Make No Mistake About It; This Ain't Natural.

Make No Mistake About It; This Ain’t Natural.  There is some sentiment out there, especially in the liberal community where they are feeling particularly vulnerable these days, that the global chaos we are witnessing today and the domestic morass that we are devolving into are simply natural progressions of disparate and random forces; it was going to happen regardless of whom was in control.  Now in some cases, this thought is being insinuated with added emphasis; in others, it is being spoken out loud.   However, you can count on one thing; as the mid-term elections approach and we then turn out attention to the 2016 election cycle, it is a theme we will be hearing more and more.  And the plain and simple fact is this: It is bullshit.

After ridding Iraq of their despot and bringing to a halt the genocide of its citizens, America found that country of the verge of collapse.  It was suddenly realized that winning the war was simply the first step (the Mission was not accomplished); somebody had to reorganize and rebuild.  As imperfect presidents (i.e. Clinton) learned to do, W. Bush regrouped, initiated the surge, re-established relative order in the country, and made provisions for an environment that would allow Iraq to find its own way.  Contrast that with Libya, where we lied to our allies, proceeded headlong into the fire without notifying them, took out the ruling order, and skipped merrily back home.  Oh…wait a moment…we did leave some personnel in a diplomatic outpost in Benghazi to serve as figureheads for our “grand experiment in leading from behind”.  The results of that travesty will stain this nation for generations to come.

Israel faces increased and wider threats on a daily basis.  Feeding this slide into peril is the fact that Obama and his ilk have been openly hostile to the only democracy in the Middle East, overly generous in their outreach to radical Muslims in the Middle East, and overwhelmed by the predictable course of events in Gaza.

The   flood of illegal immigrants across our southern border was a totally predictable (if not orchestrated?) event that can best be described in executive terms as “being easier to ask for forgiveness than permission”.  Obama is once again employing his Obamacare strategy: Once it is done, who can undo it?

The fact that less than half our this nation’s workforce now has full-time jobs; the fact that our national debt continues to rise unabated; the fact that our burgeoning support programs have lost all sense of purpose and are simply hemorrhaging money; the fact that  Obama’s QE fed policy is simply making the rich richer and squeezing the middle class, while steadily increasing the pressure on the inflation and interest rate balloons;  the fact that household income has actually regressed over his terms; the fact that the partisan and dysfunctional divide between our branches of government is at an historical high; the fact that Putin laughs openly at our president while other world leaders simply wonder what the hell he is doing; the fact that the integrity and prestige of the Executive Branch is dramatically tarnished by his constant whoring for campaign funds and his political appointees’ lack of ethics;  the fact that, presented with a wonderful opportunity to advance the state of race relations in this nation for the better, he has instead further polarized and deepened our racial issues…all of this, while not specifically predicable, was entirely to be expected.  There is a cause and effect principle that exists in this universe and denial of it doesn't make it go away.

No doubt, had Romney been elected in 2012 (as many apparently now long for), everything would not be peaches and cream.  There is evil in the world and that evil will have its mischief.  There are thorny social domestic issues that will continue to vex our nation.  This nation has a fundamental debt problem that will not be solved by one president nor overnight.  But I will venture to guess that had Romney won the last presidential election and been allowed to implement his carefully prepared plans of action, this country would not find itself in the precarious position it is in today.  Whatever else Romney might or might not be, he was at a minimum an experienced and competent manager.  He had a proven track record of accomplishment and understood that there are three kinds of managers in this world: (1) The ones that watch things happen; (2) The ones that make things happen; and (3) The ones that wonder what the hell is happening.  This country can live with a number 1 president; oftentimes the least government is the best government.  This country desperately needed, and needs today, a number 2 president that is a true leader and is motivated by something other than partisan concerns.  This country is saddled with a number 3 president and where we are today was totally predictable.  If you get in the car with a drunk driver, don’t be surprised if you end up in a ditch.  If you get on a plane with a train conductor in the cockpit, don’t be surprised if you crash.  If you elect a person to Congress who has clearly demonstrated an inability to manage their own personal affairs, don’t expect them to author great legislation.  And if you elect, and re-elect, an inexperienced, shallow, incompetent, narcissistic, unprincipled, lazy president; you can expect the debacle we are witnessing today.

