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Will President Obama improve the country?
Results so far:
| Yes | 61% | 451 votes | Total: 738 votes | |
| No | 39% | 287 votes |
Yes
by Joshua Lee
Created on: January 28, 2009
Barack Obama will most certainly improve the country. I'm not talking about ideology, liberals or conservatives. I'm not going to argue that his position on abortion is morally superior, or his beliefs on education are perfect. This is instead about who he is as an individual, and how the world feels about him. Obama has intelligence, leadership, competence, and international goodwill the likes of which we haven't seen before.
First off, he is one of the most intelligent presidents we've ever had. Even the most conservative of Republicans admit this. Coming from the most humble of beginnings, and through the promise of America, he managed to become the leader of the Free World. Certainly that tells something of his intellect? He went to Harvard Law and became President of the Harvard Law Review. This wasn't achieved through his Daddy's connections, but through intelligence, and a steady dose of humility, inspiration, understanding, leadership, and competence.
Anyone who looks at him from an objective standpoint cannot help but see this intelligence emanating from his every word. Compare it with the disjointed, incoherent sentences of his predecessor, and it's worlds apart. It is not a matter of a better or worse ideology, or being a Democrat instead of a Republican. It will be a huge step forward to have a President who actually understands the bounds of the rule of law, the limits of the free market, and a foreign policy that understands that while we are the most powerful country the world has ever seen, we cannot solve the world's challenges on our own.
Second, the man has strong leadership. I'm not talking about years in the Senate, I'm talking about leadership learned on the streets of Chicago. Becoming a successful community organizer requires immense and unique leadership abilities found in few other professions. To make sure that everyone is doing what needs to be done is a task that requires a dedicated mind, a mind that isn't afraid to make the tough decisions or take new ideas into account.
Obama has already shown this by going out of his way to include minority Senate Republicans in the debate over the Stimulus package. He was under no obligation to do so. Indeed, Democrats and Republicans alike both publicly admit that Obama already had the 60 votes he needs for passage.
Being a community organizer requires that you listen to disparate opinions from across the spectrum. You must cull these opinions together into a workable, pragmatic solution that everyone may not like, but makes sure everyone understands that they had a voice in the process.
Third, he has an inner competence the likes of which haven't been seen before in our politics. He is not a party hack like Bush or Clinton. He's not going to be prone to corruption like Nixon. I firmly believe, for the first time in my life, that my President's highest priority actually IS the governing and well-being of this country, instead of the standard partisan jostling and yelling that occurs.
The ethics standards he has imposed already are a great step in the right direction. He wants to make government open and accountable to everyone. Take a look at his website. Did you know that he's going to have every major [non-emergency] bill that goes to his desk online for anyone to view and comment on for five days? Or that he's going to make the project manager's names public for every single piece of this stimulus package?
Who knows, it might even be possible for our government to work a little more efficiently. I'm not asking for perfection, but at least something that's functional. Washington was not functional in the slightest for the final two years of Bush's presidency. To emphasize his belief that technology will fuel his Presidency more than any other, he's turning whitehouse.gov into an open book of information about his administration and plans for the future, especially compared to his secretive predecessor. Honest government can only work if there is transparency, and Obama's effort to maximize that transparency speaks highly of him.
Finally, he has more international goodwill than anyone would have thought possible after the mistakes and incompetence of George W. Bush. Some might call this silly to point out. They say that world opinion is a fickle thing, and that the Obama euphoria will wear off as he pursues unpopular policies. That may happen, I cannot predict the future. But right here, at this point in our history, Obama actually has a window to DO something significant. Imagine...actual progress being made on a host of international crisis facing the world.
From Rwanda to Zimbabwe to Myanmar to North Korea to Russia to China to Israel-Gaza to Iran to Afghanistan and Iraq, something has to be done. Obama, like no other president before him, has the ability and potential to actually confront these issues. For once, we have a President who is honest and straightforward about the challenges ahead of us. Whether you supported him for President or not when he was running, I ask you now to stand with me at this vital juncture in our history to help Barack Obama succeed and finally turn the promise of the United States into reality.
