America Wants Accomplishments Not Words

“Words! Words! I’m so sick of words!” from My Fair Lady. 

President Barack Obama is a fabulous speaker.  His Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in Oslo only reinforces that fact.  He told us all his views of America in a well worded presentation.  Many outspoken Republicans have said complimentary things about the speech.  None the less, Rush Limbaugh may have his hopes fulfilled.  President Obama is struggling to find some success. 

1. It has been reported that President Obama wants to spend $200 Billion of TARP money on a second round of government sponsored stimulus.  The first $$787 Billion has not been spent.  It’s obvious that the money spent to date was not used for “shovel ready” projects.   “There are plenty of ways to stimulate small businesses, including three-quarters of the stimulus money we have not spent yet without adding billions and billions in debt through TARP, which is basically a line of credit,” Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona, Obama’s opponent in the 2008 presidential election, said at a news conference. 
2. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are viewed inconsistently by Obama.  In his desire to please anti-war Democrats and please moderate Americans his position is a moving target.  When the war in Iraq was going poorly he stressed his opposition to the 2007 troop surge but later when the surge was successful he grudgingly acknowledged success.  Just last week, in a speech at West Point, the plan to stop the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan will be accomplished using a 30,000 man troop surge but without using the word “surge.”  To please those opposing the war he says that troop withdrawals will begin in July 2011 but the secretaries of defense and state say that we will only review our commitment on that date. 
3. Health care for all Americans has been a cornerstone of Obama’s vision.  He says he wants it to be deficit neutral, cut costs, and improve quality.  The reality is that he has never outlined his vision of how to achieve these goals.  There is nothing in the plans proposed by either the House of Representatives or the Senate that addresses these objectives.  Instead there is a Democratic Party objective to pass a law for the president’s signature even if no objectives are met. 
4. Few of us fully understand climate change issues.  Politicians are trying to impose more control everywhere in the world to save humanity.  It’s a nice goal as long as it doesn’t cost me any money is the view of most people.  Neither Al Gore nor Barack Obama have made the case in ways that most Americans will understand.  I understand air and water pollution but I do not understand the need to control CO2.  Cap and trade?  I do not understand this idea at all.  I oppose things I do not understand.  

Unless the president delivers some real accomplishments he will have a difficult time being re-elected in 2012.

No New Troops for Afghanistan

Most people in Afghanistan are still in a 12^th century world.  For the most part minimal infrastructure is nonexistent in that country.  Illiteracy is a major problem.  Dr. Sanjay Gupta reported on CNN that there are 11 doctors for every 100,000 population. 

President Obama has told us in his own words that he is not a “war president.”  If he was he would follow the George W. Bush format.  That would mean using words saying “We are going to win this war.”

He is in a tough position because there has been no Pearl Harbor or 9-11 while he has been president.  Instead it’s a “What do we do now?” moment.  We are all tired of this battle and see no end game.  I do not see any way to change Afghanistan in one year (winter is coming and most new troops won’t be deployed until spring 2010).

Many conservative and libertarian people of considerable consequence are questioning this 30,000 man surge.  Two most prominent are Ron Paul and George Wills.  The president’s commentary about the impact on Pakistan does not connect sufficiently.  I know they have nuclear weapons.  I understand the administration’s concerns.  I just question the strategy.

The president knows that many of us see the similarities between Vietnam and Afghanistan.  He did not convince me that the United States is not going down that same path. 

Obama is trying to do the politically correct thing.  That is a choice that makes no one happy.  There is no military draft so most of us are not directly impacted by this fight.  Besides the $1million per man cost there is a loss of brave lives for a questionable goal.   Congress should say no to this idea and tell the president to find another path to stopping al-queda.  Sadly Congress will probably vote yes.

Repairing California: Some More

I was contacted by Repair California with a request to use my name and provide a 50 word statement.  Of course I complied.  It was difficult to shrink my opinion to 50 words.

My slightly longer statement goes like this:

California, the Golden State, is literally falling apart.  The streets, freeways, levees, and even the water distribution system are all breaking apart.  Add to that the deteriorating educational system, the high taxes, the over budget government systems, and the legislative deadlocks and you begin to understand the depth of our turmoil.

The state districting has been so gerrymandered that there is little opportunity to unseat incumbent legislators without an extraordinary uprising of the electorate.

District boundaries are merely a symptom of the overall management of California.  Republicans and Democrats have carved up the state in a manner that ensures that when an incumbent retires his successor will be in the same party.

Everyone in this state needs to become involved!

