Anger Management

I don't need anger management!  I need Obama to stop pissing me off!

"At this moment - with a growing economy, shrinking deficits, bustling industry, and booming energy production - we have risen from recession."  Barack Obama, State of the Union address, January 20, 2015

The only response to Obama's SOTU speech Tuesday night is "what planet does he live on?"  Growing economy? Economic growth in America averaged 3.3% over the sixty years from 1948 through 2008, and often double that rate following recessions.  Since Obama became president the economy has grown at a rate of 1.4%.  Even ignoring his first year in office the economy has grown only 2.2% over the last five years.  That is by far the slowest rate of growth ever following a recession.  I wouldn't be bragging about economic growth if I was this president.

Shrinking deficits?  The federal deficit estimate for 2014 is $483.0 billion.  Congratulations, Barack.  That is down from $679.5 billion in 2013.  Unfortunately, the $483.0 billion is still higher than any annual deficit in our history before he became president.  The record before Obama was $412.7 billion in 2004.  During the six years he has been president the total outstanding debt of the federal government has ballooned 78% to nearly $18 trillion from $10 trillion when George W. Bush left office.  Obama claiming fiscal prudence is like the Islamic State claiming to be the nice guys next door.

Bustling industry?  Healthy industrial activity would translate into increasing jobs and rising standards of living.  The labor force participation rate is now 62.7% compared to 66% when Obama took office.  Demographics account for a little bit of that decline, but mostly it is due to people dropping out of the work force since they can't find jobs.  If the same percentage of adults were still in the work force as in 2008, today's unemployment rate would be over 10%.  But the most telling number is average household income, which today is still 4% below where it was when Obama became president.  Bustling industry my ass.

Booming energy production?  He is actually right about that.  But it has come about due to private efforts to unleash hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and horizontal drilling to produce massive amounts of oil and gas from properties that were previously considered unproductive.  Obama and his environmentalist cohorts have fought it every step of the way.

There has never been a head of state or any enterprise that has owned so many pigs and used as much lipstick as Barack Obama.

The following is a paragraph from Slugzilla post 'State of the Union?' on January 25, 2012 -

The president continues to blame all of America's woes on George Bush and the Republicans in Congress, conveniently ignoring the fact his party controlled both houses of Congress his first two years and the Senate last year. He is trying to convince the nation that our economic sluggishness couldn't possibly be due to his enlightened vision of progressive leadership. Fortunately for him, capitalism has an inherent propensity to generate growth even when shackled with the burdens of unnecessary regulations and restraints. But too many of those restraints keep the economy from growing at a rate strong enough to maintain a society's standard of living. That is where this president's leadership now has us trapped. But of course he will never admit his ideology does not work. 

Nothing much has really changed in the last three years, including the fact that some people still apparently believe his bullshit. A recent poll indicated that just under half of Americans are giving Obama credit for whatever small amount of improvement the economy may be experiencing.  Jonathan Gruber, the ObamaCare designer, was right.  Americans are stupid.  But only just under half of them.

Besides claiming credit for things that are not happening or that he had nothing to do with, Obama has discovered the middle class.  Obama said he plans to provide more relief for those folks through more tax credits and deductions.  Unfortunately, he has proposed strange ways to do that.  He apparently believes that only the top one percent own stocks and bonds since his primary approach to accomplishing his objective is to raise taxes on capital gains.  Increasing tax rates on capital gains is a direct attack on capitalism, with the biggest victims being those who are trying to save money for retirement and/or financial contingencies, i.e., the middle class.

He must also believe no one in the middle class owns a business since he also proposes changing inheritance tax laws to extort money for the government when a family business is passed on.  Both raising taxes on capital gains and increasing inheritance taxes are a win-win for him.  Confiscating Americans savings and the product of their hard work in building family farms and small businesses helps him achieve his ultimate goal - making every American totally dependent on the government.

Mr. Obama says he wants to give students free tuition to attend community colleges.  I can imagine the conversation now.  Child says, "I want to go to community college.  It's free."  Adult says, "That's just another excuse to not get a job."  Child says, "I could get a degree."  Adult says, "In what?"  Child says, "Community organizing."  Adult says, "That's a worthless degree.  You would never get a real job."  Child says, "I could be president."

Obama also talked about raising tax rates on the wealthy and helping the middle class by handing out more freebies.  I have no problems with raising marginal tax rates on those making over $250,000 a year.  Interestingly, most folks I know who are wealthy don't either.  They are not going to go broke or change their life style if their marginal tax rate is raised a few percent.  But handing out more freebies to special interests is just more of the unfair, inefficient, unaffordable, bureaucracy bloating and counterproductive crap that creates and expands the problems rather than solves them.

People say the devil is always in the details.  That's right, so get rid of the details.  Eliminate all tax preferences and lower tax rates.  Narrowly targeted tax deductions and credits should be terminated immediately.  All others should be phased out over time, with perhaps the mortgage interest deduction the longest phase out.  That simplifies the tax system and removes unfair 'details' for special interests.  While we're at levelling the playing field, eliminate all government subsidies.  Trust private enterprise and free markets to generate broad based economic growth while enhancing enforcement of rational regulatory laws that maintain a competitive economic environment.

