Lets have a little glance at what he has been up to since coming to office.
1. Climate change regulation – India and China gave him a thumbs down and are still building coal fired plants.
2. Guantanamo bay – He asked it to be closed by February 2010, will not be done.
3. Health care reform – the opposition to that bill in the house and senate is mind numbing
4. Reduce nuclear weapons – Iran and North Korea want nuclear weapons. India, China and Israel won’t sign nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
5. Afghanistan – in his campaign he said he will bring the fight against terrorism hard to Al Qaeda, but now he has second thoughts about troop increase.
6. Job losses – Said job losses will not be above 9%, currently in the USA that figure stands at 9.8% with no end in sight.
7. Israel-Palestine conflict – Israel won’t stop building settlements and Hamas criticized that Obama received the noble peace prize.
8. Iran – USA wants sanctions, but co-operation from China and Russia is lukewarm to say the least.
9. Honduras – Wants the ousted president reinstated, no one is listening.
Does the power of rhetoric really count for more than real political achievements?
This remind me of a satirical joke.
The writers of the theonion.com could not have written this one any better.
Food for thought.
Mike
4 comments:
Responding to your numerals:
1. He's trying. But the major obstacle to demolish in the US is the Clean Coal faction of idiots. I say idiots, because there is nowhere to bury the toxic waste that results from 'Clean Coal.' Same problem that we've had with finding a dumping spot for nuclear waste. So-called clean coal is also just another money maker for someone. We just have to smash them and go with sustainable power production.
2. Isn't he the Commander in Chief or something? Why is it still open if he said to close it? Isn't that treason?
3. Yeah, it looks like the Health Care initiative has been sideswiped and waylaid. Whatever comes out of it is going to be broke from the start. Just another thing for Republicans to blame on Democrats for the next hundred years.
4. I think this is a pipe dream. Ultimately, someone will always want a nuke and is planning to use it once they have it. Do we let them or deter them? If we don't deter them by an existing nuclear arsenal, which, granted, won't deter a terrorist state or individual, how do we deter them? Should we just invade anyone who proclaims to want a nuke? Goodbye Iran and N. Korea. But Russia and China deny us this option, so that means we're left with.....?
5. If he doesn't make the commitment, there won't be any gains over the long term. These people are more patient than others, and can outlast the temporary resolve of the US military. I see the failure of the US to secure Afghanistan with what they've got to be a reflection of horrible bureaucracy at work in the military. The resources are there and the 'war' could be won if the resources are applied correctly. Protect the population, marginalize the dissidents, and destroy their poppy field income. Take down the outlaw leaders and anyone who steps in to replace them.
6. Tip of the iceberg. Anyone with intelligence in the US has seen this whole thing coming from years away. Too many speculators creating too many bubbles. It started with comic books and baseball cards in the 1980's. Speculators came in and bought up anything of value, driving prices higher and higher, which was nice for some people. Then, they dumped everything on the market at the high prices. There was no real demand for the items, since the bubble of demand was created entirely by speculators. And when they all got out of a particular market, the bottom would fall out of it. Sorry kids, your collection of comics and cards from the 80's and 90's isn't worth anything any more. And then they did it with older vehicles, buying the old steel American cars, getting them fixed up at minor costs, and selling them at outrageously high prices. The housing bubble is another product of this.
I knew of a group of investors who would have a mathematician determine if buying a particular apartment would fit their formula. If it did, they bought it, then rolled the equity from it over into their next apartment complex purchase. Other people did this with houses, creating a situation where most houses are now rentals instead of owned by the people who live in them. It reminds me of a song about immigrants leaving Caledonia for America to get away from filthy landlords. Only now, the exodus is beginning. Where will the poor of America go?
7. Israel. Conspiracy theories. They own the US media. They knew that 9/11 was going to happen and none of them went to work in the buildings that day. Reality is that Israel has been segragated from the surrounding Middle East community and that there is no sign of this ending until Israel is destroyed or the Palestinians are wiped out. It's too bad that re-integration is not a possibility any more. But could it be?
8. Iran has been in the process of becoming more 'Westernized' for the past thirty years. The youth was standing up. It's a shame that due to the Bush administration and the subsequent falsified election in Iran the country is considered a threat again. Sometimes I wonder if 'threat' nations are allowed to remain, just so that the citizens of a country have someone to fear. In other words, it's organized to keep citizens under control.
9. South America. CIA policies did more damage than good down there. It's time for the US to take more notice of their neighbors and work with them economically regardless of their leanings, in order to make amends.
When it comes down to it...
As an American, I want to see the US cease acting as the world's police. It can't continue. It will bankrupt the US further and further. Not to mention making Americans the enemy of everyone.
I'd personally like to see a kinder, gentler, more open foreign policy that is willing to take into account the deep history of different peoples of the world. When you have to fight against terrorism, you've already lost the battle. Terrorism is essentially an expression of dissent by the downtrodden. If people are willing to be terrorists, then they have most likely been wronged in some way. At least, in their perception.
We have to come to an understanding of this perception in order to eliminate terrorism. However, terrorism also happens to be useful to the Machiavellians who are in power in keeping the masses afraid and subjugated.
It's good to here the opinions og an American on these issues.
Some excellent points there.
Mike
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