Law Stands Above Religion

 

I saw the interview of Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence on Hardball.  It is accurate to say that Chris Matthews was not the deferential Catholic.  Mr. Matthews clearly disagrees with Catholic teachings.  That aside the Bishop said something that was truly disturbing to me.  He said of an elected official “His first commitment has to be to his faith. … No commitment is more important than your commitment to your faith.” He repeated that second sentence twice saying the words precisely the same.  In other words your religious beliefs takes a higher priority than faith to the laws of the country.

How does this philosophy differ from Jihadists and others holding extreme religious views?  This bishop would make an excellent witness for Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and Maj. Nidal Hasan.  I believe that the United States cannot survive as created by its founding fathers if we accept religious beliefs to hold a higher authority than the laws of our nation.  Apparently I am not alone in this view.  Chris Matthews is at least one other voice that believes law stands above belief.

War Criminals are not Civil Criminals

“We the people of the United States” are the first words of the Constitution.  The basic law of this country was not meant to be the basic law of the world.  Now strangely the Attorney General wants to bring Khalid Shaikh Mohammed who is part of a sworn enemy of this nation to New York City for a trial.  He was captured in Pakistan.  Attorney General Holder argues, along with others that support his views, is that this trial will send a message to the rest of the world that we treat everyone the same.  The argument is both flawed and erroneous.

First the United States has never treated enemy combatants as law breakers.  No enemies from other wars have ever been put on trial as law breakers.  Those Prosecuted for war crimes have been convicted in military trials.  Nuremberg felons are the leading example.

Second the calls for dismissal of charges against Khalid Shaikh Mohammed will be based upon the fact that he was not read his Miranda rights, was not charged with any crimes in a reasonable period of time, and was the victim of torture while held in a prison for more than five years.  I am not a lawyer and I understand these realities.  It is not hard to imagine that a lawyer will have many other reasons to move for dismissal of this case.

Third Khalid Shaikh Mohammed has admitted guilt and under American civil law those pleading guilty are not put on trial.  There is not presentation of evidence in cases where the accused pleads guilty.  A judge issues a sentence.

For those who would argue that there is no war I ask: if there is no war why has the United States placed over 100,000 troops in Iraq and another 68,000 troops in Afghanistan? 

Sarah Palin is a Fruitcake

Sarah Palin is a fruitcake (dictionary look up: looks pretty and sweet, but nothing in their brain) but very attractive.  She wants national media attention. Newsweek magazine is suffering from falling advertising and falling subscriptions.  The formula for both is her picture in a running outfit on the cover.  Both the magazine and Palin benefit from this photo.  It’s all about the buzz.

We all love these diversions.  This one hurts no one and puts money in the pockets of the publisher of Palin’s book and in the pockets of Newsweek.  Can you imagine the noise we would hear if she were a blonde?

Crazy Seniors at a Town Hall Meeting

I went to a town hall meeting conducted by the primary congressman in the San Fernando Valley (Los Angles, CA).  Brad Sherman of the 27^th district is a good communicator who maintained a calm demeanor. He is not my congressman thanks to Gerrymandering.  The Local paper reported on the event and says there was 1,200 people in attendance.  I was one of the 400 who had no place to sit.  It was mostly a respectful crowd that booed and cheered as Mr. Sherman spoke.

The group was primarily made up of older people.  My guess is many of them are retired or are approaching retirement very soon.  I spoke to Virginia Brodek who lost her job in a public school and has taken another “temporary” job at $16,000 per year.  Her health insurance costs $7,500 and she now lives with her mother. 

The Daily News reported that Beverly Pegram, 65, was stunned by the outspoken audience. The North Hollywood woman had come to the afternoon meeting to catch a glimpse of Sherman, who she admires. She left shaking her head.  “I know everybody is entitled to their opinion, but these people are crazy,” she said.  I left early too.

NO to California Water Bonds Totaling $11 Billion

Of course we want to ensure our water supply and at the same time protect our environment.  So every few years and sometimes more often the California legislature proposes more money to maintain the water supply.  Unfortunately the actual amount of available water has declined.  Many reservoirs are well below their capacity.  Rationing of water has become a state wide fact.  This would certainly be a time when Californians would approve a bond measure to improve the system.

Is that how the legislature decided on a $11.1 billion bond proposal?  Apparently the answer is yes.  The problem is that this bill appears to be more about building water projects we do not need rather than addressing the issue of water distribution.  If passed, this bond issue will provide money for lots of contractors and $10 million for a Sacramento center for social tolerance that has nothing to do with water.  This fact was exposed by Sacramento Bee reporter and columnist Dan Walters.  Mr. Walters says this bond issue doesn’t address the issues.  Traci Sheehan on the California Progress Report web site has identified other newspapers that oppose this waste of money.

Here is a list voter approved water projects from just this past decade I found on the internet.

