Ted Cruz rips Obama-Clinton team: 'Our enemies no longer fear us'

Thanks Obama ...

Sen. Ted Cruz tore into the "Obama-Clinton foreign policy" team in a speech to the Heritage Foundation, saying the outcome of the present White House position on all things overseas is a serious threat to U.S. security.

"Today, the consequences of the Obama-Clinton foreign policy is that our friends no longer trust us and our enemies no longer fear us," he said, MSNBC reported.

He suggested that President Obama and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton possessed far too much "empathy" for the terrorist mindset and Middle Eastern realities to take on the likes of the Islamic State -- and that airstrikes aren't that effective.

"In the Obama-Clinton foreign policy, all members of the international community are equal, be they nations or not, and should be dealt with respectfully and with empathy," Mr. Cruz said, during his Heritage Foundation remarks. "Let me be very clear: When it comes to radical Islamic terrorists who are crucifying Christians, who are beheading children, what our foreign policy needs is not additional empathy. It needs clarity and force and resolve to defend the United States of America."

Mr. Cruz also chided Ms. Clinton for her declared "reset" relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, MSNBC reported. And he dismissed the White House's insistence that talks with Iran would lead that nation to halt development of its nuclear program, suggesting instead that new sanctions were the way to go. 

"Here's a hint," Mr. Cruz said, MSNBC reported. "If a nation calls you the Great Satan, it ain't good."

One more point: Mr. Cruz expressed amazement at the fact the White House would consider sanctioning Israel over new settlement construction, but not impose the same strict sanctions on Iran.

"It's difficult to imagine a more stunning indictment of the Obama-Clinton foreign policy than the notion that they might believe we should be sanctioning the nation of Israel and lifting sanctions on the nation of Iran," he said.

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/ted-cruz-rips-obama-clinton-foreign-policy-2016-preview?CID=SM_FB

Gregory Clark, California economist: The American dream is now dead

A California economist who works at the University of California said he's given the numbers a good look and that there's no doubt about it -- the American dream is a thing of the past.

Specifically, Gregory Clark said that upward social mobility has pretty much tapered off the last 100 years, to the point where modern America mirrors medieval England, KOVR-TV reported.

"America has no higher rate of social mobility than medieval England or pre-industrial Sweden," he said, Raw Story reported. "That's the most difficult part of talking about social mobility, is because it is shattering people's dreams."

Nowadays, status and the ability to achieve the American dream is all about who's in your family, he said.

"The status of your children, your grandchildren, your great-grandchildren and your great-great grandchildren will be quite closely related to your average status now," Mr. Clark said, Raw Story reported.

His findings were published by the Council on Foreign Relations.