Obama: A Prediction

Last year I told a good friend that I didn't expect Obama to run for reelection.  I said,  I think he will raise as much money as he can right up to the convention, but then withdraw.  Why do you think that my friend asked?  Because he is going to be beaten badly if he runs and since he is without honor he will raise money as long as he can in order to have a war chest to use as he wishes after he withdraws.

I don't mean use on himself directly, but use to support other candidates or causes or to build his library.  By avoiding defeat Obama will be in a great position to hover or float above politics and the country (even the world!) for years to come, to comment on injustice or bad policies,  remain relevant and the go to source for the media.  That status is improved if he has a few hundred million laying around to hand to selected candidates and to support selected causes. Furthermore, with that much money he would always be a threat to run again and even if he never runs for office again, the media would keep talking about him and keep him relevant and in the news.

Obama never wanted to be President of the United States.  He simply wanted to be rich and famous and it just so happened that politics turned out to be the racket that got him what he desired.

Handled correctly Obama could become even more of deity in some quarters.  As impossible as that seems.

I am no longer convinced that Obama won't run.  It could still happen, but a more likely course is that seeing he is going to lose he doesn't spend anywhere near the money he raises.

We shall see.  Unfortunately we live in interesting times.

A disgrace. An Absolute Disgrace

Makes you cry doesn't it?

Why the U.S. was downgraded:

·        U.S. Tax revenue: $2,170,000,000,000

·        Fed budget: $3,820,000,000,000

·        New debt: $ 1,650,000,000,000

·        National debt: $14,271,000,000,000

·        Recent budget cuts: $ 38,500,000,000

Let's now remove 8 zeros and pretend it's a household budget:

·        Annual family income: $21,700

·        Money the family spent: $38,200

·        New debt on the credit card: $16,500

·        Outstanding balance on the credit card: $142,710

·        Total budget cuts: $385

I tell you, BO is really really bad at math.

The One Question I Would Ask President Obama. (If I could.)

The President talks about how the wealthy, the millionaires and billionaires, don't pay enough and that the wealthy should pay more.   Hold on a minute. Most federal revenue is raised from individual income taxes that are based on annual earnings, not wealth.  So just exactly what is he saying?  That there should be a tax on wealth?  No, I believe he is confusing accumulated wealth with taxable income.  I also believe this reveals that he truly doesn't understand that the federal government's revenue problem is not because rates are too low on millionaires and billionaires, but that they, along with nearly everyone else aren't earning enough.

So the question I'd ask the President is, How much does a millionaire make in a year?  If allowed a follow-up the next question would be, What should be the tax rate on a millionaire?

The Departed and President Obama

Heading back to Kentucky soon and whenever I make that trip I think of my family, both the living and the departed.  Thinking about the departed might seem strange to some, but they are part of the family and they are part of me.

Yesterday, the Japanese American neighbor must have noticed I was working on my lawn mower in the garage, so he came down with his mower and asked if I needed him to mow.  I said, no, I would have it fixed in a bit and anyway I could use Chuck’s if need be.  The radio was playing and some news announcer read something about President Obama and the debt.

I looked at my neighbor and said, we borrow 40% of what we spend, and when I think of that and the President I think back and of the things uncles, grandfather, cousins and so forth said about blacks.  Tried to put all that stuff behind me and out of mind, but it is terribly ironic how so many things they said are true about our first black president.

My neighbor said, oh my dad (who was career military intelligence btw) had nothing good to say about them…oh did he annoy mother with some of the things he said about blacks.

Ok, it is unfair and these statements are racist and should probably be forgotten, but here we go.

So what was said about blacks years ago that are true about our President?  Things that I personally remember are:

Lazy.  Well this President certainly does take a lot of vacations and plays a lot of golf and basketball.  Lazy never meant by the way, sitting under a tree and doing nothing, no it meant playing around. Playing ball, not working.  Which is certainly true of Obama.

Bad at business. Gosh, that is certainly true.  The president hates business and does not understand it all.  Probably because he never worked in one.

Lies. Well the President certainly tells more than his share of whoppers.  Like 80% support tax increase.  Which even if it were true wouldn’t include most of the people who actually would pay the new taxes. Like me.

Innately good at singing and dancing.  Will the President does seem to dance well and he does have that VOICE.  Bores me to tears, but seems to have a hypnotic effect on many.

Not very smart.  Well we know his math is bad, listen to him talk about the debt.  We know his geography is bad, 57 states.  Which I suppose he confused with Heinz’s 57 flavors.  We know he speaks only one language and for some reason thinks “Austrian” is a language.  We can be certain he has never read the Constitution despite supposedly teaching Constitutional law.  We know he can’t write well.  It is pretty well proven he didn’t write his books and nothing else, nothing, that he has written has been released. 

Not trustworthy. Well who can argue with that?  First he is a politician. Second, look at what has happened to the debt and the economy.

Doesn’t take responsibility.  Well he still blames Bush so what else do we need to say?
Uses drugs.  The Chom gang.  Enough said.  

Not reliable.  Actually President Obama is reliable.  One can rely upon him to support the policy which weakens the USA.

That’s enough.  Of course I am just playing around with memories and contemporary events  in a particularly distasteful manner.  Don’t mean any of it.  My departed family did mean it however and they would mean it today.

Update 2014:  I remain dissatisfied with this post.  I conveyed the thoughts that occurred to me, but fail to make it clear that these are not racist thoughts on my part.   I do not attribute the characteristics listed to a group or race of people, but to a specific person.  As a result I keep wondering do I have views different from the departed  because of choice, education, cultural change, a broader world experience, something else or a combination of the items listed as well as other factors not listed?  I don't know, but I do know the world is a better place because more people than, say, 60 years ago do not attribute these behaviors to a specific race or color.