Proposition 13. In March 2000, California voters approved Proposition 13 (2000 Water Bond), which authorizes the State of California to sell $1.97 billion in general obligation bonds to support safe drinking, water quality, flood protection and water reliability projects throughout the State.

Proposition 40. In March 2002, California voters approved Proposition 40, a $2.6 billion state bond measure for conservation, neighborhood parks, and coastline and watershed protection. Proposition 40 was the largest conservation bond measure ever approved in California.

Proposition 50. In November 2002, the $3.4 billion water bond measure, the largest in California history, was approved by voters. It provides $825 million in funding for CALFED for a variety of programs, including surface water storage studies, water conveyance facilities, levee improvements, water supply reliability projects, ecosystem restoration, watershed programs, conservation and water recycling. More on Proposition 50 is available at www.water.ca.gov/grants-loans.

Proposition 84.  In November 2006 California voters approved this measure that will fund water, flood control, natural resources, park and conservation projects by authorizing $5,388,000,000 in general obligation bonds. The bonds will be used to fund various projects aimed at (1) improving drinking and agricultural water quality and management; (2) preserving, restoring and increasing public access to rivers and beaches; (3) improving flood control. See details of the law at http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/1008/files/prop_84_text.pdf.

My calculator says these propositions spent more than $13 billion.  The cost to pay back those bonds with interest will most likely be double that amount.  Unless I hear some startling reason for this waste of tax dollars we should all vote NO to this give away.

Negative Nabobs Live On

The President and the Democratic Party find themselves in a “no win” position in the world of politics now.  The party of “no” is growing more extreme every day.  The Republican Party has become the party of “negative nabobs.”

A little history is appropriate here.  

-It was President George W. Bush’s Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson, who rushed his proposal to give $700 Billion to the financial industry without any strings because it was believed that the nation was about to come to a grinding halt.                                                                                                                                                                                                                     -It was President George W. Bush who formulated the Bush Doctrine of preemptive military strikes that took the country into Iraq and neglected the situation in Afghanistan.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           -It was the Bush administration that ignored the warnings about the Katrina hurricane.

Now, just 10 months after entering office president Barack Obama is supposed to have solved all of America’s problems.  Look at what has happened.

-3.5% GDP growth is artificial.  It’s all the result of government programs.  Are those the programs that the GOP said would not work?  Isn’t the point of the programs to stimulate the economy?                                                                                                                                                                                                   -Medical costs are rising at about 10% annually.  The cost of insurance and care is taking at least 15% of American earnings.  Obama proposes a Federally run insurance plan and the GOP says no but offers no alternatives.                                                                                                                                -The war in Afghanistan is going badly and the president is considering a new strategy.  The former VP, Dick Cheney, calls the president’s evaluation “dithering” and the GOP faithful applaud.                                                                                                                                                                                                       -Swine Flu vaccine has been quickly developed and the news media is scornful of medical lab care in assuring a quality product is produced.                                                                                                             -Improved relations with nations that have historically been our allies and reduced tensions with other nations has been a hallmark of Obama’s presidency.  It is scorned by the GOP.  Their answer is let’s fight.   Rush Limbaugh hopes the “president fails.”  

Unfortunately Democrats are not willing to grant Republican successes.  It’s the negativity of the minority party that ought to be condemned.  It is rarely about what is good for America.  The last time we all came together was the week after 9-11.  We all need to ignore the nabobs of negativism.

The American War Machine

We are using the wrong strategy in our Afghanistan battle.  United States armed forces along with international armed forces and Afghan security forces and police are now reported by the Associated Press to outnumber Taliban rebels by 12-1.  There are currently about 104,000 international troops in Afghanistan, including about 68,000 Americans.  Americans are dying at an alarming rate thanks to IEDs.  Our fight ought to be with Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups that threaten the United States.  They are the group that was responsible for 9-11.

The American army is made up of volunteers.  As a consequence most American families are not affected by the injuries and loss of life.  The military-industrial complex couldn’t be happier because the war is making money for military manufacturers and the commanders have a cause that is difficult to dispute.

My contention is that the United States needs an alternate strategy that uses an undercover, quick deployment methodology that will deter attacks on the United States and its allies.  We cannot bring Jeffersonian democracy to people who have no conception of our way of life.  Many of the people in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan are living in a 12^th century world.  Our occupation of Iraq proves that we cannot contain terrorists.  Our final success in that country remains in doubt as proven by the latest bombings in Baghdad that have killed 153 people.

Like the continued manufacture of C-17 aircraft, the industrial complex that manufactures war materiel will lobby Congress to support the McChrystal request for more forces.  I fear that Obama does not have the backbone to say “no” to those who love war.