OK, I may have drawn the ire of some by calling President Obama, "Darth Obama." Did it get your attention? That was the point.
I get stats on the participation of people in this blog -- no specifics. One thing that I notice is that lately no one seems to care about the local issues going on. I have listed specifics about the local situation as far as unemployment, crime, Hickory By Choice, The New Cloninger Mill Park, and other issues. There has been no extremism on the Hound and nothing in this article is extreme other than calling out the extreme path that this President is leading us down. $14 trillion dollars in guarantees and spending under his direction; some Bush's fault, some carried forward that could be stopped, and a lot directly attributable to this President.
I know that some have cast their lot in with this President, no matter what he does, and seem to have a vested interest in seeing him succeed at all costs. I clearly stated that my interest is not about Party Idealism. My interest is in getting this country headed back in the right direction. This is not about Obama. It is about the Republic, Representative Government, and the United States of America. This is about the viability of our nation.
The middle class is not to blame for the current mess that our bureaucracy has gotten us into. As of February 1, 2009, we are at 9% unemployment as a nation, 10% as a state, and 14% in this area. Most of us have not enjoyed the fruits of what has been going on in this country over the last decade. That is not a Democrat or Republican statement. That is an American statement. The President's quote was, "I know that America bears its share of responsibility for the mess that we all face." I am sorry, but America does not share the responsibility. The bloated bureaucracy is solely responsible for any American blame and the cause (out of control spending) of those issues is being exacerbated by this President.
As many have already heard, Abraham Lincoln stated, "You can please all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot please all the people all the time."
I am never going to please you all and that doesn't bother me, because it is impossible. Most people that have read this blog understand that I have no problem in addressing issues with my opinion, because I am real. And you are entitled to your opinion as well and I have respected those opinions. Point to where anyone has been censored on this blog, other than a couple of profane comments that were expunged.
To Anonymous: As far as the Darth Obama comment, what if I had drawn it as a cartoon. You know I am painting my picture with words. Have you seen Star Wars? Darth Vader was in charge of destroying the Republic and creating a Universal Empire. That is where we are currently heading and the comments that Obama made were made in favor of other nations at the expense of this nation's sovereignty. That is not a radical statement. If you believe that sitting back and letting Washington run the country into the ground because, "If your goal is to let off steam by writing articles blasting everyone and everything with which you disagree, power to you. But recognize that you lose the chance to make any real difference. You can help far more by helping those of us who want to make a local change for the better than crying to the wind about something that, in reality, you cannot make a significant difference."
The beauty of this country has been that we can try to make a difference where we wish. My goal is to seek Justice. I don't accept the defeatist attitude. If Washington pushes this country headlong into a national bankruptcy and takes away our liberty, then we cannot do anything for Hickory and I won't have made any difference. Can't you see that it all goes together?
Look at Geithner's comments about the dollar. The destruction of our currency is at the expense of America's citizens. You and I will pay the price for that. There isn't going to be any money left to do anything for Hickory, if we continue down the path that the state and federal government are leading us down. Soon you may realize that the people down here are in this together and the bureaucracy has been no ally. We have to have fair trade deals, we have to get back to producing products, we have to get people off of the dole, we have to quit throwing good money after bad.... How are Washington or Raleigh helping us to accomplish any of this?
To Ant: You know that I truly respect your opinion. I think you are cool, but many times we have to agree to disagree on certain issues. I completely disagree with that Op-Ed that you floated from the New York Times. The government has been the Numero Uno problem in this Banking Failure in so many ways (Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, AIG, Goldman Sacs, Wachovia, Bank of America, Merrill-Lynch, The Bonuses, Stock Options, Taxes, Arbitrary Regulation, The Bailouts, The "Stimulus, etc., etc., etc.). And yet, have we seen the bureaucracy accept any culpability?
In my opinion, I have not "demonized" Obama. It has been more than obvious that the President could care less about what we Bachelors of Science in Middle America think. I said one thing about his blame game policies and I am getting lambasted, but that is fine. It is just like the AIG situation where binding contracts don't mean anything. Do honor and integrity mean nothing anymore? I have clearly delineated between fact reports and opinion in everything that I have written. I will continue to express my opinions on subjects.
To Harry: I wish people could hear our private conversations sometimes. They think we march in lock-step. Folks, we have vociferous disagreements sometimes. Harry is a statesman. I am an advocate.
