The state of President Obama’s key failures
Written by Thomas Berry | | opinion@toledofreep.comPresident Obama’s State of the Union Address revealed five crucial failures in his competency as President.
Failure to understand basic economics. He advocated demolishing the foundation of our economy when he called for financial institutions to be banned from taking risks. Risk is part of the free market! Eliminating risk requires total government control of the economy, including private property and capital, and correspondingly the abolition of liberty.
After condemning President Bush’s tax cuts as contributing to the federal deficit by not being “paid for,” he failed to explain how his would be. The truth is that Bush’s were paid for, by net increases in revenues as the economy grew under their – ahem! – stimulus.
President Barack Obama
Failure to understand responsibility. He decried the deficit he inherited and lied about its origins. After increased tax revenues had halved the deficit, it expanded because of unrestrained spending and the present recession – which some say was induced by the growing likelihood of an Obama presidency. Be that as it may: It is now far worse because of the trillions of dollars in new spending that Obama signed into law. Yet, to him, the resulting deficit is solely the responsibility of his predecessor.
Conversely, he took responsibility for what he did not do. He claimed responsibility for the bank bailout, which his predecessor signed into law.
He claimed that Americans are upset that “Washington has been unable or unwilling to solve any of our problems.” Which leads to another failure – to understand that, to paraphrase President Reagan, too much government is in itself a tremendous problem. The responsibility of government is to safeguard our liberty, not to solve our problems.
Failure to be truthful. He profoundly shamed himself when he not only lied about the Supreme Court’s recent free-speech ruling, but also publicly humiliated and embarrassed the justices for daring to defy him. Presidential? This was the stuff of a petty tyrant.
Either he lied when he said that he cut taxes for 95 percent of working families, or my wife and I are part of the five percent. My federal income tax went up 0.56 percent effective my check of January 12, which exposes another lie: That no one’s income tax was increased, unless you take that claim at the strictest meaning of “a single dime on a single person.”
He lied in touting his proposed spending freeze. On the face of it, a freeze would be to his credit. But freeze it where? At the massively expanded level to which he’s taking it? And the lie was compounded as he boasted of the billions he will save – after spending trillions, more than all his predecessors combined.
He lied when he said his deficits will be paid for on his watch. Our grandchildren will be paying for his deficits. His idea to “invest in our people without leaving them a mountain of debt” was laughable.
Failure to respect and obey the Constitution. He wants to overrule Congress when it fails to do his bidding. The Senate, with its Democrat supermajority, failed to pass a desired bill. So he will simply issue an executive order to compensate for his ineffective leadership by making it so anyway. So much for the role of Congress.
From health care demolition to overriding Congress and beyond, we have a President to whom the Constitution is merely something to be bent, shaped and molded to his whims. Uphold and defend? Fold, spindle and mutilate.
Failure to appreciate the intelligence of the American people. Popular opposition to health care demolition has become so virulent that even Congressional Democrats are standing down for fear of their political careers. Yet he called on them to do the suicidal and support it for the sake of their Leader’s agenda.
In sum, this speech was just a campaign rant against his predecessor. It is little wonder that he’s been so ineffective in addressing national problems, when his need to exalt his ego is his central concern. Then had the gall to claim that we’re frustrated because we think that, in Washington, “every day is election day!”
He rightly identified what he called a “deficit of trust.” But it’s not because of lobbyists, such as those who populate his administration in droves, as he claimed. Americans are angry, but most certainly not because we don’t understand what’s happening in Washington. It’s because we understand it all too well.
We’re being governed by statists who want three things and three things only: Enrichment and power for themselves and their friends; expansion of government power; and diminishment or elimination of our liberty. That, and the agenda of an arrogant, narcissistic braggart in the White House, is why we are angry.
Thomas Berry, for the Children of Liberty, http://thechildrenofliberty.ning.com.
Wow, bi-partisan much? Your sentiments echo the way I felt about Bush.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:26 amagreed with everything said here.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:28 amGreat article and in my opinion, everything stated is true. Growing up we all have been told to “listen” and you will “learn”. This President dosen’t listen so how can he learn. He thinks he has a bottomless checkbook and that he doesn’t have to answer to anyone. Wrong, wrong, wrong – you don’t have a bottomless checking account – but what he does have is “WE THE PEOPLE” money. He doesn’t want to listen to “WE THE PEOPLE” because he thinks he is above all and what he says is gospel/law and that WE THE PEOPLE are just too stupid to understand what he says and what he does. Michelle Obama said she was proud of her country one time…I have always been proud of my country, but right now I’m ashamed of what is happening to my country. I’m angry and so very disappointed in this President.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:29 amDear Thomas, your biased artical cannot be serious. Americans are not idiots. Please, just take a break to see what’s going on in the world currently.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:30 amAll that poor performance and inexperience you point out and he is still leap and bounds better than his horrible predecessor! I would be ashamed to be republican to have had candidates so poor that they would lose to this guy. don’t you think!
