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.
