President Obama’s Quest To Remake America & America’s Gut Check
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009Only question: Do Americans want America remade? In this weeks American Issues Project column I talk about the choice before America:
While this is very much about Barack Obama personally–his whole life was made for this moment when he would be in the position where he could “remake America”–it’s even more about the American people.
Do American citizens want America remade?
During the campaign, I wrote often that people generally like the idea of change, but not the actual implementation of change and all that it means. Change is a very dicey word and can be a rhetorical double edged sword. The wielder of the “change” mantra must take care not to cut himself. And when executing change, care must be taken that the transition doesn’t descend into chaos. People are used to certain things, and they keep the status quo because it works on some level.
The energy and faith it takes to remake a whole system, requires significant planning and sure-handedness. That is something that has not been existent with the changes coming from Congress and the Administration. But that’s process, the way things are done. What of the actual intended change?
President Obama campaigned on tax cuts for 95 percent of Americans. The upper 5% of Americans were in pretty big trouble, though. Americans were okay with that. Essentially, class warfare worked. That is, the majority of Americans who produced less than the minority of Americans who produced the most were content to take from the minority to meet the needs of the majority.
That sounded wonderful in theory, but now, the same thing, but on a grander scale is being expected of Americans with health care. That is, say 60% of Americans have stellar health care while the rest of the citizenry is underinsured or uninsured either by choice or by circumstance. The American who have insurance are being asked to underwrite the insurance of those who don’t have it either through coverage cuts of their own care or higher taxes.
Americans are being asked to voluntarily redistribute their wealth. While it sounded great when taking from the rich, top 5%, it doesn’t sound so great when it means more taxes for people who already see themselves as struggling. The old Margaret Thatcher quote comes to mind, “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.”
Americans are being asked to trade in a known, but flawed, health care system, for an unknown, and by all accounts, equally flawed health care system. The benefits don’t outweigh the negatives, so Americans wonder why change at all? The benefits should be self-evident and the system should simplify. As with all things government, though, the health care proposals are a litany of rules and regulations seemingly designed to compete with the IRS.
Americans are also being asked to suspend disbelief. So when the Cap and Trade legislation is delved into or receives an even cursory reading, scary proposals like retrofitting ones home to sell it come to the fore. And of course, a person sees that his home or his business would be subject to taxation due to energy use. It is another tax. Far from being part of the lucky 95%, the tax scheme seems to penalize everyone and the poor most of all.
A new portrait of America emerges: Everyone drives a Prius made by unproductive unions, lives in old, small homes with special lightbulbs, waiting in lines for health care a bureaucrat decides a person needs, and being taxed for the privilege of all of the above.
Where are the hot rods? Where are the dreams of a home and a pool? Where is the specialist when you contract a rare form of cancer? Where is the exuberant individual pursuing his dreams?
Please go read the whole thing. There are so many great columnists at American Issues. T.J. Brown discusses a health care system Without Doctors.
There’s much more.
How Far Behind Venezuela Is America?
Thursday, July 16th, 2009How far behind Venezuela does America lag in the populist, socialist, state-run “solution” to the perceived injustice and unfairness of our formerly great capitalistic state? In this podcast, I interview my brother who is in Venezuela doing business and how the people there perceive the changes. The subjects of Sotomayor’s intelligence, the NRSC Toomey endorsement, and Obama’s socialist health care and taxation policies make up the show.
Melissa’s show can also be found on RFC Radio every Monday and Wednesday night at 10:00 pm Eastern.
To subscribe on iTunes, just click here!
When Melissa isn’t on the radio, you can find her at melissaclouthier.com and on Twitter. Her username is MelissaTweets.
Czars Everywhere!
Thursday, June 11th, 2009When I made fun of President Obama’s Czar craze, libs on Twitter gave me a hard time saying that all presidents have Czars. Uh, not so much. No.
Tabitha Hale has a great blog post about the czar differences. Go look at her list. She concludes:
Let’s talk a little more about this. Know how many Czars Reagan had? One. Bush 41? One. Clinton? Three. Dubya? Four. Obama has already QUADRUPLED that. And since most of these positions are already covered by Secretaries, the overlap is wasteful. And some are just inane (seriously, A GREAT LAKES CZAR? What is a Great Lakes Czar? Overlord of the Catfish? I don’t understand). Scariest part? Czars have no one to answer to but Obama. Know how much they are in control of? $1.7 TRILLION. Yeah.
