PRESIDENT OBAMA SO FAR

Since I invested my precious vote in President Barack Obama, I feel I have every right to judge his progress and see if he has met my expectations of him. I was going to wait until his one year anniversary, but so much has happened and so much of his agenda has been put forth that I think it may be time to do an earlier assessment.

First, let me be clear on one thing so that any of you Barack fans out there don't have to bruise your little typing fingers hammering out an angry reply. I know that he can't fix all the problems created by the past administrations in just 10 months. In fact, I give him a full year to start his agenda and then another year for the actions to show results- but by the mid-term elections, the excuses had better end. That is the exact position I take on all politicians. They don't get elected by promising they can't fix things and I'm not about to give any one of them a free pass because they're good at making excuses. We have one of those politicians for a Governor here in Michigan and it wore thin 5 years ago. I also feel the need to remind those of you leaning right that it took Ronald Reagan 2 full years to reverse the damage of Jimmy Carter and since Ron is your "Great President", you should give Obama at least that long to show some of the same results. Now, with that in mind, let's see how Barack is doing so far.

*Foreign Policy*

This was on the list of reasons I voted for Obama. I had hoped for better relations overseas and so far I got it. Admittedly, they may even like him too much, for instance, by giving him a Nobel Peace Prize. But it is nice to see a little positive attitude overseas. On his dealing with dictators though I would give him a "D-". From North Korea's Kim Jong Il to Iran's Supreme Leader, the dictators of the world are playing us like fools. I believe Iran will be nuclear by the end of his first term and any one that thinks otherwise is as naive as Obama's Foreign Policy Team. Sanctions will not work and neither will diplomacy or world condemnation. The Dems have the bad habit of trusting dictators.

*The Economy*

I keep hearing that the economy is "turning around", mostly from the MSM (Main Stream Media) that desperately wants Obama's Administration to succeed. Most all of my economic professors, however, are quietly telling me that the current upswing in the markets is the result of artificial stimulation and an adjustment for the overselling during the crash. I agree with that assessment. Despite what most Liberals believe, you can't just keep printing money and handing it out. Inflation is looming and the Dollar is shrinking. Unemployment is still rising and way too much "stimulus" money is being spent to patch holes in state budgets. Sooner or later that money is going to run out and then the real work will start.

*The War in Iraq*

The MSM seems to have a serious memory problem when it comes to Iraq. Every liberal writer for every liberal newspaper is now gushing over our victory. Events like the recent bombing in Baghdad are no longer proof positive that we can't win. If G.W. were still in office Cindy Sheehan would be on every station, Code Pink would be demonstrating and every news station minus FOX would be talking about how hopeless the situation is. The fact is, things are bad there but stabilizing. The best credit I can give Prez Obama on Iraq is that he continued the plans of his generals and didn't follow the "grab defeat from the jaws of victory" plan of John Kerry and the rest of the Californication Crowd.

*The Afghan War*

The MSM also seems to have a serious memory problem when it comes to Afghanistan. The "Unwinnable War" now seems winnable to them with little else changing beyond the name of our President. This War has gotten considerably worse since Obama took over. Fanatics are encouraged by Barack's passive tones and the Democrat Party looks ready to cut and run. We only have two real choices in Afghanistan; an all-out effort and continuing presence or withdraw to attack installations and training camps when the situation allows. I'm sorry to say this but, I don't see a good option here. Perhaps after the first nuclear weapon goes off we will realize (with the rest of the world) that extreme measures are the only answer in an extreme land. Until then, the world won't tolerate what needs to be done and Obama's hands are tied. I don't fault Barack for this one, but his mouth made promises that his ass can't keep.

*Bipartisanship*

Don't make me laugh. Isolating Fox? Attacking Right Wing Radio? The only villains the Democrats ever recognize is on the other side of the aisle. Maybe if we could get the terrorists of the world to join the Republican Party, Fox News, Talk Radio or the Sarah Palin Fan Club they would finally understand that "evil" exists outside the U.S. borders. My advice to Barrack? Get some thicker skin and accept that not everyone that disagrees with you is an idiot or worse.

