Obama's Teleprompter Dependence

Much has been written about our new articulate president's heavy reliance on a teleprompter. Anyone who has paid any attention to our president over the last year has noticed that he struggles mightily when speaking extemporaneously. All of his "soaring rhetorical masterpieces", which have sent thrills up the legs of the most objective of journalists were the product of his speaking from a teleprompter.

Rush has latched onto this, quite hysterically, giving the teleprompter status as a "key player" in Washington these days - correctly stating that president Obama says whatever his little friend tells him to say...literally.

Someone has now come up with another brilliant play on Obama's relationship with his security blanket, starting a blog supposedly written by the teleprompter itself. The result is just classic.

Oh, the Hypocrisy!

While trying not to laugh at Obama’s righteous indignation over the exorbitant bonuses paid out to Wall Street executives this month, I noticed a very curious, though not surprising irony. Now, don’t misunderstand. I don’t particularly like the fact that these companies, which have received billions of dollars in federal bailout money, are paying out ridiculous bonuses to their employees. In light of the fact that bonuses are usually given to reflect a high level of performance in one’s industry, it’s more than a little idiotic to hand out six-figure awards to folks who just lost their clients billions of dollars in investments.

After the year all of us have had, watching our investments plummet, I can understand how the average 401k owner might feel when he or she hears about their broker getting a new Porsche. I would say that this is supposed to be a free-market economy, where the government has no business telling private companies what to do with their own money, but then this isn’t their own money, is it? And it’s debatable at best whether or not this is a free market economy any more. Behold, the dangers of accepting government intervention.

But regardless of your opinions on whether our new president’s outrage is indeed righteous or not, you can’t help but admire the arrogant hypocrisy that is evident in our great messiah’s lack of an equal amount of outrage over the behavior of the UAW. Last time I checked, these geniuses plan to demand that their union members keep getting paid the ridiculous wages, an average of over $70 an hour including benefits, that got General Motors into this mess to begin with. And what will General Motors be using to maintain this level of remuneration? Well it’s patently obvious that they can’t sustain it on their own, so it’ll be the bailout money provided by you and I that allows UAW members to keep drawing a salary completely out of proportion to their labor.

Where’s the outrage over that? Why should Wall Streeters have to change their excessive ways, when the UAW is still forcing exorbitant wages out of GM, Ford, and Chrysler? Apparently, it’s okay for Big Labor to take a government-funded bailout and use it for disproportionate compensation, but not Wall Street. Does that make as much sense to you as it does to me? Well, it makes perfect sense when you realize the Big Labor unions spent millions upon millions to help put Barack Obama in the White House.

They own him. He’s their bitch.

(You know, I'll be in the market for a car sometime in the next few months. Better believe it won't be a product of GM. In fact, I'm liking Toyota more and more these days. Buy non-union.)

No Rest for the Depressed

Ok, so I'm not really depressed, but it has been difficult lately to find the motivation to put my thoughts into words. The vomit-inducing cries of hope and change, coupled with the sudden swell of patriotism from the same folks who professed outright hatred for their country until yesterday, has dampened my enthusiasm somewhat. Thankfully, I'm beginning to come out of the fog.

I suppose I can find some satisfaction in the idea that millions of naive Obamanuts are waking up this morning only to find that Santa didn't come last night, and they still have to pay their mortgages and work for a living. It's also kinda nice to be able to sit and watch the other side screw things up for a while. I can't help but realize, however, that all these screw-ups are going to have big ramifications for me and my family. So, as a tribute to all those normally center-right leaners who thought we just needed change for the sake of change, let's look at what we can expect from Democrat leadership over the next few years:

