President Barack Obama made his first address to Congress which was televised throughout the nation. The main stream media made it clear this was not a “State of the Union” since Obama has only been in office for five weeks, but more a “Statement of Intent” with respect to the future of our country, and his agendas with respect to the economy and the Middle Eastern war.
Much of what was stated were repeats of his campaign statements, with the exception that of his intentions with respect to measures he intended to make with respect to accountability for a future Wall Street or financial sector bailouts.
I have heard the “never again” speech before after the Keating S&L bailouts and scandals of the 80’s, so I was listening with old ears rather than those of many of his supporters which have no real memories of the 70’s and 80’s and this country’s last recession – nor the causes.
The cause was actually lack of regulation, and although the same messages were sent to this nation at that time, instead of instituting some rather stiff measures on the banking and investment industry in the Ponzi scheme which actually lead to Lincoln Savings and Loan’s collapse, Bernie Madoff actually just did Mr. Keating one better and at a greater cost.
At that time again, instead of regulating the financial industry and some of the loans it markets, Congress actually passed the Act which afforded these banks to wheel and deal and write those sub prime loans and then cover their losses on Wall Street in reselling them then on the secondary market. Another measure instituted to “stimulate” the economy back then which has backfired and actually lead us being where we are now.
Although having been a victim of this latest economic tsunami myself, I do feel a great deal of concern for this next generation and those that do not have such vivid memories of the past. That is what politicians thrive on. Short memories, and spin doctoring.
Mr. Obama voted for that bailout and sounded like an angry parent scolding his children. Since his presidential campaign was funded by a great many of those Wall Street types and even those banks in which he voted to bail out, and since he won this election by such a tremendous margin it seems what continues to be neglected in the reporting now is that Mr. Obama won primarily due to the fact that many were voting against what John McCain represented to the American people, another who wanted to bring back the troops if not winners, than at least not as losers.
This now appears to be Mr. Obama’s stand on the war by bringing them home “responsibly.” In an unconstitutional no win war in which we are there merely due to false intelligence, I would like to know Mr. Obama’s definition of “responsibly,” but that part was omitted.
Earlier in the evening it was reported on two of the news stations, Fox and CNBC that he would have a clearer statement later this week, however it appears that he is anticipating most of the troops will be home by mid 2010, with some remaining under the accord President Bush signed during his last 100 days which has been ratified by the Iraq Parliament calling for full troop withdrawal by December 2011 – coincidentally just in time for the next Presidential election.
Actually at the time the accord was signed it was stated that troops would be withdrawn from all cities and towns by mid 2010 and then the outlying areas by December, 2011. It appears Mr. Obama’s statement will simply be abiding by those terms then of what was undertaken by the Bush Administration prior to Mr. Obama taking office – although it appears this accord Mr. Bush also undertook independently of Congress and was not ratified as a treaty but rather quietly done during Mr. Bush’s last 100 days. It appears the Obama Administration is also counting on the American public’s memory being short or unaware of the existence of this accord undertaken after the election, but during his transition period.
Much of Mr. Obama’s speech was directed at the economy and all the jobs and programs that he is going to create with the stimulus package and even mentioned potentially another in the future. When you are now into appropriations bills in the trillions, what’s a few more? It’s simply Federal Reserve Notes – monopoly money.
It is interesting to note that few Americans even have a passing thought to the new language on Capitol Hill these days. America must compete in the “global economy.” Who “globalized” our economy, anyway? Wall Street and the politicians, of course.
Having our economy dependent on other nations, or theirs on ours is the epitome of socialized world government. But few Americans even give it a thought. That’s progress. Although the founding fathers lived in a globally dependent world also, they kept out of other nation’s wars and economies as much as possible in the interest of a sovereign America since they fought to escape “globalism.”
Of all the western nations at this point, it does seem that Switzerland with it’s nonintervention policies, and separate currency (as not tied in with the European Union) has become more like the U.S. of the founders than the U.S. presently is. The people of Switzerland in a referendum rejected membership in the EU.