*Health Care*

I'm going withhold judgment until the final bill passes. So far it looks just like everything else that was created by government in committee-a complete mess with something for everyone to hate. I have one question though. Whatever happened to the "Repeal the Bush's Tax Cuts for the wealthy to pay for health care."? Suddenly that's off the table and taxing my plan is on. Remember, simply buying Catastrophic Coverage for 25 million people from the existing Health Care Providers would only cost about $75 billion a year (and that's the high figure) and wouldn't change anyone's present coverage.

*Domestic Policy*

O.K., a quick run-down. Let's see. No gun legislation on tap-good (In fact, so far our rights have expanded.) Leaving Medical Marijuana up to the states-also good. More corporate regulation-only good if it comes with a bureaucracy willing to enforce it. Nation Debt-Very, very, bad. Assorted suck-ups to the Gay Community-mostly don't care.

Overall, I would advise President Obama to focus more on the real issues and avoid things like campaigning for the Olympics. His Presidency will be defined by the Economy, the Wars and Health Care. It's always better to do a few things well than several things badly. I feel good about Barack's growing understanding of the complexities of the world but I would caution him to listen more to the Republicans when dealing with dictators and save his fellow Dem's opinions for dealing with Wall Street. Ten months isn't long enough to make much of an impact, but already Obama is worrying me on the financial front. The good news is, he does seem to be learning. Let's hope President Obama is as good student as he is a politician. H.C.

IS RUSH LIMBAUGH A RACIST?

Since the story first surfaced that Rush Limbaugh was thinking about becoming a part-owner in a NFL football team, the accusations against him have been flying. Accusations are easy to make. Especially when you don't like someone. We've all been guilty of it at one time or another. Soon your mind wanders into irrational places. Why does he always go to his car for lunch? Is there a body in the trunk? What's with all those cleaning products in his back seat? Is he building a bomb? I'll bet he beats his wife.

I'm not saying that's what everyone that dislikes Rush is doing. I'm just saying it might not be a bad idea to check ourselves and see where the evidence actually takes us. Black people, in particular, have a perception of Rush Limbaugh that is based almost solely on how the Democratic Party and Liberal Media defines him.

"Self Indoctrination" is a term I like to use to describe what has happened to a lot of people's logic. Self Indoctrination is when you have isolated yourself from any views that may challenge what you already believe. You only hang around with like-minded people, you only watch T.V. shows that reflect your values, and you only seek out information that reaffirms your beliefs. Most importantly, you only listen to what you want to hear. When you apply this philosophy to how you view people who disagree with you, it can give you a distorted perception. Put it this way, how would you like it if the only information that people had about you, came from people that hated you? I think it would be fair to say that Rush Limbaugh is defined, for most people, by people who hate him. Is that fair?

The most vocal opposition against Rush owning a football team is based on the accusation that he is a racist. I won't even get into how crazy it is that the NFL is somehow moral enough to make that judgment when it's ranks are filled with rapists, drug addicts, wife beaters, dog fighters, and drunk drivers. Even if I were to make that comparison, it wouldn't justify having a racist in it's ranks to boot. What does concern me is; who is making this judgment, based on what evidence and by who's definition of what a racist is?

I've gotten challenged myself quite a bit over the past two years for what some people see as racist remarks that I view as justifiable questions. For example, I often challenge anti-gun types with data that shows that a disproportionate amount of gun crimes are committed in mostly black populated areas of cities. Liberals freak out on me and claim that this is due to availability (not true), poverty, and a lot of social ills that are not caused by the color of their skin. On that I agree. However, when I suggest that black culture may be a contributing factor. They instantly brand me a racist. Why is that? Don't a lot of predominate black leaders say the same thing?