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:31 amI know you republicans are looking for a mission but how about being patriotic and get behind the commander and chief! We can’t have winning football team until you get your head in the game. Not a one of you stood up and applauded him during the State of the Union speech. Deplorable!
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:32 amGreat observations from Mr.Berry..The fact that this article wa son the first page of Google News, is in itself remarkable…If I ran my small business, an IT consulting firm, the way the Gov is running things, I’d be broke and in jail….AWG..
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:34 amResponding to “Faliure to understand basic economics”
Your critique of the President is inaccurate and does not take into account the importance of regulation within a capital society. Take for example patent, trademark and copyright laws. If there was no oversight we would not see the amazing creativity within technology, healthcare, the arts and writing. Other examples explain the need for government regulation in a capitalist society.
A true free market means that we would need a highly homogenous society to succeed. However, the United States is a melting pot of unique culture from all over the World.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:35 amThe absolute truth.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:38 amGreat message….He can give a speech….but his words have no reflection on his actions…We need to remember the principles that built this country….and go back to them. I truly feel sorry for the young people in America that are being saddled with this debt and no way to pay it back…
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:39 amSir: To say that your article is a piece of slanted nonsense is to slander slanted nonsense.
Without going into detail overmuch–it won’t make sense to you and you wouldn’t understand its implications even if you did–I’ll just remind you that never in the history of the republic has any president before Mr. Bush cut revenues during time of “war” and grown a deficit more quickly.
And no, the markets did not live in terror of an impending Obama presidency for 8 years: it was Bush’s doing, tout entiere.
Obama is more or less a zero, but your article is sadly laughable.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:39 amGreat piece of documented/accurate reporting. I thought I was the only one who knew Obama’s “tax reduction for 95% of the taxpayers” was nothing more than a little less withholding of taxes from the pay check. The tax code was not changed. The lesser withholding stopped 12/31/2009 and now the taxpayer is starting to see more withholding (the original amount) taken from their pay. They will soon realize that they will receive a less amount from their tax return because less taxes were withheld in tax year 2009. What a scam and the people “believed it.”
Face it—he just loves to hear himself talk. He told Reid “I have a gift.” Gift of gab!
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:41 amThe media will print this trashy expression, but remain silent about the millions of negative comments about last Thursdays Supreme Court ruling that were posted on their feedback sites.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:42 amThis is such a pile of misstatements it’s hard to know where to start. Let’s just say that argument number 1 is the problem with Republicans. You think by cutting taxes, revenues are raised. Where were you in January 2009, when our deficit had quadrupled under Mr Bush! Where were you in 2000 when we had a balanced budget that Mr Bush inherited from–you guessed it, Mr Clinton, who raised revenues and slashed spending–NOT, repeat, NOT by cutting taxes for the wealthiest people in the country. Fairyland dreaming, sir. Your thinking is what got us into this mess and its amazing to think after just one year out of office you want to return to exactly the policies that has come close to fryin’ our goose.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:42 am“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.” Romans 13:1
Pray for our leaders folks, we lving in perilous times. God bless President Obama and Sarah Palin and the US Supreme Court.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:42 amWhenever I encounter “basic economics” I stop reading. There’s nothing simple, or basic, about economics, as our current situation eloquently demonstrates.
The notion markets regulate themselves, for example, is so very basic, and so very wrong.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:44 amBabatunde, The editorial was talking about elimination of risk, not regulations. You talk about how oversight has spurred creativity within different industries.
Let me ask you a question – which industry is the most competitive, fastest advancing out there? I would posit its the electronics industry. Prices coming down all the time, new innovations it seems like every month.
The electronics industry probably has the least amount of regulation. No govt tax breaks, no arbitrary regulations etc. You want something done well, you free the market.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:45 amAs a retired USAF Cmsgt. of over 28 years of service.Extremely concerned of the impression the president is giving the world. He makes us the people of United States of America being an Country of weak stupid people afraid of standing up for Liberty and social justice that this country has fought and died for for generations.
Grover L Buckner
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:46 amRetired Cmsgt. USAF
I am also an angry white man but not a racist! This is just a bunch of inaccurate and misleading information by someone who hates our president and it sad that this pile of rubbish made the cover page of google news.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:51 amHey, I’ll bet this guy thought George Bush, on the other hand, was Superman…
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:52 amNot really worth a response….. but I just have to say that this Thomas Berry is incredibly ignorant. Please educated yourself on the topics before spewing forth such nonsense.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:52 amDo not cry wolf now.
