President Obama's most recent failure to get the 2016 Olympics to come to Chicago, is just another example of how Obama's "hope" and "change" mantra has, in reality, only produced disappointment and failure.

President Obama's inability to push Chicago through even the first round of the Olympic selection process, despite his lobbying trip to Denmark, highlights a developing pattern of failed efforts and faulty policy decisions by this president and his administration.

To refresh your memory, let's take a quick look at the some major failed reforms and proposals, both domestic and international, that Obama has spearheaded in only his first 9 months as president. Keep this in mind; these failures occurred while the Democrats are the majority leader in both houses of congress.

Stimulus - President Obama and the democrats rammed the nearly $800 billion dollar stimulus bill through congress as quickly as possible, promising that the stimulus package would "create or save 3½ million jobs over the next two years" and "would keep unemployment under 8%." Not only has this expanded the reach of government into private industry, but thousands of people continued to lose jobs every month at a record paced and employment in U.S. has reached 9.8%.

Obama's Stimulus Package: Failed

Healthcare - President Obama ‏guaranteed' that his universal healthcare reform would get passed this year. Lack of public support, inaccurate accounting for the cost of the bill, and push back from members of his own democrat party, has stalled his version of the healthcare bill from even getting out of a congress that is controlled by his own party.

Obama's Healthcare Bill: Failed

Foreign Policy - President Obama has traveled down the dangerous path of appeasing and playing nice with nations that wish us ill in hopes that they will play nice with us. He has tried to open a friendly dialogue with Iran without any preconditions and for this Iran recently admitted to having a second nuclear plant, and by all appearances, is closer than ever to developing nuclear weapons with no intention to stop. In addition, he pulled the plug on the US's missile defense shield in order to appease Russia. We abandoned and angered all of our allies in Eastern Europe, yet Russia is still not playing any nicer.

Obama's Foreign Policies: Failed

Closing Gitmo - One of the first things that President Obama did when he took office was to sign an executive order which set a deadline of January 22, 2010 for closing the terrorist detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. But President Obama's plan is stalling and has already missed key initial deadlines. The Senate voted 90-6 against appropriating funds for closing the base. The House also went on record last week opposing bringing Gitmo detainees to the US.

Obama's Plan to Close Gitmo: Failed

The War in Afghanistan - President Obama has taken a stand pat approach in Afghanistan and continues to ignore the requests of his top commanders for the deployment of more troops to fight the growing strength of the Taliban. Not only is he not giving General McChrystal, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, the men he has requested, but he has ordered them to stop bombing before they go into areas, which means we don't suppress the terrorists - making our troops more vulnerable to attack and raising the casualty toll.

Obama's Promise to Improve the War in Afghanistan: Failed

Although these are the most glaring, these are only a fraction of the failures that the Obama Administration has compiled in the infancy of his term.

Let's hope the US Olympic team performs better in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

An Editorial in the Sunday issue of the San Diego Union-Tribune accurately describes how California State Republican lawmakers are focusing on the critical issues that will help ease the economic burdens levied upon California Families, while State Democrats are adding to that burden.

Read that article below:

Recent headlines about San Diego County's jobless rate hitting a 26-year high of 10.1 percent and California's remaining at a record high of 11.6 percent are an urgent reminder to state lawmakers that they must act to help the economy.

This shouldn't be a partisan issue. All lawmakers must stop focusing on what the recession means for state revenue and focus on what it means for Californians.

Such a focus is plain in the agendas of Republican lawmakers from districts entirely or partly in San Diego County - Senate GOP Leader Dennis Hollingsowrth of Murrieta and Sen. Mark Wyland of Solana Beach and Assembly members Joel Anderson of El Cajon, Nathan Fletcher of San Diego, Martin Garrick of Carlsbad, Diane Harkey of Dana Point and Kevin Jeffries of Lake Elsinore. They have introduced or supported a variety of bills to reduce heavy regulations and to provide incentives for businesses to expand.

But this pro-jobs focus is absent when it comes to local Democratic lawmakers - Sens. Denise Ducheny and Christine Kehoe of San Diego and Assembly members Lori Saldaña and Marty Block of San Diego and Mary Salas of Chula Vista. Collectively, the four are listed as authors of 202 bills in the current session (the number is inflated by the dozens of measures credited to Ducheny as chair of the Senate budget committee).

There is a Kehoe bill to suspend onerous rules adopted during the state's 2000-01 energy crisis. There are also Ducheny bills including pro-jobs concessions won by Republicans in budget negotiations. Outside of that, virtually all the other bills either do nothing to help the economy or would make the business climate worse.

All four lawmakers' districts include areas that are reeling.

Perhaps Ducheny thinks her bill requiring coupons to have an Internet address is a priority. We suggest helping struggling family owned stores on Palm Avenue in Imperial Beach is more important.

Perhaps Kehoe thinks changing bike-seat rules is crucial. We'd rather she help the tiny shops and restaurants barely making it on University Avenue in City Heights.

Perhaps Saldaña thinks having a Lobster Management Enhancement Advisory Committee is all-important. We suspect the hard-hit non-chain retailers on Ulric Street in Linda Vista would prefer regulatory relief.

Perhaps Block thinks urging Congress to go after tax havens is a smart use of time. We suspect the beleaguered auto body shops on Broadway in Lemon Grove would prefer tax relief.

Perhaps Salas thinks proclaiming May 3-9 as Drinking Water Week is a great idea. We bet the car washes and fruit vendors on Main Street in Chula Vista wish she thought about them instead.

Yes, lawmakers and parties have different priorities. But when unemployment is setting records, creating and saving jobs should be every lawmaker's top priority.

What will it take for this to finally sink in with Ducheny, Kehoe, Saldaña, Block and Salas? A jobless rate of 14 percent? 16 percent? 20 percent? We may find out.

View article here.