Obama Runs GM

Did Obama fire the General Motors chairman? It’s a little more complicated than that.

The GM bailout severely curtailed the power of the corporation. In most times, a bailout would also have damaged the employee’s union. But the United Auto Workers refused to negotiate with the government. This made it look like the union thought GM was not in serious trouble. And GM looked like they were going after some easy money.

If GM really was close to bankruptcy, the government should have made it plain that both company and employees were getting the benefit. That is, they should have waited until the UAW was willing to make as many concessions as did the company. The upshot of the ill-timed bailout is that GM lost power which the UAW gained, and the government lost credibility.

The union now has the power to fire the chairman and probably the entire board of directors. They also have a huge amount of influence over President Obama. If the UAW says fire the chairman, Obama has just enough power to save face by acting like he did the firing.

Though Obama fired the GM chairman, the UAW pulled his strings.

Signs of a Failing Presidency

A letter to President Obama:

I see a monumental crisis for our country. The headlines will read, “President Resigns.” The television news will broadcast 24/7 as the historic events unfold. Mock coffins will be dragged through the streets as for a funeral. You will have given up the office of president of the United States of America.

Politicians and pundits will wonder how they could have missed seeing the tell-tales. Steve Kroft will rue that he berated you for being punch drunk when he should have given sympathy to a man in deep distress. Jay Leno will publicly apologize for encouraging a joke about handicapped people. The White House social secretary will regret allowing you to choose a specious gift for the British prime minister. The secretary of state will ask forgiveness for not assigning an aide to check your diplomatic mail. Many people in the print and broadcast media will search for answers as to why they failed to delve into the life of the man they supported for president. And people all around the country will seek absolution for having allowed a political neophyte to take on the challenges of the highest elective office in the nation.

But in all the places where somebody should have stepped up and helped, you alone are to blame. The office of president is too big for one person to fulfill by himself. You thought that if able to be elected president, then presidential expertise would follow. When things became chaotic, you could have saved yourself by delegating a few of the details of office. But instead of looking for good people to staff the Treasury Department, you let policy-making positions set idle. Instead of looking for qualified nominees for his cabinet, you supported people who don’t pay their taxes. Instead of trusting your adviser’s opinions on matters of state, you thought politicking is what the people of the country most want.

What a sad time of crisis in America. But Mr. Obama, it’s not too late. You’ve got to get help to change your policies for the country, to manage the demands of the presidency, and to put your emotional life back into order. Time is short. If you don’t make changes soon, the only thing worse than resigning will be to stay on.

Blago and Rolo

to the tune of Frankie and Johnny

Blago and Rolo were buddies,
Tight as two scoundrels can be.
Blago and Rolo were cronies,
In political society.
Rubbed each other’s backs
Scratched each other’s itch.

Blago one day went on E-Bay,
Listed a fine senate seat.
Rolo tried negotiations
To get a deal that couldn’t be beat.
Rolo had a plan
To get to Washington.

Rolo then went to the feds,
They tapped Blago’s telephone,
Blago thought Obama had done it,
To pick a senator of his own.
Rolo was the man;
Blago’s time was short.

So Blago appointed old Rolo,
It gave the Democrats fits,
Harry Reid said he’d never allow it
But now that crafty Rolo sits
On the Senate floor.
Blago’s out on his butt.

Then Blago discovered that Rolo
Wasn’t going to pay what he thought,
So Blago decided a lesson
Really needed to be taught.
And the FBI,
Got new evidence.

The story may not yet be ended,
They’re still making lots of noise.
Don’t ever try to cheat your old buddy,
Especially in Illinois.
There's no honor 'mongst thieves,
Now their time is gone.

Libertarianism and the Usual Political Dichotomy

Last fall my daughter Kelley, who fashions herself a libertarian, was making an argument that liberals were close to being libertarians. Her position was a trifle disingenuous – she had made up her mind to support Obama and was trying to justify that decision. I responded to her that liberaltarianism may be valid in respect to social issues, but is a pure oxymoron it terms of economics.

My opinion on social liberalism has been changing. For instance, many liberals were shocked by the fact that Sarah Palin refused an abortion even after she knew that her fetus was going to be born severely handicapped. Apparently liberals are joining conservatives in denying personal decisions. Both sides seem to prefer that the government handles abortion choices, they just disagree on what form that interference should take. And they are both wrong - though the practice of mandated abortions seems more heinous than that of denied abortions.

Anyway, my mind isn’t totally made up about social liberalism. Liberals may yet see the light of personal freedom, just as conservatives are beginning to question the plethora of counter-effective rules they have imposed on businesses. A small, limited government in support of a mostly free economy is a good thing; each generation just has to decide where the line limiting governmental powers should be drawn. Anarchism and fascism are both bad ideas.

Part of my response to Kelley's argument is that fascism lives at the point on the circle where ultra-liberalism and far right conservatism become one. Isn’t it interesting that President Obama is borrowing money from future generations so he can give it to big business? It's just like Adolph Hitler - who in a rush to merge government and big business, sold Germany's future to fund his power grabs. Obama has every right to think that his ideas should have a bipartisan following in the U.S. government. Democrats like government and Republicans like big business. And hey, that same attitude worked out pretty successfully for several years for George W. Bush.

Yep ... Bush and Obama - the same guy doing the same things.