Your “democratic” country voted for him.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:53 amTax Cuts- taxes up when we buy food, clothing,Other necessities needed to survive have increased, out rage us increase for any items to bring us pleasure. We are looked upon no different than those in our prisons. We need to blame ourselves for allowing our elected officials to behave in such a manner. Special interest groups rights have surpassed all, our voice is but a whisper.the healthCare plan is the biggest joke yet. You become ill all assets ceased, and redistributed to others of there choosing. Next they will try to change our Second Amendment
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:55 amBanks: taking risks is OK provided it is not with depositors money… Customers in good faith put money in commercial banks for custody,safety and sometimes for a small interest rate. This is is why Glass Steagal Act should be restablished. Hence if an Investment Bank goes bankrupt it does not bring into the picture the Commercial Banks.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:55 amA line item critique of this inaccurate and childishly simplistic bombast isn’t warrented considering that it will most likely be read only by adults with brains. Still, the author should, at the very least, read the preamble to the American constitution so that in the event that he ever undertakes show the world how little he knows about so much, he’ll at least have some awareness, although I seriously doubt an intelligent understanding, of what the roll of our government really is, and therefore what the American people have every right to expect from it.
Gary J Girard
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:55 amTHE AMERICAN PEOPLE HAVE NO INTELLIGENCE, THEY JUST LISTEN TO RUSH LIMBAUGH AND COMPANY.IF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE REALLY THE DEMOCRATS ARE THAT BAD THEN GO BACK TO THE REPUBLICANS;THE PARTY THAT SCREWED OUR COUNTRY UP IN THE FIRST PLACE AND THE HELL WITH IT.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:55 amI can’t help but notice that almost all the comments from the liberal posters do two things: (a) bash this article for not blindly standing behind the president and (b) throw-in a “Bush” bash (what happened to standing behind a president??) This is typical liberal double speak at its finest. I tell you, you guys hated Bush so much that you cannot (or refuse) to see the obvious problems with Obama. Are your heads so far in the clouds (or another place I do not want to say) that you are oblivious to what is going on? Americans, not just conservatives, have had enough! Just check the stats, Bush had a higher approval rating at this point in his presidency than Obama does. But wait – - that is probably Bush’s fault to. Geesh!
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 9:57 amIt is worth noting that the majority of comments defending the president are full of misspellings, illiterate grammatical mistakes, and emotional tirades. Could it be that the more enlightened have a clearer understanding?
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 10:01 amI do not know what “stimulus” Bush wrought; all I know is that at the end of his 8 yrs he had turned a SURPLUS into a $3Trillion DEFICIT !!!!??? And that is a Fact.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 10:01 amGreat article! Looking at the comments here has astounded me. We’ve got Dave that wants Mr. Berry to be educated when he himself can’t proof read his own comment. We’ve got Tony who’s mad that the republicans didn’t stand up and applaud the president. Why would we applaud a domestic enemy? We’ve got gasseling wanting us to see what’s going on in the world currently. Not even sure how that relates to Obama being a terrible president. But I agree with Angry White Guy, I can’t believe this is on the front page of Google News. Anyway Mr. Berry, great job of speaking the truth. Keep up the good work.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 10:02 amRepublican or democrats anger is misplaced: its all about the money!
As cable’s Kramer points out China practices better capitalism than we do. Their gov’t stepped in to prevent a housing bubble from bursting. In comparison our greed won out with disastrous results. Lobbyists when out over the good of the people ever time.
The real issue with health care is we Americans pay the highest costs in the world yet we rank 37th in QUALITY. Conditioning prevents us from seeing just how bad off we are. For instance no other country allows pharmaceutical advertising.
For myself, living overseas opened my eyes to just how clueless and corrupt we are.
All this shows is just how effective the 252,000 American Medical Association (read doctors) is. There primary concern is THEIR income people, not our patient care.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 10:05 amSo nothing has changed: we will pay more of our income to the rich jet-set doctors with their four day work weeks.
You have got to be kidding me. This article is a perfect example of self-imposed partisan blindness and revisionism. You complain about Obama’s ego, but you might want to take a look in the mirror, sir. The arguments throughout most of it are laughable at best.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 10:13 amBush’s tax cuts were “paid for” by the growth of the economy under Bush’s watch?!?! Two questions: 1. If that’s true, why did we have a deficit of over 1 trillion dollars at the end of the Bush presidency? and 2. Is that the same growing economy that CRASHED under Bush’s watch??!!!
While I agree that risk-taking is a party of the free market, there is also a place for reasoned regulation. A almost total lack of regulation was a huge contributor to the economic fallout we are experiencing now. And Obama in no way suggested that government completely take over the economy, private property, etc. Don’t you think you’re taking that one a little too far? You might want to wipe the froth from the corners of your mouth.
