Just when can a President be blamed for influence on the economy?

It is true that when a new President takes office it is always in January of the new year and it may take a month or two for official policy to get rolling.  The fact of the matter is that America does pay attention to what is taking place during the campaigns and what promises are made, and when the election takes place people in business and in the investment world start to take measures to brace for up and coming policy changes that may affect they business.  So, Mr. President, you began to influence the economy on November 5th 2008 not February 2009.

My take on the State of the Union Speech.

While I only caught the highlights after the speech, I was able the get the tone and meaning of the speech.  I did think that it was hilarious that Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi seemed to be struggling to pay attention to the President during his speech.  Pelosi was even receiving notes being passed to her during the State of the Union Speech. 

Anyway, while I listened to sound bites and comments over the speech I couldn’t help but think that in the eyes of our illustrious President, everyone is at fault for everything except him.  He is sounding like a bad broken record blaming the previous administration for his problems.  The republicans, some democrats, and now the Supreme Court are to blame for errors in this country.  The more I listened the more I heard; ‘the country is ok but it isn’t, we will freeze spending but only after we spend more of it, the things that are wrong are the your fault not mine.  I want the country to go in this direction so just sit down, shut up and let it happen. I know recent votes have gone against me but voters don’t really matter, Congress is only useful when they do what I tell them.  You just keep believing all those promises that I made during the campaign and I will keep breaking them. Lobbyists are banned from influencing government except for those that are in my administration.’

It seems to me that Americans need to take America back, and relieve this president of duty before their is no more America.  He has said that he only wants to be a really good one term president anyway.  Good or not lets make sure that it is only one term.

Some change.

Closed door, late night, sweetheart deals for major lobbying interests designed to save them money and cost us more, some change.  Business as usual in Washington DC.  Yes that is right America, there is no real change.  Despite all the promises and rhetoric during campaigns no politician will buck the system.  Money talks and as long the politician who needs the money for less than honest campaigns to stay in office wants to stay in office they will listen to money.  Labor Unions, some of which have been connected to the President, have just dealt a horrible blow to the American public.  In negotiating their sweetheart deal in a late night session with the White House and Congressional Leadership have saved themselves sixty billion dollars.  Who will make up the difference?  Well if you do not belong to one of these sweetheart unions you will.  But here is another thought,  the union operations themselves have saved the money but if the cost is going to be made up in taxes to the public the the union membership will see the cost come out of their paychecks while union officials pat themselves on the bank for negotiating this deal.

My understanding of economics and politics is not school taught other than the few classes I took in high school and college is real time life experience, trying to survive the day to day living.  I am sickened that the political elite have lost touch with the American people.  What is worse is the American people who blindly follow these politicians and believe lie after lie.  These politicians do not know you, they do not know what is best for you or your family because they don’t live your life.  Except at election time they do not have to worry about loosing their jobs and even if they are voted out they maintain a pension and health benefits paid by the American taxpayer.  Politicians vote in their own pay raises and benefits packages with out approval from anyone.  This is not right.  The people that believe that any or all politicians know what is best for even one American other than themselves are fools!  The real power in American politics resides with each individual citizen and the politicians know this.  But the American citizen continuously relinquishes this power to the chosen few who have so little respect for the average citizen.  Those who do not vote in elections because they feel that it is futile, nothing will change are idiots.  Those who vote on candidates with no real grasp on the issues and vote just on the tradition of family or party loyalty, or even popularity are just plain morons.

People educate yourselves on the issues because it all affects us, if not immediately then eventually at some point in our lives.  Educate your families and your children on the real strength of America, what it means and what it stands for.  Those in power are afraid of the masses, because the masses have the power and we are the masses.  It was the masses that broke from England and founded this country.  A handful of military officers and a mass of untrained volunteers defeated one of the most powerful military powers of the time to form this country.  It was the masses that revolted in France, in Russia, and in many other countries throughout history in the world.  These masses brought about the change that they did because they were the real power not the chosen few.  The masses have the power and it is NOT a gun, it is NOT violence,  it is the voting ballot and the number of the masses.  The American government is set up on a series of checks and balances and the most import check is the American people and their power in the voting booth.