Anyone who still supports Barack Obama and progressive political policies needs to ask themselves some questions.  Under his Administration -

1.  Has tax reform that simplifies the process and increases fairness been implemented?

2.  Has the budget been balanced or reduced?

3.  Has the education system improved and prepared students for life as an adult?

4.  Do American businesses have a more favorable operating environment?

5.  Has economic expansion been strong enough to improve living standards?

6.  Has income for the average American family gone up?

7.  Has income disparity narrowed?

8.  Are meaningful, desirable, productive jobs available for those who want them?

9.  Has racial harmony improved?

10.  Is America stronger and more secure?

11.  Do Americans feel safer from crime or foreign aggression?

12.  Does America have more allies and fewer adversaries?

13.  Has the cost of education or health care gone down?

14.  Have individual liberty, justice and opportunity to succeed been sustained?

15.  Has terrorism and genocide around the world subsided?

The answer to every one of those questions is no.  For six years, until this month, his party has had control of the Senate.  Blaming the failures on Republicans is absurd.  One has to wonder, what has gotten better in America during his presidency?  The answer is nothing but his golf score.

The best way to stifle economic growth is for government to impose more rules and regulations on business enterprises, high taxes on consumers, costly unproductive labor laws, trade protectionism, and subsidies to politically correct boondoggles.  These are all things the Obama Democrats have done, and the reason why economic activity has been so sluggish and unemployment so high under his administration.

The biggest problem on planet earth, which is at the heart of every problem Western Civilization faces, is Progressivism and its demands for universal compliance with their Politically Correct rules of order.  Progressives prevent recognition of the truth that Islam as a subversive religion where the moderate members that may exist either will not or cannot control the radical, barbaric terrorists among them. Progressives ideologically directed meddling in free markets and infliction of unwarranted regulations on private enterprise prevent economic growth from lifting the living standards of poor people around the world.  Progressives prevent intervention in conflicts in war torn countries where genocide is out of control.  Progressives demand that authoritarian politicians impose their opinions and policies on others.  And Progressives promote the polarization of societies by creating false claims of racism that do nothing but reignite racism, condemn intolerance for gays that no longer exists, and lecture on the oppression of women that never did exist in America.

Perhaps Obama needs to spend less time on the golf course, less time manipulating the media from the White House, and less time on Air Force One traveling to the homes of billionaires for extravagant celebrity studded fund raisers, and more time out in the real world.  His State of the Union speech was more of the same claims of credit for an improving economy that isn't and a strong foreign policy that does not exist, and pandering to voters with free government handouts and no plans to pay for them.  He has accomplished nothing beneficial for the American people, still blaming the Republicans for his failures.  He does nothing but punch Americans in the face, tell them that someone else did it, and then punch them again.  The world would be a much better place if he just slithered back to some hole in the ground, never to be seen or heard from again.

American Exceptionalism

America has its warts.  In the past we have had our experiences of barbarism, persecution and oppression.  I challenge anyone to name a major country in the world that hasn't.

The Warts -

1.  The genocide and brutal oppression inflicted on Native American Indians in our imperialistic westward expansion across the North American continent.  The Indians have never recovered.

2.  The acceptance of slavery in the United States from the founding through the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation.  Racist attitudes continued in much of America, particularly the South, for the next one hundred years through the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  In the half century since 1964, for all practical purposes, racism has been eliminated in America.  The fact that black Americans today occupy leadership positions in every profession proves it.

3.  Imperialist aggression in the late 19th and early 20th centuries during and following the Spanish-American War.  The war resulted in the American annexation of Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines, directly resulting in the bloody Philippine-American War.

4.  Various meddling in the affairs of foreign countries over the years by the CIA, particularly in the Middle East.  (Given the history of Islam and its goals of global domination perhaps we didn't meddle enough).

The Exceptionalism -

1.  Engine of growth for economic development around the globe

2.  Provider of aid and support to underdeveloped nations

3.  Provider of aid and support around the globe to countries experiencing natural disasters

Furthermore, throughout our history prior to this president and his administration the United States displayed global leadership and exceptionalism in many more fields of social and economic development that benefitted all mankind.

1.   Liberty / Freedom / Individual Rights

2.   Justice

3.   Democracy

4.   Property rights

5.   Capitalism's generation of unprecedented economic growth and national wealth

6.   Global defender of democracy, liberty and justice around the world

7.   Integration and opportunity for immigrants who assimilate into society

8.   Leading educational institutions

9.   Leadership in technological revolution

10. Exploration of Space / Men on the moon

Unfortunately, now our commitment to these ideas and goals is diminishing thanks to the Progressives and their ideological, megalomaniac agent of change in the White House.  That means we are becoming unexceptional as those folks intend.