It’s intersting that you cite as an apparently gospel truth that government does not exist to solve any problems. I encourage you to run for political office on that premise and see how many of your fellow citizens want to elect you. I think your distinction of protecting liberty vs. solving problems is splitting some pretty fine hairs. I would guess you wouldn’t be too pleased if your house was being broken into and all of your property stolen by many armed men and when you called the cops they said, “Sorry sir, we work for the government. We’re not here to solve any problems. But we completely support your freedom to be robbed.” My guess is you’ll argue this point, which brings me back to my hair-splitting comment and the fact that you are splitting hairs on Obama’s comment just to make him sound bad because you don’t like him.
That’s basically what you’re article is about. You don’t like Obama and you really liked Bush, so you will “fold, twist and manipulate” things to make one look bad and the other look good. Hence, your blind, Bush-lauding economy comments. And my personal favorite, going after Obama for his rampant abuse of executive powers and trampling of the Constitution (forming a TASK FORCE – gasp!). I don’t want to ruin the surprise, but forming a task force is totally within the powers of the Presidency. If the President doesn’t even have the power to form a task force, then we are quite possibly screwed as a nation, and I’m not sure why we elect one. The ironic thing is that Bush (whom you love) made a more sweeping executive power grab during his Presidency than virtually any President before him. You might want to do some reading. I know, they probably didn’t mention that on Fox News.
Your point about the health care debate is a little counter-productive. If you’re so sure that passing health care will be a bomb, then why not encourage it? All the Democrats will be voted out of office and your friends the Republicans will take over with a super-super-majority and repeal the awful thing. Ha ha! Oh wait, that wouldn’t happen, because you forget to mention (and obviously know) that a lot of people support healthcare reform, maybe more than those that are against it. In fact, there are polls out that show that the reason the Democrats lost Massachusetts was because Democratic voters and independents that support healthcare reform didn’t turn out for the special election because they were underwhelmed by the lack of action on healthcare. In fact, Democratic lawmakers have a lot more to fear from their electorate by NOT passing healthcare.
By the way, your final comments, starting with “Enrichment and power for themselves and their friends…” could all have been said very accurately about the Bush presidency (defense contracts, huge abuses of executive power, wiretapping, the Patriot Act). Where were you with all your anger during that Presidency? Oh, that’s right. Bush’s friends are your friends. That’s why you write these revisionist, blind, irresponsible, manipulative articles. Got it.
“Failure to understand basic economics”
Where did he say he was going to abolish risk? I heard he was going to fix the system so that those who would take risks but aren’t willing to accept the consequences would be forced to face them. Remember the banking industry leading up to the financial collapse? They’ve gotten off scott-free because of the bailout. But we couldn’t let them fail either, or millions and millions more jobs would have been lost. The economic damage would have put us in Japan’s place in the early 90′s.
“Failure to understand responsibility”
Bush created over $6.2T of our current deficit. Obama is responsible for about $5T of. A lot of that debt comes from the bailouts. Which any economist will tell you we needed. Being angry at government spending is one thing, but understand it’s better for our nation to be in debt than it is for our entire financial system to collapse.
“Failure to be truthful”
Bush/Cheney/Reagan/Clinton/Sr. Bush slammed the Supreme Court constantly whenever they said something they didn’t like. Guess what? It’s part of our normal political discourse. Don’t sit here and pretend this is unprecedented. The branches are free to criticize each other.
He didn’t sign the bailout into law, but he put rules on how the bailout money would be distributed. Bush wanted to ‘trust the market’ and just give the money out with no strings attached.
As for his expectation to pay down the deficit under his watch, that’ll pretty unrealistic. It took us nearly ten years to get into this hole. He won’t be able to dig us out in three.
“Failure to respect and obey the Constitution.”
Please show me the part of the constitution that says it should require a super majority in either house of congress in order to pass a piece of legislation that does not alter the Constitution. You can’t, because it doesn’t exist. The Senate’s filibuster rule is being abused – it was not intended to require a 60 vote majority to pass everything. This rule should be declared unconstitutional, or the constitution should be amended to require a super majority. As it stands, the Senate’s own rules are preventing it from doing business. The Democrats didn’t filibuster everything the Bush administration did. The Republicans are. They are abusing their power – rule by the minority, if you would. Please provide evidence to the contrary if you disagree. I have evidence to prove what I claim is true, and it is on Congress’ website on filibuster use. Public data.