To Mike W.: I have given this President the benefit of the doubt, up to this point, and I have just sat back and kept my mouth shut. But sometimes you have to stand up for what you believe in and I refuse to watch this country continually be bashed for political expediency. These countries do not and never have had interest in America's interests. America needs to protect its interests. The things this President has done have been huge mistakes. We are not going to appease China, if we default on our debt or inflate our currency. Look at what China has been saying about American and World Economics. That is a scary situation.
Check out the video of European Parliament Member Daniel Hannan loudly addressing British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. It is along the lines of what I said about our Bureaucracy and no one is calling him extreme, because rational people realize that it is the truth. Did you know this is one of the most viewed videos on Youtube over the last week?
The Hounds OPINION : As I have stated, I respect everyones opinion and I believe that I have done so. This isn't a newspaper, but I think the information I have provided has been valuable to this community. Me limiting my opinion is not going to make this a better website. You expressing yours is.
Please Wake Up!!! These National and State issues are very much relevant to Hickory's issues. We are by definition in a depression in this area. I know that some people have faired better than others, so they may not realize how much the average person is struggling. Unemployment is around 15% (in the Hickory Metro) today. If you include discouraged workers and part-timers, then that number jumps to about 25% of the local workforce. We all know people that are in this boat. Just think what the numbers are if you include those that are worried about losing their job. I guarantee that well over 50% of the people are in one of these categories. The anxieties are real.
This is not an issue of ego for me. This is an issue of Justice. Our Representatives are not representing us. We are a mere nuiscance to them. The American People don't deserve the blame. How many Credit Default Swaps have y'all been involved in? How many Sub-Prime loans have y'all been a part of? You want me to stay out of National Politics, then please tell the President to quit blaming Middle America for problems created by Washington's Bureaucracy and their special interest buddies.
This blog isn't just about City Council, Downtown, the Police, Hickory Alive, or county government. It isn't about egos or personalities. This blog focuses on the problems of accepting the status quo on all of the issues that we are facing. If you want to stick to reading local papers, to try and figure out what is going on, they are still available. I look at us as being food with flavor. There is always going to be something that someone doesn't like, but everyone can find something here that is palatable, and we do listen to suggestions.
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Sunday, March 29, 2009
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19 comments:
Hound,
to put it simply, I think you made the same mistake that other smart, conservative voices (Rush, Hannity, etc.) often make--rather than laying out a reasonable argument about concrete facts you pounced on a single sentence and spun out of control.
The thing is I agree with you almost 100% about the dangers of trillions of dollars of debt, inflation, and being abandoned by our so called public servants. Unafortunately you shot yourself in the foot when you spent more energy taking a sentence out of context (that's my opinion which i argued in a previous comment) and insulting those on the other side of the discussion. Rush does this, Hannity does this and I just have to shake my head in dissapointment. It's a shame when someone that has such great thoughts to share flushes their credibility down the drain due to an addition to rhetoric.
Now about international relations...
The evolution of globalization has changed the entire ballgame. American companies compete on a global level in this age. We are dependent on customers from around the globe to purchase our products. These international relationships have to be massaged; we can't walk around with a big stick and treat our customers (foreign relations) like dirt because we are the only producer of widgets in the world. That model used to work, but it never will again. We can't give the finger to anyone that "has never had an interest in America's interests" as you put it. We need to massage our current trade agreements and add additional markets in order to continue our economic growth. Since there seems to be a taste for biblical referance here, let's employ the idea of "blessed are the peacemakers" and build bridges, not walls in the international community. That's what the President was trying to do; his statements only stated the obvious (that we, the largest economy in the world, have an effect on the global economy).
Also..
I dont define giving someone the "benefit of the doubt" as keeping your mouth shut while anger builds within. I think you missed my point with that one also.
Keep up the good work Hound, but don't close ears by getting carried away with silly rhetoric.
I think my issue is really focus. It's about impossible for anyone in Hickory to add new information to the national debate. Most of us don't have the access to the national politicians, national media, and bureaucrats that Rush, Hannity, Beck and the nat'l reporters do. So we can offer our opinions but we aren't adding any new information. True enough, national issues and even global issues affect Hickory but our capacity to affect the world is very, very limited.
The problem in Hickory is that too few people care or are involved. The Hound is providing a service to people by being a big fish in a small pond. We, as a community can create a dialogue and come up with ideas to better our City as well as having a small impact on the ethics of government. It won't be a revolution but we can make our corner of the world better. Washington DC is almost the opposite. There are so many voices and viewpoints that it's not a problem of a lack of ideas or dialogue but how you can cut above the chatter.