Quite a bit of what has come out about Rush Limbaugh is along that same vein. I listen to him regularly (although he's yet to convert me) and have never heard him say that black people were anything but the complete equal to whites in every way. Does he say they've been misled? Yes. Does he say they have become too dependent on government along with a lot of their white Democrat counterparts? Yes. Does he criticize Jesse Jackson and other black leaders. Yes.

One of the main accusations that have been levied against Rush is his "Barack the Magic Negro" parody. This parody was sung by none other than Rev. Al Sharpton. If you remember correctly, this was during the time when Jesse, Al, Rev. Wright and a host of other black leaders were calling President Obama a sell out, before he won. Did I miss the part where Al was called a racist?

The bottom line on this is; I can't look into Rush Limbaugh's heart and tell you whether or not he views blacks and whites as being inherently different. The criteria for being a racist. But I can tell you it frightens me to think that someone, even Rush, can be denied their pursuit of happiness based on someone's perception of them. Particularly when that perception is built around people that simply dislike his politics. I can see no reason that Rush Limbaugh shouldn't be allowed to own a football team or anything else that he wants to own. If he's guilt of a crime that should stop him, then let him be charged.

In conclusion, I give you this impassioned statement by Bo Snerdley, Rush's friend and trusted assistant who just so happens to be black himself.

I'm sure that some of you will dismiss him as just an "Uncle Tom", but as I said before, without the other side, it's just "Self Indoctrination". H.C.

TOO MANY ISSUES, TOO LITTLE TIME

It's time again for a summary of the past month's events that I just couldn't find the time to cover completely.

*NAMBLAWOOD*

As further evidence of what I believe is the next issue for the Hollywood/academic types (now that the Gay Rights Issue is all but done), here's is yet more proof that Hollywood wants you to believe that child/adult sex should not be a crime. Roman Polanski (yes the same Roman Polanski that I pointed out in an earlier post) was arrested in Switzerland on a 30 year old charge related to his drugging and raping a 13 year old girl and then fleeing the U.S.. Hollywood's finest promptly began a petition campaign begging for his release signed by over 100 cinema industry stars. Still think I'm off on this? Look at his photos to how see MSN portrays him compared to FOX. I think we can see who's taking Roman's side. By the way, where are the Feminists in Hollywood? Is violence against women now O.K. if it's long enough ago? If she's been bought off? If the perp happens to be a producer?

*The Nobel Peace Prize for Underachievement goes to..*

Barrack Obama of course. The choice of President Obama for this years Nobel Peace Prize brought gasps from the crowd at the assembly. It's no wonder, when the voting took place Obama had been in office a scant 12 days. Obviously, this was a vote of confidence by the committee for what they believe President Obama will do, not what he has done. No matter what they say. I personally think they should rename the prize, "The award for simply not being Bush". Because that's exactly what it really is. This has got to be really steaming up Bill Clinton who has watched Carter, Gore and now Obama sweep the award while he sits on the sidelines. For the Republicans who thought this was some kind of an outrage-calm down. No one has taking this award seriously since they gave it to the two-headed terrorist Yasser Arafat. Besides, Obama's said he hasn't done anything to deserve it and is donating the proceeds to charity. The world finally liking one of our Presidents isn't all that bad a thing ya know.

*Gay Hate Crimes*

The Democrat led U.S. House of Representative bowed to it's constituency last Thursday by voting to expand Hate Crime Laws to include sexual orientation. This is wrong (IMO) on several levels. Mostly though, it's wrong because it values some victims over others. I'm an egalitarian when it come to people. I find it criminal to value any one's life over someone elses. Black, white, gay, straight, cop, or homeless person, your mother or mine cries the same. This starts a very bad trend that I don't feel anyone, particularly Democrats who pride themselves on being for social equality, should support. BTW, it's interesting to note that the group that suffers the most deaths due to hate crimes is homeless people, not gay people. But I guess they just don't wear fashionable enough clothes to be elevated.

*Governor Granholm still clinging to Big Government*

Demonstrating exactly why Michigan is in a one state depression, Buffy the Job Slayer again shows why businesses can't stand her.