“Failure to appreciate the intelligence of the American people”
I think we disagree ideologically here. And I think the conservatives misled and outright LIED to the public about what healthcare reform would do, and now they’re scared because the conservatives say they should be. “kill grandma” and “death panels” and “losing your choice”. Nonsense, anyone who took the time to read these bills would know better. 1,000 pages in legal formatting is like 32 pages of a regular book, don’t sit here and attempt to pretend it’s some giant beast that can’t be comprehended by mere mortals. You can read the whole damn thing in less than an hour.
I look forward to your response.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 10:15 amMore than $8 billion is spent each year to diagnose and treat STDs/STIs and their complications. This figure does not include HIV. CDC’s latest estimates suggest that more than 56,000 Americans become infected each year13—one person every 9½ minutes—and that more than one million people in this country are now living with HIV.14 Far too many Americans remain at risk for HIV, especially African Americans, Latinos, and gay and bisexual men of all races. CDC estimates that roughly 1 in 5 people infected with HIV in the United States is unaware of his or her infection and may be unknowingly transmitting the virus to others.average cost 12.1 billion annually. What is the cost each year of our Social Servies, our 2.2 million inmates We have aprox. 305 million people. Why wont the government post these spendings for all to see.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 10:16 amThe deficit went up every year after Bush’s unpaid-for tax cuts. You’re just wrong on that.
The government properly limits risks. Would we be better off if the bankers just took all our money and went to Vegas with it? That’s about what they did. It’s not a matter of eliminating risks, but taking the right ones. Driving is a risk. Driving while drunk and texting is a stupid risk. Writing a mortgage is a risk. Turning a pile of junk mortgages into AAA-rated securities and betting your firm on that sly move workign out is a stupid risk. The latter is what governments are properly in the business of stopping.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 10:19 amWhat else would you expect from a President who had ZERO leadership/management skills on his resume? However, I believe if you look a little further, Obama is no more than the “talking head.” Rahm Emmanuel and Axelrod are the people pushing the agenda. No one person can dream up so many stupid ideas (including Pelosi and Reid).
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 10:21 amThomas Berry’s 5 key failures
Failure to check your sources. In 2002 (that’s when Bush was president, just helping cause I know you have a problem with history), legislation was passed that allowed consumer and investment banks to merge, putting your checking account and mortgage backed securities under the same roof. This presents the problem of the risk associated with investment spilling over to our checking account and lines of credit.
Since WW2 republicans have had a bit of a problem paying for the tax cuts they create. Since 1973 each democratic term has seen a decrease in the national debt, while each republican president has increased it. Don’t take my word for it, google it. Here, I’ll Help: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_debt_by_U.S._presidential_terms
Failure to understand Causality. Obama’s policies could not have helped the recession if the recession happened before Obama took office. The recession bottomed out just two months after he took office. I know, time is hard.
Failure to check your sources, again. I know, I know, facts hurt. Anyone who claims keeping foreign companies out of our elections is a bad thing, in my humble opinion, borders on treason. It’s not Obama’s problem if you want to botch your taxes to spite him. The savings are there, look around a bit. Bush’s bailout, the one where banks got billions of dollars, and the two wars that he didn’t want to pay for, while cutting taxes, cost us way more than Obama could ever spend. Obama’s budget would start paying down our national debt by next year. There’s a lot of it, it will take a long, long time to pay it all off, but by the end of his first term, he should have paid back more than his administration has borrowed out.
Failure to articulate. Obama cannot and will not pass healthcare legislation without congress. It’s beyond his power to do so. The only thing he threatened to do if congress doesn’t get its act together is reform bank regulation. You didn’t mention that though. The problem about character assassination is that it comes back to bite you in the butt unless you articulate why you believe it to be true. I can’t just say Thomas Berry is an idiot and leave it at that. I would have to say Thomas Berry is an idiot because he believes things that simply aren’t true.
Failure to avoid hypocrisy. While the current health care bill might be loaded down with pork, the vast majority of Americans want health care reform. The majority gets even higher when you’re talking to doctors and health care workers who actually understand what’s going on. You can’t claim to speak for the American people and then take a stance that’s in the minority without insulting our intelligence.
I know it’s your job to make smear the Obama administration, but please, for the sake of American politics as a whole, raise the bar a little. Attack him for actual policies, don’t just make stuff up.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 10:26 amI can’t believe any real print media would print such trash. Mr. Berry you are a failure for failing to comprehend what you have written about. You have taken one side of a story (just like faux news, rush and hannity, the tea partiers and the other foolish talking heads) and made it your mantra. So many folks are so upset that we have a person of color in the white house. We had a stupid white guy in the white house for 8 yrs. Let’s give Mr Obama some time to get us out of a very bad mess the prior guy got us into.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 10:31 amWell said Perry.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 10:32 amAbsolutely, 100% correct.
Obama’s team will shut this down, just watch.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 10:33 amPerry wrote:
“the vast majority of Americans want health care reform. The majority gets even higher when you’re talking to doctors and health care workers who actually understand what’s going on.”