In my opinion, The Hickory Hound should focus on Hickory. The reporting on City government and City politics is the best you are going to get. The reader can get new and in depth reporting, a forum for opinion and be a real catalyst for vibrant discussion and action in Hickory. I don't think it will ever make a squeak on the national scene. My opinion is that the Hound would serve Hickory the best by a sharp focus on Hickory, even when the action is slow and not much momentus news is brewing, and target other political/societal ambitions towards other venues.
I don't want to beat a dead horse but I'll comment on one facet of the posting. China. The chatter on talk radio and numerous media outlets is that China has a dagger at our hearts and is just waiting to stop buying our bonds, throw our currency into turmoil, and smash our economy, leading to our demise. Now this is certainly a vulnerability and I don't like the position we're in but lets deal with a clear realistic position on reality in China.
We are the largest market for Chinese products by far. If we quit buying, 30% of their ecomomy goes bye bye. They are hurting, just as the whole developed world is and if we don't recover they are going to stay in deep do do. Millions and millions of rural Chinese have become sick and tired of the meager farming life and the poverty they have lived in. And once they tasted and seen prosperity they like it. The communist government of China has been repressive and the people there are no fools, they know it better than anyone else. Chinese society is existing on a fragile deal - the people are getting richer at a fast clip and they tolerate the totalitarian bosses in Beijing because they are living better. If their standard of living regresses they are going to have one hell of a problem on their hands. If you think the freedom movement of Tienanmen Square years ago was something, the next episode of civil unrest will be on a scale much greater. So despite the bluster and posturing, the Communist government in Beijing is hoping to sing Happy Days Are Here Again just as badly as we are if not worse.
I think we, in Hickory, can have differences of opinion on this issue and more and still come together on the need to quit smooching up to every "downtown revitalization" scheme the ossified council can cook up. Eh Hound?
Mike what I said to everyone was well thought out. I am not a great typist so I do choose my words carefully, since I have plenty of time to do so.
I don't think anything that I said can be construed as an attack towards any comments. I appreciate all of your opinions and take them into account.
My words have meaning and I am angry at this President, because I have seen a lot of political expediency over the last 2 1/2 months. Were we not promised change and a new tone. He says he doesn't want to play the blame game, in the same sentence in which he attacks AIG. He constantly attacks Wall Street. Today he attacked the automotive industry.
We are in dire times and if he is going to continue to tear down American Exceptionalism, then he deserves to get it back just as good as he gives it.
As far as my opinions being irrelevant. I will let you know that this article has been checked out by one of George Soros's funded groups from Washington and Chicago -- Performance Systems International.
This blog has been read by certain members of the U.S. House of Representatives. It has been read by individuals in Europe, Asia, Australia, and South and Central America.
What people don't seem to realize is that we as individuals can make changes. There is a search engine at the top left hand corner of this blog. Please feel free to peruse any subject you wish, read my biography. This is who I am and I put myself out here. I am not ashamed of who I am or what I represent.
This is the first time that I have critiqued this President. This Blog will remain about the influences of the Hickory Metro. I am not going National. Out of 130 stories on this blog, around 90% have been geocentrically concentrated on the metro. The others have been about our economic well-being, much of which has to do with the spendthrifts in Washington and Raleigh.
Mike, I appreciate your opinion, but I totally disagree about anything I stated being taken out of context. Maybe you can say that I am hearing what I want to hear, but can I not say the same about your observation. I promise you that I am not searching for things to be angry about, because there is a lot more ammo available. We will just have to agree to disagree on this one.
Peace be with you
"I know that some have cast their lot in with this President, no matter what he does, and seem to have a vested interest in seeing him succeed at all costs." I did not vote for Obama...but yes, as an American I will support my president, and I most certainly have a vested interest in seeing him succeed at all costs. It's about time someone started thinking "America first".
Harry, I agree with what you say, but the United States Economic woes don't begin and end with these country's we are in debt too. Our whole economy is based upon a giant Ponzi Scheme.
Why would China continue to let us borrow money (from them)to buy their products knowing that they may never get paid back. Think about it. China's resources invested into building a product bought by "Monopoly Money" from an outside nation. They may as well keep their own resources in that case and become the reigning Superpower. That is just Common Sense.
Mandy, Anne, and Andrea can go beg for crumbs from Washington, but how much are we going to get if the dollar collapses. Where would that leave this city.