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No
by American Citizen
Created on: April 03, 2009
Define improve. If one is on the side of American liberty and justice, the Natural Rights of Humanity, property ownership and the US Constitution, then no. He will destroy everything upon which our country was founded. If one is on the side of socialism and its march toward communism, then you have your ace in the hole. Congratulations commies. Taking over the USA would be quite a feather in your caps.
Definition of Communism. n. 1. a theory or system of social organization based on the holding of all property in common, actual ownership being ascribed to the community as a whole or to the state. 2. a political doctrine or movement based on Marxism and developed by Lenin and others, seeking a violent overthrow of capitalism and the creation of a classless society. 3. a system of social organization in which all economic and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating party. [1835-45]
Definition of Socialism. n. 1. a theory or system of social organization in which the means of production and distribution of goods are owned and controlled collectively by the government. 2. (in Marxist theory) the state following capitalism in the transition of a society to communism, characterized by the imperfect implementation of collectivist principles. [1830-40]
Europe and Canada may be thrilled to have socialized medicine, enough to tempt Americans to want it too. But here I'll illustrate the issue that no Keynesian economist is willing to tell you. Remember that there's no such thing as a free lunch.
Let's say a pharmaceutical manufacturer makes medi-widgets, and the cost of production is $35 per unit. A generally acceptable mark-up is 100% (to $70 retail). This covers overhead and hopefully leaves a 10% margin ($7 of the marked up price) for profit. The company would like to remain competitive for the following year.
Let's say the socialist European Union governments fix the price that they'll pay for the medi-widgets at $30. They'll pay no more. The pharmaceutical company is operating in Europe at a $5 loss for every unit sold. The European patients are thrilled. It seems free. But there is no such thing as a free lunch.
The pharmaceutical company will simply make up the difference in the freest markets available - like the USA. We are paying so damn much for our health care because of onerous regulations, bureacratic insurance companies, high taxes AND we are subsidizing the socialist countries. Are you SURE you want the US government to buy everything and set the prices for everything here?
Do not be fooled. A socialist regime is not your buddy, not your protector, not your savior.
Capitalism may be very easy to corrupt. This is precisely why capitalism is not also a system of government; it's separate. Free market capitalism requires a regulatory environment that provides equal protection of the law to all parties. Fraud, misrepresentation, theft, etc. are illegal across the board. Regulations cannot (at least should not) be relaxed or manipulated to the point that one party's rights are infringed upon by another party (see Bill of Rights Amendment IX). This happens often and capitalism gets blamed. For heaven's sake! There is a world of difference between capitalism and fascism and biased favortism. Like I mentioned, capitalism is easy to corrupt. That's why the law must be impartial, particularly the courts where the laws are interpreted. But socialism and communism cannot exist without corruption and overwhelming force.
Not sure that free market economics and capitalism are your path to wealth? Socialism will not lead you anywhere but complete impoverishment. Please read Orwell's "1984", with particular attention to the book within the novel. Want more academic evidence? Take a gander at Hazlitt's "Economics in One Lesson".
People are not all the same. This one basic truth that everyone seems to know escapes people once money comes up. No, a street sweeper should NOT earn the same as a neurosurgeon. That makes sense to everyone including neurosurgeons and street sweepers. As human beings, each is equally valuable. As contributors to society's needs, each is compensated differently. That is free market economy. But don't tell Obama. He doesn't like income gaps. Personally, I don't like astronomical income gaps either. It's a signal that something is grossly wrong. He doesn't like any. $250,000 is quite enough for anyone to be satisfied. Above that, you'll be taxed to subsidize who-knows-who who-knows-where.
How do you forget the atrocities of Lenin, Stalin, Trotsky, Hitler, Franco, Mao and vote for socialized medicine? What do you think is coming? Prosperity and health? A government that is willing to temper its own use of power? Yeah, good luck.
Vote yourself free and rich - vote Libertarian - vote Constitution Party - vote Boston Tea Party - vote American Patriot. Anything but same-old! The truth has been hidden for too long.
(c) 2009 all rights reserved without prejudice. Expression of free speech. Protected from all government infringement by guarantees of 1st Amendment and 9th Amendment. Enforcement of legislation/regulati on that is repugnant to the US and/or any State Constitution is itself criminal activity.
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