Lowering Expectations
As January 20 approaches, it will slowly be revealed to us whether we are able to collect on the promises that were repeated for the last year in this long presidential campaign or if we have to grant a pass saying it was election year rhetoric, that was all. Comprehensively, Americans were promised change. And now, as Barack Obama begins to put his administration together, we were led to believe by the Obama campaign that we could just sit back and watch the miracles happen. If anything was questioned, the Liberals would fire back calling the questioners bigots. Any dissension would be un-American.
Now we are finding out what change actually means; changes bringing back people from the Clinton administration. Change also means bringing back Jimmy Carter's advisors -- the ones who haven't entered their drooling years. Change means keeping the defense secretary from the Bush administration who for over a year was being lambasted as failed policies and wrong on the war in Iraq. It seemed to me that he would be the first to go if the war in Iraq was one of the major issues. Also, one of the first things he would do as president, Obama would issue an executive order reducing the amount of oil that would be drilled off the shores of the United States. This is also in contrast to the position he campaigned on when he issued that he would be open to such exploration to assure energy independence in America. Without the sterling, the United States would continue to send huge amounts of money to the mid Eastern countries for oil. Gee, Wally, I hope Obama wasn't saying anything just to get elected.
Also at stake is the economy. We were told for two years all bad it was. Now but we're convinced and behaving in such a manner, how is it supposed to be turned around with the proper tax increases and balancing the budget? Since the 1980s, we have been told how bad budget deficits are for the federal economy. Yet every couple of presidents, the national debt gets doubled. In previous administrations, it took about three years to add $1 trillion to the federal debt. This year, with stimulus packages, bailouts, handouts, and general goodness that needs to be given to citizens of the world, we are going to be adding over $1 trillion in one year alone. Is this the return of the FDR new deal? Will the economy be jump started with huge public works programs that had mixed results in the 1930s? Is this intended to replace the jobs that will be lost by allowing the American automobile industry to fail?
Also were being advised that the economic crisis may not be cured in one year or even one term. How much confidence does that give Americans to go out and spend money today? The economy of the United States has run for decades on credit and oil. The energy needs of the country will also not be converted in a decade. Even though we are being promised that the future of our energy needs is being based on the sun and the wind, this is going to turn out to be just a bunch of hot air.
Well, the good news is that there seems to be more squabbling about the appointments from liberals banned from moderates or conservatives. I would agree it is far better to have competence in any or all of the positions and have a bunch of rookie mistakes made by an administration just to ensure that everything being done is just being done to be anti-Bush. At this point, we'll just have to wait and see. Americans will not have any input as to who will be in the nation's highest office for another four years.
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