1. If you are currently succesful enough to have to pay taxes every year, and that's only about half of the nation, you can pretty much count on the fact that you have now enjoyed the lowest tax payments you will ever pay.
2. Any business owners out there? Like the idea of your employees being able to unionize at the drop of a hat, forcing you to pay them 3 or 4 times what the market justifies? How about the idea that union thugs can target the one or two employees who don't want to unionize, because they've lost their right to a secret vote? Obama's got to repay Big Labor for putting him in office.
3. This is for all of you so-called pro-life voters who decided Obama was moderate enough to win your vote: On his first day in office, President Obama has decided to repeal a law which prevents your tax dollars from being used to fund international abortion groups. That's right, taxpayer funded abortions, and that's just his first day...
4. Go ask a Brit about government-run healthcare. Need I say more? Well, I will anyway. Have we lost our minds? Please to name one thing the government has ever run that has been run with anything resembling competence. Public schools? Social Security? Welfare?

I could go on, but it would be too depressing. Basically, if you think the government is the answer to all your problems, you'll love this guy. At least until the government taxes the people who provide your job to the point that they can't be competitive, and they move their operation overseas.

It's not a popular thing to say right now, but I refuse to generically "hope our new president succeeds." Succeeds at what? Making us into a more government-reliant, socialist nation? No thanks. I'll support him if I believe that his policies are what's best for America, but judging by his campaign, he doesn't have a clue. His ideas are not new. They certainly don't represent change. They're the same old liberal ideas that have failed in the past, and if he goes through with them, they will fail this time as well.

I hope I'm wrong about this guy. And I refuse to stop loving my country, like so many on the left, just because "the other side" is in charge. We have to take this nation back from the ground up, and republicans don't need to go along with any of the policies that we don't believe will work. I echo Erick's cry concerning the de-Stimulus Plan. None of our GOP representatives should support it, or any other policy that undermines conservatism, just so we can say we got something done.

Patriotism is Cool Again

I was thinking about this yesterday, after catching little bits and pieces of the Immaculate Obaminauguration, and I'm glad to see that others have noticed the sudden surge of patriotism among liberals. You know, I don't recall a single liberal waving an American flag, or singing patriotic songs during the last 8 years. Yet another example of the utter childishness of so many on the left. They're only patriotic when "their side" is in charge. For the last 8 years, while Chimpy McBush Hitler was taking orders from Darth Cheney, America was derided as an evil empire.

When a big bad conservative is in office, America is the reason for every bad thing that happens around the world. We don't just see rational opposition to the policies being implemented during times of conservative rule, we see flags burned, unruly crowds spitting on people they disagree with, and behavior that suggests a complete hatred for all things American.

But how quickly we are reminded not to question anyone's patriotism. So, now that Barack is President, and the Democrats control congress, America is back to being the best nation on earth, and liberals nationwide love their country again. I'm sorry, but I question that brand of "patriotism." Please note the behavior of conservatives over the next 4 years, and let me know if you see any flag burning, spitting, riots, or general America-bashing when our new president tries to implement socialized medicine, run our economy into the ground with hysterical responses to the myth of global warming, or expand the so-called right to abortions.

I wouldn't hold you breath. You see, aside from the fact that most of us conservatives have actual careers and families, we just don't operate that way. We've had to grow up. And when you grow up and become a big person, you don't pitch a fit every time you don't get your way. I for one love this country no matter who is in charge. I won't agree with everything President Obama does, and I will vocally oppose him when necessary, but I will continue to love this nation no matter what he or anyone else does.

America is still the best nation on earth - even under a president I don't like, trust, or agree with. It's called living in a democracy. We've come to terms with that. When are these other idiots going to grow up?

Back to Work

I feel like I've been out of touch with the world for the last month, as we spent time in Tucson, AZ and Park City, UT. It was really the first time I've done any major travelling since a trip to Hawaii a few years ago, and I'd forgotten how tiring it can be. It's taken a while to get back on schedule, and making time to post on here has been even harder, but I'm finally getting back in the groove.

We've had an interesting couple of weeks leading up to the inauguration, and I have to admit that I'm getting a little bit nauseous at the giant collective joygasm over this guy. So many people are going to be so very disappointed...

