As Afghan war Escalates, Military Expert Predict 300-500 U.S. Troops Killed or Wounded Per Month

Last Month, President Obama announced that that he would send a additional 30,000 troops Afghanistan. shortly, after decision was made, General David Petraeus head of U.S. Central Command, warned of increased violence in the Central Asian country as the new troops arrived. Now, retired General Barry McCaffery, who teaches international affairs at West Point and who has repeatedly visited Afghanistan to assess the situation here, is estimating that American casualties could go as high as"300 to 500" killed or wounded a month by next summer. "Americans should be prepared to accept hundreds of casualties each month in Afghanistan during the spring offensive with enemy forces. The dire forecast was made by retired Gen. Barry McCaffery, an adjunct professor of international affairs at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, in a periodic assessment of political and security issues he has conducted in the war zone since 2003. "What I want to do is signal that this thing is going to be $5 billion to $10 billion a month and 300 to 500 killed and wounded by next summer. That's what we probably should expect. And that's light casualties,"said McCaffery, who is president of his own consulting firm in Arlington, Virgina and has conducted numerous trips to the war zone to assesses the political and military challenges at hand. 2009 was the deadliest year for U.S. troops in Afghanistan, with 312 soldiers losing their lives. Written by Zaid Jilani Think Progress.

Sen. Dodd and Dorgan Are Pushed Out The Backdoor.

The Democrats are dropping out of the 2010 elections like flies because they all can see the writing on the wall after only one year of President Obama Socialist policies. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-C) has schedule a news conference today to announce his retirement from the U.S. Senate. Sen. Dodd is not the only longtime Democratic senator ready to resign from the Senate, but also Sen. Byron Dorgan (D) will also announce that he will not seek a re-election in South Dakota. Sen. Dodd told friends and family he would rather retire than face a tough general election campaign this fall. The Democrats probably pushed both Senators out the backdoor to increase Democrat chances of retaining Dodd liberal seat in Connecticut. The Democrats have a excellent chance with state Attorney General Richard Blumenthal who is one of the most popular politicians in the state. Blumenthal competition will be Republican Linda McMahon and Former Rep. Rob Simmons is a wealthy businessman in Connecticut. Linda McMahon is the wife of WEE wrestling owner Vince McMahon and if she wins the Republican nomination I can just see the campaign commercials.. These two candidates would be a huge underdog against Blumenthal in a general election. the Republicans chances of winning a Senate seat is over in Connecticut but in South Dakota the Republicans should pick up Sen. Dorgan seat in a Conservative state that Sen. John McCain won easily in the 2008 Presidential election. Finally, we all know that President Obama and Democratic Party leaders pushed Dodd and Dorgan out the backdoor because of the high probability of both senators losing there seats this fall. The Democrats are basically blaming these senators for there problems with there state electorate but these senators should be blaming President Obama for his ridiculous policies that are bankrupting our nation.

U.S. Growth Prospects Deemed Bleak In New Decade

Speaking at American Economic association mammoth yearly gathering, from a range of political leanings were in surprising agreement when it came to the chances for a robust and sustained expansion. "They Are Slim". Many predicted that the U.S. gross domestic product would expand less than two percent over the next ten years. That stands in sharp contrast to the immediate aftermath of other economic downturns, which has usually elicited a growth surge in their wake. It will be difficult to have a robust recovery while the housing and commercial real estate are depressed, "said Martin Feldlstein, a Harvard University Professor and former head of the National Bureau Of Economics. Housing was at the heart of the nation worst recession since the 1930's, with median home values falling over 30 percent from their 2005 peaks, and even more sharply in heavily affected states like California and Nevada. The decline has sapped a principal source of wealth for U.S. consumers, whose spending is a key driver of the country's growth pattern. The steep drop in home prices has also bolstered their propensity to save. It is very hard to see what will replace it,"said John Stiglitz. Nobel Laureate and professor of economics at Columbia University. "It's going to take a number of years." One reason U.S. consumers remain heavily indebted. Consumer credit outstanding has fallen from it's mid-2008 records, but still stands at some 2.5 trillion, or nearly one-fifth of the total yearly spending in the U.S. economy. Another is that many country's largest banks are still largely dependent on funding from the Federal Reserve and the implicit backing of the Treasury Department. Kenneth Rogoff, also of Harvard, argued that the U.S. government ever "credibly" pulled away from it's backing of the financial system, then a renewed collapse would likely ensue. He cited government programs giving large financial institutions access to zero-cost borrowing as artificially padding their bottom lines. "There is something of an illusion of profitability, "he said.

Democract Recurits Continue To Drop Out Of Races

Democrats have lost another touted recruit, this time in Kansas. State Sen. Laura Kelly(D) just announced her withdrawal from the race to face Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.) She becomes the fifth formidable recruit to bow out in recent weeks. I have been forced to make a decision between honoring my pledge I made to the people in my Senate district and my firm conviction that the people of the 2nd Congressional district deserve a truly independent voice in Congress," Kelly said in a statement. This has been a very hard decision, but it is the right one. Kelly joins several recent dropouts, including businessman Jack McDonald, a funded Challenger to Rep. Micheal McCaul (R-Texas) who announced last week that he would not run. The others are Todd Book, who was running against Jane Schmidt (R-Ohio); former Tennessee Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Paula Flowers, who was running for Zack Wamp (R-Tenn.) seat, and Solana Beach City Councilman Dave Roberts, who was running against Rep. Brain Bilbray (R-Calif.). Both McDonald and Kelly were cited in a late October memo from DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen (MD.) that touted the Committees recruiting success. On the top of that, Democrats have lost four incumbents in vulnerable districts to retirement recently. It has been a distinct shift, taking five seats off the map on offense and adding four on defense.

First Minimum Wage Drop In The U.S. 72 Years

Minimum wage in Denver, Colorado, will decrease in the New Year, marking the first such decrease in any state's minimum wage since 1938. Colorado's wage is going to be lessened by 3 cents an hour, from $7.28 to the federal minimum $7.25. Amid the global economic crisis which originated in the United States, Colorado's state consumer price index fell 0.6 percent last year. The district Of Columbia as well as thirteen other states will will keep their minimum wage higher than the federal minimum, according to the U.S. Labor Department. Alaska will join them Friday when there minimum wage rises 50 cents to $7.75. Although the drop in Colorado is small those 48,000 residents, earning the minimum wage shook there heads at the possible cut in there pay."It is hard to make it, hard to get by,"John Mullen 50, a out of work construction worker waiting for a bus on a bitterly cold New Year's Eve in Denver. He said he remembers making minimum wage at a factory and having enough for small comforts. Finally, the $787 billion dollar stimulus bill is not helping average Americans get descent employment so, they can have the bare essentials to support there families. How long will it take for the left-wing media to admit that the stimulus bill was little more than a "Chicago Style" payoff to all of President Obama political supporters. This is "Progressive Economics" at it's worst.