If you are worried about providing for your families or even just yourselves, get involved.  If you are worried about your future or the future of your children, get involved.  If you are tired of out of touch politicians, get involved.  If you want the government out of your pocket, out of your day to day life – get involved.  Getting involved does not necessarily mean to run for office or even volunteering for campaigns.  It means to educate yourselves about what is going on, pay attention, and register your opinion in the voting booth on election day.  It means contact your elected official and let them know how you feel about things.  If they get enough people contacting them then they have to listen and they know it.  And by all means, if you have children make sure their education includes the proper teaching on American history and what their role in our country is.

Maybe its time to rethink things.

I have been watching all the events going on in the US recently and it has crossed my mind that the USA has been labeled as lazy, decadent, and to into frivolous things.  We have never paid much attention to this as these comments have come from our enemies for years, even decades.  Watching all these events and listening to all the complaining about those events I have began to wonder if our enemies saw something in us we refused to see. 

We are supposed to be a free society where the individual can thrive and pursue a good life under the liberty from over powering government influence.  The immigrants from Europe that founded this country desired this as they wanted to be free of persecution in religion and have the ability to own property of their own.  To make money, to save money and experience a life where you can make your own life.  We started as groups of local communities, living and existing with each other, lending a hand whenever our neighbor needed it.  These communities where on their own as they were thousands of miles away from any governing authority.  These realized that while a limited government was necessary more could be accomplished at the local community.  It was a new and novel idea, that the people could govern themselves and did not need a ruling class to make every decision for them to the extent of owning all the land and letting the people live on that land as long as they worked on it.  Under the new philosophy of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness a new nation was born.

Just over one hundred years ago a new philosophy was emerging, it was called progressivism.  In a nut shell this new idea was for the government to provide for the needs of the people and replace the individual as the provider for the individual’s needs.  Progressivism wanted to reorder the government to a strong central federal government and alleviate the local governments and the individual of the burden providing for their own needs.  The problem with this is that it is a one hundred eighty degree turn from the fundamentals that the USA was built on.  Many currently in national elected office today are in one degree or another followers of this progressive movement.  At the core of this movement is the idea that the few(the ruling class) know more about what the many(the governed) need than the many do.  I suggest what many also believe, that the politicians in office have no idea what we need they only want to be in office because that is where the power is.  Well let me clarify that.  They know what we need and while the campaign to get elected is going on they will identify those needs and identify with those needs.  Once in office it is to hell with the people until the next election.

This brings me back to my original thought, the American public is lazy.  We go through our lives not paying attention to what is going on in government at any level.  We only become polarized around issues that seem to draw the majority of attention, whatever the news media wishes to keep in front of the American public by keeping it on the air.  Most will fall under the banner of any cause that their favorite celebrity champions, misguided or not.  Here is a question, is that celebrity being compensated for the TV ad that gets you to follow their ‘cause’?  History and social studies in schools of all levels are becoming watered down.  Actual history is but a blip in a text book while they seem to be more in-depth on subjects like Oprah.  Survey study after survey study proves that the average American knows squat about the country they live in.  Much like anything else politics any more is only a popularity contest where we are convinced to vote for the most popular rather than the most qualified.  More over this country has become a nation of people who honestly believe that the country owes them a living rather than earning that living for themselves!  I know, I see it every day! Everywhere!  Is there no personal pride anymore?!  Americans should be proud and be knowledgeable about who we are as a nation and our roots.  Why is there only national pride when we are attacked or in the wake of some natural disaster?  Civic pride is also non existent.

I hope that I have stirred some thought.  If you are angry or offended, prove me wrong!  Maybe, just maybe some will read this will get involved in their country and local community.