Two Comments On Current Events.

Two Comments On Current Events.  I want to pluck two items out of the current tsunami of global and domestic issues swirling around the Obama administration.  Normally, I would not go near them for fear of my obvious ignorance on the subjects being glaringly obvious.  But these two issues are of such import and relevance that I believe I can make a few general observations from an “everyman’s perspective” and not be too far out of line.  Anyway…here goes.

I just read results from a CNN poll that says 33 percent favor impeaching Obama.  Frankly, I find this shocking.  I followed in detail the Clinton impeachment.  I recall Nixon’s resignation to avoid impeachment.  As much as I detest our current president, I subscribe to the theory that not only must the transgression(s) for impeachment be very high and serious, but that there must also be a clear majority of voters who favor such action; there must be a national political will to do it.  I do not believe there is yet sufficient proof of any Obama administration transgression that rises to the level of impeachment nor is there a clear majority of voters that would support impeachment.  For all the heat that Romney took on his “47 percent" remark, he was nonetheless very close to an obvious truth: This nation is so politically polarized that there is a significant and hardcore group of voters who will support Obama regardless of his performance and/or his actions.  If you cannot convince a significant number of these folks to consider impeachment, you don’t even need to bring the subject up.  But I will say this: As distasteful as I find impeachment, even for this president, if it is proven that he or his approval enabled and/or directed the IRS to target taxpayers based on their political beliefs, then his sorry ass should be impeached.  Of all the scandals that surround this pathetic bunch in the White House, this one stands out to me.  As many accomplished journalists have pointed out, Nixon’s articles of impeachment included one that pointed out his failed effort to use the IRS for political purposes.  If it is determined, conclusively, that Obama was personally involved in any of the pertinent actions that led to the admitted IRS targeting of taxpayers, then he should be impeached; political considerations be damned.   Elections have consequences and we, as a nation, are properly suffering through the consequences of reelecting Obama.  But if he is a crook, he should be removed.

The second issue that I will venture an opinion on is the recent court ruling that was adverse to Obamacare; the Halbig decision.  First off, it is incredible to me that intelligent people in the media are making the argument that it is the proper role of the courts to divine the intent of Congress based on accomplished legislation.  I raised two children and have been married to the same woman for over 40 years and I still cannot divine their intent on a regular basis.  Does anyone really think that federal judges (oftentimes political water carriers with agendas) can honestly and objectively determine the intent of an institution as dysfunctional and disparate as Congress?  Now if the language is ambiguous or arbitrary, or even conflicting from section to another, and there is a pressing need to clear up the matter, then I can see where it can rightly fall to the courts to decide the matter.  But when the language is plain as it is in this case; when the legislation was passed in such an extraordinary fashion to begin with; when it is abundantly clear to any reasonable human being that this is no typo or drafting error; there is only one acceptable remedy to this dispute: Congress must readdress their mistake by subsequent action.  As we all know, that is not possible in this case because there is not majority support in Congress, maybe not even in the Senate, for even the original legislation; much less to revise the original legislation.  Any person who supports Obamacare knows that if it was ever reintroduced in the Senate, there is the possibility that it will be dismantled entirely (why all the executive actions on Obamacare?).  And because of this very real fear, Obamacare supporters have come up with  increasingly bizarre theories about why accomplished law should not mean what it literally says.  If our courts (or for that matter, our Executive Branch) can interpret accomplished law to mean whatever they think, what is the point of having a Legislative Branch in the first place?  Obamacare was an illegitimate product of our legislative process; it was a political creature borne out of a political firestorm.  It is only right and proper that if it is to be changed, it should have to go through the legislative process to effect that change.  If it cannot stand or survive that process, so be it.  Just because you get by with something questionable once does not mean that you should expect a second or third pass on the same shenanigan down the road.   

