OBAMA AND THE DEBT CEILING

From: Joe Mann

For 12 years, I stayed out of political activity being content to write and speak about selected issues, especially from personal experiences working in many countries. I tried to learn how each nation's people viewed the United States. The most repeated comment about the USA was “the world needs America” and they wanted us to be “strong.” There is much respect and admiration for America.

In 2008 Barack Obama's candidacy for President caused me to exit political “retirement.” Soon, I heard more anti-American rhetoric from Obama and his associates than I heard outside the USA in 20 years. Little was known about Obama. There was less to define him than any presidential candidate in history. He had no accomplishments to qualify him to lead the world's greatest nation. However, I soon learned he didn't view America in that light. In hiring for any job, records of accomplishments, including academic records, are first considerations. To be a top executive, leadership qualities are profoundly important as are personality and vision. Obama showed no attributes to qualify him as a top executive, surely not the presidency of the United States. There was nothing to define him, even for lesser jobs.

Obama's academic records were sealed. There's only one reason to seal them... negative information. His work record was confined to “community organizing” (aka unionizing and voter bloc building), a short law career and a sometimes lecturer in law. His records in the Illinois legislature and in the US Senate were minimal. His personality was clearly self-centrism. Narcissism! His declaration that he would “change America and then change the world” and his assertion to supporters that “we are the ones we have been waiting for” defined him so. His main attributes to many people were, he was not Bush, he had a”D” by his name and he “could talk”. However, critical assessment of his speeches showed them to be devoid of substance, forceful but shallow! He showed a strong bent toward socialism and his associates more so, even radical. Obama would not have been prepared for the presidency at any time, but surely is not for perilous times. I took on the task to defeat him in our area.

Among hundreds of volunteers who came out to defeat Obama were several naturalized citizens who got involved because they saw in Obama the “same characteristics” they had “seen in the revolutionaries and socialists in their native countries.” They started life in Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and both Eastern and Western Europe. These people are fiercely pro-American.

Obama's speech in Cairo after assuming the presidency showed his disdain for America. To him, America has been an arrogant nation, divisive and derisive.” Of course, he sees himself as better than that and is sure others do, a figment of his and his supporters' imaginations.

He didn't create the economic meltdown of 2008, as he reminds us constantly, but he has made it worse, contrary to his hype and the assertions of the sycophantic media and press.

His Keynesian economic stimulus plan, absent jobs, is a complete failure, as was expected. His catering to unions, a major voter and funding bloc, is beyond irresponsible when job creation is the issue. His efforts to use so-called green technology to suddenly grow the economy as he mandates an exit from the oil-based one shows a dearth of understanding, and suspends common sense. Any leader, any executive with a vision and experience in problem solving knows the axiom that one re-invents in time of strength, not in times of distress. With no experience, how could Obama know this? It doesn't keep him from his arrogant demands though. Then there is Obamacare! There is much more failure to

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speak of, but let's fast forward to the recent “debt ceiling” spectacle. It has been an exercise in hypocrisy, ineptitude, false choices, class warfare and more.

Hypocrisy and false choices. The level of debt at 100 % of GDP is of paramount concern. While it is reported as only 60-70% of GDP, $14 trillion of debt and $14 trillion of GDP is 1:1. It's reported falsely because only the “outside debt” is considered. Debt to social security, for example, is not counted. False choice? Yes! Obama scared seniors by telling them that without the debt ceiling he wanted, he couldn't pay social security retirement checks. Truth is the social security trust fund has on it's balance sheet over $5 Trillion of IOUs with approval of bonds to fund them. Also, what is the “debt” to seniors who have paid into it vs payment to others who feed at the trough? Pure dishonesty!

More hypocrisy and ineptitude. Obama says he wants higher taxes on millionaires and billionaires, who are allegedly “willing to be taxed more.” Republicans ineptly don't call his hand. Many, if not most, of these high rolling titans are on Wall Street, and in other parts of the financial industry that controls the economy. Most are Obama supporters and 80% of their contributions go to Democrats. Obama hypocritically uses Warren Buffett as a titan who wants to pay more taxes ("30% his secretary pays vs. his 17.7%). Yet, Buffet bought defunct Berkshire Hathaway for its tax loss carry forwards to shelter insurance profits. In 2004 he gave $2 Billion of his deceased wife's wealth to a foundation and in 2011 gave $1.9 Billion to the Gates Foundation. At 30%, that's over $1 Billion of tax avoidance! Every dollar sheltered from taxation by high rollers must be paid by lower earners. There's more. Not pretty!

