 In a movie some years ago, a distraught elderly lady is being comforted by an arriving police officer. "My kitty cat is in the tree, and it can't get down!" she pleads. "Don't worry ma'am" he says in an official tone, "I'll get your cat out of the tree." Then the little old lady's hope turns to horror as the officer pulls out his service revolver and shoots the cat which immediately drops to the ground. I mention this darkly humorous scene because it is sadly similar to the situation many Americans find themselves in now with regard to President Obama and his administration.
President Obama as a candidate in 2009, promised to do many things for America. Tax breaks for middle America, tuition assistance, mortgage relief, green energy, jobs creation, affordable health care, lowering of the oceans and so on. All laudable intentions, very attractive to the masses. The problem was that most people had no real idea how he intended to accomplish those things. Many of us who were paying close attention to what he was saying, had a suspicion of what was to come. The promise to "fundamentally change America" in retrospect was particularly chilling.
Who could have imagined that this President's plan would hinge upon running up massive, unsustainable debt? Who could have imagined that billions would be poured down a black hole to "save or create" jobs while sustained unemployment topped 10%? Who could have imagined that Obama would essentially nationalize General Motors and large sectors of the banking industry, picking winners and losers, and deciding unilaterally how much employees in the private sector should be paid for their service.
The candidate Obama, never said anything about tinkering with my insurance, or turning my health care over to the Government bureaucracy. He didn't tell me that I would have to pay more for virtually everything because of increased regulation, taxes and energy costs to American businesses. He didn't tell me that he intended to take my tax dollars and use them to help others buy a new car, or pay their mortgage, or to forgive student loans.
Do you suppose that candidate Obama would have been elected if he told us that during the first 20 months of his administration, he intended to increase the public debt $3.3 trillion? It took "mister big spender" President Bush eight years to run up that amount of debt. How about doubling the national debt in five years and tripling it in ten? Within the foreseeable future, interest payments on that debt will become the largest single line item in the budget. What then?
Critics on the Left are fond of saying that Conservatives like myself have some personal issue with President Obama. Nothing could be further from the truth, although candidly, given his prominent place in history I had hoped he would be better. Regardless of how well intentioned the final result, I disagree with his method. I would disagree with any President of any party that attempted to enact similar legislation and policies, or who showed such disregard for the will of the people. We find ourselves in our current situation because after eight years of President Bush, the majority of Americans were so desperate for a change in direction and an end to politics as usual, they forgot to ask one important question: Just how the young candidate actually intended to "get the cat out of the tree".
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