I find it surprising that somehow, President Obama seems to avoid direct criticism for the current state of affairs in our country. It is amazing to me that people seem ambivalent to the ineffectual nature of his administration. Granted, he is a likable man however; what does this have to do with his track record in office? I might want to have a beer with him and invite his family over for dinner but I wouldn't want him to manage my affairs. Managers are held accountable for what they achieve, as well as, their failure to perform. Blaming your predecessor might work while you're beginning to establish your presence in the workplace but, sooner or later you must develop your own course of action to solve your organization's problems and, you must own this course of action. Pointing fingers at others only serves to illuminate your own ineffectiveness.
Why has his base not held him accountable for his campaign promises? GITMO remains open. Gay marriage has been delicately avoided. His overreach on health care reform cost him the House of Representatives. We're still in Iraq, increased our presence in Afghanistan, and who knows what we're doing in Libya. I thought that the left was against our involvement in overseas conflicts? I thought that they demanded the closure of GITMO? I thought that gay marriage was important to them? In their eyes, George Bush was inept and yet, they refuse to hold their own creation to account. Could it be that they've come to the realization that talk is simple and action is difficult?
All of us, conservative and liberal, republican, democrat and independent must ask ourselves one simple question. Are we better off on the eve of 2012 than we were in 2008? I don't know about you but, it has gotten more expensive to exist in Obama's America than it ever was in Bush's America. In my view, the belief postulated by this presidency has shown itself to be an abysmal failure. Over the years, I've met and worked with several extremely intelligent people with fantastic academic resumes who were unable to apply these skills to the topsy turvy travails of the everyday world. I believe that President Obama is one of these individuals. His devotion to the hypothetical nature of academic ideology blinds him to the grungy reality of the world that he now finds himself immersed in. The following chart will support my hypothesis.
| | January 2009 | TODAY | % chg | Source |
| Avg.. Retail price/gallon gas in U.S. *** | $1.83 | $3.75.3 | 205.1% | 1 |
| Crude oil, European Brent (barrel) *** | $43.48 | $122.36 | 281.4% | 2 |
| Crude oil, West TX Inter. (barrel) *** | $38.74 | $107.53 | 277.6% | 2 |
| Gold: London (per troy oz.) *** | $853.25 | $1,500.00 | 175.8% | 2 |
| Corn, No.2 yellow, Central IL | $3.56 | $6.33 | 78.1% | 2 |
| Soybeans, No. 1 yellow, IL | $9.66 | $13.75 | 42.3% | 2 |
| Sugar, cane, raw, world, lb. Fob | $13.37 | $35.39 | 164.7% | 2 |
| Unemployment rate, non-farm, overall | 7.6% | 9.4% | 23.7% | 3 |
| Unemployment rate, blacks | 12.6% | 15.8% | 25.4% | 3 |
| Number of unemployed | 11,616,000 | 14,485,000 | 24.7% | 3 |
| Number of fed. Employees, ex. Military (curr = 12/10 prelim) | 2,779,000 | 2,840,000 | 2.2% | 3 |
| Real median household income (2008 v 2009) | $50,112 | $49,777 | -0.7% | 4 |
| Number of food stamp recipients (curr = 10/10) | 31,983,716 | 43,200,878 | 35.1% | 5 |
| Number of unemployment benefit recipients (curr = 12/10) | 7,526,598 | 9,193,838 | 22.2% | 6 |
| Number of long-term unemployed | 2,600,000 | 6,400,000 | 146.2% | 3 |
| Poverty rate, individuals (2008 v 2009) | 13.2% | 14.3% | 8.3% | 4 |
| People in poverty in U.S. (2008 v 2009) | 39,800,000 | 43,600,000 | 9.5% | 4 |
| U.S.. Rank in Economic Freedom World Rankings | 5 | 9 | n/a | 10 |
| Present Situation Index (curr = 12/10) | 29.9 | 23.5 | -21.4% | 11 |
| Failed banks (curr = 2010 + 2011 to date) | 140 | 164 | 17.1% | 12 |
| U.S.. Dollar versus Japanese yen exchange rate | 89.76 | 82.03 | -8.6% | 2 |
| U.S.. Money supply, M1, in billions (curr = 12/10 prelim) | 1,575.1 | 1,865.7 | 18.4% | 13 |
| U.S.. Money supply, M2, in billions (curr = 12/10 prelim) | 8,310.9 | 8,852.3 | 6.5% | 13 |
| National debt, in trillions | $10..627 | $14..052 | 32.2% | 14 |
Just take this last item: In the last two years we have accumulated national debt at a rate more than 27 times as fast as during the rest of our entire nation's history.. Over 27 times as fast. Metaphorically speaking, if you are driving in the right lane doing 65 MPH and a car rockets past you in the left lane. 27 times faster, it would be doing 7,555 MPH!
Sources:
(1) U.S. Energy Information Administration; (2) Wall Street Journal; (3) Bureau of Labor Statistics; (4) Census Bureau; (5) USDA; (6) U.S. Dept. Of Labor; (7) FHFA; (8) Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller; (9) RealtyTrac; (10) Heritage Foundation and WSJ; (11) The Conference Board; (12) FDIC; (13) Federal Reserve; (14) U.S. Treasury
So, what are we to do? None of us can know for certain. Unfortunately, the republicans are floundering and not really providing any of us with any real sense of change. Hopefully, a leader will emerge who will provide our great nation with an answer to our current problems. Time will tell. I'm anxiously awaiting for someone to arrive on the scene with a solid grasp on reality.
De Oppresso Liber
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