I am getting a little worried about the cult-like following of President-elect Barack Obama. Anytime you turn on the news you see an Obama fan gushing about how he is going to fix everything wrong in the world. I am quite disheartened that so many people are putting their sole faith in one man. Imagine if we had put "In George Washington We Trust" on all of our coins. Sounds silly, but it's the way we look today. "In Obama We Trust" seems to be the new U.S. mantra. Our new slogan is "Ask not what you can do for your country, but ask what your country can do for you." This highlight's the difference between John and Ted(he who anointed Obama)Kennedy.
Our nation is at a stalemate right now. We have been hit by a 'perfect storm'. A housing market knocked flat by too much government intervention in the loan industry. Cash strapped home owners stopped buying things like luxury items and cars. The government again intervened by mandating 'environmentally friendly' vehicles be produced by our already cash strapped car makers. The U.S. dollar was weakened by the continuing lowering of interest rates in an attempt to grow the shrinking economy. Add to this the growing deficit and you get where we are now. So how does Obama and more government spending get us out of this hole? Sorry to tell you this, but they can't. But this isn't a bad thing.
With all of his brilliance and experience, Herbert Hoover couldn't get the nation out of the depression. FDR, with his government programs and fireside chats, couldn't get the stock market to move again. World War II did it for them. Like Ronald Reagan in the 80's, World War II took us out of the national malaise of failure and put us back onto a road of faith. It seems whenever we have a long wave of economic recovery we forget who we are and what makes us different. The 'Greatest Generation' wasn't great because they waited for the government to bail them out. They sacrificed, served, and prayed. They were great because their spirit and drive kept the flame of freedom lit. They not only defeated tyranny, but they took what they learned on the battlefields and built a prosperous new economy at home.
Today we are at a crossroads. Do we lead or do we follow? We have to take the lead. If President-elect Obama is as smart as his worshipers praise him to be, he knows that he is merely the accompanist to the American chorus. He can play all he wants, but until we start singing, the show doesn't begin. We need a new generation of Thomas Edison's, Henry Ford's, Bill Gates'. We need to get rid of the environment in business of greed and class warfare and replace it with growth and opportunity. Successful corporations were built by people who worked their way up. Now we have corporations run by men who just hop from company to company collecting their millions in paychecks and pensions regardless of the shape they leave the business. We used to have people at the helm for their ideas and successes, not just their resume' of names and pay grades. When the CEO just 'doesn't get it' he or she needs to go. The standard needs to be higher for the top. The sad excuse that 'nobody would want the job unless they offered perks' is just a smokescreen for them to rob the place when they drive it into the ground. American business needs an era of humbling.
As we asses our situation and prepare to move forward we need to have courage and believe in ourselves again. Regardless of the stock market. Regardless of the job market. Regardless of who sits in the oval office. The answer to who and how we can get America moving again is on that valuable piece of paper that the government thinks we can't be trusted to spend. Perhaps that's why they are always trying to take it away from us.
(Thanks Darrell)
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