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The king can do pretty much what he likes.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2010/09/10/letter-president-continuation-national-emergency-with-respect-certain-te
 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/president-obama-signs-national-defense-authorization-act

My guess is that ultimately, Obama will veto the law allowing citizens to be held indefinitely without trial,

Obama did suggest he would veto this bill, but not because he cares about civil liberties. His threat was based on the notion that the President already has these powers and that the Congressional mandate would be an usurpation of and interference with those powers.

Here is a quote from the White House's position on the bill:

Detainee Matters: The Administration objects to and has serious legal and policy concerns about many of the detainee provisions in the bill. In their current form, some of these provisions disrupt the Executive branch's ability to enforce the law and impose unwise and unwarranted restrictions on the U.S. Government's ability to aggressively combat international terrorism; other provisions inject legal uncertainty and ambiguity that may only complicate the military's operations and detention practices.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/legislative/sap/112/saps1867s_20111117.pdf

Obama supporters are very neatly summed up in this cartoon: http://americanextremists.thecomicseries.com/comics/156

Well, I guess you could alter the charger to stop charging the battery once it reaches 60% capacity... I believe the Prius stops drawing from the battery before it is completely drained as well. But in that situation, you'd be looking at making very short trips only.

I would just use up your battery as you see fit. I suspect the price of lithium ion batteries will continue to drop within the next 5-10 years.Tthe US government expects the cost of an electric vehicle to fall to $3,333 by 2030: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/gas_graphic_fullsize.jpg

And they had a ton more loopholes. Hence they paid less than they do today:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2012/assets/hist01z1.xls

In 1950, the US spent $42,562 million off of a $293 Billion GDP or 14.5% of GDP
In 1955, the US spent $68,444 million off of a $415 Billion GDP or 16.5% of GDP
In 2010, the US spent $3,456,213 million off of a $14.5T GDP or 23.7% of GDP

You flame but you don't respond to what the poster actually said. Let's look at white house data: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2012/assets/hist01z1.xls

In 1950, the US spent $42,562 million off of a $293 Billion GDP or 14.5% of GDP
In 1955, the US spent $68,444 million off of a $415 Billion GDP or 16.5% of GDP
In 2010, the US spent $3,456,213 million off of a $14.5T GDP or 23.7% of GDP

So, sorry. federal spending is MUCH higher as a percentage of GDP than in the 50's.

they can point and say "See, we're doing something" to keep the right-wingers happy.

Drug prohibition isn't supported by "right-wingers" - it's supported by statists on both sides. Go take a look at the Obama administration's response to the White House petition to legalize marijuana. And if that's not enough to convince you, consider that the left-coast's most left-leaning state could not even muster votes to legalize marijuana... how inept is that?

Unfortunately, that petition only has 17,535 signatures, and needs 7,465 more before November 27 (8 days) or it will, like all the other feedback they've received, be ignored.

When I first heard of that petition, about a month ago, I tried to sign up for an account so that I could sign it. Their sign-up process is broken. I clicked the contact link and wrote something up asking for help, and have yet to hear back from them. Agreed, I do not think they're really listening, nor do they really care to put any more than a token effort into this listening post.

What does this have to do with Obama ? This is the Judicial branch, not the Executive.

"while the White House is arguing for expanding the law even further."

Yeah thats exactly what we need - more lawyers, especially one who has 3 different aliases, 2 different social security numbers including one in Connecticut, and can't even cough up a birth certificate.

Here ya go -> http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/04/27/president-obamas-long-form-birth-certificate

Here is another good one that might actually make it! Take these petitions seriously

Here, go vote on some more important petitions:

Meta-petition
99declaration.org
Snarky petition
E-Parasite
Marijuana petition Part II.
Reverse marijuana petition
YAMP
I like this one. Bet it doesn't last long.

Here, go vote on some more important petitions:

Meta-petition
99declaration.org
Snarky petition
E-Parasite
Marijuana petition Part II.
Reverse marijuana petition
YAMP
I like this one. Bet it doesn't last long.

Here, go vote on some more important petitions:

Meta-petition
99declaration.org
Snarky petition
E-Parasite
Marijuana petition Part II.
Reverse marijuana petition
YAMP
I like this one. Bet it doesn't last long.

Here, go vote on some more important petitions:

Meta-petition
99declaration.org
Snarky petition
E-Parasite
Marijuana petition Part II.
Reverse marijuana petition
YAMP
I like this one. Bet it doesn't last long.

Here, go vote on some more important petitions:

Meta-petition
99declaration.org
Snarky petition
E-Parasite
Marijuana petition Part II.
Reverse marijuana petition
YAMP
I like this one. Bet it doesn't last long.

Here, go vote on some more important petitions:

Meta-petition
99declaration.org
Snarky petition
E-Parasite
Marijuana petition Part II.
Reverse marijuana petition
YAMP
I like this one. Bet it doesn't last long.

Here, go vote on some more important petitions:

Meta-petition
99declaration.org
Snarky petition
E-Parasite
Marijuana petition Part II.
Reverse marijuana petition
YAMP
I like this one. Bet it doesn't last long.

