Barack Obama’s Promises – Advice Taken
Back in November, I wrote a post advising then President-Elect Barack Obama how to make lots of promises, but not necessarily keep them. Whether he was aware of it or not, he has been following my advice perfectly. The man has made plenty of promises, but failed to follow through on very much at all.
Polifact analyzed Obama’s first 100 days in broken promises. Ideapalooza has a downloadable spreadsheet of Obama’s 895 campaign promises. Recently, he called for the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, considered a paragon of Democrat wishy-washiness. Of course, this has been on the White House website for a while, and nothing has been done.
Way to go Mr. President. You’ve learned well. Your supporters really don’t pay close enough attention to what you do to realize the truth. Keep making promises. Don’t worry about keeping them. It’s the liberal way. After all, you can earn the Nobel Prize for just saying you’ll do something now. I’d say this plan has already been a success.
Barack Obama – Miserable Failure
President Barack Obama is on track to be one of the worst presidents in history. Having been in office less than a year, he has built a track record in failure like no other president before him. As his stated goals have been to change the very ideals of America, Obama’s failures may be a great success for our country. Likewise, should Obama actually find some sort of success in the future, it is likely to be the cause of great trouble for the United States.
Straightaway as he took office, President Obama promoted the so-called “economic stimulus bill.” This three-quarter of a trillion dollar corporate-welfare swindle was pushed on America as the only way to stop the economic slowdown. By not addressing the true causes of the bad economy, congressional interference in the mortgage, automotive, and energy sectors, it was easier to blame President Bush, and bankers for situations both were forced to endure. The result? Massive erosion of freedom, as Congress used the stimulus as an excuse to control individual wages, a contiunuation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to exist in economically harmful ways, and an unemployment rate far above what Obama promised should the stimulus not be passed.
With the stimulus, Obama succeeded in legislation, but failed massively in result. America is in worse shape because of its passing.
Onward to the next major emergency legislation that must be passed RIGHT NOW. Obama supported the “cap and trade” legislation to “fight global warming” long before he took office. He actually said, “If somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can. It’s just that it will bankrupt them.” Obama’s goal wasn’t just to promote so-called “green technologies,” but to force the forms of energy we rely on every day out of the market. His stated intention was to run out of business an industry that many thousands of working men and women across many states relied on for a living.
The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives complied, passing one of the most egregious infringements on freedom known to America.
Luckily, word got out about what damage the bill would cause. The bill would cause increases in energy costs, resulting in increases in costs on everything else. After all, it takes energy to manufacture, warehouse, transport, display, and retail pretty much everything you buy. Since the end consumer pays all those costs in the final price, the end consumer would pay the bill. That would damage the economy further, likely resulting in an economic spiral when we need it least.
As it looks now, the Senate is unlikely to continue work on this piece of “emergency” legislation until at least next year. So much for the “if we don’t pass this now” horse manure Obama tried to foist on us so many weeks ago.
With one emergency bill not yet completed, another was brought up. Now it’s time, apparently, to completely upturn everything concerning the healthcare industry. Painting the insurance industry’s profit margin of 3.3% as exhorbitant, Obama and the Democrats maneuvered (manured?) to wrest control of healthcare from their hands. With deficits, and debt piling on daily, the trillion dollar “healthcare reform” bill had to be passed RIGHT NOW.
Then, people started actually reading the bill. By people, I mean actual citizens. I do not mean Obama or Congress. Obama, asked about a detail of the bill, replied, “You know, I have to say that I am not familiar with the provision you are talking about.” John Conyers said, “I love these members that get up and say, ‘Read the bill. What good is reading the bill if it’s a thousand pages and you don’t have two days and two lawyers to find out what it means after you read the bill?”
You know what? I haven’t read the whole bill. I have read quite a bit of it, though. It is convoluted, and boring, but I took some time to actually research the issue. I don’t even have a vote in the matter. You might think, though, that Obama and Congress would bother reading a bill before insulting MY intelligence for opposing it on the issues.
Let me give you a hint, Mr President. You don’t gain the support of America by insulting your opponents, especially when dealing with an issue in which over half of America is in the opposition.
Obama even went on TV multiple times to push the health care bill. He continually referred to his plan, even though he has yet to actually propose a plan. He claimed he would veto a bill presented to him if it contained unpopular provisions, but many of those provisions are in the house bill. Unlike Congress, many citizens could find the time to research this information, which is why Obama’s televised appeals each resulted in a DROP in popularity for the bill.
Oh yeah, the Senate probably won’t get to this piece of emergency legislation until next year. They’re debating over which provisions Obama said he would veto they want to include (really!) and to what extent.
Obama says the economy is turning around, and jobless claims are levelling off. Almost immediately, new jobless reports show the opposite. Obama promotes the Olympics to Chicagoans, and Chicagoans demonstrate opposition.
