10/20/11)

SOLYNDRA

Solyndra, Obama’s Poster-Child For “American Ingenuity And Dynamism,” Declared Bankruptcy. “The California-based Solyndra, which employed more than 1,000 people, declared bankruptcy earlier this month. President Obama visited the company in May of 2010, saying it was a prime example of ‘American ingenuity and dynamism.’” (Alexander Mooney, “White House Beats Back Claim It Pressured Loan To Now-Bankrupt Company.” CNN,9/14/11)
•“Solyndra Was The Epitome Of What The Government Envisioned To Be Our Green Tech Future…” (David Louie, “Fremont Solar Panel Maker Solyndra Scales Back Expansion Plans,” The Oakland Tribune, 11/4/10)

Solyndra Was Offered The First Recovery Act Loan Guarantee, Receiving $535 Million From Taxpayers In March 2009, And Went Bankrupt In August 2011. (Solyndra, “Solyndra Offered $535 Million Loan Guarantee By The U.S. Department Of Energy,” Press Release, 3/20/09; Joe Stephens And Carol Leonnig, “House Republicans Step Up Solyndra Investigation,” The Washington Post, 9/1/11; George Avalos, “Fremont Solar Tech Firm Solyndra To Shut Down, Lay Off 1,100 Workers,” The San Jose Mercury News, 8/31/11)

In August 2011, Solyndra Announced That It Will File For Bankruptcy, “Immediately Laying Off 1,100 Employees.” “Solyndra, a Fremont solar tech manufacturer, announced Wednesday it is suspending operations and immediately laying off 1,100 employees. The company said it will also file for bankruptcy.” (George Avalos, “Fremont Solar Tech Firm Solyndra To Shut Down, Lay Off 1,100 Workers,” The San Jose Mercury News, 8/31/11)

ENER1

Ener1, An Energy Storage Company That Received A $118.5 Million Stimulus Grant, Filed For Bankruptcy. “An Indiana-based energy-storage company that received a $118.5 million stimulus grant from the Energy Department filed for bankruptcy Thursday. Ener1 is asking a federal bankruptcy court in New York to approve a plan to restructure the company’s debt and infuse $81 million in equity funding.” (Andrew Restuccia, “Obama-Backed Electric Car Battery-Maker Files For Bankruptcy,” The Hill’s E2 Wire,1/26/12)
•“The Energy Department In 2009 Approved A $118.5 Million Stimulus Grant For Enerdel, A Subsidiary Of The Company That Develops Lithium-Ion Batteries Used In Electric Vehicles.” (Andrew Restuccia, “Obama-Backed Electric Car Battery-Maker Files For Bankruptcy,” The Hill’s E2 Wire, 1/26/12)

BEACON POWER

Beacon Power Was Awarded A $43 Million Federal Loan Guarantee In August 2010 To Build A 20-Megawatt Flywheel Energy-Storage Plant In Stephentown, NY. “In August 2010, Beacon Power was awarded a $43 million federal loan guarantee that the Tyngsboro, Mass., company used to put in place a 20-megawatt flywheel energy-storage plant in Stephentown, N.Y. The plant takes excess electric energy from the power grid and converts it into the energy of a spinning wheel, releasing it into the grid when needed. By June 30, the project had drawn down $38 million of the loan. Beacon also qualified for a $23 million grant from the DOE.” (Yuliya Chernova, “Renewable-Energy Firms Facing Financial Hurdles,” The Wall Street Journal, 10/27/11)
•Beacon Power Filed For Bankruptcy In October 2011. “A Massachusetts company that received a $43 million Energy Department loan guarantee last year filed for bankruptcy Sunday, a step certain to fuel criticism of federal green energy financing in the wake of the solar company Solyndra’s collapse. Beacon Power Corp., which develops energy storage systems, filed for bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.” (Ben German, “Second Energy Department-Backed Company Goes Bankrupt,” The Hill, 10/31/11)

AMONIX

Amonix Inc., A California-Based Solar Company, Will Lay Off 200 Of Its Employees At Its North Las Vegas Solar Power Manufacturing Plant. “Just seven months after California-based solar power company Amonix Inc. opened its largest manufacturing plant, in North Las Vegas, the company’s contractor has laid off nearly two-thirds of its workforce. Flextronics Industrial, the Singapore solar panel manufacturer that partnered with Amonix to staff the new $18 million, 214,000-square-foot plant, laid off about 200 of its 300-plus employees Tuesday.” (Justin M. Bowen, “Some 200 Laid Off At North Las Vegas Amonix Solar Plant,” Las Vegas Sun, 1/26/12)

In 2010, Amonix Received A $5.9 Million Federal Stimulus Tax Credit. “Amonix received a $5.9 million investment tax credit through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act in 2010, and another $12 million in private capital helped finance the plant.” (Justin M. Bowen, “Some 200 Laid Off At North Las Vegas Amonix Solar Plant,” Las Vegas Sun, 1/26/12)

At The Time In 2010, Obama Cited Amonix’s Example To Support His Program Of Clean Energy Investments. OBAMA: “A solar panel company -- a solar power company called Amonix received a roughly $6 million tax credit for a new facility they’re building in the Las Vegas area -– a tax credit they were able to match with roughly $12 million in private capital. That's happening right now. And that’s just one of over, that's just one of over 180 projects that received manufacturing tax credits in over 40 states. Now, here’s the -- the only problem we have is these credits were working so well, there aren’t enough tax credits to go around. Now, here’s the -- the only problem we have is these credits were working so well, there aren’t enough tax credits to go around. There are more worthy projects than there are tax credits. When we announced the program last year, it was such a success we received 500 applications requesting over $8 billion in tax credits, but we only had $2.3 billion to invest. In other words, we had almost four times as many worthy requests as we had tax credits.” (President Barack Obama, Remarks At University Of Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, 7/9/10)

It's obviously a sign of desperation.
Barry just handed their asses to them on a silver platter with the birth control issue and the economy keeps on improving.

The economy has not improved.

Read it and weep.....
Catholic bishops said Friday night that they would not support the Obama administration's proposed compromise...

When it comes to sex, nobody listens to celibate old men trying to impose medieval religious dogma especially when these same old men have a track record of covering up and supporting child molestors.
Will The Catholic Bishops And The Religious Right Save Obama?

are you signed on as one of the judges who gets to determine who is telling the truth and who isn't?[/color]

Is that why there is a disproportionately high number of 13 year old girls...