In Obamaland, the impossible is possible, I suppose due to the overwhelming persuasive powers of Obama. Unfortunately in the Real World, where all of us with the exception of Barack Obama and his minions live, things like laws of physics, economics, and human nature do not bow to the Obama charm.
In Obamaland, we can add 40 million new subscribers to healtcare roles without stressing the the capacity of the existing system or raising costs. Sadly, according to all who just stop and think about it and also according to those in the CBO who actually crunch the numbers, Obamaland holds no connection to reality.
In Obamaland, bad people with hate in their hearts and nefarious plans in their brains will put aside their hate and join the community of peace through persuasive negotiations with the all feeling, all sensing, all healing Obama. In Obamaland, it is possible for weapons technology to be "banished from the face of the Earth". In the real world, bad people take advantage of the overconfident silliness of Obamaland dwellars. In the real world, people who actually take action when needed and drive results feel their heads explode when Obamaland platitudes suffice where firm action and resolve are needed.
Most dangerously for all of us, people in the real world, with real hate, real plans, and real weapons eat the lunch of those who live in Obamaland. Were Obama not the president of the United States, this would be just another heady idealist being shoved to irrelevance by things they ironically do not understand. However, Obamaland has moved into the White House and many people will suffer the economic consequences of his failures at a minimum. In the worst case scenario, a lot of people who live in the real world could die from the hubris of Obamaland and its disconnect from the reality of evil in the real world.
Obamaland is a great place for university professors, community organizers, and for young idealists short on real world experience. Obamaland is a bad place when decisions of consequence are at hand, when one must delineate between good and evil. The infinite shades of grey and idea that no one is wrong or bad they are just different doesn't play very well when one of those "different" from us in planning to blow Israel off the map. Obamaland doesn't translate very well into the real world in which we live. I guess we are finding that out a little too late.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Does Obama Have a Strategy?
I am going to give Obama the benefit of the doubt and say that he does not have a strategy for his administration, because if one assumed he had a strategy based on his actions in 9 months in office, they conclusion would not be a pretty one.
I assume that he is in the business of paying back and buying the future support of his "base". Afterall, that is the Chicago-way and Obama has shown his roots as a born and bred Chicigo politician. His base is 1) Union workers 2) Radical Left Peaceniks and socialists 3) Disaffected America Apologists 4) Naive Peaceniks who really believe we can live together with radical Islam 5) People who do not have health insurance. By the way, it is possible to belong to more than one classification of the Obama base.
Let's see if his actions support my theory, giving him the benefit of the doubt that no one is stupid enough enough to try to turn this great republic into a quagmire of government programs where the vast majority depend on the government to take care of them.
Tariff on low end tires from China..who does that help...oh yes, the union boys. Consumers get the benefit of more expensive produts and we get to see if China decides to retaliate. BTW, has Obama ever heard of Smoot Hawley? A period of recession has historically been a poor time to begin a policy of protectionism.
Healthcare, Insurance, Coverage...whatever it is called to day...reform. Well, this helps those in the 5th category, but it also, as written by the House, help the Union boys as they get special treatment and benefits that the rest of the proletariat have to endure with "reformed" healthcare.
Wavering on Afghanistan policy...this certainly is a payback for Peacenicks of any ilk. I thought Afghanistan was Obama's fulcrum on the war on terror. How can we, after 9 months in office, have to delay a decision on troop levels so we can determine our strategy. We don't have a strategy? Are you kidding me? What has been going on since January? Seems to me this delay is a way to not do anything that looks too hawkish or aggressive and make his peacenik supporters mad.
Investigating the CIA for interrogations we conducted in the post 9/11 war on terror. I've got to tell you, whether we waterboarded the bastards who architected the 9/11 massacre or whether we got potty water on the koran doesn't keep me up at night. Why are we going back to re-investigate something that has already been investigated?
Cash for clunkers...let's see who does this help....certainly the unions, although in a funny and happy twist of fate, Toyota sold the most cars during this ridiculous program. This also helped people who like having someone else'money (taxpayers who did not buy a car) given to them (taxpayers and non-taxpayers did buy a car and got $ 4500 from Uncle Sam).
GM & Chrysler Bailout...hmmm, too big to fail...or not. If GM and Chrysler had been allowed to "fail" like 99.9999% of most American business are "allowed" to do...their assets would have been bought by businesses and investors who thought they could make better use of those assets. There would be jobs in Michigan, just not union jobs....ooops! There's the rub. The fallacy is that if GM and Chrysler had failed, while it would have been a big economic shock, there is still demand for cars and trucks in the markets they serve. New investments, new capital would have remade the assets of GM and Chrysler into something viable in the market, rather than a ward of the state, but that would not have been a happy outcome for the union supporters of Obama.
