Everywhere one looks these days, there is a problem, a disaster, a crisis or something worse. I just spent ten minutes trying to think of some aspect of life in America that is going well and is not under threat; it was not an easy task. Our economy is weak. We never really had any recovery from the big recession that began in 2008. Millions of young Americans now think of stagnant conditions, few jobs and falling incomes as "normal". They never lived as adults in a prosperous nation with a growing economy. This is a major disaster since much of the strength of America comes from our economic prowess. The fabric of American society is also frayed so badly that it is in danger of tearing. Our president promotes strife between the wealthy, the poor and the middle class. The idea that we are all Americans working together for the good of everyone has been replaced by promoting envy and division for political gain. We have also seen an increase in racial division in the last few years as president Obama's people have used bogus charges of racism as a political weapon to try to silence those who oppose Obama's policies. The people who want to enforce the laws already on the books regarding our borders are denounced not on the basis of arguments why the law should be changed, but rather because they are supposedly biased against Hispanics. In foreign affairs, the world has come to realize that it can no longer rely on the word of the American government. We have gone from supporting our friends and opposing our enemies to "reaching out" to our enemies and undermining our friends and allies. Often, our government behaves as if it is in a fantasy world of its own imagining. Reality is often ignored and the American people and the nations of the world are told things that seem more like delusions than anything else. Just think how it was about a year ago that Obama told the world that the War on Terror had to end. Of course, the terrorists never agreed to this; Obama just announced it as if it had happened. Since then, more than 100,000 people worldwide have been killed in terrorist attacks. Even so, the president has yet to announce that he realizes that the War on Terror is still ongoing.
Those are the most egregious problems we face, but there are many more that factor into the current situation. Obama has managed to destroy the credibility of the office of the president. Just today, former Democrat Congressman Barney Frank lamented the fact that Obama lied to America repeatedly about the effects of Obamacare. When someone as partisan as Frank is calling Obama a liar and not even using vague language or euphemisms, there is no doubt that the vast bulk of America understands that Obama is a liar and he cannot be trusted. Obama has also managed to raise doing nothing while blaming others to an art form. Just think about the Keystone Pipeline. Whether or not that pipeline is a good idea is not the issue. Focus instead on the fact that the full investigation of the merits of the Keystone Pipeline was finished just about the time that Obama first took office. It is not five and a half years later, and Obama still has managed not to make a decision on the project. But, of course, it is not his fault -- or so he has told us. Obama has also managed to undermine people's faith in government. The Obamacare website fiasco, the VA disaster, the IRS scandal, even the inability of the State Department to provide security for the Benghazi consulate after being warned of a possible attack all show the inability of the government to do its work well or fairly.
The real issue of the moment for me is whether or not the United States can survive the rest of Obama's term without suffering permanent and severe damage. The reality is that we no longer have a president who even seems interested in doing his job. We all must hope that the country can survive another two and a half years essentially on auto-pilot without there being a catastrophe so serious that it will prevent a future recovery. We all should pray for America and our collective future.
Those are the most egregious problems we face, but there are many more that factor into the current situation. Obama has managed to destroy the credibility of the office of the president. Just today, former Democrat Congressman Barney Frank lamented the fact that Obama lied to America repeatedly about the effects of Obamacare. When someone as partisan as Frank is calling Obama a liar and not even using vague language or euphemisms, there is no doubt that the vast bulk of America understands that Obama is a liar and he cannot be trusted. Obama has also managed to raise doing nothing while blaming others to an art form. Just think about the Keystone Pipeline. Whether or not that pipeline is a good idea is not the issue. Focus instead on the fact that the full investigation of the merits of the Keystone Pipeline was finished just about the time that Obama first took office. It is not five and a half years later, and Obama still has managed not to make a decision on the project. But, of course, it is not his fault -- or so he has told us. Obama has also managed to undermine people's faith in government. The Obamacare website fiasco, the VA disaster, the IRS scandal, even the inability of the State Department to provide security for the Benghazi consulate after being warned of a possible attack all show the inability of the government to do its work well or fairly.
The real issue of the moment for me is whether or not the United States can survive the rest of Obama's term without suffering permanent and severe damage. The reality is that we no longer have a president who even seems interested in doing his job. We all must hope that the country can survive another two and a half years essentially on auto-pilot without there being a catastrophe so serious that it will prevent a future recovery. We all should pray for America and our collective future.
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