It's been very enlightening, watching the media and others fawning over our new president, and I'll be very interested to see how everyone views him this time next year. My instinct is that our new president is "too big to fail." We've been hearing that a lot in the last few months, mostly concerning banks and other financial institutions, but I think it certainly applies to President Obama (see that...I referred to him as "President Obama", even though I disagree with him...I refuse to descend into the kind of dispicable, immature behavior we've witnessed from the left over the last 8 years).

The media has far too much invested in the phenomenon that is President Obama to ever allow him to fail. No matter what he does, and I honestly believe he will make some very big mistakes over the next four years, his tenure in office will never be portrayed as anything other than a complete success. The left has too much to lose. A lot of folks will laugh at this, but look at our outgoing president. The man was able to keep America free of terrorist attacks after 9/11, got our economy going after inheriting a recession (you won't convince me the current recession can be laid at his feet), and stood resolute in the face of some of the most childish and inane criticism any president has ever faced.

And yet, what is the general opinion among the ignorant masses? Everything from global warming to Katrina to the credit crunch is "Bush's fault." He's seen as the "Worst President Ever", thanks in large part to the media. Don't get me wrong. President Bush made many mistakes, and his refusal to stand up and defend himself was one of the most frustrating. He tried to govern as a "Big Government Conservative", an oxymoron to any true conservative, and he certainly deserves criticism for many bad decisions. But I for one believe that he will be remembered as a courageous man who was willing to be the villian, if it meant keeping us safe.

Maybe not in my lifetime, but in generations to come, he'll be remembered as he should be. Besides, he can't hold a candle to Jimmy Carter when it comes to "Worst President Ever", and judging by our new president's affinity for Carteresque policy, we may have a new benchmark in a few years time.

Thank you, President Bush.

And So It Begins...

I had to wait several days to write about the election results. To say that I'm dissappointed would be an understatement, but I'm not depressed. Most of us saw this one coming, and knew it would be a rough night for the GOP. That being said, I don't believe this to be a repudiation of conservatism for a number of reasons. First and foremost, Obama ran on plenty of conservative ideals. He promised tax cuts, albeit with a populist twist, and even tried to convince people he was "pro-life."

In fact, he succeeded in giving many believers, especially African Americans, an excuse to rationalize their support for him in spite of his horrific record on abortion. Many of them will outright refuse to admit to this day that he supports abortion. I realize that any black American is going to have a difficult time voting against Obama, despite the fact that he is considerably more liberal than most of them.

And while I ultimately think that Obama's presidency is going to be very bad for America from an economical and political standpoint, I also recognize that his election will be good for America. The election of the nation's first black president is historic, and encouraging for many reasons. While I worry about his policy positions and his character, I can still be inspired by how far our nation has come in the last 50 years or so. I can celebrate our nation getting beyond the racial barrier, while at the same time wishing our nation's first black president didn't have to be a socialist liberal.

I hate to admit it, but I did feel the slightest bit of pride, tempered with dread, the morning after the election. I sincerely hope that President-elect Obama will prove me wrong - for the sake of my nation and our children's futures, I really do hope that he will be a successful president. His record does not give me confidence, but I'll support him as president, unlike the idiots on the left have done for the past 8 years, because that's what grown-up Americans do.

My guess is that he'll be too busy handling the wars, economic crises, and potential threats from Russia (all of which will no doubt be blamed on evil republicans and Bush) to actually be able to enact many of his misguided plans - at least for the next few years. The real threat will be coming from congress, as I don't see too much chance of Obama using the veto pen against the idiocy Pelosi and Reid will no doubt be producing.

So, that's my final vent on the presidential election of 2008. We will have a new leader in a few months, and while I don't trust or particularly like him, I recognize that he has been put in this place for a reason. For that reason I will pray for him, and hope that he follows up on his promises for a "new era of change in Washington." If he actually does manage to "change" Washington through real bipartisanship, then I will give him full credit.

However, I will always judge his actions from the standpoint of conservatism, the last best hope for this nation. I'm predicting Jimmy Carter part deux...I hope I'm wrong.