Well, that's it for now. Hopefully I'll have more time next week for a full, all out report on something or another that outrages me. Until then, take care of one another. H.C.

I'M FROM THE GOVERNMENT AND I'M HERE TO HELP

Believe it or not, there are people who actually read the above statement and think, "Great!". That's a little harder for people like me who have always been independent and see the government as more of a problem than a solution. On that, I agree with my Libertarian friends. I do however, see the government as an option for things that are just not getting taken care of by any other means. I guess the best way for me to describe it is; the government is the solution of last resort. So it is with our health care problem. The idea of kids begging for money for a bone marrow transplant or a couple losing their dream house because one of them lost their job and then got sick is too much for me to leave to "market forces".

With this in mind, I'm going to share a story that was told to me by an old man. I have no idea if it's true or not, but it makes a good point and might make some of you understand a little better the thinking of people who don't want the government over extending it's reach.

A man lived in a house with his wife and two kids. They were a proud bunch who never asked for anything or expected anything. He worked as a hobby farmer for food and repaired things for money. His wife stayed at home and made crafts for her extra money. His kids were home-schooled and well behaved. In short, despite their hardships and poverty, they were quite happy.

One day the well ran dry and the family was too poor to replace it. Without much verifiable income, the bank turned down his loan. Out of desperation, he turned to the government for help.

Before the government would put in the well, they needed to inspect the property and the proud man did something he never wanted to do-he let the government into his life. The inspector noticed the squaller of the poor family, and out of sympathy turned his case over to a Social Worker. The Social Worker went to the house and decreed it unfit to live in, what with no water, bad wiring and plumbing. They moved the man and his family, under great protest, into a temporary housing nearby. The kids were interviewed for possible abuse and it was discovered that although they knew math, English and writing beyond their years, they knew nothing of the oppressive history of Native Americans, women or African Americans. They were ordered by a court to be enrolled in the local school to complete their education. The teachers there were surprised to meet people in their own community so isolated. They were even more appalled to find that the woman of the house had very little schooling and had never held a job. They took her under their wing and got her employment working for the school cafeteria.

The man of the house had a much harder time. The IRS wanted to know how he had managed to claim so little income. He was confused as to how much he was making, since a great deal of his payment came in trade services and bartering. Other people started accusing him of abusing his wife by not allowing her to work even though they both thought she did-at home. They accused him of abusing his children by not allowing them a "proper" education, even though he thought he did. They accused him of neglecting his family by not giving them a proper house to live in, even though they all loved their little house. Soon the press caught wind of the story and ran pictures of the families run down shack that they had lived happily in for so many years. The people of the community were shocked at the loose animals, old plow and traditional farm life style. Soon outrage turned to an arrest based on trumped up charges. The simple man defended himself as best he could in a system he didn't understand. The sentence was handed down and the man found himself in prison. Soon his wife stopped coming to see him and his children were told not to contact him. They had started their new life with their new friends who had "saved" them from their past 'horrible' life.

One day the simple man got out of prison for the crimes he didn't even know he committed. He walked up the long dirt road to his empty house now posted with "condemned" signs. He sat on the poach and began to cry uncontrollably. he cursed the day he tried to do the one thing he never, ever wanted to do, ask for help. In the darkness of that moment, he remembered the irony of that day when a man came to his house and proudly said, "Hi, I'm from the government and I'm here to help."

This is the problem many of you have with our current health care debate. In your effort to "help", you are failing to understand. There are people all over the U.S. that do not think that you are "helping" by bringing the government into their lives. In fact, they think you are doing exactly what happened to the man in the story. We have millions of people who desperately need our help, but in that process, let us not forget that there are many more millions that do not want your "help". Someone once told me, "God gave us two ears and only one mouth so we would listen twice as much as we talk." If we truly want to help those that need it, we need the support of those that don't. Maybe the best way to get that support, is to listen. H.C.