The State of Delusion

The State of Delusion

The View from the Middle

If it were just about the words and the delivery, I would concede that the President’s State of the Union speech was a successful, unifying message for the country.  He talked about the importance of working hard and its connection to success.  He suggested to CEO’s that it would be a good idea to hire Veterans and that we need more manufacturing jobs here in the United States.  Who could be against that?  I’ve even written columns in support of all of these ideas.

I could even support his idea that we need to shrink the wealth gap here in this country.  I did a YouTube video two years ago in support of that idea, and I still support that objective today.  I might even be convinced that we need more revenue (code name for new taxes), but not to give to the government to squander or to politicians to steal, but to reduce our debt. 

It’s not “what” the President wants to do that I disagree with, its “how” he suggests that we get there.  Do I think we need to improve the education system in America to compete for the future?  Absolutely!  Do I think that free community college is how to accomplish this?  Absolutely not.  First of all, nothing is free, and the sooner we all learn that the better.  Second, anything you give away for no cost soon becomes worthless.

For almost every “what” on which the President and I agree, I have a different “how” to get there.  And that is what makes this country great.  We all have the right to express those beliefs, and the President should be listening to some of those different “hows”. 

And if the President really is willing to listen to other ideas, he has a strange way of showing it.  In the beginning of his speech he talked about creating a spirit of cooperation between his office and Congress.  This was closely followed by a record number of veto threats.  This may be a technique taught in the Obama School of cooperation, but it doesn’t work in the real world.  Slapping the other side in the face before a negotiation usually poisons the compromise. 

The President also painted a picture of the world that even his friends at MSNBC suggested was “out of touch” with reality.  We have real problems with countries like Syria, Iraq, Iran, Russia, Yemen, etc.  While it might be politically expedient to ignore them in this speech, the people of this country deserve the truth and deserve a plan to resolve these issues.

Maybe the worst illusion of the night, however, is how the President seemed to make our debt disappear.  He made only one minor comment about our deficit, which could lead us to believe that our spending problems are over.  He didn’t mention the fact that we have now saddled future generations with $18 trillion in debt. 

He also didn’t mention that our plan for the foreseeable future is to carry a World War II type debt load, which will weaken our country, jeopardize our children’s future and diminish our country’s ability to react to future crises. 

He didn’t mention that the CBO projects that our yearly deficits will drift back up to the trillion dollar mark by 2024 at which point our total debt will exceed $25 trillion.  At that point, and at the interest rates projected by the CBO, the service on our debt will exceed $1.2 trillion a year. That is about six times what it is today, and will be larger than National Defense and Medicare combined.

By this time, of course, President Obama will be playing golf every day and most of Congress will be on the 19^th hole.  But YOU, the youth of today, will be dealing with the irresponsible spending of the early 21^st century.  That is, unless you make our (your) debt an issue today!!

Mr. President, we all want the same “whats”.  We want good schools and clean air and water.  We want hard working Americans to fully enjoy the fruits of the American dream and we want America to be safe.  We only differ on “how” we should achieve these goals.  Please, Mr. President, listen to the other patriotic Americans who may even disagree with your “hows”.  You may find some truth that will help move our country forward.

The Keystone Pipeline would be a good place to start.  It is supported across the country by more than a two to one margin.  It has already passed the House with bi-partisan support, and will most assuredly do the same in the Senate.  All you have to do, Mr. President, is sign it.  This would be a sign that you really are willing to reach across the aisle as you have so often suggested.

Cuba Normalization, Good Deal or Bad

Cuba Normalization, Good Deal or Bad?

The View from the Middle

The View From the Middle often criticizes President Obama, not because of his party affiliation, but because he is often extreme.  His views on abortion, deficit spending and the size and purpose of government are inconsistent with the thinking of average Americans.  However, if and when he does something that hits the sweet spot between the right and left, I will gladly support it. 

Recently, President Obama has decided to normalize relations with Cuba.  My first clue that this might be a good decision was the bipartisan support and opposition for this move.  On the Republican side we have Rand Paul and Marco Rubio squaring off in a semi-heated early presidential debate.  Rand Paul is in favor of this move and Marco Rubio is not.

On the other side of the political fence we have Hillary Clinton in favor of normalization and Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey firmly against.  This sounds like fertile ground for The View From the Middle.  And, I can even understand both sides of this argument.

From Marco Rubio’s and Bob Menendez’ side, I can comprehend that they see this as an endorsement of a cruel and rigid communist regime managed by the Castro brothers for over 50 years.  The Castro brothers are not nice people, and they deserve our loathing. 

Cuba’s history is bloody and violent and the Castro brothers fit right in.  While their original intentions might have been noble, to improve the living conditions of the poor in Cuba, their leadership has lead to more repression, poverty and violence of its own. 

Fidel ruled Cuba with an iron fist, eliminating all political opposition and ruling the country with one decree (executive order) after another.  Freedom and liberty were the first to leave Cuba followed by about a million Cubans fleeing to other countries, primarily the US.  Fidel then aligned with all of our enemies as he established his communistic government.  On this, I agree with Marco Rubio and Bob Menendez.  I certainly would not want this move by President Obama to serve as some sort of empowerment of the Castro’s.

But, my first hint that this might be a good move came from the response of the Cuban people themselves.  They seem to be extremely excited.  Of course, this is anecdotal.  There hasn’t even been time to poll the Cuban people, but the American people support this move by about a two to one ratio.  I’m guessing that any poll done of the Cuban people right now would even exceed those results.

Then there is the logical argument.  First, we have been trying to change Cuba by isolating them for more than 50 years now, and it has not worked.  I would argue that the best way to influence that country is to allow its people to experience capitalism at its finest.  We trade with countries like China, Vietnam and Venezuela.  Cuba should be easier to influence and track.

As Americans invest in real estate and construction and millions of dollars pour into Cuba’s tourism industry, it will be impossible for Raul or Fidel to keep some of the dollars from flowing down to every Cuban in the country.  Cubans will also see and get to experience the newest technology as cell phones, ipads and laptops invade Cuba in the hands of these tourists.

As their economy improves, so will the lives of its people, who I believe will benefit most from this move.  Sure, some American companies will benefit from a freer trade policy with Cuba, and some profits will be made and of course taxed by this country, but the big winners will be the Cuban people.

I am also not so naive as to think that this move is the end of the story with Cuba. Congress will have to lift the embargo, which I think will happen although with considerable debate.  Our government will have to work hard to insure that as much of our investment as possible works its way down to the Cuban people.

One big question keeps coming up, however, and that is, “could we have gotten more concessions out of Cuba for the move?”  I doubt it.  When you are dealing with people like the Castros, who don’t really give a flip about their people, it is tough to get huge accommodations.  As long as their lives are good, they seem willing to allow their citizens to suffer.

We could wait until the Castros are gone.  Fidel is 88 and in failing health, and Raul is 83, but who knows what Miguel Diaz-Canel, the heir apparent to the throne, will do.  His primary qualification to this spot seems to be loyalty to the Castros and their philosophy.  Why even wait?  Let the light of democracy and fee enterprise shine on Cuba today and elevate the condition of Cuban life.

Race in America - Final episode - Solutions

Here is a link to the final episode of Race in America with Joseph Wood, Deputy Sec. of State for the State of Arkansas.  Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kVsN7TO-XU