"I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man," Carter told NBC News' Brian Williams. "I live in the South, and I've seen the South come a long way, and I've seen the rest of the country that share the South's attitude toward minority groups at that time, particularly African Americans. And that racism inclination still exists. And I think it's bubbled up to the surface because of the belief of many white people, not just in the South but around the country, that African-Americans are not qualified to lead this great country. It's an abominable circumstance, and it grieves me and concerns me very deeply."
Health Care Cost Inflation: According to the Kaiser Family Foundation's annual Employer Benefits Survey, the average cost of a family health insurance policy in 2009 was $13,375. Over the past ten years, premiums have increased by 131 percent, while wages have grown 38 percent and inflation has grown 28 percent. So the cost of health care for a family now exceeds the annual salary that is paid to someone making the minimum wage. And at this rate of growth, in 10 years, the annual cost would be $30,803. No one can say when this system will collapse of its own weight, but collapse it will, and sooner than most critics imagine.
US Airstrike Kills Al-Qaeda Leader in Somalia: On Sunday, US Special Forces used drones to strike in Somalia and kill the reputed mastermind behind the 1998 bombing of the US embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. What is most interesting however is that the Obama administration has not publicly boasted of the success, unlike the Bush administration which regularly claimed credit for actions that later proved to be exaggerated or nonexistent. Perhaps the grownups are in charge again!
The Ghost Fleet of Singapore: With global trade having slowed dramatically over the past year, the question of what happens to all the out-of-work cargo ships and tankers can now be answered. They are floating at anchor off Singapore in the largest such fleet ever gathered in one place.