Anonymous... I want this country to succeed. It is not personal about Obama. All costs means your Liberty. Are you willing to give up your freedom at the pleasure of this President?
Ask some of these businesses that have gone along with these bailouts if they like the loss of their freedom in making decisions about their companies' future. Do you like what happened toi GM and Chrysler today? Is that American success?
What about arbitrary enforcement of regulations? or contracts? Is this the blueprint for success?
If America succeeds and the President enjoys the fruits of that, then cool. That would be great. But, if Obama succeeds in pushing these gunky policies through and the economy continues to tank, I refuse to be his cheerleader.
If my country succeeds, then my liberty is not lost. Success has many facets. In my opinion the companies who have taken advantage of bailouts should have some restrictions placed on them. When my mortgage holder bailed me out of living in a rented home, restrictions were placed on me in regards to the funds they loaned to me. And as sad as it is, the auto companies just keep going down down down. What should we do?...continue to throw money at them until either they find the magic spell or we just run out of money to throw? The people involved with these companies want all the help they can get without making any concessions themselves, and Obama has said "no, we will make this work, but we will do it TOGETHER...it won't be done FOR you." I see nothing wrong with that at all.
I don't know that I have heard the President "attack" AIG, the US auto industry, and Wallstreet. I don't feel that the President is looking for a scapegoat to crucify, i simply think he's stating the blatantly obvious...the auto industry is an absolute bungle, wallstreet managers carelessly played with other people's hard earned money, AIG is a disaster. Is this really breaking news? How could we expect the President to not talk about these crippling failures? I want the President to tell GM "No, you are a terrible, unprofitable company and we're not giving you another penny of taxpayer money."
Find me the quote where Obabma childishly squeals "if it wern't for these specific companies, we wouldnt be in this mess." I don't detect any of this malicious scapegoat-ism going on.
The definition of a scapegoat. The President (or his team) mandated that they wouldn't work with GM's Mr. Wagoner that is the reason he is gone. If he stayed they wouldn't get more bailout money.
The auto company's should have never gotten into bed with the government. Now the bureaucracy is prostituting these companies for political interests with taxpayer money. These company's belonged in Chapter 11 to start with. Now, once again that money is gone and when has the government ever been successful at business?
That is not the role of the government in anything other than a full-bore socialist government. That is up to a board of directors to decide. Why didn't they do the same with the head of the Union that won't make the concessions necessary to restabalize the company?
AIG bonuses: The government tearing up (usurping) binding contracts (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDGN0Hk301Y). The whole video -- can't say out of context.
Was everyone at AIG a derivative trader? Was everyone there wreckless? How can the government justify the benefits that we pay them, when they have been so wreckless? If fraud was perpetrated, then put people in jail, but don't convict innocent people in the media.
I never said he was squealing childlishly. So that is an invalid argument, if you are trying to lay that at my feet. What I am saying is that his actions are taking away our Liberty. The citizens are supposed to be protected from any whimsical bureaucratic actions. That is what the Constitution is their for.
People always argue that line to me about laissez-faire capitalism, which is bunk. I realize that there need to be regulations. But we should be a nation of laws and not of men. We have plenty of regulations, but they are not being enforced across the board, people are being judged by their positions of power, which is mainly who they have bought off during the campaign or their position in the bureaucracy.
We can pass more and more laws, but they still won't be enforced against the fat-cats that can buy and peddle influence like a commodity. That is the problem with the state (injustice) of our bureaucracy.
Saying that the government, led by the President, has screwed up repeatedly in their attempt to aid these companies is one thing....
Saying that the President is blaming the average Joe American for the financial crisis is another.
It's hard for me to get angry at the dismisal of Wagoner. Perhaps he was like a coach of a really bad team; maybe he did the best he could with the players he had but was put in a position where he couldnt succeed. Maybe. But these guys get paid the big bucks to produce. Wagoner has not had much success to point to yet has kept his job for years in an almost unprecendented fashion. Honestly, most of the commentary I have heard on Wagoner has been quite forgiving saying that he didnt do a great job but the deck was stacked against him succeeding. If you found some information that the President place full blame on Wagoner for the fall of GM I would like to know about it. Seems to me like the government decided that if they were going to move foward they needed a new voice at the top. This happens. You can't fire all the players on a bad team but you can always replace the manager. That's business.
This is what a forum is supposed to look like, huh? Some good dialogue...or at least i hope
I agree that these comments are what this forum is supposed to be about and I do appreciate your input or anyone else's that want to jump in.