And I really hate the term Czar.
Me too. What are we Russia?
Why yes, America is now turning into a state-run place. A guy on Fox said something that struck me: When it’s not about contracts and competence and it’s about connections, you have a society that is running on different rules. [That is a gross interpretation of what he said.]
Essentially, when the state owns everything, it’s not what you know, it’s WHO you know. How connected to czar or czarina are you? That will determine the success of your endeavor. Influence and corruption become the order of the day.
Welcome to America, just like the Old Country!
American Issues Project Column: The Complicated Economy
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009Is there a simple solution to our complex economic problems? I don’t know, but I see parallels to the complexity of the human body and the United States economy:
The biggest problem with the current financial mess the United States faces is that it’s not simple. The United States economy, the slow, crawling, sprawling recession, makes no sense to the average person.
The U.S. economy makes little sense to experts either. That’s a problem.
When I was up in Chicago for a family gathering, I danced with a relative of my uncle who happened to to be a financial guy and trader. Please explain what is going on, I asked him. He just laughed and said that no one knew what was going on–not even the guys in the business. Why try to figure it out anyway?
How do you respond to that? I was rather stunned and took in the implications of his statement. A smart guy whose whole job was to trade on the stock exchange could not explain what was happening to the U.S. economy. Further, he told me that no one understood it. It’s too big. It’s too complicated.
What does a doctor do when a patient with crazy and varied symptoms comes in that no one can diagnose? Well, the solution might be the same for the U.S. economy. Please go read the whole thing.
No More Americanization
Thursday, May 28th, 2009The impulse is to say Soto-my-er. But that wouldn’t be correct. The proper pronunciation is Soto-may-YOUR and with a opening of the mouth to get the proper fullness and roll of the tongue.
Sigh.
Remember when people Americanized their names? Partly, it made their names easier to say. Mostly, people just wanted to be American. Fully American.
When the in-laws came from Italy, Italian was most certainly not spoken. They were Americans and they spoke English. In the second generation, that would be grandma who is 92, there is not even the remotest hint of Italy in her voice though she is only the second generation here in America.
Not so now with some folks. Oh no. Acculturation is akin to living in the closet and hiding your ancestral glory. Much better to keep the Puerto Rican accent even though you’ve grown up on American soil.
My uncle is of Mexican descent. He speaks Spanish and knows five dialects. When he speaks English it is not Spanglish. It’s English. It is not English with the twang of Spanish hovering over him. I dare say, if I asked him if his Mexican heritage makes his judgment more stellar, he would say no. I’m quite sure he wouldn’t say that being a man makes him smarter. And yet, he finds a way to integrate his Mexican heritage and embrace his history.
Generations of Americans have done this. They know the language of the old country. They keep certain traditions. But they were eager to be American. They were eager to Americanize their name, even. It was symbolic. It was a blessed gift to have this country and people were proud to be a part of it. A shortened name meant becoming new and American.
So, while President Barack Obama can say Pak-ee-stahn correctly and every newscaster is embracing his inner Latina pronouncing Soto-may-YOUR with relish, I just see more of an effort to elevate other cultures in relation to the American culture.
It isn’t about proper pronunciation it’s about putting America in her place. And her place is no better than any other place, including 3rd world racist, sexist, intolerant, nuclear-armed holes like Pakistan. Well, I say America is better. America is better than Mexico. It’s safer. There are more jobs. There is less corruption (for the time being). America is better than pretty much any place in the world I can think of, actually.
People who live here, myself included, are damn lucky to be here by birthright. And those who choose to become citizens are making the best decision of their lives. Their whole future will change.
So, a kid from Puerto Rico can come to America, get educated in the best schools and be put forth as a potential Supreme Court Justice for the best country in the world. That’s America. It’s great. And America is bigger than our collective pasts. She is better than the places we came from. We do well to melt into her beauty and live to rise to her ideals.
Americanization is a good thing. Assimilating and changing to fit America’s mold is what makes this country different from the fractured and racist Europe. So those who are so intent on elevating other cultures might want to consider the outcome of their actions. America doesn’t need to turn into a place where races are Balkanized and marginalized by neighborhoods, language, religion and culture. That would be a destructive place.