This is not true. Every health care professional I meet is for keeping the CURRENT lavish-rewarding-for-themselves system.
Everyone else pay has been frozen or taking pay cuts. But not our doctors. So far only the huge rate of growth is health care costs has decreased.
I long for the day when we return to doctors seeing patients as sick people and not as a for profit $$$ business.
Note: Medicare and VA are current solicalize health care programs that senior just LOVE as private insurance is neither dependable or cost effective.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 10:42 amAnd let’s not forget, the President is a Muslim, not born in the U.S., and is a mixed race person.
The seething and loathing of a mixed race person in office, is brewing and on slow boil.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 10:43 amWOW-EE! Everyone should read Perry’s comments – of course, pure Obama-haters won’t take the time to absorb the facts in such a LONG (ha) set of comments by Perry.
Key point for their little brain to swallow – B*sh took a budget surplus and turned it into a massive multi-trillion dollar deficit. He never paid for the wars he started. He allowed massive scandals to brew with his pro-corporate policies that have destroyed American families future earnings abilities and burdened the youth.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 10:45 amI agree! There will always be disgruntled demorats in government, they whine about taking away their rights to a free lunch. Obama owns this mess, after a year the American people clearly have “buyer’s remorse”. Obama is a worthless president who is the biggest racist to occupy the white house! I’m glad this nut lost power and now we can breath again.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 10:53 amG.W., had 53 straight months of positive economic growth after 9 / 1 /01. Then , in 2006, the Demonrats , took control of both houses of Congress,scheming with their old ways of TAXING, WASTING, and FREE ENTERPRISE MEDDLING !
That’s when sub prime loans PUSHED onto banks and other lenders upon THREATS from Barney Fwank / Dodd, and others, causing the Chinese , to DUMP Fannie & Freddie, BONDS like HOT ROCKS !! Completing the CRASH !
This from an economics major ,with an M.B.A., from two of America’s GREATEST business schools !
Let me ask you vapid DEMONRATS: ” is the cheese in the mousetrap…FREE ?”
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 10:54 amWHY is his being a “mixed-race” causing you to be so upset? You clearly are a knuckle-draggin’ neanderthal. You do realize God made us all the same, don’t you? White brown black yellow small tall hairy smooth lean fat gay straight male female and smart & slow – GOD MADE IT ALL!
take your racist slow boil and go throw it in the LAKE!
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 10:54 amI was going to try to attack this article, until I read the posting by “Perry”. Brilliant rebuttal, sir! Point by point, you took Thomas Berry’s weak, teabagged rants and shredded them.
Nicely done.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 10:58 amI only read this article to get an impression of the “Toledo Free Press”. Well I guess it is just another right wing rag and it is too bad that it is on the Google news page. But that is the freedom of speech which still and always will exist in the USA.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 11:05 amLets see which would I rather govern our country, government or corporations? The republicans would have our government solely exist to wage war on other countries (in the name of protecting us?) and the citizens of the USA be dammed. Tax breaks for the rich (that want to outsource abroad for the cheaper labor) and no wage increases for the true working people.
Equal opportunity does not exist in our country anymore if it ever has? The Republican Party is made up of people who are racist (angry white man, are you kidding me?) and selfish. By the way I’m a 53 year old white man and I have owned businesses.
Healthcare reform is needed to stabilize everything, jobs included. Also even the republicans stood up when Obama criticized the Supreme Court justices. Michael Sanders, if the republicans would stop cutting education spending then we could all be a little more literate. Literacy doesn’t always correlate to good old common sense. Mr. Berry proves that!
Perry – very well said and I agree completely – but you miss the point a bit.
These right wing hacks are not journalists who have to worry about “checking sources” and “facts” and “truth”. They are interested in swaying opinion – i.e. they are propaganda machines of the highest order. Unfortunately it seems to be working.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 11:06 amApparently Thomas Berry and the Children of Liberty are the offspring of disinformation and ignorant hysteria – or is it hysterical ignorance?
Other readers have pointed out other examples of Mr. Berry’s flawed reasoning, but I’d like to point out that executive orders have been issued by US Presidents since 1789 and hardly qualify as a “failure to respect and obey the US Constitution.”
I would advise Mr. Berry to consult sources like the Congressional Research Service or at the very least Wikipedia before he writes another misinformed, scurrilous screed that just adds another drop of poison to the well of American political discourse.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 11:09 amOBAMA IS AN ILLEGAL ALIEN TERRORIST ANTI-WHITE ANTI-CHRISTIAN COMMUNIST. GET IT THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULLS ALREADY
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 11:19 amRight on. The facts speak volumes!