Here, go vote on some more important petitions:

Meta-petition
99declaration.org
Snarky petition
E-Parasite
Marijuana petition Part II.
Reverse marijuana petition
YAMP
I like this one. Bet it doesn't last long.

Gotta say it takes some cahones for the administration to maintain a site like this. On the first page of open petitions are "We demand a vapid, condescending, meaningless, politically safe response to this petition." and "Stop Lying." I give Obama points for efforts like this, even though some of the petitions I see there are valid enough to make me detract even more points. I highly doubt this site will continue to exist in future administrations.

Gotta say it takes some cahones for the administration to maintain a site like this. On the first page of open petitions are "We demand a vapid, condescending, meaningless, politically safe response to this petition." and "Stop Lying." I give Obama points for efforts like this, even though some of the petitions I see there are valid enough to make me detract even more points. I highly doubt this site will continue to exist in future administrations.

Nope. What I'd like to see some more signatures on this one, actually - not that I expect any tangible results, but it'd be at least mildly entertaining to see how they respond to it.

Vote again:
https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/PETITIONS#!/petition/pursue-software-patent-abolition/fHkD8wYM

My guess is that they STILL won't get the message, but one can always hope...

Look at the report to the President on Ensuring American Leadership in Advanced Manufacturing. (http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/microsites/ostp/pcast-advanced-manufacturing-june2011.pdf)
Laptops, semiconductor memory device, flat panel displays, and lithium-ion batteries are all technologies that America has lost the capability to manufacture. Apple could not manufacture their products in the US anymore.

Reposted to help get this AC's point out where people who ignore ACs will see it, and also to add an anchor tag to the "linked" document, so those of us who hate seeing URLs without links can just click the darn thing.

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/petition/stop-use-eminent-domain-take-peoples-homes-and-give-wal-mart/xqhbwG1s

Like many, we are interested in the potential marijuana may have in providing relief to individuals diagnosed with certain serious illnesses. That is why we ardently support ongoing research into determining what components of the marijuana plant can be used as medicine.

In other words, if you get it from Big Pharma, it's a-ok. If you buy it from a local grower (or grow it yourself), then you're a drug-using felon.

I don't have a a personal interest in this issue. I don't use marijuana, nor does anyone I know (that I'm aware of, anyway). But the patronizing bullshit that gets spewed by politicians and law enforcement about drug laws shows a level of contempt for citizens that is almost unbelievable to me.

a petition to take petitions seriously:
https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/petition/actually-take-these-petitions-seriously-instead-just-using-them-excuse-pretend-you-are-listening/grQ9mNkN?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl

Wow, that's pretty jacked up. When I sign in on that page it reloads as a "404 Page Not Found" placeholder. This effectively prevents me from signing this petition. Way to go government.

Call them on it.

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petition-tool/petition/actually-take-these-petitions-seriously-instead-just-using-them-excuse-pretend-you-are-listening/grQ9mNkN

Updated link.

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petition-tool/petition/actually-take-these-petitions-seriously-instead-just-using-them-excuse-pretend-you-are-listening/grQ9mNkN

Updated link, yours appears to have 'mysteriously' broken.

We hear the refrain that jobs lost overseas are 'never coming back.' Yet the first time an impediment to supply appears mines get reopened, and in CA no less. Despite the fact that those workers will be paid living wages and probably have union representation you'll still be able to afford your iPhone. No, California's precious 'environment' won't be destroyed. The next time some wag claims this or that job is lost forever you'll know better.

There is an undercurrent building in the US. The effect of >70% of all imports being tariff free is too obvious to ignore any longer. The US has been trading away its prosperity for dubious diplomatic achievements for decades. People have caught on. The 'oh noes trade war!' cry won't work any more.

When you get down to it with the common leftist they'll tell you they don't want industry returning to the US. Exporting pollution to Asia is just fine with them. Their leaders never hesitate to sign away more of our trade leverage. Today the left's union allies are mostly service sector and government; they simply don't care about the industrial base.

While the big-business wing of the Republican party is all about 'free' trade, the party also harbors a buchanan wing of anti 'free' trade types. Curiously, that stripe is completely unrepresented among all of our presidential candidates today. I predict that will change; when someone that can articulate the problems inherent in trying to compete with disposable workers and indifferent regulation finally appears they will discover a broad and deep well of support.

Sign the white house petition here: https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/stop-e-parasite-act/SWBYXX55

Keep spamming this wherever you can. That petition has gained over 2000 votes in the past 24 hours. It should be good for a laugh when they respond to it.

While you're at it, sign this one too.

Really? This one seemed a little worse to me. It's pretty obvious at this point that he doesn't intend to meaningfully respond to any petition that isn't an automatic home run for him.

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/actually-take-these-petitions-seriously-instead-just-using-them-excuse-pretend-you-are-listening/grQ9mNkN There it is. Slashdot it.

The responses to these petitions have been so uniformly transparent constituent fluffing through sophistry that there's already a meta-petition:

Actually Take These Petitions Seriously Instead of Just Using Them As An Excuse to Pretend You Are Listening Petition.

