Monday, May 25, 2009

HOW'S THAT HOPE & CHANGE WORKING OUT?

from: The Real World

The counter argument is being repeated everywhere: give Obama a chance, he has barely been in office. It is true that he has been President for a mere four months. But we can make judgements on his progress so far and the fact is that most of it has been in the wrong direction for the majority of Americans.

Actually, it is somewhat hard to believe how upside down our world has become in so very few weeks. Let's look at developments since inauguration day.

1. We have yet to sit down to talk Mano-a-Mano with Iran but the Iranians have morphed into a much more brazen bully than before Obama. They have put warships into international waters. They have announced that they will eliminate the state of Israel in no more than 13 days of warfare. They have tested a new, far more effective rocket powered weapons delivery system. They have rejected out of hand Western proposals for a nuclear freeze. And their puppet president, I'madimjihad, has challenged Obama to a debate in front of the United Nations. Oh, but we are trying to arrange a soccer match between the US and Iran! How's that hope and change working?

2. The North Koreans have now successfully tested a nuclear bomb equivalent to the power of the Hiroshima blast and they have the rocket system in place to deliver it not only to Japan but to the United States. Obama's reaction: condemn the action and call on the international community to respond. In other words, take it to the UN. Given that China and Russia are on the Security Council, do not hold out a lot of hope for any meaningfully action from the "international community". And while our allies in South Korea and Japan go into panic mode, China, puppet master of North Korea, measures how Obama handles an open confrontation. The Chinese must be encouraged that the time is right to take their next step. How's that hope and change working?

3. Israeli President Netanyahu came to Washington to meet with Obama, politely listened to the Obama directive that no more new Israeli settlements were to be built in the West Bank and promptly went home to essentially flip off the President long distance. In other words, relations with our longtime Israeli ally are heading south. Apparently Obama is not as well loved there as prior Presidents starting with Harry Truman. How's that hope and change working?

4. British bankers and stockbrokers are, due to policies being pushed forward by Obama, seriously considering no longer doing business with American customers. That's our ally the British, about to tell us to shove off. How's that hope and change working?

5. Worse yet, we have a world poised to engage in a trade war if Obama pushes forward the union protectionist agenda that could easily provide the nudge our economy needs to go into a full depression. What is astounding is that Congress and Obama are even considering such foolishness. That would be hope and change that will ruin the nation.

6. Chrysler has been forced into bankruptcy with more than half of it's ownership interests going forward being handed to the UAW supporters of Obama. Other creditors are being stiffed. The type of vehicles that they will be allowed to build will be dictated from Washington. Does anyone believe that the best and the brightest design, development and management talent is staying at Chrysler? They are off to Ford and the foreign auto makers. Union run corporations have a very bad track record and given the need to pay themselves big money while providing fat benefits, is there anyone out there who expects their vehicle prices to be affordable? Truth be told, the only chance Chrysler has left is ongoing federal taxpayer funded bailouts. The company will never make a profit on it's own. Oh, and GM is the next victim that will follow the same path. How's that hope and change working?

7. Lets see:

The federal budget deficit is now so large that it exceeds the budget deficits of all previous Presidents combined. And it is slated to grow larger.

GDP has dropped by over six percent.

Consumer spending was down in April after a slight upturn in March.

Taxes are on the rise. Energy prices are increasing. The pending tax increases to pay for our other worldly deficits will lead to inter generational burdens like none ever seen in this country. Government employment is the only growth sector in our economy and that will require even more taxes. "Free" health care will crush the middle class. Medicare is on the cusp of collapse and our Social Security system is on it's last legs.

$13 billion of the more than $700 billion stimulus spending package has been allocated for shovel ready infrastructure spending. To date only $53 million is actually currently in use. So much for shovel ready. One suspects that the $53 million will have little to no stimulus effect on the economy.

Players in the international economy are seriously considering, for the first time in modern history, replacing the dollar as the base currency for international trade.

According to a weekend CSPAN exclusive interview, Obama says the United States government is out of money because we are already operating in deep deficits.

The war on terrorism in Afghanistan has degenerated, Obama has sent more American troops in harms way and our NATO friends are mostly staying on the sidelines. Keep in mind that Obama and his Democrat buddies said from the get go that this was the right war, not Iraq now living in relative peace. Obama and his gang own the Afghan war as well as the responsibility to find Bin Laden. Notice how well it has gone now that they have their eye on that ball? Oh, while we are at it, let's not forget the associated mess in Pakistan now that Obama is in charge and how that has gotten far worse.

Drug wars on our southern border are escalating and it appears that having Obama travel to Mexico to apologize for us causing the problem has not been of any assistance. As Obama delivers speeches about the mistreatment of terrorists at Gitmo, real time terrorists run free along the border, murdering hundreds of Mexicans and some Americans.

Despite all the bailouts, banks continue to fail. Thirty-six so far this year. That included BankUnited Friday in Florida, the largest bank failure in 2009 which has cost the taxpayer just short of $5 billion for that one bank. The Geithner plan must still need some additional tweaking.

Unemployment has continued a steep increase on the watch of Obama. In fact some of his policy moves have managed to put people out of work who were gainfully employed with no problems on the horizon (see the Cessna aircraft plant in Oregon where 1,6oo jobs were lost thanks to Obama or see the hospitality industry employees in Las Vegas, now out of work due to Obama misstatements). It has gotten so bad that we are literally celebrating the fact that ONLY 613,000 jobs were lost in April. Just makes you feel better doesn't it?

And the promise to close Gitmo has not gone well to date. Not only are a majority of the American people against bringing the world's worst terrorists onshore into the homeland but the Democrat controlled Congress has refused to provide the funding necessary to close that Cuban prison. Maybe someday, but the truth is it would have closed someday anyway. Everything does eventually.

Let's not dwell on such things as the Tea Parties last month, the anti-tax increase vote in California this month or the ever increasing protests greeting Obama wherever he travels domestically off of government property. After all, he's only been in office four months.

How's all that hope and change working out so far?