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 11:31 amI don’t think Mr. Berry wrote this op-ed in support of Mr. Bush and clearly, the wrongs of the Bush administration CANNOT justify the wrongs of the current Obama administration. The problems we face today go back longer than Bush 1, so to blame Bush 2 is just another example of finger pointing by those who, as another comment says, doesn’t know or understand history.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 11:32 amMr. Berry appears to be auditioning for a spot on Faux News. He certainly does a good job parroting their screeds – I believe “Obama is a tyrant” was the theme-of-the-week sometime last spring, for example.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 11:34 amThis Article is BS.
I don’t like Obama but you are making wild assumptions and generalizations.
You are misrepresenting what he said.
There is so much you can actually argue with but you are completely wrong about most of the points you make on here.
You suck.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 12:05 pmI think what everyone is forgetting is that the President doesn’t pass any laws or make any changes on his own. It is Congress who does that, and it is Congress that should shoulder the blame.
People love to throw out how Clinton had a budget surplus. Well guess what? While Clinton was President, we had a Republican controlled House and a Republican controlled Senate. So the Democrats didn’t deliver a surplus, the Republicans did. Why should the President get credit for a surplus, when it is Congress who votes on spending and sets taxes to earn revenue?
As for George W, in his first six months, he had a Republican House and Senate. But then Democrats took the Senate for two years. Republicans took it back for four years, and Democrats took it for the final two years. So Bush had a split Congress for half his Presidency, including the final two years when the economy went into free fall. Bush had a lame duck Congress. And some of the banking bills that were passed in that period, that were partially responsible for the economic collapse, were written by Democrats (including Harry Reid).
Now, you have a situation where you have a Democrat as President, Democrats controlling the House and Democrats controlling the Senate, for a full year now, and you have a complete and utter failure to accomplish anything. The last time this happened was the Jimmy Carter presidency, and we all know how that turned out. It was considered one of the greatest government failures of all time, and lead directly to the problems with the economy under Regan. The people disliked Carter so much that he only won 6 states when he sought re-election.
It’s all just history repeating itself.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 12:41 pm“NCisAdisgustingRacist”
Maybe take a deep breath?
“WHY is his being a “mixed-race” causing you to be so upset?”
Who’s upset?
The seething and boiling about a mixed race person in office and an alleged Muslim with no proper birth record, according to some, is the oft repeated comments by many in the Tea Party movement, that’s all.
Mr. Berry uses the name Hussein, when he has referred to the President.
It kinda goes hand in hand with the Editorial question before us, can people deduce fact from propaganda.
Yes, the creator made us, but many in these United States are not ready for a non white person to be in such a leadership role, but I am not one of those.
Change and diversity is wonderful.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 12:43 pmThe fact is American health care professionals pay is way out of line with other countries. This is why America rates 37th in health care quality but first in cost.
The doctors/health care lobbying is very powerful and has decimated Obama with with the tea parties and tag along rasicm crowd. Even their upcoming convention is for profit!
In the meantime American corporations have had enough and are rapidly shifting costs onto employees. Perhaps people will finally realize that the only subject that matters is the amount of money we pay for health-care.
Heaven forbid if Congress were to empower a bipartisan commission to compare American health care costs to other developed countries.
Old saying:
It all about the money stupid!
Now back to your local Republican vs. democratic red herring with a dash of racism thrown in. Enjoy your lower standard of living.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 12:44 pm“Well I guess it is just another right wing rag and it is too bad that it is on the Google news page.”
TFP did a good thing for us, by publishing the commentary.
It helps to bring to light of the day, the thoughts of the citizens and from that we can grow and change.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 1:12 pmDid you guys see Obama just dropkick the hell out of the House GOP? Even the Republicans are regretting they opened it to the public. He pushed the BS this clown and his clown posse of have been spouting off on here!
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 5:51 pmThe Toledo Blade
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 6:10 pmArticle published January 29, 2010
New GOP religion is just grand
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100129/OPINION03/1290323
This President and his administration were delivered a nation and economy on life support a year ago. No one understood whether the world economy would implode, resulting in a global depression.
Fortunately, we have stepped back from the abyss and the economy is slowly recovering, but all we hear from the media is why are we not yet out of the woods.
After a decade of tax cuts for a chosen few, the hollowing out of the manufacturing base, job losses related to health-care costs that are out of control, and two wars that weren’t paid for, accountability for this multitude of sins has fallen on the new President.
The almost universal amnesia of the media is revolting. They stand silently by questioning the new-found religion of the Republican Party, “fiscal responsibility.” These recently reborn budget hawks, the very participants in the near demise of the nation, have now become the disciples of financial responsibility.
Have the demagogues of the right and their Republican allies forgotten that the last Republican administration received a government in the black in 2001, which was paying down the national debt, not adding to it?