See the pattern here? There is more and I could add more examples, but after a while it just becomes piling on. I guess the Obama strategy or rather his tactics are paying back those in his base, so he can do whatever it is he intends to do...once he comes up with a strategy...like that Afghanistan thing.
I assume that he is in the business of paying back and buying the future support of his "base". Afterall, that is the Chicago-way and Obama has shown his roots as a born and bred Chicigo politician. His base is 1) Union workers 2) Radical Left Peaceniks and socialists 3) Disaffected America Apologists 4) Naive Peaceniks who really believe we can live together with radical Islam 5) People who do not have health insurance. By the way, it is possible to belong to more than one classification of the Obama base.
Let's see if his actions support my theory, giving him the benefit of the doubt that no one is stupid enough enough to try to turn this great republic into a quagmire of government programs where the vast majority depend on the government to take care of them.
Tariff on low end tires from China..who does that help...oh yes, the union boys. Consumers get the benefit of more expensive produts and we get to see if China decides to retaliate. BTW, has Obama ever heard of Smoot Hawley? A period of recession has historically been a poor time to begin a policy of protectionism.
Healthcare, Insurance, Coverage...whatever it is called to day...reform. Well, this helps those in the 5th category, but it also, as written by the House, help the Union boys as they get special treatment and benefits that the rest of the proletariat have to endure with "reformed" healthcare.
Wavering on Afghanistan policy...this certainly is a payback for Peacenicks of any ilk. I thought Afghanistan was Obama's fulcrum on the war on terror. How can we, after 9 months in office, have to delay a decision on troop levels so we can determine our strategy. We don't have a strategy? Are you kidding me? What has been going on since January? Seems to me this delay is a way to not do anything that looks too hawkish or aggressive and make his peacenik supporters mad.
Investigating the CIA for interrogations we conducted in the post 9/11 war on terror. I've got to tell you, whether we waterboarded the bastards who architected the 9/11 massacre or whether we got potty water on the koran doesn't keep me up at night. Why are we going back to re-investigate something that has already been investigated?
Cash for clunkers...let's see who does this help....certainly the unions, although in a funny and happy twist of fate, Toyota sold the most cars during this ridiculous program. This also helped people who like having someone else'money (taxpayers who did not buy a car) given to them (taxpayers and non-taxpayers did buy a car and got $ 4500 from Uncle Sam).
GM & Chrysler Bailout...hmmm, too big to fail...or not. If GM and Chrysler had been allowed to "fail" like 99.9999% of most American business are "allowed" to do...their assets would have been bought by businesses and investors who thought they could make better use of those assets. There would be jobs in Michigan, just not union jobs....ooops! There's the rub. The fallacy is that if GM and Chrysler had failed, while it would have been a big economic shock, there is still demand for cars and trucks in the markets they serve. New investments, new capital would have remade the assets of GM and Chrysler into something viable in the market, rather than a ward of the state, but that would not have been a happy outcome for the union supporters of Obama.
See the pattern here? There is more and I could add more examples, but after a while it just becomes piling on. I guess the Obama strategy or rather his tactics are paying back those in his base, so he can do whatever it is he intends to do...once he comes up with a strategy...like that Afghanistan thing.
Getting Things Done - Advice for Obama
I recognize that President Obama has never had a private sector job, so he needs some help understanding how the real world, real businesses, and real people work. Here is some free advice, that if he follows it, can help him get is presidency out of the ditch.
Businesses hate uncertainty in their markets. Business risk is a part of our ridiculously successful capitalist system. Business people understand that, work to mitigate risk, and evaluate risk/reward trade-offs everyday. What business people cannot tolerate and what makes them recoil into complete inaction is market uncertainty...things that could change the rules of the game over which they have no control, into which they have no input, and against which they have no defense. This reality also applies to consumers...as small enterprises managing their households and lives. If there are too many balls in the air that have potential to radically change the rules of their existence, businesses and the consumers in those businesses will stand on the sidelines, hunker down and wait to see what is going to happen. These are good and rational business reactions.