The President said America and we the people are America. If he wants to say the Bureaucracy and/or American Commerce, then that is fine, but it is not "America's" fault.
I believe that he is blaming the whole American system and he wants to willy-nilly change the whole American system. The whole system isn't broken, just a few parts of that system.
The main problem that we face in the country is the issue of trust and these arbitrary (and yet significant) changes to that system are what has contributed to such turmoil. A lot of entrepreneurs and investors are now risk averse and at a standstill toward investments, because they are afraid and can't understand this President's actions.
What does that mean for this economy moving forward?
"The whole system isn't broken, just a few parts of that system."
At this point, I believe the President is right in line with what you (and the vast majority of people) feel about the economy. At this point, I have not seen or heard anything that would lead me to believe the President feels otherwise. That's what I mean by giving him the benefit of the doubt.
Seems like we will have to disagree on what "America played a role in the global economy" means. I still think it's brutally unfair to take the word "America" and imply that he was refferring to every man, woman, and child that has a social security card.
In this thread we considered whether or not the president was hunting for a scapegoat; lets all make sure that in our own anger and frustration we dont search for our own scapegoat in President Obama.
I'm definitely not trying to make him a scapegoat and he is not the focal point. This is not about Barak Obama. Maybe it is for you, but it isn't for me. This is about America and its people. They take precedence over even the President. It is supposed to be a government of, by, and for the people.
The focal point is the Constitution, our Independence, our rights, and our Liberty. Those issues are not negotiable to me and I will support no one that works towards trampling on those issues.
And yes, I still feel that he the American People (and our system) were who he was talking about. Listen how he keeps talking about how we all need to sacrifice. He is talking about everyone.
We can continue to go over that issue, but we should just agree to disagree on that one, because I did see what he said and it wasn't taken out of context. It was the whole demeanor of that press conference. If he wants to explain himself further on that issue (as well as all of these others), then I would be more than willing to listen.
Hound, Hound, Hound,
The post titled "Darth Obama Blames Us" isnt about Barak Obama? C'mon.
I think your interpretation of the Presidents call to "sacrifice" is off.
I have spent a large part of my working carreer in sales. In sales we have a saying, "underpromise, overdeliver." It's all about setting expectations. The President, wisely in my opinion, has been trying to temper expectations since his campaign. When I hear him talk about sacrifice, I sense he is truly saying "guys, i'm not a miracle worker. this thing isnt going to be fixed in my first month, probably not even my first couple years. its going to be hard. most will feel the sting of this recession but we will get through it together." You set an attainable expectation.
Compare this to the flag waving, rhetoric filled, empty words of John Mccain (for example). [insert Mccain impression here] "My friends, we are America, the greatest country in the world. We are the hardest working people in the world. We will see the other side of this recession and be stronger than ever." I don't think we need a pep rally where we wave our flags and eat apple pie while crying as the Star Spangled banner plays. Maybe I'm just a guy that wants to be realistic and get to work.
When many delerious Americans think you are Christ in the flesh you have no choice but to attempt to temper those expectations. That's how I have interpreted the talk of sacrifice.
Seriously Hound, stop encouraging me to defend a President I'm not even a fan of. This hurts me. (that was supposed to be funny)
I agree with a lot of what you say Mike. But, I do think we need the realism and the vision. That would be a complete plan.
We got the wild-eyed "Hope and Change" during the campaign and now all we are getting is the "Blame Game," whether by the President or his hand picked surrogates.
P.S. the post didn't say "Darth Obama blames Us." It was "President Obama blames Us." Yes, I did call him Darth Obama and I did it for a reason I believe in, that has been re-enforced, in my mind, over the last couple days with what happened with the autos and what he is trying to do in Europe.
Pretty bad when the Europeans tell you that they aren't going to go along with your extravagant spending arrangements.
Howdy all,
I still agree with mike w that you've read too much into one phrase/speech of the President's but as we've moved on to other topics, I'll not press it. Still, it's strange to me that you, Hound, say in a new post,
It's time that we realize that from top to bottom, we are reaping what we have sown.
which seems to place the blame on literally everyone in the nation for this economic crisis. Please clarify, if you're so inclined, how your critique of us is different from your claimed critique of the President upon us.
This episode of frontline: ten trillion and counting explains the deficit's rise from Bush to Obama's proposed budget (no, it's not a pro-Obama piece).
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tentrillion/
Because I am not blaming the economy on the people of this country, I am blaming the moral rot on the vast majority of the people in this country.
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