Now, suddenly it’s all about the grandkids. Isn’t this new religion grand?
In a decade that saw the first decrease in the standard of living for the American people, who was looking out for the little guy? No one. Now it’s all on this President and the press expects instant gratification.
Thomas Joseph
East Northgate Parkway
Excellent comment Dave Pace. As if one man could come into Washington and change the lobbyist influenced status quo. It is about the money. Wealthy Democrats and wealthy Republicans and all their wealthy friends making a living off us poor working bastards. The men behind the curtain just give us a couple of mediocre actors to blame who get to make their mark in history as the 43rd and 44th presidents.
Now if you happen to be on the receiving end of the fruits of the lobbyists labors you will think differently.
This comment was posted on January 29th, 2010 at 6:59 pmMr. Berry, pens that the Constitution needs to be followed and presently there are actions and departments not set out in the Constitution, but Mr. Berry, also writes on his blog, that NASA is not called for in the Constitution, but yet, he acknowledges that with out we would be living in the 18th. century.
But yet, here he rails and goes on and on, about the failure to follow the Constitution and yet, NASA is okay. So, that means an Interstate Highway System not called for in the Constitution is also not called for, but we need to get commerce and people across the country, and the FAA should be booted out, also, because there is no FAA in the Constitution, but wait people want to fly.
Mr. Berry’s underlying beef is really pretty clear.
This comment was posted on January 30th, 2010 at 10:17 amYes, let all of AmeriKa, follow Toledo’s and Detroit’s , exemplary model of governing….soon after, we’ll all be worse off than Mexico, Nicaragua,N.Korea, Venezuela,etc., all Third World toilets, the Demonrats are Hell bent on emulating.
Nothing could be more vapid !
Demonrats: base defilers of everything they touch…they came for the unborn and now…are after the elderly.
This comment was posted on January 30th, 2010 at 12:32 pmBrack has lied to the American Public time and time again, including items in the health care bill he promised were not in there, but later found they were, it is unreal. All he wants is to pass a bill, regardless of the impact on the taxpayer, just to say “HE” got healthcare passed.
His new tactic since the Brown election, is to stop breaking every professional rule of conduct, and start working bi-partisan like he promised during his elections. Now he wants to pass job creation… like what he should have been focusing on since Jan 2009. The government cant run Medicare without massive fraud, Medicaid, the VA Hospital system and mostly the money sucking Post Office. Go fix these and show you can run a business first before throwing trillions into another pet project for the taxpayers to subsidize.
Only US companies and people will be able to run polical ads, not foriegn companies/people, so that statement by Brack was a lie… period.
Brack doesnt seems to understand that he has to have majority support from both sides of the Congress, and the Members need to be voting for what the majority of what “their constituents” want, not what the Dems/Brack want. His lack of any business/professionalism in dealing with the people who pay his salary, pay for his lavish lifestyle of wasting our taxes on his travel all over the world to “announce or sign a bill” shows how concerned he is on spending.
Same goes with all the House and Senate Members who fly private jets, and dont dare think that they would subject themselves to the same Healthcare bill they propose, or travel on commercial airlines on their own money.
Leadership starts at the top with respect and accountability, and I have seen none from Brack. He demeans Journalists, Police Officers, Military Commanders (whom he later took their “bad advice” and agreed that 30K troops were needed) and the average American. Not a one of these posts called Brack “President Obama”. Why not? It’s clear.
This comment was posted on January 31st, 2010 at 6:08 pm1) Obama is a one-term president. See Carter, Jimmah.
2) Obama is going to cost the democRATS the House in 2010. See Clinton, ‘Slick Willie’.
So glad Obama beat that RINO McCain. Republicans will win the House back +plus+ a real Conservative candidate will be our nominee in 2012. Funny how things turn out, isn’t it?
This comment was posted on February 4th, 2010 at 4:33 pmGreat article! All of you who say he needs to “educate” himself further….on what points??? Where did he go wrong? What research aides should he use?……do I hear crickets??
This comment was posted on February 8th, 2010 at 10:01 amKeep up the good fight Thomas
agreed with everything said here. But I would of have said it 9 years ago
This comment was posted on June 21st, 2010 at 11:30 amThe churches have been stealing from Gay people long enough.Gays, who pay taxes, are denied basic civil rights, The church, who is tax exempt, affect public policy on Gay people.I would send the church to hell, if there were such a place. For now, letsleave them in the middle ages with their folklore and superstition.Whatever good there is in religion, can be had without religion.It is trickery, superstition, and shame.People who want to “save marriage” have their work cut out for them.Start with the incredibly high divorce rate.
This comment was posted on August 11th, 2010 at 11:34 am