Besides a bump in approval numbers Obama still has 10 things to worry about

In a recent poll, Obama's approval numbers have improved, but it is uncertain why people felt he is doing a good job. In fact, some polls suggest that the president's handling of the Texas shooting or the lack there of contributed to the bump in the poll numbers. This should not illustrate a comparison with Bill Clinton that Obama is running to the center. It should illustrate that this country is in trouble with someone inexperience pretending to be president.

(Human Events) These are unsettling times that we live in. Not to be a downer, but here are the Top 10 Things to Worry About:

1. Out-of-control deficits: With trillion-dollar budget deficits projected for years and the national debt hitting $14 trillion, this mountain of red ink will come crashing down at some point. Add ballooning entitlements to the mix and the country’s financial status is a recipe for disaster. Watch the wreckage as cash-strapped state governments start going bankrupt and project the resulting chaos to the national level.

2. Terrorism: Whether it is homegrown terrorists or al Qaeda plotting overseas, the threat of jihadist attacks against America remains high. The fact that we haven’t had a major terror attack since 9/11—thanks in large part to alert citizens and inept bombers—should not lull us into complacency. The Obama Administration’s refusal to acknowledge that radical Islam is the enemy puts the nation at risk.

3. Healthcare system at risk: Healthcare costs are rising, doctors are fleeing and Obamacare is certain to make matters worse. And if you think things are bad now, Medicare will soon be under severe strains as Baby Boomers are just starting to become eligible for benefits. With 30 million people being added to the existing healthcare system under Obamacare, good luck getting an appointment with a doctor.

4. Stubborn unemployment: Where are the jobs? The unemployment rate has been above 9% since April 2009 and it is likely to remain high for years. And the rate is closer to 17% when taking into account those who have stopped looking for work or are forced to work only part-time. Matters likely could get worse as state and local governments are starting to shed jobs that were sheltered by federal stimulus money and businesses show no sign of adding to their payrolls with so much economic uncertainty.

5. Inflation: The Fed can’t keep printing money without eventually eroding the value of the dollar. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke’s quantitative easing will only add to the inflationary pressure. To those who say inflation is not a worry, have you been to the grocery store or gas pump lately?

6. Rogue nations: The madmen in charge in North Korea and Iran are intent on flexing their nuclear muscles and America remains their enemy. Obama’s campaign pledge to talk to the ruling despots hasn’t panned out and it seems to only be a matter of time before one of these powder kegs erupts.

7. China: China owns our debt and is pouring money into its military. China’s President Hu says the dollar-dominated currency system is a “product of the past.” America was the world’s sole superpower for some 20 years, but will be tested by China’s economic and military might.

8. Crime: Crime is a persistent problem in America with high rates of violence in many of the nation’s cities. With murder and mayhem increasing to epidemic levels just across the border in Mexico, is it only a matter of time before the cartel’s drug wars spill over to the U.S.?

9. Housing market: Is your house underwater? A good many Americans are in that situation and are unlikely to see it get better any time soon. The housing market was so high when it crashed that prices are unlikely to ever recover.

10. Obama Administration: With the Democrats losing the House, liberals will not be able to push their agenda through Congress. But the Obama Administration can enact measures via administrative fiat. Just look at how the Environmental Protection Agency is starting to regulate greenhouse gases after cap-and-trade failed legislatively as an example of the administration circumventing the will of the people.

Bailout to Banks Produce Big Profits But at a Cost

In the article, financial firms and banks made a record profit for 2010. Also, new regulations will make it difficult for the financial system to continue bouncing back from the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Not mentioned here is the repercussion in bailing out the financial system. Even though financial firms and banks made a handsome profit, they still owe the government billions in dollars from the bailout. Unless you are a shareholder to one of these financial firms or banks, majority of Americans are not benefiting for it. Actually, the bailout is causing the national debt to balloon and devaluation of the dollar. The combination is bringing the country close to bankruptcy. The outcome will cause countries to stop financing our debt. In addition, our government will continue to print money from thin-air causing inflation to sky-rocket. Currently, we are seeing the ugly reality unfolding in front of us. Therefore, on the surface, the government saved the banking system, but at a price to the American people.

(Bloomberg) Wall Street’s biggest banks, rebounding after a government bailout, are set to complete their best two years in investment banking and trading, buoyed by 2010 results likely to be the second-highest ever.

The surge has come after the five banks took a combined $135 billion from the Treasury Department’s Troubled Asset Relief Program and borrowed billions more from the Federal Reserve’s emergency-lending facilities in late 2008 and early 2009 following the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. Since then, the firms have benefited from low interest rates and the Fed’s purchases of fixed-income securities.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most of these banks, and I think they’ve recognized it as that,” said Charles Geisst, a finance professor at Manhattan College in Riverdale, New York, who has written about Wall Street’s history. “The profits they’re making now will allow them to replenish their capital and take care of the other things they need to do.”