A Good Starting Point: STICK WITH WHAT WORKS!

A Good Starting Point: STICK WITH WHAT WORKS!  Even though we have a wonderful model of government here in America, one of its inherent weaknesses is its political turnover due to election cycles.  Every two or four years, we get a new bunch of geniuses up on Capitol Hill and/or in the White House that believe (A) everything that has occurred prior to their arrival is irrelevant and (B) they have the solution to every damn problem that currently exists in this nation.   Every new President wants to create the United States in their image and look fondly on Mt. Rushmore for a vacancy and a chisel.   In Congress, we rotate committee and sub-committee chairpersons in a ridiculous game of musical chairs to assuage egos and punish losers.  Time after time, we see new legislation being largely authored by committee members who come armed only with ideology and very little experience.  Presidential and patronage appointees at all levels of government begin their quests of management knowing that they have a limited time to work their magic and they certainly don’t intend to waste their time looking backward. 

As a retired civil servant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, I saw firsthand how Congress simply loves to reinvent the wheel.  The use of acronyms in government agencies reaches comedic levels on occasion and one of the most hilarious actors in the cast was the USDA.  There were times when over the span of an 8-to-10 year period, we would see a program introduced, implemented, dismantled, and then reintroduced with very little substantive change…but…with a new name, new forms, and a familiar new promise of being the salvation of all that troubles those who till the soil..  Anyone who has lived through a few administrations and paid any attention whatsoever clearly understands that this same mentality rules the chief executive of our country, whoever that might be.   If you doubt how wasteful, expansive, duplicative, and downright chaotic this type of management is, simply consider the fact that America recently received a record level of tax revenue while at the same time continuing to balloon the federal deficit to near record levels.  The quest for the ultimate nanny state will undoubtedly bankrupt our nation if it is not rolled back and the day of reckoning is not far off.

Whatever the stripes, gender, political leanings, or dreams of our next presidential team turns out to be, I would hope that they would bring with them a simple philosophy: First; let’s find out what is working.  If each department, each agency, each field office could somehow begin with a simple, thorough, and objective review of the programs that are in place…BEFORE THEY CONTINUE PILING ON NEW ONES…we would all be amazed to discover that our government is doing some wonderful things and doing them in a fairly efficient and effective fashion.  Once we determine what is the wheat and what is the chaff, we can begin to eliminate that which is not working.  We can begin the process of having a serious discussion of what the proper role of government is in today’s world and start to prioritize the precious resource of tax revenue that our citizens yield through their blood, sweat, and tears. 

And just a point for all our royal newcomers to Congress and Pennsylvania Avenue: YOU are not the first, you will not be last, and there is very little new under the sun that hasn’t been tried before.  Respect your predecessors; respect the mistakes they made and try not to repeat them; give them credit for the good things they did and keep those wheels turning; pay attention to your hat size and if you see it increasing at an astronomical rate, consume some humble pie; and most important of all…never forget that you work for the people and serve at their pleasure…not the other way around.

Truly, Hope Springs Eternal

Truly, Hope Springs Eternal.  It has been quite a while since my last post.  To be honest about it, I was a bit embarrassed to continue my constant haranguing of Obama.  There is something to the old rule to say nothing if you can’t say something positive.  Believe it or not, I get absolutely no satisfaction out of ripping on our president; but it is what it is.  He is likely the worst president in my lifetime and I continue to be perplexed at how ignorant the public was in re-electing him, the press is in giving him so many passes, and the Democrats are in tolerating and supporting his cockeyed policies.  So, I have been waiting on an opportunity to write something positive for a change and I think I will take a poke at it this morning.

