We have a new president. Hello to Barack Obama. The inauguration ceremony was impressive indeed. The crowd at the Washington mall was the largest ever. Previous record was for the inauguration of Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1965. (Hope that’s not a bad omen.)
Everyone is looking up. Everyone is filled with hope. Bill Clinton was a man from hope. Hope, Arkansas. Barack Obama is a man about hope. He wrote a book called The Audacity of Hope.
Barack is a bright guy. No doubt he really wrote that book. Unlike JFK, who did not write Profiles in Courage.
So what about the future. Do we have hope?
Let’s look at the economy. It’s in the tank. One reason is we’ve been at war for the last fifty years. Korea, Vietnam, the Cold War, various interventions around the world, Persian Gulf War, Iraqi sanctions regime, Sudan, Somalia, the Balkans, etc. ad nauseam.
All this in the era B. B. (Before Bush.)
We can’t grow the economy, i.e. engage in the creation of wealth, when we’re spending beyond our means. The big ticket items are war spending and elderly entitlements. We’re talking primarily about Medicare and more Medicare. Big sponge soaking up the budget. Billions upon billions of unfunded liabilities.
Future generations? Who gives a damn!
There’s a strong possibility of a runaway inflation. A mitigating factor could be that much of the debt is held by foreigners. The Japanese and Chinese will not be happy if we continue our spendthrift ways. No one wants them to dump dollars and crash the currency.
But the folks at home want promises fulfilled. A federal works program for the poor. Jobs, jobs and more jobs. Relief for mortgage debt and student loans. Stimulus package in overdrive.
Hmmm. Looks like quite the juggling act. Taming the inflation dragon with spending cuts will mean fewer benefits at home. A return to fiscal sanity might even bring on the dreaded d-word. (Depression.)
Barack is walking the tight wire. There is no safety net.
The president does have one key advantage. His enormous popularity. Ecstatic throngs see his election victory as the second coming. America can be rescued at last from its decade of darkness.
There are two constituencies which must be appeased however. African-Americans and social liberals.
The former will be mollified with vocational initiatives for inner-city minorities. Word of advice: forget the whole Aid to Africa nonsense. Keep the money at home. The homies will love you for it.
Don’t forget to pay your respects to Martin Luther King.
Social liberals will demand their pound of flesh as well. Especially after eight years of the Bush administration. Requisite lip service must be paid to gay rights, women’s rights, and other (fill in the blanks) rights.
Dispense with “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.” State emphatically that “There have always been, and always will be, gays in the military.” Do the wink-wink-nod-nod to the Pentagon brass. Let them run things as usual. No one will notice the difference.
Don’t get carried away with this “women in combat roles” claptrap. Military guys hate it because it hurts morale. Have the gals serve in support. Let the boys do the fighting and get their kicks in R and R.
Let’s not talk of hate crimes. Sounds like too much like Orwellian thought crimes. Hate crimes legislation is a police state dream. Gays and lesbians support civil rights and liberties just like anyone else.
Inspire Americans by telling them to “toughen up.” It takes moral courage to defend freedom and liberty. Cut the crap and the whining. Stop being afraid. Remind Americans they’re more likely to be killed in an auto accident than a terrorist attack.
It’s true more funds will be needed for veterans care. Barack can save a ton by taking a meat cleaver to the high-tech weapons programs. Robot soldiers and tactical nukes give people the creeps anyway.
The president was not specific on foreign policy. Does he really need to send more troops to Afghanistan? With his public mandate Obama could pull a “Ron Paul” and bring the troops home.
But don’t forget who’s running things: the Military-Industrial complex. Look who Barack chose as Secretary of State. Hilary Clinton is pro-war and not amused with Taliban family values.
Which could lead to a bloodbath in Afghanistan. Let’s hope not.
Americans are squishy-squeamish on foreign policy. They can’t find places on the map but they want someone strong on the “War on Terror.” Bombs away are okay as long as there’s no draft.
Maybe Obama could turn out to be a terrific president. But the economy and foreign events are going against him.
Best he can do is keep inflation to a dull roar and let the country suffer thru a well deserved depression. Then see if we can muddle thru the next eight years without getting into a nuclear war.
2016. Now that sounds like a vintage year to bring sanity back to government.
Deadly Angel author Andrew Cofrin