Once this one gets answered, the web content filters will be remiss in not filtering the site as entertainment, or masturbatory porn.

a petition to take petitions seriously:
https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/petition/actually-take-these-petitions-seriously-instead-just-using-them-excuse-pretend-you-are-listening/grQ9mNkN?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl

I like that one.

Obviously you missed the "Why we can't comment" part...

When the petition "formally acknowledge an extraterrestrial presence engaging the human race - Disclosure." reaches as many signatures (11,845) as actual pressing social issues.

"If you are going to create a public petition system, then take the petitions seriously.

Dismissing the top petitions with canned responses invalidates the whole exercise."

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/take-petitions-seriously/bHPkPddj

3 000/25 000 signatures

While you're signing things, I just wrote one with a similar concept, but applying it to the federal budget: cut the budget from the bottom up (incentives and changes to surplus handling) instead of the top down (axing entire programs based on politics).

I'm so fed up with politicians on both sides of the aisle whining about the budget while not taking even the most basic steps to actually reduce the budget in any meaningful way. The flaws in the system are glaringly obvious. How about all you blowhards in Congress and the White House actually fix the flaws instead of spending your entire careers pandering to your political base. Just saying. (Not that any of them will read this, but....)

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/actually-take-these-petitions-seriously-instead-just-using-them-excuse-pretend-you-are-listening/grQ9mNkN even funnier

Agreed. This is the petition to sign. Call them on their doublespeak.

Not a US citizen, but I'd personally go for: https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/petition/develop-policies-based-science-and-research-not-ideology-or-politics/nrn6YXwB

Basically the same concept as the above petition, just not as snarky and sounds a bit more "serious" in general (i.e. more likely to be listened to).

Still waiting for them to respond to Examine the Government’s failure to investigate and prosecute Church of Scientology crime, fraud and abuse

Following the logic of the reply on marijuana, alcohol should CERTAINLY be illegal if marijuana is.

I'm not saying alcohol should be illegal, I'm saying that every single argument in the president's response is in some way applicable to alcohol and in most cases, alcohol is far, far worse.

This is the response of a coward who is only interested in preserving the status quo. A coward I voted for.

He could at least have had his people answer honestly. Instead we get this drivel.

Take a look that this petition, it's on the money: https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/actually-take-these-petitions-seriously-instead-just-using-them-excuse-pretend-you-are-listening/grQ9mNkN

Did you see the last one?

https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/response/why-we-can%E2%80%99t-comment

Who the hell is Sholom Rubashkin?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sholom_Rubashkin

Exactly: whatever. It just means people in a cult like the Hasidic Jews can be programmed to sign a petition like lemmings. Hardly democracy in action.

What if one of the petitions was "endorse creationism in all school curricula and have evolution is expunged" and it had 200,000 signatures. You don't think that's possible? Would the follow up, the Obama administration's trite put down of the topic, mean Obama is ignoring the revolution? Ignoring the will of the people? Exactly.

I'm sorry, but political polls, and petitions, are pure bullshit. You can word anything to mean anything, and someone will say "yes" on a phone call or sign some piece of paper or check some box on a website, then some media write up can spin the numbers to mean pretty much whatever you want. And it all means nothing.

I think marijuana should be legal. I think reference to "God" should be removed from our currency and from our oath. And I think this news story and petitions in general are a complete waste of time.

a petition to take petitions seriously:
https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/petition/actually-take-these-petitions-seriously-instead-just-using-them-excuse-pretend-you-are-listening/grQ9mNkN?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl

Pretty good read.

tl;dr version: Fair tax isn't fair.

This means that after 20 years of you making income-based payments, they forgive the remaining debt. In order to qualify for income-based payments, you can be making no more than 150% of the poverty line. In that case, you payments are no more than 10% of your income.

Where do you get this 150% of the poverty line bit? The White House Fact Sheet mentions nothing of the sort, and uses an example of a nurse earning $45k, a salary that would be well in excess of the Federal Poverty Line.

IBR is based on a borrower's discretionary income - i.e. income after taxes. A borrower will repay a maximum of 10% of their discretionary income rather than the 15% currently charged under IBR.

The White House recently added a section to their website that allows people to create petitions. Here's the link to the one against TSA: https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/abolish-tsa-and-use-its-monstrous-budget-fund-more-sophisticated-less-intrusive-counter-terrorism/c7L94bFB

I went through all of them and here is a list of some of the no brainers. Obviously it's not an exhaustive list. Just convenience for anyone that wants to hit a few buttons.

• End software patents -- over 14K votes and already over the threshold.
• Repeal the Patriot Act -- over 13.5K and over the threshold.
• End corporate personhood -- over 14.5K votes and over the threshold.
• Move to a system like Europe for our internet lines to get more competition for internet service -- still needs over 400 votes.
• Move to runoff voting -- needs over 4K votes.

So expect Obama to tell us why he can't end software patents, abolish the TSA, and repeal the Patriot Act any day now...