What does all the pork in the stimulus package mean? According to Newt Gingrich it means every American would not have to pay taxes from February to September to equal the most current tab. That also includes corporation’s cost to match social security taxes. It includes individual social security and medicare taxes. It is more than we have spent on both the Iraqi and Afghanistan wars to date.
More than that it is an embarrassment and an insult to almost every citizen and voter. It is a betrayal of every campaign promise President Obama made. It is a clarion call to pass the mantle of change to the citizens and to our outrage, since it isn’t going to come from President Pelosi. I have been telling my family and friends that my grandchildren will be the first generation in the history of our country to have a poorer standard of living than their parents for the past five years. Most have been polite but not concerned. I have been documenting my rationale for this concern for just over a year in this blog. Now, it seems that 50% of the public in a recent poll agree.
When a stimulus package includes a new AA baseball stadium complete with sky boxes, hotels built and owned by the government, new schools in a city that has been closing schools for years due to shrinking student population, and a shelter for prostitutes in Dayton, Ohio, we are being told by our elected officials that they don’t represent us. Taxation without representation is why we have America. Now we have it again.
Every elected official in this country is driven by one goal, getting reelected. We need term limits and we need them now. For all federal, state, and local political offices. That would be a start.
More than that we need to get more involved. We can’t stand by and let this consummate insult and threat to our future go forward. The polls show each day that more and more Americans are against this package. The Senate took a terrible house bill and made it worse. Obama’s approval ratings are going down and he seems incapable of taking charge of this mess.
Presidential leadership styles are much like leadership in every aspect of life. Jimmy Carter was a micro manager and couldn’t put his fingers in everything and run the country. Ronald Reagan was a leader who spelled out the strategy and let others put together the tactics while he sold the strategy. President Obama appears to be a 30,000 foot leader. One who flies above the fray and makes nice speeches about whatever drops on his desk. In my experience this is the worst kind of leader. One who doesn’t understand the content of the speeches and really doesn’t care enough to get involved. He gets his stokes from the trappings of office and the lights of the camera. Every aspect of the job is delegated except delivering the messages. Big picture guy.
Anger is rising and for good reason. We are an intelligent hard working people and we recognize the bill for what it really is. An aggregation of bad ideas wrapped in a gown of new jobs and given a sense of urgency that isn’t justified by the results it will bring. If we don’t stop this, the anger will grow and it may get out of control.
Ignoring the will of the people is a serious practice. This is not change and hope, this is the worst of bad government made worse and an act that takes what little hope many of us still have and turns it to ashes.
