Obama’s critics are oblivious to nation’s reality
Published 12:00 am Sunday, August 1, 2010
There are two people that I just thoroughly enjoy: Rush Limbaugh and Homer Campbell. They share a common bond. I laugh so hard when I listen to or read their views.
I read Campbell’s article on June 30, in The Tribune and I rolled with laughter. Along with the other articles he has written, it was all there. How long can someone cry and complain because their party lost the White House and Congress? He has beaten that horse to death.
Let’s go back a few years to a better time when we had a financial surplus. Unemployment was below 5 percent and the world had eight years of peace. Sound familiar?
That, sir, was a Democratic administration. I believe that president’s name was William Jefferson Clinton.
Some people couldn’t stand prosperity. So the Republican party found the worst candidate (he proved it in eight years) to become president.
In his first six months he destroyed that surplus and within a year we were in two wars, one justified and the other his personal war.
More than 4,300 soldiers lost their lives. He was a good one, huh?
Then there was his bail-out of the financial institutions. How easy to forget who started this crisis. How about tax breaks for his wealthy friends making over $200,000 a year. What about tax breaks to outsource 3 million jobs to foreign countries?
I’m sure all of that is OK with some people. It’s obvious that Homer is a devout member of the party of “No.” Those folks want to fight someone who wants to govern and try to make things better.
I will admit, I did not vote for Barack Obama, I wrote in Hillary Clinton. I’m not intelligent enough to know if his programs will work. I do know that what the Republican party has pushed doesn’t.
Let’s review some of the programs that some think make the president a socialist.
He wanted the federal government to have some controls over the financial industry, particularly bonuses to top officials. He wanted the government to have a say in how much a CEO of an automobile company can make, especially in bonuses.
The money that we gave them for a bail-out was our taxdollars. If I give you a loan to help you, I’m not going to without stipulations.
I congratulate Mr. Obama for putting controls on this money. Remember they can get out from under these controls. They just have to pay it back.
The GOP party just blocked a bill that would extend unemployment benefits for some 200,000 workers a month.
Worried about the deficit? They weren’t worried about the deficit during Mr. Bush’s administration or cutting taxes to help them. This means more families without enough money to make mortgage payments, or to buy food or clothing for their children. But that’s OK, right? God walked among the poor, we can too?
I’ve admitted that I can’t debate Mr. Obama’s policies. So I state this: Campbell and others have cut and carried on about what he’s doing.
Here it is: What is your answer to all the problems he was left with? What would you do to turn us around? Someone should have answers for all this. You’re so absolutely sure he’s taking us in the wrong direction.
In closing, I think Mr. Campbell, should apologize to all the people he has offended. Or give me some more fodder for a good laugh.
Robert E. Smith
South Point