America needs to continue to be a melting pot. I’m Melissa Clouthier. It is not Cloo-tee-ay. It is Cloth-ee-er. I’m American and proud of it.
New American Issues Project Column: “It’s Not Fair”
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009I’ve been thinking about the root cause of this bail-out mess and the changes in our American culture. My column at AIP today sums up my thinking about things:
America, in general, and our government in particular, has been consuming more calories than it can afford and grown fat, and rather than cut back, has sought salvation by those who were responsible and by those who lived within their means.
Some who let things get away from themselves have cut back and “tightened the belt”. The government, though, seems willfully obstinate about making such challenging choices itself. President Obama put forth scorn-worthy “cuts” in the face of mammoth governmental pigging out. An already obese government is making itself morbidly huge over the next ten years. One wonders if the patient can be saved or if it will end up in a piano box and buried in the ash heap of indulgent world-power history.
And this all began as someone trying to correct an unfairness. It’s unfair that some people have health insurance and others don’t. It’s unfair that one person eats Filet Mignon and another person eats hamburger helper. It’s unfair that one person gets to drive a souped-up SUV and another person rides the bus. It’s unfair that one person has a mansion and another person has a trailer. It’s unfair that one person gets to go to Harvard and another person goes to a technical college. It’s unfair that more boys than girls are engineers. And on and on it goes.
It’s unfair. It’s unfair. It’s unfair.
So, a man who promised to make things fair got elected President. It’s not fair that America is the lone superpower. It’s not fair that there are rich and poor people. It’s not fair that “rich” people get tax breaks. The government then, will be a tool for “fairness”.
It never works out that way. Like Scar’s alliances and forced “teamwork” between natural adversaries, fairness results in depletion, loss of incentive and many more unintended consequences. Moreover, it’s a fundamentally angry and aggrieved way to look at the world.
More here.
I’m Gay! I’m Hispanic! I’m Female! Meanwhile…..
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009So the Supreme Court of California upheld a law thus reinforcing the will of the people and that’s noteworthy only because the court has made such a consistent practice of making laws rather than interpreting them. There will be lawsuits. There will be outrage.
I don’t care.
So President Obama was utterly predictable and picked a Supreme Court nominee driven by identity politics that, SURPRISE!, helps him in his quest to mollify Hispanic voters since sweeping amnesty might be a tough sell since he’s also in bed with the unions–a triangulation that I’ve seen as a Democrat problem for quite some time. He was going to nominate a looney lib and she fits the bill quite nicely. It’s not about the law. It’s about me. Wheeeee!
I don’t care.
North Korea flexing it’s mentally ill muscle and conducting a sophisticated display of weaponry as a sales job on Memorial Day while the President plays his fiddle, I mean, plays a round of golf–now that I care about. A lot.
Iran sending a fleet of ships out while Israel girds herself for war while the President plays a round of golf–now that I care about. A lot.
Yes, I’m concerned that an activist will be on the Supreme Court, but I don’t see what can be done about it. Will the Senate Republicans mount the will to stop this nomination? Maybe.
Yes, the California Supreme Court made a weasely decision that kicks the problem down the road for the time being.
In the midst of this haggling, the world is on the edge of conflagration. Meanwhile, the president plays golf and issues weak statements. Who ever thought that a Supreme Court nominee could be a diversion but damn skippy if that’s not the case today.
When I look at the frenzy swirling around, I can’t help but to wonder about the confusion. It’s like trying to find one’s way in a sand storm. What really is the most important story? What will most likely change the course of history?
I fear that looking back, we’ll see the this time as a steady march toward chaos with the most important concerns ignored.
Don’t look now, but Swine Flu is spreading.
The Baby Boomers: Destroying America
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009The biggest generation is about to be the biggest retired generation. Do you think a generation nicknamed the “Me Generation” will suddenly become the generous generation? No.