The latest? Obama goes to the International Olympic Committee to promote Chicago for the Olympics, and the IOC completely snubs him, knocking Chicago out in the first round of voting.
He’s not the savior. He’s not bringing prosperity. He’s not bringing America together. He’s not leading an ethical government. He’s not, apparently, capable of speaking coherently without a teleprompter. Heck, he has yet to demonstrate he’s all that smart.
President Barack Hussein Obama has proven that he is really only good at one thing. He’s a miserable failure, on his way toward having arguably the worst presidency in the history of the United States.
Warcraft Economics – Auctions, Profiteering, and Helping Others
Filed under: Economics, Entertainment, Lockjaw's Life, Opinion
I love to play World of Warcraft. Questing, killing beasties, gaining achievements, and Player vs Player are just entertaining things to do on a nice relaxing evening. One of the great things about WoW, as it is known, is that there are so many different ways to play the game. One of my most enjoyable things to do, though, is profiteering. I farm expensive materials, gather sellable quest items, and pick up items from vendors in my travels for resale.
My favorite way to find things to sell, though, is to scan the auction house for items that are, frankly, being sold too cheaply. I buy them at the seller’s asking price, and immediately place them back up for sale at a higher price. The price I sell for more closely matches the price that the market will bear. Sometimes, I can multiply my investment several times on one item.
Stimulate Me – How Obama Could Win the Economic War
Now that we’re starting to get an idea of what President Obama’s economic knowledge is like, it’s starting to get a little worrisome. Taxpayer money is being thrown at hundreds of projects, like museums, sidewalks, libraries, and a trolley in Puerto Rico. Pushes for more “green energy” projects will do more to raise energy costs, which tends to hurt the economy as that cost is reflected in the price of milk and bread. Even Obama’s so-called tax cut is designed to cause hardship, as taxes aren’t being cut. When your income tax withholding is reduced, but the actual tax rates are not adjusted, it isn’t a tax cut at all. It’s a deferred payment, because you’ll either have to pay the money back in April 2010, or have your refund reduced.
So … is there a stimulus plan that could work? Is there an idea that could put an immediate cash infusion into the American economy? Could we, with one or two quick decisions, take action to put our economy on the fast-track again, while costing no more than the estimated one to three-and-a-half trillion dollars that Obama and the Democrat-controlled Congress have allocated so far?
Yes.
Anti-Israel Protesters – I Don’t Get It. Yes I Do.
A violent street gang, over the course of months, randomly fires bullets at houses in a populated residential area. For months, the city asks politely for them to stop. Over time, the mayor begins to suggest that the gang has gone too far. Eventually, the police move in and strike at the leaders, and begin to return fire on gang members who are seen firing weapons into neighborhoods. Local college students protest against the city and the police.
Merry Christmas
As I wake this morning, before loading the car for the day’s travels, I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas.
Because the opposite of Merry Christmas isn’t “Happy Holidays,” “Happy Festivus,” or “There is no God.” The opposite of Merry Christmas is, “I hope your dog craps on your face to wake you up on December 25th.”
I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
How to Save the US Auto Industry
Filed under: Consumerism, Economics, Government, Opinion, Politics
As the arguments have gone on about how to bail out the US auto industry, I’ve thought a lot about it myself.I believe that the US auto industry can be saved with some rather simple steps. Primarily, these include such common-sense things as un-crippling the automakers, reforming the automotive market, and trying some innovative experimental tax reform.
Advice for President-Elect Obama: International Policy
Filed under: Government, International, Military, Opinion, Politics, Terrorism
As the latest in my ongoing series of posts advising President-Elect Obama, I’d like to approach international issues. This may be a moot point, since Obama already has many international ties. Regardless, I’ll try to hit some high points.
I won’t bother with advising on interactions with the palestinians, since Obama has ties to the palestinians; already. Likewise, he seems to have good ties with Kenya. Heck, some think Obama was born in Kenya, including his own grandmother who says she was in the hospital at the time.
Advice for President-Elect Obama – Make Promises; Lots of them
As self-appointed advisor to President-Elect Obama, I am duty-bound to offer advice as I have it, on how to succeed in the office of president. Since I’m not tied to any particular field of work, I don’t have to limit my advice to economic, international, or domestic issues. Instead, I offer my advice for success of the man in the office itself. Today’s advice: Promise something to someone every single day you can.
When I look back through history at Democrat Presidents, the greatest personal successes came from those who promised a lot. Promises are an important tool in the Democrat arsenal, and one that you haven’t used to great effect so far.
Advice for President-Elect Obama: Take Credit for Everything
In my new role as advisor to President-Elect Barack Obama, it is my duty to provide the best advice I can. The goal of this advice is to elevate the new President and the Democrat Party. I really wish my advice could be for the betterment of the United States and their citicens, but too often those two goals are mutually exclusive.
Today’s advice is this. Take credit for anything good that happens during your presidency. Add to that the following corollary. Give blame for anything bad to George Bush and the Republicans.
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