A Measure of Greatness

I propose the following unambiguous indicators as a test of Obama's success as POTUS. Feel free to offer up your own. The test is whether he earns a "No" on even just 6 of my 10 questions. If he does, I'll give him a passing grade, eventhough that would only amount to a D.

1. Did my taxes go up even one dime during his tenure? He promised they wouldn't, repeatedly.
2. Did the U.S. get hit by another terrorist attack during his tenure, after he slashes military spending and dismantles our nukes as he promised to do?
3. Is my Retirement account still below its peak value, even including my on-going contributions to it?
4. Are home mortgage rates higher than my current percentage, which I got one year ago, at 6.25%?
5. Do we still have any military presence in Iraq after his second year in offfice? I'm giving him more time than he said he would take.
6. Is the Dollar still weaker than the Euro?
7. Is the National Debt higher than when he took office?
8. Is our Trade Deficit higher than when he took office?
9. Is there still anyone left without Health Care coverage?
10. Is the Coal industry still operating in the U.S.? He promised to bankrupt it.

I threw in a couple easy ones for him, just to give him a jump start.

I'm looking forward to seeing what he does in his second year of office when it dawns on him that there's not any higher office that he needs to start campaigning for, and that he has to actually stick this one out. Talk about historic firsts!

Obama Confusion

Earlier this week, pushing back against the growing impression that he's a Socialist, Obama chided that McCain might next accuse him of being a Communist because he shared his childhood toys with friends. But this "defense" is either a blatant effort to obfuscate, or it's evidence that Obama hasn't a clue about the definition of these terms.

When you freely choose to share your property with others whom you select, that's called Charity. The key is that it's voluntary choosing on your part; choosing whether to share, choosing what to share, and choosing with whom to share. Such is what Christ prescribed.

When a government tells you that you must share your property with others, and you have no say in whether, what and with whom, it is Socialism/Communism. It can in no way be equated with Charity. It is the antithesis of Charity. Such is what Karl Marx prescribed...and Barack Obama.

The Campaign of Irony

First, Obama got a polls bump in the financial debacle, presumably because McCain is part of the failed establishment, while Obama is Mr. Change...which is incredibly ironic because it was Obama's fellow Dems who choreographed this colossal failure and obstructed McCain's (and others') warnings. It's doubly ironic given that Obama provided no leadership to help avert the situation! Yet he's the one who benefits from it.

Now we have more stunning irony. Colin Powell has thrown in with Obama. But wasn't he the one individual most influential in bringing us the Iraq War, by his speech at the U.N.? The very same war Obama says we never should have gotten into in the first place? Now Obama gladly accepts this man's endorsement, returning praise and honor to him for his great service to this country, and a promise to place him into the administration after the inevitable coronation.

Wouldn't Powell be the one most capable of explaining to Obama that the Iraq War and its justifications were not total fabrications of the Bush administration? Wouldn't he be the best person to set history straight again? But just for grins, let's just say that it all really was just a fraud perpetrated on the American people. Wouldn't that then make Powell the lowest of slime for his pivotal part in bringing the war upon us? If it was all just Bush lies, wasn't Powell the chief deliverer of those lies?

Apparently, Powell is forgiven for being satan's mouth-piece, perhaps under the notion that he was sympathetically under the spell of the evil W. And he certainly can't be faulted for being a good soldier and following orders, right? Perhaps such are the very traits that most appeal to Obama: a lack of connection to reality, a willingness to deceive for the team and cause...a willingness to be deceived himself.

At this point, it appears that we will have as Commander-in-Chief a man who could not qualify for a position in the same Secret Service that will be protecting him; has not clarified his own citizenship status; has built his entire campaign on a slogan that is entirely absent from his record; faults his opponent for choosing a running mate having no executive experience, while he himself has actually less than her; is defeating a proven war hero while having a past littered with Marxism.

We are witnessing the most unbelievable and improbable of scenarios.

From the Socialist Horse's Mouth

"It's not that I want to punish your success; I just want to make sure that everybody who is behind you that they've got a chance to success, too. ...and I think when you spread the wealth around, it’s good for everybody."

--Barak Obama, Toledo, Ohio, Oct 12, 2008, speaking to a plumber planning to buy a $250K+ business, and responding to the man's question about being taxed more under the Obama plan

This is admitting that his own plan is indeed a punishment on success, and then him urging you to look at it another way instead. This is redistribution of wealth. This is taking from the successes of others and giving to those who have not likewise succeeded, regardless of why. Will the recipients qualify for these gifts? Will they have to show that they've tried to succeed, and show cause for why they could not? No, they merely need to be less successful. This is a belief that giving people unearned wealth is good, fair and leads to everyone's success. This is anti-Capitalism. This is Socialism. Socialism is that which is promoted and practiced by a Socialist. The cornerstone of Obama's economic plan is Socialism. This is why Obama can honestly and accurately be labeled a Socialist.

This is not attacking Obama. It is not lying or deceiving. It is not a campaign tactic or mere rhetoric. It is not racism. It is not being offensive and devisive. It is merely reporting the factual record, using the candidate's own words.

Thank you Candidate Obama for your honesty, and settling once and for all that you are indeed, and undeniably, a Socialist.

Three Cheers for Washington?

Golly, it sure is a good thing that the House passed the "Rescue" Bill today, cuz who knows how far the market would've fallen had they not. As it is, it ended at 158 points down ...DOWN??!! Wall Street suuuure was glad to see that turd of a legislative package get passed, huh?

...What have they done?!

I suggest you buy stock in wooden arrows, and Samoan businesses. We might also dust off our torches and hayforks, and put on our walking shoes. Time for all of them to go, starting with the esteemed Congressman Frank, choreographer-in-chief of this mess.

The Political Index

Perhaps the brightest lining of this POTUS campaign cloud is that both tickets claim to be the team who will bring change (which allegedly means improvement) to our nation's capitol. So, regardless of who wins, we should at least get change...if either party is good for their word. We should all remember, 4 years from now, these claims for being the better change agents, and judge them at the voting booths in 2012. No improving changes = No 2nd term. Now, what we need is a means for measuring change. We need key indicators, like we have for the stock markets, which boil complex changes down to a single measure that indicates up, down, or flat. We need a Political Index, that factors in things like our war status, our nat'l debt, our trade balance, our energy independence, and a few other key factors. Then, when it comes time to decide whether to keep the rascals in or toss 'em, we look to the Political Index.

Honesty will get you disqualified

There's a very sad and ruinous Catch-22 going on in our politics these days...though it perhaps has always been there. No one candidate (or even their entire team of advisors) can have an answer (especially the right answer) to all questions/issues/problems they are or will be confronted with. But that certainly doesn't keep all of them from pretending to. Indeed, some supporters expect this of their candidate, and even more so of the candidates they don't support. So, if a candidate attempts to take the honest and lonesome path and admits to not having enough knowledge on a given subject, or just flat out doesn't know an answer, they are immediately judged as insufficiently experienced and therefore completely unqualified for the office they seek. Seeing this as political suicide, the candidates instead pretend to know everything about everything, which of course makes them look foolish to the observers who choose to stay connected to reality. The trick is to make yourself look more informed and honest than ignorant and dishonest. This is what we've fallen to. How do we climb back out of this to a higher ground? ...Can we?