The market lost value so the Boomers lost their retirements. They were overmortgaged just as their health declined (it was a shock that they were getting older). Let’s just assume perfect retirement conditions. This is how the Boomers planned:
How bad are baby boomers at financial planning? Extremely bad, according to Annamaria Lusardi and Olivia Mitchell of the National Bureau of Economic Research. They found that more than one-quarter of boomer households thought “hardly at all” about retirement, and that financial literacy among boomers was “alarmingly low.” Half could not do a simple math calculation (divide $2 million by 5) and fewer than 20 percent could calculate compound interest. The NBER researchers also found that, as of 2004, the typical boomer household was holding nearly half its wealth in the form of housing equity. Uh-oh.
For a closer look at the retirement squeeze, consider a study released last month by the Congressional Research Service. Patrick Purcell analyzed the most recent data on consumer finances gathered by the Federal Reserve. He found that for the 53 percent of households that hold at least one retirement account, the median combined balance was a mere $45,000.
For households headed by persons between the ages of 55 and 64, the median value of all retirement accounts was just $100,000. Purcell noted that for a 65-year-old man retiring in April 2009, that $100,000 would buy an annuity that would pay a paltry $700 a month for life, based on current interest rates.
The Fed data used in Purcell’s study were gathered in 2007. With stock market declines since then, the median account balances are probably even lower now.
A scared Boomer is a scary Boomer. That is why I’m concerned about nationalized health care and every other big government program being the wave of the future.
I’m not sure any small government type leader can be elected just because of the demographics of the United States. And unfortunately for future generations, the Boomers have had access to the best medical advances and health care–so they’re probably going to live a long time which means expanding the government to meet their needs until they die which will be in forever.
President Obama is a tail-ender Boomer and look at the spending. He’s not going to have to pay that money back. His kids will. Wheee! No big deal.
The Baby Boomers believe the world will end when they end. Maybe they’re making the world end and fulfilling some subconscious wish–the world can’t possibly exist without them so the solution is killing the world before they go.
On the plus side, the Boomers embraced eugenics–they are after all the biggest proponents of abortion. And the same reasoning can be used, and is being used, when it comes to health care choices. Look at what’s being talked about on the floor of the Senate from Ed Morrissey:
What happens when the state controls all the resources? New resources do not develop, and the government winds up rationing care based on its own priorities, and not the priorities of the patients or caregivers. Professor Altman’s suggestion that the elderly get hospice treatment to save scarce care resources is exactly the kind of decisions the state will make for its citizens, and it won’t be limited to the elderly, either. Anyone whose value does not show a positive “cost-benefit” ratio to the state will also likely wind up without the kind of care necessary to stay alive and healthy.
Rationed, hospice care for the elderly…read, Baby Boomers. Poetic justice, if you ask me. The same people who used utilitarian arguments to kill babies will have an interesting time defending spending money on their “worthless” lives–I mean, it’s not like old, decrepit people produce anything.
Oh, they’ll suddenly get religion and defending the defenseless will become very important and the vast numbers of hanging on Boomers will ensure they have a very loud voice as usual. They’ll bankrupt America, live off their children and demand health care that will extend their lives. It will be their children and their children’s children who will pay for their selfishness–the ones who were lucky enough to be born, anyway.
Even the Boomers will die, but probably not soon enough to save America.
Enlightened Redneck
Monday, April 27th, 2009Save The Redneck
They’re a persecuted lot and deserve respect.
America’s Cyber Command
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009Since America’s infrastructure depends on the safety and stability of our information networks, it makes sense that the government would have a military cyber force dedicated to it’s defense. Here’s why:
According to the official, the program would not be on the level of a separate combatant command. Instead, the likely recommendation would be to create a “sub-unified command” that would focus entirely on combating cyber warfare but exist under the current Strategic Command.
A senior Pentagon official revealed that cyber attacks against military computer networks have “increased significantly … more than doubled” in the past six months. The attacks were said to include “thousands of probes a day” against Web sites associated with the Defense Department.
How important are our information networks? Just ask anyone who endured 9/11 or a hurricane. The first thing to go is communications and the computer systems that control energy distribution, waste management, water purification, etc. Imagine the havoc created by a hacker who can control or disrupt these networks and the services dependent on them.
The downside of the government having their nose inserted into cyber security is that they will inevitably be dealing with independent businesses, state sovereignty issues, etc. The government already knows too much.
Still, as part of national defense, America can’t be brought to it’s knees by a pimply Russian or Chinese kid employed by their governments to gather information, or worse, do economic or physical harm.