The catalyst for this post comes from an article I just read stating that the USA has now surpassed Saudi Arabia to become the world’s leading oil producer.  I thought about that for a moment and then allowed the thought to expand a bit.  What I find amazing, and what this article helped me to remember, is how truly remarkable this nation is.  Even with the roadblocks, impediments, and idiotic regulations that the Obama administration has strewn across our economy, our nation continues to plod along.  In spite of the tilt against it, our country continues to innovate (fracking), build new manufacturing capacity (Walmart), maintain some semblance of optimism for the future (Wall Street), and although it is clearly not widespread enough, build a good standard of living for our citizens. 

Who would have dreamed of the USA being the No. 1 oil producing country 15 years ago?  When you couple that fact with our huge natural gas deposits and our marvelous agricultural capacity, it bodes well for our future in this new global society.  Politics aside, we could very well find ourselves in a powerful position to dictate fair and reasonable international trading policies.  Walmart’s new push to buy and sell American-made products will result in not only increased manufacturing jobs, but also a new sense of pride in taking care of our own.  Liberals need to shut their mouths, get in their Volvos, and truck on down to their local Walmart; they are pretty cool stores and have sure done a lot to increase the quality of life in rural America.  Every week seems to bring a new high on Wall Street and honestly, this is a bit frightening.  When I look around the part of the country where I live, it is a mystery to me where this “sustained” economic growth is occurring.  I continue to fear that the pump-priming and cheap money policies of the Fed will result in another fiscal bubble burst but…the market continues to climb.  The one thing that appears to be certain is that there is a huge reservoir of cash being stashed away by corporations and individuals  and when this economy of ours does finally turn the corner and create some momentum, there is going to be a tremendous amount of capital available to fuel a real recovery that should create many opportunities for many people.

Without delving too deeply into geopolitical politics and warfare, I will say this:  The foreign policy of any President is a unique product of the environment in which he serves.  So it was with Lincoln; so it was with Truman; so it was with Johnson; so it was with W.; and so it is with Obama.  It is a dangerous game to compare one with the other because no two stood at the same place at the same time.  The world is a dynamic and dangerous stage; it is evolving at breakneck speed and there seems to be as many forces of evil as there are for good.  For better or worse, we as a government and a people are approaching a position of pulling back, taking care of our own, and coming to grips with the reality that we cannot be all things to all people and solve all of the world’s problems.  Part of that learning curve was trying to be the universal force for good and trying was a noble exercise; but there is an old saying that still bears fruit today…YOU CANNOT HELP PEOPLE WHO REFUSE TO HELP THEMSELVES. 

One way or the other, we are approaching the end to a grand experiment regarding the wisdom of the nanny state.  As with many grand experiments, this one has been plagued by hyperbole on both sides and excesses in policy.  Fiscal reality will ultimately dictate that we pull back from the extremes in social policy that Obama has created, but our compassion as decent people will dictate that certain elements of the honest compassion buried within liberal domestic policy will remain.  And at the end of the day, we will find that we have receded from being too far left, but have not quite gone back as far rightward as we were originally.  Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to work?

About the only thing I am certain about these days is  how very little I have actually learned in my 61 years of living; the hard knocks school is very humbling.  But I am pretty sure that the brief period in the 90’s when we had a Democrat in the White House and Republicans in Congress who actually negotiated, compromised, and implemented some commonsense fiscal policies that yielded a balanced federal budget were some of the best times ever for this country.  Nobody saw that coming and unfortunately, it did not last long.  However, it did demonstrate that you cannot underestimate the incredible capacity of our national economy to create opportunity when the government can find the wisdom and will to GET THE HELL OUT ITS WAY.  Here’s hoping that for a second time in my life, I will see before I die another episode of bipartisan government like we had with Clinton and Gingrich.  The curse of Obama will soon be lifted and we will move on past this bizarre chapter in our political history.  Perhaps there is a Democrat or Republican out there somewhere who can get elected and have a clear vision on how to unburden this great nation and allow it to once again pursue the greatness that still remains buried deep in its current turmoil. As stupid and sophomoric as it was to read about the President getting blowjobs under the desk, that is preferable to the downright lunacy and dysfunction that is going down in WDC these days.  If the worst we have to worry about are frat pranks in the White House, how bad can it be?