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When Does It Begin, Where Does It End? |
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Conservative Compass Blog
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Written by Bob Sordahl
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Friday, 13 November 2009 |
 When does the Obama administration begin? Twelve months? Eighteen months? Two years? Just tell me so we can stop with the mantra "It was much worse than we thought" and "Bush left us in a mess". I am far from an apologist for President Bush, but for all his shortcomings, he didn't leave the United States many trillions of dollars in debt, with double digit unemployment and fighting a foreign war with the apparent goal of protracted stalemate. More troubling still, Islamic extremists have become emboldened enough to strike us on American soil once again. I just want to know on what date I can lay this train wreck squarely in the lap of this administration and Congress, and start holding them accountable for the consequences of their mis-management and irresponsibility.
Further, in return for the billions we've spent in "stimulus money", the American people have received:
Banks that still refuse to loan money for fear that they will be audited by the Government and found to have insufficient capital.
People driving new cars that were subsidized by taxpayers at over $20,000 each.
One million phantom jobs "saved or created", while four million real jobs vaporized.
A future tax burden that will hurt small business, chase big business offshore and assure increasing poverty and dependence upon Government for the American people.
A published unemployment rate of 10.2% which is bogus because it doesn't include people who have fallen off unemployment as their benefits were exhausted or the self employed sitting at home watching Oprah. I'm betting it's closer to 16-19%.
Ownership of a big shiny car company.
Dependence on foreign oil that hasn't decreased one gallon since February 2009.
A toxic business climate in which companies are paralyzed by fear of the unknown, and crippled by lack of short term capital and onerous regulation.
A Government that presumes to tell us what the fruit of our labor is worth, based on some skewed sense of social justice and "fairness".
I could go on...
Where does it end? On the horizon we've got Cap and Trade legislation that will increase energy costs for Americans while redistributing wealth to foreign countries. We've got the health insurance reform bill that will destroy medical care for 80% of Americans just to cover 10%. There will be immigration reform that I predict will offer some kind of amnesty or sanctuary to illegals in this Country (and get them that health care). We've got school districts that want to feed not only breakfast and lunch to school kids, but dinner to
them and their families as well. I've even seen the suggestion that we nationalize sick leave to cover all American workers because of the H1N1 virus. What's a few more bucks anyway?
Where does it end? When the ink runs out on the printing presses? When the money in your wallet, bank account and 401-K isn't worth the paper it is printed on? When we level the playing field to the point that no one succeeds, excels or triumphs in this Country anymore? When we all succumb to inefficiency, mediocrity and corruption in a Government that controls every aspect of our lives from cradle to grave?
The American people are concerned. Largely, they haven't gotten what they voted for. They want to believe in their President, but frankly he scares them. People have a real concern about the future. If they're out of work, they know how ineffectual our Government has been dealing with the economy. If they are working, they live with the daily knowledge that things can change in a heartbeat, and there is no indication for anyone that things are going to get better soon.
So where does it end? It ends where Americans draw the line. When they finally say "enough is enough". When they tell their lawmakers loud and clear that paybacks are hell and their pink slips are in the mail. It ends when we start voting them out, and those remaining realize that being a Congressman or Senator is not a lifetime appointment. It ends where citizens care enough to take back this Country and return its governance to people who love it and the principles it was founded upon. It ends when we decide it ends. We just have to muster the resolve to fix something that has gone terribly wrong.
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