President Obama has been in office for about 30 days and the outlines of his policies, personnel choices and general approach are now quite clear. If the first 30 days are a precursor of the balance of the term America is at grave risk.The economy is in shambles. Just as when President Bush took power, we are in a severe recession. President Bush was wildly criticized by the liberal media for "talking down the economy." When Obama does the same, he is praised for his candor.
Obama's numerous "economic stimulus" plans have led, directly, to the stock markets registering its greatest decline since his election in American history; a clear rejection of his policies. The markets fear his programs will lead to disaster.
Members of Congress were not even given a few days to read the stimulus bills, before they voted, Obama clearly understood that if the voters knew what was in those bills, they would have been redrafted to in order to remove the billions of dollars in wasteful and non-stimulative spending which will burden our children and their children and the nation for many years to come.
Not saying how these programs will be paid for is great politics, but shamelessly unfair to the American people. What will occur as cruel inflation, as the bills and debt have to be paid, which penalizes those on fixed incomes, the poor and the unemployed.
With respect a president's greatest responsibility, national security, the record of the Obama administration has been better than I felt it would be. I am pleased that the policy of rendition, started by president Clinton will continue, that enhanced interrogation techniques, used three times, will be available if needed, that there is a realization that the prisoners in Guantanamo are dangerous — their own countries do not want to take them back — and that closing the base will take a year to study.
Certainly, I am pleased that the Predator attacks on terrorists have continued and have been expanded in Pakistan, and the Obama lawyers agree with the position taken by the Bush administration that combatants captured on the battlefield are not entitled to the protection of the Geneva Convention nor of the United States Constriction.
The fact that president Obama has now abandoned attacking NAFTA also shows signs that he can abandon the rhetoric which got him elected when it so clearly flies in the face of reality. That is a great sign.
Obama promised a new and higher ethical standard in his administration and its appointments and policies. One can only laugh. Tim Geithner, now Secretary of the Treasury, had his salary increased by his previous employer to compensate him for his tax burden so it really wouldn't cost him anything. Signed statements indicated that knew he had to pay the taxes and failed to do so until nominated for Secretary of the Treasury. No problem for Obama, he saw no problem.
One person does not establish a trend, but add to that Tom Daschle, Bill Clinton being permitted to continue to raise millions from foreign governments while Hilary is Secretary of State, Rahm Emmanuel believing that free rent for years is not taxable, Bill Richardson under a grand jury investigation, Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis' husband not paying his taxes and so on. In addition, the solemn pledge to keep lobbyists out of government, announced to fawning crowds during the campaign, has been waived at least twice so far.
The Democrats have demonstrated a singular lack of concern for ethics. What do governors Blagojevich, Spitzer and McCready; Congressmen Murtha, Frank, Jefferson and Rangel; the mayors of Baltimore and Cleveland; Senators Burris, Dodd and Schumer and President Obama each have in common? They are all Democrats.
Liberals like free speech, fair and secret ballots and the exchange of ideas; only when it helps them.The attempt by liberals to deny the secret ballot to American workers in an organizing campaign, and then to mandate a new collective agreement if the union wins, is shameless.
For years if a union wished to organize, workers got the chance to hear, under strict NLRB supervision, the views of both the union and the employers and decide by secret ballot whether they wished a union or not. Unions have not won a lot of these secret ballot elections, and the percentage of American workers who are unionized has declined sharply. How do unions and Obama wish to cure the fact that workers reject unions in secret ballot elections? By denying the secret ballot to the workers.
If one wonders why the UAW is decline or why American manufacturing jobs continue to migrate offshore look no further than the ant-competitive work rules, benefits and wages of the unionized sector. If this denial of the secret ballot to American workers becomes federal law, look for Obama and the unions to complain about fewer manufacturing jobs in America.
Shameless pandering to powerful interests at the expense of this nation has to end. There is no time like the present for Obama to show the courage of his devotion to democracy by announcing that despite hundreds of millions in campaign donations form American unions, his principled devotion to a safe and secure secret ballot is not "for sale," and reject this attempt and say that if it reaches his desk it will be vetoed.
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