Dishonesty and deception. As Obama demands more taxes to satisfy his and congress' voracious appetite for revenue, note that in the sham bankruptcy of General Motors, Obama granted major ownership to the UAW along with $50 Billion of tax exemptions! UAW's GM is unlikely ever to pay taxes as Obama rails about corporations not paying enough. And, how about GE? Pretty? Honest? NO.

Perhaps the most ludicrous idea out of the debt ceiling talks was Obama's comparison of himself with Ronald Reagan. Reagan was a “great communicator” with people of all social levels. Obama lectures, talks down to us, and points his finger condescendingly as he tells us what we must do for him. Reagan loved America, the “shining city on the hill.” Obama? Well, as Reagan would say, his descriptors are aforementioned. Monuments are built to Reagan in Eastern Europe and England where Reagan is loved. Who thinks Obama is loved in Poland or in Britain where he returned the bust of Churchill? Are these things important? Yes! Especially to counter the hype and false information from his acolytes.

Arguably, the most productive action of the debt ceiling negotiations was that of the new conservative representatives who did their constitutional duty, on behalf of the people, by holding an imperial president to accountability for his profligacy, as written by David Rivkin and Lee Casey (WSJ. Aug 2^nd). For their service they were called “terrorists” by people who won't even call real terrorists such.

In the age of Obama, it has become all but impossible to have an honest conservative/liberal debate.

Our beloved nation is at a perilous tipping point, not unlike 1862. The election of 2012 will be the most critical one since 1860. While his sycophantic media won't report it, the only reason Obama is even slightly restrained in pushing his most radical agenda is to maximize his chances for reelection – to a job for which he's proven to be inadequate. Same reasoning for his wanting a debt ceiling agreement “through the election.” This is not leadership in any form and is not acceptable.

If President Obama continues the course he's on, his presidency will be a failure of monumental proportions. History will record him as the president who presided over the demise of “traditional America, the greatest nation ever.” His historical fate and that of the nation are in his hands.

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Obama can leave a positive legacy and be viewed as a statesman, the only one among senior government officials today, by doing the following:

• Ask almighty God for His blessings, His guidance and inspiration in understanding and solving the problems of the nation. If Obama is sincere in the final line in his speeches these days, “God Bless America”, he will ask for His help.

• Declare immediately that he will not be a candidate for president in 2012, thus freeing himself from political pressures of campaigning, and will commit himself for the next 15 months to solving America's problems and help prevent her demise.

• Remove all of the “czars.” The majority have no operating experience and most are radical!

• Divorce himself from radical people, many of whom are with him to feed at the federal trough as well as to transform America to a Socialist nation. Start with George Soros, Jeff Immelt, Warren Buffet and hardline Keynesian economists such as Krugman, Blinder and more.

• Fire the economic advisory group and restaff with people with operations experience.

• Recruit experienced operations people for multidisciplinary groups to solve critical problems.

• To start the process to improve job creation, divorce from Richard Trumka, other union heads and union people he has in major positions (start with the NLRB and jobs Czar).

• Stop catering to trade unions and recognize their being the major contributor to destruction of manufacturing jobs (down to 10% of GDP), where the middle class is built.

• Stop catering to public service unions (including teacher's unions), creators of inefficiency, high costs and low quality outputs.

• Recognize that the the economy (controlled now by the financial industry,whose titans he caters to for funding), has structural problems that must be corrected before major growth can occur. Jobs cannot be created under the pressure of today's government control.

• Fire the heads of agencies, such as EPA, who either do not understand the damage of their actions or don't care.

• Begin the process of diminishing, or even abolishing Departments of Education and Energy.

• Exit Afghanistan now and receive credit for presiding over the success of the original mission, taking out bin Laden, and for stopping a mismanaged war.

These steps are starting ones for the change and problem solutions America needs. If Obama continues on the course he's on, he will be justifying the claims of those who believe he is part of a conspiracy to destroy America. He is the only one who can dispel this notion.

Joe Mann

Williamsburg, VA 23185

August 7, 2011