It appears the citizens of the United States, home of the free, will not be consulted when this nation eventually merges with Mexico and Canada in the North American Union. The depression of our currency in this manufactured economic crisis is the quickest way to accelerate such a plan, by increasing foreign investment in our vital industries and infrastructure which is already occurring at a rapid pace from even the mainstream media reports.
Mr. Obama’s speech struck me as a sales pitch. Enroll in college adults, take a class. You are losing your homes, but continuing education should fix that. Spend some money pumping up the state’s economy and your local universities so we don’t have to listen to them whine for more also after their free spending, free wheeling ways these last few years.
With every child given a college education in this country, I just wonder who is going to farm the fields, and sweep the streets. The Mexican illegals? That must be the next item on the globalist agenda. Create new government contractor construction jobs, and then give them to the illegals, such as those now working on the Katrina, Gustav and Rita damages. With family living outside New Orleans who was evacuated for both Katrina and Gustav, I felt like I was back in Arizona when I went out to visit after a family member’s illness.
The function of government is not to create new jobs. This mentality has actually resulted in creating more government jobs, and protecting those government jobs at the cost of the citizens. It will be interesting to see where President Obama red lines his cuts in spending from all the fat in the federal budget. The open borders create new jobs and stimulate the economy – for the insurance companies, auto repair shops, hospitals, fraud alert companies, banks and a host of other industries. Drug trafficking also coming across our borders stimulates the economies of the courts, hospitals, mental health professionals, and funeral directors.
Crime itself is a huge underground economy for lots of Americans – the legal profession foremost. Governing a country with a CEO mentality rather than a Constitutional one puts “commerce” above “national security” and the lives of the lawful citizenry. Is this what our country has come to? Even lives now are being measured on a cost/benefit ratio as opposed to commerce – with the war and the open borders situation?
In all those billions for job creation, which included updating technology in the federal office buildings, creating a national health care database, even repairing the National Mall, not a cent was included to secure our borders or our country. Other than increasing the DHS budget for added dis-empowered border agents such as Ramos and Compean.
Mr. Obama spoke a great deal about the future of our children and education. He spoke a great deal about finding a cure for cancer. He spoke a great deal about “creating” jobs, when thousands of jobs have been lost by not simply outsourcing as some of his corporate backers prefer to do in the Intel field, but also in sourcing the jobs our youth, construction and manufacturing base used to have.
Getting those jobs back, rather than increasing HB-1 Visas and other work permits, would have created more private sector jobs than all that are included within that bill, since many are only temporary and will eventually have to be absorbed at the state level.
Mr. Obama spoke of “protectionism” of American industry, how about “protectionism” of American lives and that future generation, some of whom just may not get to high school, much less college, unless we seriously address our own border security needs, rather than Iraq’s or Israel’s, who are economically in better positions now than the U.S.
Insofar as the deficit and needed measures, how about calling in some of those markers from all the foreign aid we’ve given almost every country on the planet also at the American public’s expense, while the American’s are losing their homes or lost them already.
Much was said and provisions have been made for “new home purchasers” yet the same loans are being sold to those young, new home purchasers as the ones which cost thousands their homes this last two years, who are now either homeless or with credit so poor that some cannot even pass a credit check for an apartment and are living with family members. Many were made homeless in the Border States by the illegal immigrant situation, since it also factored into my eventual loss as insurance rates skyrocketed, and deductibles had to be increased after thefts.
There’s a war brewing down on the border, President Obama, so you might want to rethink some of those troop movements. And maybe throw a few billion for border security in order to save some children in the border states so they can get that free college education, or from the welfare line along with their parents who lost their homes in the border states, one of the worst areas hit with foreclosures, so you might want to check for a tie in there while you are creating that budget for that trillion.
Actually, if you just dispersed half that trillion back in cash to the citizenry who gave it to the feds through their blood, sweat and tears of their own labor for which many have now lost their jobs due to executive negligence and then expenditures at posh resorts for therapy, that would give a real shot in the arm to the economy, or make a few mortgage payments for those now on the brink without having to draw up another 800 page plan.