The real question is why do Democrats want to convince people that we are history's bad guys?  Why do they want to change what has worked to create the most successful, most powerful, most generous, most benevolent, most free nation in history.  Why do they impose policies that destroy that progress?  Recognizing that liberal economic, social and national security policies are self-destructive should be a no-brainer.

People cannot begin to understand the progressive wing of the Democratic Party personified by Barack Obama until they understand that they reject everything America stands for, including the basic principles that form the foundation of our country.  They reject liberty for all, as everyone must conform to their approved politically correct thought processes and proper behavior.  They reject justice for all, as they continually seek to buy the votes of those they can exploit at the expense of those whose votes they can't buy, and therefore must be punished.  They reject free speech, as they continue to censor conservative opinions and publications in educational institutions and progressive controlled states.  They reject free markets by piling more regulations on every business and interjecting government industrial policy to over-ride supply and demand.  They reject private enterprise by imposing control over health care, financial services, energy production, labor markets, and dictating what people can and cannot buy.  Worst of all, they maintain that America is an evil country that is responsible for every war occurring around the globe (every adversary and terrorist has justifiable grievances against America), the oppression of foreign countries (economic imperialism), and destruction of the planet (fossil fuel production and consumption).

They also contend America is still racist.  In a sense, that is true.  True racism is when one believes a particular minority is inferior and needs public assistance in achieving equality.  It implies certain groups are not capable of gaining equality by themselves without the help of some superior intellectual beings deciding what is best for them.  Clearly the racists in America are the Democrats.

Many black Americans today do continue to have to deal with injustice - inferior schools, fatherless families, inadequate jobs and low wages, substandard housing in violent neighborhoods, incarceration.  But those situations are not caused by ingrained racism.  They are caused by liberal policies that have created that environment and promote dependency and irresponsibility.

American society today is also dealing with women's issues and gay rights.  They are the result of a major revolution over the last half century as society has changed dramatically as women enter the work force and gays come out of the closet.  Throughout history, women were subservient and gays were not tolerated.  Total equality cannot be created overnight from such momentous changes.  It took a while.  But no matter what anyone's personal opinion, it is indisputable that as of the end of 2014 women and gays have won.

As far as civil rights are concerned, whether they involve minorities, labor, women, or gays, America has taken a lot of shit when we actually have been among the world leaders in recognizing those rights.  What kind of world would we have today without the USA?  Do the Progressives ever think about that?

A friend of mine said his political position is a rabid centrist, even though I am pretty sure he leans a bit left.  Regardless, I like that term.  I will adopt it as well.  After all, I'm economically conservative in the sense that government should balance its budget and encourage private enterprise, free markets, and fair competition, not control and dominate a nation's economy; a defense hawk that believes in maintaining tactical, strategic, and technological military superiority while limiting bloated bureaucracy; religiously and environmentally agnostic; and generally socially liberal, although that depends on the issue.

The problem is that everyone describes the center differently.  For example, the media describes Obamacrats as centrists when in fact they are the most far left big government Orwellian dictators America has ever had.  This government ignores the Constitution and mandates laws from the Executive Branch the majority of Americans oppose and could not pass Congress.  They use the power of government agencies to illegally harass citizens, impose restraints on freedom, and reward their financial supporters (IRS, EPA, NLRB).  Those are not actions of the political center.  Obviously whoever controls the media can declare where the political center is.

The problem is that logic, truth, facts and historical experience do not count for much to many people.  Most don't know enough to be able to tell the truth from the lies.  People get their information from a multitude of different sources.  For example, some only listen to social agitators, others to liberal news organizations, and others more conservative sources.  Some people believe the agitators, others believe in evaluating known facts and evidence.  Many just don't give a damn about being informed.  A recent Associated Press - GfK poll revealed that only 37% of Americans think it is important to be informed on current news and public issues, well below past results.  In fact, 20% don't give a shit at all and feel no obligation to know anything.

The interesting thing about politics is that generally everybody wants the same thing - the enjoyment of prosperity, justice and security for all.  The problem is the violent disagreement on how to get there.  The only thing for sure is that the liberal policies of the last 50 years have not worked.

Obama and the Progressives tell us the United States is and has always been a mean and evil oppressive, imperialistic country.  Does anyone truly believe Western Europe, North America and the rest of the free world would not be living under the oppressive thumbs of dictatorial tyrants if the US had not entered both World Wars on the side of the Allies?  After each war did we remain in Europe and impose our government on those nations we defeated or our allies?  Does anyone ever consider what kind of world we would be living in under the threat of total nuclear war if Ronald Reagan had not forced the Soviet Union to capitulate in the Cold War?  Apparently not.  Evidently some cannot comprehend that the United State of America is the world's indispensable nation.

Finally, everyone in the world is certainly entitled to their own opinion.  But it is a really huge mistake when the first job one ever has where reality can prove those opinions wrong is President of the United States.  Academia and community organizing are not jobs where decisions have real consequences.  As this president is proving, it is absolutely disastrous when the person in charge is an ideologically driven megalomaniac who cannot accept the abundantly clear evidence that his preconceived ideas and opinions are disastrously wrong.