The United Socialists of America

This past Tuesday, President Obama addressed Congress and the nation on his economic agenda saying, "the day of reckoning has come," after years of finanical irresponsibility. Obama praised Congress for their passage of the $787 billion dollar economic plan, believeing that its passage will create approximately 3.5 million jobs. President Obama went on to indicate that the government will be getting into the consumer banking business, overhauling energy resourcefulness, investing millions in Medicare, and reforming schools. But, will this, to paraphrase Mr. Obama,"build a new foundation for lasting prosperity?" Well, just listening to that speech, you couldn't help but get the feeling that the United States was turning from a capitalist society to a socialist one before your very own eyes. Using Medicare as an example, I think President Obama was very much impyling that socialized medicine is a path onto which the U.S. should trod. Certainly, FDR would have stood up with Nancy Pelosi in giving President Obama standing ovation after standing ovation. However, would the founding fathers have found resonance with the same words? I do not think that anyone would disagree that they, more than anyone else, knew what would build a new foundation for lasting prosperity.

The Dark Cloud

In the last two years, the US has run up deficits of $2.5 trillion dollars...that's almost a fourth of all the debt the nation has taken on in its entire history. With eight months left in the current budget year, the deficit already has surpassed the deficit for 2008. Many economists are forecasting that the deficit for the current year will hit $1.6 trillion. America has borrowed so much money that just the interest on its debt is now more than what the country spends in Iraq. And the money the Obama Administration is borrowing for the stimulus package adds another $350 billion in interest. Let me also mention Medicare, which is expected to cost $36 trillion with approximately 77 million baby boomers retiring in the next few years. Naturally, one must ask the question of who is going to pay the tab on this bill? A difficult answer, but most likely the grandchildren of our children. And everyone knows its easy to spend someone else's money, someone who is too young to vote or even someone who hasn't been born yet...and that's exactly what we are doing. But, I'm afraid it's too late to do much about it now, the check has already been cashed. Now, American's must at least hold their government accountable for their decisions and make sure the money goes to the purposes of which it was intended. Nevertheless, one cannot deny that a dark cloud hangs over the United States at this very hour.

Children of the Mountains'

This past week ABC's Diane Sawyer (a native Kentuckian) aired a 20/20 investigation focused on the children of the Kentucky Appalacian region. The feature focused on different children of the region and how they are working to overcome the odds placed upon them by the area. For example, a statistic offered up by the program was that up to 1 out of 10 residents is completely without teeth and that children as young as 2 have as many as 12 cavaties. The program also highlighted a few hero's who were working to make conditions for those in the region better than they have ever been. I first learned about the program from Bill O'Reilly's, The O'Reilly Factor, when he interviewed Diane Sawyer regarding the feature. Now, before I go out and bash Mr. O'Reilly, let me state that I agree with Bill on almost every issue that he has added insight on. I watch his program nearly every evening and find his commentary second to none. However, I was shocked at how hard he came down on Diane, essentially blaming the Appalacian people for much of their disfortune. The heart of Bill's point comes down to folks choosing not to move away from the area knowing that there is no livelyhood present in the hills, and essentially refusing to better themselves. I can understand where he is coming from, he being from Long Island, NY where poverty of this magnitude is a distant reality. But, it is unreasonable and above unfair to blame the children of the region for their misfortune. What are they to do? I think parents feel somewhat trapped. They do not want to completely leave their families behind, forsaking them so they can have a better life. Many, also, do not have the money to move away, even if they had the opportunity to do so. I also feel that other's (and this is not only directed at Bill, mind you) portrayal of the region is not always accurate. The "hills" have really come a long way, both economically and socially. Students are getting better educations than ever before, new buisnesses are beginning to crop up in cities like Pikeville, KY, and most of all, more money is being spent on the region than ever before. So, the Bottom Line...outsiders, even within the state of kentucky, do not often foster a very accurate opinion of the appalacian hills...

The Downfall of a Hero

This past Thursday, Michael Phelps was suspended by the governing body of United States swimming. The suspension came less than a week after Phelps had been pictured in a British tabloid smoking marijuana from a pipe at a party on the University of South Carolina's campus. Now Phelps is considering retirement from swimming, claiming that the disappointment is just to much to bear. And it should be. I can very easily recall the magic moments of this past summer...the anticipation, the adrenaline, the goosebumps that were present in every viewer as Phelps stepped onto the platform each night in Beijing. Watching Phelps win those golds was quite possible the most miraculous achievement that I had seen in my young lifetime. Now, with Phelps backed into a corner I wonder what happen to all the magic. I balk at how a man who had it all...glory, fame, cash...would trade it away for a dose of marijuana. I grimace at seeing parents faces as they try to hide their children from seeing their role model crash and burn. I think Yogi Berra put it best; "If the world was perfect, it wouldn't be." Too bad it isn't.

"The Bill"

Obama's Congress is on track to pass a stimulus bill that could easlily top $900 billion. Though no Republicans voted for the bill, it slipped through the House and has now landed at the feet of the Senate. The Cincinnati Enquirer reported Sunday that their region alone had requested at least $2.5 billion in requests. To me, Obama has bet his future legacy as President on this bill. Essentially, Obama has modeled himself after FDR in his crafting of this legislation. The problem is...FDR's New Deal did squat to improve the then "dead" U.S. economy of the 1930s. WWII saved FDR and the US economy in one scoop. One is left to wonder if history will repeat itself. More importantly, however, is the prospect of how a humble Joe like myself can get a big piece of this benevolent pie. Hmmmm.....