Obama has too many balls in the air. He is upsetting too many apple carts and heading down too many rat holes. What will the impact of healthcare reform be on small business? I have no idea. Neither do business people. What will the impact of healthcare reform be on the taxes small business owners and individuals pay? No clue. What mandates will be required by an ivory tower president and legislature? I haven't the slightest. Neither does anyone else. Starting to see the problem?
Cap and Trade...where is this headed? What will be the increased tax burden on consumers and business if Cap and Trade becomes law? I know one thing, whether direct or indirect, the cost of everything will rise for the United States market...and for the US market alone. India and China will be the great beneficiaries of Cap and Trade, while its impact on US business in unknown in in depth, only in its direction. This is a huge potential game changer for American businesses and American consumers. Its economic impact is potentially massive...but know one knows how big of a burden Cap and Trade would create and when it starts to dig.
Cardcheck...where is this headed? I hope to the garbage heap where it belongs. However, the president favors card check to help out his union base of supporters. How will this impact the cost of business? Well, it won't make it cheaper to do business if I have to overpay for labor due to increased unionization through simple cardcheck processes. How much will this cost American businesses, I don't know, and the point is neither do they, but like Cap and Trade it will increase the cost of doing business, we just don't know how much.
See the trend? There are way too many balls in the air. There are far too many potential cost/tax burdens waiting to be thrust upon American business in the name of...well, I am not sure what it is int he name of, since it does not appear to be part of any well thought out plan or strategy. I guess this is all in the name of paying back those who got Obama to the White House.
So advice for Obama, assuming he can see the problems he is creating for the businesses and people he so longs to tax into middle class....pick a one major initiative. Create a value proposition for the majority of Americans (other than giving away someone else' money) and insert that initiative as part of a broad strategy to improve the already fabulous economic system we have in America. If your initiative and plan do not achieve these goals or have the potential to achieve these goals...you are working on the wrong things.
This advice is solid and it is free. You can thank me later by keeping my taxes low, letting keep what I earn, and staying out of my healthcare decisions.
Businesses hate uncertainty in their markets. Business risk is a part of our ridiculously successful capitalist system. Business people understand that, work to mitigate risk, and evaluate risk/reward trade-offs everyday. What business people cannot tolerate and what makes them recoil into complete inaction is market uncertainty...things that could change the rules of the game over which they have no control, into which they have no input, and against which they have no defense. This reality also applies to consumers...as small enterprises managing their households and lives. If there are too many balls in the air that have potential to radically change the rules of their existence, businesses and the consumers in those businesses will stand on the sidelines, hunker down and wait to see what is going to happen. These are good and rational business reactions.
Obama has too many balls in the air. He is upsetting too many apple carts and heading down too many rat holes. What will the impact of healthcare reform be on small business? I have no idea. Neither do business people. What will the impact of healthcare reform be on the taxes small business owners and individuals pay? No clue. What mandates will be required by an ivory tower president and legislature? I haven't the slightest. Neither does anyone else. Starting to see the problem?
Cap and Trade...where is this headed? What will be the increased tax burden on consumers and business if Cap and Trade becomes law? I know one thing, whether direct or indirect, the cost of everything will rise for the United States market...and for the US market alone. India and China will be the great beneficiaries of Cap and Trade, while its impact on US business in unknown in in depth, only in its direction. This is a huge potential game changer for American businesses and American consumers. Its economic impact is potentially massive...but know one knows how big of a burden Cap and Trade would create and when it starts to dig.
Cardcheck...where is this headed? I hope to the garbage heap where it belongs. However, the president favors card check to help out his union base of supporters. How will this impact the cost of business? Well, it won't make it cheaper to do business if I have to overpay for labor due to increased unionization through simple cardcheck processes. How much will this cost American businesses, I don't know, and the point is neither do they, but like Cap and Trade it will increase the cost of doing business, we just don't know how much.
See the trend? There are way too many balls in the air. There are far too many potential cost/tax burdens waiting to be thrust upon American business in the name of...well, I am not sure what it is int he name of, since it does not appear to be part of any well thought out plan or strategy. I guess this is all in the name of paying back those who got Obama to the White House.
So advice for Obama, assuming he can see the problems he is creating for the businesses and people he so longs to tax into middle class....pick a one major initiative. Create a value proposition for the majority of Americans (other than giving away someone else' money) and insert that initiative as part of a broad strategy to improve the already fabulous economic system we have in America. If your initiative and plan do not achieve these goals or have the potential to achieve these goals...you are working on the wrong things.
This advice is solid and it is free. You can thank me later by keeping my taxes low, letting keep what I earn, and staying out of my healthcare decisions.
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